Thanks to fellow Realtor, Davide F. Pio, who shared this new phone with me - check out the demo of the Pomegranate Phone which includes:
- phone
- email
- camera
- shaver
- gps
- harmonica
and so much more!

Before you fall for this hook, line and sinker, be sure you click on the release date...

A good friend and neighbor (to our cabin) of mine, Bob Taylor, has been thinking about adding VOIP to his life and we've had a handful of discussions about different options.

I've been told that a computer skype phone call to another computer skype phone is free. If this is so, then:
--that is true.

But lets back up for a moment- Skype is one of may VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocols) that are out there – it has a large user base and pretty cool software, but I wouldn’t recommend it for someone (like the Weavers) who don’t use a computer much and just need a phone to make and receive calls with. It is possible to have a VOIP phone that you aren’t even aware it uses the internet (vs. Qworst, I mean Qwest). In the case of Skype, you are very much aware that you are on the internet because it requires a computer to login and pay for the non-free services they offer.

How does each skype telephone get a number to call? Does each skype phone come assigned with its unique telephone number?

---You have a skype “name” and if its computer to computer they use your “name” instead of your telephone Number

Or do you (and the other person) have to apply and/or buy a skype number after you buy a phone to get this free use service? [the reason for this question is I do have computers here at the home, and would also have one at the cabin] I assume both computers would have to be on, so time for telephone calls either direction would have to be coordinated by email or something.

--when you login into skyppe (I think you can only login at one computer at a time) – anyone who wants to call you can see that you are online – otherwise, yes, they have to email ahead of time.


Next: What/how is a person charged when they use their skype phone to call a non-skype phone number? say like I crank up my computer to use a skype phone at the cabin, and want to call the telephone at my house in Portales? (as opposed to having another skype phone attached to a computer here at home to call). Or, lets say maybe I needed to dial a 911 number for help if that was needed while at the cabin?.... Or wanted to just call the lumber yard in LaHara?

--you buy credits (in Euros!) so its like a prepaid phone – and the amount varies by the distance – off hand its dirt cheap (compared to prepaid phone cards at $.04/mint), but it still costs you money

If someone wanted to be able to call me on my computer based skype phone at the cabin from a non-computer based phone (like my home phone for example) Must I have subscribed to a service to provide the number for them to dial, or must I have bought or paid for a telephone number for them to be able to call?

--an additional service with Skype is to have your own phone # - since they have to pay a phone company to get that # for you, there is a charge for it – when friends call that # - if you are online, it rings on your computer/phone, if you are offline, it goes to voicemail (you then get an email to check voicemail)

How does a paid for telephone number work with the computer?

--I have another phone you could borrow (if you’d like) – that is wireless and has a base station that plugs into your computer and uses Skyppe – I used this when I was in Canada last year as my mobile phone co. charged me like $2/min to make calls.

What if I had a skype phone and was in santa fe where the area code was 505, and assuming I had to subscribe to a monthly service to have a teleophone number for the skype phone, and the area code for that subscribed number was for example 303. Would I be charged long distance fees for calling my home located at in what is now a 575 area code?
--yes

If I have to depend upon finding a free wireless internet connection (not someone's that is password protected), how does the phone do that? On the computer screen I can see the various possible connections, those which are password protected and those which are not and can choose which one to use. Does the phone give that information too?
--yes

In other words will the skype phone find a strong wireless signal, not be able to connect because of pass word protection of that signal, but sit there trying to connect?

--if we are talking about the WIFI voip phone we have – it shows all of the wifi connections in the area, and logins into the one you choose – if a wifi connection is password protected, and you know the passoword, it will remember that, and you can set it to login automatically to that connection when it sees it.

So in summary, here is a rough outline of the providers:

Skype
Free computer to computer
Paid per minute/per call to make local or long distance calls to a real phone #
Free voice mail
Paid to get your own phone # that other could call
Great software
Allows video conferencing
Also offers monthly plans with more “telephone” like services
Does not offer 911 service
Must be tied to computer at all times

Your standard Black VOIP Box
Service provider like Packet8 or Vonage (we have both) – charges flat fee per month that usually includes unlimited calling, unlimited long distance, and voice mail – fee is less than Qwest (often just from the savings in local taxes)
Regular old telephones can be plugged into black box
Offers 911 service
You can move the box (its about 3”x3”x3”) back and forth – one end plugs into the wall (power), another into your internet connection, and the 3rd into any old telephone
Considered very reliable until power/internet go out (POTS old plain old telephone service was made to work even when the power is out)
Friend and family deal with a regular phone, so technology learning curve is almost non-existent

Pretty unusual VOIP wifi phone
Usually locked to a service provider (like a mobile phone is)
Service provider like Packet8 or Vonage (we have both) – charges flat fee per month that usually includes unlimited calling, unlimited long distance, and voice mail – fee is less than Qwest (often just from the savings in local taxes)
Hooks in via wi-fi
Offers 911 service
You can move the wifi with you – and it will “ring” if its within range of a wifi router
Considered less reliable because of possible dropping as you walk around a wifi connection (like a wireless phone when it gets too far away from a base station)
Friend and family have to deal with a learning curve over a standard phone (phone looks for wifi, logins, asks questions, etc.)
Has ability to work with password protected wifi routers
Is not compatible with wifi connections (like Starbucks) that require you to login via webpage
It is pretty easy to find free wifi connections with various services that map out open or free wifi


We have used all 3, but not as indepth on anyone or the other to be able to answer super technical questions.

--I hope this helps Bob – you asked a good series of questions – would you mind if I shared with your questions and my answers on my tech blog? (www.nmapartment.com/tech)


Thanks,
Todd

I recently used my Garmin 305 for an unintended use.

You see, the Garmin 305 is meant to "log" your jogging/running routine - it includes a heart beat band/monitor and has great software that tracks your location as "laps".

But you see, I wanted to use my GARMIN as a watch based GPS device.

And I recently did - I took it with me last weekend to Ski Santa Fe to see how well it would work skiing.

I am glad to report it works great - although I only had it log one run - you can see it form an satellite image here -


and using a translator website - GPS Visualizer - (to take it from the watchtes .tcx format to GoogleEarths .kml format) I was able to map it out in Google Earth in three dimensions - overlaying the gps coordinates on top of the satellite imagery showing where the ski runs where.



It could only get better if Google Earth labeled the ski runs as well as it does the roads!

Microsoft showed this off recently... what our future might look like in 2019

Click here to see it

I recently ordered the Mimo 710 USB powered 7" LCD monitor and I have to admit its a great addition to my setup.



I can throw this monitor in my backpack with either of my 2lb laptops when I am on the road and have expanded screen real estate - which allows me to read PDFs, scan faxes, or review documents in one screen while I work on the response document on the main monitor of the laptop.

At only $129 for the 710 model (ohter models have web cams and touch screens), the screen is a good value, and it is very versatile when you spin its 800x480 resoluion potrait or landscape.

When its at the office, I dock my outlook calendar in that screen, always having it available to schedule appointments.

As always, screen technology continues to evolve, but this should tide me over until Sony releses their virtual monitors.