Quick post just before we shut down for the night. Walking around DickSmith at lunch today I couldn’t help but notice that Boost Mobile had sharpened their pencils and put forward a really competitive starter pack. Boost Connect is now offering a USB stick for $49 with 2GB of data that lasts for 20 days. Recharge packs then start at $10 for 360MB increasing to 7.2GB for $100 lasting for 60 days.

My prediction was that at some stage prepaid usb’s would be handed out the same way they hand out prepaid mobile sim cards. These now cost $2 in most stores.

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Well now we have them all. Optus, Telstra, Vodafone, 3 Mobile and Virgin Mobile have all released their range of iPhone 4 plans. Everyone has an opinion about which plan is better. First thing you need to consider however is what the exit fees will be to leave your existing contract. If you aren’t on a contract then good for you. If you are, check with your provider before you commit yourself to anything.

If you want to compare all of the plans on offer, you can check them out here.  We also provide you with where you can go to buy the Apple iPhone 4 (iPhone 4 Prepaid) outright. Apple isn’t the only one selling it.

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The mobile broadband market has a new kid on the block – Vivid Wireless was much talked about last year as the next generation product range of the Unwired brand. This week they officially launched their product range in Perth and have already started building their client base. What are they about and why would you consider them. Unless you live in Perth, then this post doesn’t really mean much at the moment but Vivid Wireless has launched a 4G service which is meant to be different and better than 3G because it was built specifically for data transfer whilst 3G was built for voice transmission and expanded to also cater for data.

This is what Vivid Wireless have to say about themselves:

vividwireless is an exciting new company launching a seriously fast 4G wireless Internet network. Initially we are launching in Perth and we’ve got plans to extend our service to other metropolitan centres across Australia.

Until now, Australians have been limited in their choice of wireless broadband services to voice and call providers offering wireless broadband as an add-on over traditional 3G networks.

Our arrival changes all that. The ground-breaking 4G technology that supports our new products and services means we can offer an Internet experience that is  seriously fast, portable, affordable and simple to use. Basically its wireless broadband the way you want it to be.

At launch we offer a range of flexible Internet and phone plans (affordable pre-paid and “no contract” monthly subscriptions) that offer great value.

What is going to be really interesting about this offer is their ability to begin integrating TV services into the free downloads area offered by Vivid. Many broadband providers are already doing this with several services eg ABC’s iView.

You can compare Vivid’s prepaid mobile broadband services now at www.prepaidplans.com.au

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The Optus Prepaid Mobile team have been busy this year. They have just launched a new prepaid mobile text plan called Optus Turbo Text which allows you to text for free to 5 numbers on any network if you recharge atleast $30 (credit lasts for 30 days).

This new release is hot off the tracks of the new International Calls 4 Less that was released late last year.

How good is it? If you mainly do texting then its great, but if you are also looking to make calls with it, then 78c per minute isn’t that great at all. Its the charging per minute that I don’t like. This plan sounds very similar to a service they were offering on their low value contract plans some time ago (I actually considered it for my wife). It offered the ability to make unlimited calls (not sure about the TXT) to a selection of numbers that you pre-nominated on your plan. I think it was called family and friends or something like that.

What this plan does do however, is highlight the growing push by Providers to get you to build a network of friends using the same Provider. Vodafone do it with Free Talk time, Crazy John’s and Girl Talk do it with free talk and text to anyone on the same network 24/7. Even Telstra do it with their 1c text plan to other Telstra mobiles.

What the Optus plan is trying to do is a little smarter. Its actually trying to do the recruiting very subtly. If you start this plan and nominate your 5 friends. Eventually they will know about it and get their 5 friends and so on.

You can compare the best in prepaid Txting plans here.

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As Christmas shoppers everywhere head online looking for good deals, Internet security software distributor, AVG (AU/NZ) is promoting safe online shopping this holiday season.

“Online shopping offers many benefits, including the ability to shop at any time of the day or night that is convenient. To help, we’ve developed a set of practical tips to help shoppers keep their personal information safe while they are saving time and getting great deals by shopping online.”

“Just as we encourage people to be careful as they’re shopping in a shopping mall or crowded store, everyone should take appropriate steps to protect themselves while shopping online,” Borrett said. “Simple steps, like looking for the ‘secure site’ padlock on your browser page when purchasing, or making sure you’re buying from a reputable company, can prevent potential headaches down the road.”

AVG (AU/NZ) offers six tips for online shoppers this holiday season:

1. Look for the “S” for security. Make sure the web sites you are shopping from are secure and have “https” in the URL when you are in their checkout/purchase process. The “s” ensures security. When you are in the secure section of a web site, you will also see an icon for a locked padlock on your browser, either on the address bar or on the bottom right corner. Additionally, use the Internet to research online retailers not familiar to you. There are many sites such as www.getprice.com.au, www.eshop.com.au and others that provide info on retailers.

2. Stay current on security software. This means making sure you have the latest virus protection software updates from your security software provider. It’s important because the bad guys move around frequently. Security software companies are working to stay one step ahead of them. If you are updated, you are staying one step ahead, too.

3. Think before you link. Employ a URL scanning tool to ensure you will be warned if you click on links that lead to infected web pages. The time to find out whether a page is bad is BEFORE you load it into your web browser. AVG LinkScanner does this. It’s free, and it works with all other security and anti-virus offerings.

4. Keep your private information private. When shopping online, create a separate e-mail account that is just for shopping. Use a unique password, different from any other accounts you have. Your dedicated shopping e-mail account should be in no way affiliated with your personal, everyday e-mail account. Also, keep records of your online shopping – print confirmation pages and e-mail confirmations.

5. Mix up your passwords. Each shopping account, bank account, credit card account, and e-mail account should have a unique password. Write them down and keep the information in a secure location. Unique passwords for each account make it tougher for a thief to steal your personal information.

6. Use common sense. Make sure you use reasonable judgement when buying online and be on the lookout for spoof stores. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Take a minute or two to make sure it’s not a fake/spoof web site. If the online retailer doesn’t provide a physical address, or contact phone numbers, be cautious. Make sure you understand the refund and return policies of any online retailer you are planning to buy from, especially if it’s based overseas, just in case something were to go wrong.

“More of us than ever before will be doing our Christmas shopping online this year,” said Borrett. “But there is no reason to sacrifice security in the hunt for a great bargain. Following the simple tips above will help minimise the chances of you becoming a victim of online fraud or cyber criminals.”

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gotalk says it has launched a national campaign to promote its new mobile service to the estimated 5.5 million people in Australia who were born or have at least one parent born overseas – a sector it claims has been neglected by the major mobile carriers.

“Using the Vodafone 3G network infrastructure, the new gotalk mobile service does not require long term contracts, is available on prepaid or a monthly account, and also comes with a number of innovative mobile telecommunications firsts,” CEO Steve Picton said

Picton said that gotalk’s “highly competitive” international rates would be combined with low charges for calls and SMS to Australian numbers – “which will appeal to all mobile users, not just the ethnic market…For example, on our Straight Talk plan, customers can call for only 20c per minute (plus flagfall) to Australian landlines or mobiles and SMS for 12.5c.”

“gotalk mobile will be Australia’s first mobile service to allow customers to make calls from their home phone or other fixed line, using their mobile credit, making it much more convenient than existing services in the market.”

gotalk claims that its mobile service will also be Australia’s first prepaid mobile product that can be topped up via an electronic swipe card – available at over 10,000 outlets across Australia – without entering complicated PIN numbers.

gotalk recently signed an agreement with the India’s Tata Communications, one of the world’s largest global communications organisations,  under which it will outsource routing of all its overseas voice traffic to Tata. Tata will install an international gateway switch in Sydney to handle the gotalk traffic. Tata and gotalk will also sell cobranded phonecards in the Australian market.

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You can now follow us at: @PrepaidPlans

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