How to spend $1,000 on your Verizon iPhone without even trying

Verizon customers will be able to switch to an iPhone 4, but it might get costly.The costs of switching to an iPhone on Verizon could add up
Recent Verizon phone buyers would get a $200 rebate, but could lose the iPhone discount
Early-termination fees, new data plans could also pile onEditor's note: Amy Gahran writes about mobile tech for CNN.com. She is a San Francisco Bay Area writer and media consultant whose blog, Contentious.com, explores how people communicate in the online age.

(CNN) -- Now that Verizon is about to start selling the iPhone 4, there's a lot of buyer's remorse in the air.

Over the recent holiday season, many people purchased Android, BlackBerry, and other smartphone models from Verizon.

In an apparent attempt to ease (or perhaps capitalize on) customer grousing, Verizon is offering to reduce the cost of switching to its iPhone 4. On Tuesday, Boy Genius Report noted that Verizon's iPhone 4 FAQ page now includes this item:

Q: I just purchased a new smartphone during the holiday season, but if I knew that iPhone 4 was going to be available soon I would have waited. What are my options now?

A: Current Verizon customers who purchased and activated new smartphones, feature phones or certified pre-owned phones between Nov. 26, 2010, and Jan. 10 2011, are eligible to receive up to a $200 Visa debit card when they purchase an iPhone 4 at full retail price by Feb. 28, 2011 and return their existing phone. Note: This offer is only available on consumer accounts with five lines or less, who are purchasing iPhone 4 through Verizon Wireless retail stores, telesales, or through verizonwireless.com.

So, what's the "full retail price?" According to Verizon Wireless, iPhone 4 prices start at $200 for the 16GB model. But that's the subsidized promotional price that comes with a new two-year contract.

Farther down in the FAQ, they note that the "iPhone 4 will also be available for purchase at full retail price: $649.99 for the 16GB model, and $749.99 for the 32GB model."

That's a pretty steep price tag. I doubt many customers would think getting a $200 rebate would sufficiently offset that expense.

But for any smartphone, the cost for the device is only the beginning. Data plan costs -- and their associated terms, limitations, and extra fees -- constitute most of what users pay over the life of the phone.

So far, Verizon has not revealed prices and terms for data plans for its iPhone 4. If some of the carrier's existing plans for other smartphones are applied to the iPhone 4, then it's likely that customers already on those plans would just be able to swap their phones.

However, if you'd need to switch to a new plan in order to use the iPhone 4, it's unclear whether early termination fees would apply. These can run as high as several hundred dollars, especially for recently purchased phones.

Verizon's advanced devices page notes that its early termination fees can run up to $350. Generally, early termination fees are higher the sooner after purchase that you cancel a contract -- which would be the case for Verizon smartphones purchased over the period covered by this rebate.

You could sell your current Verizon smartphone on eBay or Craigslist, and probably get more than $200 for it. But you'd still be stuck with your existing Verizon contract, which you may or may not be able to use with a Verizon iPhone4. And Verizon's $200 trade-in rebate requires that you return your old phone. So unless you sell your current phone for well over $200, this probably wouldn't be a good deal.

So here's the bottom line:

Say you bought a Motorola Droid Pro from Verizon on Dec. 24, 2010. You paid $180 for this device after a $100 mail-in rebate (which means that right now you're probably still waiting to receive that rebate debit card, even if you remembered to file the paperwork promptly).

But you really, really want a Verizon iPhone 4. So you select a package of talk, text, and data service that, with fees and taxes, ends up costing about $110 per month for 24 months.

When Verizon's iPhone 4 comes out, you swap in your phone and wait to get your $200 rebate card. In the meantime you're $650 out of pocket on the new phone.

If you're lucky, the iPhone 4 plan will cost no more than your current plan. But if you have to cancel your old contract and get a new one, you might have to pay another $350 for early termination.

So that's $930 in total device costs, minus $300 in total rebates due, for $630 in net device costs. Plus a possible ETF penalty of $350. That brings the total potential iPhone 4 swap cost to $980. And meanwhile, you're paying $110 per month or so for service. (The economics could be better for Verizon customers with family plans.)

Bottom line is: that $200 rebate probably won't really make this switch cheap, or even affordable, for most Verizon customers. Some people will still do it, of course -- and the phone-swap rebate might be enough to nudge some people over the edge into iPhone territory.

But I'm sure they'll still grouse about it.

The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran. Thanks to Lisa Williams of Placeblogger for suggesting this headline.

View the original article here

How to watch Slamdance films without going to Utah

How to watch Slamdance films without going to Utah | 24 Frames | Los Angeles Times body {background-color:#ffffff !important;}ul#root li.navLink a {padding-top:17px; padding-right:4px; padding-bottom:16px; padding-left: 5px;} Subscribe/Manage Account Place An Ad LAT Store Jobs Cars Real Estate Rentals More Classifieds Custom Publishing Entertainment HOME LOCAL L.A. Now Politics Crime Education O.C. Westside Neighborhoods Environment Obituaries Findlocal U.S. Politics Now Top of the Ticket Science & Environment Obituaries Religion WORLD Afghanistan & Pakistan Africa Asia Europe Iran Iraq Latin America Mexico Under Siege Middle East Business Money & Co. Technology Personal Finance Small Business Company Town Jobs Real Estate Autos SPORTS Lakers Clippers Dodgers Angels USC UCLA Kings Ducks Soccer High Schools Bleacher Report ENTERTAINMENT Movies Television Music Celebrity Arts & Culture Company Town Calendar The Envelope Findlocal Health Booster Shots Fitness & Nutrition Medicine Behavior Healthcare Reform Hospitals Living Home Food Image Books Findlocal Brand X Magazine Your Scene Cars Travel California Hawaii Mexico Las Vegas Europe Travel & Deal Blog Destinations Opinion Editorials Op-Ed Letters Opinion L.A. MORE Corrections Readers' Rep Photos Video Blogs Data Desk Comics Puzzles & Games Community Mobile Site Subscribe / Manage Account Print Ads Place an Ad LAT Store Jobs Cars Real Estate Rentals More Classifieds Weekly Ad#inTheNews {min-height:20px;} 24 FramesMovies: Past, present and future« Previous |24 Frames Home| Next »

How to watch Slamdance films without going to UtahJanuary 12, 2011 |  3:35pm

 

Continuing the trend of bringing the experience of Park City to a wider, not necessarily snowbound audience, the Slamdance Film Festival has announced that a slate of films will be available through video on demand during this year's fest, running from Jan. 20-27. (And a selection of previous years' films will be available year-round.) Last year, Slamdance had a handful of titles available on VOD; this year it has upped the number to 17.

Working in partnership with Microsoft, the Slamdance titles will be available through the Xbox and Zune platforms for $4 for standard definition and $6 for high definition. Slamdance splits its share 50-50 with filmmakers. (The festival is also providing 10%  of its Park City box office proceeds to filmmakers.)

From this year's narrative competition, Doug Manley's "Modern Imbecile's Planet World," Damon Russell's "Snow on Tha Bluff" and Albert Birney and Jon Moses' "The Beast Pageant" will be available for the duration of the festival alongside the competition documentaries "Road Dogs" by Shane Aquino and "Scrapper" by Stephan Wassman.

A selection of 12 films from previous editions of Slamdance will also become available starting Jan. 20 and remain up year-round. Among those titles are the documentaries "Off the Grid" by Jeremy and Randy Stulbery, "Orwell Rolls in His Grave" by Robert Kane Pappas and "Zombie Girl" by Justin John and Aaron Marshall. Narrative features that will be available year-round include "Omaha: The Movie" by Slamdance co-founder Dan Mirvish and previous Grand Prize winner "We Go Way Back" by Lynn Shelton.

-- Mark Olsen

Image courtesy Slamdance Film Festival

? Twitter: @latimesmoviesFacebook: L.A. Times EntertainmentMore in: film festivals, Mark OlsenRead LaterComments (0)Post a commentIf you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate.
Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form.Comments are moderated, and will not appear until they've been approved.

If you have a TypeKey or TypePad account, pleaseSign In

You are currently signed in as(nobody).Sign Out

Name:

E-mail Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments:

Comments You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Stay connected:


Advertisement

#flRoll{width:auto; padding-bottom:15px; border:0px solid #ddd;margin-left:0px;border:none;}.flHeading {font-size:23px;margin-bottom:15px; }.flHeader {font-size:16px; font-weight:bold; margin-top:15px; text-transform:uppercase; }.flItem{font-size:12px;padding-top:0px; }.boxBorder { border:2px solid #ddd; padding:10px; margin-bottom:10px; }.dottedLine { border-bottom:2px dotted #ddd; }.imgPad { margin-top:19px; padding-right:5px; }More Times Movies Coverage
HOLIDAY 2010 MOVIES | Cheat sheet About the BloggersGeoff Boucher
Patrick Day
John Horn
Elena Howe
Amy Kaufman
Susan King
Chris Lee
Jevon Phillips
Betsy Sharkey
Kenneth Turan
Steven Zeitchik
Recent Posts'Ant-Man' crawls forward | January 12, 2011, 7:53 pm »Betsy Sharkey's film pick of the week: Nicole Kidman in 'Rabbit Hole' | January 12, 2011, 4:58 pm »How to watch Slamdance films without going to Utah | January 12, 2011, 3:35 pm »The filmgoers' guide to getting your drink on | January 12, 2011, 3:24 pm »Around Town: A weekend for foreign-language films | January 12, 2011, 11:40 am »
Recent Comments RE: How much will a Paul Haggis book hurt Scientology’s image? [Updated] | comment by Javacat RE: Is the world ready for a(nother) Justin Bieber attack? | comment by yasmin nayara rufino dos santos RE: How much will a Paul Haggis book hurt Scientology’s image? [Updated] | comment by Michael Bloecher RE: First footage of Terrence Malick's 'The Tree of Life' exceeds expectations [images] | comment by Engel RE: Will validation-seeking Christopher Nolan fans finally get their wish? | comment by Mondz RE: Will validation-seeking Christopher Nolan fans finally get their wish? | comment by Native Angeleno

.twtr-hyperlink, .twtr-user{ color:#8B0412; font-weight:bold; font-size: 11px; }.twtr-tweet-text { font-size: 12px; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif; }.twtr-ft { display: none; }@LATimesmovies/staffnew TWTR.Widget({ version: 2, type: 'list', rpp: 4, interval: 6000, title: '', subject: '', width: 300, height: 365, theme: { shell: { background: '#ffffff', color: '#ffffff' }, tweets: { background: '#ffffff', color: '#444444', links: '#000000' } }, features: { scrollbar: false, loop: false, live: true, hashtags: true, timestamp: true, avatars: true, behavior: 'all' }}).render().setList('LATimesmovies', 'staff').start();
Categories127 hours2010 mtv movie awards 2010-2011 awards season20th century fox2929 entertainment3-d30 rocka serious mana star is borna.o. scottaaron sorkinabductionabsurdismactingaction moviesadam sandleradam shankmanafi festakiva goldsmanal pacinoalejandro gonzales inarritualfonso cuaronalice in wonderlandall good thingsamanda seyfriedamerican pieamy kaufmanan educationanchor bayandrew adamsonandrew garfieldandrew jareckiang leeangelina jolieanimal moviesanimationanne hathawayanthony minghellaanvilarnold schwarzeneggerarrested developmentashton kutcheratariauteursavatarawards seasonawards showsaziz ansaribabiesbanksybattle: los angelesben affleckben fritzben stillerberlin film festivalbest worst moviebetsy sharkeybetty whitebeyoncebil o'reillybill condonblack swanblendedblue valentineboard gamesbooksbox officebrad pittbreaking dawnbrendan fraserbrett ratnerbrian grazerbruce willisburlesquecameron diazcannescannes 2010cannes film festivalcaptain americacarey mulligancarloscarlos the jackalcasey affleckcatfishcatherine hardwickecbs filmschanning tatumcharlie kaufmancharlie st. cloudcherchild starschildren's movieschinachloe moretzchris evanschris leechris nolanchris pinechristian balechristina aguilerachristina hendrickschristoph waltzchuck norrisclash of the titansclassic hollywoodclassics filmsclaudia ellerclint eastwoodcoen bros.colin firthcollegecollege footballcomedycomic-concop outcorey haimcowboy moviescowboys & alienscraig gillespiecrazy heartcrimecrime moviescritical masscriticscritics choicecurrent affairscyrusdakota fanningdaniel craigdaniel day-lewisdanny boyledanny trejodarren aronofskydate nightdavid beckhamdavid fincherdavid guggenheimdavid lynchdavid o. ruselldawn chmielewskidc comicsdear johndefendordemographicsdenise martindennis hopperdenzel washingtondevelopmentdiane keatondiane lanediary of a wimpy kiddimension filmsdinner for schmucksdirectorsdisneydisney channeldistrict 9documentariesdramasdreamworksdreamworksdreamworks animationdrew barrymoreeat, pray, loveeclipseed helmsed nortoneddie murphyemily bluntemma stoneend of the worldenvelope roundtable seriesfair gamefamily filmsfantastic voyagefilmfilm businessfilm clipfilm festivalsfilm preservationfilm producersfinancial crisisflight of the conchordsfocus featuresfood and drinkfootlooseforeign-language filmforeign-language oscarfox searchlightfrench new wavefright nightfunny or diegangster moviesgary colemangemma artertongeoff bouchergeorge clooneygeorge hickenloopergeorge romerogerard butlerget him to the greekglenn beckgoing the distancegolden globesgraphic novelsgreen zoneguardians of ga'hooleguillermo del torogulliver's travelsgunsmokegus van santhangover 2harrison fordharry potterharry potter and the hald blood princeharvey weinsteinhereafterhesherhilary swankholiday movieshollywood walk of famehorrorhot tub time machinehow to train your dragonhugh laurieinceptionindependent filmindiana jonesindie focusinfernoinglourious basterdsiron man 2jack blackjack goes boatingjack-assjackie chanjackie kennedyjaden smithjames bondjames brooksjames cameronjames francojames mangoldjames mcavoyjamie foxxjamie kennedyjanet evanovichjason batemanjason bournejason reitmanjason segeljason stathamjavier bardemjay roachjeff bridgesjennifer anistonjennifer garnerjesse eisenbergjessica albajessica bieljetbluejevon phillipsjim carreyjoaquin phoenixjoe rothjohn c. reillyjohn cusackjohn hornjohn hughesjohn malkovichjohn singletonjohnny deppjon favreaujon hammjonah hilljosh hutchersonjoss whedonjourney to the center of the earthjudd apatowjulia robertsjulian schnabeljulianne moorejulie anne robinsonjust wrightjustin barthajustin bieberjustin longjustin timberlakekat denningskatherine heiglkathryn bigelowkatie holmeskenneth turankeri putnamkevin smithkevin spaceykick-asskristen stewartlacmalaeta kalogridislafflee danielslee marguliesleighton meesterlen wisemanleonardo dicapriolet me inletterslicense to drivelincolnlindsay lohanlionsgatelisa cholodenkolisa funglittle miss sunshinelos angeles film festivallos angeles lakerslove and other drugsm. night shyamalanmacgrubermachetemaggie gyllenhaalmalin akermanmarc webbmariah careymarisa tomeimark boalmark olsenmark ruffalomark wahlbergmartin scorsesemarvelmatt damonmcgmel gibsonmeryl streepmia wasikowskamichael ceramichael douglasmichael mooremichael ohermichael phillipsmichael tolkinmichelle williamsmickey rourkemiddle eastmighty mousemike leighmike myersmike newellmike nicholsmila kunismiley cyrusmilla jovovichmissile commandmission: impossible ivmonster moviesmothersmovie clubmovie postersmpaamtv movie awardsmusicmusicalsnarnianatalie portmannational film registryneil straussnew moonnew york film festivalnew york jetsnew zealandnicholas chartiernicholas sparksnick hornbynicolas cagenicole kidmannicole sperlingnoomi rapacenovelsoffice spaceolga kurylenkooliver stoneolivia munnorangesoscarsoscars 2010oscars 2011paramountparanormal activity 2pat tillmanpat tillmanpatrick goldsteinpatrick kevin daypaul greengrasspaul haggispaul ruddpaul w.s. andersonpeter jacksonphilip seymour hoffmanphillip noycepierce brosnanpiranha 3dpirates of the caribbeanpixarpolitical filmspoliticspreciousprecious lifepredatorspremierespreview reviewproducersqueen latifahquentin tarantinorachel abramowitzrachel mcadamsramona and beezusrazziesred carpetred dawnreese witherspoonrelease datesreligionremakesremember mereviewsrob corddryrob pattinsonrobert denirorobert downey, jr.robert rodriguezrobin hoodroman polanskiromantic comediesron howardrooney mararuben fleischerrussell brandrussell croweryan goslingryan reynoldssacha baron cohensaltsam worthingtonsandra bullocksarah jessica parkersarah polleysawscene stealersciencescience fictionscientologyscreamscreen gemsscreening room screenwritingsean combssean pennsecretariatselena gomezsequelsseth gordonseth rogensex and the city 2sharkey on filmshawn levysheldon turnersherlock holmesshia labeoufshortsshrek forever aftershutter islandskylineslumdog millionairesnabba cashsofia coppolason of no onesony picturessouth by southwestsouthwest airlinesspace invadersspider manspider-manspike jonzespirit awardssportsspy moviesstanley tuccistar warsstephen daldrysteve carellsteven spielbergsteven zeitchikstretch armstrongsummitsummit entertainmentsundancesundance film festivalsuper bowlsuperhero moviessupermansusan kingsxswsylvain whitesylvester stallonet.i.taika waitititakentangledtaylor lautnertaylor swiftteenstelevisiontelevision seriestelluride film festivalterrence malickterry gilliamthe 1980'sthe a-teamthe adjustment bureauthe americanthe avengersthe beaverthe blind sidethe book of elithe covethe craziesthe dark knightthe expendablesthe fighterthe ghost writerthe girl with the dragon tattoothe greatestthe hangoverthe hangover 2the helpthe hobbitthe hurt lockerthe karate kidthe kids are all rightthe killer inside methe king's speechthe last airbenderthe last songthe losersthe lucky onethe millennium trilogythe mulroneysthe officethe prince of persiathe runawaysthe smurfsthe social networkthe switchthe three musketeersthe touristthe townthe tree of lifethe twilight saga: eclipsethe weinstein companythe wizard of ozthe wolf manthe wolfmantim burtontimor bekmambetovtina feytobey maguiretodd phillipstom cruisetom hankstom hardytony scotttoronto 2010toronto film festivaltracy morgantrailerstrendletstribeca film festivaltron: legacytrue gritturan on filmtweenstwilighttwitteruniversal picturesup in the airus weeklyvalentine's dayvampire moviesvanessa hudgensvideovideo gamesvisual effectswalk of famewall street: money never sleepswalt disney, the lion king, michael eisnerwar movieswarner bros.web/techweek in reviewwerner herzogwes cravenwesley snipeswesternswga awardswill ferrellwill fortewill smithwomen in hollywoodwoody allenwoody harrelsonword of mouthworld cupwrestlingx-menyogi bearyou will meet a tall dark strangeryoung hollywood roundtablezac efronzach deanzach galifianakiszack snyderzombie movieszombieland

ArchivesJanuary 2011December 2010November 2010October 2010September 2010August 2010July 2010June 2010May 2010April 2010March 2010February 2010January 2010December 2009 
More from The Times24 FramesAfterwordAll The RageAwards TrackerBabylon & BeyondBig PictureBooster ShotsBrand XChatterCompany TownCulture MonsterDaily DishDaily MirrorDodgers BlogFabulous ForumFrameworkGo MobileGreenspaceHero ComplexHomicide ReportJacket CopyL.A. at HomeL.A. NowL.A. UnleashedLa PlazaLakersMinistry of GossipMoney & Co.Opinion L.A.OutpostsPolitiCalPolitics NowPop & HissReaders' RepresentativeShow TrackerTechnologyTop of the TicketTravel News & DealsVarsity Times Insider



Get Alerts on Your Mobile PhoneMobile Phone (required)

Sign me up for the following lists:

BREAKING - News as it happensENVELOPE - The awards insiderENTERTAINMENT - Hollywood news and buzzSPORTS - Alerts and scores

Horoscopes LATMG Media Kit LAT Events About Us Site Map Contact Us | Help
Coastline Pilot | Daily Pilot |Huntington Beach Independent | Valley Sun | Burbank Leader | News Press |KTLA |Hoy |
Brand X | LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine | ZAP2it
Baltimore Sun |Chicago Tribune |Daily Press |Hartford Courant |LA Times |Orlando Sentinel |Sun Sentinel |
The Morning Call

Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Los Angeles Times, 202 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, California, 90012 | Copyright 2011

A Tribune Web site

View the original article here