While working on a client site, I had the rare opportunity to familiarize myself with the use of VoIP phones; what they are and how they work. Much to my amazement, they are pretty simple devices that require some knowledge of the Internet in general to get them working. These devices are not for the faint of heart.

I started out trying Vonage. Vonage was a decent system, but at $24.99 a month they have almost priced themselves out of the phone market.  The Vonage service was easy to use, simple voicemail, and the ability to email .wav files of your voice mails to you, but it has no teleconferencing ability.

Then I decided to try Skype. It costs about $30.00 a year, which is very affordable. At first it seemed to work well using it on the computer. After buying Skype’s hardware device, it seemed to really throw off the system and all of a sudden I was dropping calls, echo sounding, and clients complained that it sounded like I was talking in an aquarium. Skype’s ability to teleconference was pretty seamless and easy to use through the computer, but through the hardware device the handset never could recognize the key commands or work efficiently. This was a major downside to the product and service.

Vocalocity costs about $39.99 a month, plus buying their phone that costs around $199.00.  Well all I can say is “if you have the money to throw away, then this is the system you want”. The system is really efficient, easy to use, with 24×7 support and great teleconferencing abilities built in. To me, it’s a bit pricier than I wanted to pay.

Finally there is Ooma, Ooma is a device that you plug-in to your current high speed Internet connection and instantly get phone service for free. The device at the time I purchased it was a $399.00 one-time fee, which covered the device and unlimited calling in the United States. The major plus side of this device was that Ooma’s system controlled the throttling of bandwidth allocated to the unit. For example, if you’re on the phone and everyone in your office or family is downloading YouTube videos, Ooma automatically recognizes the telephone is priority over other Internet usages. Another feature that Ooma offers is the ability to be notified via SMS or email sent to you directly when a new voicemail arrives. I really love this feature because I’m always on the move or out and about and I never miss a call. There is only one down side to Ooma, there are no real teleconferencing abilities.

After comparing all the devices for quality, ease of use, and reasonable expense, Ooma wins hands down. Especially with no monthly service fee required to make phone calls. 

When it comes to teleconferencing, there are always great services to use such as freeconference.com that really take the work out of needing a device that does teleconferencing at all.

Every Tuesday, they write a Risk Management Watch article that is very informative. When A.E. Feldman blogs, it’s worth reading because they sure do know what they’re talking about.  If you get a chance, head over to their blog and see for yourself.

A lot of executive recruiting firms like to call themselves “headhunters“, which is the term used for recruiters.  It seems as if a lot of executive recruiters are placing more of their efforts in to Search Engine Marketing space.  A.E. Feldman has the most knowledgeable staff I have ever seen when it comes to marketing, social media, and executive placement. They know what they are doing.

If you are an executive professional looking for a job or a company looking for a recruiting firm, I suggest you give A.E. Feldman a look. You won’t be disappointed.  Be sure to check out their Executive Recruiting Firm Blog as well. They provide a lot of great tips.

Apple likes to call it “Exchange for the rest of us”.  I call it plain cool.

Mobile me appears to be launching July 9th from 6 p.m until 12 a.m. PT,  Apple has just updated the .Mac status page with that date/time for the .Mac to MobileMe switch. So, for those of you wondering when Apple might start the switch, you will not have to wonder any longer.Apple says that during the switch, users will be unable to access www.mac.com or any .Mac services, with the exception of .Mac Mail accessed via a desktop application.

Apple also says it hopes to have mobile me available as soon possible during the maintenance times, lets all hope so.

For those of you looking to purchase a mobile me subscription, look to amazon.com they are offering mobile me for $89.99 a whole $10.00 cheaper then Apple.

I’ll try to stay on top of this launch but with all the excitement I might forget.

BrightKite allows you to connect with your friends locally or around the world.  BrightKite is quite simple to use. First you need an invite. If you’d like one, comment on this post and I’ll send you an invite. Once you get an account on BrightKite, there are some instructions to follow on how to set up your phone. That’s when the fun begins!

BrightKite integrates with Twitter. So everytime you check-in at a location or post an image, it will reflect on Twitter. People that follow you on Twitter, whether family or friends, will know exactly where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing from the pictures you submitted. I recommend getting an invite and trying the service out for yourself. Especially if you’re in the Social Media space.

My BrightKite Profile

After I downloaded and installed Blogo, I immediately emailed my freind Ed Shull who seemed to be having problems with the application, although I’m unsure what errors he is having.

I did read a blog post Ed has posted about the errors and did make a reply about the more tag / excerpt issue.

Over all for quick daily blog post I find this a really nice application to work with, it will even update my twitter, sorry PC (L)users its a Mac only application.

This post was completely posted with Blogo.

On the web. On your desktop. On your phone. Everything you put into Evernote is always synchronized across all of your devices. That way, all your memories are available to you wherever you are.

If your curious on what it is go over the the website and watch the screen cast. I have been using it now for a few weeks and have found it to be extremely useful in day to day use, and since I work from home it has its place in the business environment too!

If you interested in evernote, post a comment or drop me hit me up on twitter or pownce and ill send you an invite.

I enjoy cooking gourmet meals. I have a few really good recipes I like to make, and I usually try them out on our friends Brett & Paula.

One of my signature dishes is Ahi Tuna in Soy Ginger Butter with drizzled Wasabi, and if you clicked on the link you will see it, I guarantee you it tastes just as scrumptious as it looks!

Everyone enjoyed the meal and left craving more.

Im not one to jump on the software band wagon but I do believe this is the best way to read RSS. I use my RSS reader religiously but oftentimes suffer from information overload, Times presents your feeds in an attractive, digestible and, more importantly, customizable newspaper-like format.

At first I ran into a few issues on configuring Times but after that, I was able to get my feed setup they way I wanted.  the shear beauty of time is that it has a shelf, which allows you to save and sort articles for your next coffee break. Just click and drag to your Shelf to read later.  If you have been following my twitters I have decided to give up caffeinated coffee.

I can say that while Times is awesome, it has not replaced my copy of NetNewsWire just yet, because I read many useless feeds, but one day hopefully, I can get rid of of my multiple RSS reader applications and standardize on one, Just Times.

I recommend trying Times out, you never know it might just hook you like it did me.

I highly recommend seeing this film, even if you not a big Iron Man Buff. Robert Downy Jr was so perfect for this role as Michael Keaton was to Batman.

Im not going to post any spoilers, you have to see the movie for yourself, Im debating on going and seeing it again tonight!

Next thing you know Steve Ballmer will be using an iPhone