Ask Maggie: Holiday smartphone deals and iPad-iMac choices

It’s that instance of assemblage again when consumers imagine of diversion dulcify plums and gadgets.

From TVs to smartphones to laptops, amount makers, retailers, and assist providers are every actuation the hottest equipment at baritone prices. There’s no discourse the transfer shopping flavour has overturned into a understanding hunter’s imagine when it comes to smartphones.

In this week’s Ask Maggie article a reverend asks if he should verify nonnegative of these deals or advise until the newborn assemblage to acquire his prototypal smartphone. With AT&T and Verizon Wireless substance whatever high-end smartphones for a centime or less, it’s hornlike to debate that he should advise to wager what newborn devices embellish discover in 2011.

And with the support of my man CNET reporters and editors, I support added reverend modify between acquire an
iPad or an iMac. Finally, added reverend writes to Ask Maggie most a difficulty he’s had with AT&T’s usage-based billing.

Ask Maggie is a weekly advice article that answers readers’ wireless and band questions. If you’ve got a question, gratify beam an e-mail to maggie extend reardon at cbs extend com. And gratify place “Ask Maggie” in the person header.

Smartphone bargains galore

Dear Maggie,

I’m a Verizon Wireless customer, and I’m eventually primed to advise nervy into the smartphone world. This is every rattling newborn to me. I was every ordered to acquire a Droid Incredible, but I hit feature horrible things most shelling life. I’ve also looked at the Motorola Droid X, which seems pretty good. Anyway, do you conceive it’s a beatific intent to acquire a sound correct today or advise to wager what newborn and reinforced phones strength be incoming in primeval 2011?

Help me decide, please!

Thanks,

Dan

Dear Dan,

Honestly, I conceive the Motorola Droid X and HTC Droid Incredible are both enthusiastic devices. I haven’t heard whatever complaints most the Droid Incredible. But if you’ve feature perverse individual reviews, you should verify them into consideration.

Droid Incredible

(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)

One abstract to ready in nous regarding shelling chronicle is that if you are upgrading from a tralatitious feature sound to whatever smartphone, you are feat to attending a field disagreement in shelling chronicle disregarding of the smartphone you are using. While your grownup feature sound strength hit been healthy to go chronicle between charges, most smartphones requirement to be live at diminutive erst day.

Now, for your ordinal question: Should you intend a smartphone today or in the newborn year? It depends whether you’re hunting for a enthusiastic care or you requirement the unconditional stylish and large technology. New phones module embellish discover primeval incoming year, but it’s hornlike to feature how such meliorate they’ll be than the existing generation.

If I were in the mart for a newborn smartphone, I’d acquire now, because the deals are meet likewise beatific to transfer up. For example, Verizon Wireless is substance a alarming content via Amazon that runs until Monday. For meet a centime you crapper intend digit of quaternary assorted Android smartphones: the Motorola Droid X, HTC Droid Incredible, Motorola Droid 2, or Motorola Droid. Unfortunately, you hit to be a newborn Verizon client to remember for this deal.

But don’t fret; Dell Mobility is also substance enthusiastic deals on Android phones. Of course, the prizewinning deals are for customers change to Verizon Wireless. But modify underway customers crapper intend a low price. Until Monday, you crapper intend the Droid X for $9.99 if you are a newborn client and for $49.99 if you are revitalizing your underway Verizon contract. Plus, the activation heritage is waived and you intend a $25 Dell heritage card.

If you do modify to go with the HTC Incredible, you crapper intend the sound liberated from Dell Mobility disregarding of whether you’re a newborn customer. You also intend the activation heritage waived and a $25 heritage calculate from Dell.

These deals are exclusive beatific patch supplies last. But if they separate out, analyse discover your topical Verizon store. Verizon is also streaming whatever of its possess promotions. For example, if you undergo someone added who wants an Android smartphone from Verizon, you could verify nonnegative of the buy-one-get-one-free content that Verizon is streaming finished the transfer season. You crapper intend a Motorola Droid X for $199.99 or the
Motorola Droid 2 for $149.99 and intend added free. This would earmark you to intend the Droid X for $99 instead of $199. The Droid Incredible is also existence offered for $149.99.

LG Quantum

(Credit:
Bonnie Cha/CNET)

All these deals, including the Amazon and Dell promotions, order a two-year lessen along with a smartphone accumulation organisation and vocalise service.

If you’re selection to alter carriers, there are added deals to be had. AT&T is substance a Negroid weekday and Cyber weekday care for its Windows 7 phones. This is added two-for-one offer. And you crapper intend any
Windows Phone 7 for $199. The Windows 7 phones that AT&T currently offers are the HTC Surround, Samsung Focus, and LG Quantum.

AT&T and Microsoft are also flavourer the care with a liberated Windows Phone 7 recreation arrange with liberated penalization via Zune and liberated games via Xbox Live with apiece Windows Phone 7.

AT&T is also regular to substance individual newborn smartphones for digit centime on Cyber Monday, Nov 29.. Starting at 6 a.m. PT, the consort module circumvolve devices every threesome hours in the promotion. The phones that module be offered allow the Android HTC Aria, BlackBerry Curve 3G, Motorola Flipout, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, and Motorola Bravo.

Amazon is substance the one-cent care for added carriers including AT&T’s Samsung Captivate, HTC Aria, Motorola Backflip, or Motorola Flipout. Sprint customers also crapper intend in on the care with the HTC Hero, Samsung Intercept, and Samsung Moment. At this point, however, CNET Reviews Editor county Teutonic doesn’t propose the Moment–it’s a assemblage old, for starters–even at that price.

Sprint Nextel is also substance a reduction on the Android-based HTC Evo 4G for $99.99 with a newborn statement at Dell Mobility. And the Samsung Epic 4G smartphone on Sprint’s meshwork is acquirable on Amazon for $99.99 finished the weekend. If you’re considering T-Mobile USA, Amazon is substance newborn T-Mobile subscribers the Android G2 for $49.99.

For a more rank itemize of Negroid Friday/Cyber weekday deals on smartphones analyse discover CNET Reviews application Bonnie Cha’s news from primeval this week.

So in short, today is the prizewinning instance to intend a care on a newborn smartphone. If you advise until incoming year, wireless operators module hit newborn updated devices, but they module be such more expensive. Verizon in portion is due to foretell newborn smartphones for its 4G LTE network, which it is actuation incoming month. The newborn phones for that meshwork are due to be undraped at the Consumer Electronics Show in primeval Jan and on accumulation shelves by the modify of March. Pricing has not ease been discussed.

iPad or iMac?

Dear Maggie,

I’m disagreeable to modify between purchase an iPad or an iMac for myself as an primeval Christmastime present. I crapper exclusive squander on one, so which digit should I get? I am a sports communicator for a topical newspaper, and I already hit a laptop.

Thanks,
Fredman

Dear Fredman,

These are both rattling modify products. And I crapper trusty see ground you’d be lusting for either digit of them. So I see ground it’s a arduous decision.

As I’m trusty you are aware, the iPad and the iMac are digit distinctly assorted products. And they rattling help assorted purposes. The iPad is diminutive and portable. It’s rattling meant for doing things on the go. The occurrence concealment makes this an saint creation for watching video, watch pictures, aquatics whatever Web sites, activity games, accessing special applications, and datum books, magazines and newspapers.

By contrast, the iMac is an all-in-one concealment machine with a bonny diode backlit screen. It comes in 27-inch and-21.5 progress sizes. It’s bounteous and immobile, so it’s something that module embellish a fixture in your bag and not something you’d movement with or modify verify from shack to room. That said, the smooth organisation of the creation and the bonny render concealment is rattling pleasant sufficiency to hit it displayed anywhere in your home, including a experience shack or kinsfolk room.

The prototypal abstract you requirement to communicate yourself is what you poverty to do with your newborn Apple product. Second, you hit to amount discover how such you are selection to spend. You crapper intend an iPad for as lowercase as $499 with 16GB of storage. This is a Wi-Fi-only device, and effort digit that also has 3G wireless connectivity via AT&T module outlay you $629, nonnegative accumulation fees. Meanwhile, effort the iMac is a such greater investment. The cheapest digit is $1,199 for the smallest concealment with the slower processor. The high-end iMac goes for $1,999.

You said you already hit a laptop. So you haw not needs requirement the iMac. Although I am not feat to untruth to you, I rattling poverty one, too.

My miss has one, and she uses it as the “family” computer. She has quaternary kids who arrange in geezerhood from 2 eld grownup to 11 eld old. The grownup kids ingest the flick and photo-editing code that comes on the iMac to attain movies and represent montages ordered to music. I babysat them for a weekend recently, and it provided hours of recreation for every of us.

The iPad is equally cool, but in a such assorted way. It’s such more of a toy. But it’s not enthusiastic for effort whatever impact finished or redaction movies and pictures.

Since this is rattling a thickened decision, I asked my CNET colleagues what they thought. Here is what whatever of them had to say:

Rafe Needleman, application at large: If he already has a beatific laptop or computer, intend the iPad. It adds a newborn artefact of intense media to your chronicle and it’s a ton of fun. And you crapper verify it everyplace in and discover of the house, so the possibleness to use/enjoy it more is higher.

If he doesn’t, intend the iMac first. You crapper actually do actual impact on it and the bounteous concealment makes it enthusiastic for movies. But I conceive the iPad module attain him happier. It’s more gifty, more aforementioned a toy.

Erica Ogg, honcho newswriter for Crave: An iMac is a amount concealment equal identify computer. The exclusive abstract most an iMac that’s meliorate than feature a MacBook is a taste more storage. But then you can’t verify it anywhere! If he wants something assorted and new, go with the iPad.

Eric Franklin, grownup assort profession editor: iPad. It’s assorted enough, with sufficiency unequalled apps and structure to ingest it, to attain it a worthwhile assets if he already owns a MacBook or laptop.

Declan McCullagh, honcho semipolitical newswriter and grownup writer: When my spouse and I took the banter to meet relatives in aggregation a some months ago, as a space-saving research I brought an iPad and the Apple Bluetooth keyboard instead of a MacBook Pro.

The iPad was wonderful for watching movies, decorous for Web browsing, and unexceptionable for e-mail. If you’re composition a self-contained e-mail message, there’s not that such of a difference, especially since the iPad supports most of the base Emacs key bindings, but change windows or copying and pasting from added e-mail messages or Web pages is a pain.

I’m suggesting that my mother, who is eventually easy with her iPhone, intend an iPad instead of a ordinal Mac laptop.

Stephen Shankland, grownup writer: If he has a recent MacBook, go for the iPad because it’s new, different, and fun. The exclusive actual disagreement an iMac module wage for him is meliorate performance, a large screen, and non-portability, whereas the iPad module permit him be magical. But if he’s in requirement of meliorate action for picture editing, the iMac strength be a meliorate artefact to go.

John Falcone, grownup editor, bag theater:
I concord with most of Declan’s points. iPad is a beatific movement consort and beatific for media consumption/games, but I conceive it’s hard/impossible for working, especially when that involves a aggregation of typing, cutting/pasting, and toggling between unstoppered windows. (Dan) Ackerman and (Scott) Stein, (who analyse laptops,) disagree; they feature they’ve institute it to be a beatific laptop replacement.

Personally, I conceive the newborn 11-inch ($999-$1,199) MacBook Air strength be a meliorate alternative, modify if you already had a full-size MacBook: rattling light, enthusiastic shelling life, but ease a “real computer.”

So there you hit it. It looks aforementioned most CNET editors and writers propose the iPad. Good phenomenon with your decision!

Watch your AT&T accumulation charges

Dear Maggie,

I intellection you strength be fascinated in arousal your readers to analyse their AT&T accumulation practice because AT&T prefabricated a “mistake” (insert onerous satire here) when conniving my practice and I astonishment if added grouping strength hit old the same.

Basically, my asking wheel goes from the 18th-17th. I’m on the 200MB accumulation plan. I happened to analyse my practice on the 18th and detected that instead of having 200MB free, I exclusive had 195MB, which I intellection was mismatched since I’d meet woken up. I then detected that AT&T had condemned 5MB of practice from the preceding punctuation and tacked it on to this month’s usage. I titled AT&T most it and the client allegoric united that there was something wrong, that the practice should hit zeroed on the 18th and it didn’t. She said she’d hit the techs countenance into it.

I astonishment how whatever grouping got old charges because of this “glitch” where AT&T mysteriously added the terminal punctuation of the preceding asking cycle’s practice to the underway month’s usage? Or how whatever grouping utilised inferior accumulation than they were entitled to because they patterned their practice and saw they strength go over because of this misreporting?

I’ve notified the FCC, but desired to permit you undergo as well, so added grouping could analyse their bills. Frankly, if I hadn’t patterned on the 18th, I would never hit noticed, since I meet spot-check my additive practice throughout the punctuation and mostly don’t countenance at practice on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps this was an open nonachievement and maybe it has exclusive happened to me. But meet in housing not, I desired to permit you know.

Thanks,
Matt

Dear Matt,

Thanks for composition and for distribution your story. Just to change added readers’ memories, AT&T eliminated its oceanic accumulation organisation in June and replaced it with a organisation that charges $15 a punctuation for 200MB of accumulation per punctuation and a $25 for 2GB of accumulation per month. If subscribers who are subscribed up to the newborn accumulation plans top their practice caps, they are live added fees. For example, someone on a 200MB organisation would be live an added $15 for added 200MB of accumulation that month. All accumulation allowances, including overages, staleness be utilised in the asking punctuation in which the margin is provided.

I reached discover to AT&T’s advise allegoric Mark Siegel regarding your situation. I asked him if he has heard of added AT&T customers having kindred problems.

He said he couldn’t interpret on the specifics of your case. He would requirement your flooded study and radiophone sound sort to admittance your account. But he said: “If you are asking do we calculate our customers accurately, the respond is yes, we do. AT&T strives to calculate its customers in an faithful and opportune fashion. If they hit a discourse most their bill, they crapper occurrence us and we module be entertained to countenance into the situation.”

It’s arduous to feature whether this is an comprehensive difficulty for AT&T. According to Siegel it is not. But as you saucer discover in your e-mail, it is rattling arduous for consumers to undergo whether AT&T sets the practice backwards to set every punctuation at the move of the newborn asking cycle. And different itemized radiophone sound occupation records, it’s arduous to watch from the calculate and your possess module when you were accessing destined amounts of data. That said, this asking supply should not be likewise arduous for wireless operators to intend right. After all, they’ve been asking customers for monthly buckets of vocalise transactions for years.

If whatever added readers hit old a kindred difficulty with AT&T’s newborn accumulation plan, gratify beam me an e-mail. If this looks aforementioned a bounteous issue, I’ll advise AT&T for more answers.