Phones

Verizon inherited the Airfone service when it bought GTE in 2000. And it hasn’t made any profits since from the phones aboard a thousand United, US Airways, Continental and Delta Airlines aircraft. Airfone’s pricey service just wasn’t worth it - customers with their own wireless handsets were willing to hold off on making calls until landing, rather than pick up that Airfone.

Weeks ago, when the story of the collaboration of Verizon, Bellsouth and AT&T with the National Security Agency in creating a gigantic database to compile information for the government about who tens of millions of Americans are talking to in private telephone conversations, the Senate promised to hold hearings to investigate the matter. Later, after Vice President Cheney met with Senate Republicans demanding that the White House not be investigated, the Senate’s plans for hearings were dropped.

If I've totally confused you, just watch this video from Ask a Ninja. The Ninja should clear things up for you. After watching the video, visit http://www.savetheinternet.com to see how you can help save the internet from the Telco mob.

Wendy Grossman's net.wars column this week is all about how security things that work just fine in the traditional PSTN don't exactly work in the new VOIP world. She links to truly fascinating paper by a selection of the Internet's great and good who explain how wire-taps are almost impossible in the VOIP world.

Very neat and could possibly create a whole new sub genre of cinema veritae. These guys made an entire documentary with cell phone video. Although studies have shown that people actually want less features on cell phones, photo and sometimes video capability just come standard on even base models and likely will in the years to come.

Honestly, thank heavens Skype is free until December, because I’ve been on the phone for about a million hours with my Grandmommy, my Mom, my aunt Sherri and some friends.

Since my cellphone contract with Bell expires this week, I decided that it was time for me to get a new phone. I wanted a phone that I could also use as an mp3 player. In the end, I was interested by the Moto RAZR and the SE W810i. I chose the latter, and I’m glad I did.

You can use it simply to neutralize the harmful effects of EMF’s in the house — computer, TV, and other electrical appliances, cell phones, microwaves, etc. But usually people also notice other positive effects even if they weren’t looking for them. I started out gridding my house with the small “towerbusters,” and my interest grew from there. I own quite a few larger personal devices that are quite beautiful and powerful.

VOIP Phishing. This is going to suck. There is actually a blackhat talk or two about this. Combine misleading (let alone spoofed) caller id plus a slick Asterisck IVR plus unlimited free calling and you get a cheap system that will sucker a lot of people out of all kinds of thins, including credit and calling cards. Worst of all, people TRUST the phone way more than they do email.

Nevertheless, the bewildered pool was deposited at Camp at 9:20 a.m. and led by a Marine into the Evergreen Chapel, where we held for a little under 20 minutes guarded by two Marines holding large guns — one in the balcony and one at the front of the chapel by the pulpit. We were then led down a paved, wooded path, where we held still longer in front of a lodge marked “Laurel,” next to a fleet of golf carts emblazoned with “Camp David.” It was during this wait that one of the White House’s “In Case You Missed It” e-mails flashed across our Blackberry screens telling of Bush’s surprise trip to Baghdad, its subject-line taking on new meaning.

I’ll be checking out other PDA phones and see what the over PDA devices offer. I’ve already blogged about the Treo 700 before in case you would like to read about it.

Ahhh, taxes. This post on Techdirt got me thinking. Much like the USPS’s plans to charge Internet users for email, the FCC might really like to charge VoIP providers for the same thing: nothing.

After multiple issues with my Treo 650 Palm based PDA/Phone, not to mention 4 replacement treo’s later. I have switched to Windows Mobile 5 on the Verizon XV6700.

The article discusses how the Q stacks up against handsets from Research in Motion (RIMM) and the Palm Treo (PALM).

I have some happy news to share with you all. I am engaged!! Nathan J. Robertson (a school friend from years back) and I have been cooresponding for a few months now and not a day has passed that we haven’t exchanged several emails and called each other, in addition to hours spent on skype (free phone calls over the internet).

As it stands, Vonage stock is off 30% from its initial price of $17.00. “Going public,” is not a panacea for company ills. A fundamental axiom for a successful IPO is that a company must offer a product that creates customer value. High subscriber turnover suggests dissatisfaction and the dissatisfied multitudes that have disappeared out Vongage’s back door would unanimously agree regarding this IPO, “I told you so.”

if you have a skype internet phone account, this phone will then simply let you make free or nearly free phone calls from any wireless hotspot. perfect for the cafe mercenary, or internet junkies without the need for a cell phone but wireless at home and work. wouldn’t say that it is cheap though.

Is there anything definitive about what’s going on with Bellsouth people being unable to get to Myspace and/or Youtube lately? I know there’s been a lot of rumors and rumbling about filtering and QoS stuff and net neutrality, but the only official quote I can find so far is from the PC Mag story, where Joe Chandler, director of media relations at BellSouth, said