This weekend I had to call Sprint Customer Service to help a friend with a phone issue he was having, he wanted me to call because he has had a bad experience with Sprint Customer Service in the past (Few months ago) and I was able to get the problem corrected for him.

But even I had issues getting is problem fixed a few months ago, so I expected to have a lot of trouble with correcting the problem again. The problem he was having is he added a 3rd line to his account but for some reason the number port was taking longer than it should have. Turned out to be that he supplied the wrong pin code or the T-Mobile account he was pulling the number from.

Any who I called and as I said I expected trouble, I was even prepared for trouble. I had a notepad two pens and a huge bottle of water, I even had my phone on Speaker because I expected to be on hold for hours.

So I go through the prompts and I am placed on hold, so I start shaking to the movies when not even 10 seconds later I get a Sprint rep. A Sprint Rep who was friendly so friendly that for a moment I thought I had called T-Mobile because their CS Reps are super friendly. But no it was Sprint the dude said Sprint. I explained to the guy my problem an he escalated it placed me on hold for no longer than 2 minutes finally he came back transfered me and I in less than a 6 minute conversation with someone else who was way to friendly for being a Sprint CS Rep, I was told they would call me back.

Being told you will be called back typically means they are never going to call you back and I would have to call back, but what do you know not even an hour later I got a call from the same friendly Sprint Rep I talked to prior informing me the problem was a bad password for the T-Mobile account so they couldn’t port the number over. My friend gave the rep the right password and 30 minutes later the number was ported.

We even got a call to let us know it had been completed!

So Bravo Sprint! You are improving your Customer Service and changing your image. I hope this isn’t a short term change.

Jawbones new headset is a lot thinner than the previous version, and a lot more comfortable too. I have been using it for nearly 2 and a half weeks and I have been happy with it.

As I said in the unboxing post, I became a fan of Jawbone when the original first came out, because it literally was the best Bluetooth headset on the market. It was also probably the biggest.  But time has changed and the Jawbone has shed some weight.

It’s new thinner self still has that sleek elegant design the original had just a bit more compact, I actually prefer the thinner versions look over the bigger original, however my friend John prefers the bigger one.

Since the new Jawbone is so much smaller than the original and so much lighter in weight it is very comfortable on your ear, and at times it doesn’t even feel like it is there. With the original Jawbone my inner ear would sometimes begin to hurt, but I don’t have that problem with the new Jawbone.

But smaller doesn’t necessarily mean not as good as the original, because if may even be better.

To put the noise cancelation technology which is the same as the original to the test, I hoped onto an elevated Subway train here in NYC and while the train rolled down the tracking making its infamous clickity clack sound, I spoke with my mom and a few of my friends and none of them complained about not being able to hear me.

Nor was I complaining that I could not hear them, they came in loud and clear, I also didn’t feel as if I needed to raise my voice for them to hear me.

So why is it called a Jawbone? It is a rather easy explanation. It’s called Jawbone because the headset has a piece of white plastic that rest on your jawbone. This piece of plastic essentially measures the vibrations and is able to block out sounds that you do not make. This gives the jawbone one of the best noise cancelation systems around.

Overall the New Jawbone is great, and it comes in three colors, Blah Blah Black, Sliver Tongue, and Goldy Lips.

The Black and Silver retail for $129.99, I was told the Gold would sell for $149.99 but it is available on the Jawbone website for $129.99 also, not sure if that is a temporary or permanent price.

The Jawbone is so great we have decided to award it our 5 Star Kick Ass award!

For more information on th Jawbone headset visit: http://www.jawbone.com

AT&T and MediaFlo today annouced that AT&T mobile will be available on the 4th of May, that is this Sunday.

AT&T is also bringing out two new phones specificaly for this service, the LG Vu and the Samsung Access.

LG Vu: A sleek and stunning device, the Vu gives you a clear view of TV, Web, pictures or videos on its large interactive touch screen. It also lets you get the utmost in mobile entertainment with a music player, 2.0 megapixel camera and Bluetooth® capabilities. The LG Vu is available for $299.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.
Samsung Access: This stylish handset features a large landscape display, ideal for delivering a rich viewing experience and an internal antenna for exceptional reception. It’s a great device for customers who are looking for advanced multimedia capabilities such as a camera, external stereo speakers, stereo Bluetooth, AT&T Music, CV, of course, AT&T Mobile TV. The Samsung Access is available for $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

“AT&T Mobile TV is more than a new entertainment service — it is an experience that will significantly change and enhance our customers’ mobile lifestyles,” said Mark Collins, vice president of Consumer Data for AT&T’s wireless unit. “With this in mind, it was imperative that we launch this revolutionary service on devices that were optimal for the best mobile viewing experience imaginable. We worked closely with LG and Samsung to deliver these two iconic handsets, which are designed with the specific needs of what will soon become our Mobile TV viewing audience.”

To bad I no longer have at&t to try this out. :(

Yesterday, Verizon launched a new unlimited calling plan with a starting price of $99 USD. Hours later, AT&T followed suit, and t-mobile joined along an hour after that, thus creating a price war.

However, what confuses me is that some analysts are saying that these plans could lead to a price war! Are they kidding me? What the hell are they talking about? There is no “could lead to a price war”! This is a ‘price war’, and the war started when Verizon invaded the island of Unlimited.

Then, AT&T announced it planned to send its troops onto the island of Unlimited on the 22nd ,and t-mobile said hey, you better watch out we are going to try to claim some of the island too; we are going in on the 21st, we will beat AT&T to the island of Unlimited.

This is a price war; there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Now analysts who are saying this could lead to one are probably being cautious because they know this ‘price war’ will drive stock prices down and scare investors. While that may be true, investors need to realize a lot of people will sign up for these unlimited plans. Many will ditch their land lines for one of these plans, and a great amount of people with these plans probably won’t even use 500 minutes a month.

I predict that AT&T and Verizon will both see a decline in landline subscribers. In fact, I see every form of phone company, be it traditional landline or VoIP, seeing a decline in subscribers in favor of these unlimited plans. I believe these unlimited plans will begin a new era in communication, one where the majority of the American population uses only a cell phone. It’s already started, but with these new Unlimited plans, it’s only going to speed the process up.

Now we just have to wait for Alltel and Sprint to jump onboard. I give them a week, and who knows one of them may surprise us with an even cheaper rate. (I hear about 60 - 80 bucks) Remember Sprint used to offer a 60 dollar unlimited plan they may bring it back.

On Monday Sprint and Samsung announced the Samsung Ace. Here are some pictures of the phone, thanks to Samsung.

Kind of looks like the BlackJack II with a little bit of Moto Q.

Last week, we told you about how the new Sprint CEO was interested in making an Unlimited calling plan available to its customers. Well it would see Verizon has beat Sprint in offering such a plan because today they announced one.

For $99 dollars a month or $199 for a family plan, Verizon wireless users can enjoy unlimited calling and if the user wants unlimited data the price only jumps to $139 a month or $269 a month for a family plan. Top that Sprint!

http://estore.vzwshop.com/unlimited/

Today Samsung and Sprint announced the future availability of the Samsung Ace Smartphone. The Samsung Ace is a slim and compact smartphone running Windows Mobile 6.0.

The Samsung Ace will allow mobile professionals to communicate globally on CDMA and GSM/GPRS networks where Sprint has international roaming agreements. Sprint currently has roaming agreements in 180 countries.

“Mobile professionals and consumers alike need to stay connected wherever they are,” said Danny Bowman, vice president of customer equipment for Sprint. “The Samsung ACE combined with the benefits of SprintSpeed, competitive rates and expansive coverage through multiple technologies makes it one of the strongest Windows Mobile devices on the market today, a clear value for customers in the U.S. and just about anywhere else.”

In addition to its international capabilities, the Samsung Ace(TM) offers an impressive feature set, including:

-- Slim, light form factor with a full QWERTY keyboard - The
Samsung Ace(TM) measures 4.65” x 2.32” x 0.46” and weighs just
under four ounces

-- Large 2.3” TFT color display - perfect for viewing live and
on-demand channels available through Sprint TV, as well as
up-to-date information with On-Demand.

-- Slide Click Wheel - Experience easy navigation between a
multitude of applications

-- Stereo Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology - Enjoy the
convenience and versatility of hands free communication by
pairing the Samsung Ace(TM) with headsets, car-kits and other
Bluetooth-enabled devices.

-- External Memory - The Samsung Ace(TM) supports up to 2GB
MicroSD card for storing music, videos and pictures.

-- 1.3 Megapixel Digital Camera and Camcorder - Capture quality
images with integrated digital camera and zoom. Shoot video
clips to share with family and friends.

-- View Documents - The Samsung ACE(TM) allows customers to view
documents and files on the phone with Microsoft Office Word,
Microsoft Office Excel and Microsoft Office PowerPoint.

The Samsung Ace will be available for $199 with a 2 year contract and $100 mail in rebate. The phone will hit Sprint stores in March.

Pictures coming soon.

If you have an Analog Cell Phone, then chances are tomorrow your phone will not work. Most Cell Service providers will be turning off their Analog signal for good tomorrow.

While most people already have Digital Cell Phones there still remain a few people with analog handsets, those people along with some OnStar users and some older alarm systems will not have any service.

The two biggest companies that will shut down their analog service is at&t wireless and Verizon wireless.

So if you have a really old cell phone and tomorrow your service does not work. This is probably why. Just call your cell phone provider to get a new phone.

In what is probably the saddest thing I have read as of late, a mentally disturbed man killed his very own daughter because she text messaged a boy.

The young girl who was 14 years old was visiting her farther Miguel Matias in New York, when apparently he snapped strangled her to death and dumped her in the woods inside a boiler after she texted a boy.

What I don’t understand is, how did this guy have joint custody of his daughter when he tried to kill her in the past? Yes he tried to kill her before by setting the car she was in on Fire.

Research in Motion (RIM) has notified its customers of a major outage on the entire North American Continent. The outage started around noon eastern time and continues as of 7:40 PM EST.

RIM has not said when they expect the service to be back up but if previous outages are an indicator the service may be down for a day or two.

Sprint and AT&T told CNN that the outage started around 3:30 for them, however I have friends with Black Berrys and I was told by them that their service had been down since noon.