Sound Byte: Prevent cell phone "bill shock"

Have you ever opened up your monthly cell phone bill and said, "What the...?!?" If you have, you're in good company. More than 30 million Americans have experienced cell phone "bill shock," according to a recently released survey by the FCC. (Adobe Acrobat or similar software required.)

Electronics Editor Paul Reynolds tells you how to avoid cell phone overages in this Sound Byte for the "Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline" radio show.

His advice includes five tips, among them:

• Use websites such as BillShrink, which help you analyze your monthly wireless bills and help you find the best wireless service plan to match.
• With a smartphone, install a free "minute tracker app." You'll find such apps for iPhones, BlackBerries, and Android smartphones.

Click this link to listen to the clip. (You'll need software, such as iTunes or Quicktime or RealPlayer or an MP3-capable Web browser to play the file. Right-click the link with your mouse and choose "save as..." to download the Sound Byte to your computer or MP3 player for later listening.) For the complete three-hour Into Tomorrow show featuring this segment, click here.

Got a cell phone bill-saving tip you want to share? Or maybe you have a topic you'd like us to cover for a future Sound Byte? Weigh in below!

Until next week... Happy weekend, everyone!

—Paul Eng

About Sound Bytes
Every week, Consumer Reports experts produce a short (less than two minutes in length) audio segment which cover a wide variety of issues regarding consumer electronics and technology. These small "sound bites" can be heard on Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline. The Sound Byte that is featured in the Consumer Reports Electronics Blog is a segment that aired on last weekend's Into Tomorrow over-the-air broadcast.

About Into Tomorrow
Now in its 15th year, Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline covers the Latest in Consumer Electronics & Technology available today and... into tomorrow. The show airs on over 160 AM and FM radio stations around the U.S., on SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio, radio stations in Germany, Bermuda, New Zealand, Canada and several other sources including Mobile Broadcast Network, BeOS Radio, Sprint Radio, TiVo, and many others—every weekend. "Into Tomorrow" is also heard around the world on the Armed Forces Networks in several other countries. You can also catch all Into Tomorrow episodes on the Web. (The most recent show is usually added about three or four days after it has been broadcast on the radio.)

—Paul Eng