How VoIP Call Plans Can Enable You to Make Unlimited Free International Calls

Having friends, family or even business contacts abroad can mean costly phone bills every quarter. The quality of long distance international calls on a traditional landline system can also be poor, with crackly lines and the problem of a ‘delay’ over long distances. But there is an answer that can save you money on your international calls – VoIP.

VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a system of making international calls using your broadband Internet connection rather than your landline. By breaking the data down into small ‘packets’, the conversation doesn’t suffer from the time delay that can be apparent on some landline calls. But most importantly for families and small SoHo businesses, VoIP offers you the chance to make unlimited free international calls and create a call plan that suits your requirements perfectly.

Call plans – the answer for international calls

With VoIP, your provider will offer you the opportunity to create a call plan that reflects your call habits. So if you have family or friends living in India, for example, your call plan could be based around your regular calls to them and provide you with the opportunity to include this region in your plan. By doing this, you are able to make unlimited free calls to India and cheap calls to other designated regions within your plan. In addition, it will give you the opportunity to ‘bundle’ your calls into one monthly payment, allowing you to call abroad whenever you want at no extra cost.

VoIP was originally limited by the technology it used, in particular the quality of the sound cards, speakers and microphones incorporated into computer hardware. However, because of the advances made over the last 15 years, VoIP can now be used on an ordinary phone hand set simply by adding a small adapter. This means that VoIP is now as simple as picking up the phone, making it an accessible and practical option for domestic customers as well as business users.

SoHos and Small Businesses – the VoIP Alternative

Because of the way that the Internet has also changed how people do business, many small companies and businesses run from home are now spending more time and money communicating with contacts abroad. Although email is rapidly becoming the communication method of choice, there are still times when you will need to speak to your suppliers, customers or business contacts direct. Traditional landline based phone systems can make this an expensive exercise. But because of the call plan option offered by VoIP providers, SMEs and SoHo businesses can now benefit from the same advantages as VoIP domestic customers.

The call plan option allows you to select particular regions of the world where you do the most business, and drastically reduces the cost of your international calls. The clarity and the use of standard phone hand sets means that making a call to the USA or Pakistan can be as easy and as cheap as calling a local number. This is particularly beneficial for small businesses with satellite offices abroad with whom they regularly communicate with by telephone.

VoIP is offering both business and domestic customers to save money on their international calls, and is set to become the future of telephony.

Costas Kariolis – Online Marketing Manager of Vonage UK. Vonage are leading VoIP (Voice over IP) providers for home & small business users. Offering cheap and unlimited free international calls to landlines and mobiles via an internet phone service for a set monthly fee. Contact: Costas Kariolis Senior Director Online, UK & Canada E-mail:theteam@vonage.com

How to Turn Your Home Phone Into a VoIP Phone Easily to Make Cheap Local and International Calls

People love to talk to each other. The invention of the telephone has been the single biggest factor in shrinking our world and letting us stay in touch with loved ones, whether they live just across town or on the other side of the globe. Now, thanks to the Internet and modern technology, talking to our friends, family and even business associates has become easier and cheaper than ever.

VoIP – the Next Generation in Telephony

Whereas most people think that VoIP is only useful for business users, it is in fact just as useful for domestic customers. With a PC and Internet connection in almost every home now, the technology infrastructure exists to provide domestic customers with access to the very latest in cutting edge telephony tech. A VoIP phone utilises your broadband connection to send data ‘packets’ through your Internet connection, rather than using the traditional landline. This means that international calls are as easy to make as dialling a local number – and much, much cheaper. Voice clarity is as good as a local call too, with none of the crackle or ‘delay’ that you get on analogue phone systems.

How to Get VoIP at Home

Setting up a VoIP phone at home is simplicity itself. If you regularly make calls to a particular destination such as the USA, Canada or Pakistan, you can included these locations in your call plan, as well as local calls and some calls to mobile numbers. Your VoIP supplier will be able to talk you through the options available, and the beauty of VoIP call plans is their flexibility, allowing you to change your call plan package as your needs alter.

As long as you have a good broadband connection of the right minimum speed, it is then simply a matter of incorporating a router and VoIP handset into your existing Internet connection, or, if you want to keep your original handset, fitting an adapter. If you opt for a call plan package, your VoIP provider will often provide routers, handsets or adapters as part of the package or at a reduced rate.

Once your system has been set up, you can then make calls as you would with a normal landline based system. The difference, however, becomes apparent when you realise how much money you are saving if you make regular international calls. Instead of a hefty phone bill putting a dent in your budget every month, you pay a simple monthly fee and benefit from cheap international calls.

If you run a business from home, the savings you can make by switching to VoIP could make a real difference to your profit margins. By using an IP phone instead of your usual landline connection, you can communicate as easily with customers and contacts abroad as you do with a client who lives just down the road. It also shows your international contacts that you are serious about doing business on a global scale, enhancing your business reputation both at home and abroad.

VoIP really is the next generation in telephony. Utilising the best in modern technology, VoIP allows you to make cheap international calls easily and without worrying about the cost. For people who love to talk personally to friends and relatives thousands of miles away, VoIP offers you the opportunity to simply pick up the phone and chat whenever you want to.

Costas Kariolis – Online Marketing Manager of Vonage UK. Vonage are leading VoIP (Voice over IP) providers for home & small business users. Offering cheap international calls to landlines and mobiles via an internet phone service for a set monthly fee. For interviews, quotes, images or comments contact: Costas Kariolis Senior Director Online, UK & Canada E-mail: theteam@vonage.com

Tips to Double the Blog Traffic

Blogging has become one of the ways to earn money online. There are lot many people whose sole source of income is blogging. But to earn through blogs you need to have huge amount of traffic on the web. And it must be high quality targeted traffic. For that you need to make your blog in a way that it can attract lot of web users.

But it is also a fact that solely a rich content won’t help you to drive that huge a traffic, if the blog is not established. You need to have high quality unique traffic, and that is the only key to make money online. So below listed are few of the ways that you can focus to drive huge traffic to your web. If you are focused enough on your ways of spreading the blog, you can surely double the traffic on your blog within a month.

Yahoo Answers :- This is a site launched by Yahoo. It is community-driven question and answer site, where users can perform both the actions. He can post a question to the site and also can give answer to the question that he knows. So go to Yahoo Answers and try to answer the unanswered questions, that are related specifically to your blog topic. Try to give specific and quality answers and don’t forget to put the link of your blog on the answer. You can also use same answer to as many questions that sounds similar. Thus can help you to gain good quality traffic, those people that are really interested in your offering.

Ping-O-Matic :- This is a tool which users can easily use to make the search engine aware that a new content has been posted on the blog. It makes it much easy to make search engine submission, and you can submit your content to multiple search engine from single point.

Guest Post :- It is the easiest and the surest way to drive traffic to your web. You just need to contact the big and famous bloggers in the niche that you are serving and ask them is they mind, if you create a guest post for their blog. If they agree create a well written and informative post that will generate interest in the visitors to know more about your blog. You can surely generate huge traffic on your web using this tactic.

Reply To Every Comment :- be time alert and responsive. If some one giving his time to visit your blog and make a comment, then don’t take much time to respond. One time visitors are of no use to you, you need to make returning visitors. So engage them more on your web giving timely replies to their comment. Remember visitors are the heart and soul of the blog, without them your blog is of no use. So take proper and timely care of them.

Interview A Big Name :- This is also a pretty simple mean to attract traffic to your web. You just need to contact a big blogger in the niche that you are serving, and ask him if you could interview him for your blog. If he agrees it is also likely that that he will also embed the link of his interview on his web also. And thus you can also get rich and quality traffic from the interview and the bloggers link.

There are also many other means to increase the web traffic to a blog. But now I leave the rest to the reader so that they can give quality advice in the form of comments. Just remember one thing, no matter in whatever niche you are serving, always potrait yourself as the expert of you field. If you keep this in mind and get focused you can surely double your blog traffic within a month.

visit Search Engine Optimization blog for more Seo tips and advises.

Finding LG Cell Phone Accessories For Less

LG cell phones have a reputation for being solid and dependable and good phones that you’ll want to hang on to for a while, so why not check out our great line of accessories for your LG? Whether you’re looking to dress up your phone or protect it so it lasts even longer, we’ve got what you’re looking for!

Here’s just a sampling of what’s available:

* Holsters

* Snap-on covers

* Skins

* Batteries chargers

* Fitted cases

* LCD screen protectors

* Hands-free equipment

* Licensed products

* Cell phone charms

* And many more great items!

If it’s snap-on protectors or skins you’re interested in, we have a fabulous selection. From a luscious range of solid colors like orange, yellow, pink, emerald green, white, and purple to copper snake skin and lavender fish scales, we’ve got your style. Other choices include leather, animal skin patters such as zebra and leopard, flames, skulls, and tigers. Too many to mention, so make sure you have your LG model number, and browse through our great selection.

Maybe you prefer a pouch or case for your mobile phone. We’ve got you covered there, too, with almost 300 choices in colors, styles and designs. There’s plenty of pouches in basic, elegant black, plus shades of every color and loads of patterns for every personality. Check them out today!

For those who like skins, mycoolcell carries an extensive selection of skins in lots of cool, solid colors as well as awesome designs. Pink and white zebra, neon green and black lightning rose, smoke snowflake, butterfly, flames, and stars,just to name a few.

Speaking of awesome, we carry a fun line of licensed products for cellular phones with lots of your favorites from Spiderman and Superman to Betty Boop and Marilyn Monroe. Lots of other cartoon characters, too, from Marvel and Disney, as well as great items for sports fans. MLB, NFL, Nascar and NCAA are some of the sports represented. Beautiful Ed Hardy designs are available, also.

Plus we have loads of cell phone charms, so you’ll be sure to find one or more you like, as well as unusual items like flashing antennas. Look through our store and find just the right items for your LG cell phone.

No one wants to get stuck with a dead cell phone, so don’t forget to look at our stock of the necessities like chargers and batteries. Car chargers, home chargers, or universal sets,we can meet your needs. Memory cards are important for lots of customers, and Bluetooth and hands-free equipment are vital for those who spend a lot of time on the road.

So remember mycoolcell for the best prices on all your phone accessory requirements. Plus there is no shipping costs on retail orders so make your wish list and order today and save!

Some additional information about MyCoolCell…

MyCoolCell is known for high quality cell phone accessories at greatly discounted prices with the goal in mind to offer resellers, retailers, and discount retail customers alike with “one-stop” shopping for cellular phone accessories.

About MyCoolCell.com MyCoolCell opened for business in September 2000 with the goal in mind to offer resellers and discount retail customers alike with one-stop shopping for high quality cellular phone accessories. For additional information, visit: MyCoolCell, or call toll-free 888-388-8877.

Three Tools That Make Social Networking Easier

Bit.ly

Your company, like ours offering travel marketing solutions online, probably has a Twitter account. You’ve read the How To guides and your posts are the right mixture of fun and informative, but how do you know anyone’s reading your links? Bit.ly is the answer, not only does it shorten your URL a la TinyURL but it also provides statistics on exactly how many people have clicked on the link that you tweeted. This helps you ascertain which links work and which ones don’t. For one of our clients, we found that posts about upcoming fiestas and festivals in their destinations received very few clicks. Whereas any posts that we had written about news stories and current affairs received plenty of clicks. The click-throughs are also analysed and we are able to see how many people are posting our links on Facebook or their Twitter accounts, and also what country the majority of the click-throughs are coming from.

Analysing our bit.ly data, we found that almost everyone clicked through to our links between 4.52 and 4.57pm. This would definitely show that most people logon to their Twitter accounts during the last ten minutes of the working day. Therefore, by moving our client’s posts to this time slot, we were able to receive far more clicks.

Technorati

As a company offering travel marketing solutions online, we write blogs on behalf of many of our clients. But here’s a scary statistic: there are more than 57 million blogs online. So how do you work out which ones are worth reading? A search engine specialising in blogs can help, and that’s precisely what Technorati is. Make sure that you add your blog to Technorati and not only will people be able to find you, but you’ll also start to reap the benefits. One thing that irks many SEO agencies about Technorati is that posts aren’t sorted by the keyword and instead are ranked on the time that they’ve been updated. But whilst keyword usage isn’t important, the words that you place in your tags are, as the indexing tool is based on how bloggers tag their blogs. So if you update your blog regularly and want more traffic, then make sure you list it onto Technorati.

Trending Topics/Hot Trends

Providing travel marking solutions online for a number of clients, we need to know what works and what people are talking about. For our US clients we use Google HotTrends to see the topics that people are searching for each week, we then try to include these terms in blog posts. For example, today’s Hot Topics are pigs and titillation! So writing a blog post on how titillating pigs are would get you extra traffic; well that’s the theory anyway! Google HotTrends has a UK subsidiary, but this isn’t shown on the home page. To access Google HotTrends UK you’ll need to click through on one of the American keywords, the UK HotTrends appear on the left hand side of the page in a column. Currently trending are Volvo and Australia, as many of our topics sell tours in Oz, we would tweet about Australia on Twitter knowing that people searching through the trending topics may pick up on this post. One of our clients specialises in courier jobs so a blog post about why Volvo vans are best for delivery work, would also be in order.

Frank Orman is the Managing Director of LeadGenerators, an SEO marketing agency providing travel marketing solutions online . LeadGenerators offers online marketing solutions to achieving first-rate sales conversions for your business.

Why a TV Screen Protector is a Worthwhile Investment

A TV screen protector is a piece of equipment that protects TV screens from scratches and cracks. There are many different ones available, but they all do basically the same thing and achieve the desired result for the consumer. They are all made from the same optical grade acrylic. These pieces of acrylic are then cut and molded to fit the size of most TV screens. They are attached to your TV screen using simple Velcro straps and use small rubber or felt pads to rest against the frame of the TV. Surprisingly, once attached, they are almost invisible, though some lighting conditions may cause an undesired reflection. Still, you can get around this problem by using an anti-glare solution. It results in a little extra hassle but it is definitely worth it in order to keep your TV safe from damage.

Now, here are some common questions and the answers to them…

- What is a TV screen protector made of? They are made using a special type of acrylic (optical grade. Optical grade acrylic is very impressive stuff, as it is scratch resistant, anti-glare and anti-reflective. The newer acrylic materials being used in these products was developed by NASA and is also used in the automobile industry. The stuff is strong and reliable. It provides more than enough protection for your expensive television.

- How does the TV screen protector attach to the TV? Currently, all TV screen protectors on the market use Velcro straps as their method of attachment. They also have rubber or felt tabs that rest against the frame around your screen. These act as shock absorbers and take the brunt of the force when the screen cover is jarred. They are very effective and work to absorb the shock or force when something hits the screen.

- What sort of damage do TV screen protectors protect against? They protect against pets, toddlers who like drawing on things, kids who throw things, clumsy and inattentive adults, and other types of accidental contact. Remember, if you purchased a warranty, it probably does not cover you against damage caused in the aforementioned ways.

- Who makes these products? There are 3 a few major providers or brands of TV screen protectors on the market. The only significant difference between them are slight variations in the way the Velcro straps attach to the acrylic TV screen protector and the thickness of the TV screen protector itself. Remember, the thinner the acrylic used, the more flex will be present in the TV Screen Protector. You want as little flex as possible, so go for a thick TV screen protector.

- Are they worth the money? You need to make a decision, knowing how many accidents happen in your house, if it is worth the risk. Thousands of TV screens get broken every month- yours could be next. So, the real question is whether you think it worthwhile to spend less than a $100 to protect a $1000 piece of equipment.

The author is the owner of a TV Screen Protector company called TV Armor, located at www.TV-Armor.com. Thousands of LCD and LED TV screens are lost each day to accidental contact with the screen. Pick up a TV Protector before it happens to you. Stop worrying about your TV and start enjoying it. Protect Your TV!

Domain Names – Choose Wisely!

You probably put a lot of thought into the name of your company, before you actually opened the doors of your new business. Most individuals don’t use the same thought process before starting an online business. Choosing a unique domain name is a process that will take some time and should not be rushed. It’s a good idea to have the URL of your website, with the same name that matches your company business name if at all possible.

Name recognition is critical to your online success. A couple of good examples of this strategy include the use of company names by some of the major retailers which use their company name as their domain name. Wal Mart, Pepsi, Home Depot and the list goes on and on. If this strategy works effectively for major retailers, then maybe we should consider following their examples.

Over a period of time, your domain name will build a history with the search engine, which will help in the future page ranking of your online business. Sub domains and third level domains can be an extension of your domain name. These extensions can be as powerful as, and sometimes even more popular in search engine positioning than the domain itself. Doing your research and understanding how this process works will be a great help in making a better choice for your domain name, plus help you in your future online ventures. As you become more involved with online marketing, and how this system works, things will become clearer regarding this issue.

The use of .com, .biz, .net, .org addresses is a matter of choice by each individual or company. Some experts feel that any one of these choices, can be effective, if your website is promoted properly. Promoting your website is another whole different subject that we will address later.

Branding your name, whether personally or for your business, will not happen overnight. This is an ongoing process that may take months or even years for your domain to become well known. Branding yourself or company will make it so much easier for your potential clients to find your online business opportunity.

If you’re trying to target a particular audience in a specific country, then you need to acquire a domain that relates to the audience. A good example would be, if you’re focusing on a United Kingdom site you may want to purchase a .co.uk domain address. Many people will only consider a .com address when looking for that magic URL, simply because that’s what they believe will draw a bigger user response. This may require you to do some additional research before narrowing down your choices. A marketing specialist can sometimes narrow down your options to some specific choices based on his or her knowledge of what your overall marketing plan may include.

Some web site designers and SEO Consultants will recommend only domain names with .com addresses, however, with the recent reports stating we will run out of domain names in the next few years, I personally feel that one should consider what applies to your particular needs and see if you can find the .com address that you would like. If a .com address is not available, then one of the others addresses like .biz, .net should work just fine. If you’re a nonprofit organization, special needs school or a local government organization, then you may be wise to consider the .org address.

If you’re looking at optimizing your website for the search engines, then you may want to consider using a keyword or two in your URL or domain name. It must look natural and be relevant to what your site is all about. An example; if you sell real estate in Chicago, the domain of chicagorealestate.com, may be an excellent domain to purchase. Another acceptable way to make the URL more readable for the user may be chicago-realestate.com if available. Including the dash in the URL may make it easier for the user to read. Anyone looking for real estate in Chicago would probably find your site rather quickly. Don’t overdo this idea by stuffing to many keywords in your URL. The search engine will penalize you for keyword stuffing or may ban your site altogether.

Having a long domain name has no advantage, particularly if you’re future plans include the use of other advertising media in your marketing campaigns such as advertisement on your vehicles, printing t-shirts, doing TV or Radio advertisements etc., then a long URL would be a distinct disadvantage. Your name and URL should be easy to remember with no chance of being misspelled or misheard. Visualization is critical here, so keep it as simple, yet specific to your business opportunity.

Summary: If you follow the simple tips in this article, you should find your website gaining page rank popularity quicker than, using some cute phrase you like but has nothing to do with your business. Choose your domain wisely as we’ve discussed above, then you can include all the cute sayings you want in a specific section of your website.

“Let’s Build Your Business Together”

Larry L Miller SEM/SEO Consulting

Larry L Miller – SEM/SEO Consultant who specializes in promoting clients to “Top Positions on Google” and other leading search engines. Mr. Miller is the promotions director for BLM Traders the leader in Automated Marketing Systems. Private Line: 321-594-4405, Skype: larrylmiller121

Basics of Driving Traffic to Your Website For Beginners

You may be thinking to yourself, did I read that title right? Driving traffic online? Doesn’t make sense does it? Well, honestly it does. Driving traffic online may just be the ticket to get you out of your day job working 9-5 and spending more time at the beach each day.

The way out of that cubical is through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is essentially taking traffic from one website to another. A consumer will visit your website, and click on a banner or link that you have posted on it, and be redirected from your site to a different business. When this is done, you will be paid. Depending on what kind of agreement you have with these businesses, you can make a commission based off of sales or you can just get payed by way of PPC, which is Pay Per Click. This essentially means that all a customer has to do is click on an affiliate link of yours and you get paid.

You will want to set up an internet site of your own when you first start. It’s best if you stick to something you like. Something you like will keep your attention a lot longer than something that you aren’t interested in. Once you’ve set up your site, you want to flood it with banners and links. Banners are advertisements, and these will be the thing that redirects your viewers from your internet site to the paying/affiliate site. It’s also called pay per click. With each click, you get paid.

Over time, you will have more and more sites, and you can have a ton of sites with the same theme. Whether it’s sports or some other hobby, each site can also be entirely different, but to keep it a little more simple, staying with the same theme will be just all that much easier on you. Just think of all those banners you’ll have out there, and with half of the world’s population having access to the internet, that is whole lot of people you’ll be able to reach. Well, that’s the plan, right?

This isn’t something that you’ll have overnight. This will take a lot of hard work and determination on your part to not give up when you don’t see a pay out right away. It will take a little bit of time for you to get noticed, and get yourself out there in the internet world, but once you do, you’ll be able to go far and have a good amount of money come rolling in. Think of the day you’ll be able to get out of that long commute and be able to sleep in, leisurely get up when you are ready, and not when your alarm clock says it’s time to get up. Isn’t that what we all wish for? Well this can be something that can happen for you too. It takes just that first step to get out there and get your traffic redirected to make an insane amount of money!

Jason Bacot – Are you kidding me, choose the right affiliate marketing business to generate HUGE profits today, and How to Make Money Online. Also, check out our Free SEO and Affiliate Marketing Software to help you get started.

Do Some Research Before Starting an Affiliate Marketing Business

Wouldn’t it be just so nice to go to bed at night and not have a worry in the world? Not worrying about getting up for work, you won’t worry about sending your child off to college, or worry about how to make ends meet. I know myself I’d love to be able to go to bed at night without a worry in my head. Well there is a way that you can make this happen. And the way to make this happen is by affiliated marketing.

By using affiliate marketing in your life, you can make all those worries go away, and build a financially strong foundation as well. In this article, I’ll teach you some basics about affiliate marketing and where you can go to find out more in depth information if you think that this is the right job for you.

Don’t quit your outside job just yet. When your mother told you that when things sound too good to be true, they probably are, well get rid of that kind of thinking. This really is something true. Millions of people are using affiliate marketing right now as you are reading this article to make money from home. In fact the way you got to this article very well may have been from affiliate marketing. Enough with the small talk though, let’s get down to business!

Affiliate marketing is basically summed up as an internet based marketing practice where a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s marketing efforts. The affiliate in this case would be you.

You will set up your own website first of all. After this is set up, you will want to start setting up banners and links through out the site. Banners are basically advertisements that you can click on. You will set these up so that when a consumer visitor comes to your site usually after an internet search engine brings them to your site, they’ll click on your banner and when they do, they will be redirected to a different website. This is the site of a business. Whether this business has products to purchase or just a form for them to fill out it won’t matter. Either way, once that consumer clicks on your banner or text link, you get paid! That’s it! You get paid per click.

I told you it sounded too good to be true. But it’s really legitimate. By doing a simple internet search of affiliate marketing, you’ll find thousands of articles and information about it online. In order to make it work though, it doesn’t come easy in the beginning. So before you tell your boss to take your job and shove it, I’d wait a little while, atleast until you are making enough money to work for yourself from home.

It does take some time to get off the ground and noticed. You want to sign up with as many businesses that promote affiliate marketing as you can. By doing so, you are increasing your chances of being seen. And you need to spread out those banners everywhere on your website. If someone else’s banner is clicked, there’s no pay for you. So you need to make sure yours is out there to be clicked on!

Jason Bacot – Are you kidding me, choose the right affiliate marketing business to generate HUGE profits today, and How to Make Money Online. Also, check out our Free SEO and Affiliate Marketing Software to help you get started.

Wireless Computing on the Go

Wi-Fi was probably one of the most revolutionary transitions in modern times. Before the advent of Wi-Fi or wireless computing technology, users were tethered to their desks, routing everything through a LAN line and restricted in where they used their faster and more powerful computing technology by how long their cables were. Wi-Fi changed all that. Suddenly, you had a mobile network that allowed people the freedom to roam and still connect to the Internet and their emails.

A Sociological Transformation

It is easy to underestimate the impact of wireless computing. It has become a common sight to see cafes full of people all connected up to a server, yet not a cable in sight. An entire business has grown up around wireless computing – the Internet cafe – that lets anyone, for a small charge, piggyback the establishment’s Wi-Fi connection and surf to their hearts content. It is even possible to connect wirelessly using a mobile phone – a situation that would have been unthinkable 25 years ago when you were lucky if you could connect to another phone number using the first mobile ‘bricks’, let along the fledgling Internet.

It has released the constraints of an old system of doing business. But how does wireless computing actually work?

There are two types of what has become known as ‘wireless’ Internet – either connection through a router (your standard Wi-Fi) or through the mobile phone network. Wireless routers are the most common form of land based system, and are fundamentally a small connection box that allows a signal to be shared between several computers. Basically, computers ‘tap in’ to the signal, which can be made even easier by adding a wireless interface card. These usually come as standard with most new laptops, but can be bought as a separate add-on. USB routers and dongles also give anyone the power to be able to tap into any wireless signal, creating their own ‘access points’ through which the computer can send and receive network data.

Another key component of wireless computing is the actual hardware itself, namely the laptop. There is some contention as to who actually invented the concept of the laptop, but most cite Adam Osborne as the originator of the modern day laptop in 1981, although the ‘clam-shell’ design was attributed to William Moggridge and developed for GRiD Systems Corporation in 1979. It is difficult now to imagine life without laptops, yet it has only been a little over 30 years since their original conception. But probably the biggest influence on wireless computing was the development of WAP for mobile phones, allowing anyone to connect to the Internet using their mobile phone technology. Today, we feel short-changed if our mobile phone can’t connect to the Internet on demand, 24/7.

What future for wireless computing?

The question of wireless computing’s future is uncertain. Many believe that wireless computing has reached its full potential – we now have almost universal coverage thanks to a global satellite system creating a web across the world with very few ‘blind spots’. Smart phones are feature-rich and future-proofed to a certain extent, and laptops are smaller, lighter and more processor powerful than ever. The only area that can really see any form of development to enhance wireless computing is in the field of battery-life. The most up to date laptops and Netbooks can achieve up to nine hours on one battery, but after that you are still forced to tether up to a power source to keep your laptop running – hardly a ‘wireless’ situation by any stretch of the imagination. So for wireless computing to move to a new level and give us true autonomy and control about where and when we use our computers, manufacturers have to address the knotty problem of that infuriating ‘low battery’ symbol. Perhaps then we’ll have truly wireless computing on the go

IT247.com has one of the UK’s largest catalogues of IT, consumer electronics and related accessories including laptop computers, at highly competitive prices and best availability. Alison Brundle Design Co-Ordinator IT247 http://www.it247.com