Phone & Wireless NOW in the Santa Maria Mall!

May 2, 2012   /   by phoneandwireless   /   in Central Coast Life, Verizon Wireless

Santa Maria Phone & Wireless has relocated to the Santa Maria Town Center Mall, across from Macy’s! We recently moved from our prior location on Main Street (between College & Miller) to bring you a better looking, cooler version of our former self.  The result? A more shopper-friendly store, with the convenience of a one-stop mall location. Come and check out our new spot!

We’ve created a more interactive Verizon Wireless shopping experience…adding lots of live demo stations to try out phones and tablets, including iPhones and iPads.  If you want to see how fast Verizon’s 4G network really is, try our wireless internet station out.  You can surf the web, and even log into your “My Verizon” account to back up your contacts, check your account balance and more.

“We want residents to know they can have a first class Verizon Wireless store experience in downtown Santa Maria, without long lines or impersonal service,” says General Manager Brendan Reitsma.

The all new Santa Maria Phone & Wireless is located in the Santa Maria Town Center, across from Macy’s, on the ground floor. For more information, call #805-346-8900 or visit www.phoneandwireless.com.

Fun Wireless Surprise for Christmas!

December 22, 2011   /   by phoneandwireless   /   in Central Coast Life, Mobile Phones, Verizon Wireless

A friend shared this story with us and we just had to pass it on to our readers!  Want to really surprise someone with a new wireless phone this Christmas?  Do what our friend from Tolosa Press did for her daughter last season!

Picture it, you’re all sitting around the tree and then…”Ring…ring….ring!”

“Um, sweetie, I think that’s for you!  Better find it!”

Wrap up the cell phone on their wishlist and give ‘em a call on it.  Then, watch the fun as they hunt through the packages to find their wireless surprise.

Part Christmas gift, part treasure hunt – this is a really fun and memorable way to surprise someone special with a new wireless phone.

All the hottest devices like the RAZR, Galaxy Nexus, iPhone and Bionic are available at Phone & Wireless now – just in time for Christmas!  Happy holidays!

This Holiday Season, Support Local Business – the 3/50 Way!

December 14, 2011   /   by phoneandwireless   /   in Central Coast Life, iPhone

As a local business with longstanding roots in the community (64 years to be exact!) we really appreciated this article run recently in the San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune, written by Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Kara McGuire.

We hope you will enjoy these excerpts from the article, and consider how spending with local businesses this season can help your community.

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I love a good deal. I love tallying up how much I save using coupons. I love watching my nest egg grow. But I also love seeing new small businesses thrive. And I admit I struggle with how my price-obsessed self and my supporter-of-small-business self can coexist.

More often than not, I find price and convenience propels me to the closest big-box store. Target is based in Minnesota, I justify. Increasingly, I flip open my laptop, or even my mobile phone, to make purchases. Buying local takes more time, and I can almost always find as good a deal online.

I live near the light-rail construction and, while driving the other day, looking at empty storefront after empty storefront, I simultaneously felt excited about potential new businesses opening after the line is completed, fearful of what the neighborhood would become if mom-and-pop shops don’t return, and ashamed that I don’t make a point of supporting my neighborhood entrepreneurs more. What would the world be like without them?

By supporting a small business, you are supporting a neighborhood entrepreneur who is more likely to spend profits in the local community and support community causes, said Dave Brennan, co-director of the Institute for Retailing Experience at the University of St. Thomas. Small businesses are important employers, with small firms employing nearly as many workers as large firms, according to the Small Business Administration. And real estate values tend to be higher in areas with small businesses within walking distance.

With economic uncertainty plaguing us for four years now, I’ve thought a lot about the global nature of our woes. It can be easy for an individual to think that there’s nothing they can do but hunker down. But I’ve come to realize that I do have power – the power to spend my money wisely, where and how I think it will provide the most benefit to my family and my community.

So with the holiday season nearing, I am pledging to be a more thoughtful shopper. It may mean my money doesn’t stretch as far. But I’m beginning to realize that keeping my money close to home is as important – no, more important – than getting the cheapest price.

One way to help…
I will support the 3/50 project. In 2009 Cinda Baxter, a Twin Cities retail consultant for independent businesses, grew concerned that if consumers answered the call from personal finance experts to stop spending, the economic slowdown would only get worse. Instead of putting their wallets away, what if consumers pledged to spend $50 per month at three local small businesses? She cites a U.S. Labor Department statistic that if half the employed population spent $50 a month in a locally owned business, it would generate $42.6 billion in revenue. The project even has a “Look Local” iPhone app, which helps consumers find independent, brick-and-mortar businesses around the country.

App of the Month: Amazon Mobile

November 11, 2011   /   by phoneandwireless   /   in Android, App of the Month, Blackberry, iPhone

Shopping for a New App? Amazon Mobile is your new personal shopper!

Shop ‘til you drop may be a thing of the past. Amazon mobile makes it so easy to search, browse, compare prices, read reviews, and make purchases you could do it while…lying on the couch? Getting a pedicure? Eating a sandwich? Sitting in a massage chair at Brookstone…but wait – you’d have to go to the mall for that.

Holiday season is around the corner and this is the shopping companion you can’t do without.

Who hasn’t thought of the perfect gift for [loved one’s name here] only to lose it down the same memory vortex where the capital of Croatia bit the dust? Here’s a great fix. When genius strikes with the perfect gift idea, search Amazon mobile, add it to your wishlist, or go ahead and buy it right at that moment. You can even click “gift wrap”. The app links to your web account quickly and easily, enabling one click purchases.

Maybe you’re minding your own business, and you see something that inspires “the best gift idea ever.” That woman sitting next to you at the café…wearing shoes that your sister would kill for! Snap a photo and Amazon will search for that product or a similar one. The “Remember this” feature files it away for recall if you still want to shop around.

If you’re not quite ready to abandon the brick and mortar experience, a collaborative approach could really work. Scan the barcode of an item in a store to read product reviews, compare online pricing to in-store, or check availability.

Amazon customers have full access to their existing cart, wish lists, payment and shipping options, order history and tracking, just as they do on the web. All purchases made on Amazon Mobile are routed through Amazon’s secure servers.

Amazon Mobile packs a mighty punch with tons of great shopping features! All while using a simple, clean interface that’s easy to navigate, even on a smaller screen. Download it FREE for iPhone, Droid or Blackberry.

DROID RAZR™ Available this Friday: 11-11-11

November 9, 2011   /   by phoneandwireless   /   in Android, Mobile Phones, Verizon Wireless

The all new DROID RAZR™ will be available at Phone & Wireless locations this Friday November 11^th – just in time to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the original DROID by Motorola.

The Motorola DROID RAZR features top-of-the-line specs, and it somehow fits it all into one of the thinnest and lightest smartphone cases around – a slim 7.1 millimeters thin. Features include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture, an LED flash, 1.3 front-facing camera for video chat, an HDMI-out port, noise cancellation capabilities, 16GB of built-in storage and a 16GB microSD card pre-installed.

Reviews from popular tech sites report that touch-sensitivity on the handset is “excellent and incredibly responsive”, and the whole package is protected by a rugged construction of Gorilla Glass and a metal case with Kevlar backing.

In response to the common complaint that smart phones eat up battery life too quickly, a new software feature to address this is included on the RAZR – Motorola’s Smart Actions app. Smart Actions lets you specify different actions for your phone to automatically perform based on locations.  For instance, if you don’t use Bluetooth when you’re at home, you can set the RAZR to turn that function off whenever you arrive at your home address.

Besides being location based, you can also set these actions on parameters like when the phone reaches a certain battery percentage. One of the suggested configurations is to have your display dim, turn off GPS, and turn off background syncing when your phone’s battery is at 20% or lower. Motorola claims that using Smart Actions can extend your battery life by up to 30%.

The DROID RAZR also offers government-grade encryption for email, contacts and calendar, voice and video conferencing, which may be particularly appealing for business use.

The Motorola DROID RAZR will be available at Phone & Wireless locations this Friday, November 11th at for $299.99 on contract with Verizon Wireless. Verizon is offering a limited time promotion for those activating new 4G smartphones, including the RAZR.  Sign up for the 2GB monthly data plan for $30, and receive the 4GB data plan – double your data.

Another great incentive: Verizon Wireless said in a press release today that DROID RAZR customers can enjoy access to NFL Mobile at no additional cost for the remainder of the season.

Small Business Tax Deduction is Shrinking in 2012

October 28, 2011   /   by phoneandwireless   /   in Business Phones, Central Coast Life

Fourth quarter is the time to make equipment purchases!
It was recently reported that two generous tax breaks small businesses have benefited from during the recession are going to shrink substantially in 2012. Year end tax planning for businesses will be even more important than usual.

The changes affect deductions for purchases of equipment such as computers, vehicles and business phone systems. The tax breaks (Section 179 and “Bonus Depreciation”) were passed as an economic stimulus to help small businesses expand and make new hires. They are now slated to be scaled back in 2012.

If you’ve been considering a new equipment purchase, it may make sense to buy before the changes take effect. Deductions will be dramatically lower in coming years.

The Deductions and How They’re Changing
The Section 179 deduction allows a small business to deduct up front rather than depreciate the cost of business equipment. The deduction for 2011 is $500,000. In 2012, it will drop to a quarter of that. And in 2013, it’s expected to fall to $25,000 – the amount it was back in 2002.

Bonus depreciation allows small businesses to take a deduction for equipment expenses beyond the amount allowed under Section 179. For 2011, the bonus depreciation is 100 percent.  In 2012, bonus depreciation drops to 50 percent.

Under normal depreciation rules, the cost of equipment is deducted over a number of years according to a formula set by the IRS. So the Section 179 and bonus depreciation provisions have given small businesses accelerated tax savings.

You can learn more about the deductions from IRS Publication 946, How to Depreciate Property. It’s also a good idea to discuss your plans with an accountant or tax attorney.

Think Before you Buy
Changes in the tax law shouldn’t be the biggest reason for buying new equipment. But if you are in the market for a new phone system or other equipment and have been debating whether to buy in 2011 or in 2012, it may make sense to move the purchase into this year.

If you can get a better price now than you would next year, that’s another reason to buy now. The equipment has to be up and running by December 31st. The good news is, it’s OK if you don’t pay for the equipment until next year, or if you’re going to take several years to pay it off.

The money that you’ll save on taxes can help pay for the equipment purchased.  Sounds like a great reason for those seeking infrastructure improvements to make their move this year.

Portions of this article were excerpted from “Generous Small Business Tax Deduction is Shrinking in 2012” by Joyce M. Rosenberg, AP Business Writer.

Art Imitates…Cell Phone Use? Mobile Phone Photographers: Exhibit Your Work!

October 5, 2011   /   by phoneandwireless   /   in Central Coast Life, Mobile Phones

Cell phones have transformed our lives in so many ways, over such a short period of time.  The one change we probably didn’t see coming?  Art through the lens of your phone!

Many mobile phones now boast advanced cameras (5 megapixel+) capable of producing higher quality images than ever before.  And, because they’re always with us, as photographers we always have the tools to capture an unforgettable image.

The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) is acknowledging the contribution of mobile phone imagery to the art world with a new exhibit called “Through the Lens of your Phone”, running January 6-29, 2012. 

There is an open call for submissions to the exhibit!
The entry fee is $20 for members and $25 for non-members (up to six images). Chosen entries will be exhibited in small-format print as well as on-screen.  Prints will be for sale to museum patrons at a fixed price. Six categories will be included: Abstract, Animals, Flora, Land/Seascape, People and Open.

Otis does not think he's photogenic.

Judging of the images will be done by New Times staff photographer Steve E. Miller. One Honorable Mention award image from each selected participant to be hung in the gallery. Cash awards will be given for Best of Show, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Places.  Entry deadline is Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 5 p.m. For more information on the exhibit, and how to submit, download the Call for Entries form from sloma.org.

As the smartphone market progresses, our cells are becoming, as the SLOMA exhibit description phrased it, “full-fledged computing devices in which photos are created, edited, sent directly to print and distributed all over the world.”

Fancy yourself a phone-ographer?  Submit your best images and make your mark on the art world, through the lens of your phone!

Resources
• Tips for Great Smartphone Photography  http://bit.ly/ns3Czc

• Take Better Photos on Your Android Phone http://bit.ly/q82HKr

• Take Better Camera Phone Photos http://lifehac.kr/qqU5ff

• Better iPhone Photography Tips http://on.natgeo.com/qxG0rm

• Pixels iPhoneography http://pixelsatanexhibition.com/

Another Successful Grand Opening ~ Atascadero Gets Second Location!

September 26, 2011   /   by phoneandwireless   /   in Mobile Phones, Verizon Wireless

It was another fun event last Saturday at the Grand Opening celebration of our new Atascadero location (our second in Atascadero and fifth in North County).

Members of the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce came out to do the official ribbon cutting.  Afterwards the COC folks hung around to autograph the ribbon, socialize and learn more about the launch of Verizon’s 4G LTE Network in San Luis Obispo County.  Everyone wanted to demo the great 4G devices that are available now.

Manager Oz Ascencio cuts the ribbon! To view an entire album, go to www.facebook.com/phoneandwireless

The famous jug of our favorite local country music station KJUG 98.1 FM was on site, broadcasting live and helping us to gain the attention of visitors to the center and nearby Starbucks.  Local DJ Cristel David did a fantastic job telling listeners all about our new location in Atascadero and why they should quit driving into SLO when they have a Verizon Wireless resource right in their hometown.

Delicious pizza was provided by our neighbor Central Coast Pizza, and lucky visitors won prizes like LG hats, picnic blankets, a Bluetooth headset and more. One great benefit of attending the opening was the $35 in Verizon Wireless bill credits that customers who activated a new line received. Also, everyone who attended the event was able to register to win a free smartphone.

Atascadero Phone & Wireless offers the same products and services as the Verizon Wireless corporate locations, plus the expertise and customer service expected from a local business.  Our educated staff is excited to give North County residents the quick, convenient and friendly customer service they deserve.

THANK YOU to all of those who planned and attended in our event!

Atascadero Phone & Wireless is located on El Camino Real at the 41, next to Starbucks and Rite-Aid. For more information, call #805-464-4800 or click http://www.phoneandwireless.com/locations/atascadero.php

Phone & Wireless is a family owned and operated business, founded in 1947 in San Luis Obispo. Starting as a two-way radio repair service and evolving through the years, the company now offers Verizon Wireless cellular products and services, as well as business communication solutions (VoIP and traditional) from Panasonic.

Phone & Wireless has seventeen locations on the central coast, from Carpinteria to Salinas. Visit www.phoneandwireless.com for store addresses, hours and more.

Verizon Now in Carpinteria ~ Grand Opening Event Was a Hit!

September 16, 2011   /   by phoneandwireless   /   in Mobile Phones, Verizon Wireless

We had a great turnout at the Grand Opening celebration of our new Carpinteria location, including a group of Carpinteria Chamber of Commerce members. We were especially honored to have City Councilwoman Kathleen Reddington with us. The group that arrived first really brought attention to the celebration, and soon, many passersby came in to check us out, too.

The group prepares for our ribbon cutting. To view an entire album, go to www.facebook.com/phoneandwireless

Lucky for them, after the ribbon cutting there was a complimentary lunch, prizes like LG hats and coolers, and Santana concert tickets from K-TYDE 99.9. Local DJ Lin Aubuchon did a great job telling listeners all about our new location in Carp and why they would be crazy not to visit us soon.

Best of all, individuals that activated a new phone during the event received $35 in credits on their Verizon Wireless bill, and everyone who attended the event was able to register to win a free smartphone (drawing to be held September 30th).

One of the most talked about topics of the day was, of course, the launch of Verizon’s 4G LTE Network in Santa Barbara County. Visitors were able to learn more about the launch and demo the great 4G devices that are available now.

Our hope is that residents of Carpinteria, Montecito and Summerland will quit driving into Santa Barbara to do their Verizon Wireless business. Our educated staff is excited to give them the quick, convenient and friendly customer service they deserve. A great big THANK YOU to all of those who planned and participated in our successful event!

Carpinteria Phone & Wireless is located in the Shepard Place Shops on Casitas Pass Road, between Subway and Blockbuster Video. For more information, call #805-220-6500 or click www.phoneandwireless.com.

Phone & Wireless is a family owned and operated business, founded in 1947 in San Luis Obispo. Starting as a two-way radio repair service and evolving through the years, the company now offers Verizon Wireless cellular products and services, as well as business communication solutions (VoIP and traditional) from Panasonic.

Phone & Wireless has seventeen locations on the central coast, from Carpinteria to Salinas. Visit www.phoneandwireless.com for store addresses, hours and more.

The Wait is Over! Verizon’s 4G LTE Network Has Hit the Central Coast!

September 16, 2011   /   by phoneandwireless   /   in Mobile Phones, Verizon Wireless

We listened, we watched, we waited!  For the last nine months, we heard all about it!  Then we started to get a little impatient. As metro cities throughout the U.S. were lighting up with Verizon’s 4G LTE Network we were starting to itch!

Could San Luis Obispo REALLY be the happiest place to live in the U.S. if we didn’t have the fastest network?  Well, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief because YES!  Verizon’s 4G LTE Network has hit the Central Coast!

Folks throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County are now experiencing internet connection speeds up to 10x faster than before on their 4G enabled phones, 4G wireless modems, hotspots and tablets.

Those still using the 3G Network, well, they’re still using the 3G Network.

So, what does 4G LTE (long-term evolution) really mean? Verizon calls it the “gold standard for wireless technology worldwide.” Many wireless carriers claim they have 4G networks, but the one thing you should know is that all 4G is NOT created equal.  Verizon’s 4G LTE network has been built from the ground-up, whereas other carriers have simply enhanced their 3G networks.

And they’re ahead of the game.  How far ahead? AT&T just announced the launch of a 4G network in their first five markets this Sunday.  Verizon is currently in 143 markets, covering approximately 70% of the U.S. population. So, any competitor who launches a true LTE network, will be far behind Verizon in market coverage.

A popular internet tech blog had this to say about the Network, “We have repeatedly called Verizon’s LTE network the fastest cellular network we’ve ever used, and the fact that the carrier has been able to roll it out so quickly with only a few hiccups is nothing short of impressive.”

Current download speeds on Verizon’s 4G network are 3-5 Mbps faster than both of their primary competitors in our area.  Upload speeds with Verizon are at 1 Mbps faster than primary competitors.  Want to download a five-minute song on the other networks? It will take about 25 seconds. On Verizon’s 4G LTE, it takes about five. You can imagine the implications for larger files like video and PowerPoint presentations.

Verizon’s 4G LTE technology, combined with new, revolutionary devices like the Droid Charge, the Droid Bionic and the Samsung Presto mobile hotspot, will offer endless possibilities.  Imagine downloading a 10MB PowerPoint presentation wirelessly in 10 seconds or less, streaming your favorite movie on your phone or laptop without the annoyance of buffering, uploading photos or images for social networking in less than 6 seconds, accessing files on your home or business desktop wirelessly and remotely, sharing a business presentation from your phone by simply connecting the device to an HDTV, and so much more.

So there you have it.  The wait is over for the fastest 4G Network in the land. Go forth and prosper.  Verizon and Phone & Wireless will help you to combine the network, devices and apps that will help you truly “Rule the Air”.

A special offer is now available for those upgrading from a feature phone to a smartphone – get $100 gift card back when you trade in your old phone through the mail, now through 9/30/11.  Visit a Phone & Wireless location today to find out more.