Calling cards used to be the savvy traveller’s way of keeping in touch while out and about in the big, wide world. Cheaper than normal landline calling rates, especially when calling from abroad and entirely portable they were indispensible for many globe trotters.

But, that was in the days before laptops, Wi-Fi, internet cafes and smartphones. In today’s ever-advancing technological times, what seems an essential in one decade can easily be obsolete in the very next, and it appears that the same fate is about to befall the once indispensible calling card.

Offering big discounts for calling a special number from a payphone then entering your long personal code to get access to your desired number, a pre-paid calling card used to offer great value. It was also a guaranteed way of staying in touch with loved ones and colleagues while you were away. But, something better and much cheaper has come along to threaten the very existence of the calling card.

Smartphones are now sophisticated computers that come complete with memory storage capability undreamed of a decade ago. The latest handsets are capable of instantly downloading a range of applications, including messaging and chat software. That development along with the widespread availability of Wi-Fi and affordable portable devices, including Wi-Fi enabled notebooks is what could finally sound the death knell for calling cards.

Simply log-in to a WiFi area and your handset becomes something much better than a discounted calling card. It becomes a phone on which you can make free voice calls to anywhere in the world; providing of course the person you are trying to call is online using the same messenger software as you. Failing that you could always chat online for free, even if you are not connected to Wi-Fi. For example, anyone with an iphone 3G can download one of a variety of messenger applications on which free chat can be enabled even over the 3G network.

Furthermore with selected applications available on the iphone, other smart phones such as Blackberrys and a whole host of laptops using Windows and Mac operating systems it is also possible to call regular landlines and mobiles in other countries cheaper than using your mobile phone plan.

Some applications offer the user to opt for a monthly or annual subscription, which then allows them to call phones in other countries for free. So, the days of the limited-time use, fiddly long number dialling and complicated access-coded calling cards are definitely numbered; certainly amongst savvy technology users.

Watch the video related to Smart Card Technology

John Hall, author of A New Breed; Satellite Terrorism in America joins us to talk about electronic harassment, snooping and stalking technology, mind control and how CIA & NSA technology is being used to track, intimidate and even read the thoughts of people. Johns researcher partner Don Raumaker also joins us for the last five minutes of the first hour and then stays with us for the entire second hour. We discuss the implementation of biometric identification cards, satellite terrorism, the world wide implementation of the control grid. Topics Discussed: Project Galileo, Microchips, Biometric ID Card, Verichip, Sexual Assault, Freedom from covert surveillance, Agency Sterile, Multimodality System, GWEN towers, Cell phones, Mind Control, Frey, Microwave hearing effect, Manchurian Candidate, Murder of our foreign Minister Anna Lindh, Hearing Voices, Norway Spiral, de-population, John Holdren, How are People tracked? Biometric Signature, EEG, optical tracking, Haptic Devices, Smart Houses, Touch Sensitive Walls or an Office Building with Weight Sensors in the Floors, Loss of Privacy, Allergic to Radio Waves, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Inqtel, CIA funding, Skype, X-Box Live and more. We continue to talk about Electronic Harassment in our next hour with John Hall and Don Raumaker. We talk about Skype, Acxiom, Eschelon and RFID (thats Radio Frequency identification). We discuss DARPAs information Awareness Office their activities and their choice of their Pyramid and All <b>…</b>

Help answer the question about Smart Card Technology

Do you think it is ethical to use automated technologies to monitor and control natural human behaviors?
This is a question about using technologies to do unethical, illegal, unconstitutional, unprincipled things. I'm thinking of leash cell-phones sold to parents to enable to track at will the location of their teenager-children through GPS. Privacy be damned! I'm thinking of indiscriminate traffic cameras at intersections to catch, and convict, and then fine anyone out of position during light changes either intentionally or by error? 4th amendment due process, presumption of innocence, and probable cause, and police state concerns all be damned. I'm thinking of national ID cards with smart technologies indicating your identity and providing information about you on an involuntary basis. Privacy and the Bill of Rights be damned. I'm thinking of warrantless searching of communications. etc.
My question is staked from my position on the technologies I sighted. Though the details I added at the time I posed the question express my orientation to my own question, I was expecting answers based on addressing the question asked and not on irrelevant personal criticisms like the adhominems posted by Kay. The ignorance and the stupidity of some people is really scary especially when they have no real understanding ofthe way technologies with anti-privacy, anti-constitutional implications are being designed and deployed. Please consider the importance ofthe automated element which removes humans from the equation and thus dehumanizes us all.

Please remember to explain your position going beyond simple no's or yes's. I note that many have done so already. Sometimes I wish one could discuss the Q&A after the Q is resolved. That would provide the participants an opportunity to indicate what they learned or how they have changed intheir thinking. The comment section is inadequate.

About Author

Jonathan Wallace -
About the Author:

Jonathan Wallace writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Nowadays, smart phones seem to be all the rage.  A new make and model seems to be popping up every few weeks, each claiming to be better, faster and sleeker than the last.  A time of disconnectedness has become a thing of the past – moments in which we absolutely cannot be reached nearly unheard of.  Smart phones are most definitely the wave of the future, used by professionals, techies and, more and more often, the simple Average Joe.

Thinking of investing in an iPhone, BlackBerry or device of the like?  Go ahead!  These super cell phones can be excellent tools for a number of things ranging from travel to communication to business.  

Before making a purchase or commitment, however, take time to make these five considerations.  You will probably save yourself some time, money and worry in the future.

1.  Find Out What’s Out There

Before head to your local electronics store or start making payments, take a few minutes to find out what’s even available in terms of smart phone technology.  Chances, you’ll be surprised that you are not even aware of at least half of what is out there.  Find out the meaning of terms such as 4G, mobile air cards, WiMax, WiFi and Bluetooth – some of the definitions you’ll find may surprise you.  No need to worry about prices or reviews just yet.  The idea is to get a simple idea of what is going on in the world of telecommunications technology.

2.  Ask Yourself Some Questions

Now that you know what’s available, ask yourself what’s convenient.  Which of these options and features are really important to you?  Are you glued to your mp3 player, or can you not imagine walking down the street so tuned out?  Are you constantly getting lost when driving, or do you take the same subway to work everyday?  This is a good way to figure out whether extras such as GPS, mp3 and others are worthwhile for you.

3.  Price Compare

You price compare when you buy almost anything, even debating with the $2.00 and $3.00 bag of noodles.  There is no reason why the same shouldn’t be true here.  Take some time out to map out the devices that interest you and the price differences such devices involve.  Is this smart phone that costs $400 more than the other really a better-quality product?  Or are other features such as brand name inflating its cost?

4.  Get Advice

Talk to friends and family who have some sort of knowledge about technology.  Not only will they be able to explain to you what 4G and WiMax are, but they’ll also probably be able to make some recommendations.  The real-life experience with these products can be extremely useful when you have to make a decision.

5.  Talk to a Professional

Electronics stores hire and train employees who are knowledgeable about the products they are selling – take advantage of that fact.  Do not be afraid to ask even the “dumbest” questions in order to set your mind at ease.  Salespeople will understand – you’re going to be making a big investment, and you want to make sure you’re making the right choice.

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The experts at Clearwire Internet can help you to get a clearer idea of 4G Wireless and all that goes along with it before making your next telecommunications purchase.