Remember (once upon a time) when we picked up the phone handset to talk?
Listened for a dial tone, spun the dial or pressed the number keys.
Said hello, had a conversation and put the handset down to disconnect?
Things have changed.
A. The phone has to be plugged in and powered, or charged up.
B. You have to have a signal.
C. You need a phone account with credit or minutes on it.
NOTE: I'll concede that in earlier days, when away from home, we had to have BOTH a working pay telephone AND the change in pocket, or a calling card or credit card.
D. Many phones contain the numbers you want to call, so you can look up those phone numbers in the phone book IF you put them in earlier.
E. You have to press SEND for it to connect and dial.
F. You must make sure your hands-free device is (still) working and it's connected to your phone.
G. You need an assortment of cables and chargers in every car and corner of the house
And all this is needed if you get your phone from the phone company!
If you get phone services from a cable provider, satellite company, etc. there will be other requirements - like having the cable connected, the power on, the modem active, the modulator free of the framwitz resonator, and so on.
In an effort to simplify my life and improve my home communications, I have been using Skype for several years. We decided this weekend to investigate some alternatives - perhaps there might be a half-dozen more providers of low cost communication.
I was wrong!
Let's for the moment exclude the Social Media (Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc.) and texting (MMS) on our mobile phones. And the mail.
We now have AT LEAST all these verbal and visual communications providers:
- Apple FaceTime
- Apple iChat
- Barablu
- Callcentric
- ComBots
- FaceFlow
- Fring
- FullyVoip
- Goober
- iCall
- Jajah
- Jaxster
- Lycos Phone
- Messenger
- Nimbuzz
- Nyoombi
- ooVoo
- OrganIP
- RebelVox
- Rebtel
- Skype
- Scydo
- SightSpeed
- SIPhone
- Tango
- TelCentris
- VBuzzer
- Veribu
- Viber
- VOIPBuster
- Vopium
- VSee
- Walkie Talkie
- Wengo Phone
Exponential growth is a term that loosely means things are growing much much faster than we expected. I think it can be used safely in regard to complexity and telephony services!
The chart below shows LINEAR growth, CUBIC growth and EXPONENTIAL growth.
Exponents are discussed in 5th and 6th grades in Excel Math.
If you can, call us.
Use any technology you want. We'll tell you about Excel Math and why we think elementary schools and kids benefit by using it.
