Your Guide to the Cheap Cell Phone Plans

Prepaid cell phones are gaining popularity in the United States. This growth is due in part to the flexibility of these plans provide consumers with the non-performance of a multi-year contract as many public cell phone plans big. Thus, prepaid phones will not penalize users canceling their calling plan before a certain period. Prepaid cell phones have also become more popular than the traditionally high costs have fallen. However, consumers should know how to evaluate the cheap cell phone plans to find the plan that works best for them.

Cheap Cell Phone Plans Importance

Prepaid cell phones forced a review of cheap cell phone plans across the industry and opened the market to make way for a wider choice to consumers. Most major phones companies such as Verizon Wireless, AT & T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, based largely on phones plans to contract for a large part of their wireless business. These plans must integrate consumers to sign two or three-year contract. Cancellation of such a plan requires the consumer to pay a fee for early termination (ECF). On some carriers, the fee may be as high as $ 400. Prepaid cell phone plans are the phone industry to reevaluate business practices by allowing consumers to buy cell phone plans that do not require a contract. Although prepaid cell phones have always been more expensive than contract plans, prepaid cell phones have come down in price as their popularity grew.
history

Has promoted an early version of the business model of prepaid phone by a company called TracFone. Florida-based parent company launched the company TracFone prepaid phone in 1996. Three years later, the largest telecommunications company in Central America (Telmex) has acquired a stake in Tracfone and contributed to the development of the company. Since then, TracFone has become one of the largest prepaid phone companies. However, in the next decade launching TracFone, most major cell phone carriers have launched their division's prepaid cell phone.

Types

Unlike cell phones offered by the major phones companies as part of their plans to contract calls, types of cellular handset offered by prepaid cell phone plans are much more limited. In general, most of the proposed plans for prepaid calling devices are slightly older models published by leading mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia, Motorola, and LG. As prepaid phones have become more accepted, the types of models have also increased. For example, a prepaid cell phone industry is largely behind the most advanced types of technology (Bluetooth or WiFi technology, for example). However, TracFone, Verizon, and many other cell phone providers have started selling prepaid phone models with these wireless capabilities.

Function

Prepaid cell function differently based phones contract plans. Most prepaid cell phone plans work by selling a consumer a lot of minutes with various time restrictions on their use. These minutes have paid and were typically at the bottom in terms of size (100 to 500 minutes) range. Once paid the minutes, the consumer may request time credits to their prepaid cell phone handset. In general, the minutes are good for a limited time (eg, 30-45 days). If the consumer wants to keep the unused minutes, he or she must purchase additional minutes and apply over the phone. Not doing so will result in a loss of all remaining minutes. However, unlike the contract cell phone plans, there is no penalty for deciding to end abruptly cell phone service.

Considerations

Before buying a prepaid cell phone plan, assess your needs and your budget. Remember, the fewer minutes you buy at once, the more expensive every minute. For example, companies like Virgin Mobile may charge up to 30 cents per minute if you buy 150 minutes or less. In general, you buy minutes for your prepaid phone, the cheaper every minute. Also, take into consideration the fact that the company prepaid phone charges a daily access fee. This tax is common on many levels of prepaid phones, but there are some carriers that do not charge (but, in exchange, will pay more per minute). If you do not use a lot of minutes, get a cheap cell phone plans that waive the daily allowance.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Review: Wet ‘N’ Wild

Samsung’s decision to release several variants of its flagship Galaxy S4 has been a popular one. As well as the now customary mini handset , users have also been blessed with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active, a device designed for the outdoor lifestyle.

Water resistant, dust resistant and still with an impressive list of specifications it seems like the perfect marriage of performance and protection, but will this prove to be the case? We put it through its paces to find out…

Key Features

• 5-inch TFT capacitive display
• 1.9GHz quad-core processor
• Android Jelly Bean operating system
• 8 megapixel camera
• 16GB internal storage
• Water/dust resistant

Design & Hardware

Despite supposedly being the Bear Grylls of mobile phones, there’s not a lot between the Galaxy S4 and S4 Active’s design to indicate so. Aesthetically that rounded pebble appearance remains the same, although the Active is slightly wider and heavier, and the polycarbonate rear cover has lost the shiny feel in favour of a more robust matte finish. Three physical buttons sit at the bottom as well for easy use out and about, but there’s little that immediately screams ‘outdoors’.

That said there’s certainly an active feel to it. The weight gain adds a robust element in-hand and those buttons feel pleasant despite being old school. Where the original handset was sleek and sophisticated this is a bruiser, and it’s easy to imagine checking your messages whilst climbing a mountain (well maybe not, but you get the picture). It won’t please everyone, but it’s certainly fit for purpose provided you abstain from lobbing it at rocks and such.

There have also been changes under the hood. Gone is the impressive 13 megapixel camera and Super AMOLED display, replaced by 8 megapixel and TFT efforts respectively. But, before the hysteria starts, the Active is still capable of excellent basic images and, with a ppi of 441, you lose nothing in sharpness from the screen. And, most importantly, you still get the monster 1.9GHz quad-core processor, so what’s there to complain about?

Nothing, especially when you can dunk it in water for up to half an hour. Even with an exposed audio jack the handset can sit up to a metre deep for 30 minutes, giving it a clear edge over its rivals. Throw in dust resistance, which translates to all kinds of muck and dirt, and there’s little to scoff at.
As a result the Active is still as solid and likeable as the original S4, and offers that premium Samsung feel despite the clear differences in terms of specifications, something that matters only on paper.

Software & Multimedia

When it comes to Android Jelly Bean it’s all pretty much standard fare – little has changed from the S4 and TouchWiz looks the same. This is good or bad depending on your opinion, and for our money there’s little to add or contest.

More important are the various exclusives to the Active, most notably Aqua mode camera function. Alongside solid basic images this stroke of genius allows for underwater snaps and filming with striking results. They may not be of the highest quality, but framed correctly and these images can really catch the eye. Video is a different story, though, and the high-quality movies prove one of the handset’s highlights.

Those that liked the S4’s innovation won’t be disappointed either. Smart Stay, Smart Pause and Smart Scroll all make the cut, as do the various air gestures. Again, this is another case of horses for courses – we saw very little point to the majority of these, but others may be impressed by their appearance.
The same can be said of S Health , although a raft of peripherals give the suite a boost and a more active feel. Stick on the heart monitor and you can track your exercise on-the-go, along with glucose readers and the basic calorie counter. For fitness freaks it’ll be a dream come true, but it won’t steal focus from the Active’s main shouts.

Performance & Verdict

The S4 Active houses the same 2600mAh battery as the original S4 and performs similarly. Conservative use will give you a day and bit without a juice up, a figure decreased by more frequent tinkering. But it’s the gestures that will really harm the charge time, and having them all on at once can eat away at your battery life, so turn them off if you’re not a fan.

Overall the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active performs as both an impressive variant and a stand-alone handset. Its S4 heritage offers top specs only slightly trimmed, whilst its Active pedigree opens the door to a handful of genuinely impressive features.

Some may question the point of water resistance and such like, but if you want more than your average from a handset without compromising on specifications, it’s really the only place to look. Samsung has trodden a fine line very well indeed.