By: Gordon Kinlaw
New iPhone 7 Plus For Me
My 2-year contract was up this week so I ended up in the Skibo Road Verizon Store in Fayetteville and it turned out to be a very good experience. The lines were not long and I got a knowledgeable sales agent. My intended purchase was a gold 32-gig 7 Plus phone because it has two cameras, normal and telephone. I knew this was a popular choice and that the inventories of this model had been depleted and they were. It’s being shipped to me. The image on the right shows the size difference between the 7 and the Plus and the larger camera opening. 
Instead of opting for the normal 2-year contract and paying up front cost for the phone, I went to the new monthly plan where the phone costs are monthly. The new plan includes more data for the money so I ended up with 10 gigs of data and CARRYOVER!! Yep, you get a monthly carryover meaning that if I use 3 gigs of data in December, I will have 13 gigs of data available in January.
My wife is keeping her phone and her access fee/month is cut in half. All rolled up. I have a new iPhone 7Plus, 10 gigs of data, carryover data, and a slightly smaller monthly bill ($141.00). In the 3rd month the bill will be reduced by $51.00. then the reduction is $17.00 lower each month. I don’t understand the credits because I did not question them- less is good. I also saved the up front cost of the 7Plus at $299.
iPad BONUS: Verizon was giving a $250 discount on an iPad purchase when you buy/contract a new iPhone 7. The best deal was to buy an iPad mini2 because of the lowest cost. I went for the mini4 because the 2 would not work on some apps I wanted to use and it was $50 more I think. I ended up paying $250 for the Verizon-connected mini-4. This iPad deal is likely over by now, so ask Verizon what deals they have. These specials are available at the Verizon store.
If you are out of a 2-year contract, make sure you get your lower access fee if you are keeping your old phone. It sounds like it is a good time to get a new phone and lower your monthly cost as you change from a 2-year contract to the new purchase plan.
Streaming Video Free to Devices
Some carriers have been offering free data for Netflix and other streaming uses. Verizon has introduced the Go90 app that will give you free streaming access to a lot of content. It’ not great content for me, but there are some age groups that may like the choices. You may find a live ballgame as well. There is also a free NFL app that has live games. As always, the WatchESPN app will stream games but I think you have to be affiliated with a cable service to sign on. Time Warner’s app will also let you watch some content on your devices that you have in contract.
New iPhone 7 Plus For The Wife
I went back to Verizon for another 7Plus the Friday before Christmas. The Lumberton Store was out of 7P’s/32s and I had to travel to Whiteville to find one. I took it out of the store without signing up of logging into iCloud. I have been punished many days since then for that error in judgement. The Senior Apple Tech determined yesterday that the phone was in fact defective (it was stuck in circular logic in the English/United States section). Finding another 7P wth 32Gigs is pretty much impossible without driving a good distance on vacation. The 7P’s sold out in a lot of stores for Christmas. If I had brought the old 6 phone with us on vacation, I could have reverted service to that phone.
So, if possible, find a Verizon Store that will transfer everything from your old phone to your new phone when you buy it. I understand that US Cellular will perform that service in Elizabethtown. I used the backup/restore method on iTunes and it would have been just fine had the phone not been defective. You can also use the backup/restore method if you are backed up on iCloud.
iPhone 8 Rumors
These are rumors, Apple will not verify this but 2017 is the 10th year anniversary of the iPhone and it is possible that the 7S cycle of release may be superseded by big change in the design and function, namely iPhone 8. 
It is rumored to have a wrap-around screen and OLED displays. NO home button, wireless charging, an all-glass body (really), and of course a faster processor. My prediction years ago was that a phone computing power would replace computers in the home. ie. You walk in your home, lights come on, HVAC makes adjustments, display screens and TV’s power on and a bluetooth mouse and keyboard allow you to do home computing when voice commands are not sufficient.
Amazon Echo and Google Home are a step in this direction since they can control some functions in your home and integrate with your phone. We do have Smart TV’s, the new Samsung TV I purchased in late 2016 allows a mouse & keyboard but they don’t use your phone’s computing power. It has a new “smart” remote with a lot less buttons than ever before. It automatically switches the screen when you send content from your phone to the TV. This seamless integration of phone and home is coming soon!
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