Mobile and Wired Phones Can Work Togehter

Last week we discussed the option of giving up a hard wired telephone line for your home or small business and installing a system that uses a cellular network.  That system uses a special device that connects all your existing wired and cordless phones with the cellular network.  The big difference is that your connection to the outside world is through a wireless carrier rather than hard wired through Ma Bell.  You maintain a separate telephone number for your home.

There is another similar system that might be a good choice for some.  This system uses a special docking device that allows your existing mobile phone to serve as the outside connection for home phones.  It allows your mobile phone to be charged while at the same time providing an outside connection for all your existing phones located throughout the house.  So when you come home you just dock your mobile phone and any calls incoming or outgoing are handled by the traditional wired phones.  

The system described last week allowed you to keep both a mobile number and a “home” number.  This system uses only one number, your mobile number, no matter if you are at home or on the road.  The benefit of one number is reduced monthly cost.   One number is less expensive than two.

There are other advantages such as using the free long distance offered by most mobile carriers.  Also, if you are on a protracted call, the old style handset on a wired phone is more comfortable to hold to your ear than a cell phone.

Before you make the switch you need to know that there are some drawbacks to going with only a cellular service for your home or small business.  You can’t use a fax or credit card terminal with this service.  Some emergency notification services like those for the elderly or disabled are not supported.  Home security alarms also can’t be connected to the system. And, of course, you must get a good signal from the cellular carrier.

Perhaps one of the biggest disadvantages is that with only one telephone number you can’t, as many of us do, keep your mobile number somewhat protected.  For example I don’t freely give out my mobile number so I don’t get unwanted calls.  Even as careful as I am, I still get robocalls and solicitations for vacations on my mobile.  I don’t want more.

Since you are using an existing mobile account there is no incremental monthly cost unless you go over your allotted minutes.  There is a one-time purchase of the interface device.  These begin at about $30 and go up to about $150 depending on the features.  The more expensive models have battery back up, separate internal voice mail and caller ID displays.  You can find various models at local electronic stores and on line.

Again these options are not for everyone.  For those who have already jettisoned their land line, this option might be worth a second look.

New Home Phone Options

When we think of new phone technology, most of us think about the newest smart phone models and the circus-like press announcements from the likes of Apple or Samsung that entice us to upgrade. The lowly wired phones that are still found in most homes have for the most part not changed in decades.  We may have dumped that pink Princes phone for a cordless model with caller ID and a digital answering device but we still pay Ma Bell about 50 bucks a month for a wired line.

   

Over the years cable companies have offered digital services that use the Internet rather than the wired phone network to provide home or business phone service.  I have written in the past about magicJack, an Internet based phone system for the home.  There is now another option being marketed by Verizon, AT&T and some other cellular providers.  They all use the same technology.

The Verizon service is called Home Phone Connect and instead of using the wired telephone network, it uses the cellular network.  While the service is not for everyone, it can save substantial money over traditional land line service.

The system requires the purchase or the monthly rental of a small device that is easily connected to the existing phone wires in your house.  The phones can be regular hard wired extensions or cordless phones.  Any phone now working in your home can be used with the new system.  You can keep your current home telephone number.  When you cancel your existing service you have your number ported to the new Verizon wireless number.   

The cost for this service begins at about $20 per month so it is less expensive than most traditional land line home phone services.  Before you make the switch you need to know that there are some drawbacks to going with a cellular service for your home or small business.  You can’t use a fax or credit card terminal with this service.  Some emergency notification services like those for the elderly or disabled are not supported.  Home security alarms also can’t be connected to the system. And of course you must get a good signal from the Verizon cellular network. 

This is only one option you might consider.  Next week we will look at a device that connects your existing mobile phone to all your home wired phones.

Convenience Has a Price

There is no doubt that the proliferation of all things digital has provided once unbelievable conveniences in our daily lives.  Simple things like shopping or writing a letter are now made effortless with the help of computers, tablets, smart phones and other digital accoutrement.  We can ask our smart phone for directions to the closest ATM when we need cash.  Amazon not only fills our book order but makes suggestions for other reads that we might like.  Parents can keep an eye on their teenager’s comings and goings and your auto insurance company can even offer discounts if you let one of their digital recorders “ride along” with you.

I am not nor do I want others to be paranoid about big brother or big sister.  I do think that it is a good to be aware of how much information we provide to others often without a second thought.  Once digitized that information can live forever and be shared freely among thousands of users.

Many of us have mobile phones.  Even the simplest model allows our carriers to retain the contents of most every call we make or text message we send.  Smart phones with GPSpinpoint our exact location 24/7.  

We swipe our Kroger card freely to get discounts thus allowing our buying patterns to be tracked.  Once a birth certificate is registered for your new born don’t be surprised if you see more ads for Pampers on your Facebook pages.  Browse the web to look at the new Corvette our buy lots of expensive food items and you might see more offers for trips and expensive cars in your email.

 

Gathering, storing, sorting and analyzing all of this information is made possible by our digital networked society.  Everything is connected and once a scrap of information enters this electronic labyrinth it is essentially there forever.

For sure some companies and organizations maintain strict privacy policies but the volume of public information on line is amazing.  If you want to try an experiment search for information about yourself.  Start with Google and move on to the various White Pages directories.  Don’t forget HamiltonCountyAuditor.org and the Clerk of Courts website in your county.  You will be amazed by the profile you can develop.  Where you live and what your home is worth is but a click away.  Missed a tax payment?  That bit of information is there too.

In some ways the horse has left the barn.  For most of us the convenience of having this free flow of information is now so pervasive that even if we want to, we cannot go back. So the next time you are loading an App on your iPad or smart phone and it asks you to enable the GPSlocation feature remember that it does come with a price.

Be Careful When Selecting Space Heaters

    The leaves are almost gone and, even though we had a wonderful Indian Summer over the past week or so, the temperatures are dropping.   You need only look in the pages of newspapers or magazines to be reminded that winter is on the way.  Looks like those Amish craftsmen have been hard at work over the summer building those fake “crafted” fireplaces.  There is a new ad that caught my attention this year. 
   The ad for EdenPURE Heaters promises to cut your heating costs and features a testimonial by none other than Richard Karn. You may remember him from TV’s Home Improvement.  In this full page ad Mr. Karn gushes about this product’s efficiency and emphasizes its laudable “American Made” pedigree.  It has been my experience that if they need a full page ad with more text than a John Grisham novel to explain the product benefits, I may want to be careful before giving out my credit card info.
   The EdenPURE heaters employ technology that has been around a long time.  The heaters use an infrared lamp to heat a large panel of copper.  The air passing over the copper panel is heated and circulated through the room.  This same principle is used in many space heaters, not just the EdenPURE models.  Like most others, the EdenPURE will keep you warm when used as directed but will it really save you more money than the others?
   If you walk through any big box store and examine the electric space heaters looking closely at the label you will find information on how much electrical current the device will draw.  This is usually measured in watts or kilowatts per hour.  Most all space heaters made for the home market will use between 1000 to 1750 watts per hour.  The EdenPURE electrical consumption is about 1250 watts per hour or in the low end.  The big difference is that the EdenPURE heater prices start about $200 and go up while models that will give about the same efficiency can be purchased for less than $50.
   Space heaters can help to take the chill off a cold room.  They can also be used to actually save money if you choose to heat only one or two rooms in your home to a comfortable level leaving the rest of the house much cooler. Most of us don’t live like that.  For sure you don’t want to be warm and toasty watching your favorite TV program in the family room one minute and cold and frosty when you go to the kitchen to get a snack.
   My advice is to use space heaters to warm up cool spaces but don’t count on saving much money on electricity, gas or oil without major changes in how you actually live in your home.  In all cases, never plug more than one heater into your wall socket and never use extension cords.  Keep the unit way from drapes or other combustible materials and never leave them on when you are not home.

You Could Win $50K and Create World Peace

When the Federal Trade Commission offers cash reward to help find a solution to problem it gets people’s attention. That is precisely what they are doing and it got my attention. According to the FTC website the Commission is challenging the public to create an innovative solution that will block illegal commercial robocalls on landlines and mobile phones.

As part of its ongoing campaign against these illegal, prerecorded telemarketing calls, the agency is launching the FTC Robocall Challenge, and offering a $50,000 cash prize for the best technical solution. The fact that the government is reaching out for help to address this issue demonstrates that the increase in these incessant and irritating interruptions to our peace and quiet may not be a risk to our national security but for sure to our national sanity.

While I am trying to wean myself from old habits, I still do try to answer my phone when it rings. I may be raking leaves, fixing the roof or washing the car but will stop to answer the phone. It is great to hear the voice of my wife or kids on the other end but not so great to hear, “This is Mary Sue from Credit Card Services informing you that there is no issue with your credit card but if you stay on the line one of our representatives will describe an offer that will…”

In the olden days, i.e. a year ago, these calls came in on landlines to our homes and offices. Today you are just as likely to get one on your mobile phone. Many of us are now getting calls that begin with the sound of an ocean liner horn and continue with the wonderful news that we can travel around the world free.

It is not only commercial enterprise that has adopted Robocalling. Not to name drop but I regularly get calls from Steve Chabot, First Lady Obama, Josh Mandel and several of Sherrod Brown’s close associates.

I for one don’t have a solution. I wish I did not so much as to collect the $50,000, although that would be nice, but to put these guys out of business. I have till January 17th to submit an idea. If the phone would stop ringing perhaps I could concentrate.

Where High Art Meets High Tech

If you have not been to Over the Rhine recently, you need to go and visit Washington Park the next time you are in the city.  The recently redeveloped park located across the street from Music Hall and adjacent to the new School for the Creative and Performing Arts is an absolute gem.  Not only is it an inviting and welcoming place for people of all stripes, it now has a high tech way to experience the beauty of the park and learn about Classical Music at the same time.

Cincinnati is the home of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, a nationally recognized body that honors individuals and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to Classical Music in the United States.  Recently they dedicated The Walk of Fame in Washington Park.  The Walk is an interactive classical music educational experience that is integrated into the park. The Walk of Fame is the only project in the world that combines classical music, mobile technology, public spaces, and a dancing fountain. The experience begins with pavement stones engraved with names of Hall of Fame inductees – similar to the Hollywood Stars.  But the Walk of Fame is also about learning, fun, and classical music, so it doesn’t stop there. 

Visitors to the park who have a smart phone can access a special website www.classicalWOF.org and, once connected using the phone’s GPS location app, will have access to a multimedia experience like no other in the world.  On the device, they will see all the content for Hall of Fame inductees (pictures, bio, links, and movies) and if a user wishes to hear a short music sample (3 minutes or less) of an inductee, they click a music icon on their device.

Here is where it gets really neat. If you select music choice number one on the smart phone, you will be able to hear the music played on your phone/device through the device’s headphones.

If you select choice two, the music selection will be sent to the park’s virtual jukebox and put in a queue prioritized by order selected and/or popularity (if more people in the park simultaneously select the same example, it will move to the top of the list). The music will then be played through the park’s public speaker system in the Walk of Fame zone!

If you opt for choice three, the selection will be added to the jukebox queue and will play through the park’s public speaker system in the Fountain zone. The fountain is an interactive water feature that also acts as a splash park in the summer months.  When the music plays through the fountain system, it will trigger dancing fountain technology so that the fountain jets and lights will move and react to the music being played.

This is truly a unique experience.  It is a great place to take out-of-town guests and show them something unique about Cincinnati that couples high tech and the fine arts. With the weather turning colder you may wish to wait till spring but your visit will be worth it.  If you want to get a preview you can visit www.classicalWOF.org  from any computer.

Cincinnati Enquirer's New Online Subscription Model

Last week The Cincinnati Enquirer began a new subscription model for those wishing to read the paper online.  Responding to the changing readership patterns fostered by a myriad of electronic devices, Cincinnati’s sole daily newspaper has adopted a model already embraced by some other major national publications.  Now those wishing to read articles online will be able to read a limited number without paying for a subscription.  In any given month that number of articles is twenty.  Want to read more that month and you must pay.

For several years, newspapers have been struggling with how to monetize delivery of online material.  In the early years of web publication, newspapers looked at online content as a novelty.  It was something that only a relatively few technically adroit readers would find useful.  Jumping ahead to 2012 we find the landscape much different.  The number of daily “paper and ink” publications is shrinking and paid readership of those still publishing is also on the wane.  Even award winning newspapers like the New Orleans Times Picayune no longer publish a hard copy version every day of the week.

Last Year the New York Times adopted this online subscription model.  I subscribe to the New York Times and can read it on my Kindle, smart phone or computer.  I have also been a subscriber to the WallStreet Journal online edition.   The latter was never offered free on line.

I signed up for the online version of the Enquirer.  So far I am impressed.  The Enquirer has adopted a point and click navigation system for reading the newspaper.   You can read the paper page by page as the online version has the same page layout and format used in the print edition.   You also have the choice of reading the articles in a regular text format.  Using this method allows you to copy and paste the article from the newspaper into a word document or email.

Unlike Cincinnati.com, the Enquirer’s website, which is filled with intrusive display ads that dominate the page and make reading articles painful, the Enquirer’s E-newspaper contains only the ads as they would be seen in the printed edition.  You can click on them to make them larger but if you choose to ignore them they blend into the page.  This may not be good news for the advertisers but it is a real plus for the reader.  Let’s hope that the intrusive ads remain on Cincinnati.comonly.

While it is a positive sign that the Enquirer is providing these online options, the key to future acceptance and success will be what they deliver, not how they deliver it.