PSA Station
Business, Marketing, and New Technology
Another Great Cell Phone and Service -Check it Out
Aug 30th
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
As per my continuing quest for a great new cell phone at the best price, here is the latest update on my findings.
This service is Straight Talk. It has no contracts, so you’re free to try it out. They have great nationwide coverage, and you can get unlimited calls, texting, picture sending, and web for $45. There are no fees for activating, or re-activating, or terminating. These are some of the best prices I’ve found around.
They have one plan that they call the “All You Need Plan” which indeed, has everything you need . With this, you can use 1000 minutes, 1000 texts and 30 MB of web data, so you don’t have to think, “how many minutes do I have left?” whenever you want to call a friend .
They have some really great prices on the phone itself, especially if you’re looking for a bargain. They have some reconditioned phones for only $10. These are not simple phones, either. They have cameras, mp3 player capability, web access, and even blue-tooth. I don’t know about you, but my kids are forever dropping, losing, or breaking their phones, and being able to get one that does what they want (read- need) for only $10 is a real life-saver. Even if they “think” they have to have a new $200 phone, sometimes mom knows best .
At that price you can get several just in case!
Hear from a real person, and what he has to say about the service:
The Search For a New Cell Phone
Aug 30th
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Net10 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
How often do you change your phone or your plan? Probably more often than you used to, right? We’re all looking to save a buck, and cell phones tend to eat a lot of bucks. I have recently started a search for a new phone and service. Since many of you may find yourselves in the same place at some time soon, I’ll share with you what I find.
I’ve recently investigated the NET 10 service. They have simple phones for calling and texting for under $15. They have more complex phones with camera, video recording, bluetooth, and web for less than $40. And if you want one with a qwerty keyboard, apps and touchscreen with bells and whistles, they have those for under $60. These seem like good prices to me.
As for their service, the NET 10 Unlimited plan gives you unlimited talk, texting, and data for only $50/mo. They don’t have a contract to sign, no surprises in your bill, and not even credit checks.
If you’re more into pay-as-you-go, you can get smaller plans for $15, and switch plans for months when you’ll need more time. There aren’t any fees for switching from one plan to another. If you’d like to hear from a Real NET10 customer , you can listen in at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0ITw8d1lYU&NR=1 .
Or you can check them out at FaceBook -https://www.facebook.com/NET10Wireless
I found good info and was entertained at the same time watching this Cute NET10 commercial I’m definitely going to put NET 10 on my list for serious consideration. Or, if you prefer, here’s a video with more information:
More updates on my quest for new cell phone and service to come…
Help for When You Lose Your Phone
Aug 30th
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sprint for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Ever lost your phone? Tried calling it just to hear it ring? We all misplace things occasionally. If you do lose your phone, and it has the new TEP app on it, Sprint Total Equipment Protection App you have a much better chance of finding it again. This new app comes with the ability to have your phone create an audible alarm, so you can hear it. Or, if it’s not near you, you can locate it using GPS technology that’s integrated with it, OR, if you think your phone has been stolen, you can lock it remotely sot that it cannot be used. How cool is that?
This is part of the Total Equipment Protection that you can get from Sprint, if you have an android, or a Blackberry, or one of their other feature phones. Usually you would get this when you bought the phone, but Sprint is having an open enrollment just for August, so if you want this, you’d better act fast.
The protection also includes an option for when/if you get the phone wet. Once I had a phone slide off the car seat and directly into a cup of tea. I couldn’t have done that on purpose if I’d tried, but there it was, down at the bottom of my morning drink! I sure wish I’d had this protection then…
Here’s a video with more information, if you’re interested:
Clark Howard Knows How to Save Money
Aug 19th
Are you like everyone else and need to save some money? Doesn’t everyone? Clark Howard knows how to save money in all kinds of places. His newly released book, “Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times” is all about how to cut your expenses, and make ends meet.
One thing he recommends to save is to use Ooma. This is a way to save money on your home phone service. You’ll need an Ooma box, and an internet connection. When you get the service you have free local phone service for as long as Ooma exists. That, hopefully, will be a long time, and it doesn’t get any better than that.
Mr. Howard also recommends buying your eyeglasses online. Of course, More >
Mom’s 60th
Aug 17th
Thanks for the post from Barney Crosby
When my mom celebrated her 60th birthday last year I don’t think it was exactly how any of us had planned. She had fallen the month before and broken her hip so we celebrated by throwing her a small get together in the living room of the house. She was really excited to see all her church friends, though, and since she hadn’t been mobile in a while it was nice for her to get up and move around. My wife and I gave her a DirectstarTV.com satellite system so she could keep herself entertained while she continued to heal and she kept saying it was the best gift she’d ever gotten! I love my mom and I hate seeing her all tied up like this but the doctor says she’s got to be really careful or she risks really hurting herself again. I hate that we weren’t there when she fell but I know she’s glad we’re able to offer her so much help in the meantime while she gets better on her own accord!
Land Lines VS VoIP
Aug 15th
Just how expensive is your phone bill? If you’re still using the traditional land line for your phone service, it probably is much more expensive than you need to pay. VoIP, or Voice Over IP (the Internet) has improved significantly in the last few years, and now is a viable option for those who need land line service without the high prices.
Using VoIP used to be less More >
Extend the Life of Your Laptop Battery
Aug 11th
Laptop batteries are EXPENSIVE.
Here are several tips to extend the life of your lithium-ion battery.
One thing to remember is that heat is the enemy. So, whenever you are running your laptop from a cord, take out the battery, so it will stay cool. This includes avoiding hot places like a hot car.
Full discharges put a strain on the battery. Frequent partial charges with frequent recharging is much better. Although you should fully discharge and recharge about once every 30 partial recharges.
Here is a great video with more tips on extending your battery life from FrugalTech. More >
Red Dyes and Gooey Stains
Aug 10th
Stain removal has come a long way since the days of beating clothing on rocks, trying to get them clean. And it’s a good thing. We have created thousands of new chemicals with the capability to leave dark spots on just about any kind of clothing. One of the worst stains to get out is the color red. Who hasn’t seen (or experienced) the dreaded Pink Laundry? When you put just one tiny red thing in with a full load of lighter colors, and whoosh, More >
Be Sure Your Audios Are Legal
Aug 9th
A video without audio is likely to be flat and boring. Adding the right music as a background can create mood and excitement that can make or break the viewer’s experience. Unfortunately, YouTube videos are not showing without sound. Why? Because the soundtrack used is copyrighted, and the maker of the video did not have permission to use it. Be careful not to break the law by putting someone’s music track beneath your video is you do not have the right to do so.
There are various ways to get music tracks that you can safely use. One way is to make use of the music shared on sites such as Creative Commons, Incompetech, and Jamendo. On these sites, the creators share their works with the public. You might also try finding some at sites that have stocked libraries of classic music and loops, like iStockPhoto. You could tap into the membership site TwoBuckThemes, and get 5 loops each month for $10.
However you find your music, just make sure that you have the right to use it publicly, and there should be no problems.
Snipping Tool Captures That Screen!
Aug 7th
Have you ever wished you could just take a picture of what’s right there on your computer screen? Well you can. There are actually many different ways to do this. No, I’m not talking about your good ol’ Nikon.
One way to capture exactly what’s on the screen is by using the “Print Screen” button on your keyboard. Every time you press this key, it will capture an image of the entire screen and place it on the clipboard. Then, you can paste it onto a Word document, or into Excel, or any other program you wish. Then, of course, you have to crop off the parts you don’t want. I used this method for years, before I found out that there are MUCH easier ways to get images.
I found that you could download software that would make the job a snap. I tried GreenShot Image Editor (free) , which does a great job. So does Snagit by Techsmith (not free).
But my favorite of all was found right under my nose! In the Program Files, under Accessories, there is a thing called the Snipping Tool. It came with the system. (I am currently using Windows Vista- yes, I know, thanks for the sympathy) Just click it open, and it will grab whatever part of the screen you shade. The image is on your clipboard, and you have the option of saving as a jpeg, or sending it via email as an attachment. Or, of course you could just paste it onto whatever program you need it in.
Happy Snipping!