Where to Get a Phone
Learn Where to Get a Phone and What Type
The question of “where to get a phone” is commonly asked to me personally by friends and family. I of course naturally always tell them to go to www.topsavings.net, but seriously, there is a lot more to the answer than just pointing to a general direction where phones may be present. First off, the type of phone you are looking for is going to be an obvious first clue as to how you want to go about finding and purchasing your telephone.
Types of Phones
There are many different kinds of phones available for purchase for many different purposes when deciding where to get a phone. Finding the right phone means starting with understanding what your purpose will be. These phones should speak for themselves below.
1. Analog/Digital Telephone - This is your basic phone that we all are most accustomed to in the home. It uses a basic telephone line to plug into your phone wall jack or VoIP router. These phones can either be corded (wired from the phone base to the receiver) or be cordless (not attached to phone base).
2. Multi-line Phone - The multi-line phone is commonly used in business and is connected much like the household telephone, but has the ability to switch lines with the buttons on the keypad. Some are private connections internally within an office or assigned various phone numbers through different lines for different department call types (sales, front desk, customer service, etc.).
4. Cell Phone/Smartphone - This type of phone is no mystery to us now is it? A mobile wirelessly connected phone that comes in a variety of styles including flip, slide, and screen. This phone is never plugged into anything other than it’s power cord to charge it’s battery. Not sure if I even had to explain this one really, but can never be too safe.
5. USB Phone – This type of phone is for VoIP exclusively. Some VoIP providers offer their services not through a router but rather software utilizing your Internet connection and computer. One popular service that is used for this phone type is Skype, but there are other providers as well.
So Now Where to Get a Phone?
You have some options available to you when deciding where to get a phone. Within those options are additional ways and sources as well. Let’s dig into some of these ways to get you a phone.
1. Online - It’s an obvious step, but not an entire step altogether. For different types of phones, I suggest these different ways to go about it. Read below to understand why.
If you are shopping for a cell phone you do not want to just search online and grab the first phone that grabs your fancy or that you saw on a commercial. You will want to shop cellular carriers more so first. These days a cell phone isn’t as simple as dialing some numbers from a keypad and making a call. Many use it for much more than phone calls including going online to visit their web pages and so forth. Your carrier is the connection to your calling and web surfing activity, so you will want to make sure you know which provider can actually offer the best service first.
When shopping online, be sure to comparison shop not only the price of the phone or free phones. Most cell phones and smartphones (prepaid not included) come with a monthly billing plan that comes in the form of an annual contract. In many cases you will find yourself not only shopping for the phone itself, but the calling plan as well.
All other phones can be found online at popular retailers or even used on Craigslist or eBay for very little if you are wanting to save money. Knowing what type of phone or model can help make your search easier. Just Google it and you will be surprised to find your phone being offered from different e-commerce sites with pictures and compared prices in the search results as well as other online retailer sites in general.
Let’sTalk Cell Phones
TMI Wireless Cell Phones
WireFly Cell Phones
2. In-Store - This is my favorite way to shop for phones. I usually do a little of both actually. I’ll do some searching online then walk right into retail locations to handle the devices myself to get a feel for them. It is a controversial method as well to walk into a store then use your smartphone to search prices for the exact model online and order them. The two birds one stone thing.
I am guilty of walking into stores then actually buying online, but nothing still beats that impulse buy and the rush of having what you want when you want it. In these tough economic times however, you may find yourself using this method, although it does hurt the local economy. It is entirely up to you and how much guilt you are willing to go through when deciding where to get a phone.
1 CommentSIP – Business Uses for SIP Trunking
SIP, otherwise known as Session Initiated Protocol has widely been used in verbal and written context with business telecommunications lingo. While this technology has been raved about and highly documented throughout the past recent years in tech blogs and websites, it can be somewhat difficult to understand exactly what SIP is and how it is used if you are somewhat new to telecommunication terminology. If you aren’t a CTO or CIO but run a business with high levels of voice and data traffic, this should help better explain the technology for you.
SIP runs over an IP (Internet Protocol) network. A network running the Internet Protocol previously allowed for data transfer between satellite office locations via private lines, for hosting websites, or hosting other data servers. Over the past decade however, new technologies and the explosion of VoIP (just think Vonage and Comcast phone) have given an IP network far greater importance and precedence over business communications.
SIP allows for simple daily business functions as simple as phone calls (inbound/outbound) utilizing VoIP technology but can be more diverse in the business environment as it allows for Internet access as well becoming a robust integrated solution. A daily function in the enterprise or business may be more complex functions such as conference calls that additionally may require multimedia (live stream video, live document presentations, etc.) as well.
SIP Trunking Video
Learn More About SIP in this SIP Trunking Video - Learn why SIP trunking is so beneficial for commercial and government agencies. It’s use is growing everyday Nationwide. Don’t be left out! Watch this new video from AllStream and get more information.
Other functions and features made available through SIP can include push to talk or chat which has gained much momentum on the web in the e-commerce world. In today’s economic environment, this can easily equate into an ROI scenario due to the need to more quickly and easily allow the customer to make purchase decisions online, many times from mobile devices. The same ROI scenario can go with the web conferencing abilities made available through this technology.
As consumers and B2B clients become more tech savvy, businesses hungry for revenues are turning to SIP to help bridge gaps between marketing mediums and the closing sales process. It is through the convergence of multiple communications that this process can be streamlined and collaborated on.
While the above examples can be shown as uses for this technology there are many more applications that can and are being implemented in converged business telecommunications. Some of these include caller ID, IM (Instant Messaging), e-mail, and other web and voice based communications.
It is important to know that the QoS is not controlled by SIP in any way. The bandwidth and network configurations over that bandwidth as well as the carriers providing the bandwidths are just as important to the successful implementation of SIP in business communications. Other important aspects can be local hardware configurations and current in-use phone systems.
It is because of the many possibilities associated with a business embarking on purchasing an SIP solution that the use of a telecommunications broker or consultant is vital for successful deployment. Additionally, a broker or consultant can better suit your business with the proper solution or technology within your telecom budget.
This can be extremely important as some businesses are better suited for a smaller business VoIP or T-1 voice solution. A good broker will not oversell you and make sure one of the other solutions wouldn’t better suit you first.
No Longer Offering AT&T Pay Per Call
We are no longer offering AT&T’s Igenio pay per call/mobile advertising services through our site or pages. The termination was a sudden shock for us. This was not a decision on our part and we deeply regret losing a unique product for our business visitors. We believe in the product offered and we wish the best for AT&T. We know we do not need to send them our luck.
We will be looking for an alternate vendor with a comparable or better network for pay per call advertising in the near future. Hopefully we will be able to offer you this service within a few months.
Regretfully,
Aaron Siegel
Phone Service – Cell Phone Plan Tips
Learn Some Shopping Tips for Phone Service, Cell Phones to be Exact …
Shop Cell Phone Plans Here
With our current necessity for convenience and mobility it was only a matter of time with our previous needs in phone service, cell phones would become a dominant part of our lives and communication. Cell phones are capable of many functions however, without proper service, they can be just as good as worthless. Here we will cover the topic of finding the right cell phone carrier and plan to make your life of communication a smoother one. So without further delay, let’s get started.
1. Avoid Commercials – We all have been bombarded with the commercials on television. The battles rage on over who offers the best cell phone coverage for their customers. These battling carriers can have plenty of truth to their claims, but even large metropolitan areas have their weak spots. You will get a much better idea of the quality of service reception in your area by talking to those in your neighborhood as well as friends and relatives. By asking those close to you and your community, you can better grasp what more realistically work for you. By adding up the amount of support per carrier, you should have a good idea of what carrier you should most likely do business with.
2. Bad News Cell Phones - This is one of the more common mistakes made by consumers. They will see the newest phone on the market offered only through one carrier and end up with below satisfactory phone service, cell phone doesn’t seem so attractive anymore. There is no better example than the iPhone which was made exclusive only through AT&T. Many of the headlines on AT&T have been based on the quality of service associated with the large customer base of iPhone users, is it really AT&T’s fault? Consumers got excited over the iPhone and ignored anything about the carrier they would be contracted with. Basically, the problem with AT&T probably has more to do with the consumer than the carrier itself. Don’t be a bad consumer and make sure you go by carrier then phone, not vice versa.
3. Primary Function - What is your primary function? Other than making phone calls, will you be utilizing the Internet? Should you browse social sites, check emails often, or anything else online, you will want to make sure your carrier can provide good connectivity. You can use the step in number 1 to learn how other user’s experiences have been with their Internet. A cell phone can be capable of many fantastic tasks but not without the right carrier phone service.
4. Wireless Calling Plans – When it comes to mobile phone service, cell calling plans can be very expensive. Be realistic and understand how many people will really be using your wireless services. Two or more people using the service can qualify for a family calling plan instead of having two separate bills. With family plans you can all share the Internet, texting, and calling.
5. TONS of Minutes - Thousands of monthly minutes can look like a lot at first glance. It’s not uncommon for a cell phone customer to have bought what seemed like a bunch of minutes only to discover they have gone over their monthly spending limit. By going over your monthly limit, you can be charged excessive per minute charges that can be very costly. While the thousands of minutes can seem complex, there is a simple math trick to help simplify the minutes and give you a better idea of what you limits will be. Divide the minutes by 60 and the outcome of the equation will be the equal in hours so you can get a better idea of the real amount of talk time you will be getting.
