VOIP Battle for Supremacy
In today’s Jamaica we have grown up and out of the wired mentality and are truly liberated. Cordless phones have turned into stylish First World mobile devices. The three (not one) telecommunications companies battle for our hearts and pockets as they roll out varied interesting alternatives.
Voice Over IP is on the increase as well. Just recently CWJ launched it’s Netspeak device. It is supposed to give you unlimited calls to USA, UK and Canada fixed lines over your internet connection. The same device is being marketted in most of the other CWJ locations in the Caribbean and is also being boosted by about two other competitors.
In this day of modernism and technology what are the options? It is officially out of style to pay J$15-18 per minute to call abroad. World Direct and Cell Phone calls don’t seem to cut it. Prepaid phone cards that claim that for J$400 they can give you an hour is pathetic. What happens if you don’t want to pay J$1575 regardless of usage- you still want a pay-as-you-go alternative for VOIP?
I give you SKYPE. Skype allows you to call for U$0.02c per minute to basically anywhere- whether mobile or landline. They have a long list of rates but they all seem to fall around the U$0.02c bracket. They have a prepayment option that allows you to pay JM$800 (through me) and get about 8hrs based on your call pattern. Therefore if you aren’t going to call the same people everyday and want to be able to drop in a call now and then then this would be for you.
Lets compare 8hours:
| Miphone: | J$6960 | ($14.50 per minute) |
|---|---|---|
| CWJ Netspeak: Flat rate | J$1890 | (includes 20%tax and is charged per month) |
| Skype Alternative | J$800 | (credit lasts for three months before needing to be topped up) |
Do the math. Feel free to comment or email to see how best you can get on to paying less. All you need is a High Speed internet connection and a headset. If you are stylish I could even throw in a VOIP phone like pictured above.
A GIANT leap for mankind
Isn’t technology excellent? You can achieve anything you set your mind to in this day and age. How many persons wanted to have complicated networking structures where they share resources across oceans and seas? Who doesn’t want to integrate as many members of a unified group as possible to have a common goal or purpose?
Hamachi is amazing. Most of my colleagues use it for gaming but it is actually so much more than that. Hamachi is the ability to simulate a network environment where the rules of windows sharing are applicable and where no VPN is necessary. Remote printing, lan parties, sharing files like a regular network- priceless. Actually no, that is very expensive. So many people spend so much money on static ip addresses and tunneling software and here I am… free.
Check out my picture. That is all it takes. A simple interface. You authenticate to the network you want to connect to, see your online peers then voila! Internet becomes intranet.
My only real concern is the security. They say they use some pretty standard stuff. If i controlled the nuclear arms at the United States I probably wouldn’t be using hamachi. I also would be using a Blackberry instead of a Hiptop2.
In many ways this programme reminds me of myself. Cost effective, feature filled and so much smarter than those people with degrees.
Other than Networking
I haven’t posted because I told myself that I wouldn’t post until I got in touch with the Lawyers. Well, I haven’t… yet. I know, I know… wasteman. Well whatever. I am just behind schedule- that is all.
I have been looking for happiness and stumbled upon some mp3 players that I plan to buy with my hard earned money. I wanted something that was primarily not an iPod. I looked at the Creative Zen line of products. They all seem to quit after about 3 months. I had my heart set on those. Every other reputable player is over my budget for portable audio. I guess I will just have to do without. Negative reviews can really be a major discouraging factor. Therefore it looks like no mp3 player this Christmas- especially if it is my money that will be spent.
Jenna could still use a few things though. I am spying a 19″ LCD gaming monitor that would replace my current 19″ mammoth CRT. I could also invest in a new soundcard and surround sound speakers for Jenna. If I get the speakers I would have to somehow get extension cables to wire it neatly in my room. It is Chrsitmas and Jenna needs stuff too. I wish I could get her a better processor though but that would require a new mobo and case… and I am not prepared to go there.
I was also pondering getting an 300GB internal HD along with an enclosure that has USB2.0 and Firewire. However, on second thought it would be cheaper and more prudent to simply get some blank DVDs and then archive everything on my hard drive. I would then format Jenna and make the 40GB Primary and make a big fat 2o0 Drive that stores everything. Whenever I get something that seems to want to take up too much space I would just burn and save. Yeah, that is the better idea. Jenna is going to get a Christmas format.
So, to sum up- no mp3 player for me. Instead I use my money to fund my school fees, buy gifts for one or two people and get Jenna some new gear. I either do that or become Uncle Scrooge and save up my money for a higher purpose.
