Okay, now Im impressed with stuff big time. 
I am very happy I migrated all of my online assets to the "Cloud", using cloud services. About two years ago on SGUS, I mentioned how I hated the ominous presence of the cloud and was speaking out against it, but it has truly liberated me. Let me explain. 5 days ago, I experienced yet ANOTHER protracted outage from Verizon FiOS. Two days. In that two days, I got my bill from Verizon which was for $1500.00! Billing mistake? You bet. But it wasnt the first time they have done this. I have been locked into Verizon's monopoly "service area" trap since living in my zip code. No way around them for many years, until now.
Before, if one wanted a phone line, they needed their "local carrier" which was basically ONE choice from a small club of big players like AT&T, Verizon, Bell, etc. Now, most everyone has a cellphone. So, can you replace your home line with a cellphone? absolutely you can. You might have to do some minor tweaking to insure you get a string signal everywhere in your home where you might use your cellphone, like buying a repeater or something, but most places have great coverage. You can even buy phones like this...:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_i=B0043D2IBE
...which will allow you to connect your cellphone to your home system so you can use a home handset (and satellites) but be using your cellular plan. You can even get a second line on your family plan to use just for that purpose. But the best new tech option of all came with 4G/3G networks. I have a Samsung Epic4G from Sprint, which is a high end smartphone. There are several high end Droids out there packing some power. But even the most modest of them can give you what they call "hotspot" capability. You can find apps to root your software and turn on the hotspot, but it is not reliable. I decided to pay Sprint the extra $29.00/mo to have the legit hotspot, and WOW! It is flawless every time. You activate the hotspot, and then your devices see it like they would any other wireless network. You connect and surf away. What about speed?
Even 3G is fast. 4G is VERY fast. Approaching wired speeds.. What does this mean? It means that by simply connecting a wireless adapter to your computer(s), you can use your cellphone's hotspot IN PLACE OF your DSL or FiOS internet, and cut the cord! I decided not to keep my Verizon phone or FiOS. I dont need it anymore. I can watch Netflix on my computer, take phone calls. have a download going and it is all happening using my cellphone and no wires! Takes some getting used to, in terms of remembering to activate the hotspot when I get home, but the savings is over $200.00/mo in my case. That is at least $2500.00 in a year.
Sprint's hotspot is great if you have their Simply Everything plan (unlimited everything), and add the hotspot for $29.00. If you are using a smartphone, they add $10.00/mo, so the whole plan with unlimited everything plus the hotspot is about $150.00 which is a huge BARGAIN in my book. With my tablet now being used significanly more and my laptop being used significantly less, this cordless metamorphosis feels right. Access to everything on every device, and no more padded fee-laden Verizon bills. They are just waiting for me to pay them the extortionist bills, and I dont need them anymore. Just LOL!
I am very happy I migrated all of my online assets to the "Cloud", using cloud services. About two years ago on SGUS, I mentioned how I hated the ominous presence of the cloud and was speaking out against it, but it has truly liberated me. Let me explain. 5 days ago, I experienced yet ANOTHER protracted outage from Verizon FiOS. Two days. In that two days, I got my bill from Verizon which was for $1500.00! Billing mistake? You bet. But it wasnt the first time they have done this. I have been locked into Verizon's monopoly "service area" trap since living in my zip code. No way around them for many years, until now. Before, if one wanted a phone line, they needed their "local carrier" which was basically ONE choice from a small club of big players like AT&T, Verizon, Bell, etc. Now, most everyone has a cellphone. So, can you replace your home line with a cellphone? absolutely you can. You might have to do some minor tweaking to insure you get a string signal everywhere in your home where you might use your cellphone, like buying a repeater or something, but most places have great coverage. You can even buy phones like this...:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_i=B0043D2IBE
...which will allow you to connect your cellphone to your home system so you can use a home handset (and satellites) but be using your cellular plan. You can even get a second line on your family plan to use just for that purpose. But the best new tech option of all came with 4G/3G networks. I have a Samsung Epic4G from Sprint, which is a high end smartphone. There are several high end Droids out there packing some power. But even the most modest of them can give you what they call "hotspot" capability. You can find apps to root your software and turn on the hotspot, but it is not reliable. I decided to pay Sprint the extra $29.00/mo to have the legit hotspot, and WOW! It is flawless every time. You activate the hotspot, and then your devices see it like they would any other wireless network. You connect and surf away. What about speed?
Even 3G is fast. 4G is VERY fast. Approaching wired speeds.
. What does this mean? It means that by simply connecting a wireless adapter to your computer(s), you can use your cellphone's hotspot IN PLACE OF your DSL or FiOS internet, and cut the cord! I decided not to keep my Verizon phone or FiOS. I dont need it anymore. I can watch Netflix on my computer, take phone calls. have a download going and it is all happening using my cellphone and no wires! Takes some getting used to, in terms of remembering to activate the hotspot when I get home, but the savings is over $200.00/mo in my case. That is at least $2500.00 in a year. Sprint's hotspot is great if you have their Simply Everything plan (unlimited everything), and add the hotspot for $29.00. If you are using a smartphone, they add $10.00/mo, so the whole plan with unlimited everything plus the hotspot is about $150.00 which is a huge BARGAIN in my book. With my tablet now being used significanly more and my laptop being used significantly less, this cordless metamorphosis feels right. Access to everything on every device, and no more padded fee-laden Verizon bills. They are just waiting for me to pay them the extortionist bills, and I dont need them anymore. Just LOL!
