SearchExclusive.com

Choosing a plan and carrier with a no-contract phone

What does an “Unlocked cellphone” mean?
Most of the cellphones may come with an internal lock that limits its compatibility with certain carriers. This needs to be considered at the time of purchase to avoid expenses on features that may not be used or be usable. Although the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) was passed in 1998 to control piracy of CDs, somehow unlocking of cellphones also has come under this law.

An unlocked phone or a “no contract” phone means that the device is not restricted to any particular carrier and the consumer can use the services by any wireless carrier of his choice just by inserting a SIM card. Unlocking the phones without proper permissions is considered illegal and consumers trying to do so may have to pay fine and be sentenced to prison. However, range of pre-unlocked cellphones are available in the market today giving greater flexibility to consumers in terms of switching between cellphones based on newer launches, latest features, resale value, for using devices received as gifts, and the ability to jump to a carrier that meets his/her choice.

How to use cellphones without contract with a prepaid plan?
Prepaid plan means paying a defined amount in advance to the services offered by the carrier. The services cease to work either after the set data/service is consumed or after the time period for service expiry is crossed, whichever is earlier. The services have to be paid for once again to resume the usage which is commonly called as a top-up.

A top-up can be done through various modes. There are walk-in vendors from where a suitable service plan can be activated or bought online through the carrier’s website using the PayPal, net banking, or debit or credit card options. Some carriers also offer the “Auto Pay” option in which the prefixed cost will automatically get deducted from the linked account to avoid undisturbed services if one forgets to get the top-up done on time.

Factors to consider while choosing a carrier:
If you are comfortable with any of the big carriers (T-mobile, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon), then you can check on the MVNOs that run using their networks which can provide similar service at a cheaper price. Although dying, CDMA is a commonly used network in the US but the GSM (offered by T-Mobile and AT&T in the US) standard is the most preferred internationally.
If you are a frequent traveler, a GSM phone gives you flexibility in choosing the locally available network and thus help you to cut on your roaming fees. The LTE and HSPA platforms provide better speed if your usage is high on the browsing features.
The compatibility between the phone and the carrier should be confirmed before buying as some features in the phone may not be supported. For example, voice and texts may work but with the internet running at reduced speeds.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.