Mass Luminosity are back... and they go even bigger and more 'Intense' this time

Mass luminosity and gaming tribe are no strange names for gamers around the world who know them for the mind numbing giveaways they organize.

To everyone's delight, they are back again with their 'Intensity' Giveaway, and this time with an even bigger reward , that too in double...

That's right, not one, but TWO grand prize winners will receive "a meticulously handcrafted STEIGER DYNAMICS MAVEN Core Gaming HTPC, equipped with XFX, Seasonic, GIGABYTE, Cooler Master, HyperX, Seagate and CyberLink components, all super-powered by AMD Radeon GPUs and SSDs. The grand prize winners will also receive a case of BAWLS Guarana soda, a CyberLink Director Suite 3 Video & Photo Editing Software, and a package of the latest and greatest Logitech G gaming peripherals.

 Each grand prize is valued at $4,285!"

The specs and images of the whole package can be found at their site which you can visit by clicking on the link below.

WARNING : Lots of drooling possible , so keep napkins at hand xD

Gaming Tribe Intensity

With Overwatch, Blizzard might take on Marvel someday

No, Overwatch is not an upcoming movie, if some of you may wonder seeing the title of this article. Overwatch is an upcoming FPS game from the makers of World of Warcraft , Blizzard Entertainment. Its a team based game like Counter Strike, Rainbow 6 , but instead of soldiers and all, we have ACTUAL heroes here ( I am soooooo excited!!! Ahem... *controlling myself*) which fight against some equally powerful villains (the history of both the groups can be seen in the trailer) , each character having specific powers and roles.

Combined with amazing graphics, unique locations and ingenious gameplay, Overwatch will try to make sure you get hooked onto it the more you play it. The gameplay trailer is at the end of this article, which gives you an idea of the level this 6v6 game reaches .

But first thing you should see is this cinematic trailer of the game....



And this is what I was referring to in the article title... I mean, after watching this trailer, 3 things that came to my mind were
1. DAMN!!! Ain't Tracer just simply gorgeous??!!!!! (xD)... seriously, I can't have enough of her "Cheers love! the cavalry's here!!!
2. When the hell is the movie for this coming out!!!
3. I wanna play this game!!!!!!!!

PS : I actually became a fan of Reaper too , apart from Tracer.... simply coz' he's just E-P-I-C!!!!

There are 12 characters in the game that have been showcased till now, but seeing the cinematic trailer, we can assume the rest will be playable too in the beta or maybe the full version of the game. The characters announced till now are

The game is set to release in 2015, even the Beta version will be released in early 2015, so will have to wait quite some time for this one (too). But , in the meanwhile, have a look at the gameplay trailer here . Also are available gameplay trailers for each individual character which can give you an idea about the specific battle styles and abilities of each characters, and make you more and more impatient for the game's release





Official Website - Overwatch

This Mass Luminosity giveaway surely is an 'Overkill"

You guys have seen giveaways, wished to win one of them, those headphones, those smartphones, and perhaps a few offering one desirable laptop... but this one I am referring to here offers a $3,000  Gaming Desktop with some crazy awesome accessories!!





The pic and video make you drool?? Then control yourself when you see the specs....  You can join the giveaway following the link below, and look at the prize details for yourself

Mass Luminosity Giveaway

Blackberry going too far with their 'Passport"?

Let me tell you a small story..So there was a guy leading a pretty low life, remembering old times when he was all popular and exciting and wanted (you know, the typical casanova type). And though he had been working hard to follow the latest trends, he wasn't having much success in life. But then, finally his efforts (and a LOT of compromises) get him back on the success track. And then he goes a bit too overboard in his joy.... this is a story that can be applied on what has happened to Blackberry lately. The company after what seems like a long time registered decent profits , and to carry on with its 'innovative' designs, and in order to not lose out to the other giants by ending up with monotonous designs, blackberry has announced 3 new smartphones (see above), without any specs though.

The Z3 carries on the line of Z series smartphones , while the classic is  a touchscreen+qwerty smartphone. But its the Blackberry Passport that really I have no idea who was smart enough (sic) to suggest the design. the square 4.5 inch screened smartphone (with a pretty decent resolution of 1440 X 1440) has a qwerty keyboard with touch capabilities to allow gesture input... I mean of all the things one can do with the design, this is surely surprising... though i am not sure if in a positive sense. People already having issues trying to fit giant screened phablets like the Samsung Note 3 will be surely dumbstruck at this even wider smartphone...

        May God save our jeans....

So all blackberry fans out there, rejoice for the resurgence of the firm, and get ready to ask fashion designers to incorporate large pockets in the chic clothing ranges to accommodate this block of a phone...
Though on a  positive note, this one will surely cause ripples, which I hope will sustain if it is backed by good hardware and some cool features

iPhone 6 pics leaked .... and leaked again...

With the iPod-ish design, the iPhone 6 has made another appearance (as you can see, alongside HTC One M8 and iPhone 5S) ... the pics have surfaced for the 2nd time, so seem pretty reliable (with reasonable doubt as always... xD). As we can see, the iPhone 6 is a bit larger than the iPhone 5S, which earlier was leaked by the taiwanese racer/actor Jimmy Lin (below)

So what do you guys think will make the next Apple flagship different from the others? Coz, one thing's for sure, if they don't catch up with the Android party, and race ahead while they are at  it, Apple might see some not so pretty news soon...

Images credits - weekly.ascii.jp , Seeko , @JimmyLin

Battlefield Hardline Official trailer with release date is out

The official trailer for Battlefield Hardline has been released by EA , also mentioning the release date, that is October 21st this year, for the much awaited game... you can check out the official trailer below

Mortal Kombat X Announced.. with an epic trailer

So all the waiting fans can rejoice, as the successor to the superb Mortal Kombat IX : The Komplete Edition, is here in the form of Mortal Kombat X, officially announced with an epic trailer, promising an amazing 'kombat' gameplay with the next-gen technology involved... check it out below and leave your views and comments....

Motorola launches first phone post ownership transfer, the low budget cool smartphone, Moto E

#Motorola launches its low budget , water and dustproof smartphone, #MotoE , (i have no idea still what these alphabets stand for) with 4.3-inch, 960 x 540 display (covered by Gorilla Glass 3 and an anti-smudge coating), 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage (with a microSD slot for more!!!!*Thank God*), a 1,980mAh battery and a 5-megapixel main camera... and all this for a meager $129 , or Rs 6999 in India
What do you say about this one folks?

You can purchase the device in India by following the links below


Moto E (Black)

Moto E (White)

Your gadgets cost MUCH more than what you pay for them.... A Must Watch Video

Watch the video below, and find out the enormous debilitating  impact electronics are having on lives of the manufacturing labor . Share and support the cause for these affected people by raising awareness regarding the effect various toxins are having on them , and the need to pressurize manufacturing firms and electronic giants to look into this matter...

What the F??? Samsung to start a new smartphone series??

Samsung's Galaxy S5 is still in pre booking stage, and yet to be actually sold in retail, and we have here with us a new flagship device in the rumor box , what is being called the Galaxy F.... the name could just be a temporary one, or could indicate the birth of a new family of smartphones.

The rumors had been doing round for quite some time now, but its now that an image has been leaked ( @WindyLeak) . The rumored device is supposedly even better than the S series counterparts, powered by Snapdragon 805 quad core processor and 3GB of RAM , along with  a 16MP shooter at the back. What makes it even better is the fact that it is the first 2K screened baby for Samsung, with its 5.2 inch QHD display (2560 X 1440) , which correlates to a mind boggling pixel density.

The device was rumored to launch last month, but as we know it hasn't , so we can expect something to come up after Galaxy S5 releases on April 11....

Samsung’s next 10.5 inch tablet offering a 2K resolution display

Image Source : Techradar

If SamMobile’s tip is to be believed, Samsung is readying a 10.5 inch tablet ( SM-T800) to take on the large screen tablet war that is going to break out soon, with Google launching its new Nexus 10.1 , along with Apple getting geared with a 12 inch iPad, with its already launched 10 inch version in the market.

The tablet by Samsung will be powered by a quad core Snapdragon processor, and will have 2 GB RAM, along with 16, 32 and 64 GB storage variants. It will run Android 4.4.2 , and will sport a 8 MP rear and 2 MP front camera , microSD slot and a 7900 mAh battery. The tablet according to the spec sheet was a WiFi only model, though we can expect cellular variants as well.The tablet’s will boast a 2K  Super AMOLED display, that is, 2560 X 1440 resolution, which is surely better than the iPad’s 2056 X 1536 resolution.

Apple Iphone 6 gets ready to say goodbye to screen cracks with sapphire-power

 

Image Source : Techradar

 

Apple is surely making things pretty exciting with the rumors about the upcoming Iphone6 coming and shaking many a camps in the tech world, but here's the latest one we have out in the wild.. according to the latest patent filing, IPhone 6 could sport a sapphire glass screen , going way beyond Corning Gorilla glass 3 .

The patent is for Apple’s usual oleophobic coating compatible with sapphire screens, and with a previous patent showing IPhone with sapphire glass screen, this is one reliable rumor allright.

Though issues with sapphire screens have made things a bit hard uptill now , the fact that sapphire screens are too costly (even for IPhone standards!!) , heavier than the ‘Gorilla’ , making the device dimmer and have a shorter battery life. That’s why all we can do is wait (like always) for time to tell will the IPhone 6 have the ‘sapphire-power’ or not.

To remind you, we shared some previous rumors on our facebook page  regarding the IPhone 6 , that we could see a 4.7 and/or 5.5 inch screened device with QHD display . Also is doing rounds the rumor that the smartphone is going to be sporting a whole array of smart sensors, from Blood Pressure, to pressure, humidity and temperature sensors, along with the claimed ability of iOS8 to handle even more...

‘Safe in 30 seconds’ , as new test detects major ‘date rape drug’ in your glass itself

Chemists at the National University of Singapore have developed a unique test to detect one of the major ‘date rape drugs’ , Gamma Hydroxy Butyric acid (GHB) in any beverage. Date rape drugs , also called predator drugs are sedatives which cause loss of consciousness and possibly amnesia , used widely for recreational and criminal purposes.Earlier tests involved chromatographic separation and subsequent testing, which required some bit of geeky apparatus and minimum 10 minutes, both of which are obviously the last things you have sitting in a club with a spiked drink in your hand. In this test, the ‘sensor’ when added to the drink makes GHB change its color to orange.

The team , from 17 fluorescent compounds , finalized what they call ‘GHB Orange’ , after testing all of them with drinks laced with various concentrations of GHB. The efficiency of ‘GHB Orange’ was determined by mixing with samples of various beverages , alcoholic, non alcoholic, colorless and colored ,containing GHB , which were differentiated from non spiked drinks by adding the sensor.
For transparent or translucent drinks, the difference was easy to make out with the naked eye, but in case of colored drinks , additional light was required to detect the color change.

The team is hoping to develop a commercial kit based on this tech, which is one which all clubbers really should be looking out for , keeping your safety in mind…

 

Source : DailyMail

LG launches G Flex in India... and you can laugh if you want at the price

Ok so jawdropping is a term i have used a couple of times , i admit at places where it wasn't literally intended... but i can safely guarantee that the LG's latest launch , the GFlex surely made my jaw drop.. Ooookayyyy it has a curved OLED display and a self healing back , which is preeeettty impressive, but what struck me was the price... Rs 69999 in India!!!!!! I mean this ain't even remotely funny, this race all tech giants are currently running in, the who-prices-his-smartphone-the-highest... but seriously guys, at 70k , i would be instead buying a gaming ultrabook rather than a curved sparkly smartphone with a self healing bum...

Coming on to the device with a sigh, read this first
*The flexibility of this product is limited. This phone may be bent flat up to 180 degrees for a limited period of time only.Do not bend inward or twist.

Well this is the cautionary line in the first pic we see in the slideshow at the site page , and its obviously expected..but lets not get into that..

Sporting a 2.26 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 2 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage, a 6 inch 'curved' HD display with 3 subpixels in each pixel which makes it pretty good all right, a 3500 mAh battery, bluetooth 4.0 , 13 MP rear and a 2.1 MP front shooter.... specs which are pretty 'smartphonish' as we might say , but no way in hell worth the money they are asking for it.. though i fully appreciate the innovative display and self healing back cover, i really feel that this phone is taking the term overpriced to new heights....

In short, a really classy and unique looking smartphone with the best of the current times, but just way beyond the normal reach

The Little Engines That Could

Stem cells can redevelop into multiple cell types in the body. They can also be used as a repair system inside the body for tissues and can replenish other cells already present. When stem cells divide, each cell that comes from the division can remain a stem cell or transform into another cell type with a new function—such as transforming into a red blood cell or brain cell. For a cell to be considered a stem cell it must contain two unique properties:
 1) it must be able to renew itself through cell division—even after long periods of inactivity;
 2) under certain conditions it must be able to transform into multiple cell types, such as bone marrow, tissues or organs.
Scientists have historically worked with two types of stem cells: embryonic and somatic (non-embryonic). Stem cells carry unique regenerative properties and have a high potential for curing disease. While the research is ongoing, researchers are much closer to using stem cell therapies to treat patients.

About the Author - Written by Dr. Joseph Purita, founder of The Institute of Regenerative and Molecular Orthopedics and a pioneer in the use of the laser in orthopedic surgery.

Canon EOS 100D DSLR Camera: Features And Advantages

This is one of the latest Paxton digital cameras in the market. It has a unique design and all the advanced features that you might probably require in a camera. For one, it has an average resolution of 18 effective megapixels that enables it to produce clear images. These images come in varied sizes depending on your preference. It is able to produce 1920 by 1080 pixels, 2592 by 1728 pixels, 5184 by 3456 pixels and even smaller images of 720 by 480 pixels. Its image sensor type is one of its own kinds; designed at 22.3 by 14.99mm APS-C size.

Its video capture ability is also designed to suit varied sizes from as little as 20fps to over 60fps. The lens in this camera is also another striking feature that is worth noting. The CANON STM lens type present in this camera allow for an optical zoom of up to 3.05 times. Moreover, it has a canon lens mount of CANON EF/ EFS-C which give it the unique ability of offering a focusing area mode of one shot AF, Al focus, manual focus and even auto focus. Lastly, this unique product offers an excellent focusing distance of up to two hundred and fifty centimeters; an approximate of 9.8 inches. This it owes to the acute focal length of 18mm to 55mm which it comes along with. Currently, it is only available in one color; black.

Main advantages

There are several benefits that are attached to using this particular camera as opposed to the others falling in this category. In the first place, this Paxton digital product uses a power source of Battery pack LP E12 which is very durable and has a long life span as compared to the other common batteries. This in turn ensures long periods of productivity without unnecessary replacements of power sources. In addition, it is well structured with a hot shoe flash connection that enables easy and efficient snapping. It also has extended EX Series speedlites which increases the efficiency of taking the pictures with this camera. Another major advantage of this camera is the inbuilt microphone speaker that coms along with the camera; a feature that is rarely evident in other camera types.

Additional features present in Canon EOS 100D DSLR cameras make it to be more advantageous. With this gadget, you are able to produce images in miniature and filter effects. Besides, it also offers varied color modes including fisheye, monochrome and even soft focus. Its shutter speed is also amazing; estimated at 1/4000 to 30 seconds; a feature that enables it to produce precise images that are comparable to none. Lastly, it small weight of only 370 grams makes it easily portable as compared to those within the same category.

Cons 

In as much as this camera is considered to be an advanced version of digital camera; it still has some setbacks; though they are not very many like with the other cameras. For one, it is not suited with water resistant capabilities making it vulnerable to water damage. In addition, it has no underwater capabilities and cannot therefore be used in taking photographs of features and creatures that may be present underneath water bodies; limiting its use to surface photograph wok only. Canon EOS 100D DSLR is not also designed for digital zooming and can only allow for optical zooming of images; limited at only 3.05 times.

Customers’ Reviews

Customers who have had prior experience with this gadget from Paxton Digital cameras have all the reasons to smile. For one, they have identified this camera to be efficient in power conservation as it goes for long without battery replacements. Previous clients have also sited its portability and its unique physical design as a major advantage as compared to other cameras of similar features making it a must buy for any customer who is out for a unique digital camera experience.

Recommendation

You have all the reasons to go for this latest product from Paxton DSLR cameras. For only $599.95, you are guaranteed a product that is not only durable but also made using the latest technology. Moreover, it comes along with a double warranty for each piece of camera bought; an offer that is only evident with Paxton products. Unlike other digital camera industries offering cameras under this category, Paxton Digital camera offers a forty five day money back guarantee; just in case you are not satisfied with this product. Get your copy of this camera this festive season and stand a chance of having up to $200 of your money back; courtesy of the ongoing loyalty draws.

About the Author- Mae Harper, the writer, is an avid blogger of photography, DSLR cameras and ladscaping. She gives practical tips on how to get perfect angles in her blogs. . Her useful information about cameras and landscapes are also well-read.

Tough As A Rhinoceros Hide

One of the most common reasons for mobile phone insurance claims is a cracked or broken screen usually after the phone has been accidentally dropped. Most Smartphones screens are made from Gorilla Glass, a fine, light, toughened glass with ‘damage resistance’.
Despite this, many iPhone users live with a cracked screen according to a survey carried out by iPhone earlier this year. About 25% of those polled had cracked screens and of those 31% had no intention of getting the screen replaced in the next six months mostly because they couldn’t afford it ... and presumably didn’t have insurance or had claimed too many times maybe?

As strong as a rhinoceros hide
A recent development though looks capable of changing this problem and all for less than £20. Rhino Shield is a very thin screen protector which fits iPhone 5, 5S and 5C and retains the touch screens sensitivity.
According to reports in the Daily Mail and Inhabitat which promotes all things green, the Rhino Shield is as thin as ‘three sheets of paper’. But its other properties are worth mentioning too.

It’s tough
Tough enough to withstand blows by a hammer. In fact it is five times tougher than the Gorilla Glass screen it is protecting. In tests it even survived when dropped on the road whether it was made from tarmac, bricks and concrete.
The shield has been developed by two Cambridge PhD students now forming the company Evolutive Labs. They carried out a number of tests to ensure it did ‘what it says on the tin’ including dropping a very heavy – 225g – on it from a height of 48cm. Not only did the Rhino Shield remain intact but there wasn’t even a scratch on the surface as evidence and the phone remained working. Now that’s a result.
If you’re interested you can watch the experiments on YouTube.

Easy to apply
Rhino Shield doesn’t impair the look of your Smart phone nor the screen visibility and it is also fingerprint smudge proof. It has a self-adhesive back and can be applied to your Smartphone easily: just wipe a cloth over the front of the film and it will stick to your iPhone.
We’re also pleased to tell you that Rhino Shield is also being developed for iPhone 4 and other Smartphones too.

The news is all good
Smart and iPhone users will be pleased with this new product that helps to protect their treasured and expensive piece of equipment. No doubt mobile insurance companies will also be please as this will reduce one of the most common claims.
Still users shouldn’t be too hasty to ditch their mobile phone insurance as it still covers users for many other possibilities including water or other liquid damage and any other accidental damage. Some policies will cover for loss or theft and even unauthorised calls which are sometimes an additional worry if your Smartphone is stolen.

Read the small print of your mobile phone insurance policy carefully to see what you are covered for and what you can add for an additional premium. Oh and importantly how many times you can claim.

License: Image author owned 

By Harry Price
Harry Price enjoys fishing, hunting and camping with his family of 4 including his dogs. He is a true family man and enjoys free-lance writing in his free time. 

The History Of Texting

It’s fairly common knowledge that the first ever text message was ‘Merry Christmas’. It was sent from one colleague to another at Vodafone in America. But did you know it was sent almost 21 years ago? The exact anniversary will be on 3rd December this year. We wonder whether you realise this message was sent from a computer not a mobile phone too?

• Back in 1992 mobile phones did not have keypads so there was no way of sending a text, hence the computer. Mobile phones with keypads weren’t developed until six years later

• It was another two years, in 1999, that mobile phone users could text to different networks

• Text messaging was first developed for paging people on the road

• We send about 150 billion text messages a year in the UK

• In the UK adults send an average of 50 texts a week

• Whereas 12 – 15 year olds send approximately 255 per week – that’s around 13,000 a year – and receive a similar number back

• This group check their phones on average 60 times every day

• A new language developed for texting; it is a mixture of abbreviations, numbers and letters (L8r) and using letters instead of whole words i.e. RU for ‘are you’

• LOL (Laugh out loud) must be one of the most used abbreviations

• Texting is believed by some to be addictive

• During the Arab Spring text messaging played a big role in helping to organise revolutions

• It also helped to raise money for the Tsunami caused by the Earthquake in the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day 2004

• Similarly it was used to raise funds for Haiti Earthquake victims

•  Famous texts include one from Julie Bremnes on the Norwegian island of Utoya “Tell the police to hurry. People are dying here.” It was sent to her mother during the rampage of gunman Anders Breivik in July 2011

• The message “It’s a deliberate attack – a second plane just flew into the second tower” was sent by a witness (unknown identity) during the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in New York

• Best friend Kristian Marr received a text from Amy Whinehouse at 3.10 a.m. on the night she died. It read “I’m gonna be here always xx”. By the time he read the message she was dead

• Tiger Woods is reported to have sent a last text message to porn star Joslyn James reading “You almost just ruined my whole life” just before his extra-marital activities became public knowledge

• Texts between Rebekah Brooks and David Cameron were revealed during the Leveson Inquiry in 2012. One from her read “Brilliant speech. I cried twice. Will love ‘working together’”.

Original text messages were only 140 characters long which may explain why this number of characters was also chosen by Twitter for messages. Today it is reported that Twitter and other social network platforms and instant messaging are gaining popularity over texting.
But no matter which is your favourite means of electronic communication, we bet you use your mobile phone. Which is why phone insurance to protect you from all those unexpected eventualities is still important.

About The Author

License: Image author owned 
Bill Turner is a free-lance writer and technology lover. He is a self-proclaimed texting addict...

How Does a Breathalyzer Work?

The History of the Breathalyzer

How many drinks have you had tonight? This is a question police officers ask motorists every day as license checks are set up across the nation. In addition to catching someone driving illegally, they are also checking for the smell of alcohol. Suspicious behavior or unstable movement can lead to a night in jail and one might find themselves standing on the side of the road blowing into a breathalyzer. When alcohol is consumed, it passes from the stomach to the small intestines, where it is absorbed into the blood stream and goes through the whole body. Alcohol goes through the body so fast that it affects the central nervous system even when it is ingested in small amounts.

History

As far back as 1874, researchers have suspected breath could be used for alcohol testing. They realized that trace amounts of alcohol were excreted in breath. In 1827, W.D. McNalley, a Chicago chemist, invented a breathalyzer in which the breath changed colors when it moved through
chemicals in water. Housewives came up with a useful use of the breathalyzer: to test for alcohol on their husband's breath before they would let
me in the house.

Drunkometer

The drunkometer, invented by Rolla Harger in 1938, was the first roadside breather-tester that was intended for the police to use. The machine collected a sample of the driver's breath directly into a balloon in the machine and pumped through a solution of acidified potassium. If there was
alcohol in the breath, the solution changed colors. The bigger the color change, the more alcohol that was in the sample.
In 1954, A police captain in Indiana, who later became a professor at a university in Indiana, Dr. Robert Borkenstein, is credited as the first person to invent a device that can measure a driver's blood alcohol level based on a sample of their breath. It provided the police with a test that would give them immediate results as to a driver's alcohol concentration in their breath.

How Do They Work?

Since the air in the deepest part in the lungs give the most accurate results, the person issuing the test will tell the driver to blow as hard as they can into the breathalyzer for about two to four seconds. The breath sample bubbles into a vial with potassium chromate. If there is any ethanol present it will react with the potassium chromate and cause the solution to switch to a golden yellow color as a result. This mixture is then compared to another vial that has potassium chromate but not ethanol which will make it a bright orange color. The color difference in these vials will give an the person issuing the test an indication of the amount of ethanol in the person's breath. The device then gives a readout that states the degree of color change and the level of alcohol in their breath.
Breathalyzers are not the only method for determining levels of intoxication. Intoxilyzers, and Alcosensers are two other devises to measure someone's intoxication.

About the Author - Gordon Weber is a guest blogger.  His interest in how Breathalyzers work led him to thesandiegoduiattorneys.com website of Chris P Sohovich.

Stop! Don't Sign That Mobile Contract!

Already chosen the mobile contract that you want? You could be making a big mistake. The wrong mobile contract could end up costing you big time. So before you sign, you might want to read on and find out what you could be doing wrong...

Buy Mobile Phones Yourself, Not on Contract
The major mistake that costs many people on a contract is the signing of what's known as an incentive contract. Mobile operators offer two kinds of contract. A SIM only contract contains a calling plan for service, whilst an incentive contract has a calling plan and a mobile phone. Whether or not you get that phone for free or have to pay a down payment on it you will, over the course of your contract, pay far more than retail price for the phone, meaning it's cheaper to buy mobile phones yourself. These incentive phones are simply phones that are bought on an instalment plan. The monthly bill for an incentive contract is higher than the monthly bill for a SIM only contract, even though both those contracts may have the same calling plan. This extra cost reflects the instalment that you're paying on your phone. Add up all the instalments and you'll see that you're paying more than the value of the phone that you get. Skip signing incentive contracts, sign SIM only instead and buy a mobile phone outright to get better long term savings.



Your Calling Plan is Key
You might think that you're choosing the right calling plan, but are you really sure? The wrong plan will cost you money. A calling plan is made up of three parts. There'll be a limit for the amount of calling minutes you can use, a limit for the amount of text messages that you can send, and a limit for the amount of mobile data that you can use. Estimating these limits wrongly will lead to you paying more than you should. If the limits on your plan are too high for you then you're going to end up paying for services that you're not using. This is because you have to pay the same monthly fee for using all your minutes, texts and data as you do for using half, or even none, of them. Don't thing that that means choosing a small plan is better though. If you exceed the limits of your calling plan you will have to pay your normal monthly payment plus premium rates for any extra minutes, texts and data that you have used. Estimating the size of the calling plan that you need is tough. Try looking at some old mobile bills if you have any, since these should tell you what your average usage is like. Or maybe even get a pay as you go plan for a few weeks and track your usage so that you can choose the appropriate plan. Most operators will let you change your calling plan even after your contract is signed, but you'll probably have to pay a fee in order to do this, so it's a better idea to choose correctly the first time.



Is Your Contract the Right Length?
You actually have a choice of contract duration with all operators, though the advertised contracts that you see are generally for twenty four months. The law in the UK requires that operators offer a twelve month contract option. Some operators will give you an eighteen month option too, and some SIM only contracts are known as thirty day rolling contracts. That means that the contract is for only thirty days but that it will automatically renew every month until you tell the operator to stop your service. The length of your contract can affect how much you pay. With many operators the longer your contract is the lower your monthly payments are. The operator gives you a discount for a longer contract because they're guaranteed your custom and therefore your payment for a longer period of time. But even though a longer contract is usually cheaper, you still might want to consider a shorter one. When you sign a mobile contract you should be prepared to stick with that contract until it ends, because breaking a mobile contract can be exceptionally expensive. Two years is a long time to agree to use the same service. This will mean that you need to wait longer to take advantage of better deals, either from your operator or from another company. Also, circumstances can change. Things like moving house, having a baby, graduating from university or losing your job can all affect your ability to pay the monthly bill that you've agreed to. Choose the length that suits you
best, but you will get savings by signing longer contracts.



Did You Read the Terms and Conditions?
Everybody knows that you should read the small print on a contract before signing, yet when it comes to mobile contracts, few people bother. Before you sign that contract go to your operator's web page and read their terms and conditions, you might be glad that you did. There are a couple of things that you'll want to look for. The first thing you should look for is under which conditions you can cancel the contract. Some operators will let you cancel contracts for no fee providing you can prove certain circumstances. Other operators will let you cancel a contract for no reason at all and for free within a specified period of signing. You should know what these conditions are just in case you need to use them. The other thing that you should take note of is what you should do if your mobile phone is lost or stolen. Particularly if your phone is stolen you do not want to be responsible for paying charges run up by the thief. Different operators have different procedures surrounding this situation, so make sure that you know what to do should the occasion arise, since this could end up saving you a fortune.


About the Author- When Sam Jones was looking to buy mobile phones he knew he would have to shop around for the best deal. He went online and compared prices using uSwitch and other similar sites and managed to get a really great deal