15 Websites / Services I'd Actually Pay For

One measure of a service’s utility and stickiness is its ability to charge for usage. Consequently, I regularly find myself asking, “Is this important enough to me that I’d pay for it?”

Here are some of the services / sites where that answer is yes… And what I’d be willing to pay: Gmail: I’d pay to keep my Gmail account more because the switching cost is high than because of the functionality. That switching cost is painful enough that I’d spend $75 to prevent it. I will likely end up paying for increased storage too.

Google Maps: Love Google Maps for my Blackberry. Telenav is $9.99 / mo and offers greater functionality – I’d likely pay $10 to download Google Maps or some nominal monthly fee. If Google Maps added navigational directions, I would pay $10 / month.

Wordpress.org: The benefit of blogging with WP is so significant (SEO, functionality, flexibility) that it’s well worth paying for. I’d probably pay a $200 for an installation… which makes me realize how much I rely on the product.

Google Analytics: If Google analytics weren’t free, I would unhappily pay a monthly fee to install it ($10) because, despite my disdain for the interface and lack of real-time metrics, it really is a necessity.

Google Analytics w/ Real Time Data: I would certainly pay extra for real-time Google Analytics.

Slimstat: Slimstat is a free Wordpress plugin that delivers real-time analytics. I would pay $40 to install it.

Slimstat “Premium”: … And I’d pay a lot more if Slimstat offered a model with unlimited data capturing / storage (the basic one shows the last ‘n’ records). I would pay $100 / domain.

Mint Analytics: I gladly paid $40 to install Mint on my domains. Great data and great interface.

Craigslist: I would pay for premium listings on Craigslist (if they introduced some sort of featured ads format) and I’ve paid the jobs listing fees before (many times).

Amazon Prime: I spend enough on Amazon that they gave me Amazon Prime for free when it first launched. Considering that I buy my groceries, toiletries, electronics, dog food, etc on it – I’d pay for Prime if Amazon forced me to.

iStockPhoto Premium: I love iStockPhoto – but it’s a pain to purchase credits. I’d pay for a premium account that enables power-usage.

MLB.tv: MLB is the only major sport that has truly adopted the web and their radio and video streaming is fantastic. I already pay for the service (estimates: $14.99 for radio broadcast of all games,$99-$179 for video)

Podcasts / On-demand Radio: There are certain podcasts and radio shows that I would pay to be able to download in entirety. For instance, I love The Thundering Herd on ESPN Radio but it streams too early on the west coast for me to catch it – and the Podcast only captures 30 minutes of the broadcast. I would pay $5-$10 a month to listen to it on-demand, in its entirety (price depends on whether or not ads are in the broadcast). The same can be said for Tony Bruno and JT the Brick.

eLance: I love eLance. Use it all the time. They choose to charge the service provider – but if they reversed it, I would pay on a per-listing basis. The price depends on the project, but a nominal amount ($5?).

ESPN360: It’s the only way that I can catch Duke games without leaving work at 3pm pst... I’d pay either per game or per month ($5-10) for the service. I’d pay a whole lot more if they could include MLB, NFL and NBA (would start to challenge my Comcast bill).

Blackberry 9000 Video - First Look is Impressive

If you haven't yet switched over to an iPhone (like me), you are probably excited for the new Blackberry 9000. The first videos look great... although the presenter makes a terrific point: this is not a revolutionary phone. Rather, it's evolutionary.

The interface, OS and form are all revamped - but are essentially improvements. I am excited about a couple things:

- a faster OS (huge need) - the screen (looks amazingly crisp) - video capture (the camera improvements look great)

Not excited about the size. I much prefer the Curve to the 8800. It doesn't look much different, but the 8800 is far bulkier. I also want to know more about the internet browser (desperately needs the ability to run multiple browsers) and what native apps the 9000 comes with.

Blackberry KickStart (Flip Phone) Pics Arrive... On Heels of Blackberry 9000

I am definitely more excited about the forthcoming Blackberry 9000, but BoyGenius has confirmed pictures of a new Blackberry flip phone called the KickStart. It's due out by the end of 2008. I can't imagine going back to a clamshell - but I like that Blackberry is offering different styles and formats in an effort to capture the non-corporate user. The Pearl has been a big success.

Of course if the iPhone 3G for under $200 rumor is true... I might become a convert...?!

Widgetbox Widgetizes Your iPhone, Redesigns Widgetbox.com

Two exciting new launches from Widgetbox:

1. If you have an iPhone (unlike my), you can now place widgets directly on your home-screen. There are currently 16 widgets available - but more are coming! iPhone users can go to http://iphone.widgetbox.com to get started.

Read more on TechCrunch, WebWare, and Mashable.

2. We redesigned Widgetbox.com. It's much more dynamic - and frankly, it's much more fun. You can now browse through our 50,000 widgets with a variety of different sorts (for instance, take a look at the hottest widgets page).

Breaking: Blackberry 9000 Specs Revealed

My entire office now has iPhones and I really am one of the last remaining Blackberry addicts... and any slim chance of turning my Blackberry over for an iPhone just went out the window. Specs of the new 9000 series were revealed by the always-great Boy Genius:

* Everything we reported was true. 624MHz processor, 480×320 screen, GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G, etc. * The web browser flies. "Loads web pages in 3-4 seconds." * The BlackBerry 9000 in its current state runs OS 4.5 * Early launch date was slated for a consumer AT&T launch on June 18th. Remember that we predicted the device was delayed. See below. * The battery lasts around 4 hours with straight phone calling. "Battery sucks, to be honest. With Wi-Fi on, I only got a little less than two hours browsing the web," and all testers are reporting huge battery issues which could be why we’re all hearing it is delayed. * We’re not sure of the next part, but he said that the device either has 256MB of internal memory or 128MB. Don’t ask why we couldn’t tell the difference.

Update: AlleyInsider disagrees with me... strongly And CrunchGear is somewhere between us

Blackberry Suffers 3rd Outage in 9 Months... UGH

Blackberry is suffering from it's 3rd service outage in 9 months - and it's second in as many weeks... hopefully this isn't a trend.

While the outage was noticeable, everything is running 'relatively' smoothly now - although I did notice spottiness over the weekend. My emails were arriving in delayed clumps and at one point AT&T deactivated the email service despite the voice and data plans running normally (error message "User Suspended"). In other news, I plan on calling AT&T and upgrading to the $99 Unlimited Voice Plan first thing on Feb 22.

PhoneMag is reporting: "Beginning at 3am this morning, apparently around 80-percent of all BlackBerry devices in the continental US have been affected by the issue, with the fault spanning networks and models."

My Verizon Envy is Gone - AT&T Unveils $99.99 Unlimited Voice Plan!

When Verizon released their plans for a $99 all-you-can-talk plan, I instantly wrote that it was tempting enough to lure me away from AT&T. I concluded that I'd wait a little to see AT&T's reaction... and here it is: unlimited voice for $99.99.

I assume that it will be a lengthy, confusing call to AT&T customer service to get them to switch my account over - but the threat of leaving for Verizon should we powerful enough... right?

$99.99 unlimited voice + $20/$30/$40 data package $20 = unlimited data and 200 texts $30 = unlimited data and 1500 texts $40 = unlimited data and unlimited texts

SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 19, 2008 -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) announced today new unlimited voice plans targeted to wireless users who want the predictability of flat rate pricing for unlimited minutes. The plans will be available to new and existing wireless subscribers for $99.99 a month for unlimited U.S. calling on all devices with no domestic roaming or long distance charges. The plans can be combined with any current wireless data plan to give customers the ultimate in wireless freedom.

The new plans, available Feb. 22, can be ordered at one of AT&T's 2,200 company-owned retail stores and kiosks, at www.att.com, or at one of the thousands of authorized AT&T retail locations. Existing customers can choose unlimited calling without extending their contract. New customers have the option of a month-to-month, 12 or 24 month contract.

As with other voice calling plans, AT&T customers can choose from a variety of MEdia Net and messaging plans to meet their needs. For example, customers with standard wireless phones* can choose a data plan such as $5 for 200 text, picture, video and instant messages or $35 for unlimited messaging and MEdia Net access.

"We are pleased to offer our customers these great new plans that deliver value and simplified pricing," said Ralph de la Vega, president & CEO, AT&T Mobility. "This is a highly competitive market and we're committed to moving fast to meet customer needs."

AT&T customers benefit from the nation's largest digital voice and data network, with 3G broadband available in more than 260 major metropolitan markets. The company recently announced plans to expand its 3G network to 350 markets, including all of the top 100.

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com

More reading: USAToday, Valleywag, BoyGenius

Do I now have Verizon-Envy? Verizon Unveils Unlimited Voice Plan for $99

I never thought I would say this... but I officially have Verizon envy.

Don't get me wrong - I love my Blackberry Curve, AT&T has great customer service and, in the bay area, the service is consistently good....

BUT - AT&T is ridiculously expensive. Compare the voice, data and sms packages to T-Mobile and other carriers and it's rather sickening. And while T-Mobile has great prices, their service in the bay area is spotty to say the least... leaving me with AT&T for the last four years. But now Verizon has unveiled an unlimited voice plan for $99 / month and that makes me start to wonder what it would take to move my business over.

My three biggest priorities in choosing a carrier: 1) reliability of service 2) cost 3) flexibility (I despise two-year contracts and would pay a premium for freedom)

I'll wait to see if AT&T gets competitive... but have already started thinking about what a switch would entail.

Comparing TeleNav GPS and Google Maps Mobile - Why I'm Canceling My TeleNav Account

I have been a TeleNav subscriber for close to a year now and have turned many friends on the service. I also have had Google Maps Mobile installed on my Blackberry since it launched. I find myself using them at different points and for different needs - and while I prefer TeleNav, I am actually canceling my subscription to the service... here's is a breakdown of the services and why:

- Google Maps is free; TeleNav is $9.99 / month

- Google Maps gives you directions from the inputted location; TeleNav gives complete directions based on your movements. Directions come with street view maps, are spoken clearly by the application and adjust based on traffic / routing

- Google Maps is a smaller application and consequently runs faster; TeleNav often requires system restarts and can take a while to load

- I have never had a problem with Google Maps GPS; Telenav's GPS seems to require a system restart 25% of the time (which kills the instant gratification of these features)

- While TeleNav routing is far superior, Google Maps' business search is much more effective

- Neither mapping system provides a GPS system for walking or biking - which kills me. They route for vehicles

At the end of the day, I prefer TeleNav's routing system enough that it warrants $9.99 / month... assuming you use it enough. While vacationing, I use TeleNav with regularity; but since moving to San Francisco, I've found myself walking and biking daily (while not using my car on a weekly basis)... as such, Google Maps is sufficient.

Perhaps TeleNav should release a lite version or a pay per usage. I would even reconsider if they offered non-vehicular routing and solved the "weak GPS" errors that occur more-and-more often.