ServicePlans
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Dear Aunt TUAW: Repurposing an old iPhone
Dear Auntie T, My father-in-law (long time reader) has the old original iPhone. He finally made the jump and got himself a brand new shiny 3G S. My mother in law wanted the old phone, and promptly took her SIM card out and popped it in the old phone. It should have worked. It did not. It prompted her to connect to iTunes and then tried to get her to choose a data plan, which she didn't want. All she wants is the essential function of a cell phone with a nice iPod layered on top. Wifi would be nice. She couldn't be less interested in a data plan. This used to be possible. Is it now not possible? A good friend of mine, somewhat recently did this very thing and had no problem whatsoever. He is happily chugging along with a data-free iPhone 3G. ATT is giving them grief over the phone and won't let her use the phone without a data plan, despite the fact that the iPhone, being the original one, is owned outright and is not subsidized in any way. Love and kisses, Lauren Read on for Auntie's response....
Extended warranties - Are they worth it?
These days, if you go out to buy anything from a weed-whacker to a car, you are going to hear an extended warranty pitch. Cheese (salesmen lingo for service plans) makes everyone a lot of money. Back in the old days of Circuit City when the salesman were on commission, these service plans paid 15% commission (I used to be one) so if you sold $500 in cheese, then you walked away with 75 bucks in just warranty, let alone any accessories you sold with it. Digital Home Canada has a great write-up on how exactly they work and who they pay. They are recommending not to buy 'em, but we here at HDBeat are saying don't throw the idea right out the window by looking at the plan and seeing if it works with how you are using the product. For example, if you are buying a DLP that has a lamp life of 4000 - 5000 hours and the set is on for 12 hours a day (12 hours a day x 365 days = 4380 hours in a year), then it might make sense if the cost of the warranty is anywhere near the cost of a lamp. But if that DLP is only on for the occasional movie or sports game, then it probably doesn't make sense. All we are saying is understand how the TV technology works before you decline that salesman. Keep in mind you usually have a few weeks to come back and buy this service plan, so take some literature and read up about it.What do you think about extended warranties? Did you buy one for your HDTV?NOTE: There has been a lot of discussion in the comments about how some retailers do not cover the lamp, but Best Buy's and Circuit City's service plans does cover the bulb.
