How do you send a fax, when there are no phone lines, power plugs or fax machines?

Ever since fax machines became a staple of business in the 1980’s this problem has faced business travelers, long haul truckers, construction site workers, emergency responders, sales professionals, anyone on a remote job site and people caught in an emergency situation after a natural disaster.

To solve this problem using existing wireless networks, you can take the brute force approach, and build a specialized piece of equipment such as a portable facsimile machine. The problem with this solution is that it is expensive and still a little bulky. One example of this approach is the Greta (aka PM-70), which uses GSM networks and costs almost $1,200 plus a monthly recurring wireless data plan.

Our approach is to use a device as familiar, cost effective and ubiquitous as the mobile phone in your pocket. Why carry any more than you need? Plus your mobile phone makes phone calls, sends texts messages, probably can check email and does a lot more. Even making a call with a portable fax machine can be a little awkward unless you are calling flipper.

LG Dare (3.2 Mega-pixel camera phone) from Verizon Wireless
Dimensions: 4.1″ x 2.2″ x 0.5″ (Weight 3.76 oz)
Cost: $199.99 plus monthly data plan

Of course there is a lot going on behind the scenes to allow you to use your camera phone to fax documents anywhere in the world. A traditional or portable fax machine has a very controlled environment to create scans. Qipit does not have this luxury and must compensate for uneven document illumination, shadows, glare, motion blur and noise. Qipit must also dewarp (or straighten) and crop the document to eliminate unwanted background information.

But you don’t need to know all that, nor do you probably care. All you need to do is take a picture of your document then send it to Qipit (copy@qipit.com). Include the fax number in the body of the message, if you want, type your fax subject in the subject field. It’s that simple, no need to buy any more equipment or download any software. Best of all Qipit is free and works any time and any where, just like you.

How to Send a Fax Using Your Mobile Phone

If you want to learn more about faxing with Qipit, just check out the post I did a while back, Four ways to use Qipit to Send a Fax for Free .

There is always an elegance to simplicity.

~ Conrad