Scanner Copier Fax

Scanner Copier Fax

Online Faxing Is a Normal Part of Communications Convergence

It is amazing how digital technology has changed the world in the last couple of decades. One of the major paradigm shifts in technology, of course, was the transition from analog devices (based on electromagnetic and electromechanical processes) to digital ones (based on, essentially, ones and zeroes). When all forms of data, from voice and sound to text and images, can be reduced to one common format, or a set of formats that can be handled in the same way, they are easier to handle, faster to transmit, simpler to work with and straightforward to store. The reduction of media to these common formats is a large part of what we call the new communications paradigm, and online faxing is a normal part of communications convergence such as we are seeing today.

A fax machine is a combination of several technologies, actually. For outgoing messages, there is a scanning step followed by a transmission step, while for incoming messages there is a translation step followed by a printing step. So, as you can see, there are scanning, transmission and print technologies all working together to make the communication possible. The fax machine shares operational characteristics with scanners, copiers, printers and telephones. In fact, the fax machine itself is a convergence of (mostly) analog technologies. With the advent of online faxing, this mature technology becomes part of the ongoing digital communications convergence, too.

One format used many ways

Computers, of course, are digital devices. Once these became widespread, it was essential to translate things (text, sound, etc.) into a form that the computer's digital circuitry could work with, and that meant converting to binary languages with ones and zeroes. This is called analog-to-digital, or A/D, conversion. One digital file could represent an annual report while another file, in the same directory list on the same computer, could be digitized music. Both will be translated back in to the analog form of printed characters and sound waves in the reverse process, digital-to-analog or D/A conversion. We can then read the words and hear the music once again. The major job that computer chips do is to perform these conversions and present us with words, images, sounds and motion graphics that we can then edit, add to, delete, change and distribute.

To send an online fax to a fax machine, your computer will convert a word processing document into an analog pattern of signals that can be received and reproduced by the telephonic circuits in the receiving machine. In the other direction, a fax machine will send an analog file that the computer (or, in some cases, a fax server or other setup) will convert to a digital file that you computer can access, edit, display or print. The A/D and D/A conversions happen millions, even trillions, of times a day around the world, with every kind of media imaginable.

Convergence and miniaturization

Convergence means that similar digital formats, for words and music and images, can be accessed today by a single device. The original analog cell phones could handle only analog signals, meaning voice calls. There was no way to receive or display a text message or a photo, much less a video clip with a soundtrack. Now that all of these kinds of media can be digitized, a single device with support for sound (as in speakers/headphones) and images (a color screen) can easily receive, store, display and even forward the media, quickly and cheaply. In addition, connecting the cell phone, wirelessly or otherwise, to a computer allows you to copy those files and then use them immediately with powerful editing and presentation programs.

Digital technology has provided a way to bring all media to common platforms, and in doing so it has resulted in both convergence and miniaturization. The image file may print out at 8 x 11 inches in full color, but to your digital device it is still just a file being stored on a PC hard drive, a cell phone's flash memory or a CD/DVD disc. The 45 minutes of music on your favorite new album can be compressed into mp3 files totaling only about 45MB in size, and you can save thousands of albums on the average iPod or other music player. Fax messages are now the same kind of animal if you go the online fax route, which has no downside to speak of but a lot of potential to help you in your day-to-day work.

Bottom line

Apple's iPhone is a great example of digital convergence. It is the most modern of modern devices, and integrates digital files of all kinds into a single device. It is a phone, a movie player, a music machine, a note-taker, a videoconferencing device and an all-around gauge of where the digital road is taking us. And, yes, you can use it for faxing, too. Now that's convergence!

About the Author

Metro Hi Speed is a leader in internet fax solutions for any sized  business. Less expensive and more reliable than traditional fax services - you'll enjoy the convenience and well as the cost. Visit us today for more information on our small business and corporate fax solutions.

 

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