Going the trade-in way means avoiding the hassle of finding a buyer for your old smartphone—but it also involves taking a leap of faith, given that you’ll have to wait days or even weeks after sending off your handset before you see a dime.

Don’t pack up your iPhone or Android device and send it off to a bunch of strangers without taking a gander at these five tips, starting with…

1. Shop around

Don’t just go with the first trade-in service you find on Google. After checking out just a few online trade-in sites, I found offers for a 16GB iPhone 4 in good condition ranging from about $150 to more than $260. Doing just a little extra legwork can really pay off.

2. Don’t forget the charger

The trade-in value for your phone will go up a notch if you include its original power cord—not a lot, mind you, but every little bit counts.

3. Wipe your phone before you hand it over

Some trade-in services promise that they’ll erase all the personal data on your phone as soon as they receive it, but don’t take their word for it. Make sure to wipe your phone’s memory completely before you drop it in the mail or hand it over to a clerk; here’s how to do it.

4. Read the fine print

So, you sent your phone in to a trade-in center, they looked it over, and they don’t agree with your judgement that it’s in “good” condition—and indeed, they may even decide that your old phone is worthless. What happens next?

Well, some trade-in companies will give you the chance to back out of the deal and ask for your phone back. Others, however, have more of a “sorry, you’re out of luck” policy—meaning that once you’ve sent them your phone, you’ll never get it back, even if they decide its value is zilch.

So, how can you make sure you’re dealing with one of the good guys? Simple: read the fine print, and make sure the trade-in company you’re considering will return your phone if you can’t agree on a price.

5. Go to the trade-in counter in person

If you’re really paranoid about falling victim to a disreputable trade-in company (and based on the number of horror stories I’ve heard, you’re probably not being paranoid), you might want to trade in your phone at an actual store rather than dropping it in the mail. That way, you can get an instant quote from a real person—and if you don’t like the quote, just take your phone back and leave.

Have more questions about phone trade-in services? Post ’em in the comments below.

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Well, the editors at All You magazine have reprinted a series of tips from an article I wrote for them about smartphone shopping; click here to take a gander.

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Greetings, Gene! You’ve hit the nail on the head when it comes to smartphones: it’s the monthly charges, not the up-front price tag, that drain the most money out of your bank account.

The main problem is that the big carriers, like Verizon Wireless, all require data plans to go with your new smartphone—and for the most part, those data plans aren’t cheap.

I went ahead and combed through the family plans for the four biggest U.S. wireless carriers—AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless—looking for the cheapest deals I could find that include unlimited texting, since that’s one of your must-haves.

Of course, you’re probably stuck with Verizon if you signed a two-year service contract, and I’m sure your Motorola Droid 2 phones are locked to Verizon’s network.

That said, you may still be able to tweak your plan—and in any case, the details on the other carriers will hopefully help fellow smartphone shoppers who are in the same predicament that you are.

All set? Then here we go:

So, some quick thoughts on each carrier…

• Verizon Wireless (this one’s for you, Gene): Why are Verizon’s smartphone plans the most expensive of all? It’s all about the data. Unlike the other big national carriers, Verizon doesn’t offer a budget data plan for smartphones like the Motorola Droid 2. The cheapest option for smartphone users is 2 GB for $30 a month—and since you’re getting phones for both you and your son, that comes out to $60 a month, for starters. Ouch. (It’s worth noting that if you get a so-called “feature” phone through Verizon rather than a smartphone, you can pay as little as $10/month for data, or even opt for a pay-as-you-go plan for $2 per MB.)
• AT&T: Yes, you can get a budget smartphone data plan through AT&T. The carrier’s $15-a-month DataPlus option includes 200 MB of monthly data, which might be all you need depending on your smartphone habits. If you exceed your monthly data limit, AT&T will charge you $15 for each additional 200 MB.
• Sprint: The last national carrier to offer truly unlimited smartphone data offers nothing but unlimited smartphone data—and that’s bad news for bargain hunters. Indeed, the cheapest family smartphone plan for two that I could find turned out to be the priciest of the bunch: a whopping $150 a month. Another thing to keep in mind with Sprint is its “Premium Data” fee, which tacks on $10 a month for each smartphone. (Feature phones are exempt from Sprint’s Premium Data charge.)
• T-Mobile: The best smartphone deal among all the Big Four wireless carriers offers a generous 1,000 shared voice minutes but just 200 MB for each smartphone line. The catch? If you exceed your 200 MB monthly data allowance, T-Mobile will charge you an overage fee of 10 cents per MB, which comes out to $20 for an additional 200 MB of data.

So, Gene—and all you other smartphone shoppers out there—I hope this helps. Have more questions? Leave ’em in the comments below.

Note: The smartphone plans I’ve detailed above are current as of 10/5/2011, and they’re bound to change sooner or later.

The post Wanted: a basic, inexpensive smartphone plan for two (reader mail) appeared first on here's the thing.

Also this week: Facebook’s iPhone app gets a slew of new privacy controls, how to view your Google Docs without an Internet connection (or when something’s wrong at Google HQ), why the “Menu” key on your Android phone is your best friend, and how to keep iTunes from cramming your iPhone with apps you neither need nor want.

In-flight smartphone use: “Airplane” mode or completely off during takeoff and landing?
Don’t just assume that your smartphone won’t interfere with an airplane’s navigation systems just because it’s in “airplane” mode. Read more…

Updated Facebook app for iPhone gets new sharing controls
If you want to watch more than two instant Netflix videos simultaneously, you might start getting an error message depending on your subscription plan. Read more…

How to view your Google Docs when you’re offline—or when Google Docs is on the fritz
You won’t be able to edit your documents in Google Docs’ offline mode, but at least you’ll be able to view them—handy in case something goes awry at Google HQ. Read more…

Is iWeb going away—and if so, what should I do about my iWeb site? (reader mail)
Apple won’t host your iWeb site after next June, but don’t worry—plenty of options are available. Read more…

How to block all apps and web sites from your Facebook account
Want to slam the door on all those nosy apps and sites tapping into your Facebook profile? You sure can, although it’ll mean no more FarmVille or Texas HoldEm. Read more…

Quick Android tip: When in doubt, hit the “Menu” key
Don’t just assume that your smartphone won’t interfere with an airplane’s navigation systems just because it’s in “airplane” mode. Read more…

How to stop iTunes from syncing each and every new app to your iPhone
Don’t want copies of all those new apps downloaded by your loved ones installed onto your own iPhone? Luckily, there’s an easy fix. Read more…

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Hi Jason! Anyone who flies the friendly skies on a regular basis knows the drill: the aircraft door closes, and the flight attendants start going up and down the aisles, telling everyone to turn off all portable electronic devices for takeoff. And when it’s time to descend, once again—turn everything off, please.

But as those of us with smartphones and tablets know, there’s all the way off, and then there’s … well, mostly off.

“Mostly off” means putting your phone or tablet into “airplane mode,” which cuts off all two way wireless communications, such as cellular receivers, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. Then you’d just the “sleep” button to turn off the screen—all the better for snapping it back on the moment you’re at cruising altitude, or once the landing gear bounces onto the tarmac.

For the past few years, I’d figured that “mostly off” was good enough for takeoff and landing; after all, my iPhone’s wireless signals were safely cut off, and I rationalized that my snoozing (but still powered-up) handset couldn’t actually interfere with the plane’s navigation systems.

On a recent American Airlines flight, though, the flight attendants had a new warning: turn off all your gadgets for takeoff, and no—just putting your phone into “airplane” mode doesn’t count.

I grudgingly complied, turning both my iPhone and my iPad completely off, but only after promising myself that I’d do a little research once my feet were back on terra firma.

So, what’s the deal?

The Federal Aviation Administration gives the airlines a fair amount of latitude (sorry for the pun) when it comes to the use of portable gadgets at cruising altitude—and indeed, items like MP3 players, laptops, and smartphones switched to “airplane” mode are A-OK with the FAA, although specific airlines can “individually determine” exactly when and if you can start futzing around with your laptop, iPad, or Kindle.

But what about during takeoff and landing? Here’s the FAA’s position, as of 2009:

The FAA has issued guidance to airlines letting passengers turn on most PEDs after the plane reaches 10,000 feet. At a lower altitude, any potential interference could be more of a safety hazard as the cockpit crew focuses on critical arrival and departure duties.

Why the special rules for takeoff and landing? Well, as retired airline captain John Cox puts it in his USA Today column:

Almost all landings of airliners use the Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) for vertical and later alignment with the runway. Even during good weather, the pilots tune the ILS for navigation information. Sensitivity increases closer to the runway. This means even a slight amount of interference by a device could be significant during an ILS approach near the runway. Being conservative is justified with the electronic ban below 10,000. Maybe one day the manufacturers will be able to certify electronics to be “airplane friendly,” but until then we should turn them off below 10,000 feet.

OK, but do portable gadgets like smartphones really pose a threat to the navigation systems in airplanes? Depends on who you ask, although some sobering studies point to dozens of mid-air “incidents” that may indeed be linked to portable gadgets.

Here’s a scary sampling from one particular report, courtesy of ABC News:

“Auto pilot was engaged,” reads one. “At about 4500 ft, the autopilot disengaged by itself and the associated warnings/indications came on. [Flight attendants] were immediately advised to look out for PAX [passengers] operating electronic devices. … [Attendants] reported that there were 4 PAX operated electronic devices (1 handphone and 3 iPods).” The crew used the public address system to advise the passengers to shut off electronic devices “for their safety and the safety of the flight,” after which the aircraft proceeded “without any further incident.”

Yikes.

Now, just to be clear, aviation experts haven’t found any conclusive links between portable gadgets and airline crashes … or at least, not yet.

But when it comes to hurtling through the air in a big metal tube, taking a “better safe than sorry” approach sounds reasonable to me—particularly when we’re only talking about being without the use of your smartphone for a scant five or ten minutes at the beginning and end of a flight.

So, Jason, back to your original question: go ahead and turn your smartphone off—completely off—during takeoff and landing. And from now on, I will, too.

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Get ready for yet another Android superphone with a glasses-free 3D display—and yet again, while the phone itself is fine, the fuzzy 3D screen is leaving me with little more than a headache.

Set to land in AT&T’s handset lineup any day now, the $99 (with contract) LG Thrill marks yet another eye-popping Android phone with a massive 4.3-inch display, not to mention a bleeding-edge processor (1GHz dual-core, if you must know) and a front-facing camera for video chat.

But the Thrill marks just the second phone in the U.S. with a 3D screen that doesn’t require obnoxious 3D glasses. The first was the HTC Evo 3D on Sprint, which I reviewed back in June.

So, 3D without glasses—sounds like heaven, yes? Well … not really, no.

To achieve the 3D effect, handsets like the LG Thrill, the Evo 3D, and even the recent Nintendo 3D handheld game console use a technology similar to those novelty posters that “wink” at you as you move from side to side.

Those creepy winking Mona Lisa pictures typically use tiny lenses to bend the separate images to your left and right eyes, while the latest glasses-free 3D displays use a series of microscopic vertical slits to work their magic.

That’s the theory, anyway. The reality of recent glasses-free 3D screens is that your eyes must be at a precise distance and angle for the 3D effect to work at all—otherwise, the picture collapses into a jumble of flat double images.

The LG Thrill's 3D guide—in 3D, of course. (The photo is 2D, unfortunately.)

Which brings us back to the LG Thrill, a no-glasses-required 3D phone that brings little if anything new to the 3D table.

As with the Nintendo 3DS and the HTC Evo 3D, the Thrill demands a steady hand and a steady head for its 3D effect to work. A viewing distance between 12 and 15 inches is recommended—reasonable enough, except you must also hold the phone at the perfect angle for the 3D effect to work. A few degrees off, and you’re back in 2D.

Even if you do manage to hold the Thrill just so, the actual 3D effect falls well shy of “Avatar”-quality. Instead of a razor-sharp 2D display, the Thrill’s 3D images look disappointingly fuzzy, with obvious vertical pinstripes marring the view. Switch back to 2D mode, though, and whoosh—the annoying pinstripes disappear.

The Thrill comes with a handful of 3D games (including Asphault 6, a driving sim; Nova, a sci-fi shooter; and Let’s Golf 2), a gallery of 3D video clips and photos, and a link to YouTube’s 3D video channel. On the Thrill’s home screen, you’ll find a handy guide to all the phone’s 3D content, complete with a spinning, “comin’ at ya”-style interface that serves as an appropriately eye-popping 3D portal.

On the back of the Thrill is a pair of stereoscopic camera lenses for snapping 3D pictures—and the results, as with the HTC Evo 3D on Sprint, are meh.

Yes, there’s some initial fun in taking 3D pictures of your living room or the garden, and shooting 3D video of the cars driving down the street has its charms.

But the novelty quickly wears thin, particularly when you notice that the resolution of the Thrill’s five-megapixel camera gets chopped to about three megapixels in 3D mode. The good news, at least, is that you can pipe 3D videos and images to a 3D TV set over the Thrill’s HDMI video-out port, or share your 3D home movies on YouTube.

The Thrill's twin, stereoscopic camera lenses let you snap 3D photos and video clips.

Of course, there’s nothing stopping you from ignoring the Thrill’s 3D features altogether—and indeed, the peppy Thrill holds its own quite nicely as far as standard Android smartphones go.

The Thrill doesn’t ship with the latest and greatest version of Android (it arrives with Android 2.2, not 2.3), but that only means you’ll be missing out on a few interface and 3D gaming enhancements. And at $99 with a two-year contract, the Thrill is only half the price of the latest and greatest Android phones on the market.

Bottom line: If you want the Thrill for its bargain price, speedy processor, or solid Android features, by all means—go for it.

But don’t get the Thrill (or the HTC Evo 3D, for that matter) if you’re hoping for a life-changing, glasses-free 3D experience—because, frankly, you won’t get one.

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It’s huge news in the business of tech, of course—but what about for the rest of us? Is the Motorola brand name going away? Will Google become the only company making Android phones? And when will all the changes begin to happen?

Now, hold on a minute. I thought Google already made smartphones!
Well, yes and no. Google makes the Android mobile operating system—that is, the software that powers each and every Android smartphone on the market. Google then licenses its Android platform to third-party manufacturers (think Motorola, Samsung, LG, and HTC) that build the actual phones.

So, did Google just jump into the smartphone manufacturing business now that it’s buying Motorola?
Yes indeed—for a cool $12.5 billion in cash.

Does this mean the end of Motorola?
Apparently not, with Google CEO Larry Page promising that Google will run Motorola as a separate business that will continue to license the Android operating system. That being said, I’m sure Google will be taking a direct hand in the development of Motorola’s upcoming Android smartphones.

But what happens to those of us who like the Android phones built by other companies, like HTC and Samsung?
Google says that even with its planned acquisition of Motorola, the Android platform will remain “open”—meaning that LG, HTC, and Samsung (among other manufacturers) will continue to make their own Android phones.

When is all this going to happen? Today?
Nope. This morning, we’ve only seen the first step—that is, Google announcing that it’s reached an agreement to acquire Motorola (or Motorola Mobility, to be precise) for a set price ($40 a share, a 60 percent premium over Motorola’s stock price at the end of business Friday). The deal must still win the approval of Motorola’s shareholders and federal antitrust regulators, a process that will take months. Google says it hopes the acquisition will be finalized by the end of this year or early next.

What’s all this business about Google, Motorola, and patents—and do I care?
When they’re not building phones, the big players in the smartphone business—including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nokia, HTC, you name it—are busy filing lawsuits, with each accusing the others of stealing their best smartphone ideas. By buying Motorola, Google is getting more than just a portfolio of phones: it’s also getting all of Moto’s patents, bolstering its case against Apple and any other … hey, still listening?

Sorry—I was taking a mini-nap. Too inside-baseball for me.
Yep, I don’t blame you. If you’re really curious about the whole smartphone patent battle, you can read all about it here.

Last question: Is the the Google-Motorola deal good for those of us just looking for the best phones?
Too early to tell, if you ask me. On the one hand, it will surely ratchet up its competition with Apple—and more competition usually means more innovation, and thus better smartphones.

On the other hand, one of the best qualities of the Android platform is that there’s more than one company making Android phones. The Google-Motorola deal will almost certainly shift the balance of power in the Android handset market—and a dominant, Google-owned Motorola might not be the best thing for us consumers, at least as far as competition goes.

For now, though, it’s wait-and-see time.

Have more questions about the Google-Motorola news? Ask me anything!

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