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Tag: Boost

  • Prepaid Phone Plans: The Way to Go?

    Prepaid Phone Plans: The Way to Go?

    In the ever-increasing maelstrom that is finding the cheapest cell service, many are turning to prepaid wireless. What used to be a socially unacceptable means of obtaining wireless phone service is quickly making a comeback as a totally viable, and sometimes smart, alternative.

    Thanks to T-Mobile being the first to bring the hurt down on conventional contract carriers, many are realizing, with great joy, that they don’t have to be tied down to any plan with a burdensome two-year contract.

    According to i4u.com, Logan Abbott, President of MyRatePlan, said, “I predict in 2014 we will see a bigger number of customers switch to prepaid cell phone plans than any previous year.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrG-7otAClw

    This news isn’t a surprise as the no contract, no surprises options are quickly becoming more appealing, and also more widely available. Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, and Straight Talk also all offer fairly cheap plans.

    These are some great affordable options if you don’t mind a few downsides. One of them being roaming issues, and sometimes no service at all in some areas. This is the result of most prepaid providers relying on the networks of a major wireless carrier, according to The Motley Fool. For example, Virgin Mobile relies solely on Sprint’s network.

    If you’re a Sprint customer, your phone will roam when off network. If you’re with Virgin Mobile, however, you don’t roam. You just don’t have service. At all.

    However, if frugality is your top priority, perhaps a plan like The Straight Talk Unlimited Plan, which ranked #1 on MyRatePlan‘s list of best prepaid plans, would be something to check out. It offers unlimited talk, text, and data for a measly $45 bucks.

    T-Mobile, as the original mold-breaker seems to make it easiest to switch with their Simple Choice Plan, which offers up to $650 bucks to trade in your phone. Plans are a bit more expensive on a monthly basis, however, with plans ranging from $50-$70.

    That’s hard to beat, considering the average person’s cell phone bill with Verizon is $148, with Sprint is $144, and with AT&T it is $141, according to BGR.com

    Image via youtube.com

  • Boost Mobile May Be Next Carrier To Get The iPhone

    UPDATE:

    A Boost spokesperson declined to comment on the rumors, saying “We don’t comment on rumors or speculation on our product portfolio.”

    ORIGINAL STORY:

    Yesterday we brought you news that prepaid wireless carrier Cricket Wireless had announced that they would begin carrying the iPhone on June 22. Now it looks like Cricket might not be the only prepaid carrier that’s about to get in on the iPhone action. Recent reports say that Boost Mobile, which is owned by Sprint, will be getting the iPhone later this year as well.

    Citing “a trusted source,” TechnoBuffalo is reporting that Boost will be getting the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 in early September. Details are few and far between, given the lack of an official announcement. Presumably, though, Boost iPhone customers will be getting the Boost’s $50 unlimited plan. It’s unclear whether they will include the Shrinkage reward system, which rewards customers who pay their bill on time by knocking off $5.

    The addition of the iPhone to prepaid carriers like Cricket and Boost (assuming this information is accurate) has the potential to bring some pretty significant changes in the smartphone market. While prepaid phones are more expensive, lacking a carrier subsidy, they also bring a great deal of freedom, and the kind of unlimited plans like those offered by Cricket and Boost could provide a significant incentive to those who are frustrated with the more limited plans offered by larger carriers.

    A request for comment sent to a representative of Boost Mobile has not yet been returned.

  • Google Talks Local Search Relevance Factors

    Google is placing a great deal of emphasis on local in its search results these days. In fact in many cases, it would appear to significantly reduce the importance of ranking in the regular organic results. 

    Google talked a little about how local search ranking works today in a blog post on its Lat Long Blog, which included the below video of Google Product Manager Jeremy Sussman discussing the basics. 

    "Say you’re in Union Square in New York City, and you want to find a nearby coffee shop, so you go to Google and type in ‘coffee shops in Union Square, NYC’. You’ll find a list of just what you typed in – local coffee shops near Union Square with all the basic information you would expect to find, such as name, address, and phone number, and if they exist, you’ll also find reviews, ratings, and links to other relevant resources," he explains. "These organic listings are free to both the user and the business. We give you the best results we can find."

    "Now, there are a variety of relevance factors Google uses to match or answer your search query, in this case, locating coffee shops near Union Square. Three of the key factors are: relevance, prominence, and distance," he continues. "Relevance is showing you only coffee shops and not unrelated businesses such as retailers, dry cleaners, and so on. Prominence is determined by how well known or prominent certain coffee shops are, based on sources across the web. Distance is easy. We calculate how far each coffee shop is from Union Square. And if you don’t specify Union Square in your search, we’ll show you coffee shops based on your general location."

    Google recently launched Hotp

    ot, a social recommendation engine for local search. You can read more about that here. Hotpot listings can show up anywhere business listings show up in Google search results. 

    "Do the Hotpot ratings and review impact order and ranking of the local businesses you see on Google? Absolutely," says Sussman. "That’s the whole point…if you signed in to post ratings and reviews and to receive personalized recommendations in your search results. We do this to deliver more relevant search results and provide a more tailored experience based on your preferences."

    Using Hotpot to rate places and get recommendations

    In case you were wondering whether or not claiming a page will influence ranking, Sussman says, "A business claiming a Place Page does not result in preferential treatment. Of course more detailed information about your business helps us do a better job connecting people to the businesses they’re searching for."

    Finally, he makes it clear that neither Tags nor Boost (a couple of Google’s local advertising options) influence local search ranking or where listings appear in Google or Google Maps results. Google does say, however, that the ranking of Boost ads in the ‘Ads’ section of the Google.com and Google Maps results pages is based on relevance and quality factors.