Take special care when bringing a i9500 S4 smartphone-Priceangels.com

Unfortunately, neither Microsoft nor a large consumer base have had a lot of love for Windows phones. As a result, experts like Navarro give Windows smartphones a thumbs-down as far as their resale value is concerned. "Windows phones just don't have a heavy following," he says. As a result, there isn't much demand for the models, which in turn means a seller won't be able to net as much money during a resale.

While Apple and Samsung appear to be bitter enemies in court, they have actually shared a lot of technology over the years, and the two tech giants have followings that approach cult status. Other big-name Android phone manufacturers will retain their value, "but the Samsung Galaxy series is still number one."

But while both Samsung and Apple can fetch relatively high resale price points, iOS is still king for holding its value; a recent study suggests that Samsung phones drop in value at a much faster rate than iPhones. In fact, Navarro says that even a relative dinosaur like the iPhone 3S can fetch about $65 from a refurbisher, as estimated from PaceButler. However, consumers can fetch even greater trade-in value by selling old smartphones to the likes of Gazelle or NextWorth, or to other consumers via eBay.

Some trade-in sites like Gazelle ask that sellers ship smartphones without any accessories. But other resellers and smaller companies love customers who bring in i9500 S4smartphones with cables, plugs, ear buds, and all the original packaging. More often than not gadgets + great condition + private sale = a higher resale value.

Navarro saved his best tip for last, and it's the one that makes the most sense to us: "Plan for the day you're going to sell your phone the day you buy it," he says. "Think of it as an investment you're making. With any phone, you get back what you pay for it. And if it's a free phone, chances are it will be nothing. But if it's a sought-after phone, and you take care of it, it could pay for your next phone."flj8fFDFd3 

The rear of the phone is where Samsung designers have placed the physical power control and volume switch, as opposed to the sides or top where such smartphone buttons typically reside. The back of the phone is also where your index finger usually is when the device is held up to your ear during a call.

"For too long we have been blaming fingers for smartphone drops that were simply not their fault," says James Fishler, Samsung Electronics USA's senior vice president for marketing. "It sounds so simple but is a big design enhancement."It seems to make sense, but I'll have to live with the phone for a while to see if I ultimately agree. My first inclination when I picked up the device at the launch event was to navigate my own paws to the side. So it looks like it will take getting used to.

The South Korean manufacturer has added other simple but potentially important innovations. If you get a call, you can merely pick up the phone to answer it, just like the good old days when we answered calls on corded telephones just by answering the phone. Samsung's innovation here would let you answer a call, say, in the cold of winter without having to remove your gloves. And don't worry about the ringtone blasting your eardrum — the volume is automatically reduced when the phone gets closer to your ear.

At Mobile Store, i9500 S4 1:1 smartphones sold on EMIs-Priceangels.com

We are looking to open 50 Mobile Lounge stores in FY13, although there will be no more new regular Mobile Store branches, as we think i9500 S4 1:1 smartphones are all about the experience that the Lounge concept offers.

While we suffered with profitability in the first few years, in the last two years, we have been focusing on smartphone growth, from which we have been receiving 90% sales in the last three months. India is one of the fastest smartphone growth markets witnessing sales of 2 million a month and 24 million smartphone sales a year compared with 15 million last year. We have also refined our offerings to only GSM phones – almost all of which have 3G capability, as we strongly believe CDMA is a dead technology.

we help customers install software and and demonstrate the phone's functionality. This is useful, as across manufacturers, at least 1-2% of phones are dead-on-arrival and do not work, in which case they can also be returned to the store within 3-7 days.Besides, we also offer extended warranty of 1 year, at 2-2.5% of the handset cost, as we believe most smartphone issues appear 1 year post purchase, once the phone's warranty has expired. The Mobile Store also offers after-sales maintenance, free of cost if the handset is bought from the store – and a minimal fee for repairs of handsets bought elsewhere.

The pricing on our online portal is 3-4% lower than that at the Mobile Store, similar to industry offerings. Besides, online handset sales still make up only 10-12% of cheap unlocked smartphones purchases today. That said, we believe online presence presents a huge opportunity for us, and we receive huge traction on our website, thanks to freshest inventory, brand name, regular promotions and pre-booking.

We pioneered with the EMI option for smartphone sales two years ago, which contributes 30% to our smartphone sales today, from 2-3% when it was introduced. EMI is popular because while the pricing of smartphones are similar worldwide, salaries are varied, and hence, there is a gap between aspiration and affordability, which EMI options help bridge.fd5F4ghD

While we have tied up with 10 major bands for credit card EMIs, two months ago we launched an EMI scheme for non-credit card holders, where the customer is given the phone purely based on identity proof, an ECS form and a cancelled cheque. Besides, while Indian brands were only focussed on cheap feature phone offerings, now they are all offering quality i9500 S4 smartphones, and spending a lot on advertising, which has changed the Indian consumer's mindset towards Indian brands.

Qualcomm purchased a small stake in Alcatel-Lucent as part of an R&D deal to make new wireless transmitters for the small cell base station market. We may not always need a new phone but we can't always use more coverage, and the base station market will continue to grow worldwide.

Time will tell if a smartphone slowdown does take place. T-Mobile has shaken up the market with its no-contract plan but it's way too early to predict an impact. Still, if the hints bear out, it's rather remarkable that smartphones managed to do in about five years when PCs needed 30 years to do, and that is go from cool to boring, necessary evil.

Technology Addiction: Warning Signs of A Cell Phone Addict-PriceAngels

Do you constantly check your i9500 S4 cell phone for e-mail alerts, news updates, and the weather? If so, you could be one of the 66 percent of people who suffer from "no mobile phone phobia" — nomophobia — the fear of being without a cell or mobile phone, says SecurEnvoy, a UK-based Internet security and mobile technology firm who conducted the survey. Living in a revolutionizing digital age where everything is fast, instant and, most importantly, on-the-go, people are disengaged from having one-on-one face interactions.

While Apple applications like FaceTime, and the program Skype help reinforce personal connections, the unhealthy usage of cell phone devices continues to escalate. According to the Morningside Recovery Rehabilitation Center, the average American spends 144 minutes a day using their phone. For those who suffer from nomopohbia, the fear of being disconnected from the virtual world is heightened when they are restrained from checking their phone.

The lives of cell phone addicts are so contingent on their need to feel socially connected on their phones that without mobile technology, they begin to express a sense of vulnerability that can trigger certain moods and behaviors."Cellphones are addictive in the same way slot machines are," said Dr. Fran Walfish, child, couple, and family psychotherapist and author in Beverly Hills, Calif., to Medical Daily. "The immediacy of response, gratification, and excitation combine to make the user want more and want more now."

This type of addictive behavior can be explained in a situation where a person is dining by themselves. Despite no sounds or alerts coming from the cellphone, addicts will take out their phones from their pocket and start to press buttons or scan their phones with their fingers for a sense of safety and security. While back-and-forth communication through text or e-mail is seen as a threat to replacing nose-to-nose contact, it is when you are alone with your mobile device that heightens this addictive behavior. The inability to sit by yourself in a public setting without reaching for your phone can be a means to cope with loneliness but it can also be detrimental to your mental health.dsTP2fd38

Researchers have indicated that 77 percent of people aged 14 to 24 are nomophobic, compared to 68 percent of those aged 25 to 34. College students are most susceptible to developing the cell phone addiction because they are considered to be the heaviest users of information and technology with an increased usage of smart phones throughout the day. In a study conducted at Baylor and Seton Hall Universities, researchers evaluated cell phone, instant messaging, and texting addiction among college students.

The average college student sends and receives approximately 109.5 text messages a day and checks their phone 60 times per day. The results of the study showed that materialism and impulsiveness are what drove i9500 S4 1:1 cell phone addiction in these university students. "Cell phones are a part of our consumer culture," said James Roberts, Ph.D., author of the study and professor of marketing at Baylor's Hankamer School of Business. "They are not just a consumer tool, but are used as a status symbol. They're also eroding our personal relationships." The preoccupation of social status based on a mobile device and the impulsiveness that derives from sending and receiving instant messages and texts are strong predictors for cell phone addiction.

Fad-Loving Japan May Derail a Sony Smartphone-PriceAngels

Sony’s i9500 S4 smartphone, which went on sale in February, has already sold almost a million units by some estimates. But NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile carrier, will soon stop selling it.But it is already a has-been in Japan. DoCoMo has turned its attention to a new phone, the Sony Xperia A — a model with fewer features that has not won the stellar praise showered on the Z.

“It’s time for a new model,” said Mai Kariya, a DoCoMo representative in Tokyo. “We’re finished with the Xperia Z, and now focusing on the Xperia A.”As Sony banks on smartphones to turn around its struggling electronics business, it faces an increasingly bothersome obstacle at home: the demands of Japan’s powerful cellphone carriers, which remain obsessed with constant model updates.

For years, Japan’s three largest mobile network companies have pressed phone makers here to update their handsets every three or four months, providing Japanese consumers a dazzling array of newfangled phones and features each season. Phones with digital TV broadcast receivers were once all the rage; a phone without it was never going to sell. Then it was thumbprint scans; you’d be hard pressed to find those on many phones today. The same is true of swiveling screens, and to a lesser extent, electronic wallets.

“This is the worst of Japanese companies’ excessive obsession with the new,” said Yuichi Kogure, an associate professor in information technology policy at Aomori Public University and the author of several books on Japan’s cellphone industry. “But now the mobile phone makers are exhausted.” Sony’s Xperia Z got caught in this marketing buzz saw. DoCoMo started selling the Xperia Z in Japan on Feb. 9 as part of the carrier’s spring 2013 collection, replacing the Xperia AX of the winter 2012 collection. A month later, on March 15, DoCoMo announced its summer collection of 11 new phones, with the Xperia Z replaced by the Xperia A, which went on sale last month.sd3SD2d43

The constant feature roulette has helped carriers lure customers away from rival networks. But it taxes the research and development resources of Japan’s i9500 S4 1:1 makers, who must meet the constant demands from carriers for new high-end features and frequent handset renewals.

Phone manufacturers here have found it impossible to achieve the economies of scale that would justify the high development costs and the slim profit margins. Because separate teams of designers at each handset maker race to build handsets from the ground up for each separate carrier, few phone makers have been able to develop a coherent global product strategy, analysts say.

The unique pace of the Japanese cellphone market largely cuts it off from the rest of the world, making it difficult for one manufacturer to make and market phones for both the Japanese and global markets, said Kenji E. Kushida, an expert on Japan’s information and communications technologies at Stanford.

Kingwood-area retailers host cell-phone drop-off -PriceAngels

Three Humble-area retailers are collecting used i9500 S4 cell phones and cell-phone accessories to be recycled to provide calling cards for military service members stationed overseas.Cell Phones for Soldiers, is a 501(3) organization that was launched in 2004 by Massachusetts teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist. It started as a way to show the Bergquist family's appreciation for service personnel.

The program collects cell phones that are sent to a recycling center in Ohio.The recycling center will, depending on the condition of the phone, strip the phone of the small metal components to be reused in other phones, or the phones will be refurbished to be resold in other markets.Brittany Bergquist said the type of cell phones they collect are typically the older flip phones that are quickly disappearing from the market, but they will take all kinds.

"Any type of phone is acceptable," she said. "Even bag phones, car phones and those old brick phones from when cell phones first came out."Bergquist said the phones don't have to be in working condition to be accepted.They have accepted phones that are water-logged, have been run over or smashed beyond repair.

"We accept all of them," she said.The money derived from the Ohio recycling center for those old cell phones is used to purchase calling cards that are sent to the troops overseas.The inspiration for Cell Phones for Soldiers came as a result of a news story that Brittany and Robbie Bergquist had seen in their hometown about a soldier who'd amassed an $8,000 cell-phone bill to speak with loved ones from his overseas location.

"It was the first time we'd ever heard that the troops had to pay for their own phone calls home," she said."We knew we wanted to do something to make a difference."Their first hope was to pay off the soldier's i9500 S4 1:1 cell phone bill, but when they realized they could do more to help, they became inspired.DSsSed2ed

"We knew this was our calling," she said.Calling cards can be requested by the military service member's family or through the service members command by contacting Cell Phones for Soldiers through their website.Bergquist said Cell phones for Soldiers has sent out requests for as many as 5,000 calling cards at one time, which were distributed by unit chaplains or commanders who often work tirelessly to maintain good morale among the troops.

"It makes us feel good that we can support our troops and really help our heroes," she said.Since the launch of the nonprofit, it has provided 2.5 million phone cards, which equates to 181 million minutes of talk time.The program has also recycled more about 10.8 million cell phones, reducing their impact on landfills throughout the United States.

"This is what Cell Phones for Soldiers has become, and it's incredible to have touched so many lives," Bergquist said.Through July 31, the PostNet locations will be collecting used cell phones during regular business hours.

Pick Up the Phone!-PriceAngels

This summer, I am taking it upon myself to assist people in exploring ways to communicate. This is going to be much easier than you might imagine. I have something to tell each and every one of you: That invention that you use to type text messages can also be used to make i9500 S4 phone calls!

I cannot tell you how many conversations I have had in the last few weeks with people who are sick and tired of people sending them nothing but text messages. For people under 30, I am going to sound like an old man, but here it goes: If you want to tell someone something important, you can actually pick up the phone and call them to speak to them and make sure that they understand you correctly. I know that this may sound crazy, but some people out there do not even have text messaging on their phones, so when you think you are communicating with them, you are not.

Last week I was at a party where a friend was telling me that during a recent family emergency, her family members sent her urgent text messages telling her to rush to the hospital. But guess what? She has never had text messaging on her phone. Her family had no response when she later asked, "Why didn't you simply call me to tell me about the emergency?" They were embarrassed to admit that none of them had even thought of actually dialing her number and speaking with her.sfko32ds2f

The second statement he made was even sweeter. He told me, "When I pick up the phone to chat with someone, I feel like I am visiting with them." What a novel idea to make someone feel special and actually hear their voice.

To this I say, "Amen!" You would not believe how well you can communicate when you actually pick up the phone to speak with someone. How many times have you read an email and asked yourself, "What the hell is this person saying?" Forget about all the text lingo and shortened words that people use. How many times have you meant something one way and it has been interpreted differently by the person receiving the text? And for those of you who have no clue what some of the text lingo being used is, check this out.

What I am getting at is this: If you want to make sure that what you are saying is communicated correctly, pick up the i9500 S4 1:1 phone. And in today's dating world, if you want to make someone feel special, try speaking to them instead of sending them a text. You will be surprised by how many people will say, "Thanks for the call. It was great hearing from you."

For all of you out there who think I am crazy for telling you to pick up the phone and actually speak to someone, I have this to say: HAND, ATB, KC, T+, TTFN. For those of you who are wondering what the hell that means, have a nice day, all the best, keep cool, think positive, and ta-ta for now.