Introduction
The door slammed as Alex Bell arrived home from school. He grunted a greeting to his mother as he passed the door to her office. "How was your day, honey?" he heard her call as she rocked back in her chair. Another grunt, and he was out of earshot. She heard the door to his room slam and a thump as his backpack hit the floor. "I hope he took his laptop out first," she thought. Shrugging, she returned to her spreadsheet. Alex had removed his laptop before the thump. He propped it open on his bed and pressed the power switch. While it booted, he went to his bathroom and splashed cool water on his face. It was hot this afternoon in Phoenix. He wondered for the four thousandth time why they had come here. After all, his mom could work anywhere. By the time he returned to his room and grabbed a bottle of water from his mini-fridge, the laptop was booted, and Skype was online. He had several chat messages from friends and two voice mails. He could also see that 12 of his contacts were currently online. He spotted Tom Watson, his best friend in Phoenix. He Skyped him: "Watson, come here. I want to see you!" Not since Alexander Graham Bell uttered those same words in his laboratory in 1876 has communication changed to such a degree. We have broken the ties that bind our home phones to one incumbent local carrier and given consumers a choice of dozens of Internet phone companies. With all the choices now available, it is necessary to have some knowledge of Internet phone technology to determine which company offers the best service. In this book, you will learn the basics of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and how this technology is used to deliver phone service to your home over a broadband Internet connection. You will learn how to choose among carriers based on features and functionality, how to look past the price to discern true value, and how to get the most from your Internet phone investment. Here is a synopsis of what you will find in this book: |
EAN: 2147483647
Pages: 94