There are dozens of articles and posts each day that describe the runaway success of the new iPhone 3g. The issue is, its very hard to get one. Spotty supply and long lines make it very hard for many people to get an iPhone 3g as they do not have 4-5 hours to wait in line with the Apple faithful, but still there are a lot of people who still want the phone. Well folks there is a better way. Go in to ANY AT&T wireless store, they will tell you they are sold out, however, if you place a “direct fulfillment order” at the store while you are there AT&T will order you an iPhone 3g in black or white and have it send directly to the store reserved in your name. Once you new iPhone arrives (week to 10 days) you simply stop on by the AT&T store to activate and pick up your brand new, no waiting in line iPhone 3g. This is far easier than dedicating half a day to standing in line! that is is, its just that easy.

So if Sprint is going to do a large strategic deal with Clearwire will they also wind up being purchased by T-Mobile? From what we hear T-Mobile is not going to like what they see if they ever get a peek into Sprint’s books, but, T-Mobile probably thinks they can do it better so I think the chance of a deal remains even with the new Clearwire deal in place, and T-Mobile already has been trying to get a similar WiFi arrangement to work on their own so Clearwire should not scare them off. Watching from the sidelines on this one is sure fun !

Prolong the Life of Your Cell Phone Battery -

Initialize a new cell phone battery. New batteries should be fully charged before their first use to obtain maximum capacity. Nickel-based batteries should be charged for 16 hours initially and run through 2-4 full charge/full discharge cycles, while lithium ion batteries should be charged for about 5-6 hours. Ignore the cell phone telling you that the battery is full–this is normal but is not accurate if the battery is not initialized.

Keep the cell phone battery cool. Your battery will last longest if used near room temperature, and nothing wears on a battery like extended exposure to high temperatures. While you can’t control the weather, you can avoid leaving your phone in a hot car or in direct sunlight, and you don’t have to carry your cell phone in your pocket, where your body heat will raise its temperature. In addition, check the cell phones battery while it’s charging. If it seems excessively hot, your charger may be malfunctioning.

Charge your cell phone battery correctly, in accordance with its type. Most newer cell phones have lithium-ion batteries, while older ones generally have nickel-based batteries. Read the label on the back of the battery or in the technical specifications in the wireless phone manual to determine which yours is.

Nickel-based batteries (either NiCd or NiMH) suffer from a phenomenon known as the “memory effect.” If you charge the battery partially enough times, eventually the battery “forgets” that it can charge fully. A nickel-based battery suffering from memory effect can be reconditioned, which requires the battery to be completely discharged, then completely recharged (sometimes several times). The appropriate length of time between reconditionings varies. A good rule to follow for nickel-battery cell-phones is to discharge them completely once every two to three weeks, and only when you have a charger available.

Lithium ion batteries, on the other hand, do not suffer from the same memory effect. However, many devices that use lithium batteries have a battery meter, showing the user how much charge the battery has left. Starting with a battery’s manufacture at the factory, lithium ions oxidize in the battery, shortening its life. After a certain amount of time, the battery exhibits slightly different electronic properties, which the device can only detect when the battery is discharged. This type of problem is known as a “virtual memory effect” and occurs when your battery meter can show a high charge, then suddenly drop to low charge when the battery is almost dead. Every thirty cumulative cycles, you should discharge lithium ion batteries until the phone gives a low battery warning, then recharge it. If you discharge lithium ion batteries to zero voltage, the internal safety circuit may open. In that case, a normal charger will be inadequate. Reconditioning ensures that the battery meter on a lithium ion cellphone is accurate (although it will not affect actual battery capacity).

Regardless of the cell phone battery type, use only a charger rated for your battery, and discontinue use of a charger that causes the battery to heat up excessively.

Store batteries properly. If your battery will be out of use for a while, disconnect it from the phone and store it in a cool place (the refrigerator is good, but freezing temperatures do not slow oxidation) and away from metal objects. Ensure that the battery is not exposed to moisture; try putting the battery in an airtight container or bag. Lithium ion batteries are not rated to operate at refrigerated temperatures, so let the battery sit outside the refrigerator for at least an hour before using it again. Lithium ion batteries oxidize least when they are stored at 40% charge. Never store a lithium battery at low voltage. Recharge batteries after storage.
Clean the battery contacts on the battery and on the phone. Over time, contacts may accumulate dirt. Clean them with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol to maximize the efficiency of energy transfer. In addition, if the contacts are two different metals, such as gold and tin, accelerated corrosion known as “fretting” occurs. Cutting the corrosion from fretted contacts often requires solvents, such as acetone or nail polish remover. Be careful: these solvent dissolve plastic, so use a Q-Tip to avoid damaging the battery housing or the phone.

These tips on Better Cell Phone Battery Life come from Wikihow

Here is a great aticle on Maximizing Your Cell Phone Battery Life-

Four steps you can take now to get more mileage out of your cell phone battery.

The idea that mainstream technology is built to eventually malfunction may be less of a conspiracy theory and more grounded in fact than we realize. This is for a couple reasons. First, making long-lasting equipment is expensive. Second, companies want you to come back and upgrade your equipment periodically.
For cell phones, the life span seems to be about two years. The main threat against cell phone durability isn’t the memory card that holds the address book, nor the fancy screen that shows the numbers. The problem is: battery life. After a year or two of reliability, older phones may last a day on one charge, if not just a few hours.

Fortunately, there are precautions you can take to extend battery life

Issue #1 — Being Disconnected While Indoors
Twenty years ago, having a cordless phone at home was a luxury, but now it is standard. As such, we aren’t used to having a wire keeping us in place – even if we’re talking on a cell phone five feet away from the outlet. The constant depleting and recharging will wear out batteries no matter what precautions are taken, so it’s essential to use your cell phone’s battery power only when necessary. If you’re stationary and by an outlet, plug in the phone. The cell’s power will then be taken from the outlet, not from your battery.

Answer: Charge while talking.

Issue #2 — Keeping the Cell on 24/7
The beauty of cell phones is that, dead zones notwithstanding, we can be reached at any time. We tend to leave them on all day and all night, and complain when they break down from exhaustion. What people don’t realize is that cell phones, like computers and other technological gadgets, need a little rest. Downtime allows your phone to cool down, while turning on the phone anew will refocus its coordinates (which may help you get better reception).

Answer: Turn it off. Shut it down periodically, ideally at least once daily. Fives minutes will do.

Issue #3 — Keeping Your Cell Phone in Extreme Temperatures
Most people don’t have business in Antarctica or the Sahara, but leaving the phone in a hot summer car or a cold office will hurt battery life, too. “A common mistake made by cellular phone users is to leave their battery pack in their vehicle during the heat of day,” Motorola warns. “A car’s internal temperature can exceed 80 degrees Celsius, and the temperature of a dashboard with direct exposure to the sun can exceed 120 degrees Celsius.”

Answer: If it must be stored, keep it away from sunlight during summer. In winter, keep that phone well-covered or close to a warm body.

Issue #4 – Charging Every DayIt’s a habit, especially for travelers: Get into the hotel room, search for the nearest available outlet and plug up all rechargeable electronics before settling in. Unfortunately, according to a T-Mobile spokesman, this very practice can drain life from your cell phone battery. Cell phones, iPods and other rechargeable electronics have so-called battery memory. When first bought, your cell phone is prepped to charge fully each time you plug it into an outlet. Repeatedly charging your phone when it has, say, half power actually lowers the capacity of the battery. It gets used to holding a half charge.

Answer: Charge every other day. The average cell phone charge last about three days. Unless you’re a risk taker, it’s probably not a good idea to wait until the third day (after all, this isn’t an exact science). A more realistic goal is to plug in your phone every other day. Not only will this improve long-term battery life, but it also keeps you untethered for half of the week.

Here is a little info I dialed up in Google:

“November of 1999 Randice-Lisa “Randi” Altschul was issued a series of patents for the world’s first disposable cell phone. Trademarked the Phone-Card-Phone®, the device is the thickness of three credit cards and made from recycled paper products. This is a real cell phone (outgoing messages only) with 60 minutes of calling time and a hands free attachment. You can add more minutes or throw the device away after your calling time is used up. However, with the planned additional magnetic strip the cell phone would double as a credit card, swipeable for purchases with free airtime credits as a bonus. The retail price of the invention should average twenty dollars, with a two or three dollar rebate for returning the phone instead of trashing it.
Altschul thought up the invention after being tempted to toss her cell phone out of her car in frustration over a bad connection. She realized cell phones were too expansive to lose or throw away. After clearing the idea with her patent lawyer and making sure no one else had already invented a disposable cell phone, Randi Altschul together with engineer Lee Volte, patented both the disposable cell phone and the super thin technology (STTTM) needed for the Phone-Card-Phone and other intended products.”

That was 9 years ago and the idea has just not taken off, instead, people are paying more for phones and keeping them longer, iphone, blackberry and treo are all well over $300.oo and there are phones like the Nokia n95 that can cost closer to $800.00.

In the end people just want more than a cellphone made out of recycled paper.

Here is a great little article from the EPA website on cellphone recycling -

Recycling a cellphone: an Easy Call - Every day there are thousands of opportunities to recycle cell phones and accessories. Many cell phone retailers, manufacturers, and service providers have ongoing collection programs where phones can be dropped off or mailed in—regardless of the age or brand. Some charitable organizations and state or municipal solid waste programs also offer cell phone recycling. In most cases, cell phone recycling is free.

Recycling a cellphone: a Social Call - Donating your cell phone also benefits your community. When cell phones and accessories are in good working condition, some programs donate them to a number of worthy charities or provide them for discounted sale to those who need them. In addition, many recycling programs use the proceeds to raise funds for charitable organizations, schools, churches and other social causes. In some cases, programs buy the phone back from the consumer.

Recycling a cellphone: a Green Call - Recycling cell phones helps the environment by saving energy and keeping usable and valuable materials out of landfills and incinerators. Cell phones are made from precious metals, copper, and plastics—all of which require energy to mine and manufacture. Recycling these materials not only conserves resources, but prevents air and water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, if all of the 100 million cell phones ready for end of life management in the U.S. are recycled, we could save enough energy to power more than 194,000 U.S. households with electricity for one year.

As cell phones, computers, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) become more prominent in our everyday lives, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking steps to encourage consumers to recycle these products instead of adding them to our nation’s landfills. As part of this initiative, EPA’s Plug-In To eCycling program has teamed up with leading cell phone makers, service providers, and retailers to launch a national campaign encouraging Americans to recycle or donate their unwanted cell phones. The “Recycle Your Cell Phone. It’s An Easy Call” campaign aims to increase the public’s awareness of cell phone recycling and donation opportunities, with the ultimate goal of increasing the nation’s cell phone recycling rate. Plug-In To eCycling partners supporting this campaign are: AT&T; Best Buy; LG Electronics; Motorola; Nokia; Office Depot; Samsung; Sony Ericsson; Sprint; Staples; and, T-Mobile.
To kick off the initiative, the Campaign has released a series of print public service announcements that highlight the convenience and environmental and social benefits of recycling a cell phone. EPA has also released a series of downloadable podcasts featuring experts in the electronics recycling field discussing the many ways that consumers can reuse and recycle their electronics and addressing many common questions and concerns. During 2008, look for the Campaign to host special cell phone collection events and increase publicity for our partners’ recycling programs.
EPA has targeted cell phone recycling because, despite the large number of programs, most consumers still do not know where or how they can recycle their cell phones. Consequently, less than 20 percent of unwanted cell phones are recycled each year. Recycling cell phones leads to significant environmental savings and can benefit communities.

What is going on with Virgin Mobile?

Virgin Mobile is a prepaid MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) offering a prepaid or “pay as you go” wireless service on the Sprint network. Virgin Mobile purchases the airtime minutes from Sprint and resells them as Virgin Mobile. The company has attempted to leverage the Virgin name and target younger wireless consumers. Virgin went public a few months ago but has seen its stock go down almost every day in its public life. Why? Virgin faces stiff competition from ATT and T-Mobile in the prepaid space- ATT has its GoPhone prepaid product and T-Mobile has a prepaid - postpaid hybrid product they call Flexpay which is doing very well. In addition the are strong family plan and add-a-line products available from Alltel, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile and ATT wireless that all offer users a better value than the prepaid model Virgin offers. Virgin has been successful in getting their product into strong retailers like Target and Best Buy and it has grown its subscriber base yet there is no clear indication that it can make real profits. Advertising costs will remain high as Virgin fights all the other wireless carriers for subscribers and the prepaid model does not work very well for data services which are a big part of the future of the industry. Virgin will have a tough time getting ahead and the stock is likely to languish in our Insider opinion.

The most likely next failure in the US Wireless Industry is Helio the high tech slanted MVNO run on the Sprint network. Helio has recently let a few key executives go and has also seen the departure of a few others. The industry is moving into a price war and the amount of advertising from Verizon Wireless, ATT Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile and reduced margins from the unlimited rate plans the price war is centered around will leave no room left for Helio to make money or gather new subscribers. We predict the Helio mvno will not see the end of 2008. There is just no room for them. Another one bites the dust

Today we have several reports the a T-Mobile might buy Sprint. Could these reports turn out to be true? Hard to say but fun to speculate. T-Mobile has decent wireless marketing, good GSM handsets and has money since it is owned by Deutsche Telecom. Sprint has lots of wireless subscribers and that is what T-Mobile does not have and likely wants. So on at least a simple level this deal could make sense. There are lots of this one could mention that point to this being a bad idea like Sprint is loosing those wireless subscribers fast to AT&T and to Verizon or the T-Mobile is a GSM mobile provider and Sprint uses a CDMA wireless technology which is not at all compatable but let’s just stand by as the wireless industry often suprises people. Remember ATT changed its name to Cingular Wireless and then decided to change again to AT&T Wireless

All over the web you can see Free Cell Phone offers - free RAZR, Free Blackberry, Free Chocolate from Verizon Wireless and so on. How can the wireless providers give you a free phone? The answer is service contracts. Cellphones are NEVER free - in fact they come with a fairly large monthly expense for the rate plan you choose. A free cellphone deal is really more of an exchange of a “free” phone upfront for you the customer agreeing to a cellphone service contract for your rate plan for usually 2 years at a cost of at least $29.99 per month but almost always more than that. This arrangement has its roots going back to the early days in the wireless industry and has been both a major driver in growth and adoption of mobile phone use in the United States. Interestingly, this arrangement or trade has been going on for so long that almost all wireless phone users think that a cellphone is free and do not want to pay for a new one or certainly do not want to pay the real cost of a new cell phone - the result is a new trade for another cellular service contract and the Free Cell Phone circle of life continues. But, it is not and has never been FREE - hehe!