planning

Wouldn't it be great if you could get a data-only service for your smartphone?

Wireless operators are pushing their new data services in a big way. They want everyone and their brother to upgrade to smartphones. And the reason is simple. Carriers can make more money if customers add more services to bills. But what if you just want data service?

In this edition of Ask Maggie I explain the best and cheapest options for using data only on a smartphone. I also answer some more questions about Verizon Wireless' plan to get rid of its unlimited data service … Read more

Solar Impulse, a Swiss sun-powered aircraft, on Friday finished the first leg of its attempt at an intercontinental flight without using a single drop of fuel.

The solar plane took off Thursday from Payerne, Switzerland, bound for Morocco. It landed safely Friday on a planned three-day technical stopover in Madrid, where it will get a new pilot.

If successful, the 1,550-mile journey will be the longest to date for the craft, which last year completed its first international flight from its home in Switzerland to Brussels.

Pilot Andre Borschberg handled the first leg of the trip for the Solar … Read more

The concert season is finally upon us! Summer is a popular time to head out, soak up the sun, and, of course, plan concert trips to see your favorite bands and singers. Whether you're into Bieber or Jagger, these apps will help you track events and schedule concerts to see your faves perform.

OnTour On Tour lets you discover new artists and track concerts as well as read band bios. The app will generate a list of concert tour dates and events based on your interests and existing music files. The interface has an easy-to-use design; swipe left and … Read more

In a thinly veiled attempt to get users excited about new mobile hotspot add-ons for smartphones and tablets, Sprint announced that it is swapping its 5GB for $29.99 per month data plan for two more costly options.

As of May 18, Sprint launched two hotspot add-ons, the first costs $19.99 per month for 2GB of combined 3G/4G on-network data and the second is $49.99 per month for 6GB of combined data. The 5GB $29.99 is now defunct, but users who have this plan can keep it until they cancel their service.

"Sprint's new … Read more

Don't expect T-Mobile to follow Verizon and AT&T with shared data plans later this summer.

As the carrier sees it, not only do consumers not want them, but also shared options are "potentially confusing and expensive." A recent blog post from Senior VP of Marketing Andrew Sherrard advised that it will not be adopting the coming "one size fits all" model.

"Some of our competitors are backing away from simple, unlimited data and moving to family shared data plans," Sherrard wrote. "But would this approach actually deliver a better value … Read more

If you need to know the dimensions of a room in your house, there's no need to retrieve your tape measure. More than likely, your iPhone or iPad is closer by. Install the free universal app MagicPlan and you'll soon have your desired measurements. And if you are an armchair architect, property manager, or are planning some variety of project that requires a floor plan, MagicPlan can do that, too. Here's how it works:

When you first launch the app, it shows you a brief video tutorial that covers the basics for capturing the dimensions of a room. Basically, you stand in the middle of a room and snap a picture of each of the corners. As you snap each shot, the app drops an orange cone in the corner. Once you take a second picture of the corner you started with, MagicPlan creates a plan for the room.… Read more

Verizon customers with grandfathered unlimited data plans have been wearing their status with a sense of pride for a long time. New customers stuck with tiered plans look at them with envy and longing.

But that's all about to change.

Reports say Verizon will be killing off the already-endangered unlimited data plan species on its network soon. The company's 4G LTE subscribers will be moved to a new "data share plan" that is expected to go into effect this summer.

According to Fierce Wireless, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said that this move would be "beneficial&… Read more

In today's show, Google search gets smarter, Verizon ends its unlimited data era, and E.T. tweet home?

Google search results will now look a bit different. Google has launched the Knowledge Graph, a database of 500 million people, places, and things, and it will show up in your search to give you more info on a topic and help you find related items. Google is rolling it out in the next few days to desktop, mobile and tablet users.

You can't always count on iPhone rumors being true, but here's one that's looking pretty solid: … Read more

In today's show, Google takes the wheel, Microsoft listens to your movements, and 'resumegate' fires up:

Yahoo's "resumegate" has claimed it's first victim -- but it's not the CEO. Yahoo board member Patti Hart said she plans to not seek re-election to Yahoo's board. She's tied up in the drama because she was in charge of the search to hire the chief executive and vet his resume. The scandal, which has been developing for nearly a week now, surrounds Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson and his bios that claimed he had a computer … Read more