Communication: Before and After the Internet

Communicating with friends, family, and others hasn’t always been as easy as going online and chatting or sending an email. Before the Internet was around, people had to write letters make phone calls, and visit with each other face to face. Communication is different now.

Before the internet was available everywhere, and before almost everyone had a phone in their homes, whenever people needed to contact someone else, they would have to write a letter and send it in the mail to the person they needed to communicate with. Not only was snail mail slow, but it wasn’t very reliable.

After phones were available, sending a letter was no longer the easiest way to communicate with others. By simply dialing a number, people could contact their friends and family. However, phones were not always reliable either. Some people didn’t have access to a phone while others chose not to have one. Once the Internet was accessible, social networking became the easiest and most reliable way to communicate with others.

Social networking happens when people gather into groups online with others who share common interests or friends. Although social networking is possible in person at school or at work, it is most commonly done online. Social networking sites allow people to contact others even when they live on the other side of the world. Social networking sites make communication faster and easier.

Over time, communicating with others has become faster, easier, and more dependable. With the creation of the Internet and other advances in technology, contacting people, even if they live far away, is not a hassle and can be done by almost everyone.

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Video Calling with Galaxy S Makes Chatting Fun

It wasn’t too long ago that the idea of video chatting was nothing more than a dream of science fiction writers. Today, technology has allowed us to begin using our computers to not only talk to friends, family, and colleagues, but to interact with them visually as well. Some smartphones have this capability as well, and the Galaxy S in particular makes video chatting possible via a cell phone.

Video chatting is fun and this Android based phone puts all the power into the user’s hands. A high definition camera captures the user’s face and movements while simultaneously transmitting conversations. The phone is so much more. Users appreciate the high definition screen which really brings their conversations to life. Bright screen colors and power-saving technology make using the phone for video chatting simple and beautiful.

Using the Galaxy S for video chatting is simple as well. The user-friendly menus, touch screen capabilities, and access to a full QWERTY keyboard make logging in easy. Starting the conversation via text is simple with the patented Swype technology. The camera is powerful enough to share surroundings or other props with those viewing your chat session.

At the end of the day, video chatting is fun simply because you can see the faces of those you are talking to. A parent on a business trip can easily check in with the kids. Businesspeople can share the latest information with their partners. The sky is the limit with this super powerful, super easy to use, fun video chat smartphone.

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Wi-Fi Hot Spots – Handy and Free!

Hotspot

Image by twicepix via Flickr

With all of the mobile and wireless technology today, it is easy for someone on the go to remain connected to the internet. They do this via a network of access areas called ‘hot spots’.

A location which is enabled for wireless internet use has been connected into a local area network of many different internet connection points. This is done through the use of a router and an internet service provider with the use of Wi-Fi technology.

A Wi-Fi hotspot can cover very small areas of just a few meters, to very large areas, like a public park or an airport. Because of the frequency in hot spot locations, businesses can cater the area that is to be covered with Wi-Fi to meet their needs and budget.

Hot spots can be found in many places, including:

  • Cafes and restaurants
  • Public areas, such as a food courts and parks
  • Train stations, bus stations and any other form of public transport
  • Airport terminals
  • Hotels and resorts (most have it included in the room costs)
  • Hospital cafeterias and waiting areas
  • Libraries, schools and colleges
  • Supermarkets, shopping malls and any other sort of open market place
  • RV parks and camping grounds

As you can see, there are many options for utilizing the service if you travel regularly. Or need to conduct business meeting in public places, such as a business lunch. An added bonus is that many places are now offering free Wi-Fi as a gimmick to pull in more business.

Wi-Fi and hotspots have certainly made surfing the web even more accessible for those constantly on the go.

 

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Who Invented the Internet?

ARPANET logical map circa 1977

Image via Wikipedia

Unlike most other great inventions of our time, there is not one person in particular that invented the internet. Instead, the internet was invented slowly over two decades by a group of American government researchers and scientists. These scientists and researchers formed the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). This agency then went on to be known as ARPANET, which is where the world internet is derived from.

Although there were similar research groups formed around the time of ARPANET. The researchers and scientists of ARPA led the way in developing protocols for internetworking. This refers to a series of separate networks being joined together to form a network of networks. It is this protocol that the internet is based upon.

The new concept of packet switching formed the core of the ARPA network. This was a way in which more than one machine could communicate with one another by collecting data into things called datagrams. These datagrams were transmitted as packets onto a network link and then routed to its destination. The innovative factor of packet sharing was that networks link could be shared amongst data packets, thus enabling the transfer of many different datagrams at one time. This enabled the birth of the internet.

This concept of packet switching, so new and innovative half a century ago, is now the basis for nearly all worldwide data communications. The work of ARPA and its associated governmental departments has enabled the world with a method of communication that, at the time of its conception, had only been written about in science fiction books and comics. What once was fiction is now reality.

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How to Increase Your Mobile Phone’s Battery Life

Mobile Phones: Old to New

Image by Mike Rohde via Flickr

It’s happened again. You go to use your mobile phone to make an important call… and it’s dead, even though you just charged it last night. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could make your phone’s batter life last longer? Just like the internet has evolved over the years, cell phone batteries have evolved just as much – and so have our ways of prolonging our battery life. Here are some tips and tricks you can employ to make your cell phone battery last longer.

  1. Charge your phone completely before you use it.
    If you’ve just received your smartphone or prepaid cell phone, you may be tempted to use it right away. Do yourself a favor and let your phone’s first charge be a complete one. Doing so will extend your battery life in the future.
  2. Take your phone off the charger when it’s finished charging.
    You may not see the harm in letting your phone remain on the charger – after all, it’s less time using the battery, right? However, leaving your phone on the charger heats the battery unnecessarily and decreases the battery’s overall life.
  3. Keep your extra batteries in the freezer at a 40% charge.
    The colder a battery, the better its life, so keep your extra batteries somewhere cold. Battery University recommends that your extra batteries be stored after being charged about 40%.

These tips should help you prolong your overall battery life. For short-term tips, make sure your Bluetooth connections are switched off and turn off your backlighting. Use the lowest volume ringtone possible. Any of these tips should all give you significantly increased battery life.

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Android and the Cloud

The latest in gadget technology are the Tablets. The most popular and out-performing of these has been the Android tablets. We are generally accustomed to using the Internet for many household tasks. We have fewer and fewer lines to wait in because of the accessibility the web provides. When we do have to stand in the line, it is usually shorter because others can handle their business on the web.

Using the Web through Your Android

Tablets now make using the Internet even more an automatic habit. The portability of the handheld devices make it easy to check the weather, browse Facebook, send an email, pay a bill, or a host of other tasks while still sitting in bed or while waiting for some actual face-to-face contact with someone.

Androids Access the Cloud

Amazon has an amazing system of storage that is used by the individual and huge businesses alike. You pay for the space you use and can store large amounts of data and information. The Android Tablets are some of the only handheld devices which can access this system. The apps (applications) for being able to use this are available for your tablet. Apple seems to be trying to catch up by what is called iCloud but it is doubtful that it will compare well since the tablets from Apple, as of yet, don’t compare with the Androids.

New Androids to Access the Clouds

Soon there will be new generation of Androids with more power and more internal storage space than currently available. This isn’t good news to iPad fans, but it will cause others to pick up the pace a bit.

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