ooma voip phone

The other day I was shopping on Amazon and I discovered the ooma voip phone system. The thing that caught my attention was the "no monthly phone bills" in the description. The product also has a unique look, and a unique name, which made me want to learn more. The ooma is a hardware device that you connect to your home network, you then connect a standard telephone, to make calls using the Internet. Customers on Amazon have rated the ooma with 4 1/2 out of 5 stars, which is very good for a device like this.

I was skeptical about the no fee claim and discovered that they do have a premium service which costs about $13 per month or $100 per year. The premium offering includes support for a second line and several enhanced voicemail and conferencing features. The standard feature set includes voicemail, caller ID, call waiting, call logging, and an answering machine; more than you'd expect to get without a monthly charge. VoIP is very usable these days, if you have a broadband connection.

The only thing with stuff like this is that we have no guarantee that the company will be in business five years from now. But, I would still love to have an ooma under my Christmas tree this year. Amazon has it listed for $220, and at that price, it wouldn't take too long for an ooma to pay for itself. If this thing is as good as people say it is, I think you will be hearing the word "ooma" a lot more in the future.

Web + Seminar = Webinar

Webinar is a word that's new to a lot of people. It's rhymes with seminar and most people know what a seminar is. Merrian-Webster.com added the word webinar in 1998 and defines it as a live online educational presentation during which participating viewers can submit questions and comments. There are several companies that provide the software needed to host a webinar. The one that I have been using for the last year is from a company called Citrix. The product is called GotoWebinar and Citrix recently updated their online meeting software to include voice over IP. Now this may not sound like a big deal, but previous to the upgrade, you had to listen to the audio portion of the meeting by dialing into a conference call. Now you have the option of hearing the audio over your computer speakers. The audio quality is better than the telephone and people enjoy not having to worry about long distance charges.

MEDS-PDN, Inc. has been offering webinars since September 2008. Each program is designed to promote interaction with the audience. Live poll question are one of the most popular features. Most attendees type their questions during the presentation, but some people, with microphones connected to their computers, have been able to ask their questions during the presentation. It's amazing that the technology works so well. Customer feedback has been very good so far and we are adding new programs and speakers for 2009. Busy professionals enjoy being able to get their training without having to leave the office. Visit the MEDS-PDN web site to view the current list of upcoming web seminars. We expect online training to become more and more popular as people experience how easy it is to connect, interact, and learn.