Clark has long coveted the iPhone, but he's too cheap to get one. Recently, his wife has been hinting that she'd like one as a present.

But Clark may be able to stave off his wife's iPhone fever thanks to a new website called Kinoma.com. If you have a Palm-based or Windows-based phone, you can use Kinoma's software -- for a onetime fee of $29 -- to enjoy video, audio and pictures on your handset. Kinoma can simulate an iPhone-like user experience on a non-iPhone device.

Cellular technology is advancing so fast that your mobile phone may soon replace your wallet. Clark thinks that within 12 month, we'll begin using our cells to pay for things here in the United States.

It's already the preferred way to buy at vending machines in Japan. In Africa, meanwhile, cells are used to pay for everything via text messaging. In fact, many African currencies are so unstable that people transfer minutes as currency instead!

Clark's new Sprint femtocell has really improved his cell reception at home. He and his wife are now getting 9 bars on their cells! The ads show 5 bars -- who knew you could have 9?!

Sprint's femtocell retails for around $100 and there's a monthly fee of $5 for the service.

It's similar in concept to T-Mobile's HotSpot @ Home, which Clark recently discussed on the show.

With the T-Mobile solution, you can ditch your landline, transfer it to T-Mobile and get home phone service via your cell with your pre-existing number.

Now let's take a closer look at prices. With Sprint, you have to pay an additional $10 for unlimited calling -- and that's just for one cell. So if you're a family with 2 cell phones, you could wind up paying $25/month ($5 monthly fee + $20 for 2 numbers) vs. $10 for unlimited calling from HotSpot @ Home.

In related news, Clark routinely trashes "add-a-cell" plans because of the danger they pose to your wallet. Watch out if you're a parent and you add a teen to your plan. Thankfully, both Verizon and T-Mobile now are setting up parental usage controls online. They can be used to prevent your teen from subscribing to costly 3rd party text messaging services.

Sprint may not be beloved for its customer service, but Clark thinks they've done a good job of embracing cutting-edge technology in the mobile world. He's now able to get live TV on his Sprint cell phone -- much to the joy of his 9-year-old daughter who loves to watch Hannah Montana!

The only drawback is that Clark finds he's constantly in need of his charger because the TV function drains his battery.

Last year, Clark revealed how Sprint was experimenting with "femtocells" in select cities. Femtocells are essentially tiny cell towers you can put in your home to improve reception.

They should not be confused with "fembots" from Austin Powers!

Sprint now is readying a national rollout of a new femtocell product called Airave for around $100. Think of it as a home-based cell tower that -- for a connectivity fee of $4.99/month -- will use your broadband connection to deliver a reliable, crystal-clear connection. This should help Sprint customers who have spotty reception at their homes.

And it's just the next step in the evolution of the cell phone destroying the need for an antiquated landline!

With cell phones becoming so commonplace, the cell carriers are wondering where to get their next million customers. Clark thinks they may tap the preschool market after they get done with the elementary school kids! In reality, they're focused on taking things that have become popular overseas and bringing them here.

Throughout Asia, you can go up to a restaurant that you don't know anything about; hold your phone up to the window; and photograph a barcode of sorts. That will bring up customer reviews and other information about the restaurant on your handset. The San Francisco Chronicle reports a similar service has now launched in the Golden Gate City. Look for it to become more widespread during the next 18 months to 2 years.

This business model won't just apply to restaurants. Let's say you're reading a magazine. There's an ad for a new release from your favorite musical artist. You'll soon be able to hold your phone up to a barcode on the page and cue up a sample of the artist's latest music. You'll also be able to click a button and purchase their new album. The cell carriers will, of course, get a cut of any e-commerce transactions.

Ultimately, you'll be surfing the web on your cell phone -- if you don't already do so. Clark recently got a Sprint PPC 6800 when his old cell broke. It turns out the PPC is the first cell phone to surf the web at high speeds like DSL or cable modem. When the Crackberry first came out, almost no one used it. Today 14 million Americans are Crackberry addicts. So the web will be huge on cell phones, and the barcode business model will be a part of the coming revolution.

People love their cell phones, but hate their cell phone providers. The Better Business Bureau now reports that the cell phone business has received more complaints than any other industry for 3 consecutive years. There are now 22 states with bills in various stages of consideration or adoption all seeking to establish a cell phone users' bill of rights. The response of the cell carriers has been to spend millions to fund lobbyists who are trying to get rules bent in the industry's favor. Why not just fix the bad business model instead? We're not talking about dropped calls here; we're talking about those rotten 2-year contracts. Clark is hard-pressed to find another country in the world that does these contracts.

For the longest time, the cell carriers argued that contracts were necessary because they helped subsidize the cost of cell phones. But this explanation turned out to be bogus; iPhone customers had to pay full market price for their phones, and then they were still forced into a contract! Clark has long thought consumers should be offered the choice to either buy a phone at market value with no carrier strings attached, or sign the 2-year contract with one carrier and get a free phone.

Meanwhile, all of the carriers are in cahoots with crooks. If you're not on an unlimited text messaging plan, they get paid every time you receive an unwanted spam text message. They're also ripping off teens (and their parents) by billing on behalf of third party carriers that offer ring tones and other premium services.

Why is there no movement in Washington, D.C., on the issue of a cell phone users' bill of rights? Simply put, the members of the U.S. House and Senate are in their Capitol Hill bubble. The cell industry is trying to get a preemption law that will make it illegal for any state to pass a rule governing the industry. Sounds like they're taking a cue from the airlines who managed to get New York's air passenger bill of rights overturned!

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.

Many Americans are so addicted to their Blackberry devices that they've become "Crackberry" addicts. In fact, Clark knows that he could easily become one -- but he's taken preventative steps to ensure it doesn't happen.

Recently he was at the dentist when his smartphone began buzzing with incoming calls. So he actually took it out -- while the hygienist was hovering over him -- to see who called him. He'd be done in if he had a Blackberry that delivered e-mails on constant feed!

A new English study finds that 1 in 3 Blackberry users show addiction signs similar to alcoholism. While out at a restaurant, Clark noticed a couple both on their Blackberries during a candlelit dinner. That's definitely not a good way to earn brownie points with your date.

Some 14 million people now have Blackberries because they think it frees them up. But really it's more of a burden that makes you less productive, according to the study. You work more, but you're not necessarily more productive.

While Clark likes the convenience and portability of a Blackberry, he vows never to have a portable phone device that automatically feeds e-mails as they arrive. Christa, however, has wagered $1 that says Clark will have to eat his words in a few years. She expects all handheld devices to auto-deliver e-mails as a standard feature in the near future.

Clark has set his smartphone to deliver e-mail about 14 times a day. That way he doesn't get oversaturated. But Kim has already noticed that Clark is conditioned to look at his phone whenever it vibrates with an incoming call. Is he moving slowly but surely toward Crackberry addiction? Only time will tell…

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.

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.

Clark loves free services and has 2 new ones to share with you. The first comes from a company called HauteSecure.com, which protects your computer if you mistype a web address. Too often criminals will register bogus domains that may be just one letter off from a legitimate address. When you hit those fake sites, your computer may become infected with a keylogger program. So the free download at HauteSecure.com protects you by blocking sites that could threaten your computer.

The second service Clark has discovered is called ChaCha.com. This free mobile phone service allows you to ask a question by calling 800-2-CHA-CHA. You then receive a text with your answer. It's like Google for your cell phone. So far the results have been hit or miss. While it worked well during a pre-show meeting, it returned a wrong answer when Clark tried it out on air by asking, "Who won the 1964 World Series?" He received a dud answer via text message -- The New York Yankees -- in about half an hour. It was the St. Louis Cardinals who beat the Yanks in 7 games!

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.

Clark's executive producer Christa is walking on air because the penny-pinching guru recently converted their company cell phone plan to unlimited minutes. No longer will Clark and Christa have to fool around with 2 phones -- they used to carry one with unlimited minutes for local calling and another with a leash of minutes for all other calls. Clark decided to go with a Verizon plan that includes web surfing, texting, IM, music, e-mail, GPS and TV capabilities all for a flat rate! As a self-proclaimed flake, Christa says she's excited that she now only has to hold on to one phone.

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.

Many years ago, Clark switched his mom's phone service to a non-traditional company that offered better rates and more features. That worked out fine for years. Then his mom recently moved, and an unreal odyssey began when they tried to get her phone service moved from the old address to her new one. Now his 83-year-old mom is without her landline. This is really laughable in 2008 when it takes just hours to move a phone number between cell phone companies. Clark had been trying for years with no success to get his mom to use a cell phone, but they aren't always senior friendly.

Recently Clark signed his mom up for a cell phone service called Jitterbug that's designed for senior citizens. Now she's a cell user for the first time in her life -- so much so that it will now be a big expense! In fact, she may no longer care about her landline when it does eventually get hooked up. There's a real business opportunity out there for entrepreneurs who can develop products that take modern technology and make it easy for elders to use. After all, seniors have all the money; why should technology exclusively be geared toward young people? Someone will make a bundle creating simplicity out of complexity.

Clark is a frequent traveler, and it's not too long ago that he recalls people queuing up in airports at endless banks of payphones. The mad rush for payphones in the pre-cell phone days gave rise to a dangerous crime called shoulder surfing. Criminals would pretend to videotape family members near the gates, but they'd really be filming people punching in their long-distance calling card numbers. The crooks would turn around and sell those codes all around the country within minutes of filming.

The days of shoulder surfing are now long gone; payphones may be the next to go. AT&T has announced that it's getting out of the payphone business. There are some 300 million people in our country and more than 250 million of them have cell phones. The 50 million that don't is largely made up of children, such as Clark's 2-year-old son and his 8-year-old daughter. But while we no longer have to worry about shoulder surfing, we can still fall victim if our cell phones are stolen. Clark gets tons of calls from people who get stuck with a huge bill when criminals make international calls on their phones. So it may be wise to get your international long distance blocked. At the very least, be sure to report your phone stolen as soon as possible. That way you'll be able to avoid this costly mess. On a related note, Continental Airlines in Houston now allows you to check in with your cell phone just by showing your e-boarding pass.

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.

As the nation's third largest cell-phone provider, Sprint has caught a lot of heat from Clark over the years. He often cites the company as perhaps the worst example of customer-no-service in modern American capitalism. But Clark isn't the only one slamming the company. Consumer Reports, the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power have all given Sprint the lowest ranking in their surveys of the four major cell-phone providers. The company recently went through a quarter where they lost a lot of customers, but now they're slowly gaining some back.

Today Clark gave Jerry Adriano -- Sprint's VP of Customer Experience -- air time to outline how the company is trying to improve itself. Adriano explained that after many requests, Sprint is now confirming all customer transactions via e-mail to ensure there are no misunderstandings when you speak to a representative. They're also going a step further by rolling out "transaction wizard" software on their end to guide customer service reps through all transactions steps. On the retail level, Sprint wants to address its understaffing problems so that customers will be served whether they're at a store to make a new purchase, have a phone repaired or get some help with routine account maintenance. A lot of these changes have been in the works for the past three or four months, so if you're not already seeing them in place you should in the next 60 days. Adriano also advises customers to use the existing tools online for help, such as the rate plan advisor tool and the network coverage tool. Finally, he shared an e-mail address Sprint has set up to help customers get their issues resolved. Customers should send their problems to customerresolutioncenter@sprint.com and include name and contact info.

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. CellSwapper.com and CellTradeUSA.com are two companies that charge 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.

There are “moisture” strips inside cell phones that show whether your phone has gotten wet or been submerged. Cell phone companies use these like law to void your warranty and deny you repair service. The cell companies claim they are “foolproof,” but in fact, according to the New York Post, they are faulty lots of times. It’s been proven that just by putting a damp cloth next to the phone, you can change the color of the strip! So if you have a problem with your cell phone, and you were told your warranty is void because you got it wet (when you know you really didn’t), here’s what Clark recommends. Find an old cell phone you’re not using anymore, take it back to the store, put a damp cloth near the strip on the battery, and prove to them right there that the strip is not accurate!

China is a communist country that has many capitalist tendencies. Mobile phone technology like text messaging now allows people to express opinions to each other without the fear of censorship. Just as modern technology makes it possible for there to be a variety of voices, it also makes it harder for one person or political party to have a huge influence. Books like 1984 were filled with fears that technology would aid dictatorships, but China is showing the opposite proves true. China's fellow communist neighbor in North Korea is now frightened that its people will revolt after hearing radio ads from South Korea where there's a free-market economy pushing new cars, appliances and so much more. It seems like there's always skepticism about technology. Now there's even a question in the medical field about whether video games can be addictive. But the reality is that technology is so useful to us in so many ways.

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.

T-mobile has just released a new technology where your cell phone can switch over to wifi automatically when it senses it in range. They have a new plan where you can get unlimited minutes in a wifi spot for $10 a month as the introductory rate. This means that when you make calls from a wifi spot it won't count against your minutes. As of today, the service is available nationally. This also would make calls based out of your home, if you have wifi, totally free. So check it out, it might save you some dough.

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.

What if you have a regular old cell phone that doesn’t get e-mail and you want it on your phone without all the extra fees and having to buy a new phone? There is now a service called Teleflip that sends your emails to your regular cell phone for free. You can also send e-mails for free. Make sure you have unlimited text messaging when using this program though because each e-mail is logged as a text. Go to www.teleflip.com and try getting free e-mails on your regular phone.

It’s the time of year when cell phone companies get together and introduce their new ideas and gadgets. The one clear pattern is that it’s no longer about the phone or how many minutes one gets with it. It’s about all of the “extras” that the phone can do. Think back to the early ‘80s when cell phones were so rare and so large that they had to be part of a “bag” in the trunk of your car. Typically, plans cost $35 a month with no minutes included. You couldn’t roam with your phone and if you made a long distance call, it might cost you an extra $1.50. It was so expensive because there were only two phone companies in each city. Nowadays, people have way too many minutes and phones are a dime a dozen. The latest craze is what accessories come with the phone. Helio, for example, has a device that centralizes your text messages, your e-mails and your instant messages. Verizon and Cingular are into television on cell phones and GPS location capability. In addition, Sprint has reduced prices on loading songs onto its new phone, the “Upstage.” It has a keyboard for texting and on the other side is a music player. Songs are now 99 cents.

The Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate have both passed bills that ban cell phone use by teenagers in a car. That includes hands-free talking and text messaging, as well. The state has seen a number of horrific accidents due to the carelessness of teens on cell phones. Teenagers lack experience behind the wheel, so adding the distraction of a cell phone to the mix makes it even more dangerous for people on the road. If you know that you are not paying attention because you’re on a cell phone, rethink using it. We all think we are good drivers and everyone else can’t drive. But consider the possibility that you’re wrong about that.

You may have noticed that your cell phone bill has declined in price of the years. And, cell phones continue to get more affordable as the years go by. Remember when you paid roaming charges? Before that, we had huge boxes that had to be installed in our cars. Both of those have been eliminated as cell phones got more sophisticated. Well, the next wave of change is upon us. Soon, you are going to be able to make a call on your cell phone without using your minutes. That’s right. Your cell phone is going to get even smarter. How? Depending on where you are in the country, cell phones will soon come equipped with wireless Internet service. Your phone will switch to built in Wi-Fi in your phone when you are in an area with a wireless network. Therefore, your phone will use Internet phone service instead of cell minutes when you’re in those areas or cities. Cell phone companies are fighting this move, of course, because it means less money for them. But it’s going to happen and companies better catch a clue. This move will pretty much eliminate the need for a home phone. Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco are all moving to free wireless networks in their cities. So you’ll only use cell phone minutes when you’re on a trip or are “roaming,” as we used to say.

Years ago, Clark talked about a service called Freeway that offered free long distance if you listened to ads first. That was how Clark made all his long distance calls. Then, as the 90s moved on, long distance got drastically cheaper and people didn’t care about listening to ads to get free service. Freeway went away, but fast forward to 2006 and something similar is here. Virgin Mobile will soon offer free cell phone minutes if you listen to ads. You’ll get 900 minutes over the course of a year with the program known as “Sugar Mama.” It’s not ready yet but we’ll let you know!

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Have you heard about the cell phone war going on in schools? Governments are trying to ban cell phones in schools because it is causes distractions, but parents are adamant about their kids having phones. In New York City especially, parents are in an uproar because they want their kids to be able to call home in emergencies. It started after the September 11, 2001 attacks and hasn’t let up since. But politicians say it’s a distraction and schools are buying devices to scan kids’ belongings for cell phones. If one is found, the cell phone is destroyed. That has parents even more upset. Clark thinks it’s fine for kids to carry cell phones, as long as they don’t use them in school.

T-Mobile is offering a new cell phone deal that may be perfect for you. The deal hasn’t been advertised much, but Clark wants to make sure you know about it. T-Mobile gets great reviews in terms of customer service and quality, yet their plans are much less expensive than Verizon (often rated the best). So, T-Mobile is offering 1500 anytime minutes for $39 a month. That includes long distance and no-roaming charges on T-Mobile’s network. It’s a one-year contract and you may want to buy a phone. The free ones are usually pretty bad. The company’s data plans are also pretty poor. But if you’re looking for the plain old phone plan, this could be it. Just go to T-Mobile’s site and enter your zip code first, to see if you get coverage.

Clark has gotten lots of calls from people who learn the hard way that they can’t get out of their cell phone contract unless they pay a huge fee. All that is about to change. Let’s say you’re with company A and you want to be with company B. As luck would have it, someone else wants out of company B and wants to be with company A. It is possible now to swap without having to pay any fees. According to Money Magazine, celltradeusa.com acts as an intermediary between the cell phone company and the two parties. Clark has checked it out and says it all looks legit. Of course, the best deal of all is to go with the two providers that do not require a contract in the first place. Those are Cricket Communications and Metro PCS. Having no contract beats having to get out of one any day.

Clark is obsessed with his cell phones. Yes, all three of them. He has one local phone, one other general use and travel phone and a third that he uses overseas. He doesn’t respect people using cell phones in public places, especially when they talk loudly. He was at a funeral recently when someone’s phone rang several times and they actually answered it. Crazy! Movie theater owners are actually trying to get cell phones blocked in theaters. It’s illegal to do that in the United States, but companies are actually doing it overseas. Clark likes the idea, but he doubts it will happen. Worse yet, the FAA is considering the okay of using phones in the air. What a nightmare that would be!

Should you buy cell phone insurance? Almost always the answer is no. But most people agree to pay for cell phone insurance when they sign their contract. They end up paying about $5 a month for the insurance, plus a deductible if your phone gets damaged or you lose it. One current lawsuit is even alleging that cell phone insurance is fraud. The suit states that you’re paying insurance on a used phone. That’s right. When you turn in your damaged phone and get another one, it’s usually “refurbished” anyway. Consumer Reports weighed in on this topic and said the only reason people should get cell phone insurance is if you own a very expensive phone. Insurance rates are the same for a $500 phone and a $50 phone. So, it makes no sense.

Clark has been thinking of changing his high-speed Internet service because it’s getting so expensive. For most people it’s a two horse race, and Clark is one of those folks. Right now, it’s either the local monopoly phone company or the local monopoly cable company. Recently, the phone company cut the rates and he was about to switch, but he decided to call his current company first to see if they would offer him a better deal. He’s currently paying about $43 a month, which is outrageous. When he told the “customer retention specialist” that he was about to cancel, she offered him three months for $9.99 a month. She told him to call back again in 90 days to see if he could get the same deal. He was so excited about saving $100 in a four minute phone call that he told everyone. Then his Smart Money magazine arrived and knocked him down a notch. The issue, which is about saving on cable and Internet service, says not to take any three-month offers and to keep fighting for more. The reporter was able to get a discount on service for an entire year! Phone companies are also reducing costs, so you may want to consider switching companies all together, as Clark was about to do. Also, if you can, cut your home phone line to the minimum line cost. You don’t use it much anyway, thanks to cell phones, and you can usually get it down to between $17 and $20 a month total. Also, consider scaling back your cable or satellite service. Get just the broadcast channels. You may also be paying way too much for your cell phone service. Now that you can take your number with you, consider switching to Metro PCS or Cricket. They offer unlimited calling in your local area for one low price.

How would you like to pay for things with your cell phone? You wouldn’t have to swipe your card over and over again or even carry it with you. All you would have to do is hand over the phone and the item is charged to your cell phone account. It’s called a “Quick Pay” system and it’s already happening in Japan. It will probably create a whole new era of questions on Clark’s show, but it will make paying for things much more convenient. American Express is launching its version to be called “Express Pay.” The transactions will happen in the blink of an eye, and the company will send you this new card if you just call and ask them. Master Card’s version is called the “Pay Pass.” Because things will be much easier to buy, you should be careful.

Ford is about to equip 8,000 employees with traceable cell phones, so the managers will always know where employees are. In fact, the company is trashing all of those employees’ desk phones, so people are always in reach. This is a growing trend with companies these days, and it can be both good and bad. Wireless phones are much less expensive and much more effective. With this move, there also will be no need for call centers, which can also save money. The idea of always being reachable may not appeal to some people, however. Sometimes employees need a break from the office.

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In other cell phone news, did you know that pets are now carrying cell phones? That’s right. Special cells are being made for pets that can be worn around their necks. Owners can call the dog when they are away at work or on vacation and see their pets through a Web site. The phones also have GPS so owners will know where their pets are in case they get lost.

Fast food is going high tech these days. Phone services have become so cheap that there are now “call centers” taking your order at the drive through instead of an employee in a cute hat. So, you may be talking to someone across the globe who then relays your order to the particular store where you are. Pizza Hut, Chuck-E-Cheese and Hardees are all experimenting with it right now and many more will jump on the bandwagon. It’s a way for the restaurant to save money because they don’t have to staff so heavily for certain peak times of the day. We’ll see how well it works.

Clark loves gadgets, as you might know. He doesn’t always buy them because sometimes they can be quite expensive. But he loves to check them out. One gadget that got a lot of hype in the fall was the Motorola V700 Series cell phone. People paid $500 plus for one of these phones because they had tons of neat features. For instance, it could talk to your home computer, make contact through IM and many other features including Bluetooth capability. Motorola ran tons of ads about this product, so people rushed in cell phone stores to buy them. Well, unbeknownst to its customers, Verizon disabled nearly 100 percent of the phone’s special features and required customers to pay extra for the features that were already included. Verizon has consistently ranked tops in terms of customer service, but, with this move, the company completely fouled up with this one. Cingular, on the other hand, hasn’t gotten the best reviews in the past, but the company did not disable anything when selling its version of this phone. As you might have suspected, Verizon is now being sued, according to the Wall Street Journal. Clark doesn’t understand what the company was thinking, but he’d like to give them a chance to talk about this.

Americans love to talk on their cell phones. We also love to gripe about our cell phone companies. According to Consumer Reports, people about as unsatisfied with their cell phone company as they are with their cable company. So, are there any redeemable companies out there? Verizon and T-Mobile are doing better than the others and they are growing faster than any other, according to the magazine. T-Mobile has very competitive prices and many people like that. Verizon is credited with being the best in service. But that means the best in a bad lot. Clark wants to remind you that the local only companies sometimes offer the best rates for unlimited calling. These companies – Cricket Communications and Metro PCS – are often forgotten in the game. But they are great deals, as long as you can keep your conversations to your “home service area.” Another option is pre-paid cell phones. If you don’t use your phone very much, but you pay $30 or $40 a month, a pay-as-you-go plan might work great for you.

You may have heard that most of the big cell phone companies have made evenings, weekends free, and many have made calls within their network free. So, if one Cingular customer calls another Cingular customer, it doesn’t cost either person a cent. But if you go outside the network, and call on a landline or other cell phone, you are charged for the call or deducted minutes. Well, one company has found a way to circumvent that exclusive system. The name of the company is Xcelis. It has made it possible to call members of other networks with unlimited calling, by leveraging your unlimited minute plan. So, you’re a Cingular customer, you would call another Cingular number, which is a free call. That number is actually an Internet computer switch that is rerouted over the Internet to anyone you want to call regardless of his or her provider. It blows apart the business model of per-minute calling, and has the big companies furious. It’s available right now for Verizon and Cingular customers, and the others will soon be added. So, what does Xcelis get out of it? The company charges a $10 monthly fee for the service. The folks at Verizon claim they will cut off phone service to anyone who uses Xcelis. We’ll see what really happens. For right now, if you’d like to try out Xcelis, the company is offering a 7-day trial period for free. Go to xcelis.com.

Boost Mobile, the Australian based pre-paid cell phone company, is now spreading its wings in America. Previously, we had Tracfone in the pre-paid market and that was it. Then Virgin Mobile came along. And now, Boost is here. Boost’s prices are better than Tracfone’s and similar to Virgin Mobile’s. It’s 25 cents a minute to use the phone with no monthly fee. If you go beyond a certain number of minutes in a day, the rate drops to 10 cents a minute. No roaming charges apply, and that includes long distance. So, it’s a great deal for anyone, including older people who just want a phone for emergency purposes. Boost was formerly only in Nevada and California, but they have expanded to Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Texas, Washington D.C., and New York. There is one wrinkle in the Boost plan that makes it different than the others. It comes with “push-to-talk” technology, which can get very expensive at about $45 a month. So, stay away from that capability if you go with Boost. Every once in a while, Virgin Mobile discounts its time cards. You may find them at 10 to 20 percent off in some electronics stores and often in warehouse clubs. This means that the peak calls go from 25 cents a minute to 20 cents a minute, and the off-peak calls go from 10 cents to 8 cents a minute. Good to know!

Several new reports out today say AT&T is still a wounded duck in the wireless industry and is basically waiting for someone to bail them out. AT&T has had the worst problems porting people who want to switch companies and take their cell phone number with them. About half of the complaints about poor porting service were lodged against AT&T. That is due, in part, to the fact that AT&T refused to use the industry standard system for switching companies as all the other companies did. Number portability is supposed to happen in about two and a half hours, but that is just a guideline. The FCC made a terrible error in allowing the cell phone industry to regulate itself in this area. It’s more like 24 to 48 hours and sometimes longer. The good news is that there are some decent companies out there if you’re looking to switch companies. According to the Washington Post, Verizon Wireless has been consistently ranked as the best wireless company out there, although the plans are quite expensive. Verizon has had about a third of all the “porting” complaints, but you must consider that the company has 50 percent more customers than AT&T. T-Mobile has been adding huge numbers of subscribers because they’ve been dubbed as the bargain provider. The company has received complaints, but they are considered decent. Nextel is the company that people fire the least often, so that is a good sign too. This is the third time Clark has talked about AT&T in recent weeks for a reason. He doesn’t want you to be handcuffed to an unreliable company, especially if it’s a sinking ship. If you want help choosing a plan and learning more about cell phone portability, go to our Wireless Phone Kit.

The latest wrinkle in the cell phone wars could be a great asset to you. It’s known as “sticky services,” and it’s been very successful in some markets. The idea is to create a web of reasons to stay with a particular company. The cell phone industry has a terrible problem with turnover. Companies lose about three percent of their customers every month, which is a massive loss. So, they’ve started promoting family and network plans. The original family-to-family plans, which allowed you to talk to family members only, were not that successful. So, now companies have come up with network plans, whereby you can talk to anyone on the same network for nothing. The deal is that you can talk to someone on your same plan and it doesn’t count against your minutes. You’re essentially “off the clock.” It creates an incentive for discipline in a family or corporation to use one plan. All of the employees are on the same plan, so it costs less. That is the carrot. But the stick is that companies will require you to sign a one- or two-year contract. You just simply decide whether it’s worth it to you. Clark carries two cell phones – one for local calls and one for long distance. Two companies, in particular, specialize in the local calling plans, and Clark loves their business models. The companies are Cricket Communications and MetroPCS, and both offer unlimited calling. The unlimited talking model is slowly growing with other companies, and soon the block-of-minutes plans will be a thing of the past. They all range between $40 and $45, and that is the sweet spot that people are willing to pay.