Many mobile phone users pay for minutes they don’t need while others pay unnecessary overage fees because they underestimated their actual usage. Service charges can rack up quickly, so even small steps can make a big difference when it comes to your cellular bill.
Pay as you go. Pay as you go plan ensure that you don’t pay for more minutes than you need and also keep you from having to worry about those dreaded overage charges. Check out our comparison of the top pay as you go services.
Examine your bill. Service providers love to sneak extra charges into your bill. Make sure you look it over, especially if your account is setup to pay automatically each month.
Shop around. Don’t be loyal to your phone company. Shop around for the best deal each time your contract is up. The cellular service industry is very competitive so there are bound to be some good deals out there if you take the time to search.
Correctly estimate your usage. If you’re a big time minutes user, make sure you get a plan with enough minutes, even an unlimited plan if needed. Paying a little more up-front for extra minutes or texts will save you money down the road if you can avoid the costly overage fees for overusing.
Text Alerts. Many carriers will send you text alerts when you are getting close to running over your minutes. If you don’t like to countdown your minutes an easy reminder like this can save you from going over your allotment.
A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a server run by the VPN provider. Websites see the VPN server’s IP address instead of yours, and you can get around geo-blocks, censorship, and ISP throttling. The best VPN services are paid, but there are still a handful of free options that do the job well.
Most free VPNs come with a hidden cost, because running servers isn’t cheap and a company that doesn’t charge you has to make its money somewhere else. Many do so by logging your browsing activity and selling it to advertisers, while others flood you with ads and track you across apps.
There's nothing quite like curling up with a good book on a cold evening. As much as I love the feel of a physical book, books take up a lot of space, and carrying more than one on a trip quickly becomes a chore. That's where e-readers come in, and the Amazon Kindle remains one of the best options.
Amazon just refreshed its Kindle lineup with thinner, lighter designs, a new flush-front display, and colors that wrap from front to back. Add the Kindle Scribe and the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft to the mix, and you have more choices than ever before.
A good Android app should earn its place on your phone. It might make an everyday task easier, handle something the built-in software can't, or let you change an experience that never quite worked for you.
These 20 apps cover everything from quick notes and password management to automation and local file sharing. Some are free, others charge for advanced features, and a few take some effort to figure out. The point isn't to install them all. It's to find the ones that make your phone work better for you.