Bluetooth now poised to fulfill its promiseWritten by Raymond Klesc
No question about it, Bluetooth is very handy thanks to its improved integration with computers, cell phones and automobiles.When Bluetooth first appeared about five years ago, hype far outstripped its usefulness. The ability to eliminate tangles of cords and cables was very alluring. Unfortunately, cost and complexity almost brought technology to its knees. Now its back, alive and well, fulfilling its promise as a useful tool in a variety of settings. Europe was its early adopter and it is standard on nearly all European cell phones. They have adopted Bluetooth enabled phones, laptops, wireless keyboards, mice and more. Sexy Headsets: Cingular and T-Mobile wireless carriers use same technology as their European counterparts and thus offer Bluetooth enabled devices for their customers. Bluetooth is rarer from Sprint and Verizon Communications which are based on North American technologies. One major boost for adoption of Bluetooth enabled mobile phones will come from State and local governments. Many new laws and ordinances have been adopted or are in various stages of implementation that will levy fines for driving and using a hand held cell phone. The push for hands-free calling will move Bluetooth forward in marketplace. Acura TL now offers Bluetooth integrated into automobile allowing driver to use cars stereo system as a speakerphone and displays information on dashboard. Bluetooth car kits are now available from Motorola, Nokia, Parrot and others for about $100. Early teething problems included high cost and poor battery life and made it unattractive for handsets. But now Logitech’s Mobile Bluetooth handset can be had for about $50. The $140 Jabra BT800, which lets you control many cell-phone functions on headset, offers six hours of talk time and five days of standby. After that, you can recharge by running a USB cable from headset into a laptop so you don't need to take a charger with you. A headset on way from Plantronics will come with adapters that allow charging from most phone adapters or from an AA battery.
| | The Calling Card AlternativeWritten by Robert Mann
How many times have you complained about high long distance costs and phone companies overcharging you? Did you try to do anything about it? Did you search for alternate solutions? Calling cards might be answer. Their low rates to any destination make them perfect buy for domestic and international calls. For a few years now, calling cards business is booming. Everywhere you go, everywhere you search you might find one: in WallMarts, grocery stores, newspaper stands, vending machines in coffee shops. But place you can find most of these long distance alternatives is internet. A quick search on Google, Yahoo or other search engines will reveal thousands of websites that sell calling cards. So,it’s an easy pick, one might say. Well... not quite. According to FCC, almost 70% of calling card businesses are fraudulent. Meaning mostly that they get your money but you don’t get calling card. That means that you have to be very careful when choosing a website to buy from. On top of that, calling cards vary in number and features, so you have to choose one appropriate to your needs. Their low rates however, come with a price at times. Companies selling calling cards use VoIP technology and other third party carriers to complete their calls. While not as expensive as a satellite connection (hence low rates), this technology is at beginning, so problems may occur from time to time. This is why calling cards are not usually recommended for emergency calls. For calls within United States however, calls made with calling cards (also known as phone cards) have a good quality and connection rate, given that you have found a good supplier.
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