Archive for the ‘cell phones’ Category
September 15, 2007
By DAVID POGUE
At last week’s presentation for journalists in California, Apple unveiled a refreshed iPod lineup and several secondary developments. One of them, which I didn’t have room to cover in my iPod review today, involves the availability of custom ringtones for the iPhone.
Ringtones, of course, are little 30-second snippets from pop songs that play on your cellphone when somebody calls. It’s an insanely profitable industry—to the tune of $5 billion a year, worldwide.
Apple’s version works like this: you buy a song from Apple’s iTunes store for $1—a song that, in the latest version of the iTunes software, bears the little ringtone icon (looks like a bell).
(At the moment, they’re far and few between. Apple says about half a million of the store’s 6 million songs are available as ringtones; more will follow as Apple gets permission from the record companies, one song at a time. The eligible songs are indicated by a little bell icon in the Ringtones column, which appears when you open the View menu, choose View Options, and turn on the Ringtone checkbox.)
Once you’ve downloaded the song to the iTunes program on your Mac or PC, you click the little bell icon to open up a very slick ringtone editor. Here, you can select a slice of the song, between 3 and 30 seconds long, that you want to be your ringtone. You can control whether it loops and whether it fades in or out. Then you can buy the ringtone for another $1 and transfer it to your iPhone.
O.K., this is all fine, and fun, and just what a lot of people had been asking for. But I have some questions about ringtones. Truth is, I’m a bit baffled by the whole phenomenon. Maybe some articulate 14-year-old can answer them for me.
Question 1: Apple is selling a ringtone and the full song together for $2, and claims that that’s a bargain.
As it turns out, that’s correct—at least compared with existing sources for ringtone sales. Pop song ringtones from T-Mobile and Sprint cost $2.50 apiece; from Verizon, $3. You don’t get to customize them, choose the start and end points, adjust the looping and so on. Incredibly, after 90 days, every Sprint ringtone dies, and you have to pay another $2.50 if you want to keep it. Verizon’s last only a year.
Three bucks for a 30-second snippet that lasts a year—when you can buy the entire song online for $1 and own it forever?
What am I missing here? How is a 30-second, time-limited excerpt worth three times as much as the full work forever?
Does this not enter the heads of the people who are paying $5 billion a year?
Question 2: If I buy and download a pop song legitimately, shouldn’t I be able to trigger playback any way I want? Why must I pay one fee to play it by tapping Play, and a second fee to play it when someone calls my phone?
It just makes no sense.
Now, I realize that it’s easy to get ringtones onto your phone (or iPhone) for free, using unauthorized techniques of varying degrees of difficulty. Thousands of people do ringtones that way, but I’m not even going there.
And my intention isn’t to shoot the messenger by blaming Apple for the insanity of this pricing. Apple’s pricing is lower than any American carrier, offers customizability that nobody else does, and gets you both the ringtone and the full song.
1000 totally free cell phone ringtones
No, I’m sure that, if you follow the ringtone gravy train to its source, you’ll find record-company executives. There they’ll be sitting, rubbing their hands together with glee and hoping that their young customers don’t identify the ringtone industry for what it is: the last great digital rip off.
May 11, 2007
More Than Just a Phone
Selecting a cell phone is no longer just about mobile communication ? it is now a lifestyle choice. If you don’t select the phone that fits your personality, you won’t be happy with it. New cell phones are beginning to have little in common with earlier cell phones. The new models feature color screens, digital cameras, high-speed internet connections, multimedia games, and music playback. In case you were wondering, you can also use them to make phone calls. It’s only a matter of time before everyone has these features on their cell phones.
Text messaging or “texting” is now available standard on most cell phones. It is similar to instant messaging except that messages are sent and received by cell phones instead of computers. Multimedia messaging allows you to send audio, video, and pictures as an attachment to a text message. Multimedia messaging was once seen as entertainment, but is rapidly becoming valuable to the business world. Real estate agents take photos of houses with their cell phones and employment agencies may use camera phones to photograph job applicants ? all away from their office.
Dial In On the Options
Cellular providers in the United States use either GSM or CDMA technology. When you buy a cell phone, it is tied to either GSM or CDMA cellular network, but can’t be converted from one to the other. If you ever switch cellular providers, you may also need to switch phones. Most cellular providers now have high-speed data networks. These data networks work with high-end cell phones and special network cards you can purchase for laptops. Data networks usually transmit data slightly faster than a dialup internet connection. These networks are still being developed and are yet to be available everywhere. Look for higher speed networks to be much more common by 2006.
If you want to purchase a camera phone, consider what quality of photos you need to take. Most camera phones have less than a one megapixel resolution, which produces low-quality images. If you need to take clear photos, look into a camera phone with 3 or more megapixels.
Voice Dialing and Bluetooth are becoming standard in many phones to make it easier and safer for people to use their phones while driving. Voice Dialing allows you to speak a person’s name into your phone, which will automatically find the person in your address book and dial the number for you. Bluetooth lets you connect a headset to your phone without wires. Some luxury cars are beginning to offer Bluetooth connectivity so that you can take calls in your car through the built-in speaker system.
Some newer cell phones are being designed with an emphasis on entertainment. They can be used to play music MP3 files, stored video and even movies, and video games. In general, the newer phones are all getting smarter and more specialized.
After you’re done choosing the features that you want, don’t neglect the practical aspects. Look at how often you will need to change the battery, whether the screen and keypad are too big and too small. Also, caveat emptor: most cellular providers lock you into a one or two year contract when you purchase a phone from them. If you cancel your service, they will charge you an early termination fee.
About The Author
Deryck Richards is the founder and managing partner of Desktronix. With an extensive educational background in computer information systems, Deryck currently manages hosting and data center operations for Desktronix. He also provides system administration and technical support directly to small businesses as he has since 2000. His areas of expertise include networking, Windows, Linux, and Macintosh systems and he is the author of The Guide to Technology for Small Business. For more information on Desktronix, visit www.desktronix.com.
May 6, 2007
Investments in shares of wireless technology companies and wireless service providers have been particularly profitable in the post-dot com era. The wireless industry is in a sweet spot of the technology space. Bountiful business opportunities exist as wireless usage continues to increase in both developed and emerging markets. And driving this usage higher are new products such as smartphones whose capabilities are being augmented by the deployment of third generation (3G) wireless networks.
Feature-Rich Smartphones.
Smartphones are more than mobile phones. A smartphone is a mobile phone with built-in functions of a personal digital assistant. Smartphones pack a diverse range of features and functionalities into the handset that makes them a mobile information center and entertainment device for the user.
Smartphones commonly include features such as web browsing, e-mail, and multimedia capabilities. Certain models have enough horse power to run complex software applications such as enterprise customer relationship software and car navigation programs.
A full-featured QWERTY-type keyboard, MP3 player, and Geo Positioning Systems capability are becoming common among higher-end smartphones. Instant messaging is a cool feature making its way into the mainstream.
Smartphones, A Growing Segment of the Handset Market.
Smartphones represent a small, yet rapidly growing, segment of the handset market. According to Strategy Analytics, smartphone sales at 17.5 million units in 2004 accounted for 3% of the worldwide sales of 684 million handsets. However, this represents a significant jump from the 8.2 million units sold in 2003.
The demand for smartphones is projected to grow rapidly in the coming years. By 2009, the number of smartphone units sold is estimated to reach 125 million or 16% of total handset sales worldwide. This implies a 48% compound annual growth rate in smartphone unit shipments over the 2004-2009 period.
Smartphone Early Adoption Led by Asia and Europe.
Adoption of smartphones has been particularly rapid in Asia and Europe. The aggressive deployment of advanced wireless networks in these regions has encouraged early adoption of smartphones.
The Asia Pacific region currently accounts for about 37% of global smartphone sales with South Korea and Japan being leaders in smartphone usage. The European market accounts for 27% of global smartphone sales. Analysts expect smartphone sales in Europe to exceed sales in the Asian market in the coming years. North America’s market share in smartphone sales was expected to reach 25% by the end of 2004.
Nokia, the 800 lb. Gorilla of Smartphones.
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is by far the dominant global smartphone manufacturer. The Finnish company is currently estimated to command half to two-thirds share of the global smartphone market.
Nokia recently introduced its feature-rich Nokia 7710 smartphone in Europe and Africa. The wide-screen Nokia 7710 smartphone includes a full Internet browser, an integrated music player, a camera with 2x digital zoom, and a FM radio. One of the nifty features of the Nokia 7710 smartphone is its ability to make weblogging mobile. Users can post pictures and text from the Nokia 7710 smartphone directly to the web through the ‘moblog’ client.
Nokia is also expected to introduce the Nokia 3230 smartphone in the first quarter of 2005. The Nokia 3230 smartphone features a video recorder and ‘Movie Director’ that will allow 1 hour of video to be captured.
Nokia is now increasingly looking at software licensing deals to help differentiate itself from its competitors. Nokia has recently signed licensing deals with Macromedia and RealNetworks. Nokia is also said to be working on handsets that will receive wireless television feeds.
Smartphone Investment Implications.
The increasing adoption of smartphones augurs well not only for Nokia but also for other smartphone manufacturers like palmOne (Nasdaq: PLMO) and Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM). palmOne recently introduced the GSM edition of its Treo 650 smartphone. Research in Motion recently released the latest model in its BlackBerry 7100 series, the 7100g.
The incorporation of additional features and functionalities that make smartphones the portable information center and entertainment device of choice has bullish implications beyond just manufacturers of smartphones.
Wireless service providers like Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) should see their average revenue per user being buffeted with increasing use of value-added services that smartphones enable.
Then too, the increasing adoption and usage of smartphones will require the rollout of 3G wireless networks in earnest, translating into business opportunities for wireless network equipment providers such as Ericsson (Nasdaq: ERICY).
Notes: This report is for information purposes only. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer to buy or sell securities or to give individual investment advice. This report does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation, and particular needs of any specific person who may receive this report. The information contained in this report is obtained from various sources believed to be accurate and is provided without warranties of any kind. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC does not represent that this information, including any third party information, is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC is not responsible for any errors or omissions herein. Opinions expressed herein reflect the opinion of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC and are subject to change without notice. AlphaProfit Investments, LLC disclaims any liability for any direct or incidental loss incurred by applying any of the information in this report. The third-party trademarks or service marks appearing within this report are the property of their respective owners. All other trademarks appearing herein are the property of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. Copyright © 2005 AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. All rights reserved.
Sam Subramanian, PhD, MBA is Managing Principal of AlphaProfit Investments, LLC. He edits the AlphaProfit Sector Investors’ Newsletter?, a publication that discusses investments using Fidelity mutual funds. For the 5 year period ending December 31, 2004, during which the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index declined 6.9%, the AlphaProfit model portfolios increased by up to 186.2%, an average annual return of 23.4%. To learn more about AlphaProfit and to subscribe to the FREE newsletter, visit http://www.alphaprofit.com .
April 6, 2007
Phone and voice mail systems can be pretty costly, even for companies with a low number of users. Before investing in any type of phone system or voice mail system, you need to estimate how much your company is likely to expand over the next few years. Failure to do this could cost you or your company a lot of money in upgrade and restructuring costs further down the road. It is better and cheaper to plan and allow for expansion at an early stage, than wait until it is too late.
If you plan to remain under ten users then I would recommend you invest in a KSU-less system. Basically these look like normal phones that carry all the technology and software needed to run a small phone system of up to four lines and eight to twelve extensions. These systems offer many of the features that a full PBX phone system offers. Be sure to check with your supplier what features are available on these types of phone systems.
These systems are relatively cheap compared to other types of phone systems. They are also easy to install, so can be quickly re-located to another location. This type of phone system usually comes as a boxed product that is installed by you, and carries a manufacturer’s warranty. You will have to make enquiries with your vendor as to the level of after sales support that is available. You may find it is much less than if you had purchased a larger more expensive system.
One major disadvantage of KSU-less phone systems, is that they cannot integrate a separate voice mail system. If you do choose to purchase one of these KSU-less phone systems, then you will have to use a voice mail service that is offered by your telephone company.
If you decide that you must have a fully featured voice mail system, and can confidently predict your company will expand beyond ten users within next few short years, then you will be better off investing in a proper fully featured KSU phone system. These systems are typical in companies with around forty users. Some suppliers may recommend installing something called a Hybrid phone system. These systems are ideal for small to mid sized companies of about fifty to a hundred employees, and offer many of the features much larger PBX systems offer.
Below is a check list for when you are selecting a new phone and voice mail system and supplier:
1. Try to estimate how much your company will grow in the next three to five years. Look at how many lines and extensions you have at the moment and decide how many your company may require in the future.
2. Contact potential suppliers, and arrange an appointment with them for a full demonstration. A number of these can be sourced off the internet or through your local business pages. This will also give them a good opportunity to have a look at you and evaluate your potential requirements. Remember to ask them about their experience and if necessary ask for referrals. You could even ask to see a system they have recently installed.
3. Make sure you decide on a rough budget for your proposed new telephone and voice mail system. Ask around other businesses of similar size, what they have invested in their systems.
4. When potential suppliers provide you with a quote for your new phone system, go through them carefully, ensuring they include all of the requirements your business will need. These may include extras like; Voice mail, additional handsets, call handling software, automated attendants, service level agreements (SLA’s) and any other additional features.
5. Once you have decided on one or two suppliers, it is time to get them back round. Remember, they want your business. Bearing in mind the budget you decided earlier, make your decision based upon not only price, but which supplier you think can provide your company with the best service before, during and after the installation of your new phone and voice mail system. Any good potential supplier will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the phone system they intend to supply and install for you.
Thanks for reading
Jason
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Jason Morris is co-author of Business Phone Systems Direct. An established communications company, offering advice and implementation of high quality business phone systems.
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April 1, 2007
Buying a new business phone system is one of the most important purchases any business will ever make. The selection of a phone system can either bring a business closer to its customers and clients or, cause confusion and chaos amongst all that use or interact with it.
It is therefore essential that you choose the right phone system for your business needs. The telephone is quite often the fastest and easiest way to reach customers and clients. It should also be the fastest and easiest way for them to reach you. It should be flexible enough to be able to cover all of your company’s needs and handle all calls appropriately. The last thing any business wants is for its important business callers and customers to be routed incorrectly, disconnected, or faced with a long list of confusing automated options.
There are lots of factors that need to be taken into consideration when choosing a new business telephone system. Below are a few of the main ones:
1. You need enough capacity to fulfil your current business needs.
2. Assess your potential future growth and select a compatible phone system accordingly.
3. Ensure compatibility with any equipment you already own (headsets, handsets, conferencing equipment, cabling etc).
4. What features does your business phone system need to incorporate?
Fulfilling all the factors above and any more you can think of can be an expensive challenge for any business. The aim of this guide is to help you understand what decisions you need to make in order to choose the right phone system for your business.
Types of business phone system
There are three major types of phone system available: KSU-Less phones, Key systems and Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems. Which type of phone system you choose will depend on the amount of extensions you require and the features your telephone system needs to have installed.
KSU-Less systems
KSU-Less systems are usually more suited to companies that typically have less than ten employees, or require less than ten extensions. That isn’t to say that all companies requiring less than ten phone extensions can make do with a KSU-Less system. It may be that you require more features which are only available through either a PBX or Key phone system.
Requiring a far lower initial investment than the other types of business phone systems, KSU-Less phones are specifically designed to include many of the features usually only available through the implementation of a full small business phone system.
KSU-Less systems can be easily unplugged and relocated, because they are not permanently wired into your office. This portability allows you to treat a KSU-Less phone system, much the same as any business machine, rather than a lost permanent investment.
You will need to ensure that any KSU-Less system you choose is compatible not only with the type of wiring you have in your office, but also with any accessories you may already have, such as: headsets, answering & fax machines and modems. Because KSU-Less phone systems are relatively inexpensive, they are not usually sold, installed, or maintained by telecoms vendors.
All of this means, you have to go out there and do not only the shopping yourself but, also the installation and support. This is one of the two major drawbacks of KSU-Less systems. The last thing any business needs is to be concerned with the reliability and maintenance of its phone system. Another drawback of KSU-Less systems is that they are more prone to something known as “crosstalk”. This is where separate conversations may blend into each other. With PBX, Key systems and Hybrid systems falling in price, it sometimes makes more sense to invest in a full business phone system, rather than become susceptible to the risks of a KSU-Less system.
Private Branch Exchange (PBX) systems
If your business typically requires more than forty extensions, or your needs dictate you need advanced functions from your business phone system, then PBX systems are often the solution. PBX systems used to be extremely expensive and only affordable by huge corporations with hundreds of extensions. Though this is still the case for larger installations, the development of the technology required has progressed to the point where a powerful, fully functional PBX office phone system for a small business is able to fit on the top of a desk.
Nearly all these compact PBX phone systems come with all the features you might want as standard. You pay a premium for the programmability and flexibility that a PBX offers, but in most cases the price difference is not as much as you may imagine between that of a less flexible phone system.
Key Systems
Key phone systems are more typical in businesses that require five to forty extensions. This type of phone system uses a central control unit called the Key System Unit (KSU) to provide features and functions that are not available using ordinary phones. An example of this is: key systems using a KSU allow one extension to call another in house extension, and prevents any other users from picking up a line that is already in use. Key systems usually come as standard with most features any business would expect, but in some cases they are often less flexible than a PBX phone system.
PBX & Key Systems (hybrids)
Though Key and PBX systems have some different technical features, these differences have become somewhat blurred over the past couple of years. Many Key systems now offer features that were once only available to those who chose to install a full PBX phone system. Some systems also operate internally as either a PBX or Key system depending on the software installed. Sometime these systems are often referred to as “Hybrid” phone systems.
Installation & maintenance of PBX and Key phone systems
PBX and Key phone systems require installation by fully trained and qualified telecoms engineers. All outside and inside lines must connect to the PBX or KSU cabinet. The installation and maintenance of one of these types of phone system can be just as expensive as the phone system itself. In many cases you may be able to use the existing phone lines available in your office, but unless the phones you have been using are relatively new, they may not be compatible with your new system, requiring you to purchase new handsets as well as the system itself.
The Right Size System
It is important that when buying a new business telephone system, that you know your requirements in advance. Knowing what features need to be included with your new telephone system will stand you in good stead when it comes to negotiating with potential suppliers. When considering buying a new telephone system for your business, there are two major factors that determine the size of the system you require:
Lines. These are sometimes called trunks. The number of lines a system has denotes the number of outside lines being used by a company.
Extensions. Most extensions will be made up of handsets. Though any equipment that requires a phone line is classed as an extension. This includes fax machines, modems, and credit card equipment etc.
It is important that you make a list of all the extensions and lines you may need for your new phone system. Not forgetting some users may need more than one line and multiple extensions.
With key systems, the size of a phone system is indicated as a combination of both lines and extensions. For example a system that has 10 lines and 30 extensions will be shown as a 10 x 30 system.
With PBX phone systems, size is defined as a combination of lines and extensions, called “Ports”. The number of “Ports” is the maximum number of connections that can be made to the phone system. These include outside lines and inside extensions, as well as any other telephone system accessories.
When planning for a new business phone system, you should take into account the future expansion of your company, by foreseeing any extra needs at an early stage. Even if your current telephone system is handling calls well for the time being, this may not be the case when any future expansion or improvements are fully implemented. A good business phone system should be able to handle expansion easily and in a cost effective manor. PBX phone systems allow you to expand their capabilities, by adding new expansion cards, thus increasing the number of ports available for use. A few key systems can be expanded by the addition of another cabinet that is identical to the first.
When planning your new system it is important that you enquire about the potential cost for the addition of more extensions or ports. It is important that when choosing a new business phone system, you ensure expansion will come not only easily but as affordable as possible for your company.
Telephone System Dealers and Installers
Finding a good reliable dealer is the most important part of buying a new business phone system. A good reputable dealer will not only be able to sell you the system you require, but will offer excellent, guaranteed installation and service as well as always be on hand to answer any questions you have when problems arise. To put it simply they will be there to hold your hand and guide you through the process, from the planning and selection of a suitable system, to the implementation of you new system and training of staff. Any potential supplier will be more than happy to talk to you about any aspect of a new business phone system, and offer testimonials as to the quality of their systems and installation service.
It is not uncommon for buyers to require a demonstration of potential new phone systems. Any reputable dealer will be more than happy to offer a full demonstration of any phone system they supply. It is better for the dealer to visit your site, that way they can get a proper view of your existing system and evaluate your future communication requirements and cabling needs.
Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) specify how quickly a dealer responds to a problem with your phone system. A good dealer will offer a range of SLA’s to cater for most business needs and budgets. Expect to pay more if your business requires 24/7 support or response times shorter than normal.
Below are some questions that you could ask a dealer when looking for a supplier of a business phone system:
1. Can I have a system demonstration?
2. Who will install the system and cabling?
3. What range of Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) do they offer?
4. Who will provide system training and what are the costs?
5. Can the dealer provide remote maintenance facilities?
6. What guarantees and warranties do they offer?
Check List
1. Decide which type of phone system best suits your businesses needs.
2. Plan the size of your new system by evaluating the amount of lines and extensions you require. Don’t forget to plan for any future expansion.
3. Decide what extra features you might require from you new business phone system (voicemail, door phones, etc).
4. Contact a few reputable dealers.
5. Arrange for a demonstration of suitable phone systems.
6. Work with your chosen dealer to select and purchase the correct system for your business.
7. Don’t forget to sort suitable training and an adequate service level agreement.
Final
The purchase and installation of the correct telephone system for your business is a very important decision. It is imperative that you get it right first time, as the functionality and prosperity of you business could heavily depend upon it. Remember to follow the few simple guide lines outlined in this report, and you will be more prepared than most.
Thanks for reading my article
Jason Morris
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Jason Morris is co-author, search engine optimization and marketing consultant of Business Phone Systems Direct. An established communications company, offering advice and implementation of high quality business phone systems.
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March 31, 2007
Cellular phones and pagers are part of the “now” generation, instant contact, anywhere at any time. People are looking for convenience, comfort and security. The question is how instantaneous and reliable is the contact?
Talking with someone is the main use for a cell phone, yet due to poor reception how often do calls not go through, or important calls “dropped” due to flaky coverage? Let us not forget, that in a time of tragedy, lines were congested and the resounding “all circuits busy” messages were heard from coast to coast. There is certainly room for improvement if you want to reach out and touch someone.
The alternative to voice communication is traditional text messaging, enjoyed by the young as SMS, a ‘hip’ communication method, and the older as the tried and true paging, a trustworthy means of communication. A carrier receives pages or text messages via a traditional dial up modem or Internet connection to their terminal, and then broadcasts the messages over their network to the appropriate wireless device. How instant is sending a text message? The answer might surprise you…it depends.
Traditional means of sending text messages is surprisingly reliable and fast. However, many cellular carriers, wishing to merge technologies while keeping costs down, have opted to utilize email technology to send text messages. Why not, an email is nothing more than a text message, using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). On the surface this sounds like a great idea, nearly everyone has email access, and the use of the Internet streamlines the sending of messages.
What is often overlooked, is the fact that email was not designed to be time sensitive. There can be significant delays and an instantaneous receipt can be lost when sending email to a pager or cell phone. Text messages sent via the email protocol SMTP could take a more scenic delivery route. While in many cases, receiving messages in a timely fashion is not critical; some industries require and benefit from the receipt of urgent messages. It is therefore important to realize and make a distinction between the protocols that are designed for instantaneous communication and those that are not.
If sending messages immediately to a cell phone or pager is required, more reliable protocols are available. When sending text messages, via a modem, the Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol (TAP) is extremely dependable, albeit slower due to the modem dialing. If sending messages with a high-speed Internet connection use the newer time sensitive Internet protocols: Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP) and Wireless Communication Transfer Protocol (WCTP). If your carrier supports these protocols they are the better options for sending important messages.
If carriers understand the “now” generation is about speed and reliability, customer satisfaction will improve. Text messaging is a reliable and useful communication method, especially since voice is not always convenient or possible. With public awareness and urging, carriers will increase their offerings of text messaging protocols. Carriers should offer email or SMTP, but they must also support time sensitive protocols, regardless, of whether the protocols are older such as TAP or newer such as WCTP.
Resources -
Carriers supporting SNPP - http://www.notepage.net/snpp.htm
Carriers supporting WCTP - http://www.notepage.net/wctp.htm
About The Author
Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com , and http://www.small-business-software.net
March 26, 2007
Prepaid wireless service and phone cards are a convenient, reliable way to make prepaid local, long distance and international calls. In the old days it was very expensive and almost prohibitive to make a call overseas, especially to countries like Germany, France, Russia or Taiwan; never mind just to the next state.
Today however, rates have dropped dramatically. Simply buy minutes in advance and use your prepaid wireless service and phone cares whenever you want to make a call.
Use it for business or pleasure.
Prepaid Wireless Service and phone cards are a very convenient and cost effective.
If you’re away from home and need to make a call you simply run down the minutes on your card.
Looking for the right gift? Sending kids off to school? Need to call in an emergency? Prepaid wireless service can be the solution.
In choosing the best prepaid wireless service it’s best to analyze your calling pattern and whether you primarily call long distance within the U.S. or overseas. Knowing your calling habits will allow you to save even more money.
About The Author
Mike Yeager, Publisher
http://www.a1-longdistance-4u.com/
mjy610@hotmail.com
March 21, 2007
Cell phones have come a long way since the early days of the 1980s when they were the size of a brick and weighed almost as much. Today, cellular phones come with built-in cameras, polyphonic ringtones, and high-tech games. New “3G” mobile phones are also capable of downloading full motion video and full spectrum music. Whereas there were only a few manufacturers of cell phones in the 1980s, today there are many. In addition to original manufacturers such as Motorola and Siemens, today phones are manufactured by Sony-Ericsson, LG, Toshiba, Samsung, Hitachi, Danger, Palm, HP and others.
As wireless cell phone use increases around the globe, the old CDMA and TDMA standards are being replaced with GSM, the global standard outside of North America. Relatively new mobile phone companies such as Vodafone and T-Mobile in Germany and NTT DoCoMo in Japan have taken advantage of increased cell phone use by expanding their mobile phone offerings and plans world-wide. Also, traditional computer companies are moving or have moved into the cell phone industry-PalmOne manufactures the Treo 650, HP is coming out with its own smartphone PDA and Microsoft powers the operating systems of many of the newest cell phones on the market.
In addition to being used as a method of wireless voice communication, cell phones have within the last decade morphed into mobile computing platforms. These new cell phones are powerful enough to power many applications that only a few years ago required one to be stationed at a desktop computer.
Concurrent with technological innovation and increased adoption worldwide, prices for both hardware and service plans have dropped steadily over the last decade. Whereas only a few years ago most cell phone service providers required 3 year contracts with heavy penalties for early cancellation, now one can get a free state-of-the-art phone with only a one year contract.
Beyond the cell phone hardware, whole new industries have sprung up catering to the needs of cell phone users who demand accessories such as cell phone covers, screen-savers, and ring tones. As well, SMS (simple messenging system) and MMS (multimedia messenging system) lingo is slowly entering the cell phone society vernacular. Use of shorthand abbreviations such as LOL (laughing out loud), SWAK (sealed with a kiss) and G2G (got to go) has become second nature to teenagers who are the main users of phone messenging globally.
(c) 2005 Philip Liu - All Rights Reserved Worldwide
Philip Liu is a freelance author and publisher currently based in New York City. Philip publishes regularly on his websites, Cell Phone News + Reviews (focusing on cell phone news, rumors and reviews from around the world), and DTVScoop - Plasma, LCD Reviews + News (focusing on digital television news and reviews).
March 16, 2007
There have been significant improvements made recently in cellular phone security. But be careful. Read on for valuable information to protect yourself.
Just remember that wireless phone conversations are transmitted over radio frequencies and these transmissions are not secure. However, analog cell phones are not as secure as digital or personal communications service phones. Low cost, easy to get, radio scanners are used to eavesdrop on phone conversations using analog wireless phones. With digital wireless phones, the conversations are encoded and are much more difficult to be listened in on. However, it is much more difficult to eavesdrop on conversations using personal communications service phones as your conversation is transmitted over multiple frequencies that may be scrambled. These conversations are impossible for interception.
Cloning is a term used to describe illegally charged calls to someone else’s account. The cost to cell phone service providers is astronomical. Digital wireless phones are difficult to clone compared to analog cell phones.
If your wireless phone is stolen, contact your cell phone service provider right way to have your service suspended. Each cell phone provider has its only policy concerning exactly how much you will be billed for local and long distance calls, so it is imperative that you notify your cell phone service provider immediately.
Cell phone insurance is available in cases of theft or loss of your mobile phone. Your cell phone service provider will be able to tell you about cell phone insurance.
Catherine Kenyeres is a free lance writer and publisher for Best-4u-Cell-Phones.com. Catherine provides the latest information, reviews and comparisons for her cell phone clients.
March 11, 2007
Smart phones are a combination of a cell phone and PDA functions all in one device and are much bigger and notably more expensive than regular handsets, generally costing in the neighborhood of $600. However, one won’t need to carry around two separate units.
Most individuals who would need a smart phone are people who are out of the office for long periods of time that require connectivity to e-mail and appointments. While the regular individual can get by with a basic cell phone or if you already have a separate PDA device and don’t wish to incur the additional expense of combining the two features into a smart phone.
If you are thinking about purchasing a smart phone, you will need to consider finding a cell phone plan that can provide the additional data for e-mail and for Internet browsing. For example, some cellular phone providers charge a flat fee for the megabyte usage while other cellular phone providers furnish a monthly allowance for megabyte usage. Finally, if your smart phone comes with Wi-Fi access, see if you cellular phone provider offers Wi-Fi plans.
Now you have the scoop. So what it really boils down to is the PDA functions. If you need to be connected to the internet and need email capability, it’s worth checking out. But for most of us, a regular cellular phone should meet our needs quite nicely.
Catherine Kenyeres is a free lance writer and publisher for Best-4u-Cell-Phones.com. Catherine provides the latest information, reviews and comparisons for her cell phone clients.