The Cheapest Hello

Something that I wanna share. I think most people out there already know but,hey, I need to blog something for November (Remember? My '08 resolution was to blog at least once a month - what is life without sharing, right?).

Anyway, how much do you think a 38minute long-distance call from USA (Oregon) to Penang (fixed line) would cost? USD40? USD30? Nah... USD0.86. Yes, that's a mere USD0.021 per minute. How?

Well, Skype of course! OK, so I'd looked like a moron talking to a laptop. But Sara, on the other end, was on a fixed line phone. And the clarity and quality could not be better. If I call her on her cellphone, it'd be USD0.058 per min. Well, sometimes, the line gets a bit noisy and breaks a lot, but not always. Just hang up and try again.

If you are not comfortable talking to a laptop, use the earphone. Or better yet, buy one of those USB-connect Skype phone.

Surprisingly, SMSing thru Skype is a bit high. It's USD0.097 per SMS. But it's cheaper comparatively speaking. And another thing, you can even set caller ID when calling someone. Cool huh.

At times like this.... go CHEAP!

What's up with this Blackberry thingy?

I kept bumping onto people who gives me lines such as "Is that a Nokia? A what-berry? Why didn't you get a Nokia?" So, I figure, maybe its time I share about what's a BlackBerry. A phone is a device to talk and text. On default mode, it's on 'voice' connection mode. A BB, is a device to talk, text, instant msg, email & internet. On default mode, it's on 'data' connection.

The only next thing that's on full time data connection is e.g. a PC that's on internet connection. And that PC is connected to a server e.g. Streamyx. Similarly, a BlackBerry device is connected to a server too. And that's the BlackBerry server.

Having said that, that would mean that, to enable the 'BB Service', be ready for an extra RM55 a month commitment. And an appropriate data plan is critical to go with it. A BB device without BB service would mean that it will be just a talking brick. At this juncture, a 40series Nokia could possibly be a better choice.

With a PC, you're only ONLINE when you're in front of your PC. But with BB, that acts like a PC, you're ONLINE as long as you have your phone turned on. So that explains why I'm always ONLINE on my Live Messenger, Yahoo! and Google Talk.