Technologies
Top 10 Things You Should Know about Heart Rate Monitors
I know, you know and we all know what a heart rate monitor is, right? A small device that looks like a wristwatch and measures your heart rate. True. How does it work? Well, that's a tougher one. But if you understand how a heart rate monitor works, you can start using the device as a training computer, not only as a heart rate monitor.
The ins and outs of using a Wi-Fi smart phone - Cheaper calls, more flexibility
I've been there, you've been there, and virtually every cell phone owner has been there: A nice place that's transformed into a hellhole the minute there is no signal from a wireless carrier. However, if this uncomfortable place happens to be near a Wi-Fi hot spot, you could be in luck. A cell phone with built-in Wi-Fi technology can be connected to the Internet at hot spots just like a laptop computer. Then it can be used for VoIP phone calls, checking e-mail, reading news or uploading video clips to YouTube >
How to Set Up a Home Wi-Fi Access Point for a Smartphone
Notebook computer users are used to the idea of accessing the Internet wirelessly via Wi-Fi hotspots at home, hotels, offices, and other places. Many have also discovered they can use products like Skype for free phone calls and messaging via Wi-Fi. Owners of Wi-Fi -capable smartphones can do the same - connect via Wi-Fi for free phone calls - but they can also choose to access their phone company's network whenever Wi-Fi is unavailable. Here's our guide for setting up a Wi-Fi access point at home for free communications on a smartphone >
Share Videos and Play Music through Your Home Network from Your Phone
We are amazed. We have a camera phone that can communicate with a TV, DVD player, stereo set, and home PC. This particular smartphone can share pictures, videos, and music with our home entertainment devices and control what they are playing. Because it is a phone, the communication is wireless. The magic technology is called UPnP. Despite its cryptic name, this technology lets you create a wireless home entertainment system for sharing music and videos across devices >
Smartphones That Let You Make Phone Calls over Wi-Fi Connection or Mobile Network: Introduction to UMA
Maybe you are already using wireless communication on your notebook computer to access the Internet via a Wi-Fi access point at home or at the office. Maybe you have also spotted new smartphones that come with Wi-Fi for accessing the Internet. But, wait a minute. It's a smartphone. Why not make phone calls over the Internet using the Wi-Fi connection? The UMA technology lets you do just that: phone calls over Wi-Fi and mobile networks.
Do we really need four wireless technologies in one small, handheld device?
Our first GSM phone was built using wireless technology that allowed us to make phone calls while walking the dog. It was marvelous. Our new smartphone came with four wireless communication technologies: 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Fantastic, but on second thoughts – it is plenty. Have we gone mad, are the vendors making us pay for useless features, or does it make perfect sense after all?
Five important things you should know about copy-protected music, movies and books
We purchased and downloaded our first copy-protected book from an online shop in 1999 and a few years and a few eBooks later; none of these books can be read anymore. We purchased our first copy-protected songs in 2003 and have regretted that ever since, because they won't play on the computers and portable MP3 players we are using today. If you want to avoid the mistakes we made, this is what you should know about copy-protected media >
3G means two different mobile technologies
Two different 3G mobile technologies are widely used across the world and if your new 3G phone happens to be of the other technology than the network you are trying to connect to, don't bother calling the helpdesk. Advice on 3G >
Getting your mobile phone to work anywhere in the world
Have you ever wondered why some mobile phones work in some countries while not on others? The magic is in the air: radio wave signaling systems of the two global mobile network standards, GSM and CDMA, are different, which means there is no use in taking your CDMA phone to a country covered by GSM networks. However, there is hope in the air for those who follow our advice on traveling with a mobile phone >
The Five Most Defective Phones; the Five Best Quality Phones
If you are taking your new phone to a service center for the second time, you may have a reason to suspect that there is something wrong with that particular model. Some people are chatting on their phones for two years without glitches, after all. Well, maybe you are not alone … as a recent survey points out. The Connect magazine in Germany reports that certain phone models are five times more likely to require repair than other models >
Thousands of Swedes happily switched networks for free phone calls when the mobile network operator 3 opened up a 3G network in Sweden. If this is a sign of how 3G will be offered in other parts of the world, customers will be keen to try the new phones and services. Advice on 3G >
Quick facts: network technologies
Bluetooth local connectivity, high speed wireless LANs and mobile (cellular) networks not only have different data transfer speeds, but they are meant for different purposes. Summary of network technologies >
