EarthVision Newsletter Archive
Back to Archive Home PageSent: Wednesday, October 18, 2000
Subject: EarthVision Cellular Consumer News! Issue #21 Vol. 2Another issue of the EarthVision Cellular Consumer Newsletter. This newsletter is for the soon to be educated cellular phone user community. If you know of anyone else that may have an interest in our newsletter, make sure to forward them a copy. Now we move forward at Mach II speed!
[Note: This newsletter is delivered Bi Weekly on Wednesday.]
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NEW AT&T WIRELESS SERVICE - HOAX OR REAL WE DON'T KNOW
NEW MONTHLY CELLULAR PHONE BEAUTY QUEEN CONTEST
THE GRINCH WHO STOLE OUR CELLULAR PHONE CHRISTMAS
CALIFORNIANS MAY GET THOSE NEW AREA CODES AFTER ALL
DID YOU KNOW? INTERESTING WIRELESS TIDBITS FOR YOUR PERUSAL
CELL PHONE BATTERY EVOLUTION INTRODUCES THE "POWER MINDER"
CURRENT UPDATES AT THE EARTHVISION CELLULAR WEBSITE
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EarthVision Cellular Consumer News Digest Issue # 21 Volume 2
NEW AT&T WIRELESS SERVICE - HOAX OR REAL WE DON'T KNOW
Here is a new one for you. AT&T is putting out a new wireless service program. They have made 43 million lines available for this purpose. You pay $200 for unlimited time for 6 months plus an activation fee and possibly the cost of the phone. The catch? You can only make outbound calls and inbound calls are not available as part of the service.
That comes out to $33 a month not including activation or phone costs. So you would be trading the inbound calls to have unlimited calls during this period of time. You probably won't have a phone number assigned to the phone either.
It isn't posted on the internet yet so you shouldn't waste your time hunting around for it. It is our business to know the industry and we often learn of these things long before they are released to the public and newspapers. However, we did post a disclaimer below.
What does all this mean from the big picture? Some of you may have heard of the disposable prepaid phone that manufacturers are trying to think of how to offer to the public. Well, the disposable prepaid phone is very similar in offering this type of service with outbound only calling. Looks like AT&T wireless is trying to build a new road with this type of service.
[However, this has been tried before at a higher price point. That specific service flopped and maybe with AT&T being the size that it is, they can pull this one off.]
The pro's and con's of disposable prepaid cell service to the new AT&T wireless service are many. A disposable prepaid cell phone would allow you more control over how much you spend in a specific period of time, and you wouldn't need to worry about buying accessories for the phone either. Plus disposable prepaid cell phone units will probably come in at a lower price point when and if they become available.
On the other hand, this service will allow you to use the service more heavily and the phone will last longer than a disposable phone. (Disposable prepaid cellular phones' life expectancy is anticipated to be only 3 to 4 months before it falls apart.)
The benefits from both sides are there, and we only presented a short list here. It is going to come down to a matter of what is best for the cellular phone user's need for the service. Something to keep in mind for future reference anyhow. This information was obtained from a company who claims to have exclusive rights to reselling this service as a Master Agent of AT&T wireless.
NEW MONTHLY CELLULAR PHONE BEAUTY QUEEN CONTEST
We thought we needed to lighten things up here and have a bit of fun. We are now running a monthly Cellular Phone Beauty Queen Contest. Each month we will have a new CP Beauty Queen posted on our front page.
It is a given that the featured Beauty Queens will one day become famous just because they were listed on the front page of our website. Look. It is important to have goals, isn't it? You never know; it could happen. Alright! They may not become famous just because they are on our website but we would like to think so. Talent scouts need to replace their batteries every once in a while too.
Gentlemen, we haven't forgotten about you either. We intend to begin a contest for the men but we have to do one project at a time and then figure out a good name for the contest. You wouldn't want Mr. Beauty Queen would you?
The contest we are running now is open to amateurs and professionals alike. We will be creating a separate page that will list that year's monthly Beauty Queen. As with any contest, we will be awarding a prize to the featured Beauty Queen of the month and allowing her some exposure to thousands of visitors from around the world to start her own fan club.
For the record, our contest will be run in good taste. We will be looking for that "classic beauty" in the contest. I mean there are many cellular phones out there that just don't have the most appealing appearance.
We would like to take a moment here to thank those who have already entered into the contest. This is going to be a very tough decision to make. We expect to put up our first featured Beauty Queen as of the 1st of January in 2001. The best of luck to you!
THE GRINCH WHO STOLE OUR CELLULAR PHONE CHRISTMAS
We have been blowing the horn to warn everyone that shortages of electronic devices may occur. Already Palm devices are in trouble with meeting demand. A company in the manufacturing of the pieces needed for electronic devices such as cell phones has already confirmed that there is a definite shortage of components.
The large corporations will have priority over the small business retailer as is always the case. Some small retailers including those online may have to tell customers that they won't be able to buy the items they want because of short supply.
Consumers will have two feasible options available to them. If purchasing online, start your shopping now. Otherwise, you may find the items only being available at some place like Circuit City, and they might have a backorder or they may need to send you to another of their stores to pick up the item.
The supply and demand factor is definitely in force here. Already manufacturers have found themselves with a backorder on components stretching over 2 months. Another theory is that the component shortage is a hoax fueled by cell phone manufacturers to drive up sales.
Manufacturers working in concert to drive up sales isn't very likely. Especially if a couple of them didn't get what they would consider to be their fair share of the market share sales. That could easily backfire and it is doubtful that manufacturers would be willing to take that risk.
Nokia lovers are supposedly to have no fear about a shortage. Nokia is claiming that they will be able to meet demand even though carriers and others are skeptical that cell phone manufacturers will be able to do it. As it stands, it may be us (the cell phone users) who are the grinches that stole the cellular phone Christmas this year.
CALIFORNIANS MAY GET THOSE NEW AREA CODES AFTER ALL
This is something that should be of interest to not only to "Californ-E-I-A" people but to folks all over the US. A precedent has been set that may trickle over to other states facing the same problem with area code shortages.
The governor of California (Grey Davis) has signed into state law a unique bill. Normally a Public Utilities Commission (PUC) can do its own thing until now. The law signed dictates that the California PUC (CPUC) must petition the FCC for the authority to create and assign new area codes for cell phones and other wireless devices.
The next item that makes it unique is this one. The law also prevents the state CPUC from splitting any area codes or overlaying a new area code on an existing one. In other words, the CPUC must create a new area code, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
The strange thing about this action is that the FCC has regulations banning states from creating area codes specifically for cell phones. The new law requires that the CPUC take action and have a petition before the FCC no later than March 31st, 2001, with requesting to create new area codes for cell phones.
You would think that wireless carriers would be in favor of this law. They are not. Their complaint is that it prevents them from the opportunity to participate in number portability exchange. (A very expensive endeavor and an entirely different story.)
California has a record of doubling the number of area codes in use in the last 3 years. It is said that the Gold Rush State is a fast place to live. With a record like that we will have no choice but to recognize the people of California with our Mach II Speed People of the Year award.
DID YOU KNOW? INTERESTING WIRELESS TIDBITS FOR YOUR PERUSAL
The number of cell phone subscribers signing up is starting to decline. Both Sprint PCS and Nextel respectively have stated a less than anticipated growth of subscribers. Customer churn on Sprint PCS is what has caused their numbers to decline. More wireless carriers are expected to claim a decrease in subscribers as well. This may have also caused the wireless manufacturers' stock prices to plummet by nearly a third. Some analysts believe that the stocks will not recover and subscribers will continue to decline.
Wireless number portability is mandated by the FCC to be available as of the year 2002. This will include people using prepaid wireless services. Smaller carriers are the ones who will be hardest hit with trying to comply with the mandate.
The name of the new company formed by SBC Communications, Inc., and BellSouth is called Cingular Wireless, making this company the second largest wireless carrier next to Verizon. They are not too far in second place either with slightly over 6 million subscribers less than Verizon.
Consumers are equally split on whether cell phone use should be regulated or not. Those who would like to see restrictions are further divided. Nearly 25% want a ban on using a phone in a car or in a public place, 20% in a car, and 7% in public places. The remaining percentage of people had other items on the agenda for restrictions.
CELL PHONE BATTERY EVOLUTION INTRODUCES THE "POWER MINDER"
Texas Instruments has come through for the cell phone users. The battery indicators on cellular phones just are not cutting it anymore. TI has created a circuit device (or battery monitor if you would like) that will present you with accurate information on your battery's charge level.
It is the slicer, the dicer, and all things combined. It tracks how much charge has gone into a battery, how much standby time you have left before it will be discharged, and even estimates how long the battery will take to recharge.
It is supposed to work with Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) and Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) type batteries. We could see these bad boys coming out as early as next year. Talks are already underway with manufacturers to implement this into handsets that will be coming out in the future. Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries are slowly being phased out so they aren't going to have this option.
Business travelers with heavy wireless usage (and those of us who lack attention to detail) should find this to be a major boost by knowing when they need to recharge or if they even need to do so. It is quite an embarrassment to have a phone go dead while you are talking to a client.
We can expect at some time in the near future, maybe two years from now, that this new type of battery monitor will be as common as the battery itself. We give Texas Instruments a Thumbs Up for giving us the calculator and now this, too.
Look at it this way. Where else are you going to go to find out all about the boring details on new products or services coming out? "We do our homework so you don't have too". Our new corporate motto that is coming out.
CURRENT UPDATES AT THE EARTHVISION CELLULAR WEBSITE
Our website has grown fairly large over the past year now. To accommodate visitors to our site we have added a search feature that will allow you to target specific keywords for information or products available on our site.
If you do a little poking around you will find that we have added some new products. More are on the way since we just added a new manufacturer that has some unique products available to consumers. None like we have seen before nor expected.
There are literally hundreds of products to be added and we just haven't figured out where to put them all yet. We will get them out as quickly as we can once we have determinef where they should be located on our website and hopefully you will find them to be of interest. Those that aren't very popular will be removed, and new ones will take their place.
A different product line we will be adding is universal remote controls. They really aren't a part of our wireless products but they are just too unusual for us not to offer them. How many people can say they have a Star Wars Light Saber as a remote control? Or a Star Trek Hand Phaser?
PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND ASSOCIATES ABOUT OUR NEWSLETTER. WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE IN MAKING OUR NEWSLETTER A SUCCESS.If you want your name to vanish from our list because our newsletter is just too boring or someone else signed you up, let us know. We will reluctantly take you off of our newsletter list. And we still reserve the right to make faces at you when you aren't looking. If you want your name to vanish from our list because our newsletter is just too boring or someone else signed you up, let us know. We will reluctantly take you off of our newsletter list. And we still reserve the right to make faces at you when you aren't looking.