Troubleshooting cell phone reception issues
June 6, 2006 by Mike Wendland · 1 Comment
Having issues with your mobile phone?
Find out if you are in a dead zone. Or at least know which direction has the closest tower.
Go to www.cellreception.com and enter in your zip code and it will show you the nearest locations by provider.
A Dead Zone Search feature on the site lists areas within various states where dead zones are reported.
And if that doesn’t work, pend big bucks for a cell phone booster or repeater or other gizmos offered by JDTeck, an online site that sells serious equipment that is aimed at improving cell phone reception in marginal areas. Prices start around $200 and require some technical know-how.
Podcasting made simple for Windows users
June 5, 2006 by Mike Wendland · Leave a Comment
Windows users who have envied the GarageBand software used by Apple Mac users to create podcasts now have an alternative that works with PCs.
It’s called WildVoice and it is set to launch this week with a public beta testing program. Folks who sign up will get early access to WildVoice Studio, which provides professional-quality recording features complete with background theme songs, special effects and sound clips from other recordings.
After using the service to record a podcast, it can then be published on www.WildVoice.com, the new online community for personal media broadcasting.
Plot your states visited
June 5, 2006 by Mike Wendland · 1 Comment
Getting ready for a vacation?
Here’s a fun Web site that lets you check off the states you’ve visited and then plot them on a map. You can do the same with countries here.
Watch a Web cam, spot an illegal immigrant
June 3, 2006 by Mike Wendland · 6 Comments
That’s the plan Texas officials are considering. Gov. Rick Perry would focus Webcams on his state’s most notorious illegal border crossings and ask the public to call authorities when they spot activity.
The governor, who is running for relection this fall, says it will cost aout $5 million for the high-def cameras. He didn’t say how many would be installed at that price but noted that with 1,000 miles of Mexican border, his state needs all the hep it can get.
The camera Perry wants to use is the Sony HDR-HC3, which lists at over $1,000 but can be bought online for around $780.
What do you think about this idea to make the public Big Brother? Good idea? Bad idea?
New service allows last minute eBay bids by mobile phone
June 2, 2006 by Mike Wendland · Leave a Comment
There’s a new tool for serious eBay shoppers that interfaces with mobile phones. A company called UnWired Buyer times calls to just before an auction ends, providing updates on critical listing details, such as the current high bid, and allows the user to place new bids using a custom interactive voice response system and touch-tone commands.
The free service does not require any extra phone features and works with all carriers.
A companion service called UnWired Buyer 2.0 lets users select their bid environment – whether mobile phone or computer, sending advance notices via e-mail or text message and allowing users to enter their final bids bu either phone or PC. It, too, is free.
Comcast planning speed boosts
June 1, 2006 by Mike Wendland · 3 Comments
With DSL competition breathing hard down its neck, Comcast is rolling out a service called PowerBoost that will basically double downoad speeds for customers subscribing to its 6 and 8 Mbps cable modem service tiers.
Customers in New England states already have it. The company says it will expand across other areas in future weeks.
The free speed boost to 12 and 16 Mbps is dependent on traffic and only available when extra capacity is available, a company spokesperson told CNet news.
That kind of speed IS Comcastic, huh?
Major online pirate site busted
June 1, 2006 by Mike Wendland · 1 Comment
Does anyone really think this will stop online piracy?
The Pirate Bay site that the entertainment industry has long complained was a major player in the illegal downloading of pirated films, software and music has been shut down.
A series of police raids in 10 locations across Stockholm yesterday netted three arrests and the confiscation of computers. Pirate Bay openly describes itself as the world’s largest search index for BitTorrent, the file swapping system used by most pirates to move large files acoss the Internet.
The site was still accessible today but only displayed an angry note promising to be “fully functional within a day or two.” Fan sites quoted organizers as saying they will reopen in another country, if necessary.
Free conference calling for up to 500
June 1, 2006 by Mike Wendland · 1 Comment
With 100 million registered users, the free Internet telephone service Skype has been on a roll ever since eBay bought it a few months ago. A couple weeks ago, it was free outgoing calls to regular landline and cellular phones from Skype via computers hooked up to the Net. Today, it’s free conference calling for up to 500 people at a time through a service called Highspeedconferencing.com.
