Material Monster

Call center software targeted at the small-to-medium-sized business market is a fast-growing field right now. It only makes sense, really. With VoIP and IP Telephony finally coming into their own, it’s only logical that communications software companies are going to want to get in on the action. The result of this is a glut of “all in one” call centers, all guaranteed to meet your personal business needs better than the rest: Contactual, CRM, VirtualOne, AMCAT, Fonality, BCMR Desktop… the list goes on and on.

To some extent this isn’t a bad thing. It means small businesses have an unprecedented range of options in telecommunications, which drives costs down. The obvious drawback is that anytime you have such a wide range of programs and companies, many of them are bound to be cheap imitations or downright ripoffs. A little research will of course turn up the obvious frauds, but with such a relatively young technology it can be hard to tell.

The curious thing is what it indicates about the small business world’s approach toward VoIP in general. The obvious demand for such products suggests that companies are finding it hard to get the functionality they need out of VoIP without one of these virtual call centers, and yet the promise of VoIP was that it was supposed to free telecommunications from the monopolized world of a few phone companies.

For all the rhetoric about freeing up communications, all we’re seeing is the exchange of physical PBX technology for the virtual call center - exchanging the new shackles for the old. Yes, VoIP is cheaper (most of the time), and, yes, it can theoretically do a lot more, but how much of that power are small businesses really seeing? Instead of being bound by the limits of telephone technology, a company is now forced to work within the artificial confines of the program it purchases.

In essence, the approach hasn’t changed. Although VoIP creates the possibility for a custom made platform which is truly tailored to individual needs, it seems that most companies would still rather buy a premade package.

In a few years, once the technologies settle down and standardize, I suspect this will lead to a contraction in the number of small-time platforms in favor of a few recognized industry names, again essentially replicating the telecommunications scene before the introduction of VoIP. But for now, it’s an exciting time to be in telecommunications.

David Roberts is a 10th level VoIP champion and technology writer for voip-avaya.com, an online resource for all things VoIP.

VoIP Phones are all the rage. These Internet phones are
becoming increasingly popular with the general public as
well as among the technologically gifted avant-garde i.e. geeksRus.
Chances are high you know someone who uses one or you may even
use one yourself.

But did you know it can cost you your life?

We will get to this life-threatening issue later but first you
should have a basic understanding of what a VoIP phone is and
how it works.

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. These phones
are also commonly referred to as Voice over IP or Voice over
Internet. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol is a way of
using analog audio signals, like on your regular phone, and
turning these signals into digital data that’s transmitted
over the Internet instead of over conventional phone lines.

How does it Work?

A Voip Phone Service can work on any computer that has
broadband connectivity. If you have a headset/microphone,
along with a Voip phone system set-up or software program
installed on your computer, you can place calls from your
computer or laptop to anywhere in the broadband-connected
world. Assuming that your friends have the same software
set-up or have a Voip Phone Service from many of the commercial
providers, you should be able to communicate, i.e. talk to
each other.

It basically works by sending small packets of data from one
computer to another over the Internet. And since it uses the
Internet, the route these data transfers take is as varied and
as wide as the Internet itself. You call a phone number and the
data is sent to your VoIP company’s call processor. The call
processor connects you to your friend’s phone and a session is
formed between your computer and your friend’s computer.
Your call can now be handled as if it were an e-mail or a web
page but each system must have the same protocol in order for
you to communicate or talk.

This may be over-simplifying things a bit, but this method is
less expensive than a conventional phone system.

Many VoIP companies offer many services that a traditional
phone company will charge you an arm or leg for! These include:
Caller ID, Call transfer, Call waiting, Return call, Repeat
dial, and Three-way calling. And because it is over the Internet
you can check your voicemail via the Web - you may even attach
messages that’s sent to your computer or handheld.

VoIP Phone Services have many advantages over the traditional
system, mainly its cheap price and availability or access. As
the broadband world increases, VoIP phones may become even
more popular.

So what’s the Problem with using VoIP Phones?

There are some major hurdles Voip Phone users should be aware
of and it is where the life saving advice comes in.

The VoIP Phone is only as good as the Internet system or computer
you’re using. There may be down times, for example, if you lose
your power, a Voip phone will not work, whereas a regular wall
phone or conventional phone will. In many natural disasters, be it
a blizzard, tornado or hurricane, the power is sometimes the first
utility that fails. Communications often become critical in these
situations and being stuck with only a powerless VoIP phone may
pose a problem. Assuming, of course, you don’t have your VoIP
Phone hooked up to a portable Wi-Fi battery operated laptop!

You must also keep in mind that your laptop or computer must be
able to handle the phone calls, other programs running on your
system may disrupt or distort your voip signals if your computer
is overloaded or not powerful enough.

Next, perhaps the most important concern, Emergency 911 calls
are a real challenge with VoIP. VoIP phones uses IP-addressed
phone numbers and not NANP phone numbers. There’s no way to tell the
geographic location with an IP address; thus routing the emergency
call may pose a problem for 911 operators. Obviously, this is not good
in an emergency of any kind!

No doubt this hurdle will be fixed in the very near future as Voip
Phones become more commonplace and integrated neatly in the wireless
Wi-Fi systems/networks around the world. But for now, it is something
every VOIP Phone user should be made aware of and prepare for in the
case your VOIP phone becomes your only lifeline.

Another challenge, as more and more voip phones come online, there is
no world-wide standard in place. This would include hardware and
protocols that would make this system work anywhere in the world.

Despite these hurdles and challenges, many believe VoIP Phone Services
will eventually replace the traditional phone lines over time. But the
revolution is just starting! According to the Forrester Research Group
only 5 million U.S. households will be using VoIP phones by the end of 2006.

However, it doesn’t take a Crystal Ball or even the Forrester Research
Group to tell us we are becoming more and more of a ‘wireless world’.
VoIP Phones will find themselves ‘center stage’ in our ever increasing
technologically enhanced universe. No doubt, neatly blended into some
fully loaded portable, Video/VoIP Phone, XM radio, Search Engine, Wi-Fi,
GPS Emergency Beacon, Computer Handheld Contraction. As long as we can
keep our ‘heads attached’ until this technotopia item comes along, we
should be ok.

Hey, when Google finally decides to build that Google Box, maybe someone
should suggest they load it up with a few extra goodies. Can we talk?

…..

The author runs a modest website on Bizware and Business Solutions
- including a section on VoIP Phone Services.
VoIP Phone Services
Get a few Free Marketing Tools
for your business. Titus Hoskins Copyright © 2006. This article may be freely distributed if this resource
box stays attached.

Since we’re using computers all the time to do our work, let’s make it easy and add the phone to the pile. VoIP also known as (voice over Internet protocol), Internet telephony, IP telephony, and Internet voice is catching on and is expected to grow in the next few years. The technology has been around for about a decade, but it isn’t till now that we have the supporting technology to handle it and an market reaching critical mass (hate using jargon, but there isn’t a better way to say it).

VoIP requires users to have broadband connections. With 22 percent of Americans connected to the Internet by broadband, the numbers are large enough for making money with Internet voice and big telecoms are already in the game.

How VoIP works

VoIP works like email. TCP/IP networks consist of IP packets with a header for controlling communication and information for transportating data. VoIP uses the IP packets to send the human voice across the Internet using IP packets to its destination.

It digitizes a voice into data packets, sends them through the network and converts them back to voice when arriving at the destination. Digital format can be compressed, routed, and converted to other and better formats.

When calling someone using VoIP, you use a phone with an adapter. Just like we use a telephone to make phone calls on POTS (plain old telephone service), the adapter is a device to connect the phone to the network. The VoIP phone has its own phone number for callers to dial.

The good and bad things

An advantage of VoIP is it can avoid charges typically found on PSTNs (public switched telephone network). For customers, there is less worry about how long or how often they make phone calls. Calling another state costs the same as calling another country even on the other side of the world. IP-based boxes are cheaper than analog PBXes.

However, service reliability is an issue. How many times has a download or connecting to a Web site faltered? That may not be such a big deal, but it is more disruptive to phone calls. Network issues are complicated by customers getting broadband from one company and VoIP from another. When a call gets switched from network to network, it impacts quality.

When the Internet is down, so is VoIP. Traditional phones aren’t affected by power like VoIP since they have its own power and work during blackouts.

Money and regs

Companies make their money by selling features and services. Connect anytime and anywhere there is an Internet connection or while in Wi-Fi-enabled hot spots. It’s also exempt from traditional regulations and taxes, but that could change tomorrow though telecoms are working to keep it unregulated. This exemption is keeping prices down, and current prices are anywhere from $20 to $65 a month.

Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl’s notes, eNewsletter Journal, and The Remediator Security Digest. She is also a PC Today columnist and a tour guide at InformIT. She is geared to tackle your editing, writing, content, and process needs. The native Texan resides in Plano, Texas, a heartbeat north of Dallas, and doesn’t wear a 10-gallon hat or cowboy boots.

New technologies in micro satellites are moving very fast as processors, sensors and systems get more powerful and much smaller. I propose to have these systems and micro satellites to be in a solar system type configuration as they fly, spinning around each other with each small micro satellite literally connected to another and spinning around a center satellite module connected to a few of the orbiting micro satellites.

The Lines holding them together will also be an entergy tail, that is to say it collects electromagnetic energy to keep the small communication system in low orbit, which takes a lot more energy, but there is significant electromagnetic energy there as well.

Why Low orbit? Well it allows for listen devices to be quite robust in ability and cuts down on the delay of communication time from Geo Sync Satellites. Perfect for the Military, NSA or commercial applications. Smaller satellites also have a reduced risk or the chance of collision by orbiting space junk and in low orbit there will be little if any of this orbiting high-speed debris.

By putting these units on tethers then will know where each one is and be able to be a single point of eight-point or Octa-angulation for precise GPS needs. Additionally they could be as far as 100-meters apart and operate net-centric or together, meaning you cannot see them, too small, you cannot shoot down what you cannot see and you have a massive communication and world class GPS system, as well as a spy listening device. Think on this.

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Imagining a life without a mobile in today’s world is next to impossible. Mobiles have become a symbol of personal identity and have to be carried to all places, at all times, even while on foreign vacations. However, a lack of information about the applicable roaming charges has landed many customers into trouble because of the huge mobile bills.

To help customers enjoy a worry-free holiday, Ofcom has released a consumer awareness pamphlet with a witty video film apparently shot by a film school fresher. This attempt by Ofcom is to help the customers become more aware of their mobile connection. The customers have been advised to find about the inclusions in their mobile service pack and get detailed information about the overseas data charges, before travelling abroad with their mobile connection on roaming.

This small amount of information can go a long way in helping the customers save precious amounts while sending text messages, making or receiving calls and while using mobile broadband. One should also find out beforehand if their broadband enabled laptops or mobiles can actually be used in the countries where they are heading for their vacations. Another option is Pay-as-you-go mobile broadband; Vodafone, 3 mobile, O2 and T-Mobile are now offering this and it could be a useful alternative.

The initiative from Ofcom comes in the wake of the European Union’s decision to set an upper limit on roaming mobile charges while the customer is travelling inside EU member states. With the summer vacations just around the corner, the EU’s decision, along with the Ofcom advice booklet, will provide some much-needed assistance to vacationing mobile users.

GPS stands for global positioning system, a system that has been established and is managed by the Department of Defense. The GPS system utilizes satellites that have been put into orbit that help people determine their exact location whether it be for the purposes of personal navigation, military activities, or any type of enterprise that requires an exact global positioning by latitude, longitude and altitude. GPS systems are installed in automobiles, motorcycles, some PDAs, Airplanes, dog collars, fishing boats, and so many other products.

GPS systems all started out in the army in the year 1970. In the army, many soldiers needed navigation systems to know their directions around other countries. Without this device it would be really hard for them to find their way around. This device has saved soldier’s time in war and has also saved many lives. GPS systems are very powerful devices and are a great navigation system to use to get around.

GPS systems have gone for beyond just serving the army. They now serve just about everyone. These navigation systems help drivers find there way through city streets and help hikers find their way through the rough terrains of the mountains. They also help pilots find their way around the skies as well as helping mariners find their way around the great sea. The GPS systems technology can help serve anyone in need of it.
GPS systems can also be purchased for motorcycles, and hikers sometimes use such systems to determine where they are while walking. Cyclists should not be left out of the mix, and runners, joggers, and skiers use navigation systems to prevent themselves from becoming lost in an unfamiliar area. Some PDAs - personal digital assistants - are equipped with built in navigation devices, while some Palm devices also include such systems.

Navigation systems are sold with a variety of features and what kind of features you should look for is solely dependent on two factors - price and need. The most basic of navigation systems will provide you with a route from one point to another point or to multiple points, depending on your destination and trip plan. A benefit of such navigation systems is that they not only serve as a guide to your preplanned destination, they also serve as guide back to where you started. Any route you plan in a navigation system is completely reversible thanks to the innovative design of such systems.

Alternatively, you may pay more money for a navigation system that has voice capabilities. You can purchase a navigation system that will guide you to your destination vocally and while speaking to you it will offer up a turn-by-turn dictation of your journey. Conversely, those individuals that spend the majority of their time traveling - like a delivery man may find that they prefer a navigation system that they can preplan many destinations at one time and then move from one set of directions to another. Thus, such individuals require a uniquely designed navigation system -one that possesses multi destination capabilities. Finally, there are different navigation systems for boats, motorcycles, cars, and joggers so you will need to be sure to purchase the product you require for your intended use. The most popular GPS Systems are made by: Navstar, Magellan, Garmin, Slim Trak, Cobra, Holux, Suunto USA, and Timex.

Chris Simons is a prolific freelance writer. You are welcomed to visit http://gps.theconsumerguide.net, for more information on GPS units and tracking systems.

Although there are many advantages to cell phone GPS tracking, there are also privacy concerns. As most people carry their cell phone with them at all times, the ability is in place to track the exact movements of all individuals. Is this a case of Big Brother, and who can access to this information?

Cell Phone GPS tracking can prove useful in many walks of life and especially when an emergency arises. Picture the scene of a road accident where injuries have occurred. A 911 call made from a GPS cell phone would significantly speed up the arrival of the emergency services if the GPS signal from the cell phone can be pin-pointed to an exact location. This feature alone could save many lives.

For these reasons the FCC has instructed that wireless network providers provide the cell phone GPS tracking location information for 911 calls which have been made from cell phones. This is known as E911. In essence this is no different than a 911 call made from a land line, as the land line is registered to an address and the relevant emergency services can be quickly dispatched to that address.

However, where the difference occurs is that a property does not move but the tracking of a GPS cell phone is registering the day to day movements of an individual, and that has given rise to the privacy concerns of who can access such private information.

However, the relevant law relating to E911 is fairly explicit. It allows carriers to provide tracking location information to third parties for e911 emergency calls only, however not under any other circumstances whatsoever without the consent of the cell phone owner.

The privacy of cell phone GPS tracking has also been backed up by a number of recent court hearings. Recent court hearings have disallowed the requests of law enforcement agencies to obtain cell phone GPS tracking information from the cell phone companies for suspects. The courts have ruled that Congress have not authorized location tracking without actual evidence of wrongdoing and that probable cause is not sufficient reason for the release of records.

These events will ensure that the advantages of cell phone GPS tracking will not be compromised by privacy issues and that its long term future and usefulness is secured.

For more information on cell phone GPS tracking and other GPS products visit http://www.satnav-gps.info today.