Using Technology to Stay Connected
These are exciting times for mobile entrepreneurs. Laptop computers have become smaller and far more powerful, and clunky cell phones have transformed from being devices simply for talking into sleek smartphones capable of a wide range of wireless interactivity. In addition, the cost of traditional long-distance phone service has plummeted, and the option to use the internet as a phone (using voice over internet protocol, or VoIP) has become extremely viable for saving a fortune on calls (as well as making video conferencing an affordable option for everyone).
Thanks to the wireless web, we can connect to the internet anywhere and anytime and have a high-speed connection from a laptop computer, netbook, smartphone, or wireless PDA or tablet.
While the technology that allows us to communicate more effectively is becoming increasingly powerful, the price for all this power is decreasing. Today, just about any startup entrepreneur can afford the latest Android or iPhone, netbook or laptop with wireless connectivity, or a new iPad or Samsung tablet. These technologies allow us to talk, video conference, email, IM, or communicate in ways never before possible—from anywhere we happen to be. We’re no longer held down by cables or phone lines or the need to find wifi hotspots or electrical outlets. We can conduct business as efficiently as if we were sitting at our office desk.
tip
When selecting a cell phone, smartphone, or wireless PDA, don’t just look at the equipment in terms of its features and functionality. Determine what types of service plans are available, what fees are associated with those plans, and what downloadable apps you might want to use.
Do Your Homework
Yes, the technology to do these incredible things exists, but it’s your responsibility to discover what’s out there, then determine the best ways to use it to make you more productive—and competitive. Everyone’s needs are different. While a netbook might be the ultimate solution for one person, a full-powered laptop computer or the latest Apple iPad might be a more useful tool for someone else.
Once you pinpoint which technology is best for you, it’s up to you to become proficient using that equipment. For some, overcoming the learning curve associated with the latest technologies, as well as an inherent fear of them, is a debilitating hindrance. In order to ensure your success in today’s business world, you must possess the knowledge, skills, and experience to fully use the latest emerging technologies and the well-established ones.
The best way to acquire this knowledge and proficiency is to read the equipment manuals, visit related websites that offer interactive tutorials, and then invest some time in using your new equipment. For example, before loading your phone with crucial work-related data, spend a few days actually using all its features without the fear of corrupting or losing important information.
As you invest the time and energy to learn about the latest tools, don’t just buy the hottest gadget so your colleagues, clients, and customers will be impressed. Focus on which of these technologies will make you more organized, efficient, productive, and available to current and prospective customers. Determine which mobile technology will be the biggest time and money saver. To accomplish this goal, you’ll need to study your current work habits and how you spend your time, then choose appropriate technologies so you can stay compatible and competitive in today’s fast-paced work environment.
tip
If you want to become proficient using an Apple iPhone or iPad quickly, visit the Apple.com website and watch the video tutorials that explain how to use the phone’s most popular features. Samsung tablet users should check out androidforums.com for tutorials and easy-to-understand “how-to” and “getting started” information.
Just the Beginning
There are so many different technologies out there that can be used for communicating and staying connected, it’s impossible to write about all of them or to focus on all the different ways they can be used in conjunction to make you better and more efficient.
For example, if you travel a lot for your business, you can have one single phone number that follows you anywhere in the world, or that rings in certain places at certain times of the day or night. If you’re not available to answer the phone, the caller can automatically be sent to voice mail, and that message can be listened to at your convenience or automatically translated into an email message and sent to your smartphone, laptop, computer, or iPad. Many phone service companies offer “Follow Me” functionality, including Google Voice (google.com/voice) and Vonage (vonage.com). Even many cable providers now offer this.
tip
If you’re using the latest technologies to be more productive while driving, be smart about it by taking advantage of a high-quality Bluetooth headset or hands-free device. The cost of a high-end Bluetooth headset with the latest noise-cancelling technologies will be $80 to $230.
Likewise, if someone needs to send you a fax, you no longer have to sit at your office next to the fax machine waiting for it to ring. With a virtual fax machine (like eFax.com), you can receive faxes as email messages (in PDF format, for example), and access those incoming faxes from anywhere, plus print them from your computer. You can also send a fax to any traditional fax machine directly from your word processor or web browser. That is, if an email message or IM won’t suffice.
Your cell phone, smartphone, notebook computer, netbook, or iPad can handle many tasks: It can be used as a plain old telephone or as a full-featured voice-mail system that also sends/receives emails, faxes, and instant messages, or in some cases, allows for real-time video conferencing . . . and that’s just the beginning.
tip
Never send or read text messages, IMs, emails, or surf the web while driving—no matter how appealing the concept of multitasking in this situation might be. If you’re distracted, even for a second, the consequences can turn deadly.
Talk Is Cheap
The kind of productivity boom that personal computers and other office machines brought to business in the 1980s and ’90s are antiquated. Technological advancements in the 21st century offers us cheap home and office phone systems, powerful mobile smartphones, mobile broadband (for high-speed internet access from virtually anywhere), plus various kinds of text messaging and video communications. In fact, research shows that more and more people are giving up their traditional landlines altogether in favor of using wireless cell phone technology as their primary home or office phone line(s).
Whether you use a landline or cell phone, most service plans these days offer unlimited local and long-distance calling for a flat rate (typically between $30 and $100 per month). Thus, from a business perspective, your telecom budget line item went from a variable to a fixed expense. Add in plummeting telecom costs, and you have what amounts to cold, hard cash in your pocket, plus much greater communications tools at your disposal.
Even the cost of internet access has dropped significantly in recent years, thanks to DSL, broadband, FIOS, and wireless 3G and 4G technologies. For a flat monthly fee, anyone can have unlimited internet access from their home, office, or mobile device, usually for well under $50 per month.
Which Smartphone Is the Smartest?
Just about all cell phones have the ability to send and receive text messages and surf the web. However, it’s the true smartphones and wireless smartphones, such as Apple iPhones, Android, and Google phones, that offer truly powerful and seamless voice and data communications capabilities—all from a single handheld device.
You can use a smartphone for a wide range of tasks, including sending/receiving calls, voice mails, emails, text, and instant messaging. You can also surf the web, and use it as a powerful GPS navigational system as well as a personal productivity tool for managing your contacts, schedule, expenses, and other data.
e-fyi
Don’t have a cellular wireless card for your laptop computer yet, and need wifi web access while on the go? Most hotels, airports, coffee shops, and bookstores offer free or fee-based wifi. You can quickly find local wifi hotspots throughout the United States or abroad on wififreespot.com, ipass.com/find-mobile-hotspot/, openwifispots.com, and youcanworkfromanywhere.com/wi-fi/.
Choosing which smartphone is right for you is a matter of personal preference, based on your unique work habits, communication and connectivity needs, and budget. Once you know how you’ll be using your smartphone, consider what features and functionality you want and need, then take a look at the various iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Google, and other smartphone models available. (If you’re going to have employees, consider compatibility issues as well to ensure data from your smartphone will be transferable to your staff and vice versa.)
Also, consider the phone’s design, battery life, screen readability, keyboard size (or virtual keyboard), overall size and weight, and price. Also, ask about repair/replacement service plans, insurance options, and the warranty.
While you should certainly consider the cost of the device when shopping for a smartphone, you’ll also want to look at:
What the various cell phone carriers (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) offer in terms of monthly service plans
The cost of the monthly service plan (with all of the extras you’ll want and need, such as unlimited talk minutes, data usage, and text messaging)
The length of the service contract you’ll need to commit to (usually one or two years); if you cancel prematurely, you’ll be charged an early termination fee between $150 and $300, depending on the carrier
The level of national and international roaming service offered, based on the areas where you’ll use your smartphone the most. For example, even the most advanced wireless carriers don’t yet offer true high-speed wireless internet coast to coast. Depending on the carrier, the latest 3G or 4G service may only be available in or near major cities. Be sure to study the carrier’s most current service coverage map.
save
To save money on cell phone usage and international roaming fees when traveling overseas, consider purchasing an inexpensive, prepaid cell phone in the country you’re visiting. This means you pay for the phone and a predetermined number of talk minutes or data usage, then you can pay as you go for service and can cancel it at any time.
At Your Service
When choosing a service plan for your smartphone, shop around for the best deals based on the functionality you actually want and need. If, for example, you need a lot of talk time but don’t plan to send/receive text messages or surf the web too much, the service plans you should look at will be very different from someone who relies on their phone to surf the web and check email while on the go.
Your comparison shopping should focus on three components—voice, data, and text messaging. For a voice plan, things to consider include how many minutes per month of talking (sending or receiving voice calls) a plan includes and whether or not the plan differentiates between peak and off-peak minutes (based on the time of day or day of the week calls are sent/received). You’ll want to look for a voice plan that includes unlimited local and long-distance (domestic) calls 24/7.
As for the data component, carriers charge based on the amount of data sent/received. This is the least desirable option. Instead, either choose a data plan that includes a predetermined amount you can send/receive per month, such as 25MB, or choose an unlimited plan for a flat fee, which is usually the best deal for business users.
Finally, most carriers will either charge you per text message sent/received or offer a plan that allows for a predetermined number of text messages to be sent/received. The best option is a plan that offers unlimited texting each month.
save
Another option for international calling is to forgo a cell phone altogether and rely on a VoIP service, such as Skype, to make free (or really cheap) calls from your laptop computer or iPad, which is connected to a high-speed wifi internet connection in your hotel, for example. If you own an iPad or iPhone, you can also use wireless connections to Skype or video chat via programs like FaceTime, without incurring extra charges.
To stay competitive, many carriers now offer unlimited voice, high-MB data, and unlimited text plans for a monthly fee of $69 to $130 per month. You can often share lines—that is, add another mobile phone or device—for as little as $20 more per smartphone. This could be a great option for multiple employees in an office where you’re most often out and about, rather than at a desk. However, keep in mind that there are also additional charges you may incur for various extras, such as the ability to turn your phone into a mobile wifi hotspot so that you can connect your laptop or other devices to the internet.
And keep in mind that most U.S.-based cell phones and smartphones will automatically work when you travel overseas, thanks to international roaming. However, unless you have an international roaming plan, you’ll be charged $2 to $5 (or more) per minute to make or receive calls while overseas, plus you’ll be charged up to $1 for each text message sent/received, and up to $20 (or more) per megabyte of data sent/received. If you plan to travel overseas and use your cell phone or smartphone, inquire about international roaming packages, which can save you a bundle if activated before you leave the country.
Wireless Wonders
All laptop computers and smaller netbooks allow users to connect to the web via wifi (assuming a wifi hotspot is available) by connecting an internet cable to the computer directly or via an optional wireless internet card.
The iPad
The Apple iPad was released in 2010. It allows for wireless web surfing and the use of a wide range of other internet-related applications. Plus it runs all third-party Apple iPhone apps and iPad-specific apps from third-party developers—all from a device that’s larger than a smartphone but smaller than a netbook or laptop.
The iPad, which starts at $499, connects to the web via any wifi hotspot. However, for a bit more money, you can purchase an iPad that also offers web connectivity, meaning you can access the internet using a wireless internet connection offered by a major carrier, such as AT&T, for a monthly fee of less than $30. (Best part: Long-term service contracts aren’t usually required.) Its competitors include Samsung, Microsoft, and Google, all of which have tablets as an offering. Even so, the iPad is the most ubiquitous of the tablet computers.
While these tablet offerings aren’t phones, they offer the ability to surf the web with a large screen from almost anywhere. The tablet is incredibly lightweight and portable. There’s also a virtual keyboard, so you don’t need a separate keyboard or mouse to use the unit, although you can buy a small external keyboard for about $100. Apps available for the iPad are office-friendly and becoming more so every day. Other manufacturers also offer apps for Windows, too.
Like a netbook or smartphone, a tablet won’t meet everyone’s needs; however, it can be a powerful business tool that will help many people become more productive, accessible, organized, and competitive in today’s business world.
Figure 28.1. Wireless Protocols
A wireless internet card is a cell phone modem for your computer. It allows the computer to connect to the internet via a cell phone connection, so no wifi hotspot is required. You just need to be within the service area of a wireless data provider with whom you have a data plan.
All the wireless service providers—AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.—offer wireless modem cards for laptop and netbook computers (if the computer doesn’t have the technology built in). These modems connect to the computer, usually via a USB connection. To gain wireless access to the web, you’ll need to sign up for a provider’s data-only service plan. This can cost $40 to $60 per month—less if you’ve got a wireless contract for your smartphone with the provider already—depending on the data amount you need.
You might be better off activating mobile wifi hotspot capabilities for your smartphone, which can cost as little as $20. But, with some carriers, when other devices are connected to your phone, you won’t be able to make calls. Be sure to ask for details.
Adding a wireless modem and service plan to your laptop allows you to surf the web (via a high-speed 3G or 4G wireless connection) from anywhere there’s wireless data service from your provider. You don’t need to hunt down a wifi hotspot or connect your computer to a modem. This gives you tremendous freedom to access the web anywhere, any time.
I’m IMing
Instant messages (also referred to as IMing) allow people to communicate in real time without speaking. While cell phones allow us to roam freely and wirelessly, they’re still used primarily for real-time conversations. Other internet-based communications methods let the two halves of the conversation proceed at the pace preferred by each participant. Welcome to the world of instant messages (IMs) and text messages. These are two different technologies that have similar uses.
IMing is used while you’re online and surfing the web to instantly send text-based messages (and potentially attached files or links) to a recipient, who receives your IM instantly on his/her desktop computer, laptop, netbook, iPad, or smartphone (assuming it’s connected to the web). To use IMs, both the sender and the receiver must participate in the same (or on a compatible) IM service, such as G-Chat from Google, Yahoo Messenger, or MSN (Microsoft) Messenger. A real-time, text-based conversation can be held between two or more people.
The benefit to IMing is that you can participate in an unlimited number of conversations simultaneously, plus it’s quicker than picking up the phone or sending a full-length email. Text messaging works in much the same way as IMing; however, to send and receive a text message, you use a cell phone or smartphone. You can send a text message to anyone with a cell phone, as long as you know their phone number, regardless of what carrier they use, and assuming you both have a text messaging plan as part of your cell phone service.
e-fyi
While IMing is one method to have quick nonverbal communication, many people today are hooked on Twitter (twitter.com). Twitter allows people to post short messages—140 characters in length, plus a website link or photo—which their “followers” can read in real-time, or at their convenience. (See Chapters 35 and 36 for more details.)
Web Calling
Instead of using traditional phone lines to make and receive calls, anyone with any type of high-speed internet connection can take advantage of VoIP technology to make and receive calls from the web. Calls originating from the web can be placed to traditional phone lines, often at a fraction of the cost of making a traditional long-distance call (and sometimes free of charge, depending on the service you use).
Using a VoIP service gives you access to a wide range of calling services and features, from caller ID and voice mail to call forwarding and conference calling. As long as you have a stable, high-speed internet connection, the calls will be clear.
There are many VoIP services that offer different types of features of interest to entrepreneurs. For example, there’s Skype (skype.com), MagicJack (magicjack.com), and Vonage (vonage.com). You can find a worldwide list of VoIP services by visiting voipproviderslist.com.
For people who need to make international calls, either from the United States to an overseas country or who travel overseas and need to call home to the United States, VoIP offers a tremendous savings over traditional phone or cellular phone services. In fact, using VoIP, you can typically call anywhere in the world, any time, for less than a few cents per minute (and sometimes for free).
With VoIP, you’re assigned your own phone number, plus you can receive calls at that number any time you’re connected to the internet—from anywhere—or have calls forwarded to your cell phone or a landline. Most VoIP services charge a flat monthly fee up to $30 for unlimited service, or waive the monthly fee but charge a low, per-minute fee per call.
It’s Your Turn
Technology is changing rapidly and almost daily. New devices and tools are constantly being introduced. New software upgrades to existing devices, such as the iPhone or Android, are allowing for greater functionality. Plus, prices are dropping fast!
tip
Having a handheld device can keep you connected 24/7, and in the spirit of increased productivity, it’s easy to get into the habit of constantly checking your emails and voice mails, making it difficult to disconnect from your work-related responsibilities at the end of the day. As you incorporate these new technologies into your life, also develop the discipline to use them in moderation.
If you want to be competitive in today’s business world, it’s no longer a matter of whether you need a smartphone and/or a netbook, laptop (with wireless capabilities), or an iPad—it’s a matter of which model you need right now and how you’ll be able to get the most use out of each technology or device as you juggle your daily work and personal responsibilities, plus deal with the growing need to be accessible virtually 24/7.
This chapter offered just a short introduction to the communications and connectivity technology that’s available. How you use this technology is up to you! So put on your thinking cap, be creative, and discover ways you can use it to become more productive, accessible, and competitive in today’s business world.
New technologies and phone models are introduced almost every month. One of the best ways to learn about the latest gadgets, gizmos, and technologies businesspeople use to communicate is to visit a consumer electronics superstore, such as Best Buy, or at least two different cell phone stores (representing different service providers, like AT&T Wireless, Verizon, Sprint, and/or T-Mobile). If you’re interested in Apple products (e.g., the iPhone or iPad), visit an Apple store. By visiting a retail store that showcases the latest products, you can try them out firsthand, learn about their features, and more easily compare pricing.