EarthVision Newsletter Archive October 30, 1999 ********************************************************************************* THE ANTI PAYPHONE IS HERE CELLULAR PHONE USERS HAVE RIGHTS TOO (OR NOT) FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! AND OTHER INTERNET MYTHS ON CELLULAR PHONES CELLULAR PHONE TAX FIGHT IS ON - WIRELESS CARRIERS FIGHT BACK CALIFORNIA CELLULAR CARRIERS LOOKING FOR PHONE NUMBERS THE TRUTH ABOUT CELLULAR PHONE BATTERIES NOW YOU SEE IT NOW YOU DON'T - EMBEDDED ANTENNAS THE TIME IS COMING TO HARDWIRE WIRELESS INDOORS NEW ADDITIONS TO EARTHVISION CELLULAR WEBSITE ********************************************************************************** EarthVision Cellular Consumer News Issue #1 Volume 11 ___________________________________________________________ THE ANTI PAYPHONE IS HERE ___________________________________________________________ Road Warriors are going to love this gadget. This is the anti payphone. After two years and a couple of million in research and development, a company called Imagitel out of Houston developed a portable fold-up phone that plugs into any standard phone jack. It is a lightweight compact phone that allows users to access long distance services from anywhere they may be located. The anti-payphone was built to cater to a specialized niche market. The business version is called the Travel Warrior and allows the user to place long distance calls as if they were calling from his or her office. The Travel Warrior weighs in at only 6 ounces and is 5 inches long. It plugs into any phone jack or data port, provides a 12 number speed dial memory and a one touch redial. Imagitel's Virtual Assistance adds fax, voice mail, conference calling, and pager routing. A residential version capitalizes on the upcoming century and is called the Millennium phone. It eliminates the need for dialing 10-10 and toll free numbers to access low cost long distance. It can also be programmed for long distance, making it a possible solution for budget conscious users or family members away at college. The phones are free with a one time $35 equipment deposit. [Not that it will replace the cellular phone since it is limited in the areas as to where it can be used. But we thought we would throw this in here since it looked pretty cool for a gadget. But there obviously must be a market for it otherwise they wouldn't have spent millions on R&D for it. It appears as if Motorola agreed to manufacturer the phones too.] ___________________________________________________________ CELLULAR PHONE USERS HAVE RIGHTS TOO (OR NOT) ___________________________________________________________ Okay, as cellular phone users we can't use our cellular phones anywhere at anytime. Or so it is starting to seem that way. Out of etiquette, we can't use them in restaurants or other public places. For safety reasons, we can't use them while driving down the road. We can't use them on an airplane. [Although at high altitudes it wouldn't work anyhow but we are referring to the time that you are still at the gate waiting for other passengers to board]. Now we can't use them at the gas stations since they may cause a fire. Now comes the hotels telling us that we can't use our cellular phones. Why would that be, you may ask. Well in the old days when smoke alarms were more crude and used tons of solder and our ancient cellular phones of old used higher RF frequency, the solder acted as an antennae. Which sometimes set off the smoke alarms in hotels. The hotels posting these warnings are of course stating that it isn't a gimmick to drive up phone usage and getting customers to pay the surcharges. 10 years ago, we would have been able to buy that. What they neglect to mention is that most hotels now have newer model alarms systems. And that cellular phones have evolved to a point of bring the RF transmission to very low levels. We spoke to a former GM of 5 star hotels who told us that phone surcharges at hotels were a big revenue for them. Finally, there is no proof in recent years that cellular phones have set off smoke alarms in the rooms. The manufacturers suggest not doing it just in case. The manufacturers always cover their bases in stating that something may happen no matter how remote for legality purposes. However, we must make it clear that smoke alarms in hallways and common areas of a hotel are not the same as in your room. There may be a higher possibility of setting off a smoke alarm although minimal. And if that happened then the chances of the smoke alarm being defective would be pretty good. Anything that transmits a RF frequency could trigger a smoke alarm. That is like saying "Don't use your microwave within 1000 feet of your smoke detector or you could trigger the alarm." [We can only ask what is next.] ________________________________________________________________ FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! AND OTHER INTERNET MYTHS ON CELLULAR PHONES ________________________________________________________________ A man in the Philippines dies by fire. He was using his cellular phone while pumping gas. The spark ignited a gasoline fire killing the man almost instantly as he was turned into a human torch. Have you heard of this story on the internet? It was one that is has been circulating for some time now and turned into a legend. Which is part of the reason that the law was passed by some gasoline companies because they took it at face value. Here is the fact. The story is simply untrue. Nokia was curious about the story. They did a run down on it and found the man in the Philippines that was supposedly burned to death. He stated that he was very surprised to learn that he had been killed by fire and had no idea how the story even got started or who started it. The manufacturers of cellular phones are required to print in their manuals that using a cellular phone near explosive & flammable materials may cause a fire due to a spark. Even though the possibility is remote and they are required to print it by some European countries. In all the years of cellular phones being available, there is not one documented case of a cellular phone starting a fire while in use at a gas station. A Star Tac cellular phone uses 3.6 volts. Less that what it takes to power a walkman radio with 9 volt batteries. [We must make note to take caution none the less. Read our article on Lithium Ion batteries] Next on our list. Cellular phones cause cancer. This was a pre-emptive strike against the possibility of cellular phones causing cancer by a Dr. Carlo. Some of you may have read about this circulating around for a while as well. The problem is the following: Dr. Carlo was taken to task for not allowing his peers to review his work prior to releasing. No checks or balances were in place. We are human and we make mistakes after all. Next, it appears as if Dr. Carlo has a beef with the Wireless Research Institute that he used to work for because they would not allow him to conduct other research projects. Then 20/20 jumps on the band wagon. From our understanding, they tested some of the older model phones that were first in use in the wireless industry and tested them so that they offered maximum RF transmissions to prove their point. They failed to mention that the newer digital phones offer the least amount of RF transmissions which has significantly decreased over the past 10 years, that they tested the phones like they did the exploding GM truck, and that cellular phones have evolved to the point of RF transmissions becoming less and less with each passing year in technology. The bottom line is that there is no proof that cellular phones cause cancer. Some of the points made by the wireless industry was the failure of these parties mentioned above to define the difference in ionizing and non ionizing radiation, lack of repeatable laboratory results, and what specific absorption rates really mean. [Then again what doesn't cause cancer nowadays. Microwaves, computers, and telephones will be next on the scare tactic list. But if that happened, we couldn't munch on hotdogs while writing scare tactic stories on the internet. So that may not actually be on the list.] ___________________________________________________________ CELLULAR TAX FIGHT IS ON - WIRELESS CARRIERS FIGHT BACK! ___________________________________________________________ They are fighting back because it hurts them to have to pay Texas 28% tax with a general business only being taxed 8%. Or having to file 9,629 tax returns annually in Illinois compared to Texas's requirement of 2,230 annually. Some carriers have to file nearly 56,000 tax returns annually. And in some states they must maintain databases that have information that will show eight separate taxes applied to 179 different tax bases. Is it big business looking to make more money. You bet. And it is also a way for consumers to be able to get wireless service for less too. If the overhead expenses of reducing taxes will come back to the individual wireless consumer through lower rates. Why wouldn't they want to reduce taxes and get more people using wireless phones on their networks. And the more money they have available, the more network towers they could build to offer us as cellular phone users better coverage areas. It isn't that these businesses are not asking that they should be exempted from paying taxes. Only that they be given a fair shake in how much tax they should pay and simply the process of filing tax returns to reduce the overhead expenses of maintaining computer networks, paper, postage, etc. And the local and state authorities that have been imposing excessive taxes are about to be taken to task. The issue has now captured Senators Sam Brownback, R - Kansas and Byron Dorgan, D - North Dakota. They have introduced the Mobile Telecommunications Sourcing Act to create a uniform national approach to taxing wireless services, and to require state and local authorities telecom taxes based on a customer's home or business address. Which also has the support of the National Governors Association and the National League of Cities. We won't hear more about it until next year though. [What we have here folks is the local landline telecom companies trying to protect their own market share. Since the inception of this bill, many local governments have filed with the FCC in an attempt to protect right of way management and taxation to the FCC. However, the FCC is specifically forbidden to get involved in this area. And the Senate Tax Committee has apparently agreed that the wireless industry is excessively taxed by local governments.] _____________________________________________________________ CALIFORNIA CELLULAR CARRIERS LOOKING FOR PHONE NUMBERS _____________________________________________________________ Wireless carriers in California are definitely sweating about the lack of phone numbers available for cellular phones. The 310 area code is down to having only 300,000 unused phone numbers available to be assigned to new subscribers by all carriers in the market. Many carriers including Sprint PCS are very concerned that within a short time there will not be any numbers left to assign. The FCC has allowed for the California PUC to let wireless carriers return unused numbers in blocks of 1000 rather than the previous 10,000 requirement. However, that will only be a temporary fix that will not last for long with the growing number of subscribers in California. The state legislators and agencies will have to come up with a new prefix or the numbers are going to run out entirely. Already, the carriers are on a lottery type disbursement of phone numbers. They are low enough that the lottery has dropped from 6 drawings a month to only 2 drawings a month. One drawing will be for new carriers and the other will be for incumbent carriers. The champion Assemblyman for the cellular providers and users was a Wally Knox. Who initiated a bill to to create area codes that were to be used by wireless carriers for subscribers. But the bill got shot down. He then petitioned to halt the overlay of area codes and it has finally been approved by the CPUC. However, that doesn't mean that new area codes will be created for the state very quickly. ___________________________________________________________ THE TRUTH ABOUT CELLULAR PHONE BATTERIES ___________________________________________________________ The NiCad battery is here to stay at least for a while. It was only a few years ago that the NiCad battery was used on many electronics such as cellular phones, laptop computers, camcorders, and other fun toys. Now we have been introduced to the Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) battery. We know that the NiCad battery is a rugged and durable battery although it has a memory. But the Li-Ion battery with it's higher density is much more fragile and requires a built in protection circuit to maintain safe operation. And Not to mention that the Lithium Ion battery is subject to aging used or not. They will only last about 2 years from the date of manufacture and have a shorter life cycle than NiCad batteries. The real scary part is that back in 1991, a recall was made on Li-Ion batteries when one exploded in a man's face. Technology has advanced enough that we have now installed safety circuits into these very popular batteries. Which is also the reason why the batteries gets very warm to the touch from long term charging. However, if you are told that you cannot overcharge a lithium Ion battery, do not accept this advice. The protection circuit helps prevent overcharging the battery to such a dangerous level that it is charged beyond the safe voltage limits, the battery may heat up, then bulge, and in some cases vent with flame. Shorting such a battery can be hazardous. A major concern comes from build up of static electricity or a faulty charger manages to destroy the batteries protection circuits through the batteries contacts. The chances of this happening are minimal but it is a possible hazard. Outside of that, one of the major drawbacks to using a Lithium Ion battery is with laptop computers. Due to the aging effect you will have to replace the battery on a consistent basis although the battery may only be used on an occasional basis. The life of a Li-Ion battery is not dependent upon charging cycles rather it is definitely dependent upon shelf life expiration. A new battery coming out is a Lithium Polymer hybrid. The lithium polymer systems in development are struggling to make a break into the market and surpass lithium ion battery life. One of the problems with lithium polymer is the limited life cycle. However, once it has been refined to make it a more affordable and acceptable form of energy, it will be mass produced since it can be shaped to nearly any form. One day it may become the soft leather case for the cellular phones. [We are not saying that you should be afraid to own a Lithium Ion battery. Merely to be aware of the hazards of owning one can have for you if you fail to follow the correct operating instructions.] ___________________________________________________________ NOW YOU SEE IT NOW YOU DON'T - EMBEDDED ANTENNAS ___________________________________________________________ The newest technology that is being researched for cellular phone users is the embedded antennae. A company called RangeStar International has been working furiously to meet the demand of consumers of having quality reception without having to worry about a retractable antanna breaking off. One of the unique problems they are facing is not so much the size of the handset but the size of the hand. The human hand nearly covers the entire handset. Which could cause a problem with reception reaching the antennae. They have patented a "C" planar antennae that offers a tremendous improvement over today's whip antennas. The antennae reduces about 95% of distortion caused by the deployed technologies of digital phones. With the coming of embedded antennas, we will see more ergonomic designs for cellular phones as well. One of the ways they are hoping to circumvent the antenna from being covered by the hand. [It make take a few years before we see anything of this kind of phone. But hang in there and we will probably see some very interesting things coming. We will keep you updated as we hear and learn about new stuff coming.] ___________________________________________________________ THE TIME IS COMING TO HARDWIRE WIRELESS INDOORS ___________________________________________________________ This one will be short. We don't want to bore you with all the technical details about how this is going to work. We have all been in areas where we just can't get a cellular signal because we are surrounded by too much concrete and metal that shield RF transmissions. The wireless industry is already working on a solution. They are looking to create what is called a "radiating propagation" cable. One that will allow cellular phone users to pick up and send cellular phone calls from airports, office buildings, or even a parking lot. Strange that the wireless industry would be using a hardwire to supply service. But a necessary task and it does work differently in that you do not have to plug into a RJ11 phone jack. The other problem they will now have is in the expense of trying to install the cable into existing structures. [In due time, we should have the ability to truly communicate with our cellular phones in any location.] ________________________________________________________________ NEW ADDITIONS TO EARTHVISION CELLULAR WEBSITE ________________________________________________________________ Last but not least, the really good stuff! For those of you who have signed our guest book and are waiting on your free gift. We haven't stiffed you. We are waiting for another shipment to arrive so we can send you your free gift from EarthVision Cellular. If you haven't already signed our guest book, get on in there and sign it so we can send you a free gift too! Prepaid Cellular. Has anyone noticed the pricing for national and local prepaid cellular? We were stunned to find out just how expensive this stuff can be to people who want prepaid cellular. But we can be very pleased in knowing that folks can see that we are offering a top quality product for a very very good price even compared to local retailers. Especially considering that you are not restricted to a local coverage area. Plus, we went that extra mile and added 10 free units of airtime to all of our packages. New service coming in two weeks: We mentioned in our last article about Xact Telecom. Well, we signed what looked like a 600 page contract with them to provide the service too. It allows you to send email by cellular phone. No need to buy a laptop to send email or any other devices. Just pick up the phone and tell the operator (yes a real live human even) what you want to send and they read it back to you for accuracy. They will make the return address look like it is coming directly from your own PC too. Bonus: Try it out for FREE! Once the site is set up, it will tell you how to go about trying it out for free. Then if you like it, you can sign up for a package. A basic package will cost you less than $10 for the service. We will be able to offer the service not only on a individual basis but on a corporate level too. The service is very affordable and will probably impress your friends too. And yes, you can dial a toll free number to reach the operator. You can even broadcast your emails too. EarthVision Cellular Loyalty Program: We will be redesigning our loyalty program that will give you bonus points to include a variety of things you can do. Including making purchases from EarthVision Cellular. Thanks to all of you who have given us feedback and allowed us to make this improvement. We will have it posted on our website in a short time for your review. Please note that you will have to sign up for the loyalty program so that we can track your points and let you know how many you have accumulated. Feedback Form: We will be adding a feedback form to our site. We would like you to tell us what you would like to see on our site, or even what improvements can be made to our site. Christmas Discount: This only applies to our current subscribers though. Buy any cellular phone accessory on our site from now until November 19th, 1999, and take a 10% discount on your order. It won't show on the actual order form but we will send back a corrected invoice telling you the correct amount. You can rest assured that the correct total will be charged to your credit card. We have some novelty items listed that you may want to get for Xmas gifts. You won't find these items in most retail stores and probably not on the internet either. Remember that when selecting a product, you need to press the "add to shopping cart" button or it won't be added to your order. [If you let us know that you are going to possibly sign up for the loyalty program, we will go ahead and give you the points for making a purchase from EarthVision Cellular and add them on when we get it set up for you shortly.] One time only Customer Referral Bonus: For everyone who sends us at least one new customer to EarthVision Cellular. We will send you one of the following new batteries as a FREE gift! We can't take selections since quantities are limited so we would have to send you what is available at the time of shipping. However, everyone who sends a referral that becomes a customer will definitely get a FREE battery. You can keep it for personal use, give it away as a Christmas gift, or whatever else may come to mind. The retail market value of these items will range from $69.95 to 99.95 each Nokia 5100/6100 Series 900 MAH Battery Nokia 5100/6100 Series 1350 MAH Vibrating Battery Motorola Star Tac Main Battery Motorola Star Tac Aux Battery Limit One Battery per Subscriber Consider this our way of showing our appreciation of your support and efforts. Not many companies that we know of will make this kind of offer. We normally do not either. Our accountant has begged us not to go through with this offer. But the Christmas Spirit is upon us and we are powerless to stop the forces that compel us to do it anyhow. This offer is valid until November 19th, 1999, as well. [So you now have the opportunity to take a discount on our already low pricing and a FREE brand new battery. Take advantage of this offer before we come to our senses real soon. Happy Halloween to everyone!] If you wish to be sent into cyberspace because our newsletter is just too boring or someone else signed you up, let us know. We will reluctantly take you off of our newsletter list. And we still reserve the right to make faces at you when you aren't looking. EarthVision Communications Inc. "Taking Cellular to Mach II Speed" www.earthvisioncellular.com Back