MobilityPass

WiFi Europe Roaming Pack For Just US$26

2011-02-14T01:43:00.000-08:00

Limited WiFi Europe Roaming Pack Offer

MobilityPass is doing a WiFi Europe Roaming Pack for US$26 or Euro20 for a 5 day period. During these five days, you will get 500 minutes of WiFi connection time. This means only spending US$0.052/minute or Euro 0.04/minute, a 84% savings on our regular rates.

Countries covered are all European countries such as the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Italy as well as Hungary, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Romania, Czech Republic and more.

Go to the MobilityPass website's WiFi Europe section to check out the countries covered. By joining, you will be directed to our free membership site where you can download the WiFi software which will locate and connect you to free and premium WiFi hotspots all over Europe.

The offer will end at midnight UTC on the fifth day, but you can still carry on using our WiFi services through adding funds in your member's account, but the rate will be reverted back to our regular rates.

This will ensure that should you need a little more connection time, you will still be able to access it.

This is a limited offer and once all the WiFi Europe packs are gone, the offer will be removed. So if you are thinking of going to Europe and want a great deal for connecting, the MobilityPass WiFi Europe pack is the perfect choice.

Go Now to Get Your Europe WiFi Pack

Free 3G iPad Micro SIM

2011-01-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

In our last post about WiFi we covered how you can really extend your connection ability with the MobilityPass WiFi software manager. Well the good news is that we have INCREASED our coverage to 180,000 WiFi hotspots worldwide with 9,000 more in the US alone.

But that is not why I am writing this post. This post is about a promotion that is really quite fantastic from MobilityPass.

We have always spoken of our services from 3G SIM cards, dual voice SIM cards to WiFi, VoIP, SMS and much more, but we have only glossed over the fact that we have this super telecommunication command center which is our free membership area.

So now if you get a free iPad micro SIM card or a regular size 3G data SIM card (visit our website http://www.MobilityPass.com for more details), add funds for you to 100% use later, you will automatically get a secure account in our membership site.

"Why is that important for my global roaming needs?" you may ask and the answer is this:

You will have the convenience of logging into one account for over ten different telecommunication tools, all at your disposal with the funds you have in your account. From data SIM cards, voice SIM cards to SMS, WiFi, VoIP, VPN, DID numbers, fax, push email, webmail and more.... this is one super convenient pit stop for all your global roaming needs.

Why mess around with one SIM card per country? Fumbling around for that WiFi log in password? Changing mobile devices to send an SMS? or fiddling around for your VoIP account?

And what if you lose your mobile device or have it stolen? You will still have a communication tool and if you use our file back up system, you will still have everything on hand. All you need to do is to get a bright shiny new device and download your back up.

One account, one log in. Done. No hassle, no sweat.

Best of all, it is pay as you go with no contracts to sign and no monthly fees. You need to have funds inside your account to use it though otherwise it will be put on hold. Which if you think about it, is wise as you do not want to run up a huge bill without knowing it.

So you log in, see how much you have spent, where you connected and how long you connected for. This is all LIVE, which means you can log in daily and set budgets, add funds, change services to best suit your needs and control your spending.

No other telecommunication provider gives you this.

So what is so great about this 3G SIM card promotion?

How about connecting in over 120 countries with more than 80 of these countries in the cheaper zone A pricing band? Countries such as the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, China and India? At US$2.0/MB and a US$0.87 connection fee, you are laughing really.

The 3G is fast, secure and an ideal partner with the MobilityPass WiFi connection manager, which is free to download with your 3G SIM card.

180,000 worldwide WiFi hotspots anyone?

Here are all the global roaming rates for MobilityPass.

So go now to MobilityPass´s website and get yourself a MobilityPass membership.

Happy roaming!

Free WiFi Software - MobilityPass EasyWiFi Connection Manager

2010-12-14T05:33:00.000-08:00

Free EasyWiFi Connection Manager

You will need some information on hand before you can connect to the internet via a WiFi hotspot. You will need to know the SSID, channel mode, the WEP or WPA key to access the hotspot. Don´t worry though as this information is normally provided by the ISP when the service is purchased.

Or you can download free for a limited time,

the MobilityPass EasyWiFi Connection Manager

and gain access to 140,000+ WiFi hotspots around the world

easily and effortlessly, with just a few clicks.

Another thing many WiFi providers may not tell you about is the security issues of WiFi connections. Your software or wireless card may have found a hotspot, but is it safe?

WiFi Security

The problem is that any person on the hotspot or any person with the ability to connect to the hotspot has access to your personal information sent over the network. A hotspot, by definition, is a wireless local area network or (WLAN), and the same rules of file sharing and remote access apply to them.

Having a firewall installed on the user's computer or wireless internet device is a must but, this only protects the information contained behind the firewall and not what is sent over the internet network.

When connecting in a hotspot, make sure that it is a legitimate hotspot. Nowadays, any person with a small amount of networking knowledge can set up a wireless network, give it a name and make it look like a recognized Wifi company hotspot.

Beware Free WiFi Hotspots

Free WiFI hotspots have minimal features (as it is free, the services offered is the most basic type), and typically will not include encryption and security. That´s fine if you are just surfing the net looking at general things such as the news, but if you want to access sensitive information or confidential details such as bank statements; a paid secured connection, complete with passwords and security codes, is well worth the investment.

Another drawback of free WiFi hotspots is the range. These public or free hotspots will have a limitation on their coverage range and will confine you to a particular location or building.

Secure WiFi Connection

MobilityPass® offers a hotspot access program that gives users a secure hotspot access point from a variety of places such as airports, hotels and trains. With more than 140,000 hotspots worldwide in over 110 countries, no user will put their privacy at risk when using MobilityPass.

Along with security and privacy, there is only a small connection fee, and you pay only for the data transmitted. There are no monthly payments and no contracts need to be signed; you will only pay for the data transmitted.

Inside the secure membership area, you will have access to a whole range of global roaming services, but for WiFi, the most important one is VPN.

VPN or Virtual Private Network is like having your information travel through a fortified and protected tunnel so that no one can see or access the information being sent.

Activate this function in a WiFi hotspot when accessing sensitive data and your information will be secure and protected.

More WiFi Security Measures

Here are a few more WiFi security measures you may want to take:

Always turn off file sharing when in a hotspot location.
Your files in shared and public folders can be viewed and are easily accessible in hotspot locations. Unscrupulous data thieves can use or steal them; or worse yet, upload a virus.
If the Wi-Fi antenna is not being used it should be turned off. Hackers can use a peer to peer connection to find registry data and passwords while a user is not even online or close to a hotspot.

In effect, the user's computer becomes a hotspot that can be accessed via another computer's wireless connection. Paid hotspot providers, such as MobilityPass®, are the best and safest solution to protecting a user's personal and private information.

Download Your Free MobilityPass EasyWiFi Connection Manager Today

and connect with VPN to ensure safety and privacy*

* The VPN service is a paid service.

Broadband Internet Access with MiFi

2010-11-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

All these telecommunication devices like iPhones, blackberries, iPads and netbooks are great, but lugging them, and all the connection accessories, around the globe is less great.

Plus it still does not solve your connection problems. You have the latest devices, but they are of no use if you cannot connect to the internet, or you connect with a lot of hassle.

Novatel has this great little gadget that's going to say goodbye to all your connection woes : the MiFi intelligent mobile hotspot device.

So what is this MiFi?

Well, it is a little device that is slightly smaller than a pack of cards and slightly bigger than a credit card - 62mm x 98mm x 15.3mm to be precise and weighs only 81 grams. It will fit neatly into any trouser pocket, handbag or carrier case.

But don't let its size fool you. This wireless broadband internet access device packs a big punch when it comes to connectivity.

You can connect up to 5 devices. So if you have a netbook, a blackberry and an iPhone, the Mifi will connect you with one SIM card. Or if you are traveling in a group - the MiFi will connect up to 5 different devices, again with the same single SIM card.

Let's say you are traveling with three colleagues, you can connect your smartphone and your laptop and your three colleagues can also connect their laptops, making it 5 connections. This makes a handy virtual office on the move and all on one SIM card.

The MiFi has made global travel so much easier for professionals and businessmen alike. Charity organizations, journalists, roaming doctors and mobile businessmen are all discovering the virtues of having a MiFi.

Now having a MiFi is only part of the puzzle to global roaming. Your broadband internet access with MiFi still has to be affordable and reasonable, and that means finding the right SIM card services.

MobilityPass has an unlocked MiFi 2352 and a 3G mobile broadband international data SIM bundle that is well worth looking at. The 3G data SIM not only works with your MiFi, it also works with any unlocked device such as iPhone (up to 3GS), netbooks, blackberry, smartphone, M2M and more. If you have an iPad or an iPhone 4GS, there is a micro 3G data SIM available.

The rates are what's interesting too. Just two rates divided into zone A and zone B. Zone A is US$0.189/100kb and zone B is US$1.89/100kb. Go here to check which zone your country or countries fall into.

On top of that, with purchase you get to download free the WiFi EasyConnect Manager which will connect you in more than 110 countries to 140,000 WiFi hotspots. There is only one rate of US$0.32/minute worldwide.

So you save using WiFi to download or upload large files (as it is billed per minute regardless of file sizes), and 3G broadband if you want to stay on the internet for long periods of time (as it is billed according to each 100kb). A connection charge of US$0.87 applies each time you connect.

You also get a free membership where all your billing is centralized in one area, plus you get to check your spending on a daily basis as usage is deducted live.

Cost control has never been easier.

So head on over to Mobility Pass and get your MiFi 2352 and 3G mobile broadband international data SIM card bundle. You will be glad you did.

Text Message Broadcasting

2010-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

4.1 trillion text messages were sent in 2008. It can only be more now, which goes to show the power of text message broadcasting.

The mobile phone, whether it is an iphone or a smartphone or any other cell phone, is becoming indispensable. Short messages are the way to go and it is even more true for businesses.

Mobility Pass has just revamped their website and their text message broadcasting rates are looking very reasonable.

Inside their free membership area (when you purchase a service or product), you can send SMS messages in bulk and it is two way, which means the receiving party can reply.

So if you are a restaurant and have a great promotion like a free drink or a buy one get one free offer for a certain night, you can send text messages out to tell your customers about your great promotion. Those who are interested may SMS back to book a table, or just drop by to take advantage of your offer.

Now I am not saying you will always get great responses, or that your business will sky rocket over night, but it is a very targeted way of reaching your client base.

So go to the Mobility Pass's website and check out the SMS rates. I am sure you will find creative ways to use it!

China Says No Limits on Use of Google's Android

2010-02-12T13:48:00.000-08:00

By Joe McDonald

China tried Wednesday to assure mobile phone companies using Google's Android operating system that they won't be hurt by a dispute over Web censorship, saying the technology will be allowed if it complies with regulations.

Google Inc. postponed the launch of its own smart phone in China following its Jan. 12 announcement that it will no longer censor search results. Others also are developing Android-based phones and could be hurt if Beijing tries to penalize Google by barring its use.

"As long as it fulfills Chinese laws and regulations and has good communication with telecom operators, I think its application should not have restrictions," said Zhu Hongren, a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, at a regular news briefing when asked whether Beijing would permit use of Android.

The comments reflect the conflicting pressures on the communist government, which insists on controlling information but needs foreign companies like Google to help achieve its goal of making China a technology leader.

The operating system is one of a mobile phone's most basic elements and changing it after products already have been launched would be costly, said Ted Dean, managing director of BDA China Ltd., a Beijing research firm.

"There's a pretty significant upfront investment in developing a phone on one operating system," Dean said. "So you don't want to change course on so basic a system as what operating system it works on."

In a fresh blast of invective, the Communist Party newspaper People's Daily accused Google on Wednesday of being a tool of Washington's "Internet hegemony."

After seeing its strength eroded by the global crisis, Washington "is shifting its strategic focus from the military to the Internet," the newspaper said. "It is against this backdrop that Google becomes a tool of the country's Internet hegemony."

Google is in sensitive talks with the government, trying to keep an important Beijing development center, a lucrative advertising sales team and access to China's booming market for its fledgling mobile phone business.

A Google spokesman, Jessica Powell, declined Wednesday to comment on the status of talks or confirm whether top managers from the company's Mountain View, California, headquarters were in Beijing.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to bring up the issue of Internet freedom when she meets with China's foreign minister Thursday on the sidelines of an international conference on Afghanistan in London.

"She will reiterate her call that she made in her speech about wanting a transparent inquiry with transparent results," a senior State Department official said on condition of anonymity to preview the meeting.

Last week, Clinton criticized China's Internet censorship and called on Beijing to investigate cyberattacks against Google.

China is the world's most populous mobile phone market and any restrictions on Google might hamper its effort to expand into mobile. The country has more than 700 million accounts and strong demand for advanced services.

State-owned China Mobile Ltd., the world's biggest phone company by subscribers, is developing its own smart phone, the OPhone, which uses a system that has Android as its foundation.

The involvement of such a major state company, a key player in Beijing's technology development plans, could add to pressure on authorities to contain the commercial consequences of the Google dispute.

Zhu gave no indication of the possible fate of Google's own phone, planned with local carrier China Unicom Ltd.

Dell Inc., Motorola Inc. and Samsung Electronics Corp. also plan to sell Android-based phones in China.

Google allows use of Android for free, which might boost costs for manufacturers and phone carriers if they switch systems, Dean said.

Microsoft Inc., Nokia Corp. and others charge royalties for their mobile operating systems.

"It's a significant enough share of the price of a phone that it changes the economies of the smart phone business if you're paying someone else for the operating system," Dean said.

Obama Seeks an End to Business Cell-Phone Tax

2010-02-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

By Stephen Ohlemacher

Ever make a personal call on your company cell phone? Did you record the value of that call as taxable income, as required by law?

Join the club, but don't worry. President Barack Obama will propose repealing the widely ignored requirement as part of his 2011 budget plan, a Treasury Department official said Saturday.

The administration made a similar proposal in June, and it was well received in Congress. Lawmakers, however, became preoccupied by the health care debate for much of the year and a lot of their work on tax law was delayed.

Obama is scheduled to release his proposed tax and spending plan on Monday. If the cell phone tax is repealed this year, taxpayers would be off the hook for all of 2010, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the budget had not yet been released.

A 1989 law says that personal use of a company cell phone should be taxed like other fringe benefits, such as a company car. The law, however, was passed when cell phones were referred to as car phones and were considered a luxury. Today, workers increasingly use company-issued mobile devices for texting, e-mailing and browsing the Internet -- sometimes for work, sometimes for personal use.

Last summer, the Internal Revenue Service issued a request for comments on ways to improve compliance with the tax, and there was such a backlash that the administration proposed repealing it.

At the time, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said the tax was "poorly understood by taxpayers" and acknowledged it was difficult to enforce consistently.

Some employers have faced big tax bills after failing to comply with the law.

In 2008, the IRS audited two University of California branches, in Los Angeles and San Diego. As part of a settlement, UCLA paid a tax assessment of $238,474 and San Diego paid $186,471.

Tech Showdown: Smartphones vs. Netbooks

2010-02-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

By Jay Dougherty

The recent launch of Google's Nexus One may have injected new life into the smartphone wars. But a battle that's just as compelling is the one between smartphones and netbooks themselves. Both appeal to those who want maximum portability in a device that allows them to stay connected wherever they roam, and both are potentially attractive to those who currently have neither. But before ever getting to the question of which smartphone or which netbook to buy, many have to decide whether a netbook or a smartphone makes more sense for their needs.

It's not an easy decision to make -- especially since both smartphones and netbooks help you accomplish many of the same tasks, and they're both typically fighting for the attention of consumers that can afford one but not both. Here's a rundown of where the netbook versus smartphone battle stands.

Portability

There's no contest here: the smartphone wins by a hefty margin. While netbooks are the thinnest, lightest form of notebook computer that you can purchase today -- many can be carried as easily as a small stack of papers -- they are still computers, which means you'll be tempted to haul a power supply and perhaps some accessories, which will only add to the bulk. Smartphones, by comparison, will slip neatly into your pocket. Portability is often the main reason why people get tipped toward the smartphone in the smartphone/netbook debate.

Battery Life

Here the nod goes to netbooks. Today, the best netbooks can squeeze nine hours of continuous use out of a single battery charge -- long enough for those who use the device sporadically to go an entire week without recharging. Smartphone users, by contrast, must constantly keep an eye on remaining battery life.

Although smartphones might advertise as many as 14 hours of standby time, standing by is usually not what smartphones are doing. Heavy data use, Wi-Fi use, mp3 playing, and other activities can knock down real-world battery life to just a few hours. And things get much worse if the weather is cold. It's not uncommon for your average smartphone user to have a charger at home, one in the car, and one in the office -- by necessity, not choice.

Connectivity

Smartphones are usually the easier way to get and stay connected while on the road, since they typically are sold by cell phone carriers with both a phone and wireless data plan. So with a smartphone, you'll be on some carrier's network. Network coverage will be your primary concern, and there you'll need to consult local studies to find out which carrier provides the broadest and best coverage for the areas you need. Pay special attention to network coverage abroad if you'll be traveling out of the country on a regular basis.

Netbooks can provide the same degree of hassle-free connectivity, but you'll probably need to look for -- and purchase -- a separate wireless data plan from your local cell provider. That's because while netbooks are designed for Internet connectivity out of the box, manufacturers do not assume that everyone who purchases a netbook will want or need a wireless data plan. Some will simply want to use their netbooks at home through their wireless router. Chances are good, though, that wherever you buy a netbook today you can also easily add on a wireless data plan.

Usability

If you're looking for a portable device that approximates the experience you have when using your desktop or full-size notebook computer, you'll find it with netbooks. But that doesn't mean that smartphones lose the usability battle outright. In fact, if you haven't used the keyboard -- or touch screen -- on a smartphone lately, you're probably in for a pleasant surprise.

You've no doubt seen legions of people "tapping" on their smartphones around you. You can bet that they're not tapping in agony. In fact, after some initial adjustment, you're likely to find that smartphone keyboards and keyboard shortcuts allow you to be surprisingly productive.

Web Browsing

There's no doubt that browsing the web is easier on a netbook. While a growing number of web pages are designed to be viewed easily on a smartphone -- those ending with the .mobi extension are made for "mobile" devices such as smartphones -- most smartphone users have to employ tricks such as panning and zooming when viewing conventional web sites. A number of applications are being developed that reformat certain types of web sites for smartphone users. Tapatalk, for instance, is available for iPhone and soon other smartphone users who want to browse and respond to posts on web forums. But the fact that such applications exist is testament to the problems that smartphone users have in browsing the web. Advantage: netbook.

Office Applications

If you're looking for the ability to use typical office applications in an ultra-portable package, then netbooks win out in this category. You won't be tempted to work on complex spreadsheets on a smartphone, although there are spreadsheet-like applications available for most. With netbooks, though, you can fire up just about any traditional application that runs under Windows or another operating system, although you may still be hampered by the very small screens and limited horsepower of the processors used to power today's netbooks.

If e-mail is your primary need while on the road, a smartphone -- especially one from BlackBerry -- will prove very satisfactory, however, and will make more sense than a netbook because of its portability.

Cost

Here the advantage would seem initially to go to netbooks, but the cost factor is highly dependent upon how you intend to use your smartphone or netbook.

In terms of device acquisition, both smartphones and netbooks cost about the same. But with smartphones you will want not only a cell phone plan but also a data plan. Total cost of ownership over a two-year period -- generally the length of the contract you will sign with a carrier -- can easily cost more than a high-end desktop computer.

Netbooks can be substantially less expensive over the same period of time, particularly if you do not purchase a wireless data plan that allows you to roam as you can with a smartphone. If you do purchase such a plan -- which is really what you'll want to make the netbook work as intended -- then cost of ownership approaches that of a smartphone.

Bottom Line

Your decision about whether to choose a smartphone or a netbook should come not from tallying the scores in the categories above but by knowing the strengths of each device and weighing those against your own priorities. If you'll be using a netbook primarily to catch up on e-mail, then a smartphone is probably the better choice, even if you're concerned that a smartphone's keyboard won't be comfortable enough. If you need maximum computing flexibility in a very portable package, then a netbook very likely makes more sense than a smartphone, despite the wide range of applications available to smartphone users today. In the end, before you invest in either of these devices, you can avoid a potentially costly mistake by getting some extended hands-on experience with both.

Will Business Users Buy Into the iPad Without Multitasking?

2010-02-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

By Jennifer LeClaire

As with many new Apple products, once the initial hubbub dies down there remains a single question: Is it ready for the business market? It didn't take long for analysts to start trying to answer that question as it relates to the yet-to-be-released iPad.

Of course, Apple is positioning the iPad as a business-appropriate device, complete with its Microsoft Office-compatible iWork productivity suite and the iPad's VGA output that sets the stage for business presentations. There's also support for Microsoft Exchange and the device was designed with security in mind.

All that being true, some, like Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT are skeptical. He describes the iPad as a sort of Swiss Army tablet that only allows users to open one blade at a time. That, he said, puts Apple at a disadvantage in the traditional tablet market of doctors and other mobile professionals.

"While the company should be commended on the iPad's lightness and form factor -- it easily qualifies as yet another company product design triumph -- the keyboard, docking station, and peripherals required to make the iPad a more truly useful business productivity tool undermine its vaunted form and portability," King said.

The Missing Features

Some of the iPad's strategic shortcomings, as King called them, include the GSM microSIM cards and the lack of multitasking capabilities. The multitasking issue may be the iPad's biggest flaw because it prevents the device from fully qualifying as a notebook replacement.

"At heart, Apple's new device is designed more for the passive consumption of digital content than its active creation. That does not mean the iPad will only be used for web-based entertainment. People write novels on cell phones and smartphones are quickly becoming increasingly powerful handheld computers," King said. "But traditional notebooks and even netbooks remain far better tools for conducting serious business and performing key work tasks."

What's more, King said, companies are beginning to worry about how easy access to social networking and other online distractions is affecting employee productivity. How likely is it that those organizations will invest in a device designed specifically for those sorts of activities? Not very, King said.

Techno-Hip Exec Appeal

Still, analysts believe there are a few business scenarios where the iPad could provide value. King sees it as a stylish and highly portable tool for making presentations. It also works well as a means for regular business travelers to catch up on simple e-mail, read documents and e-books, and perform other tasks made easier by the iPad's larger format.

"We also believe that, like the iPhone, if companies initially resist the iPad's charms, next-generation devices will almost assuredly include additional business-friendly features," King said. "In fact, it would hardly be surprising if Apple attempts to address especially vociferous complaints during the two months until the iPad becomes commercially available."

Of course, it's likely that Apple will encourage its App Store developer partners to build some business tools and applications for the iPad. King won't be surprised to see "digital cognoscenti" and "techno-hip executives" toting an iPad, and that could cause the device to catch on in business circles.

MobilityPass Compass

2010-02-08T13:35:00.000-08:00

MobilityPass is a Global "Swiss Army Knife" . MobilityPass' communication software combines a free internet phone with the ability to send text messages, faxes, and instant messages, at affordable rates. MobilityPass also encrypts and unifies all services so know you can rely on the fact that all of your information is safe and secure.

INQ Plans New Android Smartphone

2010-02-05T12:51:00.000-08:00

by Sascha Segan

INQ, makers of the "Facebook phone," plan to put out a heavily customized Android-based smartphone in 2010, INQ CEO Frank Meehan said in an exclusive interview with PCMag.com Thursday.

"We came to the conclusion that aside from licensing Palm [WebOS], which is a fairly difficult thing to do, Android was really most suited for our plans with touch-screen devices," he said.

While INQ hasn't cracked the U.S. market yet, their phones have a lot of buzz overseas. The company, a spinoff from international megacarrier Hutchinson, makes low-cost feature phones, which tightly integrate with Facebook, Skype, Twitter, and other social networks.

INQ already has a strong strategy for what Meehan calls "the sub-$49 and under market in the U.S.," and they plan to introduce phones here next year. They turned to Android as part of their next move, into "the $79-99-199 on two-year-contract range," which they see as dominated by low-cost smartphones in the future.

A New Kind of Droid

INQ looked at several smartphone OS options before turning to Android, Meehan said. Windows Mobile was too hard to customize properly. LiMo wasn't stable enough yet. Licensing Palm's WebOS seemed like too much of a trial. And Android has a strong, enthusiastic developer community who are just looking for someone to put their house in order, Meehan said.

The company's version of Android might not look a lot like the Android you see on the T-Mobile G1, Meehan said. Android allows manufacturers to customize it heavily, though nobody's done that yet outside China.

That means changing even core Android applications like the phone book, to enable INQ's signature social-networking integration.

"You just make a new set of APIs available, and you link. We're working with some developers already in the Android world to enhance it. They can see what the iPhone is, and they would love to be coding for something like that," Meehan said.

Android Market also needs help, which may mean a new face for the 7,000-app store, or starting an entirely new store, Meehan said.

"We're examining lots of different options, but we've got to fix that marketplace issue," he said. "Google has to improve it, or if they don't, someone's got to improve it for them."

Of course, once you start really reworking Android, you run into the danger of "forking" the code - making your version of Android so different that it can't work with Google's own updates.

"The holy grail is enough compatibility with Google so it doesn't incur too many costs, but certainly shakes up the contact list," he said.

Since INQ comes out of the wireless carrier world, they can speak carriers' language too, Meehan said, helping the carriers offer affordable smartphones with compelling services that don't treat carriers as dumb pipes. That's going to help them in the US market, he said.

"We can beat Nokia and Sony Ericsson and Motorola at this ... we're small, we're nimble, and we're fast," Meehan said.

3G Networks - The Need for Speed

2010-02-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

The 3G networks that are available today are providing users with a faster connection and transfer speeds than ever seen before. 3G is a term which refers to cell phone technology. It actually stands for "third generation." As the name implies, it was preceded by two earlier versions. The first generation was developed at the start of the 1980s when the commercial cellular networks were created. Since cell phones did not even exist at this point in time, not many people have ever heard about 1G.

The second generation came about in the 1990s when cell phones became available. At this point, a North American mobile operator adopted a system called Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Many operators in other parts of the world decided upon a different approach with something called Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). This system is still around today and is the main reason European and Asian phones are so differently designed than North American ones. They use different algorithms to achieve the same effect: multiple cell phone calls can be made on the same radio frequency without disrupting one another.

As data transfer rates continued to increase, 2G morphed into 2.5G. Older service standards converged and improved, higher standards continued to be released. Network evolutions and improvements in data transmission rates led to what today is known as 3G. What that means to you as a consumer is superior voice quality, higher data transfer speeds, video and multimedia capabilities and improved roaming. The fastest 2G phones had the capacity to download a three-minute song in about eight minutes. The 3G phones which are available and on demand now can download that same three-minute song in 15 seconds. 3G phones are so advanced in speed they are practically little laptops that can support video conferencing or streaming from the web, faxing messages and quickly open e-mail attachments.

The fourth generation is in development for a decade or more and is almost coming about now, but it is not yet a standard item. Each upgrade in technology has required advancements that allowed new features to become available on cell phones. Phones from just a few years ago can simply not be compared with the newest phones right now. As technology continues to progress, we can be sure we will be getting more advanced abilities out of our cell phones. To view more extensive information about 3G phones and networks that are available, please visit http://www.mobilitypass.com/ to get more details. Your new phone is waiting for you!

Microsoft warns of IE bug used in Chinese attacks on Google

2010-02-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

by Emil Protalinski

Microsoft has issued Security Advisory (979352) after its own investigations into the highly-organized hacking attack in late December, the one that Google earlier this week insinuated came from China, led the software giant to conclude that a Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in Internet Explorer was used by the perpetrators.

"The company has determined that Internet Explorer was one of the vectors used in targeted and sophisticated attacks targeted against Google and other corporate networks," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. "Microsoft continues to work with Google, other industry partners and authorities to actively investigate this issue. To date, Microsoft has not seen widespread customer impact, rather only targeted and limited attacks exploiting IE6."

While Microsoft says it is only aware of limited, active attacks attempting to use this vulnerability in IE6, and has not seen attacks against other versions of IE, the vulnerability is not limited to version 6, according to the security advisory. Internet Explorer 5.01 on Windows 2000 SP4 is not affected, but IE6 on Windows 2000 SP4, as well as IE6, IE7 and IE8 on supported editions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2 are all affected.

"The vulnerability exists as an invalid pointer reference within Internet Explorer," the advisory reads. "It is possible under certain conditions for the invalid pointer to be accessed after an object is deleted. In a specially-crafted attack, in attempting to access a freed object, Internet Explorer can be caused to allow remote code execution."

Microsoft did not give any workarounds for the flaw in the security advisory, but it did list five mitigating factors:

Protected Mode in IE7 on Windows Vista limits the impact of the vulnerability.
In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a webpage that is used to exploit this vulnerability or do so via a webpage that accepts or hosts user-provided content or advertisements. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these websites and would have to convince them to do so, which is typically achieved via an e-mail or instant message.
By default, Internet Explorer on Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 runs in a restricted mode that is known as Enhanced Security Configuration. This mode sets the security level for the Internet zone to High and so is a mitigating factor for websites that you have not added to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone.
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less affected than users who operate with administrative user rights.
By default, all supported versions of Outlook, Outlook Express, and Windows Mail open HTML e-mail messages in the Restricted sites zone, which should mitigate attacks trying to exploit this vulnerability by preventing Active Scripting and ActiveX controls from being used. However, if a user clicks a link in an e-mail message, the user could still be vulnerable to exploitation of this vulnerability through the Web-based attack scenario.

Microsoft says it will continue to monitor the situation and will either post a patch on Patch Tuesday or will release an out-of-cycle security update.

source: http://arstechnica.com/business/

Advantage For Embassy And Foreign Staff

2010-02-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

Because working for the government can be demanding, you can exceed expectations by providing yourself with MobilityPass, the best way to establish a wireless Internet connection in real time.

Constant access to the Internet is essential for economic growth and global competitiveness. High tech distance learning, public safety and e-governance require a high speed and constant Internet access for universal networks. Embassy and foreign diplomats and staff who are on vacation are required to have Internet connection to be able to keep track of their work, such as Visa's connected to consulate work, especially because they have to keep contact with people internationally.

With the use of a laptop, you will be able to establish a high speed Internet connection. This has brought a revolution to wireless connection, making it accessible to many. You can go anywhere on the road at any given time, equip yourself with your laptop and MobilityPass which you can place in a handy bag, and you're good to go.

Cost, Convenience and Advantages

MobilityPass is advantageous with the Internet connection that it provides even in places where Internet connection is less feasible or is non-existent. This is accessed through a 3G network that gives total mobility as opposed to WIFI wherein you have to be close to a hotspot in order to connect to the Internet. It allows you to be connected wherever you are, whenever you want to.

The cost is relatively similar when compared to DSL, although a cable line is a bit cheaper. The potentials, however, are a little more different. For instance, you cannot bring a cable line to the park, where you can work and spend time with your family at the same time, whereas you can always use the MobilityPass anywhere, even at home. This gives workers who are always on the go the perfect way to establish a mobile Internet connection that fits well with the nature of their living.

You can easily connect to the Internet using the computer or laptop just as long as the computer has a means of connection for the MobilityPass (such as USB port). Broadband Internet based calls have also been made available today. Foreign staffs and workers use this kind of communication for a faster way to communicate with people, especially those who are connected with the kind of job that they have.

There are no busy signals or dropped connection when you are trying to go online. Working online will be accessible, easy and enjoyable with the MobilityPass. It takes a few seconds instead of a few minutes just to make a stable connection. With the MobilityPass, it is easier to share files or documentations, talk to people using VOIP, or simply stream a video that you have to see. Nothing is more convenient than having MobilityPass with you, wherever you go.

The best thing about this speedy and reliable international roaming Internet connection is that it does not create a hole in your pocket. You will find that it is more convenient and affordable than WIFI hotel rates when you are traveling. Having your own MobilityPass allows you to have your own Internet connection without competing with a bunch of other people just to get a decent speed. You are also ensured that your files are safe. Sharing a single connection with other people can create certain problems that you wouldn't want to happen.

MSI's 10-inch Tegra/Android tablet coming this year for $500

2010-02-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

By Ryan Paul

Following Apple's unveiling of the long-awaited iPad yesterday, hardware vendor MSI has revealed that its upcoming Android tablet, which was first shown at CES this year, will debut in the second half of 2010 for $500.

The MSI tablet is built on NVIDIA's Tegra SoC and has a ten-inch touchscreen display. If reports about Apple's A4 are accurate, Tegra's Cortex A9 should put the MSI tablet on equal footing with the iPad in raw computing power.

Based on information about the current prototype, it's clear that the company has been working on some customizations for the Android software platform to adapt it to the larger tablet form factor. It's not yet clear, however, if Android is really well-suited to the higher-resolution display. Key functionality like the onscreen keyboard will have to be adjusted, for one. It's unlikely that an Android-based computing experience will be able to rival the refinement of Apple's user interface, but Android does offer a number of critical advantages, like full support for multitasking, that will give the MSI a solid chance in the market.

In related news, Michael Dell says that his company's 5-inch Android tablet will be ready in "in a few months" and will sell for just over $1,000. It has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 5MP camera, WiFi and 3G connectivity, and Android 1.6. At more than twice the price of the MSI tablet and the iPad, the 5-inch device seems like it might be tough to sell without a carrier subsidy.

DOT Bans Texting by Truckers, Bus Drivers

2010-01-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

By: Roy Mark

The U.S. Department of Transportation banned texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses Jan. 26, effective immediately. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data shows that drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting. At 55 miles per hour, this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road.

"Our regulations will help prevent unsafe activity within the cab," FMSCA Administrator Anne Ferro said in a statement. "We want to make it crystal clear to operators and their employers that texting while driving is the type of unsafe activity that these regulations are intended to prohibit."

According to the FMCSA, drivers who text while driving are more than 20 times more likely to get in an accident than non-distracted drivers. Because of the safety risks associated with the use of electronic devices while driving, the FMCSA is also working on additional regulatory measures that will be announced in the coming months.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in the months ahead DOT will propose additional legal remedies and develop tools that will allow federal authorities to coordinate with the law enforcement community, safety advocates, researchers and others to find new ways to raise awareness and bring an end to the dangers posed by distracted driving.

"This guidance is effective immediately. It applies to interstate truck drivers. It also applies generally to commercial bus or van drivers who carry more than eight passengers," LaHood said. "To put this dangerous behavior in perspective, researchers at Virginia Tech found that truck drivers who send text messages on a cell phone are about 23 times more likely to get into some type of crash or near-miss than drivers who keep their eyes on the road."

Google' s Brave New Approach to China

2010-01-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

by Dan Costa

Lines have been drawn, lines have been crossed, and now there is no way Google can ethically continue to operate Google.cn under the "laws" set down by the Chinese government. For that matter, Microsoft and Yahoo had better start doing some soul-searching of their own, or prepare to yield much more than just the moral high-ground.

For Google.cn to succeed, either Google needed to accept the Chinese government's control of its core business, or that government had to allow Google to deliver the world's knowledge to its citizens. Google played along for a while, but recent events show that even the tempting lure of a billion new consumers isn't worth playing the role of the Chinese government's toady.

This isn't something that I take joy in. I was hopeful that as international technology companies began to operate inside China, there would be an exchange of ideas and a growing tolerance on the part of the government. Instead, an army of government censors—by some estimates 30,000 of them—continue to redact the Web with the forced cooperation of Microsoft, Yahoo, and until this week, Google.

It is important to look at what exactly prompted Google's public withdrawal. It wasn't just the standard censorship that all companies must accept to operate in country. Google was used to that. No, it was the discovery of a "highly sophisticated and targeted attack on [its] corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property." Since Google's announcement, representatives from Adobe said their company was attacked in a similar fashion, most likely through a zero-day attack that exploited an Internet Explorer vulnerability.

No one will say this was a government-sponsored or condoned attack, but the hackers were after more than just intellectual property. They wanted to spy on Chinese dissidents. David Drummond, Google's SVP, corporate development and chief legal officer, wrote in a post, "We have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists."

After a little more digging, Google found that dozens of human rights advocates across the world have had their accounts accessed by third parties. Now, who would want to spy on human rights activists that frequently criticize the Chinese government?

The Chinese government's priority here is to control its population at any cost. As Wang Chen, China's director of the State Council Information Office, said in a question-and-answer session with reporters, after Google's announcement, "Effective guidance of public opinion on the Internet is an important way of protecting the security of online information."

If Apple Ends AT&T's iPhone Exclusivity, Everyone Wins

2010-01-27T13:39:00.000-08:00

by Brian Heater

Amid the flurry of speculation surrounding the rumored Apple tablet, it's hard to imagine the company spending much time on anything else during this coming Wednesday's press conference in San Francisco. But customarily, Apple CEO Steve Jobs makes a slew of announcements at such events.

While nothing that the company reveals tomorrow is likely to come close to the impact of the new gadget, whatever it is, that's set to take center stage, one possible piece of news could produce some industry shockwaves of its own: Rumors are starting to fly that Jobs will also use the event as occasion to announce the end of AT&T's two-and-a-half year stranglehold on the iPhone. These conjectures, it seems, are at least tangentially related to speculation that Apple has partnered with Verizon to provide data for the new tablet. Should that in fact materialize, it seems only logical that the company would extend the partnership to its most prized property.

After all, the weakest link in the iPhone chain has long been AT&T. The company's infrastructure is just not set up to handle the sort of data that iPhone owners require. For all of the phone's successes, it has largely crippled the carrier in major cities. In New York City, the dropped-call rate is reportedly somewhere in the neighborhood of 33 percent.

Opening up the phone to the nation's other largest carrier would ultimately benefit everyone involved. Verizon gets the most popular phone around, and Apple sells units to consumers who have always wanted an iPhone but had been scared off by the AT&T horror stories. And AT&T itself relieves a bit of the congestion that comes with being the only carrier in the country to offer the iPhone—and hopefully gains back some of the good faith lost by irritated subscribers.

Verizon, for its part, seems ready to support the iPhone. According to a number of reports that cropped up around the time of the first's iPhone's release, the carrier turned down the opportunity to offer the handset. Verizon has experienced something of a smartphone renaissance as of late, however: The once infamously crippled carrier now offers two Droids and two webOS devices. The iPhone would round out Verizon's selection nicely, really cementing the company's position as a premier smartphone provider.

Apple set a precedent for this possibility when it opened up the handset in the U.K., breaking O2's exclusivity on the device in that country. First Orange and then Vodafone were confirmed as carriers in September of last year. An exec at Orange, interestingly, reportedly "confirmed" the existence of an Apple tablet during an interview with the French press earlier this month—a charge that Orange was quick to rebuke. Perhaps Apple has been offering the iPhone as part of a package deal, in its attempts to recruit carriers for its latest device.

Whatever actually happens on Wednesday, one thing seems for sure: AT&T's lock on the iPhone can't last forever. The carrier has already had the sole rights to the device in the States for more than two years. The sooner the iPhone is allowed to spread its wings, the better.

FCC Asks Carriers for Details on ETFs

2010-01-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

By Mark Hachman

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday sent letters to the four major carriers, plus Google, asking for more details on early termination fees (ETFs).

The letters, authored by Federal Communications Commission Consumer Bureau Chief Joel Gurin and Wireless Bureau Chief Ruth Milkman, were sent to AT&T, Google, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. In it were a list of a dozen questions asking for more details on the ETFs, how they were communicated to consumers, and how the fees themselves were calculated.

"We recognize that wireless carriers may have various rationales for ETFs," the letters read. "At the same time, these fees are substantial (and in some cases are increasing) and have an important impact on consumers' ability to switch carriers. We therefore believe it is essential that consumers fully understand what they are signing up for—both in the short term and over the life of the contract—when they accept a service plan with an early termination fee."

Although ETFs are a facet of almost all cell-phone contracts, the rise of subsidized smartphones and the subsequent fees for canceling service have brought them under the FCC's scrutiny. Verizon, for example, recently raised its advanced-smartphone ETF fee to $350, defending its action as one that would benefit customers. It later dropped older phones from the plan.

Google, meanwhile, tacked on an "equipment recovery fee" of $550 for its Nexus One that it will market, along with T-Mobile. The $550 is more than the unlocked version of the phone.

"The purpose of this letter is to gather information about whether customers are adequately informed about Google's Equipment Recovery Fee in connection with its offering of the Nexus One to customers who agree to a two-year contract with T-Mobile," the FCC said in its letter to Google. "Because consumers are required to pay this Fee if they terminate their contracts early (within 120 days of purchase in this case), we regard the Fee as an Early Termination Fee ("ETF").

The FCC asked for responses to be sent no later than Feb. 23.

The questions the FCC asked are:

1. Do your ETFs apply to all service plans or only some? If so, which ones?
2. What is the amount of the ETF for each service plan where ETFs apply? If there are different ETFs for different plans, what is the rationale for those differences?
3. How much of a discount on handset purchase is given in return for a consumer accepting an ETF? Does the amount of the discount differ by device, and if so, how?
4. Does the ETF itself vary by device (e.g., higher ETFs for advanced devices)? If higher ETFs apply to a certain class of devices, exactly how is that class defined?
5. Is it possible for consumers to buy a handset from you at full price to avoid an ETF? If this is possible, can consumers buy unsubsidized handsets online, as well as at brick-and-mortar stores?
6. Do monthly service rates and terms differ: (1) between customers who assume a term commitment and accept an ETF, and those who don't, and (2) between customers who purchase an unsubsidized device (either from your company or a third party), and those who purchase a subsidized device? If so, how do they differ, and what is the rationale for the difference? Can customers easily determine the impacts of their decisions and their rates and terms?
7. Are ETFs prorated so that the customer's liability decreases over time? If so, what is the exact schedule by which they are prorated?
8. If a customer renews his or her contract without buying a new handset, does his or her monthly service fee change in any way?
9. How long is the trial period during which consumers can cancel their service without an ETF penalty? If they cancel, can they return the handset? If they return it, will they receive a full refund, no refund, or a refund minus a restocking and/or refurbishing fee?
10. When do consumers receive their first bill under your service plans? How does the trial period relate, if at all, to receipt of the first bill?
11. Are there consumer fees or charges in addition to ETFs if consumers buy handsets and/or service plans from online phone dealers, such as Amazon, LetsTalk, and Simplexity (d/b/a Wirefly), or from a service provider, if a customer does not complete the contract term? If so, what are they, and what are their levels, terms, and conditions? Do the fees or charges affect the ETFs and if so, how?
12. Press reports and public statements from wireless companies have attributed ETFs to several different factors. What is the rationale for your ETF(s), and how specifically do the structure and level of those ETF(s) relate to that rationale?

Kill Your Phone Remotely

2010-01-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

Many of today's most popular smartphones can be erased remotely if they are lost or stolen. Here's how to do it.

by Jamie Lendino

A handset may be valuable, but it's easily replaced. The data on it, however, is often much more important. Cell phones carry all kinds of personal and business information these days, and preventing it from getting into the wrong hands is key.

While a stray personal address book won't matter much to an unsavory type who finds a lost iPhone—they'd much rather just sell the phone—cached online banking passwords, corporate documents and VPN access are better off kept secure. That's why many of today's smartphones support a mobile kill switch, also called "remote wipe" capability. Remote wipe lets a device owner or IT support engineer remotely erase the handheld's data in case it's lost or stolen.

All of the major smartphone platforms have some kind of remote erase capability. There are several ways of doing it, such as installing apps on the handset, using a management console on the IT side, or signing up for a cloud-based service. Here's a rundown of what's out there for each platform. No matter which smartphone OS you or your employees use, you're bound to find something that can help put your mind at rest.

Though it varies by kill switch and platform, remote wipes aren't fail safe. If someone finds the phone before the remote wipe occurs—which could happen if the battery dies, or there's no signal to receive the command—a thief or corporate spy could disable the network connections and then hack into the device (the procedures would depend on the particular phone). Your best insurance is to flip the kill switch quickly, the same way you would call your credit card company the moment you noticed the card was missing.

Note: By "kill switch" we mean remote wipe capability; this is not to be confused with the "kill switch" found in iPhone OS and Android 1.5 that lets Apple and Google delete mobile apps they no longer approve of on existing handsets.

Apple iPhone
Apple's $99-per-year MobileMe service offers Mac users the ability to push e-mail, contacts, and calendar entries to the iPhone (among other things). But one key feature, first announced in March and later introduced with iPhone OS 3.0, lets MobileMe users perform a remote wipe on a lost or stolen iPhone. It's found under Account -> Find My iPhone -> Remote Wipe. It can also display a message on the phone's screen, like "please call Jamie at 718-555-1212 if found."

Palm Pre
All Palm Pre owners set up a Palm Profile when first activating their new devices. The Palm Profile lets users back up settings, receive over-the-air updates, or—ta da—remotely erase a lost or stolen handset. To begin, head to palm.com/palmprofile, enter your profile e-mail address and password, and click Erase Device (for more information on this, read Palm's detailed instructions). In addition, Palm's Exchange ActiveSync implementation in webOS 1.1 now supports Remote Wipe, which lets IT administrations do the same thing for centrally managed Pres.

BlackBerry OS
Any BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) handset can be erased remotely via the Erase Data and Disable Handheld IT administration command over the wireless network. IT admins can also specify if the handset should revert to factory default settings or retain the IT policy it had before. Individual users with BIS can install Roblock for BlackBerry 2.0, a $9.95 app that remote locks or wipes devices, offers GPS tracking, and recovers lost contacts.

Android OS
SMobile Anti-Theft for Android is a $19.95 app that features GPS locate and remote wipe functions for the T-Mobile G1, T-Mobile myTouch 3G, or any other Android-powered smartphone. The app can erase both the handset and any SD card data. The $29.95 Security Shield for Android also protects against viruses and other malware, but that's not much of a concern in the U.S. (at least at the time of this writing).

Windows Mobile
Microsoft's new My Phone Windows Mobile service, currently in beta, lets users locate lost handhelds via GPS and erase their data remotely. It also backs up contacts, photos, text messages, and calendar entries to Microsoft's storage cloud. My Phone (Beta) works with any Windows Mobile 6.0 handheld.

Microsoft Exchange Server can handle the same task for enterprise devices, along with Absolute Software's Computrace Mobile, which can manage enterprise devices running Windows Mobile or BlackBerry and issue remote wipe commands.

source: www.pcmag.com

Thinking about Switching providers? See what we can do!

2010-01-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

The MobilityPass Compass international SoftPhone is your encrypted Communication "Swiss-Knife" while abroad: Calls In & Out, SMS Text messaging, Unified Instant Messaging, Fax, Push E-Mail, Storage, Follow me numbers, Wifi Hotspot finder, VPN.

SoftPhone: Free PC to PC calls, 100% FREE calls at great quality using your contact list. Send voice smileys to your friends while on the phone.

Conference calls: Call several persons at a time, with the built in conference call feature.

Receive calls on your computer: Get a real number in the country you want and receive calls on your computer or forward them wherever you want.

Phone to Phone: If you prefer to use your real phone to place a call, use the low rates Phone to Phone features.

Follow-Me number: Get a Phone Number in any Major City on the world to be closer to your customers, business partners or family, including VoiceMail, Online setting and forwarding.

Unified Instant Messaging: Get access to all your instant messaging accounts (Microsoft Messenger, AOL, Gmail, ICQ, Mobilitypass), chat, call.

Send Online 2 way SMS text message: Scheduled or bulk directly on your computer from your phone book or all your IM contacts, copy and paste from any application.

E-Mail: Manage all your email accounts from anywhere: Send and receive your emails as usual while out of your home or business. Secured and Centralized Email managementGet easy secure access to all your email accounts at once (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, ISP, corporate, etc..), use it with webmail or your current email software.

Fax: Online virtual fax machine, Send fax documents anywhere, anytime in a click all type of documents from major applications Excel, Word, PowerPoint, pdf, jpg...

File backup and sharing: Keep and share your complete back-up, documents, emails, address book, etc...securely stored. Centralized and secured remote file management for travelers. Worldwide Wifi hotspots & 3g Mobile Broadband locator, 3.000.000 locations referenced.

For more information, visit us at MOBILITYPASS.COM

MobilityPass announces New Internet Locator

2010-01-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

MobilityPass has launched the internet access locater that can help you connect to a Wi-Fi connection, anytime, anywhere. This is the age of internet. No matter if you are a big industrialist or a high school student, imagining a life without internet is very hard to imagine. When computer was first introduced in offices, it created a big change in the way people communicated. But at that time, the internet speed was abysmal and it used to take several minutes to just connect to the internet via dial up connections which used to hang up our telephone lines and had a mind of their own about staying connected.

Needless to say, a change was in the offing. People needed a more reliable and faster internet and thus, broadband and Wi-Fi connections were introduced. The availability of cheaper and faster internet brought it out of the office and helped it become a part of our daily life; both personal and professionals.

Today, we can access internet where and whenever we want. The Wi-Fi connectors have ended the need to connect the computer with the any device as we can now surf wirelessly. Needless to say, the technologically conscious people are looking for faster and newer devices to get connected.

MobilityPass have introduced this new product in the market to tap in the ever growing demand for Wi-Fi finders. The representative of the company claims that the device can find internet connection in more than 9,000,000 locations around the world. The device not only searches Wi-Fi hotspots but can also lookout for Dial up connections, ISDN, Toll Free and wireless broadband connections quickly.

And that's not all. You can also search according to the country and city you are in. A list of nearest access points will pop up on your screen along with a details and map of the location. Thus, no matter whether you are in your own country or in some foreign land, you wont have any difficulty in finding your nearest internet hot spot.

The company has made sure that only safe and verified connections are provided on the list of access points. This is extremely important for the safety of the users. After all, you don't want to become a victim of identity theft in a foreign land due to a viral internet connection.

This locator is perfect for business and frequent travelers as it can also locate Dial up or free connections. Since not every country has 3G or Wi-Fi networks, this option can prove to be very helpful.

MobilityPass provides instant access to all those access point with only one worldwide account and login. This means that you don't have to go on and run from pillar to post to get internet connection on your computer started.

MobilityPass has come up with a very useful device. Travelers or people who love to use internet outdoors can really use this device.

For more info: Wifi Finder

Advantages for Businesses

2010-01-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

There are many advantages to using SIM cards, and when you are working overseas, you are going to quickly find that communication is your biggest concern, and your biggest worry. When you are working overseas, on any business, you want to be sure that you have your mobile and cellular communication up and running, and that it is easy to make sure that you can communicate. Therefore, what you want to be sure you are doing is finding a SIM network that is going to help you with your global, international, and corporate life.

With the Mobilitypass SIM system, you will be able to have a pay as you go, easy to use network that is going to give you a chance to get all of your mobile communication done easily and quickly. With the right SIM system, you aren't going to have to worry about making sure that you have a monthly bill that is going to work, or making sure that you have the right funds to make it happen. When you are looking at the SIM cards, you'll find that they are much easier to use, and that you are going to be much happier using them as well.

The Mobilitypass has been around since 1999, and is serving more than 160 countries, currently. When you have opened yourself to the possibility of using the MobilityPass to make sure that you have global internet and cell phone access, you join hundreds of thousands of people who use the SIM card system to make sure that they are happy with the cellular advantages that they have found. For you, this can be only the beginning.

When you use the SIM card, you are going to have free incoming roaming calls in more than 75 countries, and you will be able to have low rates on outgoing calls to more than 223 countries. This means that you are going to be able save more than 50-80% on your cell phone bill while you are abroad, an amazing savings that you'll be proud of for many years to come.

There are so many other advantages to having and using a SIM Mobilitypass as well. You are going to be able to take advantage of a chance to really get calls and make calls at low rates, and no matter where you are or what you are doing, you'll be able to find ways to make calls and get them back, very cheaply. You are also going to be able to take advantage of the fact that it is a pay as you go system, which means that you can pay as you go, and that you don't have to commit to anything long term. There are no monthly fees, no set up fees, and nothing else that will distract you from getting the lowest and best rate possible for yourself when it comes to the phone calls that you are making. The SIM MobilityPass is one of the best choices you can make.

New technology speeds donations for Haiti relief efforts

2010-01-19T13:17:00.000-08:00

By Susan Kinzie

New and easier ways to contribute have helped propel donations for Haiti earthquake relief efforts despite a weak economy, according to officials at a number of aid organizations, some of whom marveled at the volume of donations tweeted and texted from cellphones.

On Thursday, the American Red Cross had received more than $35 million since Tuesday night's earthquake, a record for the organization in a 48-hour period, an official said. That included more than $5 million through text messages, an amount that eclipsed the previous total for a campaign using that technology.

"I think it's an incredible story," said Rachel Wolff of World Vision, which had raised several million dollars. "It's unprecedented giving in a recession."

Other aid agencies said that they were not expecting to match the outpouring of contributions that followed large-scale disasters such as the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but that they were pleased with the volume so far. Some said that the number of gifts was higher but that the amounts were smaller, perhaps because of the economy or because charities have made it easy to give small donations of $5 or $10.

Although it's too early to do more than estimate the dollar amounts, aid officials agreed that for a variety of reasons -- including the extent of the devastation, the depth of poverty in Haiti before the earthquake, the proximity of the country to the United States and the large number of Haitians with family members who live here -- Americans have responded with swift generosity.

"You would not have any idea that we're in this economy," said Stephanie Kurzina, a vice president at Oxfam America.

The totals do not include the $100 million committed by the World Bank and another $100 million pledged by the United States.

In the first five days after Katrina and the tsunami, more than $200 million was donated to victims of each disaster, said Patrick Rooney, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Within a year, a total of nearly $2 billion was donated to tsunami victims, and $6.5 billion was given for Gulf Coast hurricane victims.

Gifts have come in a variety of forms -- huge checks, micro-donations, new ideas and old shoes. A 12-year-old Alexandria girl pooled the $19 that she, her younger brother and a neighbor had saved from raking leaves and donated it to earthquake relief. Ted Turner gave $1 million through his foundation. The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation is giving $500,000 to the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund.

In the past two days, 11,0000 people have joined Oxfam America, an organization that fights poverty and famine worldwide.

New technology has made giving easier than ever. Hundreds of thousands of people have donated by text-messaging. By texting a code word such as "Haiti" to a designated number, people can donate $5 or $10 that will be added to their phone bills.

A big chunk of GlobalGiving's donations came though Twitter. Oxfam America officials were surprised by the volume of money it received through Facebook.

Celebrities including Ashton Kutcher, Lenny Kravitz, Oprah Winfrey and Coldplay's lead singer, Chris Martin, urged people to give, with messages that spread through social networking sites.

The viral pace of donations via text showed no signs of slowing Thursday, said Jim Manis, chief executive of Mobile Giving Foundation, which announced that more than $4.5 million had been raised by that means alone as of Thursday evening.

Haitian American musician Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation, for example, was receiving 10,000 texts an hour. Large organizations such as the William J. Clinton Foundation were launching text campaigns late in the day.

The more traditional ways of helping continued, too. People wrote checks, boxed up rations in basements and passed collection baskets at churches. American Eagle flew the first of several 30,000-pound shipments of supplies including water, food, soap and diapers, and its parent company, AMR Corp., encouraged customers to give to the American Red Cross by offering frequent-flier miles. A hip-hop event at a P Street lounge turned into a Haiti benefit.

The FBI and some watchdog groups warned donors to be careful of potential scams. Web sites popped up overnight, and false text-messaging codes proliferated. Web sites such as Charity Navigator offered lists of organizations with low overhead costs and a proven commitment to Haiti.

Officials at several relief agencies expressed concern that, despite the short-term blitz of texts and tweets, once the immediate crisis has passed, the state of the U.S. economy will prevent donors from continuing to give.

"Haiti, even in the best of times, is in really dire shape. The needs, both short-term and long-term, are huge," said Jeremy Barnicle of Mercy Corps. "Will there be the will, long term, to rebuild?"

Torn Between 2 Phones: Nexus One vs. iPhone

2010-01-18T13:59:00.000-08:00

By NICK BILTON

To switch or not to switch, that is the question. Google’s announcement of its Nexus One smartphone happened over a week ago and I’m still receiving lots of Tweets and e-mail from readers asking the same question: Should they give up their iPhone for the Nexus One?

Some people with iPhones, frustrated by AT&T’s inadequate service and the high monthly cost, are wondering if an alternative has finally arrived. Does the Nexus One offer the feature list that Apple has led them to expect?

I’m on the fence myself, even though I never thought I’d be interested in anything but the iPhone. From my experience using the Nexus One, and from talking to people who have made the shift, it’s not necessarily about the differences between the iPhone and the Nexus One. The phones are extremely similar in design and general feel. Instead, the decision can be made based on the software services you use on your desktop or in the browser.

Chad Dickerson, chief technology officer of Etsy, received a pre-launch Nexus One from Google three weeks ago. He says Google’s phone feels connected to certain services on the Web in a way the iPhone doesn’t. “Compared to the iPhone, the Google phone feels like it’s part of the Internet to me,” he said. “If you live in a Google world, you have that world in your pocket in a way that’s cleaner and more connected than the iPhone.”

The same thing applies to the iPhone. If you’re a MobileMe, iPhoto, iTunes or Safari user, the iPhone connects effortlessly to your pictures, contacts, bookmarks and music. But if you use other services, you sometimes need to find software workarounds to get access to your content.

In comparison, with the Nexus One, if you use GMail, Google Calendar or Picasa, Google’s online photo storage software, the phone connects effortlessly to these services and automatically syncs with a single log-in on the phone.

The phones work perfectly with their respective software, but both of them don’t make an effort to play nice with other services.

Tim O’Reilly, founder and chief executive of O’Reilly Media, also took the leap to the Nexus One and discussed his thinking in a recent blog post on O’Reilly Radar. Mr. O’Reilly wrote: “Gmail is so good on the phone that I can, for the first time, imagine being totally without my laptop.” But he also added that trying to get music onto the phone had been extremely frustrating.

Mr. O’Reilly said in an interview that there was a clear divide between these two phones that felt like a war taking place between Apple and Google. He said it reminded him of the early battles with Microsoft and desktop operating systems. “If you’re a primary user of these platforms you get a great experience,” he said. “If you’re a heavy Google user on the Nexus One it’s great, but if not you’re on another device, you become a second-class citizen.”

Ultimately, Mr. O’Reilly said he made the switch because he found the wireless service to be less expensive. And he liked that Google’s Android platform was more open to developers than Apple’s iPhone ecosystem.

Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple, also has a crush on the Nexus One, as he explained on an NBC show this week. Mr. Wozniak said the Nexus One was his “latest” favorite gadget. (It should be noted that Mr. Wozniak later pointed out that he still has “two iPhones.”)

So those who are still wondering about the Nexus One should think about the software services they rely on, and explore how easily they integrate with their current phone. Then decide from there. Of course, there’s also the customer service factor to consider.

Top 5 Smartphone development of 2009

2010-01-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

As smartphones further paved their place in the enterprises, Apple, RIM Blackberry, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola and Google Android are eying for the spotlight. In the last quarter, Gartner said that Smartphone sales had surpassed 41 million units, a 12.8 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Today, Smartphones have become a compulsory gadget for corporate users. They are not only revolutionizing the mobile handset market, but also changing the way we use PCs. The reason behind the success of the Smartphones is increased interest in social networking with Facebook and Twitter, which demand high speed internet and connectivity features.

In 2009, all the major mobile vendors update its range to increase their revenue and market share. Here, the feature discusses the biggest stories in the Smartphone industry.

1. Google Android platform and Google Phone

Google Android is an open source mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel launched back in 2007. The platform targets mobile devices in large, but now it seems that various PC vendors are working on Android based netbooks and tablets. Recently, it is reported that the Android OS claimed 27% share in the market, whereas iPhone OS reported 55% share in the Smartphone market in US for November month.

Various Smartphones based on the platform is already available in the market like HTC G1, HTC Droid Eris, Motorola Droid, Samsung Galaxy, GW620 Eve, etc. Meanwhile, Google has been working on Android based Smartphone, called “Nexus One”, which will be available in January and will pose challenge Apple’s iPhone and RIM’s Blackberry.

2. Apple updates its iPhone

In June, Apple launched the iPhone 3GS, with a boosted processor, better camera, more storage space, and a digital compass. The new Smartphone is more evolutionary up gradation than the revolutionary improvement to the hardware. The new iPhone 3GS has a number of new features which will certainly impress the corporate world like hardware encryption and support for ActiveSync policies. The new device fixed various anomalies of its predecessors and incorporated features like copy and paste, universal search, voice memos, and remote wiping.

3. Microsoft Windows mobile 6.5 OS

Microsoft launched a minor upgrade of its Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system in October for next generation of Smartphones, called Windows Mobile 6.5. The new software features a new UI and a richer browsing experience having new services like My Phone, which allows to synchronization of text messages, photos, video, contacts and more to the Web; and Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

Meanwhile, the company has been working on its new platform called Windows Mobile 7, codenamed “Photon”, which is a major upgrade planned for release in June 2010.

4. PC vendors join the Smartphone race

After the recent success of Smartphones and the take part in the pie, major PC vendors like Dell, Acer, HP, etc join the race with their handsets. In November, HP had announced its new iPAQ Glisten, a feature-rich 3G world Smartphone that meets the increasing demands of modern mobile professionals. In the same month, Dell Computers launched its Android-based Dell Mini 3 smartphone. Acer had introduced neoTouch, which is a new addition to its growing line of Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets, based on 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU.

5. Mobile App Market

According to latest research, mobile applications market will reach $9 billion by 2011. Apple has dominated the space with over 2 billion download and therefore other vendors are also entering in the field. However, the new apps will pose increased difficulty for developers.

source: http://journalismenterprise.com

INTERNET 'POUBAND INFLUENCE' BEHIND NEW ITINERANTS

2010-01-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

The annual mobile attention confab in Barcelona – a Mobile World Congress – portrayed a extraordinary design of a mobile attention in paradox.

While a world's manage to buy stumbles as well as investors direct mobile operators cut behind investment in brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new networks as well as subsequent era network technologies, a large expansion of a mobile internet is gripping a grin upon everyone's face.

So whilst a customarily extreme selling budgets lavished upon this Barcelona eventuality were noticeably curtailed as well as there was no longer a need to quarrel one's approach by a throng to get to a doughnut stand, a attention came by with an sparkling call of defining announcements, as well as of march cold brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new devices.

The significance of a internet as a pushing force for inclination as well as services in mobile was tough to miss.

Microsoft as well as Nokia both voiced focus stores which will be accessible upon handsets after this year, permitting people to buy content, games as well as applications.

The moves replicate Apple's hugely successful App Store upon a iPhone.

In a space of a small over a year-and-a-half Apple has shown a significance as well as event of a internet upon handheld devices, as well as right away a attention is scrambling to daub in to this brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new manage to buy where focus developers around a universe can sell their calm as well as things to people by their phones.

Nokia's app store, called Ovi Store, will suggest a little musty amicable networking facilities for pity applications as well as content, as well as promises to benefaction services applicable to place as well as what people have been essentially we do with their device during a time.

Waiting for a train? Something contextually applicable competence cocktail up to entertain you.

So right away Google, Microsoft, Apple, Nokia as well as Sony Ericsson all have transparent services platforms rolling out.

RIM, a makers of BlackBerry, have been expected to follow a direction soon.

2009 is a year handsets incited in to focus stores, as well as a conflict front of a attention incited from who has a most appropriate hardware to who has a most appropriate software.

The stroke Apple as well as Google have been carrying upon a attention could be felt, with a iPhone still a market-leading device as well as Google's skeleton for a Android handling complement as well as mobile services display clever signs of embracing a cause by a industry.

While program was a title story, there were a little brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new inclination to stare flirtatiously over.

Google as well as Vodafone astounded with a Vodafone disdainful HTC device formed upon Android called a Magic, finish with WiFi, GPS, a works.

Nokia voiced a E55 as well as E75 as plain smartphone devices.

While a throng didn't crop up wowed with their sex appeal, Nokia seems to reason reduction is an vicious charge business will appreciate.

Sony Ericsson previewed their much-rumoured Idou device due for recover after this year as well as which aims to locate up with Apple.

All of these inclination have been important for their WiFi as well as 3G capabilities, reason displays as well as multi-media capabilities – a brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new standards for either a device is starting to have it or not.

There was a noted deficiency of large speak about subsequent era networks rolling out.

A long-running conflict in between LTE as well as WiMax over which record will turn a "4G" after 3G continues, though with a roadmap which appears to be relocating serve out in Europe as mercantile woes put a mobile attention underneath vigour to have some-more out of a networks they have as well as put skeleton for large brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new glossy ones upon hold.

WiFi was all around, with all a brand brand brand brand brand brand brand new smartphone inclination incorporating it.

The vendors of interpretation dongle USB modems were articulate about how they could have "always most appropriate connected" practice work.

This co-existence of WiFi as well as 3G can safeguard business have been means to get onto a fastest tie accessible wherever they competence be, as well as is branch out to be a vicious success cause for a focus stores if they goal to sell multimedia practice by handsets as well as mobile devices.

Barcelona 2009 threw a spotlight upon a actuality which a destiny of mobile is in truth a internet upon your mobile device.

source: wi-ficars.com

High speed Internet on the Move

2010-01-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

Are you Abroad? In a Business Trip? get "High speed Internet on the Move," the new 3G international high speed mobile Internet service from MobilityPass (http://3g.MobilityPass.com), provides travelers and business Internet users a way to instantly and safely connect wirelessly everywhere in 66 countries.

MobilityPass' new 3G UMTS Mobile Broadband service is a perfect solution for international business travelers and road warriors frequently on the move and in constant need of mobile broadband Internet to access in order to manage their email and mission critical information. Operating at incredibly fast connection speeds of up to 7.2 MB,

High speed Internet on the Move
Ready to use with any unlocked Mobile Internet phone and any laptop, MobilityPass Mobile Broadband offers a plug and play solution that includes an International 3G / UMTS / GPRS / HSPDA / EDGE USB modem and the MobilityPass Sim data card to connect users from continent to continent while matching any standard.

MobilityPass makes use of dial-up, toll free, and WiFi to offer users the most comprehensive global Internet service that expands to over 160 countries (http://wififinder.MobilityPass.com). In order to significantly optimize mobile broadband usage, MobilityPass gives Mobile Broadband users access to worldwide high speed WiFi when at any of the 130,000 hotspots around the globe in major Hotels, Airports, Bars, Trains, Restaurants, Petrol Stations, etc.. making roaming Internet connections very "efficient."

Wouldn't it be great if you could stay in touch and manage your current e-mails securely wherever you are? Maintaining security online is especially imperative when using wireless Internet access. For this reason, MobilityPass insure your privacy and confidentiality with an extra layer of data encryption to secure the unified communication suite that include, SMS, push e-mail, fax, Internet telephony, files and emails backup and all other online and remote communications.

With MobilityPass Anytime, Anywhere internet access, travelers experience the ultimate freedom to roam the Internet. Not only does the 3G Mobile Internet access connect internationally, there is no contract, monthly fee, setup fee, or maintenance fee, and there is absolutely no billing for service not used, which means that users are able to truly pay as they go. MobilityPass also allows users to control costs by paying as they go and managing credit available on their data Sim cards.

From the United States to United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Japan, Hong Kong, Israel, and multiple other locations, MobilityPass is the ideal choice for conveniently and securely checking email, surfing the web, using instant messenger, video conferencing, and more, from anyplace in the world.

source: 3wan.net

New Global Voice SIM Card from MobilityPass Saves Money, Eliminates Need for Local SIM Card When Traveling Abroad

2010-01-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hunting for local SIM cards, registering a new mobile phone number and informing all your contacts, paying exorbitant fees for overseas calls…until now, using a mobile phone whilst overseas was a time consuming and expensive process. MobilityPass recently introduced their newest product the Global Voice SIM card, which allows users to stay connected from country to country and save money at the same time.
Ideal for overseas travelers, MobilityPass' Global Voice SIM card eliminates the need to hunt for local SIM cards. Users do not sign a contract with any mobile service provider or pay connection or monthly plan charges, which means that the pay-as-you-go card can be used whenever users find themselves overseas. Expats, exchange students, business travelers, and others are then automatically connected from and to more than 223 countries worldwide.
In addition to free incoming calls from more than 50 countries - France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Australia, UK, Japan… - , MobilityPass users pay incredibly low rates for outgoing calls to more than 200 countries without accruing roaming fees. With all of these savings, including EUR 6.00 of airtime, of the cost of the EURO25 MobilityPass Global Voice SIM card is easily recouped.
Business travelers
For business people working overseas, communication is a major concern. Finding a SIM network that will integrate international, corporate and personal life is essential. The MobilityPass Global Voice SIM card saves users 50 to 80 percent on overseas mobile services while ensuring that cellular communication is up and running at all times.
Children and students abroad
Parents with children studying overseas can use MobilityPass as a precise cost control system for managing mobile costs and maintaining communication. Adding funds to and verifying a Global Voice SIM card account is easy via the user-friendly website. Parents and students alike can check balances and details on the go. And for additional peace of mind, MobilityPass provides 24 hour telephony service in English, French, German and Spanish for whatever problem may arise.
Expats
Like all international travelers, expats experience unique communication issues; however, living abroad doesn't have to produce costly mobile bills and expenditures. MobilityPass' Global Voice SIM card charges users only for the time they use and travelers can securely deposit money to their accounts no matter which country they are in. Users conveniently receive a +44 (UK) number with their SIM card but are able to retain their old numbers by simply forwarding it to the MobilityPass SIM card.
With MobilityPass' new Global Voice SIM card, the cost of staying in touch is easy to control. Significant savings on mobile costs in addition to the convenience of a global SIM card make MobilityPass a perfect solution to the dilemma of overseas cellular service.
MobilityPass
Since 1977, the company chairman has been granted patents in Europe, the United States and the Far East for his work on data exchange interfaces for mobile devices secure communication and payment and ID verification.
Constant endeavor bore fruit with the creation and launch of the MobilityPass Secured Office in 2000 - ensuring the security if business organization, governments and individuals as they use new technologies and communication tools.
For the past nine years, the MobilityPass international engineering team has been developing a proprietary management and integration suit of key business communication services and tools completely secured and encrypted.
For more information on the newly released MobilityPass Global Voice SIM card, please visit the website at www.mobilitypass.com

(via PrWeb.com)

MobilityPass Offering Pay-As-You-Go International Wireless Data Modem

2010-01-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

by Chip chick

When it comes to traveling internationally, getting data access is a royal pain in the a$$. Basically you have two options:

1) Get a super expensive international data plan and mobile card from the likes of AT&T, which is likely to run you up hundreds, if not 1000s of dollars when traveling.

2) Or you can sign up for prepaid wireless data in each country, which is almost as costly and also happens to be very inconvenient.

This is why so many people end up using wifi hotspots to connect to the internet while traveling around the world. But that can add up to be pricey as well, and also inconvenient since not every place you’ll go to will necessarily have wifi, and you’ll have to pay for each new hotspot that you connect too. Granted, there are international wifi plans offered from Boingo, but they still don’t cover a good majority of the hotspots that you’ll use while traveling internationally.

So along comes MobilityPass who is selling a PC and Mac compatible highspeed USB modem for $99 USD. If you don't use the modem, no worries, as there are no monthly fees. Data access isn’t that cheap, and you pay on average .0149 per 100kb, but it’s actually relatively affordable in comparison to the other options out there, and it involves a lot less hassle than the other options. Also, if you’re looking for an international SIM card to use while globe trotting, MobilityPass offers an affordable pay as you go Global Voice Sim card that works in 223 countries with relatively reasonable calling rates and free incoming calls.

Clueless AT&T versus clued-in MobilityPass

2009-12-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

By Kristin Zhivago

Here I am again, a buyer. Money in hand. Ready. Eager. Wanting to get what I need, fast, and go back to work. What do I want to buy? International wireless broadband, using a data SIM card that I can plug into a variety of cellular devices and work, on land and at sea. I want to get the right solution, but I also have deadlines - so I don't want to spend a lot of time on this.

Clue #1. Your buyer is BUSY. She is NOT sipping a cup of Java with her feet up, watching your fancy demo. She wants to buy what she needs, now.

AT&T is an option for me; I'm already using one of their voice/data SIM cards in my smartphone, and will continue to use it there. But I needed another SIM card for my PC and other devices. The data service is a bit pricey, but it's been reliable, so I went to AT&T at the beginning of my buying process.

I quickly found myself on a site listing the "wireless modem card" options. That's good.

I clicked on "View the LaptopConnect interactive demo." Not good.

It's not a demo, and it's not interactive. Within seconds, I slid the window over to my secondary monitor and started looking for other solutions on my main monitor. Why? Because the demo convinced me that AT&T is completely clueless about what I'm trying to do. If they are this clueless about me trying to buy their solution, they are going to be just as clueless about providing a solution that I want.

See how dangerous it is if you're clueless about your buyer's situation? Your busy buyer can tell, in seconds, if you are in sync with them or not. If you're not, they're done. Gone. Off to another site.

I would have shut down the demo right then - just to stop the stupid music, at the very least - except 1) I realized that it was a perfect example of seller cluelessness, and decided to watch it for the purposes of this article, and 2) I wondered if the demo was ever going to stop describing why I wanted to buy this type of product, and would actually tell me what I wanted to know about the product.

No such luck. The whole thing was devoid of any useful content.

When it ends, there are a few options listed. They must think "interactive" means there's a link in there somewhere. There are four links on the last page.

I can "Learn How," which leads to a datasheet type of web page; "Buy Now," which is ridiculous, because this demo has not taken me one inch farther in my buying process; "Have a Sales Expert Contact You" which only makes me sigh and shake my head (why on earth would I want to prolong the agony?); and "Replay," which makes me laugh out loud.

Clue #2: Your buyer is not interested in your corporate messages and your partner network. She is interested in knowing, NOW, how your product works, so she can decide if she wants to...gasp...buy it!

I bet the people at AT&T loved this "interactive demo." I can just see the meeting where the vendor brought in the final result. "Great! Good use of the logo, and love the orange stripe running through, connecting all our branding messages: 'Here, there, everywhere.' 'Workflow speed,' 'Workflow reach,' 'Streamline workflow,' 'An ecosystem of leading application and service partners.' The VP will love it."

Who on earth do they think they're selling to? Imagine who would actually think this is great. Forrest Gump? Homer Simpson? Certainly not this buyer, or anyone else who is seriously trying to solve a problem and get back to work.

Now for the clued-in, buyer-friendly version.

Further searching took me to MobilityPass. Ahhhh.

Right away, I see that they understand what I want to do. Everything I want to know - or a way to find out what I want to know, quickly - is right here. My important questions are answered, immediately. "No contract, pay as you go." "No membership or setup fee." "Billing per second of use." "Instant activation."

There is a big red button that leads to the end of the purchasing process, if I want to go there immediately: "Get my MobilityPass Account." But just to the right and left of that, in case I'm not ready (and I'm not), are the options which answer the buyer's next questions: "Rates & Coverage," and "How it works."

The demo for MobilityPass is an actual demo. Go to this page and click on turquoise View Demo button at the bottom of the middle column, if you want to see an example of a great demo.

This is a no-nonsense demo. Just what you want to see. The announcer describes the steps as the fingers zip around an iPhone and show how everything is done. The demo answers the Big Question: "What's going to happen to me after I buy?" Note how cleverly they answered the "partner" question, and "operating platform" question, unobtrusively, under the demo movie. My only criticism: These icons/logos are not clickable. They should be.

How buyer-friendly is your site? Do you have a product demo? Does it actually show how the customer would use the product? How much of your site simply describes the customer's need, rather than what your product or service will do to solve that need?

Clue #3: The company that answers the customer's questions makes the sale.

I signed up for MobilityPass. If it works as hoped, I will cut back on the services I get from AT&T. [Postscript: I did receive the SIM card and modem, and so far it looks like it will meet my needs very nicely.]

Because they were clueless, AT&T failed to capitalize on a current customer willing to buy more services. Because they facilitated my buying process, MobilityPass got my business and pulled even more business away from AT&T.

MobilityPass answered my questions - what their service provides, how it works, how much it costs - all on their home page or just one click away from the home page.

AT&T didn't even begin to answer my questions. I'm sure they don't even know what the real buyer questions are. Instead, their "demo" told me what I could do with wireless data access. Duh. I've been accessing the Web wirelessly for years. I know what I can do with it.

Of course, AT&T can't say "no contract, pay as you go," because there's always a contract. As soon as I knew MobilityPass had an alternative, I was interested.

Most CEOs and entrepreneurs imagine that they have to convince their buyer to buy. But what if your buyer is ready to buy? What if they only have a couple of questions? What if you're two seconds away from "ka-ching," if you answer those questions immediately?

What would your site look like if you thought this way?

Google Introduces Real-Time Search

2009-12-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

By Ryan Singel

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — Google said Monday it will begin indexing much of the web in real time, and marry those results with its relevance-ranking technology to make sense of the torrents of information being published via Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

The announcement, at a news conference at the Computer History Museum here, signals an aggressive push by Google to maintain its mantle as search-innovation leader amid unaccustomed pressure from rivals. Microsoft effectively beat Google to the real-time punch, announcing Facebook and Twitter partnerships for its Bing search engine at the Web 2.0 Summit in October.

“Google Real Time search is Google’s relevance technology meeting the real-time web,” said Google Fellow Amit Singhal. “There is so much information being generated that relevance is the key to any product, and that’s where Google comes in.”

Monday’s announcement aims to address a major perceived shortcoming in Google’s technology, which has drawn criticism lately for not keeping up with the flood of short status updates on social networks, which some see as creating a new information revolution defined by instantaneous, or “real time,” distribution of information.

Google’s results page will now include a scrolling box of links that update constantly even as you scan through the other results. Clicking through takes one to a page of real-time scrolling updates.

In addition to including Facebook and Twitter in its stream, Google said it’s the first search company to partner with MySpace for real-time search.

Google said its real-time search offers not just a stream of data, but an organized stream filtered of spam and other irrelevant information. The key to keeping the updates relevant is that Google judges “author quality,” “probability of relevance” and “query hotness,” according to Singhal. “That’s what real-time search is all about,” he said.

In what seemed an almost-defensive move in light of recent press given to Bing and Yahoo search, Google’s VP for search Marissa Mayer started the event by telling reporters that Google is constantly innovating, and that it launched “33 different search innovations in 67 days,” a list that ranged from Google’s cool new music search to holiday logos.

Microsoft’s Bing and Yahoo’s search team have been pushing the idea for more than a year that search is more than just about the best links, and that what people really want are answers, not links. That’s a none-too-subtle dig at Google’s paradigm-changing search innovation — PageRank — that actually made links useful.

Google, which still commands 70 percent of the U.S. search market, has been slow to change its simple interface, but Mayer made it clear Monday that Google understands that there are many ways to return information to searchers, including answers that are personalized — a nod to a little-noticed announcement last Friday that Google would personalize all results, using cookies in a browser — even for those who don’t have Google accounts.

“Our search results have to mirror the [internet's] richness,” Mayer said. “It’s not just about 10 blue links. It’s about the best answers.

“We don’t know what search will look like 30 years from now, but what we do know is that they will be more personalized,” Mayer said.

Mayer was followed on stage by Vic Gundotra who quickly demoed how good Google’s search by voice on mobile phones has gotten. He spoke, “Pictures of Barack Obama with the French president at the G8 summit,” into his phone, which then returned exactly those results in seconds. Gundotra then demoed how voice works in Mandarin, and announced that it would now work with Japanese as well.

Gundotra said the future of search on phones involves search using microphones as the ears, the camera as eyes, the GPS chip as the location, and the speaker as a voice.

Gundotra also showed off a demo of an automatic translator that lets you speak English into your phone and then have it translated into Spanish which is then spoken. For instance, Gundotra said, “My name is Dick. Please show me to the nearest hospital.” In seconds a woman’s voice said this in perfect Spanish. The app is expected to be released in 2010 in many languages, Gundotra said.

Google also showed off customized Google Suggest that uses location. For instance, starting a query “RE” in Boston suggest the Red Sox, while the same start of query in San Francisco suggests the outdoor store REI, one of the city’s most popular retailers.

Google Local has a button called “Near Me Now” right now that lets you see the surrounding local businesses — and their online ratings. That same feature is now available in a new version of Google Maps for Android, which sends your latitude and longitude from your phone to Google and returns a list of what’s nearby and good.

Finally, Google Goggles lets you take a picture using your phone and send it to your phone, which scans it for text and searches for it. It can also take a picture of a famous landmark such as the Itsukushima Shrine and actually tell you what it is, and show you pages about it.

By Ryan Singel

Top 7 Disruptions of the Year

2009-12-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

By Epicenter Staff

Technology is like a dog; each year of it seems like the equivalent of seven human years — at least when you get to the end of it and realize it’s only been 12 months since that now indispensable service first launched.

We spent 2009 documenting technology’s disruption of how we live, entertain ourselves and do business. Looking back on the year from the comfortable perch of December, here are the seven most disruptive developments of 2009.

Google Stack

It’s been a running joke for the last few years that Google knows everything you do online, but 2009 might be the year that Google became a full-scale technology platform — with technologies that layer on top of one another to create the “Google Stack.” From your smartphone through to your enterprise’s document-creation software, Google now has you covered, with promises of more to come. That means the list of companies whose revenues Google plans to undermine continues to grow (We’re thinking about you, AT&T, Skype and Microsoft.)

2009 saw Google start to land in users’ pockets, thanks to the the Android OS showing up on the coolest phones from three of the four dominant U.S. carriers. In July, Google announced the Google Chrome OS, a lightweight operating system that runs web services like Gmail and Google Calendar with a speed comparable to pesky installable software. Your Chrome browser will need to know how to get Google Apps, so it will use Google DNS (new for ‘09 too, just like Chrome for Mac).

When your friends want to reach you, they’ll call your Google Voice number or they’ll add a message to the right Google Wave. Or they’ll visit your website hosted on Google Sites, click on the Google AdSense ads, which will fund the dinner you just added to you Google Calendar and will write about on your Google Blogger blog. And almost all of that is free so you won’t need Google Checkout to pay for their services. And if there’s a service missing from that stack (say photo sharing via Picasa), you can always use a search engine called Google to find it.

Mobile App Stores

Before Apple disrupted the mobile-phone market by granting thousands of software developers access to the iPhone through the App Store, cell carriers used to allow only a handful of companies to make stuff for their phones. Consumers and developers put up with it because we had no choice, but the App Store changed that.

Apple still exerts some control over which apps are sold in its store, but had approved over 100,000 apps as of November — an astonishing number no matter how you slice it. Google’s Android app store now includes over 20,000 apps, and the concept is spreading to other platforms. Carriers now view third-party-designed apps as a way to augment their offerings and sell bigger data plans, rather than viewing them as an unconscionable loss of control. The app store phenomenon made the cellphone more like the personal computer, and we’re all the better for it.

But as disruptive as the app stores are, they may not exist in five years, thanks to the next item on our list.

HTML5

Web protocols aren’t as sexy as the iPhone, but they could soon replace the app store as mobile web browsers improve to run Javascript and HTML5, allowing developers to create what they make as apps today as mobile web pages tomorrow. Rather than developing a different app for every type of phone, they’ll be able to write the code once and have it run everywhere.

Apps are everywhere right now — whatever you’re looking for, there’s an app for that, as the commercial says. But as the president of Mozilla’s mobile division said, “Over time, the web will win, because it always does.” Gmail’s Mobile website already leans hard on HTML5 and is nearly as snappy as a native app. Still doubt that HTML5 can make Apple’s apps obsolete? The same thing happened with applications that run on computers (see Google Stack), much to Microsoft’s chagrin.

A New FCC

The FCC, under the leadership of Obama’s law school classmate Julius Genachowski, is taking its job as the guardian of the nation’s airwaves seriously again. The agency is talking about the politically controversial step of taking back spectrum from over-the-air TV broadcasters and making it available for wireless users.

Then this summer, the agency stuck their noses into Apple’s app store to see why the Google Voice application was rejected — forcing AT&T to declare it would let VoIP applications on all their phones. They are setting formal ‘net neutrality’ rules and in the face of strong opposition from the wireless industry, plan to apply them to wireless, satellite, cable and DSL providers alike. It’s trying to break the cable company’s monopoly on set-top boxes, so you can buy one that actually does cool stuff.

And all the while, it’s been hard at work composing the country’s first-ever national broadband plan, which is due in February (though all signals are the plan will be pragmatic, rather than revolutionary). That’s a far cry from the Bush era, where the agency took two years and a public roadshow before it ordered Comcast to stop blocking peer-to-peer file sharing.

Streaming Music

This was the year streaming really took off, and Pandora and YouTube were the big winners in the music space — YouTube’s video service allows it to stream on-demand music that music-only services can’t afford.

Google’s searches now link directly to on-demand music streaming services (see screenshot), which puts the phenomenon squarely in the mainstream. And more of us are listening to cloud-based music than ever before, through websites, MP3 blogs, MP3 blog aggregators, streaming software and mobile apps.

We’re finishing the year with less diversity in the music space than we started with; Apple acquired Lala, and MySpace bought iLike and imeem. But these acquisitions are a sign that the big players recognize that the future belongs not to iTunes and iPods, but to web-based services and connected devices.

The Real-Time Web

Twitter is mostly just a protocol for publishing short little messages to the web, but in 2009, the little startup continued its shakeup of the net’s landscape, and is on track to become what its leaked internal documents show it hopes to be: the “pulse of the planet.” It’s not quite that yet, despite becoming a player in the battle over Iran’s future. But it has launched the notion of a real-time web, where netizens are constantly and instantaneously updated — even if it’s just about the funny billboard your friend just walked by.

Add to that location services like foursquare and loopt — which report where you are — and the unproven concept of reporting to everyone what you bought via Blippy.com, and you’ve come up with a recipe for a net that values headlines over nut graphs, narcissism over thoughtfulness, and speed over deliberation.

But the notion was powerful enough to send Google, Microsoft and Yahoo all racing to add Twitter and Facebook posts to their search results, regardless of the utility. And Facebook got envious, re-doing its entire approach to social networking by pushing all of its users to post publicly in an attempt to become the net’s vanity press. The upshot of it all: Add “get a prescription to Provigil” to your list of New Year’s resolutions if you hope to keep up.

Augmented Reality

This year the world got its first real taste of mobile augmented-reality apps, which overlay digital information on top of analog reality. The idea is to let you see restaurant ratings floating over restaurants, peoples’ tweets appear over their heads, what song they’re listening to and so on.

Augmented reality is still a work-in-progress as developers iron out kinks such as the floating tag problem, and as consumers get used to the idea. But in a sense, it’s already here — from geotagged photos to phones with compasses and maps in them, the internet already intersects with the world at specific locations, letting us access data where it’s most relevant.

Upside for Entertainment Devices with Wi-Fi

2009-12-24T13:14:00.000-08:00

by David H. Deans

Wi-Fi wireless connectivity has taken the entertainment device market by storm, with cameras, gaming devices (handheld and consoles), and various personal media players (PMPs) incorporating the technology to date.

Wi-Fi-enabled entertainment device shipments will increase from 108.8 million in 2009 to 177.3 million in 2013, according the latest market study by In-Stat.

"While a growing number of entertainment devices have Wi-Fi embedded, most product categories only have a few players -- often with a single company dominating the market," says Victoria Fodale, In-Stat analyst.

For gaming consoles and gaming devices, Nintendo dominates the market, selling 79 percent of Wi-Fi-enabled consoles and 87 percent of Wi-Fi-enabled handheld devices in 2009.

In-Stat's market study found the following:

- Although the Apple iPod Touch clearly has the dominant Wi-Fi-enabled PMP market share, many vendors now have offerings in the space.

- Nikon shipped 91 percent of Wi-Fi-enabled digital cameras in H1 2009.

- For the past several years all gaming consoles have had Wi-Fi embedded, which is a trend that will continue throughout the forecast period.

- The most significant variance in handhelds will be the type of Wi-Fi embedded.

- Beginning in 2010, these devices will begin shipping with 802.11n, while previously all devices were being shipped with the 802.11b standard.

Africa sees massive growth in mobile web usage

2009-12-23T13:09:00.000-08:00

by Richard Wray

Having swept America and conquered Europe, social networking site Facebook is now spreading rapidly through Africa.

From the deserts of Libya to the plains of Tanzania•Facebook is fast becoming the continent's most visited mobile site as Africans use their phones to access the internet, according to a new report.

Even micro-blogging phenomenon Twitter is making an impact, appearing as the ninth most visited mobile internet site in South Africa and Kenya, according to a study by Oslo-based mobile software developer Opera of the top ten 'mobile web' countries in Africa.

The most popular African destination on the mobile web, is Facebook. The social networking site is visited by users of Opera's mobile web browser in six out of the 10 countries surveyed by the company . Google is either number one or two in every African state except Kenya where Yahoo dominates.

Email services such as Hotmail and Gmail are also popular as is YouTube. The online video site has its highest rankings in Egypt, at number three, and Libya, at number four.

Among news sources, the BBC figures strongly in the top ten most visited sites in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Namibia and Zambia. CNN features prominently in the top ten in Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia. They are the only two western news sources among the most popular mobile internet destinations across the ten African countries analysed by the Opera survey.

Sport features strongly with French sports newspaper L'Équipe the sixth most visited mobile web site in Ivory Coast. Egyptian mobile phone users flock to Arabic language sports portal Filgoal.com and Libyans prefer rival Koora.com.

Mobile usage is ballooning across the continent and the African mobile phone market – at more than 400 million subscribers – is now larger than in North America. Some countries, such as South Africa, have 'mobile penetration levels' - the number of handsets compared with size of population – close to those of Western Europe.

For many people in Africa, mobile telephones are the only way that they will ever get access to the internet because of the poor quality, and often complete lack, of fixed-line networks. Fierce competition has pushed mobile prices down for consumers while many of the latest crop of handsets available in Africa allow easy access to the mobile internet. Web browsers can also be installed on older phones.

The mobile web browser developed by Opera is the most popular in Africa, accounting for more than half the market, and in its latest State of the Mobile Web report, Opera estimates that the number of handsets using its browser across the top ten African states has leapt 177% in the past year. The report looks at South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Libya, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Tanzania and Namibia. Opera refuses to give overall customer numbers for Africa, but in its largest market – South Africa – it had 1.5 million 'unique users' in October.

Internet-enabled handsets are being used to access ever more mobile web sites, with page views shooting up 374% between November 2008 and last month. In some countries such as Kenya and Zambia, hundreds of pages are being accessed each month as handsets are often used by more than one person to get online. Across the continent roadside kiosks proliferate where people 'rent out' mobile phones. At first the devices were little more than a replacement for public phone boxes, allowing people to call friends and family, but increasingly they are being hired out as computers, allowing those who cannot afford a device of their own, to access the internet on a regular basis.

Opera's mobile phone internet browser is the most popular worldwide, used by almost 27% of all mobile internet users. The iPhone is in second place with Nokia's web browser in third, between them the top three account for nearly 70% of the market, according to data from StatCounter. Opera estimates that it has more than 41.7 million users worldwide, up from about 16.4 million in November last year, helped in part by the pre-installed browser in many recent models of smartphones.

Mobile internet to eat world, apparently

2009-12-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

By Chris Mellor

Morgan Stanley has issued a set of reports asserting that the mobile internet will be much bigger than the desktop internet: "Regarding pace of change, we believe more users will likely connect to the Internet via mobile devices than desktop PCs within 5 years."

There are five converging trends: 3G, social networking, video, voice-over-IP (VoIP) and improving mobile internet devices (MIDs). The report claims that Apple's iPhone and iTouch ecosystem are exhibiting the fastest user growth in consumer technology history. It says that the number of MIDs, from smartphones to games consoles, rumoured tablets and netbooks, will vastly outgrow the number of desktop PCs and talks of more than ten billion units. What does this imply for storage?

Morgan Stanley asks: "The high-level riddle is - will the next stage of mobile Internet develop in a fragmented/open way (a la desktop Internet) or will it develop with leading/closed platforms as the mainframe, minicomputer and PC era did?" A closed MID device market will restrict selling opportunities for MID storage component suppliers.

It should mean that MID form factor storage shipments will be on a huge growth curve, suggesting good news is coming for MID NAND flash shippers. That should certainly benefit Samsung but other NAND foundry owners, such as Toshiba/SanDisk, could also benefit as billions of megabytes of the stuff will be needed for the billions of MID devices coming.

On the hard drive front Seagate's single platter Momentus Thin looks well-placed with its thinness combined with 2-5-inch capacity. Toshiba also looks well-positioned with its dogged perseverance in producing 1.8-inch format drives.

Consumers may also need local backup of their devices with support for cable-free connections. "PCs (along with the cloud) are becoming home media servers, storing/backing up and providing content to / from smartphones," says Morgan Stanley. Maybe a combined backup-battery recharge facility will be developed. A big driver for MID proliferation is video and local storage and the ability to replay on connected video devices like TVs and PCs will surely become useful.

The MID network pipes will need storage caches to keep their pipes full and their customers happy. The other big market for storage in a MID-mad world will be petabyte-class storage farms for the cloud service providers used by the MID owners, things such as Facebook, YouTube, Google, Microsoft Azure (possibly), Twitter and other social networking and consumer cloud software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies that have sprung up.

Morgan Stanley mentions three very well-positioned service suppliers: "We believe Facebook has the potential to serve as a communications platform/engine of one-to-one, one-to-some and one-to-many (and visa versa) [sic] for the mobileInternet… Additional platform companies that appear to be well positioned for the rapid changes related to the evolution of the mobile Internet include Tencent and Skype."

Growth rates and user numbers can be astounding, with the reports saying Facebook has 430 million users and more than 137 per cent year-on-year user count growth. YouTube is identified as having 466 million users with 35 per cent year-on-year growth. Skype has 521 million registered users, a number which is growing by more than 40 per cent year on year.

The reports assert that mobile data traffic will rise 66-fold by 2013, a 131 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR). How long will it be before the biggest MID service suppliers find themselves needing exabyte-capacity storage facilities?

Not every large cloud supplier will go the Google DIY route. They won't be buying FAS 6000, EVA 6000, DS 6000, CLARiiON-type arrays. Such facilities have needs that will dwarf the high-performance computing (HPC), video rendering media environments. The Isilons, BlueArcs and DataDirects will have to change their game if they want to sell to these customers.

Just suppose a Facebook-type customer issued an RFP for 500PB of storage over the next three years; how would suppliers respond? Such a RFP would specify highly-reliable, fast and very scalable storage that is cheap to buy and cheap to run.

Dell perhaps has an edge here with its contract to supply customised storage boxes for Microsoft's Azure cloud data centres. EMC's Atmos is designed for such uses. Which other suppliers have the kit that could do this job?

The report identifies Samsung as being well-positioned because of its DRAM and NAND with MCP (Multi-Chip Package) capability. Storage companies with unclear positioning are listed as HP, and Western Digital and Seagate for unclear SSD intentions. The big storage winners are the ones supplying device-level storage, network storage and cloud data centre arrays. Who they will be is yet to be seen, but Samsung and Dell apear to be in the right places at the right time. ®

Did you get stuck in the "Blizzard of '09"?

2009-12-21T14:32:00.000-08:00

Thousands of travelers have been stuck in the Eastern United States due to a freak blizzard that hit the East coast this weekend. People traveling via planes were stranded for hours in airports, while flight after flight was canceled due to the stormy weather.
I just hope that all of those unlucky people, were fortunate enough to have a good cell phone and mobile internet provider, so that they would at least be able to keep in touch with the loved ones they were trying to get home to. MobilityPass

Become an International Mobile Operator!

2009-12-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

Looking for a way to generate money in todays slow financial times? Why not come to work for MobilityPass?

Global Voice and Data solution:

At MobilityPass we believe that resellers are key to our success. Our robust telecommunication architecture, coupled with our experienced reseller management team, make us a proven leader in the reseller telecommunication marketplace. That's why thousands of Business travelers, road warriors and international companies are using our services globally. Join today and start earning a substantial recurring revenue stream to seriously help your bottom line.

High quality products and services

MobilityPass has a proven track record for delivering market leading products and services maintaining a leadership position in the fast developing world of telephony.

Increased revenue and competitive commission structure

Increase your margins by offering MobilityPass products and services. By capitalizing on market trends and differentiating your service offers, MobilityPass gives you the winning edge over your competitors.

The MobilityPass global sim card is the latest and unque way of saving on your mobile phone bill. It can be used in more than 223 countries to make and receive calls. Get Your MobilityPass Wholesale offer now. Get up to 72% gross margin.

On the road

2009-12-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

Being on the road as much as I am, I meet a lot of people. I have the pleasure of hearing all about how much they hate their wireless providers' service. When I get the opportunity to meet someone who has the MobilityPass service, I am greeted with smiles and happy stories. This lets me know that we are doing what we promise, and we have a wonderful service that you will be very pleased with.
What have you got to lose? Unlike those other providers, we don't require a contract. We are confident in our service, so we don't feel like we need to trap you, in order to keep you as a client. MobilityPass

What is 3g?

2009-12-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

I know you've been hearing a lot about "3g" networks, and you maybe wondering exactly what all of the hype is about....... In this article posted on MobilityPass, we go into very clear, precise details, and you will no longer feel like you are in the dark when everyone around is talking about 3g.

What is 3G and How does it Work?

Networks classified as 3G networks operate on the IEEE 802.11 protocols and were primarily developed for the use of data transmission over wireless networks. 3G is the third generation of telecommunications specifications laid down by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). At its most basic core, 3G enables network operators a vast range of services and technologies to improve services and allow for higher capacities on networks. This is achieved through spectral efficiency; spectral efficiency defines how a particular bandwidth or frequency is used in the transmission of data in the form of voice, video telephony and general data transmissions like that of the Internet. The IEEE 802.11 networks are primarily short range and high bandwidth for data transmission and can also be used for telephone calls and video calls.

3G provides an improved speed of transmission: the average speed has not yet been standardized. Many users will be quoted different speeds according to the service provider's documentation. As a general rule of thumb, a 3G user in a stationary position will be able to transfer at a minimum of 2 Mbit/s to a maximum of 14.4 Mbit/s. These rates change as the user moves through varying cellular towers and access points via the 3G network. At a walking pace users can expect to have a maximum transfer of: 384 kbit/s or in a moving car at 128 kbit/s. 3G also incorporates the use of HSPA for fast transmissions; HSPA is a combination of two separate mobile telephone protocols. One is for the uplink transfer (HSUPA) and the other for downlink (HSDPA) transfers.

MobilityPass 3G mobile Internet access delivers up to 7.2 Mbit/s transfer rates using the HSDPA protocol for increased speed and reliability. MobilityPass includes in every mobile Internet package privacy and confidentiality of all customer information as well as increased security for access to the mobile Internet. The beauty of the MobilityPass packages is that if the Internet is not used the customer is not billed unlike most of the competition that bills the customer regardless of usage and transfers. This makes MobilityPass a logical choice for business people around the world especially since MobilityPass has access in over 75 countries.

The standard for 3G has fallen into the UMTS or W-CDMA specification and is used in most 3G networks in one form or another. There are five other interfaces for the technologies governing the wireless Internet and telephone industries, although many are only used in remote locations that have not yet upgraded to the 3G network. The upgrade process is a long arduous one as the pre-3G technologies needed to be almost completely replaced. In many areas and countries the radio frequencies used for 3G and UMTS are completely different than those used for previous technologies. Licensing needs to obtained on these new radio frequencies which has been a problem for some companies and countries as the costs can be staggering.

While new networks need to be built and designed in areas lacking the available technology to build on, 3G has taken a decent portion of the world's data services.

Looking for a hotspot in Morocco?

2009-12-15T13:24:00.000-08:00

With your MobilityPass account you can use all our services with a single login name and password. You will only pay for what you use. There is no setup fee, monthly fee, or maintenance fee.

From

Albania

to Lichtenstein, and from

Lithuania

Zimbabwe

, we’ve got you covered! Anywhere you are going to be in the world, you can always check the MobilityPass site, but you can almost always rest assured that we will be there for you

What do you get from your provider?

2009-12-14T13:14:00.000-08:00

Does your wireless provider give you everything you need, or do you seem to have more troubles with it, than not? Are you on the phone with tech support more than you are with your friends and family? Do you sometimes feel like you are working for them, instead of them working for you?

Maybe it's time you moved away from the service providers that your teenage children use, and go with a provider for business people, like yourself, who also have a life outside of business. We are not your bubblegum wireless service providers; we want to be sure that you are connected no matter where you are in the world. We mean business! MOBILITYPASS

Do you have more than one acct for your communication needs?

2009-12-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

Don't you think it's time you consolidate those plans into one, easy to manage account? MobilityPass is considered the “Swiss Knife” in Global communication. Our product serves mainly frequent travelers and we are talking about business and pleasure in this case. Under one membership there is a big variety of products that take care of Global communication, easy to use and very affordable for everyone who travels frequently. Always one account wherever you are, one phone number and the ability to connect Globally. Also a main thing for our customers is the safety issue, we can guarantee complete safety when using Mobilitypass´s services. Complete with our own VPN we can assure every member that his or her data is being treated with the full privacy package. MOBILITYPASS

Do you hate talking to machines?

2009-12-10T10:55:00.000-08:00

One of my biggest pet peeves, is when I am in the middle of what I consider to be a crisis, and I call the tech support, and all I can get is a machine to talk to! I absolutely hate it! "If you are having this problem, press 1, for banking, press 2........... If you are about to poke your eye out from frustration, press 8..............." I simply hate it. Luckily, with MobilityPass, we have 24-7 customer support, and we are talking, a ”human being” support team that is dedicated to take care of our members personally .

So no matter where you are in the world, always know that we are here, awake, and ready to help you! MOBILITYPASS

Do you travel a lot, and have more than one phone?

2009-12-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

Do you have to carry more than one phone because of how much you travel? Or perhaps, simply have separate sim cards that you switch out, depending on what country you are in? As luck would have it, I have a solution for you!

By using the MobilityPass global SIM system, you can receive incoming calls for free in more than 75 countries and make calls at local rates to more than 223 countries. Always the same number wherever you are.
The unique MobilityPass dual number Sim comes by default with a UK and US mobile number on the same Sim and the best of all is that you can add as many numbers as you like from 60 countries. Doing so you insure your global presence and offer a convenient and friendly low cost local call to your contacts.
When it comes to connecting to the Internet internationally, the 120 countries 3G MobilityPass coverage with the 100.000 wifi hotspots and the global dialup will connect any Laptop, Iphone, blackberry or smartphone worldwide securely and economically.
The no contract policy, average savings on yearly roaming call and/or data charges up to 50-80% makes MobilityPass the perfect communication partner.

Wi-Fi for Dummies: What You Need to Know

2009-12-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

Are you confused by what exactly Wi-Fi is? Well you are not alone, this article posted on the MobilityPass website, helps to clear up some of the confusion............

Wi-Fi for Dummies: What You Need to Know

Wi-Fi is the general term used to describe any wireless Internet connection or network in a home or office. Wi-Fi, short for wireless fidelity, enables a computer or laptop user to access the Internet from the comfort of their patio, deck, bedroom or kitchen without the need for expensive and extensive hardware and cabling. Wi-Fi applies to any device that can access the Internet wirelessly and in some cases, like that of PDAs and cellular phones; it is the only way for a device to access the Internet. Wi-Fi works by transmitting data in the form of microwave radio waves that can be interpreted by receivers attached to laptops, computers and internal antennas on cellular phones.

A wireless router or tower, in the case of PDAs and cell phones, transmits a radio signal that has data encoded on a harmonic of the radio wave. This simply means that the data is attached to the radio wave to be decoded by the receiver. Protocols and advanced mathematical calculations are used in the encoding and decoding process. This information is interpreted by an internal PCI/PCI-e card or USB card in the case of laptops or desktop computers as well. Cellular phones and PDAs use the same internal antenna for Internet access as for phone calls. After decoding the data is presented in the web browser, a PDF viewer or similar program can be used for accessing documents and data.

Being able to access data wirelessly frees users form being confined to a specific location, but in the case of a home wireless network there are a few limitations on the area of transmission. Most wireless routers have a range of about 150 feet indoors and 300 feet outdoors; however, walls and furniture will inhibit some of the strength of the signal as it passes through the house or building. A simple solution to the transmission strength and area is to have a completely wireless broadband Internet connection for the computers in the home. MobilityPass offers wireless broadband Internet service with absolutely no contracts. An end user just pays for the data transmissions they use and has nothing to do with the time of day they are online.

MobilityPass enables a user to access the Internet anywhere from over 160 countries worldwide. In addition they provide security, privacy and confidentiality to every costumer. The company also offers an international SIM card for mobile phone users as part of their package. The beauty of Wi-Fi is that it is far simpler and less expensive than wired networking and wired Internet access. More often than not the wireless cards come standard on computers and laptops with no need for the end user to set up or configure the card. Most users will need to set up an access account for their Internet connection or access the wireless router. Accessing the Internet is as simple as entering the username and password provided by the ISP when logging on to the Internet. A password and username are set by the end user when preparing the home router for use.

Are you always surprised by how much your bill is?

2009-12-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

With our service, you will be happy to find that you have access to online centralized billing of all services, never mind the countries, allows you to control your daily usage and assure you that you only pay for what you use.
Corporate & small businesses can manage all international communication & internet access of mobile employees. No investment, instant activation, minimum overhead and knowledge required.
One single login worldwide for all your communication from 3G to Mobile call, Fax, etc., no more need to provide your id, credit card, or to maintain several accounts for each service or each country you go, putting at risk your security & privacy.

Check us out, you will be pleasantly surprised by what you find. MOBILITY PASS

What do you get someone who has everything?

2009-12-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

How about the gift of communication? You could set your loved ones up with a communications service that they will be able to stay in contact with you around the world!

A Secure Mobile Office, your passport to international privacy and confidentiality

Value added service; MobilityPass does not only provide the access and communication it also takes care of your privacy and security providing a complete essential encrypted tool to be used when connecting from anywhere
As a simple example of the MobilityPass value added service: If you connect with a regular local provider in China, most of the time you will not be able to send your emails using your current email account. With MobilityPass there is no problem, you can use your email as usual and on the top of that your email will be locally protected by encryption. MobilityPass protects your emails, Sms, VOIP, Fax and Backup files the same way anywhere in the world.
MobilityPass has its own private VPN and all communications are encrypted therefore protecting you from any external local access .

Behind this incredible technology there is a "human being" support team that is dedicated to take care of our members personally .

Call support in 5 continents, available in 6 languages, and 24 hour online support.

So you see, no matter where your loved ones are, you can still be just a phone call away!

How much are you paying now?

2009-12-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

How much are you paying for roaming while you are traveling? I'll bet it's almost as much, or more than your actual monthly bill. Isn't it time you stop paying for the extra time you need, and start using a service that moves with you?

Drop your roaming bill, save time and be more efficient in today's competitive world: The MobilityPass technology provides you with global Internet & communication services while traveling in 120 countries all in one account. And best of all: is there is no set up fee or a long term binding contract. Whether you are an individual or business traveler, you can now avoid being confronted with overpriced global roaming charges.

By using the MobilityPass global SIM system, you can receive incoming calls for free in more than 75 countries and make calls at local rates to more than 223 countries. Always the same number wherever you are.
The unique MobilityPass dual number Sim comes by default with a UK and US mobile number on the same Sim and the best of all is that you can add as many numbers as you like from 60 countries. Doing so, you insure your global presence and offer a convenient and friendly low cost local call to your contacts.
When it comes to connecting to the Internet internationally, the 120 countries 3G MobilityPass coverage with the 100.000 wifi hotspots and the global dialup will connect any Laptop, Iphone, blackberry or smartphone worldwide securely and economically.
The no contract policy, average savings on yearly roaming call and/or data charges up to 50-80% makes MobilityPass the perfect communication partner.

Looking for the right wireless company?

2009-12-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

In today's busy world, it is very important to be connected, no matter where you are. With MobilityPass, you no longer have to worry about being connected, because we make sure that you can receive incoming calls for free in more than 75 countries and make calls at local rates to more than 223 countries. You will always have the same number wherever you are.

The unique MobilityPass dual number Sim comes by default with a UK and US mobile number on the same Sim and the best of all is that you can add as many numbers as you like from 60 countries. Doing so, you insure your global presence and offer a convenient and friendly low cost local call to your contacts.

As you can see, we've got you covered! Travel on!! MOBILITYPASS

Holiday travel?

2009-12-01T14:53:00.000-08:00

Are you planning on doing a lot of holiday traveling during the upcoming season? Maybe you are going to be visiting several countries, and will need to be in contact in each. Will you choose to have a separate phone number and possibly even a separate phone for each country? Of course not! What you are going to need is the service provided by MOBILITYPASS.COM.
The MobilityPass technology provides you with global Internet & communication services while traveling in 120 countries all in one account. And best of all: is there is no set up fee or a long term binding contract. Whether you are an individual or business traveler, you can now avoid being confronted with overpriced global roaming charges.

Expat, and need predictable communication?

2009-11-30T14:58:00.000-08:00

The following is an article from MobilityPass.com about the advantages of using a SIM mobile phone.

SIM Advantage for Expats

Being an expat can be a fun and exciting way of life - but whether you are a traveler, an expat, or just an international business person, you are going to want to think about the ways that you can communicate while you are overseas. For worldwide communication, a SIM mobile cellular phone is a good idea. You will be able to communicate, and keep lines of communication open, no matter where in the world you go.

There are many ways that you can communicate, to be sure, but only some of the advantages will allow you to have the freedom communicate as you like, as you are an expat, with a visa, traveling abroad. Mobilitypass has been providing, since 1999, a global internet access in many more than 160 countries. Hundreds of thousands of customers, worldwide and overseas, have taken advantage of being able to communicate globally. When you have a global SIM mobile and cellular plan, you are going to be able to receive free incoming roaming calls. This happens in more than 75 countries. You won't have to worry about the huge roaming costs while you are abroad, and you won't have to worry about paying high fees, as the SIM card will give you low rates on outgoing calls, to more than 223 countries.

Your mobile bill doesn't have to be so high while you are a traveler abroad. When you've paid for everything else for your trip - the visa, the overseas costs, the worldwide traveling costs, you should be able to get something more cheaply in the long run. When you are looking at searching for mobile costs, check out the MobilityPass. This is an international pay as you go SIM card, which means that you will have no monthly fees, and no setup fees. You will only be charged as you go for what you use. Simply deposit money into your SIM account, and be ready to start saving money today. You can also get a 44 number with your SIM card, but if you want to be able to keep your current number, you can make sure that it is forwarded to your MobilityPass sim card.

Don't let traveling become a hassle, and don't let yourself be left in the dark when it comes to your travel needs. You can always get a much cheaper rate by using the MobilityPass SIM card. When you are able to pay as you go, you'll find that you are really able to control the way that you make money. For many people, paying as you go can be quite easily, and you will be able to get as much out of your SIM card and out of your mobile phone as possible. This is going to be a dream come true for many expats, who simply want to be able to keep in touch with their families and friends while they are abroad. You can take advantage of these great savings with your SIM card as well.

Looking for free wifi while you are traveling?

2009-11-27T14:35:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for free wifi while you are traveling this holiday season, you are not alone. this article from MobilityPass.com will help you find exactly what you are looking for:

How to Find Free Internet at Home and Abroad

An end user will need to find a Wi-Fi hotspot in order to access the Internet for free or while traveling abroad. Many resources exist for finding these hotspots; one of the best is from MobilityPass. The search works on several levels and any applicable Wi-Fi location will be presented after performing a search. Each result listed will have the approximate distance from the search location as well as the type of location such as a cafe, airport or public park. As free Wi-Fi hotspots are dangerous due to no security measure it is best to have a plan through MobilityPass to protect the data transmitted over the Internet hotspot access point.

MobilityPass offers service plans that ensure privacy, confidentiality and security from any Internet access point in over 160 countries. A client may choose from prepaid plans or pay as you go plans to better suit their needs. All of the services come complete with encryption protocols and virtual private networking which is the best way to use a public or free wireless Internet access point, or hotspot. In addition the plans offered include 3G wireless broadband access in over 75 countries without the need for a hotspot. To start locating a hotspot, determine the location in which Internet access is desired. A list of available hotspots will be listed according to distance and location.

The MobilityPass site offers a general list of the best hotspots in the world according to city, country and even the best airports. The US alone has over 15,000 Wi-Fi hotspots that can be accessed, utilized and experienced via the MobilityPass secure Internet wireless services. Imagine being able to access the Internet while on vacation when a user needs to repair a car. The user needs to be able to access their credit card or banking information in order to determine if the repair is feasible. Without security using a public hotspot will be detrimental to the user's banking account or personal information. Using the MobilityPass Wi-Fi finder, the user will know where a hotspot is and be able to securely access it and use it.

An individual may also use the GPS export tools to export all of the locations of the search to their favorite GPS device. This way a traveler will already have the locations for Internet access and be prepared prior to leaving on vacation or a business trip. Should no hotspot be available in the area being visited, which seems unlikely, the MobilityPass service provides access to the Internet from anywhere there is a 3G network in place or cellular network for data transmission. These networks are very prevalent in most countries of Europe, Asia and the Americas enabling users to access the Internet with no hotspot available. Imagine being able to access 100,000 hotspots securely while vacationing with no contract and no activation fee. Choose the plan needed and pay for what is used; the time at a hotspot is paid for by time and not by the amount of data that is transmitted.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T14:32:00.000-08:00

In today's hectic world, yes, you can be connected to anyone and anytime, but I think the thing I am most thankful for, is the fact that I can be with my friends and family on this day. What are you thankful for today?

Technology

2009-11-25T14:25:00.000-08:00

I think you will agree when I say that one of the most amazing advances in mobile communications technology over the past decade, has been the improvements on the cell phone, and the mobility of the web. Just maybe fifteen years ago, almost no one had a cell phone, and the internet was still a fledgling technology. Now, everyone has a cell phone, most people have gotten rid of their home phone, and most everyone is online no matter where they are. This is a great time to be alive! You can be in the United States today, call your mom, and then tomorrow, be in Ireland, and call your mom from your cell phone, and she wouldn't even know you weren't still just across town because your number is the same!
Check us out! MOBILITYPASS

Are you going to be traveling this week?

2009-11-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

If you are like millions of Americans this week, you are going to be traveling. Of course, you are going to want to stay connected, via cell phone and internet. However, you may be having trouble trying to figure out how to make your laptop wireless............. the following is an article about just that, from MobilityPass.com

How Do I Make a Laptop Wireless?

Wireless connections to the Internet are the norm for today's technology savvy individual and can be accomplished in many forms. While home desktop PCs are confined to a particular location on a wireless network, laptops have the distinctive advantage of being portable which raises the question of how to make the laptop wireless. Adding wireless capabilities to a laptop is a fairly easy and simple process and offers many solutions to the end user. The simplest way to make a laptop wireless for use on a wireless network is through the use of an internal card or a USB modem.

If the laptop is not already equipped with an internal card installing one is a simple process and is documented by the manufacturer on their help pages. Typically the entire laptop will need to be taken apart including the screen, keyboard and casing assemblies. While this is a simple task it does take some time and will require the use of manuals and precision tools for extracting the screws holding the laptop together. Be sure to have a clean work area and keep track of all the screws and their respective locations in the disassembly process. Consider using small containers and label the screws according to their placement.

For those who wish to have a quick solution to a wireless laptop working on a home or business network, a USB wireless access card is the simplest solution. Simply choose the USB card that will work with the router in the wireless network, any USB card will do, connect it to the laptop and proceed to access the wireless network. Be sure to have the WPA or WEP pass codes for accessing a secure wireless network. After completing the set up process the laptop will be able to access the wireless network anywhere in the transmission area of the router or access point.

While these two solutions pertain to an existing wireless network in a building, a laptop may be connected wirelessly directly to the Internet without the use of a router or access point. Companies like MobilityPass offer wireless broadband Internet access from anywhere. The services are delivered via towers, much like cellular towers, and accessed through the use of a USB modem, not a USB wireless card. The USB modem must be present in order to access the Internet in this manner. The USB modem is included in the packages from MobilityPass, which allows access to the Internet wirelessly from over 75 different countries. With no monthly contract and nine years of wireless Internet experience MobilityPass provides unparalleled service over 3G networks for data transmission.

Each USB modem may be used in multiple devices, so a user could use the USB modem on a laptop or a desktop PC with no problem; then switch back when mobility is needed. This is by far the simplest solution to wireless access for laptops anywhere, as the end user does not need any additional equipment or technical knowledge. All they have to do is plug and play.

Like to be connected?

2009-11-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

If you are anything like me, then you hate to be out of touch. I hate it when I can't make a call, or search the internet for the information I need right then. This is why I love Mobilitypass. It doesn't matter where I am, no matter what country, I can always depend on MobilityPass to keep me connected!
MobilityPass does not only provide the access and communication it also takes care of your privacy and security providing a complete essential encrypted tool to be used when connecting from anywhere. MOBILITYPASS

Going Abroad While Staying Connected

2009-11-20T16:26:00.001-08:00

Studying or working abroad should not keep you from communicating. MobilityPass is the answer to much-needed wireless Internet connection.

With the use of the Internet, international communication has been made cheaper and easier. Going abroad today can not make you as home sick as it has been in the early years, when Internet was not as accessible as it is today. When you have access to the Internet, you will easily be able to contact people back home and check how they are doing. This is also a way for them to know that you are doing fine. If you are a regular traveler, if you work abroad away from your family or your work simply requires traveling most of the time, you can always choose to communicate with loved ones over the Internet.

To read more of this article: GOING ABROAD WHILE STAYING CONNECTED

MobilityPass Global SoftPhone

2009-11-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

MobilityPass offers a free SoftPhone for travelers and businesses. It includes free phone calls, 2 way SMS - text messaging, a virtual number and voicemail, an email account and webmail, IM, file backup and sharing, an Internet access locator and online Fax services. More information is available on our website, www.MobilityPass.com. You can even download a free trial for our SoftPhone service. A softphone is software for making calls over the Internet using computer without dedicated hardware. Our softphone is designed to act like a traditional telephone, appearing as an image of a phone. A headset or USB phone is connected to the computers soundcard in order to communicate.

Stay Connected Wordwide

2009-11-16T09:46:00.000-08:00

The following passage can be found in the articles section of www.mobilitypass.com:
"Making full use of your time by choosing a stable and reliable Internet connection is important especially for mobile workers. The quality of work that you are able to produce can make or break your career, which is why it is important to understand the importance of a Mobile Internet connection that can keep you connected internationally."
In today's high tech environment many people work while on the move, even internationally. The traveling businessman's briefcase has been replaced by a laptop. The landline phones used at each travel destination have been replaced by cellular phones that can be used while mobile. It is common to see a person in an airport using a mobile phone and laptop at the same time.
Mobility Pass specializes in providing the connections to keep this type of work and communication fluid and uninterrupted no matter where one is on the move. These technologies rely on wireless signals. Everyone knows how frustrating it can be to have a device that can do so much rendered useless by a lack of wireless signal. We are also accustomed to spikes in data or cellular rates due to travel. Check out www.mobilitypass.com for a solution. We offer no contract, pay as you use international internet and universal mobile SIM cards for Travelers and businesses.

International Internet solution for Travelers and Businesses

2009-11-12T08:19:00.000-08:00

Whether you are an occasional or frequent traveler that has a need for internet services while abroad, MobilityPass has attractive options for you. After you set up a password you will be ready to email and connect to the internet in 160 countries. Once you have installed our connection manager all you need to do is select a country and click to connect. You will have a member area that allows you to keep close track of your usage. Keep in mind that you will only be paying for data that you use, there is no contract. With our pay as you go service there is no monthly or maintenance fee. Even if you only use our service once in a year, that is the only connection you will pay for. You can access the internet from over 100.000 WiFi hot spots worldwide or use MobilityPass Mobile Broadband to get high speed wireless anywhere that you have cellphone coverage. Our services provide access to the internet through a laptop, netbook, Mac, iPhone, Blackberry or smartphone. Check out more info at www.mobilitypass.com

Adobe updates Connect Pro and will be adding mobile apps

2009-11-04T09:58:00.000-08:00

Adobe has updated Connect Pro and added the ability to integrate telephony and VOIP with what they call "Universal Voice." This allows you to record audio with your mobile and add it to a web conference. You can also use your existing VOIP service to stream audio to web conference participants. Adobe seems dedicated to laying a groundwork for unified communications. They are developing their programs to support a vision of integrated data, video and voice in web conferencing. Adobe will soon have native mobile device applications to support Universal Voice. They indicate that an app for the iPhone will be the first developed with others to follow. The link to Connect Pro includes a link to a free trial and another for joining an online web conference as an example of the service.

MobilityPass: an introduction

2009-11-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody! Thanks for stopping by and checking out my first blog on blogger.com. I am Bob and my business provides Global Roaming 3G Broadband Modem, Global Voice Sim cards, Voice Data Sim cards and WiFi connections (100.000 hot spots) worldwide. We also have a fax service, VOIP phone service, sending text messages etc.

I am going to post some general info to start with so you can get an idea about what I’m all about. I hope everyone has started their week out well and I look forward to posting here and also looking at everyone else’s blogs!

About MobilityPass:

MobilityPass is an International Data and Voice communications business offering its users a comprehensive set of pay as you go tools. With business customers all around the world, prestigious companies like Sony, Thomas Cook, Nissan and MIT use MobilityPass to connect their Mobile workers. 150,000 users across the world are already using MobilityPass to save on Mobile roaming, connect anywhere to the internet, send an online secured SMS or fax or back up data files from an encrypted mobile office. With MobilityPass there is no contract costs and users benefit from local connection rates rather than expensive global roaming charges. MobilityPass was launched 10 years ago with its operation and infrastructure located in Canada and Spain.

Comprehensive & Flexible “Swiss knife in communication”:

MobilityPass offers the market a comprehensive international set of pay-as-you-go data & voice mobile communication tools allowing travelers & businesses to connect globally anytime and anywhere they want.

Whether you need to deal with international phone calls or connect wireless & securely to the internet, manage your email accounts from anywhere, send an SMS or fax or back up your files, MobilityPass can offer you the right secure & encrypted solution. Traveling with MobilityPass is like taking your communication “Swiss knife” wherever you go. You will always be able to communicate securely with customers and colleagues and family and friends even if you lost your portable or mobile.

Drop your roaming bill, save time and be more efficient in today’s competitive world:

The MobilityPass technology provides you with global Internet & communication services while traveling in 120 countries all in one account. And best of all: is there is no set up fee or long term binding contract. Whether you are an individual or business traveler, you can now avoid being confronted with overpriced global roaming charges.

By using the MobilityPass global SIM system, you can receive incoming calls for free in more than 75 countries and make calls at local rates to more than 223 countries. Always the same number wherever you go.  The unique MobilityPass dual number Sim comes by default with a UK and US mobile number on the same Sim and the best of all is that you can add as many numbers as you like from 60 countries. Doing so you insure your global presence and offer a convenient and friendly low cost local call to your contacts.  When it comes to connecting to the Internet internationally, the 120 countries 3G MobilityPass coverage with the 100.000 wifi hotspots and the global dialup will connect any Laptop, Iphone, blackberry or smartphone worldwide securely and economically.  The no contract policy, average savings on yearly roaming call and/or data charges up to 50-80% makes MobilityPass the perfect communication partner.

Cost Control, Security & Management:

Online Centralized billing of all services (never mind the countries) allows you to control your daily usage and assure you that you only pay for what you use.  Corporate & small businesses can manage all international communication & internet access of mobile employees. No investment, instant activation, minimum overhead and knowledge required.  One single login worldwide for all your communication from 3G to Mobile call, Fax, etc. No more need to provide your id, credit card, or to maintain several accounts for each service or each country you go, putting at risk your security & privacy.

A Secure Mobile Office, your passport to international privacy and confidentiality.

Value added service: MobilityPass does not only provide the access and communication, it also takes care of your privacy and security providing a complete essential encrypted tool to be used when connecting from anywhere  As a simple example of the MobilityPass value added service: If you connect with a regular local provider in China, most of the time you will not be able to send your emails using your current email account. With MobilityPass there is no problem, you can use your email as usual and on the top of that your email will be locally protected by encryption. MobilityPass protects your emails, sms, VOIP, Fax and backup files the same way anywhere in the world.  MobilityPass has its own private VPN and all communications are encrypted therefore protecting you from any external local access.

Behind this incredible technology there is a ”human being” support team that is dedicated to take care of our members personally.

Call support in 5 continents available in 6 languages.  24 hour online support.  3 days express UPS shipping.