Streamyx

The iPod has made its way into every aspect of our lives. They can be found in the homes, backpacks, and pockets of people of all ages across the nation. Just saying the name iPod and you automatically think of music, videos, and television programs. We get a lot of use out of our little iPod's but are we taking care of them properly?

One common complaint is that the battery life of one doesn't exactly keep pace with your need for it. To help you out with that and more, here are a few pieces of advice to lengthen the life of your iPod and keep your music playing without any interruptions.

• To keep you iPod looking good and new, clean the and plastic shell. Before you do this, it is important that anything plugged into the iPod is disconnected. Lock up the controls by using the "hold" button. Wipe away dirt and marks on it by using a soft, lint-free cloth.
• Only use your iPod in normal temperature conditions like room temperature. If you left it out in your car overnight and it seems frozen, it is best not to use it until it warms up to the temperature around it. Actually, even just keeping your iPod in temperatures other than room temperature can permanently damage it.
• Are you aware that the cable connection ports hold a lot of delicate pins and pieces? They can bend or break very easily which is why you should only use gentle pressure with the controls and cable connection. When a cable will not slide into the connector with gentle pressure, it is either incorrectly aligned or the cable is not suitable for that connector.
• In order to get the from the life of its internal battery, Apple recommends fully charging it at all times. The charging process can be monitored right on the display screen. After the iPod is fully charged, it will display a battery with a plug icon.
• You know that "Do Not Disconnect" message? Well, do what it says. It is extremely important that you eject the iPod from your computer and iTunes before disconnecting the cable. This can simply be done with a few clicks of the mouse. By not doing so, you run the risk of permanently damaging the files of the iPod.
• If you are taking your iPod with you biking, jogging or anything else physical, make sure that it is securely fastened to you so that if won't fall and hot the ground. Also, be sure that any wires are not freely hanging out. You can run the risk of them becoming tangled up in something. Many companies sell wireless headphones and are not that expensive.
• You should charge your iPod's the battery every 14 to 18 days when you are not using it. It still requires power in a sleeping state and not in use.

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In the US, most of the people have one or more broadband access services to choose from - variations of DSL from multiple vendors and cable. That is if you're in a metropolitan area. For more rural locations your choices are limited.....if you have any at all. Therein lies an opportunity for those willing to pursue it.

In the rural areas of the country, the selection is limited. Satellite is available to anyone (at high cost), but between dial up and T1 there are no options for many residents. Satellite suffers from latency, making it unsuitable for VoIP and some other real time Internet services. Some applications that should not be sensitive to latency (email, Web forms) will perform poorly or fail due to the increased packet time.

The traditional carriers (RBOC) and resellers face a cost issue in bringing broadband service to outlying areas. Without a concentration of users the per user cost at published rates causes either a poor or negative margin. The way cost accounting is done in larger corporations makes the business case worse for a large carrier. Cost allocations between departments for such things as floor space, personnel, and backend support end up as added costs rather than leverage opportunities. Traditional wired service will not reach outlying residents unless mandated by law, and the trend is against this happening in the near future.

So the opportunity is open for a business offering Internet broadband access service to outlying residents.

Therein lies a tremendous opportunity.

Now....just how do you go about taking advantage of this opportunity, filling a need, and building a wireless ISP network?

To assist you with working through the planning and execution of this effort here are some insights and resources you should consider:

* Business Continuity Planning - This isn't the technical side of the business, the backup systems, redundant pathing, fail-over and restore, or alternate location stuff. Here you're looking at subjects such as Legal Structure, Personnel Insurance, Asset Insurance, and Process and Procedure.

* Revenue and Profit - Covers where and how to create your income including installation, basic monthly service, custom access service, volume or corporate pricing, other services, business partnerships, usage based service, civic service, and tower leasing (or you could build and provide your own).

* Security Issues - There's much to consider in this arena. Don't overlook it.

* Bandwidth issues - The access line to your tower(s) is likely the critical factor to success. Whether it's a T1 or a DS3 line. First off, it probably represents your single largest operational cost. Next, it determines the maximum quality of service you can provide.

Quotes you receive for bandwidth will probably be very different in terms of cost and performance guarantees, and should cover Performance Standards, Service Availability, Mean Time to Respond, Mean Time to Repair, Latency, Packet Loss, and Jitter. To help you search for the best match provider for your bandwidth requirements....I recommend utilizing the services of an unbiased independent broker by submitting a RFQ request to DS3-Bandwidth.com.

Here are some additional resources that may be of benefit to those developing a WISP....or thinking of it.

StartAWisp.com

WISP Centric

There's also an excellent forum for discussion of ideas and issues between WISP owners and potential developers at DSLReports.com.

Final advice.....think strategically taking care to consider the business areas hilighted above. Do make use of an independent unbiased broker for the bandwidth decsion. Also, apply the resources shared here as well as any others discovered from your own research.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.