Smartphone Plans

How much do you pay a month for your cell phone service plan that includes a smartphone? Even though that phone is wonderful when it comes to using the different VoIP systems, you are still probably shelling out a good bit on the bill. But good news: Facing stiff competition from budget carriers, all of the major networks recently began offering cheaper “prepaid” plans – which could save you a ton of money. Instead of entering a two-year contract, a “prepaid plan” enables you to pay monthly, without a commitment to stay with a particular service provider. These no-contract, prepaid phone plans used to be just for dumb-phones, the ones that did not really do anything. So here are the amazing deals:

• If you’re a heavy talk and data user, the best plan is on Sprint’s network through Boost Mobile: $50/month for 2.5 GB of data. (Compare this to Verizon and AT&T’s plans – $60/month for 2 GB.) Better yet, if you make six, monthly, on-time payments in a row, Boost will knock $5 off your monthly bill every month thereafter. They’ll reduce your bill again at 12 months, and again at 18 months, so that after a year and a half you could be paying as little as $35/month – if you haven’t switched plans by then.

• If you don’t talk much but use a lot of web access (say, you’re a teenager), Virgin Mobile has a $35/month for 300 minutes of talk – and unlimited text and data.

• If you use a moderate amount of data but want unlimited talk and text, T-Mobile offers unlimited talk and text, plus 500 MB of data for $50/month.

• The cheapest deal I’ve recently seen form the big carriers: If you dig down deep on T-Mobile’s prepaid plan page, you’ll find a plan with only 100 minutes of talk, but unlimited text and data for – get this – $30 a month.

Virtual Therapists

So as we move further and further into the digital age, it seems as though more and more computers are being placed in the position where there used to be humans. Of course companies want to make things more effective and efficient but I wonder if anyone has ever stopped to think if this is such a great idea for some of the positions that might need a certain human touch? Communication services is one of the biggest sections where computers are dominating, from call forwarding to call centers that have you go though about twenty different menus all the while pushing buttons. Some are voice automated but it does seem to help. To add insult to injury, computers that act as speech therapists are being tested. People without speech issues end up wanting to jump across to the other end of the line and destroy that device that will not let them talk to a really human. So what about those people that need constant speech therapy? While the verbal impairment can be life-long, health insurers only pay for a limited amount of therapy. Yet patients like Green need to continuously practice their skills. Does anyone else see the glaring problem with the system?

Cost of VoIP

There’s no doubt that VoIP offers a myriad of benefits, including decreased expenses and increased productivity, but at what cost? According to Columbia researchers, it is a very high one and it is not monetary. The security is one of the biggest downsides of internet phone services. At a recent Amphion Forum, a conference on the security of connected devices, Ang Cui, a fifth-year grad student from the Columbia University Intrusion Detection Systems Lab and his colleague, Computer Science Professor Salvatore Stolfo, demonstrated how easily an IP phone could be compromised. Using a popular Cisco VoIP phone, Cui quickly attached a small external device which allows the transfer of binary malicious code to the phone. The attack enables remote and undetected access to the phone’s microphone, which allows the hacker to activate the microphone without it being noticed and to eavesdrop on conversations in the surrounding environment, even when there is no phone call in progress. The compromised phone can also be used to attack other devices on the network, such as computers, phones and printers. This is the wake up call that demands attention and improvements in security.

How Not to Get Frustrated When Shopping Online

The internet has made it that much easier to spend money that we do not have on things that we do not need. Nevertheless, we all do it, even with all the frustrations that we endure. Even if the communication services are great, the return policy can be horrible and it is something that you need to know before you buy to save you some headaches. I am sure that you might have come up against some horrible policies in the time that you have been shopping online. When the return policy says that once you open something, you can't return it, there are things to think about when purchasing from them. Another thing that you should take into consideration is customer reviews. It does not take a psychoanalyst to figure out which ones are complaining about the same things and which ones sound like commercials for the product or its competitor. The name of the game is research.

Innovation in 3D TV

Internet phones are not something new in technology and VoIP systems are becoming the new norm in businesses. For the average consumer, IP telephony was not really a necessity until the power of video conferencing was unlocked. Throw in television and it is like the other person is in the room with you. Now with 3D television, it is quite an effect. Vizio demoed a 3D TV which lets you get rid of the glasses and there is not just one sweet spot. With this TV, there are nine. As you move around the screen in a semi-circle, the picture pops in and out of 3-D, akin to pulling a lens in and out of focus. If you're not in a sweet spot, the picture doesn't completely blur and fuzz out. It just flattens out into 2-D. Even better, the system won't require any special content above and beyond the 3-D video that already exists. The technology isn't flawless. On Vizio's prototype, the picture is considerably less sharp than on other high-definition or 3-D displays. On-screen lines and fuzziness are pretty noticeable, and the 3-D effect doesn't always pop like you'd expect it to. Still, this kind of technology is creeping closer and closer to your living room. We've seen it in portable devices such as the Nintendo DS and the displays of 3-D cameras, but never yet in a full-size consumer TV.

Cons of VoIP Systems

Perhaps the biggest caveat to the VoIP is that you must have electricity and internet service to use it. So, during a storm when there is a power outage, your VoIP system is out, too (since routers, adapters, computers, and other VoIP devices need electricity to function). If there is high internet traffic when you are trying to place a VoIP-to-VoIP call, you may experience some degradation in the quality of your call and/or your service may be interrupted completely. One of the solutions that AB Soft can offer is a hosted VoIP service that operates in the cloud but it will not take care of the problem completely. With the basic VoIP package, emergency services are not a for-sure thing. If VoIP is your only form of communication with the outside world, you may want to consider an additional device to enable you to contact help if needed, though a cellphone is an easy alternative.
Countless applications and functions, combined with being cost-effective and user-friendly, make the VoIP a viable option for your 21st century communication needs.

Pros of a VoIP Service

If you have access to the Internet, then you can call, email, video conference with, or send a voice mail to anyone's email or phone. It doesn't matter if they are across the ocean or in the building next door, as long as your internet signal is strong, you don't have to hassle with remembering area codes, worry about long-distance charges if you chat for an hour, or wonder if you are going to be disconnected if a cloud drifts by. Your one assigned "local" phone number will allow you to call anyone, anywhere. VoIP comes as part of several different packages depending on your particular needs. Some options include: 3-way calling, caller ID, voicemail, automatic call forwarding, auto-redial, online faxing, automatic emailing of voicemails to your designated email account, a "virtual" receptionist greeting callers and directing them to the appropriate company rep, and even customized greetings for specific times of the year or after regular business hours. VoIP can be easily integrated with instant messaging, file sharing software, video conferencing, or any other internet-based communication. Multiple applications and devices can be integrated, layered, or streamlined to meet most every user's needs at the corporate or home office.