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Welcome PC Lovers !!
A couple of Newsletters ago ( last October's to be exact) I made reference to the new wave of "free" phone services that are
appearing online. I have signed up for one
from http://www.dialpad.com and can tell you for a fact that it works! At our last
meeting (yes, I made the March Meeting!)
I even made an attempt to show how it worked, but the time was limited, and all I could do was explain the service. There is a "companion service" from a site called
http://www.callwave.com/ that provides you with a free "Internet Answering Machine!" (honest!!) I have that too, now, and I only had to add a call forwarding service to my monthly phone bill (Just a buck a month for mine) to be able to get phonecalls while I'm online as messages. So far I have called San Diego and Syracuse for free and the only drawback is a slight "lag" from the time I spoke until the response came back. Headphone are a must, to eliminate cross-talk feedback, and I have a "headset/mic" that hangs on my ear ($12 at a computer store) that works great.
When you aren't using the phone, the earpiece in the headset will play you a bit of music if you wish, but it won't be in stereo, unless you go for a full headphone/mic combo. If you listen to a lot of CD's while you are at your computer (something I personally don't do) you'll want to opt for the better headset and mike!
I hope to try a few of the other services too, and will let ya know which one I found the easiest and best to use in the "real world"
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Our last meeting
We had a nice little gathering of the "Cyber-curious" at the March 8th meeting, and covered a wide spectrum of questions about computer, free internet access and the free phone services I have mentioned in the first column.
Doug was especially vocal about a free internet service called DSL Service
that promises to use the phoneline for access without tying up the use of the phone for normal calls. It apparently uses a "black box" that you must purchase, but there is no monthly fee. I'm currently tracking down the site so I can report on it at the next meeting.
Speaking of the next meeting, the plan is to "GO BACK TO BASICS" for the first half of the next meeting, covering the most rudimentary of PC skills and practices. So any members who want to sharpen their computer-related "edges" should be sure to attend the April meeting. The second half of the meeting will probably be a "Question and Answer" format , so it's still a good idea to write down any questions you have regarding your PC, the Internet, or how to make better use of he time you spend at your PC. There is usually a "shortcut" for every procedure, and you may be surprised at what you learn if you just come to the meeting and ask!
The April meeting will be on Wednesday the 12th, and I'll see to it that you are "badgered" a couple times to remind you to join us!
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What's new !
I have started investigating the
DSL Services that are being offered, and so far, (as usual) there
doesn't seem to be one that has access numbers for this area. What I have read so far seems encouraging, and what I have gathered is that this will be the cutting edge of high speed Internet Access in the near future. If any members have input about this subject, let me know!!
If you look at the CyberNotes
"Site of the Week" you'll see a double link for Dialpad and Callwave. As I mentioned, I have used both, and like the extra freedom it gives me. I just got a message for my boy, Marty, from one of his pals, while I was online downloading info, and he has heard the message that was left, without getting off the net.
And best of all, it's all free, and takes up very little memory! Actually, Dialpad takes up no space at all, since you go to their site to use the "phone"!!
The Editor
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