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Thursday, August 10, 2006
Ng: Money savers
By Wilson Ng
Wired Desktop
I have been researching and reading about using technology to save money and also to improve our lives.
I have ga-thered information on a few strategies that will highlight what technology can do.
Of the three strategies I will discuss, I am already taking advantage of one. The rest are still in conceptual stage.
I have a Windows Mobile cell phone, and one of the things I can do with it is to logged into the Internet through Wi-Fi. It enables me to access my mail in hotspots. But there is also something that you can work on—it can actually run a windows version of Skype.
Skype, as you know, allows people to call many places desktop-to-desktop through the Internet for free. It also allows you to call phone numbers abroad for practically a few cents per minute.
It is, therefore, a client for Internet-based calling. But, of course, you can only do that in Internet hotspots, which are still relatively few and far between. So I can do long distance only through VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) in the house, office or some designated hotels and places. So, while it is cheap and serves a dual purpose, it is a supplement rather than a replacement for the standard cell phone service.
The irony, of course, is that phone companies like PLDT also introduced services like WeRoam which essentially allows you to connect to the Internet anywhere. So I have another mobile gadget that connects to the WeRoam service.
And since their service is unlimited (you don’t have to pay per kilobyte), I use that to download my email when I am on the go. I use Wi-Fi to cut down my cell phone long distance bills, and I used the phone GPRS unlimited service to cut down on my email bills.
ICE ENERGY. Another company that seems to be very promising is a young company called Ice Energy. It develops energy storage systems—a device that is almost the size of a small refrigerator, which is connected to standard centralized air condition units.
The device turns water to ice at night. During the day, the ice cools the refrigerant as it passes through the tank. This process is called time shifting and serves two functions.
The system allows the air condition to work less during daytime. In effect, it cuts electricity consumption since in many areas, power rates are lower at night. On experiments, they said it can cut down your energy consumption by as much as 30 percent.
GREEN WI-FI. There is a company that is headed by an organization called Green Wi-Fi. This organization tries to bring Internet access to schools in developing countries via cheap, solar-powered Wi-Fi networks.
The technical concept behind the Green Wi-Fi network is fairly simple. Each node in the network consists of a battery-powered router and a solar panel to charge the battery. The nodes are mounted on rooftops, and the network’s Wi-Fi signals are transferred over a grid using a wireless network standard known as 802.11b/g.
Why is this important? In many developing countries, a major factor in deploying a Wi-Fi network is actually finding a consistent electrical power supply. So while many rural areas may not have electricity, they don’t lack sunlight.
This is a laudable project. While many of us are benefiting from technology, a large number of our brothers still aren’t, and anything that will reduce the digital divide, or ensure digital inclusion, will mean a better world for us.
(www.bizdrivenlife.net)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 10, 2006 issue)
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