When the iPad initially launched it came with mixed fan fare. As expected, existing Apple users frothed and non-Apple users said things like “it looks like an overgrown iPhone, I don’t get it.”

I for one am not an Apple user (although I did have an iPhone for about a month), but came to a point that I had to get a birthday gift for my bride, who is fearful of technology yet enjoys the benefits of it. I thought that an iPad would be a perfect gift for her, it is easy to use and with only five buttons on the thing, how tough can it be to learn? Little did I know that this gift would make me “The Man” again for the first time since… well I will leave that alone for now. Anyway, this piece of technology has been embraced by the whole family, including me (I guess that makes me an Apple user now). It really is pretty cool and I am even taking care of some personal and professional business on it with ease.  I mean, this thing starts up really quick and I don’t have to wait for a bunch of processes to complete (like my laptop) to begin. Banking, web-browsing, shopping or accessing a PC at work all while I am catching an episode of Emeril Live.

Does it replace my laptop? No, and I have a tough time believing right now that it will. Is it a game-changer? I think so. Dell ...

The cellular industry is always searching for ways to provide end users more optional services and feast on the craving for more technology. The latest? Femtocell’s. A Femtocell (or Microcell) is a mini cellular tower that becomes a personal (or family) hot spot of 3G wireless technology. All you need is a standard wall outlet and broadband internet connection to plug it into and you can go from zero wireless coverage to great cellular coverage in a minute. The trick? Your broadband connection provides the backhaul for the wireless carrier to complete your calls, text messages or data sessions. Neat huh? Yeah, I guess it is. In fact, depending on which carrier you go with, you can even get unlimited calling while using one of these devices (for a small fee added to your cell phone bill of course). So if I live in an area with weak cellular coverage or just want to reduce the amount of minutes I have to purchase by using a Femtocell, it is very possibly the ideal solution.  The drawbacks? Well, if I happen to live in a city or populated area that depends on cable TV and Broadband internet, there may not be enough bandwidth available to handle my calls after the kids get home from school. Not sure how all this will work in an enterprise environment. Perhaps more bandwidth will be needed, which will increase the landline telecom expense in exchange to offload the wireless carrier’s traffic on your broadband connection ...

At the Wireless Business Group, LLC, we work with corporate clients every day addressing a myriad of cellular-related projects.

From cell site work, to Blackberry training and support , to in-building installations, to bill management, we draw on our 30+ years of cellular experience to help our customers navi-gate through the complex world of cellular.