Friday, January 27, 2012

Reverse Cell Phone Search - How to Easily Hunt Down the Owner of Any Cell Phone Call

If you are just dying to find out the identity of a certain wireless caller, all you have to do is get in front of your computer and perform a reverse cell phone search.  You can instantly find all you need to know. 

So, whether you want to want to find out who is behind a strange number on your latest cell phone bill, find out who your spouse or kids have been speaking or texting with, or simply want to get the address of an old friend, just keep reading to learn how it's done.

Verizon

Reverse Cell Phone Search - Simple and Easy

So, here's what you'll typically find out when doing this kind of search:

o    Owner's full name, current address, and map location of address

o    List of previous addresses

o    Mobile phone carrier

o    Owner history of the wireless number

o    Other phone numbers that belong to the owner

o    Names of relatives and neighbors

o    Age

o    Occupation

Now, these searches will cost a small fee because the directories that make this information available to public have to pay the major wireless carriers like Verizon and Sprint a fee to gain access to the data behind wireless numbers.

But, the fee is very reasonable.  The better directories offer the ability to pay for the results of a single search or you can upgrade to a yearly membership for the ability to run unlimited searches.  With this option, you will not only be able to run a reverse cell phone search, but you can also get identifying information behind fax, VoIP, unlisted, and listed landline numbers as well. 

Reverse Cell Phone Search - How to Easily Hunt Down the Owner of Any Cell Phone Call

Monday, January 23, 2012

Collecting Action Figures - What's Behind This Modern Day Craze

Remember when you were a kid and your mom, dad, uncle, aunt or grandparent would take you to the toy store or some other leading big-box department store. As you rush towards the action figure aisle, your heart speeding in fervour as you make your means to this supernatural toy of imaginativeness.

Now a lot of men still might purchase an action figure or two sporadically. Action figures today have become so detailed, so artistic and so coveted. These so-called "toys" remind us of our freewheeling youth. I personally have purchased around 16 action figures in the past year.

Verizon

Athlete Action Figures

What I'm really into, just like so many other grown men, are action figures associated to professional athletes. The detail in some of these pieces of new art are spectacular. They have a team jersey down to every tone of color. Currently manufacturers of action figures actually make licencing arrangements with companies who sponsor a specific athlete and professional sports teams. These are reflected in some action figures as well. I am a massive professional ice hockey fan, and really am a great fan of Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin has an endorsement deal with CCM, wearing a CCM helmet, gloves, hockey pants and skates. The Ovechkin doll that I have has all the logos in place just like the real Alexander Ovechkin when he takes the ice in the Verizon Center.

Sci-Fi Action Figures

With the revitalization of sci-fi films and television, sci-fi action figures have also been best-selling. This movement started out with the successful Star Wars franchise films. These love affairs with the figures were rekindled when the original trilogy and the new prequel trilogy were released about a decade ago.

Original action figures were produced in celebration of these films. However this time the dolls were made with such detail and preciseness, it made accumulating these figures by grownups much more acceptable than in the past. The original marketplace for these toys were youngsters, nonetheless this higher level of detail can only be prized by the eye of an adult. This tendency retains today with other sci-fi characters of today's pop culture.

Todd McFarlane Toys

Comic book creator Todd McFarlane has created a toy company that was really at the forefront of this new breed of action figure explosion. Being an artist of sci-fi and comic books he understood the detail that can be crammed into these action figures.

Collecting Action Figures

When garnering action figures, you should collect as if they are fine pieces of art. You must not collect for investing purposes instead for the admiration of these works of art. If you like what you see then buy it. Even if it does not go up in value you can still delight in the aesthetics of your action figure. If you ever desired to collect as an investing opportunity then there are a few things you should know.

When a new film or television series is premiered, especially if it is a sci-fi base project, then chances are action figures will be manufactured in alignment with the premiere of these motion pictures or television series. If this is the case, eBay has hundreds of vendors who deal these investment objects before the film or series premieres. Normally the price for these items will be modest and are fitting for purchase.

After the sci-fi movie or series is premiered, usually the cost of these action figures will rise. Especially if the film becomes an unanticipated commercial success. This is great because once the motion picture is popular there will be more need for their affiliated action figures however supply will already have been dried up. This is where, you as a collector or investor can turn a profit big time. Merely trade your action figure back on eBay. It's that easy. I've been doing it for quite a while, with what I regard pieces of artistic creation that I no longer love or treasure any longer.

Wishing you the very best in your action figure investment opportunities and this incomparable form of art collecting.

Collecting Action Figures - What's Behind This Modern Day Craze

Friday, January 13, 2012

Cell Phone Number Search - How to Reverse Lookup a Cell Phone Number

When do you need a reverse phone service?

If you want to find the name and location of the owner of a specific phone number (cellular or landline) and this number is not listed in whitepages or phone books, you will need a specialized reverse phone lookup service. These services operate by purchasing access to subscriber databases of various mobile operators and phone companies. By combining multiple sources of information, they provide users with a capability to search through a huge database containing almost all phone numbers in the USA. This database includes land line numbers, unlisted numbers and cell phone numbers.

Verizon

Reverse phone lookup services are bound by agreements with phone companies, which prohibit them from providing this information for free (primarily for the reasons of privacy). This is the reason why you need a valid credit card or paypal account to register and use these services. This ensures that they cannot be utilized for illegal purposes (e.g. stalking.) Besides, phone companies charge for access to their databases in the first place, so reverse lookup services try to recoup some of their costs by requiring a subscription fee.

Are there any free alternatives to paid reverse phone lookup services?

If you don't feel like using paid services, there are a few alternatives that may help. You may look up the number in publicly available whitepages or phone books, or use an internet search engine, such as Google or Yahoo. However, if the number in question is cell phone or unlisted, you search will most likely provide no results, because such information is not publicly available. It won't hurt to try, though.

What kind of information you can expect to find using a cell phone lookup service?

You can expect to find the owner's name and address. Some services also provide additional information such as the list of household members.

How to use a reverse phone lookup service?

Simply enter the phone number which you are researching into the online form. Most services will immediately provide the following information for free:

Whether the phone number in question is cellular or land line. The precise location (city and state) where the number is registered. Whether any additional information about this number is available. To find the name of the phone's owner, you will need to purchase access to the service (a nominal yearly fee is usually required). As mentioned above, the registration requirement is a way of ensuring the service will not be used illegally.

Are reverse phone lookup services legal?

Yes, cell phone lookup services are completely legal, provided you use the obtained information for lawful purposes. In particular, you are not allowed to take advantage of this information for making telemarketing calls.

Cell Phone Number Search - How to Reverse Lookup a Cell Phone Number

Monday, January 9, 2012

Verizon and AT&T

If you want a better understanding of the market share dilemma...

...watch the Verizon and AT&T ads.

Verizon

For years Verizon has been hammering AT&T with its coverage map, almost with impunity. Finally, AT&T is fighting back. Why the delay? AT&T didn't understand what market it was serving.

Verizon has been touting the reliability of its phone service over that of AT&T. Indeed, from it's ads it appears that Verizon created its network with the intent to minimize dropped calls and assure connections in the most remote locations, something that AT&T's network is not designed to do.

It's Verizon's success in its mission, not to mention its reputation for superior customer service, that caused me to wonder why Steve Jobs chose AT&T over Verizon when he introduced the iPhone.

AT&T's recent ads may be answering, at least in part, that question for me. AT&T's ads indicate that it built its infrastructure in highly populated areas. That's how they can claim to reach the vast majority of users, roughly 300 million people with a smaller network. AT&T has also been touting its faster download speeds. That could be what Steve Jobs was looking at - reaching the majority of the users with a network that made his apps programs run faster. Faster speeds encourage greater usage of those apps.

Based on their ads, Verizon and AT&T seem to be pursuing two different strategies. Yet they seem to be viewing market share as if all cellphone/PDA users were equally valuable. Obviously that's not the case. What can we learn from this example?

It's counter-intuitive, but understanding what your customers really value can help you avoid competing for customers who don't value what you offer. This knowledge will save you huge investments in marketing dollars, infrastructure costs, heavy discounts to attract customers who don't value what you offer and investments in ill-conceived future strategic initiatives.

All of these benefits are available by simply avoiding the market share trap - defining market share by number of customers or percentage of industry revenue dollars.

Verizon and AT&T

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Traveling Abroad With the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 - About Potential Compatibility Problems

The Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 is an ultraportable device, able to fit in a pocket and, through a cellular network, establish an Internet connection for up to five people or devices. Many MiFi users will travel with the MiFi on long trips and enjoy wireless broadband service. However, MiFi service on trips to other continents may not be possible with an American bought MiFi. The reason for this inconvenience is the competition and support for two different cellular communications standards: CDMA and GSM.

Each American bought Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 will work only on current proprietary wireless networks, depending on which cellular carrier one initially subscribes with. The major American cellular providers, Verizon Wireless and Sprint, have networks that use the CDMA, or Code Division Multiple Access, standard. CDMA is a method utilized by radio communications technologies, like cell phones and the MiFi, to send and receive information. CDMA was designed to support high-bandwidth applications and exceptional reception. However, CDMA devices are tied to one cellular carrier, like Verizon or Sprint. This makes travel with a CDMA device expensive or simply impossible. Though CDMA is popular in North America, a different standard is far more ubiquitous overseas.

Verizon

GSM, the Global System for Mobile communications, is the most popular cellular standard in use worldwide. Approximately 80% of the cell phones in use around the world are GSM compatible. GSM simplifies switching between cellular providers, while allowing users to keep the same phone or device. To switch providers, a cell phone's (or other device's) SIM card is switched to one compatible with the new desired carrier. SIM cards are available nearly everywhere, from convenience stores to traditional wireless stores. Thus, there are more cellular plans, providing flexibility to the consumer. Many GSM cellular users pay as they go for the services they want, with the option of switching to other carriers in the future. Roaming charges are mitigated by the consumer's ability to purchase local plans nearly anywhere they travel.

European MiFis are designed to work on the EDGE standard, which is GSM compatible. Because European MiFis are GSM, those MiFis will be capable of functioning nearly anywhere in the world.

There will most likely be strong competition between European cellular companies to serve GSM MiFi users because those MiFi users can so easily migrate between carriers. For that reason, European users will have lower monthly and daily rates than American MiFi users (think all-day access rather than in the US).

Verizon Wireless plans to upgrade its network to the 4G standard, LTE, by late 2010. Verizon expects LTE to replace CDMA, provide faster speeds, and better support for devices traveling overseas by incorporating swappable SIM-like cards.

So, you may reconsider taking your American CDMA MiFi overseas. Hopefully American carriers currently supporting GSM, like T-Mobile and AT&T Wireless, will soon offer their own version of the Novatel MiFi to simplify traveling abroad with the device.

And to all those American MiFi users who rarely travel abroad: don't worry!  American support for the device is strong and as widespread as the Verizon and Sprint cellular networks.

Traveling Abroad With the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 - About Potential Compatibility Problems

Monday, January 2, 2012

Reverse Phone Number Inquiry Services Online

On the Internet there are so many different sorts of services that you can use to make enquiries about various things. You can find where the best places to eat in your town are, you can find out the prices of various products, you can find out where a good place to holiday is and you can also perform a reverse phone number inquiry. If you have never heard of a reverse phone number inquiry before, you are not alone. Although these services have been around for some time, they have not got the kind of press that they deserve.

These services which will help you to find out who a phone number belongs to just by using that phone number. You don't even have to know what area you think phone number comes from or even the surname of the person, you just have to use the number. As a reverse phone number inquiry works in exactly the same way that a normal online telephone directory does, just in reverse, it is easy to see why people use them. Any time someone has an unknown phone number they can use one of these sorts of services and find the name that is behind the unknown number.

Verizon

There is no need to feel guilty are worried about using a reverse phone number inquiry service as you are doing nothing illegal by accessing and using one. Such searches are also anonymous, you can just create a membership profile and away you go. You might be asked to pay a small fee when you register, but if you just want to continue to perform basic searches this will last a lifetime. More detailed report you require an extra fee, but you are under no obligation to go on and purchase one of these.

Reverse Phone Number Inquiry Services Online