Free 500mb data with FreedomPop

I've been on the T-Mobile no-contract prepaid plan for eight years now. $100 for 1000 minutes/year just cannot be beat. I purchased the original $100, then just topped off $50 every year after. The unused minutes rollover and never expires as long as I top up before the year is up. With the availability of a land line and wi-fi all day at my desk, I only average about 40 minutes a month, using it mainly on the road and on weekends. I'm sure I've saved into the thousands compared to a monthly plan.

Two things I miss most about my prepaid plan are:

1. Cannot buy $199 iPhone 5. I have to either buy a $649 unlocked version, or buy a used iPhone 4/4S for around $200
2. No data plan. Hotspots are available at many places like McDonalds, Starbucks, library, City of Milpitas, JCPenney, but not when I need it: in my car, at the park, in a restaurant, etc. 

To address the first problem, I have reliable germ-free friends that always sell me their used iPhones when they upgrade. They always want the best, and I'll gladly settle for second best. Thanks to them, I've owned every previous generation of the iPhone.

To address problem number two, I ordered the FreedomPop Photon Hotspot.

For the last two weeks, I've been using the Photon for my daily commute and weekends. It supports up to eight devices on it—enough for both our iPhones, iPad and Macbook. And being in San Jose, the speeds are incredibly fast on Clearwire's 4G Wimax. So far, I've been quite pleased. I reply to email quicker, text message, and use maps for traffic and navigation.

Note: In other places, like along I-880 traveling through Hayward, speeds will drop 50-75%. Also, each speed test eats up 10mb of data, so use sparingly.

500mb for FREE!

With the purchase of the Photon hotspot, you get 500mb for free every month. No strings. The cost of the Photon is $99 + $6.99 shipping and takes two weeks to arrive. They call the $99 a "deposit" because you can return it within a year and get your money back (you pay shipping). What they are hoping is that you will enjoy the service so much, you will just keep the Photon, forfeiting your deposit after a year.

The free 500mb should last about a month if you do moderate levels of email, Facebook and photo uploads. 500mb averages to about 16mb/day. Below is my usage on Friday sitting in a doctor's waiting room, and Saturday at a restaurant. 1mb for checking email, 2-6mb for Facebook updates and light surfing, and 17mb for taking pictures which I set to automatically upload to my photo stream. As demonstrated, it is about 16mb per day, and good enough for me.

If you go over your 500mb, you will be charged 2¢ per mb. Fortunately upon sign up, you are given an extra 1gb to cover any overages. This is a nice perk to relieve any anxiety you might have incurring any surprise charges. If you avoid Netflix, YouTube and other streaming sites, 500mb should be enough.

Earn More Data

You can also pay $10 for 1gb/month, or complete offers to earn additional data. But the easiest way is to just link your friends. If you sign up and find me in your address book, we both get an extra 50mb/month. Additionally, you'll get another 50mb for every friend you connect with, up to 1gb. Unlike Facebook, on FreedomPop there ain't no shame being a friend collector. This is how they try to lock you up after a year. Let's say, upon the 12th month, you have 10 friend getting you an extra 500mb/month free. You won't want to cancel the plan just to get your $99 back. It's better to just stay on for free.

So hurry up and get your FreedomPop Photon, because I just can't wait to be your friend! Yep, you and I can be buddies in the 50/50 club! Please consider it. I even penned a poem to encourage you:

All through the city I walk it alone

searching for wi-fi I can't call my own.

Discovering the Photon is such a cool treat

Too bad for me it's not all-you-can-eat.

 Now searching again for friends to connect

to build up my data, that's all I expect.

 We link up online, rewarded with fifty

Can life be this good, while being so thrifty?

Checking in everywhere, and replying to mail
Post pics from a meal, before it gets stale.
 Maps for directions, news of weather and crime
How'd we live without data for such a long time?

You long for the day to thank me face to face

But now with my hotspot, I'm never in one place.

You think of me often, but please don't lose sight

'Cause I only needed you for fifty megabytes.

-WFP

External links/reviews:

http://www.freedompop.com/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2013/02/23/freedompop-hands-on-and-unplugged-at-home/

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2410839,00.asp

http://www.biblemoneymatters.com/freedompop-review-free-4g-wireless-internet-access-can-help-you-save-on-your-cell-phone-bill/

Privacy on Facebook

I ran across an interesting article yesterday concerning the privacy settings on Facebook. I think it's a good read for all people on Facebook, especially the overactive ones that constantly alert me that they are cooking dinner or doing laundry...

After reading this list, I'm going to start cutting down on all those mindless quizzes and freebie contests. And I'm gonna start segregating my friends into different groups because I know who the real friends are and who the "friend collectors" are. But I'll continue to snap pictures of people at parties, especially the popular people, you know, the ones with over 500 friends! I mean if you're gonna post unflattering pics, might as well shoot the people with the largest audience! Am I right? In fact, tonight I'll be attending a party where just three of the people alone have a combined 2000 friends! Stay tuned.

So if you want to stay out of people's view, but still want to be on Facebook, here are some things to look out for as you take another look at your settings.

1. Some of your information is viewable by everyone.

Everyone can see your name, your profile photo and the names of work and school networks you're part of. Ditto for pages you are a fan of. If you are worried about a potential employer finding out about a quirky fetish or unorthodox political leaning, avoid becoming a Facebook fan of such groups. You can't tell Facebook you don't want those publicly listed. Your gender and current city are also available, if you choose to specify them. You can uncheck "Show my sex in my profile" when you edit your profile if you don't want it listed, and you can leave "Current City" blank.

2. Your list of friends may also be public.

Facebook also considers your friends list publicly available information. Privacy advocates worry that much can be gleaned from a person's list of friends — even sexual orientation, according to one MIT study. But there is a way to hide the list. Go to your profile page and click on the little blue pencil icon on the top right of your box of friends. Uncheck "Show Friend List to everyone." Either way, those you are already friends with can always see your full list.

3. You can hide yourself from Web searches.

There is a section for "Search" under Facebook's privacy settings page, which is accessible from the top right corner of the Web site under "Settings." If you click the "Allow" box next to "Public Search Results," the information that Facebook deems publicly available (such as photo, fan pages and list of friends), along with anything else you have made available to everyone, will show up when someone looks up your name on a search engine such as Google. The stuff you've limited access to in your profile will not show up.

This is useful if you want people you've lost touch with, or potential work contacts, to be able to find your Facebook page. If you'd rather not be found, uncheck this box.

A second setting, controlling searches within Facebook, lets you refine who can find you once that person has logged on. Limit searches to friends only if you think you have all the friends you need and don't want anyone to find you when they type in your name to Facebook.

4. Beware of third-party applications.

Quizzes and games are fun, but each time you take one, you first authorize it to access your profile information, even if you have made that available only to your friends. You're also letting the app access some information on your friends.

Under "Application Settings," Facebook lists all the apps you have opened your profile up to. If you no longer want to authorize access to "Which Golden Girl Are You?" you can always remove it by clicking on the "X" next to its name. Apps you use regularly, such as Facebook for Android if you update your status from your mobile phone, should stay.

Next, by clicking on "Applications and Websites" on the privacy settings page, you can edit whether your friends can share your birthday, photos and other specific information. Remember that applications can access your "publicly available information" no matter what.

The security firm Sophos recommends users set their privacy settings for two of Facebook's own popular applications, notes and photos, to friends only.

5. Go over your list of friends.

The average Facebook user has 130 friends. But many people interact with a much smaller group when commenting on status updates, photos and links. So it doesn't hurt to occasionally review your list of your friends to get an idea of just who can view your status posts, vacation photos and funny links you've shared over the years. Don't feel obligated to add anyone as a friend, even if that person adds you first. For professional acquaintance you don't want to snub, send them to a LinkedIn profile you can set up. Some workplaces and schools have rules about Facebook interactions between bosses and employees or students and teachers.

6. Create custom friends groups.

If you have friended a lot of people, sort them. Think of the groups you interact with in real life — co-workers, college buddies, girlfriends, grandma and grandpa — and organize your Facebook friends in these groups, too. Go to "All Friends" under the "Friends" button up top, click on "Create New List" and fire away. Then decide what aspects of your profile, and which status posts and photos, these people will have access to. Or, simply create a "limited" list for acquaintances or distant relatives and limit their access.

7. Customize your status posts.

Type "I'm hungry" into your status update box. Click on the little lock icon. You'll see a range of privacy controls pop up, letting you either allow or limit access to the post. If you want, you can even hide it from everyone by clicking "Only Me" under the custom settings. Click on "Save Setting." Repeat with each post, or create a default setting for most updates and increase or decrease privacy as you see fit.

8. Let your friends know you have boundaries — in person.

Many of us have woken up on a Sunday morning to find that an overzealous friend has posted dozens of photos from that wild party we barely remembered — the good, the bad and the hideous. Chances are, they didn't do this to embarrass you, though if they did you have bigger problems. Rather, they probably don't know that you don't want these photos posted. Sure, tweak your photo privacy settings on Facebook. But if someone starts snapping pictures of you at a party, ask them to check with you before posting it anywhere.

9. Never assume complete privacy.

Even for the most tech-savvy person, unflattering photos, incriminating text messages or angry status posts about work have a way of worming their way out in the open. Just saying.

The Cocopuff Girls

Meet Bubbles, Buttercup and Blossom – the Cocopuff Girls. The shady character is Mojo Jojo, their #1 arch nemesis. Oh, and the pretty boy in the pic is just there for show. He was absolutely no help whatsoever. Actually I take that back. He unknowingly helped Mojo by confusing the smartest Puff with a bunch of made-up words. Haha.

My original name for these lovely ladies was The Danville Darlings. But due to the protest of Buttercup, who lives just a mile outside of that snobbish town, they suggested something Coco... for Contra Costa. So being the creative genius that I am, they entrusted me to think of an appropriate name :)

Mojo and the Puff Girls have been duking it out on Facebook Scrabble for the last two months – which BTW, they now love Facebook, and have like 90+ friends, and they all have to thank me for 'forcing' them on. Anyway, last Saturday was our first game face to face with real tiles, no online dictionary, and full-blown after-dinner onion breath.

All through the game I was surprisingly nice and patient and only had to yell at Bubbles twice to hurry up! Everyone played tough and the game was incredibly close at all times. With only two tiles remaining to draw, only three points separated first and last place. These Cocopuff Girls are good! But that's when it happened...

It was my turn and I laid down all seven tiles to a chorus of gasps! Playing all seven tiles is called a bingo and you get an additional 50 points! That's when I realized what I've been missing while playing online – hearing the groans and seeing the panic in their eyes! Haha. And here's the irony: The word I played was INFLATE, which instantly caused all their collective hopes to DEFLATE! Hahahaha! I'm such a gracious winner, ain't I??

We've already started another game on Facebook and now they're out for blood! I already sense the heightened hostility in the chat box. I may never win again, so I'm going to cherish this one as long as possible. Because beating them in person feels 100x sweeter!

That was our first Scrabble night. Once they get over their bitterness, I'm sure we'll have another. There was something else going on that night too, but I can't remember... I think it was some kid's birthday... Whatever. That night, Scrabble was all that mattered.

Cocopuff Girls, thanks for a wonderful evening!

Facebook: I don't get it

Through the invitation of a distant friend, I signed up for an account sometime last year. I totally forgot about it. During the holidays, several of my friends talked about how great it was for meeting up with old buddies, classmates, and looking up old flames (oops, did I say that?). They also complained to me that I wasn't responding to their spam, um, I mean messages.

Last month I curiously logged in and uh hello...? I'm lost. What am I supposed to do? Where's the instructions? What's the purpose? Should I write on your wall? And what do you write on the wall of someone you haven't seen in decades? "Whoa dude, you really let yourself go..."

I looked at my two friends' profiles, and then at their friends, and their friends' friends... and then Ah ha, I get it! You're supposed to add friends! Right? Hmm, it seems like people collect friends the same way my boys collect Pokemon cards, or like how Hillary collects super delegates, or like how Ursula collects "poor unfortunate souls" – it's a game.

The last time I checked, I've gotten poked, received some gift, and someone thinks I'm a "hottie" (honestly, I'm afraid to respond). Surprisingly, I've received several new friend requests the last month (I'm really flattered!). And with the recent photo workshop, I added some more friends! But then one of my "friends" wrote on my wall calling me a "loser" because I don't have a profile photo – the nerve!! Another one said that my empty photo is like a blemish in their wall of friends. Hmm, is this about me or them?

You ever watch the Oscars? Sure you have. Did you ever notice that when the camera pans the audience, every single seat is filled? Did you know they pay people (seat-fillers) to sit in those seats vacated by Clooney, Spielberg, Hanks, etc. when they're munching in the Green Room or schmoozing backstage? Yes indeed, there is a price for that perfect appearance. So yes, I'll gladly post a photo to complete your wall, that is, if you pay me :)

Oh I'm just kidding. You don't have to pay me. You're already paying dearly by wasting your time reading this blog. I'm honored to be called your friend and would happily contribute to your popularity and help you restore your sense of self-worth.

On the flip side, please don't expect me to solicit your friendship right away. Maybe I'm just too shy or maybe I don't want to be so presumptuous – I mean, maybe you don't want to be my friend. Maybe I scare you. That's cool. Now as for the poking... well you can forget about that, because poking sounds downright naughty! So let's just stick to the soliciting for now.

Even with all this "networking," I have yet to understand how people get so addicted to it. Maybe it's for the people that don't get out enough. I guess it's nice to know what you're all up to, that is, if all of you were actually there. From what I've seen so far, only a few of you are very active. The rest of you don't update often enough, and I still have yet to find a single old flame! Sigh. So essentially Facebook is only useful if you throw your whole life into it and everyone else does the same.

Perhaps we can all make our Facebook experiences more rewarding. Everyone please add me as your friend. Don't have an account? Get one! Yes, I'll be anyone's friend. I'm shallow, superficial and aloof, which makes me the perfect Facebook friend. I won't bother you. I really just want your face on my wall. I want to be one of the cool kids with a million friends. Because now I know what Facebook is really all about. It's not about you. It's all about me! Me Me Me!! That's the value. So please be my friend! And for goodness sake, please make sure you have a profile photo!! Thanks :)

Sign up for Facebook now!