INTERNET CONFERENCING

2010-06-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

Google Voice Conference calling

2009-12-14T10:45:00.001-08:00

Google Voice

2009-12-14T10:40:00.001-08:00

ooVoo Personal VideoConferencing-Review

2009-11-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

SKYPE LAUGHING CHAIN

2009-11-28T05:51:00.000-08:00

Video Conferencing Ettiquette

2009-11-26T04:34:00.000-08:00

Video Chat On a Cell Phone

2009-11-25T10:48:00.000-08:00

ooVoo Personal VideoConferencing

2009-11-25T10:06:00.001-08:00

Video Conferencing In The Wrong Hands!!

2009-11-25T10:02:00.001-08:00

2009-10-20T07:35:00.001-07:00

2009-09-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

2009-08-28T07:04:00.001-07:00

2009-08-28T06:55:00.001-07:00

2009-08-28T06:50:00.001-07:00

Geek Orchestra

2009-01-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

2009-01-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Zune Bites The Dust

2009-01-01T07:46:00.000-08:00

It appears that a Microsoft software bug has put the world's 30GB Zune population on the verge of extinction. That is right, they don't work!

Zune user forums have been flooded with complaints that thousands of MS 30GB iPod imitators suddenly stopped working at exactly midnight Pacific time last night. Is is Y2K09?

One poster wrote...."We've got two Zune 30GBs," says one poster wrote..."One was docked in the Zune Docking Station, the other wasn't. At exactly 2am CDT (12am PDT), the docked Zune made the 'unplugged from USB port' bong-noise and went to the boot-up screen with the 100% loading bar...and froze.

"At 2:30am CDT, I decided to check the other Zune. Turned it on and...frozen at the 100% loading screen. Something's clearly wrong with the Zune 30GBs. I hope they get this fixed soon...I just got my Zune for Christmas, and I was loving it!"

This poster was not alone. Many others confirm their 30GB Zunes froze in much the same way, at much the same time. Some have also experienced the sudden Zune death with 80GB models.

Sudden death appears to occur whether the Zune is idle or playing music. In some cases, according to net posters, the device shuts down entirely and then freezes when they attempt a restart. In other cases, it freezes after restarting on its own.

Some claim devices are immune to the Zune death if they haven't upgraded to the latest version of Microsoft's firmware (version 3.1).

Statement From Microsoft

"That being the case, the issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009. We expect the internal clock on the Zune 30GB devices will automatically reset tomorrow (noon, GMT). By tomorrow, you should allow the battery to fully run out of power before the unit can restart successfully then simply ensure that your device is recharged, then turn it back on. If you’re a Zune Pass
subscriber, you may need to sync your device with your PC to refresh the rights to the subscription content you have downloaded to your device."

My question is, why would anyone invest a nickel in Zune ? Long live the Apple, Microsoft is going the way of GM and Ford!

The Economic Shift in Home Technology

2008-11-26T07:04:00.000-08:00

The recent economic news is pretty grim. GM, Ford, CitiBank; big names, bad news. So what will the average Joe cut back on? I read an interesting piece of information in MultiChannel News. The article claims that 6 in 10 consumers will cut spending in either communications or entertainment this holiday season, but broadband access is the least likely area for cuts. This according to Oliver Wyman, an international management consultant.
Wyman believes the drop in spending in this segment might be as extreme 5% to 6%. The survey included 500 adults , throughout the country.

MultiChannel News is a trade publication for the Cable Industry

Not surprisingly, they predict sales of home computers, notebooks and digital music players to by as much as 50%. Sales for next generation devices, including Blu-ray disc players, smartphones and high-definition television sets will remain strong. No matter how tough times get, we do love our gadgets!

Bad News for the Cable Companies!

There is some bad news for pay TV suppliers: 63% of the adults said they will spend about the same next year on broadband Internet access, mobile phone plans. Subscriptions to services such as Netflix will grow. 28% said they would spend less, translating to a 5% drop in sales across the the cable sector. The big question is, who will get the broadband dollars? If the wireless companies wake up and recognize the opportunity it might be much worse for the big cable companies

The cable providers think their customers will remain loyal.

I'm not so sure. However, one area of momentum is the conversion of legacy landlines to cable provided VOIP. Locally, Comcast and RCN have been aggressive in marketing the conversion Premium cable services are vulnerable to a decrease in consumer spending, as 22% of those polled said they are somewhat likely to discontinue premium services in favor of basic cable channels.Watch for services such as Hulu to grow in popularity.

This shift in consumer sentiment, driven by the economy, is ushering in the next generation of home networking. Every home will have high speed Internet access. Consumers now have two choices; their cable company or wireless phone provider. Home router sales will be strong.

Routers are now available for laptop connect wireless cards. This eliminates the need for cable provided broadband. If you are a smartphone user and pay for the wireless data package, cable provided broadband becomes unnecessary.

The Blackberry Pearl Flip

2008-11-23T05:08:00.000-08:00

Another example of choice in the wireless phone world. A great Christmas gift!

Blackberry Storm Vs. iPhone 3G

2008-11-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

This looks to be a good alternative for Verizon subscribers with monthly contacts. iPhone like functionality without changing carriers.

Apple MacBook Video Review

2008-11-18T05:07:00.000-08:00

I admit that I'm an Apple freak. I love their technology. I've worked with computers since 1985...(that make me kind of old), and the MacBook technology is far better than anything Microsoft,IBM,HP or Dell has come up with.

I like this video beacause he is very British and explains the device quite well. I write this blog on an older MacBook......enjoy the video

I look forward to your comments...

CNET-Reasons to Buy an iPhone 3g

2008-11-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

Real GPS

Speed, Speed, Speed

Applications Galore

Supports Microsoft Exchange email

Price- Twice the Speed, Half the Price

Pandora Radio On Chumby

2008-11-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

Pandora and Chumby...internet radio streamed with this cool Gadget

How To Unlock and Jailbreak the iPhone 3g

2008-11-15T11:25:00.000-08:00

I've gotten many questions about this! Hope You find this helpful

iPod Nano 4th Gen Review

2008-11-15T08:33:00.000-08:00

I found this review very informative.

Enjoy!

Top Ten iPhone Applications

2008-11-15T05:42:00.000-08:00

Instead of writing about it, I would let an expert explain it to you!

Enjoy!

Thanks for watching!

Recycling cell phones, free WiFi at Starbucks and Pandora radio

2008-11-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd follow up on some recent columns. I've received some comments and have some updates

Recycling Old Cell Phones

I wrote earlier this month about disposing unused cell phones for cash. Reader "Jackie" comments were representative of the feedback on the column it self. "This is great information. All I had read before is about how difficult it is to dispose of old electronics. Thank you for letting us know!

A recent Examiner story reports about some local Weymouth, MA kids and adults had been collecting old cell phones all summer with the intention of donating them to Cell Phones for Soldiers, a Norwell nonprofit that recycles old phones in exchange for phone cards for military personnel. This is a very worthwhile use of your old cellular hardware.

While researching cell phone recyling, I found some updates on Gazelle . they recently raised an additional 6 million dollars and their business is thriving. As a reminder, they pay cash for used cell phones, helping you avoid online marketplaces like eBay or Craigslist. After entering some basic information about your cell phone (including model number, condition, and accessories). Gazelle makes an instant cash offer. Once accepted, Gazelle pays any shipping charges and pays out the cash amount within a few days of receiving your old phone, assuming you were truthful about the condition. You'll probably make a few more dollars by selling your phones through eBay, but Gazelle is more convenient. Cell Phones for Soldiers is doing good work for our service men and women. Gazelle is a convenient way to avoid Ebay and responsibly dispose of your old electronics.

AT&T, Starbucks and Free WiFi

I'm always on the lookout for a great bargain. The AT&T and Starbucks WiFi giveaway is a bit different than originally announced. first of all, you need a Starbucks card. Once you register and use the Starbucks Card - they offer free access to AT&T Wi-Fi for up to two hours per day in any U.S. Starbucks store that offers Wi-Fi. It is not an unreasonable offer, but unlike Panera Bread and other Cafe's that allow free network access, Starbucks requires a purchase and registration before providing free access. Starbucks. If you enjoy their coffee, this is a good deal. Unlike other cafe's, the atmosphere is quite and pleasant. And the coffee is above average. Starbucks need the business I will take advantage of the offering.

Pandora Radio

A real gem. And free!! Pandora music is part of the Genome music project. Once you register (very easy), you insert the name of one of your favorite songs or artists into Pandora and let the Genome Project go. It quickly scans it's entire inventory of music, new and old, well known and obscure - and find songs with interesting musical similarities to your choice. (musical keywords) Each "keyword" becomes your personal Internet station, and you can create as many "stations" as you want. And refine them.

The Music Genome Project was founded by musicians and music-lovers. Pandora is an ad based site, but the ads are not annoying. actually, they are very subtle and do not interrupt the music .

I currently have 6 channels and listen every day (actually as I write)

Frugal technology gifts for the holidays

2008-11-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

With the imminent death of Circuit City and the recent demise of Comp USA, local retail sources for computer components have become scarce. I'm a home computer junkie and have been thinking about where to get replacement parts for the gadgets that I own and new components.

Apple

Readers of the space know that I'm an Apple fanatic, but have grown a bit weary of their pricing structure. Until I found MacMall. I frequent the Apple Store in the Burlington Mall, but make all of my purchases through MacMall. Across the board, they are 15% LESS expensive than at the Apple Retail stores. For the holidays, shipping is $5.99 for orders up to $99, free for orders exceeding $99. I have purchased IPods and printers. On every order, they offer you a FREE additional component.

Microsoft Based

On Sale is a inexpensive source for all things Microsoft. A large selection of XP and Vista based Notebooks for under $400. (Yup, that's right, you can get a notebook for under $400!) Also, branded desktop bundles for under $500 They also have a sale running for Microsoft Office (Student Version), with a 3 user license, for $89!! Free UPS shipping for most orders above $49

Computer Components

Lap Tops For Less is an inexpensive source for notebook computer batteries, AC adapters, and memory for all of the major Notebook manufacturers, both Microsoft and Apple OS based. For orders of $30, there is no delivery charge.I use my Apple notebook constantly and have begun pricing replacement. For $99, I can purchase a new Mac Book battery For orders of $30, there is no delivery charge.

Cell Phones

Although the Burlington Mall usually has hallway concessions stands with people hawking headsets and handsets, there is no good local retailer specializing in handsets and accessories The C ell Phone Shop is an online destination for wireless handsets. Readers of this space may recall that I'm no fan of cell phone plans or free handset upgrades because of the economics. The Cell Phone Shop has a large selection of heavily discounted handsets, configured for the major carrier, not requiring contact extensions for activation.

And now for my favorite.

Tracfone. I'm a big fan of pre paid and pay as you go cell phones. Sure, you can get one of these handsets at a local convenience store.However, dealing with them directly has it's benefits. You get to select your handset, get a webpage allowing to select feature activation, tracks calling activity.You never get a bill. When the minutes expire, more minutes can be added through your personal web page. A cost effective way of managing wireless phones. A great first cell phone for a teenager

Death of the landline

2008-11-12T05:06:00.000-08:00

RCN Is ending Analog Line Service On December 1

I recently received a notice from my cable tv company (RCN) notifying me that on December 1st, they will no longer be providing telephone service. I originally bought their "bundle",back when I was renovating my home, so this causes me a problem. Thet were gracious enough to offer me Broadband phone service, but will continue to charge me at the old analog rate. I went to the Arlington walk in center to inquire and the women staffing the payment desk was uninformed. I don't want to change my phone number, so it is a dilemma.

This looks like a national trend

While researching my alterntives, my priority is to keep my local number. Seems important to offset any perceived savings by avoiding a communication hassle. I have an elderly mother and father-in-law want to make sure they can continue to contact me without any issues. So I'll accept RCN's offer, at least temporarily
While doingmy research, I found some interesting items

The University of Kentucky has gone wireless

Seems UK is disconnecting its old-fashioned wired telephone phone lines in student dormitories and incoming students will have to use their personal cell phones.The move will save the university $840,000; it was paying about $25 per land line each month.The savings from canceling the lines has been passed on to the students, university officials said.According to the report I read, about $100,000 of the savings went to improve dormitory Internet connections.The university's 5,600 dorm residents still can request a phone line, but only seven had done so a day after the academic year began Wednesday.A recent survey found that 98.2 percent of students in UK dorms own and preferred to use their cell phones.

Just a few years ago, UK dorms had 3,060 land-line phones. Now they have 260. These include hall phones for emergency use.

The university still has the ability to contact most students during an emergency through cell phones, especially through text messaging.What isn't addressed is the impact on emergency services, such as E911. Nonetheless, what this means to me is that landlines, as we know them, are dying a slow death.

iPhone Leads in Quality and Sales

2008-11-11T06:06:00.000-08:00

I've spent energy recently in this space on my personal feelings about AT&T network quality and reliability. My opinions are based upon personal experience. The purpose of this column is to help my readers avoid the traps of over priced, under performing gadgets.

One personal device that has performed beyond expectations is the Apple iPhone. I'm a daily reader of the publication MobileCrunch. Erick Schonfeld points to s survey that concludes that the iPhone is twice as reliable as the Blackberry. Schonfeld notes "The study projects that the failure rate for the iPhone after two years will be between 9.2 and 11.3 percent, compared to actual two-year failure rates of 14.3 percent for BlackBerries and 21.0 percent for Treos.

I have personal experience with Blackberry failure and it is a real hassle when they die. This is significant.

The iPhone is most sought after handset

With this data in mind, I found a second interesting piece of information in MobileCrunch. Erick Schonfeld reports that the iPhone is now the top selling mobile handset in the US .

Top Selling Handsets

1. Apple iPhone 3G
2. Motorola RAZR V3 (all models)
3. RIM Blackberry Curve (all models)
4. LG Rumor 5. LG enV2

In business circles, the iPhone is considered a toy, yet appears to have the best value proposition (price, reliability, feature sets and ease of use).

A personal anecdote I was taking the subway to an appointment in Boston, one Friday night in early October. There is construction occurring on the Longfellow Bridge, which causes delays. Two young women sat down next to me, boarding the train at the Harvard Sq stop. The train wasn't moving and I was going to be late for my appointment. I pulled out my phone, and was able to send a text message.

One of he young ladies removed her iPhone from her backpack, brought up MBTA train schedule, online . She saw that there was a later train. She called her mother and changed the pickup time.

She was the maid of honor in a future wedding and was on her way to the rehearsal dinner. Her friend was a bridesmaid. Problem solved!

I asked her about her phone and she remarked that it has become an indispensable part of her life. I was impressed.

Is Your Cell Phone Bill Out Of Control?

2008-11-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

Is your monthly wireless phone bill out of control?

Mine was, but I began to apply the following steps. I've managed to save over $80 a month by paying attention

Understand your monthly minutes usage

The most important thing is understand your Talk Time. Do you go over your minutes each month? Then, it's time to start tracking your talk time.
Use the Same Plan as Friends and Family

Most cell phone service providers offer free in-network calls or allow you to choose a small group of in-network friends and family that you can call for free. So, get all of your most-called people on one plan, and will begin to see significant savings.

Don't Use Your Cell Phone for Toll-free(1-800) Calls

Toll-free calls aren't free when you make them from a cell phone; so never call a toll free line from your wireless phone.

Avoid Using Directory Assistance

Dial 4-1-1 from a cell phone, and it could cost you as much as $1 Crazy! Use free number look-up services such as 1-800-GOOG-411

Choose a prepaid cellular plan

Prepaid plans may be the cheapest service option available. Unlike the old land line model, cellphone companies promote "calling plans" that include pre paid minutes bundled with features and lengthy contracts. Prepaid cellphone carriers allow you to purchase a phone, minutes and other features, "ala carte". The most popular carrier is TRACPHONE. No Frills, medium cell phone use (500 minutes or less a month), will cost about $40-$50 per month.

Pick a Plan that Matches Your Talk Times

Do you make a lot of calls in the early evenings? On the weekends? Mid-day? Examine your phone habits; then, pick a plan that best matches them. Also, adjust your plan based upon the number of minutes you rollover

Switch to Unlimited Texting

Text messages can cost as much as 10-cents a piece (or more) to send and receive. If you or someone on your plan do a lot of texting switch to unlimited text messaging. My daughter sends about 7000 texts a month, but never uses her minutes.

Cancel the Extras

Phone replacement insurance, road side assistance, ring tone downloads, games, video streaming, e-mail, web surfing capability – there are lots of cell phone extras to choose from, but in the end they all do the same thing: add to your monthly cell bill. Stick to the basics, and your monthy bill will be more manageable

Be Realistic About Your Phone Use

When choosing a phone plan, people generally do one of two things: choose too small of a plan or choose too big of a plan. Be realistic about how often you'll use your phone, and pay attention to your bills. (I currently have 5800 unused rollover minutes on a 2100 minute plan.)

Pick a Plan with Rollover Minutes

If you've determined that a minute-based plan is best for you, choose one that allows you to rollover unused minutes from month to month. After all, you've paid for those minutes, so you should get to keep them. Don't be afraid to adjust your plan, month to month, based upon your changing usage patterns.

In summary, be smart. read your bills carefully and avoid the frills. Wireless phone are a convenient tool and can be in expensive, if we pay attention.

Frugal Holiday tips, no need to break the bank

2008-11-08T10:09:00.001-08:00

You can play Santa this year without spending your last cent. The secret is don't buy a gadget with more features than your recipient will want or use, it is to give a gift that is affordable andwill be put to use.

Here are some categories and some frugal locations.

MP3 players Compare Ipods with others. You can save big with a lesser-known brand that can work just as well. By visiting either ONSALE or MacMall, you'll find a selection of MP3 players for $50 or less. If you're buying for someone with a modest music library, don't splurge for memory the user won't need; buy a version that holds only a hundred songs, not a thousand. Think about how they might uses the unit. I have a 4GB Nano, that has a capacity of 1000 songs. I never have more than 200 songs loaded on it at any given time. I use it mostly when I exercise, and it takes almost a week for me to listen to every song once.

Digital Camera's
Don't overpay for megapixels. Pixels measure a camera's resolution capability, or how sharp the images will be. The more pixels a digital camera has, the more it will cost. If the camera is for someone who will print pictures no larger than an 8-inch-by-10-inch, a four- to six-megapixel, an eight megapixel version will satisfy. Before you invest in a digital camera, it is wise to understand what level photograher your friend or loved is. At ONSALE, Epson and Canon have 8 megapixel camera's for under $100.

Laptop computers No point paying for high end game-graphic capabilites if it will only be used for surfing the Net, e-mailing and word processing. For an everyday-use notebook computer, get one or two gb of memory with a display no larger than 14.1-inch . You can find windowes based machines for $400. Acer has a pretty solid line of Laptops starting at $320.
If your friend is an Apple fanatic, MacMall is selling 13" Mac Books for $850. What makes this a good deal is that they are giving away a tone of goodies with each purchase and if you catch it right, they'll ship it for free.. Makes sense to look at their deals and maybe compare them top the Apple store. Everything is priced at 15% less than at an Apple retail location.

Why Rent When You Can Own a DVR

2008-11-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

Back in September, I wrote about different ways of leveraging Cable Television expenses.

One way is to stop paying your cable company a monthly rental fee on your DVR box. TIVO sells a TiVo Series2 DVR for 149.99. Seems like alot of money until you realize the the DVR rental from your cable company (this instance RCN) is 17.99 per month. The onetime expense will pay for itself in 8 months. A very frugal move.

Tivo also is selling refurbished DVR's for $79.99

I commented that it was my opinion that regardless of how you cut your technology expenses, it makes sense to keep your high speed internet service. I haven't wavered from that opinion. Maintaining the ability to access television shows online, through Web sites like Hulu.com, in addition to the free broadcasts they pick up over the airwaves.

In the past two years, just about every major network show and many of the biggest cable programs have become available on the Internet. The online library of content includes everything from "Desperate Housewives" and "CSI" to "The Colbert Report" and "Mad Men."

More than half of the people who saw recent "Saturday Night Live" skits featuring comedian Tina Fey as vice presidential candidate SarahPalin watched the skits over the Internet, according to Solutions Research Group. Nearly a quarter saw them on YouTube and 21% saw them on NBC.com orHulu.com.

So how do we save on TV?

Keep your broadband connection and use services such as Hulu and Fan Pages

Cut down your premium services to one mainstream and one niche pay service

Purchase (do not lease) a DVR unit and record aggressively.

Begin to shift your viewing habits from TV to IPTV

The long awaited convergence of the internet and TV is accelerating due to the economic climate.

Starbucks Offers Free AT&T Wifi

2008-11-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

One of the benefits of mobile computing is sitting down at a WIFI enabled location, turning on your notebook and instantly getting on online.

Occasionally, I give in to my need for human interaction and like to venture out with my MacBook, invest in a cup of coffee and take advantage of some of the public WiFi offerings. One of my favorite spots is Jam n' Java on Mass Avenue in Arlington (MA). It is a comfortable spot; it's only drawback is it's proximity to the Minuteman Bike Path. Mothers with young children congregate and it can be distracting.

An announcement that caught my eye is AT&T and Starbucks plan to jointly offer Free WiFi access at Starbucks' retail locations.

With this in mind, yesterday I set out to conduct a test. perhaps I was over exuberant or i just needed to get out of the house. I clicked on the link, AT&T WiFi Locations
and found some locations withing a five mile radius of my home. There are 35 possible locations for me to try and I decided to perform a test.

With Mac Book in hand, off I went. Without getting into details, I can report the following

Although published on their website, I still had to BUY time. I use the following network tool to measure signal strength in my home, by performing a bandwidth test. Normally I get an "8". At Starbucks, I registered a "2" when I used it.

Compared to my RCN broadband service, the service was sluggish and slow. Good for reading and writing email, but not enough bandwidth to do much else. The network at Jam n' Java is stronger and more consistent.

The Barista's I spoke with were ill informed about the program.

The internal communication necessary (between companies and within each company) was poorly executed.

I had the pleasure of consuming a number cafe mocha's and by the end of my journey, I was all revved up to watch Election returns......... I applaud AT&T and Starbucks for this program. If AT&T believes this will draw new paying broadband customers, I urge them to consider improving their network.

Old cellphone and Ipods can be converted Into cash

2008-11-03T06:01:00.000-08:00

Hiawatha Bray, a writer for the Boston Globe, wrote a story titled "Scrounge up cash with used gadgets" in an article he posted on October 30th.

In his story is writes that "Perhaps it's time to bring in a little extra cash, by disposing of your unused devices.....Nearly all of us have an obsolete cellphone or iPod buried in a drawer, still in working order and worth a few bucks."

I decided to perform a test. I have a new Sony Ericsson 350 cell phone and 4 GB , 4th generation Apple Ipod mp3 player.

I logged into Gazelle and found a large selection of electronics available for trade.

I've written before about the Apple 3G iPhone and my caution in making the large investment. Gazelle offered $59 for my cell phone and $46 for my Ipod (4th generation 4G). ( They also offered $510 for my MacBook, but I'm not ready to give it up)

I have a wireless plan with AT&T and can purchase an 8G iPhone for $94.

It make sense to consolidate all of my devices into one.

However, any device you try to trade requires that it be in working condition, all cables and software CD's are included in the trade. If you can meet these conditions

That is frugal shopping!

Some Frugal Tips

When buying new Electronics, save the packaging, cables ,CD's and manuals

Follow the manufacturer's instructions for safe use and maintenance.

Keep scratch and dust free, power off and always store in dry, cool place.

Remember, electronics have a resale value and are a stepping stone to inexpensive technology upgrades

THINGS ARE LOOKING ROSY FOR APPLE

2008-10-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

Things certainly look rosy for Apple this morning. Their Stock is trading at $100 a share, and it has held its own during these crazy days.

Noted investor Peter Lynch recommends paying attention to all things local. I was in the Burlington, MA Mall earlier this week and it was empty, except for the Apple Store. It was jammed with customers.

The Boy Genius Report hints that Apple iPhone 3G may be available at your local Walmart as soon as November 15th.

In Network World, Mitchell Ashley reports that Apple has room to cut the iPhone price in half and still make a 42% profit. With the rumored deal with Walmart, look for prices to begin to drop.

In a somewhat related piece of news, IPODNN.com reports that America's favorite music player represents a little less that 15% of Apples sales revenue. This speaks to the resurgence of the once dying (I left them for dead) computer pioneer. In my home, we have 2 Mac Books, 5 IPODs,and a portable disk drive purchased through Apple. The bottom line is that Apple engineering is superior to anything that Microsoft sells today. And price points are dropping.

8GB IPods can be found in the $130 range and Mac Books can be found at $850. As their price points drop, Apple will continue to dominate the home computing and entertainment marketplace.

HOME TECHNOLOGY SERVICE TRENDS

2008-10-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

I may be a geek, but I find this interesting.

As a frugal consumer of home technology, my family heavily depends on our local cable company for it's home entertainment. 3 TV's, (including a 37" flatscreen for HD Viewing, 2 DVR devices, and about 80 channel to choose from. In this economic climate, an area I can probably reduce. At least I have a choice of compant tom purchase these services from. In Arlington, MA, RCN, Comcast and Verizon Fios is available. I have chosen RCN.

I don't not buy HBO or Showtime, I rent individual shows or watch then for free online.

A recent Bloomberg story suggests that consumers may remain loyal to their Internet and phone service providers and may cut back on extras such as HBO and other traditional pay TV options.

So I have a question. Why has Comcast announced a 3.6% rate increase locally...(Boston Globe, Saturday October 25)? Comcast is surely betting that the revenue increase will be offset by the number of service downgrades. A pretty cynical move in these tough times. But take comfort, if you choose to disconenct, you can find full seasons of your favorite HBO and Showtime series at Netflix, your local video store, or at various online video sites (HULU is an example)

According to Bloomberg, High-speed Internet is 21 percent of Comcast's revenue last year, compared with 20 percent the year before. Phone service jumped to 5.7 percent from 3.7 percent in the same period, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Landlines continue to be disconnected. AT&T and Verizon have reported 2 million disconnects during the June to September. That is a $480,000,000 annual revenue loss.

As we tighten our belts, the trend is to keep high speed internet access, and search for alternative entertainment options.

AT&T SCORES POORLY IN NETWORK QUALITY

2008-10-24T05:46:00.000-07:00

What is with the love affair with IPHONE'S? I'm an Apple fan, but buying an IPHONE is a sentence of 2 frustrating years as an AT&T wireless subscriber.

I point this out as a consumer, NOT some kind of anti big business activist. If AT&T was able to deliver the goods, I would not be writing this.

According to to online publication Electronista a leading online publication for Geeks (that would be me), AT&T and T-Mobile trail Verizon in call quality According to them: AT&T has come in last or near-last for call quality in virtually all of the US, according to JD Power's second wave of 2008 call quality rankings. The carrier placed last in four out of six regions and was never able to produce better than a three-out-of-five rating in the results, which measure the number of dropped or failed calls as well as the quality of calls themselves and the responsiveness of the text and voicemail systems. Verizon led the results with the top spot in three of the areas and was followed by Alltel with two wins; both Sprint and US Cellular tied for third with one lead each.

JD Power doesn't explain the likely reasons behind the difference in results, though all of the winners are based on CDMA phone networks versus the GSM of both AT&T and its opponent T-Mobile; the latter fared almost as poorly in the latest study but still produced a four-out-of-five result in one area.

The ratings may serve to refocus AT&T and similarly affected carriers, which are facing an increasingly saturated market and thus have to concern themselves more than before with retaining customrs. As many as 51 percent of customers determined to switch carriers will do so because of call quality issues, the research group says.

Research was also conducted between February and June and so may result in further damage to AT&T's reputation for 2009's first call quality report, which may be inflated by iPhone 3G dropped call issues. The company has been partly combating this and more universal problems by expanding and upgrading its 3G network such that supporting phones see an increase in quality.

What I find interesting is AT&T recently added 960,000 new IPHONE accounts (that is $2.3 billion in revenue for AT&T over the next 24 months or so). It raised the question...what is more important, call quality or the network/phone features?

I'm adding a poll to my site. What is more important to you as a cell phone user, call quality? Features?

WIRELESS TELEPHONES-A 21ST CENTURY SCAM

2008-10-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm writing about Cell Phones again. Third time this week. As you may have surmised, I believe the whole industry is a major scam. Without giving it much notice we've allowed ourselves to fall into a big expensive trap.

With the traditional land-line, you paid a monthly cost for the service. Small cost for making local calls. "Long Distance" calls were more expensive. Incoming calls were free. No disconnect charges. You were not asked to for for services in advance or sign contracts. pretty simple. The one drawback is that land line handsets lack 21st Century features (text messaging, ring-tones, ability to connect to the Internet, MOBILITY)

Now Americans are rejecting this model for the new Wireless Phone pricing approach.

Pre-Paid minutes (many which you pay for but never use), paying for both incoming and outgoing calls, handsets with short life cycles (they either break or stop being COOL), contracts, data packages, "Free this and That".......

The other amazing change is that the NEW phone company will never vsist you to fix something that is broken. A complete shift. Cell Phone stores! You visit the store, you pick out the phone and an untrained retail rep signs you up for a plan that is never fully explained.......inexplicable charges appear on future bills.

What was a $40 a month expense now exceeds $100 a month with NO SERVICE from the provider. And if you want to change carriers?? EARLY TERMINATION FEE, (usually around $175)

How did we let this happen??

Here is a solution (not perfect, mind you) if you want to change but are concerned about the cost

If you still have months left on your contract, there's a Web site that will help you switch providers mid-plan without getting socked with a hefty early termination fee.
Celltradeusa.com is match-making service that connects people who want to get out of their cell phone contracts with people who are willing to take them over.

Here's how it works. The person taking over the contract submits a credit application to the cell phone service provider. The company will make a decision based on the applicant's credit. If approved, both the person giving up their plan and the person picking it up will have to verbally approve the transfer, or they will have to go to a corporate store to sign transfer documents.

Celltradeusa.com charges $19.99 to have your phone services transferred, but there's no charge if you log on to take over someone's contract.

Not a perfect solution, actually VERY reactive. Try to avoid getting caught in that

My Frugal rules are

INVESTIGATE PREPAID CELL PHONES. Typically, you buy your minutes, use them and then keep paying as you go. I first became aware of the industry when watching the WIRE on HBO. It makes sense. Their model is similar to old bell telephone model, pay as you go.

NEVER ACCEPT A FREE PHONE UPGRADE from your carrier (if you are under contact) The math is staggering (a $50 phone...seems like a bargain at face value, in return for two years service; agreeing to continue to pay your carrier for 24 months). You are signing away your consumer freedom.

BUY AN UNLOCKED REPLACEMENT PHONE. This allows you to move from carrier to carrier and also take advantage of the Pre-Paid Option

DO NOT IGNORE THE FINE PRINT, if you decide to sign a contract.

NEVER AGREE TO AUTO PAY your bill......once they have your money, it's hard to get it back!

TEXT MESSAGING-THE GOOD, THE BAD THE UGLY

2008-10-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

The Internet and cell phones have become central components of American family life. Not surprisingly, among all household types, the traditional nuclear family has the highest rate of technology usage and ownership.

A national survey has found that households with a married couple, single head of household and minor children are more likely to be heavy users of online and wireless services. Included are adults working from their homes or tele-commuting.

High rates of technology ownership also affect family life. Cell phones , as an example, allow family members to stay in touch even when they are not physically together. There is another emerging trend.

Americans sent 1 billion text messages in last December, up sharply from 253 million from the previous year.

Increasingly, text messaging is boosted by tie-ins with television show such "American Idol" TV show and Major League Baseball and Professional football. Clearly, Text messaging is becoming a core component of the wireless business model

Texting between wireless carriers has only been possible for about 18 months. Before that, communication was largely restricted to other phones on the same carrier.

Another obstacle to text messaging is that U.S. operators are also charging more for it. Texting caught on in Europe faster because it was initially a free offering

The Good. Texting has added value to my life. My teenagers text me frequently. I get arrival times, confirmation that they have made it to their destination ..(last Saturday, my daughter and some friends took the Subway into Boston, a Parent's worst nightmare). I'm an avid user of Twitter, and get updates from my friends online. I'm a student of collaboration, and Texting is part of the Collaboration Pyramid.

Other ways it has enhanced life is through services like FEDEX, UPS, USPS and other delivery type services. An enhanced text messaging or SMS) service allows the dispatcher to stay in touch with their driver. Ever wonder how delivery information is uploaded into a website when a package gets delivered?

The Bad

Texting is eroding our children's ability to spell. Because becomes "cuz". Are You becomes "RU?" Laugh out Loud is now LOL. Make no mistake, Texting is really instant messaging with a wireless device and a whole new English syntax is developing. Problem is, texting is destroying proper sentence construction and turning writing into a series fragments.

The Ugly

Two areas of concern. One is cost....(you knew I would finally get here). Last month, my family sent and received 8000 text messages. AT&T charged me $30 (unlimited on 5 phones). That is $.00375 per text message. How long do you think this will last? (I also have 5500 unused roll over voice minutes...a topic for another discussion)

The second area of concern is reckless texting....what a distraction to look at or send a text while behind the wheel of a car. There should be a law........!

How much do you text. How much does your family text? Could you survive without it?

Some of the statistics used in this column are courtesy of PEW Interent and the American Family Life Project

SIM CARD-YOUR KEY TO CELL PHONE FREEDOM

2008-10-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

I received some feedback from yesterdays article but got questions about my comment on Sim cards. I love the praise am dismayed at the confusion I created. I did some research and here is my explanation. I must credit Wisegeek.com.......as the source of most of the information, with added editorial comments from IHF, your humble correspondent

A SIM card or Subscriber Identity Module is a portable memory chip used to power and identify individual cell phones. The SIM card makes it easy to switch to a new phone by simply sliding the SIM out of the old phone and into the new one.

The SIM holds individual account identity information, assigned number, personalized phone book, stored text messages and other subscriber information.

Think of it as a mini hard disk that automatically activates your phone when you insert it.

Having an active SIM card can be very handy. For example, let's say your phone runs out of battery power at a friend's house. You have a 10PM curfew and have to call home. Insert your SIM card into your friend's phone to make your call. Your cell company will process the call as if it were made from your phone, so it doesn't count against your friend's minutes. Bases upon this example, you can probably tell we have some experience with this in my family. My kids all know how to do this so they have no excuses.

Another benefit is when upgrading or changing phones. There should be no hassle involved. The SIM card is all you need. Insert it into the new phone and you're good to go. You can even keep multiple phones for different purposes. An inexpensive phone in the glove compartment, for example, for emergency use, one phone for work and another for home. All you do is slide your SIM card into whatever phone you wish to use.

High-end phones can be very attractive and somewhat pricey. If you invest in an expensive phone you might want to keep it awhile. Using a SIM card, it is even possible to switch carriers and continue to use the same phone.

The new carrier will simply issue you their own SIM card. The phone must be unlocked, however, and operate on the new carrier's frequency or band.

This is why you should never accept a free upgrade. Always buy new phones independent of your cell phone company and make sure the phone it us UNLOCKED!

Frugal Ways to Reduce Your Wireless Telephone and Cable Television Expenses

2008-10-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

I write about home technology and how to best leverage your monthly technology investment. Like most other folks, I recently had a monthly bill exceeding $175 in services that I paid to my Cable television company on a monthly basis.

I wanted to cut that expense to a more reasonable level. Adding my wireless telephone (cell phone) and cable television bills, I was spending about $450 monthly for Cell Phone, Home Phone, Cable TV and Broadband services. Like everybody else, I'm home more, generate my income from the Internet, and communicate more using my phone and computer. $450 monthly expense was loaded with fat and needed to be cut back. These are the steps I've taken.

Step # 1

Change my home phone service.
This was a redundant cost that was unnecessary. I'm a technologist by trade and will continue to evaluate Broadband telephony. What I'm looking at is PowerPhone, Lingo and VOIPo. I'm currently using Vonage. Monthly savings $30

Step #2

Make my cell plan more cost efficient.
I'm on a family plan with AT&T wireless (they acquired Cingular, with whom I have.had a family plan) and annoyed the rising monthly cost. I have 5 handsets on my plan; the bulk of the minutes being used by my three children.

The first step is to avoid a free handset upgrade or replacement through AT&T. Accepting their offer extends the commitment to them by 2 years. I am purchasing a discounted handset and Sim card and having them activated on my plan. A two year commitment will $2400, a new handset $150

Savings are huge!

Go the prepaid route. Buy a handset and get onto a pay as you plan. Only pay for the minutes you use. Seems reasonable

Buy unlimited text messaging. Currently, I have 5500 minutes that have been paid for and rolled over. Last month, my children sent 8000 text messages. I cut down from 2000 to 1000 minutes on my family plan.

Monthly savings, $80

Step #3

Review your Cable TV Bill and get rid of unnecessary services

Did you add a tier that includes a bunch of channels you don't watch? You can still watch movies and shows like Entourage through Netflix or your local video store for a lot less money.....Also, take a hard look at IP TV. Cable rates are Obscene!!

I examined my bill and reduced it by $50

The Results

Total savings ? $ 160

Reader Feedback!! What steps are you taking to cutback? Share them with us.

Internet Telephone Service Will Expand to 30 Million Households

2008-10-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

I was perusing the technical boards this morning when I ran across this interesting tidbit.

OK, I'm a Geek!

Adoption on Internet Telephone services is accelerating and about 8.5 million more U.S. households will start using VoIP . This forecast is courtesy of Pike & Fischer's Broadband Advisory Services.

The number of Internet connected telephone households should approach 30 million 2011, which will divert than $11 billion in revenue to providers such as Skype, Phone Power, Via Talk and countless other Internet Telephone Companies

So, you say? What dows this mean to me? I guess the Land Line is indeed dead!

P&F examined the growth trends in consumer adoption of VoIP services, and factored in the growing trend of digital service bundles that include multichannel video, high-speed Internet and home phone. VoIP-connected households are expected to grow at about 14 percent annually over the next five years, P&F projects.

Avoid The pitfalls of Digital Bundles

My regular readers know that I'm inclined to avoid bundled services and prefer Ala Carte purchasing, based upon price an service quality (both sound quality and customer service). Bundles services are similar to balloon mortgages; when you aren't paying attention, the price increases dramatically and your locked in contractually.

We Are Stuck With Cable For Broadband, Look elsewhere for Entertainment and Telephone Services !

The cable industry, which is much further along in capturing VoIP customers, will see subscriber growth slow somewhat from its torrid pace. Cable is experiencing increasing competition from online services and their programming prices are beginning to exceed their value. (OK, that's an opinion).

My recommendation? Shop for alternatives. Buy Ala Carte. But keep your broadband connections as long as it remains affordable or until a better offering becomes available.

Apple Slashes Prices on Old MacIntosh MacBook (13 " Screen) Notebooks

2008-10-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

One day after announcing the next generation MacIntosh Mac Book. Apple resellers are slashing their prices on existing inventories. One vendor, California based on-line vendor (and authorized Apple reseller) MacMall, has a limited supply of Mac Book's priced at $868.99. (after $50 mail in rebate).

I recently purchased an 8GB IPod for $130.99. It arrived on time, in unopened factory packaging and I received a good value.

Internet Telephone Service, A Frugal Approach To Home Communications

2008-10-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

Internet telephone service allows telephone calls to work (be transmitted) over your high-speed internet connection. (It works with ADSL as well). It's one way to help you leverage your monthly internet connection expense. And save you money!

An Internet phone (also known as a VoIP ) uses the same IP network as your Internet service. An ATA device connects a standard telephone to the high-speed Internet connection and acts as the connection. You plug your standard home phone into the ATA box. (The ATA box can also be plugged into your wireless router, if you use wireless internet in your home.)

Most IP phone services work only with DSL or cable modem Internet, although some work with satellite broadband. I'm actively investigating ways of implementing IP phone service on wireless Internet and will report on this at a later date. If you have the data package enabled on your cell phone, it stands to reason that multiple computers should be able to access the Internet using the wireless connection and IP phone service should be accessible. Why would one want to do this? Cell phone companies DO NOT support E911 services, IP telephone companies, by law, must provide E911.

IP Phone Service Plans

The banner at the top right of this post illustrated a typical Internet Telephone Service Offering. Free unlimited inbound and outbound calls for a flat monthly rate.

Service providers offer many different IP phone subscription plans. As with a cell phone, some service plans for these telephones feature unlimited local calling or large numbers of free minutes. However, the cost of IP phone service varies, international, long distance and other calling charges often still apply. One interesting trend is companies are customizing IP telephone plans, based upon the countries you call. One thing to note, the ATA boxed are addressed with your local number. If you a traveling to the UK ( as an example), bring your ATA device with you and plug it into a high-speed line. Any calls you make home are considered "local" and are usually free. When selecting a plan, look at everything. Confirm the availability of E911 and your responsibility in enabling the service, Be aware, it is not automatic.

IP Phone Reliability

Compared to an Internet-based broadband phone network, the standard home voice telephone network is extremely reliable. Calls cannot be made with the IP phone whenever your home Internet service is down. Additional failures within the broadband phone service itself will add to any downtime caused by the Internet connection.

Number Portability

A popular feature associated with IP phone services is number portability. This feature allows you to keep the same telephone number you had before subscribing to the Internet-based plan. However, this feature varies and may not be available on your number and depends on the service provider. You are responsible for requesting that your existing number be ported. Little known fact, s a consumer, you OWN your phone number (assuming your current land line provider is an old Bell operating company )

IP Phone Service Lock-In

The contract you sign with a broadband phone service provider may restrict your ability to change providers at a later time. Examine the service agreement. Cancellation charges might apply if you want to terminate your service

IP Phone Signal Quality

In years past, the sound quality provided by IP phone services was significantly less than with traditional telephone services. Today it will vary by provider and location, in general the quality of IP phone audio is very good. You might notice a small delay ("lag") between when you speak and the other party hears your voice. In general, the quality compares with the signal you get on your cell phone.

Cost Benefit

In my home, we use about 400 minutes monthly on our IP based phone service, and pay $40 less than we would with a comparable land line.

As you can see, there is much to consider before ripping out your landline. But You can realize savings of $300 to $400 a year by making the right choice.

HIGH SPEED INTERNET- YOUR GATEWAY TO FREE ENTERTAINMENT

2008-10-13T06:48:00.000-07:00

As the economy has worsened, consumers have begun to look inward to find ways of reducing costs while not threatening their lifestyles. I'm investigating a number of ways to apply this to my household. I promise to stay focused on home technology and not preach to you based upon my personal beliefs...As Jack Webb would say,"just the facts, Ma'am!

The important first step, is to examine the cost of remaining connected to the Internet. In the digital age, this means a high speed connection. There are three places to look.

* A broadband connection through purchased through the local Cable TV company

* DSL or (ADSL) through the local phone company

* Wireless broadband through the cell phone company of your choice

Examine all free services that you can access through your the high speed connection. I'll be of assistance and list some

* Internet Telephone. Many inexpensive choices, starting at $9.95 a month. The technology is called VOIP (also Broadband Telephone). There are many players in the market, some good, some bad.....I'm searching for a replacement for my home phone service. I'll report my finding in a future column

* Internet Radio. There is no reason to subscribe to satellite radio; there are numerous choices available for free online. I will be publishing an interview shortly with the founder of Pandora, a customizable web radio product...(oh yeah, it's free!!!!)

* IP TV. Plenty of choices, from You Tube (I'm middle aged and get bored easily with You Tube), Hulu.com, Fan Cast, and numerous others. I'm sports nut, an getting MLBTV delivered to your computer costs about $15 a month. If you are technically inclines, you can take the content, (some cables are needed) and watch these shoes on your televison screen. What you are really doing is making your TV a large computer monitor

With some diligence and and disciple, it's easy to reduce your monthly home communication costs to less than $100 a month.

Caught In The Digital Divide

2008-10-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

IS VONAGE TOAST?

2008-10-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

The economic turn down is everywhere, newspaper headlines, leads on the Evening TV news and the subject of much discussion on social networking sites as Twitter. Slow downs will hit some companies harder than others, and one company that could be in trouble is Vonage. According to TELCOM WEB the $253 million in survival loans Vonage assumed they had secured back in July are in jeopardy, and for the third time, the residential VoIP pioneer extended the tender offer for its outstanding loans needed to close on the new loans. "Those outstanding loans are due on Dec. 16, and if Vonage can’t pay them off, the company will in all likelihood be forced into bankruptcy," claims the firm. Obviously loan terms are even stiffer now, meaning Vonage's survival is even more unsure.

Vongage has put all of it's eggs in the marketing basket and made the strategic decision (a mistake in my opinion) to take shortcuts in service an support. Customer satisfaction is low, but Vonage has a large customer base, and their will likely not feel the effects of any service interruption.

As a subscriber, I'm not disappointed. They will not be the last

A HOME TECHNOLOGY BLACK HOLE! APPLE IPHONES

2008-10-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

I don't own an Apple IPhone. The sticker price is a little steep ($300 fully loaded). As a writer of frugal technology spending, I refuse to pay for redundant high speed Internet. Maybe I'm a tightwad, but the following piece from Telephony World came as a surprise to me, but ..... Remember AT&T charges $720 annually, per phone, for Internet access. Smart phones are pretty useless without this expensive access. However..........

According to a new report from The NPD Group, (that Group, again!) a leading market research firm focused on the for the wireless telephony industry, approximately 1/3 of U.S. new Apple's iPhone 3G (period between June through August 2008) canceled their contracts with other mobile carriers to join AT&T, who is the exclusive mobile carrier for the iPhone in the U.S.

Total cell phone customer "churn" was 23% of consumers, on average, switched carriers between June and August 2008. Nearly half (47 %) of new AT&T iPhone customers that switched carriers switched from Verizon Wireless, another 24 percent switched from T-Mobile, and 19% switched from Sprint.

The average price of a smart phone sold between June and August 2008 was $174, down 26 percent from $236 during the same period last year. As i reported yesterday, in the June through August 2008 time period, the top four best-selling smart-phones based on unit-sales to consumers were

1. Apple iPhone 3G
2. RIM Blackberry Curve
3. RIM Blackberry Pearl
4. Palm Centro

Say Goodbye To Your 401K!

2008-10-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

As SmartPhone Prices Drop, Sales Increase

2008-10-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

To begin, I DO NOT own an Apple IPhone. The sticker price is a little steep ($300). The following piece from Telephony World came as a surprise to me, but .....

According to a new report from The NPD Group, the leader in market research for the wireless industry, 30 percent of U.S. consumers who purchased Apple’s new iPhone 3G from June through August 2008 switched from other mobile carriers to join AT&T, the exclusive mobile carrier for the iPhone in the U.S. By way of comparison just 23 percent of consumers, on average, switched carriers between June and August 2008. Nearly half (47 percent) of new AT&T iPhone customers that switched carriers switched from Verizon Wireless, another 24 percent switched from T-Mobile, and 19 percent switched from Sprint.

“The launch of the lower-priced iPhone 3G was a boon to overall consumer smartphone sales,” according to Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for The NPD Group. “While the original iPhone also helped win customers for AT&T, the faster network speeds of the iPhone 3G has proven more appealing to customers that already had access to a 3G network.”

According to NPD’s “iPhone 3G Report,” before the launch of the iPhone 3G, iPhone sales represented 11 percent of the consumer market for smartphones (January through May 2008); however, after the launch of iPhone 3G, Apple commanded 17 percent of the smartphone market (January through August 2008).

The average price of a smartphone sold between June and August 2008 was $174, down 26 percent from $236 during the same period last year. During June through August 2008, the top four best-selling smartphones based on unit-sales to consumers were as follows:
1. Apple iPhone 3G
2. RIM Blackberry Curve
3. RIM Blackberry Pearl
4. Palm Centro

I guess this is proof that as prices drop, sales rise. But as I have written in the past, NEVER accept a discounted phone upgrade from your carrier. The fine print in your purchase will be a contract term extension........If you are paying $100 a month for service, you are agreeing to pay $2400 in service costs, in return for your discounted phone. Also, you will have to purchase the "data package" in order to buy an IPhone Blackberry or Palm, usually ($30 a month extra), or $720 over the life of an two year contract extension.....so a free or discounted Iphone will cost you $3120.......YIKES!!

The moral of the story, NEVER BUY AN IPHONE AS PART OF A FREE UPGRADE

Always buy an UNLOCKED phone as a replacement!

Is Cable TV A Dinasour?

2008-10-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

I've recently discovered a trend worth writing about. Some people are taking a hard look at their finances and canceling their cable TV (CATV) subscriptions.

In many instances, this can be a savings of more than $100 a month. But they are keeping their broadband (high speed internet) connections. Why?

It's the ability to access most television shows online, through Web sites like Hulu.com, in addition to the free broadcasts they pick up over the airwaves.

In the past two years, just about every major network show and many of the biggest cable programs have become available on the Internet. The online library of content includes everything from "Desperate Housewives" and "CSI" to "The Colbert Report" and "Mad Men."

Here is a startling fact. More than half of the people who saw recent "Saturday Night Live" skits featuring comedian Tina Fey as vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin watched the skits over the Internet, according to Solutions Research Group. Nearly a quarter saw them on YouTube and 21% saw them on NBC.com or Hulu.com.

Many shows can be viewed for free and are accompanied by ads that is smaller in number when compared with the number of commercial breaks on television. As a result, some cost-conscious consumers are ditching their cable subscriptions altogether.

The long awaited convergence of the computer is accelerating due to the economic climate.

You Have Got To Be Kidding!!

2008-10-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

Meridith,(no last name, lives in Washington DC and is a subscriber to RCN. She writes about a recent experience with RCN

I live in Washington, DC, and my boyfriend (with whom I live) has had an RCN subscription in his name for over a year now, without incident. We upgraded our cable service with RCN about a month ago, to include the digital package. Part of the package included a DVR and an HD converter box (so that we can view HD channels). After a month, we finally got our schedules straightened enough to try and set up a time for a technician to come and install it.

As RCN's main number gives no option for "making an installation appointment," at 2:20 PM, I called RCN's tech support instead, in hopes of finding a human being to speak to. Upon calling, I entered my account code and was put on hold.

After over an hour on hold, I decided to simply put down the phone and walk away, leaving it on and connected. My reasoning went thus: If somebody picks up and I'm not there to respond, they'll simply hang up the phone. This will cut off the call, and when I return to check, it should register the length of the call—and thus, the amount of time I've spent on hold.

Well, I put the phone down without disconnecting it. I took a nap, watched television, and even went out to a party. As I write this, it is 8:35, and I am still on hold, with the same music and announcements that were playing when I called six hours ago. That is six hours, without a single human answering the phone lines.

I have filed a complaint with the DC Office of Cable Television, which was forwarded to RCN. I'm leaving my phone on indefinitely until somebody picks up, and will let you know the total hold time when it's done. I plan on using my boyfriend's phone in the interim to make any necessary calls.

I'm not 100% positive of the legal ramifications of this—but I recently read that a New York state judge declared this practice, when used to deter customers from canceling their service, to be illegal on a number of counts. Any thoughts/advice?

Yes, I have two recommendations

1. Use some common sense. You spend the day on hold! Maybe after an hour, you might have figured out that your call wasn't going to be answered?

2. Scheduling installations (of a repair nature), is a business day activity. Ever try going to a bank and try to open a checking account on a Sunday?

For RCN, how about a recording on your installation scheduling line....."Our business hours are....."

My summary, is that Meridith is an uneducated consumer and RCN is pretty arrogant by neglecting to post their hours. But Meridith, please, you want to sue?? USE SOME COMMON SENSE!

Meridith, I subscibe to digital TV through RCN, and although it'd good, it's not worth spending a day on the phone.....remember, it's only TV....

FRUGAL TIPS WHEN BUYING HOME TELECOM SERVICES

2008-09-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

I was watching baseball and football yesterday and got tired of all of the Verizon, At&T, RCN ads for bundled contracted services.

From my research, here are some rule of thumbs when purchasing services (including hardware)

Avoid Free Cell Phone Hardware Upgrades !
They usually involve a rebate and extend your contact by two years. If you do the math, the advantage goes to the carrier. Cell phone hardware is a throw away item for them, they want extend the number of monthly checks you send them.
BUY AN UNLOCKED PHONE ,it is more cost effective!

INTERNET CONNECTIONS ARE A COMMODITY
Do not buy bundled cable service because of any perceived cost advantage for the high speed Internet connection. It might be cheap for the first couple of months, but it is like a mortgage with a balloon payment. the cost will skyrocket when you are not paying attention.

What Happened To John McCain's Character?

2008-09-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

What the heck happened to Senator John McCain? Eight years ago he was out on the campaign trail telling it like it is. Now he is a first class pandering fool, bowing at the altar of deregulation and special interests. He's become exactly what he was railing against eight years ago

From today's HUFFINGTON POST:

Two reports tonight, one from the New York Times, and the other from Newsweek, contradict John McCain's statement this week that his campaign manager Rick Davis had no involvement with mortgage giant Freddie Mac for the last several years. The Times reports:

One of the giant mortgage companies at the heart of the credit crisis paid $15,000 a month to a firm owned by Senator John McCain's campaign manager from the end of 2005 through last month, according to two people with direct knowledge of the arrangement. The disclosure contradicts a statement Sunday night by Mr. McCain that the campaign manager, Rick Davis, had no involvement with the company for the last several years. Mr. Davis's firm received the payments from the company, Freddie Mac, until it was taken over by the government this month along with Fannie Mae, the other big mortgage lender whose deteriorating finances helped precipitate the cascading problems on Wall Street, the people said...

What happened to your character and integrity? You've turned into a political weasel. SHAME ON YOU!

VIATALK SPECIAL

2008-09-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

Blogger "Bens Bargains" reports:

ViaTalk has a limited time special 2-Year VoIP Broadband Phone Service with 2 Unlimited Phone Lines for $199. Includes unlimited local and long distance, e911, voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, call return, and many more options. You can use your regular phone with their broadband adapter.

That translates to $16.58 a month, about the price of a large pepperoni pizza. Something to ponder in this economy.

More In Home Tools, FIOS Concerns, The Decline Of The land-Line

2008-09-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

I'm a member of Plaxo, a Facebook-like Social Networking site for professionals. They have added a new feature worth writing about.

http://www.pulse.plaxo.com

The feature is called "FAN PAGES", and it allows users to view full episodes of their favorite TV shows. What make this unique is tah many of these episodes are available for rent in your local video stores and through services like Netflix.

Some titles include "Californication, The Tudors, and Brotherhood" There are 100+ titles to choose from.

Although IPTV is in it's infancy, there are services available that deliver popular entertainment to your notebook/desk top computer. FOR FREE!!

FIOS GROUNDING PROBLEMS

Verizon has been revisiting every one of their FiOS installations in New York State after routine New York State Public Service Commission inspections found a significant number of installs had not been grounded and/or bonded.

According to Light Reading, data filed last week indicates that Verizon inspected more than 15 percent of it's FiOS-connected homes in New York State, and found a 59 percent failure rate.

In Verizon's defense, a third of those installs may have failed by default, given Verizon techs couldn't access the customer ONT. There's still no word from other States on whether this is a problem across Verizon's entire footprint.

DECREASE IN LANDLINE USE

Nielsen has released some data about families that have gone all-wireless with their residential phone communication. They show that more than half of these families have a lower-than-average household income which could be why they want to save money on phone costs by using wireless-only communication.

Although these families make more phone calls than their wired counterparts, they pay an average of $33 less per month for their phone communication. Nielsen’s prediction is that one in five American families could be completely wireless by the end of this year.

If that trend applies to Greater Boston, that translates to $132,000,000 drop in land-line revenue on an annual basis. That is astounding!!

Weekend at Bernanke’s

2008-09-20T13:27:00.001-07:00

Weekend at Bernanke’s

Posted using ShareThis

WE HAVE CHOICE

2008-09-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

In Arlington, along with the surrounding communities, In the Verizon vs Comcast/RCN high speed bandwidth race, the cable guys (or gals) are winning. Blame it on the housing slowdown or market saturation, but you can't escape the fact that the Verizon's broadband service growth left a lot to be desired.
but for Arlington consumers, the big opportunity is choice.

During the summer quarter, Verizon's DSL growth came to a screeching halt. Probably because DSL is inferior to Broadband

Both local Cable companies, despite recent rate hikes, continue to crank up the broadband subscriber volume.

Beyond the flagging economy, the obvious question is what is causing the telcos to fall behind the broadband adoption curve? Apart from the seasonal slowdown DSL can't deliver on the consumers insatiable appetite for speed and video.

What this suggests is that no matter how compelling IPTV or FTTH-based service are, if it’s not available in a subscriber’s area, they’re going to seek out the next alternative provider that does have video. They are available in Arlington and may eventually be a good entertainment alternative, but they are still in their infancy

With an entrenched video footprint it’s not hard to layer on a voice and data service bundle. To compete on par with cable, Verizon will continue to have to step up their fiber and video roll outs. Of course, getting there won't be an easy task. So far, FIOS has been a bust in Arlington

I know cable rates are rising, buts as I have written before in this space. It is wise to look at how one invests their home communication dollar. Here in Arlington, we have Cable company choice. (Verizon and RCN). If you have a broadband connection, a land line for your home telephone service, and a cell phone, (on a plan), you are wasting money.

Some thoughts

Traditional Land line Service

Why do you have a land line? To keep the local phone number? To dial emergency services in the event of a medical problem (911)? Keep in mind, interlata (in state) and interlata (outside of the local calling area) are very expensive costs. If you own a cell phone and have high speed internet connection, you can put the monthly cost back into your pocket. The land line, as we know it, is a dinasour an is dying a slow death.

Cell Phone Services

How many cellphones do you have? In my home, we have 5 (you read that correctly, 5!) I recently went to the AT&T store in Waltham I originally signed up with Cingular) and managed to shave $150 while activating a line and getting a new phone for $20 bucks. Each line had an extra $30 in service chargers that had been added without my knowledge. I also discovered that I had almost 5500 unused rollover minutes due to two teenagers who no longer use their phones for talking, just texting! So, I have 2.5 months worth of unused network minutes that I have paid for. Unbelievable!!!! One more detail, cell phones do not do a good job with 911

On my blog, you see an a for Tracphone. It's their because you only pay for minuted you use. It's like having a newspaper delivered to your house. You pay X $'s for X copies of the Globe. You a pay X4's for X# of minutes.....none get wasted nor do they run out. Certainly worth considering.

Broadband

If you are a subscriber to Verizon DSL, Comcast or RCN high speed Internet service, and you have a landline, you are leaving money on the table. Serviced like Vonage , Phonetalk, Viatalk and Lingo provide an alternative to Verizon or any other land line. For as low as $10 a month, they'll provide unlimited calling. For 2.5 cents, they will support international calls.They work pretty easily. You receive an ATA device, ( about the size of a deck of cards) which you connect to you cable modem/DSL router. Your home phone plugs into the ATA, and you get dial-tone. It also provides local 911 services.

Thanks for reading

FINANCIAL MARKET CHOAS

2008-09-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

My regular readers (There are a few!) know I've been riffing on the recession and some of the technical opportunities available in the marketplace to consolidate and save on your technology investment. Todays Lehman, Merrill Lynch and AIG meltdown is very ominous and points to a long, cold winter for many of us.

R-e-c-e-s-s-i-o-n. Americans consumption is down 800,000 barrels per day, a drop of 4%. At $3.75 a gallon, the oil companies are finally taking a hit. (actually, the corner gasoline retailer, the little guy, is the one absorbing this hit).

What does this have to do with Internet home telephony. Plenty!!

High Speed Internet connectivity, even with growth rates a t a standstill, is still at an all time high. I'd never buy my high-speed access from Verizon, AT&T or Qwest, but 29.7 million American households have made that choice. This blog is about technology and how to best leverage your monthly technology investment. Like most other folks, I pay over $175 to RCN on a monthly basis. How can I cut that bill down to size? Between AT&T for wireless (cell phone) and RCN, I pay about $280 monthly for cell phone, home phone and Internet connectivity. Like everybody else, I'm home more, generate my income from the Internet, and communicate more using my phone and computer. These are my steps to cutting these bills down.

1. Get rid of my home phone through RCN. This is a redundant cost that is unnecessary. I'm a technologist by trade and will continue to evaluate Broadband telephony. What I'm looking at is PowerPhone, Lingo and ViaTalk. The one problem I have is that my family objects to changing our home phone number.

2. Rethink the cellular phone plan approach to wireless phones. I'm on a family plan with AT&T wireless and am quite pissed off about the rising costs. I have 5 handsets on my plan; the bulk of the minutes being used by my three children. I'm investigating a couple of options. The first is to never upgrade or replace a handset through AT&T. Accepting their offer of a free or heavily discounted handset extends the commitment to them by 2 years. Buy a discounted handset and Sim card and have them activated on your net work of choice. or go he prepaid route. Buy a handset and get onto a pay as you plan. Only pay for the minutes you use. Seems reasonable

3. Take a hard look an IP TV. Cable rates are Obscene!!

One way to ride out this recession is to make good in home telecommunication choices. Keep reading! I hope my rants help

This was true in August and it's true today. On the left of his entry, there are some handpicked alternatives I have researched to help you save money. Visit them and evaluate their offerings for yourself. All that's required is a is a small investment of time.

Thank you for reading!

Another Reason To Use Broadband Telephone Service

2008-09-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Another advantage to Broadband phone service

Leave your (U.S.) cell phone at home and stick to VoIP and a local prepaid device when traveling overseas.

Users wishing to dodge outrageous roaming charges when traveling to foreign lands should first set up an account with a VoIP provider, such as Skype, Gizmo or TruPhone, along with a U.S. landline number. Take the landline number and give to those who need to reach you and leave it on your voicemail.

After arriving in foreign lands, either secure a cheap prepaid cellphone--easier to do on the ground than trying get one in advance over the Internet--or take your U.S. cell phone and pop in a local SIM card, assuming: 1) You have a GSM phone; and, 2) Your U.S. GSM provider gives you an unlocked phone (iPhone users may gnash their teeth at this point).

Once done, log onto your VoIP account and set it up to redirect calls to your new prepaid cell phone number. Costs should be cents per minute, rather than dollars, while State-side callers can reach you on a U.S. "local" number.

VIATALK

2008-09-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

I've rated ViaTalk in this in the past. I peruse the different technical boards daily, an found this review of a new install that was posted earlier today.

I have never had a problem with this service from day one!! Clear sound, calls never drop and calls always go through. I have the base plan and it’s 100 times better then Vonage and it cost less.

This IP Phone Service is a value for the the money.

THIS MADE ME CHUCKLE

2008-09-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

I found the following story online in something called the "Canadian Press"

Although I don't condone her actions, after a week of haggling with RCN here in Arlington MA, I appreciate her frustration.

I work out of my home and a very dependent (TOO dependent) on my broadband connection. Try getting RCN to show empathy and make it easy. No friggin way! Thanks to the kind ladies at JAMMIN JAVA in Arlington, their free WIFI was a lifer savings.

It's a story as old as the Internet.

You fire up your Web browser and all you get is some cryptic error message.

Try as you might, jiggling wires, pulling plugs and tossing keyboards, the Internet is down. No Web. No e-mail. For some, no life.

Then it's time to call the service provider.

Carol Sinclair, a Halifax actress and playwright, found herself in that position, and now, what started as a routine telephone standoff with an Internet provider, leaves her facing criminal charges.

"I was polite the first 20 times I talked to them," she told The Globe and Mail. "But each one gave me the same routine: 'Is the modem connected. Are the lights blipping?' And then each one would say, 'It should be working, it should be working. The problem must be with your computer.' "

Ms. Sinclair said they wouldn't send a repairman. She'd spent the previous weeks tending to ailing family members and was a little behind on her latest project, a stage adaptation of CBC broadcaster Linden Macintyre's memoir, Causeway.

"I was a little stressed," the 53-year-old said. "I had six days to do a month's work."

The actress said she called her provider, Aliant, one last time, disguising her voice to sound like a man and telling the company she needed her connection right away because she was a businessman.

"Lo and behold, they said someone would be over between 8 and 11 the next morning."

At around 12:30 p.m., Ms. Sinclair said, a "huge, strapping young man" arrived to fix the connection.

"I told him I wasn't going to be polite because of all the explaining I'd already had to do over the phone," Ms. Sinclair said.

"This was my living, my income on hold."

But the technician, 21-year-old David Scott, couldn't find anything wrong. He said the problem lay with Ms. Sinclair's computer.

That's where versions of the story diverge.

According to Halifax Police, Ms. Sinclair was enraged with Mr. Scott. "She told the technician, in a tirade, that he was not leaving until her Internet was working and she told him she was keeping him hostage," Constable Jeff Carr said.

"She implied that she had a gun, although he didn't see one."

The repairman told Ms. Sinclair he could fix her computer, but first had to retrieve a disc from his truck, according to the police version of events. Ms. Sinclair followed Mr. Scott downstairs, but he was able to run away and drive to the Aliant office.

Ms. Sinclair, on the other hand, said that when Mr. Scott couldn't find a problem with the connection, she asked him to call another technician.

When he told Ms. Sinclair that someone else was on his way, she recalled saying, "I don't want to hold you hostage, but would you mind hanging around until the other technician arrives so that the two of you can sort it out."

"All of a sudden, he says he can fix my connection after all," Ms. Sinclair said. "He just needs to get a disc from his van."

Ms. Sinclair followed Mr. Scott downstairs to the van. She held the front door to the complex so he could get back in. Instead, she said, she watched as Mr. Scott jumped in his van and sped off.

"I felt like I was in the surreal zone," she said. "I couldn't figure out what spooked this kid."

Frustrated that she'd blown yet another day wrangling with her Internet provider, she said, she went back upstairs to the condo and cracked a vodka cooler. "It was five hours earlier than I usually drink, but I was frankly a little frustrated."

She'd downed a third of her cooler when a knock came at the door. She opened it to see five police officers.

No firearms were found in the house.

"I'm a Buddhist," Ms. Sinclair said. "I'm a wimp. I'm a pacifist."

An Aliant spokesman said the company does not discuss issues that are before the courts.

Ms. Sinclair was arraigned in Halifax Provincial Court Friday and is now free on conditions including that she have no contact with Mr. Scott or any Aliant employee. She is due back in court Sept. 30.

Good Luck Ms Sinclair!

THE WORLD IS FLAT

2008-08-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

I took a break from writing and went on a cruise of the Caribbean with my family and some lovely folks from Australia. I also read Tom Friedman's book, The World Is Flat. Mr Friedman takes a very complicated topic, India and China, and discusses the positive benefits that technology has had on those two societies.

It is relevant in how technology had changed the way we live our daily lives. Notebook computers, broadband routers, wireless access points, wireless phones are relatively new yet have changed consumer communication choices.

I am a believer that these changes are positive and should be embraced

Always looking for ways to save a buck, I ran into this article in Business Week that caught my attention. Another example of how one can leverage their broadband (or DSL) monthly subscription and take advantage of a world that is flatter and smaller.

By OLGA KHARIF

Scott Goldman uses his mobile phone to call friends and business contacts all over the world, from Britain to Australia. But the Southern California-based consultant doesn't pay a dime in international tolls to his mobile-phone carrier, AT&T, the biggest in the U.S.

Instead, Goldman places the international portion of the calls—roughly 100 minutes a month—through a service called Gorilla Mobile that relies on Internet-based technology to route wireless calls virtually toll-free. Goldman, a user of Apple's iPhone, estimates that he saves hundreds of dollars a year with Gorilla's service. He stands to cut wireless bills even more by signing up for another, iCall, that's due for the iPhone in the coming weeks. The service will let him place low-priced calls from WiFi hotspots—bypassing the AT&T network altogether. "Once I can make calls using the WiFi network, I will, in all likelihood, reduce the monthly minutes I have [with AT&T,]," Goldman says.

Gorilla, iCall, and a growing number of other services rely on what's known as Voice over Internet Protocol technology that delivers speech via the Internet in much the same way as e-mail. VoIP calling is already raising a ruckus in telecommunications, putting pressure on the price of land-line calling and luring subscribers toward upstarts like Vonage (VG) and Comcast (CMCSA) away from incumbents such as AT&T, and Verizon (VZ). Now, the technology threatens to erode sales for mobile-phone service providers too.

Jajah's Growth Spurt

By 2011 the number of mobile VoIP users around the world may rise to 100 million from 7 million in 2007, according to ON World, a consulting firm based in San Diego. ON World estimates that in 2011, mobile VoIP voice services may generate $33.7 billion, up from $516 million in 2006, the most recent year for which the figure is available. If that sounds like a breakneck pace, consider the growth trajectory for Jajah, a provider of wireless VoIP, which had 10 million users in April—a fivefold increase in just a year.

Wireless carriers are expected to generate $700.7 billion in sales of voice services this year, according to consulting firm Ovum. Still, carriers in the fiercely competitive mobile-phone industry will be none too pleased with newcomers snapping up a portion of the almost one-quarter of all wireless minutes now devoted to long-distance and international calls. Insight Research estimates that together, international and long distance will make up 24% of the 1.2 billion wireless minutes used this year.

VoIP technology is likely to make deeper wireless inroads soon. Skype, the eBay (EBAY)-owned service used by more than 338 million people to make free PC-to-PC calls, later this year plans to release a new product called "Skype for your mobile" that will let customers use local wireless minutes to make international calls.

Truphone Meets Nokia

Wireless VoIP services vary widely in how they work. Some, including Jajah, can be used with a basic cell phone and require that users call a local number that connects them to the service that routes a call overseas. Others are more involved, requiring that the user download software onto an Internet-enabled cell phone. In some cases, calls must be placed via WiFi network. What the services have in common, though, is that each helps wireless users circumvent at least some of the charges associated with long-distance wireless calling.

As complicated as wireless VoIP services may sound, they've come a long way. Until recently many phones couldn't gain access the Web via WiFi networks. Others couldn't download the necessary software. But the number of WiFi phones sold globally is expected to grow to 33% of the total by 2011, from 5.5% this year, according to research firm Gartner (IT). Smart phones such as Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and Research In Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry, which provide advanced Web services, are gaining in popularity too.

Indeed, many downloadable wireless VoIP applications are being offered through Apple's iPhone App Store. Truphone is one such tool. When used on Nokia (NOK) e61 and Nokia n95 smart phones, the British-developed service lets users make calls for a few cents a minute using a data plan rather than wireless voice minutes. Calls to other Truphone customers using Nokia N-series or E-series devices are free. So in theory, a user could save money by purchasing an unlimited data plan in tandem with the lowest-priced voice plan necessary. "Web calling will put price pressure on the incumbents," says Truphone CEO James Tagg. AT&T declined to comment for this story. Verizon Wireless, the No. 2 U.S. mobile-phone company, didn't respond to requests for comment.

Restrictions on VoIP Usage

Many handset makers limit VoIP usage on their devices. Apple, for instance, prohibits software developers from enabling VoIP calls over cellular networks—though applications that route these calls via WiFi are allowed. "I don't think carriers are going to let VoIP to take as much revenue [as it's taken from residential phone providers]," says Rebecca Swensen, an analyst at consultancy IDC (IDC). Case in point: T-Mobile USA, which has tweaked its handsets so that even calls made via WiFi hotspots count against subscribers' wireless minutes, unless the users sign up for an additional calling plan, costing $10 a month (BusinessWeek, 6/25/09).

Yet in a bid to stay competitive, some telecom providers are considering offering free VoIP calls within certain applications. A company called Global IP Solutions, which licenses mobile VoIP technology, is in talks with several second-tier wireless carriers in the U.S. to enable free Web calls on certain applications, such as interactive wireless gaming. "Laws of competition are starting to drive this," says GIPS CEO Emerick Woods. He declined to identify any of the carriers.

Some carriers abroad already offer free VoIP calls to users within certain social networks. In late August carrier 3, which is owned by Hutchison Whampoa and offers wireless service in countries including Britain and Italy, will begin selling a new version of its popular Skypephone that lets users make free calls to Skype contacts without using voice minutes.

Skype Out Calling

Later this year, Skype will launch its Skype Out service, letting 3's Skype customers make calls to home and wireless phone numbers of non-Skype users. "I think we are seeing a real change in operator approaches to Skype," explains Tony Saigh, who heads business development for mobile at Skype. "There's a realization that providing customers with additional modes of communications is good. The real battle is how do you keep your customers engaged."

Verizon and Unions Settle and Avoid a Work Stoppage

2008-08-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

The CWA reported a three year contact agreement with Verizon. Union membership received protection in future job openings with expanded bargaining rights, an maintained their health care benefits for both active and retired members. Also, increased wages (% increase was not reported) and pension benefits for the 65,000 members from Virginia to Maine. The new proposal includes members of both the CWA and IBEW.

Consumers (both direct and indirect) can expect increased rates for Broadband, entertainment and wireless services provided by Verizon.

VoIP Firms Race To Answer Market's Call

2008-08-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

From today's San Francisco Business Times

"Competition is heating up for VoIP companies, with two Bay Area firms announcing big steps in the industry's quest to replace the telephone.

On Tuesday Jaxtr, a Menlo Park-based IP telephony company, closed $10 million from Lehman Brothers Venture Partners, bringing in a total haul of $20 million in two rounds of funding. Rival Jajah, based in Mountain View, has raked in clients such as Yahoo Messenger and eHarmony for its VoIP service, and plans to add SIPphone to the roster this week.

While voice-over-IP telephony began with Vonage and Skype, the newest band of startups are leveraging social networking numbers and big partnerships to muscle their way into the $1 billion market. Increased demand from customers who want to save money by making phone calls over the Internet have helped Jaxtr and Jajah attract a large customer base. Each has over 10 million users -- and are scrambling to lure in more users by providing free "in network" calls and only charging for premium services and international dials. Industry analyst In-Stat puts total VoIP subscribers worldwide at 16 million in 2005, growing to over 55 million in 2009, while Frost & Sullivan projects the market will hit $4.52 billion in 2014. Both VoIP firms declined to disclose their revenue.

With virtually no marketing budget, Jaxtr's growth has come mostly through word-of-mouth since its founding in March 2007, which CEO Konstantin Guericke attributes to the application's ease of use and cheap calling rates. Having strong ties to LinkedIn, which Guericke co-founded, hasn't hurt, either. The popular business networking site, along with MySpace and Facebook, allows users to add a Jaxtr widget on their personal page.

When people use Jaxtr, they are essentially making a local phone call that is routed through servers. "To my parents (in Germany), it's no different from calling someone down the street," Guericke said.

But the VoIP technology is different from that of Vonage or Skype -- it zips through the backbone of the Internet, a level only accessible to ISPs and big telecom carriers.

"We've made relationships with telcos at a fairly high level," Guericke said. Jaxtr's target audience isn't just the tech-savvy.

"We want real estate agents and HR recruiters to put us on their web sites, we want teenagers to text with our system," he said. "And we do it at a very low cost."

Trevor Healy, CEO of Jajah, said on Thursday his company will announce a deal to connect SIPphone's 2.5 million users, joining eHarmony's 3 million monthly users and Yahoo Messenger's 97 million users. Jajah will terminate calls and provide customer care for SIPphone's free mobile and computer-based VoIP service. Jajah's "secure call" feature allows users to talk one-on-one without having to dish out their actual phone numbers.

Unlike Jaxtr, Jajah uses a "dual-track business model," Healy said. Jajah focuses on both 10 million individual users and channel customers such as Yahoo and others. The latter partnerships add a hefty 50 million indirect users. Big name investors such as Sequoia Capital, and Globespan Capital Partners, have poured in $26 million since its founding in March 2006.

For its part, Jajah said its higher calling rates are due to its mobile services. "You get what you pay for," Healy said. "We have found that the better the quality, the better your revenues."

Amid all the rosy projections, there is reason for pause.

In May, when San Francisco-based VoIP provider Jangl closed up shop, Jajah picked up two of its executives, while Jangl partners such as Match.com were left in the lurch. Virginia-based VoIP firm SunRocket went bankrupt last July. Other firms, such as Rebtel and Truphone, are staying quiet about their revenue growth -- or losses.

William Volk of MyNuMo had worked since January on an application for the iPod Touch with Jangl until its demise. "There were indications near the end," he said. "There was less and less feedback."

If Jaxtr and Jajah want to avoid Jangl's fate, Volk said, they will have to provide clear, consistent results -- for their business partners as well as their customers."

So as I have written in the past, as a next generation of telecom consumers begins to mature, a new market paradigm has emerged.

Cheap Broadband

2008-08-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

I have been kicking around the telecom world now for quite few years. I cut my teeth in the CATV world, back when it was cutting edge technology. The broadband evolution has brought us to an interesting crossroads.

The emergence of cheap broadband ( and to a lesser degree, DSL) is making wired phone service obsolete. Broadband telephony (aka VOIP) is becoming a commodity. Home POTs lines with antiquated LD services will go the way of the pay phone. Replacing them will be voice services that can be adapted to in home "cable modems" with IP masks that assign them traditional 10 digit dial strings (617-xxx-xxxx). Technically savvy consumer can pack their adapter and localize their calling plans, regardless of their location.

Broadband phone service is evolving along a "self help" model. Pre-addressed "free" adapters are mailed and the subscriber is expected to plug it in. Vongage has relied on this model and their service reputation has suffered. A lot of money invested in acquiring customers, little invested in retention.

Advertised (on this blog) services ViaTalk, Phone Power and My 1Voice are examples of self help services that are affordable and allow the consumer to leverage their monthly broadband investment.

CATV will become also become obsolete. Internet TV and the emergence of inexpensive
video hardware and software products similar to Avid's Pinnacle offering will help replace "packaged" home entertainment products with more "ala carte" entertainment offerings

No Verizon Strike Yet

2008-08-03T10:59:00.000-07:00

As reported in BROADBAND/DSL REPORTS

The labor contract between Verizon and 65,000 union employees expired at midnight last night which could have meant that a strike would begin today. However, negotiations are in progress and the strike has been avoided so far. A union spokesperson says that progress has been made on all of the major issues and that everyone believes that an agreement can be reached without a strike. The current contract will remain in place while these talks continue.

Verizon Unions Prep For Strike

2008-08-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

From Broadband Reports

The labor contract between unions IBEW & CWA (collectively representing 65,000 employees) and Verizon will expire at midnight tomorrow. As noted last week, 91% of workers voted to authorize a strike if negotiations fail, and many spent today picketing. Impacted union membership (which includes all FiOS, DSL and landline workers in the former Bell Atlantic region) believe they've got a little extra leverage this time around with Verizon struggling with overall broadband additions, making management extra-eager to make strong headway in NYC FiOS deployment.

Editors Note; if there is a strike and you subscribe to Verizon products, plan on service outages

More on VOIPo

2008-08-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

I found this information about VOIPo, which is scheduled to be made available to home users within the next few weeks. The author is Timothy Dick, the founder of VOIPo.com

VOIPo Express offers a trio of services including toll-free numbers, virtual local numbers, and an online fax service. Services will be able to be purchased individually or in any combination.

Toll-Free Service

With our Toll-Free service, you’ll be able to get a toll-free number and have it forward calls to any US or Canadian phone number or SIP address.

Estimated Pricing:

$4.95/Month (Paid Monthly)
$3/Month (Paid Yearly)
100 Minutes Included Monthly
Additional Minutes Billed at 4.9 Cents

Virtual Numbers

With this service, you’ll be able to get phone number from nearly 6,000 locations throughout the US and point it to your existing US or Canadian phone number or SIP address.

As an example, if you are in Dallas, you could order phone numbers from New York City and Orlando and have them both point to you in Dallas. This is especially useful if you want to have local numbers in areas your customers are in.

Estimated Pricing:

$4.95/Month (Paid Monthly)
$3/Month (Paid Yearly)
500 Minutes Included Monthly
Additional Minutes Billed at 1.9 Cents

Online Faxing

With VOIPo’s fax service, you'll be able to get a fax number which allows you to receive faxes in your e-mail.

When something is faxed to your fax number, it will be converted to a PDF file and e-mailed to you automatically.

Estimated Pricing:

$4.95/Month (Paid Monthly)
$3/Month (Paid Yearly)
Virtually Unlimited Incoming Faxes Included Monthly

VOIPo

2008-07-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

I was reading Broadband DSL Reports this morning and discovered an interesting vendor called VOIPo. The product is in a BETA, and beta users are posting their ratings on the DSL Reports use blog

VOIPo service features include a down loadable soft-phone to be used when traveling. Customers use the “vPanel” to setup and control their account in real time. Fail over, Call Waiting, 3 Way Calling, Caller ID with Name, Call Waiting ID, Anonymous Call Rejection, Caller ID Block, Call Return, Call Forwarding, and Voice mail are standard features. The voice mail feature is pretty slick. There is an ability to notify one or more email accounts of receipt of a voice mail including the Caller ID (CID), size and date and time of the message.

Things of note: The beta consists of 14 users that have taken the time to rate VOIPo on the following categories:

Ease of installation- 100%

Call Quality- 98%

Network Reliability 98%

Tech Support 100%

These ratings should be taken with a grain of salt, as he product is in beta. However, these are sophisticated users, and the call quality and network reliability numbers jump out at me. I'll keep everybody posted about VOIPo's progress and availability

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Broadband Vendor Reviews- ViaTalk

2008-07-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Broadband DSL Reports is a good source when evaluating where to invest your home technology dollar. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was an early adopter of Vonage services and have been disappointed in their evolution as a service provider.

I've been looking for a replacement and have discovered that the field is now crowded with many carriers.

One provider that stands out is ViaTalk. ViaTalk Services include enhanced voicemail caller ID w/name, call waiting, call forwarding, simultaneous ring, e911 support, some operator services, call return (*69) caller ID block, free in-network calling, and on-the-go web based call logs.

Things of note: Appoximately 430 subscibers have took the time to rate ViaTalk on the following categories:

Ease of installation- 85%

Call Quality- 75%

Network Reliability 68%

Tech Support 64%

My analysis is installation and call quality are above average, Network Reliability and Tech Support are works in progress.

T-MOBILE

2008-07-29T05:54:00.000-07:00

As Reported In The New York Times.....

How is this for a twist: Wireless carrier T-Mobile wants to sell consumers phone service in their homes.

The company announced Wednesday that it would introduce a Internet-based phone service called T-Mobile@Home later this month which it hopes will compete with land line and voice-over-Internet offerings from the likes of AT&T, Verizon and Vonage. The service will cost $10 a month, but customers must also have a T-Mobile cellphone plan (which typically start at $29.99 a month) and broadband Internet service (which typically costs $20 to $50 a month, depending on who the provider is).

The move is part of T-Mobile’s effort to extend its brand beyond wireless communications. Unlike AT&T or Verizon, which have roots as old-line phone companies, T-Mobile does not sell traditional phone service.

The offering also builds on the company’s innovative service began a year ago that allowed its mobile phone customers to make unlimited calls over their home wireless Internet networks.

T-Mobile@Home transmits calls from the phone handset through a $50 T-Mobile router to the Internet, where voice-over-Internet-protocol technology is used to complete the call. Customers are allowed to keep their existing home phone number. At the same time, said the chief executive, Robert Dotson, they can get the same services they get from mobile phones, like personalized ring tones.

The $10 price tag for unlimited calling is cheaper than what competitors like AT&T and Verizon, charge for wired or VOIP access. Vonage, which also sells telephone calling plans using VOIP technology, offers unlimited calling for $24.99.

This is an interesting development. Bundling home VOIP service with a cell plan may be good for the TMobile, but limits consumer freedom and could prove to be costly. (VOIP cost, broadband cost plus wireless cost.) This may become a trend.

VONAGE

2008-07-28T12:08:00.000-07:00

My intention in writing this blog is to give my readers the benefit of my experience working with and evaluating many of the broadband Internet phone service providers offering services today.

The technology itself has been around for about five years. As broadband Internet services have become popular and more prevalent, services like Vonage and Packet8 have gained consumer visibility because of their deep marketing pockets.

My intention is to provide an objective guide o the value and most technically sound choices available.

I wanted to include Vonage in this post, as I have been a subscriber for over 4 years. The experience has been less than satisfactory, especially when putting them next to the other providers I have evaluated. The have proven inferior when evaluating transmission (voice) clarity, reliability, support, and price. I don't mind paying a higher price point, but here must be a service component to justify the additional cost

While I've reviewed my peers experiences with Vonage, I have found that my experience is not unique.. Vonage has chosen to build their business on a brand recognition model, and have not done much to improve the quality or end user service. While their competitors has built robust networks with good end user support, Vonage has chosen to invest primarily on marketing.

I will include Vonage as one of my affiliate offerings, I will not recommend them in any one to one discussion I have with inquiring consumers. There are simply better sevice choices available.