The English Blog

What is SMS ?
SMS is an acronym standing for Short Message Service. It is commonly referred to as text messaging or “texting” as well. SMS is a method by which messages can be sent to a cell phone via another cell phone, a computer connected to the Internet, a regular land line, or a handheld device such as a Blackberry. The original specifications for SMS were developed in 1985, though real implementation and popularity took nearly a decade to achieve.SMS messages may be sent either from one point to another point, or may be sent to all devices within a specific geographical region. The former, known as SMS-PP, is used primarily between individuals communicating with one another, while the latter, known as SMS-CB, may be used to broadcast public announcements such as road or weather conditions, region-specific advertising messages, or messages from a cell provider regarding the new coverage area.

SMS use for personal communication is rapidly increasing in popularity. In 2000, less than 20 billion SMS messages were sent; by 2004 that number had grown to in excess of 500 billion messages. The largest market for SMS is Southeast Asia, with Europe just behind. The United States has seemed to be a slow adopter for the early years of the 21st century, but the pace of texting appears to be increasing in the United States as service providers make its use, particularly between networks, easier.

With this surge in popularity and use, particularly among younger users, new shorthands have developed to communicate more rapidly through the medium. This shorthand mirrors in many way the writing style of online chat, dropping vowels and superfluous letters, and replacing words and entire sounds with representative numbers or single letters. An example might read something like, “how r u?” to mean, “How are you?” or, “did u c wut he askd me 2 do? 4 shme!” to mean, “Did you see what he asked me to do? For shame!” Given the limitations of a smaller keypad, with multiple clicks required for many letters, such shorthand saves large amounts of time over the course of multiple SMS messages.

In addition to person-to-person communication via SMS, a number of television shows have begun accepting text messages for various purposes. Shows which have a voting system, such as American Idol, have begun integrating SMS voting, allowing viewers to easily make their choices using only their cell phone. In Europe, the idea has been pushed even further, with shows that allow viewers to control characters on screen using their cell phone’s SMS capabilities
Some online services, most notably Google, have integrated SMS capability to allow for the easy retrieval of information through one’s cell phone. By texting a special number, for example, a cell phone user may receive information ranging from local weather, to sport scores, to where the nearest bus station is in their town. In addition to such regional information, services like Google SMS can also be used to quickly find the definition of a word, to convert one unit of measure to another, or to answer trivia questions. Using SMS, one can in essence access the vast informational resources of the Internet using only a cell phone.

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What is VoIP?
VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is also referred to as IP or Internet Telephony. It is another way of making phone calls, with the difference of making the calls cheaper or completely free. The ‘phone’ part is not always present anymore, as you can communicate without a telephone set.

VoIP has a lot of advantages over the traditional phone system. The main reason for which people are so massively turning to VoIP technology is the cost. VoIP is said to be cheap, but most people use it for free. Yes, if you have a computer with a microphone and speakers, and a good Internet connection, you can communicate using VoIP for free. This can also be possible with your mobile and home phone.

There are many ways of using VoIP technology. It all depends on where and how you will be making the calls. It could be at home, at work, in your corporate network, during a travel and even on the beach. The way you make calls varies with the VoIP service you use.
VoIP is Often Free
The great thing about VoIP is that it taps additional value from the already existing infrastructure without additional costs. VoIP transmits the sounds you make over the standard Internet infrastructure, using the IP Protocol. This is how you can communicate without paying for more than your monthly Internet bill. Skype is the most popular example of services that allow you to make free calls on your PC. There are many computer-based VoIP services out there, so many that you will have a difficult choice. You can also make free calls using traditional phones and mobile phones. See the different flavors of VoIP service that allow you to do this.
If VoIP is free, then what’s cheap?
VoIP can be used for free with computers and even, in some cases, with mobile and landline phones. However, when it is used to completely replace the PSTN service, then it has a price. But this price is way cheaper than standard phone calls. This becomes thrilling when you consider international calls. Some people have had their communication costs on international calls cut down by 90% thanks to VoIP.

What makes calls free or paid really depends on many factors, including the nature of the call and the services offered. You only have to choose one depending on the nature of your communication and needs.

Also, here is a list of ways in which VoIP allows you to save money on phone calls. So, you can’t stay out of the VoIP wagon. Follow the steps to getting started with VoIP.
The VoIP Trend
VoIP is a relatively new technology and it has already achieved wide acceptance and use. There is still a lot to improve and it is expected to have major technological advances in VoIP in the future. It has so far proved to be a good candidate for replacing the POTS (Plain Old Telephone System). It, of course, has drawbacks along with the numerous advantages it brings; and its increasing use worldwide is creating new considerations surrounding its regulations and security.

The growth of VoIP today can be compared to that of the Internet in the early 90’s. The public is getting more and more conscious of the advantages they can reap from VoIP at home or in their businesses. VoIP which not only gives facilities and allows people to save, but also generating huge income for those who dived early into the new phenomenon.

This site will guide you to everything you need to know about VoIP and its use, whether you are a home phone user, a professional, a corporate manager, a network administrator, an Internet communicator and chatter, an international caller or a simple mobile user who doesn’t want to spend all his/her money of paying for calls. So, get started right away.

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