In following up with last week’s artice, “2 numbers, 1 phone,” we will talk about dual SIM phones. While I have not had a chance to test one personally, I am looking at the possiblities to consolidate.

While I carry as many as 6 lines (yes 6!, sometimes more if I am presenting to a client), I would like to have at least 2 lines with me even when I go to the gym or places which I would not want to be loaded down like Batman. Below are some really neat Dual SIM phones I will go over.

One of the cooler ones I found so far is the WND DUO 2000

It actually is 2 phones in one. 2 keypads, 2 screens, and of course 2 SIMS. They are actually both active at once. The great thing though is they can share contacts.

It actually is 2 phones in one. 2 keypads, 2 screens, and of course 2 SIMS. They are actually both active at once. The great thing though is they can share contacts.

These other once only have 1 screen & keypad. The nice thing about these is you do not have to flip the phone back & forth if you have another call coming in on the other line to check caller ID & talk.

Price
$200-$1000 depending on the model and if it’s a smartphone or not. These are from international carriers, manufacturers and resellers. Doing business online domestically is sometimes tricky enough let alone abroad.

Things to keep in mind

• Some of these are only dual band phones, typically 900 & 1900 Mhz. If you are using 850 or 1800 it will not work on certain networks and/or areas.
  
• You may not have all the functionality of your carrier on these phones such as specific carrier sites & data systems such as checking your bill or minutes on the phone without calling their CARE.
  
• If you have another call coming in, you will be paying double minutes. One on each SIM. If you have even another call come in, you are using 3X’s the minutes, until you disconnect one of the calls.
  

As for me, I am still going through my contacts to see if I can get my hands on one, so I can play with before I make the plunge.
Wireless Warrior
(…to be continued.)

Do you ever wish you could capture business card info and have it automatically import into your Windows Mobile or Pocket PC device? Now you can, with out using a scanner!

It’s a third party software called World Card Mobile. As long as you have a camera on your device you can capture the business card info and import it into your contacts. All you do is take a picture of the business card, click recognize and Oila!

The technology and OCR is really amazing. It does well with most business cards and have very few errors. You do need a camera on your device.

Requirements:
Windows Mobile 5.0
MS Active Sync 4.1 or higher

Pros:
You can enter business card info immediately and not having to worry about losing the card.
It’s fairly accurate.
It’s fairly reasonable at $24.95.

Cons:
You do need to stay fairly steady when taking the photo.
You can only do one card at a time
Doesn’t work well if you have a double sided business card

Overall though, I love the convenience and cost. I don’t have to lug my CardScan on the road even though it’s a fairly small device. Unless you are doing dozens at a time, this is a great app.
Wireless Warrior

I have become a regular on AskASalesQuestion.com. I speak and answer questions on various topics. Check out this one by clicking on link above on various 3^rd Party apps for your mobile devices. You may just find one that will add productivity to what you do.

X-Button is a tool developed by HTC that enables the X button to really close programs. Can be setup to end programs by tapping “X” or by tapping and holding “X”.

Every time you open an application and close or tap the X button, it doesn’t actually close unless you close it out through the system’s task manager which takes 7 taps minimum.

Leave a lot of apps open and it will slow down your device and consume power faster.

HTC developed a freeware called X button where you can access the task manager on the home screen. Click here to get the X-button

  With the popularity of Mac on the rise, more of my clients are going to on Mac    machines & notebooks. Their only concern was running some of their personal & industry specific apps on a Mac.

The solution? Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac.

Features:

• Run Windows on a Mac
• Run other Operating Systems ( Linux, Unix) at the same time
• Migrate you existing system with Transporter tool
• Use peripheral Windows only devices such as Smartphones, MP3 players, etc.

System Requirements

While there are several hardware and software requirements, if you are buying any new model Macbook with Mac OS® X Tiger 10.4 or higher running on an Intel® Mac, you should be fine. For detail requirements, go to Parallels site.

Price

$79.99

$49.99 Upgrade from previous versions

Bottom Line

With newer Macs running the Intel Processor, If you have been looking to switch to the ease of a Mac, and still want to use your Windows apps, this one is a no-brainer.

After only a week of the iPhone being out, CompanionLink has already developed a sync software for it. This will allow you to sync your contacts and calendar with a slew of different CRM apps including:

·                           ACT! by Sage
·                           GoldMine
·                           Lotus Notes
·                           Google Apps
·                           Google Calendar
·                           Novell GroupWise
·                           Palm Desktop
·                           Time & Chaos
Requirements
iTunes 7.3 & Outlook 2003 or higher
Price
CompanionLink Express - $49.99
CompanionLink Pro - $99.99
If you want to wirelessly sync and be able to sync your notes as well, get the Pro version.
More to come later.
Wireless Warrior

I had a client ask me if you could have 2 phone numbers while using only one cell phone. Of course I answer “Yes.” Many people want a line for business and one for personal use.

While you were able to do this with most carriers in the past, they have all but phased out this option. Only Nextel remains who still allow this option, but only with a specific phone and many other challenges since their merger with Sprint. Many carriers had a tough time in both gaining customers with this and technical difficulties.

These days the only options are SIM based GSM carrier phones. The 2 options are using a dual SIM card or a dual SIM phone. (while yes, you can swap out SIMs, this is cumbersome and you cannot answer either line at the same time.)

The first is a dual SIM card adaptor or Twin SIM card. You can actually cut out the memory component and piece it in with the other SIM. It can be cumbersome & is not the easiest thing to do. You still can toggle back and forth between 2 lines without powering down the phoneJ

The option I am really looking forward to is the Dual SIM phone. You can actually place both SIMs in the phone and answer either line and go back and forth without powering down the phone.

My next article will be a review of some dual SIM phones.

Wireless Warrior

Do you have a hard time getting signal from your carrier inside your home?
IF so, you may be in luck with Spotwave Signal Booster.

The Z1900 Signal Booster repeats signal throughout hour home or office up to 2,500 sq feet. It boosts signal for cell phones along with data devices like air cards for laptops and PDA phones such as Blackberry and Treo’s.
Keep in mind if you have absolutely no coverage, it will not help you any. Boosting nothing still gives you nothing. You must have signal outside or near windows.

It works decent if you have at least 2 bars at your window. One bar it depends on where you are located relative to the tower. Its best to put the booster on the side of the house facing the cell tower you are using.

At $399 its reasonable if you need it for business. If not, you may just want to forward your calls to your home phone if you still use a land line. Typically, carriers will give you an allotment of minutes to forward (please check with your carrier).

Please check your carrier to see what frequency they are using in your area and be sure you get the one that is compatible. Spotwave & companies like Wilson have technical info on their site which should narrow down which one would work for you.
                   
There are more robust boosters for commercial use as well.
 Wireless Warrior
Note: Check your wireless carrier agreement on terms & condition regarding repeating their signal.

  It seems like it takes forever to be able to leave a voicemail message these days. You need to wait and hear how long the person will be out, or how many meetings they have that day.

Although some information may be important, like when that person may be back from a week long vacation, most is not that crucial and is too long.
 

If I know the carrier of the person I am calling I will push the button that will bypass their message. Since I am on Cingular/AT&T, I actually tell people to push 1 to bypass my message, unless I am on an extended absence.
Here is the list of Voicemail bypass of the major carriers. Regional carriers and MVNOs may be found on their respective sites.
Voicemail Greeting Bypass
Cingular/AT&T          push 1
Verizon                      push *
Sprint                         push 1
T-Mobile                     push #
Note: This may actually waste more time if you are not sure of the caller’s carrier. If you hit the wrong button, you will not be able to leave a message and will prompt you to leave a paging #.
Wireless Warrior
 

I have a number of clients, Realtors in particular, who feel locked into Palm devices because of the amount of Palm Apps they have invested in.

Finally, I found a software called Styletap (http://www.styletap.com/) which will allow you to run your previous Palm Apps on both Windows Mobile or Windows Mobile 5.0 for Smartphones.
Pros
·          Allows you to keep your Palm Apps you have invested in over the years
·          Reasonably sized file at 1.2MB file download
·          Even works on popular Smartphones without the touchscreen like the popular Samsung Blackjack
Cons
·          May be a little trickier to use on Smartphone devices or non-touch screen devices
·          Some icons appear differently on Windows device
·          Some progras may not run perfectly… and some NOT at all. Remember you are trying to make something work in a different platform
Price
$50
Bottom line
If you want to convert to Windows Mobile and keep your Palm Apps, it’s a great option. Use the trial version first and make sure you like it. If the apps you need works, it’s a great buy.
Wireless Warrior