T-Mobile's latest UnCarrier move: removing employer discounts

Over the past year, T-Mobile's new policies have ushered in a new wave of changes to the way the US wireless industry works. It was the first national operator to introduce phone-financing plans, early upgrades and free international roaming; additionally, it also offers to pay your cancellation fee if you break another carrier's contract to move over. It appears that such practices must come at a cost: CEO John Legere announced that beginning April 1st, T-Mobile will no longer offer its Advantage Program, which features monthly emp loyer rate plan discounts, to new customers. Existing beneficiaries will see the deduction removed from their accounts on April 25th. As a consolation, affected subscribers will now receive a $25 reward card every time they get a new phone.

First, we'll dive into what this entails. Most wireless operators broker deals with corporations in which employees of that company get a percentage Deal News on their monthly rate plan -- often, the discount increases as more employees sign up for service. Typically these incentives will range from 5 percent to as much as 30 percent. By removing them, many customers may find themselves with a noticeable change to their bill. If you're a government employee (including military), you're exempt from this transition and you'll continue to receive your usual discount.

In a blog post, Legere explained his reasoning behind the change:

"The old programs were designed to help big carriers close big corporate contracts, with employees as bargaining chips. We aren't playing that game anymore. This change is about simplifying wireless for everyone ... including employees of small and large companies alike."

Legere maintains that despite this move, the value of T-Mobile's Simple Choice plans are still much better than "the other guys." Unsurprisingly, he's positioning this modification as another in a string of UnCarrier initiatives to prove that his company's changing the game by separating itself from the rest of the industry. In a series of tweets to disgruntled customers, Legere answered concerns by saying that not all of T-Mobile's customers could take advantage of these discounts, and he wanted to apply the cost savings to the entire subscriber base instead of reserving them for exclusive deals.

Many of the company's earlier changes have been immensely successful -- Simple Choice, Jump! and unlimited international text plans are just a few examples. But there are also a few recent policy changes that haven't been as popular: Last month T-Mobile adjusted its Jump! early upgrade plans so you could only upgrade once you've paid off half of your phone, and earlier this month it bumped unlimited data rates up $10.

Arguably, these aforementioned changes may simply be side effects of those UnCarrier moves that have proven quite successful. After all, incentives (such as free international data) come with their fair share of costs, and T-Mobile needs to compensate for those losses somehow -- especially since Legere announced that the company would continue adding more UnCarrier plans in the future. "This is just one more step in the [UnCarrier] movement," he said. "And, we're not done yet."

[Image credit: Getty Images]

Kindle Fire Sale: Amazon Tablets Starting at $119

Not one to shy away from discounting its own tablets, Best Buy has knocked down the prices of its Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HDX tablets for a limited time.

You can grab the entry-level Kindle Fire HD 7″ for just $119 for the 8GB version, which is $20 off from the regular price. As for the flagship Kindle Fire HDX slates, the 7-inch model can be had for $199 for the 16GB version, while the 8.9-inch variant starts at $339. This is a $30 and $40 discount, respectively.

The most recent Kindle sale was just earlier this week, when Staples knocked off $30 from Kindle ereaders and tablets, but this is the first time in almost two months that Amazon itself has had its Kindle Fire lineup on sale, where it discounted its Kindle Fire HDX for Valentine's Day.

Of course, the discounted prices are with Special Offers intact, meaning that you'll see advertisements here and there, but you certainly can't beat the price. If you can handle the occasional ad, $119 is a fantastic price for a decent tablet, and it's pretty much an instant buy considering you're only paying that much dough for something that you'll get a ton of use out of if you take advantage of Amazon's various services regularly.

The Kindle Fire HDX is the newest addition to the Kindle lineup, coming with faster internals and a higher-resolution display, as well as a new customer support feature called MayDay, which allows you to immediately get on the horn with an Amazon customer support rep through your Kindle Fire HDX tablet in case you're having any troubles.

The Kindle Fire HD and HDX have been discounted several times this year, and Amazon has never been shy about chopping the price on its own hardware. You can usually take advantage of Kindle hardware sales throughout the year, so there's almost no reason not to wait for a good deal on a Kindle ereader or Kindle Fire tablet.

Based in Indiana, Craig covers a variety of mobile technology topics, but focuses on iOS and the jailbreaking scene. You can follow Craig on Twitter or shoot him an email at [email protected] .

News Briefs - March 26

CPCS MEETING

The Citizens to Preserve the Character of Skaneateles is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 26 at the Skaneateles Historical Society Museum at the Creamery. The public is invited to attend. For more information, call 685-8336.

SUPPORT GROUP

The kickoff meeting of The Peregrine Way support group is slated to take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27 at The Athenaeum, 150 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles. Gatherings will take place on the last Thursday of every month from 6-7 p.m., and the group is open to all caregivers to share ideas and suggestions while supporting each other. For more information, call 685-1400.

PARENTS' NIGHT OUT

The Skaneateles YMCA and Community Center will host Parents' Night Out programs Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m. The program will run March 28. A snack of pizza and drinks will be served, along with non-stop activity. Space is limited, and the cost is $10 per child and $25 per family for Y members and $20 per child and $35 per family for the general public.

LADIES TEA

The Athenaeum, 150 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles, will host Ladies Tea at 2 p.m. Friday, March 28 with a special presentation by the Museum of Science and Technology on "The Apothecary." The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested. Call 685-1400 for more information.

COMMUNITY DINNER

A free community dinner will be held at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church, 4264 Jordan Road, Mottville, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29. The menu consists of chicken and biscuits, garden salad, hot and cold beverages, and desserts. Everyone is welcome to come celebrate spring. The dinner is sponsored by the church's Mission/Outreach Committee.

EARTH HOUR

Sustainable Skaneateles and EarthWorks are slated to host their second annual celebration of Earth Hour, starting at 6:45 p.m. Saturday, March 29 with a showing of the film "The City Dark" in the parish hall at St. James Episcopal Church. The event will then move to Thayer Park to celebrate Earth Hour 2014 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Attendees are asks to bring their own reusable mug, as the Skaneateles High School Environmental Club will provide complimentary hot chocolate. Both the film and the Earth Hour celebration are free and open to the public.

ATHENAEUM GOSPEL MUSIC

The Athenaeum, 150 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles, will host a gospel music concert featuring musicians from The Vineyard at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 30. The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 685-1400.

APRIL ART DISPLAY

Gallery 54, 54 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles, will feature the work of Wayne Schapp and David Goldman throughout April. Schapp creates one-of-a-kind heritage boxes from aged and weathered pieces of wood and gnarly root systems. Goldman creates sculptural clocks and tape dispensers from vintage and extinct mechanical machines. Goldman will demonstrate his methods for repurposing, designing and assembling his sculptures from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 12.

FIRST FRIDAY AT SNAKE OIL

Snake Oil Glassworks will host its next First Friday event from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 4. The gaffer will demonstrate how bowls and plates are made.

TURKEY FEATHERS

From noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, Connie Smith will demonstrate painting on turkey feathers at Gallery 54. 54 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles. Smith paints realistic images of wild animals on turkey tail feathers. Gallery 54 carries her pieces, including images of deer, salmon, wolves, bear, loons, and cardinals.

SUMMER THEATRE BENEFIT

Skaneateles Summer Theatre is scheduled to present its annual Evening of Broadway Romance dinner cabaret at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 5 at the Welch Allyn Lodge in Skaneateles Falls. Hors d'oeuvres, dinner, dessert and coffee will be served in between musical sets. Tickets cost $50 per person, and reservations can be made online at showtix4u.com or by calling727-4614. Tables of 8 and 10 can be reserved.

This year's theme is Fools for Love, showcasing show tunes that represent the amusing or unusual side of love. Starting off the evening with "Razzle Dazzle" from the musical "Chicago," the group will feature voices singing solos, duets, trios and several ensemble numbers. The group will end the evening with a preview of this summer's SST production of "Shrek." Cast members include Skaneateles Summer Theatre veterans Karen Bartlett, Mary Jo Clary, Meg Clary, Steve Condie, Janet Kringer, Jeffrey Kringer, Kristy Schroeder, Pam Spear, Alex Spear, and Josh and Cait Wilmot and features Anna Egert, SST's accompanist.

This event helps fund the annual Skaneateles Summer Theatre summer production, which is in its 17th year.

PROFESSIONAL RESCUER

The Skaneateles YMCA and Community Center will offer an American Red Cross CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer Review Class at a cost of $90. The course will take place from 9 a.m to 12:30 p.m. April 6, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 11, or from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 1.

WELLNESS TALKS

Mirbeau Inn & Spa, 851 W. Genesee St., Skaneateles, is presenting a new series of Wellness Talks led by Melissa Weinberger of Nuravita Chiropractic, Yoga & Wellness Care in Skaneateles. With topics ranging from overcoming fatigue to the scoop on reading food labels and GMOs, guests will gain insight on a wide variety of topics over the course of the program and have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of each session. Talks will take place bi-monthly on Tuesdays from 7 - 8 p.m. in the Provence Room. The schedule is as follows: April 8 - What's Really In Your Cereal Bowl?, April 22 - Raw Dairy: Healthy or not?, May 6 - Tired of being tired? Overcome Your Fatigue, May 20 - Sugar Blues, and June 3 - Myth: The Harder You Exercise, the More Weight You Will Lose: Learn Why. Admission is free for spa members, and guests can participate for $10 per session. Tickets can be purchased at the spa desk. For more information, call 877-647-2328 or visit www.mirbeau.com.

ADVENTURES IN ART

Adventures in Art is a class for 7 to 12 year olds and is designed to stimulate the imagination while exploring a variety of media and subject matter. Through carefully planned lessons, students are introduced to basic concepts of color and design and will begin to acquire a basic art vocabulary. Projects are varied and may include drawing, painting, sculpture, collage and printmaking.

Classes run from 3:45 to 5:45 p.m. Thursdays at the First Presbyterian Church, 97 East Genesee St., Skaneateles. Classes culminate with a student art show. Materials are included, but students should bring a smock. Classes are taught by Colleen Lisson, a New York state-certified art teacher. The cost is $125 for six lessons, and the spring session will take place April 10 to May 22. Contact 685-0678 or paintdrawdream@gmail.com for more information.

CONCERT AT THE ATHENAEUM

The Athenaeum, 150 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles, will host Sue Alexander for a night of entertainment at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 21. The concert is free and open to the public. call 685-1400 for more information.

LIFEGUARDING COURSE

The Skaneateles YMCA and Community Center is slated to host a Red Cross Lifeguarding Course with Waterfront Skills module from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 21-25. The course costs $335 and includes Lifeguarding certification, Waterfront Skills certification, CPR/AED certification, Lifeguarding text book and CPR mask. Call 685-2266 to register.

SUPPORT GROUP

The Peregrine Way Caregivers Support Group will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 24 at The Athenaeum, 150 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles. Call 685-1400 for more information.

LIFEGUARDING RECERTIFICATION

The Skaneateles YMCA and Community Center will offer an American Red Cross Lifeguarding Recertification Review Course with Waterfront Skills module at a cost of $195. The course includes CPR/AED and First Aid certification. The course will take place from from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 19-20 or from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 16-17.

LIFEGUARDING COURSE

The Skaneateles YMCA and Community Center will offer a Red Cross Lifeguarding Course with Waterfront Skills module offered at a few different dates throughout the rest of the winter and into spring. Classes will meet from 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Courses will take place on the following weekends: May 16-18; and May 30-31, June 1. The course costs $335 and includes Lifeguarding certification, Waterfront Skills certification, CPR/AED certification, Lifeguarding text book and CPR mask. For more information, visit http://auburnymca.org/skaneateles/aquatic-certifications/. Call 685-2266 to register for a class.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

Waterman Primary School is accepting kindergarten registration for eligible students for the 2014-2015 school year. To be eligible for kindergarten, a child must be 5 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2014. If you received registration information in the mail, send it to Waterman School as soon as possible. If you have not received registration information in the mail and you have an incoming child, contact District Registrar Colleen Jones at 291-2218.

FINAL SKANRACES

Registration is open for the final Skaneateles Labor Day Race Weekend. The 10th year of racing starts Saturday, Aug. 30 with the Skinnyman sprint coverage map Triathlon followed by the youth MiniSkinny for ages 5-14. Sunday, Aug. 31 brings the Escape from the Judge Open Water One-Mile Swim and Skaneateles 5K Road Race. The I'm All That competition encompasses all three adult races over both days.

This is your last chance to join the fun in these exciting events. Completing 10 years of extraordinary success, SkanRaces is committed to making this last racing weekend the best ever.

SkanRaces, a true charity, is a not for profit (501c3) volunteer organization supporting wellness and healthy lifestyles for all ages and abilities in central New York. Race proceeds fund a wide variety of programs. For more about donations, volunteering or race information, maps and registration, go to www.SkanRaces.com.

SCHWEINFURTH EXHIBIT

Schweinfurth Art Center is looking for artists for the its summer exhibit, cARTography: artists as mapmakers. The exhibit will run from June 6 to Aug. 17 and will feature art related to maps and map making. Work may be in any medium, including but not limited to painting, works on paper, photography, collage, assemblage multi-media and installations. It is expected that the exhibit will include work that explores geopolitical themes, environmental issues, historic or cultural themes, and more. Artists who are interested in being considered should send or email the required information to the art center by March 28. Images can be submitted on a CD via mail, through DropBox, through email, or through a link to the artist's website. There is no entry fee.

For details on how to submit artwork, visit www.myartcenter.org. For more information, call 255.1553 or email Administrative Coordinator Monica Hastedt at mhastedt@schweinfurthartcenter.org.

COMMITTEE SEEKS MEMBERS

The Skaneateles Republican Committee is seeking individuals interested in serving on the Skaneateles Republican Committee. Those interested are asked to send a letter to P.O. Box 294, Skaneateles, NY 13152 or email rgalbato@gmail.com by Feb. 4.

BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS

Village Code Enforcement Officer John Cromp encourages homeowners and contractors initiating building projects to apply for proper permitting early. "It's never too soon to start your project application process," he said. Some village building projects could require approval from as many as four village boards. Approval of permits takes time, he said, and could delay projects by several weeks. Cromp may be reached at 685-3440.

MOMS AND KIDS

Looking to get out of the house this winter with your kids? Moms and Kids Childcare Co-op is accepting new families with children ages 4 months to 5 years. For more information, visit momsandkidsofskaneateles.com or email Jennifer at momsandkidsofskaneateles@gmail.com.

GENEALOGY RESEARCH

The Skaneateles Library now provides free access to the world's most popular consumer online genealogy resource. Ancestry Library Edition is simple enough for beginners, yet provides deep and broad content that will help veteran genealogists advance their research. More than 7,000 databases and 200 billion images deliver information from census data, vital records, directories, photos and more. Ancestry Library Edition is available on library computers or on laptops and other personal devices using the library's WiFi connection. While users can get started any time, the library will offer a workshop on using this resource in early 2014. For more information, contact library director Nickie Marquis at 315-685-5135 or nmarquis@skaneateleslibrary.org.

YMCA LITTLE LAKER PROGRAM

The Skaneateles YMCA offers The Little Lakers afternoon enrichment program for children ages 4 to 6. Trained staff engage the children in Learn to Skate, Learn to Swim, Gym and Swim, Art and Music and additional learning through play activities. There are two schedule options to choose from, full-week and three-day timeframes available. Financial assistance is available and will be awarded on an individual basis. Application forms are available at the Y's front desk at 97 State St., Skaneateles. Call 685-2266 for more information.

SCHOOL HONORS SERVING MEMBERS

Skaneateles High School maintains an active military service board in the main lobby of the high school to honor those community members (or former members) who are serving now. The board is for all members of the Skaneateles school district and members of the Skaneateles community. Names of former students and community members who are actively engaged in any branch of the services are welcome. Send the names and branches of service to Sandra Taylor at staylor@skanschools.org or contact the main office of the high school.

VETERANS OF CURRENT CONFLICTS

The Skaneateles Veterans Memorial Committee welcomes service members and their families to apply for a spot on the plaque it is collecting of those in the armed forces serving, or having served, in Iraq or Afghanistan. The person must be from Skaneateles. Fill out of form online at townofskaneateles.com, under the Public Notices tab.

REPORT SPORTS SCORES

The Journal relies on its sister newspaper The Citizen's sports desk for sports coverage. To ensure local teams' scores are included in the coverage, report game scores by calling 282-2257 or email citizenssports@lee.net. Besides reporting scores, people are welcome to suggest player profiles, remind writers of big upcoming games for possible coverage, and inform writers of upcoming fundraisers. Parents, coaches and students are encouraged to call.

Banana Republic Accidentally Lets Customers Stack Coupon Codes, Notices, Cancels Orders

Rules are rules, and getting some special deals requires playing by the rules. If a company's website lets you use multiple coupon codes together, then that means that the codes can be combined, no matter what the coupon fine print says, right? Well, no.

Using multiple coupons together is a practice that veteran bargain-hunters call "stacking," and e-commerce sites generally don't let you do it, because then the deals would be too awesome. The Gap family of sites does, but it isn't allowed on all codes. One handy code that gave customers 40% off two regular-price items could be stacked with a 25% off Buy Cheap, and online deal-hunters rejoiced. Then they stopped rejoicing when Banana Republic started canceling their orders.

The experience of one Fatwallet poster was typical:

I never received any emails (checked both inbox and spam) since Friday, so I called. I was told (after waiting for about half an hour) that my order had been cancelled because using more than one promotion at a time isn't allowed. Apparently, even though the website allowed it, it was mentioned somewhere in the fine print.

The CSR offered to apply the 40% off promotion, but when I had her break down how much each item would cost, the base prices were higher than when I originally placed my order, so that even 40% off was really only ~30% off for some things. Totally not worth it.

We've discussed in the past how companies aren't liable for pricing errors, and that also applies to errors in their system that let customers get away with things that they normally can't. Does that mean that Gap should have canceled all of these orders because the customers got too good a deal? In some cases, customers claim that the extra savings they go through using both coupons was only a few dollars, so the cancellations were automated or executed on principle.

We contacted Gap about this coupon mess, and will let you know what they have to say if they get back to us.

Get 40% off your on-line purchases with code @ Banana Republic [FatWallet]

Super cool Japanese-import Toyota Hilux Surf for sale - Autoweek

<Reviewp>This 1988 Toyota Hilux Surf SSR Limited checks all the car geek's insufferable minutiae -- and then it keeps going with it. It's a limited edition. It has low miles. It has a five-speed manual. It is a diesel. It has all the transfer cases you could ever want. It is four-wheel drive. It is right-hand drive. Its rear window folds down. Its fiberglass comes off with ease, thereby transforming it into a safari vehicle for less-than-reputable " wildlife parks." It has that cool inclinometer in the center that reminds us of bouncing around in our uncle's 1995 Mitsubishi Montero.

Most brain-warpingly shocking of all, it is a 1980s Toyota whose frame doesn't yet look like the wreckage of the Titanic.

Ah, it was a simpler time -- back when an SUV was just a pickup with some fiberglass bits nailed to the back, a time when rear seats weren't there for comfort and convenience so much as they were there for insurance purposes. (Many luxury 2+2s still adhere to this principle.) We would say this is the ultimate survival rig to flee from those clichéd zombies, or to enable the writing and distribution of anti-technology manifestos, if it wasn't so achingly rare. And in accordance with its rarity, no price has been listed. (We've left a message posing as interested buyers, which is as close to those local news "hidden camera investigations" as we'll get.)

Just think -- in an alternate universe, it's these 80s JDM nostalgia trucks that are bringing big bucks at all the collector car auctions: Rust-free, numbers-matching, one-of-one, extensively optioned Hilux Surfs and SR5 4x4s ballooning in value! Did you see? Last week, an unrestored 4Runner was pulled out of a barn in Yakima -- no floorboard rust! Barn find! Sold for six figures! Some guy's Marty McFly replica went for $90,000! That's insane. Hey, come back to my place, they're televising the Mecum sale -- yeah, that's right, there's an Isuzu Raider headlining the thing. Big bucks. I'll pick you up in my 426 'Cuda. You know, the numbers-matching one. Yeah, I still have it. For the life of me, nobody wants to buy the damn thing.

Get more car news, reviews and opinion every day: Sign up to have the Autoweek Daily Drive delivered right to your inbox.

Triple Coverage: Back Up Your Computer in Three Ways

For years, everyone has told you that you should be backing up your computer on a regular schedule - even though it's a pain to do so - lest you lose precious data to a crash, to malware, to theft or just irreversible failure. But everyone has been wrong. In fact, you should back up your computer in three different ways, continuously. And it is easier than ever to do.

In particular, you should do a massive, automated, constant backup to a cloud service. Why? Because, if there's a home burglary, fire or flood that causes the theft or destruction of both your computer and any local backup drives, you'll still have an up-to-date copy of your documents, photos, videos, music and other files you've saved.

Though this is only one part of the three-part plan I use and recommend, it can be the most daunting. So for the past few weeks I've been testing a cloud-based backup service called Backblaze, which costs $5 a month, or $50 a year if purchased on an annual basis, for an unlimited amount of data and unlimited file sizes.

I backed up 300 gigabytes worth of files from my MacBook Air using Backblaze (which also works essentially identically on Windows PCs), and then tested restoring files in various quantities and via various methods. Both the backup and restore worked very well, and the service kept monitoring the Mac in the background for any new or changed files, and automatically uploaded them.

Back to the details of my Backblaze experience in a minute. First, let me explain the three-way backup system I suggest.

For starters, I advise using one of the online sharing and syncing services, like dropbox download, to synchronize the most important data files - documents, photos and such - between the cloud and a folder on your PCs or Macs. These could also be the files that change most often, or which you are using most frequently at any given time.

By syncing them continuously, and among multiple machines, you are performing a sort of backup. But Dropbox and similar services are likely to be too expensive for most people to use as an online backup repository for all the user-created files on their hard disks. For instance, a Dropbox account large enough to hold my 300GB of uploaded files would cost $499 a year.

Second, make a comprehensive local backup, using an external hard disk. This disk can either be physically connected to the computer or it can be a drive connected to your network. Such a backup includes not only all the data you've created, but also the operating system and apps, and can be used to fully restore the computer.

There are lots of backup programs that can do such backups, but you needn't spend extra cash. Both the Mac and Windows operating systems have built-in full-system backup utilities. On the Mac, it's called Time Machine. In Windows, it's called System Image Backup. Time Machine lets you restore individual files or the entire computer, and works continuously. In Windows 8.1, there's a separate utility for continuously backing up and restoring files - but not the whole system - called File History. System Image Backup must be run manually.

Finally, back up all the files and data you create to the cloud, continuously. That's where Backblaze comes in. There have been services like this for some years. The best known are likely Carbonite and Mozy. But I recommend Backblaze, or a competitor called CrashPlan reviewed in 2012 by my colleague Katie Boehret. In my view, their basic plans have fewer limitations, and in our tests they worked well.

By default, Backblaze backs up every user-created file, automatically and continuously, even if it's not in the main file libraries on Windows, or your home directory on a Mac. The idea, the company says, is to spare users from instructing a backup service what to include, or finding that the service missed something.

However, Backblaze doesn't back up the operating system or programs or temporary Internet files. So you can't use it to entirely restore a lost or ruined computer.

The service works via native Backblaze apps that run quietly in the background on Mac and Windows. It claims strong security, saying it encrypts all the data right on your computer before transmitting it, during the upload, and then again on its servers. You can even add a second password beyond your account password.

It took 12 days to complete my initial backup, but yours might be shorter or longer depending on the amount of data and the speed of your Internet connection. Backblaze doesn't throttle or limit the upload speed, except to leave some upload capacity available on your computer for other tasks. But network interference on the Internet itself can slow down the process.

The company says a typical user backing up the same 300GB of data I did would find it took 16 days for the initial backup.

After the first time, your backups are much faster, because you add or alter only a fraction of the data amount you start with. Backblaze says it doesn't bother backing up exact duplicate files on your hard disk, and compresses those files it can compress. But it says that when restoring files and folders it restores duplicate files as many times and in as many places as they originally existed, and decompresses anything it compressed.

Backblaze also includes external drives connected to your computer in its backups. However, it deletes their files from your backup account if you disconnect the drive for more than 30 days.

In my tests, the backups have gone smoothly, even though I used the computer in multiple locations with multiple network speeds. The service keeps you posted and in control, when you wish, through a system-tray menu on a PC, or a menu dropdown on a Mac.

Backblaze offers three options for restoring lost data. You can download any files you choose, either from the Web or using a download utility. Or, if you have a lot of files, the company will send them to you on physical media, for an added price. You can choose either a 128GB flash drive for $99, or a hard disk of up to three terabytes for $189. You get to keep the drives for any use you like after you receive them.

I tested two of the methods - downloading and the USB drive - and found that both worked perfectly and quickly. I was even able to restore files backed up from the Mac on one of my Windows 8 computers. And I was also able to retrieve files from my Backblaze backup using the company's iPhone app.

I like and can recommend Backblaze. But I recommend even more strongly using it as part of a three-part backup system.

How do I redeem an iOS app promo code / download code?

App Best Buy can be redeemed with iTunes on a computer. To use a promo code or download code open iTunes and navigate to the iTunes Store.

The quick links section will be visible on the right side of the iTunes store window. Click redeem and enter your AppleID password if prompted.

Enter the promo code in the Code field and click the Redeem button.

Promo codes can also be redeemed on an iOS device. First open the App Store, iTunes Store or iBooks Store on your iOS device.

Scroll down to quick links at the bottom of the Featured section and tap Redeem. Sign in with your AppleID if prompted, then enter the content code.