Using VideoPhones: On-Line School Programs and Audio Conferences

Overview

You may have read or heard success stories using videophones to connect to family, friends, co-workers and make relay calls. Did you also know videophones are also useful for participating in audio conference presentations / calls if you are enrolled in an online course/degree program?

I'm currently enrolled as an on-line MBA student with the University of Maryland University College. This term has weekly presentations, demos and discussions with the professor and/or guest speakers. The length of the online sessions have ranged from anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

How it Works
I use my Z-340 to connect to the audio portion of on-line conference, which is hosted by the professor using a web-based conferencing software (Wimba). A laptop is used to connect to the web-based conference to view a PowerPoint presentation and/or web pages. Both a laptop and Z-340 are set beside each other at location that has a good Wi-Fi or LAN Internet connection.

In order to be able to call into a conference session that has audio, the speaker has to enable call-ins with a phone number and pin (depends on the web-conference software capabilities and options). When you call a ZVRS (or any other vrs) interpreter, tell them you are joining a conference call, when prompted, you can either enter the conference code/pin using your Z-340 keypad, or have the interpreter enter it for you.

Tip: Once in the call, have the interpreter and your laptop muted to prevent audio feedback. The interpreter can turn on his/her mike when you want to speak, or your microphone if you want to use voice carry over (vco) where you can speak for yourself.

If your professor plans to use / uses a web-based on-line presentation tool, I suggest conducting a trial call-in session beforehand so you both will know how it works before the actual scheduled meeting to ensure a trouble free conference.

At the beginning of the term, we had to consult with the software manual and vendor to figure out how to call into the conference since nearly everyone was initially relying on audio output from their computer speakers - which does not work for relay calls. After some research, it was found that Wimba’s capabilities does allow for audio call-ins with a phone number and pin - which was exactly what was needed to make this work for the weekly sessions.

Ironically, Wimba’s (and possibly other providers) documentation still references the use of a phone relay (TTY) service - which is obvious that the documentation is outdated but still relevant. You can use your preferred method of relay service to participate in on-line class audio sessions by videophone, TTY, or Internet/chat relay. However, the use of video relay services for audio conferences is said to be more efficient and quicker than by Internet/chat text or TTY relay.

Other Features

Some on-line web-conferencing tools may also have a small window feature for short chats - this allows meeting participants to ask questions and be responded to (if monitored and used by meeting moderator).

Photo: Z-340 and Mac on a call (screens simulated for confidentiality purposes), gives you the idea of participating in an on-line conference and use of a audio line.

Lastly, you are not limited to the laptop / Z-340 / ZVRS set up. If you have a wide-screen monitor you can have both the presentation and Z-4 (or other soft video phones) side by side on the screen. You can also use other vp devices or a preferred vrs provider, you can do pretty much the same thing, using your preferred tools. You will have to experiment and find what solution works best for you.

Donald Moore is a Freelance writer and blogger at http://Prosumertech.blogspot.com

He may be contacted by email at: mooredlm@gmail.com

Flattening World for Deaf / Hard of Hearing Consumers and Professionals

I created a white-paper and a PowerPoint presentation about the "Flattening World for Deaf / HOH Consumers and Professionals", which discusses the how the latest technologies and services have helped level the playing field for deaf/hoh consumers and professionals in recent years.

Also discussed, is why corporations should pay attention to this often overlooked population segment, along with a few general tips on how they can improve their products and services to meet these consumers and working professionals.

Read the white paper and/or view the PowerPoint presentation - provide feedback, comments, share with friends, co-workers and recruiters. Hopefully this article and presentation will be a small step in the right direction to help improve consumer and employment relations for the deaf/hoh population segment.

I welcome feed back and comments to help further improve and update this white paper and/or presentation. Feel free to share

these links with others as long as you cite the source.

Recommended Web Site: Deaf and Hard of Hearing People at Work

If you have a young deaf/hoh child, student, friend or relative that needs a role model for working deaf/hoh adults, I recommend visiting the "Deaf and Hard of Hearing People at Work" website, which is maintained by Karen Putz. Link: http://deafhhcareer.com/

This web site contains a number of success stories of deaf/hoh professionals in the work place.

Recently, I was asked to write a story about my own career - which now appears on the site at: http://deafhhcareer.com/donald-moore-it-professional-and-blogger/

Microsoft Office 2007: Online and PowerPoint Training with Transcripts

Microsoft provides a handful of on-line training resource to help you get started to learn about some of the advanced features of the MS-Office 2007 product line for programs such as Word, Excel, Publisher, PowerPoint, Access and OneNote.

Many of these tutorials include text transcripts found in the bottom portion of the screens, which are useful for those not able to hear or understand the audio portions. Link: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/FX100565001033.aspx

In addition, many of the online demos can be downloaded in PowerPoint format, and can be used for off-line viewing and/or for your organization.
Link: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA101926501033.aspx

With these tutorials, you can take your skills and career to the next level by learning how to use many of the program features offered within MS-Office.

Note: While I have used some of the online demos and presentations, I have not verified that every one of them have text transcripts available. You can use this blog article as a starting point for your training and reference needs.

Tenacity and Snap!VRS Announce Exclusive Partnership to Help Organizations Better Serve Deaf and Hard of Hearing Employees

Snap!VRS announced a partnership with Tenacity Operating, LLC, ("Tenacity"), a leader in the field of accessible telephony, that will help companies and organizations offer visual communication and relay services with the only comprehensive and accessible video technology of its kind.

Tenacity's accessaphone(tm) Total Conversation (aTC(tm)), a video softphone, extends telephony by including real-time text, video, and voice with the same endpoint compatible with the business' current infrastructure. This easy to use video softphone is now further enhanced as a VRS-ready solution through the Snap!VRS partnership, making it easy for enterprises to find a one-stop solution for Section 508 compliance. Section 508 is the important part of the American Disabilities Act that works to eliminate barriers in information technology.

"This partnership will enable large enterprises - government agencies, corporations, and educational institutions - to better meet the needs of existing and prospective employees who are deaf and hard of hearing," said Snap!VRS Executive Chairman, Richard Schatzberg. "With Tenacity's excellent and well-earned reputation in communication infrastructure and Snap!VRS'strong service, the match will provide a single solution for Section 508 compliance and benefit those looking to give all of their employees the best communications solutions they can."

For the complete press release on this news, visit www.snapvrs.com

Estimated 278 Million Deaf/HoH Consumers WorldWide

Updated: Last Spring while conducting research for a paper for my MBA program, I came across the World Health Organization’s (WHO) web site, where a web page listed that there is an estimated 278 million deaf / hoh people around the world - thus I have updated the tag line of my blog to reflect the latest estimates. This is a 178 million increase from the previous estimate of 100 million worldwide that was mentioned else where.

Yet, for a large number of them, they reside in low-to middle income population zones, where access to technology goods such as computers and the Internet may be extremely limited.

WHO estimates that the number of deaf/hoh consumers is expected to increase due to increasingly aging population segments - everyone naturally loses their hearing as they age, regardless of ethnicity. The bottom line is that companies should pay attention, and produce products and services for this growing population segment.

The WHO page outlining the latest count of deaf / hoh people in the world can be viewed at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs300/en/

Test drive wireless phones before buying

As many of you know, the market for wireless devices and phones has become saturated (there are many models and options now available), it has become increasingly important to be able to test and get a real feel of the phones you are interested in before purchasing. The large number of devices and services available can be overwhelming at times.  Thus its important to take your time and research before selecting a device.

While a device may look great online, it may not be as appealing when you set your own eyes and hands on it in person.
The opposite can be said - some devices are not so well displayed online but are actually great in person.

I recently went to Best Buy to run a small shopping errand, and out of curiosity, I checked on the latest models of wireless phones – Wow! there is a large number of devices available compared to 5 years ago! I took a good 15 minutes to take a look at some of the latest models.

Findings
While I won't name any specific models - some of my findings were:

- Some of the new phones look like they were designed for tweens and teenagers - not worthy of consideration for working adults. They should list the recommended ages on each device.

- Secondly I was surprised how bad some of the physical keyboards were. People still need to type messages and emails.
Note to manufacturers: don't make the keyboards any smaller. A combination of keyboard and touch screen is probably what most consumers want.

- Thirdly, you need to consider the operating system of each phone, and need to determine what kind of system you prefer and want (see below).

- Lastly, make it worthwhile to find store(s) in  your area that have the actual devices on display that you can examine before buying online.

Popular Phone Operating Systems
Some of the popular operating systems are (in no particular order)

- iPhone (Apple)
- Rim / Blackberry
- Windows Mobile (Microsoft)
- Nokia
- Android
- Other: Carrier specific

Recommendations
I suggest reading two previous previous blog postings highlighting some recommendations on how to select your next wireless phone / device.

1. “Wireless Devices: Phone Research and Shopping”

2. “A Quick and Dirty Guide to Selecting Your Next Smart Phone / Wireless Device”

Discuss
As a reader, share with others what have you done or considered when making a decision in selecting a replacement or new wireless device?

Contact Numbers and Email Addresses to the 4th Power

In these days, it seems many of us are getting multiple assigned device numbers and email addresses - how can one possibly memorize them all?

Yet this all seems ironic given that many deaf and hard of hearing consumers may not utilize voice services, and actually end up having more phone numbers than hearing consumers.  This article will illustrate some examples of what has become common and tips on how to manage to share your contact information with others.

While the various relay services, communication devices, and various touch points (VP, VRS, email and wireless devices), are a blessing in disguise, we seem to have more numbers and email addresses for each person than ever before.

For arguments sake – below is an illustration of an example of what a family of four usually has to keep track of:

Work
- Local 10 digit number
- VP Device number(s)
- Toll free number
- Blackberry SMS number
- Fax (While its not relay related, its another number to track)
* Multiply the count of numbers by two if you have a working spouse

Home
- Landline or Other VOIP (broadband phone service) number
- VP assigned number some may have more than one VP device (I.e. VP-200, Z-340, PC based, etc).
- My own toll free number
- Spouses toll free number
- My wireless device SMS number
- Spouses device SMS number
- Teens wireless device SMS number(s) 
* Multiply by the number of wireless phones in the household

As the above illustrates, for work and in a family of four, there are about 12 different numbers to use and to keep track of.
Why I say "about" - because new technologies are forthcoming and changing all the time -thus new numbers will come and go.

Multiple Email Addresses
Now about multiple email addresses - no doubt many of us have more than one email address as well. We have them for various reasons – such as for work, home and wireless devices.

Examples
- Work email
- Home primary email
- Push email provider (for wireless device) (I.e. MobileMe, Mail2web, Fusemail, Gmail, Hotmail, etc).
- Spouses primary email
- Spouses push email provider (for wireless device)
- Kids primary email addresses
- Kids wireless phone email addresses

Add them up, that's a minimum of 7 email accounts for a family of four. Image the same with your friends – dealing with multiple email addresses and numbers.

Solution
What to do?
Only give out contact numbers and email addresses on an as need to know basis. There is no need to share all numbers and email addresses with everyone, you should selectively give your email/number to your contacts to prevent confusion.

For example, for your immediate family, share the primary contact points with them. 
For your friends and distant others, you may have a different set of preferences and ways for them to contact you.

Tips

• Create Different Versions of Personal Contact Cards
  Use FedexKinkos and Vistaprint.com, they can print up hundreds of cards in a flash for a low cost.
  If you need a few just cards print them yourselves.  Microsoft Word and Publisher offer document templates that allow you to create and print your own contact cards.  You can buy business card paper in most office supply stores (Avery paper).
• Document Email Addresses and Numbers into a MS-Word, MS-Excel or other readable format
  This will provide you a way to keep track of your numbers and email accounts.
• Utilize Address Books on Your Computer (i.e. Ms-Outlook, email/ISP provider) and Your Wireless Handheld
  By doing this, it will help you better manage your contact information, and reduce the need to memorize so many numbers and email addresses.

Lastly, make an effort to memorize at least some you important numbers and email addresses for emergencies or when you computer and/or handheld wireless device is not available.

Leader in Deaf Community to Head Outreach Efforts for Snap!VRS

Snap!VRS announces the recent hire of Sean Gerlis, the President of the New Jersey Association of the Deaf.
http://www.snapvrs.com/about_us/press/article/?id=24

Purple Announces Community Campaign: Dream Bigger

Purple announced a new community campaign called Dream Bigger (http://www.purple.us/dreambigger). The campaign honors 10 Trailblazers in the Deaf Community from across the country that have had tremendous impact in the areas of sports, civil rights, politics, business, language, community, medicine, art, and education.

Over the next three months, there will be local events (across the US) in the communities of the Trailblazers honoring their commitment to the Deaf Community. In addition to honoring the Trailblazer, Purple will have their new P3 netbooks on site to show attendees their latest products, specifically designed for the deaf and hard-of-hearing market.

In October, all the Trailblazers will convene in Washington D.C. for the 'Trailblazers of the Year' Gala dinner where one of the ten Trailblazers will be awarded $10,000 in their name given to the deaf charity of their choice.

By visiting the Dream Bigger website, visitors can view videos from all the Trailblazers, find information on the local events and vote for who they think the Trailblazer of the Year should be.

DeafCode Launches Captionfish.com, a Captioned Film Search Engine

With summer quickly approaching – a lot of new movies are being released. Yet, would you like to look for open captioned or rear window view movies showing at theaters near you? 

Then, check out Captionfish.com, a new web service being offered by DeafCode.Com

-------

Captionfish.com provides captioned movie results for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Captionfish.com's Instant CC Film Finder™ provides effortless location search; New theaters added daily

SEATTLE, WA – May 18, 2009 – DeafCode, LLC. announces the launch of its first beta of Captionfish.com. It is the first website to integrate an Instant CC Film Finder™, which provides immediate and effortless custom results within 30 miles of a chosen location, refreshed on each visit to Captionfish.com. Results for up to 7 days in the future and 60 miles away are available at the click of a button. "The DeafCode Team was inspired to create Captionfish because of the need to find a comprehensive list of captioned movies in one place," said Chris Sano, DeafCode, LLC. Co-Founder. "We've received a tremendously positive response and feel Captionfish has the potential to become one of the most popular online destinations for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. We are adding more theaters every day and will continue to enhance the website's functionality with new features - many driven by our visitors' feedback."

Additional highlights of Captionfish.com's features include:

• Effortless Searching- Using its Instant CC Film Finder™ Captionfish offers the easiest way for visitors to find captioned movie results within 30 miles of their location.
• Comprehensive results- Captionfish's Instant CC Film Finder™ results can be customized for up to 7 days in the future or up to 60 miles away from a specified location.
• Open Captions and Rear Window identification- Captionfish.com provides easy to identify icons that distinguish between an "open captioned" or "rear window captioned" showing.
• Mobile edition- Captionfish provides a mobile website optimized for mobile phones so deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors can find captioned movie results while they are on the go. Mobile applications for Smart phones are under development.
• Closed Captioned Trailers- Captionfish links to a growing list of closed captioned movie trailers so the deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors can enjoy previews of current and upcoming movie releases.
• RSS Feed for custom results- Captionfish enables an RSS feed so each visitor can check for the latest captioned film results using their preferred RSS reader wherever they like.

About DeafCode LLC.

Founded in 2009 by three deaf internet professionals with 30 years of combined experience, DeafCode LLC's mission is to utilize their skills and technological expertise to enhance the overall internet experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. DeafCode is based in Seattle, WA. For more information, visit www.deafcode.com

###
Captionfish.com and DeafCode are trademarks of DeafCode, LLC. All other company and product names may be trademarks
of the respective companies with which they are associated.

New LinkedIn Group: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Professionals Group

There is a new Deaf and Hard of Hearing Professionals LinkedIn group, which may be beneficial for working or retired professionals looking to network with others.  If you haven't checked out LinkedIn - a professional networking site, consider joining so you can join the group. You can read my blog entry about Networking with LinkedIn and Facebook in 2008.

Once you've joined LinkedIn, and created a professional profile: Consider joining the "Deaf and Hard Of Hearing Professionals" LinkedIn group to network professionally, make new friends and create new networking opportunities.

To join the group, after you create a LinkedIn profile, log in and select “Search for Groups” and enter “deaf” and click on the search button.  Several groups will appear within the search results.  Select “Join this group” under the “Deaf and Hard of Hearing Professionals” group.  The group moderator will then make the determination if you can join the group.  Address all questions and concerns regarding this group to the group moderator.

Happy Networking!

Communication Technologies: Past, Present and Future

If you are reading this article on-line, you win a "point" for being up to date in using some of the latest technologies.

This article focuses on past, present and future accessibility and technologies that have greatly benefited the deaf / hard of hearing community over the past 30 years or so.  The list is not all inclusive, but contains a list of topics (technologies) that continue to be mainstream today. 

 

• For the younger crowd, this chart can help provide an insight to the limited technologies and services of the past. 
• For those of you who are younger than baby boomers a.k.a. Generation X, Y, Millennials and Z (I.e. 1964+ or younger), many of you can relate to the topics discussed. 
• For seniors, the chart can provide you with an update on what technologies are available for your use, and give you a chance to learn something new.

The linked chart was developed from comments from others, my own experiences and perspectives.  The chart contents may be updated overtime as I receive comments and continue to expand on it.   You do not necessarily have to agree to what is listed.

Since the chart is too wide and long for display on this blog, it has been converted into an Acrobat PDF file and posted on Comcast - click on the link below.

[Click to see: Chart of Communication Technologies: Past, Present and Future]

This blog is open to receiving feedback and discussions based on this topic.

Email Signatures

This blog entry covers email signatures:

What is a email signature?
It is an electronic signature with your contact info at the bottom of your email messages.

Email mail signatures usually provides the key information for the receiver to know how to contact you in return.

Why: You may be wondering what's wrong with the standard email header name and address that's included in the email header. While there is nothing wrong with using the standard email signature format options. However, given that deaf/ hard of hearing consumers / professionals tend to utilize several modes of communication while at work - Thus your friend or colleague may want to learn more about the alternative ways they can contact you. You can also proactively (voluntarily) indicate to them on the various ways they can contact you.

I have found that the use of email signatures at work proves to be more beneficial than at home because I work with co-workers country-wide. Personal contacts usually already know the best way to reach me.

What's in a signature?
Basically it can be whatever your like, but I recommend limiting it to the various ways/preferences on how you can be contacted.

Below is a fictional mock up of my email signature to illustrate an example of an email signature.

John Doe Blog Writer (job title) Company XYZ Chicago, Illinois http://www.companyxyz.com/

Email: john.doe@mail.com Sms: 123-321-4321 Message Service: 123-123-2356 Fax: 333-555-2222 Notes SameTime: John Doe

Comments:

- Adjust the description names to your preference.

- If you have a 10 digit relay number include it. I usually indicate it by calling it "Message Service" so the words "Relay Service" doesn't alienate some people.

- If you have an internal instant messages program at work: include its name.

- If you have access at work to one of the public instant messages providers like: Aim, Gtalk, MSN, Yahoo, etc. Include the info as well. Such as: Aim: Johndoe

- If applicable, add your VP number or ip address.

- Some people may include links to other relevant information such as their LinkedIn or Facebook profiles or personal web sites. However I would be cautious about including such in your work email signature.

On the PC side, both Notes and Ms-Outlook provides ways of settling up your signature to be automatically inserted in your email messages. Refer to your software help function on how to set one up.

Ms-Outlook allows you to utilize more than one email signature. This is helpful if you have more than one email account and/or have different contact preferences depending on who you are corresponding with.

Most wireless devices allow you to include a signature automatically. Some even allow multiple signatures but that can be tricky to set up and is not discussed here.

Bottom line is that by setting up your email program to automatically include a preformatted email signature, you can increase the chances of your messages being returned or be contacted in the future.

Format your signature depending on your needs. I don't recommend including any personal information such as your SSN or home address to protect your identity.
Lastly, be sure to test your email signature by emailing yourself until you are satisfied on how it looks to ensure that its error free and neatly organized.

Email away!

No More Stopping to Ask for Directions - GPS Devices

Don't have a GPS (global positioning system / auto navigation system) if you travel often or live in large metro areas? Then consider getting one.

In the old days, we would often ask for directions from a friend and/or gas station attendant, and often later finding out they were either given wrong or incorrectly written down, GPS devices can dynamically help with directions.  Its true that web based map programs allow you to print your directions work, but if you run into a detour, bad traffic or a emergency road closure, the printed maps are no good.

If you travel often or live in large metro areas such as NYC, D.C., Chicago, Houston, SF, and LA, then buying a GPS device is money well spent.

There are basically three ways you can use GPS devices. One, plan a route to go from point "A" to point "B". Secondly, they can be used as a follow along map to show you where you are. This is good way to learn about the area you are in when traveling or moving.  Lastly, they can help you find the near points of interest (poi) from where you are. Points of interest can be gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and museums. Some devices have emergency location services for pointing you to the nearest hospital, police or fire station.

Going from point "A" to point "B" doesn't have to be going across the country, but rather to specific points. Like from your home to a particular museum downtown or a specific address. When using a GPS device, if you plan a route in advance and encounter obstacles such as road closures, construction or other issues, you can specify there is a detour and get automatically re-routed with a new route. GPS devices are also helpful if you miss an exit for any reason - to help you get back on track to your destination.

Many of your are wondering about using GPS or navigation services from their handheld devices - which usually requires a monthly fee.

While I haven't subscribed to such services, in a review of my travel demands, I determined that its cheaper in the long run to buy one, which will pay for itself in about 2 or 3 years depending on the model selected.  For instance, if the monthly fee is $9.99 a month - in 2 years, you would spend $239.00.  Just enough to buy and own a good GPS device.

If you are deaf/hh then skip devices that have Bluetooth / cell phone capabilities / spoken commands. These not needed features cost extra and can set you back hundreds of dollars.  Also by having a dedicated GPS device, you don't tie up your handheld/phone from email when traveling.

GPS devices have larger screens and can be mounted on the dash or windshield. They can be moved between vehicles like to a rental car. For those that have deep pockets, get a built in dash system (In a few years they may become more common and standard in cars like air bags).

Some of my findings in using a Garmin GPS for a year now.

• They are useful for short and long trips.
• At times they can produce an error or contain outdated exits or roads. This is often in the case within growing suburban areas - like in Dallas.
• Learn to use it before embarking on a long trip.
• Learn to set it up and glance at the screen instead of fiddling with it while driving.
• Input favorite locations (frequent travel destinations) in advance.
• Directions sometimes stop working or get confused when going through parking lots or quickly turning around.  Once you exit a parking lot and drive a couple hundred feet, the maps start working again.
• If available, utilize passwords to lock the device to protect your information.
• Put away / take the device with you when leaving the vehicle to reduce the likelihood of theft. Even on your own driveway.  Like laptops, they are high on the theft list.
• I don't utilize the screen saver mode for pictures, since it creates a driving distraction. Its a feature that's not needed and its mostly a marketing gimmick to get you to buy the device.
• Lastly, don't be overly reliant on the device.  Sometimes you have to make judgement calls / ignore the provided directions.

You can read more about GPS devices on the web. Garmin and Tomtom are two well known brands. Visit their web sites and your local electronics store to research and determine which device is best for your needs.

Happy travels.

Wireless Device: Phone Research and Shopping

While conducting some research on the latest wireless phones, I came across a web site that you might find quite useful: www.infosyncworld.com. 

This web site has reviews for many wireless / cell phones, laptops, and digital cameras.  The site has product reviews, comparison charts, and gives you the ability to compare phones side by side in terms of their features and ratings.  For example, you can compare the Apple iPhone against a Blackberry Curve 8330 in terms of their sizes and reviewers ratings.

Besides doing your own comparisons, I recommend reading web reviews for checkpoints that may or may not be of concern to you.  You don't necessarily have to agree to the ratings or the positive / negative comments provided by the reviewers - they can serve as a starting point for things you might want to consider or be on the look out for.

If you "power users" are researching for your next wireless phone, I recommend the following methods of researching for your next wireless device:

• Utilize reviews and comparison charts at www.infosyncworld.com and www.cnet.com
• Download and review owners manuals for each device - usually found either at the wireless carrier's and/or manufacturers web site.
• Consider visiting stores that have live working examples of the phones to get a feel of the devices in your hands.
• Talk to friends and co-workers who may have the wireless device you are interested in.

For some, researching wireless phones in depth may seem an overkill.  But remember, once you purchase a device, sign up for services, and go beyond the 30 day "trial period", you are usually bound to a 2 year contract which can be equally expensive to break if you terminate it within two years.

Some say its usually good practice to upgrade or replace wireless devices after a minimum of two years to stay on top of technological advances and software upgrades.  In other cases, if your device is more than two years old and it still meets your needs - then keep using it until it gets to the point its no longer reliable or supported by your carrier.  There may be a dozen of other reasons why you may/may not want to change devices or carriers, but that's  often left up to the owners.

Lastly, when new devices first come out on the market, they usually have a few "bugs" and kinks to work out.  If there is a newer device or model you are interested in, if possible, wait a couple of months to let the "early adopters" identify and work out early issues.

Web and Wireless Device Security

Today the web, laptop/desktop PCs, and wireless devices are often fused with our everyday lives: They often containing personal calendars, emails, contact info, and personal info, which has becoming increasingly important to take security precautions for handling your personal information.

Some security tips to consider:

• Do not use the same password for multiple web accounts.
• Do not use personal info (such as names, date of birth, or commonly used / dictionary words for passwords.  Set up complex passwords that you can remember.  For example: wilex9z$
• Utilize password managers to help keep track of passwords.  SplashID from Splashdata.com is one product I recommend.  The application works well on PCs, many wireless and handheld devices.  You should password protect this application as well - to protect all of your passwords!
• For those with a few passwords and don't need SplashID, utilize a password protected MS-Word or Excel document.
• When using public or work computers, to log into web accounts, DO NOT allow the browser to memorize your profile or password.
• When you think a password has been compromised, change it immediately.
• Consider changing passwords every 30 days for highly sensitive accounts such as those for banking and financial sites.
• Do not share, write down, or give out your passwords to anyone.
• Set your devices to auto lock after a period of inactivity to prevent snooping from by-passers.
• Implement password security on all computing devices such as PCs, laptops, handheld and wireless devices. 
• Yes, even use passwords on your wireless handheld devices.  If not sure on how to set up one, consult with your device owners manual - which can often be found on the web.

By utilizing passwords, you can protect your confidential and sensitive information in the event something is misplaced, lost, or stolen.  Identity theft is a major problem, and by utilizing passwords, you can reduce the chance of being an identity theft victim.

Tips for Managing Your Email Accounts

Today, many people have more than one email addresses.  Especially those within the deaf / hard of hearing population segment tend to have multiple email accounts in order to accommodate the use of wireless email devices. Drawing on my personal experiences, follow these tips for managing your wireless and wired email accounts.

- To reduce the number of wireless email messages you get, only give out its email address to a select few people.  Such as family, important friends, co-workers and significant others. So that your wireless device isn't buzzing all day long.

- Use a Internet service provider email account for your everyday non-time sensitive / everyday emails.  If you do not have Internet services at home,  try Gmail (Google), Yahoo, and Hotmail, which are free email providers.

- Utilize RSS feeds and news readers to help cut down on e-mailbox clutter from subscriptions.  In fact, this blog is available via a Rss reader such as Google Reader.  Review your email subscriptions and see if you can subscribe to RSS feeds instead of their email services.

- If possible, utilize email rules on your computer (I.e. Ms Outlook) or with your email provider.  By using rules you can automatically sort incoming emails to designated folders.

For example, I sign up for Chicago Tribune email alerts to stay on top of important breaking news which I can access wirelessly.  The next time when I use my computer to check / respond to my regular my emails, a rule will automatically dump Chicago Tribune emails into a specific folder. There I can either re-read, save certain messages, or delete them all at once instead of having to peck and hunt to emails received from with in Inbox.  This is especially the case when I travel and emails easily pile up.  By using various email rules, I can clean out my mailbox faster and spend less time managing my box.

For email subscriptions, I sign up for RSS feeds whenever possible.  It helps to keep the number of emails down even more.

Lastly, be careful who you provide your email addresses to.  If its someone you don't know, its likely to be a spammer (junk emailer).  They can get you on all kinds of email lists, and you can end up getting a lot of junk email. Which requires time to clean out or set up email rejection rules.  In worst case scenarios, if spam email seriously becomes a problem, you can create new email account(s) and start over.  Which of course take time and requires you to notify your contacts so they can update their electronic address books.

By keeping these email rules in mind, you can get a better handle on your e-mail boxes and be more productive.

The Missing Link: Data Sharing Among Wireless Devices

This blog entry has nothing to do with accessibility but rather data sharing between devices.

I'm constantly finding that many wireless devices do a poor job sharing bits of data in other ways than using Bluetooth or doing infrared beaming.

Sharing data is a topic that's rarely documented or discussed, and is often left up to consumers to spend some time experimenting on how to share data and information.

What's The missing link?
Being able to send items such as memos items, contact cards, files, and calendar events to other consumers who are not in the same room.

In a sense, yet, only a few devices such as the Treo Palms can do this now.  Items can also be sent by sending items from ones laptop.  However, in today's world, many of us don't want to use / carry our personal laptops everywhere we go.  Our wireless handhelds are supposed to be an extension of our laptops.

Currently it appears that Windows Mobile devices can't share info without subscribing to a complex Exchange service or shared Internet calendar.  For many consumers, including my spouse, these exchange services are usually expensive, complex, and a overkill of what is needed for occasional use.

Wouldn't it be great if Blackberrys,  Windows Mobile, Palm, SideKick, iPhone, and the Google Android devices could share information seamlessly without needing to be in the same room?

Let me point out a couple of typical scenarios:

Scenario #1
- I plan meet with a friend later in the day, and would like to give him my updated contact info without having to resort to my PC or having him to re-enter my details.  Solution: I email him my contact card from my handheld device.

- Scenario #2:
I have a new upcoming business trip planned, and need to inform my spouse to jot it down in her calendar.  Solution: Email my calendar event.

We should be able to do both of the above scenarios without having to resort to our desk/laptops, or Bluetooth / infrared beaming or the re-entering of information.

There are many other possibilities of what could be sent / shared between devices. 

Hope the wireless industry is listening for this need to share data easily.  If we can send emails, documents and photos, we should be able to send memo, calendar and contact items.

To help others be able to send items between lap/desktops and wireless devices now, a few tips are listed below

- Palm Treos can send contacts and calendar items to other Palm Treos directly.  By selecting the item: select menu, send item by email.  The receiving Palm Treo can just open the email and click on the attachments.

- Memos can be sent by opening to specific memo, select menu and select 'Send Memo'.

- Palm Treos can't send to Windows Mobile devices directly. 

However, there are a couple of work arounds.

1) Send to the recipients email box and have them open the attachment with MS Outlook on their computer and synch with their device. 

2) Alternative, is to use their Windows Mobile Treo to open the emailed attachment in their main email box.  Note that it seems this can't be done thru MS Hotmail, but will work for other providers such as Comcast email.  You will have to experiment by trial and error to see what does/does not work.

- Oddly enough, Windows Mobile 6.1 doesn't seem to be able support the ability to send calendar, memo or contact items. You can send items from desk/laptops to other desk/laptops and Windows mobile devices by selecting the record and send to the recipient email/device.  Again, trial and error is needed. Again, the whole point of this article is to encourage wireless providers and makers to offer easy ways of data exchange between devices for consumers.

Weak Points of the Apple iPhone

Over the past few weeks I have been seriously considered getting an iPhone to replace my existing Palm Treo. As it turns out, I found a few weaknesses with the iPhone. For some, these concerns may not be an issue. However, I believe over time, Apple and 3rd party developers may improve on these concerns.

The following weaknesses were identified by playing with the device in Apple stores and by research on the web.

The 4 areas that the iPhone needs improvements are:
- (1) No cut and paste capability between applications or emails
- (2) No two-way synch of Memo Notes or To-Do lists with Microsoft Office
- (3) No slot for external memory cards for increased or portable storage
- (4) Lastly, while the touch screen keyboard is intuitive, I found it somewhat difficult to use. It would be helpful if the keys on the screen were larger, offered in landscape mode, or have an optional slide out keyboard. If you plan to email, write, or text a lot with the device - then I highly recommend trying the touch screen keyboard in a store or on a friends / co-workers iPhone to see if it suits your typing styles.

While the iPhones applications are eye appealing, colorful and fun to play with, the short comings identified above may be some of the deciding points for me not to pick the device for my Treo replacement. For some, the iPhone may be perfect, while for others, it may lack the needed advanced features for "power users".