Computers are supposed to speed up our productivity?to help us do more in less time. What do you do when your computer is running so slow that it’s keeping you from getting your work done? Before you kick it to the curb, try these easy, do-it-yourself suggestions to help your system run & perform better.

Why do computers get slow in the first place? There are lots of reasons. When you first setup a new system, it’s usually fast and responsive. Applications open quickly, websites load instantly and startup and shut down take no time at all. But after a few months of serious use (installing and removing programs, downloading files from the Internet and general wear & tear) it’s normal for things to slow down a bit. This is where computer maintenance comes in?your disks and your file system need to be maintained for them to continue operating at peak performance.

According to an article from Microsoft.com (see link at the end of this article), there are 4 things you can do to increase the performance of your PC:

1) Free Up Some Disk Space

You can speed things up by deleting the unneeded files from your hard drive. Most recent versions of Windows include a nice utility called "Disk Cleanup" that does just what the name suggests?it cleans up your disks! It will scan your whole drive and return a list of files you can safely delete, which will free up storage space and also make your system more responsive. Temporary Internet files, temp files from documents, downloaded program files, and even items in your recycle bin can all be found and deleted using this tool. I would also recommend uninstalling any programs you no longer need, and any Windows components you don’t use. Once this is done, you can move on to the next step.

2) Speed Up System Access To Your Data

The more you use your hard drive, the more "fragmented" it gets. Simply put, after a while you start getting large gaps on your hard drive. Windows has to work around these gaps, and it does so by putting pieces of your data on various areas of your hard drive. The farther apart the pieces of your data are on the drive, the longer it takes Windows to put them back together again, which results in very slow performance. To fix this problem, you should run the Windows "Disk Defragmenter" regularly. This built-in tool will remove most of the gaps on your hard drive and place all your data in close proximity, which saves the operating system time?and that means a faster computer for you!

3) Find and Repair Any Errors On Your Disks

Sometimes sectors of your hard drive can go bad. There are lots of causes for this issue, but the bottom line is that bad sectors can slow down your hard drive performance and even cause you to lose data. Fortunately, Windows includes a utility to deal with this: it’s called "Check Disk". When you run Check Disk, it will scan your whole hard drive and find and fix errors, including bad sectors. Once you run this utility and fix any problems it finds, you’re ready for the final step.

4) Deal With Any Spyware Installed On Your Computer

I hate spyware! As a technician, nothing frustrates me more than a system infested with adware, spyware and downloaded Internet junk. Some of this stuff is really hard to remove, and the privacy issues surrounding spyware are also serious concerns. Show me a computer full of spyware and I’ll show you a computer that’s running way slower than it should be. Microsoft has released a free product called "Microsoft Anti-Spyware", and it works great for not only cleaning up existing spyware, but also for blocking it from getting installed in the first place. If you protect your system from spyware, it will reward you by performing better and lasting longer before requiring expensive repairs.

Once all the spyware is gone and your disks are working optimally, your system should be much faster and more responsive. If you need instructions about how to find and use the various maintenance utilities mentioned here, this article from Microsoft (as mentioned before) will help:

http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/getstarted/speed.mspx

Donnie Schexnayder is a ministry technology expert. He holds industry certifications from Microsoft and CompTIA and has over 10 years experience in supporting churches and Christian ministries with technology. With a mixture of passion and expertise, Donnie helps ministries advance their mission of bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth by using cutting-edge technology. Donnie lives with his wife and 2 children in Colorado Springs, CO.

Eternitek: Advancing Christian Ministries Through Technology

http://www.eternitek.com

info@eternitek.com

Securing your Windows Xp computer is done by achieving two main tasks.

The first, is to prevent unauthorized users sitting at your computer and logging in through your keyboard.

The second, is to prevent access to your computer through your internet connection. Preventing unauthorized users is done by controlling your user accounts management.

This is done by creating one account beside the administrator account. This way, you end up with one administrator account for managing the whole system, and another user account for using all the time you are not managing your system.

Once you install Windows Xp operating systems, you create a user account beside the administrator account. This new account user ID and password is only known to you, the administrator. By doing this, you disallow anyone from using your computer by sitting at your keyboard.

The second task is to prevent unauthorized internet access from the outside world. Your computer internet connection is the main source of all kinds of attacks that will damage different programs installed on your computer.

Attacks from the Internet can be of different forms. Their effects can vary from slowing down you machine to producing annoying messages. Today with the high speed Internet access, you get bombarded with problems much more when you were using dial-up connection.

There is certain measures you can take to stop the Internet attacks through your high speed connection. I recommend you do four things:

a-Install an Adware / Spyware removal program on your computer.

b-Install an Antivirus program.

c-Install a Pop-Up blocker program.

d-Install a Firewall, software or hardware.

In Summary, there are many numbers of ways your computer can be attacked, and result in damages of many sorts. However, There are only few ways of protecting your computer, which makes it easy for every computer owner to secure their computer.

Thanks,
George Chamoun

For more about steps to secure your home computer, get my free e-books at http://www.ebookfreestore.com

Who needs an LCD display? Well, if you’re like me, having one huge hunk of a monitor sitting on your desktop is just not feasible. Not only does it take up desk space, but there’s just simply no need for all of the physical mass, right?

Welcome LCD displays-the computer monitors of the present and future. From year to year these computer peripherals tend to get smaller and thinner in size with twice the power and benefits. Well, stay on the look out for more to come because I am certain that our current flat monitors have not reached their journey’s end yet. An LCD (which stands for liquid crystal display, by the way) works much differently than your CRT, mostly because they don’t project light, and therefore use much smaller units during display.

Let’s talk about the benefits of a flat monitor:

1.) They produce less heat

2.) They use less electricity

3.) Because they use digital signals, the display is sharper and clean

4.) Speakers are generally included in the screen, so you don’t have to worry about cluttering your desk with speakers anymore

When deciding on purchasing your LCD display, be prepared to spend at least $200, and definitely look into a 19 inch display (as opposed to a 17 inch). From Sam’s Club to Sears to Circuit City, it’s certain that you’ll find the display you need for the price you want to pay. Just do a little comparison shopping, and pat yourself on the back for making a purchase that will clear up your desk clutter and save you some space!

Demetria Zinga is the founder and owner of http://www.faith-media.com, a technology and consulting firm which specializes in web design and hosting, graphics and print designs, internet marketing, and e-training. She is also the founder of http://www.christianladies.net, an interactive ezine, blog, and podcast for Christian women.

A ‘third generation’ wireless communications technology having evolved from first generation analog, and second generation digital, communication technologies.

Whenever someone asks me to explain what 3G systems are, I tend to think of huge departmental stores. All your basic needs ? plus a few extra items thrown in to spice things up ? under a single roof. A plea to modern man’s psychological need for convenience. And that’s how it is with the current crop of 3G packages. A simple, all-in-one access to everything users could ever want from a mobile phone (and then some).

But seriously now, what is 3G (or 2.5G for that matter)? Basically 3G systems are meant to be the ultimate upgrade to the current 2G systems that are operating under the Global System of Mobile Communications (GSM). GSM is referred to as the Second Generation (2G) of mobile phone technology, with the old analog mobile phone system being the first. Since current 2G phones send and receive data at only 9.6 Kilobits per second (kbps), the advent of text and multimedia messaging (MMS) has meant that the demand for drastically improved data transfer rates has been very strong.

3G systems are designed to offer increased voice capacity and higher-speed data rates by providing a more robust wireless pipeline. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a regulatory and standards-setting body, states that any system claiming to be 3G must be capable of a minimum speed of 144K bits/second, and theoretically going up to 2 Mbps. Very good, you might say. But why is there such a need for speed?

Well, 3G systems aim to provide faster access to all kinds of data, thus turning your wireless phone (or appliance) into a handier, cooler, tool. This speed is matched with the promise that it will “keep people connected at all times and in all places.” What results is the capability to access the Internet as you would at home, mobile instant messaging, enhanced multimedia options, usability as a fax/pager/e-mail tool, as well as the obvious premise of crisper and more stable voice communications. Very impressive, but not without a lion’s share of problems.

For starters, 3G services are bound to be ‘expensive’, especially due to the very high prices paid for 3G spectrum licenses. Secondly, the services offered by 3G are nice, but are beyond the current demands of the average user. So now we have a situation where the consumer is not satisfied with the current level of service, yet is also balking at paying so much for something that resembles overkill.

To fill the void, 2.5G has evolved. 2.5G radio transmission technology is radically different from 2G technology because it uses packet switching. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is the European 2.5G standard, the upgrade from GSM. GPRS overlays a packet-switched architecture onto the GSM circuit-switched architecture. It is a useful evolutionary step on the road to 3G because it gives telecommunications operators experience of operating packet networks, and charging for packet data. Data transfer rates in 2.5G services can theoretically reach 64Kbps.

It is important to note the resulting irony. Because 3G services were too expensive and because the market was not ‘ready’ for them, 2.5G evolved. Now, as it is said later, the evolution of 2.5G has become an obstacle for 3G services to penetrate the cell phone market.

However, 3G cannot be judged merely on the basis of costs and services alone. The value of any consumer technology can only be truly measured in terms of its worth to the average user. And when it comes to mobile communications, the needs of the ‘average’ customer are already being fulfilled through 2G and 2.5G. Most people do not need to use video conferencing or browse complete websites through their cell phones. Most of us are satisfied with constant coverage, the provision to check our email and maybe send a voice message or so. With all of this available in quite affordable packages, experts are beginning to wonder whether there actually is the massive demand to match the hype that was created when 3G first came into the picture.

Market analysts are faced with the challenge of accurately predicting how much technology consumers will actually be willing to pay for 3G services. With 3G providing features that are ‘cool’ but expensive, and with cheaper and adequate alternatives available in the form of 2.5G, the pure cell-phone features no longer hold any ‘pulling’ power. In fact, some critics argue that 2.5G speeds are just fine, thank you, and provide enough flexibility for most applications.

The rapid development of wireless LANs based on the 802.11 standard and the future 802.11g standard means that 3G systems now have serious competition. Although Wi-Fi support is still patchy (and suffers from the same security issues), and some users prefer 2.5G and 3G systems instead of Wi-Fi due to the widespread coverage, wireless LANs have completely taken over the office environment. Not only that but wireless LAN systems are getting faster and becoming more robust. There are plans to develop 802.11 systems that approach 1.5 Mbps in theoretical speeds. Intel and others are also looking into developing metropolitan area networks (MANs) that expand that 300 feet Wi-Fi bubble to about 30 miles, or across an entire city.

In the U.S, 3G services have been slow to start. Only in late 2003 and early this year did commercial 3G packages evolve to the extent that the general public became interested in them. Compare this with the presence of 3G services in Japan since 2001 and the popularity of 3G networks in Europe since 2000 (Finland launched it’s first network in late 2000). Compared to the rest of the developed world, the U.S is lagging behind. And here is why:

A much more developed lower-tier communications infrastructure (2G and 2.5G) has meant that there are more alternatives have been available to consumers.

‘Wi-Fi’ has become the latest rage with tech-savvy consumers, and because it became available before 3G systems were fully operational, it has captured a sizeable share of the wireless business market.

U.S companies have several technical and legal issues in acquiring the appropriate spectrum for 3G use from the FCC.

As technology becomes more sophisticated and bandwidth increases, systems become increasingly vulnerable to attack by malicious hackers (known as crackers) unless countermeasures are implemented to protect against such activity. Ensuring secure wireless connections in a pre-requisite to any wireless service provider.

Despite the obstacles, 3G is here to stay. The main issue is to work it into the market in such a way that it becomes useful for the majority of people, and not just a select few. Ideally, we are looking at multi-tiered services that offer a combination of 2.5G, 3G and Wi-Fi capabilities to one, national network. Eventually we would be using multiple networks to check our email, leave a message for a friend and download that bonus music video onto our PDA. Being part of a culture that revels on paying a flat rate for unlimited access, I would expect such a network to offer different levels of service, with customers being charged according to their service package, and not having to pay multiple fees for Wi-Fi and 3G access.

Just as PC users are starting to wonder whether there really is a need for faster computers, the whole communications industry might also be entering a period of transition (not just a few years but perhaps a decade or two) where new technologies would not mean that older technologies become obsolete; rather, two separate consumer groups would emerge who would use the old and new technologies side by side.

Mike Ber is the owner of the Canadian Domain Name Portal called http://www.Every.ca He is also a contributing author to Canadian Computer Magazine and http://www.Developer.ca website.

If you’re like me, you occasionally find the ubiquitous mouse inconvenient. Here are keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (I.E.), the default browser for most personal computers in the business environment.

Of course, learning them all would be far more trouble than it’s worth. But as you scan through the possibilities, look for the tasks you do multiple times a day. Acquiring shortcuts for these repeated tasks makes sense, because you thereby improve your efficiency and reduce your unproductive mousing time. You may also find using the keyboard ergonomically more comfortable.

I’ve divided the tasks into categories that seem to reflect the routine process we all follow when using I.E. Remember: Some of these only work in certain locations or sequences.

Navigation
ALT+HOME — Go to your home page.
ALT+D — Select text in address bar.
CTRL+ENTER (cursor must be in address bar) — Add “www.” to beginning and “.com” to end of text entered in address bar.
F4 — Display/hide list of addresses you’ve recently entered.
SHIFT+TAB — Move back through the items on a Web page, the Address bar, and the Links bar.
UP ARROW — Scroll backward through a document one line at a time.
PAGE UP — Scroll backward through a document in larger increments.
BACKSPACE or ALT+LEFT ARROW — Move backward one page.

HOME — Move backward to beginning of document.
TAB — Move forward through the items on a Web page, the Address bar, and the Links bar.
DOWN ARROW — Scroll forward through a document one line at a time.
PAGE DOWN — Scroll forward through a document in larger increments.
ALT+RIGHT ARROW — Move forward one page.
END — Move forward to the end of a document.

Window Management
F11 — Toggle between full-screen and regular views of browser window.
CTRL+N — Open new window.
CTRL+W — Close current window.
CTRL+O or CTRL+L — Go to a new location (URL address field).
CTRL+I — Open/close favorites bar.
CTRL+D — Add current page to Favorites.
CTRL+B — Open Organize Favorites dialog box.
CTRL+H — Open/close history bar.

Searching
CTRL+E — Open search bar.
CTRL+F — Find on current page.

Refreshing
F5 or CTRL+R — Refresh current web page.
CTRL+F5 — Refresh current web page even if time stamp for web version and locally stored version are same.

Cut-and-pasting (same as in other Windows applications)
CTRL+A — Select all items on current web page.
CTRL+C — Copy selected item(s) to Clipboard.
CTRL+X — Cut (remove) selected item(s) and copy to Clipboard.
CTRL+V — Insert contents of Clipboard at cursor location (insertion point).

Printing
CTRL+P — Print current web page or active frame.

Saving
CTRL+S — Save the current page.

Closing
CTRL+W — Close current window.

More keyboard, less mouse — it often makes your Internet experience more of a pleasure and less of a pain.

Copyright ©2005 Steve Singleton, All rights reserved.

Steve Singleton has written and edited several books and numerous articles on subjects of interest to Bible students. He has been a book editor, newspaper reporter, news editor, and public relations consultant. He has taught Greek, Bible, and religious studies courses Bible college, university, and adult education programs. He has taught seminars and workshops in 11 states and the Caribbean.

Go to his DeeperStudy.org for Bible study resources, no matter what your level of expertise. Explore “The Shallows,” plumb “The Depths,” or use the well-organized “Study Links” for original sources in English translation. Sign up for Steve’s free “DeeperStudy Newsletter.”

If you’re new to PC video editing then knowing where to start can be a bit daunting, so hopefully this guide will point you in the right direction.

To start with you will need a few items of equipment

Camcorders/Video Decks

Depending on your requirements or aims there are number of different solutions to discuss, so i will split these up into separate sections.

1. If you are starting from new then i recommend buying a new digital camcorder, this will give you superior video and sound quality as well as making getting started in video editing very simple, so ideal for the beginner. There are thousands to choose from catering for various types of budgets.

2. You may already have an old video deck or camcorder which uses the old analogue outputs such as composite or s-video (be sure to check first what outputs you have). For this kind of setup you would need a capture card/analogue to digital converter, this is discussed in more detail further on in the article.

A PC for Video Editing

It is now possible to easily capture footage from your Digital Camcorder directly to your PC and edit it. If you looking at buying a new PC or building a new one then the currents spec’s are more then powerful enough, a typical spec PC these days is a P4, 512Mb Ram, 80Gb HDD, Windows XP or something along those lines. You could always use your existing PC if you have one, but i wouldn’t recommend using anything below a PIII 600.

Additional Hardware

When transferring video from your camcorder to your PC there are a number of additional things to consider depending on the type of camcorder your using.

If you’re using a digital camcorder then all your need is a firewire card (also known as an IEE1394 card), a lot of current PC’s have these as standard now, otherwise you will need to purchase the card separately. Some of these will come bundled with editing software such as Adobe Premiere but this really depends on which card you buy and how much you spend, once your camcorder is connected to your firewire port windows will automatically recognise your Digital Camcorder.

If your using the old analogue camcorder then you will also need an analogue to digital converter, see the section on video editing cards below.

Speed?

Its worth considering your Pc’s Processor speed, the speed will effect the rate your video will encode, encoding is where your DV video clips are converted into a more compressed format, for example DVD’s are encoded to MPEG2. So the faster the better really. Also consider the amount of RAM in your PC, 256Mb would be the minimum.

Extra Hard Drive Storage

Its worth considering having an extra dedicated drive for your video footage, remember that five minutes of DV footage uses 1GB of hard drive space so consider a large capacity hard drive such as an 80Gb or 120Gb, also consider the disk drive RPM, at least 7200RPM would be recommended. If your PC supports it (most new ones do now), then a Serial ATA (SATA) drive will offer increased date transfer rates of up to 150MB/sec compared to 100 or 133 offered by the IDE drives, you may also consider a SCSI drive if you’re PC has an SCSI adapter as standard.

DVD/CD Burners

If your planning on putting your film onto CD-ROM (VCD), or DVD then a CDRW or DVDRW is an essential piece of kit, most new pc’s may have a CDRW or DVDRW as standard, to burn your DVD, you’ll need DVD authoring software.

Video Editing Cards

If you have and older analogue video camera/deck then an analogue USB or PCI capture cards will suffice.

These dedicated analogue to digital converters take process of conversion away from the CPU and therefore speeds up transfer.

If worth getting a quality capture card as the cheaper cards can produce mixed results,

The Video Editing Software

This is where all your creative work starts and the creative work starts, you can capture video from your camera, edit the captured clips, arrange them into a sequence, add transitions, credits and a soundtrack, titles and when your ready export your movie back to the camera or a suitable encoded file format (DVD, VCD etc).

Founder of http://www.avmechanic.co.uk, offering a free friendly helpful community for anybody that needs computer help or help with PC editing products

After twelve years of owning desktop computers, I finally opted for a laptop so I would no longer be chained to my desk. After months of research and weighing various makes and models, I settled on the Dell Inspiron 600m Notebook Computer. This particular model has exceeded all of my expectations and at a price that is hundreds of dollars lower than many competing brands.

For several months I agonized over my next computer purchase. I knew I needed to be more mobile and only a notebook computer would permit me to take my “show on the road.” Still, the decision making process was not easy as the number of different makes and models out there is mind boggling. Ultimately, I settled on a Dell in part because of previous good experience with the company as well as affordability of their product line.

The model I chose was the Inspiron 600m. As with almost everything that Dell builds, it is a “new” model; at least the 600m designation is. That is one of the confusing things about Dell and some other manufacturers: every month Dell introduces new models and you need a scorecard to compare one model with all the others. Fortunately, Dell’s website allows you to do just that.

Key features of the Inspiron 600m include:

Lightweight: Just over five pounds.

Mobile Centrino Technology is standard.

14.1 inch screen

Pentium M 725 Processor

24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive

256MB DDR SDRAM 1 Dimm Memory

Wireless Network Card

Extended Battery

Microsoft Windows XP Home Addition

WordPerfect Productivity Pack

I kept my computer fairly basic but I did opt for the latest version of Norton Security, a surge protected cable, a wirless router, and a wireless mouse. I selected the wireless mouse as I thought the keyboard’s mouse would be difficult to use. After two days I quit using the wireless mouse as I quickly got used to the built in one.

The screen is bright and the keyboard is solid. The mouse keys, however are noisy, almost clunky; you wonder if Dell could have used a quieter spring for each key.

The battery lasts at least four hours without recharging and when I do need to recharge I can go from nearly dead to fully charged in less than one hour.

For the price — I paid just over $1100. for everything including shipping and local taxes — the Dell cannot be beat. I haven’t had to call customer service yet, so I cannot comment on that although in years past your call would be routed to a technician in India. This model comes with a standard one year limited warranty; I avoided a later sales pitch over the phone to get a three year warranty. Their top of the line warranty sends a technician to your house to fix your computer, so it can be option for those of you who do not want to ship — and thereby lose the use of — your computer back to Dell for repairs.

You will find the Inspiron 600m to be adequate for standard business work. Check out their myriad of other models if you do plenty of graphic design or if you need a larger screen. I am happy with the 14.1 screen, but you may prefer their 17″ model.

Matt Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including: aviation, business, customer service, health, marketing, product review, sales, technology, and more. Please visit http://www.thearticlewriter.com to review his portfolio online.

Do you remember the old saw about how computers would change our lives for the better? We’d have more time to ourselves and lead healthier, happier lives. The truth is computers do make processing information lightening fast. It’s just that today, we have so much more information to process and so many more distractions that the computer, via the Internet, has brought into our lives.

The bottom line? Today we spend more time operating a computer (for fun and for profit) than on any other single pastime save for maybe sleeping. And if you’re a heavy computer user like me, even sleep takes a back seat to computer use every now and then.

There are health hazards to continual computer use. Personally I’ve suffered from back and shoulder pain, eye strain and numbness in my fingers. I’ve even had to deal with stiff joints and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. None of this was any fun.

But I did learn a few things important enough to pass along to you today. Here are some things you can do right now to reduce or eliminate stress on our body while operating your computer.

The Concept of Neutral Body Positioning

Consider a comfortable working posture with a natural alignment of all your joints from head to toe. This method of neutral positioning helps you reduce the stress and strain on your muscles, tendons, and skeletal system thus reducing the risks of developing a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD).

Some Quick Tips - Body Posture

Your hands, wrists, and forearms should all be in a row, straight, and almost parallel to the floor.

Your head and torso should be in-line with your head slightly bent forward, facing forward, and balanced.

Your shoulders should be at ease with your upper arms hanging normally at the sides of your body.

Your elbows should be close to your body and bent between 90 and 110 degrees.

Your feet should be either supported by a footrest or should be relaxing on the floor.

While leaning back or sitting in a vertical position, make sure your lower back is fully supported.

Your hips and thighs should be supported by a well-padded seat.

Your knees and hips should be at almost the same height as your feet and slightly forward.

More Tips - Your Work Environment

Readjust your chair and backrest at regular intervals.

Periodically stretch your fingers, hands, arms, and torso.

Your keyboard, monitor, and your posture should be on a straight line to avoid any positional discomforts.

Always adjust your chair so you’re looking down at the screen, never up.

Your desktop should be at a convenient height with enough space for your equipment and the day’s work.

Your chair should give good back support and allow for height adjustment.

Your keyboard and the mouse mat should have a good wrist-rest.

A document holder placed at the height of your monitor will eliminate neck strain.

Roger Williams is a Web designer and copywriter who spends endless hours on his computer. He has learned through much research how to eliminate the physical stress of heavy computer use.

If you want more health tips for computer users, visit http://www.meandmymouse.com/hc

If you look around at any given time in public, you are likely to see people talking on a cellular phone. They are everywhere and growing. Almost everyone has a wireless phone. You will see people of all ages and occupations using wireless phones.

There are many different types of accessories and phones and many different types of carriers offering wireless phone services. There are even pre-paid phones that are great if you want to set the limit of talk time each month or if you have sketchy credit and are unable to get a regular service plan. Every cell phone user is probably going to want accessories to go with. Accessories vary from the basic to the extravagant. Many basic accessories will come with your phone such as the charger.

Wireless accessories are becoming as critical to many wireless users as the actual phones themselves. The fast moving expansion of technology in the whole wireless industry has created a huge need for accessories, and manufacturers have quickly jumped onto the bandwagon hoping to create that next big product that consumers everywhere are going to want. The good thing about wireless accessories is that in most cases, they have made wireless technology use safer and more convenient for everyone.

Most people now agree that driving with a cell phone is in many states now illegal, or in others extremely dangerous. Many wireless accessories have been created to make driving with a cell phone safer. Many phones have a capacity for voice activated dialing and now there are accessories to turn your cell phone into a speaker phone using the built in stereo speakers of your car.

Other accessories are also available to help shield users from harmful radiation given off by cell phones so they use ear pieces and text based screens. Other products keep cell phones dry and clean and holsters, belt clips and phone stands today provide people with quick and easy access to their phones. There are accessories that will change the appearance of your phone such as phone covers and faceplates in various colors and designs. There are light up keypads and colored keys to add to your phone. For the wealthy there are even gold cell phone covers and you can get them encrusted in jewels or your initials added.

The wireless industry is growing unlike any other phone industry. Manufacturers realize that there is still a huge open market, so they are working hard to make wireless products that will continue to revolutionize the marketplace. Be sure to visit the Internet weekly for the latest wireless products that will make your wireless experience as rewarding and as exciting as it can be.

Ava Widdell is passionate about wireless and is the webmaster of FSU Wireless

When it comes to VoIP Broadband Telephone service, there are many benefits. Unlimited local and long distance calling, included features such as CallerID, Call Waiting, Find Me/Follow Me, etc., and reduced costs. Many people overlook one thing when they are comparing the price of a VoIP provider and their Traditional Telephone service, and that is "What taxes are associated with VoIP telephone service vs. what taxes are associated with traditional telephone services?"

In my opinion, this is a huge factor in making the decision to go with a VoIP Broadband Telephone solution. The only VoIP Tax (as of the writing Feb. 2005) associated with a VoIP service is a Federal Excise Tax of only 3% of the bill. For example, if you signed up for a VoIP unlimited calling plan for only $19.95 per month your monthly total would equal $20.55. This $20.55 per month would cover all of your calls to the U.S. and Canada, all of the included features, and quality customer service. (Noted exception: Vonage customers located in N.J. are required to pay sales tax on their Vonage VoIP service.)

Conversely, a Traditional telephone bill includes numerous taxes and surcharges. For example, I had a discount telephone company that only charged me $9.99 per month for a basic Traditional Telephone service in California. Please look at the breakdown of all of the taxes and charges.

BASIC MONTHY CHARGE $9.99

CALL WAITING $3.20

FCC ACCESS CHARGE $4.49

DIRECTORY LISTING/ NON-PUBLISHED $0.79

FEDERAL TAX $0.54

CA RELAT SVC AND COMM DEVICE FUND $0.04

E911 TAX $0.09

UNIVERSAL LIFELINE SERVICE CHARGE $0.16

CA HIGH COST FUND SURCHARGE A $0.02

STATE REGULATORY FEE $0.01

UNIVERAL SERVICE FUND $0.39

CA HIGH COST FUND SURCHARGE B $0.30

TOTAL TAXES, FEES AND SURCHARGES $10.03

So, my bill total was $20.02 for the month and that was before I ever picked up the telephone to make a telephone call. Also the only feature that I opted for was Call Waiting.

You can draw your own conclusions on whether or not VoIP is right for you. If you don’t make any outgoing calls then you may want to stick to your traditional telephone company. But from an economical stand point, VoIP is clearly the less expensive option if you make any long distance telephone calls.

Economics is only one part of the equation. Be sure to read my other article on "Things You Should Consider When Selecting a VoIP Provider" found at http://www.voipchoices.com/voip-considerations.html.

For a listing of popular VoIP providers and to do a side by side comparison of VoIP providers and services please visit www.VoIPChoices.com.

Chris Landry is the foremost authority on residential and small business VoIP providers. Chris is the founder of http://www.VoIPChoices.com. He has prequalified several high-quality VoIP providers and compares them by price and features at http://www.VoIPChoices.com. Chris can be reach via email at Chris@VoIPChoices.com.