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December 22, 2008
ooma - Local and Long Distance Calling without a Yearly Fee
Earlier this year I wrote an blog entry about Magic Jack. It is a gadget that lets you use your broadband internet connection to make local and long distance calls. This entry got the most comments of any blog entry that I have written. 
The annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is coming in a few weeks and I get hundreds of press releases from companies exhibiting at the convention. One announcement was from a possible MagicJack competitor - ooma. The main benefits appear to be:
- no monthly/yearly fees (they do have a 'Premier' package for $99 a year),
- your computer does not have to be on to use the phone,
- you can have multiple numbers with the Premier package,
- you can keep your current number for a one time fee of $39.95 (free with Premier package),
- ooma has a main 'hub' that is connected to your broadband connection. They also have 'scouts' that you can put in other rooms of your house to connect additional phones.
Downside. it's $249.99 (1 hub + 1 scout, additional scouts are $69.99 each) compared to $40 for the Magic Jack plus $20 per year for service (the first year of service is included in the purchase price of the Magic Jack).
I have not had an opportunity to try this product. Have you tried ooma? Comments?
Posted by Bob Gatton at 9:01 AM | Comments (1)
December 20, 2008
Cell Phone Etiquette, Both On and Off the Job
As I get older, I am probably getting crankier. Over the last few months I have noticed more things that drive me nuts. Specifically, people using cell phones. Like most things in life, the majority of people are considerate. Unfortunately, a small percentage seem to go out of their way to irritate me and others.
A few of my top-ranked cell phone peccadilloes:
- Talking too loud in public. Very few -- well let's be honest -- NOBODY wants to listen to your conversation. Lower your voice, move to a more secluded place or make the call later.
- If you aren't on a call, remove the Bluetooth headset. The cyborg look isn't a good one for most.
- End your call before paying the cashier in a store, fast food restaurant or drive-through. The staff working there are people too. End your call and call back after you leave.
- When you are in a meeting, turn your phone off.
- Leaving long messages. Unless you are leaving specifics about a particular issue, don't prattle on about your day when leaving a message.
- Texting the non-texter. We all know a few; in fact, probably most cell phone users don't text at all, or if they do it is a rare event. If you send a non-texter a text, you wasted your time.
- Just because you have unlimited minutes, don't assume everybody does. Many people have only a few hundred minutes in their plan, if they go over, their bills can skyrocket.
- The Sesame Street ringtone might make your kids laugh, but it might not make the best impression in a business setting.
- Turn your cell phone off when you are at the movies or a concert unless you are a doctor on call. (If you are a doctor, turn your phone to vibrate.)
I am sure that there are other cell phone issues that a few people do that drive you crazy. Please share your own pet peeves.
Posted by Bob Gatton at 6:40 PM | Comments (6)
Blu Ray - have you taken the plunge yet
If you like movies and own an HDTV, have you purchased a Blu Ray DVD player yet? There is now a very good selection of movies to buy or rent and I have seen several players on sale for less than $200.
And the current players are better. My first Blu Ray player was a Sony BD300. While the picture and sound quality were great, it was in a very frustrating piece of equipment. From the time that you turned it on till you were seeing the movie was several minutes. Tocall the remote control response sluggish was being far too kind. And it cost $500. But current players are much, much better.
Electronics retailers and movie rental stores are allocating more of their space to Blu Ray titles. My closest Blockbuster has a very good selection, even a local grocery store has started to rent Blu Ray movies.
For me, once I got used to watching high definition programs on TV, it was hard to go back to lower resolution standard DVDs when I wanted to watch a movie. The difference in picture quality was just too much.
So whats keeping you on the sideline? What is the price point were you buy a Blu Ray player for your High Definition TV? $100?
Posted by Bob Gatton at 10:18 AM
