The difference between computer headsets and computer headphones
Computer headsets and headphones are actually quite similar. In computer lingo we refer to headphones as classic headphones you see DJ’s wearing. These come in many shapes and forms as many new designs have come out in the past few years. Their main attribute is that they are one way, i.e. they do not include a microphone. Headphones may also be wired (normal headphones) or wireless (where a wireless system is used to eliminate the need for a wire connected to the computer tower). It is generally expected that wired headphones produce better sound quality though with the improvements in wireless systems the difference has become quite negligible. Wireless systems always have the advantage of added mobility as one can often move to adjacent rooms and still have high quality sound reception.
Headsets are basically headphones with an added microphone protruding out from one side of the headphones. The microphone comes out in front of the mouth and makes the device two-way. In fact it will have 2 wires, green for the headphones, and red for the microphone, whereas headphones only normally have a green wire. Headsets are more commonly used for gaming applications or VOIP telephony where the user requires 2 way transmission and somewhat good quality stereo sound. Headphones are more commonly used for sound engineering or private audio learning where there is no need for a microphone.
There are fewer wireless versions of the headset and these tend to be more expensive than their headphone counterparts. This is due to the need for a transmitter in the headset to transmit data to the tower, which makes the engineering all the more complicated. There is also a variant of headsets where only one earbud is provided such that the headset fits on one side of a person’s head. These are commonly used by telephone operators or low quality applications (and in environments where the user needs to have some awareness of the outside environment). These headsets tend to be the cheapest as they operate in mono instead of stereo.
Depending on the application one can choose between a headphone or headset, and then whether to have the system as wired or wireless.
The future of mobile phones – the 3 Skype phone
Let’s take a look at a phone that could be the future of mobile phones: the beautiful 3 Skype phone.
The 3 Skype phone – communications made easy!
There’s one very clear reason for the Skype phone’s existence, and it informs everything else throughout the whole of the phone. And that is that it’s the first one in the entire pantheon of mobile phones to be built around Skype. Oh sure, some phones have been able to use Skype before, but in none of them has it been so integral to the phone’s existence as in this beauty. Put simply, without it, the Skype phone would not exist!
In essence, what we are looking at here is the perfect voice-communications solution: it comes with Skype built in, to give you completely free calls to any one of your Skype contacts, and because it’s still a fully featured phone on top of that, it gives you all the benefits any one of the world’s mobile phones would give you. The other very cool thing about the Skype phone is that, if you already use Skype on your PC, you can set up on your phone with exactly the same details, and keep the exact same contacts list. No other phone lets you do that straight out of the box, and it really does let you communicate with more people wherever you are!
Mobile phones – converging on convergence
It’s this convergence that sets the 3 Skype phone apart, with the perfect integration of your Skype contacts into a mobile phone. But it doesn’t end there, because convergence isn’t just about putting your contacts in one place, from different media. It’s about your device doing more, and doing things not traditionally associated with a mobile phone. So, you don’t just get Skype in the phone. You also get a massive selection of other features and applications to play with and enhance your life. Just reading the list is exciting. You get dedicated Facebook access, to keep in touch with all those friends, too. You get Yahoo search. You get Google search as well, for a choice of different search engines. You get access to Youtube videos. You get Google Mail.
In essence you get a whole lot of amazing features, things you don’t see in many other mobile phones, and things that will benefit you! You get a whole lot more with the 3 Skype phone!
Why Is VoIP Good For Small Business?
The most immediate benefit of VoIP for most businesses is savings on long distance charges. Companies equipped for VoIP can place long-distance calls over the Internet rather than the PSTN and avoid paying long distance charges. Since most companies already pay for broadband Internet connections, the only additional requirement is the equipment that connects telephones to the IP network.
The so called “VoIP revolution” in telecommunications can benefit many consumers. The group who stands to gain the most….if they’re smart…are small businesses.
In addition to the cost savings, bringing voice and data together on one network opens the door to new services. Advanced conferencing, unified e-mail and voicemail messaging and dialing calls by selecting from a computer contact list are just a few of the new service possibilities.
The benefits of VoIP can go beyond free long distance calling and new services. Because VoIP integrates voice calling with the IP network, small businesses of the future will only need one network to operate, rather than separate telephone and computer networks. A single integrated network is cheaper to install and maintain, and there would only be one network service bill to pay. We recommend Packet8 service for small businesses of today…..and tomorrow.
But fully converged networks are a long way off for most small companies. Today, traditional PSTN telephony is still crucial for the vast majority of small businesses. Since most of the telephone calls for the majority of small businesses come from local callers using the traditional telephone network, small businesses need to maintain their traditional PSTN links. For those small business where VoIP doesn’t make sense yet we recommend using a “Best Rate Calculator” to optimize your PSTN usage and cost effectiveness.
