Future Phones Will Be Tailored To Fit Lifestyles
Faster, easier to read, and specifically packaged for your unique interests and lifestyle.
Oh, yes; calls will be cheaper, too.
That’s what’s on the horizon in mobile phone technology, and that future is likely to happen very soon. The U.S. has historically lagged far behind the rest of the industrialised world in mobile phone service advancement, but that’s poised for change.
The enthusiasm, and ease, with which people of all ages, income and education levels have embraced the abundance of features their mobile phones offer them has caught the industry by surprise.
The next generation of mobile phones will continue the recent integration of PDA-type features, what the industry calls smartphone functions– Calendar, appointment, phone book abilities– Along with enhanced word processing, Internet and email capabilities.
To handle enhancements like those, the next mobile phones will feature larger onboard memory, bigger VGA screens for better resolution, and easier to use keyboards. The new G4 technology, already rolling out in the Japanese market, will also allow a much faster downloading speed– Over three times the amount of data per second of current G3 phones on the market!
But perhaps the biggest change will be how these features will be packaged for the marketplace– Not everyone needs the same advanced functions. The industry plans to respond to this by packaging specific lines tailored to meet customers’ specific interests and needs.
Popular Culture Fans
We’re talking those who like to download music and video, and movie and TV fans– These are fun, splashy features that the industry loves to play-up, and much of this technology is already on the market.
The enhancements will be 480×640 VGA touchscreens for better picture clarity, and greatly increased download speeds to handle video-on-demand, “cable” newscasts and videophone calls. Add to that, onboard cameras with clarity that rival most people’s digital cameras– but more on that later.
Portable Offices For Professionals
These are mobile phone packages specifically designed around the needs of such professionals as doctors, financial services professionals, business executives, and sales reps. It’s here that we will see smartphone technology at its state-of-the-art finest.
The need to type easily, and to read documents in the field tops the list of needs of busy professionals. That means, larger, easier to use QWERTY keyboards, the higher resolution VGA touch screens, and office software with greater capabilities. It also means that the ability to access information on the Internet, and to download large documents, will have to approach the capabilities of a personal computer.
Naturally, these advancements will greatly impact the physical design of these phones, so future smartphone models will be larger, like the popular BlackBerry, Palm Treo and HP iPaq models.
Reach Out And Touch Someone
Many primarily use their phones for communication– With friends, relatives, and people they’ve met on the Internet. Google’s built-in Blogger software is tailored for mobile subscribers like these. This will allow users to search for blogs, write and submit posts, and instantly post photos that they’ve snapped on their phones.
And these photos won’t be what we’re used to. Picture clarity will jump from the current 1.3-megapixels to as high as 5-megapixels, thanks to recent advancements in tiny, tunable-focal-length liquid lenses and better zooming (4x) capabilities.
The camera features on current phones are already so popular with consumers that by 2008 camera phones are expected to account for 90% of all digital camera sales!
Wi-Fi and VoIP
Are consumers willing to shell out more dollars for all these enhanced capabilities? After all, a 5-megapixel digital camera alone is not inexpensive.
The industry is betting they will. And their confidence may lie in the sharp price drop expected in the cost of placing cell phone calls.
Voice over IP (VoIP) technology enables consumers to place phone calls over the same networks used for Internet traffic– All the user needs is a Wi-Fi high-speed Internet connection (called “WiMAX” in mobile lingo.).
What this means cost-wise is that consumers will be able to place an unlimited number of calls without having to pay by-the-minute– They’ll only have to pay the monthly subscription to their VoIP provider.
The industry bets this mix of cheaper phone bills and enhanced features centered around your individual needs and lifestyle, will be a winning combination that you’ll eagerly jump on.
Daniel Cavalli is an article writer based in Brisbane Australia. He publishes articles and reports for the Australian Telecommunications Service Provider Telcoblue. http://www.telcoblue.com.au
Tags: article submission, articles, email, email marketing, email newsletter, ezine, publishing, writers, writing5 VoIP Tutorial Steps On How To Make The Switch
Unless you have been living on Mars lately, you might have known about VoIP. VoIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol is a revolutionary technology that transmits voice or audio files over the Internet. As it uses the means of the Internet to get connected, many people have seized this opportunity to enjoy unlimited long distance calls and also lower monthly phone bills.
To many who have heard of VoIP, they might not know how to get started and how much they can benefit from it. Well, in order to help you get started or make the switch, below is an easy step by step VoIP tutorial that will help you get started in choosing the best plan that is right for you or your business.
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
First step before switching to VoIP is in making the decision as to whether you or your business really needs VoIP service. Being human, we tend to get scared of a new technology. If you think that VoIP can be really beneficial, then switching to VoIP is something that you should strongly consider. If, however, for any reason at all you think that VoIP will not benefit you, then you are missing on the greatest invention of all since sliced bread. Ask yourself this, ‘Do I really want to miss out on the opportunity to enjoy unlimited long distance calls to anywhere in the world at a lower monthly rate?’ If your answer is ‘No’, move on to the next step.
Choosing the Right Plan
The next step is to decide which plan is the best for you, your family or your business needs. Like most things new and unsure to you, it is always wise to research for the different VoIP providers on the Internet. Get active in VoIP forums and ask questions regarding anything related to VoIP.
Chances are you will get lots of different opinions as to which VoIP provider is the best. However, bear this in mind; even though different providers offer different plans, you will soon discover that it all comes down to being the same but differently packaged plan, in order to differentiate themselves from the pack. So, how does one choose?
You might want to consider your needs, wants and features by making yourself a written list for comparison. This will help you compare the different plans provided by different service providers. In a nutshell, there are a few things you might want to consider:
1. If you want to use VoIP for personal use, such as to call your family members, you might want to consider choosing a Residential Plan. It comes in two forms which are basic (a certain amount of minutes of talk time) and unlimited (for unlimited period of talk time).
2. If you own a small business, choosing a Business Plan will provide you with amenities such as fax, voicemail, multiple phones, unlimited calling plans, and so on.
With that being said, do not forget to check out with the company to find the plan that meets your requirements, as some features included in the business plans are also included in the residential plans for other providers. So, it really depends on the different service providers and how they want to package their offer. If you have questions, write them an email or call them for further information.
Setting up the System
First of all, you have to make sure that your computer system is compatible with VoIP service. If you are using broadband Internet connection you should not worry. If you are using dial-up connection you might want to switch to broadband first. Although, there are some providers that offer dial-up VoIP nowadays.
If you choose a business plan to use for your business or a call center, the best piece of advice is to leave the installation and set up to a professional who knows what he is doing. If you choose a residential plan the setting up is simple enough for most residents to do themselves. However, it is always best to leave it to a professional.
Choosing Your Own Phone Number
First, you have to decide whether you want to keep your old phone number or pick a new one. One of the best features that VoIP offers is the ability to keep your old phone number by transferring your old phone number to your new VoIP system.
Then you can select a different area code. The advantage of this is that, if you live in another state, by choosing the same area code as that of your family members and friends who do not have unlimited long distance callings, their calls will be charged as if it were a local call. This saves them money whenever they contact you.
If you are using VoIP for your business, you can benefit a lot from this too. Let’s say that your company is in New York and you have customers all over the country, by selecting your customer’s area code, you can increase your sales, as well as your productivity by having a local number for your customers to call. Nobody wants to call New York if they live somewhere in Texas. They might as well call a local company in Texas.
Installing the Features and Accessories
As mentioned before, different VoIP providers offer different plans. Therefore, it is important that you always check with the service provider of your choice for a detailed listing of all the features provided by them. For residential customers these include Call Forwarding, Caller ID, Call Block, Do Not Disturb and Voicemail. For small businesses these include free fax lines, multiphone users and web integration. So, choose your VoIP provider wisely by taking into consideration the features and services that best fit your needs.
As VoIP technology advances, many other features will be introduced on the market, not to mention accessories that you can incorporate with your VoIP service such as VoIP phones, headsets and videophones.
Choosing the right VoIP plan is not that hard. All that is required is a little bit of research yourself and choosing the one that fits your requirements. You can always upgrade it later once your requirements change. One thing for sure is that VoIP technology is continuing to advance and revolutionize the way people communicate. It is such a shame if no one is taking the advantage of this great service. So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and jump on board the VoIP wave.
Juzaily Ramli started writing about VoIP upon discovering that a lot of people have no idea of how to switch to VoIP.
His site on VoIP tutorial is dedicated to exposing to the world about the wonders of VoIP technology and how to join in the VoIP revolution.
Find out more about free VoIP, business VoIP and the benefits of VoIP at his website http://www.voip-revolution-info-site.com
Tags: benefits of voip, business voip, free voip, voip, voip phones, VoIP providers, voip tutorialVOIP Against the Traditional Phone Services
VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) - allows you to make telephone calls using a computer network in very simple way . It converts the voice signal from your telephone into a digital signal that’s why you can speak to anyone with a regular phone number. You can change the way you think about long-distance phone calls. People generally like to use the new technology because its costs are less than traditional phone Below are listed some of the advantages and disadvantages of using VOIP .
VOIP offers you:
Lower costs per call, especially for long-distance calls VOIP can reduce international call tolls by as much as 40%. You can talk with many people at the same time without any additional cost. The call can be made to a local number, a mobile phone, to a long distance number or an international number - without any additional cost. You can also use services that are not available with a traditional phone - you can send data, like pictures and documents while talking on the phone. As long as you have access to a broadband connection you don’t need to pay for roaming or long distance charges wherever you travel. That’s why the VOIP is very important in business. You have also ability to receive internet phone calls anywhere you are, as long as you are accessible to the internet. One of the various advantages is that many services such as caller id, call forwarding, call waiting, three way calling, and voice mail features often come standard with most VOIP plans. Unfortunately I have to report some problem with the integration between VoIP system and Internet. The main problem is as you can imagine voice data communication must be a real time stream (you couldn’t speak, wait for many seconds, then hear other side answering) - the risks involved with poor internet connections, lost signals, and dropped data packets. Below are listed of some other problems of using VOIP:
1. Not all VoIP services connect directly to emergency services.
2. The risks involved with poor internet connections, lost signals, and dropped data packets.
3. It only works if your computer is switched on and the VOIP software is running.
4. The other person with whom you are trying to communicate with has to get the same program loaded and running on his computer.
5. Poor quality of the sound- phone calls often have lot of delay with lot of echo.
6. To get lower bandwidth you need additional processing power that makes digital phones more expensive than analog phones.
7. You must have a DSL router or a second computer set up to run a second phone line. With traditional phone services, a phone jack is in almost every room.
Today we can see a real revolution in communication world.. That technology has the potential to completely rework the world’s phone systems because the internet has grown very much in the last years and it is free that’s why could be the right communication media for future. It may be the right solution but it may not be suitable for everyone.
Tom Pisarski is the founder of Voip Forums and Voip Directory.
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