How to Find Network Equipment Deals

Are you looking to buy or sell networking or PBX phone equipment? How about finding a network engineer or phone system installer? There's a new service online that specializes in making this fast and easy.

What I'm talking about is the T1 VAR Network. In case you aren't familiar with the term VAR, it means Value Added Reseller. People who sell business phone systems are VARs. Their value added comes from evaluating a company's needs, ordering the appropriate equipment from the manufacturer, installing everything including running all the wires, and getting the system to work properly.

Other VARs specialize in computer networks. They'll provide the routers, switches, copper and fiber cabling, and the programming needed to make the network operational. Some VARs will also include the WAN or Wide Area Network connections that interconnect business locations, or provide broadband connections to the Internet.

These are all tasks you could take on yourself as a business owner. But unless you have substantial experience in-house, it can make more sense to outsource telephone or networking support to specialized professionals.

The T1 VAR Network serves both buyers and sellers, but it's not an auction-based site like Ebay. It's more of a meeting place specializing in telecommunications products and services. Say you are looking to buy a gateway router. You go to the network equipment quotes section and click on the "begin request" link. Then you can select or or more brands that interest you, including big names like Foundry, Juniper, Cisco, Motorola or others from the current list of 13 suppliers. You then have the option to have up to 5 VARs in your area contact you by telephone or email. Or not at all if you simply want to window shop.

You use a similar process to shop for IP PBX telephone equipment quotes, although there are over 50 manufacturers listed in this category. That should give you plenty of food for thought.

Not exactly sure what you need? No problem. That's what free consulting services are all about. The VARs and dedicated telecommunications consultants can help you evaluate network equipment, high speed Internet service, phone system hardware, standard telephone service, VoIP equipment and VoIP services.

So what if you happen to be in the telephone or networking business? This VAR Network works for both buyers and sellers. If you are a certified equipment dealer or systems integrator, you join the program for free. You'll create a profile that describes what lines of equipment you offer, what services provide, and what geographical area you cover. After passing a short interview, you are entered into the database and you'll start getting leads from those buyers who are looking for just what you have to offer. What's all this going to cost you? You'll pay the VARNetwork a small commission based on business you actually sell to the leads you get from the system. If you don't make a sale, you pay nothing for the lead. Seems hard to beat.

Here's another aspect of the T1 VAR Network that can enhance your business. Many business phone system and networking consultants do not provide the external telephone lines or WAN connections, such as T1 lines. Instead, they leave this to the customer or refer business to the local phone company. Since the T1 VAR Network also represents over a dozen competitive line service carriers, VARs can submit their customer's line service needs to the network and get competitive quotes. The end customer usually gets a better rate on their T1 or DS3 lines and the VAR gets a cut of the ongoing monthly service fee as a residual commission.

BlackBerry Summer Time Special Bonus

OK. Everybody sing: "Summertime, summertime, BlackBerry summertime..."

So what do summer and BlackBerries have in common? Oh, just a special bonus offer available for a limited time (now expired) when you order your BlackBerry mobile device through our online cellular store. You'll have to hurry, though . When summer goes, so goes this offer. Maybe even sooner.

Now, here's what you get. It's a gift certificate with your BlackBerry phone shipment that contains instructions and a coupon code to redeem for one of two bonus gifts. You get to choose. You can have either an XM RoadyXT Satellite Receiver or BlackBerry accessory pack.

The XM Roady receiver includes everything you need to do an easy 10 minute self-installation of the Roady in your car. The receiver is free, but you'll need to order XM Radio service and activation yourself. That's not included. But still...it's a FREE Satellite radio receiver for your vehicle!

What are the hottest cell phone deals available right now, including free cell phones? Use the Cell Phone Plan Finder to check out the top phones and associated wireless service plans.

Katana Gives Sanyo the Cutting Edge

Katana is the legendary Samurai Sword of Japan's feudal knights. It was the "cutting edge" of technology in the Middle Ages. Today's Katana is the moniker of a new line of cell phones, intended to be the cutting edge where cell phone technology meets fashion.

The new Sanyo Katana line of phones is based on a thin, sculpted package that challenges the ground breaking slim profile of the Motorola RAZR phones. The ultraslim Katana measures 0.58 inches viewed edgewise. Other dimensions are 3.88 in. x 2.02 in. All in all, the Katana isn't too much larger than a standard business card.

Within this compact package, the Sanyo Katana includes a very large 2.2 inch QVGA TFT LCD main display that is capable of rendering over 65,000 colors. A smaller 1 inch version of this display is mounted on the outside cover of the phone to show important information such as signal strength and battery life.

You'll enjoy having such a large brilliant main display for viewing the pictures you take with the built-in VGA quality digital camera. It includes flash and digital zoom to make your picture-taking more versatile. There are dedicated internal and external camera shutter keys. You can shared those great snapshots with Sprint PictureMail multimedia messaging. SMS text messaging is also supported.

Internet access is made possible by an included WAP 2.0 Web browser and an email client.

Hands free operation is popular and the Katana cell phone line gives you the latest features. Bluetooth communications is included so that you can clip a compact wireless headset on your ear and slip your phone back in your pocket or bag. You also have the option to turn on the built-in speakerphone and converse like you would on an office phone. Voice activated dialing requires no phone pre-training, an advanced voice recognition technology.

Other handy features include voice memos. You can record up to 12 lasting different messages. A message can be up to 18 seconds long. You also get 16 pre-loaded ringtones and the ability to download more. You can further customize your Katana with downloadable graphics. The generous phone book stores up to 500 contacts with 7 entries per contact, including Web and Email addresses.

How about the quality of Sanyo phones? You should know that Sanyo has been rated "highest in customer satisfaction with wireless mobile phones" for the 3rd year in a row by J.D Power and Associates, the respected customer satisfaction research company. Factors studied included physical design, operation, features, handset durability and battery function. So if someone tries to offer you an inferior cell phone, just Sanyo!

What are the hottest cell phone deals available right now, including free cell phones? Use the Cell Phone Plan Finder to check out the top phones and associated wireless service plans.

Lease a T1 Line For a Song

You might think that leasing a T1 line for a song means that T1 line prices have plunged to the point where it takes very little money to get professional grade bandwidth. You'd be right. You can lease a full T1 voice or data line in a major metropolitan area in the $300 to $400 range. In other locales or where there is less infrastructure or fewer competitive providers, the lease prices will be higher. But everywhere, T1 leases are cheaper than they ever have been.

You can also lease a T1 line for a song... literally. Radio stations are now using T1 data lines as digital studio to transmitter links. The traditional STL uses an analog or digital microwave transmitter to carry the audio from the station's studios to the transmitter site located 10 to 30 miles away. Sometimes an equalized pair of analog phone lines do the same job when the studio and transmitter are both downtown. But audio standards are improving and digital is the way to go. Especially when the music originates on CD, perhaps stored on a hard drive, and stays in the digital domain through the mixing board. With HD radio emerging as the digital alternative to standard AM and FM broadcasting, it only make sense to keep everything in the digital domain until it emerges as analog sound pressure waves at the receiver's speaker cone.

So why lease a T1 line as a studio - transmitter link? A point to point dedicated T1 line set up to be exclusive for your use only. You have a steady 1.5 Mbps in each direction. That's 1.5 Mbps to the transmitter and another 1.5 Mbps from the transmitter back to the studio for off-air audio, transmitter readings, or satellite feed. A full stereo audio stream can be carried from studio to transmitter without compression using the Harris Intraplex STL Plus system. Compression can be used as appropriate to squeeze multiple channels on one T1 line.

Unlike consumer grade DSL and Cable Internet services, a dedicated T1 line comes with a SLA or Service Level Agreement to assure a highly reliable circuit, critical for broadcasting and other commercial applications. The timing is so accurate that T1 lines can be used to synchronize multiple transmitters to create an enormous coverage area on a single FM channel.

T1 lines are provisioned on two pair of standard copper phone line or as a DS1 channel on a fiber optic DS3 service where available. You can get T1 lines installed just about anywhere you can get a standard telephone line, including out in the boonies where many transmitter sites are located. Being a wireline service, there is no need for line of site between studio and transmitter. There's also no need to coordinate microwave frequencies or apply for a STL transmitter FCC license. That can save time and aggravation, assuming that open frequencies are even available in your area.

If you are interested in multiple competitive quotes for T1 lines to serve as studio to transmitter links for your radio stations, or simply want to get a T1 lease for a song for your other business applications, visit T1 Rex for complementary quotes and consultations.

BlackBerry 7130c Offers High Speed on Cingular Wireless

The stylish BlackBerry 7130c is a high performance wireless device that gives you email, Web browsing, text messaging, and organization along with a quad-band GSM world phone. This model of the famous BlackBerry accesses data on Cingular's GPRS and EDGE networks, giving near broadband speeds to your data transfers.

One of the design features that gives the 7130c it's sleek and easy to hold form factor is the use of SureType technology to reduce the number of keys needed for QWERTY data entry. The 12 keys used for telephone dialing double as letter keys, with most keys hosting two letters. Combined with other dual letter keys, you have the complete QWERTY keyset in maybe half the space needed for a full typewriter style keyboard. The alternative would be to have many more very tiny keys that would be much harder to press without hitting adjacent keys. SureType facilitates easy message composition by including a 30,000 word list with intuitive software that can guess what you want to say and make sure your spelling is correct. The larger keys combined with the predictive text technology lets you type accurately with either two handed thumb entry or single handed operation.

For corporate workers, the 7130c works with BlackBerry Enterprise Solution for advanced security, single mailbox integration, remote address book lookup and other enterprise level features. These are especially important in sales force and field service automation.

Included software gives you the ability to send and view email with Microsoft Office attachments. The full HTML Internet Web browser gives you Web access beyond the usual WAP enable browsing. SMS and MMS messaging is supported. The software package also includes integrated address book, calendar, memo pad and task list.

The display screen on the BlackBerry 7130c has an ultra bright backlight mode for those sunny days and light sensing to optimize screen lighting for any outdoor or indoor setting. The LCD screen itself is 240 x 260 and supports over 65,000 colors. Navigation is quick using the side mounted thumbwheel, along with front and side user definable convenience keys. A separate LED indicator notifies you when new data has arrived.

In addition to high speed data transfers, the BlackBerry 7130c is designed to be a full-function cell phone with such niceties as vibrate mode, polyphonic and MP3 ring tones, speakerphone, and Bluetooth v2.0 for wireless headsets and car kits.

The basic processing platform in an Intel PXA901 processor running at 312 MHz, supported by 16 MB of SRAM and 64 MB of flash memory. The whole package is just 4.2 x 2.2 x 0.8 inches and weighs in at a mere 4.2 ounces. Battery life is excellent, rated at up to 4 hours talk time and up to 18 days on standby.

What are the hottest cell phone deals available right now, including free cell phones? Use the Cell Phone Plan Finder to check out the top phones and associated wireless service plans.

Motorola i580 Rugged High Tech Phone

The Motorola i580 doesn't compromise between high tech and rugged. This tough cell phone designed for Nextel wireless service offers Bluetooth communications, huge color display, Megapixel camera and voice activated dialing in a phone that's at home in challenging situations. Are you sure this isn't really a RAZR in disguise? No way would a razor phone get caught in places the i580 goes. No way a razor phone would survive the way the i580 does with ease.

We can talk tough with confidence because the Motorola i580 isn't just a tough looking phone. It's built to the demanding Military 810F standard for dust, shock, vibration, salt fog, humidity and blowing rain. Try blowing rain on any other cell phone and see how long it keeps working. The i580 is quite happy to let you take it to the job site or out backpacking.

Before the Motorola i580 you had to decide between a tough phone that would take the abuse and the high tech features you really wanted. No more. Take Bluetooth for instance. There are many times when it is inconvenient or unsafe to be holding a cell phone. With Bluetooth, you clip one of those small wireless headsets on your ear and clip the phone back on your belt or put it in your pocket. Now you've got both hands free. You can even dial hands-free with the advanced voice driven menus of the i580. You also have the option to turn on the built-in speakerphone to carry on hands-free conversations.

High resolution photography is also something that never went hand-in-hand with ruggedness. Now it does. The Motorola i580 features a digital camera with 1.3 Megapixels of resolution. That's a maximum of 1280 x 1024 pixels. It includes an LED flash for lower light situations. This camera can also be put into camcorder mode to capture short video clips up to 10 seconds long. Built-in Memory is 25 MB and is expandable using the SD card format.

The main color display on the Motorola i580 is also way more than you would expect in a rugged phone. This one is 176 x 200 pixels and can display over 262,000 colors. That's the size and resolution you'll find in the avant garde Motorola RAZR V3c and way beyond what most cell phone displays are capable of.

Here's something else special about the Motorola i580. It supports standard cell phone operation and Nextel walkie-talkie style communications. Nextel is the leader in PTT or push-to-talk wireless. You just push a button on your phone and your voice comes out of the phone you are calling. No waiting for the phone to ring. You can even have group walkie-talkie conversations.

A rugged phone like this just begs to be taken out in the wilderness, perhaps into locations where there are no cell phone towers. For these situations, your i580 will work in what's called Direct Talk Off-Network service. That means it will work as a walkie-talkie directly with similarly enabled phones, without needing cell phone service. The phones directly communicate like two-way radio handsets.

Is the Motorola i580 a work phone, an outdoors phone, a business phone, or an everyday phone? Yes, it is. It's got the the multiple capabilities you want and need available in one phone.

If you are in the market for a new cell phone, check out the complete selection and today's specials at Cell Phone Plans Finder.

We Don't Need No Stinking PBX

Once a business grows beyond a few telephone lines, the common practice is to install a PBX or Private Branch Exchange system. The PBX is small single-purpose computer that manages interconnecting phones in-house and connecting them to outside lines as needed. The big cost savings of a PBX system is based on not having to pay per minute for any calls that stay within the company, even between remote locations, and making the most efficient use of expensive outside lines on a shared basis. Well, that's the sales pitch anyway.

PBX systems are an endangered species for larger companies and make no sense at all for smaller and virtual companies. Why? It's the cost thing. The same cost savings pitch that created the demand for PBX systems is now their undoing. Take in-house phone line switching for instance. It's based on having dedicated telephone wiring from the PBX system to each telephone. But what if you get rid of the phone wiring?

No phone wiring? How can that be?

The new cost savings paradigm comes from having a single set of network wiring that serves both computers and telephones. In fact, the same network that already serves the computers can also be connected to the telephones. One network, perhaps with some upgrades, one set of wires. This is the VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol approach to telephony.

Another cost savings comes from having one set of technical support people handling both the phones and computers. PBX systems need their own specialized team. Each time a phone is moved, the PBX system needs to be reprogrammed because it associates telephones with the lines they are plugged into. VoIP phones are network equipment like computers. They have their own identifying addresses that are recognized regardless of where they are plugged-in on the network.

Yet another cost savings comes from what is called "toll bypass." Instead of paying a toll to use the phone company's network for long distance calls, you use your own network or a third party network that may be cheaper. Calls that leave your network may be connected to the phone company at more advantageous rates near the outside location.

To manage phone services on an enterprise network, you'll need some specialized equipment that takes the place of the PBX system. These controllers go by various names including IP PBX or Soft Switch. In addition to the switching equipment, you'll need telephones that connect directly to your network. To see whether this approach is cost effective for your company, you'll want to get competitive quotes for PBX vs Enterprise VoIP.

Another approach is the "virtual office" system which gives you the flexibility of a PBX style phone system without the headaches of having to manage an in-house phone system. With a virtual office, the switching equipment and connection to outside phone lines is handled by a service company such as Packet8. All you need are the specialized phones and network adaptors for each location and a broadband Internet connection.

The real beauty of the virtual office comes with the "virtual" part. Your office can be 3 or 30 people at 3 or 30 different locations. The network doesn't care where the phones are physically located. Only their unique addresses and that they can communicate over the Internet. Members of the virtual office can be sitting cheek to jowl or they can be scattered around the country or even around the world. Regardless, you can easily forward, park or conference calls, access voice mail, and even have one person act as a switchboard operator if you wish. People calling your virtual company think they are connecting to a big office location with a sophisticated PBX system. No need to burst their bubble. Only you need to realize that you wouldn't know a PBX if it came up and bit you in the wallet.

Motorola RAZR V3m Silver Music Phone

Verizon's silver bullet to the Cingular ROKR and Sprint FUSIC music phones is the silver RAZR, model V3m. The "m", as you might guess, is music or multimedia, depending on your preferred use for this "Razor" phone.

So why does Verizon need a silver bullet? Probably not to go up against the cell phones with bundled MP3 players. In fact, the RAZR V3m isn't really designed as a stand-alone MP3 player. The real target is the Apple iTunes empire, with over a billion iTunes already downloaded. Most of these downloads are installed in the proprietary Apple iPod or stored in the iTunes players on personal computers. The Motorola ROKR broke the ice in making cell phones into targets for iTunes downloads as well.

Verizon can hardly let the iTunes phenomena go unchallenged, when it starts to encroach on the growing VCAST multimedia system by moving into the cellular world. VCAST is best known for providing streaming video on demand, including music and other entertainment shows. But there is no reason that the high speed cellular network built for VCAST can't also support downloading individual songs for storage and playback on cell phones. What's been needed is the creation of a VCAST music store and a cell phone equipped with the technology to be a music player.

Voila! Met the Motorola RAZR V3m Silver. The big difference between this version of the RAZR and previous models is the addition of the VCAST Music Player. The V3m "razor" phone one-ups the "rocker" technology in that you can purchase, download and enjoy your selected tunes right from your cell phone. Subscribing to VCAST now gives you access to the VCAST music catalog where you can select and order your music downloads. The RAZR V3m plays your music on stereo headphones or through the built-in (monophonic) speakerphone. Memory can be expanded up to 1 GB using plug-in memory cards, far exceeding the music storage capability of the ROKR.

The Motorola RAZR is arguably the most popular cell phone design in recent memory. Since its inception, it has sold like the proverbial hotcakes for all the major carriers. By incorporating the VCAST music player in the V3m, Verizon is assured of creating a huge installed base of players that seamlessly integrate with the VCAST Music Store. The "m" in V3m may really be intended to stand for "money", as the VCAST song downloads start to compete with iTunes.

This RAZR is a next-step improvement on earlier models, like the V3 and V3c. It has the same aircraft-grade aluminum shell that gives all razors the 1/2 inch thin profile. It also has the large high resolution color display, precision crafted feather-touch keyboard and Bluetooth wireless headphone support. The digital camera is the higher resolution 1.3 megapixel model that was upgraded with the V3c. The case is distinguished by a satiny charcoal color anodized steel gray finish.

What are the hottest cell phone deals available right now, including free cell phones? Use the Cell Phone Plan Finder to check out the top phones and associated wireless service plans.