It seems like every week there's a new price point being set in the telecommunications world.

There's an all-out war going on between the traditional Big 4 wireless carriers -- AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile -- and smaller Tier 2 operators such as Metro PCS, Cricket, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Straight Talk and others.

The Big 4 have historically pushed expensive "bucket of minutes" business models with 24-month contracts. That's allowed the Tier 2 operators to carve out a market niche by offering cheaper unlimited calling plans with no contracts.

Which would you rather have?

The success of the smaller players is now actually forcing the Big 4 to come around with better deals for customers. That's the point of our new guide to cheap cell phone plans.

Clark wants to keep you updated with the best deals out there so you can have the cheapest possible cell phone bill in your life with the fewest strings attached.

MONEY-SAVING MOMENT: T-Mobile's Project Black marketing initiative will offer customers basic unlimited calling starting at $49/month. It's yet another nail in the coffin of the "bucket of minutes" model, where you pay for a set number of minutes each billing period.

Unlimited calling is the future of cell phone calling. If new stats that Clark recently saw are to be believed, more people are now signing up for unlimited non-contract plans than for contract plans that offer a bucket of minutes.

We're approaching the day when you'll buy a phone and then be able to bring it to any provider you want. No more being handcuffed to a 24-month contract in return for having your phone subsidized.

AT&T and Verizon will keep pushing contracts hard because they remain central to their business models. However, you as a customer want to be the a free agent and avoid contract plans so you can benefit from the savings to come.

In fact, the new issue of Forbes has a cover story titled The $10 Phone Bill. Metro PCS is being touted as one of the players that may drop your phone bill to this ridiculously low level in the next few years.

Already, it only costs Metro about $16/month to provide phone service for a customer and it's dropping as technology improves.

So, it all means you should be very wary of signing a contract with anybody. Be a free agent and benefit as the price points in the industry change.

AT&T has backed down on preventing customers from using Skype on its network.

There's still no deal on Google, however. AT&T remains under federal investigation for alleged dirty dealings because it won't allow people to use Google Voice on their network.

The use of Google Voice would allow customers to make calls using AT&T's data network, not its voice network. And that would blow up AT&T's standard "bucket of minutes" business model.

In five years, no one will understand those AT&T commercials about rollover. Rollover of minutes is an archaic, Neanderthal notion beloved by monopolies.

Interestingly, Verizon realized this sooner and went to open standards, which means their newest handsets have no restrictions on use. It was a smart move on their part.

Finally, Comcast is reportedly trying to buy a controlling interest in Hulu with an eye toward ending all free TV on the site. This case may require all-out action from citizens to raise a ruckus with elected officials and the FCC to counteract Comcast's alleged designs on Hulu's future.

MONEY-SAVING MOMENT: Straight Talk service will be available nationally through Wal-Marts around the country beginning Oct. 18.

For those of you who haven't heard of Straight Talk, the wireless carrier offers plans starting at $30/month for 1,000 minutes and 1,000 texts, plus an unlimited plan at $45/month.

It operates on the backbone of the Verizon network, though it is not branded by Verizon in any way.

One drawback of Straight Talk is that the phones are decidedly low-tech. You won't find any compatible smart phones for the network. Some people, however, are doing what's called "flashing" phones, where you take a fancy phone and tweak it to work on the Straight Talk network.

In another boon for cheap cellular service, we're beginning to hear word about something from T-Mobile called Project Black. This cryptically named market thrust will reportedly usher in much lower price points for unlimited service starting at $50/month. But for now, this is just a rumor until it goes public.

The key takeaway for you is that if you're trying to decide whether to sign a new contract with your provider, don't do it. We will have much lower price points around the country coming soon.

Remember, this is the time of year leading up to Christmas when important new pricing initiatives are rolled out. It's a great time to go re-shop your service. The best deals are generally from second-tier providers like Cricket, Metro PCS, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Straight Talk. All of them offer unlimited calling from $30 - $50 per month.

This is the future of cell phones. The "bucket of minutes" business model is going away.

Consumers have flexed their muscle on T-Mobile, effectively shutting down the wireless carrier's plan to charge a monthly fee of $1.50 to get a paper copy of their cell phone bill.

The T-Mobile proposal immediately resulted in threats of legal action upon announcement. The carrier encountered additional interference when the attorney general of New York said T-Mobile would have to negate all customer contracts in order to go through with their plan. Magically, the $1.50 fee proposal disappeared!

"We'll be taking more time to determine the fairest way possible to encourage people to go paperless," T-Mobile said in a statement. But wouldn't it be nice to hear, "Gee, we messed up. We're sorry" just once?!

How often in life do we allow a company to take advantage of us and we roll over and play dead? Well, here's a case of people voicing their unanimous anger and getting a bully to back down. Remember, you have the power if you choose to use it.

For years, there has been a debate about whether cell phones are dangerous. Much of it has centered on the question of whether or not the radiation they emit can cause brain tumors or other health problems.

Late GOP strategist Lee Atwater was one of the early adopters of cell phones. He was often photographed with a cell glued to his ear. When he died of a brain tumor at age 40, many started speculating about the long-term dangers of cellular technology.

What level of radiation does your cell phone emit? The Environmental Working Group has compiled a new list of radiation levels across a variety of phones.

Some phones like the Samsung Impression emit next to no radiation at all. But Clark's T-Mobile G1 emits 1.11 W/kg, according to the list. He's still within the "safe" range, which is capped at 1.6 W/kg.

Check out the list and make a smart choice when you give a cell phone to a child or young adult.

MONEY-SAVING MOMENT: Still stuck with one of the Big 4 wireless carriers? AT&T and Sprint are making some new tweaks that may allow you to drop to a cheaper plan without losing touch with the people you call most often.

AT&T will introduce its "A List with Rollover" plan on Sept. 20, 2009. A List allows you unlimited free calling to the 5 numbers you call most -- regardless of whether they're AT&T customers or not. A minimum $59/month calling plan is required.

The ink wasn't dry on the AT&T plan when Sprint came out with its "Any Mobile, Anytime" plan. It offers unlimited calling to any cell phone on any network for $69/month. No need to designate "favorite" numbers or worry about which carrier your friends and family have.

Both the AT&T and the Sprint plans are clearly customer retention efforts. They're trying to preserve headcount without completing discounting to the $40-$50 range offered by Tier 2 providers like Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Straight Talk, Metro PCS and Cricket.

Most important of all, know that you must ask AT&T and Sprint for these plans if you're eligible. They probably won't tell you about them!

New developments in the banking world will make it possible to deposit a check via your smartphone. No more waiting in line at the branch or an ATM!

This service is being offered by USAA, a one-branch bank in Texas that serves military customers all over the world. It is among the 25 largest banks in the country.

Clark's brother is a retired naval officer living in Arizona who has been a USAA customer for decades. A few years ago, he started making his deposits by scanning checks into his computer and e-mailing his deposit, instead of doing it by traditional snail mail.

Once you've received credit for a check that's submitted in this way, you can either file it away or destroy it. Other banks have since followed USAA's lead and adopted similar systems.

Now USAA is experimenting with another groundbreaking deposit option for iPhone users. You can now take a picture and e-mail it in to deposit the money!

Clark loves these kinds of things. They're now possible because of the Check 21 law. Isn't it great to be able to live in one part of the country and use a bank or credit union in another part? This opens up competition to seek better rates or continue banking where you used to live if you wish.

It also opens up the possibility for a "branchless" bank, much like ING Direct.

It seems like every week there's a new price point being set in the telecommunications world. Clark recently told you about the GetPeek.com device for teens that also appealed to small business because it offered unlimited texting and e-mail for $16/month.

Now Kajeet has a September special where you can get unlimited texting and 150 voice minutes for $20/month. (Editor's note: This special is for the month of September 2009 only.)

Kajeet also allows parents to track the movement of their teens with a built-in locator for an additional $10/month.

Meanwhile, T-Mobile is offering 1,000 minutes and unlimited nights/weekends for $39/month in select areas. Check their website for availability.

Finally, Fierce Wireless reports that Verizon has been mistakenly billing some customers for inaccurate data charges of $1.99 listed as a broadband access charge. You must call to complain to have the money refunded. What's up with that?

Half of all children aged 12 and up now have a cell phone, according to global connectivity research outfit Yankee Group.

That means parents have to be especially wary of what are being termed "off deck" deals. That's where the cell phone provider partners with marketers who offer supposedly free ringtones, jokes of the day and other services.

A recent article in The New York Times reported one consumer had a child who responded for a free joke of the day that cost $20!

The cell providers split the money in half with the marketers. Cell providers particularly love those $9.99 add-a-phone offers for kids because the parent accepts responsibility for any charges that are incurred.

It's incumbent on you to teach your kids that they are not to respond to any "free" offers that are being pitched on the cell phone.

If you get hit with "off deck" charges, call up your cell phone company and tell them to remove the charge. Explain that you know they're in cahoots with the marketer.

Our own executive producer Christa got taken in one of these rip-offs. But it was Clark who gets the monthly bill for her cell phone! It took the consumer champ 3 months of bills and calls during each of those months before he finally got the cell phone company to behave.

In addition, be sure to read through your cell bill page by page. Don't get taken advantage of because of how confusing the bills can be.

Meanwhile, The New York Times also reports that some cell providers offer a $60/year service where they agree not to rip you off with all these "off deck" charges. Why should you have to pay a fee to prevent a company from ripping you off as a customer?! That's outrageous.

Last month, Clark told you about Straight Talk, a new company offering 1,000 minutes and 1,000 text messages for $30/month.

Now Straight Talk is offering unlimited calling and unlimited texting for $45/month! Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T all charge between $100-$145/month for their unlimited services.

Interestingly, Straight Talk actually uses Verizon's network to place calls. So you can go with Verizon and pay $125/month for unlimited calling and texting or you can go with Straight Talk and use Verizon's infrastructure for $45/month. You do the math.

However, one drawback with Straight Talk is that it won't support any smart phones.

In related news, Metro PCS customers can pay $5 extra for unlimited international calling.

MONEY-SAVING MOMENT: The second-tier operators in the cell phone industry are in an all-out price war that can directly benefit you.

These include a host of smaller companies all competing against the Big 4 cell carriers by offering great deals with no contracts.

The Big 4 -- AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile -- all have a business model that's based on cowardice. They've developed lousy, stinking, rotten 2-year contracts because they're afraid to compete in the marketplace.

But the scrappy players don't fear the marketplace. Now the latest salvo in the price war has been fired by a second-tier operator called Virgin Mobile.

Virgin Mobile is offering $49.99/month unlimited calling -- no roaming charges and no contract. If you want texting, you'll pay an additional $10/month for unlimited service. If you want high-speed Internet, you'll pay another $10/month for 50 megabytes.

This is a direct response to Boost Mobile with their unlimited $50 plan, which includes everything for one low rate -- even junk fees!

Other second-tier operators include Metro PCS and Cricket.

Compare the Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile plans alongside the offerings from the Big 4. A similar unlimited plan would be $135/month on AT&T or Verizon; $100 on Sprint; or around $115/month on T-Mobile.

Why would anyone want to pay that much money -- other than maybe an iPhone and Gphone user?

Even if you decide to stay with one of the Big 4, Clark recommends at least trying to re-shop your plan with your existing provider. You can often get substantial savings by making that simple tweak. And it generally won't extend your contract. Just double-check to make sure!

Looking to get out of your cell phone contract? CellTradeUSA.com offers you the chance. The type of phone you have is very important when you're looking to swap -- that is, the "hotter" your phone, the more likely someone else will want it.

Sprint contracts are typically the hardest to exit. The reason is twofold: First, they have abysmal customer no service. Second, many of their phone choices lack in the coolness factor and that makes them harder to unload. On the flip side, if you're looking to take an existing contract over from someone else, you may have luck with Sprint users.

As always, if you're looking for a new cellular provider, Clark advises people to check out Net 10, a smaller carrier that's been great for those who do minimal talking. Right now, however, Net 10 also offers an unlimited calling plan for $79/month -- that's unlimited calling and unlimited texting. Another possible alternative could be Virgin Mobile USA.

How can Net 10 afford to just throw in unlimited texting while the bigger carriers charge up to 20 cents/text if you're not on an unlimited plan? Because the actual cost of texting is zero; there are no incremental costs, no marginal costs, nada. The technology piggybacks on the existing voice system. In fact, there's currently a Congressional investigation into why the big providers raised the price from 10 cents/text to 20 cents/text.

Finally, Clark suggests trying to go the femtocell route if you're looking to dump your home phone.

MONEY-SAVING MOMENT: Does Clark have a deal for all you talkaholics! A new shot has been fired in the price war over unlimited cell phone plans.

Most of the Big 4 carriers have plans that hover near $100/month. But on Thursday, Jan. 22, Boost Mobile will roll out a nationwide unlimited calling/texting/web plan with no contracts for just $50/month.

There are, however, some downsides. The cell phones available through Boost are antiquated, according to Clark. And they're not subsidized, so be sure to look on eBay or Craigslist for a deal on a used one. In addition, Boost operates on the Nextel network, which doesn't always offer the best call quality.

Clark's hope is that the Boost deal establishes a new competitive price point that will put pressure on the Big 4 to match.

In related news, AT&T actually spammed their own customers with unsolicited texts by the millions telling them to watch American Idol! Thankfully, they didn't charge those customers who weren't on unlimited texting plans, but there's been no formal apology for the spam text as of yet.

Finally, AT&T and Verizon customers looking to stop spam texts will benefit from reading New York Times technology blogger David Pogue's tips.

Clark wants to unveil the results of Consumer Reports' annual survey of the cell phone industry -- just in time for the flurry of activity in December and January when people switch carriers.

We get so many complaints about the nation's cell phone companies. It used to be that our complaints were all about cable, cable, cable. But recent customer satisfaction surveys from the University of Michigan find the cable and cell phone industries neck-in-neck at the bottom of the heap.

Cable providers are monopolies so it's natural for them to specialize in customer no service. But what gives in the cell phone world -- where you have multiple players competing for your business?

Sprint is again rated the lowest on customer satisfaction, dropped calls and customer service. Yet the new survey also finds that middle-of-the-pack AT&T has dropped to low Sprint-like levels for the first time when it comes to customer service.

In another surprise, Alltel has been singled out for great rates and customer service. However, Alltel is only available in certain areas for about 60 million Americans.

T-Mobile holds steady with good customer service and very competitive rates among the national players. And Verizon continues to be the best overall company, but they're very expensive.

Are you in a non-Alltel area and looking for a compromise? Clark suggests T-Mobile -- the only carrier that will work with the Google Phone.

As the nation's fourth largest carrier, T-Mobile tries to one-up its competitors by being innovative and cheap.

Here's another example of that spirit: T-Mobile has a new add-on service called HotSpot @ Home, which allows your mobile phone to serve as your home phone.

HotSpot works with a special router that puts your calls through via an Internet connection. The call quality is nearly perfect. The cost? A mere $10/month add-on to your T-Mobile service – probably much less than you're still paying for a landline.

A whopping 97% of people who signed up for HotSpot went on to disconnect their landline and drop their monopoly local phone companies. That's very telling about how effective HotSpot can be. Another fringe benefit is that you no longer have any need for 2 phone numbers!

But beware, there's a serious danger if you disconnect your landline: You'll save hundreds of dollars every year! There's almost no reason left to have a home phone from a monopoly local company in today's world. Clark thinks about his 19 year old who certainly won't ever have a landline in her life.

Finally, Clark's Internet access glossary is now live.

The cost of operating a cell phone keeps going down, down, down. Right now, Clark has a deal to share that goes into effect July 1.

Virgin Mobile has been losing customers like mad since the Big 4 carriers started offering unlimited calling plans at $99/month. So they're going to introduce a $79/month unlimited calling plan -- with no roaming charges, no long distance charges and NO CONTRACT! If you want unlimited texting and all the frills, you'll pay an extra $10 monthly. (Editor's note: Pricing accurate as of 06/24/08.)

Virgin has actually never done the contracts that the other Big 4 cram down your throat. In fact, the FCC may restrict how contracts work in the future. They won't be able to "trick" you into entering a new contract when you call them to ask a question. Meanwhile, Verizon has been putting its toe in the water by pro-rating contracts on a monthly basis.

Next year, the offers on unlimited calling could be much cheaper than they are right now because of Google's Android. Your mobile device's capabilities will leapfrog what we have now and the pricing will drop. That's why the Big 4 always want to lock you into a contract.

Christa is excited about her new Samsung Instinct, which is basically an iPhone lookalike. It has high-speed web browsing, e-mail, GPS, TV, radio…oh, and it makes phone calls too!

Of course, these are all things that phones have done for awhile now. But the Samsung also has a sleek interface and a slim body. As Christa says, we'll have to get her final verdict on the phone in a few months. She's still in the "initial dating phase" with her Instinct.

The wireless industry would love for consumers to get in the "mobile device" mindset -- a term denoting that it's not just a phone, it does so much more.

Soon wireless networks will support unlimited international calls for free. Skype has been trying to get the government to force the cell carriers to let you use Skype on your handset. But there's been pushback because the carriers make too much money ripping you off on international calls. Expect this to change with the arrival of the next wave of cellular technology -- called 4G (fourth generation) in industry lingo.

Skype, meanwhile, has released its 4.0 beta version, and it's heavy on video calling.

When he attended the 1964 World's Fair, Clark recalls that AT&T demonstrated a picture phone. Back then, it seemed like that technology was just around the corner. But video calling never hit the mainstream. Maybe people don't want to be seen on a video phone call. But Clark thinks Skype may be the one to take it to the next level.

Clark's long term goal is to have the capability for show callers to be seen, not just heard, on ClarkHoward.com.

Regular listeners know that Clark often trashes the nation's cell phone companies because they gain so much profit from spam texts. But he never likes to just harp on a problem without offering a solution.

Today he's pleased to tell you that David Pogue, a technology blogger for The New York Times, has unearthed some hidden procedures for eliminating spam texts that should help AT&T and Verizon customers. T-Mobile is working on ramping up similar opt-out capabilities, while Sprint has no procedures in place at all.

So check it out today and stop paying for every spam that comes to your handset. Of course, those who are on unlimited texting plans never have to worry about paying for spam.

There's been so much press devoted to Apple's iPhone being lowered to $199 and beefed up with faster web-surfing capabilities. But here's the gotcha: The data plan is going from $20 to $30, with a 2-year contract required. So you'll actually wind up paying more than if you bought the iPhone when it was more expensive.

Meanwhile, Clark thinks there's a bigger telecommunications story that got wholly ignored: T-Mobile's new Family Time Unlimited plan. The upshot of this plan is that you can add additional lines for $49, which makes it perfect for small business and families. That includes unlimited calling, texting, IM and picture and video messaging.

There's no doubt that the trend is moving toward unlimited calling when it comes to cell phones. Metro PCS offers a family plan that's $100 total for 4 lines. That's perhaps the best deal in cities that Metro already serves.

Unless you're a heavy cell user, Clark advises you to skip the traditional Big 4 carriers and check out Net10.com. There's no monthly fee and all calls are 10 cents/minute. This is particularly great if you use under 300 minutes/month.

If you're between 300 and 1,500 minutes/month, T-Mobile may still be the best for you -- not AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. T-Mobile is the smallest of the Big 4 and has high customer satisfaction ratings.

The concept of paying for long distance is disappearing slowly, and someday there will no longer be any toll-free numbers. That's because cell phones, which usually include long distance, have become so prevalent.

Almost 1 in 3 of us exclusively uses a cell phone. That's presented a problem to government organizations like the CDC that rely on an ever-shrinking sampling pool of telephone users for surveys.

Of the 30% of us that exclusively use a cell phone, about half of us have a home landline but never touch it. For too long, landlines have been shoved down our throats if we have DSL or antiquated burglar alarm systems. But your monopoly local phone company's day in the sun will be over when the Clearwire initiative happens. Meanwhile, your alarm company can usually install wireless monitoring -- that burglars won't be able to cut -- for cheaper than the landline option.

In related news, cell users may have noticed that spam texts are an increasing nuisance. Americans will get 1.5 billion spam messages on their cells this year, according to Ferris Research.

The cell carriers make a cut of the profit each time a spam comes to your handset, unless you're on an unlimited plan. Clark gets about 2 of these a week, but he's already gone unlimited.

Cell carriers would be wise to switch everyone to unlimited plans. There are virtually no infrastructure costs, and the price of not doing so may be people completely shutting off their text messaging out of frustration.

Clark also believes a financial deterrent might rein in the carriers. If they were charged double -- 40 cents every time you dispute an errant spam text that costs you 20 cents, for example -- that might straighten things out.

RIP-OFF ALERT: AT&T has just settled (and T-Mobile is facing) a lawsuit over 3rd party aggregator charges. These are the stray charges on your bill for Internet services, ringtones or what have you. Your carrier gets a split of money from the crooks that post these bogus charges on your statement, a practice now being called "off decking."

The sad thing is that most people don't even notice the charges. That's because their bills are automatically charged to a credit card or auto-debited from a checking account. It's as if you give the crooks permission by not checking your bill.

The simple solution is to get a copy of your statement and vet it carefully every month. Clark goes through his bill page-by-page and calls his carrier if something doesn't make sense.

The carriers feel they're caught in the middle; they don't initiate the charges, they only act as billing agents. But Clark has trouble with this rationale because they're getting money from off decking.

On a related note, do you have teens added to your cell plan? Tell them not to respond to any texting offers for free ringtones, games, etc. These offers are all hazard and no opportunity.

The number of landline disconnects continues to spike as Americans ditch their monopoly phone company service. That can be a very smart financial move. But what do you do if your cellular gets a lousy signal in your house?

There are a couple of marketplace solutions. T-Mobile offers an At Home service (for $10/month extra) that allows unlimited calling through your high-speed Internet line.

A device called zBoost, meanwhile, works like an early car phone with a booster and antenna to get a better signal at home. That one costs about $169 and is available through Wi-Ex.com. (Editor's note: Link no longer active as of June 4, 2009.)

Over the next few years, there will be more competitors and zBoost will get cheaper. Then you'll really have no excuse to not disconnect your landline!

Cell phones are central to how we communicate. Qwest's latest numbers show they just lost almost 8% of their installed phone lines. More and more people are deciding to go wireless only. Verizon's initiative for unlimited wireless plans starting at $99/month has really helped the push. Their deal was soon matched or one-upped by the other major wireless carriers. Numbers now show that Verizon's wireless subscribers recently jumped from 4% to 15% on the strength of their $99 plan.

Metro PCS -- one of the smaller wireless players -- has responded with its own Family Unlimited deal. They're offering 4 wireless phone lines for $100/month. No credit check, no contracts. This includes unlimited local and long-distance calling, voice mail and text messaging. You don't even get text messaging with the comparable AT&T and Verizon plans. Metro's deal can also be prorated: A family of 2 would pay $70 and a family of 3 would pay $90.

What's the catch? Well, Metro only works in select markets, so this may not be a deal for people who travel around the country frequently. But it's a no-brainer if you're a homebody. It's also a great way to completely dump your monopoly phone company landline.

Clark predicts that wireless is just going to get cheaper for minutes in the future. The iPhone and Google's Android are helping the push for these "all-you-can eat" minute plans.

Verizon has hired a "Customer Care Czar" named Tom Maguire. This man is now empowered to cut through the corporate clutter and get the company refocused on the customer. It's funny that it takes an official job title to make this happen, but that's the reality in much of corporate America.

Verizon has about 46,000 employees in call centers around the world and here at home. But those employees have no authority to solve problems. As part of Verizon's new efforts, there's now a group of 90 people at the company's corporate headquarters called the "escalation team." Their sole job is to talk to irate customers who ask for an executive by name, and they're supposed to be empowered to be able to actually solve problems for people. Congrats to Verizon for trying to make a change.

It costs a wireless company about $400 to acquire a single new customer. Yet they lose existing customers over $10 discrepancies every single day. Simply put, it's foolish to spend tons on getting new customers and then abandon them when they're on board.

Sprint is a perfect example of this faulty logic. Their customer reps were penalized if they helped a customer, and managers got incentives to not help people. That's partly why Sprint lost more than 1 million customers in a growing industry last year. Meanwhile, Radio Shack reported lousy sales because they're a big Sprint vendor. Reputation matters.

Can Verizon's new czar make a difference? We'll see…

The iPhone has been the phone to beat since it first came out. During a recent trade show, many companies rolled out plans for their hot new iPhone killers. Samsung has gotten a lot of buzz with a new model called the Instinct, which supposedly surfs the web at 10 times the speed of an iPhone. The Instinct should be available for Sprint customers at the end of the spring.

There's so much good stuff just around the corner. Clark's phone is from a Taiwanese company called HTC. It has a built-in GPS as a standard feature. Unlike other GPS systems, this one works off cell towers instead of satellites. Meanwhile, American cell phone companies have blocked Skype from their units so they can continue ripping off people on international calls. The FCC has upheld the block, but they're bound to lose in a few years when the case works its way through the courts.

Just days ago, Clark told you about Verizon's unlimited calling plan for $99. Verizon's move prompted AT&T and T-Mobile to match or best their offer in subsequent days. Sprint, meanwhile, took its time before jumping into the fray. Sprint was busy reporting a $30 billion loss and a projected drop of more than 1,000,000 customers over the next quarter. But if you're into deals, boy, does Sprint have one for you. They're offering unlimited calling, web surfing, texting, e-mail, GPS and TV for $99 per month. Each additional subscriber will pay $5 less per month on a family plan. This is a real long pass and Sprint is hoping it doesn't bomb. This move represents a real seismic shift in the cell business. Cell carriers have historically made big money on overages. But the future will be all about unlimited calling in different tiers (local, domestic, and even international). Meanwhile, new stats show that 33 million Americans are now exclusive cell users. That figure is up 50% in a year and will only grow.

The Super Bowl is the biggest moment of the year for the ad industry. The cell phone industry, meanwhile, has the holiday season as its annual pinnacle. This is the time of year when people who are just getting out of their 2-year contracts look to switch carriers. So you'll see the Big Four advertising everywhere in an effort to woo new business. T-Mobile is one company that tends to give an early Christmas gift to the people every year. T-Mobile is like the weak sister of the Big Four, which is a shame because the Jan. '08 issue of Consumer Reports ranked it just behind Verizon in overall satisfaction. The irony here is that Verizon is the most expensive and T-Mobile is the cheapest of the bunch. In fact, T-Mobile is like the great compromise: You get the best rates and it's the one carrier people hate the least.

T-Mobile's current sale is a real winner. They're offering 1,500 peak minutes for $39/month. Notice that $40 is a real price point in this business; all the companies offer comparably priced plans before junk fees and add-ons. But 1,500 minutes is what makes this offer a keeper. For $10 more a month, you get the 1,500 peak minutes and unlimited free calling after 9 p.m. and on weekends. Just grab these T-Mobile deals fast because they probably won't be around for long. On a related note, Consumer Reports says that Sprint came in dead last in 20 major markets across the country. AT&T didn't do too much better; they came in just a hair above Sprint. But AT&T has a new leader that Clark thinks will turn things around, while Sprint remains leaderless.

There are a number of new developments in the cell phone world that have Clark excited. There's a low voltage price war between a few smaller carriers that most people don't know about, plus Verizon has an exciting new development. Let's begin with the Verizon news. Starting next year, you'll be able to bring any phone to their network and use it without having to buy a Verizon phone. You can thank Google for this. It turns out that Verizon is scared of Google launching an open wireless market. So they're trying to make themselves more competitive.

The other big news involves buying cell phone minutes, which is part of an outdated business model that may be on its way out. The move started initially with Cricket and Metro PCS, who both offer unlimited calling for a flat rate starting around $35/month. But traveling with these companies has always been a problem. Now Sprint's sub-brand, Boost Unlimited, is offering unlimited calling plans for $45/month in a dozen or so new states. Boost has an edge over Cricket and Metro because they only charge 15 cents/minute if you travel and leave your home calling area. If you're a business traveler, you may also want to check out Helio.com, which offers unlimited Internet, texting, calling and more for $119/month.

Here in the United States, cell phones are controlled by the Big Four carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile) with an iron fist. But that may soon be coming to an end. Sprint has entered into a new settlement that will allow you to keep their phone after you finish your contract. You can then go to another provider that runs on a compatible network -- such as Alltel and Virgin Mobile -- and you won't have to buy a new phone!

The old business model where cell phone companies tie you into their phone and their network makes no sense. Most of the world runs on a network called GSM. We are actually one of the only countries with two competing networks -- GSM and CDMA. Meanwhile, public revulsion over the Apple/AT&T iPhone deal is really helping to bring about a new day in the industry. Isn't it funny that with all the talk of smart phones our mobile devices are actually much dumber than the phones people use overseas? In fact, Verizon takes smart phones and dumbs them down on purpose to disable functions that they can't figure out how to monetize yet! So Clark loves the outcome of the Sprint lawsuit because it will really help open things up. Soon we'll buy phones like we do any other piece of technology. You don't buy your computer from your Internet service provider, do you? No, you buy it elsewhere and then hook it up. Cell phones will one day be like this.

The whole text messaging phenomenon is really misunderstood by many adults. Clark recently heard a government regulator in the telephone industry admit he's not familiar with texting. Parents are often similarly oblivious. That's why unlimited text messaging is a real help. If you have text-happy teens, it helps ensure that your kids don't run your bill into the ground every month. But those unlimited plans don't cover all text messaging services -- especially some premium services that are advertised on MTV and elsewhere. There was a recent news report about one developmentally disabled teen that ran up a $10,000 bill in one month using these services. The sad thing is that the child's parents had an unlimited text messaging plan through Sprint. The cell phone carriers get a kickback for doing the billing, so there's no real incentive for them to modify their practices. Parents need to be aware of this danger and teach their children not to give into alluring services that offer dating opportunities, a joke of the day or horoscopes sent directly to their handsets, among other things. But there's a larger problem here. How can you even get the FCC on this issue if the commissioners don't know what text messaging is?!

If you were expecting Google to announce the rumored Gphone today, you might have been disappointed. But Google did announce a new platform called Android that promises to shake up the traditional cell phone monopolies. Soon you'll be able to take any wireless device you want and access phone calling, e-mailing, web surfing, music and TV on your digital device. This is not a Star Wars thing that's 10 years away; this should start happening late next year! Google found support for Android among a lot of big-money players. They all see the financial advantages of busting up monopoly cell phone companies who want to control everything on their platform. What the future holds from here on out is almost limitless. But free cell phone calling will probably be one benefit!

Good news for some cell phone customers who thought the industry's contract termination fees were too heavy-handed. AT&T recently announced that it will begin prorating its cancellation fees. Right now you have to pay the full cancellation fee if you want out at any time before the standard 24-month contract ends. But under the new rules, you'll be able to just pay a fraction of that cost because it will be pro-rated. AT&T is simply following Verizon's lead here. No word yet if T-Mobile and Sprint will follow suit, but it all begs the question: Is the cell phone industry ready to usher in a new customer-friendly age?

The dominance of the iPhone has really blackened the eye of the industry as people saw how the major carriers pervert capitalism by locking people into two-year contracts. Think about it: Each carrier forces you to buy a cell phone from them and then they make it usable only on their own network. Clark believes this is idiotic; it's like the power company telling you that you can't use a toaster that you didn't buy from them. Walt Mossberg, a usually chipper Wall Street Journal columnist, recently wrote with vitriol about the four carriers' stranglehold on the industry. He compared it to you buying Internet access and then the provider saying you can't visit a certain website. We need to bust this chokehold because it's bad for the country and consumers alike.

Do you remember when it was free to call directory assistance? Some free services are making a comeback thanks to a new ad-based business model. Clark's teenager recently called old-fashioned directory assistance and was charged a $1.80 before he told her about 1-800-FREE-411. Google has also launched a free service (for business listings only) available at 1-800-GOOG-411. Meanwhile, AT&T has its own service through 1-800-YellowPages.

People sometimes gripe that the numbers they get from these free services aren't always correct. But there was a recent study that found the numbers you get from paid services are just as likely to be wrong. So why pay extra for the chance of a wrong number? Clark often turns to the Internet when he's looking for a number. He practically never looks in a phone book anymore. Remember the 1979 move The Jerk starring Steve Martin? There was a scene where the new phonebook arrives and Martin goes running for it, looks up his name and shouts, "I am somebody! I'm in the phonebook!" Pretty soon people won't know what the whole phonebook phenomenon is about. In the future there may not be any phonebooks, because the costs to print and distribute them are so high. The bottom line is that you shouldn't be paying for directory assistance when there are so many free options out there. On a related note, Clark was talking to someone who lost their cell phone just a few days ago. The person discovered that thousands of dollars in international calls had been made by the thief. Under the current law, that person is responsible for those costs. To avoid a scenario like this, call your cell phone provider and get an international calling block.

Some of you may recall when Clark mentioned that Google is trying to develop a cell phone you can use for free in return for watching ads on it. It's been one of the worst kept secrets in the electronics industry. Google is getting ready to bid on spectrum at an upcoming federal auction to facilitate the proposed build-out. Mind you there's be no confirmation from Google of all this. But Verizon is terrified that Google will launch free cell phone service and destroy their costly pricing model. In fact, Verizon filed suit against the federal government trying to invalidate the rules for the upcoming auction.

How realistic is it that cell phone use could be free? Well, in Britain there's already a company called Blyk that offers free calling and free text messaging. The initial Blyk rollout is only for people between the ages of 16 and 24 -- so they can tightly target them with certain ads. Coca-Cola was one of the first advertisers to sign up. So what Google is talking about behind the scenes is already happening overseas. Meanwhile, Clark thinks Verizon is foolish to try to use the courts to block innovation. The truth is that they run a good company, and they shouldn't be afraid to compete in the free market.

The iPhone has been a huge hit for Apple. It's also left a lot of people disgruntled because of Apple's exclusive deal with AT&T. Users of the iPhone are handcuffed to a two-year contract with the phone carrier. Apple released the iTouch to quell some of the criticism. The iTouch has the look and feel of the iPhone and all its bells and whistles. But it is not enabled for phone service! Now Verizon has become envious of the iPhone's success and done something it never does. The company has announced some vaporware in the form of competing products that are due around Christmas. They're supposed to be like the iPhone or even better, but we'll have to wait and see if they materialize. No word yet if T-Mobile or Sprint will do the same.

Clark recently was in an Apple store in a mall and it was packed with people on a night when other the stores were empty. Customers were playing with Macintosh computers, iBooks, iPods, nanos, iPhones and more. The sleekness of Apple products looks like something from a science fiction movie of the future. Clark is really impressed with Apple's design sense. For example, Clark's wife has a Mac now for her business. It cost a fortune, and Clark could have bought four desktop PCs running Vista for the price his wife paid. But his wife has a connection with her Mac like it's a person. That's because Apple's Steve Jobs is a creative genius who knows how to really make products pop. Look at Pixar. Also co-founded by Jobs, Pixar combines artistry and electronics in a way that's warm, exciting, colorful and stylish. Most people are willing to pay for all the pizzazz -- but not Clark!

Do you get spam text messages on your cell phone? Clark recently got the same spam message on both of his cell phones from two different carriers. It was a text message for a "hot" stock that he later read was making the rounds. This whole field has become a new battleground in the cell phone business as spammers have moved from e-mail to text messages. The cell phone companies benefit whenever you get spammed because most people are on metered plans and pay five or 10 cents for every text they receive. If this sounds like you, call your carrier and ask to be reimbursed or credited for every spam text that hits your phone. After all, it's your money -- no matter how little it is. You may also want to get unlimited text messaging if you have teens on your plan. Some teens use text messaging a hundred times a day! Finally, you might also want to have international calling blocked on your cell. This will protect you from hefty expenses if your phone is stolen and someone tries to call overseas.

Metro PCS and Cricket may be getting ready to merge. These companies are like the Southwest Airlines of the cell phone business. They run extra-lean operations and undercut traditional cell phone operators by a handsome margin, passing the savings on to customers. With Metro and Cricket, flat-rate calling usually starts at $30/month for unlimited calling. The only problem is that if you travel, you may or may not be able to use your phone because Metro and Cricket don't have coverage across the country. Metro is now looking at the possibility of buying Cricket's parent company. If this happens, it would create a fifth major player in the telecommunications industry. Metro and Cricket together would offer an all-you-can eat buffet, so to speak, instead of having customers sign terrible contracts and pay all kinds of fees like the other four major providers do. Clark is guessing that Sprint or T-Mobile will be the first to cry uncle and start offering more customer-orientated plans if the merger takes place. Sprint is already offering some such plans through their Boost Mobile division. Things can only get better for the consumer!

Few industries have higher dissatisfaction rates than the cell phone industry. That's probably because Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile continue stubbornly to force people into lousy two-year contracts. When you sign up, you get a phone for a very little or free that comes with a two-year agreement, usually printed in mice type. The contract is like a handcuff that forces you to stick with the carrier whether they're doing a good job or not. Fortunately a lot of the growth in the cell phone field has been with under-the-radar players like MetroPCS, Cricket, Boost Mobile (a division of Sprint) and others. Many of these companies offer unlimited calling with no contract. Verizon is staring to wise up slightly and now pro-rates its fees for cancelling a contract. But AT&T still claims that contracts subsidize the cost of free phones. So how do they explain the fact that the iPhone, which retails for between $500-$600, has a two-year contract? There's no logic here.

AT&T recently lost a lawsuit in a federal court of appeals that will now pave the way for a number of class-action lawsuits. The company had hoped to prevent customers from going the class-action route by forcing them into kangaroo court arbitration. But the courts ruled this practice is illegal. Now one of the class-action suits coming down the pike alleges AT&T continued forcing customers into contracts even when its network couldn't handle the number of subscribers and the company's call reliability dropped. Keep in mind that you can try getting out of your contract by trading it away if you're not the class-action type. CellTradeUSA.com is one company that charges a fee of about $20 to transfer your contract to someone else. And remember that when you get some mice type in the mail saying the service fees are changing, that is your opportunity to exit from your contract without paying a cancellation fee.

The United States has fallen to around 45th in the world in Internet availability and use because our government allows the phone and cable companies to monopolize the field as Internet service providers. But there's something really good coming down the pike, according to Clark. With TV switching its signals from analogue to digital, the stations are giving back their analogue spectrums to the government. The licenses for these spectrums will soon be auctioned to new players who will use them for all kinds of new communication possibilities. So the feds will be helping to create a licensing opportunity for an open system -- a high-speed network that Google may own if it wins the auction. This open system will accommodate cell phones that surf the Internet at high speeds for extra cheap, plus it will host new devices that we can't even imagine yet. Once that day comes, we'll leapfrog from 45th place to much higher. Then the phone and cable monopolies will have to innovate or become obsolete in the marketplace.

Already there's been a lot of talk in the cell phone industry about how America is one of the few places where you can't just use any brand of cell phone you want on any carrier of your choice. Verizon in particular is hostile to any open-market changes. In fact, many cell phones manufacturers have to remove factory-enabled functions in their phones before Verizon, Sprint and other will adopt their product for their systems. AT&T, on the other hand, took the opposite approach when it allowed Apple to pack all kinds of goodies into the iPhone. Maybe soon Verizon, Sprint and the others will smell the coffee and open their systems. On a related note, look for companies to offer unlimited cell phone calling for free in the future -- in return for delivering ad content to your mobile handset. Virgin Mobile is already experimenting with this business model, and it's going to be great for people on a tight budget.

Sprint manages to be at the front of the cell phone industry pack for the world’s worst customer service. Sprint has fired 1,000 customers because they asked for too much customer service! What kind of company fires customers because they want to talk to customer service too often for billing problems and technical problems? The real problem is that Sprint runs a lousy business—they are the only major cell phone company losing customers. If you call customer service too often for their taste, Sprint lets you out of your contract! So if you’re unhappy with Sprint and don’t want to pay the cancellation charge just call a lot for help and you’ll get dropped! This is your way to get rid of Sprint: by making them want to get rid of you.

One more trick of the trade: If the four major cell phone companies -- Verizon, AT&T (formerly Cingular), Sprint and T-Mobile – send you some legal mumbo-jumbo and try to change your contract, and you are unhappy with them, you can deny the new terms of service and get out of it without having to pay a penalty. On a related note, Clark says the new iPhone is absolutely neat. That’s mostly because Apple demanded to be in charge of the cell phone’s abilities. Apple went to the various carriers and demanded control over the phone. AT&T was the only one that took them up on the offer. However, Clark doesn’t like the iPhone contract AT&T insists that you sign.

People are already lining up to buy the iPhone, even though it doesn't go on sale for a few more days. To get it, you're going to need to sign a two year contract. AT&T always claims they make you sign contracts in order to subsidize the phone, but this time, they're just lying--you're purchasing this phone from Apple! Apple's made the iPhone as sleek and easy to use as their other products, and it's packed with features. In other countries, there are no restrictions on what features a phone can have, but in the U.S., the cell phone companies control what a cell phone is allowed to do. Let's say you want GPS....U.S. phone companies want to be the ones to sell you that service, so they make cell phone makers deactivate the GPS feature. Apple has been aggressive towards these cell phone companies, and maintain that no one can say what the phone does except them. Apple has made this a true consumer purchase, letting the consumer decide what it will do, as it should be. So ultimately the iPhone is going to democratize the cell phone industry.