Joe's Apt.

In the D’Andrea household, we have three plain old telephone service (POTS) lines: One for the home and two for Nancy’s business. Then there’s Nancy’s toll-free number that rings through on her business lines. Next, I have one VoIP line for my business calls. Finally, we share one wireless phone (for the time being).

All of these services are provided by my recently former employer, AT&T.

Looking to make a fresh start (not to mention in light of recent events <!>) I put on my bookkeeping hat, revisited our previous year’s phone bills and surveyed the telephony landscape anew. Perhaps we could get more bang for the proverbial buck?

Last Thursday, facts and data in hand, we took the plunge. We decided to go on a full-tilt VoIP/Wireless odyssey.

Bye-bye AT&T, hello Optimum Voice (Home), Optimum Voice for Business and Verizon Toll-Free Service (Nancy’s Biz), Verizon Wireless and (catches breath) Skype (Joe’s Biz).

The home line was easiest. I worked with Optimum Voice directly. In a word, easy-peasy. (OK, two words with a hyphen.)

For Nancy’s business lines, I contacted Optimum Business. Again, no trouble at all. The deal I got was largely offset by the larger and non-negotiable installation fee for businesses ($199!) but if I spread it out over 12 months and do all the math, it all comes out in the wash.

Only one problem: Optimum doesn’t handle toll-free calls. I have to stick with AT&T or go elsewhere. However, lots of home businesses do just that with OV and it works just fine. So …

I called AT&T Business to see what would happen if I changed my local/long distance carrier but kept them for toll-free service. In short, I learned my toll-free rate per minute would nearly quadruple! (Yes, 4x.) A followup call with another AT&T representative ended the same way. Amazing. Instead of giving me an incentive to stay with them, I was immediately “disincentived.”

Right. On to Verizon. What would their toll free charges be? At first I was told I had to get Verizon local/long distance just to qualify for toll free service! However, a second phone call the following morning revealed quite the opposite. What’s more, their rates are very competitive.

Next, looking at Nancy’s monthly toll-free spend over the past year, it also made sense to sign up for FlexDistance for additional per minute discounts. The key reality-check here is to simply recalculate your projected monthly spend (at the adjusted rate). That way you can pick the most appropriate plan. With that, Verizon and Optimum Voice for Business were both a done deal.

For the wireless phone, I anticipate Verizon but we haven’t decided just yet. Stay tuned.

For my business line, I added SkypeIn and SkypeOut to my pre-existing Skype account. Here’s where things got murky at best. I (wrongly) assumed my chosen SkypeIn number would be shown on SkypeOut calls to landline phones via Caller ID. Indeed, you think I would learn not to have assumed by now.

Oops.

As explained by yours truly on the Skype forum and in a fall 2005 article from ZDNet (if only I had read it before plunking down $38 US), the display flashes “Out of Area” and a number of “+1 (000) 012-3456” - a surefire way for folks to NOT pick up the phone, fearing a telemarketer or worse.

Emails to Skype customer support asking for the straight dope (in the nicest possible way) haven’t revealed much except “we don’t offer caller ID.” Well yes, I figured that much out already. Sigh.

CallerID is more than a “nice to have” - and not just for businesses. I wonder what the gotcha or challenge is for Skype? Does it have to do with keeping their inbound and outbound calls separate so as to avoid E911 compliance? I’m not suggesting they’re definitely avoiding anything but, in the absence of any other definitive info, “I’m just sayin’.”

I really wish Skype would issue a formal announcement about this (other than “we don’t support it”). Meanwhile, I’m increasingly regretting my one year SkypeIn purchase, as Gizmo and Zfone patiently wait for me on the sidelines.

Here’s an interim idea I submitted to Skype for consideration:

We already know CallerID is showing that 0000123456 number. Perhaps if CallerID showed “Skype Caller” or “[Name of State/Province] Caller” plus a phone number tied to a brief explanation - that it’s a Skype caller and not a robot, please visit skype.com for more info … how ‘bout that? If they have to pick a boilerplate name/number, they might as well make it one that really counts. It could end up being a nice way to promote Skype while assuaging any fears from the callee.

Your turn: What are your experiences with VoIP, AT&T, Verizon, Optimum Voice, Skype, etc.? (I’ve consulted various friends, family and colleagues but it turns out I left you, dear reader, completely out of it! Now’s your big chance.)

Posted by Joe at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week, my recently purchased Konica-Minolta DiMAGE Z5 started taking pictures like this:

That second one is a rather cool effect, but not the desired one. Resetting the camera and changing SD cards didn’t help matters. However, I purchased it in early December 2005 (via Amazon.com). I figured it should be eligible for warranty service … and it was.

Then I learned that Konica-Minolta exited the camera biz at the end of March 2006, and Sony was now handling support and repairs for the Z5!

I braced for the worst. I called Sony and explained the problem. The representative took time to clearly understand said problem and directed me on shipping the camera for repair. Everything was prepped online in a matter of minutes. I sent the camera to their repair center on Tuesday the 13th … and found it waiting for me upon arriving home from vacation (today, the 16th).

Upon seeing the box on my porch I was slightly alarmed. (Oh no, they never repaired it.) Well whaddaya know - all’s well!

Between the fast turnaround time and how neatly the camera was returned to me (with repair details), I was pleasantly surprised and impressed. It reminds me of how well Apple Computer took care of my PowerBook G4’s SuperDrive repair. From phone call to final outcome, it was the same quality of experience.

For the record, Sony used the services of Precision Camera Repair in Enfield CT. Kudos to both Sony and PCR!

Anyhoo, this unexpected surprise means I can now take digital pix of tomorrow’s all-afternoon/evening (and ninth annual) Summerjam in Englishtown, NJ. Atchally, I might as well plug it right now:

Summerjam is a cookout with potluck foodstuffs, homebrew bevs and live music. I’ll be on drums, including one set with the eponymously-titled Summerjam Prog Rock All-Stars. Contact me for info and directions, especially if you like the songs of ’70s era Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Kansas, Renaissance and other such fare.

UPDATE: Fourteen photos later, the DiMAGE Z5 started acting up again! Same issues as before. I called Sony back, and I’m happy to report the treatment and understanding was completely on par. Precision Camera Repair took comparatively longer this time (around 18 days door-to-door) but it was obviously needed - and worth the wait. Almost 30 pix in and counting, using all manner of camera settings, and there’s no sign of recurring trouble.

Posted by Joe at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today was a super-big-deal day for my son, Alexander: he graduated kindergarten.

I don’t know about you but, when I was Lex’s age (which in this case is just over five years and nine months), we didn’t “graduate” kindergarten. We merely finished it.

In Lex’s case, he and his classmates kicked things off by performing an excellent 45-minute play, complete with singing, dancing and music. Then they all sang a medley of international songs. Next, they each received a unique “diploma” (a thick scrapbook/history of each student’s work lovingly assembled by the teachers), shaking hands with the school director. To top it all off, the students changed out of their costumes, sat at several wonderfully decorated, appropriate-height tables and were treated to brunch, served by the teachers and staff!

I’d post a picture or two, but the DiMAGE Z5 is on its way to the repair shop (under warranty - whew), so I’ll have to wait for the trusty 35mm film to get developed.

A very busy day for Lex and the proud parents. Congratulations Alexander! Four down, at least twelve to sixteen more to go. ;)

Posted by Joe at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Who said 6 June 2006 was going to be all Damien and Exorcist-like? Bah. BAH I say!

Here’s what happened to me on that day:

• Having officially left AT&T (www.att.com, et. al.) as of 5 June, I finally got down to business … starting a new business.

• I reworked this site under the hood to bring it fully in line with the latest Six Apart Movable Type templates. Of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone, so I made additional enhancements here and there. (Hmph. Engineers.)

• Using up-to-date templates allowed me to pick and choose from lots of visual designs made expressly for Movable Type. What designs? Why, the ones over at The Style Contest! The design I’m using now is the handiwork of the marvelous Bryan Buchs (with still more adjustments by yours truly). When I say “now with central air” I mean it. What a difference!

• Prior to leaving AT&T, I pitched in and helped Web Standards Initiative (WSI) cohort Vincent Murphy with a li’l (read: big) project. I expect he will make an announcement soon. (Speaking of Vincent, I’m happy to say he is capably leading WSI development going forward, for as long as the new AT&T supports it. Yay!)

There are still other (new) developments I’m not at liberty to discuss just yet. I’ll save those for a rainy day.

Posted by Joe at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)