2. WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)

It is used to enable the access of Internet in the mobile phones or PDAs. WAP is an international standard for the devices that use the wireless communications. Nowadays Internet has prevailed in our lives so much that it has become difficult to live without it even for a while. But we can not have access to our personal computers all the time to connect to the internet, like when we are on the go or we are out of town for while and we want to check our mail or want to make a flight-reservation online or chat to an associate or a friend. In the situations like these, WAP comes in handy. All we have to do is to carry a WAP enabled mobile phone or PDA.

Approximately all the mobile phone carriers have the WAP service these days, therefore all you need to get WAP on your device is to get the configuration settings from your wireless carrier and you are in business. But the use of WAP can be a bit tricky for the beginners as the pages open in your mobile phone are not quiet same to the ones on your pc or laptop because these pages are optimized for mobile phones and PDAs and the images and text is quiet small.

WAP Applications

There is a need of certain applications to make the full use of WAP in your device. The first thing you need is a WAP browser to access different wap-sites. Most WAP-enabled mobile phones and PDAs have a built-in WAP browser but you can also use a third party wap-browser. A famous browser in Opera-mini, which is available, free of cost for most of the models available and offers many features that the built-in browsers do not.

Another application that people want to use in their wap-enabled phones is an instant messenger. An instant messenger enables you to do a live chat. The famous instant messaging services are MSN, YAHOO, AOL and GOOGLE. The used of these services in your mobile phone enables you to chat live with your friends and family all around the world. There are number of wap messengers that enable you to avail this service and some of them are even free. The instant messaging is one of the biggest advantages one can avail using a cellular phone.

There are certain applications that connect you to the global positioning system commonly known as GPS so that you can not get lost and you can easily find your destinations all around the world. The WAP facility is available over GPRS, EDGE and 3G.

3. Wi-Fi

A mobile phone which is Wi-Fi enabled can access Internet through a nearby router which is wired to the web. A Wi-Fi enabled mobile can connect to wireless router at your home, office or any other place where an active wireless router is available. These places are usually called as hotspots. Some hotspots are free and some costs you money. To establish a connection between a Wi-Fi enabled mobile and wireless router login credentials are required.Wi-Fi is a global standard which means a Wi-Fi enabled mobile will work anywhere in the world unlike other technologies such as GSM and CDMA. Wi-Fi requires high power consumption when used with mobile devices. Also, Wi-Fi networks have a limited range. A traditional wireless router using the 802.11b or 802.11g standard with a regular antenna can work within a range of 120 feet indoors to 300 feet outdoors.

4.3. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It is also referred to as IP Telephony or Internet Telephony. It is another way of making phone calls, with the difference of making the calls cheaper or completely free. VoIP has a lot of advantages over the traditional phone system. The main reason for which people are so massively turning to VoIP technology is the cost. VoIP is said to be cheap, but most people use it for free. Yes, if you have a computer with a microphone and speakers, and a good Internet connection, you can communicate using VoIP for free. This can also be possible with your mobile and home phone.

To make VoIP calls a Dual Mode phone is required. Dual-mode cell phones contain both a regular cellular radio and a Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) radio. The Wi-Fi radio enables the cell phone to connect to a wireless Internet network through a wireless router.

You can use your cell phone to make VoIP calls. Here's how it works:

• When the cell phone is in range of a wireless Internet network, the phone automatically recognizes and connects to the network.
• Any calls you initiate on the wireless network are routed through the Internet as VoIP calls. If you are present at a free HotSpot all VoIP calls are free.
• If the phone is out of range of a wireless Internet signal, it automatically switches over to the regular cellular network and calls are charged as normal.
• Dual-mode phones can hand off seamlessly from Wi-Fi to cellular (and vice versa) in the middle of a call as you enter and exit Wi-Fi networks.

You could call through VoIP on your mobile phone just like you would on a PC, but through a wireless network. So, basically it can be as free as with software based VoIP service, as long as you call people using the same service on their PC or mobile phone. But your cost will not always be nil since you need connection through a wireless service - a data plan (which is not free, in most places). Wi-Fi can be free in hotspots or at home - if you have a wireless router showering your house with Internet connection from your ADSL line. But then still, you need to have a mobile phone that has Wi-Fi connectivity.

Advantages of using VoIP:

• Free
• Available worldwide
• Portability

Disadvantages of using VoIP:

• The need of a data plan or a wireless network, to connect your mobile device to the Internet
• Mobile VoIP services are not compatible with all mobile models.
• Call quality is not always very good, due to the wireless carriers.

Some VoIP services are:

• Yeigo is here to end paid-for mobile communication, as you know it. It is a free software application that can be installed on mobile phones for calls and messages to any mobile or landline anywhere in the world. Calls are free to other mobiles using Yeigo, anywhere they can be in the world. Yeigo works on most recent mobile phones on the market. To use Yeigo, just like many of the applications of its like in this list, you need to have a data connection like Wi-Fi, 3G, GPRS, etc.
• Fring is also a free application to be installed on a mobile phone for calls and messages. Calls to other Fring others are free, and are paid at cheap rates to landline and mobile networks. The cell phone models on which Fring works is more limited than for Yeigo. However, Fring users can communicate with users of other instant messaging service like Skype, MSN Messenger, ICQ, Google Talk, SIP, Twitter, AIM, and Yahoo etc. Fring also requires a data service plan like Wi-Fi, 3G, GPRS etc.
• Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chats over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system. Skype has also become popular for its additional features, which include instant messaging, file transfer, and video conferencing.
• Vopium is a mobile VoIP service that offers cheap international calls through GSM and VoIP, without necessarily having a data plan (GPRS, 3G etc.) or Wi-Fi connection. If you do have any of the latter, you can make free calls to other users using the same networks.