Selecting the best mobile internet provider has become a tricky business, as there are so many operators offering a myriad of deals for you to wrap your head round. Contract lengths are getting longer and longer, with providers wanting to lock you into a contract for as long as 2 years. Finding the right deal has therefore become quite a complicated task.

Here are some tips for fining the best mobile internet deals.

Usage:

First it is important that you ascertain how much data you will need on your mobile internet contract. You have the choice to take up an unlimited mobile internet package but for this luxury you will no doubt be paying a premium. If you happen to be a casual user who is more interested in checking emails occasionally rather than downloading and watching video content on your mobile, taking a limited data package will save you a lot of money in the long run. The average mobile phone user uses roughly 250mb per month, so picking a contract with 500mb should be enough for most users.

For those who intend to take an unlimited mobile internet contract, it is vital that you read the service providers small print to discover whether they employ a fair usage policy. Fair usage policies allow the network to cap your internet if you are using too much data at certain points of the day. Look for providers that offer a truly unlimited internet service.

Tethering:

Some users like to make the most of their mobile internet packages by tethering their phone to their laptop, allowing users to turn their mobile phone into a wireless hub. If you intend on utilising this function, you should most definitely invest in the best mobile phone deals that offer unlimited internet as data usage can escalate very quickly.

Internet speeds:

Many network providers advertise inflated ‘high speeds’ for their mobile internet services, when in reality these statistics are only based on ‘optimal performance figures’. The only real way to discover if these figures are realistic is to scour the internet and forums for user reviews and mobile internet speed check statistics.

Customer service:

Mobile phone network providers are renowned for poor customer service. If you intend to take a contract that spans over 2 years it is essential that you research which network provider offers the best customer service. Nothing is more annoying than having to deal with a provider who takes months to get things done. Choosing the right provider will inevitably save you hours of waiting and arguing.

Once you have researched all your needs, it is best to visit many different network providers’ websites to see the best deals available. Using non established mobile phone providers can save you considerable amounts of money but these services are never guaranteed to be good for everyone as network coverage will vary from area to area.

Tech in Motion: Philadelphia, an inclusive group of local tech lovers and enthusiasts, is having their first event on May 10, 2012.

This group of geeks will discuss how to improve efficiency and scaling in the cloud. They won’t be talking about rain. Weathermen should not come, unless they are interested in hearing Phil Ives talk about his 14 years of experience delivering mass appeal consumer facing technology or Don Norbeck talk about long term product strategy.

Cloud Reality: Improving Efficiency and Scaling in the Cloud Environment
Thursday, May 10, 2012, 6:00 PM

Offices are places of work. They’re usually set up for practicality and function. They’re full of cubicles, fluorescent lights, and water coolers. The offices of an eCommerce vendor would seem to follow in that tradition, but WebLinc is no ordinary company. Based in Old City, the company has two offices on 3rd street both with interesting features that would bring out the inner geek of any jaded office worker.

Darren Hill was kind enough to show me around WebLinc’s offices. It turns out tailoring eCommerce solutions for clients is easier when there’s a ready supply of caffeinated beverages, arcade games, and Nerf guns. It doesn’t hurt being above National Mechanics either.

The office space above National Mechanics is devoted to WebLinc’s developers. Developers are programming geeks. These are the guys who write the back end code for e-commerce solutions. They’re also known to break out into Nerf gun battles. I was lucky enough to visit during a cease fire, but if anything went down I made sure to note the location of a Nerf shield to deflect any stray darts.

WebLinc’s other office on 3rd street has a storefront that looks like a demented butcher shop. It’s twisted and a little sick, exactly the look that Darren was going for in historical Old City. I always wondered what odd people occupied this storefront in Old City. It’s WebLinc.

This space houses mostly project management employees so there’s less of a threat of taking an errant dart from an over caffeinated developer. But there was a higher threat of cardiac arrest from trucking up all the funky stairwells. I am out of shape.

Darren explained how a lot of the features of the office are to instill creativity and productivity. The whiteboard walls are great for jotting down ideas or collaborating with coworkers. The red telephone booth rooms provide privacy when taking conference calls. The televisions in the bathroom? Those are for multitasking.

Based on what I saw, WebLinc’s digs give any red blooded geek office envy. Scope out some more pics in the Flickr gallery or in the slideshow below.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Deals on the Way is a nifty Chrome Extension that integrates into Google Maps and aggregates data from deal sites to help you find discounted food and entertainment in your local area.

Once you install the extension, ask Google for directions and you’ll see a button that opens up a window offering up discounted gift certificates, event tickets and vouchers.  You can even customize the deals that you see by modifying the filters across the six categories and the 50+ sub-categories.

Here’s a video of how it works:

Deals on the Way from Aksel Gungor on Vimeo.

The “on the Way” part of the name represents the idea that you can find deals even when you’re traveling outside of Philly.  We know you would NEVER leave Philly, but let’s pretend you were shipped out of town for work.  Instead of eating at the crappy hotel restaurant and watching reruns of Family Guy on TV, you can use this site to find something interesting and different without having to sign up for a plethora of local deal sites.  Heck, it can even help you find something interesting right here in Philly!

The group that created the extension, Ridaroo, is a local Philly-based start-up run by a group of Drexel graduates.

Website design has gone from something very complicated that you needed to hire someone to do for you to something almost anyone can do for themselves. And WordPress is a big part of the reason why.

Started in 2003 as a free, open source blogging tool, it now powers millions of websites across the internet and makes setting up a website as easy as a download and a few clicks. But one of the great things about the platform is that you can customize and tweak it as much as you like, or keep it simple and just start posting.

If you ever wanted to know more about WordPress, Philly Tech Week has you covered.

The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philly WordPress Meetup group are presenting WordPress for Beginners & Intermediates, presentations designed to get you rolling and working with the platform. The Beginners presentation will cover posting content, handling comments and working with video and audio. The Intermediates presentation will go over creating themes and plugins and what exactly that entails.

So be at the Philadelphia Inquirer’s building (400 N Broad St, Philadelphia) at 6:00 PM on April 25th. It will cost you $10 and you do have to register, but it will be worth every penny if you want to know the ins and outs of WordPress and what it can do for you.

WordPress for Beginners & Intermediates
April 25th, 6pm, $10
www.phillytechweek.com/events/WordPress_for_Beginners-Intermediates

Philly Tech Week
www.phillytechweek.com

Our frienemies over at Technically Media (publishers of Technically Philly) have just launched a Philly-specific URL shortener: ph.ly and along with it, a weekly email newsletter.

Brownstoner.com, Brooklyn’s leading site for real estate and neighborhood news, started a Philadelphia edition back in early 2010. Along with it, they launched ph.ly which was a URL-shortener that could be used for anything (it mirrored the now-defunct bk.ly which they launched the year prior for Brooklynites).

Unfortunately by the end of 2010, Brownstoner’s presence in Philly was no more. And without philly.brownstoner.com, they took down ph.ly. “They had launched a Philly URL shortener, to their credit, before we did, and so when they took theirs down, rather than reinvent the wheel, we figured we’d just use that domain in a bigger way.” says Christopher Wink of Technically Media.

That bigger way will include a Philly newsletter. They’re making the attempt to see if people of Philadelphia would value having a once-weekly curated email of “the three biggest, most important pieces of journalism for the city that week.” Wink continued, “If there is enough interest, we’ll dedicate staff time to create it, in the hopes of growing a dialogue of Philadelphians who have a common set of facts by knowing about the biggest stories from vetted content creators, regardless of whether they’re legacy, independent or individuals.”

So, with that in mind, Technically Media sees ph.ly being used in two ways: 1) for a beautiful, shortened URL that pays homage to our great city 2) to deliver “the most important stories that we as Philadelphians should know about.”

“We won’t sell your email and you can unsubscribe anytime. Just once a week, free, a great collection of important stories. Let’s see if we can help better unite together.” says Wink. That being said, Technically Media hopes to have 5,000 sign ups by the end of April. I suggest you immediately check out ph.ly and get on board.

If the team behind Technically Philly sets out to curate other’s news for a newsletter, I guarantee it’ll undoubtedly be relevant and important.

Consider yourself an expert on something? Don’t give away that information for free. Local startup, Quewey is about to shake things up from their homebase in Rittenhouse Square. Utilizing the LinkedIn API as a method to verify professional standing, Quewey aims to create a business-oriented community that will connect knowledge keepers with knowledge seekers.

According to Quewey:

Quewey founder Matthew Safaii noticed the way people gathered business information online was often inefficient and the answers they found were not always credible or easily cited. Not only was he more likely to get the answers he need from his own network, but also the people in it had the time on their hands to go in depth. From there, Matthew sought to bring a network of business professionals together, and Quewey was born.

Users can ask or answer any business question in the Quewey community: from entrepreneurs looking for advice on how to start their company or manage their growing brand to students looking for career guidance. “The process of gathering business information has always been time consuming, and answers can be hard to verify,” said Matthew Safaii, founder of Quewey. “Think of Quewey like your own personal rolodex of subject matter experts, who will help streamline your work flow and answer any business-related questions you have.”

Sounds cool right? Visit Quewey.com and sign up for the private beta.

Don’t talk about “Puck Man’

Geeks and Valentines Day are two things that have never really gone together in most peoples’ eyes, kind of like geeks and anything that has to do with an athletic activity. But the truth is that a lot of us do date.

But what if you are in the extremely rare situation of dating a non-geek? What if the person you are going to spend Valentines Day with doesn’t know the X-Men from Mad Men? What if they couldn’t tell you the difference between Star Wars and Star Trek, neither of which they have seen because they just don’t “get it”?

This was the very situation I found myself in when I began dating the woman who would eventually become my wife. She is about as much of a non-geek as I am a geek, which if you have read my writing on Geekadelphia should tell you something.

I thought that with Valentines Day upon us I would share a few tips if you happen to find yourself dating a non-geek.

Your personal soundtrack t-shirt is a no go.

Tip 1: No ‘Geek Articles of Clothing

Yes, I know you are very proud of your Think Geek t-shirt collection and your G.I. Joe Destro tie and your Nintendo controller belt buckle. But Valentines Day is not the time for it. Leave that stuff in the closet and dress like you have no idea how many Gears of War games have been released.

Tip 2: Take Your Date to a Place that Does Not Have a Napkin Dispenser!

Listen, I know being a geek is a ridiculously expensive hobby. Most comic books are over $4 each, a new video game costs over $60 and anime Blu-rays are not much less. But Valentines Day is not the time to be cheap. A non-geek will simply not understand that you need to save money because you have to have the Final Fantasy XIII-2 limited edition that is coming out soon.

Make a reservation and take your date someplace nice that has, you know, plates and stuff. And whatever you do, DO NOT use a coupon! Nothing says “cheap bastard” like whipping out a 10% off coupon on a date.

Nope, sorry Brave New Worlds

Tip 3: A Trip to the Comic Book Store is Not a Date!

Like many of you, I am a comic book fan. I can think of nothing better than spending a few hours at the local comic shop, picking up some new releases and chatting with my fellow fanboys. However, if you are dating a non-geek, this is not, and should never be, a date.

My wife and I were dating at least a year before I took her for her first trip to the comic book store, and that was just as a trial. If you take a non-geek to a comic book store as a date and expect them to have a good time, you are on a one way road to Aloneville, population you. And this goes for video game stores, anime conventions and the like.

Tip 4: Let Them Pick the Movie!

Picking a movie to go see or to rent can be a tricky situation even for geek couples, but it becomes next to impossible if one of the parties is a non-geek, especially on Valentines Day. You may think the romance between Han Solo and Princess Leia is romantic as hell, but you would be wrong. And the Aragorn/Arwen relationship does not mean that it’s a perfect time for a Lord of the Rings marathon. Play it safe and let the non-geek pick the movie, you can suffer for two hours. I mean, you watched Green Lantern, didn’t you?

No!

Tip 5: A Magic: The Gathering Starter Deck is Not a Good Valentines Day Gift!

You are looking for a gift for your sweetie for Valentines Day. You think to yourself “Hey! I know! I’ll get him/her a Magic starter deck and teach him/her how to play. That way we can have fun together and she’ll understand why I spend every Tuesday and Friday night at the game store playing.” Yeah, nice thought but doomed from the start. I tried this idea with my wife, thinking it would bring us closer. Instead we didn’t speak for four days and now just refer to it as “The Magic Incident”. This also applies to Dungeons & Dragons, Halo, Fullmetal Alchemist DVDs and anything else having to do with your geek lifestyle. Sharing is great, just not on Valentines Day.

And there you have it; 5 tips to help you get through Valentines Day with your non-geek partner. Dating a non-geek can be rough and filled with pitfalls. It is not easy. And remember, dealing with a geek like yourself as a boyfriend/girlfriend has a set of issues all its own. But if you care about the person, it will be worth it in the end. Even if you do have to sit through season after season of The Bachelor and Private Practice because “I like it when we watch TV together”. Not that I know anyone like that…

Painting by the lovely Britt Miller

When the president tells you to do something, you do it. Luckily for us, our POTUS is also a Geek in Chief, and recently launched a tourism-boosting initiative called #visitUS, tying together the White House’s tricked-out Foursquare page and multitude of social media accounts.

We’ve been dreaming of a Philadelphia foursquare badge for years, but now that’s a real possibility. Foursquare’s jumping on the #visitUS train, asking users to curate city-specific lists with the best hometown spots the world should know about. From now until Feb. 3, you’ve got a chance to create your own visitors’ guide, add tips, photos and gain followers. Foursquare will then pick the three most amazing lists and create city badges for them (Move over Seattle!)

We’ve made two lists and hope you’ll follow them (we promise there are only a few tourist traps). To help us make the Brotherly Love or Geekadelphia badges a reality, we’d love it if you share with friends, check in, tweet, shout, hashtag, Facebook, e-mail, blog, send smoke signals and @-reply the mayor. Then head to the streets and check out the venues for yourself!

GEEKADELPHIA: Geekiest Places in Philly! Philadelphia has such a vibrant techie and creative community. You can’t ignore innovation that goes all the way back to Ben Franklin! We’ve curated 30 of our favorite geeky spots.

Badge of Brotherly Love: Must-see places to eat, visit, see, learn, explore and experience in Philadelphia, from historical venues to gourmet restaurants to boutique shopping.

Think you’d like to try it for yourself? See below the jump for instructions on how to make your own list.

1. Go to Foursquare.com/lists and create a list with your city name and the hashtag #visitUS.

2. Add 20-30 of your town’s best spots, with a variety of venues like your favorite bars and restaurants, monuments, museums and shops.

3. Fill out your list with useful tips and photos.

4. Promote and gain followers!

5. Submit your list here by Feb. 3.

We tend to avoid politics here on Geekadelphia, but when a local talent creates something this awesome… well, we just can’t resist. Plus I think I recognize the dude playing the computer.

Produced by Ritz Reynolds (The Roots, Mac Miller) and shot/edited by Dan King at Stupid Easy, Firewall is Leah Kauffman’s tender ode to the Internet. A lot of you might know Leah from her work over at Phrequency, or perhaps from her viral Obama Girl videos. She wrote the music for that, you know. From Kauffman:

Senate and Congress are debating bills (Protect IP Act + Stop Online Piracy Act) that would allow federal law enforcement to seek court orders compelling ISPs and search engines to filter domain names and block websites merely accused of copyright infringement. This will force websites to censor their users. Our first amendment rights are at stake here. Visit americancensorship.org for more information.

The video is making the rounds across the Internet, popping up on CNET, Boing Boing, etc. Let’s see how popular this thing can get. You can scope out the video here and share it with your friends. Nice work Leah. And dude playing the computer… he’s awesome.