Jaxtr just launched a free text messaging service on their website. Anyone can sign up. You do not need a cell phone. Users state it only takes 5 seconds for cell phones to receive messages.
Drawbacks include limiting messages to only 65 characters and messages may include text ads appended to them.
The initiative to create an SMS warning sytem has been approved by the FCC. All US major cell phone companies are looking into its implementation, though it is not mandatory. The service is also optional for individual cell users. So if you would like to opt out of it, you will be able to.
More at:
www.teleclick.ca
Federal regulators will determine this week whether or not a new cell phone alert system is instated. This would be similar to radio or tv alerts and would be used when an emergency strikes. Cell phone users will receive text messages containing the warnings.
Impetus for this change has been attributed to Hurricane Katrina, college shootings, and the recent tornado tragedies in the southeast. Currently all four national providers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile) have stated they will take part.
Phone service costing you a fortune? Small businesses can dramatically reduce the cost of internet and telephone by installing a shared T1 line.
T1 Rex explains that T1 lines have recently dropped in price so dramatically that businesses with only 6 lines can save money if they were to switch.
Cell phone users travelling in Europe will be allowed to use their cell phones while flying this year. This is a first world-wide for cell users. All calls will be routed through a base station in the plane which is connected to a satellite uplink.
The EU insists this will not be a safety issue. The service will be blocked during take-off and landing and only be allowed at a height of 10,000 feet. The pilot will have control over when the service is turned on and off.
Unfortunately there have been no scheduled plans for the States. The AP released a FAQ on in-flight cell phone rules if you’re planning on travelling in Europe and have a question.
It seems someone at Verizon is looking after the customers. However, it is not management! The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 824, is Verizon’s largest employee union in Florida, and they are planning to picket on Monday.
“Verizon is not letting us do our jobs, and not letting us take care of the customer,” said Doug Sellers, president of the union. “Customers are waiting up to 10 days to get their phone lines fixed … If you have something as simple as static on your line, that could be out 10 to 15 days.”
The picket will only be ”informational,” meaning that no one is on strike and no one is quiting. It will take place Monday morning, before the day begins.
iPhone users should receive a nice surprise this summer when the iPhone 2.0 software is released. JAJAH an iPhone software company will package their ViOP software with the new version of iPhone.
This will enable free long distance calling when you are near a wifi hotspot. Check out VoIP News or iPhone Atlas for more information.
Happy Birthday cell phone! I’m sorry, I haven’t gotten you a present yet. I wanted to let you know that I am thinking of you and that you are not forgotten.
I’m having trouble deciding what to get you this year. Would you prefer more ring tones? You only have a few and they never get changed. Maybe you would enjoy ViOP wireless access. Have you ever been online? Rickrolling is very popular. A few of the girls in my office think you might like sticky crystal jewels. I know you are lacking on the bling. Anway. Let me know.
Best wishes on the day you were born,
Brent
Amazon is rolling out a new service they’ve named TextBuyIt. This is the first time I’ve heard of SMS shopping, but it’s a great idea. Users can text message “AMAZON” (262966) with a product name, author, artist name, ISBN, or UPC code. They will receive the top two Amazon search results back almost instantly. Pressing 1 or 2 will allow them to select the item for purchase, or pressing ‘m’ will fetch you more search results.
Amazon has promised to make the process smoother in the future. Right now it is fairly confusing to set up. Once TextBuyIt is running, it looks like you can do a lot of things with it. Here are a few their suggested uses.
All from a cell phone! Very nice!
Attention all ViOP businesses, Network World and the New York Times are reporting the discovery over 100 security holes in ViOP products from Cisco, Avaya, and Nortell.
All three companies are responding well to the situation. Avaya has commented that their security holes can be patched with the proper user configuration. Cisco is also very concerned and will be working diligently to fix the issue.
VoIP Shield, the business reporting the security threat, has released a set of free diagnosis tools to check your ViOP network for vulnerabilities.
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