BlackBerry 8830 is World Class

It's a CDMA phone. No, it's a GSM phone. No, wait. It's both.

What Verizon Wireless has done is actually a clever piece of engineering. They've come up with a BlackBerry wireless device that works on their impressive domestic network, yet can be used around the world. What makes that difficult is that Verizon Wireless uses the CDMA or Code Division Multiple Access cellular network in the United States. They have excellent coverage and speedy EV-DO cellular broadband in their wireless footprint. But the rest of the world doesn't use CDMA. It uses GSM.

Up till now this has been a show stopper for Verizon roaming. Leave the USA and your phone won't work. Until now, that is. Verizon has come up with the only logical solution for this dilemma. Build a device that has both GSM and CDMA capability. It's two radios in one unit. The CDMA portion accesses the 800 and 1900 MHz bands within the USA. The GSM portion access the 900 and 1800 MHz bands outside the USA. When on the CDMA network, you also have access to EV-DO cellular broadband at an average download speed of 700 Kbps or 1xRTT at up to 130 Kbps where EV-DO is not deployed. Overseas, you have access to GPRS broadband at up to 80 Kbps on the GSM networks. This gives you both voice and data access no matter where you go.

The result is the BlackBerry "World Phone" that works in over 150 countries. Corporate users addicted to their BlackBerries can seamlessly cross international borders and not have to worry that their mobile technology is going to suddenly go dark. But, there is lots more to like in this new BlackBerry 8830 World Edition.

In addition to its stylish good looks, the BlackBerry 8830 features a full backlit QWERTY keypad with SureType predictive text entry. The 320 x 240 pixel color display automatically adjusts to ambient light conditions to extend battery life. Synchronization of your address book, calendar and email with your PC is a snap. The "push" real-time email will integrate with up to 10 accounts securely, using POP3, IMAP and SMTP. You can readily open Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files attached to emails. Text messaging, instant messaging and multimedia messaging support is built-in. So is full HTML Web browsing.

Something new is a built-in true GPS locator. This gives you the ability to have turn-by-turn navigation support with VZ Navigator or BlackBerry Maps as add-on features. Streaming multimedia support, including MPEG4 and H.263 video, is included. So is MP3 audio. Hands free operations? Yes. You have Bluetooth wireless headphone capability, a built-in speakerphone and voice activated dialing.

Find a complete collection of BlackBerries and other smart phones for all the major carriers at special deals through Cell Phone Plans Finder now.

Tell Me You're Not PAYING For Equipment Leads

As a solution provider, you're not still paying for equipment leads... are you?

Oh, no. That gets so expensive, and a lot of those leads just fizzle out anyway. Right?

Here's a better idea. Why not get your sales and marketing leads for telephone systems and IT networking equipment on a commission basis. In other words, qualified leads from serious business customers in your area are emailed to you as they come in, at no cost to you. You choose which ones you want to pursue and do your best to make the sale. If and only if you successfully complete the job and are paid by the customer, do you remit a small percentage of the sale back to the agency that provides you with the leads.

That's right. This business model is quite different from any marketing methods you've been using. Other lead sources require you to pay up front for ads or a set of leads, be it a flat fee or on a per lead basis. Online advertising is worse. You pay by the click and a lot of them are just curious individuals, not even actual businesses. With the VAR Network, your leads come to you with no up-front charges. The online database system is targeted to business users with specific current needs, and are screened by service footprint and product line. These are good leads that may be costing you $25 or more now, if you can even get this quality of lead on a regular basis.

Who joins this network? Nearly 2,500 solution providers, including branch office sales people of major telecom equipment partners. Also independent consultants, telephone system installers, and network equipment resellers. The cost to join the network is the same for everyone. Free. You sign up for the VAR Network quickly and easily online. A VAR Network consultant will call you to complete the application and activate your listing within the network. Typically, your information is active in the database within a business day and being matched to warm leads as they come in.

Where do the leads come from? The VAR Network and its independent marketing agents actively pursue potential business customers online, by direct mail, in print advertising, by telephone and in-person. Many requests for equipment and service support come from existing customers who are leasing telecommunication lines through Telarus, which also runs the VAR Network. Because of this relationship, you have immediate access to qualified technical and sales consultants who can provide line services such as T1, PRI, DS3, and Ethernet WAN to your customers. If you refer a line requirement back to the network, you'll share in ongoing monthly commissions if the sale is closed by Telarus. Stop giving away telco line and WAN business to the phone company, when the VAR Network can help you offer a total solution and a share of the income.

The VAR Network is a new and exciting concept in IT and telecom equipment sales leads. It's a business model that is expanding exponentially. Beat your competitors to the punch by augmenting your sales leads with those from the VAR network. Eventually, you may dump all of your paid advertising. This network is that good.

Have a look at the VAR Network and see how it operates. If you like what you see, you'll find the partner sign-up opportunity right there. Or, get more details on how the business opportunity works at the VAR Partner site, designed for resellers only.

Mid-Band Ethernet Offers Fiber Bandwidth Over Copper

Are you saying, "I feel the need. The need for bandwidth"? Or something like that?

Well, don't feel alone. The demand for WAN bandwidth is nearly insatiable. What's driving the need for bigger network pipes leaving the premises is an increase is the volume of data, measured in file sizes and number of transactions. Everything from radiological images and CAD drawings to offsite backups to ecommerce to wireless backhaul is clogging wide area network lines that used to have plenty of capacity.

In most cases, the increase in demand justifies ordering more bandwidth. That's great until you try to place the order. Where there was no problem whatsoever upgrading from ISDN BRI to a T1 line, there can be a BIG problem upgrading to fiber. Less than 15% of business locations are wired for fiber to the premises. The 85% that aren't already connected face potentially enormous charges to trench-in a fiber connection to the nearest metro ring. While monthly lease fees may be within the budget, the unexpected construction expense is likely a show stopper.

An ingenious solution to this dilemma involves leveraging the copper pairs that are already pulled into nearly every structure standing. Multi-pair bundles are the mainstay of traditional analog telephony. They can also be used to bring in T1 service for digital telephony and broadband Internet access. What has been needed is a way to get higher bandwidths over the installed base of copper wiring.

Enter mid-band Ethernet over copper. This service fills the bandwidth gap between T1 at 1.5 Mbps and DS3 over fiber at 45 Mbps. Mid-range bandwidths are often just right for business applications such as real-time video, mid to large company Internet access, and electronic data transfer. Plus this is native Ethernet running over the WAN, rather than a conversion from packet switching to T1 or SONET time division multiplexing. That makes for greater utilization of the potential line capacity and easier network management.

XO Communications, a major competitive telecommunications carrier, is now offering private data networking for metropolitan and intercity services using Ethernet over copper technology from Hatteras Networks. Where available, you can now get 10 Mbps point to point connectivity with a standard 10BaseT interface at each end. That's even if the terminations are on opposite sides of the country. Think of it as a VERY long LAN. XO supplies the equipment and monitors the line 24x7.

The technology from Hatteras Networks is based on the "Ethernet in the First Mile Project", also known at IEEE 802.3ah. The physical layer employs SHDSL (Symmetric High-speed DSL) with a maximum rate of 2.3 Mbps per pair or E-SHDSL, Extended SHDSL, with a maximum rate of 5.7 Mbps per pair. Two pair can conceivably carry the full 10 Mbps Ethernet, although SHDSL bandwidths decrease with distance from the central office. Hatteras equipment can bond up to 8 copper pair for a maximum bandwidth of 45 Mbps, giving 10 Mbps over extended distances.

XO offers mid-band Ethernet in major cities where they have installed the Hatteras equipment in telco COs using existing copper lines. An alternative elsewhere is to bond conventional T1 lines to create 2x ( 3Mbps), 3x (4.5 Mbps), 4x (6 Mbps) and so on. T1 lines are nearly universally available, as they were engineered to run on 2 pair each of conventional copper phone lines.

Is your business pressed for bandwidth? Our product experts are anxious to help you get the most bandwidth for your dollar, using highly competitive services from XO and other competitive carriers. Just call the toll free number or run a instant online quote using our MegaTrunks Mid-Band Ethernet Service.

TalkSwitch Supports both VoIP and Legacy PBX

The decision on whether to go with a traditional analog or digital TDM PBX phone system or the newer VoIP telephone system can be a perplexing business decision. Well, why take a big chance when you can hedge your bets with a TalkSwitch system that supports both types of phone technologies?

This is where TalkSwitch is playing the commercial telephone market smart. Take the hybrid TalkSwitch 244vs, for instance. This desktop PBX system supports 2 incoming phone lines, 4 extensions for analog phone sets, and a wealth of user features including voicemail and music on hold. This low cost system also includes support for 10 remote extensions, which are cell phones, home phones and phones on other systems that can be reached by dialing a 3 digital extension. It's like the remote phones are part of the PBX, even though they do not directly plug into the system.

If that sounds like a traditional PBX system, it is. But the TalkSwitch 244vs also supports 4 VoIP trunks and VoIP extension phones. The VoIP features use your company LAN and WAN rather than dedicated telephone wiring. Whether to use analog or IP phone extensions is your choice. It's largely influenced by what you have already in the way of handsets and wiring.

The type of trunk lines to use is also a personal choice. You can simply plug in analog phone lines from your local phone company to the RJ-11 jacks on the back of the PBX console. Or you can use a VoIP provider with the equivalent of 4 lines called "VoIP trunks." Another popular option is to use T1 Integrated service that combines traditional phone lines and broadband Internet service onto a single T1 line.

The target market for TalkSwitch products is small companies or companies spread over multiple locations, perhaps with remote workers. The PBX unit itself can be held in your hand. Multiple units can be networked to a maximum of 16 traditional phone lines, 16 VoIP trunks, and 64 local plus 40 remote extensions.

Remote workers, often operating from their home offices, connect with the main company PBX by using a VoIP Gateway. A typical gateway is the Mediatrix 2102. The teleworker plugs an analog telephone, FAX machine, and computer or wireless router into the Mediatrix. The user's broadband modem plugs into the WAN port of the gateway. This allows the office PBX system to include the remote worker on the phone system via the Internet as if they were located down the hall rather than across town or across the country.