The Gift of Mobile

There are people on your holiday list that need a mobile phone/device.   I find that a scary thought of purchasing someone something that locks them into a specific plan for years to come. That is one of the reasons that I loved hosting the T-Mobile Holiday Blogger Event last night in Frisco. I found out that it shouldn’t be scary if you know the right questions to ask! If you are buying a smart phone and service for someone else, there are several options for T-Mobile that can make the process less frightening:

• If the recipient is already a T-Mobile customer, you can add or upgrade – a tip is to activate the service after the phone has been unwrapped so it is still a surprise!
• Any phone in the T-Mobile showroom can be purchased as a pre-paid plan.   This gives you the flexibility to gift what you want without locking the recipient into monthly costs.
• T-Mobile gift cards are available so the recipient can shop for what they want or apply it to service.

Which phone should I choose? If you are visiting a T-Mobile store, the staff is very good at gift matching.   For instance…

• A techie might enjoy a Samsung Exhibit II 4G.
• A teen that texts a lot would be a good fit with a LG DoublePlay.
• For the first time smartphone user, the T-Mobile MyTouch and MyTouch Q are simple to use.
• A gadget lover fits nicely with the Samsung Galaxy S II.
• Someone who takes a lot of pictures would be impressed with the features on the HTC Amaze 4G.
• Professionals gravitate to the BlackBerry Bold 9900.
• Someone who is social and likes a slide out keyboard would fit with the BlackBerry Torch 9810.
• For the overachiever?   Check out the HTC Radar 4G with Windows and 4G speeds.

There are tons of accessories and non-phone gifts as well. I loved learning about some of the amazing apps that make holidays less stressful:

• BigOven – you type in what you have leftover in your fridge and it tells you what to make for dinner!
• Gift List Manager Pro – Keep track of gifts and spending with this handy mobile app.
• ShopSavvy Barcode Scanner – scan in what you are considering buying, and it will tell you if you can find it locally anywhere cheaper or online for a better price.   Crazy cool!
• Doodle Kids – keep your shopping companions busy with this app for kids.   It locks out the phone functions so they won’t be downloading apps and calling your boss by accident.

We had a ball at the T-Mobile blogger event.   There were games and food and a lot of hugging. T-Mobile gave out 5 phones that evening and there was some squealing involved. Thanks T-Mobile for the fun evening and the information to make my holiday shopping a little easier! You can follow the fun on Twitter with the hashtag:   #TMobileHolidays I have been working with T-Mobile and Mom It Forward over the last month on hosting this event and writing about what T-Mobile has to offer over the holidays.   I also received a goody bag with some T-Mobile goodies including a flying monkey.   Oh ya.