For those of you who send emails as text messages to cell phones, you’re well aware that you have to a) send in plain text only and b) count your characters to make sure you don’t trip the 140-character limit.

Setting email to send in plain text in easy. In popular email providers such as Yahoo! Mail there is an option right at the top to change from Rich Text to Plain Text. In Windows Live Mail, when composing a new email you can tap your ALT key, then click Format then Plain text, like this:

When it comes to counting characters it must be done manually. This is a pain in the neck to do. However there are two utilities you can use to somewhat automate this process.

Word Count Plus for Firefox

Site: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4718

This particularly works best if using web-based mail. Type your message. Highlight the entire message using CTRL+A (select all). Then click the Word Count Plus icon. It counts the words. Then hover to see how many characters were used, like this:

This is quick, effective and it works. You see exactly how many characters are used so you don’t go over the 140-character limit when sending an email as a text message to a cell phone.

Important note: This obviously does not take into consideration email that adds in text advertisements to the tail of messages you send out. Gmail does not tag outgoing mails with ads nor does Yahoo – but Hotmail does when using in the browser (but not with Windows Live Mail client).

Notepad++

Site: http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/

This is for those who don’t use Firefox but still want an easy way to count characters. Notepad++ is a text editor but it counts characters easily.

Open Notepad++. Type what you intend to send as an email in it. Press CTRL+A to select all.

Click TextFX, TextFX Tools, Word Count, like this:

A window will pop up after that:

What to pay attention to is the third line, Characters. That will tell you how many are in use. In this instance, I’m still okay because I’m at 137 which is just under 140.

Copy and paste your message from Notepad++ into your email and send.

Word Count Plus is obviously the easier of the two because it’s right in the browser and stays out of the way neatly when not using it. But for those using email programs, Notepad++ is just a quick hop to a text editor that counts characters quickly which for most people is faster than counting yourself.

Texas Legislature House Bill 55 gives its cities and counties the choice (keyword there) of whether or not to ban cell phone usage in designated school zones.

In order for this to be enforced, signs must be posted. In addition, to be fined (which is $200 per infraction), the cell phone must be to your ear and your vehicle must be in motion. This means hands-free devices are acceptable and/or if you’re stopped, that’s okay also.

There are few instances I can cite where a bill is written correctly the first time; this is one of them. It’s fair, and the fact Texas is giving its cities and towns the choice of whether to enforce it is even better.

Big kudos to the Lone Star State for this one. Job well done.

Credit, love it or hate it, is something that’s necessary for many people to buy things. And I’m sure there are more than a few of you out there who have applied for credit online and been denied faster than you can say, "Hey! My credit rating is good! What gives?"

What gives is that you’ve been dealt the cold shoulder of a computer that deemed you unworthy of a credit line.

If you need credit for anything, my advice is simple: Apply over the phone or in person whenever the option presents itself. The rep you speak with on the phone has more of an interest in approving you compared to a non-human computer.

Lines of credit worth having for computer stuff

Apple Financial

Macs are frickin’ expensive. With Apple Financial/Juniper they have 0% for 12 months on any first (keyword there) purchase over $1,000 – which is unfortunately quite easy to rack up when buying Apple products.. (sheesh!) If you plan on buying Apple stuff, you’re going to need this unless you have really deep pockets.

Phone: 1-800-MY-APPLE

Dell Financial Services

Good for consumers and small-biz owners that specifically want to build credit. The nice part is that with DFS, they’ll allow you to finance just about anything – even for super-low amounts, and that’s an advantage.

Phone: Depends what type of customer you are. Info is here. If you’re just a regular consumer, call the main line 1-800-WWW-DELL.

Bill Me Later

Both NewEgg and TigerDirect accept this, as well as many other retailers. Granted, the interest rate sucks, but you get 90 days no-interest no-payment on any cart purchase over $250 in most instances. "Cart purchase" means that the items in the online shopping card meet or exceed $250. So if you buy a motherboard, CPU, monitor and lump it all into a single purchase that goes over $250, that’s financeable thru BML.

Note that you don’t have to apply for it. Just use it on purchase at checkout. However it is recommended you get yourself an account at the BML site to track spending better.

The typical tech people put into cars are music players, DVD decks, PNDs (personal navigation devices) and smartphones. And the most annoying thing is how to mount it.

You have seven basic options for mounting tech in a car:

1. Proprietary in-dash
2. Semi-proprietary in-dash
3. In-mirror
4. Gooseneck/Bracket
5. Suction mount to adhesive plate
6. Suction mount to glass
7. Friction mount (a.k.a. "bean bag" mount)

Here’s each one of these in detail.

Proprietary in-dash

This is any tech you buy that is specifically made for in-dash use and the most expensive of the bunch. Ordinarily you’re going to spend at least $400 (installation not included) for one of these setups. Better ones have a DVD player, GPS and options to pair to your phone via Bluetooth.

The major problem with tech of this type is that it suffers from the "last in line" curse. Any tech that is current now (such as on Blackberries and iPhones) won’t be available in the in-dash units until a year or two later. And by that time the tech is already obsolete.

Semi-proprietary in-dash

The difference between this and the fully proprietary in-dash setups is that certain pieces can be taken out and used elsewhere. The one seen above has a 4.3-inch TomTom GPS device that can be removed by a simple click-in/click-out (which means it can also be upgraded easily, avoiding some of the last-in-line curse). It also has a ton of other features. If I were searching for an in-dash solution, I would take this over the fully proprietary any day.

 In-mirror

A rear-view mirror that’s a touchscreen monitor? Believe it. The operating system is Windows CE and there are mounting brackets for Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Ford, Mazda and Chevrolet.

To note: These are not easy to acquire and are usually reserved for builders who buy 100 of them at a time. We’ll see tech like this become more readily available for consumers as time goes on, possibly in the form of a super-thin OLED screen that "sticks" to your mirror without having to swap it out.

 Gooseneck mount

Mounts of this type can either be held in place via a suction to the glass or drilled into the floor. You will either love or hate the gooseneck.

Suction mount to adhesive plate

This is the most convenient option for most people. Automotive GPS makers have got this down pat. For example, when you buy a Garmin GPS, it comes with a plate with adhesive that you can stick to the dashboard. Then you mount the GPS to it with its suction mount. Works well and is certainly better than putting it on the glass.

Suction mount to glass

Whether it’s a gooseneck or other type of mount, suction mounting to glass is an imperfect solution at best, mainly due to the fact it can "take a dive" without warning.

  Friction mount (the "bean bag")

This mount setup sits anywhere and has rubber padding under it to prevent sliding from all over the place.

Which is best for you?

For those who are cheap: Suction mount to glass. Readily available, easy install.

For those who have odd-shaped devices: Gooseneck with adjustable bracket. Ham radio guys have been doing this forever, because a mobile ICOM isn’t the same size as a Kenwood isn’t the same size as a Yaesu, etc.

BONUS TIP for hams: Consider using a gooseneck floor mount that attaches to the passenger seat bolt. No drilling necessary. Takes minutes to install. Cheap and rock-solid. Looks good, too.

For those that want the easiest to use: Use the friction mount. It can be moved from car to car easily and moved anywhere you like at whim. Bear in mind friction mounts come for a variety of different mobile devices including almost all cell phones.

For those that don’t like friction mounts: Use a suction mount to a plate. This is what I use personally because the bean bag liked to jump around when going over things like bumpy railroad tracks – even at slow speed.

For those that like to show off: Use the in-mirror (assuming you can even get one) or in-dash. But remember that this is a very permanent thing. All the rest can be moved from car to car, but not this method. Not easily, anyway. Once it’s in there, it’s really in there if you catch my meaning.

It’s an ever-increasing mobile world, and with it comes all the tech stuff we need to get things done. Being mobile means your tech will run off a battery or two. However there are certain items when you should care and other times when you don’t have to.

Point-And-Shoot Digital Cameras

Should you care? Yes.

I won’t buy a point-and-shoot digital camera unless it runs off AA batteries. It is the best and cheapest way to keep taking pictures. Yes, it does add bulk to the camera for the battery compartment, but that small inconvenience is more than worth it.

Camcorders

Should you care? Yes.

It’s always smart to purchase a secondary battery for your camcorder. If possible, buy the secondary with the camcorder at the same time.

Automotive GPS

Should you care? No.

Battery life for automotive GPS devices such as from Garmin, TomTom, Magellan or any other have always been terrible, and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon. With the screen at full brightness (required for daytime driving use) and the speaker volume at 70% or higher, you’ll get at most 2 hours out of the battery no matter who made the GPS. Furthermore it’s always used in the car, so when the battery dies you just plug in the charger and keep on going.

Battery life on GPS matters for units other than for automotive use, such as for trail or maritime. The Garmin Oregon 550t for example runs off 2 AA batteries, and that matters a lot for a GPS of that type given its particular purpose (it does both trail and maritime).

Cell Phone

Should you care? No.

I know no one that carries around a spare cell phone battery with them. All wireless phones today have a relatively decent talk time concerning battery life. And yes, if you talk for three hours straight, of course the battery will die on you. But for shorter calls and texting, the battery should last for days so it’s not a huge consideration.

What’s more important with a wireless phone purchase is the rated talk talk time and standby time. This doesn’t necessarily depend on battery type, because two phones by two different manufacturers that use the same type of battery will have different talk/standby times.

General rule of thumb: The less features a wireless phone has, the longer the battery will last due to the fact the phone doesn’t have to "think" as much. This is why 10-dollar TracFones have unbelievably good standby times, since the phone has only the most basic of features. It’s also the reason older less-featured cell phones with a new battery in them seem to "last forever".

Laptop Computers

Should you care? Depends on type.

With laptops there are basically three flavors: The netbook, standard and the gamer.

With the netbook (9 to 12-inch screen), yes, battery options definitely count because it’s meant to be ultra-mobile. You should stuff a netbook with longest-lasting battery possible.

With the standard (13 to 15-inch screens), yes it counts. You should stuff that one with a 9-cell. Yes it will cost a pretty penny but it’s more than worth it.

With the gamer laptop (17-inch or higher with a powerful graphics card), no. Gamer laptops are well known to have inferior battery life because of the horsepower required to run them. And even if you stuff in the best battery available, you’d be lucky to get more than 2.5 hours of life before it needs a charge.

Some choose to text on a wireless phone for fiscal reasons. It used to be that texting cost more than speaking, but these days it’s the other way around (especially with prepaid wireless phones).

Some choose to text because it’s faster. If you receive a text message asking, “Meet up for coffee at noon at D.D.?”, it is quicker to reply with a “yes” than it is to call, wait for the ring and actually say yes.

And obviously there are those who like to text because for whatever reason they fear speaking on the phone. When “hiding” behind text people feel more confident for whatever reason.

The Big Question: If there was a wireless device you could buy that was text-only, had a real miniature QWERTY keypad on it (meaning not a number pad), and cost $15 a month for unlimited domestic and international texting, would you buy it?

There’s a lot of you out there that would say yes to that. Are you one of them? If so, why? Or if not, why?

Chances are your phone is set up to not accept calls that do not have caller ID. But every so often you get a call from a number from an area code you’ve never seen before. Of course, you don’t answer it, but you’re left wondering, "Who was that?"

Most of the time it’s a marketing call, but it is important to find out who called so you can contact the appropriate people to opt out of the marketing.

There are two sites you can use to get this information, 800Notes and whocalled.us.

I find 800Notes to be the better of the two.

To note, if you want to submit a report of your own for one of these odd calls, type in the number at the top and fill out the comment form at the bottom. No registration is required.

Wireless phone chargers come in all shapes and sizes. And that’s annoying. What works for one phone probably won’t work for the other. Granted, there are many phones that can be charged via USB – but – some require "special" mini-USB chargers to be used (Motorola springs to mind) so the universal nature of USB is out the window when that happens as it often does.

There is, thankfully, a plan in effect for an industry-wide standard for mobile phone chargers.

I pray this comes true. According to the article linked above, this could be in effect by as early as 2012.

The battle for a universal standard has been raging on for years and some progress will (hopefully) finally be made and this will become real. It definitely needs to happen.

Keep your fingers crossed on this one.

Right now a lot of people are tightening belts concerning money and one way to save cash is by using a pre-paid cell phone instead of post-paid. Here are some tips to maximize minutes and minimize hassle.

1. Check voicemail from another number

On many pre-paid phones it chews up minutes checking your voicemail. Solution: Check it from another line. Call your cell phone number, wait for the greeting, press star (*), enter your voicemail password then press pound (#). You’ll be able to log right in and take all the time you want without using any minutes at all. And you can keep your phone free for use while checking voicemail.

2. Do not register the phone with the provider’s web site

Pre-paid phone companies strongly urge you to register the phone with their web site for one reason – to spam you. Don’t fall for the convenience of buying minutes online if you can. Buy your minutes with cards from local retailers instead.

And no, you don’t save any cash buying online compared to retail because you still have to pay the tax no matter what method you use, so you might as well buy the card(s) in the store.

3. Avoid using text alerts from other providers

You lose either time or "text allowance" each time you receive a text message alert. Don’t bother with these.

4. Do not "tie in" your phone with your instant messenger.

Many instant messenger services allow you to "tie in" or "link" your IM account with your cell phone. For those with unlimited messaging this may be fine, but for pre-paid, not so much. Sure, it may be convenient but it will chew up time/allowance for text messages fast.

5. Buy an identical phone just for the battery.

Your pre-paid phone was most likely inexpensive. If it was a Motorola W175g for example, the phone probably cost you only ten dollars.

Buy a second phone just for the battery. When you get it, don’t bother activating it. Just plug it in to the wall and keep it on charge for a fresh battery. When the battery in your primary phone runs out, swap out the batteries and ta-da, extra battery when you need it.

STRANGE BUT TRUE: If you were to buy a battery outright for that same 10-dollar phone, it can cost up to 30 dollars. Why bother when the entire phone is 10 and you get the same battery with an extra "charger" (the other phone)?

Dave (owner of PCMech) has a ritzy/glitzy/sexy/super-cool Apple iPhone. And he really likes it. Furthermore he uses it a lot so he’s getting his money’s worth. He uses apps, he texts, he talks on it (obviously), uses Twitter on it, browses the web, etc.

I on the other hand am very anti-cell phone. The only reason I own one is to have some means of mobile telephone communications. As far as what I choose, I go for nothing but basic. To say it another way, whatever is the cheapest thing I can get is what I will usually go for.

Recently I switched off of a post-paid plan with Verizon and decided to go with TracFone, a pre-paid cell phone service.

The purchasing process

I purposely went to Radio Shack on an early Saturday morning figuring there wouldn’t be too many people in the store at that time of the day – and I was right. The store was basically empty.

Why Radio Shack? It’s because RS employees will actually set the phone up for you right at the counter so you don’t have to do it yourself – which they did. In case you weren’t aware, RS is still to this day one of the better places to buy a cell phone (it’s the #1 thing they sell).

Cost of the phone: $10.00 (a little over $11 after tax).

The phone itself: It’s a Motorola W175g. And THANK GOD it’s actually a one-piece phone instead of a this-will-break-in-a-year flip style. I’ll speak more on the phone in a moment.

The pre-paid TracFone service comes with 20 "bonus" minutes to start with. This is great because it means I had a phone ready-to-use for just over $10 that I could add minutes to later on, so I didn’t have to buy extra minutes up front. Very nice.

If you are the type who is big penny pincher, the absolute cheapest way to run a TracFone is to buy one 60-minute card every 90 days. You need to buy at least 60 minutes for it to be at a 90-day span between purchases. The 60-minute card costs $19.99 + tax.

If you do the math, the phone service will cost you just over $7 per month (assuming you don’t go over the minute allowance). You could opt for a 365-day instead of a 90-day, but 90-day will suit most people.

The phone itself

The Motorola W175g is a "candy bar" style phone. It’s not exactly thin but fits in the pocket easily. And – thankfully – it’s charged via a mini-USB connector. This connector is solid and not like those asinine funky-shaped power connectors Motorola used to have.

The screen is readable in daylight. The sound is just fine. Speakerphone could be a little bit better, but then again what do you expect for 10 bucks? Battery life is decent.

I will say this: This phone – which is notably inferior compared to a Motorola RAZR – sounds better and is much easier to navigate as far as the menu system is concerned. Furthermore it feels better in the hand when talking on it.

The TracFone service

I really like the fact TracFone makes it stupidly easy to know exactly what you’re spending.

The phone itself will tell you up front how many minutes you have left and how many days you have left for your current minute allowance – so you’re never out of the loop concerning that.

Minutes can be bought online at TracFone.com or by going anywhere that sells TracFone-enabled phones (Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, etc.) and pick up a card.

The service itself is fine. Reception is good; calls stay connected. The service does the job it’s supposed to do.

You would like TracFone if…

• You hate cell phones and only want one for basic communications or just for emergencies.
• You’re a parent and want to give your kid(s) a cell phone but also want something basic that can take a pounding – TracFone definitely fits the bill there.
• You want more control over your cell phone use/bill/etc. It doesn’t get any easier than TracFone.

I would not recommend TracFone for heavy-use cell phone users because you’d run out of minutes fast and it would cost you more in the long run.

However if you’re a light user, TracFone suits just fine. It’s basic, it works, it’s cheap.

This is also cheap enough where you could give it as a gift. If you’ve got someone in the family that needs a cell phone, TracFone makes it easy enough where you can get it set up and let the recipient of the gift know that to add minutes they just have to buy a card every 90 days.

I do understand that TracFone service isn’t the best in all areas. It works fine in Tampa Bay Florida but that’s just my experience. Seeing that you can test the service for just 10 dollars (the purchase of the phone), it’s not like you’ll be in the poorhouse in case the service doesn’t work for whatever reason.

I’ll answer that question even before I start this article: Yes, you are. And you always have been since the first time you used text messaging on a mobile wireless network.

The reason you’re getting screwed is because those who are computer savvy even to the most basic degree understand that when you charge 20 cents for 140 bytes of data or less transferred, that’s nothing short of the rip-off of the century. More on that in a moment.

According to washingtonpost.com, all the major phone carriers deem that outside of the flat-rate monthly data plans, a text message costs 20 cents each time one is transferred.

Let’s examine that for a moment.

If you take a 140-character phrase and save it as a text file on your computer, you will see that text file is 140 bytes exactly. One byte per character.

Let’s say you live on your cell phone and send 500 text messages daily (yes that’s extreme but there are some crazy fools who actually send that much), with each being a full 140 bytes each. That’s 70,000 bytes daily or 68.4 kilobytes.

If you sent that much text messaging data every day for a whole month, that’s 2 megabytes of data. That’s it. Just 2. For the month.

You’re probably thinking "I can download more than that in a web browser in less than 5 minutes." That’s right.

Now realize that most people don’t get anywhere near 2 megabytes of plain old text data transferred per month. We’re not even talking binary transfers here, just text and text alone.

You’ve probably figured out by now that 140 bytes isn’t worth 20 cents no matter how you look at it. No way, no how. It’s an outright ridiculous price.

Consider the following (this is from the linked article above):

…600 text messages contain less data than a 1 minute phone call. It said that at 20 cents a text message, wireless carriers would collect $120 for 600 messages.

"Does $120 for the equivalent of one minute of voice seem reasonable?"

I personally don’t think that’s reasonable.

Do you?

Many people have heard of the Samsung Instinct being called the “iPhone killer”, but I do not believe that to be so. The Instinct is on the Sprint network and costs $129.99 after a $220 instant savings then a $100 mail-in rebate, and Sprint offers their Simply Everything Plan with unlimited everything for $99.99.

Continued