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Morning Lineup – October 16

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I came across this photo on the web the other day.  Have you ever seen one of these?

This is the country’s first commercially-available mobile phone.  It was available in 1964 and designed to be used in automobiles.  That identifier stamped into the face plate says, BELL SYSTEM  made by GENERAL ELECTRIC (with the GE logo placed between the words).  It would be more properly described as a radio-phone because that is how it worked.

The instrument pictured was mounted under the car’s dashboard, but that is not the complete package.  The guts of the phone was a suitcase-sized box that weighed about 80 lbs. and was bolted into the trunk of the car.  It was filled with vacuum tubes and transformers, etc.  Every call had to be handled personally by one of the phone company operators who would receive the request via the radio transmission, then assemble the phone links to connect the call through.  To say it was cumbersome to use is an understatement.  And the high labor demand just to complete a call in or out made it quite expensive, costing several dollars per call.  The power drain on the car’s electrical system was so great that if you were using it at night time, the headlamps would dim down so low that you could barely see where you were going.

And yet with all those hindrances, they had 1.5 million “mobiles” in service.  But the difficulty and expense of operating them was just too much to make them feasible for the time being and after a couple of years the service was discontinued.  Multi-tasking would have to wait for the microchip era to arrive before it could resume.

Now aren’t we the lucky ones?  As I’m typing this out on my computer, you have an incoming text message arriving in your pocket telling you that it’s time to get this equipment checked out now.  I’m going to get the coffee started.  It’s still made the same way it was in 1964.

Posted by on October 16, 2010 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , ,

Morning Lineup – November 17

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You know how we love technology and new gadgets here at Firegeezer.  Well, a new one has just come sailing in from left field that has just taken two newly-created services and merged them into one potential powerhouse.  I’m speaking of Google’s recent purchase of start-up Gizmo5 that will apparently be merged with Google’s new GoogleVoice platform.  Last week Google officially confirmed what the Geek universe had suspected for a couple of weeks, namely that the internet giant had bought Gizmo5 for $30 million.

When Google Voice came out, I didn’t pay any attention to it other than read the headlines.  This kind of stuff goes on all the time and it’s not worth my time to try and keep up with all of it.  But what I remember about the Google Voice is that it has the ability to re-route all of your incoming phone calls from all of your phone lines (home, office, mobile) to one cellphone number.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think you had to have a Google-assigned phone number to complete service.

Gizmo5 is a VoIP (voice-over-internet-protocol) web-based service, like Skype, that permits computer-users to make phone calls anywhere through their PC.  These type of services usually charge a flat monthly fee in exchange for unlimited telephone calls to most anywhere in the world, including domestic long-distance.  Now you connect Gizmo5 with Google Voice and you get, in effect, what will soon be “free” telephone service anywhere and (eventually) everywhere directly through your cell phone or land-line phone.  You will still have to maintain a traditional phone company service, but that’s all.

Google Voice has some additional features that some people will like, such as a voicemail service that can be accessed easily anywhere and can include images or videos.  Also a feature where you can record your conversations as they are happening.  (THIS ARTICLE briefly reviews all the unique features of Google Voice.)  And how is Google going to profit from this acquisition and “free” service?  They have also recently spent $750 million to buy a telephone advertising service, AdMob, that implants ads onto your phone calls.

Nothing is ever free, but we are embarking on a communications experience where we will be able to direct-dial anyone from your cellphone or PC,  anywhere easily and without being charged by the minute.  Oh…..there’s one more thing.  Google Voice is constructed on Google’s open-source Android platform.  That’s the same platform that Verizon’s new Droid phones operate on.  Watch out, A T & T.

Let’s get this equipment that we’re already using checked out now.  It’s time to get the morning started, so I’ll go get a fresh pot brewing.  See you back in the day room.

Posted by on November 17, 2009 • Filed under: morning lineup • Tagged: , , , , ,