Wireless Guide News

Cell phone customers are fuming and they’re refusing to extend their long term service contracts, or at least that’s the message based on recent subscriber numbers released by U.S. carriers.

Once upon a time when cell phones were simply, well, phones it wasn’t too onerous to commit to a carrier and sign up for a bucketful of calling minutes every month. Phones were like TVs. They didn’t change much month to month and one model offered pretty much the same features as the next. The biggest decision you faced was whether to get a flip phone or candy bar style mode.

But times have changed. Cell phones are handheld computers, e-mail machines, texting terminals, music players, cameras, video phones, and portals to the Web. Newer, better models come out nearly every week, causing upgrade envy.

Consequently, people are waking up to the fact that they don’t want to be locked into a single plan lest they miss out on getting the next, snazzy, faster, thinner smart phone.

Recent subscriber reports from the major U.S. carriers seem to support the trend. Looking at the totals, the seven major wireless companies lost over 50,000 contract subscribers during the first three months of the year. Companies like T-Mobile lost contract customers, for example, while picking up new pre-pay customers. Sprint saw a slight uptick in contract customers, but AT&T a…………… continues on Fox News

Ever run out of battery life on your cell phone just when you need it most?

GoCharge wants to be your go-to place to get your smartphone charged — for a fee.

The network of mobile device charging stations is focusing on South Florida as its top market, expanding to 75 locations by July, said founder Paul King, who lives in Sunny Isles Beach.

“South Florida is big on nightlife, and it’s a great tourist destination,” said King, 27. “So we thought if we had distribution in South Florida we could reach a lot of other countries as well because of people coming in.”

The roll-out represents the company’s second phase of expansion after placing 50 machines in clubs and bars in New York within the last four years. Those machines, sponsored by Patrón Tequila and free to users, have drawn 1,000 customers per month per machine, King said.

“That showed us there is a need and people would likely pay for a charge,” he said. “So that is when we decided to expand, starting in Florida, statewide, and we decided to concentrate on the South Florida market.”

GoCharge offers several models, sizes and colors of stations to fit different locations. Here, the cost per charge runs about $ 3 per 20 minutes for machines at bars, where you hang out while your phone is charging, to $ 5 for about 20 minutes at machines where you can secur…………… continues on MiamiHerald.com