You probably don’t need to buy insurance for your cell phone if the phone itself doesn’t cost much. What about smartphones like Blackberry? Should I purchase a device protection plan for my smartphones? Smart phones are expensive without contract. Depending on the hardware specs, they can cost anywhere from $400 to $600. You can get a decent laptop with that much money these days.

Let’s take HTC DROID INCREDIBLE for example. It costs $599 without a service plan. So, what happens when it breaks after just a few months, and if you don’t have a Verizon mobile device protection plan? In that case you would have to pay $599 for the exact same phone. That’s a lot of money to pay for a new mobile phone. So, what can you do to protect your investment? Buy a smartphone protection plan from Verizon Wireless for $7.99 a month. I know that’s $2 more than the insurance you have to pay for a flip phone. But it’s a very fair deal. Here is the break down:

1. You pay $150 for the DROID Incredible with a new contract.
2. Opt in the mobile device protection service for $7.99/month
3. When your smartphone doesn’t work, file claim right away.
4. pay $89 deductible once the claim is approved.

Let’s say your new smartphone stop working on the 12th month. At that time you already pay $95.88 in total equipment protection fee. Add the $89 deductible you will end up paying $184.88 in total. That means for $184.88 you will be able to replace your broken smartphone with a new a refurbished one. That’s a very good deal consider the retail price for smartphone like HTC DROID INCREDIBLE costs $599.

I highly recommend getting a smartphone protection plan if you had a habit of losing or breaking your phone in the first 12 months. Otherwise, just be extra careful with your new phone. Good luck.

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Already have tons of music collections in your PC and want to transfer these music files to Palm Pre Plus you just purchased? It’s easy. Your Palm Pre Plus can simply act as an USB drive and you can copy and paste music files. There are the steps you need to follow in order to download music from your PC to Palm Pre Plus.

1. connect the device to your PC’s USB port.
2. 3 buttons will popup on the Pre - “Media Sync”, “USB Drive”, “Just Charge”. Tap on “USB Drive”.
3. Your Pre Plus will appear as “Removable Disk” on your Windows Explorer.
4. Create a folder in “Removable Disk”.
5. Copy any music or audio files from local hard drive to the newly created folder.
6. Disconnect the USB cable.

You are all set. Enjoy your music collections anytime and anywhere with your Palm Pre Plus.

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According to the most recent statics, 1 out of every 5 wireless devices in the US may be stolen or accidentally damaged this year. Should I buy insurance for my cell phone? Well, it depends on the equipment and how extensively you will be using your phone. The cost of cell phone insurance is not cheap, especially for advanced devices like Blackberry smartphones. For a regular phone like flip phone or candy bar phone, Verizon Wireless charges $5.99 a month and you would have to pay $39 deductible with each approved claim.

Let’s say you bought a LG Accolade for $69.99 with a 2-year contract and start paying $5.99 cell phone insurance. At the end of 12th month, your phone is broken. At that point you have already paid $71.88. Then you call up the cell phone insurance company and verify that phone is covered. Now you have to pay $39 to get a replacement phone (same or of equivalent value) shipped to you. One thing to keep in mind is that in most cases they will send you a refurbished phone. So you end up paying $110.88. A brand new LG Accolade costs $199 without contract (12 months ago). Is it worth buying insurance for a new phone? No, at this time, you can definitely purchase the same mobile phone from eBay for $100. In the next post, we will talk about the insurance for smartphones.

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Do you know that you can keep the same cell phone number when switching carriers? It’s very easy to do, especially online. Here are some steps and tips on how to switch carriers and keep phone number.

When placing a new phone order online, you sure you click on the box that says “switch my old cell phone number to my new phone and plan”. The wording might be different depending on online authorized retailer’s storefront setting. When you receive you phone, it may take up to 24 hours to complete the phone number transfer. In most cases, your mobile number has already been ported to the new cell phone by the time you receive it. And as soon as the old cell phone has been transferred to the new phone you should contact your old service provider to cancel service. That’s all you need to know on how to switch carriers and keep the same phone number.

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Do I need to sign a new contract to add a line Verizon Wireless or other carriers? No, you don’t have to extend your current contract or sign a new one in order to add a line to existing family plan. Many of us thought that every time you add a line your contract expiration date gets renewed. That’s totally not true. In fact each line in the same account has its own expiration date. So, now that you know Add-A-Line does not require a new contract at all and every new additional line is eligible for steep discount regardless how many existing lines you have, it’s time to get a new phone.

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