'Videofone' for home use; 3g Vs 2.5g explanation, Mega's Conquer Your Computer book and gadgets

i2i Videofone
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This neat little phone comes out of the box and plugs directly into the normal phone jack at home, and a powerpoint. It has a nice sized colour screen (3.5") and is as affordable as these things have been in a while ($1,498 for a pair and $798 for one). It is also made to worldwide standards, designed so that you can send a phone to an overseas relative for use on their network.

The hands-free capability is vital when you're doing video-calls, and it works well if you sit close and it even has video out so you can connect it to a TV for a larger image, although it gets a bit grainy.

And for those worried about privacy, there's no need.. you don't enter a video call unless you press the Video button when requested by the other party or vice versa.

You can even use it to remotely monitor the room the phone is placed in and you can plug your video into it to play footage to the other user's screen.

RRP $1,498 for a pair or $798 for one.

Available exclusively at Fone Zone www.fonezone.com.au

Understanding new phone technology
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We have all been seeing advertisements for three of the main telephone networks and it has become quite confusing to tell the differences. The networks are '3' by Hutchison, 'Loop' by Telstra and Vodafone 'Live'. The handsets they offer are very interesting in themselves - with many different functionality between them.

* Hutchison '3' - this is the phone with the in-call live video
* Telstra Loop - the samsung rainbow phone
* Vodafone Live - this is the phone with the camera (think: david beckham)

To illustrate the differences, it is best to explain the main differences between the 'third generation' telecommunications network (3g) and 2.5g (the step between 2g and 3g).

The main two points of difference that the 3g network has over others is it's speed in downloading information such as news, sports results, ringtones, movie trailers, etc.. and the ability to conduct in-call video. You can record and watch video on some of the 2.5g phones, but cannot actually conduct an in-call face to face video discussion.

Unlike 2G (GSM) systems, 2.5G (GPRS) and 3G systems feature packet-switched technology. Packet-switching means that dedicated circuits do not need to be established between communicating devices, and network resources are used only when actual data is transmitted. This means "always-on" connectivity for subscribers and faster access to information.

With regards to speed - think of your normal home modem which runs at a speed of about 56k if you're lucky, but probably more like 33k. The Vodafone and Optus networks run at about the same speed. The Telstra Loop network has an extra technology boost that is called 1x and runs at about four times faster than GPRS. The 3g network runs at almost broadband speed, but not at all times. I found it could be extremely frustrating - slow when it didn't suit me and fast when it didn't matter, but that was just one person's useage.

How about the different prices for different features:

- Voice calls per 30 seconds range between 15 and 40 cents
- SMS: between 15 and 25 cents
- Picture messaging: between 25 cents and 75 cents

Email and Modem fees are where it gets interesting... because most of the carriers have decided to charge a session fee then a per kb fee, which is extremely hard to gauge when using the phones. It is interesting to note here, that, unlike WAP, access to the Internet is restricted to a 'walled garden' xon the 3 network.

Prices for phones..:

* '3' - NEC 808n $786 (2 for the price of 1 until end July) or $32 p/mth on a 24mth plan
* Telstra Loop - Samsung Rainbow A561 $979 or $100 a month on a 24mth plan with $100 calls
* Vodafone GX10i: $999 or $60 a month on a 24mth plan, no cost for phone and $60 calls until Sept 03

More info at:

* Hutchison '3'
* Telstra
* Vodafone Live

CONQUER YOUR COMPUTER - Mega's new book!
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Very exciting!! It's the book everyone's been asking me for over the last 6 years. You'll learn how to dramatically narrow down your Internet searching, customise your favourite programs, attach photos to email, create visual charts in Excel, stop Spam and ward off viruses and much much more. There are over 130 tips in around 150 pages, and it is the book that will stop everyone frowning when sitting at the computer!

RRP : $19.95 out in retail stores August 6 - so go into your local bookstore and ask for it (ISBN: 1740660846), but you can find out more and view the entire Table of Contents on this site.