When Wireless Broadband Meets VoIP

For a long time, wireless cell phones using broadband were the only solution to communicating on the go. but a few years ago, people developed a new way to communicate with their phones and its called VoIP, or voice over internet protocol. Many people may have already heard of Vonage, the company that pioneered the use of VoIP, but these same people may not know what it is and how it works. people also might be wondering why its a lot cheaper than traditional wireless plans.

VoIP is a new revolutionary way to make phone calls, sometimes for free. This new technology allows you to make phone calls through your computer and an internet connection. It uses IP addresses to connect you to whoever youre trying to call. but voIP isnt limited to just computer to computer phone calls. It can also make calls when someone is in reach of any wi-fi hotspot. All you need is a IP phone and a power supply. Of course, with every new technology, there will be up-sides and down-sides.

When you subscribe to a service like Vonage, they will only charge you around thirty dollars a month while other cell phone companies will charge around fifty. If you download VoIP software off the internet and use it to make long distance calls, it will cost you nothing in most cases and it takes around five minutes to set it up. now, companies are developing ways to allow people to use voIP on popular smart phones such as the motorola Q and the Samsung Blackjack. The reason its so cheap is that voIP costs about a two thirds less than wireless to maintain. Placing a call using VoIP will only cost a company like Vonage one third of the cost that cingular or T-mobile has to pay. And now that people know how to convert wireless phones to IP phones using motorola Q accessories or Samsung Blackjack accessories, cell phone companies are starting to lose business to VoIP providers, but new technology always has certain important disadvantages.

For example, when you do not have a WI-FI signal, the phone will have no dial tone. Also, emergency calls to 911 will be a problem as well. These IP calls are untraceable so if you are unable to tell the 911 operator where you are, they wont be able to find you.

VoIP wont be a large threat to wireless companies for a decade or two because of these problems. They are not small either and it will take companies like cingular more than a decade to switch to this cheaper technology. Stay with your expensive wireless company for now.

Natalie Aranda is a freelance writer. For a long time, wireless cell phones using broadband were the only solution to communicating on the go. but a few years ago, people developed a new way to communicate with their phones and its called VoIP, or voice over internet protocol. And now that people know how to convert wireless phones to IP phones using Motorola Q accessories or Samsung Blackjack Accessories, cell phone companies are starting to lose business to VoIP providers, but new technology always has certain important disadvantages.

Yoga Mat Child

Flattening Your Stomach in Four Easy Steps

You look at it every day and wish it would just go away; that little pouch below your belly button that keeps staring back at you. You do crunches, sit ups, the works, and yet there it is just hanging around. There are all sorts of cute names for it: snack pouch, spare tire, love handles, and the list goes on. All you know is that you want it gone.

The American Council on Exercise calls the bicycle one of the most effective ab exercises out there. This exercise is one of many that should be completed as part of a lifestyle change which includes both diet and exercise. Just doing ab exercises all day will not get rid of the excess fat that you have around your waistline.

The following four areas of diet and exercise will help you gain the toned, flat stomach that you are craving.

1.Fat Intake

How much fat is in your diet? The American food Pyramid says that a healthy diet is one that Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts, and is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

Following the food pyramid will help you find the fats you need in good foods like nuts and plant oils as opposed to potato chips and ice cream. You should be taking in less than 30% of your caloric intake from fat so check your labels when youre purchasing packaged products. Many products now have the trans fats listed as well, so you can see which percentage of fat belongs to which group; saturated, non-saturated, trans, etc.

2.Carbohydrate Intake

Maybe your friends were on lo-carb diets and were amazed at the weight they lost. Maybe you tried one too? Carbohydrates are amazing in that each molecule attracts four water molecules to it and they hang out together inside your muscles. When you start decreasing the amount of carbohydrates you take in, you start to see weight loss in the form of fat loss. Oops, I mean water loss. No more carbs means no more four molecules of water hanging on, means lower numbers on the scale. Carbohydrate intake is essential for brain activity as well as muscle function. Our bodies feed off of glucose and glycogen which is supplied directly by carbohydrates. Eating whole wheat and whole grain is the way to go- stay away from white products; rice, pasta, bread, etc. Brown is best. Carbohydrate intake should be no more than 65% of your diet.

3.Cardiovascular Exercise

Running, cycling, swimming, aerobics; they are all using oxygen and so the prime energy source comes from muscle glycogen and fatty acids. The furnace is on and its burning fat. You may have heard that cardio is good for burning fat, and that is true. Cardio exercise should be done for a minimum of 20 minutes and hopefully for longer and should be done at least three times per week, hopefully more. According to the American Council of Sport Medicine, If weight loss is your major goal, participate in your aerobic activity at least 30 minutes, for five days each week.

You cant melt fat off of one area specifically, but it will come off over the whole body in time. We all lose fat from different places first. Just remember that cardio is a complement to the diet and the floor work that will also do.

4.Floor work

Abdominal exercises were once believed to be something we could do everyday. We now know that the abdominals are like any other muscle and they need time to recover and rest.

Floor work is an essential component in getting a toned tummy. There are four main abdominal muscles that we can work: the rectus abdominus, which runs from the sternum to the pubic bone, the transverse abdominus which runs horizontal all around the torso connecting near the spine, and there are the obliques- internal and external which run alongside our ribs in opposite directions.

Exercises:

hip lifts:

Lye on your back with your legs straight up in the air. Keep your back pressing into the floor and think about tightening a belt around your waist. Slowly pull your belly button to the floor and as you do so, feel your hips lifting gently off the floor as your legs are lifted. Do not lift with the legs, but instead with the abdominals. Repeat 10-15 times.

The Plank:

Facing the floor, get on your hands and knees, keeping your shoulders over your hands. Straighten out your body and keep your toes on the floor. You should be straight like a board with your abs pulling in tight. Breathe in and out naturally. Hold for up to one minute. Repeat 4-5 times.

The Bicycle:

Lye on your back with you knees bent. Slowly pull your upper body off the floor and support your head with your hands. Activate your abs by pulling your belly button to the floor and release any pelvic tilt. take one shoulder and turn your torso to face your opposite knee. Go to the other side. Think of riding a bicycle as you turn slowly from side to side. Repeat for 20 repetitions.

Double Leg Drop:

Lye on your back with your legs straight up in the air. Keep your back pressing into the floor and think about tightening a belt around your waist. Keeping your abs pulled in at all times, slowly drop your legs toward the floor, keeping them pressing together. If you feel your back begin to arch, pull your legs back to the starting point. Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up. Only go as far as you are comfortable with and go slowly. Repeat 10 times.

diet and exercise are the only ways to get to your goals and they need to become part of a new lifestyle if youre going to maintain the body you want. Quick fixes, pills, drinks, diets, etc are only good for short term and could have long term effects that dont equate to your ultimate goals.

Nicole Palacios BSc, has been an integral part of the fitness industry for the past 11 years, working first as a group fitness instructor, and more recently as a personal trainer. She is certified through ACE and the BCRPA as a personal trainer, and is also a supervisor of fitness leaders. Her passions include fitness writing, weight training, and helping her clients pursue their fitness dreams. She has also started a Stroller Fit walking and toning group for moms in Vancouver, Canada.

Check out her website at http://www.perfectfit.ws, or contact by email at Nicole@perfectfit.ws

Yoga Here And Now Deerfield

Business Satellite Internet Products Compared - 2005

There are a number of options available for Business class Satellite Internet connectivity in the U.S. today. New offerings seem to launch every week in 2005 and it is becoming a bit confusing for the business owner who cant obtain traditional high speed internet or cant afford the expense of running a T1 line to a location off the beaten path. Ive outlined below several options for business with the positive aspects as well as negative where applicable. Each company and heavy individual user has different needs, so no one platform is a one size fits all. I will outline them and you decide:

1. iDirect Platform:

This is a proven Enterprise platform which provides a wide range of dependable speeds for most any business, government or heavy use individual. Download speeds from 64 kbps to over 2000 kbps and Upload speeds from 64 kbps to over 1000 kbps are available. The platform supports shared bandwidth or guaranteed QOS bandwidth at much higher pricing. In the U.S. a 1.2 meter dish is standard. equipment Cost: equipment A 2 watt system will cost about $2,700 installed. A 4 watt system is about $4,300 installed. Monthly Service: A minimum circuit is about $250. A typical setup of 1000/256 kbps is $499 per month for a shared bandwidth-no FAP setup. For about $350 per month you can get 2000/500 kbps service with a 3 GB throughput allowance per month. There is a cost of $.09 per MB thereafter. The shared bandwidth package is far more predictable with the iDirect platform than with DirecWay or Starband setups. You can expect to see the advertised speeds 85 % of the time or better.

2. Surfbeam Platform:

This product is in the process of being introduced in America. Surfbeam uses the same platform basically that a cable or DSL provider would use, except it is satellite internet. It is much less expensive than Enterprise grade systems. There is only one provider ready to launch this platform in the U.S. and they should begin shipping equipment by April 1, 2005. In most cases a 1.2 meter dish will be utilized with a 2-3 watt transmitter. Download speeds of 1500 kbps and uploads in excess of 500 kbps are the advertised speeds; however, this hasnt been verified in the field as of this article date. equipment Cost: Ranging from $1,295 - $1,995 including installation. Monthly Service: Ranging from $95 - $400.

3. Starband 484 Platform U.S. :

This is the beefed up version of Starband service designed to attract small businesses and heavy individual users. This is DVB (digital video broadcast) technology which is converted to IP the conversion process is the problem. It adds to overall latency and even with higher upload speeds than their consumer products (they advertise up to 256 kbps in Turbo Max mode- unclear what that really is), they dont support VNP traffic or VOIP connections. Download speeds are listed as up to 20 times faster than dialupwhatever that means. Dish size is 24x36 and transmitter strength not given. equipment Cost: $900 + shipping + installation (price not given) Monthly Service: $160

4. DirecWay Business plus Service (U.S. only):

This is the DirecWay beefed up version of service. The only meaningful difference between this platform and the Starband setup above is DirecWay has more experience massaging the DVB conversion to IP and possibly more advanced acceleration techniques. They will support some types of VPN and VOIP, but it requires expensive equipment ($2,000+) to be placed at the satellite location and at Headquarters for a VPN circuit- often to the chagrin of the IT department at HQ. Inadequate upload speeds for heavy VPN chatty programs still plague this platform. You can expect download speeds ranging from 800 kbps to 1500 kbps or more. Upload speeds range from 29 kbps to 90 kbps. This system uses a .98 meter dish and 1 watt transmitter. equipment Cost: $900 + $375 installation (shipping included) Monthly Service: $129+

5. Ka Band Satellite Internet:

When this technology becomes available the summer of 2005, it could literally shake the foundation of the satellite internet world or not! It is a technology that has been many years and over 1.5 Billion dollars in the making. There will be 30 spot beams aimed at the U.S. and 5 used by uplink centers with the initial satellite (Telesats Anik F2) which will be operated by Wildblue Communications, a Denver, Co. based company. It is being targeted to small business operators and consumers in rural areas through a network of rural electric operators (NRTC) initially and through two national distributors as the year progresses. If it works as advertised it will permit telecommuters to successfully VPN into home office much like they would with a cable or DSL connection except at somewhat slower speeds (due to about 500ms of latency). Still, it has a lot of promise for the small businessman. They will not offer an Enterprise solution for some time- if ever. With a satellite dish about the size of a trashcan lid (.67 meters) and a two watt transmitter, users will be able to download at speeds up to 1500 kbps and upload at speeds ranging from 128 kbps to 256 kbps. equipment Cost: $300-$500 Installation: $ ?? Monthly Service: Three plans with varying download speeds

$49 500 kbps download speeds

$69 1000 kbps

$79 1500 kbps It is unclear whether the upload speeds shown above will apply to all service levels.

At this time, I am recommending that small and medium businesses needing connectivity right away, go with the more proven iDirect platform. You can learn more about it and other offerings at www.vsatus.com or email sales@vsatus.com .

About the Author:

Randy Scott is the founder of VSAT U.S., a colorado based sales and consulting firm which provides VSAT satellite internet platforms to business and heavy individual users throughout the Americas and most of the world. Randy has over 10 years experience in the high technology field, both in bi-directional satellite internet and industrial computer hardware as a business owner and Sr. sales Engineer. You can reach Randy by email: sales@vsatus.com or toll free@ 1-866-978-4613.

Denise Austin Pilates And Yoga Trainer