Tuesday, June 30, 2009
La fixation d'un partenaire Broken-Picker
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Puissant Médecine
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Cell Phone Plans - Choices Abound!
The Future Is Flexible
Gone are the days when the only way you could afford a cell phone was to buy into a lengthy cell phone plan. In those early days, a cell phone plan included a seemingly ironclad contract that lasted a minimum of three years. There simply were no choices. If you wanted a cell phone you had to buy the phone and commit to being tied to a contract; like it or lump it.
Thankfully those days are over and today because of the number of service providers, choices abound! Today's cell phone plans are designed with the consumer and their multitude of choices in mind. The wireless customer can choose an affordable cell phone with many choices and combinations of cell phone plans. That's the good news! There is bad news though, with the large volume of information available today, where does a person start to look and how do they decide what to choose?
Choices, Choices, Choices
That's the reason for this article. My goal is to help guide you through the myriad of choices that are available and to introduce you to the world of prepaid cell phones, family plans and shared plans for multiple cell phones. I'll be giving you some suggestions on how to match the best cell phone plan for you and your lifestyle. I'll also be giving you an idea where to find some ratings and reviews.
There are a few things to consider when making a decision. Once that's done you can look into the various reviews on what's currently available. Some internet sites provide ratings for the cell phone plans they advertise and are always striving to inform the customer about their newest offerings and hottest deals.
Decision Helpers
- Hardware & Software.
- What's Available?
- The prepaid cell phone ' Diamonds & Dust.
- Contracts ' Bundles of Bargains.
- Companies you can count on.
- What's your style?
The Hardware When it all comes down to it, isn't it all about the phone? This is primarily one of the first of the decision making factors because it determines what kind of phone you'll get. This is especially true when you are looking at what can be a very expensive purchase.
Almost every cell phone company provides the most simple or the most complex cell phones with their prepaid cell phone packages. Companies such as Verizon, Cricket, and Nextel all offer easy consumer friendly 'pay as you go' options.
If you chose a contract, there seems to be a formula but some companies have very enticing offers especially if you are changing service providers. The basic rule of thumb seems to be:
- $50.00 price reduction for a one year contract.
- $100.00 price reduction for a two year contract.
- $150.00 price reduction for a three year contract.
The Software The service provider is the most important software factor when choosing between a prepaid cell phone and cell phone plan contract. This is an important issue because even the best phone is only as good as its signal.
Buyers beware however; some service providers' piggyback on top of more established lines. If it's a case of first come; first serve and your service provider piggybacks, you could be the first one off. This results in dropped calls and unreliable air space. Not a good outcome to your purchase. So do your research diligently.
What's Available?
Because it's all about the phone, ask yourself the following questions. What kind of phone do you want? Do you want one that is bare bones or one that has it all? Does the cell phone company or service provider offer a phone that comes with family or shared plans? If you chose a family plan, are both phones equally efficient? Do you want a cell phone that doubles as a palm pilot or perhaps you want a cell phone camera?
All these questions will determine where you want to look when making your choice between a contract and a prepaid cell phone plan. There may be some features that you can live without. Knowing this upfront will help you determine what is best for you. There are numerous websites that provide ratings and reviews of what is currently available. Surf the web and research Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Nextel, Cricket and Cingular.
The most popular plans these days are shared plans or family plans. Family plans are useful to the small business because each employee can have a cell phone and the company receives just one invoice. This is a good way of keeping track of communication expenses. This applies to a small business but one invoice is a good way to monitor family budgets as well.
Prepaid Cell Phones'Diamonds & Dust
Diamonds
- Prepaid minutes can be less expensive than contract minutes.
- No Credit checks, no hassles!
- No monthly bill, you've paid upfront.
- No service fees.
- Extras costs more, long distance and roaming fees can be very expensive.
- Not all services are included, you may not be able to surf the web.
- Your phone only works in analog areas (quite common in more remote areas).
- Prepaid minutes can be more expensive on a minute by minute basis. Read the fine print.
The most attractive feature about cell phone contracts is the bundle concept. There are numerous cell phone plans to make it easy for you to adhere to a contract and get a bundle of great deals. You can get special 'add ons' like three way calling and call display. You can purchase a relatively nice cell phone at a reasonable price. As mentioned above contracts are not the iron clad document they used to be. If need be you can get released from them and you do get nicer phones!
Companies You Can Count On
Tried & True There are so many cell phone companies and service providers these days, who can you, count on? For the best hardware (the phone) and the best software (airtime and air quality), you could choose cell phone companies that have been in the communication business for a long time. Verizon is one of these companies. They have a long standing tradition of superior customer service and product dependability. AT&T is also a long established communications company with impeccable standards.
Up & Coming There are also some new cell phone companies and service providers who are making a good name for themselves because of the attention to quality as well. Check out new companies such as Nextel (a proud sponsor of NASCAR), T-Mobile, Cingular and Cricket.
There are reviews you can read about the latest and newest technology about all of the above companies so go to each company's websites and check out how their phones rate against each other.
What's Your Style?
Truly today, it is all about you and your unique lifestyle. This is the most important decision making factor of all. You know what you need in a cell phone plan. The key is finding the best one that will serve your needs best. Don't be intimidated or overwhelmed by the number of choices out there. Just keep in mind; it's all about your unique communication needs. Read these two short scenarios. They will help to show you what could be right for you.
Your job takes you all over the world. Your friends have a hard time keeping track of you because you are always on the move. You pay your bills on the internet and phone your family periodically just to let them know you're 'OK'.
OR
You're still in school and living at home. Your parents want you to keep in touch but you're sick of pay phones. Borrowing your friend's cell phone is getting old but you still need to check in.
The first scenario indicates that a prepaid cell phone would suit your lifestyle well. Make sure you prepay your minutes and avoid those pricey extra airtime costs. Use an international company such as AT&T so that you receive global coverage.
The second scenario indicates that your family needs a shared plan like the family plans currently available. Surf the web and research companies like Verizon and AT&T.
The Bottom Line ' Choices Do Abound!
So there you have it, the future is flexible and choices do abound. I hope you have found this article helpful as you make that choice between a prepaid cell phone and a cell phone contract. Keep in touch!
About the author: Lillian Fuller is a talented freelance writer providing tips for consumers about pr epaid phone plans, fa mily cell phone plans and sh ared cellular plans. © 2004 http://www.cell-phone-n-plans.com/
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
When should you update your job skills?
With the U.S. economy still slumping and unemployment numbers barely moving forward, many workers may be considering what their employment future could be like if they were to lose their job. If you're in a healthcare field, or possess computer skills, you don't have much to worry about, except explaining why you left your last job. On the other hand, if you're employed in production or manufacturing, you may be asking yourself, 'when should I update my job skills?'
If you're lucky enough to still have a job in this economy and you're pondering the future, you should consider updating your job skills immediately. Your current education level will determine what you should update. If you already possess a Bachelor's degree, examine what your skills deficits may be. For instance, are you up to date on computer programs commonly used in an office environment? If you want to make a move into healthcare, do you have medical terminology or CPR? Some states allow degree holders to get into teaching without having a related degree. Some may require a certificate. Your employer may even pay for your continuing education. Career colleges offer courses with flexible times so you can work and update your skills.
On the other hand, if you're one of the over eight million people who is currently looking for full or part-time work and your job prospects are not very good, updating your skills could be very important to your future. Again, you should assess your current educational inventory. Consider the industry you've been in and see if it makes sense to change. There are a lot of openings in sales, healthcare and computer related industries. Federal or state aid may be available to you for educational purposes.
Finally, if you feel safe in your current job, create a strategy of cross-training. Make yourself so valuable to your employer, that even if the job you hold now is eliminated, you could easily move to another one within the company. Advancing your computer skills is one of the best ways to do this. Improving your sales skills is another. By creating added value to your employer, you put yourself far down the list to be trimmed.
The answer to when you should update your job skills is - always. Whether you need to update the computer programs you know or train for a completely new industry, your ability to adapt to change will help keep you employed, both now and in the future.
Career Education Opportunities - www.top-colleges.com
About the author: Max Stein, Salt Lake City, UT, USA http://www.degreesource.com/articles Max Stein is a freelance writer who writes about business, education and marketing. maxstein_9@hotmail.com www.degreesource.com
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Bluetooth
If you've got a wireless network for your computers already, well, you might get a bit excited about what I'm going to say next. How would you feel if your PDA, your mobile phone, your mp3 player and almost everything else you connect to your computer could be wireless too? You'd like that? Well, it's already a reality and has been for some time now.
Bluetooth is wireless and automatic, and has a number of interesting features that can simplify our daily lives. Bluetooth is a standard developed by a group of electronics manufacturers that allows any sort of electronic equipment -- from computers and cell phones to keyboards and headphones -- to make its own connections, without wires, cables or any direct action from a user. Read on...
Personal Area Network
Using wireless networking with your personal gadgets is often called PAN, which stands for Personal Area Network. The idea is that, in the future, we'll all have laptop computers with their batteries charged and no more need to connect any wires to them at all -- you just place your Bluetooth device near the computer, and the computer sees it and can use it straightaway.
Bluetooth has been around and in-use since 1999, and it's only getting more popular. It was designed to be secure, low cost, and easy to use from day one.
There are two classes of Bluetooth that are in popular use: class 1 and class 2. Class 2 is the most common and cheaper standard, allowing you to use a device that is up to 10 metres (32 feet) away. Class 1 is rarer, but you can still find devices that use it easily enough, and it has ten times the range: 100 metres or 320 feet.
How Does It Work?
Bluetooth is more flexible than 802.11 wireless networking, in exchange for the shorter range. Essentially, a Bluetooth-enabled computer has one Bluetooth receiver installed in it, and this receiver can then be used with up to 7 nearby Bluetooth devices. On the other end, wireless devices do not need to have Bluetooth installed if they support it -- it is already integrated.
Like 802.11, Bluetooth works by using radio signals to create bandwidth. It is not, though, the same thing as an old-style wireless mouse or keyboard, which required a receiver to be plugged into one of your computers' ports, and didn't have range or stability anywhere near that of Bluetooth.
Many computers now come with built in Bluetooth, especially Apple Macs. If you want to add Bluetooth to a computer that doesn't come with it pre-installed, you should probably use a USB to Bluetooth adapter, although internal Bluetooth devices to install in your computer are available. If you have a laptop and a spare PCMCIA slot, you can get Bluetooth cards for that too.
What Can You Do With Bluetooth?
Mobile phones with Bluetooth are very popular, and so are PDAs -- the instant synchronisation of addresses and calendars to a computer is a useful feature. Other than that, almost anything that would usually use USB can be done using Bluetooth, including digital cameras, mp3 players, printers, and even mice and keyboards. If you take a look through the comprehensive list of Bluetooth 'profiles' (kinds of devices that could, in theory, be Bluetooth enabled), it includes cordless phones, faxes, headsets, and even video.
Basically, more than anything, Bluetooth is a replacement for USB: some say that while 802.11 wireless networking is wireless Ethernet, Bluetooth is wireless USB.
Not Just for Computers
Part of the power of Bluetooth is that it isn't just used to connect things to computers -- it can be used to connect almost anything to anything else, if both things are Bluetooth-enabled and recognise each other.
Mobile phones, in particular, take advantage of this. Hands-free headsets often use Bluetooth to communicate with the phone. Some cars, for example, now have on-board computers that will connect with a Bluetooth phone and allow you to make hands-free calls, regardless of where the phone is in the car (even if you've left it in your bag in the trunk!)
On top of that, of course, Bluetooth devices can communicate with each other. This has led to some people sending messages from their Bluetooth PDAs to others in close range -- not an especially useful feature, but quite fun. This is called 'bluejacking', and the first recorded instance of it was a man who sent a Bluetooth message to another man's Nokia phone while they were in a bank together. What did the message say? 'Buy Ericsson'.
Since then, it has become possible to send images by bluejacking, and it is widely believed to be the newest advertising medium -- yes, it lets billboards send messages to your phone, a practice known as 'bluecasting'. Whether you think that's cool or annoying, of course, is your choice.
About the author:
Information supplied and written by Lee Asher of CyberTech SoftShop
Suppliers of SuperLinker - Hyperlinking Technology for the 21st Century.