EarthVision Newsletter Archive
Back to Archive Home PageSent: Wednesday, June 07, 2000 8:20 AM
Subject: EarthVision Cellular Consumer News!Another issue of the EarthVision Cellular Consumer Newsletter. This newsletter is for the soon to be educated cellular phone user community. If you know of anyone else that may have an interest in our newsletter, make sure to forward them a copy. Now we move forward at Mach II speed!
[Note: This newsletter is delivered Biweekly on Wednesday.] *************************************************************
HERE COMES CELLULAR PHONE SPAM - PART II
CELLULAR PHONE HEADSETS BECOME FASHIONABLE
HAZARD REPORTS ABOUT CELLULAR PHONES FALLING ON DEAF EARS
BELLSOUTH OFFERING ROLLOVER MINUTE PLANS
VDMA - WHAT THE DEVIL IS THAT? Q&A FROM THE EXPERT FORUM
CARRIERS NOT VERY CONSUMER FRIENDLY?
EARTHVISION CELLULAR SPECIALS FOR SUBSCRIBERS
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EarthVision Cellular Consumer News Issue # 11 Volume 2
HERE COMES CELLULAR PHONE SPAM - PART II
This article comes to you thanks to the notification by Fauna Art Studios. You can visit them at http://www.fauna-art.com to see what they have to offer.I was recently notified of a company that was offering spam on cellular phones and pagers in return for a payment to the customer. The ad tells you to make money by reading messages on your pager or cell phone. Make anywhere from 5 cents to 50 cents per message read.
All this for the occasional email spam to your cellular phone or pager. Sounds like a really good deal for those who want to relieve the cellular phone budget.
Read the fine print. There are plenty of hooks and "gotchas" involved in it too. My first thought is how do they define occasional?
First you have to fill out a form with complete and accurate information about yourself. Plus you are required to keep the information current at all times.
Then the terms of agreement state that the company is allowed to disclose information to third parties based on information they collect which is following your behavior in clicking and reading spam messages. Although they don't release "personal" information, they do capture your IP address, the URLs you visit, and the information you entered upon signing up for the service.
It goes on to state that all members of this service are then charged 10% of their monthly balance as a maintenance fee. In addition to that, you are responsible for all billing of wireless time used to read the spam.
The next paragraph states that the credit is equal to approximately 5 cents and is subject to change without notice based on economic conditions. Interesting is it not? How is economic conditions defined? And where does it mention in the fine print that you are going to be paid 50 cents per message? What that tells me is that they could pay you a penny per message.
It goes on to say that the company is not responsible nor will they guarantee the service will be available to participating members. And they assume no liability for information which may be harvested by third parties whose services they are offering.
You are fully responsible for all charges on your account although they do not guarantee security of the service. And if you get a virus from using their service, guess what? You got it. They are not liable for that either.
So what about payment. Time to start kicking the tires here. You have to specifically request payment. Once you have requested payment, it will be disbursed in 45 days from the date of the request for the previous two months of accumulated "credits". To boot all of that they do require that you give up your social security number for reporting to the IRS which is the same as if you are an independent contractor.
Finally, if they do make any changes you are required to visit their website to keep updated on any changes that may take place.
So let us review this a little more. They want you to accept spam for payment. They do not guarantee the pay rate nor security of services. You have to wait 3 1/2 months to get paid. And they charge a monthly maintenance fee to get spam. And you will be profiled for targeted spam messages based on what sites you decide to visit.
Too good to be true? Most definitely. The fact that it is so vague and is listed in the fine print has to make you wonder. In this case it isn't a buyer beware situation but a user beware of how much effort you will put into this endeavor to make it profitable. My advice would be to make sure you read the fine print before you even think of getting involved in something like this deal.
CELLULAR PHONE HEADSETS BECOME FASHIONABLE
It is about time that carriers should be promoting hands free kits. Our company has harped on this very subject for many years now when they first became available.
As drivers, we certainly do have a number of distractions to deal with. Carriers are now pushing more hands free devices than ever before.
Either a hands free device or a headset has numerous benefits. One of them being is that your line of vision isn't blocked or limited by holding a cellular phone next to your head.
Some carriers have gone so far as to require manufacturers to supply them with phones that can be adapted for use with a hands free kit.
We will say that it is ridiculous that it has taken so long to make the public aware of the benefits of these devices and to promote them for the purposes of safety.
And why would this be considered a taboo subject that will put us back in the frying pan in the industry for saying it? Money, plain and simple. Carriers didn't want to get people thinking that using a cellular phone in a vehicle might not be such a good idea.
If users didn't use their phones in the vehicle, it may drastically decrease the amount of airtime used by consumers. Especially when it is estimated that 80% of cellular phone calls are made from a moving vehicle. Makes sense.
However, there are around 30 states which have passed or are considering legislation that will limit the use of cellular phones while driving.
You may want to consider getting one or pay a hefty fine on a ticket for a law you may not be aware of in that area. The rule still applies that ignorance of the law is no excuse.
It is a small investment to make. Unless you like to gamble, you will want one. For those of you who wish to gamble instead that is strictly your choice. But those who are affected by your gambling may have a different take and opinion on it that may cost you a lot more than you think.
When behind the wheel, think about if you really need to make that call or not. And if you must, then pay attention to the rules of the road.
HAZARD REPORTS ABOUT CELLULAR PHONES FALLING ON DEAF EARS
Overkill and saturation will do it every time. Now whenever a report comes out about the hazards of cellular phones, it is falling on deaf ears. People look at the benefits of using a cellular phone compared to the possible hazards of the cellular phone and consider the risks to be insignificant.
There are still some users who panic whenever they hear about it on 20/20 or read something from the rumor mill but they are a minority and are usually new to cellular phone use. Part of the problem the veteran users have is the lack of credibility involved with these reports on cellular phone hazards.
A recent report which was published found the lack of interest was widespread among cellular phone users. A horror for those manufacturers and retailers who had jumped on the bandwagon hoping to sell products that would appease consumer fears. Many of these companies have lost a lot of money and more haven't even got off the ground.
The main reason for cellular phone user apathy comes from the fact that none of these studies have been able to give solid confirmation that the use of a cellular phone is a definite health hazard. As we said before, it is also the reason the World Health Organization (a.k.a. WHO) has refused to endorse anti-radiation shields for cellular phones. We are permeated with radiation as soon as we walk out into the sunlight or use everyday household appliances.
We did hear (and this is only from the rumor mill) that there may be some private studies conducted rather than government funded university studies that will either confirm or destroy the theory of cellular phone hazards. How long they will be in coming is up for grabs.
As always, we will remain a skeptic until we see solid proof. The only thing we have seen so far is the attempt to commercially capitalize on consumer fears with these reports.
BELLSOUTH OFFERING ROLLOVER MINUTE PLANS
This carrier is working overtime to retain customers. But don't expect too many of the others to run in this direction. This carrier would appear to be throwing away money. In the short term, they might be but in the long run it is going to pay off big time. Reducing the cost of customer churn means that the carriers can offer lower rates.
This offer will be running until September 2nd, 2000 at which time Bell South will decide if it helps to reduce customer churn and lower expenses of trying to keep customers on their network. At that time, they will make a decision on whether they are going to continue the plan.
The way it works right now is that if you are a digital subscriber with a calling plan that is $35 or greater per month, you can rollover your unused minutes. This isn't an exactly new twist since we do this with our prepaid cellular service. And Nextel does it in a limited commercial environment. It is unique in that it is being offered to the general public with postpaid service.
For those of you who may have the option of using Bellsouth and decide to switch for the duration of the new plan. We would be very interested in hearing your report on your experiences with the plan.
We would anticipate that it is a good deal not only for the carrier but for the cellular phone user too. We are not aware of any limitations to the amount of minutes you can rollover. You will need to contact them directly to find that out.
VDMA - WHAT THE DEVIL IS THAT? Q&A FROM THE EXPERT FORUM
What you are about to read here is an actual dialog between the person making the inquiry and the expert. We have heard about CDMA & TDMA. This is a new technology under development.
[Question]: I understand there is a new technology being developed by a San Francisco company dubbed VDMA. The company is called Worldwide Wireless, www.worldwide-wireless.com. I'm wondering how this is different from CDMA. My understanding is that it eliminates the need for base stations by making every cell phone a part of the wireless network.
[Response]: I will have to elaborate a bit on your question but will not be able to answer it directly because the company will not offer that information, but it should help clarify some things.
In the wireless industry, it is referred to as a "pipe dream" and still is considered such. We first heard about it in July of 1999.
First, I would like to say the content in writing about the site and its technology is pretty clever. For those not paying close attention, the timing and position of the quotes would make it look as if industry leaders were speaking about this technology specifically.
Adding to that, the information provided creates and leaves many questions unanswered. For example. they mention that the chip is a passive repeater. It will eliminate the need for towers. So that brings up the question of privacy security. Do people want to use a cellular phone that transmits calls through another user's handset? And just how many users can the passive chip relay onto another unit?
They will have an uphill battle in that regard. Elimination of towers. First, you have the companies who manufacture the infrastructure. Those who are consultants or property managers that decide where to place them, and the private individuals and companies who get the rent from those same towers.
The cell phone handset manufacturers are co-dependent upon the carriers who "own" the radio frequency spectrum that the wireless subscribers use.
In addition, some companies are already creating towers which are disguised as pine trees, flag poles, etc. In other cases, the carriers may have miniature transmitter antennas hidden on top of buildings.
Carriers have invested billions into the infrastructure and they will not recoup their costs for some time to come. On average a single tower costs $150,000.
Second, the phones need plenty of juice to send a signal to any great length. The reason why digital service carriers need more towers than analog is because the digital cell phone does not have as much power to transmit a signal. They fail to explain on their website where this power source will come from if they are using a base transmitter to cover a 20 mile radius.
The chip company has stated that they won't discuss that either because it is a part of their patent for the technology.
Even now, Enrev is looking at building a "Battery Operating System" to be build into handsets to help with the fact that batteries do not give enough power in some cases for transmission of a cellular phone call.
Third. In response to your question as to how it differs from CDMA/TDMA technology. We would be interested in learning that too. They make no mention of this on their website and will not provide that information. The CDMA/TDMA technologies refer to how the information (voice) is collected, packaged (conversion of voice into data packets), and then sent from the origination point to it's destination point. They have not provided this explanation which I am sure prompted your question. We are at a loss just as much as you are in that area. We can only wait for them to release the information.
Next. The chip would have to be able to accept and send signals from a very broad range of frequencies that are used by various carriers. A daunting task to say the least. They have a number of hurdles to leap before this would become a reality.
You will also note that they state that they have been in discussions with "major" manufacturers of cellular phones who state it has great potential in it's applications. We know of an individual in California that was looking at building java programmed cellular phones. He too was told that his idea had great potential in it's application. The unanswered question here is if it is a viable option rather than something with great potential.
They mention that in their business plan they expect to have 1% of the cellular phone user market within the first 12 months. As far as we know, as of today, they are without a single subscriber.
In summary. I would say that it is a lot of hype and not enough substance to it. That is not to say that it won't evolve into an accepted technology to some extent. However, I cannot see it taking place in the near future. There are a number of issues they will have to address before they can roll it out as an accepted technology.
Keep in mind that this is simply my observation based on the limited information we have been able to obtain. There are too many questions at this point. I would take a wait and see position on this one. Sorry I couldn't answer your question directly but the information just doesn't exist to be able to do that. The company refuses to release any pertinent information.
[Comment]: Thank you very much for your insight. That was really cool. I am a big fan of spending hours on the internet trying to dig up information on things like worldwide wireless only to be disappointed from time to time.
CARRIERS NOT VERY CONSUMER FRIENDLY?
We were recently contacted by a cellular phone user who has had a cellular phone from almost when they first came out. He was using this old and crusty analog cellular phone. So he happened to drop it and the case cracked. He calls up the carrier about getting a new analog phone.
The response he got from them was, "Sorry sir, but you will need to switch to our digital plan and purchase a new phone." Normally, that wouldn't be a problem for most of us. Unless you were under a grandfather clause with a plan that offered 60 minutes a month on an analog phone for only $9.95 per month.
This person has been a loyal cellular phone user for over 10 years with the same carrier. Now I would think that such loyalty would not only be appreciated but encouraged. If I were to force someone to use a product line of ours that they didn't want but needed, I think I would find a way to accommodate that customer to show my appreciation for such loyalty.
And because we are advocates for the cellular phone users, we told this individual how to get around the restrictions that were being placed on him by the carrier. We even offered him another older model analog phone that would work the same as his old phone. My guess is that the carrier may have refused to activate the new phone since we haven't heard back from him in a while.
Overall, we would have to say it is an absolute shame that such loyalty is not honored by wireless carriers. They complain about customer churn yet they do nothing to prevent it. We understand the need to upgrade to a newer digital technology. But we believe this individual should have been given the phone for free. What is a couple of hundred dollars for loyalty like that? One of these days, the carriers are going to learn that it is the customer is who keeps them in business.
EARTHVISION CELLULAR SPECIALS FOR SUBSCRIBERS
We want to thank those of you who have agreed to test some products for us. We will have to email the surveys to you because we sent them out before we had the survey's ready. They will be forthcoming this week.
Here are our July 4th specials for this issue.
Nokia 918 Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries: $29.95 each
Nokia 918 Hands Free Kits with microphone/speaker and built in car charger: $29.95 each
Nokia 918 colored faceplates: $19.95 eachMotorola Tac Series Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries: $29.95 each
Motorola Tac Series Free Kits with microphone/speaker and built in car charger: $29.95 each
Motorola Tac Series Series Rapid Car Chargers: $7.95 eachSamsung 3500 Rapid Car Charger/Leather Case combo: $19.95 each
Nokia 8810 Chrome NiMh Batteries: $39.95 each
Motorola Star Tac Li-Ion Main batteries (black): $44.95 each
Ericsson MC6000 or MC7000 Desktop charger: $46.95
With this order we will send you a $20 rebate good until July 31st, 2000, which makes your price only $26.95 after rebate. Rebate must be redeemed and postmarked no later than 8/31/00.MC6000 Fits LX700/800, A1228, & R280 series phones
MC7000 Fits LX788, LX588, and T18 series phones.To order, please email us with your phone number, and we will take the order over the phone because this offer is only extended to subscribers.
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