It is to a certain extent the nature of the wireless industry that things change frequently.  This, I think, is going to be a year that things change very frequently.

Upgrade eligibility for all lines, regardless of cost, will now be 20 months.

As stated in the original article on the upgrade policy update, AT&T followed suit with Verizon and eliminated the extra discounts available for upgrades on higher cost lines.  They didn’t follow suit with changing how quickly those more expensive lines became eligible and kept 13 and 18 month renewals for the more expensive lines.  Well, now they have followed suit.  Mirroring Verizon’s policy change from 2 months ago, all lines become eligible at 20 months no matter what plan they’re on.

Early upgrade policy is also changing.

An early upgrade is something that may be offered to you if you need a phone but aren’t eligible.  Early upgrades aren’t a regular part of upgrade policy.  Prior to the change you would pay $200 more than the upgrade price for a smartphone or $75 more for a nonsmartphone.  Those amounts have now risen to $250 and $85.

Some time ago, we helped you understand your battery - how it works, how to charge it, and how to make it last longer.  A question we see from time to time concerns the other side of things: the charger.

Come along as we take a quick trip through the world of chargers.

Ready for a new phone?  Are you eligible?  How does all this eligibility stuff work anyway?

Everyone knows that you get a good deal on a phone when you start service with a company and sign a two year agreement.  Every so often that same company your with will do the same thing for an existing customer.  This is called an “upgrade.”

Just when a line is able be upgraded varies on a line-by-line basis, but in all cases it will either be 13, 18, or 20 months since you signed your last contract. (all lines are now 20 months)

Read on to learn about the basics of AT&T’s upgrade policy…

This morning, Verizon Wireless announced the launch data and pricing for the Motorola Xoom, a device originally seen among the 4G devices at CES in January.

Much speculation has surrounded the impending release of this device, mostly centered around pricing.  Early on, the “$799″ price was thrown around a bit on many sites, and was quickly followed by disbelief that anyone would pay THAT MUCH for a tablet, let alone an Android device.

The speculation can now end.  Verizon has announced that, indeed, the device will cost $799.99 - without a contract.  It will, however, cost $599.99 WITH a two-year contract.  Both will require a minimum plan of $20/mo for 1GB/mo.   No word on one-year contract availability.

The device will be the first major launch of an Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) device.

Interestingly, while the device was announced as a 4G LTE unit, the Xoom will launch with a 3G radio and be upgradable to 4G in the near future, at no cost.

The Verizon Wireless demo of Xoom can be found here.

Apple recently officially announced the ability to purchase subscription-based content through applications in their popular iTunes market. This feature, which allows app developers to offer subscription based content through the app, is a feature that a lot of developers were looking foreward to; until they saw the cost.

With this change Apple is making it so that content providors who compete directly with iTunes and iBooks will no longer find it profitable to offer content on any of their devices. Not only is this an evil move on their part, but in the end it will be consumers like you and I who will suffer for it.  Join us after the break as we go over some of the biggest changes, and what they mean for you and your favorite iDevice

In the wake of the Verizon Iphone announcement and Verizon’s own policy updates AT&T has decided to make some similar revisions to their upgrade policies.

The changes aren’t ending there though.  AT&T is also revising their changing policies on fees, international long distance rates and texting plans along with adding a-la-sprint style “any mobile” calling to the unlimited texting packages.

Read on to learn what’s new and how it may impact your service.

SIM cards are an important component in GSM cellular systems.  Knowing what a SIM card is and what it can do isn’t something that’s only of interest to engineers, there are many practical features built into SIM technology that are easy to use and can save you money and frustration.

I’ve been in the sales portion of this business for a long time.  I’ve worked with irate customers.  I’ve gone through bills with a microscope.  I’ve seen computer glitches, and I’ve seen user errors.  I’ve seen irresponsible parents, and I’ve seen irresponsible spouses.   I’ve experienced a multitude of different scenarios, most of them not very pretty.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

A customer walks into a phone store to buy a phone.  They want the latest Android phone - the one with the big touch screen.  Their last phone bit the dust, after months of acting up.  They dealt with a slightly cracked housing for a while.  They know they need to do better at protecting the next phone.

After choosing their phone, the sales rep asks them what their plans are for accessories.  He or she walks the customer over to the phone’s options.  $30 for a car charger?  $25 for a cover?  $13 for a screen protector?  Holy crap!

The customer says no, they’ll get what they need somewhere else.  The sales rep asks if they’re sure, because they can get a good discount on accessories when they buy multiple products at once.  The customer says they can get it cheaper at Wal-Mart, or online.  The rep probably keeps a little pressure, talking about the benefits of the accessories.  In the end, the customer is probably unmoving.  They buy the phone.  They get some last help from the forlorn sales rep, and get out of the store.

Once in the car, the customer says what many customers think while looking at the shelf prices on accessories in the store: “Why do they cost so much here?”

Come around the counter with PhoneCan as we try to explain why accessories cost so much in the store, as well as why you might want to care.