By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Mulroy's Body Shop - Minneapolis
www.mulroysbodyshop.com
This site's fun theme and graphics aren't the only reasons to visit the Web site. It provides innovative Web strategies such as the ability to schedule a rental car, receive online estimates and check the status of vehicles. Customers can also take an extensive shop tour and participate in an online satisfaction survey. The site's list of frequently asked questions and industry links makes it very informative for the visitor.
Web Wise
This Isn't Your Dad's Cell Phone!
The use of cell phones has increased exponentially in the past few years. They have become a staple of our lives, keeping us constantly connected with friends, family and our business. They have become more available and affordable in recent months and will continue to go down in price. In fact, Hop-On recently won U.S. regulatory approval to sell the nation's first disposable mobile phone and is poised to sell millions of phones by Christmas.
But Sprint PCS has recently revolutionized the cellular phone industry. Introducing PCS Vision, Sprint has presented the next generation of wireless services, integrating the Internet, digital photography, e-mail, instant messaging and games into its new line of cellular products.
Sprint's new PCS Vision applications bring together different types of media, allowing customers to do more with their phones than just make phone calls. To take advantage of the service, customers must invest in a Vision-capable phone from Sprint, which costs between $180 and $500. Once purchased, the capabilities are seemingly endless. A miniature digital camera can be purchased to capture, view and instantly send images over the network. For an extra fee, customers can also upload and store their pictures on the Sprint Pictures Web site.
The new phones also give immediate access to useful information on the Web. And unlike other cellular phones with similar capabilities, the Web experience is enhanced with download capabilities, icons and full-color graphic versions of sites such as Google, ESPN.com, weather.com and Amazon.com.
Sprint's Vision-capable phones can also send and receive e-mails and instant messages, connect to laptops or personal digital assistants (PDAs), download ring-types and play full-color games. In addition, screen savers have been added, making the cellular display more like a computer screen.
The new PCS Vision services range from $45 to $120 per month, according to the Sprint PCS Web site. The price depends on the number of capabilities the customer wants. The more capabilities you add, such as Web browsing or digital imaging, the more expensive the service plan gets.
Net Numbers
In 1994, 16 million Americans subscribed to cellular phone service. By 2001, that number increased to more than 110 million subscribers. And by 2005, some experts predict that worldwide subscribers will reach 1.2 billion.
Network World Fusion
ASA Web Ways
AutoInc. Seeks Top 10 Web Sites
AutoInc. is now calling for nominations for its sixth annual Top 10 Automotive Repair Web sites. Each year, AutoInc. reviews hundreds of shop Web sites and rates them according to design, content, speed and navigation. The top 10 will be published in our January 2003 issue. If you would like your shop's Web site to be included in the nomination process, please submit your Web address to colbyh@asashop.org no later than Nov. 13.
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Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
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