With Thanksgiving this Thursday, Black Friday follows for one day only.

Black Friday 2009, which falls on Nov. 27, 2009, is a day when retailers dramatically reduce their prices on a wide array of items. The goal is to convince consumers to spend heavily at drastic discounts.

As usual, early morning risers will get the best selection and doorbuster products will likely sell out as the day wears on. Here are some cell phone-specific deals for Black Friday 2009 at Best Buy and Radio Shack.

Black Friday 2009: Best Buy Cell Phones

1. LG Chocolate Touch for Verizon Wireless: Free with two-year activation
2. BlackBerry Curve 8330 for Sprint: Free with two-year activation
3. Samsung Instinct S30 for Sprint: Free with two-year activation
4. Motorola Rival for Verizon Wireless: Free with two-year activation

Black Friday 2009: Radio Shack Cell Phones

1. LG Xenon for AT&T: Free with a new two-year plan
2. BlackBerry Curve 8520 for T-Mobile: Free with a new two-year plan
3. Motorola CLIQ for T-Mobile: $79.99 with a new two-year plan
4. Palm Pre and Palm Pixi for Sprint: $99.99 with a new two-year plan

Best Buy is open at 5 a.m. on Black Friday. Their online sale starts at 2 a.m. EST on Thanksgiving. Radio Shack is open at 5:30 a.m. on Black Friday.

You can find the full images of the Best Buy and Radio Shack ad scans here for their Black Friday 2009 cell phone deals.

The online retailers HandCellPhone.com and BestInCellPhones.com also have some compelling Black Friday 2009 cell phone deals.

Do you love and know cell phones like the back of your hand? Have you ever wanted to write for About.com? Now's your rare chance to love cell phones and get paid to write about them for the New York Times Company!

In About.com's long history, which dates back to 1996, sites within the network have always been guided by a single expert. For the first time, we have launched a new program with a different kind of writer: contributing writers (CWs).

CWs work under About.com's primary guides. They're focused squared on a subtopic within the guide's primary topic. For the About.com cell phones site you're reading now, we're hiring a CW for cell phone accessories.

This includes anything Bluetooth, headsets, batteries and battery boosters, cell phone cases and belt clips, news and well-vetted rumors about upcoming accessories, cell phone upgrades (i.e. additional memory) and more.

Applicants need to work in a collaborative environment with me along with our gadgets editor. The candidate must have contacts in the consumer electronics industry along with a proven track record of getting review units.

You must also be capable of submitting clean copy without direct supervision. Do you have what it takes? Do you know someone else who might?

More information about what we're seeking in the About.com cell phone accessories CW (along with information about compensation and workload requirements) can be found at this link. Just select "cell phone accessories" under "available subtopics". Good luck!

As more and more people are using smartphones with mobile operating systems, hackers who first attacked computers are now being compelled to do the same with smartphones.

Studies say the trend is only increasing both for the rise in smartphone adoption as well as the increase in mobile cybercrime.

Gartner reported last week that smartphone sales in the third quarter of 2009 grew 12.8 percent year over year to 41.1 million units in total.

Also, 18.9 percent of mobile users now use a smartphone, according to a Nov. 2009 consumer study of U.S. mobile phone users by 41st Parameter. The study also said that an additional 49.2 percent of people plan to buy an advanced mobile device within the next two years.

41st Parameter, which is a provider of fraud detection and prevention technology, said on Wednesday that it anticipates increased mobile cybercrime and decreased effectiveness of traditional anti-fraud tactics. The firm attributes the increase to the rapid adoption of new smartphones and multiple operating systems.

"The mobile channel is the fastest-growing segment of the Internet today. For companies looking to increase their audience potential, conducting business with billions of mobile handsets is compelling," said 41st Parameter founder Ori Eisen in a Wednesday statement.

Eisen added: "The mobile channel is equally appealing to cybercriminals as traditional fraud deterrents won't identify or differentiate between the growing varieties of smartphones."

Along with 41st Parameter, firms like SMobile Systems also exist to help consumers combat mobile fraud. Learn more about mobile security in this About.com article.

The BlackBerry Bold 9700, which features Wi-Fi calling, is now on sale at T-Mobile. The handset, which is an upgrade to the initial BlackBerry Bold, is T-Mobile's first high-speed 3G BlackBerry.

Wi-Fi calling allows you to make voice calls and use data on a local wireless network (i.e. at Starbucks) rather than using your cell phone carrier's network. This can be handy if you have a weak cell phone signal. BlackBerry data service is required at T-Mobile with the Bold.

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is available now for $199.99 with a two-year service contract at T-Mobile retail stores, select authorized dealers and online at T-Mobile's Web site. It will also be sold at AT&T. Without a contract, the suggested retail price of the Bold at T-Mobile is $449.99.

At AT&T, the device is listed as "coming soon" and it won't feature Wi-Fi calling there. The first BlackBerry Bold is only sold by AT&T.

The new Bold is slimmer and lighter. It measures in at 4.3 inches by 2.4 inches by 0.6 of an inch and weighs in at 4.3 ounces instead of 4.8 ounces. The BlackBerry Bold 9700 also has a better camera than its predecessor: 3.2 megapixels instead of 2.0 megapixels.

This Bold doesn't use the typical BlackBerry trackball. Instead, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 features an optical trackpad, which was first used on the BlackBerry Curve 8520. More information about the BlackBerry Bold 9700 on About.com can be found here and here.

Are you going overseas for an extended trip? Do you want to keep your cell phone number without having to pay for your traditional bill?

Various services (such as NumberGarage and ParkMyCellPhone.com) help you park your cell phone number so it's there for later use.

It's also likely you can put your number on vacation or on hold at your carrier without paying for traditional service in the meantime. You can even forward your cell phone number.

Learn more about cell phone number parking and forwarding in this new article!

Very niche cell phone offerings are getting more popular. Just as there is cell phone service targeted at seniors (i.e. Jitterbug and Consumer Cellular), there also is a carrier that's specifically formulated for parents and their kids: Kajeet.

Kajeet, which uses the Sprint network, is a prepaid and pay-as-you-go cell phone carrier that recently updated its plans for children.

Within AT&T, parents also have access to a service called "Smart Limits for Wireless". For a $4.99 monthly surcharge, the plan allows a parent to control many aspects of service for their kids.

Learn all about Kajeet for kids and AT&T's add-on feature in this new article!

The major contract-based cell phone carriers are AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. In the U.S., the standard penalty for breaking a cell phone service contract has been in the range of $150 to $200.

While signing a contract will typically lower the cost of the cell phone you buy, the design of the cancellation fee is to keep you with the carrier and demotivate you from switching to another.

Prepaid wireless, on the other hand, comes with no contracts. The no-contract carriers, though, can charge you more for your handset and tend to have less of a cell phone selection.

Verizon Wireless recently decided that it'll become even more strict with its contract-based consumer and business customers and among the highest in the industry with its cancellation fees.

As the FCC continues to debate whether or not cancellation fees are justified, Verizon Wireless announced last Thursday that its early termination fee (ETF) will double from $175 to $350 specifically for customers under a one- or two-year contract with an "advanced device".

A Verizon spokesman says these higher-end phones typically include "a combination of advanced capabilities that ... increase the cost of the device," according to PC Magazine.

"These capabilities can include a premium HTML browser; high-resolution ... camera with optical zoom; dual-processor chipsets; Wi-Fi; very high display resolution; and operating systems such as BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Palm or Android," the Verizon Wireless spokesman added.

The Verizon Wireless cancellation fee, though, does prorate and has done so since 2006. It decreases by $10 after each month of service has elapsed. T-Mobile and Sprint began prorating its cancellation fees later in 2007 and AT&T began doing so in May 2008.

"This is an attempt by Verizon Wireless to keep consumers from switching to prepaid carriers that are offering better value," Omar Abhari, senior vice president of operations for prepaid carrier PlatinumTel, said in a Friday statement.

Abhari added: "This is a short-term solution that only proves that contractual wireless plans are not in the consumer's best interest and that prepaid should be considered."

Information about most of the prepaid wireless carriers can be found here. Also, take our new Verizon Wireless poll below!

Page Plus Cellular, which is one of the many nationwide prepaid wireless carriers in the United States, offers low per-minute rates without contracts.

The mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), which uses the Verizon Wireless network, on Thursday announced that it's lowering the rate of its standard prepaid wireless voice plan even more.

Page Plus says its $10 replenishment card, which is the best-selling refill for its standard plan, will provide 100 minutes of talk time instead of the 83 minutes previously provided. The increase effectively lowers the per-minute rate from 12 cents to 10 cents.

The change will go into effect on Nov. 16, 2009.

In Oct. 2009, Page Plus Cellular launched its Talk n Text 1200 plan, which provides 1,200 voice minutes, 1,200 text or picture messages and 50 megabytes of data for $29.95 a month. In Aug. 2009, the carrier released its Unlimited Talk n Text plan for $39.95 a month.

While the Talk n Text options are monthly prepaid wireless plans, the standard plan is a pay-as-you-go service that can be refilled at any time in denominations of $10, $25, $50 or $80.

At its lowest rate, a Page Plus Cellular plan can get the cost down to 6 cents per minute. The minimum replenishment period is 120 days, which means a low-use customer can use the service for approximately $3 a month.

Learn more about the other prepaid wireless carriers here. Learn which networks the prepaid wireless carriers use here. More links about Page Plus Cellular are below.

1. Prepaid Wireless Carrier Ratings
   
2. Cheap Page Plus Texting

If you lose your cell phone, what you might be most upset about is losing all the data with it.

While services can't protect you from misplacing a phone, they can help you get some of it back by backing up your data to their servers.

CyberSynchs is one such service. The software installs on Windows-powered smartphones (but not cell phones) in about five minutes.

The service, which costs $2.99 per month, confidentially backs up a phone's accumulated data to a secure server. This includes photos, emails, text messages and music. If parents are using the service to monitor their children, they can log into CyberSynchs and review their kid's smartphone activity.

CyberSynchs, which currently supports the Windows Mobile 5 operating system and later versions of it, says it's working on compatibility with the iPhone and BlackBerry devices. Other services exist (like Treasuremytext) so you can backup your text messages, too.

My Phone from Microsoft also backs up data and competes with CyberSynchs. It even allows you to locate a lost phone. My Phone only works on "most phones" that run the Windows Mobile 6 operating system or later. The service is free.

Are you a cell phone master? If you think so, could you correctly answer multiple-choice questions about cell phone technologies?

Are you familiar with SMS, MMS, T9, QWERTY, Bluetooth, 1G, 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 4G, SAR, MVNO, GSM, CDMA, TDMA and EDGE?

Answer my 16 new test questions and find out in this fun and educational About.com quiz!

Hint: Keep your eyes closely peeled in this quiz. I sometimes have fun with you in these questions. At other times, I stick to the facts. Good luck!

You can thank the FCC for wireless local number portability.

The FCC mandate for WLNP requires a cell phone carrier to release your phone number if you decide to switch to a competing company.

But "porting" your number didn't used to be so easy and it didn't initially complete so quickly. To learn about the history of WLNP and everything you need to know before making the switch, read this new article about number portability.

As we learned last week, the Motorola DROID smartphone went on sale today exclusively at Verizon Wireless. After a $100 mail-in rebate, it's $199.99 with a two-year contract.

That's the typical price of a new, high-powered smartphone when it first goes on sale. This initial price tends to drop by $50 or so later. The DROID is the first smartphone powered by the upgraded Google Android 2.0 mobile operating system.

Android, which is Google's mobile operating system, has powered smartphones like the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and T-Mobile G1 (also known as the HTC Dream). The 6-ounce DROID now competes with the iPhone 3G S for AT&T and the Palm Pre for Sprint.

The high-speed 3G DROID by Motorola has a 3.7-inch touch screen, is one of the thinnest (0.5 of an inch) full-QWERTY sliders, has access to apps (currently about 12,000) on the Android Market, voice-activated search, a 5-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash, 16 gigabytes of storage space and a 6.4-hour battery.

Friday's announcement of the DROID's retail availability said that Verizon Wireless will feature demonstrations at select locations so customers can see it in action.

Also on Friday, Verizon Wireless will create a first-ever interactive experience in New York City called "DROID Does Times Square". This will let callers control two of Times Square's largest digital billboards (the NASDAQ and Reuters signs) using only voice commands.

An overview of the Motorola DROID for Verizon Wireless can be read here.

While AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless still focus on contract-based cell phone plans in exchange for subsidized handset prices, T-Mobile is increasingly strengthening its prepaid wireless offering.

T-Mobile on Oct. 25, 2009 released details on its long-rumored "Project Dark" in the form of new plans called "Even More" and "Even More Plus".

T-Mobile Even More plans require a two-year service contract and offer phone discounts. T-Mobile Even More Plus plans require no contract.

The Even More plans for individuals range from $39.99 a month with 500 anytime minutes to $59.99 a month with unlimited minutes.

Even More Plus plans for individuals range from $29.99 per month with 500 anytime minutes to $79.99 per month with unlimited voice minutes, texting and Web usage.

By comparison, other unlimited prepaid wireless plans include (in alphabetical order by carrier):

1. AT&T: $69.99 unlimited talk only. Available nationwide.
   
   
2. Boost Mobile: $50 unlimited talk, texting, mobile web and walkie-talkie (only on select phones). Available nationwide.
   
   
3. Cricket Wireless: $50 unlimited talk, texting and mobile Web with 30 minutes of roaming. Available in 7,500 cities.
   
   
4. Metro PCS: $45 unlimited talk, texting and mobile Web access. Available in about 11,000 U.S. cities.
   
   
5. PlatinumTel: $50 unlimited talk, texting and 100 megabytes of Web service with free roaming. Available nationwide.
   
   
6. Straight Talk: Walmart's $45 unlimited talk, texting, nationwide roaming (with exceptions) and Web service. Available nationwide in Walmart stores.
   
   
7. U.S. Cellular: $60 unlimited incoming calls and texting. Available nationwide.
   
   
8. Verizon Wireless: unlimited prepaid talk for $3.99 a day, which is approximately $119 a month. Available nationwide.

You can also see a visual matrix of prepaid plans as well as ratings on 30 prepaid carriers.

SMS text messaging, MMS picture messaging, T9 predictive text and QWERTY are all acronyms for different elements of cell phone messaging.

But how do they differ? What are the specifics of each? How did these technologies come to be? This new article will help you understand the difference between SMS, MMS, T9 and QWERTY.

You've probably used it, but you might not know what it's called, how it works and how it came to be.

T9 predictive texting makes SMS messaging faster especially for non-QWERTY cell phones without full keyboards.

But what does the acronym stand for? Which company invented it? What can advanced versions of T9 do?

For answers to these questions and more, read my new glossary entry on T9.

Some of us choose AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile or Verizon Wireless for their large coverage areas and wide phone selections.

Others choose prepaid wireless carriers for their lower-priced plans that come without contracts. The prepaid carriers, though, typically don't own and operate their networks.

Instead, they usually buy wholesale minutes from the major carriers and resell them to you at a lower retail price.

If you're sold on a major cell phone carrier in your area because of its coverage but wanting to use a lower-priced prepaid carrier, wouldn't it be nice to know which network you're actually using?

Sometimes it's clear which network a prepaid carrier is licensing and sometimes it's not. This new article simply lists which carrier you're actually using with a lower-cost prepaid carrier.

More and more, new cell phones and smartphones often come with "launch campaigns" designed to build buzz and drum up healthy sales.

A new list of the top 10 most-anticipated cell phone and smartphone launches was released on Wednesday by Wirefly, which is a reputable source for buying cell phones, plans and accessories. Wirefly is an authorized dealer for every major U.S. cell phone carrier.

Android, which is Google's mobile operating system, takes five of the 10 spots. Carriers are also trying to "capitalize on the success of older models [with] next-generation handsets that they hope [will] be just as popular," Wirefly says.

When About.com has already published details about the handsets on this list, the phones are linked to the corresponding information. Wirefly's top 10 most-anticipated cell phone and smartphone launches can be found below.

1. Motorola DROID (Verizon Wireless)
2. Motorola CLIQ MB200 (T-Mobile)
3. Samsung Moment (Sprint)
4. LG Chocolate Touch (Verizon Wireless): touch screen version of the iconic LG Chocolate
5. Samsung Behold II (T-Mobile)
6. HTC Desire 6200 (Verizon Wireless): Verizon's second Android-powered phone
7. Palm Pixi (Sprint)
8. BlackBerry Storm 2 (Verizon Wireless)
9. BlackBerry Bold 9700 (AT&T & T-Mobile)
10. LG Shine 2 (AT&T): the successor to the popular LG Shine

PlatinumTel, which announced new prepaid wireless service in New York City earlier this month, is expanding again.

The carrier announced on Thursday its expansion into Arizona, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas.

PlatinumTel is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). This means it doesn't have its own network infrastructure. Instead, PlatinumTel buys minutes wholesale from Sprint and sells them retail to you without contracts.

The carrier's weakest service is in the U.S. just west of Kansas. In addition, PlatinumTel has almost no coverage in Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.

Its prepaid wireless plans compete with Boost Mobile, Cricket, Virgin Mobile, Jitterbug, Consumer Cellular, Straight Talk and MetroPCS.

PlatinumTel has a pay-as-you-go plan with minutes as low as 6.7 cents along with unlimited voice and texting for $50 per month.

The carrier also offers a hybrid plan with add-on pricing for texting and mobile Web usage, various text messaging plan options as well as international rates as low as 2 cents per minute.

Learn about the PlatinumTel prepaid wireless plans in this compilation. You can also learn about prepaid wireless plans at the other no-contract carriers.

Android, which is Google's mobile operating system, has already powered smartphones like the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and T-Mobile G1 (also known as the HTC Dream).

We now have two new Android firsts with a handset called the Motorola DROID: the first smartphone based on the upgraded Android 2.0 operating system and the first Android device for Verizon Wireless rather than T-Mobile.

Verizon Wireless announced on Wednesday that the Motorola DROID will debut on Nov. 6, 2009 for $199 with a new two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. The T-Mobile myTouch 3G went on sale for $199 on Aug. 5, 2009.

The 6-ounce DROID is designed to rival the iPhone 3G S for AT&T and the Palm Pre for Sprint.

The new 3G phone has a 3.7-inch touch screen, is one of the thinnest (0.5 of an inch) full-QWERTY sliders, has access to apps (currently about 12,000) on the Android Market, a 5-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash, 16 gigabytes of storage space and a 6.4-hour battery.

Google has promised to release at least 18 handsets based on Android by the end of 2009, according to the New York Times.

Have you ever wanted to call someone from your cell phone without caller ID knowing your number? It's easy and free!

You have two choices with cell phone blocking. You can either do a permanent block or a temporary block on a call-by-call basis.

Temporary blocking, though, only works with individuals and businesses. It does not work with toll-free numbers and emergency services. Here are the simple and free steps for both choices.

While Consumer Cellular can work for anyone, the prepaid wireless plans and phones are targeted at senior citizens.

Consumer Cellular, which competes with all of the prepaid carriers, most closely rivals Jitterbug due to the focus on seniors by both carriers.

Seniors are offered benefits for AARP (a 5 percent monthly discount) and AAA memberships when joining Consumer Cellular. Jitterbug does not.

Are the low-cost, no-contract plans at Consumer Cellular right for you? Decide for yourself in my new Consumer Cellular plan compilation!

After the release of the popular Palm Pre for Sprint, Palm in Sept. 2009 announced its follow-up smartphone: the Palm Pixi. The Palm Pre has rivaled the iPhone 3G S and T-Mobile myTouch 3G.

We learn today that the Palm Pixi will be released for Sprint on Nov. 15, 2009 for $99.99 with a two-year contract and an applicable rebate. The Palm Pre is currently $149.99 with a contract and after a rebate.

In some ways, though, the Pixi can be viewed as a downgrade to the Pre. The Pixi's main differentiator is a BlackBerry-style full QWERTY keyboard on the face of the phone. The Palm Pre, on the other hand, has a slide-out full keyboard.

But the Pre has a 3.1-inch touch screen while the Pixi only has a 2.63-inch touch screen. That's because the Pixi is smaller than the Pre.

The Palm Pixi weighs in at a very light 3.26 ounces whereas the Palm Pre is 4.76 ounces. The Pixi is thinner, too. The Pixi is 0.43 inches thick with a height of 4.37 inches and a width of 2.17 inches. The Pre is 0.67 inches thick with a height of 3.9 inches and a width of 2.3 inches.

The Palm Pre has a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash and an extended depth of field whereas the Palm Pixi only has a 2-megapixel camera with an LED flash.

The Palm Pre has Wi-Fi (to get online at a local Starbucks, for example, instead of using the Sprint network) whereas the Palm Pixi does not.

Both have the same memory storage (8 gigabytes) and both are rated at 5 hours of talk time. The Pixi, though, is rated at 350 hours of standby time whereas the Pre is rated at 300 hours of standby time when not in use at all.

Most of the other features are the same on both handsets. Palm's Web site for the Pixi is here. More links about the phones are below.

1. Palm Pixi Announcement
2. Easy Palm Pre Battery Fix
3. Improve the Palm Pre's Battery Life
4. Palm Pre Rival: T-Mobile myTouch 3G
5. Report: iPhone 3G S Edges Out Palm Pre
6. iPhone 3G S vs. Palm Pre
7. Cost Comparison: iPhone 3G S vs. Palm Pre

Should you get cell phone insurance or is it a waste of money?

How much does it typically cost per month? What are the traditional deductibles for cell phone insurance? Did you know that one company is the licensed insurance agency for most of the major wireless carriers?

For answers to these questions and more, read my new guide on cell phone insurance!

Just because your cell phone runs out of storage space for your text messages doesn't mean you have to delete them.

Why not archive them online? For free? Forever? With Treasuremytext, now you can.

The (mostly free) service, which is a cinch to register for, assigns you a long-distance phone number that's good for the United States and Canada. You get a separate number for the United Kingdom and the rest of the world.

Then, just forward the SMS messages you want to save to this number. That's it! The service offers additional features and some fees may apply. Learn all about Treasuremytext!

Prepaid wireless carrier PlatinumTel continues making news today with its release of an all-in-one phone package for convenience stores.

The basic cell phones come pre-activated with 100 pre-loaded minutes. Convenience store owners can buy the pop-top displays with 10 phones for $150. PlatinumTel says each phone has a suggested retail price of $30.

PlatinumTel made the unveiling on Wednesday at the National Association for Convenience & Petroleum Retailing, which runs from Oct. 21 to 23, 2009 in Las Vegas. The carrier says its convenience store promotion ends on Dec. 31, 2009. The phones come with no contracts, no credit checks and nationwide coverage.

PlatinumTel, which is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that uses the Sprint network, is a nationwide prepaid wireless provider. It operates on a high-speed 3G network and can reach 280 million people, according to PlatinumTel.

The packages display two of the carrier's plans: Unlimited Talk & Text for $50 per month and a Dot10 pay-as-you-go plan for 6.7 to 10 cents per minute. There's no word yet on which convenience stores will carry these packages.

All of the PlatinumTel prepaid and pay-as-you-go plans can be found here. All of the prepaid and pay-as-you-go plans at AT&T, Boost Mobile, Cricket, Jitterbug, Straight Talk, T-Mobile, TracFone and Virgin Mobile can be found here.