computer science

Pinger

Pinger is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pinger rather than just read about it. In short: Pinger, Inc. is a US telecom provider for free texts, pictures, calls, and voicemails. Pinger was founded in 2005 by former Palm, Inc. managers Greg Woock (CEO of Pinger, Inc) and Joe Sipher.

Key takeaways

Pinger belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pinger to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pinger from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pinger, Inc. is a US telecom provider for free texts, pictures, calls, and voicemails. Pinger was founded in 2005 by former Palm, Inc. managers Greg Woock (CEO of Pinger, Inc) and Joe Sipher. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California.

History Pinger was founded in 2005 by Greg Woock and Joe Sipher. At first, the company created the Pinger Phone in 2008, which consolidated phone, email, and messaging contacts and communications. The free texting features were converted into a separate iPhone app called Textfree. Pinger was initially focused exclusively on mobile messaging, but started developing other smartphone apps after Apple released the iPhone software development kit (SDK).

Products The company has released several apps, mostly being available on iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows and Macintosh.

Textfree

Textfree is an app that allows users to call and text using a real phone number for free. The app has a free ad-supported version and a paid version. The app allows you to text anyone in the world.

Sideline Sideline is an app that adds a second phone number to your phone using technology similar to Textfree. It's available for iOS, Android, Microsoft Windows and Macintosh. Their official website is sideline.com.

Index Index is an app that provides a designated business phone number with voice and text capabilities. Index also provides automated text messaging for businesses.

References

External links Official website March 27, 2013 The Wall Street Journal. The Messaging Apps Taking on Facebook, Phone Giants March 19, 2013 CNN Money Turn your iPad into a free phone March 17, 2011 Biz Journals Pinger aims to dominate texting world

Company products Sideline - second phone number Textfree - free texting and calling

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pinger

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pinger claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pinger before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pinger ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pinger

In research: Pinger appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pinger in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pinger is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Companies based in San Jose, California, Software development, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pinger outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pinger in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pinger means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pinger out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pinger in simple terms?

Pinger, Inc. is a US telecom provider for free texts, pictures, calls, and voicemails. Pinger was founded in 2005 by former Palm, Inc. managers Greg Woock (CEO of Pinger, Inc) and Joe Sipher.

Why does Pinger matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pinger?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pinger.