VoIP services offer cheaper alternatives for long distance calls.

Nowadays, people looking for alternatives to the traditional phone companies for long distance calls, have an array of options to choose from thanks to the Internet. In an article written earlier this year, the New York Times found that by " using the Internet system to carry calls rather than the traditional phone lines, voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) companies can offer even cheaper phone service with a wider range of supplemental features." Here is more from that article.
The least expensive VoIP services work only when your computer is on. Users of the online phone service Skype can call other Skype users around the world free, and pay a nominal amount (around 2 cents a minute) to make calls to other, non-Skype phones. Callers use either a headset connected to their PC or a Skype-enabled handset.
If you want to use your existing phone, connect it to magicJack, a $40 U.S.B. computer dongle that works with PCs and Intel-powered Macs to provide free calls over the Internet. The purchase price includes one year of free unlimited calls within the United States and Canada; after that, it costs $20 a year. The company reserves the right to terminate for excessive usage.
In tests of both services, Skype’s quality was spotty, with occasional voice delays and muffled sound. MagicJack’s connection did not always work, and required me to restart the computer or replug the dongle. Because both magicJack and Skype work only when your computer is on, they are poor substitutes for traditional landline service.
Better alternatives are VoIP services that allow you to use your existing telephones. To activate the service, you connect the phone to the company’s hardware, which in turn is connected to your broadband modem. The phone service works even when your PC is off.
Vonage, the best known VoIP service, offers unlimited domestic calling, plus free calls to five European countries, for $25 a month. The necessary Vonage hardware, called a V-Portal, costs $80, but the company gives a $70 rebate for a one-year service commitment.
Ooma, a similar VoIP service, charges a one-time $250 fee for its hardware, with no monthly charge. All domestic calls are free. International calls to Western Europe and Canada are around 2 cents a minute.
To hook up additional phones to Ooma, you use a smaller “Scout” unit; one is included in the box, each additional Scout costs $60.
Ooma also offers a Premier service; for $13 a month or $99 a year, you’ll receive a second line plus enhanced features like call screening, the ability to set up phone number blacklists, and the conversion of voice mail to e-mail.

For more, see NYTimes.com

Trade clunker for cash program.

The must awaited and talked about government program meant to boost auto sales and help get rid of gas guzzlers and commonly refereed to as "cash for clunkers", was signed unto law at the end of last month.
Past the initial enthusiasm that the program generated, a closer look reveal a lot of strings attached, making it very restrictive. Here is the breakdown:
-First, the car or truck you are considering to trad-in, must not be more than 25 years old;
-Second, it must be in drivable condition and insured for at least a year prior to the trade-in;
- Third, it must have had a combined fuel economy of no more than 18 mpg or less while new;
- Fourth, the new car must have a combined 22 mpg according to the EPA.
These are the basics requirements; after you met them, another set of rules will be used to determine exactly, the value of the voucher your clunker qualify for. There are two different vouchers; one for $3,5oo and one for the maximum of $ 4,5oo and there are two set of rules depending on you trading a car or a truck.
Lets start with a car:
To get the $3,5oo, the new car must be at least 4 mpg more efficient than the old one.
To get the $4,500, the new car must be at least 10 mpg more efficient than the old one.
For a light truck, minivan, SUV or crossover, the new vehicle must be at least 2 mpg more efficient than the old one to get the $3,500 voucher, and 5 mpg more than the old one, would get you $4,500. Still with me?
Hang on , we are almost there because there are different, even so less restrictive, set of rules if you own larger or heavier duty trucks. But thankfully, those rules are less restrictive. Those rules as well as the rest, can be found at the official Web site set up by the government at www.cars.gov/faq.html.
To save yourself from some of the headaches, you can consult sites like Edmunds.com or KBB.com which have compiled lists of vehicles likely to qualify for the vouchers.
Anyhow, these new program is set to start by the beginning of August and run till Nov.1 unless Congress grants an extension.

For more, see Washingtonpost.com

New efforts for better Web privacy proposed by various trade groups.

Faced with renewed scrutiny, Internet advertisers are scrambling to come up with some self regulations in order to dwarf any mandatory federal rules. At the center of the whole debate is how much information and therefore control, to give Web users.The common complaint is that too much information is being collected from Internet users with0ut their knowledge. In an unprecedented move, advertising , media and Internet trade groups have joined together in looking for new measures that would give users more control over their data. Among the measures considered, "is an icon that would would appear either on Web pages or ads alerting consumers if their activity is being tracked. Clicking the icon would reveal information on the activities that a site collects about visitors, along with a list of companies that use this data" according to the Wall Street Journal.
These different trade groups are also looking to finalize propositions related to data security and retention, including how long companies can store information about users, still according to the Wall Street Journal.

For more, see WSJ.com

ReferQuest, a new service to help you find what you are looking for by offering a reward.

ReferQuest lets you offer a reward to motivate others to find what you're looking for. It's like offering a bounty to speed up your searches. It's free to post a request and reward. You only pay the reward when you've found what you've wanted. The service is in its beta form and you have to register to use it.

Facebook new privacy settings.

Faced with growing criticisms, Facebook is testing means that will give back users, more control over their data. To achieve that, Facebook is focusing on simplifying its privacy settings which count 4o different options spread over six pages.
The simplified privacy settings being tested right now among a limited number of users, consist mainly of "new controls that will allow members to specify which groups or individuals are able to see each text update, photo or video they post on the site" according to the New York Times.
Ultimately, the changes are meant to make people feel more comfortable in sharing data, knowing that they have control over who can and who can not see it. As for a general release of the new settings, no date yet has been set.

For more, see Businessweek.com

D-Link DIR-685, a multi-function router, backup hard drive.

In the market for a home wireless router or a backup hard drive or both, D-Link has a new gadget that combines those two functions and much more. That new gadget called the D-Link DIR -685, combines a wireless router, a home backup hard drive, and a digital picture frame.

It is equipped with the latest WI-FI(802.11n) signal which can turn an entire house into a WI-FI hot spot and come with all the conceivable home router's features like Application Rules, individual Web site blocking, a sophisticated firewall, network access list, etc. The D-Link DIR -685 has a very distinctive feature in its 3.2 inch color display screen which beside showing the router's settings, can also display some preset Internet information like Twitter posts, photos from Facebook or Flickr accounts, stocks, sports scores etc.With all these features and many more that the D-Link DIR- 685 has to offer, comes the most frustrating part: the device's user guide which comes in PDF form, does not contains a lot of information; one option in figuring it out, is to visit D-Link Web site.

In any case, if you are ready for a wireless router with a lot of potentials but unfortunately with no less irritation, the D-Link DIR-685 is an solid option. The price is also compelling: it retails for $300.

For more, see NYTimes.com

Doing good and tracking it, made easier by DoGood app.

Among the plethora of apps available at the Apple store, a new one stands out in two areas: fun and utility. That new app called DoGood, is the invention of a group of students at the University of Michigan.
The free app challenges users to do a different good deed each day, a small act of kindness , like "Make someone laugh today," or "Thank a teacher," "Give someone a hug," etc. Once the deed is done, it can be recorded by clicking "done." The app also keeps count of how many people did a good deed that day and a detailed tally of how many times a particular deed was repeated each day. It goes even further by letting you post and read stories about every deed. The app has a search function for tracking previous entries and also a statistics display screen.
One of the coolest part of the app is its ability to integrate with Facebook and Twitter to allow your friends to follow and maybe be inspired by your deeds.


For more, see Cnet.com