Surviving the Age of Technology - Part 1 of a Series
If you are like millions of other Americans, you probably received or bought yourself an electronic or battery-driven device this past holiday. You made the purchase because: (a) a friend or relative had one and you were blown away, (b) you saw it on television, (c) the old one was obsolete, (d) you thought it would make life easier, (e) it looked like fun, or (f) you had some bonus money available and thought, what the heck. Regardless of the reason, you made the investment and faced the future. Some of the more popular choices are: plasma, LCD or HD televisions, PDA s, WiFi and camera cell phones, personal media players, MP3 s, GPS systems, laptops, LCD monitors, flash drives,
...poles have been totally subverted by another Internet service. In the words of Peter Sisson, a former Bell Labs researcher, "Telephone service used to be based on a huge infrastructure of high-priced equipment...and now it's just software."VoIP is technology that ...
Now, if you don t know some of the techno-lingo I just mentioned, have no fear. I didn t either until more recently. I m in my fifties, but my kids in their twenties all do. Of course they also text message at the speed of light and can program a cell phone in mere seconds, without reading the manual no less. I, on the other hand, needed six hours to hook up a HD cable box and two more just to attach a DVD player/recorder. It makes one wonder what s next. Nearly everything I have purchased had some type of USB or computer connection and a DVD or
...from home, office, payphone or from your friend's house. The phone doesn't have to be enabled with international long distance calling provisions.Monitor usage history. Different online phone card sellers give the provision of tracking your call history online. You can ...
The other scary trend is regarding the manual. Either it s: (a) the size of a typical Bible, (b) a map-like foldout sheet, or (c) non-existent. That s right, there is no manual. I bought a digital product and the four by four inch packing slip explained that the manual was only available on the internet. They assumed that I had (a) a computer, and (b) internet access at my house. While I will grant you that 70% of us do, that leaves many millions that do not have one or both. But it saves the manufacturer millions so, who cares? A recent book I bought that normally comes with a CD,
...etc. Most phone companies charge extra for many of the features that come included with VoIP.Do you currently have a home phone? Well, you can keep that number when you make the leap to VoIP. What if you move? Unlike ...
Which brings up a whole other subject. Downloads off the net. Most computer-based devices require drivers or firmware to be current. These are sent by email reminders to constantly update your systems so that the product will run efficiently. Therefore I must register online to receive the latest product news. Of course they are always trying to sell me things as well. And who knows where they sold my email address to as well? But it s the price you pay to be connected to the
...is definitely the way to go. VoIP providers offer some of the lowest international rates available. Rates vary by VoIP provider though, depending on the country you are calling. All internet phone service providers publish their international long distance rates ...
So, have you also noticed that nearly everything now has a computer chip inside? My refrigerator will tell me when it s time to change the filter. Ditto the air purifier and the vacuum cleaner. My computer printer alerts me to low ink. I wonder when my clothes will eventually tell me when they need washing? Don t laugh, that day is just around the corner.
The problem with technology is that it breeds obsolescence. My two-year old computer is almost a relic. It doesn t run as fast or have as much memory as the one made this morning. The software is old and the operating system is pass . Whatever I buy this afternoon, by next month
...going minutes are less affected by this and is able to fight and win on a service price war.The minute cost of toll free numbers has been drastically reduced for the past few years but are they really cheaper? Toll ...
We used to get warranties on things like cars, washing machines, and television sets because they were expensive to fix and the type of
...is required for large enterprise implementations and many involve considerable expenditure for converting the existing PBX system into IP system. Since the IP system runs on data network system instead of the regular copper circuits, LAN/WAN connections should be properly ...
This is not a knock against technology in general. I, for one, embrace it and love the time-saving devices
...family to surf the Internet at the same time. You'll also get access to software that will protect your identity, and your computers from those people and programs on the Internet that mean to do you harm.The service from Comcast ...
Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years.
...the buyer.In order to be a reseller, one needs to have multiple domains. As a third party, it is essential that, in addition to the domain account, the reseller needs to have full control over the administrative panel of the ...
