Showing posts with label Google Voice. Show all posts

How Many Text Messages Are Sent a Day?

In today’s digital age, text messaging remains one of the most popular methods of communication worldwide. Despite the rise of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat, the simplicity, accessibility, and affordability of SMS (Short Message Service) continue to make it a powerful tool for individuals and businesses alike. But just how many text messages are sent each day? Let’s take a look at the numbers and explore the factors contributing to SMS’s sustained popularity.

A Snapshot of Daily Text Messages in 2024

Based on recent statistics, approximately 23 billion SMS messages are sent worldwide every day. This amounts to a staggering 8.4 trillion text messages per year. While daily text volume varies by region and demographics, this number reflects the universal appeal of text messaging across the globe.

Why Are Billions of Text Messages Still Sent Daily?

Several key factors explain why text messaging remains a dominant form of communication:

Global Reach of SMS
Unlike messaging apps that require an internet connection and account setup, SMS is accessible to anyone with a mobile phone. This makes it especially valuable in regions where smartphones or reliable internet access are limited. An estimated 5 billion people globally use SMS, making it one of the most widely available communication methods.
High Open Rates and Immediacy
Studies indicate that SMS messages boast an open rate of 98%, with 90% of messages read within three minutes of delivery. This immediacy is unmatched by email, which has an open rate of around 20-30%, and even some messaging apps, as users are often more vigilant about reading their texts than checking app notifications.
Strong Presence in Business Communication
SMS has become an essential tool in business communication, especially for customer service, reminders, and notifications. With 61% of marketers using SMS, industries like retail, healthcare, and finance rely heavily on text messaging to send appointment reminders, sales promotions, and security alerts, ensuring that important messages reach customers quickly.
Secure Communication Channel
SMS is generally considered a secure form of communication, especially for sensitive information like banking alerts and two-factor authentication codes. Financial institutions and security services use SMS to send OTPs (one-time passwords) due to its reliability and the added layer of security it offers.
Easy Integration with Marketing Campaigns
For brands, SMS marketing can achieve engagement levels that email or social media marketing may not reach. By integrating SMS with other marketing channels, businesses can increase customer reach and conversion rates. Surveys show that 75% of consumers are comfortable receiving SMS messages from brands they trust if they’ve opted in, making it an invaluable tool for customer retention.

Text Message Trends Across Different Age Groups

While SMS is universally popular, the frequency and usage vary across age groups. Here’s a breakdown of how different demographics use text messaging:

Younger Generations (18-34): Millennials and Gen Z tend to prefer messaging apps but still rely on SMS for essential communication, such as notifications from brands, institutions, or services that don’t use apps.
Middle Age (35-54): This group uses SMS frequently for both personal and professional purposes, and they are comfortable receiving texts from brands, especially for reminders or promotions.
Older Adults (55+): Older adults heavily rely on SMS as a primary communication method. SMS’s simplicity and ease make it preferable for staying connected with family and receiving notifications from healthcare providers or financial institutions.

The Impact of SMS on Global Communication Patterns

SMS has influenced the ways people communicate, with businesses and individuals often prioritizing text messaging for urgent or essential information. The worldwide SMS market is valued at over $50 billion and is expected to continue growing, particularly in emerging markets where internet access is inconsistent. In many parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, SMS remains the backbone of digital communication, fostering information sharing and facilitating services like mobile banking, telehealth, and e-learning.

Future Predictions for Text Messaging Volume

Although the rise of messaging apps may have caused a slight decline in SMS volume, experts predict that text messaging will remain relevant for years to come due to the demand for secure and reliable communication channels. Here are some potential developments we might see:

Increased SMS Usage for IoT Devices: As smart technology expands, more devices will communicate through SMS. For example, monitoring systems in agriculture, transportation, and healthcare can use SMS alerts for real-time updates and problem-solving.
5G and Rich Communication Services (RCS): With the rollout of 5G, RCS aims to upgrade traditional SMS by incorporating multimedia, group messaging, and enhanced security, bringing SMS closer to the capabilities of internet-based messaging apps.
Continued Use in Authentication and Security: As cybersecurity threats grow, SMS will likely remain an essential tool for two-factor authentication and security alerts, especially for sensitive accounts and services.

Final Thoughts: The Staying Power of SMS

The sheer volume of daily text messages in 2024 demonstrates SMS’s lasting relevance. Whether for personal communication or professional outreach, text messaging continues to be a reliable, immediate, and global means of connection. With advancements like RCS and 5G on the horizon, the future of SMS looks promising, combining traditional simplicity with modern capabilities.

So, as you go about your day, sending or receiving texts, remember: you’re part of the billions of messages exchanged globally each day, connecting people from all walks of life in a few simple taps.

How Many Emails Are Sent Per Year? A Look at Email Usage in 2024

Email remains one of the most widely used forms of communication globally, with billions of emails sent daily for personal, professional, and marketing purposes. The number of emails sent per year has consistently increased as businesses rely more heavily on digital communication.

Total Number of Emails Sent Per Year

In 2024, it’s estimated that over 390 billion emails are sent each day, which translates to a massive 142 trillion emails per year. This volume is driven by a mix of personal messages, business communications, and marketing emails.

Why Is Email Volume So High?

Several key factors contribute to the high volume of email usage worldwide:

Growth in Business and Professional Communications
Businesses around the world use email as a primary mode of communication, both internally and externally. Emails are essential for team collaboration, customer service, and sharing information with clients. According to recent studies, more than 70% of businesses report that email is their preferred communication channel.
Increased Marketing and Advertising Campaigns
Email marketing continues to be one of the most effective digital marketing tools. Companies send promotional emails, newsletters, and targeted campaigns to engage with customers and boost sales. With personalized email strategies, businesses are increasingly relying on email to reach their audience directly.
Remote Work and Hybrid Models
Since the pandemic, remote work and hybrid work models have become mainstream, further increasing email usage. Teams rely on email to share documents, updates, and essential information.
Automated Email Systems
Many businesses use automated email systems for notifications, reminders, and alerts. These systems are responsible for a large portion of the emails sent daily, such as shipping updates, receipts, appointment reminders, and account activity notifications.

Email Usage by Demographics

While email usage varies by age and profession, it remains popular across all demographics. Here’s how email use trends by group:

Professionals (18-55): Emails are crucial for daily work communications, project updates, and business transactions.
Consumers (18-45): This group uses email regularly to stay updated on promotions, newsletters, and service updates from brands.
Older Adults (55+): Many older adults use email as a primary way to communicate, especially with family and for medical or financial information.

Future of Email: What’s Next?

While social media and messaging apps are popular, email remains a trusted, versatile, and indispensable tool. The future of email likely includes more AI-driven personalization, better spam filters, and stronger privacy measures, ensuring it stays relevant for both individuals and businesses.

In summary, email continues to thrive as a communication tool, with over 142 trillion emails sent each year. The role of email is likely to grow even further, making it a critical component of modern digital communication.

How to Fix your Cell Phone Coverage

If you're experiencing poor cell phone coverage, there are several steps you can take to try and improve the situation. Here are some potential solutions:

The "holy grail" of mobile unified communications has finally arrived on the iPhone. It's a solution that ties my email (Gmail), instant messenger (Google Talk), Video Chat, Free SMS, Voicemail (Google Voice), Google Calendar, Google Docs all together into one organized and simple hosted solution. Google Voice VoIP can also fix your coverage by making phone calls on WiFi.

Highest rated VOIP solution

Project Fi Customer Reviews

Who Uses? How Is The Service?

From what I understand, Google's ProjectFi is a unique WiFi-first service that prioritizes calls and text messages to be done over WiFi and not data. Whenever you're around trusted open WiFi hotspots, the phone will automatically connect to them thanks to a feature called WiFi Assistant. If you're not around WiFi for whatever reason, Fi will switch to either Sprint or T-Mobile depending on which has the stronger cellular signal. Fi is only compatible with a few phones.

We would like to learn more if anyone from Google wants to reach out and work with us. I think we have some valuable data that might help customers decide which carrier has the best coverage.

Please submit your reviews below. There has been a discussion on Project Fi reviews here.

What is Best for Wireless Consumers?

What might actually be the best thing ever for consumers could royally screw the carriers. Twenty years of wireless carrier stifling innovation and counting. I think there are two companies (AT&T and Verizon) plus the cable companies who have held back the US from technology innovation.

Google could become a voice service provider and would unquestionably piss off the carriers who are their "partners". Who wouldn’t expect them to eventually become a voice service provider for wireless maybe through a WiFI network? It's just a matter of time. Google could then make unlocked Android phones available in the U.S. online or through traditional retail channels. I am waiting for the day.

Does MagicJack Work?

Our Review of the Walt Mossberg Review of Magic Jack (DCZ)

By Walt Mossberg When I see a high-tech product (DCZ: with good PR people who get it to you first) that's advertised mainly via frequent hard-sell TV ads as if it were a diet pill, I tend to assume it can't be very good (DCZ: your late to the game if 4M people have purchased?), especially if its price is absurdly low. So, I haven't paid much attention to a product called magicJack, a small $40 adapter for your computer that claims to let you make unlimited domestic phone calls over the Internet with your home telephone free for a whole year—and for just $20 a year thereafter. (DCZ: because it wasn't originally sold through mainstream retail and was hated by the big carriers?)

But after receiving reader requests to review magicJack (DCZ: Why?), I decided to do so. To my surprise, it worked pretty much as advertised. It has a few drawbacks, and extra fees for added services, such as vanity phone numbers. But I found magicJack easy to set up and easy to use, and it yielded decent, if not pristine, call quality. I even tested customer support—a source of complaints online—and found it friendly, fast, and responsive.

Magic Jack is a new device and service that allows you to make cheap phone calls through your computer. Overall, the product works as advertised, Walt Mossberg found. MagicJack looks like an oversized USB flash drive. On one end is a standard USB connector for the PC; on the other is a standard phone jack to plug in a phone. It's compatible with PCs running Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7, as well as with all Intel-based Macs. It works with both corded and cordless phones, and comes with software for dialing, though you can also dial directly from a connected phone.

The low annual fee covers calls to and from any phone on any telephone network—landline or cellphone—not just phones connected to computers or to other magicJack. The only restriction is that the numbers called must be in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. You can also buy low-cost prepaid international minutes, or take your magicJack abroad to make free calls home. You can move it among different computers and locations.

MagicJack can also be used without a phone handset, via a computer headset or the computer's built-in microphone and speakers. There's nothing new about Internet (DCZ: VoIP) phone calls. Companies like Vonage and Skype have been doing it for years. But magicJack is different. It emphasizes calling to and from phones on regular wired and wireless phone networks, and its prices for calls to and from such non-Internet-connected phones are much lower. (DCZ: MagicJack is 2X larger than Vonage with 2M customers and would be curious to see what the service quality performance record is compared to Skype)

For instance, the lowest plan advertised on Vonage's Web site for calling regular phones in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico is $17.99 a month, or about $216 a year, versus magicJack's $20. And Vonage gives you only 500 minutes a month, while magicJack sets no limit. Skype charges per minute or monthly fees for calls to regular phones and an added fee to receive incoming calls. (DCZ: What about Google Voice?)

The maker of magicJack says its low prices are possible because the product is produced by a privately held Florida company called YMAX, which is also a phone carrier (DCZ: also known as a CLEC). The company also runs ads inside its software. You can buy the device at a wide variety of stores, even drugstores and convenience stores. (DCZ: Do you think they might actually make more money off of location-based advertising eventually?)

I tested magicJack on both a PC and a Mac. The software resides inside the magicJack itself and installs each time you connect it. In my tests, I made and received calls on both computers, using a single landline phone and using a cordless-phone system in my house after plugging its base station into the magicJack. In the latter case, I could make and receive calls from cordless phones all over my house. I exchanged calls with both landline phones and cellphones from the magicJack. The call quality was good, except for a few times when the connection got scratchy for a second or two. Most of the people I called said they couldn't tell I wasn't on a regular call. The system offers voice mail, call forwarding, and conference calls, and you can save contacts. A couple of times I didn't get an immediate dial tone and had to hang up and try again.

The biggest downside of the magicJack compared with regular phone service is that you have to be running an Internet-connected computer, with a magicJack installed anytime you want to make or receive calls. (DCZ: It also works with WiFi?) Also, as with all Internet phone systems, you have to register your address with 911 emergency systems. With magicJack, you get a new phone number. The company says it is working on allowing you to port your existing landline number. You can keep your landline number for use on some phones or when you're not using magicJack.

I found magicJack worked better on Windows than on the Mac. (DCZ: Not a shocker) At one point, magicJack customer support had to send me software to patch the Mac version. But the company claims it is fixing that with a new Mac version coming soon.

YMAX also says it plans to roll out this year a Skype-like service that won't require any magicJack hardware, just a PC or an iPhone. It also plans a new version of magicJack to turn cellphones into wireless magicJack handsets. (DCZ: This is going to be called the Femto Jack)

I don't know if those diet pills in the TV ads work. (DCZ: Direct response marketing works) But magicJack does.

Apple Attacking Overpriced Carrier Text Messaging Plans

Apple announced some new features today during its Worldwide Developers Conference that will affect wireless carrier revenues in the future. AT&T and Verizon each make about $10 Billion dollars per year on text messaging revenue plans per year from their 30 million customers. Apple's new, free iMessage service should be a heard as a "shot across the bow" to the wireless carriers who overcharge for text messaging services which should be free. Apple's new iMessaging service will go over the data network, and won't count towards your 500 or 1000 text messaging monthly plans. If you are only messaging your friends with iPhone's or Apple devices you are in luck and may never have to pay for an SMS data package again.

Paying $10 for text messaging does not make any sense and should be free. The average AT&T iPhone users sends 621 text messages per month on AT&T. This costs the average iPhone subscriber .33 cents per day or $10 per month to send something that costs a fraction of penny to perform. The gross margins on text messaging for carriers are astronomical and the service should be free. Similar services like Skype, Google Voice, Twitter and Facebook provide free service for consumers and are actually better services. These services are all free for PC or Mac users who access the internet through WiFi and $25 a month through an existing data plan.

One concern about eliminating the data plan is that the carriers will undoubtedly try and start gouging consumers even more on data plans. So we recommend to all consumer get used to finding, using and putting up free WiFi whenever possible. Free data is the only way of the future.

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Apple iCloud Launches as MobileMe Fails

How to Sync Email, Text Messages & Docs on iPhone, iPad & iPod?

Carriers do not like this but iPhones, iPads and iPods will soon have an iCloud email, text messaging, documents and photos syncing feature. The messaging feature will sync email, text messaging across the iPhone network to other Apple devices. The documents and photos feature will sync data into the cloud across multiple devices. This is commonly known as cloud computing and Android and Google Services have been syncing Gmail, Calendars, Docs, Picasa for a few years. Apple's "new" iMessage service supports iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Will this disrupt the $36B text messaging industry of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile? Will the carriers start augmenting text messaging plans and start reselling Apple's iCloud services for $10 per month? How much will Apple charge for this or will this be a feature that is simply an additional costs center. iCloud is obviously playing catch up with Google web services.

The only new feature that I heard is being able to sync the last 1,000 photos from your iPhone into the cloud. iMusic is another new product for $24 per year that will recommend music you might like. Sounds very similar to Pandora but a lot more expensive if you have to buy the music. Will this cause iPhone storage issues and presume this only works over WiFi I hope?

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Apple Attacking Overpriced Carrier Text Messaging Plans

How Much Does AT&T Charge for Text Message Overage?

Going over your 1000 text message limit will cost you .10 cents extra per message. Text messaging costs the average AT&T customer $10 per month for 1000 text messages whether you use them or not. $20 per month will get you the unlimited Domestic text plan. It doesn't sound like a lot until you go over your text messaging limit which can add up or if you send International text messages. Domestic text rates do not apply for International text messages. Charges for international messages sent from the U.S. are $0.25 for Text Messages and $0.50 for Picture/Video Messages. Charges for usage while roaming internationally: $0.50 for each text message sent, $1.30 for each picture/video message sent, and $0.0195 for each kilobyte used. Standard rates apply to all incoming messages as well.

We estimate that each wireless custom free generates .33 cents in revenue per day for text messages which is roughly a $10 billion dollar per year business for AT&T or $30 million dollars per day. Its also pretty ironic that AT&T (NYSE: T) pays $10 billion dollars per year in dividends

. Coincidence or a house of cards that is wait to fall? Here are 10 other reasons why charging for text messaging is a scam.

What if you could save $60 - $240 per year in text messages with free text messaging services? The average AT&T customer sends out 621 text messages per month which are approximately 20 messages per day. The cost of text messaging is .33 cents per day which do not sound like a lot. Free text messaging is growing with companies like Facebook, Google Voice and Apple getting into the game. Our thesis is that the handset and software manufacturers Apple, Google & Microsoft will soon be getting into the data delivery business and will be subsiding messaging with mobile advertisements.

Google $20 Per Month Netbooks for Students

Google Has a Great Solution To Students Getting Ripped Off

Congrats to Google for launching a very cool project of $20 per month netbooks. I want one and want to know where can I get a Google Chrome Notebook for $20 per month? I want a Google Chrome Netbook but I am not a student. If the test is successful for students these notebooks will likely eventually be given to the masses that can't afford 3G or 4G LTE? Cloud computing is the future and if you are a Google Gmail, Google Voice, Google Docs and Google Chrome browser user there is no need to buy an expensive Apple laptop or PC.

The wireless carriers and Apple and PC developers have been ripping off consumers for years selling $1-$2K laptop hardware to students that only lasts for a few years. On top of your expensive laptop your local carrier AT&T and Verizon want you to spend another $1000 per year for 4G LTE data plans when WiFi is free on most campuses. Google recognizes that cheaper hardware is better to get content to the masses of people who can't afford it on top of their tuitions. Free ad supported wireless is coming in a big way and Google Chrome is an ideal display screen to for video and Location Based Ads. Why charge for service when you can subside content with ads?

Free Texting on Verizon With Google Voice

Save $60-$240 per Year Using Google Voice on a Smartphone

Today, I went to the Verizon Wireless store to upgrade my wife's phone to the Motorola Droid Pro. I realized that she was paying $10 per month ($120 per year) for her current text messaging plan which seems rather expensive given the costs to provide the service. If you go over your text plan than you pay an extra .20 cents per message. I asked the sales person if they had any bundled data plan packages for all data, voice and text? The answer was no.

Apparently, everything at Verizon Wireless is sold "ala carte" and there are no bundled plans. So for $30 per monthly unlimited data for email and $10 per month for texting plus $59 for 450 minutes per minutes of voice is pretty much the bare bones plan. $100 per month or $1,200 per year is ridiculously expensive compared to the other carriers and about a 40% premium for what better coverage still?

Dump your text messaging plan and start using Free Google Voice Texting on Android if you have an Android Phone on Verizon. Also, switch you voicemail provider number to Google Voice which will allow you to use less airtime minutes for checking voicemail and you can download the audio and transcription into your email automatically for free. See this video overview of Google Voice.

Why is T-Mobile WiFi Calling is Not Free?

Why is T-Mobile WiFi Calling Not Free

We just spoke with a friendly T-Mobile customer service representative who took the time to look up & read the actual billing policy. Wifi calling is be billed exactly like normal cell phone tower calls just like nights & weekends, my faves, & mobile-to-mobile. The Wifi usage minutes will be reflected on your bill, unfortunately. The question remains will this last forever as Google Voice and Skype start to steal revenue and minutes from the carrier. One of the benefits of making Wifi phone calls is to save money and not pay $1.25 per minute to make calls overseas. To do this most iPhone and Android users have used the Skype, Truphone or Google Voice apps to make cheap calls that range from .02-.05 cents per minute. Since you are not using T-Mobile's network and using free wifi, it doesn't make any sense to still pay the ridiculous rates of $1.25 per minute to make calls overseas and this will need to change.

T-Mobile has had a reputation for having an inferior network to Verizon, Sprint & AT&T in some areas. However, if you live in a major metropolitan area the coverage is pretty good. For many T-Mobile users who live in heavily wooded areas, the hills or simply where a cell phone tower signal does not reach into their home. Wifi is now an option to make and receive phone call.

Wifi phone calling endorsed by the carrier is a major industry breakthrough as all of the major carriers have been putting this development off for about a decade for fear of cannibalizing their overprice voice subscription business. For the millions of people who don't have a signal in their home or office all you have to is have an Android phone and it will update your system automatically to make calls.

T-Mobile has been the one US carrier that has not taken a femtocell strategy of fixing in-building coverage. Instead, they have partnered with Kineto app that allows Android phone users to make Wifi phone calls. This is interesting because Kineto was VC funded many years ago with a femtocell strategy and quickly changed course to adapt to the market that wasn't willing to pay $200+ for the network device.

Skype Mobile Not Available on T-Mobile

T-Mobile Spokeswoman Catherine Zeta Jones Should be Angry

Verizon seems to have cornered the Skype market as Skype Mobile apps are no longer available in the Android Marketplace for my T-Mobile phones. Its a shame that Skype has sold itself out to Verizon and it doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon. I guess an IPO will make you reach out for any revenue possible and sometimes that mean screwing your loyal customers. Making phone calls over Wifi used to be possible with Skype and not with Google Voice. Google Voice does not seem to work in Wifi only mode and I am very disappointed to see this. Making calls while traveling internationally is a major rip off and Skype used to be the solution for this. I will have to start using another VoIP app like Truphone to make my calls via Wifi while traveling.

How to Save Money on Phone Bills

One of the biggest expense items for companies who have large mobile workforces are the monthly cell phone bills. Companies typically do their best to get all employees under one carrier in order to theoretically save money and get a deal. However, how do you know that you are getting a deal?

1) Are you buying new phones for each employee to be on the same plan?
2) Are you auditing the monthly call activity over your employees?
3) Are they getting the best service possible in your area?
4) If all of your employees are on one carrier are you locked into a "good" price?
5) Should you be encouraging your employees to use free WiFi more often instead of the expensive 4G or WiMax plans?
6) What if you could give each of your employees a choice of which carrier and the handset or smart phone they wanted to use?
7) Are you employees spending too much time managing their phone services and reporting expenses?
8) Are you wasting valuable productivity time provisioning phones to your new employees and getting phones back from employees no longer with the company?
9) Are you using VoIP for international calls?
10) Lastly, are you auditing and keeping track of the coverage service quality that your employees are getting and using this as leverage when you renew your contract?

Here are some companies that might help you make cheaper international calls with VoIP and audit your cell phone call activity through the carrier. Auditing your call activity is very important these days as dropped calls and coverage quality is actually getting worse as data speeds increase. Most of these hosted solutions working with cell phones using unified communications tools and are sold directly to small businesses and directly to consumers.

Google Voice - Gives small businesses a second business number and makes voicemail more efficient. It will also save money on international calls.
Skype - Great for video conferencing and making international calls and for businesses of any size.

Second Voice - Large enterprises can audit and manage employee phones by adding a second number to an existing employee cell phone.

Toktumi - Hosted PBX that gives employees a second number and has apps for your smartphone

Truphone - Cheap VoIP calls from your mobile phone over WiFi
Ring Central - Get 800 numbers and virtual PBX with VoIP for calls
Vonage - VoIP phone service target to home users
Fonality - Viritual PBX in a box for small to medium sized enterprises
Virtual PBX - Hosted PBX for small business
Vbuzzer - VoIP software for PC

Free Google Voice + Video + IM + Gmail = Awesome

Free Google Voice + Video + IM + Gmail = Awesome

The "holy grail" of unified communications has arrived . . . a solution that ties my email (Gmail), instant messenger (Google Talk), Video Chat, Free SMS, Voicemail (Google Voice), Google Calendar, and Google Docs all together into one organized and simple hosted solution. You can't beat the price which is currently free and it just might fix your cell phone coverage as well. What finally blew me away was the last step of choosing my new phone number and you can search by keywords, numbers, and zip code. I typed in my mobile phone number and my new number was only one digit in the area code different. I now have a (310) and a (317) phone numbers and that is cool!

As a small business owner, this is an ideal solution and could save you thousands of dollars per year if you take the time and get organized. It's also a solution for the many millions of office and home cell phone users who don't have any mobile phone reception in their homes or office. It is now so simple to simply dial the number with one click that you can leave your cell phone in the car (if you forward your phone number). No more dead zones or dropped calls that seem to be getting worse on smartphones that consume more data.

This is a timely announcement by Google as VoIP competitor Skype now has over 500M+ users and is positioning itself for an IPO. I think Google Voice will now quickly catapult itself as a big competitor to Skype. The recent announcement of Google calls from PC to Phone is somewhat unique as Skype currently charges for these calls with their Skype Out product. It is cheap as well but I assume Google Advertising has thought through the math and figure that they can make it free and make more money on the advertising served up. SMART!

It will also be very interesting to see how tightly integrated the new Google Voice features are with the Android operating system and the New Features on the T-Mobile G2 Phone phone that will be coming out in November.

Click to Dial from your Contacts or Instant Messanger

Google Voice Transcription on PC or MAC

Google Voice on iPhone and Android

10 Reasons Why Skype Will Make You Rich

New Features on the T-Mobile G2 Phone

G1 Google Phone vs G2 Google Phone

T-Mobile has launched its G2 phone which has a much faster processor and runs on the HSPA+ network. I was able to pick up my phone just before the CTIA show as a favor and love it already. Here are some apps that were pre-loaded on the phone which I love. Google Voice, Google Listen for Podcasts, Swipe for texting with one hand, Google Places for finding locations easily, Google Goggles, PhotoBucket and many enhanced contact syncing features for Facebook, Twitter and Gmail.

Its a great phone and the form factor is even better than I thought. The flip-up screen and the placement of the navigation bar are in the areas you would expect. The power button on top makes it easy to turn on a swipe to turn on. The screen is slightly larger and it sits nicely in your hand to use without the keyboard. I had the Samsung Galaxy for a short time and returned it because I prefer to have a keyboard and didn't like the way it sat in my hand as a wider phone. However, the G2 is perfect and much better even though it is slightly heavier than the Galaxy but slightly lighter than the iPhone 4. I haven't noticed a difference in the processing power as promoted on the Galaxy and think the G2 processing power sufficient. Also, the 8GB micro SD card creates a lot of room. We still aren't sure if there is a front-facing camera but the rear video and picture camera is excellent.

Everyone who has had the G1 knows about the dreaded memory loss and it has become virtually impossible to run apps on a phone without the Task Killer application running in the background. The G2 has much more processing power and expanded memory capability on the 2 GB internal and 8 GB SD card and internal memory. I would also expect to see a lot of data offloading features pushing capacity off applications like YouTube from the carrier network onto Wifi. Google Maps has a stronger presence on it with preloaded apps It remains to be seen what will Google's answer be to Apple's Facetime application that seems to be captivating iPhone 4 users. It seems to me that this could be a feature enhancement of Google iChat and Google Voice integration. A Skype IPO could help light a fire in this area as wel..

T-Mobile seems to be the preferred network if you are Google user and live in a large metropolitan area. The trend today seems to be smart users moving to smaller carriers with less people on the network. That certainly is not AT&T or Verizon who own 66% of the market.

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Skype on Android

Caught Using Your Cell Phone While Driving?

If you get caught using your cell phone while driving the fine will range anywhere from $20-$125 depending which State you are ticketed in. Cell phone ticket laws and fines vary drastically from state to state just like photo enforcement. However, many are proposing to raise the fine to make you really think twice about putting the phone up to your ear. Here are some startling statistics about accidents and deaths while using a cell phone while driving that might make you think twice.

2,600 people are killed each year as a result of using cellphones while driving. Estimates are that another 330,000 are injured.
21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year.
Talking on a cell phone causes nearly 25% of car accidents.
4 out of every 5 accidents (80%) are attributed to distracted drivers. In contrast, drunk drivers account for roughly 1 out of 3 (33%) of all accidents nationally.
Texting while driving is about 6 times more likely to result in an accident than driving while intoxicated.
A car driver dialing a cell phone is 2.8 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-distracted driver.
More stats

The following are a list of states that ban drivings from using handheld devices and texting while driving.

8 states prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving. All laws are enforced by an officer who may cite a driver for using a handheld cell phone without any other traffic offense taking place. No states have banned all cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for all drivers, but many prohibit all cell phone use by certain drivers. 29 States ban novice (various from under 21, 19 and 18) and school bus driver. 18 states ban use of a cell phone when passengers are present. See details

California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, Virgin Islands

30 states ban text messaging for all drivers and 26 states have primary enforcement

Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Guam, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming

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How to Send a Text Hands-Free

Facebook Mobile Ads vs. Dumb Pipes

Mobile advertising CPM's make data / voice subscription models irrelevant?

Wireless operators have built huge businesses selling cellular voice service for a hefty monthly fee. Fees are based on a fixed monthly charges regardless of whether you use the minutes / data or not. But now that cellular voice calls are a commodity, consumers are spending much less money than they used to for voice services. Add VoIP and cheap prepaid wireless service into the competition, and this will only continue to erode in the future as long as it remains based on fees and not adverting. Facebook, Google & Skype all have disruptive platforms that are disinter-mediating the dumb pipes making them almost irrelevant. The only question remains when will be the tipping point?

The dumb pipe industry is hoping that data revenue from text messages, Internet access, multiple mobile Internet devices per person, like the iPad and Kindle -- will make up for the difference. And so far, it's coming close. But monthly bills will likely continue to shrink and these operators don't have a clue how to monetize their services via adverting yet for fear of cannibalizing their cash cows.

Here are three charts below which are quietly forecasting the demise of predictable subscription based ARPU related business models (Voice & Data) and the rise of advertising. Its all about leverage and clearly AT&T and Verizon are losing it and Facebook and Google are gaining. I think we are closers than everyone thinks to free subsidized data and voice services from Facebook and Google. I can't wait because I think as effective CPM's are on the rise publishers stand to actually make more money than the dumb pipes who are focused on fixed subscription models.

CHARTS OF THE DAY: Here's Why Wireless Carriers Are Hosed

Femtocells + Google Location Based Advertising

Google femtocells could reach more than 50% of the U.S. population.

Femtocells are emerging as the primary technology that will link the indoor and outdoor cellular networks. These devices improve the quality of service of 3G, 2G and 2.5 networks indoors. Mobile users can enjoy voice and data services from home without having to stand near the window or outdoors. Femtocells are particularly attractive to mobile carriers in the US and even Google we think. Femtocells are emerging as the standard technology that lets wireless phone use in homes and offices become a viable alternative to landline telephones. The ability to leverage the Internet for back-haul makes femtocells an economic force in the marketplace; it brings the industry changes in the way voice is delivered. US carriers have struggled for years claiming the cost of the femtocells being too high around $100 and keep playing the "waiting game" in order to drive costs lower and see "who jumps first". Some have considered renting out femtocells to users for a long contract period for $2-14 per month, rather than allowing them to buy it outright for $100+.

One perceived barrier to rollout is the need to reduce the cost per unit of the hardware or subsidize it. We think its simply an excuse because they don't want to open up a "can of worms" admitting to their coverage deficiencies in the US. Initially it may be that operators provide femtocells to customers as part of a service plan but Google may plans to give it away for free and monetize it through location based advertising. The US carriers are truly still dumb pipes and are clueless about location based adverting. This would significantly threaten their paid femtocell business model and it would force AT&T and Verizon into advertising acquisitions in order to catch up.

Ubiquisys, the Google-funded company is providing femtocells to O2 (UK carrier), along with many other trials around the world. It has technology that listens in to the existing GSM and 3G network signals to establish if the licensee is allowed to transmit here. This provides the advantage of allowing network operators to lock the femtocell to one physical location or more, for a small fee. Google could use femtocell technology to quickly roll out wireless services in the U.S. By deploying a femtocell-like system, in a matter of a year they might be able to reach more than 50% of the U.S. population. Google can deploy femtocells at malls, on city streets (by mounting femtocells on street lamps), and along major highways. Then it might strike roaming agreements with other carriers to offer users wireless service outside the home while it builds out its wireless towers similar to Cox and Comcast. If Google set up the wireless telephone business, they could offer communications free, basing the revenue model on location based advertising. If calls go out to the Internet through the femtocell, they could be handled in the same way that Google Talk works not, and there would be no need for a wireless services provider.

End Data Discrimination

As expected, the FCC voted to move forward with a proposal to codify its four net neutrality principles and add non-discrimination and transparency rules to the regulations that will govern both wireless and wired broadband networks.

The first of the new principles would prevent Internet access providers from discriminating against particular Internet content or applications while allowing for reasonable network management. The second would ensure that Internet access providers are transparent about the network management practices they implement. The other four are:

To encourage broadband deployment and preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet, consumers are entitled to access the lawful Internet content of their choice.
To encourage broadband deployment and preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet, consumers are entitled to run applications and use services of their choice, subject to the needs of law enforcement.
To encourage broadband deployment and preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet, consumers are entitled to connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network.
To encourage broadband deployment and preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet, consumers are entitled to competition among network providers, application and service providers, and content providers.

FCC votes for the net neutrality rule-making process

The commission voted 5-0 to begin the rule-making process. The next steps will likely involve months of debate now that the FCC is asked for comments on the proposal. Initial comments are due on Jan. 14. Hours later, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation aimed at prohibiting the FCC from enacting rules that would regulate access to the Internet. The legislation, called 'The Internet Freedom Act of 2009,' aimed at keeping the Internet from being regulated by the government. 'Keeping businesses free from oppressive regulations is the best stimulus for the current economy,' he said. The two Republican FCC commissioners, Robert McDowell and Meredith Attwell Baker dissented in part on last week's vote, arguing that the commission should proceed with its eyes open to the unintended consequences of the new regulations. They said they were unsure that there was enough of a problem to warrant new regulations, and questioned whether the FCC had the authority to impose the new rules. The GOP commissioners' dissent essentially signals that they intend to move forward with the action, but disagree with the current language in the proposal.

As promised by Chairman Julius Genachowski, the proposed rules governing wireless networks took into account that wireless networks have different network architectures, market structures, patterns of consumer usage, and regulatory history than wired networks. The draft rules will seek comment on how in what time frames and to what extent the rules should apply to wireless. Moreover, another point of debate will likely center on what "reasonable network management" means as it pertains to an operator's ability to manage network traffic (based on tiered access?). The draft rules say that such management includes practices that reduce or mitigate network congestion, address traffic that is unlawful, unwanted by users, or deemed harmful. The commission staff also noted that nothing in the rules will prohibit service providers from delivering emergency communications. Additionally, the notice seeks comment on how to define managed services, such as subscription video services, telemedicine, or smart grids, and how the new policies should apply to them. The commission also is going to form a technical outreach group to discuss network management issues and all other issues that have technical ramifications.

Instances of data discrimination listed on Wikipedia from 2004-2007, unfortunately, cause hardship for other applications that get grouped into the same categories and get blocked.

In 2004, a small North Carolina telecom company, Madison River Communications, blocked their DSL customers from using the Vonage VoIP service. Service was restored after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intervened and entered into a consent decree that had Madison River pay a fine of $15,000.^[6]
In 2005, Canadian telephone giant Telus blocked access to voices-for-change.ca, a website supporting the company's labor union during a labor dispute, as well as over 600 other websites, for about sixteen hours after pictures were posted on the website of employees crossing the picket line.^[7]
In April 2006, Time Warner's AOL (America On-Line) blocked all e-mails that mentioned dearaol.com, an advocacy campaign opposing the company's pay-to-send e-mail scheme. An AOL spokesman called the issue an unintentional glitch.
In February 2006, some of Cox Cable's customers were unable to access Craig's List because of a confluence of a software bug in the Authentium personal firewall distributed by Cox Cable to improve customers' security and the way that Craigslist had their servers misconfigured. Save the Internet said this was an intentional act on the part of Cox Cable to protect classified ad services offered by its partners. The issue was resolved by the correction of the software as well as a change in the network configuration used by Craig's List. Craig's List founder Craig Newmark stated that he believed the blocking was unintentional.
In September 2007, Verizon Wireless prevented a pro-choice organization from sending text messages to its members coordinating a public demonstration, despite the fact that the intended recipients had explicitly signed up to receive such messages.
In October 2007, Comcast was found to be preventing or at least severely delaying uploads on BitTorrent.

COMMENTARY: All this seems great in theory but it still seems to indicate that tiered network access is coming and carriers are still going to largely be able to control and discriminate packets across their network. Is that good for companies who want open access like Skype, Google, Slingbox who don't control the pipes? I suppose it depends upon which tier of access they end up on. Hopefully its the top tier.