What does an “Unlocked cellphone” mean?
Most of the cellphones may come with an internal lock that limits its compatibility with certain carriers. This needs to be considered at the time of purchase to avoid expenses on features that may not be used or be usable. Although the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) was passed in 1998 to control piracy of CDs, somehow unlocking of cellphones also has come under this law.
An unlocked phone or a “no contract” phone means that the device is not restricted to any particular carrier and the consumer can use the services by any wireless carrier of his choice just by inserting a SIM card. Unlocking the phones without proper permissions is considered illegal and consumers trying to do so may have to pay fine and be sentenced to prison. However, range of pre-unlocked cellphones are available in the market today giving greater flexibility to consumers in terms of switching between cellphones based on newer launches, latest features, resale value, for using devices received as gifts, and the ability to jump to a carrier that meets his/her choice.
How to use cellphones without contract with a prepaid plan?
Prepaid plan means paying a defined amount in advance to the services offered by the carrier. The services cease to work either after the set data/service is consumed or after the time period for service expiry is crossed, whichever is earlier. The services have to be paid for once again to resume the usage which is commonly called as a top-up.
A top-up can be done through various modes. There are walk-in vendors from where a suitable service plan can be activated or bought online through the carrier’s website using the PayPal, net banking, or debit or credit card options. Some carriers also offer the “Auto Pay” option in which the prefixed cost will automatically get deducted from the linked account to avoid undisturbed services if one forgets to get the top-up done on time.
Factors to consider while choosing a carrier:
If you are comfortable with any of the big carriers (T-mobile, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon), then you can check on the MVNOs that run using their networks which can provide similar service at a cheaper price. Although dying, CDMA is a commonly used network in the US but the GSM (offered by T-Mobile and AT&T in the US) standard is the most preferred internationally.
If you are a frequent traveler, a GSM phone gives you flexibility in choosing the locally available network and thus help you to cut on your roaming fees. The LTE and HSPA platforms provide better speed if your usage is high on the browsing features.
The compatibility between the phone and the carrier should be confirmed before buying as some features in the phone may not be supported. For example, voice and texts may work but with the internet running at reduced speeds.
Irrespective of whether you’re starting a charitable organization, local store, or just a personal blog on the Internet, you need to create your brand. But, that’s not just it. Creating a brand is no piece of cake; it requires hours of research, a well-drawn out plan, and, most importantly, a logo. A logo is not just something that will go on your merchandise but an essential part of what your brand is trying to be. It is a graphical representation of everything that the company stands for.
So, how do you do all this and more with your logo, especially if you’re on a tight budget? Well, mentioned here are a few tips to help you create your logo design completely free of cost:
Your logo speaks volumes about your business. It’s your brand’s visual identity, and it represents the innovative minds of the creators. So, designing a perfect logo is crucial. And luckily, today, you don’t need to spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars to develop a great logo for your company. There are tons of amazing websites where you can easily create the best logo design for free. If you’re looking for one such website, check out our top selection of free logo-making online platforms.
Canva
Canva is one of the best websites to create not just a free logo design and flyers, business cards, invitations, and a lot more. The drag-and-drop interface of the website makes logo designing a simple and fun task, even for beginners. You can choose from over 100 different logo templates, and explore Canva’s vast library of free elements to add to your design. You can play around with the text, colors, fonts, and more until you’re happy with it.
Wix Logo Maker
Wix Logo Maker is a popular tool to create a logo design for free in minutes. All you need to do is answer a few simple questions about your brand and personal style, and its intelligent logo maker tool will come up with a design that might be right for your business. But if you don’t like what the website produces, you can customize and create your own unique design.
Tailor Brands
Tailor Brands is among the finest design tools that can help you create an ideal logo for your brand for free. It’s perfect for someone who has no expertise in designing but still wishes to make a professional business logo. To get started, enter some basic details about your company and choose your design preferences. The tool runs on AI algorithms, so it will instantly come up with a nearly perfect design. You can later customize the font and other aspects of the design based on your preferences.
Hatchful
Hatchful is a user-friendly logo maker tool from Shopify. You can choose from hundreds of varied templates, icons, and color combinations, and customize them to get what you exactly want finally. Similar to other logo-making websites in this list, you need no experience to get started with Hatchful. After you’re done with the designing part, you can download high-quality image files optimized for various purposes, such as social media, business cards, and merchandise.