Elaine

The History: A Classic Style Born

If you're anything like me, you always thought Tom Cruise pioneered aviator sunglasses to the world. In 1986, Top Gun set the stage for a new fashion era. However, the reality of aviator sunglasses debut was very different. In 1936, the U.S. military commissioned Ray Ban to make sunglasses as standard issue for pilots in the Air Force. Pilots needed protection against sun and glare without decreasing visibility. The dark teardrop-shaped lenses do a great job of covering every angle to keep out as much light as possible. Aviators have continued to be popular among military and law enforcement personnel, but in recent years have grown in popularity among all types of wearers.

Who Made Aviators Popular?

Hollywood has started many a fashion craze, and sunglasses are no exception. Aviator sunglasses became extremely popular in the 80s with Top Gun and a slew of law enforcement movies. Recently, even more movies have surfaced starring actors and actresses sporting aviators. Carrie-Anne Moss showed off a pair of black aviators in The Matrix. Johnny Depp played Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas wearing orange-tinted aviator sunglasses. A more recent example would be Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. They wore Nitro glasses by Oliver Peoples, classic aviators with yellow lenses.

What Types of Aviator Sunglasses are Available?

The newest style for aviators is colored lenses. Some of the more common colors seen have been blue, purple, pink, orange and yellow. Bolle, Oakley, Dior, Swiss Army and all other popular brands have their own designs of aviator sunglasses. Aviators are even available as prescription sunglasses.

Classic Aviator Sunglasses

The only true classic pair of aviators is the original Ray Ban. However, most other brands that sell aviator sunglasses have based them on the traditional, classic aviators.

Polarized Aviator Sunglasses

Many of the newer pairs of aviators are polarized. Polarized sunglasses block out the majority of horizontal light waves allowing only vertical light waves to pass through untouched.

Mirrored Aviator Sunglasses

Reflective sunglasses come with a reflective coating that produces a mirrored look. These aviators often come with a gradient coating that gradually changes from top to bottom. The main disadvantage of mirrored sunglasses is they are easily scratched. Even so, they look really cool!

Matt Morrison is a regular author for Everything Sunglasses

The trucking industry will change drastically in the next 20 years and out pace previous decades of slower incremental change. Much of this change will come from the need to increase efficiency, reduce pollution and take advantages of economies of scale.

Some more change will come from space-age materials which are now being developed. Materials such as Carbon Nano-Tubes and Graphene will cut the weight of a truck by 10-times and that means less fuel, more room for cargo and radically new designs.

Luigi Colani is considered the ultimate truck designer and is famous around the world for his designs and brilliant marketing and flair for style. Above is a sample of one of his many designs, very impressive indeed, and so are the low-coefficients of drag.

Why are all these changes coming?

Because the Trucking Industry is trying to streamline and become more efficient and in doing so it has to look for where it can shave costs and improve in incremental steps. Lately those steps have been too small and slow in coming and now design teams are considering what else can be done in order to leap forward to larger cost savings.

Will Luigi Colani's futuristic designs and prototypes become a reality? Well they very well could in the future, because some are said to be 80% more efficient with airflow and that is huge savings in fuel. Next take new materials coming down the innovation pipeline and you can see how the combination of such technologies may just drive the trucking industry into the future in style.

L. Winslow is a Transportation and Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entreprenuer. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

Travel today is more accessible to the masses than ever before. People around the world are traveling and vacationing at an ever increasing rate. This increase has made some of the worlds most fashionable resort areas a trendy vacation spot. Among the most popular holiday travel options are the Riviera Cruise Vacations.

French Riviera

In the past, we have heard of the glamour and pizzazz of the French Riviera. Situated on the Mediterranean, The French Riviera is blessed with beautiful beaches a prerequisite for a Riviera resort.

One of the most glamorous ports in the Mediterranean is Cannes. This world renowned port famous for the International Film Festival was once a small fishing village owned by monks.

Further up the coast, on the Bay of Angels, is the capital of the Riviera, Nice. Here one can experience some of the best restaurants. While wandering past the high-class apartments, hotels, and cafs, one can get magnificent views of the Mediterranean.

North of Nice on the Mediterranean is the municipality of Monaco. Of course, we all know the name Mont Carlo as the home of chic casinos, luxurious hotel resorts and fabulous beaches. Monte Carlo increased in stature in the 1950s when Grace Kelly became Princess Grace of Monaco after marrying Prince Ranier II.

Many of the large main cruise lines and smaller local cruise lines offer cruises that start, finish or visit ports in the French Riviera. For a sampling of itineraries options see the link to our articles in the 'Bio' section at the bottom.

Italian Riviera

At the top of the boot of Italy just east of the French Riviera and youll find the Italian Riviera. Situated on the shores of the Ligurian Sea, the Italian Riviera is glamorous but in a distinctly old-fashioned way. The rustic and provincial are blended together with the elegant and chic as cosmopolitan cities and small towns come together.

Portofino is one of the most photographed villages on the coast of the Italian Riviera. Many of Europes wealthy visit this small harbor even though there is little to do there. And unless you are traveling on a larger budget, you may want to stay elsewhere and day-trip to Potofino. Hotels, restaurants, and cafs are very expensive ( a beer here may cost you EUR8!)

Genoa (or Genova in Italian) is a very busy and sprawling city, not what one might expect in this largely old and quaint Riviera. The city does however offer visitors numerous sightseeing adventures from ancient hill top fortresses to magnificent palaces.

San Remo, the largest resort in the area is also considered the capital of the Italian Riviera. It offers visitors world class hotels, and a romantic setting with its exotic gardens. And oh yes, the famous casino!

Visitors to the Italian Riviera can opt to stay in cities, towns and villages including Lerici, Santa Margherita Ligure, Portovenere, Rapallo or the villages that make up Finale Ligure. Or, visitors can stay on their cruise ships and explore the area on day excursions.

For more information regarding Italian Riviera cruises see the link to our articles in the 'Bio' section at the bottom.

Mayan Riviera

As more cruisers and vacationers travel the Caribbean, the Mayan Riviera is becoming better known and extremely popular. The beautiful sand beaches, the sun and the sapphire clear waters make for a dream vacation. Running form the city of Cancun on the Mexican Caribbean to the Mayan Ruins of Tulum, the Mayan Riviera draws snow-birds to its mystic and paradise-like shores. The waters around the coral reefs of Cozumel are a delight to snorkelers.

The area is quickly being built up with more and more lavish resorts. Many all-inclusive resorts have been constructed and more are being planned.

In contrast to the luxurious resorts, is the ancient city of Tulum whose ruins are a must-see for anyone slightly interested in history and archeology? Dating back as far as 600 A.D. you can witness the pyramid shape of El Castillo or the ruined magnificence of the Temple of the Descending God.

The Mayan Riviera has become a very popular Caribbean cruise destination as well. To explore the Mayan Riviera cruise options see the link to our articles in the 'Bio' section at the bottom.

Mexican Riviera

Mexicos Pacific coastline offers vacationers yet another Riviera to explore. The rich culture of the area is witnessed by the Quebrada cliff divers of Acapulco and the cobbled streets of Puerto Valllarta.

One can enjoy the atmosphere of the Mexican Riviera by day and by night. Dancing to the salsa, or dining and enjoying the areas bold flavors you wont want to miss a step.

The long sandy beaches of Mazatlin will certainly be drawing you nearer. As will the deep water lagoons and the relaxed, laid back atmosphere of Zihuatanejo.

Can you feel being drawn towards a Mexican Riviera Cruise? See the link to our articles in the 'Bio' section at the bottom for more information.

American Riviera

Having a number of nicknames both good and bad - Miami is also dubbed the American Riviera. Known as the cruise capital of the world, Miami has a lot to offer cruise vacationers on a post- or pre-cruise visit.

World renowned beaches, fantastic nightlife, a Latin flavor and wonderful and unique culinary experiences bring vacationers from all over the world to this American Riviera. Enjoy in-line skating along the beaches on Ocean Drive. If adventure is on your vacation agenda, visit the near-by Everglades Safari Park, the only subtropical preserve in North America.

Miami is the jumping point for some of the most desirable cruises in the Caribbean including some of the Mayan Riviera itineraries. (As a matter of note, the Santa Barbara area of California also lays claim to the American Riviera nickname.)

No matter what your picture of a Riviera should be, there is at least one place in the world that will accommodate. And to top it all, many of the worlds top cruise lines offer fantastic cruises to these destinations aboard their magnificent and luxurious cruise ships. Enjoy the opulence and luxury while experiencing the Rivieras of the world!

Brian A Schmidt is the author and web publisher of a1-discount-cruises.com, your #1 source for cruise information, romantic getaways, cruise wear and great deals! Visit A1-Discount-Cruises to access some of the best deals on-line for cruises, cruise wear and romantic getaways. For more information regarding the various riviera cruises see Romantic Getaways Articles. Please feel free to contact us with your comments or questions.

Since their highly acidic nature, wetness, low temperature, and absence of oxygen, northern bogs have become a depository of past life.The bog people are surprisingly well-preserved with fingernails, hair, and teeth in excellent condition. How is this possible when the dates are from 8000 B.C. to the early medieval times?

The peat (Moor Peat) held in the bogs has astonishing preserving attributes which lend to its ability to both combat aging and enhance wellness. Peat has first-class moisture- retaining properties which improves skin elasticity.

When peat is used on the skin, it is penetrated generally between the epidermis cells of your skin, producing an exchange reaction of ions is produced when the binding process with albumin in the skin occurs. The harmful positive ions in your skin tissues are exchanged for the rejuvenating negative ions in the moor peat. These particles are captured by your blood vessels in your system, carried throughout the body to help healing.

The rejuvenating benefits can be attributed to the abundance of essential oils, fatty acids and lipoids. These penetrate into the skin re-establishing your skin's natural pH balance. When you apply the moor peat to your skin, the increased flowing of blood to the skin can be attested to by the deepening of coloration seen on your skin when the peat is washed off. This characteristic of Moor Peat makes it most effective as an addition to any anti-aging and beauty regime for your skin.

The soluble organic and inorganic dynamic components leave the skin detoxified, refined, and strengthened. It's naturally hypoallergenic and potent and yet gentle.

The anti-inflammatory, disinfectant, astringent and bioavailability properties of Moor Peat cause it to be an an excellent skin treatment both for hardy and troubled skin. It is one of the most potent natural healing substances. It contains bio-minerals, humic and fulvic acids, amino acids and plant hormones in a form that is easy for the human tissue to absorb. It nourishes and rejuvenates tissues, detoxifies and reduces inflammation considered a major cause of skin aging, wrinkles and many pains and illnesses It is also helpful in taking care of acne, eczema, psoriasis, burns, scars, stretch marks, and cellulite.

For Cellulite, an inflammation of your subcutaneous tissues caused by a build up of toxins, poor blood circulation and fluid retention due to weak lymphatic flow, Moor Peat improves both the inflammation and its causes, making it an excellent treatment for cellulite and an aid to weight loss.

In fine spas all over Europe and select spas in the US, Moor Peat (or Moor Mud) is regularly used as bath, body wrap, and facial treatments. These spa treatments can be done successfully at home for fraction of the cost by purchasing fine quality Moor Peat from a quality supplier.

Danielle Sims explored her library of alternative health, herbal books, and aromatherapy books and created a blueprint for making her own body wrap formulas at home. For more information got to http://www.wrapyourselfslim.com

Biological requirements for Life

Just how "simple" can a functioning organism get? Microbiologists are the experts in the field. Here is what they say. At minimum, the first living organism must have possessed all of the following:

Something to hold together the energy and the molecules which make the cell function

Something to control movement of materials in and out of the cell

Something that will provide genetic instructions for duplicating itself and issue instructions for building proteins from amino acids

Something that will translate the genetic instructions and assemble the needed proteins

Something which will act as a factory for protein assembly

Something for transporting and storing energy

Something to act as a catalyst for chemical reactions

Something to fill in the cell area which will not impede operations.

These are the bare bone, essential requirements for life. Remove just one of these "somethings" and life will cease. This point cannot be over emphasized: Everyone of these functions, had to be in complete working order from the first instant. Otherwise, life would never have begun at all. A piecemeal or haphazard start will not work.

Bacteria and Blue-Green Algae

Fortunately for us, bacteria and blue-green algae have retained these basic elements without requiring new ones. If evolution has occurred, they haven't heard of it. They possess:

An outer membrane which holds together energy and molecules that make the cell function, and the membrane controls movement of materials in and out of the cell

DNA, a nucleic acid which contains genetic instructions for making identical copies of itself and issues instructions for building proteins from amino acids

RNA, a nucleic acid which "reads" DNA and assembles proteins

Ribsomes, structural sites which act as factories for assembling proteins

ATP molecules for transporting and storing energy

Enzymes, proteins which act as catalysts for chemical reactions

Cytoplasm, a jelly-like substance that fills the cell wall.

These single-celled organisms are, in fact, what microbiologists describe when they state the essential requirements for life. And they are readily available for study. Here is the most extraordinary fact about bacteria: To produce this "simple" single-celled life form requires a DNA sequence of 3 million nucleotides, all aligned into a very specific order.

Change the order and you damage or destroy the bacteria. Simple? Absolutely not! The very first living microorganism started off as a highly complex and sophisticated form of life.

Charles Darwin did not have access to an electronic microscope. Consequently, he and his 19th century scientists could not see the intricate structures or the intense activity taking place in the cell. Little wonder Darwin thought the cell was simple. He reasoned if enough chemicals of the right sort were to bump into each other in a "warm little pond," eventually, life would ensue from one of these chance meetings.

Amino Acids

That theory inspired scientists into a number of experiments. Researchers mixed precise measurements of water, hydrogen, ammonia, and methane; then sparked their concoctions with electric charges or exposed them to ultraviolet light. They did get results. They produced several amino acids, which are the building blocks of life. But that is all they are - building blocks. It is not life itself. In fact, it is nowhere near life.

Biogenesis

The chemical complexities of even the simplest form of life is a chasm over which random combinations of molecules cannot jump. Biologists know it. They have even codified it into law. The principle of biogenesis says that a living organism can originate only from one or two parents of the same kind. A cell comes from a previous cell; life comes from previous life. This rule is universally validated and has no known exceptions.

Law of Entropy

Not only is the "accumulating chemical" explanation for life contrary to the law of biogenesis, it is also at odds with the second law of thermodynamics, also called the law of entropy. We have run across this law before. It's the law that says everything is running down; organization is deceasing, in general, the whole universe is headed toward an equilibrium where movement will cease.

Against that law, naturalists claim an exception. Instead of dissipating, chemicals of just the right type and quantity congregated and united [on their own initiative?] into ever increasing complex forms until they ultimately formed a living entity. Under normal circumstances, you can see how just the opposite would happen.

Get a glass of water and put in a couple drops of dye. After a few minutes, the whole glass of water becomes evenly colored with scattered atoms of dye. That proves the second law of thermodynamics, but what about the proposed exception?

Naturalist reply, "First we must have the right ingredients for life." By that they mean the 24 naturally occurring types of atoms which are essential to the formation and development of living organisms. But there are 92 different types of naturally occurring atoms on earth. What do we do the the other 68 atoms?

"Keep them away from the mixture," say the naturalists. Oh? That makes you wonder who or what in nature had the foresight to keep the 68 "bad" types of atoms away while the 24 "good" atom types frolicked and combined in the naturalist's broth.

"Second," say the naturalists, "we need the right proportions of ingredients. Heavy on the hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon atoms; medium on the nitrogen and calcium atoms; and light on the chlorine, iron, magnesium, potassium, silicon, sodium, and sulfur atoms. Hold the aluminum and no helium please!"

How did we happen to get these correct proportions four billion years ago? "Just chance," claim the naturalists. "Natural selection culled out the other aspiring combinations."

Oxygen in the Atmosphere

"Third, 3.5 billion years ago, there was no oxygen in the atmosphere to break down chemical combinations," explain the naturalists. Recently however, geologists have concluded that early earth might well have had oxygen in the atmosphere after all. Oxygen would tend to break down chemical combinations.

Electric Charge or Radiation

Anything else? "Yes, there needs to be a jolt of electricity or perhaps a bit of radiation to jump start the brew." But if a bolt of lightning hit anywhere near the chemical formation, in all probability, it would destroy the mixture or at least disperse it.

And if the geologists have it right, that is, if the early atmosphere contained oxygen, then planet earth also had an early ozone. We know that the ozone is a protective layer which dramatically reduces the opportunity of random radiation striking and energizing the naturalist's broth.

Before we proceed, let's review what we have discovered about life. The naturalist's chemical combination formula for life is contested by both the laws of biogenesis, which says life comes only from prior life, and by the law of entropy, which says everything including chemicals tend to dissipate over time, not congregate and unite. Other than being basically untenable and contrary to established scientific law, is there anything else wrong with the natural origin of life theory?

Yes, its requirements strain credibility. Consider the following: One way or another 24 different types of the right sort of atoms must accidentally bump into each other in correct proportions no less. At the same time they must somehow completely exclude the other 68 wrong sort of atoms.

Once the chance meeting of the 24 atomically correct molecules takes place, they must stay put until something comes along and zaps them. Not too much of a zap mind you. That would do in the whole chemical concoction.

The alternative explanation is that perhaps an ultraviolet ray found its way through the ancient ozone and landed on the assembled chemicals energizing them into action.

DNA and Proteins

Could it have happened that way? No, probably not. Life requires both DNA and proteins. DNA cannot transfer its genetic information without the assistance of proteins. And proteins cannot be constructed without DNA instructions for manufacturing amino acids. One without the other is useless. We must have DNA and a host of other specialized proteins together and operating in sync before life can function.

The odds are decisively against a chance meeting of chemicals initiating any sort of life. The naturalists know that as well as anybody else. But if no one has been able to come up with a logical explanation for the origin of life, where does that leave the naturalists?

Most of them admit that is a serious problem for their side. Without a scientific solution for life's inception, the claim that everything can be explained by natural means appears to be dead on arrival.

Here we find the Achilles heel of naturalism. Life's origins is a riddle for which naturalism has no answer.

Quote of the Day: "A super-intelligence is the only good explanation for the origin of life and the complexity of nature." Anthony Flew, British philosopher, at age 81, after decades of insisting belief is a mistake.

Jerry Boone, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, United States webmaster@merechristianity.us Mr. Boone is a sailor, author, and webmaster of http://merechristianity.us His works include: Mere Christianity.us and SAFETY LINE - EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN, an apologetic study published 1998.

The cost of wood flooring depends on the size of the wooden planks, the manufacturing process used in producing the plank, the type of wood used and the manufacturer. For a regular American grown wooden floor plank you can expect to pay under $4 per square foot. This price will go up for exotic woods and go down for softer woods. Color is another factor that impacts the cost of wood flooring. Light colored wood finishes tend to be cheaper than richer hues. If you want to install a wood floor then you can save money by taking advantage of discount wood flooring.

Your first option is to buy your discount wood flooring from a wholesale flooring company. There are several flooring companies that offer wholesale lots of wood flooring products. The advantage of buying from a wholesaler is that you will get your wood flooring at a great price, often 50 percent less than retail. However, you will also usually be required to place a minimum order. For example you may be required to buy in predetermined lots. This can be a problem if you only want to cover a small area, or if you need slightly over a single lot size. As a result you may need to buy an extra lot of planks even though you may only need ten to twenty extra square feet.

Another great option for finding discount wood flooring is to look at discount laminate flooring. Laminate flooring is generally less expensive than traditional hard wood planks and you can save money on your flooring project by simply using regularly priced laminate flooring instead of wood flooring. However, you can save even more money by looking for cheap laminate floors or discount laminate flooring. These discounted flooring options can be priced as low as $0.75 per square foot, an amazing price when you consider that traditional hard wood floor planks cost around $4 per square foot.

Is laminate flooring right for you? Find out more at LaminateFloorsCheap.com - your source for discount laminate floors, do it yourself floor installation information and professional flooring advice. For more home decor and remodeling options visit the home and garden directory.

This technology has revolutionised many fields of work and especially since it has been extensively used in the field of education, this form of communication has shaped the way students receive their lessons and of course the ease with which lectures are given. The possibility to reach and educate students cross campus or cross-university sites has been made extremely easy with VoIP video conferencing technology. And, with the ability to broadcast to one or many sites locally or globally, has dramatically reduced costs in learning materials such as books and notes. Video conferencing software has been able to bring many specialist teachers together at the same time in different locations to address a group of students as a collaborative effort and share ideas with them in real time. Traveling costs and long distance appearances by teachers are really becoming a thing of the past.

Desktop video conferencing gives the opportunity for individuals and many users to work together with much the same capabilities as a room based video conference session. Desktop video conferencing equipment is becoming progressively smaller, cheaper, easier to install and run, and software is simpler and more user friendly. There are a few basic things that will have to be in place to setup desktop video conferencing. You will need hardware, software and transmission channel. Today the most cost effective means of communication is the VoIP (voice over internet protocol) platform.

Your hardware must comprise, either a personal computer (PC) or Apple Macintosh (MAC), a monitor or TV screen, a video capture camera, a microphone, loudspeakers or headphones, and video and audio codec. Great conferencing software like Hot Conference can be used as the software platform. With awesome audio, video and whiteboard capabilities and the fact that you dont have to worry about running out of seat room, Hot Conference is definitely a leader in the field of Desktop Conferencing Software.

Over the last 5 years there have been many reports written about the feasibility of video conferencing as a major player in the world of communications, both technically and financially. Issues ranging from technical, pedagogic, social and administrative have been raised. But the number one issue that seems to re-occur in all examinations is the setting up and conducting of a video conference session. Many have touched on the subjects but concerns are still raised about the fact that two parties cannot speak simultaneously. Only the party that initiated the conversation or the one who has the loudest audio transmission will be able to communicate, leaving the second party to wait his turn. Another major concern on this topic is the distinct delay in transmission, sometimes up to 2 seconds between the speakers audio transmission and video output seen on the other side.

The only answer for the near future is to make sure only one person speaks at a time, and in multi point video conferencing those who are not speaking should turn down their audio volumes, so that background noises are not transmitted. Background noise is constantly broadcasted making the audio transmissions continuous, in turn slowing the transmission. In a point-to-point video conference with multiple users, those that are not participating should keep quiet during transmission.

These technical issues certainly do not put a damper on the use of video conferencing as a viable way of communicating whether in the field of education, or business and even for personal use for that matter. In recent years the costs involved in setting up a video conference arena has certainly dropped, both hardware and software prices have levelled out to a point where even the average family can setup their own video conferencing network. However, a probing concern is still the major cost of ISDN line installations, telephone calls and telephone rentals for the majority of video conferencing setups. Those that have made the transition to VoIP have cut their conferencing costs dramatically. Desktop video conferencing is certainly moving in the right direction and even though there are still flaws in the technology it has rapidly gained momentum and will still continue to do so into the future.

About Author
Author: Govindji Patel
Please visit my websites at:
GbpCentral provides services to those outside of the business sector as well. We offer everything from blogs, genealogy to photo galleries so you can instantly share loving moments with your family members.

(You are granted the right to reprint this article but the title
and content must remain unchanged and the authors name
and contact information must be included.)

How a business presents itself to its customers has to be the single most important factor in its potential success. In days gone by usually your first contact with new customers would have been through your storefront or through word of mouth, passed on by other satisfied customers. In todays modern world, telecommunication plays an ever increasing role in reaching potential new customers.

In the last few years the rate at which computing and telecommunication technology has advanced is simply astounding. With this increased rate of technological development comes falling prices for products that were once extremely expensive. This allows smaller companies to take advantage of features and services that were once only available to much larger and richer organisations.

Once upon a time the telephone was the primary mode of communication, whereas now existing and new customers are able to reach you I a variety of different ways. This article will give a brief overview of what is available and how you can use it.

The Telephone
When the internet was first becoming popular, many experts predicted it would kill off the telephone. Little did they know that in fact the exact opposite would happen. The massive growth in online shopping has generated massive amounts of customer phone enquiries, making the telephone still the most important communication tool throughout the world.

The internet is undoubtedly an impressive medium for publishing information, but it is not a person. Some customers would rather deal with a real life human being rather than with a machine. There are many situations where a person is much better suited to talk to customers than a machine is. The internet is not so good at dealing with higher priced items. Customers enquiring about these higher priced goods would in most cases prefer to deal with a person, and that is where the telephone comes in handy.

Phone Systems
The selection and installation of an appropriate phone system is probably one of the most important purchases a business will ever make. A bad phone system will repel potential customers; a good phone system will help them, guide them through a process, make it appear as though they have a direct line and most importantly make them feel like their business is both wanted and appreciated.

Phone systems with advanced features like voice mail, ACD (call queuing) and auto attendant, used to be extremely overpriced. Because of the integration between computing and telecom technology, prices have come down dramatically, although system performance and features have actually increased. Now a market that was once largely ignored by the telecoms industry and vendors alike is a thriving sector with manufacturers constantly improving and upgrading systems in a bid to attract your business.

The new phone systems developed for this small office/home office market sector can be split into three basic categories: key systems, mini-PBXs (including PC-based phone systems), and LAN based phone systems.

Key Systems
In the past few years some of the best developments have been in low cost intercom style systems for small businesses of typically 12 or fewer users. The biggest market sector in the telecoms industry is undoubtedly that of small businesses who have 10 or fewer users. It now seems almost comical that this market was largely ignored in the past. New KSU-Less systems allow even the smallest offices to enjoy more advanced features that used to be only normally associated with larger more expensive systems. These systems are extremely cost effective and designed to make use of existing telecoms wiring.

The systems in this category that have benefited most from development investment are hybrid corded and cordless phone systems. These systems allow users to integrate cordless as well as corded phones within intercom systems. Office based employees would have corded phones whereas mobile employees such as warehouse operatives could have cordless phones.

Mini-PBXs
Mini PBX systems are ideally suited to companies who have more than 10 employees, but fewer than 100. Mini PBXs can give access to features like voice mail, automated attendant, intercom, computer integration and call distribution.

There are 2 categories of mini-PBX phone systems, self contained devices and computer based phone systems. There are a few companies who make self contained systems. These systems are easy to install and require very minimal computer and networking knowledge. These systems provide basic features like voice mail, auto attendant, intercom and a few others. It must be stressed though that although these systems will suffice for most small business applications, they cannot always provide all the specialist features each individual business may require. Mini-PBXs that are computer based are generally speaking for the more technically advanced users, and can offer a wider range of features that can be customised to meet a businesses requirements. A good example of advanced features is advanced IVR (auto-attendant) scripts. This allows computerised phone systems to route calls to specific groups based on how the caller has responded to prompts. These computerised systems allow even small companies to handle their calls in a way normally associated with large call centres.

LAN (IP)-based phone systems
Companies that have installed a high speed local area network (LAN) for connecting their computers can use this same network as the backbone for their office phone system. Many phone system suppliers are edging towards this approach, and there are already several LAN-based phone systems which use a companys Ethernet data network to transport phone calls and data.

LAN-based phone systems were a very experimental idea. They had unpredictable audio quality; neither did they offer features that users of conventional phone systems take for granted. This has all changed as phone system vendors have retooled the business phone systems to use data networks as their backbone.

*********************************************************************************
Jason Morris is co-author, search engine optimization and marketing consultant of Business Phone Systems Direct. Specialists in the supply and installation of business phone systems and accessories.
*********************************************************************************