Verizon Wireless is revising its pre-paid offerings with the rollout of its new AllSet plan. Available today, the service give users unlimited talk and text, as well as 500MB of data for $45 per month. If you want more data, you can use Verizon’s Bridge Data service to add an additional 500MB for $5, 1GB for $10 and 3GB for $20. There’s just one (fairly big) catch.
Unfortunately, the AllSet plan doesn’t allow for 4G LTE connectivity, meaning users will only have access to Verizon’s 3G network, even if they have a 4G LTE compatible smartphone. That’s a rather big let down, as AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile offer 4G LTE data through their respective pre-paid services.
MORE: Best Smartphones 2014
That said, Verizon’s AllSet plan isn’t a bad deal if you’re not looking to consume huge amounts of high-speed data. In fact, the carrier’s $45 per month base plan beats out T-Mobile’s $50 Simple Choice plan, which also offers unlimited voice and text, as well as 500MB of data.
AT&T’s GoPhone pre-paid plans charge users $50 per month for unlimited voice and text, without a data connection. Paying an additional $10 per month gets you as much as 2GB of data. Sprint offers unlimited talk and text with no data for $45 per month, but users can upgrade to unlimited data for $60 per month.
Like most pre-paid plans, Verizon eats the remainder of your data if you don’t use it within 30 days of purchase. That’s true even if you purchase an additional 500MB through Verizon’s Bridge Data plan. Purchase 1GB or 2GB, however, and Verizon lets you keep your data for up to 90 days.
It’s also worth pointing out that at $45, the AllSet plan is less expensive than Verizon’s $70, 500MB Share Everything plan. In other words, if LTE data isn’t your highest priority and Big Red is your carrier of choice, the AllSet plan might be worth a look.
A newspaper man at heart, Dan Howley wrote for Greater Media Newspapers before joining Laptopmag.com. He also served as a news editor with ALM Media’s Law Technology News, and he holds a B.A. in English from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.From Laptopmagazine. Product reviews and advice for best reference
SweetLabsPokki’s alternative to Windows 8 places apps in a familiar context. “We started SweetLabs to create the world’s largest app distribution platform for developers, and today’s announcement with the #1 PC maker on the planet, Lenovo, is a massive step in the right direction,” said Darrius Thompson, co-founder and chief executive at SweetLabs, in a statement. “We’re proud that Lenovo has chosen to enhance the out-of-box Windows 8 experience with Pokki, complementing Lenovo’s innovative devices with a better way for users to access and discover apps.” One could argue, actually, that the addition of Pokki is a plus overall; though it cuts into an incremental source of revenue for Microosft, it boosts the Windows platform as a whole. Simply increasing the number of apps available to the platform, and making them more easily discoverable, should be a goal Microsoft can get behind. At this point, Microsoft should shrug off third-party Start alternatives—which will continue to thrive, even in the wake of Windows 8.1—and simply focus on selling more Windows licenses. 
A comparison of the pricing and basic features of six Web hosts.Much like the servers that websites reside on, Web hosting services are rapidly approaching commodity status, as providers offer many of the same features while racing to the bottom on pricing. But although many Web hosting services look alike and cost about the same, appearances can be deceiving--there are nontrivial differences, particularly among higher-end plans. (Check out “Understanding Web Host Plans” for more details on what various terms mean.)
This kind of service may fit some business users just fine, namely the ones who simply want to put a calling card on the Internet in order to stake their claim to a domain name, build up a little SEO, and provide contact information to prospective customers. But for most businesses, basic ISP hosting just won't cut it for their needs.
BlueHost built its Web hosting management interface around the cPanel control panel, a truly ugly and utilitarian system that is nonetheless the industry standard today. cPanel is designed for pros who know what they’re doing, and BlueHost offers little hand-holding if you need help getting started (although the company promises average tech support hold times of less than 30 seconds).
The main difference between the two is that the latter includes the MyWebsite website-building app, a surprisingly powerful and easy-to-use system that gives you drag-and-drop design capabilities and hundreds of templates to use on your hosted website. We found using MyWebsite even easier than setting up a site in a simple tool like Blogger, and businesses with modest needs will probably love the features. It’s just a shame that MyWebsite isn’t also included as an option with the traditional hosting options. If you go with a more standard Linux hosting account, the default site-building tool you get is a much less exciting app called 1&1 WebsiteBuilder.