Data Plans

Prices go up and prices go down, but this year they're going every which way. While it's difficult to predict how the economy will impact the cost of products and services, there are several sure bets on both ends of the scale. Here are a few predictions.

GOING UP:

Orange Juice
The FDA discovered "low levels" of a fungicide in the 2011 orange crop imported from Brazil, the world's largest produce of oranges.

Airfare
More people want to fly, but the airlines have trimmed their sales and are putting fewer planes in the air. Expect an increase between 3 percent and 10 percent worldwide.

Parking Rates and Tickets
Cash-strapped cities will try to boost their budgets by increasing city-imposed fees.

Gas
Did you enjoy that recent small reprieve from high gas prices? Well don't get used to it; the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts regular gas will average $3.45 this year.

Groceries
Rising energy costs, poor weather conditions, commodity prices and the lousy value of the U.S. dollar mean food is expected to increase 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent from 2011, according to the Consumer Price Index. Read more

Customers Get More Data, More Value

January 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T today announced new data plans for smartphone and tablet customers that will launch this Sunday, January 22. The plans give customers more data and value.

The new smartphone plans include:

• AT&T DataPlus 300MB: $20 for 300MB
• AT&T DataPro 3GB: $30 for 3GB
• AT&T DataPro 5GB: $50 for 5GB, with mobile hotspot / tethering

Smartphone customers needing additional data can pay $10 per additional gigabyte on the AT&T DataPro 3GB and DataPro 5GB plans; AT&T DataPlus users will receive an extra 300MB for $20.

The new tablet plans* include:

• AT&T DataConnect 3GB: $30 for 3GB
• AT&T DataConnect 5GB: $50 for 5GB

It's inevitable that as the New Year creeps closer, we begin to muse about what's to come in the next 12 months.

The editors over at dealnews researched and listed price adjustments that consumers can expect to see in 2012. Some increases seem almost customary, like ever-rising gas prices, while others, like a potential 25% hike on tap water, are more surprising.

1. Domestic and International Airfare
Greater demand and fewer available airline seats will likely lead to higher ticket prices for flights next year. American Express predicts prices within North America will increase up to 5% for economy seating, depending on the length of the flight, and up to 7% in business class. Things look more bleak for European travel. A new "green tax" implemented by the EU is aimed at reducing emissions, and it will levy a fee of roughly $15 per passenger, each way, for flights to the U.S. Fees on shorter flights within the EU will be taxed slightly less.Read more

"We can teach these barbarians a lesson in Western methods and efficiency that will put them to shame." – Col Nicholson, "The Bridge on the River Kwai," Columbia Pictures (1957)

Once upon a time there was a huge hue and cry over folks suffering from dropped mobile phone calls. You might remember those days like they were yesterday.

Actually, the mobile people don't care about your calls.

There's no money in that old-fashioned way of communicating. It takes so little bandwidth ($$$ to them), the meter dial hardly turns.

Okay, that's not quite true. One mobile phone isn't much; but globally, we've surpassed five billion phones connected worldwide, according to CCS Insight. CCS Insight's Ben Wood noted that's more than three times as many PCs and a helluva' lot more than tablets and ereaders.Read more