Idea for computer program. cellular related.

Idea for computer program. cellular related.

[dolphinride]

Okay, several cellular providers offer what they call "first inbound
minute free".


   I am thinking of a computer program that would allow someone to
initiate a phone call to their home phone, connected to a computer
running this software. The software would recognize from caller I.D.
data that it is your cell phone calling. You terminate the call without
the computer answering.

The computer then calls your cell phone back (free first inbound
minute) and asks you to input the phone number you want to call. The
computer then utilizes your 3-way calling feature and places a call to
whatever number you specify. During your 3-way conversation with this
person the computer automatically terminates the call to your cell
phone, and immediately calls your cell phone back EVERY MINUTE.

    Any feedback appreciated.

     If anyone is interested, you write it, I will market the program,
split it 50-50.


Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

Re: Idea for computer program. cellular related.

[PT]

Hmm.  Overall, your idea is not bad.  But you have one problem.  A
conversation that is interupted every 59 seconds and then resume every 15
seconds would really sucks.  Just think how many times you have to input
keys on your phone (talk, end, destination phone number) or how many times
you have to  answer the phone.  All this for a time when cell phone prices
are so cheap.  Pacbell in  Southern California  gives you 500 minutes for
$50 a month, this is a lot of minutes where the average cell calls are 2
minutes long.   Sorry man, I don't mean to bust your bubble but the idea is
well, hard to buy.

dolphinride@usa.net wrote in message <801mhf$mml$1@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>Okay, several cellular providers offer what they call "first inbound
>minute free".
>
>
>   I am thinking of a computer program that would allow someone to
>initiate a phone call to their home phone, connected to a computer
>running this software. The software would recognize from caller I.D.
>data that it is your cell phone calling. You terminate the call without
>the computer answering.
>
>The computer then calls your cell phone back (free first inbound
>minute) and asks you to input the phone number you want to call. The
>computer then utilizes your 3-way calling feature and places a call to
>whatever number you specify. During your 3-way conversation with this
>person the computer automatically terminates the call to your cell
>phone, and immediately calls your cell phone back EVERY MINUTE.
>
>    Any feedback appreciated.
>
>     If anyone is interested, you write it, I will market the program,
>split it 50-50.
>
>
>Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
>Before you buy.

Re: Idea for computer program. cellular related.

[DanielPaine]

Yes, but can you call the pope on it?

(Any old timers get the reference?)


Dan Paine

Re: Idea for computer program. cellular related.

[prof90]

Not really what was initially mentioned, but I have been using my c64 for
quite a while to send my Nokia 5120 e-mail. It fits nicely if I got to the
Cantel web page and type and send from there. If I send straight e-mail, I
get some unwanted headers clogging the screen.

Cantel does not yet allow sending from a phone, just receiving. I can also
get via e-mail web pages that I want. When I forward to my cell phone,
though it does not fit the screen.

A UK company sends headlines free (sms?) via e-mail. But it requires use
of javascript at one stage. Neither w3m nor lynx handles javascript.

John Elliott
 

Re: Idea for computer program. cellular related.

[Marin Condic]

PT wrote:

> Hmm.  Overall, your idea is not bad.  But you have one problem.  A
> conversation that is interupted every 59 seconds and then resume every 15
> seconds would really sucks.  Just think how many times you have to input
> keys on your phone (talk, end, destination phone number) or how many times
> you have to  answer the phone.  All this for a time when cell phone prices
> are so cheap.  Pacbell in  Southern California  gives you 500 minutes for
> $50 a month, this is a lot of minutes where the average cell calls are 2
> minutes long.   Sorry man, I don't mean to bust your bubble but the idea is
> well, hard to buy.
>

If you *did* implement such a solution, undoubtedly, the cell phone companies
would simply change the rules and you're out of business.

Throw on top of it (as you said) the falling cost of cell time and its
difficult to believe that such a system would be in business for long. We are
rapidly approaching a point where a cell phone could replace the "regular"
phone at an economical price. Add the fact that people *do* have substitutes
(Call my cell phone and let me know who you are, then I go to a regular phone
and call you back...) and you have to ask "How is it this is going to make
money?

MDC
--
Marin David Condic
If you hurry you can, for a short time only, still find me at:
Real Time & Embedded Systems, Propulsion Systems Analysis
United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney, Large Military Engines
M/S 731-95, P.O.B. 109600, West Palm Beach, FL, 33410-9600
***To reply, remove "bogon" from the domain name.***

Visit my web page at: http://www.mcondic.com/

Re: Idea for computer program. cellular related.

[carlmorris]

In article <80a93b$lvg$1@nnrp1.deja.com>,
  dolphinride@my-deja.com wrote:
> In article <3827008E.BF08C467@pwfl.com>,
>   condicma@pwflcom wrote:
> > PT wrote:
> >
> > > Hmm.  Overall, your idea is not bad.  But you have one problem.  A
> > > conversation that is interupted every 59 seconds and then resume
> every 15
> > > seconds would really sucks.  Just think how many times you have to
> input
> > > keys on your phone (talk, end, destination phone number) or how
> many times
> > > you have to  answer the phone.  All this for a time when cell
phone
> prices
> > > are so cheap.  Pacbell in  Southern California  gives you 500
> minutes for
> > > $50 a month, this is a lot of minutes where the average cell calls
> are 2
> > > minutes long.   Sorry man, I don't mean to bust your bubble but
the
> idea is
> > > well, hard to buy.
> > >
> >
> > If you *did* implement such a solution, undoubtedly, the cell phone
> companies
> > would simply change the rules and you're out of business.
>    The question is how many people would have to start using this
> program on a regular basis for the cellular provider to change any
> services/advertising as a result of it.
>
>    My belief is that this program would not be used by a high
> percentage of cellular customers that have the availability if "first
> inbound minute free"
>
>   If cellular provider "A" stopped offering first inbound minute free,
> cellular provider "B" would have a competitive edge on the
> sales/advertising floor. These are the glaring reasons why cellular
> providers will not stop offering "first inbound minute free" just
> because of this program...
>
> >
> > Throw on top of it (as you said) the falling cost of cell time and
its
> > difficult to believe that such a system would be in business for
> long. We are
> > rapidly approaching a point where a cell phone could replace the
> "regular"
> > phone at an economical price. Add the fact that people *do* have
> substitutes
> > (Call my cell phone and let me know who you are, then I go to a
> regular phone
> > and call you back...) and you have to ask "How is it this is going
to
> make
> > money?
> >
>
>    Based on how many man hours this program would take to write and
the
> current pricing plans of local cellular providers, I think the idea is
> viable.


How much will this program cost the user? It will obviously
have to be much less than the saving made from call charges.

BTW, I thought this post was going to be about cellular
automata, e.g. Conway's Life, which is a completely
different topic.


Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

Re: Idea for computer program. cellular related.

[Marin Condic]

dolphinride@my-deja.com wrote:

>    Based on how many man hours this program would take to write and the
> current pricing plans of local cellular providers, I think the idea is
> viable.
>

The beauty of the American Free Enterprise system is that you are allowed to
think this and invest your time and money into it. I wish you well. In my
opinion it has too many technical, economic and strategic flaws to have any
long term commercial viability or even short run profitability. The hard
part is that the only way to know for sure who is right and who is wrong is
for you to invest the time and money and demonstrate that it is successful.
:-)

An area that may be more profitable to consider would be some sort of add-on
service for cell phones that make them more valuable to have/use. That way,
ATT, Sprint, et alia, will be interested in working for you and promoting
your service. Think up some web based, dial up, conspicuously consumptive,
yuppy scum thingamajig that gets them to spend more minutes on the cell
phone and the other guys will sell it for you. (If it looks like it could be
programmed in Ada, bring it back here & maybe I'll bite! ;-)

MDC
--
Marin David Condic
If you hurry you can, for a short time only, still find me at:
Real Time & Embedded Systems, Propulsion Systems Analysis
United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney, Large Military Engines
M/S 731-95, P.O.B. 109600, West Palm Beach, FL, 33410-9600
***To reply, remove "bogon" from the domain name.***

Visit my web page at: http://www.mcondic.com/

Re: Idea for computer program. cellular related.

[Robert I. Eachus]

Marin Condic wrote:
  
> Throw on top of it (as you said) the falling cost of cell time and its
> difficult to believe that such a system would be in business for long. We are
> rapidly approaching a point where a cell phone could replace the "regular"
> phone at an economical price. Add the fact that people *do* have substitutes
> (Call my cell phone and let me know who you are, then I go to a regular phone
> and call you back...) and you have to ask "How is it this is going to make
> money?

   But an idea that would make money is to have the same setup, but
check caller id on incoming calls, and use voice synthesis to inform you
if someone on the appropriate access list called.  That way you don't
have to give out your cell phone number, but if you expect the plumber
to call back, you can add him to the access list for a day or two.

-- 

                                        Robert I. Eachus

with Standard_Disclaimer;
use  Standard_Disclaimer;
function Message (Text: in Clever_Ideas) return Better_Ideas is...

Re: Idea for computer program. cellular related.

[Samuel T. Harris]

PT wrote:
> 
> Hmm.  Overall, your idea is not bad.  But you have one problem.  A
> conversation that is interupted every 59 seconds and then resume every 15
> seconds would really sucks.  Just think how many times you have to input
> keys on your phone (talk, end, destination phone number) or how many times
> you have to  answer the phone.  All this for a time when cell phone prices
> are so cheap.  Pacbell in  Southern California  gives you 500 minutes for
> $50 a month, this is a lot of minutes where the average cell calls are 2
> minutes long.   Sorry man, I don't mean to bust your bubble but the idea is
> well, hard to buy.
> 

Not only does this kind of conversation suck, but what does such
a setup imply about you to the caller. We can eliminate professional
markets from wanting to use such a "feature".

> dolphinride@usa.net wrote in message <801mhf$mml$1@nnrp1.deja.com>...
> >Okay, several cellular providers offer what they call "first inbound
> >minute free".
> >
> >
> >   I am thinking of a computer program that would allow someone to
> >initiate a phone call to their home phone, connected to a computer
> >running this software. The software would recognize from caller I.D.
> >data that it is your cell phone calling. You terminate the call without
> >the computer answering.
> >
> >The computer then calls your cell phone back (free first inbound
> >minute) and asks you to input the phone number you want to call. The
> >computer then utilizes your 3-way calling feature and places a call to
> >whatever number you specify. During your 3-way conversation with this
> >person the computer automatically terminates the call to your cell
> >phone, and immediately calls your cell phone back EVERY MINUTE.
> >
> >    Any feedback appreciated.
> >
> >     If anyone is interested, you write it, I will market the program,
> >split it 50-50.
> >
> >
> >Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> >Before you buy.

-- 
Samuel T. Harris, Principal Engineer
Raytheon, Scientific and Technical Systems
"If you can make it, We can fake it!"