Is Verizon Wireless Making It Harder to Avoid Charges?

Cell-Phone companies are making outrageous increases in their data plans, also they have mysterious charges that if you don’t paid attention to the details in your bill you can easily skip that’s one of the reasons why most of the customers are contacting their service provider to block services that they don’t use and don’t want to get charge. Is unbelievable how they can use expensive phones to promote their company and attract more customers to enroll in those 2 year contract that have you stuck with the same phone. Also, they sometimes don’t even offer the same insurance plan for those expensive phones so it is ridiculous how companies like Apple is making a lot of money out the new I-phone when it is only a year since they came out with the last version. AT&T in conjunction with apple are making a lot of money because they are even letting the customers that have only a year with the last version to upgrade, but of course they will be renewing their contracts, and they are making it look like they are doing you a favor because they are letting you upgrade your phone early, but it is all about the market because they are making money out of it because you have to paid for the phone and you will have to sign a new contract. I think cell-phone companies are using great market strategies because the techniques that are being use are an excellent way to promote their new phones like the new HTC from Sprint and Verizon. I think all the companies are trying to avoid charges due to the instability of the economy.

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/is-verizon-wireless-making-it-harder-to-avoid-charges/?ref=business

Cellphone in New Role: Loyalty Card

Those loyalty cards that we use to collect waiting to earn some points in order to get something for free for a discount are going mobile which I think can be a fantastic idea because those cards used to get either lost or forgotten at home. So instead the stores keeping track on a paper the visits of the customers; they will store existing loyalty cards on scan able barcodes in the cell-phones which some companies are already providing to retailers. “Loopt is one of several start-ups — including Foursquare, Shopkick and Gowalla — that are experimenting with ways to use cell phones to bridge the digital and physical worlds and turn the tasks of everyday life, like buying coffee and running errands, into a game” Miller.
No one in advertising has ever been able to figure out how to do “one-to-one, real-time marketing,” said Drew Sievers, a former advertising executive who is now co-founder and chief executive of MFoundry. “The mobile phone is where that will actually probably happen. It’s the only thing connected and always with you.” I think this is totally correct this is the only device that is always with us because we carry our cell phones anywhere we go. Also, this could be a fantastic way for the retailers to obtain more information about their consumer even though some people are reluctant and think that sharing their information with some of the retailers is not too safe. Now with the smart-phones and a new application created every day, this should not be new for us, and I think this is a great marketing tool to track loyal consumers so they can get their rewards.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/technology/01loopt.html?ref=technology

Job Outlook for Teenagers Worsens

The article stated that millions of high school and college students are looking for jobs this summer but the truth is that employers are not hiring until the economy shows more stability. The jobs that are usually done by youth students are going to be empty because of the instability of the economy, so people should expect fewer lifeguards on duty at public beaches this summer in California for example, and fewer workers at some Massachusetts state parks and camping grounds and taller grass outside state buildings in Kentucky. Meece stated that Northeastern researchers estimated that an additional $1 billion federal infusion would create some 300,000 job slots this summer, barely putting a dent in the demand for jobs.

I think this is the worst year for the youth workers because the economy is not getting better that’s my opinion, and students don’t have another option than look for a job inside college and even that is getting hard to get a job because there are millions of applications and not that many jobs. I believe that right now is even more difficult to find a job for teenagers because there were too many layoffs last year, so there are more people looking for jobs even the ones that teenagers used to do during the summer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/01/business/01jobs.html?hp

Brits spend most time on social networks but email and portals survive | News | Marketing Week

Brits spend most time on social networks but email and portals survive News Marketing Week

Google Moves to TVs with Help From Intel and Sony

Now Google wants to be part of the television set, and Intel and Sony are going to be part of this. The software is already been use by the Smartphone’s but Google wants to be part of the family nights because you are going to have access to the regular programming, and now internet, videos. Also, I think They may face difficult challenges, so Google have to convince TV manufacturers other than Sony and Intel to use its software. Also, consumers have demonstrated little interest, so far, in connecting to the Web via their TVs since now with the Playstation3 and other software’s you can also access the internet through your TV. The price sensitivity, and the high cost of the high-powered Intel chips that will run these new TV services are likely to add as much as $100 to televisions optimized for the Internet, which was according to the analysts, but the companies haven’t discuss the price yet. I think this can be another example of Google expanding into the market of the televisions. There are other companies that have implemented a gap between the television and the web like Wal-mart with the Tivo, Boxee, Roku and Vudu but all have struggled to attract normal consumers. Also, Google is trying to exceed its rival Apple which recently came out with the new Ipad, but for Apple still a long way until they come out or expand in TV business. I think this is a great opportunity for Google to expand in the TV business, and as we all know that every time we have a doubt, someone next to us said” Google it” which I think it’ll be really cool to have it on my TV.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/21/technology/21google.html?ref=technology

Pakistan Widens Online Ban to Include YouTube

I think this is another way of trying to stop the freedom of speech. Facebook, you tube, and other web sites are only a window to see the outside world because you stay connected with friends and family outside your country. You can also share information, and in the article was stated that “The Telecommunication Authority said in a statement that the ban was “in line with the constitution of Pakistan, the wishes of the people of Pakistan.” Which I don’t believe the people from Pakistan wish to ban these web sites because in a country with a large population where more than 60 percent are under 25 and most of then use these websites to express their opinions against these authoritarian activities. I think that sometimes people give the wrong impression about the use of social networking because they post things that are totally wrong or not appropriate. Twitter remained open in Pakistan, and people is using this block to comment about the ban of Facebook, Wikipedia, and You Tube.

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