Mobile Phone Deals

Like a lot of people I get a lot of Spam for mobile phone deals and like most people I always wonder what's the catch. One in particular caught my eye, it was an iPhone 4S 16Gb with 3 on a 24 months contract, 2,000 minutes, with a whopping 5,000 text messages, all for £35 a month! Wow, and the Handset was free! When I investigated, the handset wasn't free - but a one-off payment of £99. Strange type of free or is that 3? 

The reason I check is to make sure that Utility Warehouse are still giving the best deal on mobiles. So what could I get for £35 a month with Utility Warehouse? Well, I can get an iPhone 4S, 16Gb with 800 minutes, unlimited texts and 500Mb of data for a one-off payment of £170. Admittedly, 2000 minutes is fairly unlimited, so not a bad deal then with 3?

So why would I choose the Utility Warehouse mobile over the 3 mobile?

1. Something to check is how much you pay for calls outside your bundle. On this 3 deal, when you've used your minutes voice calls are 30p per minute. Utility Warehouse mobile voicecalls are 18p once outside your bundle.
2. Once your contract term is finished my iPhone will go down to the SIM only price of £15 a month. I couldn't find out what happened to the 3 deal.
3. Utility Warehouse are on the Everything Everywhere network, with the widest coverage. 3 are on the 3 network.
4. My mobile bill will come on one bill, with my gas, electric, telephone and internet. One bill, one direct debit.
5. I've got a cashback card that regularly discounts £30 a month off my utility bill. Oh, that's my iPhone for a fiver every month then.....

See http://www.1bill.co.uk/ Mobile, Pay Monthly for more details.

What's the difference between a Spreadsheet and a Database?

I still come across people who use spreadsheets, when what they really need is a Database. So, what's the difference and why do you need a database?

Many people start their databases as a spreadsheet but, as it becomes larger and more complex, the spreadsheet becomes more and more difficult to work with. There are many advantages to using a database.

A database can contain a virtually unlimited number of records while most spreadsheets have a limited number of records or rows, and you end up with multiple spreadsheets and it's difficult to find the information you need.

Data input can be controlled much better in a database through the use of field rules. This means fewer input errors - especially when new employees or temporary help is employed.

Data input can be easier, faster, and more versatile through the use of lookup lists and lookup tables – for example address details can be brought forward into an invoice without retyping.

Multiple report formats can easily be created for the same data without physically re-sorting or re-ordering any data. Reporting capabilities are much more powerful and formats can generally be more complex.

Sorting and filtering of data for viewing, editing, and reporting is much easier and more powerful than with a spreadsheet.

So, if you want someone who is able to write an database solution for you, or you know someone would benefit, please have a look at http://www.bplus.co.uk/AlphaSoftware and let's have a chat.