My favorite tech tools, wireless plan picker updates

Favorite tech tools, wireless plan picker

Plus: 400+ awesome apps, AI coupon code finder, and a smart approach to bookmarks

Jared Newman   |   August 11, 2026
My wireless plan picker

In lieu of a new column this week, I’ve been updating a few of the guides on the Advisorator website:

  • My personal tech setup: All the devices, accessories, and software that I use for work and play, inspired by the “Uses” pages in the software development world. No paywall on this one.
  • Wireless plan picker: My tool for finding you the cheapest major carrier plan for your needs now covers Verizon’s new “Simplicity” plan, which is actually a decent value if you bring your own phone. I’ve also laid the groundwork for comparing more plans from more providers in the future. Stay tuned!
  • The ultimate list of awesome apps: All the apps that I’ve personally tested and recommended in this newsletter over the years (minus a handful that aren’t worth recommending anymore). I’ve completely redesigned this page with handy category filters and updated it with all my latest picks.

In case you missed it, I’m running a sale on Advisorator memberships: One year for $37.50, which is 25% off the regular price. This gets you my full weekly newsletter, all the guides I publish on my website, and access to my friendly Tech Buds forum. Hit the button below to learn more.

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News in brief

T-Mobile’s longer lock-in: T-Mobile launched new “2.0” versions of its Experience More and Experience Beyond plans last week, with one important difference from the old versions: New phone discounts now apply over 36 monthly bill credits, up from 24 months previously.

If T-Mobile gives you a discount toward a new phone, this effectively means you’ll be stuck with the carrier for three years instead of two, since you can’t leave early without paying whatever the bill credits haven’t covered yet. For T-Mobile’s Experience Beyond 2.0 plan, early upgrades are also now limited to once every 18 months, rather than once per year.

T-Mobile says the new plans are better because they have no up-front costs, versus the usual initial monthly payment on the old plans. But if they keep you from switching to a cheaper carrier sooner, they’ll wind up costing you more in the end.

Other notable news and reads:

Corrections for last week’s piece on Apple Upgrade:

  • I wrote that in the six months after the initial loan period, monthly payments increase until the full device price is paid off. This is only the case if you make a trade-in to bring the loan amount down; without a trade-in, those extra payments don’t change.
  • I wrote that you need a plan with a major U.S. carrier to enroll in Apple Upgrade for an iPhone, but I missed that the phones are unlocked, so you can technically switch to a different carrier any time after the initial purchase. (If you’re using a prepaid carrier, this still means that you must switch while setting up Apple Upgrade, then switch back again.)

Apologies for the errors and thanks to Scott D. for pointing them out.

Tip of the week

AI coupon code finder: While I’m often annoyed by AI features that get shoehorned into various apps, Reddit’s AI search feature actually helped save me $20 this weekend.

I was trying to get a discount for baseball tickets on Seatgeek, and none of the codes from the usual coupon websites were working for me as a return customer. Knowing that Redditors sometimes share coupon codes for various apps and services, I used Reddit’s “Ask” function to request SeatGeek coupon codes, and it informed me that multiple users were having luck with “PESKY10.” Sure enough, it worked for me too.

I can’t say that this method will succeed with every e-commerce site, but it beats wading through countless ad-infested coupon code pages that often don’t work anyway.

Try these apps

A smart approach to bookmarks: Capd is a free bookmark manager for Mac with a focus on simplicity and searchability. Press Ctrl+Option+C to save whatever page is open in your browser, then Shift+Option+C to search what you’ve saved, including page content. All the data stays on your Mac, which is either a benefit or a downside depending on your needs. I’m too deeply invested in Raindrop.io to switch—and can’t make an Apple-only solution work—but I still dig this approach.

Taylor Farms food finder: Taylor Detector is a topical tool that could save you some literal bellyache (or worse). Scan the barcodes of a packaged produce item to see if Taylor Farms was involved in its production. Since the company works with private label brands, looking for the name or lot number alone might not be enough.

Spend wisely

This section of the newsletter may include affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up purchasing something.

US Mobile is running a sale on unlimited data plans through the end of today: Get a year of Unlimited Premium for $299 with code ONLY299PLUS20 (saves $90) or a year of Unlimited Starter for $199 with code ONLY199PLUS20 (saves $70). You also get a $20 prepaid card after activation

US Mobile is notable for letting you choose between any of the three major networks (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) for coverage, and my experience with the service has been largely positive. Unlike some previous US Mobile deals, this one isn’t tied to any particular network.

Other notable deals:

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Thanks so much for hearing me out, and thanks for reading. Catch you next week.
– Jared

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