Latest Articles by ephricon http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us Maintain Your Roof, Save Your Wallet http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-improvement/maintain-your-roof-save-your-wallet.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-improvement/maintain-your-roof-save-your-wallet.html Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
That’s why routine roofing maintenance is so imperative. At least twice a year, you should have your roof inspected by a professional. Remember, prevention is the key to avoiding serious problems. Identifying problems early on will save you from spending thousands of dollars on costly repairs and replacements.

Your home’s biggest enemy is climate change. From beautiful, warm summers to harsh, cold winters, the change of seasons can take its toll on your roof. During the summer, the heat can cause your roof to crack and fade. Think about it, all summer long the sun is beating down directly on your roof. No other part of your home has to take as much abuse as its roof.

And the winter certainly isn’t any kinder to your roof. The snow, ice, and sleet can prevent the natural flow of water down your roof. As a result, water puddles begin to form on your roof, and the covering can begin to warp and even leak.

Remember, your home is your most important investment. If you’re constantly pouring money into repairing and replacing your roof, you’ll never get maximum value out of it. However, if you have it inspected regularly, you’ll extend the lifetime of your roof. Thus, you’ll get more value out of your initial investment.

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Ephra Conner writes for Maggio Roofing, a top roofing contractor in Maryland. Maggio provides roofing services from roof repair to roof maintenance to new roof installation.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> IRS Turns to Computers to Choose Who Gets Audited and Who Doesn't http://www.articletrader.com/finance/taxes/irs-turns-to-computers-to-choose-who-gets-audited-and-who-doesnt.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/taxes/irs-turns-to-computers-to-choose-who-gets-audited-and-who-doesnt.html Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0500 Taxpayers audited by the IRS aren’t selected randomly by humans any longer. They’re chosen methodically by computers looking, line by line, for irregularities in tax returns.

An Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audit can make even an honest and thorough taxpayer worried. In fact though, an IRS audit is simply a review of your tax return to determine how accurate it is.

Taxpayers Likely to be Audited

- People who receive cash for their work instead of or supplementing a paycheck are more likely to be audited than others because people in these lines of work such as servers and hairstylists often do not declare all of their income and the IRS realizes this. The best way for these workers to do well in an audit is to declare all of their income and this includes tips.
- People who run their own businesses are also likely to be targeted for an IRS audit. If you notice that accountants, lawyers and doctors tend to be audited, many of them run their own businesses and are responsible for their own bookkeeping.
- Taxpayers who make large and unusual deductions are readily spotted by IRS computers so people who make these types of deductions should be sure they are justified.
- Deductions such as medical and casualty loss that must exceed a certain amount of your income before they can be claimed, large charity contribution deductions and home office deductions are the deductions most likely to be questioned.
- Other factors that increase the chance of an IRS audit include drastic changes in income from year-to-year, a lot of round numbers on your return such as 5,000 as these are rare in real life, incomplete or illegible returns, a low income compared to place of residence or financial obligations and differences between federal and state returns because employees do compare data on returns.

To help combat the problem of taxpayers who don’t pay all of their taxes, officials at the Internal Revenue Service have announced plans to start a new National Research Program (NRP) study for individual taxpayers that will provide updated and more accurate audit selection tools.

The IRS will be choosing 13,000 taxpayers for audits at random for the study. The IRS plans to select taxpayers from various income categories and use the data collected to update the criteria it uses to determine what returns to audit with the goal of doing a better a job of catching people who don’t pay their taxes in full or at all. A sample of 13,000 taxpayers is small compared to the around 136 million people who pay taxes yet the 13,000 taxpayer audit will probably include more people than a regular audit.

This latest NRP study, which will begin in October 2007 and examine approximately 13,000 random tax year 2006 individual returns, will be the first of an ongoing series of annual individual studies using a multi-year rolling methodology. Similar sample sizes will be used in subsequent tax years.

An advantage of using this method compared to previous studies which selected tax returns from over 45,000 taxpayers during a single year is that by combining results over rolling three-year periods, the IRS will be able to make updates and develop more efficient plans on an annual basis, after the initial three studies.

The main reason for these random audits is to reduce the nation’s tax gap, which results from un-filed returns, underreporting income and underpaying taxes. The tax gap is the difference between what the IRS receives in tax payments and what they should have received from taxpayers. To an individual taxpayer, the tax gap might not seem like a lot, but it adds up. IRS officials estimate that the net tax gap for tax year 2001 was $290 billion.

The initial group of 13,000 taxpayers whose returns are chosen for audit under the new NRP study will begin receiving official letters in October informing them that they are part of the IRS research study. The majority of the individuals selected will have certain lines of their tax returns confirmed during in-person audits with an IRS examiner. When deciding whether you need a tax professional to help you face an in-person IRS audit, consider the tax amount being questioned compared to the cost of professional assistance.

Read more information about the IRS's new audit selection technology .


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Becky Schmitz is a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist, a member of the American Society of IRS Problem Solvers and an Enrolled Agent. You can contact her at 406-651-4445 to obtain a free subscription to her newsletter titled The IRS Times & Inquirer. Becky Schmitz is also owner of Centsable Accounting, a tax problem resolution firm in Billings, Montana that offers tax related services including IRS audit representation.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> How Your Business Can Benefit From a VoIP Phone System http://www.articletrader.com/business/how-your-business-can-benefit-from-a-voip-phone-system.html http://www.articletrader.com/business/how-your-business-can-benefit-from-a-voip-phone-system.html Mon, 04 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0500
While placing a VoIP call from a computer to a landline phone is on average much cheaper than a call between two landline phones, a VoIP call between two computers is even cheaper than that--free. Having a call between two computers often invokes the image of people that cannot leave their computer during a call, but this is not true. VoIP does not have to mean chained to the computer with the service. Wireless VoIP handsets and telephone adapters mean that VoIP users can move around, usually within about 30 ft of their computer and do not have to be at one particular computer to use the service. Take a look at more details about VoIP’s portability as well as some of the other benefits of the service below.



VoIP Benefits



  • One benefit business travelers will love is the portability of VoIP. Use a regular phone that will work with VoIP service via a VoIP phone adapter when on the go. Employees can enjoy the luxury of using their VoIP phone number when traveling on business, wherever there’s an Internet connection. This feature particularly comes in handy to employees who must travel overseas or who are staying in a hotel while away on business.


  • The most obvious benefit is, of course, computer and phone integration. Users can access phone, email, fax, web conferencing, Internet and video applications all at once.


  • Another interesting feature of VoIP is the ability to choose any area code for the phone number. So a business located in one location, but serving customers in a different location can select the area code of their customers so that when they call, the call will be charged as local. Thus, your business alleys, associates, and customers won’t have to pay for long distance charges. Talk about customer-friendly!



Best Time to Get VoIP



With all the great benefits of VoIP service, and many of the problems from years ago (such as not showing a caller’s location to the 911 operator when dialing 911) resolved and voice quality improved, many businesses are now using VoIP service in some capacity.

  • VoIP may cost higher initially than a traditional phone system but should save you money on calls in the long run so companies need to decide if the investment is worth it. The option of starting small and building out is an option for companies who are not ready to invest in the entire service.


  • A number of companies are also taking advantage of the ability to include VoIP as an addition to their traditional phone system initially. Then, they build from there as they need to. One specific convenience of VoIP is its capability to work alongside other systems. For instance, you can try VoIP out in your customer service department and then expand the service to include other departments such as finance and operations as needed.


  • For anyone who is considering VoIP service, there is no more perfect time than when moving into a new office to get it. Because you don’t need to worry about any infrastructure already in place, moving into a new office is the ideal time to get VoIP. In fact, choosing VoIP over a traditional phone system will allow you to save on not having to get separate cabling for your phone system. While a traditional phone system designates a whole phone line to each call, VoIP condenses and distributes voice data over a computer network.


Besides VoIP using less channel capacity than a traditional phone system, managers may also find operating costs to be lower with VoIP than with traditional phone systems because since VoIP is based on software and not hardware, it’s easier to modify and maintain.

Consider combining phone and internet. A VoIP phone system is a proven communications investment with exciting, unique features that if used properly will save your company money in the long run.


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Columbia, MD’s ACC Telecom has been a veteran provider of business phone systems for 27 years. Visit ACC Telecom to learn more about the company’s business phone systems, network design & setup, and cabling & infrastructure services.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Can’t Stand the Heat? How to Select the Right Type Of Air Conditioner to Cool Your Home http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-improvement/cant-stand-the-heat-how-to-select-the-right-type-of-air-conditioner-to-cool-your-home.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/home-improvement/cant-stand-the-heat-how-to-select-the-right-type-of-air-conditioner-to-cool-your-home.html Thu, 03 May 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Room air conditioners:

They cool rooms and even though are usually noisier and lower in efficiency, also provide lower costs as they are used in rooms only where they are needed—not the whole house.

Window-mounted

-What it is: Small unit designed to fit in a window. Most are made for double-hung windows but some are designed for casement windows. Be sure to pick a unit designed for the type of window the consumer has. Most units include a window mounting kit, which will have sill brackets to support the unit and side vents that make an airtight fit for the window.

-Advantages: Purchase several and can adjust each room’s temperature to individual preferences. Can be removed easily and stored when the season changes.

-Disadvantages: Give up having a view from the window. Must be removed or winterized when cooler weather hits.

Through-the-wall

-What it is: Usually used to cool a single room. Functions like a window air conditioner, only is permanently mounted through the wall.

-Advantages: Window is not blocked. Don’t have to remove and store during cooler weather.

-Disadvantages: Not easy to install in a pre-existing home. Has to be installed in an area where there is no electric or pipes running through the walls. May have problems cutting the hole if walls are made of concrete, stone or brick. Unit is hard to hide during the winter months. During the colder months, has to be sealed off to keep cold air from coming in the house.

Free standing portable

-What it is: A unit about 30 inches tall and 80 pounds in weight that stands on the floor. May be single or dual vent. Dual vent units circulate clean air back into the room and will usually cool the air quicker. Most have wheels, giving the consumer the ability to move them around. Must be connected to a place like a window where the hot air from the unit can be vented. Most units have window-venting kits, that can be moved from one window to another and that are easy to install.

-Advantages: Portable meaning they can be moved from room to room. Window-mounting not required. Move the air conditioner from the bedroom to the kitchen to the living room depending on where you are during the day. Many have features where the condensation bin doesn’t need to be emptied as frequently, making the unit less of a pain to use and removing moisture from the air in the home, helping to prevent mold. Ability to keep different rooms different temperatures.

-Disadvantages: Costs more that a window-mounted air conditioner with a similar cooling ability level.

Similar to central air conditioners

Mini-split unit

-What it is: Mix between a window air conditioner and a split system. A compressor unit is mounted outside the house and a fan unit is wall-mounted inside the house. The system gets a copper lineset between the outdoor and indoor unit.

-Advantages: They are small and can cool individual rooms. Great for multifamily housing, room additions, rooms over garages and small apartments. The indoor part of the system does not need a window and can be mounted on the floor, hung on the wall, or suspended from the ceiling. Many of the systems even offer a remote control to turn the system on and off. Not noisy since the compressor goes outside.

-Disadvantages: They are more expensive than room air conditioners. Don’t have the built-in look of a central air conditioner unit.

-Mini-duct unit

-What it is: They are specially-designed systems for tight spaces, where running conventional duct work is impossible. Forces air through plastic feeder ducts just 2 inches in diameter.

-Advantages: Good for historical homes where duct work wasn’t considered when the home was built. Minimizes renovation costs by keeping walls and ceilings intact. Not noisy. Use about half the air of a conventional air conditioning system.

-Disadvantages: Higher costs to install the system because they require more outlets, about 5 outlets per ton of cooling.

Central air conditioners:

Aside from being more efficient than room air conditioners, central air conditioners are out of the way, not noisy, and convenient to operate.

Single-package unit

-What it is: Everything (evaporator coil, compressor, condenser coil, blower motor, and controls with the exception of the thermostat) located in one metal cabinet box. Sits outside of the house. Each room in the house gets cold air via a duct system.

-Advantages: Get this system and you won’t need a separate furnace indoors.

-Disadvantages: More expensive and complex to install.

Split-system unit

-What it is: The air handler (inside) and condensing unit (outside) have a copper lineset running between them to connect the condenser to the evaporator. They usually share control voltage, but have separate circuits for line voltage power. Each room in the house gets cold air via a duct system.

-Advantages: Makes more economical sense to install if your home already has a heating system but no air conditioner.

-Disadvantages: More expensive and complex to install.


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All Around the Home is a national home improvement contractor directory. Homeowners can find established, quality contractors such as hvac contractors with experience in installing and repairing air conditioning systems.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Memory Cards: The Cell Phone Must-Have for Multimedia Fans http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/memory-cards-the-cell-phone-must-have-for-multimedia-fans.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/memory-cards-the-cell-phone-must-have-for-multimedia-fans.html Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Sales of these little juggernauts are exploding – a 160% increase from 2004 - 2005.

Plus, with every passing day, they are getting bigger (in terms of memory), easier to use and less expensive.

The average capacity of memory cards sold for use in cell phones was 112MB (holds 24 songs) in 2005. By 2010, they will be closer to 1.6GB (300 songs).

For those who don’t mind spending a little more, you can get a 2GB memory card right now. They retail for around $90. At this price and size, they may even compete with iPods.

For a 1GB card, look to spend about $40.

These small-format removable memory cards for cell phones are truly all the rage – predictions are saying 1.1 billion cards will be sold by 2010. The best card on the market? Probably Samsung Electronics 2GB memory card. At .04 inches thick, and capable of storing as much as 12 hours of video, why wouldn’t you get one? Plus, it’s fast. With a read/write speed of 10/7 megabits per second. What does that mean? You can download three hours of mobile video in less than two minutes. Best of all, it is compatible with all cell phones that support a memory card.

If you want to watch or record video, or hold lots of songs on your cell phone, be sure to get a large memory card!

Brand Choices and Formats

Samsung uses a format called MMC, or Multimedia Card.

Sony, Intel and Kingston also make cards or memory sticks, which are an older, larger type of data storage devices.

SanDisk recently announced a 1GB MicroSD (Secure Digital) card.

Although all the various types essentially do the same thing, MicroSD is becoming the format of choice for new mobile phones. Their design and capabilities are proving to be more popular than MMCmicro (Multimedia) and Sony's new micro-sized format, the M2.

In addition, SD memory cards can be used in a variety of digital products, such as digital music players, digital video camcorders, handheld PCs, digital cameras, and other devices with a Secure Digital (SD) expansion slot.

Choose the Right Card for Your Phone

First, make sure that your phone has the slot available. Some older phones do not have a memory card slot.

Next, check the owner’s manual or manufacturer’s website for details on what types of memory cards you can use with your specific phone.

Finally, pick a size that will hold the necessary amount of songs, data, games, or images that you want to store.

Your memory card will soon become as indispensable as the phone itself. Get a card and try it out on your mobile phone today!


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Robin Meyer is Web Manager of Your Wireless Source, a company that specializes in portable wireless products and accessories including cell phone memory cards. Visit them online today at http://www.yourwirelesssource.com or contact them at 1-866-837-7265 to learn more.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> The Digital Millennium Copyright Act [DMCA] Redefined: Steps to Keep Your Content and Intellectual Property Off the Internet http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/movies/the-digital-millennium-copyright-act-%5Bdmca%5D-redefined-steps-to-keep-your-content-and-intellectual-property-off-the-internet.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/movies/the-digital-millennium-copyright-act-%5Bdmca%5D-redefined-steps-to-keep-your-content-and-intellectual-property-off-the-internet.html Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500
What that really means, and how it will be applied in this watershed case, remains to be seen.

U.S. copyright protection began in 1790 when George Washington signed the first copyright law. For the next two centuries, changes in the law were infrequent, driven usually by revolutionary advances in technology. Under the umbrella of intellectual property, a bevy of protections encourages innovation and equitably compensates inventors and creators for their efforts. Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan got to the core of the issue when he said, “the economic product of the United States has become predominantly conceptual.”

The facts support his observation. Today, 75% of the value of publicly traded U.S. companies comes from intangible assets such as intellectual property. In the U.S., licensing revenue amounts to about $45 billion annually. Worldwide, the figure approaches $100 billion.

New technologies require creative approaches to intellectual property. In the early 1990s, innovations in production, distribution, and access to copyright materials led dominant players in the entertainment and information industries to collaborate on redrafting the copyright law to protect their substantial investments in creative content.

The result was The Digital Millennium Copyright Act [DMCA] of 1998, designed to prevent the use of current technology, including the Internet, to duplicate or distribute copyrighted material such as music, movies, and literature.

Intellectual asset management is a strategic business issue because business today is competitive, global, and fueled by information transmitted instantly 24/7.

No company understands this global battlefield better than Microsoft. An army of lawyers files hundreds of legal actions annually to protect the billions it spends on research and development. They also do battle in the court of public opinion. In March 2007, for example, Microsoft launched an offensive against Google and its intention to scan every copyrighted book into a database.

If you don’t have Microsoft’s millions to defend your creative content and intellectual property, here are four straightforward steps you can take:

1. Tell and sell. The same story you tell in court is the same story you should be selling to the media.

2. Remember that if you’re instituting the action, you’re on the offense and that the defense is usually constrained from commenting on a case. Exploit this natural advantage with the media.

3. Watch your back. So-called advocates and adversaries are usually motivated by their own agenda.

4. You must know the rules of the game. Every situation is unique. If you don’t have relevant experience or expertise, hire the best talent you can find.


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Honored as Crisis Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report in 2005, Levick Strategic Communications protects brands and reputations during high-stakes litigation with comprehensive campaigns on behalf of clients on litigation communications. Visit http://www.levick.com to find other helpful articles, books, and newsletters.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> File-Sharing Redux: The Battle Continues and the Battlefield Expands http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/movies/file-sharing-redux--the-battle-continues-and-the-battlefield-expands.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/movies/file-sharing-redux--the-battle-continues-and-the-battlefield-expands.html Thu, 22 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500
The process of sharing files between networked computers has been around in academic circles for a couple of decades but, when a 19-year old undergraduate invented Napster in 1999, he provided the tool to facilitate free transfer of MP3 formatted music between personal computers anywhere in the world.

Literally overnight, individuals and corporations owning music copyrights confronted a daunting new reality. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which represents five major record labels and many smaller labels, launched a series of high-profile lawsuits based on the DMCA. While these actions led to the demise of Napster, to this day RIAA continues its crusade against Napster clones in the courts.

Digitally, where music goes, movies will follow. In 2005, YouTube, a free video-sharing website allowing users to upload, view, and share video clips, was born. Content includes movie and television clips as well as music videos. Google was so smitten it plunked down $1.76 billion in stock to acquire the company.

Now the legal circus and media sideshow that lawyers, analysts, and pundits predicted five months ago is center stage. Many other “traditional media” giants (such as NBC Universal and News Corp.) that own lots of content, and therefore have major concerns about YouTube, were lining up to fight.

It was Viacom that took the first swing with a billion-dollar lawsuit, charging YouTube with copyright violation “on a massive scale.” At issue are 160,000 unauthorized clips of Viacom-owned shows like “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “MTV Unplugged.”

Google/YouTube is seeking refuge in the “safe harbor” provision of the DMCA, which exempts anybody who removes copyrighted content as soon as the owner requests it. Timing is a second issue, since DMCA became law in 1998, the year Google was founded but YouTube did not even exist.

From a media standpoint, the inherent conflicts are evergreen. The enduring themes are “traditional vs. new,” “ownership vs. accessibility,” and “solid vs. sexy.” Such storylines oblige Viacom to take a few extra steps to ensure that it is not perceived as stodgily blocking innovation, nor some ogre depriving mass audiences of a few simple harmless pleasures (which is exactly the perception that once burdened RIAA).

Among such steps:

Assemble representatives from the major content creators (authors, publishers, musicians, film makers) and owners (publishers, record companies, TV and film studios) and create a formal alliance to “preserve and protect” copyright holders. Such a step adds credibility to the cause but also reminds the world that individuals, not just a corporate behemoth, have vital interests here.

Open another front in the battle by delivering the key message that, under current law, the cost of enforcing copyrights is placed solely on the “victims of infringement,” many of whom don’t have the resources to fight what may turn into a long and protracted battle.

Target that pivotal audience of young people raised in an era of on-demand video channels with less consciousness of how the work of actual writers and directors is being usurped. To change their mindset will require a lengthy and expensive outreach effort across all traditional and new media, perhaps even advertising on Google.

It is, however, the recipe for long-term success. Indeed, we’re talking about issues management at a fundamental level. Absent a raising of mass awareness on behalf of the artists involved, the issue of file sharing will recur in one form or another with predictable regularity – Napster one day, Grokster the next, YouTube today.

The way to win the long-haul battle is by putting the most sympathetic, and directly comprehensible, human face on the complex legal and technological issues at play.


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Honored as Crisis Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report in 2005, Levick Strategic Communications protects brands and reputations during high-stakes litigation with comprehensive campaigns on behalf of clients on litigation communications. Visit http://www.levick.com to find other helpful articles, books, and newsletters.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> How To Keep Litigation Communications Privileged When Accountants and Communication Advisors Are Involved http://www.articletrader.com/legal/how-to-keep-litigation-communications-privileged-when-accountants-and-communication-advisors-are-involved.html http://www.articletrader.com/legal/how-to-keep-litigation-communications-privileged-when-accountants-and-communication-advisors-are-involved.html Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Two such third parties are communication firms and accountants—what is their role in keeping legal communications confidential for clients?

United States v. Kovel demonstrated the right for privilege for non-attorney advisors ruling that attorneys can consult with accountants to best serve their clients and accountants can help clarify accounting concepts for attorneys.

Yet, United States v. Adlman went against non-attorney privilege when it found that the accounting firm legal-related work could not be distinguishable from the non-legal services for the client and that the invoices for both types of work could not be distinguished.

For companies or individuals going through litigation proceedings, the definition of who privilege applies to and the extent of its use is unclear.

President / CEO of Levick Strategic Communications (http://www.levick.com) Richard Levick offers this clarification. His rule: You can’t assume privilege.

Levick encourages companies and individuals to take steps to help make sure litigation communication remains privileged. Individuals and companies can feel more secure about confidentiality if they:

Hire a communications firm early in the litigation process to make the communication more likely to fall under "legal advice."

Have the communications firm contract through the law firm, building some separation between the communications firm and client.

Hire a litigations communications team specifically for public relations work focusing on a precise part of the litigation or anticipated litigation.

Indicate in the contract and invoice that the legal PR team is there to assist and make the process less difficult.

Involve lawyers in all meetings and calls between the client and the communications team, but not in a way that would reduce the openness among the clients and the communications team.


View the full article "Keep Litigation Communications Privileged" at http://www.levick.com/resources/topics/litigation/privileged.php


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Honored as Crisis Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report in 2005, Levick Strategic Communications –http://www.levick.com-- protects brands and reputations during crises and high-stakes litigation with comprehensive campaigns on behalf of clients on high-stakes communications such as litigation communications and crisis communications. Visit http://www.levick.com to find other helpful articles books, and newsletters.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Brrrrng! Limited Edition Cell Phones Are Calling! http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/brrrrng-limited-edition-cell-phones-are-calling.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/brrrrng-limited-edition-cell-phones-are-calling.html Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500
The list of features that most mobile phones come with is impressive. Photo and video capture, streamlined style, itunes integration, among many others.

Now, mobile phones are even coming in Limited Editions. Themed after movies, TV shows or collaborated on by top fashion designers; this latest trend marks the official merging of pop culture and personal communications. Why should you get one? Why not? Don’t you want the latest style? If you’re looking to be a little different, maybe trading in your current phone for one of these is the perfect idea.

Here are some of the coolest limited edition phones:

1. Gold Metallic Motorola RAZR Phone:

Clamshell enhancement for the V3i
Partnering with fashion label Dolce & Gabbana (D&G)
Personalized background with screensaver
Unique sound for powering up and down
Exclusive polyphonic ringtone
Video clip profiling 20 years of D&G brand history
Only 1,000 units of the phone in D&G boutiques worldwide
Price: TBD

Standard features include quadband GSM technology, Bluetooth connectivity, an upgraded 1.23-megapixel camera, microSD memory slot and MPEG-4 video capture.

2. V3maxx Ferrari Challenge Motorola RAZR Phone

Combines the style of Ferrari and the technological innovation of Motorola
Elegant, modern design
Ferrari emblem on the exterior glass
Roar of the Ferrari F1 eight-cylinder engine for powering up and down
Images of the Ferrari F430 engine on the mini external display
Image of the Ferrari emblem on a grey Ferrari in the internal display
Thirty images showing Ferrari F430 and Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli USA
Comes with a soft, hand-made carry case in Ferrari-red leather.
Price: $634 MSRP (490 Euros)

3. Simpsons Movie Samsung Phone

Fox has partnered with Samsung on this limited edition mobile phone
Three different versions will be available
Distinctive Simpsons yellow color
Includes exclusive Simpsons Movie content
The Simpsons Movie will be released July 27th
Price: TBD

4. Black Sidekick II T-Mobile Phone

T-Mobile "Mr. Cartoon" Edition Sidekick 2
Tattoo artist Mr. Cartoon is best for his inkwood on musicians like Travis Barker and Ludacris
Allows users the ability to access their Netflix, TiVo, and Evite accounts
Price: $399.99

5. Diane Von Furstenberg Limited Edition Sidekick T-Mobile Phone

Dressed in sleek black and features Diane's signature hot-pink lips
Users can stay connected with access to email, instant messenger and text messaging on the full QWERTY keyboard
Web-browsing capabilities, enhanced with EDGE technology
Trackball for easier navigation
Slimmest size ever
Price: TBD

There’s no question about it – limited edition phones are here. And expect more of them in the near future. Phone manufacturers – like the car companies before them, are capitalizing on the latest hot trends and working with the cool designers because of one thing - there’s a big market out there. Plus, as a consumer, why would you want a run-of-the-mill mobile phone when you can get one of these? Most of them have exclusive features that are pretty darn cool.

Its time to personalize!


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Robin Meyer is Web Manager of Your Wireless Source, a company that specializes in portable wireless products and accessories including Motorola and Samsung phone accessories. Visit them online today at http://www.yourwirelesssource.com or contact them at 1-866-837-7265 to learn more.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Get Tuned In: TV Programming on Cell Phones http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/get-tuned-in-tv-programming-on-cell-phones.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/get-tuned-in-tv-programming-on-cell-phones.html Mon, 12 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0500
Verizon Offers Variety
• Beginning March 31st, will start to offer CBS, MTV, NBC, and Fox programming on their cell phones in major cities. Will offer these tv shows on their phones after these shows appear on regular television.
• Plans to offer live broadcast tv on their cell phones.
• Likely to be granted exclusive rights from ESPN to offer its programming on their phones.
• Would like to expand its Fios tv service to wireless handsets, which would let users control their DVRs from their phones without having to be at home.
• Has a service called Vcast, which offers short video clips for cell phones that has been available for 2 years.
• Customers can get calling, wireless, Internet, and video services as part of a package for $160.92 per month. Or Verizon users can pay $15 per month or $3 per day for the multimedia available on its phones.

Sprint Nextel
• Owns a video service available on cell phones.
• Offers tv news clips from channels like Discovery and CNN.
• Has not announced whether it plans to offer a live tv broadcast service to cell phone subscribers.

AT&T
• Provides same-day video coverage for the Mercedes-Benz fashion week in New York among other fashion events on their cell phones, allowing subscribers to see just as fashion designers, buyers, and celebrities do in person, the latest clothing designs for the upcoming fall season over their cell phones. Subscribers can feel like they are there in person while watching the shows and viewing the back stage reports.
• For access, interested customers can subscribe to a $19.99 monthly media package, which includes video clips, Internet, email, messages, news, weather, sports scores, and movie times.

Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Communications, and Advanced Newhouse
• Will offer a cable tv guide and some video content on their phones.
• For Comcast users, to get access to the cable tv guide, users have to pay an extra $15 per month for a data package. For an extra $25 per month, Comcast will give access to the cable tv guide, video content, and Internet access with email.

Vring, Vring From Vringo.com
• Can record a cell phone video greeting by using your cell phone’s camera or by choosing your favorite movie, music or tv content, then sending it to your phone.
• If your friends sign up for it, they will see your video when you call their cell phones and you can see theirs when they call you.
• Best of all, though users do need to pay for any licensed content they select, the Vringo application itself is free.

Disadvantages of Mobile TV and Video Features

The features listed above sound great for consumers, and seem to ensure profits for carriers, but if carriers do not predict ahead, they could be faced with a major downside to their efforts. Because video takes up 10 times the bandwidth voice does on cell phones, capacity on the network could be exceeded in 2007 if enough people watch just 10 minutes of video per day.

The 3G networks carriers have in the U.S. now cannot handle a lot of video traffic. The networks are divided into cells and users in the same cell share the same bandwidth. Content is delivered when it is requested by the individual subscriber, meaning signals are transmitted to users one at a time. So if 300 users request the same ESPN video highlights from the weekend to watch, the network has to send a copy of the video clip to each user individually. The same process happens when subscribers are talking on their cell phones or sending text messages but these actions are relatively insignificant in terms of capacity because they take up very little bandwidth. Video, on the other hand, takes up about 10 times more bandwidth. Too much traffic is precisely what happened in South Korea. To solve the problem, a separate network to broadcast mobile tv was built.

Verizon, Sprint Nextel, and AT&T’s phone service (formerly Cingular Wireless) all deliver content when it is requested by the individual subscriber. This makes delivering high volumes of tv programming difficult. Unlike those carriers though, MediaFlo network broadcasts video to cell phone users all at the same time like regular broadcast television. MediaFlo’s service will be available on LG’s VX 9400 and one phone from Samsung.

Stay Tuned
Thus, far video on cell phones has not been popular with consumers. However, wireless carriers are doing their best to stress the convenience of mobile tv. They are accumulating more content and doing their best to improve image quality. Companies are also restructuring their usability component too, planning to offer customers a single bill for all services including tv, wireless, broadband, and voice, training sales and support staff to handle new services, and simplifying cell phone interfaces so that users can easily navigate and feel comfortable using their phones. Consumers have not seen the last of video availability on cell phones and are certain to see even more in the coming months, so stay tuned.


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Robin Meyer is Web Manager of Your Wireless Source, a company that specializes in portable wireless products and accessories including Cellular Cases, Batteries & Other Mobile Accessories. Visit them online today at http://www.yourwirelesssource.com or contact them at 1-866-837-7265 to learn more.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>