Buy Refurbished Cell Phones Online

Walk into any cellular phone store or big box electronics retailer and you can get a brand new cell phone in pristine condition, ready to go, from one of the major carriers. Just try and walk out with that phone before signing your life away for two years and listen to the security alarms go off. Aside from pay as you go cell phone plans, you need to make a major commitment to get a cell phone that will work on one of the big wireless networks. Is there any way to make a better deal?

You bet there is. What you may be looking for is a refurbished cell phone. You can now get refurbished cell phones online to work with the carrier of your choice. You can even get unlocked GSM phones that aren’t tied to a particular carrier.

Where can you find these used, refurbished and unlocked phones? They’re at CellularCountry online. All of their phones are 100% functional and are in stock for immediate delivery. You’ll get a free home charger and battery, a guarantee that the phone will function properly, and same-day shipping. That shipping is free on orders over $150.

What kind of phones can you find at Cellular Country? Just taking a quick look at the best deals for today, there’s a slew of BlackBerry phones, including the Storm 9530, Pearl 8130, 8830 and 8330. Apple iPhone? Yes, there’s a 3GS 16 GB Bluetooth Wifi 3G White that works with AT&T Wireless that’s in excellent condition. You’ll also find phones by Audiovox, HTC, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Pantech, Samsung, Sanyo, Siemens and Sony.

These phones are offered in four different conditions. Refurbished means pristine condition with manual and box. Excellent shows very little sign of use. Good has normal wear and tear. Fair shows a lot of wear. What you choose depends on whether this phone is a replacement or second phone for your existing plan, a phone to take overseas on travel, or perhaps just something you want to give the kids without having to pay a lot and without worrying too much if it gets broken.

Just a word about locked and unlocked phones. Those deeply discounted phone that the carrier sells you new come locked up tighter than a drum. They are subsidizing the cost of the phone to make the price more attractive to you. The last thing in the world a carrier wants is for you to take their cheap phone and put it on another carrier’s network. That gets them nuts because the real money they make is in the monthly fees they know they can collect for at least 2 years. I say at least, because inertia keeps a lot of people using their same phone on the same network for the same monthly charge even after the contract expires, That’s just gravy for the cellular carriers.

There are two major types of carrier technology. They are CDMA and GSM. CDMA is used by Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, US Cellular and others. They don’t use what’s called a SIM card, so you can’t unlock them. The US is the major country with CDMA networks, although Canada, Mexico, India, Japan and South Korea also use them. If you buy a used CDMA phone, it will have to be used with the carrier it was programmed for.

GSM is another story. GSM is a world wide standard that was originally developed for Europe. AT&T and T-Mobile adopted this technology in the US. What’s special about GSM phones is that they use a removable SIM (Subscriber identity Module) card that can be swapped out to work on another network. If you have service in the United States but make frequent trips to Europe, you can buy a replacement SIM card that works with the cell phone network in the countries you are visiting. When you get back just replace your SIM card with the original and you are back in business on your regular network.

Note that different countries use different cellular bands for transmission and reception. If you are traveling internationally and want the most flexibility, you should ideally buy a quad-band phone that works on all 4 GSM bands world-wide. A tri-band phone may also work for many users.

GSM phones can be locked or unlocked. When you buy an unlocked phone it is not committed to any network. You get service from whichever GSM carrier you want to use. If you don’t like your carrier or move to an area where the coverage is better from another carrier, you can swap providers while keeping your phone.

Are you interested in a used, refurbished, locked or unlocked cell phone ? If so, check out the complete selection and 30 day warranty available from CellularCountry.

Going Green With Refurbished Computers

You know that you should recycle electronics to keep from generating toxic waste in the landfill. In fact, you can get paid for used laptops online, and easily drop off cell phones and laptop batteries at some of the big box retailers for proper recycling at no cost to you. But did you know that there is a way to be green when buying new electronics and get yourself a big discount at the same time?

The site you need to visit is called Secondipity. It’s the meld of second chance and serendipity. You’ll consider it serendipitous that you read this article when you see how much you can save by purchasing store returns and factory refurbished computers and other electronic equipment.

The idea behind Secondipity is that there is usually nothing wrong with products that have been returned to the store. People just change their minds. Sometimes they get the product home and realize that what they bought just isn’t for them. Other times, they have a flash of panic when they realize that they really can’t afford to be buying gadgets on impulse when other bills are piling up. Either way, the item goes back but can’t be sold as new once the box is open and the merchandise handled.

Some stores mark returns down for a discount and sell them as open box. Others can’t be bothered or are concerned about markdowns competing with new full price merchandise. These items go to a liquidator. Overstock items are also moved off the shelves for liquidation.

By keeping a sharp eye, you can get what amounts to a like new laptop, iPad or game console at a big discount. The only problem is that there are relatively few of the deals at any particular store. You’ll have a much better chance of finding what you want when you shop the selections at Secondipity.

Let’s take a look at what’s hot on Secondipity right now. The front page suggestions include an Apple iPad 16 GB tablet, iPod Touch, Vizio 37 inch LCD TV, Sony PSP Go handheld game console, and a Carrom Signature Foosball game. Oh, that would look nice in the game room. All of these are available at significant discounts from the MSRP prices.

Every day, there is a special “Deal of The Day” that has an even better discount. Today’s deal is a Panasonic 42” 720p Plasma HDTV that is an open box item. There’s a whopping discount of over $200 on this one, so take a look right now if you are interested. Tomorrow there will be a different item, also at a huge discount. You really should bookmark the Secondipity Deal of The Day and take a look every day just to make sure you don’t miss something.

These are just few selections. You’ll find category tabs with lots more items under Electronics, TV & Home Theater, Camera & Video, Computers, Video Gaming, House & Home, Mobile Phones, Other and Clearance. There are some real goodies under that green Clearance tab.

How about those refurbished computers? I see a number of Apple iPads, Acer Aspire laptop, HSP Touchsmart all-in-one computer, HP Compaq desktop tower, Sony VAIO desktop and about four more pages of desktops, laptops, notebooks, monitors and other computing equipment. Apple MacBook Pro? Yes, it’s there at a discount. Just try and get a discount on Apple gear from Apple or at local electronics stores.

Secondipity ships free on orders within the continental U.S. over $35 and even has a generous return policy in case you change your mind or something doesn’t meet your expectations. Pretty hard to go wrong with deals like that. Plus, Secondipity donates a portion of every purchase to support classrooms in need through the nonprofit organization DonorsChoose.org. They really do believe in doing well by doing good.

Are you in the market for open box or refurbished computers or other electronic gear? Would you like a significant discount to make it an affordable purchase? If so, check out the deals available right now at Secondipity.

How to Transfer Your Domain Names From Go Daddy

We’re outraged! Bob Parsons, Go Daddy CEO, shocked and horrified the world with his bravado-laden “home video” of him brutally sneaking up on and shooting an African elephant in the dark of night. Based on expert review of the footage, it now looks likes he destroyed a young female elephant rather than the supposed dangerous bull he was tracking. Even more shame for Mr. Parsons, but the end of the line for many of us in using his GoDaddy.com domain name registration service.

It’s one thing to pick another registration service and vow to never buy another domain from Go Daddy. But what about all those domains you’ve already registered there? Are you stuck renewing with GoDaddy.com till you decide to abandon the domain name, or is there a reasonable way to escape?

Breathe easy. You can indeed transfer your domain names away from Go Daddy or any other domain registrar and move them to the new registrar of your choice. A registrar is a company that is officially licensed to register domain names. They pay a hefty fee to be able to do this. The process of registration and transfer is also regulated to protect everyone’s interest.

Things to Watch Out For
In general, it’s pretty easy to transfer your domain name from one registrar to another. But there are some pitfalls to be aware of. You can’t just register a domain name and then transfer it away, or transfer it to one registrar and then immediately change your mind and send it elsewhere. There’s a 60 day waiting period from the time you register or transfer a domain until you can transfer it to another registrar. So, if you’ve just registered or transfered your domain name, cool your heels for a couple of months.

Also, don’t wait until the last minute before your domain registration expires thinking that you’ll pull a fast one and move it before you have to pay for renewal. You can’t transfer domains that expire within a week or so or the process may not finish in time. It’s totally unnecessary to play that game because most registrars renew your domain name for another year as part of the transfer process. In many cases the transfer is free - you are just paying for the renewal you’d have to do anyway. That means the best time to transfer a domain name is anytime after the first 60 days and before the last few weeks of your registration period. You don’t lose any time on your original registration. The 1 year renewal just adds a year to the current expiration date.

Another gotcha is having your domain locked. Most registrars, including Go Daddy, automatically lock your domain to prevent anyone from trying to steal it. You can’t transfer it as long as that lock is on. What you need to do is go into your Go Daddy account, select the domains you want to transfer, and then click on the gold padlock that says “locking.” When the confirmation box pops up, uncheck the “lock domains” box and then click “OK.” The lock symbol for that domain will go dim indicating that the lock is off.

I’ve not used private registration, but some like it because it hides your contact information from spammers and others who scan the Who-Is public records to find people to bother. If you’ve got private registration turned on, turn it off before beginning your transfer. That’s so you’ll get the important confirmation emails you need to go through the process.

Let’s Get Started
Now you are ready to transfer. Go to the new registrar of your choice. I’ll use Namecheap.com as an example because I took advantage of their special offer to transfer up to 10 domains and have them make a donation to support elephants. That’s expired, but their regular prices are excellent and if you transfer through GoElly.com, Go Elly will make a donation for elephants.

What you do is enter the domain names you want to transfer at Namecheap.com (or other registrar) and click the “Start Transfer” button. You’ll pay $8.98 per domain name, which includes a 1 year extension of your renewal date. That’s an excellent price and a reason to transfer all by itself.

What happens next is that you’ll get an email asking for an Authorization Code or EPP Code. The registrar that has your domain has to issue this. It’s used to ensure that you really are authorizing the transfer of your domain and that someone else isn’t trying to steal it right out from under you. For Go Daddy users, you log into your account, go to “My Domains” and click on the domain you want to transfer. That takes you to the domain details page. In the left column labeled “Domain Information” you’ll see “Authorization Code:” Click on the “Send by Email” link. In short order you’ll get an email with the code. Copy it, then open the email from your new registrar and follow the directions to paste the code where it is requested.

More Help Is Available
Mike Rotman has written an excellent guide called “How to leave GoDaddy.com” that helped me through the process. You should be aware that transfers aren’t instantaneous. They can take at least 5 days. I subsequently learned that you can speed up the process through Go Daddy by going to the “Pending Transfers” sub menu on your Domains tab and manually accepting the transfer by clicking on the green Accept/Decline check mark and then choosing to accept. Otherwise they’ll hold on to it for about a week just to make sure you don’t want to change your mind.

This may seem a bit long and involved, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder why you stayed with your old registrar and paid too much all these years. The transfer process is no doubt slightly different with each registrar, but they’ll give you step by step instructions and you can contact them for personal assistance if something doesn’t make sense. The website Good also has a picture tutorial for moving domains from Go Daddy.

Help an Elephant
One more thing... don’t forget that Go Elly - Elephant Friendly Domain Registration and Web Hosting Services offers a list of recommended domain registrars and will donate a minimum of $1.50 per domain transfer or registration to an organization that supports elephants. Click on the Go Elly page links for the registration service of your choice to make this happen.

The Elephant in Bob Parsons’ Business

You know Bob Parsons. He’s the bigger than life “Go Daddy” CEO of GoDaddy.com. Everybody who builds websites or otherwise does business on the Web knows of and has probably bought at least one domain from GoDaddy.com. Parsons has built an empire from popularizing the once obscure and nerdy business of domain name registration. You’ve surely seen his “Go Daddy Girls” on Super Bowl commercials, posing as a mashup of Hefner’s “Bunnies” and Hooter’s waitresses in a frenetic effort to elicit even more business from online wannabes who think they’re only one website away from being just like Bob.

And why not? Bob Parsons has a storied past that includes being wounded as a Marine rifleman in Vietnam and surviving to be decorated with several medals. After earning a college degree magna cum laude, he went on to leverage his accounting degree into a software business that sold to Intuit for $64 million. Now as head of the Go Daddy Group, Inc., he’s rich, famous and in a position to create a legacy in the world that will define his life the way Bill Gates is wiping out contagious diseases in Africa or the way Andrew Carnegie founded libraries across America a century ago.

What has Bob Parsons chosen to make his mark on society? He’s become a big game hunter. In case you think that avocation went out with Teddy Roosevelt or the writings of Ernest Hemingway, be advised that it still exists in stark contrast with all of the conservation awareness and efforts to protect endangered species in recent decades. For Bob, it’s still no later than the 1930’s, an era when game was endlessly abundant and no animal, save man, was more than mere meat on the hoof.

In his naive bliss, Bob proudly shot himself an elephant in Zimbabwe and then produced a slick video of his trophy kill for worldwide acclimation. Take a look. Note the smug smile of satisfaction on Bob’s face and his sense of humanitarianism from killing a beast that was trampling native crops and then letting the lucky bystanders strip the carcass of anything worth consuming.



Does this video wash over you with a warm sense of pride that man is still king of the beasts, with the absolute power and right to dictate at whim when they are better destroyed than suffered? Do you see the vision of a conquering hero who is ridding the African continent of the scourge of elephants and other beasts that stand in the way of making Africa more developed and less “wild”?

What could be the proudest moment of Bob Parson’s life is now morphing into a horrific backlash that might just be his undoing. The elephants are in full stampede and administering nothing less than a trumpeted stomping of Go Daddy assets.

By elephants, I mean not just the physical manifestation of pachyderms that have inhabited the African Savanna since before human DNA can be traced back. I mean the entire community of elephant conservationists, supporters, aficionados and just plain fans. People love elephants. They’re majestic, social, perhaps as intelligent as humans... certainly some humans... and rare.

Yes, rare. The various elephants of Africa and Asia, once numbering in the millions have dwindled to the thousands, in some cases hundreds of individuals. The causes are many. Swelling human populations and a move from hunting & gathering to agrarianism and industrialization have usurped ancient elephant territories. These migrating animals are now fenced out, chased out or hunted out of “civilized” land plots. Poachers claim thousands more, not for the meat but for the ivory that is worth a small fortune to eager buyers. Often they discard the meat in situ, negating the noble notion that people need this bush meat for survival.

Elephants, and indeed other big game animals, are so rare that protected reserves and sanctuaries are popping up worldwide to preserve what remains of the species. People who care about the fate of elephants perhaps outnumber the individual elephants themselves. What’s more, they are now networked through social media like Twitter, Facebook, and even websites running on the same servers that fuel the Parsons empire. Well, perhaps not for long on those servers.

The international outrage resulting from Parsons’ “vacation” video has been both immediate and intense. Starting with organizations that support elephant welfare and quickly spreading to caring individuals, the reaction has been disgust, not admiration, followed by a cry of “where is a good place to move my domain and website?”

There are numerous hosts and registrars that aren’t promoting their CEO’s testosterone driven blood lust, but how to choose? What would be ideal is a technically solid, competitively priced organization that is at least sympathetic to the cause and preferably supportive.

Into this void jumped Namecheap.com. They are also an entrepreneurial company with growth driven by aggressive pricing and feature-rich services. Namecheap tweeted disgust at the Parsons’ video with an offer to be the safe refuge for elephants lovers wishing to transfer their domains away from Go Daddy. To demonstrate their sincerity, Namecheap offered to donate $1 per transfer to Save The Elephants, an organization dedicated to the conservation of African elephants.

Update: More resources are now available at: Go Elly - Elephant Friendly Domain Registration and Web Hosting Services

Does anyone else see the irony here? What started as the hubris of bringing down a majestically powerful creature for sport has resulted in a backlash that could end with the bleached bones of a once majestically powerful technology organization abandoned in the marketplace, after being brought down by a more intelligent consciousness and picked clean by competitors. The law of the jungle is still in full force.

In the way of full disclosure, I should state, without snickering too much, that I’ve already taken advantage of the Namecheap special to open an account and transfer 10 domains away from GoDaddy.com. I expect to move additional domains to Network Solutions and Domain.com to take advantage of their special pricing. I appreciate these opportunities, but was on the hunt for a new registrar even before the special offers were announced. I can no longer be associated with Bob Parsons or his organizations in good conscience.