About Toll Free Numbers Services

Useful Apps

2012-01-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

Some phone services in the form of apps that enable you to waste time, are utterly useless. Others on the other hand can be more than just a way to pass the time, that we do not have by the way. Find your next flight or hotel room fast using Kayak, which scours hundreds of travel websites for the lowest fares possible. The app presents its results in a slick, graphically engaging interface complete with 3D rotating menus, brightly colored headers, and deep-black backgrounds. Users can sort results by highly recommended, lowest price, and star rating. Travelers who need a set of wheels can also command Kayak to zero in on car rental info. Take some of the sting out of travel with TripIt, a revolutionary service that creates a customized itinerary for you in seconds and stores everything on your handset. Just email all confirmation messages from airlines, hotels, and travel sites to TripIt and the service will neatly compile everything into one easy-to-navigate interface. Unfortunately, you can’t pin an itinerary to the home screen. Stepping up to the Pro app unlocks luxury features such as flight monitoring and viewing mile reward programs on the go. What other apps do you find useful?

Touch Screen Desks?

2012-01-16T12:27:00.000-08:00

As if we were not hooked up to the internet along with emails, Facebook, and internet fax services, here comes the desktop that is hooked up and a touch screen. The EXODesk demo didn’t involve a computer built into a display: The screen was hooked up to a Windows 7 PC that was tucked out of the way. The EXO UI looks nothing like stock Windows 7: You navigate by tapping a pop-up cluster of circles.The features I saw at ViewSonic’s booth included practical stuff (a calendar) and fun stuff such as a musical keyboard and an air hockey game. Samsung’s new Surface table is $8,400; EXOPC plans to sell EXODesk units, but not including the PC, for just $1,300, in a version aimed at people who want to develop apps for its user interface. It hopes to roll out a version for the rest of us later this year. Would you find this tool useful or not?

Online Conferencing

2012-01-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

WebEx is the latest internet phone service that is really making headlines. They feature online conferencing for businesses. You are able to have a slew of choices when it comes to the type of phone service you want to use. Their full portfolio of web conferencing solutions can take you from an occasional one-on-one meeting to a webinar or an online event with 5,000 participants. Whether you need a solution for personal use or an enterprise-grade product to support your multinational business, they've got you covered. This means that their offers will be able to fit any budget, from a growing business to a company. You can also count on the highest levels of performance and security for all of the WebEx online meetings. Every meeting is delivered over the Cisco Collaboration Cloud, which is a highly secure, scalable, and available meeting network. Plus, you have a variety of security options–such as meeting password protection–to control who attends your meeting and ensure that all your data is safe, every time, which can be important if sensitive information is discussed.

Hang Up!

2012-01-07T17:06:00.000-08:00

Back in the day, when cell phones were not so wide spread, it was common to hear someone in the house yelling at the other person to get off the phone, because they had to use it or they (dare I say it?) needed to use the phone line to get online. Since most of us have a personal number at which we can be reached and very few people use dial-up these days. On a side note, if you do use dial-up, please consider upgrading because it will make everyone's life that much easier and even less costly. First of all, it is the transportation agencies that are telling us to hang up. We have seen plenty of states propose a act to ban all cell phone and phone service use while driving. Some people might say that it might be an emergency and they would need to see who is calling but no life is worth a phone call. Another scary trend that was discovered is that doctors and nurses have constant access to their phones and they are using the phone service during procedures. So please, just hang up for a while.

Electric Cars

2012-01-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

We all thought that in 2011 electric cars would have way more sales and people would start transitioning from gasoline driven cars to the ones that are solely powered by a battery. We have also seen an attempt to put in social media and internet phone services in cars but that was turned down, for good reasons I might add. One of the reasons that the sales did not do as good as predicted was that people do not like to switch the way they drive after so many years of using gas driven cars. Another reason is that the Volt was possibly held back by safety concerns over a battery fires in some crash tests. Recently, GM announced that it was adding more steel to the Volt to protect the lithium-ion battery in the case of a collision. The Nissan Leaf costs about $35,000 before credits and rebates. You save money every day by not paying for gasoline—which is likely to break the $4 a gallon barrier soon enough, especially if Iran decides to shut the Strait of Hormuz. Do you think that we are headed towards the electric cars or is it still going to take a while?

Indentity

2011-12-26T19:26:00.000-08:00

Who are you? Seriously, how would you even start answering that question? We all have defining traits and it would take most of us an extremely long time to go through all of them. Throughout life, we take on many roles and to some extent even personalities. You would not go around taking to your boss the way you do with your siblings or you would not even send a coworkers an internet fax with the tone that you use with your close friend. So if during the day we act differently around different people, how do we really know that we are the same person at the end of the day as when we woke up in the morning? There has to be some consistency in our personality or there would be a lot of troubled relationships. On a side note, that might be a problem in most relationships: people are never consistent with how they act so we never know what to expect. There is a thread that links all the experiences a person goes through and the certain way that they interpret them. What do you think that thread is?

Wi-Fi in Your Pocket

2011-12-19T12:59:00.000-08:00

If you are in need of a good WiFi signal because that internet fax has to be sent out immediately but are nowhere near a good router, the mini pocket router is the perfect solution. The Mini Pocket Router is geared to extending a home wireless network or enabling more devices. It links to a local Ethernet cable. It also plugs right into the electrical outlet, so a power cord isn’t necessary. The Portable Wireless N Router connects via the 3G cell networks, which is handy if you happen to be out of range of any good Wi-Fi. It works with most USB modems and can also be powered via the USB socket. That’s pretty useful for those times when you need to power up but don’t have a separate outlet handy. This is also a great tool to have if the people that you are working with do not have 3G smartphones but need the internet. What are your thoughts of this mini router?

Selective Services

2011-12-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

Being able to be in control of your business is very important. With the phone service companies today, there are a wide variety of services that you can get and be in complete control of the settings so that that they fit your business and even budget perfectly. One of the services that you can get is call forwarding where you can select the different settings. Automatically forward your incoming calls to a different phone number when pre-defined criteria, such as the phone number, time of day or day of week, are met. The selective call forwarding allows you to forward specific calls matching your criteria to a different phone number. You can also use this service to forward calls from your manager, a family member, or an important customer to your cell phone, alternate business phone, or home phone. The criteria for each entry can be a list of up to 12 phone numbers or digit patterns, a time of day range and specified days of the week. All criteria for an entry must be satisfied for the call to be forwarded (phone number and day of week and time of day). If the call is not forwarded, the call continues as if this service was not turned on.

Why Do You Go Online?

2011-12-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

When you are bored, do you just go online looking for entertainment. And no I am not talking about that. I mean you can go to the social networking site or have an internet phone conversation with some of your friends. The study -- conducted among 2,260 adults ages 18 and over on landlines and cellphones -- has a margin of error of 3.7%. But it's not just young web users that turn to the Internet during their down time -- about 58% of all adults or 74% of online adults said they use the Internet this way, up from 45% of adults who said they did so in a Pew survey conducted in 2006. Pew noted that the growth of people using the Internet as a "destination for fun" coincides with the rise of broadband connections, social networking and video. The trend also suggests that the Web is becoming a competitor to other kinds of other leisure activities. It makes me wonder what type of leisure activities will be pushed out of the way. If it is playing physical games and interacting with people one on one, we might be is some serious trouble. How do you feel about the direction the internet is going?

Unified Messaging

2011-11-23T18:05:00.000-08:00

When you are trying to run a business, the last thing you want to wasting time doing is be worrying about keeping track of all the different messaging systems. Onebox Unified Messaging is the perfect solution, as it gives you a central location for managing all of your messaging, contacts, calendar, and other office needs. Ideal for an independent business owner, Onebox Unified Messaging makes your business more productive. It will also keep you much more organized and you will not be missing any important alerts or messages. You will be able to manage all your voicemail and emails right from your online account. Another great part of this communication system from Onebox is the flexibility you get when you send or receive internet fax. You will also be able to manage the faxes and calls made by your employees. This will enable your business to become more productive.

Stopping Online Piracy

2011-11-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

It would be nice to stop all those people that steal music, movies, and books online and make them pay for their entertainment but that is not how the world works because something else is going fall apart. He is part of the article explaining how the two Acts are going to work:

The yearly revenue lost to U.S. companies is estimated at $200 billion, according to a report commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has come out strongly in favor of the SOPA and PROTECT IP bills. Because such overseas sites are out of reach of U.S. law, each bill would force American payment providers, such as MasterCard or Visa, to stop processing transactions involving sites that were found by a court to be infringing copyrights — in effect, cutting off their money. (A similar tactic was used against Wikileaks a year ago.)

From a technical point of view, the most worrisome provision of the SOPA and PROTECT IP bills is that both allow federal courts order Internet service providers (ISPs), such as Time Warner Cable or Verizon, and search engines, such as Google or Yahoo, to block websites which have been determined to infringe upon copyrights and trademarks belonging to the American entertainment industry.

The ISPs would have to block such sites by “filtering” their own Domain Name System (DNS) servers. Normally, DNS servers match the Web addresses humans know — such as www.securitynewsdaily.com — with the Internet Protocol network addresses that computers use, such as 207.86.128.60.

But the SOPA and PROTECT IP bills would change that system. As a result, if a U.S.-based user were to type in a Web address pointing to an infringing site, the ISP’s DNS server would be forbidden from giving the correct Internet Protocol address to the user’s browser.

Instead, the ISP would have to either re-route the user’s browser to a notice of copyright infringement, or return a standard “404” error indicating that the site could not be found. In the latter case, the ISP would have been forced to “lie” about the existence of the domain name — a breach of network protocol that could have effects reaching across the global Internet.

The effect of the bills on search engines would be slightly different. Google, for example, would filter out infringing sites from its results, which is technically simple but a disservice to the customer, who expects to be able to find anything he wants. Like the ISPs, search engines would be forced to “lie” and state that existing sites don't exist.

This would make it hard for people to use the internet and to see the other pages as they really are. Another problem is that the US hosts many routers and gateways, and this would also hinder the internet connectivity. Another problem that would come up is internet phone service communications would be much harder to get to and many businesses depend on the internet to reach out to their customers and communicate with them. Where do you stand on these Acts?

Social Media More Tightly Regulated?

2011-10-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

Should social media be controlled or should it evolve into its own being? The government in China has clearly stated that they want to have more control over the social media and even communication services such as internet phones. So the policy is to control the people by having them be ignorant of other ways of life? Interesting. I think that what the Chinese government doesn't realize is just how vast the internet is and they will never be able to completely suppress all the outlets. People can actually get internet access even without a provider. Some people have come up to the plate and said that internet access should be a human right. One part of that idea is that it needs to be specified that they same internet should be offered, not the filtered and watered down version. Where do you stand on this?

More Cell Phone Faux Pas

2011-10-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

To appear slightly intelligent and that you are at least aware of the world outside, there are certain things that you really shouldn't do with your phone. First of all, if your first thought when you see an interesting animal or a beautiful sunrise is how you can be able to capture it to put it online so that all of your couple hundred friends on Facebook can gawk at it and then use the internet phone service to call you to be able to see it "in person". Really? When in the world are you going to just enjoy life? Also, if you want to appear like a complete nuisance, there is always the possibility of becoming someone's digipet. All you have to do is find an ex that you still occasionally talk to and bug them until you become useless and obnoxious. Another aspect of using the phone in the wrong place involves taking it into the bathroom. Just do not do it, it is gross and unsanitary. It would be a bad idea to have a private phone conversation in public as well. To be honest, no one wants to hear your problems or even think about that doctor's visit you just so vividly described.

Ring Lists

2011-09-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

With ring lists you have complete control over your incoming calls and how they are answered. It's one great feature with 3 ways to use it. Ring lists lets you direct your virtual call and toll free plus numbers to to more than one vonage line and ring those lines in any of three ways depending on what you want. The best part is ring list is free with vonage service at no extra charge. The ring lists is designed for users of multiple vonage lines with either a virtual number or a toll free plus number. Ring list comes in three great flavors: sequential dialing(one at a time), random dialing (in random order) and blast me (all at the same time). To configure the bring list properties simply log onto your vonage account select the virtual or toll free links and select from any ft the three ring list properties. It's that easy and quick and will save you time along the way.

Mindblowning

2011-09-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

It sounds like science fiction, but the scientists at Berkley have shown that they can use images generated by fMRI to reconstruct the images that are seen with the eyes after the signal has been interpreted in the brain. This kind of technology can open many doors wide open. It could even change internet phones down the line to a point where we can communicate to people about what we see just by looking at it.

Researchers created a computer model that describes how visual information translates as brain activity, then applied it to each "brain voxel." As volunteers watched the first set of movie clips, their brain activity was processed by the computer to "learn" to associate visual patterns in the clips with corresponding brain activity. Brain activity from viewing the second set of clips was then used to test the computer's reconstruction algorithm—the computer used 18 million seconds (5,000 hours) of random YouTube videos that didn't include the movies viewed by the test subjects to build a kind of "reference library," correlating the brain imagery with video clip imagery. In the final step, the computer selected the 100 clips that were most like the ones the subjects had watched and combined them to form a movie.

Pay as You Go Internet Plans

2011-09-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

For those people who do not want to get caught up in contract but still be able to use the internet and internet phone services, it is better to use a pay as you go plan. Here is more information about it:

This company, TruConnect, is offering access to Sprint's nationwide 3G data pipe for $5 per month and 3.9 cents per megabyte. You'll have to shell out for either a USB stick for your laptop ($70) or opt for the more practical, yet slightly more expensive MiFi router ($90) that allows you to connect up to five devices that have a Wi-Fi chip—that'll basically cover any modern day connected device.

After that initial financial outlay, you agree to pay $5 per month whether you use the service or not. Tough but fair? Tough but fair. When you do use the service, each megabyte will cost you 3.9 cents. Aside from that, there's no two-year contract to get locked into. For comparison, AT&T's least expensive 3G data plan that works with the iPad runs $15 per month and gives you 250 megabytes to work with. Once you've used up all those megabytes, you'll have to shell out another $15 for 250 more. Or you can pay $25 per month for two gigabytes (roughly 2,000 megabytes). This TruConnect deal would cost you $14.75 ($5 plus $9.75) and if you went over 250 megabytes, you'd still just pay 3.9 cents per additional megabyte used, instead of another $15 like you would with AT&T. If you use a lot of data, however, this isn't nearly as good of a deal at all. Under the same scenario as above, two gigabytes would cost you around $80 via TruConnect, but only $25 using AT&T.

Online Privacy

2011-09-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

Everyone is worried about their online privacy when they are on websites that are supposed to be secure or using phone services. But people are not aware of what type of impact the increased privacy has on other companies that make their money through advertising.

"If privacy regulations diminish how well web services can track your interests, then it's more difficult for them to pitch ads to you that match those interests. Advertisers are less willing to pay for ads that are less relevant to users. And that, of course, would mean less cash for the services. For example, Twitter is right now trying to figure out how to target its “promoted tweets” to the tweet streams of users who will care (a paid tweet from Oprah's Book Club probably isn't relevant to a 20-year-old male football fanatic). In order to do that, it might have to keep track of who you are. Some folks find such tracking creepy or risky, and would like to see it limited. What the EU experience shows us is what we might have to give up to have strict limitations on data collection. Facebook, Google Search and even sites like Techland are not really free services. You don't pay for them with money, but you do pay with a little bit of your privacy. If you limit the ability of users to pay with privacy, as the EU has done, then you might find that a service like Facebook will have to charge users something like $20 a month. More likely, it might never get built. Looking at innovation in the social web, what you see is that almost all of it comes from the U.S. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare, Google—they're all American companies. Where are all the European social web startups offering awesome free web services? It's likely that, at least in part, the less restrictive data collection rules in the U.S. explain this innovation gap.

Would you be willing to give up some privacy in order to have certain services free of change?

So Many Devices

2011-09-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

We have all seen seen the people that are hunched over looking at the tiny screen in their hands, deaf and blind to the world around them, diligently working on that very important internet fax till their hands are in that permanent position that looks like a claw. With all these new devices that are coming out, there are more aches and pains that people have to deal with. I remember a couple years ago when all you could hunch over was a desktop computer and even then, it was possible to make yourself completely comfortable. Besides being uncomfortable, there are a lot of other ailments that you could be experiencing. Some of them include eyestrain, headaches, and even carpel tunnel. Also, with more people using touch screens to type, it will take a toll on the fingers because they will not have the cushion that buttons can provide. Thumbs will also be vulnerable to pain if you text a lot because they have one joint instead of two. Just a couple things to keep in mind.

Technology You Should Know How To Use

2011-09-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

In the information age today, being computer illiterate or ignorant about the different trends can hurt your or even your business. There has been a lot of talk both for and against social networks but overall, a lot of people are still using some sort of networking site. This means that this is where a lot of the customer base is. People in the business world should consider using Google+ because of the internet phone abilities along with options for having videos and news articles sent directly to the user to watch and read at their pleasure. Not only can you communicate with your coworkers with this social network but also with the customers. All these features will eventually save the company money in the long run because they will not need to travel as much for meetings and the videos might save a lot of time if they demonstrate how to do something or explain a concept.

Why Use a Toll Free Number for Your Business

2011-08-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

Toll free numbers for your business are a great way to let your clients see that your company is credible, reliable and a customer orientated one. Even if you own a small business or a home based business a toll free number gives your business the look of being bigger and it will give it a nationwide presence which clients are looking for. It shows that you are willing to take calls from anywhere in the country bringing in a whole new clientele. You can choose from an 800,888,877,865 or even a toll free vanity number depending on what you like. A toll free vanity number is great for a business that's new and your trying to get your name out there. Choose an easy to remember number with a catchy ring to it like 800-YOUR-BIZ that people will remember because of the way it sticks in your mind. You can search for one through a large inventory to find one that fits your business and what it stands for. With a Ringcentral number you have the ability to route calls to any phone anywhere in the world such as your business, home or mobile service. Plus you can add as many nunmbers as you need for employees, departments or dedicated fax numbers.

Unplugging

2011-08-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes all the ways that we can connect to other people through computers and communication services such as social networks and internet phone services can be horribly overwhelming. If you are one of those people whose career leaves you pretty much tied to the computer, it is important that we learn how to be able to unplug and take a look around. Some of the best ways to completely unplug is by going outside with nothing in your pockets. If you want to be more adventurous, there is always the possibility of traveling to a different landscape. Some people suggest meditating, but before going on these untethered adventures, you need to make sure that everything at your work or business is in order so that no one will be trying to reach you. Another suggestion is to play a game that you can actually touch and do not need any devices for. Do you have any other suggestions?

Computer Chips Getting Closer to Being Like Human Minds

2011-08-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

IBM is working on making computer chips that process information like a brain. This means that they have the ability to learn things. This technology is still in the developing stages but eventually it could be used with internet phone service and other devices that would better businesses. Here is more on it:

"Dharmendra Modha, project leader for IBM Research, said the new chips have parts that behave like digital "neurons" and "synapses" that make them different than other chips. Each "core," or processing engine, has computing, communication and memory functions. "You have to throw out virtually everything we know about how these chips are designed," he said. "The key, key, key difference really is the memory and the processor are very closely brought together. There's a massive, massive amount of parallelism."

The project is part of the same research that led to IBM's announcement in 2009 that it had simulated a cat's cerebral cortex, the thinking part of the brain, using a massive supercomputer. Using progressively bigger supercomputers, IBM had previously simulated 40 percent of a mouse's brain in 2006, a rat's full brain in 2007, and 1 percent of a human's cerebral cortex in 2009. A computer with the power of the human brain is not yet near. But Modha said the latest development is an important step."

Virtual Property

2011-08-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

People tend to like to spend money on digital things when it comes to gaming. With social networking sites, I guess the internet phone services do not cut it anymore. People like to have their games and then pay to advance in them without any effort on their part. They also buy "things" and services to be able to do what they want in the game. It seems like the more money someone has to spend, the better they will be in that game regardless of whether they are good at it or not. Studies have shown that it is people who are mobile gamers who spend the money, which is $14 on average per month. Here is more on the study:

Flurry broke up the kinds of in-app content that can be purchased in most freemium games into three categories: “durable” things, like in-game items that offer a permanent boost to a player; “consumable” things, or things that get used up when they’re used; and “personalization” things, like character costumes. Of the three categories, more than two-thirds (68 percent) of the items people were buying fell into the “consumable” category, meaning players are buying things that will only temporarily affect their game.

Another 30 percent of purchases were “durable,” or more permanent, items. Only 2 percent of purchases were personalization items, which suggests that many of the in-game items available in freemium games (that let players customize how their farms look or dress up their characters in special clothes, for example) are getting passed over.

Unauthorized Tethering

2011-08-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

The wireless and phone service companies figured out yet another way to charge more money. When the unlimited data plans rolled out, it started out like a great idea but then they realized that they are losing money because people are tethering their devices to the smartphones. For those of you that are not well versed in the tech language, tethering is when you connect devices to your phone's internet. People who connect their devices like that, obviously use a lot more data than others. This slows down the connection is many people are doing it. So the wireless companies decided to let people do it, but for a fee. Is it me, or does it seem like people are being charged for data twice? The carriers can usually tell if you are tethering if there is a lot of data that is being used. One of the ways to be able to get away with it is to not use too much data and use an unlocked and unbranded which means that it is not using carrier-supplied "firmware". What are your thoughts about the tethering charges?

Training Hackers Early

2011-08-08T06:12:00.000-07:00

When you hear the term hacker, it usually has negative connotations along with reference to getting past computer and virtual security. With all the hackings that have been going on which first started with emails and internet fax, and then led to compromising information of large companies, it is important that the IT professionals know the hacking techniques so that they can protect against them. The question is when to start teaching people about hacking and how to do it? Are teenagers too young to learn about it? How about 8 year old? Well DEF CON took it upon themselves to teach kids as young as 8 about hacking and how to do it. Before jumping to any conclusions, hear this out. This is a controlled environment where kids are learning about hacking, both in the virtual and physical world. This is a place where the kids will also learn about the ethics of hacking, which is never presented on youtube videos. The argument is that it is better to teach them these things in a controlled environment something that they would learn anyway. The skills can also be far reaching because it lets the kids be creative and be more aware of security issues so they will be able to protect themselves better. Do you think they are doing the right thing?

Big Walls, Small Space

2011-08-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

As connected as we are to the rest of the world through internet phones, emails, and other forms of communication, I have to wonder how it is that we do not really know how to communicate. First of all, the screen gives us a certain freedom that we would not have otherwise if we were actually standing in front of the other person trying to say the same thing. A word of advice when it comes to communicating electronically is that whatever is said, would be able to say it to that person's face. I have found that many people do not know how to talk to other people, which is really important when it comes to being out in the real world. When it comes to business, internet fax needs to be kept professional and pretty much follow the same pattern. This will increase the efficiency of the way that it run. So, any advice about communications and how to go about it?

Blocking Numbers

2011-07-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

With anonymous call blocking, you can prevent anonymous calls from ringing your phone. You can also give anonymous users the option of ringing your phone by "revealing their identity". They must enter their phone number which will then show up on your Caller ID display. Their number will show up as "??5551234567??" with the additional question marks to let you know that this call was originally anonymous and we cannot guarantee that the number they entered is really their phone number. International call blocking is the ideal way of making sure your employees don't run up your phone bill while calling family overseas! It also prevents family members from unintentionally dialing an expensive international number. But if you sign up for the internet phone package, the international calls will not cost nearly as much since the call is handled over the internet.

Disorders Caused by the Internet

2011-07-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

The internet is an amazing thing and this is putting it mildly. It is also causing people more disorders, or maybe the disorders were already there and the internet was the perfect outlet. Some of the disorders include intermittent explosive disorder. This one groups people that go off on others just because they offer some criticism or make a dig against something that the person considers personal. I mean they really go off, using all caps and too many punctuation marks. This can be potentially detrimental to a persons career because if you would be in a rage after an internet fax that really rubbed you the wrong way, you might do something stupid such as send off a really nasty and equally unnecessary email back. Another disorder that is emerging is Munchhausen over the internet. It is exactly what it sounds like. If the people cannot get the sympathy that they are looking for in really life, they turn to the internet and are constantly craving that attention. One of the most interesting and common disorders that one will find while trolling the web is the internet version of Asperger's. It seems as though just because people are not in direct contact with each other and are do not see the other person's face, they seem to lose all empathy towards others and become these people who forget all social rules.

Using Too Much Data Gets You Kicked Off

2011-07-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

Did you know that if you used too much internet data you could actually get kicked off without the provider even telling you? I was surfing around and found an article about a guy who was using over 250 GB of data in a month so his internet provider just shut it off. Some of the reasons that it was so high is because of the streaming media, music, and even photos. Other internet services such as internet phones and internet fax do not really impact the number that much. Most providers actually have caps on the amount of data that could be used by each person. One of the reasons for this cap is so that the usage of one person does not impact the speech of service for neighbors. There are glaring flaws in this case. First of all, not everyone knows just how to monitor the amount of data used. Secondly, there should be some type of warning that is bigger than the such fine print of the terms and conditions that you need a magnifying glass to see. When all is said and done, unless you are using all the data for work, get yourself outside and unplug for a while. You will be surprised at what you will find.

Baby Monitor? There is an App for that?

2011-07-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

There are phone services for everything these days. Now even baby monitors whose range is not that long are being replaced with smartphones and apps. Unlike monitors that alert a user when any noise is made, the Evoz app is able to differentiate between a cry and background noise. The app uses an algorithm derived from the crying sounds of hundreds of children of different ethnicities, ranging from newborns to children age 1 1/2. The company ran its crying tests with background music, traffic noise and other disruptive sounds to teach the software to isolate a baby's cries. Evoz uses two devices, which can consist of two iPhones or an iPhone paired with an Evoz receiver. An iPod Touch or an iPad can also be used for the receiver. Parents can listen in around the clock or have a text message sent or phone call made to them after the baby cries for more than 30 seconds. Expect video monitoring to be added in 2012. An Android-based app will be available in the coming months.

iPhone 6

2011-07-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, we heard about the release of iPhone 5 and now people are speculating about the phone after that and the phone services that it will have. One of the biggest things about it is that it might be completely cordless meaning that it will even charge without a cord. Since the one coming out in September will resemble the current phone, iPhone 6 will most likely have a complete makeover. Not only will it start to charge wirelessly, you can also update the music using the same technology. This will definitely be a change of pace because charging has always included cords. This might also mean that it will be more environmentally friendly. I have read about this technology a couple weeks ago where the movement will be able to charge it because of the transfer of energy. Do you know or have read anything else about what kinds of things are being experimented with?

Call Control

2011-07-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

One of the most important aspects of internet phone services is being in control of the calling rules. Before you sign up for a service you might need to consider certain things such as what kind of service your business is going to need and the budget allotted for it. Some of the service that are thrown in the package but just as important are a custom incoming caller ID and and outgoing caller ID with your name or what ever name you choose to display. You will also get call waiting which you can customize with either music or information about your business that the customer will hear while on hold. With the customization, you will be able to add a personal touch to your business. The speed dial feature will also let you call numbers that you frequently call. Some of other offers to consider are a second phone line and three way calling. The bigger your business is, you might want to consider toll free numbers and video conferencing to hold meeting.

Bring Your Own Devices

2011-06-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

When we go to work, we want to use the same devices that we use at home. It is just easier that way instead of having to use two or more different types of devices especially when trying to write or send internet fax from both and using different applications. This has been the emerging trend, the employees are using their own devices and sometimes even spending their own money to buy the software or hardware they need. IT departments are beginning to rethink the role they play in companies and are asking themselves if their job is to set rules or motivate people and get them to use things. Many companies are giving their employees choices on what to technology to use. Even with all the choices, there are no security problems. What are your thoughts? Do you usually bring your own devices to work?

Want Someone's Info? Just Scan Their Wrist

2011-06-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

Asking for a person's telephone number is a thing of the past. In today's world people usually connect with each other over Facebook, call each other over the internet using VoIP services, or if you meet someone on the street, just scan the bracelet that is on their wrist. Seriously. Two-dimensional quick response, or "QR," codes are becoming increasingly embedded into digital and print marketing campaigns, giving consumers access to related digital information on the Web. But now there may be a place for these codes when socializing with others. When an image of a QR code is captured by a quick-response scanner or mobile phone camera, the user's device is directed to a website, and in Skanz's case, it would be tied to someone’s personal information that is stored on the company's website. By accessing Skanz.com, users can create and design their personal scan site and add whatever information they want to share. The Skanz site then houses your entire digital life. The company hopes the bands, which come in a variety of colors, will take off especially among college students and become a fashion statement.

Chromebooks

2011-06-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

When all you do on the computer or smartphone is troll around the internet or constantly on internet phones or trying to make a dent in the stack of internet fax that you have to answer, then these are the perfect laptops for you. he Acer AC700 starts at $350 for the Wi-Fi version, with the 3G version running $430. The larger-screened Samsung Series 5 starts at $430 for the Wi-Fi version and tops out at $500 for the 3G version.There's a lot of appeal wrapped up in the simplicity that Chromebooks offer. You log into the machine for the first time using your Google account credentials and, if you use Google's "Chrome" web browser, all your bookmarks get synchronized to your Chromebook. If you lose the Chromebook or it gets stolen, the next Chromebook you own will have all your data right there for you—all of it is stored on Google's servers. The computer itself runs nimbly enough for basic web surfing but opening up too many browser tabs at once can bog things down quite a bit, especially if you're trying to do stuff like listening to music and surfing animation-intensive sites concurrently.

Twitter as a Teaching Tool in the Classroom

2011-06-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years, Twitter and similar sites have been used in the classroom as part of the learning. Many teachers and professors are having very different opinions on this approach. Some say that it would hinder the learning process. One point that is made against using the social media in the classroom is that just because the students are paying attention does not mean that they are learning and will retain the information later on. Another flaw in this is the fact that some parents do not want their kids to be on the social media sites just yet. I guess this argument works when discussing the grade in which the students are. Some advantages of this system is that it lets the shy kids to share their thoughts and answers. Other technologies that have been introduced in the classroom are internet phones. The internet phone services can be used to connect the kids with their peers in other countries. What do you think about the technology making its way into classrooms?

Green Tech

2011-06-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

Internet fax is just the first step to being environmentally friendly. With the new electric automobiles, the batteries need to be able to last for more than 100 miles. So researchers are coming up with batteries that multitask which would mean that they last longer. Most people would say why not put a bigger battery in the car but the problem with that solution is that to be efficient, the car needs to be relatively lightweight. If the battery is too big, it would be defeating the purpose of making it bigger in the first place. To make the vehicles lighter, engineers are using carbon fiber reinforced composites in the body of the car. Although this technology is not mass produced because of the cost, it looks promising. To enable the composite materials to store electricity, the resin that binds the carbon fibers is laced with lithium ions; the fibers serve as conductive electrodes for this type of charge-holding capacitor. It is different from a battery, which produces electricity from a chemical reaction. More on this topic later!

Growing Your Business

2011-05-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

With a hosted internet phone service, you have the option of choosing what type of phone number your business has. Some of the offers are toll free numbers, 800 numbers, vanity numbers, or even a local number. Some of the advantages of these numbers is that with a local number, your business can have a local feel. The toll free number can be used anywhere around the world and it does not cost anything to the customer. A vanity number will give the business a good public image and it can be much more memorable. People are also more likely to go with the company that has a vanity number because they trust it more. These number will also enable your business to branch out and possibly go international. Another great thing about the toll free numbers is that they can be used as internet fax numbers as well. Starting up or running a business has never been easier.

Customer Views on the AT&T and T-Mobile Merger

2011-05-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Customer satisfactions have been steadily declining with both T-Mobile and AT&T but now with the merger coming, it might decline even further. Interestingly enough this is very common when two companies merge. Here is more from an article I found: Cellphone-company mergers bring struggles to combine billing systems, customer support and other phone services. Snags can frustrate consumers. One reason Sprint had the worst score in the industry for many years was its disastrous merger with Nextel in 2005. -Mobile's financial statements also hint that subscribers are unhappy, since they show an increase in "churn," or the percentage of subscribers leaving every month. It's the smallest of the four national carriers, and part of the reason it's selling itself to AT&T is that it's finding it hard to compete with the bigger ones. AT&T customers, on the other hand, are more loyal than their low satisfaction score suggests, and have shown only a slight increase in their propensity to leave. The very happiest wireless subscribers are those who get their service from smaller carriers like TracFone Wireless Inc. and U.S. Cellular Corp., according to ACSI. That category scored a 77 in the survey. The survey was developed by the University of Michigan but is now run by a private company, ACSI LLC.

Phones Getting Larger

2011-03-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

As phone services change, so does the cell phone to accommodate the new technology. Remember how when cell phones came out, they were huge and then over the years they seem to be almost nonexistent. Now with as much as smart phones can do, a larger screen is becoming more and more important.
While men still make up the majority of large-screen smartphone purchases, the study revealed that women are rapidly catching up. In just six months, the proportion of big screen phones bought by women jumped 10 percent from 30 percent in the spring to 40 percent by year’s end.

The five best-selling Android phones in the 4-inch display category were:
1.     HTC EVO 4G
2.     Motorola Droid X
3.     Samsung Fascinate
4.     Samsung Captivate
5.     Samsung Vibrant
More phones in this category are likely to dominate the future. HTC just released the large screen, screaming fast Thunderbolt, which runs on Verizon's 4G network. And there are rumors floating around today that the iPhone 5 will have a 4-inch display and is expected later this year.

Typing Just Got Easier

2011-03-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

When the tablets came out, one of the first things that was noticed to be a disadvantage from laptops was the lack of a key board and how hard it is to type. Even though the tablets can do everything that a computer can, it is still hard to type on them. If you are a business professional, it is probably better to use the tablet for some tasks and other tasks such as reading and writing emails or internet fax, it becomes tedious and inefficient. The solution to that are Snapkeys. Snapkeys uses a few invisible keys on the screen to enable faster typing while leaving the entire screen visible. It's done by dividing the alphabet into four categories based on what the capital letter looks like. Letters that have one point at the bottom — for example, T, I or Y — are grouped into one button. The other three stand for letters that have complete circles (P, B, O), letters that have two points at the bottom (W, H, K) and letters that have a line or curve on the bottom (E, L, C). The interface also allows for numbers, symbols and punctuation marks.
Snapkeys uses a type of predictive text (similar to how T9 texting works on feature phones) to derive words from the order those four buttons are pressed. Finally, two buttons on the left and right edges of the screen stand for the backspace and space keys, respectively. Do you think this would be an efficient way to type internet fax, for example?

Smart Homes

2011-03-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

These days we are all focused on saving energy, partially because it is the right thing to do for the planet and partially because the cost of energy is unbelievable and getting harder to afford. One of the ways that this problem is fought with is through the use of technology and specifically smartphones. If houses are coming equipped with devices that can communicate with our phones, we can know more about them and ways to reduce wasted energy. Consider your house being able to internet fax you a monthly report of how energy is being used and ways to improve it and make it more efficient. This type of technology is still in the making and will take some years to have it be commonplace. As of now it is still very expensive to deck your house out with all the gadgets. Retrofitting a house with the latest smart meters, smart monitors and energy-efficient "green" technologies can cost $10,000 or more. I will keep you posted of the green movement in the future.

Picking Up The Phone

2011-03-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple years, people have become more likely to text something to someone or use some other form of communication. Think back through the past month, how many times have you actually had a phone conversation that lasted more than two minutes? The younger generation has all but forgotten the importance of using phone services to talk instead of texting. One of the advantages to actually picking up that phone is that you can get things done much more efficiently and get more information. Through hearing people's voices we are able to pick up more info from how they are saying whatever it is they are saying. When you type something, the tone does not always seem to get across and this can create great confusion and misunderstanding, and I speak from personal experience. Another good thing about talking on the phone is the ability to talk about something complex that would otherwise take a couple pages of texts to figure out. So next time someone texts you, try calling them back in return.

Cyberbullying

2011-03-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

This is not the topic of discussion that usually comes up between people. With more and more people online, bullies changed their playing field to the internet. It is just as serious as when people get bullied in person. It does not matter if it is outside, with a phone service, or even through a social network. A British-based company called Crisp Thinking is already using advanced technology to help keep popular Web destinations such as social networks and online gaming platforms safe from the threat of cyberbullies and online predators. Crisp Thinking melds behavioral science and technology in its relationship analysis engine, which analyzes patterns in Web communications (including syntax and language styles) to detect the nature of an online relationship and whether or not a party is being bullied. Crisp also employs reputation analysis technology that informs Web users when their behavior is turning into bullying, and kicks them offline when they don’t clean up their act. What do you think about the whole thing?

What the iPad is Doing to PC Sales

2011-03-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

Even though there are certain disadvantages to the iPad, people are thinking twice before buying a laptop. It seems as though for some people it is a replacement but for others it is an addition to the technology that they already have. Personally I like having both when it comes to running my business. The iPad is much more portable and lighter than my computer. Although, it is much easier to write and edit internet fax in the laptop because of the physical keyboard. Other business tools are better used on the iPad because of the touch screen ability and the user friendly interfaces and apps for business professional. It makes presentation much easier because I am just able to hook up the tablet to a projector which makes the presentation much more interactive than if I were to use a computer. I do not think that the iPad should replace anything but rather be an addition to the already existing technology. There are also other tablet you can consider which might suit your business needs better. Happy tablet hunting.

Laptops and Phones Finally Together

2011-02-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

So first there were the not so portable computers that took up whole rooms. Then along came computers that could sit on a desk. Now we have laptops. Phone services and phone have also evolved into a mini computers. I do not know why they are even called phones anymore. With all this technology, it seems like the right next step is to basically integrate as much as possible, and then we will figure out if they are useful or not. The Motorola Atrix 4G is a dream phone, with a big screen and a superfast dual-core processor that rivals some low-end computers, such as netbooks. What’s brilliant is that it docks to a laptop that has no brains: The smartphone’s processor runs the laptop’s screen and keyboard. What you see on the phone, you see on the laptop when you dock the phone. And the laptop’s innards, devoid of any brains, are loaded up with battery life — around 10 hours. What’s more, the laptop charges the phone during docking. Motorola calls the laptop a Lapdock. History will sort out what this new class of gadget gets called. But history-making it may well be. Just imagine what it will be able to do.

Terror

2011-01-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

What does it mean to be terrified? Does it take the internet to be shut down so that people will not be able to communicate through internet phones and emails? Or something worse like a bomb going off in an airport in the international section? These are the things that are going on in the world today, our reality. People are dying and to what end? The bombing that happened in Moscow was done by someone in a terrorist group but the name was not released in an effort to find the cell. After it happened, the president fired the highest security officials at the airport because he said that they did not do enough to prevent it from happening. When I first read the story, I had to wonder just how the person was able to bring the explosive into such a public place. In the places that I have traveled, the security has always been so tight that they did everything short of a strip search. The issue between security and privacy is that if there is more of one, there is less of the other. So how far should people go and is privacy worth a person's life?

You Are Strange

2011-01-29T11:53:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought that some of the things that you do in your everyday life might seem strange in other places of the world? You might think that walking down the street with plugs in your ears connected to wires which are connected to a device that can play music, browse the internet, and even have some type of internet phone service is perfect normal, even ordinary. In other places in the world is might seem odd and even downright strange. Being able to recognize that this is the case, is called having a sociological imagination. This characteristic is very important to have in being able to understand other people without prejudging. It will also give people the whole picture of the other person and who they are. It might also help us understand who we are and where we stand by looking closer at our habits instead of just going through life without realizing why we do what we do.

Cell Phone Trade-Ins

2011-01-23T11:36:00.000-08:00

Many phone services have programs that let you bring in your old phone for recycling but AT&T will be assessing how much your old phone is worth and then adding that amount to your new purchase. They can even write you a check if you would rather have the money and pay the regular price for the new phone. Another option that they are trying out is to use the money that the old phone is worth and donate it to a charity in your name. You can even bring in phones that are from other networks, but it is not clear yet as to what types of restrictions there will be one the types and conditions. I like the idea that they phone company will either recycle the phone or dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way. It is good to see more large companies doing their part to help the planet. This shows a good example that even the smallest contribution will make a difference.

Managing a Company From Home

2011-01-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

Many people are going to managing their businesses from the home. The smaller businesses are now able to do because of internet phone services and virtual offices. One of the main advantages is the decrease in renting costs for an actual office. Another great thing about the virtual office is that the employees have much more freedom and can be out in the field more and still always be connect with the business. The call forwarding feature along with the extensions is just one of the many ways that the people stay in contact and never miss an important call. The innovation of cloud computing has been a big help with virtual offices since they don't have to buy servers, routers and other hardware. Businesses only pay for the services and bandwidth they use. Of course there are some business where it would be impractical to go completely online but for the rest, the trend is steadily increasing.

Great Intenret Phone Provider

2011-01-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

One of the advantages I love about RingCentral is the flexibility that it offers. The customization of the features, such as the automated answering rules and call forwarding, is also a great thing to have. I can tailor my phone system to my business without wasting any money. In fact, in the long run, I made more money than I would have otherwise. I can run the business from my home and have a very professional image in the market. One of the best things about the internet phone service is that I can do what I love and still be at home with my family. The virtual office gave me an office that goes where ever I go and fits in my pocket. I do all my invoices though internet fax which saves me time and space on my computer because all of it is stored online. RingCentral is one of the few internet phone providers that offer a variety of contracts to fit the budget and schedule of any business, small or big.

Malware In The Cloud

2010-12-29T14:06:00.000-08:00

As more and more people move to cloud computing, the malware is becoming more sophisticated and even made specifically for the cloud. At first the cloud computing was just used for internet phones and hosted PBX systems. Now it is being used by more large companies and even the public to store files and other data on a different server through the internet. Unfortunately, the spread of a virus becomes even easier with a hosted system.A new strain of malware was recently detected in a cloud-based file-sharing service, and its presence may herald a new and potentially dangerous security threat for Internet users in 2011. The security firm Kaspersky Lab recently detected a piece of malware called "Trojan-Dropper.Win32.Drooptroop.jpa." The Trojan was found on Rapidshare (www.rapidshare.com), a popular cloud-based file-sharing and storage service.

Banning The USB

2010-12-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

Apparently the military banned the USB drive. If any of the personnel are caught using it, there will be severe penalties. Everything now needs to be stored securely online, from the documents that are sent through email and internet fax and other correspondences. One of the main reasons that the drives are banned is because a USB was used to spread the Stuxnet infection to the controlling computer system at the Iraqi nuclear facility and a virus to a Spanair network that led to a fatal plane crash in 2008. The virus on computers are real dangers even if many people do not perceive them to be. This is a different world and a different war we are fighting. Before, it was more hands-on and you were able to see your opponent right in front of you. These days it is more important whether the enemy can hack into your computer and steal information than if she can outrun you. The military is even getting smartphones which will help with the training and communication in warfare.

Blast Exposure Information

2010-12-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

With all the technology that is changing, the military is also getting some serious improvements ranging from phone service to tactical devices. There is a patch that can detect the blast exposure and the damages done. The materials in this patch work the same way that the color changing cells in butterfly wings work. Unfortunately they degrade over time so the information is not always accurate. One of the main advantages to this new technology is that it can give doctors information about the extent of injuries. Although, More work is needed to model the relationship between structure change, color change and blast force and time. It is still a work in progress but it still shows just how far technology is coming in warfare and how big of a role it is playing.

News Monitoring in Egypt Overturned

2010-11-27T09:37:00.000-08:00

Egypt has had laws about monitoring what types of news comes on the different phone service providers. This sounds a bit like what China was doing with Google. Somethings just does not smell right here. People have a right to know what is going on the their country and the world. Censoring news will only make the people ignorant which leads to misconceptions about other and countries. A court in Cairo overturned the decision that the news feeds would be monitored. This is good news for many of the opposing papers and television broadcasts. If there are opposing and different views, people are better able to make decisions about where they stand. They will also be much more informed.

Unplugging

2010-11-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

I have talked about the role of media and our constant connection to it on several occasions before. To what degree does it hinder us or help us? I have seen people that are so into their phones or other gadgets that they do not realize what is going on around them. Sure, with the constant connection to the internet, we have massive amount of information at our finger tips but it still take energy to filter it all. Of course it is much easier for kids to do all those things because they have never know anything else and the cell phones or internet phone becomes like an extension of their soul. Where is the line drawn between reality and the virtual world that we live in? It seems like humans might be missing out on too much by spreading ourselves out too thin. What are your thoughts?

Tracking Your Phone

2010-11-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

In today's world, a phone is not just a phone anymore, it basically contains our whole lives on it ranging from internet fax to emails to person information and photos. Losing it is potentially disastrous for the nervous system of the person who is attached by a virtual umbilical cord to that darn phone. The iPhone provides an app for finding your phone through the internet using the GPS on it if it has been lost or even stolen. This is the type of technology that law enforcement and surveillance uses in order to track people. One of the questions that is going to come up with this app is if it is going to infringe upon privacy issues. Some people could use it as a tracking device to keep tabs on other people. What do you guys think? Is the app really worth taking the risk of having people misuse it?

Fastest Supercomputer

2010-10-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

With those of us who are impatient when sending an internet fax and the page is not done loading within the first two seconds, should check the supercomputer in China out. It claims that it has the fastest speeds on record. Considering that it is extremely hard to assemble this type of computer and the time involved, it might remain the fastest computer in the world for a couple years. It is still unclear as to how the supercomputer is used. Usually these computers are used for scientific research and solving long and complex problems. It is also used in business applications. An interesting thing about this computer in China is that it was built from American made computer chips.

Google Making Cars That Drive Themselves

2010-10-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

These cars are using laser sensors, motion detectors, and cameras to be able to navigate the streets. It also receives directions through internet fax. Of course, there can be a driver in the car that will be able to disengage the automatic driving at any moment. The self driven cars are more fuel efficient and will get the person from place to place more productively. They might also reduce the number of accidents that happen by nearly half, which are due to distracted drivers or the ones making poor decisions. Through the use of advanced computer science, these types of cars are made possible. Although it is still in the developing stages, it will not be long before these cars will drive right in the mass market.

Communication With Those That Cannot Be Reached

2010-09-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

Before, those are considered brain dead were "unreachable" and it seemed that all hope was lost. With the technology today, things are changing. Using an EEG, doctors were able to decode different yes and no responses from patients who were in a coma state. One of the extensions of this research is how people react to different stimuli in that state. The responses were also able to be measured with an fMRI but the EEG turned out to be much less expensive. The research continues to fascinate scientists because of the previous notions of people in vegetative states. Maybe somewhere down the line, the "phone service" through which we communicate with these people will let us hear more more than just a yes or a no answer.

Machines That Lie

2010-09-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

The line between humans and machines is getting thinner and thinner. In some cases, it almost seems to be blurry. At some point, there might actually be an integration between machines and people with communication capabilities such as an internet phone and other programs from the web. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, they have developed a robot that lies. Now this is an interesting concept considering all the ideas presented in the Terminator movie. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"The researchers then ran 20 hide-and-seek experiments with two robots equipped with cameras. Colored markers stood up along three pathways that led to locations where the deceiving robot could hide. The deceiver randomly chose a hiding place from among the three possible locations.
The deceiver knew it had a pursuer looking for evidence of where it went. As such, before the deceiver moved toward its true destination, it knocked down markers leading to a different location. In other words, the deceiver created a false trail for the robot that went looking for it — "for example, that it was going to the right and then actually go to the left," explained engineer Alan Wagner, also of Georgia Tech.
The deceivers were able to fool the seekers 75 percent of the times, with failures resulting from the hiding robot's inability to knock over the correct markers. "The experimental results weren't perfect, but they demonstrated the learning and use of deception signals by real robots," Wagner said.
Although the researchers explored robot-robot deception, they noted their work could apply to robot-human interactions as well.
Deceptive robots on the battlefield could hide and trick opponents. Crafty robots in search and rescue operations might even mislead victims about how long it would take help to really arrive in order to calm them down or receive cooperation, the researchers suggested.
Still, Arkin noted that deceptive robots could pose ethical dilemmas.
"Machiavelli said that deception was something noble and appropriate in the context of warfare, and despicable in anything else," Arkin told TechNewsDaily. "When is deception appropriate, and when isn't it? Should robots never tell a lie, or are there circumstances that can warrant it? The nature of this research shouldn't be taken lightly, and it should be publicized that it's fairly easy to implement."

I guess this brings about a question of deception and how it should be used and when is it right?

Expanding Your Business

2010-09-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

If you thought that you tried everything to make your business grow, think again. It is sometimes the little things that matter and that really get the attention of people and especially their trust. 800 numbers are one of the most cost efficient moves that you can make for your business. Having an 800 number or even a vanity number will greatly improve your image and increase the trust that your customers have in the business and services. More features include:

Making it easy for prospects and customers to call you from anywhere in the country.
Establishing your business nationwide.
Routing calls to your toll-free numbers anywhere, worldwide, such as your home, business, or smartphone with robust answering rules.
Adding numbers for employees, departments, remote offices, and even dedicated fax numbers.

Too Many Choices

2010-08-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

Day in and day out we are faced with decisions no matter how simple or complicated they might be. After a day of decisions, our brains get tired and we eventually stop being able to function. After reading so many emails and internet fax and making other decisions, our brains pretty much give out. Here is the article about it:

In a series of laboratory and field trials, the researchers discovered that people can't do the most simple tasks well after being faced with choices in other matters, even choices that were trivial or had no consequences. They also found that after choosing this or that, people are also easily distracted by anything but the task at hand, which might explain such things as procrastination or being inexplicably drawn to video games.
Clearly, this is not the human brain we have come to know and love.
After all, we've come to believe, the human brain is all about thinking, and thinking is all about evaluating information and then making choices and decisions and anthropologists have told us that our large brains, in fact, evolved specifically for this kind of puzzle-solving.
Although no one knows specifically what selective pressure rocketed human brain-size forward 1.4 million years ago, researchers have proposed that it probably had something to do with inventing tools to make life easier, keeping track of complicated social interactions, or figuring out how to utilize new food resources. All of these possibilities involve making choices.
And so pointing a finger and saying, "that one," we have assumed, is a human forte, the best part of our intellect, and integral to human evolution and survival. In fact, our very definition of human thinking is the ability to make those sort of choices a million times a day and make them in a thoughtful, informed way. But the Voss work shows that although we have been selected to be great at making choices, humans are actually sprinters in the "choice Olympics." Faced with too many choices and decisions, we very quickly become baffled, confused and unable to function at all.
Which explains why life today in Western culture seems to fast, too hard and way too confusing. We might be designed to make choices, but no that many, goodness, not that many in a row.
It was much easier back in the days when choices were much less frequent. Instead of choosing, once or twice a day, between the stick or the stone to throw at the gazelle, or deciding if this or that leaf might be worth eating, our lives are now a constant barrage of choices.

Too many choices.
Even to those with a vested interest in giving us all those choices.
Voss teaches in the Marketing Department at the University of Minnesota, and her message to her colleagues, and the consumer culture seems to be, "Enough already, they can't take it."

Evolution: Where Do We Go From Here?

2010-08-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

The human population have evolved this far but where are we going from here? I was wondering how we are going to look or how our lives will be different in thousands of years from now. Of course there is the sci-fi notion that we will be somehow integrated with computers and other technology for communication such as internet phones. Many people speculate that the only ways that there will be different species of humans is either by engineering a new breed or by having a population on people live on a different planet. The latter has a much smaller chance of happening than the engineering. As for "making" a specific type of human, there might be some serious drawbacks from the human rights activists and government. People will want "natural" humans. Where do you stand on the issue?

Motorcycles Running on Compressed Air

2010-07-06T11:06:00.000-07:00

Maybe we are getting closer to a more greener world. Researchers have developed a motorcycle that can run on compressed air. This mode of transportation could be used in developing countries to significantly reduce the pollution. For example, in India and China, most of the pollution come from the sheer number of people that use some kind of vehicle. And that is only part of the population because most of the people cannot afford a car or a motorcycle so that ride their bikes to get from place to place. Those are also the countries that need technology that will help with the environment such as internet fax. Since there are so many businesses in those areas, it would be beneficial if they all switched over. This really needs to be a world-wide effort.

Old School Spying Works

2010-07-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

The spies that were recently caught by the FBI were found to have been doing what seems like child's play when it comes to the technology of espionage. They did not use technology such as internet phones or internet fax to communicate. Instead, simplicity was key.

1.    Invisible Ink
In its criminal complaint against the suspected Russian sleeper agents, the FBI alleges that the spies used invisible ink to conceal secret communications from prying eyes. It has been a standard instrument in the spying toolkit for almost 90 years.
“The oldest information that the US government still considers classified dates from the World War I era. It's a recipe for invisible ink, and the reason it's still classified is because someone still uses it,” Stout told Tech News Daily.
2.    Shortwave Radio
Also utilized by the Russian spying suspects, shortwave radio is similar to ham radio, and thus can transmit data as well as speech. Like invisible ink, shortwave radio use by spies predates the Cold War.
“What you find is that general concepts of types of communications devices from the 50s, 60s, and 70s are still used,” Stout said. “But they've undergone the same transformation everything has since then. Where there used to be tubes, now there's chips.”
3.    Burst Transmissions
Burst transmissions are a subset of radio transmissions, where the entire message is sped up to the point where listeners can no longer recognize it as human speech. Additionally, at the faster speed, those transmitting the message get off the air so fast that anyone listening to them can’t fix their position.
Once the intended target receives the message, they can slow it down and listen to it at normal speed.
“This is a great technique, because it gives you the advantages of radio, but you're not on long enough for location finding,” Stout said. “Rudimentary versions of that were used as early as World War I by the Germans.”
4.    Number Stations
This technique originated during World War II, and involves the broadcast of seemingly meaningless number sequences over conventional radio. During World War II, the BBC would broadcast these numbers to French Resistance fighters to signal a coming invasion, or specific sabotage orders.
In 2006, Carlos and Elsa Alvarez were arrested for spying on the U.S. for Cuba. They received their orders via number station, Stout said.
5.    Transposition Ciphers
Dating back to World War II, transposition ciphers are codes that systematically scramble the order of letters in a message. For instance, “hello there” transposed might look like “eereltlhho”. These codes, and the technology needed to break them, has remained classified since World War Two, Stout said.

More Crazy Ideas

2010-07-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

As if injecting chemicals into the water and atmosphere wasn't drastic enough for certain tree huggers, there are more intense rulings that are being made in different parts of the world. Internet faxing helps businesses decrease paper usage but it seems like it is not even making a dent in the problem of saving this planet. How about some of these drastic measures?

1. Banning plastic bags and light bulbs. It may sound like a rash decision, but San Francisco, China and Australia have all jumped on board. China wants to rid the country of "white pollution" -- the plastic bags that clog city streets and waterways. And Australia hopes to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and reduce household energy bills by phasing out sales of incandescent bulbs. Such measures have gained momentum within the last year with more governments considering taking measures against the wasteful bags and inefficient bulbs. But before you worry about how you'll carry your groceries or light your home, these measures promote alternatives: recyclable paper bags and reusable cloth ones and more efficient (and cost-saving) compact fluorescent bulbs.

2. Living in Trash. Seriously. No, this doesn't mean you should stop putting your garbage out every week and start living in an ocean of food wrappers and tissues. Rather, an engineer at the University of Leeds in England has created a construction material out of waste (for example, recycled glass, sewage sludge, and incinerator ash). These "Bitublocks" keep litter out of the landfill and could be used to build houses. They also take less energy to make than concrete blocks, their inventor says. Other scientists have proposed using waste material from poultry farms, such as chicken feathers, to make more environmentally-friendly plastics.

3. Change your diet. If more Americans walked and avoided red meat, we could reduce carbon dioxide emissions and attack the country's obesity epidemic, some researchers have said. One scientist has calculated that if all Americans between the ages of 10 and 74 walked for half an hour a day in lieu of driving, it would cut annual U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 64 million tons (and shed some pounds from American bellies). A more vegetarian diet could also reduce emissions. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has reported that the meat industry is responsible for 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, through fertilizer use, animal manure and the energy required to transport food and meat.

4. Keep worms at arms length. They're not just pets (or food for them) -- worms can be made useful by putting them to work eating those bits of sandwich crust and apple cores from the garbage and turning them into compost. The compost can then be used in gardens and to plant houseplants. Los Angeles city employees have been keeping a plastic bin of the little wriggling creatures in their office to recycle their lunch leftovers. If you're not wild about keeping a worm farm in your kitchen, you could always compost the old-fashioned way with a bin in the backyard.

Plan B

2010-07-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

So what if the decrease in green house gas emissions does not work and the cuts in the use of paper through internet fax is not enough? There have been some pretty wild ideas about what we could do but maybe you guys have your own ideas. There are plenty of 800 numbers for the government that you can use to submit your ideas. Here are some of the most recent:

Inject dust or sulfur into the atmosphere to scatter sunlight.
Construct a "sun shade" with an artificial ring of small particles or a spacecraft that would block some of the sun's rays.
Inject iron into oceans to stimulate the growth of plankton, which consume carbon dioxide.
Bury carbon underground to sequester it for millennia.

Critics question the effectiveness of these schemes and worry that tampering with the Earth’s systems would create as many problems as they solve, according to a statement from the Carnegie Institution. "But others warn that currently accelerating carbon emissions may push the planet’s climate system to a tipping point, making drastic measures necessary to prevent an environmental calamity," it states.
"Science is needed to address critical questions, among them: How effective would various climate engineering proposals be at achieving their climate goals? What unintended outcomes might result? How might these unintended outcomes affect both human and natural systems?" Caldeira said. "Engineering is needed both to build deployable systems and to keep the science focused on what's technically feasible."
Caldeira thinks university researchers should drive the effort to make a backup plan.
"A climate engineering research plan should be built around important questions rather than preconceived answers," he advised the committee. "It should anticipate and embrace innovation and recognize that a portfolio of divergent but defensible paths is most likely to reveal a successful path forward; we should be wary of assuming that we've already thought of the most promising approaches or the most important unintended consequences."

I guess it is a very delicate thing and every angle and consequence should be considered.

Earth Checkup

2010-07-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

Lately we have all been trying to make this world a better place. It started out with a little bit of recycling and moved on to saved paper using different methods such as switching over to internet fax. Now we want to see the effects and the signs that the earth is giving us about the climate. Here are some indicators about the health this planet.

1. The ice caps. Unfortunately, they might be melting faster than previously expected. This could endanger many animals.

2. The ozone layer. After it was discovered a couple years ago, many countries put bans on what chemicals could be emitted by companies. There was recovery seen of the layer but it could take a long time for it to completely recover.

3. Ocean dead zones. These are places where there is little to no oxygen which means that no living thing can survive. They are expanding because fertilizer runoff is enabling algae to grow that uses up all the oxygen.

4. Coral reefs are endangered.

5. The environment can affect our health. That should be a good a reason as any.

Butterflies Help With Security of Money

2010-06-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

With identity theft and counterfeit money being some of the most common crimes in the world, it is no surprise that people are coming up with more ways to protect themselves. We all know about ways to protect our credit cards such as having the toll free number of the bank or the card on hand or checking our online banking to make sure that everything is accurate. But it seems like we don't always have the right tools to make sure the money is indeed real and not just printed by someone, especially if running a business. Those markers that change colors can only go so far because some of these criminals can get their hands on the ink that counteracts the marker. Money is going to be made with the same pigments that tropical butterflies have. To the naked eye they would look green but with a special microscope, they are truly blue. This is because of the microscopic changing plane which reflects light differently is different spots and it nearly impossible to replicate without the machinery.

Most Influential Games of the Last 5 Decades

2010-04-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Video games have certainly come a long way. I mean, now we are coming out with 3D technology and even virtual reality. And we started with just a game called Pong. Here are some of the video games that have changed the gaming world. Today the games even come with customer support and help where you can call the toll free number of the designer. Go figure.
1. Pong. Yes it is two sticks and a ball with a scoreboard, but it worked. People were hooked especially over the fact that it was the first game to be played on the television at home.
2. Pac-Man. A ball with a case of the munchies. Pac-Man was launched for the home market in 1980. The Atari 2600 version became the first arcade hit to appear on a home console.
“Pac-Man was the first real character video game,” Dyson said. “It was the first one you really identified with.” Two years later its politically correct sibling, Ms. Pac-Man, became the best-selling arcade game of all time.
3. Tetris. The next few years were a fallow time for the electronic gaming industry as wave after wave of lackluster me-too console games flooded the market and drove sales south. The one bright spot was the rapidly growing popularity — and availability — of home computers, which began forming a parallel ecosystem. One standout in this early era of computer-based games was Tetris, a 1987 Russian export. Tetris marked a milestone, Dyson says, because it was the first really successful “casual” game that a player could easily and intuitively understand and begin playing without guidance.
4. The video-game industry was lifted from its doldrums in 1985 when Nintendo launched the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). “The NES really helped revive the industry and made Nintendo the major player it is today,” Dyson said.
It also provided a star turn for a jumping plumber named Mario in Super Mario Bros, which became the best-selling video game of all time until 2009, when it was dethroned by Wii Sports. The game was the creation of Japanese gaming legend Shigeru Miyamoto. “He’s probably the most revered figure in video game design,” Dyson said. “He’s one of the half-dozen most important people in this industry.”
Mario hasn’t shown any signs of age, Dyson says; the game is still fun to play today.

Flying Cars? Seriously

2010-04-22T12:52:00.000-07:00

"The Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) has cleared the Transformer (TX) program for takeoff. If it flies, by 2015 U.S. soldiers will be able to ride into battle aboard a four-person flying car that can cruise in the air like an airplane, drive on the ground like an SUV, rove 250 miles on one tank of fuel and not require a runway to get airborne."

I found this article, and here is part of it, while I was browsing around. The car will also have the ability to take off and land without a passenger while still have the option of a manual mode. Unfortunately this is still an idea in the making. While the Pentagon has budgeted $54 million so far to develop the concept, DARPA says it will take four years to develop a working prototype of the TX.

Since this is still a concept, it will be a while until it is mass marketed. Although I wonder how the road regulations would work if cars really did fly. And is it really that much more efficient? It might be more dangerous because of the additional planes and people still being on their cell phones, texting or checking voicemails. To make matters simpler the manufacturers should have an interesting vanity number, like 1-800-fly-cars.

Need For Speed and Space

2010-04-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

The people at laptop companies are one of the leader of new innovations and creating bigger and better things. First thing on the list: speed and capacity of the portable computers. This month, faster and bigger hard drives are being delivered to lap top manufacturers. The reason for this increase in production of hard drives is because people are becoming more mobile and need to store more data on their computers. It's not just business professionals, but the mass market that is also needing the faster computers. Even phone services and internet phones are depending on the speed and space that the computers have. More things are becoming dependent on being mobile in order to succeed. To find out what the software runs on or the optimal speed, there is a toll free number to call to get such information.

Caution Out for the 3-D TVs and Other Devices

2010-04-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

Even with the new innovations coming out, there are still things to be cautious about. As with any electronics, 3D TVs have their own precautions. Is any of this common sense or bogus? Tell me what you think.

Parents should also monitor their children when first viewing 3-D programming because children and teens may be more susceptible to possible problems. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, problems can result from watching 3-D if a viewer suffers from a binocular eye problem like strabismus (wandering eyes).
Also, be on the lookout for altered vision, lightheadedness, eye or muscle twitching, nausea, dizziness and similar ill effects. Samsung advises parents to turn off the 3-D show and consult a doctor.
Samsung says to avoid using the 3-D feature if you are in poor physical condition, need sleep or have been drinking alcohol.
For the best experience, Samsung reminds viewers that compatible 3-D active glasses must be worn, and to minimize ambient light, especially fluorescent light and direct sunlight.
And sit at least three times the distance from the TV as the height of the screen. For instance, Samsung's 55-inch TV is 33-inches tall, so sit no closer than 8 feet from the screen. Viewers should watch at eye level. Don't hang a TV high on the wall if you will be watching it from bed.

Make sure that if you do happen to experience negative things or signs that it could be damaging to your health, call the toll free number of the manufacturer and issue a complaints. We will see in the long run just how great all these inventions are.

4G and Smartphones

2010-04-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

I came across an article today that I think you might find useful because according to the study that was done not too long ago, most people are really unclear about what type of technology they have in their phones. Comment and enjoy!

The reality is there are no 4G smartphones available in the U.S. and the only 4G technology of any kind currently available is the Sprint WiMax service for laptop and PC internet access, which is limited to certain cities. Smartphone users (70 percent) do know 4G offers faster data downloads than 3G, so it's not a simple case of muddling the numbers. Eighty-two percent know their carrier offers 3G, 84 percent know that 3G is currently available on some smartphones, and 66 percent know that 3G is currently available nationwide. Compete analysts suggest their results are an indication that people are not basing smartphone purchase decisions on data service speeds since they believe 4G phones exist and know that 4G offers faster service. Or perhaps they just haven't visited a wireless store lately.

Make sure you call your phone service provider's toll free number to know exactly what you have in your phone and what kind of services you are paying for.

Fighting Crime by Disabling Cell Phones

2010-04-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

As I was browsing, I came across this article that I wanted to share with you guys. I though that that idea of disabling cell phones and even toll free numbers of unregistered users in Mexico in order to stop crime because then people that are hiding will only be able to use cell phones if they are registered is a long shot. If the people that are hiding are there because they have committed some crime and don't want to get caught can probably get around the new law somehow. Yes it would slow them down but in the long run, they will figure out a way. Also , the money that the phone companies will lose will not compensate for the little that this law will accomplish. This will seriously disrupt that market. Anyway, please leave your comments!

"Mexico is plagued by organized crime from drug trafficking to express-kidnappings of taxi passengers to force them to make cash withdrawals from automatic teller machines. Increased media reports of kidnappings in 2008 led to calls for the cellphone registry. Critics have said the law would be ineffective because criminals can easily register phones under other people's identities.
But telecommunications watchdog head Hector Osuna said in a radio interview on Thursday authorities planned to check the legitimacy of data people submit.
This week, senators refused requests from telephone companies to extend the deadline for a year, but discussions were ongoing and a last-minute vote could not be ruled out."

Vanity Numbers From Custom Toll Free

2010-04-08T13:34:00.000-07:00

A competitor of RingCentral, Custom Toll Free, specializes in vanity and toll free numbers. As a bonus for signing up, the user will receive a free service of call forwarding, call blocking, and free online account management. The only down side to all that, even though it is cheaper is that the phone services are very limited and they are not through the internet which means that lines will be busy. Another thing is that the number will only work with this company, so that means a business would have to change its number if they wanted to switch over. RingCentral users do not face that problem because the toll free number is accepted at RingCentral from any other company. Now that is what I call service. In the end, the little amount of money that you would save is not worth the time and energy spent trying to make it work.

Track a Call to Your Toll Free Number

2010-04-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

Besides being able to have a toll free number, there are services out there that provide you with the ability to track the number of the caller, when and where it came from, and the content of that call. In the reports you can see who called, when they called and where the call was routed. Counts of both unique callers and total calls are readily available, as well as name, address, and income information of the households placing calls. Call duration, cost per call, and cost per lead are all calculated by the automated software and clearly displayed. The saved recording, which can be accessed from either your email box or downloaded. Also get to know your customers and their demographics through building the complete profiles in which the owner of every home phone line making calls is listed by name, age, address, home ownership, family size, credit card use, and income bracket.

Starting Sunday, toll-free will apply to cell phones too

2010-03-30T03:42:00.000-07:00

News for today!

New rules which will come into effect Sunday mean that Israelis can call toll-free numbers not only from their regular landline phones but from their cell phones too.

The reform is part of the "toll-free call" regulations coming into effect on March 28. It applies to Israeli phone numbers starting with the digits 1-800.

Until now, calling a 1-800 business number from a cell phone cost 22 agorot per minute for air time, before value added tax.

The change in regulations, handed down by the Communications Ministry, is first and foremost important to transparency. Many consumers don't realize that when they call these numbers from their cell phones, it isn't free.

Also, the reform, promoted by Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon will improve competition. Until now, only suppliers of landline phone service such as Bezeq and HOT could offer business customers a 1-800 line. Now the Communications Ministry is allowing all the carriers, including the cellular service providers, to offer the service to their business customers.

Govt bringing improved toll-free phone system

2010-03-23T03:05:00.000-07:00

A short note for today!

The Pakistan Telecom Authority is mulling rationalising the cost mechanism of toll-free numbers through calls made by mobile phones services. The regulator body has sought stakeholders’ opinion in order to establish a framework pricing mechanism on calls made to local and international toll-free numbers through mobile telephony services of various operators, sources said yesterday. A toll-free or free-of-cost calling number is a special telephone number, in which the receiver of the calls is usually charged the cost of the calls by the telephone operator, instead of callers. The cost of calls may be based on factors such as the amount of usage of number.

The latest scams by identity thieves

2010-03-15T04:15:00.000-07:00

Some useful info and tips about scamming that may help you toprotect yourself! So, read and comment.

If the financial consequences weren't so damaging, you might almost find humor in how identity theft has butchered the English language in recent years. "Phishing", "pharming" and "vishing" are just a few ways criminals access personal information they'll use to open illicit accounts, rent apartments, or even charge medical procedures to someone's insurance plan.

Unfortunately, every time authorities plug one hole, crafty criminals figure out new ways to trick unsuspecting victims. Some now even steal children's Social Security numbers, ruining their credit long before they've opened a single account.

To protect yourself and your family, beware of these scams:

Phishing: Where you receive an e-mail, purportedly from a trusted source like a government agency or your bank, asking you to supply or confirm account information, log-in IDs or passwords.
Legitimate outfits never ask you to verify sensitive information by e-mail, or over the phone. When in doubt, contact the organization yourself. And never click on the link provided within the email – it could take you to a copycat website capable of infecting your computer.

Smishing (for "Short Message Service"): Like phishing, only it uses text messages sent to your cell phone.

Vishing (voice phishing): An automated voice message that directs you to call your bank or credit card company. Under the pretext of clearing up a problem, you'll be asked to share personal or account information. Keep a list of company toll-free numbers handy so you can call them directly without fearing you've been given bogus information. I also program my banks' and credit card issuers' phone numbers – but not account numbers – into my cell phone in case I'm traveling.

Pharming: Where hackers redirect you from a legitimate Web site to an impostor site to harvest, or farm, personal data you've been asked to provide. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter increasingly are being targeted.

Skimming: Where crooks use an altered ATM slot and cameras to record account information; also, when dishonest store or restaurant employees use a portable card reader to skim credit or debit card information.

Spyware: Illicit software you unknowingly download when you open an email attachment, click on a pop-up window or download a corrupted song or game. The spyware can then record your keystrokes to obtain account information or ferret out confidential information on your computer.

Don't forget good-old-fashioned pickpocketing, mail theft and rooting through your trash.

To reduce your risk of identity theft, always:

Shield keypads from the eyes of "shoulder surfers" at stores and ATMs.

Shred paperwork and receipts containing personal or account information.

Lock up your Social Security card and unneeded credit cards.

Carefully scan monthly credit card and bank statements for erroneous charges.

Monitor your credit reports for errors or fraudulent activity. You can order one free report per year from the three major credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Refrain from making online purchases from unfamiliar web sites and look for "https" in the address.

These are only a few of the precautions you should routinely take to protect your personal information.

More help is available for Toyota owners

2010-03-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Some great news for Toyota owners! Enjoy!

There's more help available now for owners of recalled Toyotas, including free vehicle pickup.
Attorney General Roy Cooper said Wednesday that Toyota has agreed to provide free services to drivers in North Carolina and in other states.

Drivers affected by the recall can have their vehicles picked up and returned by a dealership representative or by flatbed truck. They can get a ride to the dealership or to their place of work.
If customers are unable or unwilling to use their recalled vehicles, they can receive alternative transportation, such as a rental car, loaner vehicle or taxi reimbursement for a reasonable period. They can also get expedited scheduling of repairs for certain problems, such as sticking accelerators and antilock brake software recalls.

The Attorney General's Office said that Toyota is notifying dealerships across the country about these new services and will reimburse them for the costs.

According to Toyota, consumers with questions may contact a Toyota dealership, call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331, or call the Lexus Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-255-3987. The toll-free numbers are available from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.

Get free legal advice on Friday

2010-03-02T03:20:00.000-08:00

He, todays news are for North Carolina citizens, enjoy!

STAFF REPORTS CARY — North Carolina lawyers will give their time on March 5 as participants in the North Carolina Bar Association’s third annual 4ALL Statewide Service Day.

Volunteer attorneys will provide free legal information via telephone from six call-in centers across the state from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Western North Carolina and the Asheville area will be served by WLOS News 13 in Asheville. The toll-free number is 800-289-0013. The statewide service project coincides with the NCBA’s 4ALL campaign to provide civil legal aid to the poor.

Citizens in all 100 North Carolina counties are encouraged to participate through a network of seven toll-free phone numbers directed toward call centers in Asheville, Cary, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh and Wilmington.
N.C. residents who reside in the viewing area of the television stations are encouraged to access those toll-free numbers and view coverage of the event throughout the day.

Other areas and phone numbers include:

CHARLOTTE: The toll-free number is 866-616-4255.
GREENSBORO: The toll-free number is 866-529-2204.
GREENVILLE: The toll-free number is 888-616-0614.
RALEIGH: The toll-free number for this site is 800-424-9725.
WILMINGTON: The toll-free number is 877-310-0025.

The North Carolina Bar Association, with headquarters at the N.C. Bar Center in Cary, is the largest voluntary professional legal organization in North Carolina. To avoid confusion, note that the mandatory N.C. State Bar is an entirely separate entity that regulates the practice of law in this state.

Business Answering Services Do More Than Answer Your Calls

2010-02-22T03:40:00.000-08:00

Found this while surfing the Internet and decided to share it with you! Read and enjoy!

Almost any answering service can simply answer your calls. Although this is the core service an answering service company provides, many companies prefer more advanced options to move their business forward. Answering Service companies have to diversify their service offerings to meet the needs of the marketplace.

Through upgrading some of their technology, answering services can offer their clients a multitude of services that assist them in simplifying and organizing their business. Although answering services obviously can’t take over all of a company’s workload, they can assume a good portion of it.

Answering services have these services:

Live Operator Call Answering
Although almost all answering services provide voice-mail systems, it’s often more beneficial to use live answering services. Live operators act as virtual receptionists, answering calls in your company name and often knowing enough about your business to answer frequently asked customer questions such as office directions, hours, or holiday schedules. Company employees can even use live answering services to call in late, and the live operator will record the reason and directly forward the message to the office

Multiple Messaging Choices
Receiving messages your way is important. Good answering services deliver messages to more places than the company phone; they can deliver messages to pager, smart phone, e-mail, or in an easy to read fax. Companies can even change the method of delivery based on the caller, the time, or the message’s urgency.

Virtual Office Services
Virtual office services are an invaluable asset to many start-up businesses and entrepreneurs. Virtual office services essentially replace an entire working office, offering receptionist services, faxing services, mailing services, and complete voice-mail services. Most virtual office services come complete with a phone number in the area code of your choice, which can be freely given out to customers. Many answering service companies also offer a choice in toll-free numbers, including customized toll-free numbers. Local and toll-free numbers are both the telephone numbers companies forward their lines to in order to activate answering service, and the number they can advertise to their customers to receive all of their calls.
Basic call answering and forwarding is useful. But many companies need more power from their answering service. If your company needs an extra edge, you should think about hiring an answering service providing more complex services. Hiring an answering service offering more specialized services frees up more company time, so your business can maximize efficiency and take profit all the way to the bank.

RingCentral - The Ultimate Business Productivity Tool

2010-02-09T02:13:00.000-08:00

Have found this page. There are many articles about RingCentral. So, if you are interested, you may read it. As for our theme I have found this:

My excitement can't be contained today! I have the newest and coolest tool for my company and you are going to want to hear all about it.

Ring Central

RingCentral is great at business communications - in particular small business communications. As a small business owner, you can sign up for the service and get a toll free number with extensions.

Through a very simple to use web based login area, you can administer any aspect of your account. Options such as "different caller greetings" for "different times of the day", "what extension goes to which phone" and "what happens when someone dials an extension".

Unlike consumer oriented VOIP Solutions, RingCentral is geared towards doing business and making sure that important calls find you and unimportant calls get put on hold. The fax system is great also. RingCentral has solved all of my spam phone call problems.

All the cool features are there but there's so much more.

RingCentral has the voice and fax part down great but they are still missing SMS text messages. I still dream of a day that I can have a universal number for life that will follow me no matter where I go.

Once you signup - your RingCentral local or toll free number can route calls to multiple numbers, either simultaneously or in a specified order or, alternatively, record and save voice messages 24-hours-a-day.

You can screen and block phone calls or route phone calls to any telephone on the fly. Online business VOIP Phone tools include call logs, RingCentral internet fax, call recording, RingCentral voicemail to email, one touch dialing, Microsoft Outlook integration, user-friendly system maintenance tools and the unique RingCentral Call Controller

Best of all, the monthly cost of RingCentral is competitive with other services that offer less or no enhanced functionality.

Goodbye GrandCentral. Hello RingCentral.

2010-02-01T04:29:00.000-08:00

Hope you will enjoy this article written by Benjamin J. Higginbotham. Waiting for your comments!

A while ago I spoke about how much I liked the idea behind GrandCentral but it needed some work. Recently I wrote about the complete lack of progress I had seen on GrandCentral and my subsequent disappointment. Right after writing my second article I got a call from the PR department over at RingCentral asking me to take a look at their offerings. I have been down this road many, many times before and while I agreed to an overview I was well prepared to be let down. Half way through the call I was so excited about their service I simply wouldn't let them hang up.

There is a gap in the VoIP market for small/medium business (SMB) communication. We have Skype, Gizmo Project, SightSpeed and others on the consumer end. These are great for point to point calls but don't have automated attendants, call forwarding, find me, follow me, blast me or any other feature that a true business user would need. There's Avaya and Cisco's offerings that are expensive and require a tech to install and operate. These higher end solutions work great for companies that have over 100 employees but really fall down in the 5 to 100 employee work place. I have been begging and pleading with the consumer companies such as SightSpeed and Gizmo to add SMB features that would make it a useful tool for a SMB but they still see the market as a consumer oriented space or at least want to focus there. While there are a couple of VoIP SMB solutions most of them either lack features or have a very high cost. Usually both.

Enter RingCentral.com

Today RingCentral has introduced a new VoIP solution that really excites me. Before I get in to the new features I want to talk about their older solution which ties into their new offerings nicely. RingCentral is great at business communications. As a SMB owner or techie I sign up for the service and get a toll free number with extensions. Through a very simple to use web based GUI I'm able to administer any aspect of my account. Things such as different caller greetings for different times of the day, what extension goes where and what happens when someone dials an extension. Unlike consumer oriented solutions RingCentral is geared towards doing business and making sure that important calls find you and unimportant calls get put on hold. All the cool features of GrandCentral are there but there's so much more. If you dial my RingCentral number which is 1 (888) 597-8452 and hit extension 2 you'll get call blasted to my cell phone and desk phone during business hours, or thrown to voicemail if you're calling after hours. If you're in my address book then you'll get my cell phone, home phone and desk phone no matter what time of day. Hit the Podcast extension and you're routed to one of the computers I use for our TechnologyEvangelist.com Podcasts but only if you have caller ID enabled (this allows me to track troublesome callers and block those callers that are potential problems during the live podcast). While these features are all great, it's nothing new. I had this same service with Webley back in the late 90's and it's very close to what GrandCentral can do (although RingCentral's service makes GrandCentral look like childs play).

The really cool and exciting portion of RingCentral is their new VoIP offering which uses standards based SIP connections. Starting today you can sign up for a VoIP inbound and outbound RingCentral account. I have a few friends that work in SMBs and have VoIP service. The new RingCentral service is 1/2 the price of what they have now with a ton more features. Since the RingCentral VoIP solution is pure SIP it works with SIP based hardware handsets such as the Linksys SPA921 or just about anything that supports standards based SIP. If you want to buy a hardware handset from RingCentral you can, or you can use your own. If you want to use RingCentral's VoIP softphone you can, or if you're like me and want to run it on Mac OS X you can simply download the free X-Lite client and run a free VoIP softphone on your Macintosh. Since it's all hosted by RingCentral it all ties together nicely. When a caller dials your extension it can ring your cell, VoIP hard phone, home phone individually or all at the same time. It can manage your calls incoming *and* outgoing. And unlike other offerings in the marketplace, RingCentral seems to understand that a phone number is not just voice. Using their cross-platform client or direct to e-mail option it's possible to send and receive faxes too. In fact, faxing is a standard part of the service!

I did a quick price lookup and it ends up being less expensive to get a full RingCentral voice and fax solution that it does to buy just one eFax Plus account, assuming you fax less than 250 pages per month. If you currently have an eFax account I would suggest taking a good hard look at what you're paying, what you're getting and head on over to RingCentral. If you're using GrandCentral the switch is nearly a no-brainer. If you're using any other SMB VoIP solution, I would highly suggest taking RingCentral's new service for a test drive.

I do have to point out one flaw that I found and that's with SMS. As I said in my previous articles a phone number is no longer simply a number to dial for voice. It's a full communications option for voice, fax and SMS. RingCentral has the voice and fax part down great but they are still missing SMS. I still dream of a day that I can have a universal number for life that will follow me no matter where I go. While number portability seems nice on paper, when I switched from Sprint to ATT for my iPhone I was unable to move my number because of some silly rules. I can't get faxes on my phone as it stands so that one cell phone number wouldn't work anyhow. If I had one number that did all of this, I would be even happier than I am now.

While not perfect, RingCentral is by far the best SMB VoIP solution I have seen in a very, very long time. These guys get it and I have no doubt that they are working on trying to solve the SMS problem as best they can and all the while take business communications to the next level.

Some Skype Calls to Toll Free Numbers Now Free

2010-01-21T03:36:00.000-08:00

Some Skype users now have access to toll-free numbers at no charge. SkypeOut customers in France, Poland, the UK, and the US can use the additional service.

"We’re working on the rest of the world" says Jaanus Kase, Manager of skype space in a press release.

The company said earlier this week that rates for Skype calls will also go down by about 15 percent.

Currently the following countries and number ranges are supported:

France: +33 800, +33 805, +33 809
Poland: +48 800
UK: +44 500, +44 800, +44 808
USA: +1 800, +1 866, +1 877, +1 888

Here’s How the Service Works:

In Skype, just enter the number in international format in the Address Bar (start with +1 for USA, +44 for UK etc) and hit the big green button. Couldn’t be easier! You can also add the numbers to your contact list and call them “coach”, “life coach” or wherever else you’re calling. The free calls are effective immediately and supported on all platforms where the Skype client is available.

Toll Free Numbers Offer Communication Gateway

2010-01-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

Decided to share with you! Nice article - enjoy!

These days, small businesses more than ever are searching for communication tools to help their organizations run more efficiently. But the challenge for many to find cost effective communications technology remains.
RingCentral, a cloud computing-based business phone system provider, is offering one possible solution – toll free numbers. With the company’s toll free number service, SMBs can enhance their business image and let customers call them for free, attracting more callers to dial the number. What’s more, the service offers a line of advanced telephone and Internet fax features that gives companies the benefits of a PBX, but without the expense.
Users can select a number, including a vanity number and route callers to their business, home, mobile or any other phone across the globe. In addition, the toll free service offers customers music on hold and dial-by-name directory.
“When you sign up for RingCentral, you immediately get a toll free number for your business,” RingCentral said in a recent blog post. “This serves as the gateway to all of your communication tools.”
The toll free number service also features RingCentral’s Internet fax service. With it, SMBs can use the number to send and receive faxes. Faxes are composed as e-mail messages and contain the fax number of the recipient. When the fax arrives, it displays the toll free number, according to RingCentral.
Beyond fax, the toll free number service features call forwarding answering rules, letting users control how their toll free number accepts calls. Customers can distribute calls to different employees, or set a time period when calls are answered. And if callers reach your business after hours, calls can go to voicemail.

Tips to avoid trouble while travelling abroad

2010-01-04T03:45:00.000-08:00

Hey! Some useful tips for those who decided to spend their holidays abroad! Read carefully!

A lot of people travel outside of Canada at this time of year. In addition to booking your trip, there are things you should do in advance to prepare for anything unexpected that might happen while you are away.

Because travel is getting easier and Canadians are becoming more adventurous, the consular division at Foreign Affairs has seen an increase in Canadians calling on Canadian embassies for help.

A lot of people consult travel books and online trip planning resources. Make this site one of your other stops.

I'll assume that in planning your trip you have taken care to get any visas you might need, that you have visited a travel clinic to get the necessary shots or medications, and that you have adequate travel medical insurance. The Canadian government is there to help if you get into trouble abroad, but it is also expected that you will take steps to help yourself.

Here are some useful tips:

Make sure your passport is up to date. Many countries require that your passport be valid for six months beyond the date when you plan to return to Canada.
Do some research on your destination.
Get a copy of the Foreign Affairs publication Bon Voyage, But... You can print a PDF copy. At the back, this publication contains a list of emergency telephone numbers.
Make up your own little black book of emergency contact numbers, including the number of the Canadian consulate or embassy closest to where you are travelling. The travel.gc.ca website has a list of emergency toll-free numbers.

The consular division of Foreign Affairs operates a 24-hour emergency hotline for Canadians abroad. If you can't find help locally, you can call the hotline at any time and a Canadian officer will speak with you and help you figure out what to do next. In a real emergency, they will locate a Canadian official and get them to come and help you.
Make a photocopy of the first two pages of your passport, as well as your bank cards and credit cards. Having copies of this material – kept separately from the documents themselves – can help you to replace them more quickly if you are robbed. You can go one step further and scan a copy of this material and send it to yourself by email. Then you could produce copies as needed from any Internet cafe.
If you don't have two bank accounts or two credit cards, think about opening a second account and depositing a bit of money in it. If you are robbed and your primary bank and credit cards are stolen, it could be a godsend to be able to reach into an inside pocket and pull out a card that will help you to get some emergency cash.
If you travel with medication or medical equipment (such as syringes), be sure that the meds are legal in your country of destination by calling that country's embassy. And in any event, it is a good idea to carry a letter from your doctor explaining why you need the medication you are carrying.
If you wear glasses, bring along an old pair. Nothing can ruin a trip like somebody stepping on your glasses.
Check if dual citizenship might be a problem for you. Canada recognizes dual nationality, but some countries do not. So even though you are carrying a Canadian passport, your country of birth might regard you, and even your family members, as citizens under the law.
Say "no" to drugs. That may sound like a pious slogan but, when travelling abroad, don't take any chances. Many of the Canadians in prison abroad are there on drug charges.

Tips for using New FamilySearch

2009-12-28T03:11:00.000-08:00

Found this info and decided to share it with you! I also would like to wish you a Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to meeting you in the new year!

The following eight tips are suggested by the LDS Church's Family History Department for using New FamilySearch:

1. New FamilySearch provides excellent online helps. Members should view the short video tutorial and the Help section before getting started. In the United States and Canada call 1-866-406-1830. For an online list of toll-free numbers worldwide, see the FamilySearch

2. Keep in mind that the New FamilySearch reflects a community view. The program includes everyone's contributions, and contributors see each other's contributions. For members with extensive pioneer ancestry, there could be many contributions and entries for popular, shared ancestors to sort through; some of the tips below will help deal with that issue.

3. If you are surprised to find a common ancestor is missing in your family tree, search the entire database to ensure that ancestor does not already exist in another tree before creating a new individual. This helps to avoid duplication.

4. Don't worry about inaccurate or incorrect data that shows up in the Details section. If you are confident that it is the correct person, then don't worry and don't dispute.

5. The Dispute feature should be used only in rare instances where the information is so false it would damage the summary view of the person, and you cannot contact the contributor of the wrong information to correct it. Disputing any information locks the record, and nobody, not even the original contributor, can work with it until the dispute is removed.

Holiday identity theft. Beware of pickpockets

2009-12-23T01:58:00.000-08:00

Hey! Some useful info for making your holidays safer and more comfortable to spend!

Holidays are joyous and fun times of the year unless the Identity Theft Grinch visits you. Swarms of people in public places and retail settings are a boon to pickpockets during holidays. Identity theft can start with a lost or stolen wallet or purse. Although it is disputable whether stolen wallets are the main route to becoming a victim of identity theft, victims frequently attribute a stolen or lost wallet or purse as the cause of identity theft.

You can avoid becoming a victim of identity theft during the holidays with a few prevention tips that apply to your wallet or purse.

Prepare for the worst by cleaning out your wallet. Remove unnecessary credit cards, identification and anything containing your Social Security number. Most experts recommend not carrying more than one or two credit or debit cards. You need your driver's license, and maybe a health insurance card, if it doesn't contain your Social Security number. Avoid carrying your checkbook, especially in a purse.

One survey suggests that the average American family carries eight credit cards. I tested this survey last year while speaking outside of Dallas.

The more identification and credit information that you carry, the higher the risk that you will have a complicated and time-consuming identity theft restoration process if your wallet or purse is stolen.

Take inventory of your wallet. After you clean it out, inventory what you are carrying, preferably by photocopying the contents. Note the toll free numbers on your credit and debit cards to call if the card is lost or stolen. Now, if your wallet is missing, you know exactly whom you have to contact.

Men, be conscious of your wallet when you are in crowds. Carry your wallet in a front pocket, and separate money from credit cards. I typically carry a money clip in my front pocket and separately a few credit cards and ID in a small case. Had I practiced this years ago, I wouldn't have lost my wallet containing a few hundred dollars and more than 10 credit cards as I sat on the edge of a boat while on a lake cruise. That event ruined a beautiful Memorial Day Weekend some 20 years ago. Maybe someday I will get a call from an honest scuba diver who finds it.

Identity theft statistics suggest that the crime targets women more than men. A contributing factor is the ease in which purses or wallets in unattended purses can be stolen. Ladies, the strap of your purse should be over your head. The purse shouldn't lay unattended in the shopping cart (or anywhere else)ID thieves work fast.

A few weeks ago, I noticed an unattended and opened purse on one of the customer work areas in a New York copy shop. It was right next to me while I was removing the staple from a document. The wallet poking through the opened purse was screaming, "steal me!" I approached a patron working on a computer some distance from the purse. I asked if the purse was hers, and I expressed my concerns about leaving it unattended. She said it wasn't a big deal because she was already a victim of identity theft and that the hidden cameras in the copy shop would have recorded me had I stolen her wallet. The next time you are grocery shopping, notice all the purses riding along in the cart with the food, or setting in the child seat of a temporarily abandoned shopping cart.

Beware of children too. Thieves come in all shapes and sizes. Pickpockets and thieves often work in teams of three to five, one or more distract you, while another lifts your wallet.

If your wallet or purse is lost or stolen, the Better Business Bureau offers the following tips.

Immediately report the loss or theft to local police.
Immediately notify each institution corresponding to cards and identification that were lost or stolen.
Immediately contact any one of the three major credit reporting agencies to request a fraud alert (see sidebar below-right "Fraud Alert Requests.")

(Immediately means do it now, not tomorrow or next Monday. The police, credit card fraud departments and the credit reporting agency fraud alert lines are available 24/7)
Complete a Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Affidavit.
Remain vigilant and look for clues that you are being victimized. Depending on the sophistication of the thieves and the information they obtained, it may be a simple case of credit card fraud. Or you may be a victim of a more complex and persistent identity theft scheme involving new account fraud, character identity theft, medical identity theft and other types of non-financial identity fraud that could take a lifetime to resolve.

RingCentral changes their site design!

2009-12-08T04:39:00.001-08:00

Hi guys!

Got some news for you! Today I found that RingCentral have changed their homepage design!
It is more comfortable and easy to use than the previous one, I think.
Now it is easy to find necessary services and it seems to me that many useless info is gone from the homepage, but maybe it is just correctly placed now?
Due to the new color pallette of the page it became more comfortable to read and orient.
As for the main menu, it was also optimized and made like a dropdown menu, everything was sorted by categories, it allows to find necessary info by simply choosing right category tabs.
Fonts, keys and distance between headers were increased and it also makes the homepage more comfortable to use!
Sign up forms are united now and the sign up button was moved to the right part of the page and increased and is more noticeable now.
Also, I would like to note that the new design is modern and trendy, and it is so important in nowadays due to a huge number of sites.
It is clear that the site design change is the correct and necessary company step, because of the specificity of the product, many potential and existing clients come to the site to find information about the offered services and it is necessary to make the homepage maximally informative and comfortable. I think they achieved it!

You can find new design here. I hope this article will be interesting for you. I will be glad to receive your comments!

How To Reverse Look Up Cell Phone Numbers? Cell Phone Directory

2009-12-01T01:14:00.000-08:00

Some useful info! Read and enjoy!

Reverse phone lookup simply put, is the act of finding out specific information about any particular phone number. This information that you will find includes, but is not limited to:

Owner's name
Owner's address
Owner's other phone numbers
Owner's possible relatives
Owner's possible neighbors
Owner's location

There are many reverse phone lookup directories available online, some are free while others offer their services for a small fee. The free service providers are restricted to providing information on only landlines.

The paid reverse phone look up sites provide information about landlines, mobile/cell phones, disconnected numbers, unlisted numbers, toll free numbers and pager numbers.

The best cell phone directories will make sure they have the information that you are looking for before the system prompts you to pay and they also keep your search parameters confidential. You can use this system for a variety of purposes which range from locating long lost friends and acquaintances to monitoring who your kids call.

Reverse Phone Detective stands out as having one of the most comprehensive and accurate reverse phone search databases on the Internet. Just run a few Google searches and you'll quickly discover they're often the top-ranked reverse cell phone site online.

Get ready: New state dialing system begins Saturday

2009-11-17T01:51:00.000-08:00

Decided to share with you! Hope you will enjoy!

The voice differs, depending on where you're calling from. Sometimes it's a man's voice. Sometimes it's a woman's. The tone of voice is often the same, regardless of gender -- calm, measured, almost robotic-sounding.

And the message these disembodied voices deliver is uniform as well: "Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try again."

It's a message that many in the region might be hearing soon if they don't adhere to a new set of dialing procedures. Starting Saturday, state residents must include the area code when dialing any number, including those in their local region. Those who only dial seven digits will be treated to the aforementioned dreaded recording.

The new procedure is supposed to prepare state residents for the introduction of two new area codes, said Phil Dukes, Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control spokesman. Starting Dec. 12, new telephone lines or services in what is now the 203 area code area may be assigned numbers with the 475 area code. New telephone lines in the 860 area code region will be assigned a 959 area code at some unspecified date in the future.

The additional codes were required because the number of phone numbers in the tate is increasing exponentially, Dukes said. As recently as 15 years ago, the typical family might have had only one or two phone lines. Now, he said, with the proliferation of cell phones, fax machines and other technology, the one-line home is practically nonexistent.

The new dialing method is intended to reduce the number of people calling wrong numbers once the area codes are introduced. Dukes stressed that no existing phone numbers will be changed as a result of the new dialing regulations. Residents also don't need to 1 one before calling a local number.

For instance, if a Bridgeport resident is calling a Bridgeport resident, they only need to dial "203" before the number. But, if that same Bridgeport resident is calling a long-distance number in the same area code -- Greenwich, for example -- that person will have to dial both one and the area code, just as he or she always has.

The new procedure won't just change the way people dial their phones. All devices programmed with a 7-digit number -- including life-safety systems, fax machines, alarm and security systems -- will need to be reprogrammed.

Some companies have already provided for the change. For example, the alarm company ADT has, for several years, programmed alarm systems with toll-free numbers that are compliant with 10-digit and 11-digit dialing procedures. Some customers with older systems might need to have them reprogrammed. A release from ADT stated that the company has already contacted noncompliant Connecticut customers, and is reprogramming their systems free of charge.

Dukes said, though the new method might be disorienting at first, he's confident it will become second nature to people in no time.

"We anticipate some initial confusion," he said. "(But) eventually, they will discover what needs to be done."

Scientific Advertising And Free Samples

2009-11-06T05:10:00.000-08:00

Some useful info you can be interested in. Read carefully!

Interactive television commercials may have more in common with print advertising than today's mass media commercials. Now that cablers are rolling out interactive televisio, we could experience, over the long term, a change in how commercials are made.

Up until this year '' which many consider to be the turning point for interactivity -- television advertising had always been driven by demographics and size of audience. But audience size does not have much to do with the actual product sales generated by each avail. As we all know, advertising's goal is not to drive awareness of the product, but rather to drive sales.

Interactive television has a lot in common with the advertising industry from the early 1900s. As pointed out by Claude C. Hopkins in "Scientific Advertising" (published in 1923) "the cost of advertising largely depends on the percentage of waste circulation." Hopkins felt that each print placement should focus on increasing product sales while also eliminating waste in the advertiser's budget.

Hopkins believed that through "keyed" advertising -- which means by tracing or "keying" results back to the exact advertisement by codes -- companies should be able to improve their ad copy after every placement. Copy would then be tweaked till the sales from that advertisement were continually growing and exposure costs contained. Back in the early 1900s, coupons and free samples helped advertisers track "keyed" advertising. In many ways it is a bellwether that some of today's early interactive advertising campaigns have also involved sampling and coupons.

One of the skill sets required for interactive television will be in creating ad copy and graphics that gets viewers to pause programming and "click" their interest in that product. Today ad agencies, for the most part, rely on sheer tonnage in audience delivery and -- except for toll-free numbers and web sites tracked in a small portion of TV commercials -- don't correlate sales back to the exact copy and avail. In the interactive world every avail can be linked to "click" results and advertisers should be able to remove much of the guesswork out of their television budgets.

While the agency learns how to tweak each campaign's response rates, untested interactive copy should first run in front of tens of thousands of viewers, not millions. I think within a few years a national interactive footprint will emerge and popular campaigns may capitalize on these first-generation technologies. However, even then the smart copywriter should still look to test interactive TV creatives in a low risk way, perhaps by DMA or local broadcast television.

Out of control room

2009-10-30T02:57:00.000-07:00

Read and enjoy! Hope to find your comments next time!

KANPUR: Meant to help the Kanpurites for registering complaints in regard to any existing civic problem in any locality of the city and initiate action accordingly, the Control Room of Kanpur Nagar Nigam (KNN) seems to be out of control itself and how.

Ideally there should be one officer from each department of KNN to attend to the complaints but the control room wears a deserted look as just one officer is on duty to receive the calls. Consequently, the complaints requiring immediate action get delayed for a more than a week.
Sometimes, the calls go unanswered -- as the officials go missing during duty hours -- forcing the complainant to visit the KNN office and get the complaint filed.

Narrating her bitter experience, Sita Chaudhari, a resident of Juhi said, "Last month due to heavy downpour, there was waterlogging in the area surrounding my house. Repeated calls to the control room to get the waterlogging cleared went in vain as no one attended the calls.''

Finally, after a week, one of the representatives of our locality went to the KNN office to lodge a complaint and it was then only that the problem could be solved, she added.

Notably, the Tax Collection Centre is serving as the KNN's control room as no separate room has been assigned to register the calls.

Further, as per the rule, the two departments should work separately but they are working under one roof. With the department functioning despite inadequate staff, the control room has just one employee deputed to reply to the calls. Officials of health department, sanitary inspector, chief engineer and traffic officer should be present in the control room so that they could take action on complaints as early as possible, but that is not the case.

However, according to KNN officials nothing is lacking in the system. "We receive only one to two calls everyday. The name, address and the complaints of the person filing the complaints is registered and then the information is passed on to the officials concerned. What else do people expect from us?" asked one of the clerks at KNN.

Municipal commissioner, Rajeev Sharma said, "The control room is running on an old pattern. However, under the Public Private Partnership, the project of running a control room would be given to a BPO. 10 toll free numbers of KNN would serve as the numbers for registering the call. Apart from it, a helpline number would also be given for the convenience of the denizens."

Flight Information Now Available through Toll-free Numbers

2009-10-21T01:54:00.001-07:00

Hey! Here is some info for you. Read carefully the text below!

Continuing its ongoing effort to bring Patna Airport at par with other metro airports in the nation, airport authorities on Thursday announced the launching of a series of toll-free numbers that would provide airline schedule and latest flight positions so people could plan their visits accordingly.

Instant flight schedules could also be obtained through text messaging, Patna Airport officials said.

The numbers for various airlines are as follows:

Air India: 1-800-180-1407

Kingfisher Airlines: 1-800-180-0101, 1800-233-3131, 1-800-425-7008, and 1-800-209-3030.

Indigo Airlines: 1-800-180-3838.

Flight information through SMS could be obtained by dialing 03339893333 from any cell phone. This service, however, incurs a nominal charge levied by the phone service providers.

Reverse Phone Lookup - Cell Phone Number Search

2009-10-14T04:31:00.000-07:00

Maybe somebody will be interested by these news! Read the article below and leave your opinion about it!

There is a lot of hue and cry about the reverse cell phone look up but how can we know for sure that we can run it on the Internet? Almost every other service provider claims on the internet claim their services to be the best but the reality is very different from what is portrayed. Do you think that the reverse cell phone look up service is really worth trying? Reverse cell phone look up has many advantages and comes in handy on different occasions. With the help of this service you can find any person if you have his cell number. This service helps in locating the address and the complete bio data of that person. You can use this service to find out the addresses of your peers and friends as well as get complete information about the ownership of the numbers you are not sure about. You can also track down anyone who has been frustrating you for quite a while!

Reverse cell phone look up can be run at a large number of websites. You should bear in mind that these services are not free and you can use them to search for residential numbers and business purposes. Since most of the phone directories do not provide any cell phone lookup, many people are of the view that this service does not exist. This is wrong. You can actually conduct a cell phone number reverse lookup by paying some fee to a website and they will help you in getting all the information that you need.

The websites help you in gaining access to many details such as the name of the owner, postal address, phone connection history and details about the carrier. Here, it is important to know that the details may vary from website to website. Generally, the websites provide information for toll-free numbers, landline numbers, mobile numbers, pagers and business numbers.

Start your phone reverse search lookup immediately to discover everything you wish to know about the phone number and its caller/owner.

What You Should Know About Reverse Cell Phone Look up Services

2009-10-08T03:53:00.000-07:00

Found this and decided to post it here. Leave your comments.

The Internet provides you with many websites where you can look up both residential and business phone owners online for free, which sometimes even include the toll-free numbers.

The cell phone numbers are generally not part of the public telephone directories. This is to ensure that the cell phone owner can choose among the people whose call they want to receive.

The cell phone directories also maintain complete confidentiality of the customer. In the earlier times, only the law enforcement agents and the military departments were able to get information about the identity of the person using a particular cell phone number.

Nowadays with reverse cell phone number lookup services, it is possible for anyone to obtain any information about any cell phone number. Just by typing in the cell phone number, anyone accessing the reverse phone directories will get the details of its owner, such as the first name, last name, present and old address, country, city and the service provider.

Now, where to find a free reverse cell phone directory?

Better Business Bureau: If disaster strikes, are you prepared?

2009-10-01T03:45:00.000-07:00

Watching the latest news I decided to post this. Hope you will never need these advices but for being ready you ought to read this and remember!

Natural disasters can destroy your personal property and severely impair your ability to conduct financial transactions. If you had only a few minutes to evacuate your home, and had to be away for several days or weeks, would you have access to cash, banking services and the personal identification documents you would need to support your family?

The Better Business Bureau and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. offer tips on what to have ready if a disaster should strike without warning:

• Forms of identification: These include driver's licenses, medical insurance cards, Social Security cards, passports and birth certificates. While it is best to have originals, it is also important to have copies, in case originals are misplaced or destroyed.

• Checks and deposit slips: Even if you rarely write checks, consider having your checking account number handy. That way you can authorize an important payment over the phone. If you do rely on checks, have enough blank checks and deposit slips to last a month or so.

• ATM cards, debit cards and credit cards: These cards give you access to cash and the ability to make payments on outstanding bills. Make sure you know your PIN numbers; do not write them down or carry them with the cards.

• Cash: ATMs in affected areas may not be functioning, so it is a good idea to have cash available for necessary purchases. The amount will depend on the size of your family, your expected financial needs and your ability to use debit or credit cards to make purchases.

• Phone numbers for financial service providers: Make a list of the local and toll-free numbers for your bank, credit card companies, mortgage lender, brokerage firms and insurance companies. You may need to contact these providers to defer a payment, replace lost cards or open a new account.

Account Numbers: These would include bank and brokerage account numbers, credit card numbers and auto and homeowner's insurance policy numbers. Copy the front and back of your credit cards.

• Safe deposit box key: You cannot get into your safe deposit box without your key, no matter what forms of identification you present.

After you have gathered this information, store it in a safe, protected place. Do not leave it out in the open or in an unlocked drawer. Some identity theft victims have been "robbed" by family members or workers within their homes.