UCAN

The link found by UCAN, may be a faster way of finding the $10 "unbundled" DSL price that's advertised but a real chore to find!

TRAC, Volume 5, Issue 42 says: How To Sign Up For AT&T's "Naked DSL" - Until recently, consumers who wanted to buy DSL broadband service from AT&T without bundled local telephone service (known as "naked" DSL) didn't save much money versus buying DSL as part of the bundle. Thanks to conditions placed by the FCC on AT&T's merger
agreement with BellSouth, AT&T was forced to offer $10 unbundled DSL, though it was very hard for consumers to find
information about the deal and sign up. The service was also slow, 768 Kbps downstream and 128 Kbps upstream, versus traditional DSL's 3-6 Mbps downstream speeds. Over the past two months, AT&T has begun offering two new cheap "naked" DSL package in its 22-state service area. The "Express" plan offers 1.5 Mbps down/768 Kbps up speeds for $23.99 per month. The "Pro" plan offers 3.0 Mbps down/1.5 Mbps up for $28.99 per month. What's more, since telephone service is not required, consumers don't have to pay the myriad taxes and fees associated with a home phone line in addition to the monthly service charge for DSL and phone service. While AT&T doesn't heavily advertise
the two new plans, thanks to a tip from CNET.com, we have instructions on how consumers can sign up:

1) Call the AT&T Dry Loop department directly at 888-800-4095
(Note: This number may connect callers to the Ohio-only office.
If so, ask to be connected to the office serving your area.).

2) Second, ask to switch to "DSL Direct."

3) Finally if you have any problems with customer service, tell
them that it is a retention offer.

When TRAC called the Dry Loop department, we were told that there is no activation fee or service contract with the plan,
only a one-time fee of $49.99 to purchase the modem. If customers are unhappy with the speed of the service, AT&T they can discontinue their service without any additional charges. For consumer who want broadband service for web surfing and e-mail, but don't need the higher speeds of traditional DSL, cable modem, or fiber-based broadband services, AT&T's "naked" DSL could be a money-saver. Just don't expect AT&T to make it easy to find information about the service.

Link

Foreclosure trauma depends on where you live because of the differences in state laws and the backlog of the court systems.  Here are two tips for navigating the dangerous waters of potential foreclosure.

Before borrowers take the following steps, it's best to call lenders prior to missing payments to try to get payments frozen, delayed, or suspended for as long as the negotiation process results will allow---enough time to avoid any actions after the fact.  People who waited for the default notice (especially in states where no court actions are necessary), the clock has pretty much struck midnight!  Rick Sharga, VP of marketing for foreclosure listings firm RealtyTrac said "that the very first two calls distressed borrowers should make are to the lender loss-mitigation department and not collections -- and secondly, to a local real-estate agent to assess for how much the house will sell and how long it would take".  More tips can be found at http://www.hud.gov/foreclosure/.

The degree of foreclosure trauma depends on where you live due to differences in state laws and the backlog of the court systems.  Having owned and sold properties in Texas, the state allowed lenders to auction properties just 21 days after the notice of public sale (http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/state_laws2.asp?state=tx.   Homeowners in New Jersey or New York could have more than a year to raise money http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/state_laws2.asp?state=ny), refinance or sell their place, courtesy of slow court systems. 

The long foreclosure timeline in some states means more red ink for lenders due to court costs and missed loan payments stacking up.  With a bigger risk on the other end, the underwriting standards are usually more difficult.  Getting loans would be much harder for buyers in these markets. Complicating matters are right-of-redemption clauses that allow homeowners in many states to buy the house back for the amount of the note plus interest which can be found together with the following summary of foreclosure rules for each state (http://www.tryforeclosures.com/z-article-state-foreclosure-laws.shtml).

In Minnesota or Alabama (http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/state_laws2.asp?state=al), the previous owner has up to a year to buy it back, causing headaches for new buyers or investors if they don't get the previous owner to waive this right.

A long foreclosure process is no guarantee that owners can sell and duck foreclosure. In these cases, the "timing" wouldn't necessarily work to the borrower's advantage.

In hot markets like California or Florida, where real-estate values increased at such a dramatic and rapid rate before cooling off,  recent buyers are stuck with notes worth much more than the house. James Gaines, a Texas economist said, "They can't afford to pay a 6% real-estate commission and come out whole".  Also, if the mortgage has been securitized or sold on the secondary market, finding someone with the authority to agree to a short sale could be difficult".  California timelines and procedures can be found at http://dca.lacounty.gov/TSForeclosure.html.  Another source for the most common California forcelosure laws can be found at http://www.foreclosures.com/www/pages/state_laws2.asp?state=ca.

Real estate advisors say many foreclosures can be avoided if people call their lender and try to work something out before missing a payment. Most lenders don't want to incur the hassles and costs associated with the foreclosure process.  Therefore,  many are  waiting a bit longer than state timelines to give buyers a better shot at keeping their homes. Freezes or delays in the foreclosure process are better options for lenders if borrowers are taking verifiable actions to work out the debt..

If a default notice has been issued, remember the advice provided by Rick Sharga, VP of marketing for foreclosure listings firm RealtyTrac. "The first two calls distressed borrowers should make are to the lender loss-mitigation department- not collections and the second call should be made to a local real-estate agent to assess sale value of the homel and how long it would take". 

Cell phone dead spots are a major pain. Now PCWorld has listed three (3) ways to solve your cell phone dead spots. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,138835/article.html?tk=nl_spxhow (10/25/07). This article will help consumers who are ready to get rid of their landlines and replace them with cell phone service. Up until now, consumers have been frustrated and fearful of relying solely on cell phone service even though it could be cheaper in the long-run.

"...the Cubic phone could save 50% to 90% off your per minute international roaming rate."

I don't call London and I don't call France, but I always jump at a deal when I get the chance. Ha ha, that was lame. But according to a recent article written by David Pogue in The New York Times, there now exists "A Cellphone Without Borders." I don't really know what that means. Did cell phones ever have borders? If these theoretical borders were eliminated, wouldn't they charge one flat rate no matter where you called? Because to me that's what "no borders" means. Apparently not to David, but that's a topic for another post.

Cell phones still have borders, but thanks to a new company, Cubic, the price of those borders could come down dramatically. Cubic is attempting to leverage the communciations potential of the Internet to cut the costs of roaming international cell phone calls, much like the way Interent phone companies like Skype, Vonage, and Jajah have reduced the cost of international landline calls (see our Internet phone company comparison and review post). The difference is that the Cubic phone works like any regular cell phone and calls do not need to be initiated or routed through your computer.

For $135 or $219 (Windows Mobile) you can get the Cubic cell phone and MaxRoam SIM card. Depending on where you want to call and your current carrier, the Cubic phone could save 50% to 90% off your per minute international roaming rate. Yeah, pretty good stuff. The Cubic phone works in over 160 countries and, similar to VoIP, you're allowed to pick a local number for your phone. Unlike most VoIP plans, Cubic lets you pick up to 50 local numbers in cities around the world. That means if you have family or friends in Glod, Kazakhstan and you pick a number in Glod, your family and friends pay local rates when they call you. Double good stuff.

But the Cubic phone isn't all good and double good stuff. Calls aren't placed like normal cell phone calls. Well, they're sort of placed like normal calls, until the part where you wait for a call back when you're told that your call is being placed. The Wi-Fi calling option also leaves a bit to be desired. For an extra flat montly fee you can receive ulimited calls from Internet hot spots, or place them for a cent a minute...pretty much turning your cell phone into a VoIP phone. The drawback is that unlike the T-Mobile HotSpots plan, the Cubic phone drops your call if you move out of the hot spot. Basically, asking you to pretend that you are not on a cell phone....which was the whole point of using a cell phone instead of a computer. Last, because the phone essentially does not know what country you are in, you must enter a country code and area code every time you dial out, even if it is a local call.

BUT THE BEST PART IS....You can buy the Cubic MaxRoam SIM card without purchasing the phone. But, the real question is, did you skim this post for the most important text? Or, are you just attracted to bold caps? Well, either is fine by me, because who can resist bold all caps text? Not me, that's who. The MaxRoam SIM card will work with any GSM phone (only T-Mobile and AT&T in the U.S.). However, the phone must be "unlocked" (see our guide to Unlocking your Cell Phone). What this means is that you can use your normal cell phone when travelling overseas (as long as you have switched out the SIM card) and pay up to 90% less than standard roaming rates. And that's what I call: triple good stuff.

Note (10-2-2007): The MaxRoam SIM card currently costs 30 pounds (yes, English pounds). At the time of publication for the NYTimes article this meant the SIM card would cost $40. Due to the dollar's rapid depreciation in the past couple of days, the SIM card now costs slightly more than $60.