Mobile Connectivity
March 9, 2007
I have been looking into viable alternatives to established Internet connections, looking into mobile broadband solutions for my computing lifestyle. Of course, there is the Qwest DSL versus Comcast cable debate when it comes to residential and business high-speed Internet, but what I want is something to cater to a lifestyle of mobility. My profession keeps me moving from one location to another, and my hobbies take me to different places on a daily basis. Of the various cell phone carriers, if I was to move forward with one particular choice, the Sprint PCS mobile broadband setup and service plan seem to be the best decision.
I wish I could say it stopped there, but it doesn’t. New website ventures are requiring my business to have alternative contact phone numbers that go above and beyond just the standard cell phone contact. I have never needed a business landline, even with a lease on a retail business space in downtown Spokane. Since my wired lifestyle is of the mobile kind, looking into a VoIP (voice over IP) network solution seems to fit the bill, which would just require a broadband Internet connection. Using the products and services provided by Vonage would allow the phone number to travel to wherever I am at, from my Spokane office space to anywhere I may travel. The WiFi VoIP Vonage phone would let me connect up as long as there is a wireless signal, allowing the phone number to follow me anywhere.
I remember back in the early days of the Internet when eFax used to be free. I made up business cards with my fax number listed. A year later, eFax went to a subscription based service, which made me lose my eFax number thus rendering all of my business cards frivolous. Fast forward to the present, there have been times where I have needed to send or receive a fax. Looking into the online fax solutions provided today, the first place I look at was eFax again but I cannot justify their high monthly subscription prices for what limited times I need a fax. A quick Google search helped me find a better alternative, MyFax, which was a cheaper solution that provided better features with the same functionality. From a consumer standpoint, the best choice is getting better functionality for a better price. The downfall with MyFax is a toll free fax number is issued, but contacting customer support reveals you can setup a local fax number. To send and receive fax documents in digital format is something that would bring my business convenience, and it can be done entirely on the world wide web.
Every two years, my cell phone gets an upgrade thanks to hardware promotions by my cell phone carrier and the two year product cycle that mobile hardware goes through, specifically PDA phone software. I grew up from the first generation PDA’s to today’s feature-packed PDA’s which I now realized have more features than I really need. In the early days, my life was organized with the Palm OS and Qualcomm’s Eudora Mail, but times have changed and I’ve gladly converted to Windows Mobile and Office Outlook. My life’s voice and data is taken with me everywhere I go, from my email to my calendar. The best features of today’s PDA are the mobile connections allowing me Internet access anywhere there is a cell phone signal.
Today’s cell phones bring back full circle with the mobile broadband solution I have been researching for my laptop. Both are now capable of the higher speed EVDO network, with the best access in the best markets. Using that internet access to piggyback a VoIP and digital fax solution helps evolve an ecosystem of mobile productivity that I can only be thankful for. My business and my life both thrive off of this “wired” interconnectivity. The true value of these various devices is how the data across the multiple information systems interpolate with one another making my life easier and busier all at the same time. Thank goodness for technology, as the best is yet to come!
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