Join Rock That Mobile’s New Ask and Answer Section!

Posted by Dana Rock on Jul 25, 2012 in Newbie Zone, News | 0 comments

Ask and answer questions at Rock That Mobile’s new “Ask It!” wing.

1. Register for a free account.

2. Submit questions.

3. Respond to questions with your answers – see if you get picked for best answers.

This is a great opportunity for you to let me hear what sorts of topics you want to see more of on this site. This ask and answer forum is not just for Motorola Triumphs and for LG Optimus V phones – any mobile phone questions go.

Enjoy!

HTC Evo V 4G Manual and How-To Use Interactive Guide From Virgin Mobile

Posted by Dana Rock on May 31, 2012 in HTC Evo V 4G, Newbie Zone, News, Phone Docs, Virgin Mobile | 0 comments

Live fast on 4G. This 4G smartphone is built for speed with Android™ 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and a lightning-quick 1.2GHz processor. Surf, stream, download, and share faster than ever before. Plus, it doubles as a Mobile Hotspot, so you can share all that 4G speed with your Wi-Fi enabled devices.

-Virgin Mobile USA

Manual and How-To Links for HTC Evo V 4G

• HTC Evo V User Manual (English)
• HTC Evo V User Manual (Spanish)
• How To Guide (English)
• How To Guide (Spanish)
• View FAQs
• View Ask & Answers

 

Virgin Mobile Android Phones Specs Compared – Includes HTC Evo V, ZTE Venture, and the LG Optimus Elite

Posted by Dana Rock on May 14, 2012 in HTC Evo V 4G, HTC Wildfire S, LG Optimus Elite, LG Optimus Slider, LG Optimus V, Motorola Triumph, Newbie Zone, News, Reviews, Virgin Mobile | 0 comments

A Rock That Mobile Exclusive:

I’ve spent a good part of the day hunting down the facts on Virgin’s new phones and comparing them with the old standards.

• New and exicitng things are happening – find out which one is for you!

Go Check Out The Chart & Rock That Mobile

Final Thoughts On T-Mobile’s No Contract Plans Versus Virgin Mobile’s No Contract Plans

Posted by Dana Rock on May 14, 2012 in HTC Evo V 4G, HTC Wildfire S, LG Optimus Elite, LG Optimus Slider, LG Optimus V, Motorola Triumph, Newbie Zone, News, Reviews, Special Deals, Virgin Mobile | 0 comments

Better Late Than Never – As Promised …..

I have now successfully used both services and their phones for about two months. I planned on writing this up a month ago, but I’ve ran in to some recent personal issues that have kept me a bit more away from my blog than I would have liked.

All that aside, in answer to “Which service do you recommend for me today?” – My answer would go a little something like this.

Mirror Mirror On The Wall – Is T-Mobile The Fairest Of Them All?

TIP: Cheapest price on Samsung Exhibit II 4G Prepaid Android Phone (T-Mobile) is at Amazon  - Buy there instead of from T-Mobile proper.!

If you are a consumer who only uses <100 minutes a month, then go with T-Mobile and their $30 4G plan.  The Samsung Exhibit II is a great phone – sturdy, long battery life compared to the Virgin line up. With the $30 plan, you 4G speeds to your first 5GB of data (more than even some of their most expensive plans on and off contract) and unlimited text, video messaging, photo sending, etc.

If you play your cards right, you can implement some apps that will allow you to make phone calls over data so that you can technically use more minutes than allotted.

I have been VERY pleased with the data coverage from T-Mobile, which in my area of the world is far superior to Sprint’s even though they both look pretty good on a map.

Also, T-Mobile takes sim cards, which means that most unlocked phones out there can be brought right to the table, have the sim popped in, and bam, be working its hind legs off to make all your digital wishes come true.

This is particularly exciting since Google is now selling their Galaxy Nexus unlocked and ready to go for a plan like T-Mobile’s.

Since Virgin Mobile is not a GSM carrier and never will be, the whole sweet perk of unlocked phones will never really be an option.

Now, Let’s Flip The Coin.

I recommend staying with Virgin Mobile if you talk more than 100 minutes a month. T-Mobile does have higher minute plans  but they come with severely restricted 4G data speeds – seems to defeat the purpose in my eyes.

Virgin Mobile is getting 4G speeds at the end of May with the advent of at least one new 4G Phone, The HTC EVO V.

Of course, switching to this new phone will be a bitter pill for some who want to hang on to their $25 bucks a month plans, which will go away if they activate on a newer smartphone (still can switch up the old ones with no penalty).

BUT before the riots begin, remember, they are adding 4G with the regular 2.5GB cap on the highest speed and possible throttle aftewards. They are $5 more than T-Mobile’s plan, but they offer 2oo more minutes of talk time as well.

Virgin Mobile is also going to break down and offer legit and legal – “terms of service” friendly – hotspot options for new Androids like the HTC Evo V for a mere $15 add on to any Beyond Talk plan.

In Summary

The decision to stay with Virgin Mobile or to switch to T-Mobile is really “the choice” of the moment no matter who you usually get your wireless service from.

Both are competing at the lowest prices trying to wheel in the future 4G juiced consumer base before the other one does.

That is why, for all intents and purposes, this is really a price war right now.

My final recommendations are the following:

• If you just want to know about T-Mobile’s service range, get one of their CHEAPEST phones or find a friend who has T-Mobile and either use a $2 sim card in the cheap phone or talk your friend into letting you stalk his/her phone for the day.
• If it is true that you will want Virgin Mobile’s 4G service in the near future and consequently know that you will be giving up your $25 plan as a result, just go ahead and drop your plan now and try T-Mobiles for at least a month.
• Try both plans concurrently if you are really adventurousness and have the disposable income (or at least the illusion of disposable income)
• If you have not yet committed to either side, consider whether you want more data or more talk and run with the respective T-Mobile and Virgin Mobile solutions.
• If you are already at T-Mobile and are wondering if it is better over at Virgin Mobile - I’m put most of my money down that it is not better right now. Price wars have the potential to either make or break companies and industry standards. Virgin Mobile may be better in the near future. Right now, however, if you are already with T-Mobile – I would not change.

What Is Dana Rock Going To Do?

Since I have both lines still active – I intend to keep it that way until I see where this price war is going, If I had kids, I’d give my kid the Virgin Mobile line and keep the T-Mobile one for myself while I waited it out.

I hope to publish at least one more article in the coming months about where I finally decide to rest on this issue – who knows, there may be some dark horse waiting in the shadows that could change my mind about Virgin Mobile and T-Mobile completely.

Awwwwwh Capitalism…..

Keep on Rock’n!

Five Strategies To Find Amazing Deals On Android Apps and Games

Posted by Dana Rock on Dec 7, 2011 in Amazon Apps, Android Apps, Art, Blogging, Browser, Camera, Family, Games, GetJar Gold, Homes & Launchers, HTC Wildfire S, Keyboard, Launchers, LG Optimus Slider, LG Optimus V, Motorola Triumph, Music, Navigation, Newbie Zone, News, Office, Podcasts, Reference, Ringtones & Wallpapers, Security, Social, Special Deals, Sports, Tools, Video, Widgets | 0 comments

Everybody Loves a Deal!

Deals are addicting, and everyone wants one.

Black Friday lines and driving across town to get slightly cheaper gas prices are just a few examples of what we will do to bag a bargain.

Thankfully, to get a deal on Android apps and games does not require the stamina of a professional endurance “line stander” (you know who you are). Android bargains are just a few clicks away if you know where to look.

Today, I will reveal to you the five strategies I use to hunt through the mountains of apps out there to find a sweet steal.

The Old Standbys Honorable Mention

Most of you probably already know about Amazon’s free paid app of the day and maybe even about GetJar’s Gold program – in fact, if you stop by this site much, I know that you know about these sites because I talk about them all the time.

Both of these places are excellent sources of android app deals.

Free is always the best deal.

Most of the time, however, you will not find many of the apps you want for free.

Many publishers are not going to just give their digital work away for nothing, but many are willing to offer limited time discounts — aka, the deals we are in search of.

Finding apps and games on sale can be a real challenge partially because the Android Market is so vast and includes ALOT of crap apps that have to be sifted through.

5 Deal Stalking Methods To Find The Perfect App At The Right Price

Hot Deals

The first strategy is to spend a little time over at AppBrain - which is an Android Market browser that allow many more sorting and filter options. In fact, AppBrain was pretty much the real Android Market browser for a long time until Google got their act together.

Some of the available filters at AppBrain will help us find fresh price drops and apps that have received a massive amount of recent activity  — “Hot Today” and “Hot This Week“.

I usually start with the “hot” apps lists, which will usually reveal rather quickly if a publisher is doing a one day promotion that people are thrilled about because there is a sudden massive flurry of activity.

If you do not want to visit the site often, you can follow these categories on Twitter or get category based feeds in your favorite feed reader.

Love The Filters!

My second strategy also takes place on the AppBrain website.

Once you choose a category on AppBrain, you can choose a filter called “price reduced” located in the bottom left.

This is one of the best ways to see which apps have suddenly become less expensive.

• See the Hot Price Reduced Android Apps This Week list
• Se the Hot Price Reduced Android Apps Today list

You will find that there is some junk to wade through — look for the apps that have high download numbers overall.

Knowing the Right Words

The third strategy I use to find apps and games on sale is to go to the Android Market and search for “sale” and maybe throw in to the search box a few other few key phrases like “limited time only”, “promotion”, and “holiday [insert the name of an approaching holiday] deal”.

These searches will bring up two types of apps – 1) Apps that are ABOUT sales and 2) Apps that ARE ON sale. You’ll have to weed through them a bit.

Amazon Always Has a Deal On Something – Even Apps

The fourth strategy is to check the deals page at the Amazon Appstore. It changes weekly – I watch this like a hawk because the deals there are often exclusive to Amazon and do not exist in the Android Market.

• Amazon Appstore Deals!
  

I have picked up very expensive apps here like Quick Office, Easy Tether, Touchdown, and others for up to 75% off their usual price.

Let Others Do The Work For You

The final fifth strategy I use to bring home the app bargains relies on the community driven site “SlickDeals”.

After setting up a free account, you can set up alerts for keywords that relate to a specific deal you are looking for.

• Visit the Mobile Site
• Sign up for an account

For example, I might set up a deal alert with the word “android app” or “Android Market”. If I am looking for a specific app, I set up a deal alert using that app’s name.

If someone posts a deal using any of the keyword deal alerts I’ve set up, I will be sent an email and a message on the SlickDeals site itself.

You have the choice of whether or not to have these alerts only emailed to you or only sent to you as a message on the SlickDeals website — or you can choose to have both done to cover all of your bases.

You can have an e-mail instantly sent to you any time someone posts a deal regarding the word that you set as your alert key. I have found this very effective especially when hunting for inexpensive games.

The Sum of It All!

To find stellar bargains on Android apps and games, try using these five strategies:

1. Check AppBrain’s Hot Deals categories .
2. Use the “Price Reduced” filter at AppBrain.
3. Use the Android Market search box to find publishers offering sales and limited time deals.
4. Stalk the Amazon Deals page religiously.
5. Join the SlickDeals community and set up some instant deal alerts.

That’s the skinny ya’ll, but do not forget to add coming back here every once in a while to see our Special Deals category .

Keep on Rock’n!

LG Optimus V Versus The LG Optimus Slider – Hands On Review

Posted by Dana Rock on Dec 2, 2011 in LG Optimus Slider, LG Optimus V, Motorola Triumph, Newbie Zone, News, Reviews, Virgin Mobile | 2 comments

I Can Finally Do A Real Expose!

It is easy to talk about phones, list the specs, talk price points, and so on, but the real proof of whether or not it is a good phone is decided in the physical hands of the user.

There is no substitute for a hands on encounter.

Today, I got an LG Optimus Slider in the mail from Virgin Mobile, which I purchased through Virgin Mobile’s amazing “firesale” on Cyber Monday.

Fifty percent off is a price I can manage. Besides, it was about time that I got a hands on review of this new phone versus my personal old standby — the LG Optimus V.

What I Hate!

Some of the things I immediately noticed about the LG Optimus Slider were some of its differences in basic operations compared to the LG Optimus V.

Continue reading “LG Optimus V Versus The LG Optimus Slider – Hands On Review” »