According to a press release from Verizon Wireless, beginning January 15th, customers who want to make a one-time payment online or by phone using a credit or debit card will be subject to a $2.00 service fee.

Verizon has pointed out there are alternative payment methods to avoid the service fee, but judging by the buzz around the ‘net,  customers are already upset. Many are preparing to jump ship to other mobile phone providers like AT&T or Sprint, while others are suggesting everyone begin mailing in paper checks to overwhelm Verizon’s accounting department.

What do you think? If you’re a current Verizon customer, do you plan to jump ship? If so, be sure to sell your current cell phone to MaxBack to offset the cost of the new one!

EDIT: According to CNN, Verizon has decided to scrap the $2 fee, citing “customer feedback.”

Millions of Americans are heading back home on airplanes after the holidays, and millions more are tinkering with their new Kindles, iPads, Nooks, and other gadgets as they wait at ticketing, wait at security, wait at the gate, wait to take off, and wait to de-plane. And then, we all kindly power down our devices in preparation for landing.

We all know that anything with an on/off switch must be off and stowed during takeoff and landing. And some of us have a vague idea that the electronic waves emitting from our devices have the power to render modern aircraft controls useless. We’re turning off our gadgets to save our lives. Right?

Wrong! Our local Erie Reader covered Nick Bilton’s NYTimes blog post about Kindles and airplanes yesterday.

Turns out that your (banned) Kindle – and the 100 others on your flight – emits the same amount of electricity as a voice recorder, a device deemed “safe” for use during takeoff and landing by the F.A.A. That’s about .00003 of a volt of electricity. Airplanes are manufactured to withstand 100 volts per meter of electronic interference.

Other acceptable devices to use during takeoff and landing include electric shavers, hearing aids, heart pacemakers. So shaving during takeoff? A-OK. But don’t try to get your learn on. That’s a no-no.

Electronics engineering labs continue to debunk the gadget-interference claims of the F.A.A. As to why these rules exist? One engineer at CSI Telecommunications, Bill Ruck, said: “The only reason these rules exist from the F.A.A. is because of agency inertia and paranoia.”

Jay Stevens of the Erie Reader said it best:

“But perhaps the rule remains in place because it gives the passengers the illusion of safety. Which, after all, seems to be the primary purpose of most airport security measures, which are wildly ineffective atfinding things that are actually dangerous, but really efficient at intruding into passenger privacy with flashy, multi-million dollar equipment and showy security presence. In short, airport security makes you feel safe because it makes you feel vulnerable and scrutinized.

“So don’t expect the FAA to go lifting its ban on electronic devices during liftoff and landing. To do so would be admitting that it’s not an effective or useful rule. And admitting that means that passengers might question TSA’s authority or effectiveness. Which would shatter the illusion of security it tries so hard to provide.”

Security. Safety. These are things we appreciate when we’re submitting ourselves to being catapulted at 300+ mph in a relatively small metal tube at 30,000 feet. But for the sake of truthiness, can we get a realistic explanation from the F.A.A.?

I’m sorry to say we don’t accept used printers or scanners here at MaxBack. However, here’s a good way to give those types of items a second life … as instruments.

(Just in case you don’t want to try to make an instrument out of your cell phone, tablet, iPod or video games, MaxBack will pay top dollar for those!)

This year, with no new consoles to lust over, games and accessories for existing systems make popular gifts. If you’re down to the wire on gift-giving, here are some suggestions — the top games for each major game console:

Some of us still play it "old-skool"

Microsoft Xbox 360

• Kinect Sports Season Two
• Dance Central 2
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

Nintendo DS

• Plants Vs. Zombies
• Toy Story 3 The Video Game
• Kirby Mass Attack

Nintendo Wii

• Just Dance 3
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
• Zumba Fitness

Sony PS3

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Batman: Arkham City

Sony PSP

• Need for Speed Most Wanted
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2 Innocent Sin
• NBA 2K12

… And just in case Aunt Bernice happens to buy you Godzilla Unleashed instead of Killzone 3, MaxBack will be happy to buy your used or unwanted video games from you, so you can get the games and accessories you really wanted instead!

The Christmas season is upon us and while it’s the happiest time of the year, it can also be the most wasteful.  White Christmases are overrated — this year, make sure you, your family and your friends have a green Christmas! Here are a few tips to get you started:

Your Christmas Tree:
Choose a Christmas tree that is potted or balled with its roots still attached. You’ll have a festive holiday decoration and a beautiful addition to your yard in the spring!

Lighting:
Replace old Christmas lights with energy-efficient LEDs. They cost a little more, but use 80-90% less power, last longer, and stay cool to the touch, which is great for those of us with young children!

Wrapping:
Try using recycled products for wrapping: Re-use old boxes, try paper bags or newspaper for wrapping and padding, and be sure to save your gift bags to use again next year!

Gift-Giving:
Buy “green” gifts! Shop for locally-made products to reduce the transportation involved to get to you (and support local business at the same time). Avoid toys with excessive packaging, particularly if it’s non-recyclable. Look for gifts made from recycled or up-cycled materials, or consider environment-focused gifts like a membership to the World Wildlife Federation, the Audubon Society or Trees for a Change.

Out with the Old, in with the New:
When you open all your gifts on Christmas morning, make sure not to throw out the old things they’re replacing! If you got some new sweaters, be sure to donate the old ones to Goodwill or the Salvation Army so others can reuse them. If you got a new cell phone, iPod, tablet or video game, MaxBack will be happy to buy your old one!

Do you have more ideas to have a greener Christmas? Share them in the comments, send a reply to @MaxBackRewards on Twitter, or post on our Facebook wall.

I had every intention of documenting the milestones of my life in photos, witty captions, songs, and artwork. I was going to do it regularly, on rainy days, so in the future I could show my children what a rich and exciting life I led before they were born. And all of a sudden years go by and I have a shoebox full of scrapbook fodder – ticket stubs, handwritten notes (remember those?), swatches of designs I liked – and no scrapbook to show for it.

My modern scrapbook is scattered across the Internet in the form of YouTube videos, Instagram photos, check-ins with various geo-apps, tweets, blog posts, connections, comments, and more. The common denominator has been Facebook, the aggregator of my digital life, built into almost every website I use. It has become that old shoebox of memories overtime, without the nostalgic pleasure of sifting through those old keepsakes. Until now. Kinda.

Facebook Timeline provides an image-rich overview of people’s lives, chronicling the scrapbook-worthy moments of life, going all the way back to birth. “We want to design a place that feels like your home. Where you tell story online is very personal. You spend a lot of time curating it. We want to make timeline a place you’re proud to call your home,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

I’m not sure about my “home”, but Facebook is certainly where my social life “lives”. So today, I activated my timeline. Once I added my “cover photo”, I was all set. Because I rarely sit through “tours” of new features and prefer to learn as I go, it took me some clicking around to find what I was looking for: the ability to go back in time and add events.

Eager to fiddle around with new features, I went looking to add an event. Facebook is encouraging users to “go back in time” to add in life events and even provides a check-list of sorts to easily add in milestones. I decided to add my move from California to Pennsylvania last year… which wasn’t technically on Halloween, but I said it was 10/31 so I could use a picture of the pumpkin I carved as the photo for the event. Which got me thinking… are Timeline adopters going to start re-writing their own histories?

"Add Event" menu for building your Timeline

My move from Cali to PA, added to the Timeline.

If you’re ready to take the plunge, go to facebook.com/about/timeline. Once you turn it on, you’ll have 7 days to review, add events, prune back the items you wish not to remember, and publish what can best be described as a virtual scrapbook. For more info, check out the Huffington Post’s 7 Things You Need to Know About Timeline.

I wonder what Timeline will look like on my iPhone… and if this feature will have anyone who still isn’t using a touch-screen mobile upgrading. “Tis yet to be seen!

Engadget recently posted their Holiday Gift Guide for 2011 and of course it is full of all the hottest gadgets this season. Of particular interest, they included a recommended list of smartphones suited to any budget. (No more excuses that smartphones aren’t affordable!)

I decided to do an informal survey of my MaxBack co-workers and find out what they’re wishing for this holiday season. Here are the top 3 responses I received:

#1 – A Tablet

By far, the most popular response I heard was that people are hoping to receive a tablet this year. Specific responses were mixed; the majority were wishing for the iPad 2 while others said they were hoping for “anything Android-based” (according to CNET, the best Android tablets include the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, the Sony Tablet S, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab). Despite initial mixed reviews, the Kindle Fire also seems to be holding its own as well, likely due to it’s enticing $199 price tag.

#2 – Xbox Kinect or Nintendo 3DS

It seems that old and young alike can appreciate some interactive gaming for the holidays! The Kinect, as everyone has seen in their commercials, allows the user to interact with games through voice and body movement. There are new game titles being released for the platform all the time, including themes from sports to dance to exploring Disneyland.

The Nintendo 3DS is a handheld gaming device … on steroids. Those of us that grew up with the original Game Boy will be blown away by the features in this distant cousin: a 3D screen with depth control, a 3D camera, motion sensor, and downloadable content, just to name a few!

#3 – iPod/iPhone Accessories

Apple really has the market cornered as far as how people listen to digital music, and there are plenty of accessories out there to enhance that experience. One popular accessory is a speaker docking station, like these from Bose, that allow you to listen to your music while charging your device. (Better yet, if you have a sugar-daddy/mommy buying for you, go all-out and wire your entire home for music with Sonos!)

Whatever gadget you’re wishing for this year, I hope Santa brings one your way!

And don’t forget — if you find a shiny new cell phone, iPod, tablet, or video game in your stocking on Christmas morning, you can always sell your old one to MaxBack!

Last week I downloaded Currents, the latest app from Google. It marked an important first for me, too: the first Google app on my new iPhone 4S. I spent some time this weekend with Currents, and here’s what I like so far:

1. Pre-loaded Magazines. I tend to be lazy when it comes to my mobile reading material and this gets me started on a well-informed foot. Saveur – the print version – used to be one of my favorites. The combination of travel, culture and food – plus recipes. Fabulous! What a delight to find it on Currents.

2. Side-swiping. Gesturing from right to left to go deeper with content took some getting used to. But as someone who used to get super frustrated when I would lose my spot in a vertical scroll because of content loading, this is a change I’m happy to see.

3. Easy Sharing. I zipped off an article about the strength-building benefits of yoga to my sister in a flash. The Google+ integration is going to help my tapering participation in the circle-based social site.

4. Trending. I feel cool when I know what’s going on right now. That’s why I love  sitting next to a window here at the office, where I can provide front line reporting to the MaxBack team of weather and activity at the neighboring ACL lab. It’s also why I quickly added Storify, a site that aggregates news through social media, to my Currents.

That’s all for now! I’ll report back when I’ve got more. And if it starts snowing, you’ll be the first to know

Twitter is getting a face lift, which is rolling out today:

The iPhone and Android Twitter apps have been updated as well. I downloaded the latest version for iPhone so I could check out our MaxBack Twitter feed, and I’m really pleased with the app redesign. It’s not a huge change, but it has a little less-cluttered feel to it, and I’m personally a big fan of minimalism in app design.

What do you think of the redesign of the Twitter site and apps? Around here we typically use TweetDeck or Hootsuite, but Twitter’s own website is starting to look better and better!

When I arrived at MaxBack on Tuesday, after enjoying a nice vacation day, I was greeted by a crime scene beside my desk:

The crime scene: Accident, suicide, or foul-play?

Apparently, while I was enjoying my Monday off, my aloe plant met an untimely end. There was even a suicide note next to him. The note was signed “A. Plant” — I never knew his name; perhaps this contributed to his depression and ultimate demise?

Then again, I have to wonder if foul play was afoot — particularly because A. Plant was subsequently resurrected, complete with a fancy-pants new eco-friendly bamboo pot and fresh potting soil!

(I think perhaps the guilty party involved was feeling bad.)

A. Plant looks much happier now in his bigger, better home though.

This leads me to wonder … if A. Plant is back from the dead, does this make him an undead plant?

A … zombie plant? Could we have just uncovered PopCap‘s inspiration for Plants vs. Zombies?!