Category: Free

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blog Cell Phones Evil Free Google Google Voice Net10 spam Verizon

Verizon wireless and text messages

Let me start this off by saying that I have used AT&T, Verizon, & Net10 for my cell phone. I have never worked for any of the aforementioned companies before I wrote this. I can’t say I won’t in the future as I do not know everything that will happen in the future.

Well I’ve been with Verizon wireless for about 18 months now. I have never been so glad to know the my contract with a cell phone company is nearing the end. I will most likely go back to Net10 as they treated me in a nicer manner. I’ll list some of the differences.

  • Net10 only charged me 5¢ to receive a text message if I actually read it, it was free if I never read it. (Verizon charges me 20¢ just for receiving a text message) (They both will send certain messages for free, but those are service related messages, like reminding you that your going to expire.)
  • Net10 allowed me to rollover my minutes while Verizon is still in the dark ages where you only get a certain amount & if you don’t use it up you never get to see it again.
  • I almost never got spam when I was on Net10, but my wife has been hit with spam while on Verizon. (To get refunded for the spam she has to call them after they have billed us for the month, while if I just ignore them on Net10 I don’t get charged.)
  • Verizon told my with that they raised the text message rate from 10¢ to 20¢ to be competitive. When I heard that I thought that was outrageous as Net10 still only charges 5¢ for sending or receiving a text message & again they only charge you if you read it not just receive it, unlike Verizon that charges you just for receiving the message.

Since my family has several member that insist on sending text messages I applied for & eventually received a Google voice account. I did that because I now have a cell phone number where I do not get charged for receiving a text message.

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blog Free Marketplace Microsoft Zune

Errors downloading purchased content

For songs the error is “You’ve reached the maximum number of downloads for this item. Error code: C00D135C” which is kind of sad when the solution as I mentioned earlier is to close the Zune software & open it again. The other thing that makes me think that I might be wrong is that three of the four music files I downloaded didn’t give the error, I wonder if this issues requires more troubleshooting then I have done with it.

Now just waiting for one of The Guild videos to download in HD which takes what feels like forever, so I can get the error from a video. I understand HD videos are large so they will take longer to download then the “free” music. (See my last post for more on that.)

Dang it both episodes of The Guild that were released today downloaded without any issues, so I still don’t know what exactly the other error is. I just remember it mentioned something about a firewall, which is funny as the only firewall I have is the hardware firewall in my router.

I’ve found over the years that software firewalls released for consumers are nothing but a headache. I say that because the maker will release an update that will cause all sorts of issues for the end-user, causing them to call technical support of any company other than who made the firewall. I learned early on that those calls needed to be told in no uncertainty that they needed to talk to the company that actually wrote the program that is causing the issue.

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blog Free Marketplace Microsoft Zune

Free isn’t always free on the Zune Marketplace

One of the songs on the “free playlist: nov. 24-30” costs 79 Microsoft points or almost one dollar, It is titled “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” the Artist is “Sinai Rose” & it was from the “Kidz Bop Christmas” album. I did try to let Microsoft know before making this post, here & here.

On the bright side this does give me the opportunity to get the errors I was getting trying to download files with a failed download. That can wait until after I post this. I guess another post is in order for that after I get the errors. I say errors because I remember getting at least two different errors.