Wireless Wizard Tips, Tricks and Shortcutshttp://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/en-US2010-09-03T10:32:29ZSquarespace Site Server v5.11.5 (http://www.squarespace.com/)• Fixing AT&T's Coverage Is A Four-Letter Wordhttp://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/2010/8/15/fixing-atts-coverage-is-a-four-letter-word.htmlThe Wireless Wizard2010-08-15T20:17:50ZWhen AT&T announced that losing exclusivity of the iPhone wouldn't materially affect their revenues my first thought was, "I'll be patient - where's the punchline?"  AT&T's very public problems concerning coverage and capacity have iPhone users incensed and clamoring over the possibility of switching carriers to get improved service. 

But AT&T doesn't have to lose those customers, nor does it have to invest additional billions in network capacity to meet future needs.  They just need to make one simple change.  One inexpensive, easy, can't-believe-they-haven't-already-done-this change. 

]]>•Every Carrier’s Coverage Stinks – Just In Different Placeshttp://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/2010/5/25/every-carriers-coverage-stinks-just-in-different-places.htmlThe Wireless Wizard2010-05-26T01:15:42ZI hear and read complaints every day about the coverage problems that vex cell phone users.  Judging by the vitriolic tenor of the comments it’s safe to say that most of them – especially in Los Angeles, where I live and hear them first-hand – could be a little happier. 

The vast majority of complaints appear to be aimed squarely at AT&T and I’m certainly not about to defend them; as an avid iPhone user I’ve had more than my share of dropped calls and connections that just time out.  That said, having a little experience in building systems adds a great deal of perspective so while I’m not going to defend the carriers it’s important to see both sides of the coin. 

]]>• AT&T's $150 Customer Service Blunderhttp://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/2010/4/6/atts-150-customer-service-blunder.htmlThe Wireless Wizard2010-04-06T14:38:23ZExcuse me while I shake my head to make sure that I’ve read this right.  AT&T, blasted regularly in the news and on blogs far and wide with complaints about their lousy network coverage and underestimated data capacity (largely due to the runaway success of the iPhone) has a solution at hand and is ignoring it.  No, check that, they’re not ignoring it… they’re saying that they’ve got it and don’t want to use it. 

Their solution,  the recently announced availability of a long-awaited device which would vastly improve coverage while simultaneously offloading traffic from their network onto a channel that they don’t even pay for, will be squandered and barely taken up by the very people that need it most – and who are probably complaining the loudest about dropped calls and busy networks.

How is this possible?  Could a corporation smart enough to get an exclusive distribution agreement for the iPhone and to let Apple, a company known for its marketing genius, take the lead in marketing it, really be this stupid?  It appears so.  Here’s why…

]]>• How's That Quest Going?http://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/2010/3/7/hows-that-quest-going.htmlThe Wireless Wizard2010-03-07T16:01:00ZOK, maybe this hasn’t been a pot-boiling cliffhanger, but I’ll have you know that more than a few people have asked me that very question lately.  In my last post I promised to embark – and report – on a quest for the zero-minute month.  Through the magic of some cool new technologies I was determined to get my monthly cell phone “anytime” minutes down to a bare minimum, if not completely zero. 

How’d it go?  Well (my old journalism  professor would admonish me for “burying the lead” here) but I got pretty close.  The goal wasn’t to stop talking on the phone, or to stop using the cell phone, but rather to incorporate the use of some readily available technologies and services into my daily routine to minimize the use of AT&T’s anytime minutes on my plan. 

]]>• The Quest For The Zero Minute Monthhttp://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/2009/11/17/the-quest-for-the-zero-minute-month.htmlThe Wireless Wizard2009-11-17T16:00:40ZTips, Tricks, ShortcutsCall me old school. After repeatedly having more minutes than I can use in a year, much less in a month, I still try to conserve minutes on my cell phone plan as if they cost $0.35/each. (When I started using cell phones that's what they cost.)

Neurotic, I know, but I can't help it – so instead I'm trying to embrace it.

During the next few months, with the help of a few key tools that I'll outline below, I'm going on a quest - a personal jihad, if you will - for the Zero Minute Month. From a practical standpoint it may be impossible for me to get all the way there but I'm betting that I can get my monthly minutes down to under, say, 200 anytime minutes.  The point is to demonstrate how, with a little care and the aid of some cool new technology, anyone can reduce their monthly cell phone minutes to a point so low that you could choose the cheapest possible plan and still have minutes left over.

 

]]>• Airbags, Seatbelts And Spandexhttp://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/2009/10/20/airbags-seatbelts-and-spandex.htmlThe Wireless Wizard2009-10-20T15:00:45ZAfter years of biking 6000+ miles/year I’ve become pretty sensitive to watching the road and the actions of drivers.  Out of self-preservation I simply can’t trust anyone behind the wheel when I’m on my bike and have taken to become fairly militant about pointing at people, shouting “DON’T!” and calling drivers things my mother wouldn’t approve of when they ignore my “advice.” 

And while it’s true that many of them are on their cell phones when this happens believe me when I tell you that the vast majority of those not paying attention are screaming at their kids in the back seat, reaching for their Starbucks in the cup holder or tinkering with their CD/radio/navigation device on the dashboard. 

]]>• Wireless Penetration Rates Are Yesterday’s News – It’s Saturation Rates Nowhttp://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/2009/10/8/wireless-penetration-rates-are-yesterdays-news-its-saturatio.htmlThe Wireless Wizard2009-10-08T15:00:47ZThere aren’t a whole lot of people you’ll meet who are more tech-centric than I am.  I can barely write with a pencil anymore and think better at a keyboard than a blank sheet of paper.  But there’s something about the morning newspaper (my choice is the Wall Street Journal) that still appeals to me.  Maybe it’s that tactile sensation of folding the paper, the audible crinkling when I fold it over into neat quarters to read while holding one handed (a technique I learned while commuting via subway in New York) or something less esoteric… no batteries to deplete, screens to worry about cracking – whatever.  It’s a newspaper, not a news screen, I figured. 

And then my wife’s birthday – which seems to come about once every three months – elicited the usual “what now” response most men have when considering gifts.  Jewelry, the default safe haven for men, wasn’t an option for this birthday (don’t ask) so it was incumbent upon me to be <gasp> creative.  So, in an effort to assuage my own conscience and simultaneously encourage my wife’s reading habit, I succumbed to the siren song of electronics and bought a Kindle, that e-book reader that’s all the rage amongst the first-class-seats-set. 

]]>• Sky High WiFihttp://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/2009/6/29/sky-high-wifi.htmlThe Wireless Wizard2009-06-30T02:25:44ZMost times I'm asleep before takeoff. The routine, honed after 20+ years of heavy traveling and more than two million miles in the air, is more a result of muscle memory than thought. Backpack stored in overhead - check. Newspaper and reading materials folder in seat-back pocket - check. Earbuds firmly inserted to block noise and memorized announcements - check. Turn off phone - check. Wake-up when drink cart rolls down the aisle - check. Log into WiFi to get some work done - check - WAIT - what? WiFi? Up here? Yup.

After years of isolation at 35,000' and the ability to effectively block work-related communications thanks to a lack of Internet connectivity the wall has come down - or gone way, way up, depending on your point of view. It took years before the net's reach extended outwards from the home or office but now that's pretty much routine - wireless cards, hot spots, tethering a mobile to your laptop, etc., all keep us connected when we're on the horizontal. But now the reach has gone vertical. Just last week I had sky-high WiFi. And loved it.]]>• Satellite Radio Is On Life Support, And Doomed To Be Marginalized, Unless…http://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/2009/5/12/satellite-radio-is-on-life-support-and-doomed-to-be-marginal.htmlThe Wireless Wizard2009-05-12T15:00:00ZBiking alongside someone for hours at a time gives riders plenty of time to talk. My #1 riding buddy (and great pal) Andy and I have clocked thousands of miles together, all the while talking about business, arguing about politics, laughing about the sheer stupidities of life and generally covering a lot of ground - both literally and figuratively.

A few years ago Andy got his first satellite radio and was instantly hooked. He loved the clear sound, choice of channels and absence of advertising. My comment, as we pedaled along, puzzled him. "Enjoy it while you can. It won't last forever," I said.

As with a lot of other predictions I'm off by a few years in one direction or another. However, I'm convinced that satellite radio is currently on life support and is doomed to be a marginal product for however long it lasts - despite the opinions of Andy and millions of his fellow satellite-radio-addicted compatriots.

]]>• Unlimited Minutes, Perfect Coverage - $3/Monthhttp://www.thewirelesswizard.com/tips-tricks-shortcuts/2009/4/7/unlimited-minutes-perfect-coverage-3month.htmlThe Wireless Wizard2009-04-07T14:49:16ZMost people who know me wouldn't suggest that I was cheap. Quite the contrary, actually - I drive a couple of nice cars and spent way too much money on my last bike (although that was about 4 years and 25,000 miles ago).

But when it comes to monthly bills I'm a piker - especially when it comes to communications like phone, Internet connection, cable/satellite TV, etc. I'm on the prowl pretty much all the time when it comes to better deals and am not afraid - OK, proud - of calling a vendor and asking for a discount. I've got no pride when it comes to getting a better deal if there's one to be had.

Regular readers of this blog know that I really put this to the test when I decided to go completely wireless in my home office about a year ago. Truthfully, it really worried me - with the vagaries of coverage and the ease with which minutes can run up a bill I was more than a little nervous about it.

All turned out well, though, and I blogged a few times about it HERE, HERE and HERE. Little did I know, though, that the best was still yet to come - a way to save money, create virtually perfect coverage for my cell phone around my home office and actually make life a little more convenient.

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