Having the ability to call (as in voice call) landline or mobile phones through your PC or Mac is a must-have thing if your only phone is your cell phone. People become very irritated when they have to call somewhere with a cell phone only to go on hold for 10 minutes which does nothing but drain battery life and waste time; having a PC-to-phone way of making...

This is a follow-up to this article. Yesterday I talked about traditional wristwatches, but today I’m going to cover those which are actual phones. It has been proven that people do prefer handsets over wristwatches when it comes to wireless phones, and that is not in dispute. This is due to two reasons. First, people feel stupid talking to their wrist...

Not-so many moons ago in the mid-1990′s, overlay area codes were introduced into the US phone system. Prior to that there was no area code in the United States where the middle digit wasn’t a 0 or a 1. Whenever you see a middle-0 or middle-1 area code these days, those are carryovers from Ye Olde Bell System. US phone numbers are laid out as area...

There are many people out there that do not have land-line phone service and opt to use their cell as their only phone. The only real drawback with this is that you don’t get the convenience of being able to have multiple handsets in the house. But can you use a house telephone on a cell network, similar to the way Vonage allows you to use any house phone...

Every year or so you hear about some internet messaging technology that will "replace email," but obviously doesn’t and gets swept under the rug as fast as it came on the scene. This is because there is nothing out there can match the rock-solid decentralized nature of how email works. There is one thing however that would, and that’s text...

Earlier this year in May, Verizon requested New York regulators to stop delivering residential White Pages books to all customers of New York. Whether NY’s regulators approved this request or not is indeterminate at this point, but chances are it will get the go-ahead. In that same article, AT&T has already received approval to stop delivering...

In the United States, unfortunately it is the case where most people are only aware of three wireless carriers, that being Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. Why? Advertising, of course. The big wireless companies obviously have deep pockets for gobs and gobs of advertising everywhere. Television, magazines, billboards, etc. Regional wireless carriers are a sound...

Unless you’re a phone tech (and I know there are more than a few of those who read PCMech), you know what touch-tone dialing is, but don’t know what DTMF is. DTMF is dual-tone multi-frequency. It is what replaced pulse dialing as the standard for how telephone calls are placed, and is what allows touch-tone dialing to work. Each time you press a key...

Several years ago I remember the transition from analog to digital cell phones. For those that remember those old beasty analog sets, they were commonly known as "bag phones" because they were literally in a black vinyl bag (or ritzy leather if you had the money). Owners of these bag phones would typically place them below a car’s center console...

A few questions many have asked are, "If Big Telecom is so.. well.. big.. why is it I can’t get perfect reception everywhere with my wireless phone? Can’t they afford putting up towers where need be?" Yes, Big Telecom can afford it, and rather easily. Why don’t they do it? The answer is something most people don’t give a second...

For those of you who send emails as text messages to cell phones, you’re well aware that you have to a) send in plain text only and b) count your characters to make sure you don’t trip the 140-character limit. Setting email to send in plain text in easy. In popular email providers such as Yahoo! Mail there is an option right at the top to change from...

Texas Legislature House Bill 55 gives its cities and counties the choice (keyword there) of whether or not to ban cell phone usage in designated school zones. In order for this to be enforced, signs must be posted. In addition, to be fined (which is $200 per infraction), the cell phone must be to your ear and your vehicle must be in motion. This means...

Credit, love it or hate it, is something that’s necessary for many people to buy things. And I’m sure there are more than a few of you out there who have applied for credit online and been denied faster than you can say, "Hey! My credit rating is good! What gives?" What gives is that you’ve been dealt the cold shoulder of a computer...

The typical tech people put into cars are music players, DVD decks, PNDs (personal navigation devices) and smartphones. And the most annoying thing is how to mount it. You have seven basic options for mounting tech in a car:Proprietary in-dash Semi-proprietary in-dash In-mirror Gooseneck/Bracket Suction mount to adhesive plate Suction mount to glass...

It’s an ever-increasing mobile world, and with it comes all the tech stuff we need to get things done. Being mobile means your tech will run off a battery or two. However there are certain items when you should care and other times when you don’t have to. Point-And-Shoot Digital Cameras Should you care? Yes. I won’t buy a point-and-shoot...

Some choose to text on a wireless phone for fiscal reasons. It used to be that texting cost more than speaking, but these days it’s the other way around (especially with prepaid wireless phones). Some choose to text because it’s faster. If you receive a text message asking, “Meet up for coffee at noon at D.D.?”, it is quicker to reply...

Chances are your phone is set up to not accept calls that do not have caller ID. But every so often you get a call from a number from an area code you’ve never seen before. Of course, you don’t answer it, but you’re left wondering, "Who was that?" Most of the time it’s a marketing call, but it is important to find out who called...

Wireless phone chargers come in all shapes and sizes. And that’s annoying. What works for one phone probably won’t work for the other. Granted, there are many phones that can be charged via USB – but – some require "special" mini-USB chargers to be used (Motorola springs to mind) so the universal nature of USB is out the window...

Right now a lot of people are tightening belts concerning money and one way to save cash is by using a pre-paid cell phone instead of post-paid. Here are some tips to maximize minutes and minimize hassle. 1. Check voicemail from another number On many pre-paid phones it chews up minutes checking your voicemail. Solution: Check it from another line. Call your...

Dave (owner of PCMech) has a ritzy/glitzy/sexy/super-cool Apple iPhone. And he really likes it. Furthermore he uses it a lot so he’s getting his money’s worth. He uses apps, he texts, he talks on it (obviously), uses Twitter on it, browses the web, etc. I on the other hand am very anti-cell phone. The only reason I own one is to have some means of...