Verizon Plans Customer Refunds

NEW YORK (AP) - Verizon Wireless could pay out up to $90 million in refunds to cell phone customers who were improperly charged for inadvertent Web access or data usage over the past several years.

The FCC had asked Verizon Wireless last year about $1.99-a-megabyte data access fees that appeared on the bills of customers who didn't have data plans but who accidentally initiated data or Web access by pressing a button on their phones.

In a statement on its website Sunday, Verizon Wireless said most of the 15 million customers affected will receive credits of $2 to $6 on their October or November bills. Some will receive larger sums. Customers no longer with the New York-based carrier will get refund checks.

"Verizon Wireless values our customer relationships and we always want to do the right thing for our customers," said Mary Coyne, deputy general counsel for Verizon Wireless. "The majority of the data sessions involved minor data exchanges caused by software built into their phones; others involved accessing the Web, which should not have incurred charges. We have addressed these issues to avoid unintended data charges in the future."

Verizon has said that it stopped charging such fees when a customer started using a data service but then quickly shut it off.

The FCC confirmed Sunday that it has been investigating the charges after complaints from consumers. It said Verizon itself has reportedly put the amount of overcharges at more than $50 million, dating back two years.

"We're gratified to see Verizon agree to finally repay its customers," FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Michele Ellison said in a statement.

"But questions remain as to why it took Verizon two years to reimburse its customers and why greater disclosure and other corrective actions did not come much, much sooner."

The FCC will continue to look into those issues, including the possibility of additional penalties, Ellison said.

Verizon Wireless, the largest cell phone carrier in the U.S., is a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Britain's Vodafone Group PLC.

www.wtop.com

Cell Phones Are 18 Times Dirtier Than Toilet Handles

You may want to peel your mobile phone away from your face, considering it may be dirtier than a toilet handle, the Daily Mail reported.

A U.K. study tested 30 mobile phones for levels of potentially harmful bacteria, or the total viable bacterial count (TVC).

High TVC levels don’t pose any immediate harm, but usually indicate poor hygiene.

The results revealed that 25 percent exceeded the acceptable TVC by 10 times and have 18 times the TVC as a handle on a public restroom toilet. The Which? magazine study suggests that 14.7 million of the 63 million phones being used in the U.K. could pose a health risk, the report said.

“Most phones didn’t have any immediate harmful bacteria that would make you sick straight away, but they were grubbier than they could be,” said Ceri Stanaway, a researcher with Which? magazine.

One phone’s TVC level was so high it put its owner at risk of a serious stomach ache, the report said.

“The levels of potentially harmful bacteria on one mobile were off the scale. That phone needs sterilizing,” Jim Francis, a hygiene expert, said.

The phone with the most bacteria had more than ten times the acceptable level, as well as 39 times the safe level of enterobacteria, which includes Salmonella.

“What this shows is how easy it is to come into contact with bacteria,” Stanaway said. “People see toilet flushes as being something dirty to touch, but they have less bacteria than phones.”

The tests also found E. coli and staphylococcus aureus, among other food poisoning bugs, but at safe levels. There was also 170 times the acceptable level of the bacteria associated with human waste, fecal coliforms.

“People need to be mindful of that by observing good hygiene themselves and among others who they pass the phone to when looking at photos, for example,” Stanaway said.

www.foxnews.com

FREE Phones At T-Mobile On Saturday

On Saturday, June 19, every phone in every T-Mobile store is free. This is a first-of-its-kind promotion, which includes even the most recently released phones such as the myTouch 3G Slide and the Garminfone.

To take advantage of the offer you must switch to any family plan, or add a new line to an existing family plan. Each contract comes with a two-year agreement, of course.

Other bargain and tech bloggers have suggested that the Nexus One may not be a part of this deal. T-Mobile's press contact confirms that it is a part of this sale. No phones are excluded

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Some phone tips you might be able to use..........

The Daily Press mobile manager Amber Nettles had this to say about the sale:

If you can get a Nexus One for free with a contract, do it. The phone features a 1 GHz Qualcomm processor, 5MP camera with autofocus, LED flash and 2X digital zoom, and a 3.7-inch touch screen. From personal experience (I own a G1 and my friends own other T-Mobile phones), the Nexus One is the best phone available through T-Mobile, at this time.

Former Blackberry users (or just those accustomed to having physical keyboard) might want to try out the new MyTouch 3G Slide: a mid-range Android-based phone with a full QWERTY keyboard. The latest MyTouch iteration includes a physical keyboard, 3.4-inch touchscreen and a 5MP camera with autofocus and flash.

A new offer recently revealed is the Garminfone, another Android-powered device, which combines the Garmin navigation system with the functionality of a smartphone. Specifications (which couldn't be found on the T-Mobile site, but were listed on Garmin's) include an impressive memory (4GB Flash), a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen and a 3MP autofocus camera.

Non-Android fans should try the powerful HTC HD2, a Windows mobile phone, or the BlackBerry Bold 9700.

The HD2 features a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 5MP camera with autofocus and an LED flash, a 4.3-inch capacitative touchscreen and the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.

The Blackberry Bold 9700 features a 3.2MP camera, a 2.44-inch screen, an optical trackpad, physical keyboard and the beloved Blackberry operating system.

Finally, there's a slim chance T-Mobile's Galaxy S will make it to stores in time for Saturday. The phone, which just passed through the FCC (as reported by androidcommunity.com), should have the following: 720p video recording, a 1GHz processor and a 5MP camera. The big draw, however, is the rumored Atmel maXTouch screen, which is said to be 2-3 times faster than current multi-touch displays (by having a response time of 7 milliseconds). I doubt T-Mobile would unveil that phone on Saturday, but keep an eye out for it in the future.

www.dailypress.com