I want to make free calls from my Google Android mobile phone, from anywhere in the world to anyone, anywhere. I don’t want to pay too much for it. Am I being ridiculous? No, you’re not being ridiculous. All you need do is get yourself an Android compatible VoIP application.
It’s basically using your connection to the internet (provided by your network) as the medium for your voice call, rather than a regular phone line, which, of course, your network provider would usually charge you for. For example, if your phone is registered in the UK, you’re travelling in the US with a friend or colleague and you want to call them while you’re there, it’s going to cost you over £2 a minute to make the call. But with a VoIP call it could cost you a tiny fraction of that, or even nothing. The benefits of VoIP for mobile phones is clear.
There are now applications which enable those phones using Android (the operating system developed by Google) to access cheap calls as well. Initially it was only the T-mobile G1 (the first Android phone issued in the UK and the US) which enabled customers to access these applications. Coming in 2009, however, are new phones from Motorola, Huawei Technologies, Lenovo, HTC, Sony Ericsson and Samsung.
Here are few applications to consider for your handset.
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Voice over IP (VoIP) applications have fast become a popular means of communication for casual and business users alike. The main appeal of these applications is the cost – or lack there of. Most providers offer free PC-to-PC calls and very low rates for PC-to-phone calls.
Using VoIP is secure as it automatically encrypts and authenticates the data being transmitted and unlike a telephony network, users can be in any location. All you need is a computer with internet access; a cheap headset and the VoIP application. Traditionally you would have to download the application onto your computer to make calls but the advancement in technology means that this is no longer the case. Many VoIP solutions are now browser-based; all you need is to login to the VoIP website and you can start chatting away.
With a wide range of VoIP options on offer from the basic telephony services to browser-based video conferencing with data file exchanges, selecting the right one for you can be a confusing task. To help you in your decision, here are some of my favourite providers and the solutions they offer.
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Cell phone calls are not cheap. If you only make a couple of calls a day, then the cost is immaterial. However, many people use the cell phones as their primary business communication making local, national and international calls and the cost certainly adds up.
Internet calling has been around for some time now but it is still a relatively new technology to the cellular phone industry. Imagine being away on business and being able to call your friends or family for free, or for a nominal rate, from your cell phone. Using a mobile VoIP phone will certainly keep your costs low.
Nokia is leading the way with VoIP-capable phones. They are reliable and the sound quality is superb – it is hard to tell the difference between a call made through the internet or directly from the phone. Some of the Nokia cell phones come with VoIP pre-installed; others allow you to download the software from VoIP service providers. Picking the right phone for you can be tricky; to help these are our top 5 Nokia VoIP phones.
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A wireless network allows a user to access the internet connection without cables. They are the same as LANs except there are no wires. Instead, radio frequencies are used to transmit data to all the network’s attached devices. To make a connection to the wireless network, a computer must have permission for network access and be outfitted with a wireless network card. It would be fair to say that a wireless network allows for much more freedom of movement, save on expenses and time while also boosting productivity.
However, browsing the internet when connected to a wireless network isn’t a bed of roses: if the wireless network is not properly protected, people can hack into the network, use your internet connection and gain access to your personally identifiable information.
So what can you do to stay safe? Here are seven tips to protect yourself while connected to a wireless network.
- Allowing encrypting of data
- Changing the service set identifier SSID
- Allowing filtering of MAC
- Using firewalls
- Using Virtual Private Network VPN
- Stop Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Internet Protocol (IP) Address
- Never use the Public spots where they offer Wi-Fi.
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In this era of file sharing and remote access, companies like Apple have been working overtime to get ahead of the competition, putting the functionality of a desktop onto a phone. Now with the release of the App Store, this vision is even closer to reality than ever before: now we have iPhone VoIP apps, games, office tools, location-aware services and much more on the horizon. True to the concept of working on the go, phones like the iPhone provide easy access to data and files stored on remote computers. How is this done?
VNC applications (Virtual Network Computing), also known as graphical desktop sharing programs, give iPhone users the ability to transmit keyboard and mouse events to a remote system and view the results graphically on their phones. While VNC apps can run on any operating system, the iPhone has a few apps that are especially designed for its users.
So if you’re often on the road but would like access to your home setup from your iPhone, check out one of these VNCs for the iPhone!
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