Communications

How Prepaid Call Cards Should Work For You

Only Articles — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:10:00 +0000

The use of prepaid call cards today has dramatically risen, and the communications industry is growing by leaps and bounds because of the popularity of this product.

Many know the benefits, since we all know that rates are cheap with these cards, especially in making domestic or international phone calls, and many offer superior voice quality and faster connection. These communication tools are also very popular with college students, travelers, immigrants and international visitors. Often times, consumers can find the lowest possible rates to calling a particular country by using these call cards.

No Monthly Bills And No Contracts To Sign

As we may all no be familiar with, these call cards are a prepaid method of making domestic or international phone calls, and this is done by paying for your long distance service in advance. Consumers also do not have to worry about paying for any monthly bills or signing up fees or contracts to be obliged.

To put it simply, consumers only pay for the calling time in advance and reduce the prepaid balance as you make calls. Most call cards however come with expiration dates, and each card comes with different validity and expiration periods, so before purchasing one, consumers need to check out the expiration dates first and make sure to use it before the given date to prevent any hassles or inconvenience.

In getting the right phone card for you, you need to first gain valuable information about a specific card first, and it would also be wiser to buy one, especially on the Internet, through a Web site that is reliable and credible enough to give high-quality products and the best service possible. Give yourself some time to research about the right phone card can best suit your communications requirements.

How The Prepaid Cards Should Work For You

These novel forms of handy communication tools where invented in Italy in 1975 in response to a coin shortage there. As these items were invented for the convenience of their users, these devices are widely used today as an inexpensive alternative to landlines or standard home phone services.

The biggest factor drawing consumers to these cards, is their convenience. They can be used at any moment, any time and anywhere. You can call anywhere from home, at the office or in your hotel room, and even on a standard pay phone. With any prepaid call card plan, the communications provider must be a be to provide you with reliable, good-quality and seamless connections.

These providers are also required to keep you updated regarding your current charges. Since some of the less reputable prepaid card providers may include hidden charges and fees in their service, you need to be able to read the fine print first before purchasing one, and also be aware of what your current balance is and how it changes from call to call.

These handy communication devices are so popular these days, that some companies even supply their employees with these as a company benefit, or provide employees with these cards to use while traveling for business. In doing so, this provides many benefits not only to employees, but to the company as well, as call spending can easily be monitored, and a record tracking the calls made by the phone card user is generally readily available online.

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How To Select The Best Phone Card For Your Long-Distance Calling Needs

Only Articles — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:10:00 +0000

Almost everyone today knows how extremely beneficial prepaid phone cards are to us. These devices can effectively assist us in communicating with family and friends, especially if we are very far from them. These call cards can be utilized from any standard landline, mobile phone and pay phone, in quickly making calls anytime and anywhere.

If you are buying these prepaid cards for the first time, you do not have to worry about buying one, as you can effectively make comparisons on each card's services by properly reading through the fine print that is shown on each card, and make decisions on which one are the best ones suitable for you.

Compare Each Card's Connection Fees

Before buying a call card, start by finding out if there is a connection fee on the card. This fees are generally charged every time a call is connected. When you connect with an voice mail, answering machine, or pager, the call is considered to be connected. These types of fees vary greatly between different call card providers, and if you make generally only make short calls, the connection fees can be quite high. On a card's per-minute rates, this type of rate that is charged for each minute of the conversation that the caller makes.

At present, a lot of phone cards have cheaper per minute charges, however some have very high connection fees. For consumers who make only short calls on a regular basis, be sure to check the 'per minute rate' and the connection fee to ensure that these would not be too excessive, as it would be no good paying low 'per minute rates and higher connection fees for a quick call.

Learn More About Rechargeable Cards And Expiry Dates

A lot of phone cards sold in stores today expire on a certain date. The usual expiration dates range from 3 to 6 months from the date of purchase, or from the initial use of the card. If the card expires with a considerable amount of time remaining, you will surely lose out and may have to throw the card right away. Today, there are some prepaid call cards that are rechargeable, and all the customer needs to do, is to simply add more minutes by contacting the carrier's toll-free hotline numbers

Gain Valuable Product Info Before Buying One

For consumers, acquiring valuable information is necessary in today's competitive world of communications. It is highly favorable for card users to search for the reliable and dependable prepaid call card service provider, so that you will be able to secure good-quality products and services.

Consumers need not simply base their options on who could give them the lowest or most affordable prices, and should completely find out if these prepaid communication devices can offer high-quality connections and ease of use as well. You also need to verify if you could easily contact their customer support hotlines for questions or concerns regarding the quality of the phone card.

In giving yourself some time to make comparisons and research about pertinent call card info, you will be doing yourself a good favor, as this helps you find the ones best suited for your needs. You can also surf the Worldwide Web for the prepaid card provider who could be able to provide you with the best products and services.

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How To Stop Telemarketers From Bugging You

Only Articles — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:10:00 +0000

How many times have you sat down to eat dinner with your family only to be interrupted by the telephone ringing? You answer and all you get is a sales pitch from some telemarketer trying to sell you insurance, vinyl siding, or some other product you don't really need. By the time you get off the phone your dinner is cold and your temper is hot. It's enough to drive you crazy!

Fortunately, there is a way to stop telemarketers from bugging you all night and day. It's called the "Do Not Call" List.

The Do Not Call list is operated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It's basically a huge list of phone numbers that telemarketers are not allowed to call. You can add your number to the list at DoNotCall.gov.

Now there are some exceptions to the rules that will allow some phone calls to get through. Calls on behalf of charities, political organizations, and surveyors are still permitted, as are calls from companies with which you already have an existing relationship. Also allowed are calls from companies that receive your permission to call. That means read the fine print carefully before signing anything or you may be unknowingly giving them permission to bug you.

Once you add your number to the Do Not Call list, you should stop receiving unwanted calls within 31 days. However, some shady telemarketers can't take a hint and continue to harass you even after you join the list. To stop telemarketers like this, you can file an official complaint with the FTC and they will be subject to serious fines. This should stop nuisance calls for good.

In order to file a complaint, you'll need the name and phone number of the organization calling you. You can get the number right from your caller ID. Getting the name can be a bit tricky, since the number will often come up "unlisted" or "unavailable". In this case, you can run a reverse number lookup right online to find out exactly who owns the number.

To run a reverse telephone lookup, all you need is the phone number that is calling you. I recommend using Reverse-Telephone-Lookup.com. I've used them many times myself and I'm always happy with the results. It's the one way to be sure to stop telemarketers dead in their tracks.

How Do You Find The Owner To An 800 Number?

Only Articles — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 03:10:00 +0000

The common idea linked to toll free numbers is that they only apply to business and professionals. They are supposed to be a more direct link between buyers and suppliers, making contact less reliant on too common digits and simpler with more personalized lines (1-800-BOX-ITUP, for example, for a packaging company). Toll free numbers are thought to be limited to the work place and many believe they have no other use.

This is quite wrong.

There is actually an increasing trend in toll free line for private homes; they have become popular with families looking to save money and keep in touch. The idea is blooming to a much wider scope.

Because of this, you need to be more aware of who is calling you and how you can learn their identity.

At one point, receiving a toll free call was a guarantee that you were being solicited by telemarketers. And, naturally, you knew to avoid the call. Today, though, the numbers can represent anything from small business to large corporations to your next door neighbor to, yes, even marketers still. You may find yourself overwhelmed by the possibility of just who is trying to contact you.

And, for those of you not wanting to pick up the phone to a number you don't recognize (if only to save yourself from having to speak those awkward minutes with a stranger), you will need to find other methods for identification. One of those, of course, being the reverse phone search.

While there will be callers that are not available to you, just because they have not listed themselves, you will be able to look at the majority of toll free lines. Why? Because they are still held by businesses, people who want their information to be easily accessed by clients. A search will quickly reveal if you are dealing with a company or a private residence, which will make choosing whether to respond a simpler matter.

Of course, you must first know where to go to do a reverse search.

The reverse phone number site most recommended is ReversePhoneDetective.com. There, you will be able to find all available numbers without paying all the available fees.

Terry Taggert writes informational articles about people search, privacy, reverse phone lookups, and other similar topics.

Google sees surge in iPhone traffic

Only Articles — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:06:00 +0000

By Miguel Helft
The New York Times

Of all the iPhone's features, none had reviewers gushing more than its Internet browser.

It was the first cell phone browser that promised something resembling the experience of surfing the Internet on a PC. Santa helped deliver on that promise.

On Christmas, traffic to Google from iPhones surged, surpassing incoming traffic from any other type of mobile device, according to internal Google data made available to The New York Times. A few days later, iPhone traffic to Google fell below that of devices powered by the Nokia-backed Symbian operating system but remained higher than traffic from any other type of cell phone.

The data is striking because the iPhone, an Apple product, accounts for just 2 percent of smartphones worldwide, according to IDC, a market research firm. Phones powered by Symbian make up 63 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, while those powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile have 11 percent and those running the BlackBerry system have 10 percent.

The iPhone has taken the frustration out of browsing on a mobile phone, said Charles Wolf, an analyst with Needham & Company.

Other companies confirmed the trends, if not the specific data, observed by Google. Yahoo, for instance, said iPhones accounted for a disproportionate amount of its mobile traffic. And AdMob, a firm that shows billions of ads on mobile Web sites every month, said it saw traffic from iPhones surge drastically around Christmas.

"Consumers are going to demand Internet browsers" as good as Apple's, said Vic Gundotra, a Google vice president who oversees mobile products.

Gundotra said Web browsers as capable as the iPhone's could also prove a boon for developers of mobile software, who have long struggled to adapt their programs to different types of phones. As it does on the PC, he said, the browser could provide a more homogeneous "layer" for programmers.

"The reason no one considered this seriously is that the Web layer on mobile devices was terrible," he said. Google has taken advantage of the capabilities of the iPhone browser to create a product, internally called Grand Prix, that it says provides easy access to many of the company's services, including search, Gmail, Reader and Picasa.

Google, which developed the first version of Grand Prix in six weeks, is introducing a new version on Monday, just six weeks after the first one. That is a speed of development not previously possible on mobile phones, he said.

John Markoff contributed reporting from San Francisco.

Pizza Hut Adds Cell Phones To Ordering Service

Only Articles — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 08:01:00 +0000

By Elena Malykhina
InformationWeek

Pizza Hut joined other pizza chains this week and launched a service that allows people to place their orders on mobile phones.

People can sign up for the service at PizzaHut.com and then add their mobile phone number to the account. They can create a customized "Pizza Playlist" with their favorite menu choices and use it as a guide when texting an order to Pizza Hut.

Pizza Hut is offering a second option that requires people to visit its Web site on a phone's browser. The Web site has been optimized to work on small screens, according to Pizza Hut. It works just like the desktop version where people can browse the complete menu and place their order on the site.

Pizza Hut isn't the first to enable orders on mobile phones. Domino's and Papa John's offer similar services.

The growing trend of mobile ordering has attracted startups like Mobo Systems to create services that simplify the process.

Mobo's service, called GoMobo, is kind of like Fandango for food, according to CEO Noah Glass, who recently met with InformationWeek. GoMobo lets subscribers (who sign up for the service) order and pay ahead online through a mobile Web browser or by sending a text message -- all without having to wait in long lines at restaurants. Restaurants receive orders via Internet-connected computers using GoMobo's proprietary software, or through a fax machine.

The service first launched in New York City and is being rolled out nationwide. GoMobo is expected to be live in three major cities and at more than 5,000 restaurants by the end of this year.

Study children and cell phones, experts advise

Only Articles — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:06:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers should study more children and pregnant women in trying to figure out if cell phones or other wireless devices could damage health, the U.S. National Research Council advised on Thursday.

A few studies have indicated a possible link between mobile telephone use and brain tumors, although far more show no connection. But because wireless devices have become almost ubiquitous, researchers wants to ensure their safety.

The Food and Drug Administration asked the National Research Council to recommend some future lines of study. The Council, which advises Congress and the federal government on scientific matters, held a meeting of experts including engineers and biologists and has now released the full report.

Most studies have looked only at short-term effects on healthy adults, the report said.

More study needs to be done on multiple, long-term, low-intensity radiofrequency (RF) exposure, the report said.

"Measuring the amount of RF energy received by juveniles, children, pregnant women, and fetuses from wireless devices and RF base station antennas could help define exposure ranges for various populations," the council said in a statement.

"Although it is unknown whether children are more susceptible to RF exposure, they may be at increased risk because of their developing organ and tissue systems," it added.

"Additionally, Specific Absorption Rates for children are likely to be higher than for adults, because exposure wavelength is closer to the whole-body resonance frequency for shorter individuals."

The report also notes that children today will experience a longer period of RF field exposure from mobile phones than adults, because they will most likely start using them at an early age.

Researchers should also analyze the different types of antennas for the amount of RF energy they deliver to different parts of the body.

(Reporting by Maggie Fox, editing by Alan Elsner)