Fusion X Technology Update

Remember the telephone companies’ deregulation of the 1980s? If someone were to ask me then to switch my phone service I would have said ‘no way’. You see during this initial period it really was all about the network.

Well, the times have certainly changed. For some of us in the United States, we’ve seen the TV commercials trying to instill fear of switching providers. By the way, it probably goes without saying, but you do know who’s funding those advertisements right? The big name providers who obviously don’t want to loose your business.

The times have changed. The networks have stabilized, are reliable and offer the same quality. Let’s face it; even the major local providers need to interface with other companies network. A local provider is not providing end-to-end long distance. Once they get out of their ‘network’ they need to interface with another providers ‘network’ in order to complete your call.

At the start of this, I stated I would not have switched my long distance provider back in the 1980’s. I’m happy to say, I’ve switched my long distance provider a long time back and have been extremely happy with the service, quality and reliability. Actually, I’ve experienced no difference at all in service, reliability or quality of calls between my
smaller named long distance carrier and the big name carrier I used to use. The biggest difference, for me, was a HUGE cost savings.

Everyone’s calling habits are different. I live in a large midwestern city and my long distance calling is generally to New York City and southern California. I for one cut my long distance by over HALF what it was. Anytime we can save money without loosing quality of service is a no brainer. Get past the hype and the fear the major providers try to stir up.

Having said all that, how would you choose a provider? First, we’d certainly like you to use our web site, but there are many web sites today that provide free quotes for you. Learn how to read your quote. Don’t to lured by a cheap per minute rate because that is only part of what your overall bill will be. Terms, conditions, taxes and fee’s can quickly exceed any perceived cost savings on rate alone.

There are reliable, lower cost carriers out there. There is money to be saved. There is a way to learn how to read your quote and know exactly what you’re paying for. Use our site, use someone else’s site, but learn to read your quote and you will happily save money every month.

Provided by Full Service Broadband Provider. We offer unbiased and informative information on broadband and communication products and services. This service is made possible through Try Right Technology, Inc

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Tags: long distance, phone service

For those of you who aren’t familiar, the walled garden is a term used to describe the situation where carriers control all content that goes to their device. Being able to sell directly to consumers is a very costly service that few can afford.

The walled garden is dealing some serious blows to the industry right now. Depending on what carrier you’re with, even if you buy a game from a site that sends you an SMS with an html link to get the game, some carriers will go as far as to block this SMS link or the download. This makes absolutely sure that the games can only be purchased through their deck. The fact that these small start up game developers aren’t able to sell directly to the consumer, means that they have an incredibly hard time getting their games out. This process is really stifling industry growth.

Let’s just say that you are one of the lucky publishers who gets their game onto a game deck. The only way to sell your game on that deck is to hope that somebody knows of your game and is looking for it specifically, or that they will select your game based on its catchy title. If the title is your only selling potential, then you better make sure that the game is called “Aabaa’s Adventure” because chances are that the customer won’t be searching through the entire game deck. Too bad for the developer who makes an amazing game but calls it “Zworf” (I don’t know why you would call it that anyways).

Okay, so you’ve got a good game and it has a catchy name at the beginning of the alphabet. What other problems will you incur? Firstly, the waiting times to get your game on a carrier’s deck are incredibly long compared to the time it takes to actually develop the game. It’s common for a game that took 3 months to develop to wait 8 months before their game is on the deck. This causes serious cash flow issues.

Speaking of long waiting times, let’s just say you accidentally shipped the game with a bug. We all know this would NEVER happen (wink), but just hypothetically what if? It would take a relatively long time to get your game updated because you have to go through the bureaucracy of the carrier system. Not only that, but everyone who has the unupdated games will have to repurchase the software because their carriers will demand they buy the game again.

It’s obvious why carriers are so reluctant to give up the market to more direct to consumer publishers. Although the revenue they make from game sales is relatively minor to their other competencies; carriers still receive huge revenues from controlling all content that moves through their phone. It is very hard to convince them to give up these profits in exchange for better gaming. This is not to say that it will never happen. Developers such as Gameloft have negotiated with carriers to be allowed the right to offer direct to consumer sales off their website in exchange for a limited time of exclusivity on the carrier’s game deck. These developers have demonstrated that negotiating direct to consumer sales can be a very successful part of a developer’s business strategy. We will never see the end of the walled garden in North America until the mobile game industry bands together and forces carriers to open their decks. Europe and Asia have pioneered this movement and America can benefit from similar action.

QuicklyBored is a blog that reviews mobile games as well as reports on the mobile games industry. Visit us at http://www.quicklybored.com

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Surfing Safely in Starbucks…

A few months ago I met with a group of Internet professionals, all of us sporting laptops with wireless connections to the hotel’s access point. On the second day of the conference, one of the attendees put up a slide on the overhead showing logins and passwords from a dozen of the attendees. Needless to say, many jaws dropped open.

He was running a “sniffer” program that anyone can download to spy on the internet traffic floating around in the air. Fortunately, he was a trusted colleague, and was nice enough to tell us that we were caught with our virtual pants down.

Wifi Safety Tips

First, be aware that (almost) ANYTHING that you type or any info that appears on your screen while you’re using a wireless connection can be seen by others nearby. If you are accessing a page that requires a login and password, or if you are entering ANY personal data (credit card, SSN, etc) make sure that you are on a secure site. That’s easy enough — just check that the web address begins with https instead of the usual http — and your information will be safely encrypted before transmission. As long as you’re on a page with an address that begins with https, the data you send and receive is protected from sniffers and snoopers.

But be on your guard, some web-based email providers have a secure login page, but after you’re logged in the access reverts to normal non-encrypted mode. So any email you send or receive while on a wireless connection is out in the clear. Google’s GMail and Yahoo Mail are examples of webmail services that work this way. Until recently Hotmail didn’t even offer a secure login option. So look for the link or checkbox for the secure login when accessing your web-based email. If your service doesn’t offer one, consider switching or decide to live with the security exposure.

Oh, and there are the “shoulder surfers” to watch out for. Just like when you’re entering your PIN code at an ATM, you need to keep an eye open for anyone who might be glancing over your shoulder while you hunt and peck in the airport or coffeeshop. I always use two fingers when entering my pin or password… one presses the correct key and other is a decoy. So even if someone was watching from across the street with binoculars, it’s almost impossible to steal a password.

And beware of the Evil Twins! The Internet Patrol warns of a scam where a hacker may put up a bogus copy of the wi-fi hotspot’s login page. Learn how to stay safe from this attack by reading this helpful article: http://www.aunty-spam.com/wifi-hotspot-evil-twins-mimic-wi-fi-hotspots-and-steal-your-data

Securing Your Wireless HOME Network

Do you have a wireless laptop and router at home? You may be providing free internet access to your neighbors, or opening your system to drive-by hackers. Don’t miss my article on securing your wireless home network, here: http://www.askbobrankin.com/wireless_security.html

BOB RANKIN… is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin’s website for more helpful articles and free tech support.

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