Cell Phone Deals!

Personal Tracking Devices In Cell Phones?

2005-09-18T09:24:00.000-05:00

Click Here for Hot Cellphone Deals: http://www.tkqlhce.com/3b111cy63y5LNSQSRSNLVPOMTSQ

by: Dakota Caudilla

Cell phones have come a long way – regardless of whether you’re a business person or stay-at-home mom, having a cell phone with you is no longer a privilege – it’s a NECESSITY. In this modern technology age, the cell phone has progressed from being just your average communication device. The cell phone is now also a personal organizer, diary, calculator, timer, alarm clock, emailing device, faxing equipment, news reporter, etc.

In times of emergency, a cell phone can and will definitely prove to be a life-saver and 14-year-old Kelly Emerson can attest to that. Getting lost in a jungle is no fun for the teen. But thanks to her careful and wary mom, Kelly took a cell phone with her and when she got lost in the jungle, the cell phone she had with her saved her life. Within 3 hours, they found her hanging to her cell phone and praying. Wet, crying, hungry – but safe!

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently suggested that communication companies work harder to incorporate a location pinpointing device and technology on cell phones so that call receivers can check the location of the caller in times of emergency. For people like Kelly Emerson, the cell phone saved her life – but with an advancement of technology, the caller or owner of the cell phone may not even need to be awake or conscious in order for others to detect their location. Well, there are pros and cons to that kind of technology, and currently, this recommendation has come under fire and is under a lot of debate today. People are not keen on turning their cell phones into personal tracking devices because of very obvious reasons – it’s a form of intrusion into their personal lives. And instead of saving lives, cell phones with this ability may even become a threat. Let’s say, a murderous husband is trying to track down a runaway wife and is able to detect her location via her cell phone.

While individuals are quite confused about this new cell phone technology, large corporations are more than happy to welcome this new cell phone technological advancement. Imagine…with this personal tracking device installed into their customers’ cell phones, companies can locate the customers via their cell phones. If the customer is within the vicinity of their outlet, they can instantly send messages or make calls to that customer!

However, telecommunication companies are stumped on whether this new cell phone feature should be incorporated into future cell phones. Like the Internet, privacy is a huge problem. Personal information is big in the data-mining business, but so is privacy.

We’ll just have to see how far cell phone companies are willing to go to make their bucks!

About The Author

Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.cellphone-source.com on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Cell Phone Accessories - A Guide To Wireless Phone Accessories

2005-08-23T05:49:00.000-05:00

Click Here: http://www.tkqlhce.com/3b111cy63y5LNSQSRSNLVPOMTSQ

By Samantha Goode

Cell phone accessories are a big business on the commodities’ market today, and most folks have invested in at least one of the many options that are available for outfitting these handy little communications devices. From the practical to the bold-enough-to-make-a-statement, cell phone users of all walks of life can find just what they’re looking for in order to personalize their equipment.

Car Chargers

Whether you’re on a road trip for vacation or find it necessary to do a great deal of on-the-job traveling, there may be times when it isn’t convenient – or possible – to find a place to stop in order to recharge your mobile phone battery when it runs low. For those who need something that’s adaptable to life on the road, cell phone chargers are available which allow you to plug your cellular phone in to the cigarette lighter, making it possible to charge the device directly from your car’s battery.

Hands-Free Sets

With the focus on safety, many states are considering a variety of laws that will abolish the use of cell phones while driving. One practical suggestion would be to invest in a hands-free set – also known as a wireless headset – that will allow you to continue driving without having to forego the conversations that may become necessary while you’re driving. They’re safe, convenient and – since some cellular phones respond to voice activation – round out the package to make the driving experience as safe as possible.

Faceplates (Cell Phone Covers)

For those who take their cell phone experience a bit more personally, a myriad of faceplates are available to spice up the look with a design or color that reflects your personal tastes or interests. Bold, bright colors, patterns, specialized logos – you name it; they can be found to fit your particular brand of cellular phone and are easily interchangeable with other cell phone faceplates, if you prefer a new look every now and then.

Cases

Without a case, it can be pretty inconvenient to store your cell phone when you’ve finished using it and are away from home. Women often toss them into a purse, but this is problematic, as well, since the buttons are sometimes activated when an item inside makes contact with it – even when the buttons are locked, it isn’t difficult to unlock them when something inside of a purse rubs against the device. Cell phone cases typically have a clip on the back that will allow you to attach them to a purse, belt or pocket, making it much easier and more convenient to keep track of the device when it’s not in use.

Belt Clips/Holsters (Cell Phone Holders)

As an alternative to the cell phone case, which completely covers the device, belt clips and holsters allow you to attach the unit to your belt, purse or pocket while keeping the bulk of the phone uncovered. Just a simple click on or off, and you can make a call when you need to and clip it back into place without a lot of fuss. The added perk to this type of accessory is that you don’t have to struggle with a plastic covering that can hinder your ability to quickly place or answer calls when necessary.

Antennas

If you find that your cell phone reception is lacking, due to the area in which you live or travel frequently, then you might be in need of an attachable cell phone antenna. There are many options available, offering different levels of power, complete with internal or external boosters, as well as a wide variety of styles and prices to fit every budget. These are typically quite easy to attach and often have a very modest price tag, making them great gift ideas for those times when you just don’t know what to give for a gift-giving holiday or other special occasion.

Phone Straps

Another way to spruce up your cellular phone is to attach a colorful strap. These are available in various styles, such as beaded, with cartoon character figureheads, with holiday figures or other specialized baubles that make your cell phone experience a bit more fun. For the youngsters, there are lots of fun characters from which to choose, as well as bright neon shades which can help kids to identify their phones and make a sassy presentation when they don them at home, school or during those times when they’re just on the run.

Radiation Shields

Since the threat of radiation exposure through the use of mobile phones has sparked a number of studies by medical researchers, who have shown evidence that the radiation contamination is so significant that it can penetrate 1 ½” into the brain when the cell phone is held to the ear, then a radiation shield is a great asset, indeed. Easy to attach and effective enough to virtually eliminate the exposure to this deadly element, radiation shields are available in a variety of styles and prices, and may be purchased through cell phone carriers or online.

Designer Keypads

There’s no better way to jazz up a cell phone than through the addition of a designer keypad. Kids especially love the bright colors and flashing buttons that can be found – some of which even come in packs of interchangeable keypads, allowing them to change their look whenever they get the urge to do so. No matter what your tastes are, you’ll definitely find something that you like when you go keypad shopping for your cell phone!

Personalize Your Cell Phone

Will all of the options to personalize your cell phones these days, they can be used as an expression of your very self, or just to spice things up a bit so that you’ll be able to locate your phone at a glance. Just as the first land lines – which were nothing but black boxes that offered nothing in the way of mobility – have evolved through the years, so have mobile phones. With the choices that today’s market has to offer, there’s no need to walk around with a dull, black hand-held unit that reflects nothing about who you are. Instead, you can use your cell phone as an extension of your interests, hobbies and personality – for a very reasonable price.

About the Author

Samantha Goode is a freelance technology writer who loves to provide tips to consumers shopping for cell phone batteries, wireless headsets and cellular accessories.

Buying A Cell Phone – Making Smart Choices

2005-08-14T17:14:00.000-05:00

By Lillian Fuller

Whether you’re buying your first cell phone, upgrading to a newer one or contemplating a new cell phone plan, it’s a good idea to thoroughly research your purchase. There are a multitude of companies, cell phone plans and rates available. You can pick from family plans, prepaid time cards, and plans tailored to your specific needs. The list, like the beat, goes on. The purpose of this article is to help guide you through the large amount of choices. This article includes some suggestions to help you decide which cell phone and cell phone plan is right for you.

One of the things to consider when looking for a new cell phone is what cell phone accessories you need and want. It’s also wise to acquaint yourself with some websites that rate and review cell phones and cell phone accessories. Cell phone companies such as Nokia, Motorola and LG provide easy to use quiz’s to help determine what cell phone is right for your busy lifestyle. Because you are busy, I have done a little homework for you and have come up with some ideas to help you make the right choice when buying a new cell phone.

There are a few factors to consider when buying or upgrading your phone. Part of what you want to look for in a cell phone is what rates are available if you are buying more than one phone. Many cell phone companies are currently offering “family plans” which make owning more than one phone very attractive.

The following are some guidelines to consider when researching a cell phone and cell phone plans purchase:

1. Economy

Advances in technology have revolutionized the communications industry. This technology has introduced the world to digital cameras and has also revolutionized the world of cell phones. This technology has enabled a cell phone to act as a camera and in some cases to fit in the palm of your hand. This is why the sky is the limit in the cases of some cell phone prices. You can pay as much as you like for all the internal options that a cell phone is equipped with. To further drive up the cost of your cell phone purchase, there are numerous cell phone accessories that are essential to the safe operation of the unit and some which are simply frills.

If funds are limited but you still need a reasonably good phone and corresponding cell phone plan, there are companies that provide cell phones free of charge with the purchase of a phone plan. These plans were previously called contracts and most of them were fairly long term (at least 3 years). This is no longer the case. Many companies like Verizon, T-Mobile and Nextel will provide a phone for free and won’t insist on a lengthy commitment.

Some Options To Consider:

Prepaid Cell Phones – Are they right for you?

If you are considering a prepaid cell phone, it is a good idea to ask yourself how often will you be using the phone. A prepaid cell phone can be more expensive than a regular monthly rate and contain hidden charges and restrictions. If you need a cell phone simply for occasional use, a prepaid cell phone is probably a good choice.

Family Plans – You Control who pays the bill.

Many companies are offering “Family Plans”. This is making owning a cell phone even more economical. These cell phone plans allow the owner to provide a family member or in the case of small business, an employee, a cell phone. The principal owner of the plan pays for the air-time (at a discounted rate) and long distance. Using a family plan for a small business is a great way to keep track of cell phone expenditures and keeping the telephone budget low.

Cell Phone Accessories – The costs add up!

When something shows up on the market, you want it…now! In the marketing world, you are known as an “Early Adopter” and Early Adopters always pay more. Communications companies love you! You are ultimately their test market to find out what consumers are willing to pay for the newest features and latest gadgets available as cell phone accessories. There are numerous pages on the World Wide Web of cell phone accessories. Numerous pages; so where to look? Start with Verizon or T-Mobile as they provide stylish phones free of charge. These cell phones come with many accessories included in the start up cost. If economy is an issue with you, stick with the basics. You will only need to buy the following items:

* Handsfree Car Headset

* Battery Charger

It isn’t a very sexy list but if economy is important to you then that is really all you need. BUT if economy isn’t number one on your list of what to look for in a cell phone, read on.

2. The Latest And Greatest – Can You Say “E A R L Y A D O P T E R?”

If you want the latest in technology, be prepared to pay for it. A minimum of $200.00 will buy only the most basic of cell phones. In the case of pricing for cell phones and cell phone accessories the sky truly is the limit. Nokia, Motorola, LG, Ericsson and Kyocera provide an established name in cell phone technology and they also provide cutting edge features in their repertoire of cell phone offerings. Check out their web sites for the latest and greatest in cell phone offerings.

3. Style – Looking Good For A Price

Many companies include face plates as a catchy cell phone accessory. You can wear your heart or your favorite sports team on your sleeve. Motorola, for example carries a cell phone face plate that features a major league hockey team. You can even pick up a purse to carry your cell phone to the most elegant occasions. Check out these “must have” little numbers on the Motorola site or one of the many other sites on the internet selling these aftermarket accessories. If you love color and need to match your cell phone to your Mercedes that is possible too!

Would you like something a little different? A cell mate is the thing to have. This cell phone accessory allows you to dress your cell phone. This item was adopted by Ashley Judd who is reported to have many different plush covers for her cell phones. These items are available from a limited number of cell phone companies and other manufacturers. Type your brand of cellphone and “cell mate” into your favorite search engine to find a unique cover for your cell phone.

4. Reliability – When You Need Your Cell Phone To Be Dependable

One of the most important features when looking for a cell phone is dependable service. There is no point in having a cell phone and the most up to date cell phone accessories if the phone is not reliable. Some cell phone companies advertise that they provide the best cell phone service but unfortunately this isn’t always true. Ensure that you deal with experienced cell phone service providers such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

5. Rate Plan Flexibility

Phone plans – finding what’s right for you.

Family plans, call home plans, free included cell phones and prepaid cell phones! There’s a multitude of choices but what is right for you? Your lifestyle will indicate what type of phone plan you need. If your cell phone is your main source of communication and half your life is spent on your cell, you need a plan that will guarantee you the most air time for the least amount of money. If you have children and want to give them the opportunity to have a cell phone but want to control the amount of time they use it , a family plan may be the right choice for you. Perhaps you need to call a certain phone number regularly, then a “call home” plan is the choice that serves your needs best. Do your research to find the best fit possible. Gone are the days when you had to fit the cell phone plan; today companies such as Verizon and AT&T make sure that the cell phone plans fits you.

The Choice Is Yours – The Sky’s The Limit

As you can see, there are lots to look for when shopping for a new cell phone. This article covered only a portion of the information available on the World Wide Web and in the Marketplace. I hope you found it helpful in your search for just the right cell phone company for your unique lifestyle. Keep in touch!

© 2005 http://www.cell-phone-n-plans.com

About the Author

Lillian Fuller is a talented and successful freelance writer for hire providing tips and advice for consumers about cell phones, cell phone plans and cellular accessories. Her numerous articles offer valuable insight and informative views on many different topics.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Mobile devices security

2005-06-27T04:55:00.000-05:00

by Mike Ber

As this security solution is not such a great idea, other companies have researched, and finally found a new way to prevent cell phones and PDAs theft. This method permits to remotely disable up to four different tasks of a stolen cell phone or PDA, rendering it inoperable. But at the same time data contained in the device are locked. The beauty of this option is that the unit is not damaged in any way - full functionality and data can be easily restored if the device is recovered. Thus, the device is useless to the thief, but it can be reactivated and restored if it is recovered and returned to its rightful owner.

Another new security breach has been encountered this year when reports were received about a backdoor Trojan horse program that can take control over a mobile device. This is the first known backdoor Trojan horse for PDAs. The subject program, identified as Backdoor.Brador.A, attacks PDAs running the Windows operating system. And like all backdoors, it cannot spread by itself. The Trojan arrives as an e-mail attachment or can be downloaded from the Internet. Also, it has a complete set of destructive functions characteristic for backdoors. After it is installed, this small program is activated when the PDA is restarted and begins to look for a remote administrator to take control of the device. Security specialists claim the virus was written by a Russian virus coder since it was attached to an e-mail with a Russian sender address and contained Russian text. Fortunately, the Trojan’s threat control and removal was rated as "easy".

The important thing about this virus is not the number of devices affected, because this number is very small, but the fact that this is the first one that appeared on the "market" is considered to be very important. We have to admit that it is hardly surprising that viruses have found their way to mobile devices. This is the natural trend. Where technology goes, viruses will follow. As the new technology shifts into the mobile market, these threats will move in that direction also. The specialists from the Kaspersky Labs claim they were expecting a virus attack on a PDA, due to the latest attacks against other mobile devices. Now, the PDA users look at a real danger and it is a well known fact that interested intruders will grab the chance to attack PDAs and mobile phones in the near future. Virus threats development for mobile devices is passing through the same stages as the one for desktops.

Almost at the same time with the appearance of the first Trojan for PDAs, the first virus to affect cell phones has also arrived. This worm is called “Cabir”, and it has been spotted by some security specialists who issued an alert concerning the danger. Cabir spreads using a file named “Caribe.sis” and travels across devices working with the Symbian operating system which is used in PDAs and many cell phones. Cabir places itself usually on a mobile device when a user agrees to a transmission showing the text message "Caribe". After that the worm begins a nonstop search particularly for Bluetooth-connected wireless devices to send itself to. Also, the battery’s life of the infected device is harshly reduced during this process. The inventors of Cabir did not design the worm to spread massively. It was intended to be a test demonstrating that these mobile devices can be easily infected by viruses because of their rapid maturation. The worm rated with a low risk because it has to be intentionally activated by a mobile phone user, and also allowing the Caribe package requires pressing a button prior the files can be loaded into the receiving phone.

It was predictable that viruses and worms for cell phones and PDAs would appear. This is the end result of the impressive advances made in mobile communication technology in the past years. Over time, cell phones and PDAs turn out to be more PC-like, making them vulnerable to viruses. And because they are more PC-like, smart cell phones and PDAs are mostly used by companies for mission-critical applications and data storage. Also they are used for receiving emails and text messages just like desktop computers. That makes their users just as exposed to viruses and worms. These security concerns can be dealt with software-encryption solutions that need to be attached to the new devices. The encryption technology expands to mobile devices the identical type of security that many companies have organized into their desktop computers. It encrypts data and prevents illegal access to the data stored within the device, which is either lost or stolen.

About the Author

Mike Ber is the owner of the Canadian Domain Name Portal called www.Every.ca
He is also a contributing author to www.ComputerMagazine.ca , www.Developer.ca , and www.XP.ca

A Guide To 3G On Mobile Phones

2005-06-22T06:08:00.000-05:00

by Chris Brand

A Guide To 3G On Mobile Phones

3G stands for "3rd generation" technology. It is based on GSM standards and it is the latest improvement to mobile phone and cellphone capabilities. With it you can have broadband, video and multimedia on your phone. All of this means you can transmit and receive data at faster rates than ever before. It is the backbone of all the amazing new services that the various mobile operators are trying to entice new users with.

With 3G making video calls is now possible although images can still be jerky and not quite up to the standard you will be used to with digital video cameras. You can download to your mobile music videos and clips of TV shows, movie trailers and sports action. In general these kinds of services do work well since they aren't strictly interactive and have often been optimised to improve quality.

Downloadable music is now a reality thanks to 3G. High quality MP3 tunes are instantly available and with a large enough memory card on your cell phone you can take your music with you wherever you go.

One of the things which 3G has made possible is an ever expanding range of accessories and features. If is involves the receipt or sending of large data packets the mobile phone manufacturers have taken advantage of this to build into their phones extras that consumers now demand up front. These include megapixel cameras, large screens for display of content, expandable memory cards and smartphone features that turn the phone into an all purpose device. The convergence of mobile phones and electronic organizers has been speeded up thanks to the possibilities delivered by 3G.

One of the key features enhanced by 3G has been mobile web surfing. With increased data transmission you now get broadband in the palm of your hand. One thing it is advisable to keep in mind though is the higher cost of bandwidth. It is a good idea to check the details of how much the data transfer will cost you especially if you plan to send or receive lots of bandwidth hogging video. Web browsing isn't quite as expensive since more and more sites are WAP friendly and optimised for fast delivery to mobile handsets.

By all means download and send but keep tabs on what that friendly 3G connection is costing you.

So it is worth looking into upgrading to a 3G enabled phone and network It really can add entirely fresh dimensions to your mobile phone experience.

About the Author

Chris Brand writes about the latest developments in mobile phone and cell phone technology for Mobile Phones Resources

WHY CAN’T MY CELL PHONE GO INTO POWER SAVE MODE?

2005-05-28T06:03:00.000-05:00

by Gina Novelle at THIRD POCKET.COM

copyright by Gina Novelle 05-05

I just don’t get it. I have a $1500.00 HP Laser Printer that after 1 hour shuts down and patiently waits until I send a job. Then it magically “wakes up” after 15 seconds and prints the job. In the other office, I have an HP G85 color printer; it goes to sleep and turns off the scanner light. Something in its circuitry knows how to come out of technical coma mode and with no human intervention; it copies, scans and prints. I even have a battery powered adding machine that does a power down after 15 minutes. Come to think of it, so does my Sony camera, my electric toothbrush, and my portable tape recorder. Why can’t my cell phone?

After all, I don’t use my electric tooth brush, adding machine, printer or camera in life saving situations, but someday, I may have to do that with my cell phone. When my husband fell in a turtle hole while hiking in the desert, and broke his arm, it was his cell phone that enabled him to call home. Why don’t cell phones have battery save mode?

How many times, have you been in the car, or with the kids, and needed to call home? You take out your cell phone, and oops, the battery is dead. Sometimes, my cell phone even lies to me. It says the battery is still alive. Just as I dial the number, and hear the voice on the receiving end say hello, that’s when my cell phone dies.

Every once in a while, just before it dies, I yell “hello, I can’t talk, because my cell phone battery is beeping.” Then all I hear is the annoying tone, signally my cell phone just flat lined. Hey, it’s not like they can call me back and find out what I needed. As a matter of fact, my husband pointed that out to me. He says it only causes others to worry, and they couldn’t even find me using my cell phone as a tracking device – duh, the battery is dead! If my cell phone transmission can be tracked and possibly save my life, then why does my adding machine have power save mode, but not my cell phone?

My technical friend tried to give me an answer. He told me that if cell phones shut down, there wasn’t a way to turn them back on. As I left the room, thinking to myself, “That’s just like a tech, if they can’t do it, then it can’t be done.” I wanted to scream, “Ever hear of remote operations?” Come on. What makes my HP G85 wake up? A signal is sent to it from a computer. Don’t we have digital phones now? You can send e-mail to my phone, but you can’t send a signal to wake up the battery? I’ll ask one more time!

Why can’t my cell phone go into power save mode?

About the Author

Gina Novelle works and lives on thirdpocket.com and is a free-lance web writer. She writes promotional articles for companies with web sites. Sometimes to break away from corporate writing, she writes her wonder articles. Take a corporate break and find more on POPCORNFART.COM

Internet Cell Phone Deals – How to Take Advantage of Them

2005-05-14T16:23:00.000-05:00

by Jaye E. Seay

The internet can be a great place to buy your next cell phone. How many times have you been in the mall and were harassed by some pushy wireless telephone dealer? The internet store is a sharp contrast to this type of environment. On the internet, you can take your time, research a particular phone, and search for the best deals. In addition to this, internet dealers generally have better cell phone deals than their brick and mortar competitors. But how do you take advantage of these better deals?

In 2004, the government approved number portability. Number portability allows you to keep your cell phone number, even if you switch carriers. The implications of this are crucial for taking advantage of internet cell phone deals.

Internet dealers often offer some very innovative and high end cell phones for free after rebate. However, to receive these offers, you must also sign up for a new cell phone plan. If you want to stay with your current carrier, you must sign up for a new phone number along with the new phone plan. This is because number portability is carrier to carrier (not inter-carrier). Although you could upgrade your phone and keep your number and carrier, this would not qualify you for most internet offers. The alternative is to keep your cell phone number (through number portability) and switch carriers. However, if you choose this option, make sure that you are not under contract with your current provider or you could stand to face a hefty termination charge.

Nevertheless, there are many quality carriers in the marketplace. Switching carriers should not be that troublesome. Therefore, these internet cell phone deals have great value for the consumer. Often, these phones that you can get free after rebate would cost you more than $200 as an upgrade. As a savvy cell phone consumer, you could select two carriers that you are comfortable with and switch between the two every one or two years (and receive a high quality cell phone free after rebate) in the process. The internet marketplace holds great value for the cell phone consumer. Take advantage of these great internet cell phone deals.

About the Author

Jaye Seay is an MBA candidate at Howard University in Washington, DC. He is also the owner of 8ballwireless.com, a website that offers consumers information, reviews, and links to the best internet cell phone deals.

Wireless Web: What's the Impact on Your E-Business?

2005-05-08T06:18:00.000-05:00

by Madanmohan Rao

All phones are created equal, but some are more equal than others. From Canada and California to Japan and Korea, Internet-enabled mobile phones are rapidly ushering in the next generation of online commerce: "m-commerce" or Mobile-commerce.

"The wireless world is a parallel universe almost as large as the Net -- and the two are beginning a fascinating convergence,. are according to Swapnil Shah, Director of international operations at Inktomi.

Three sets of devices are Emerging as wireless Internet platforms: cell phones, PDAs (personal digital assistants like Palm Pilot) other dedicated devices (such as digital cameras and Walkman radios).

Mobile e-commerce services -- "me-services" -- have slightly different attributes than the Internet services we think of today, says Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. They must enable customers to conduct "burst transactions" -- that is, short-session, information-driven transactions that can be completed very
quickly, while people are on the go and in motion.

Market Forecasts

According to market forecasts from Jupiter, Forrester and IDC, between 50 to 70 per cent of Internet users worldwide will be accessing the Net via mobile devices in the year 2003; the number of Internet-enabled devices then would range from 150 to 350 million units. Ads in the form of text links, micro banners and audio jingles on WMI (wireless mobile Internet) networks are expected to cross the $1 billion mark within two years.

Reports from Ericsson suggest that the sale of mobile phones worldwide will in a few years exceed the PC market by four times. 50 per cent of Europeans are expected to have mobiles by year 2003. And by 2002, third-generation networks known as UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) will offer richer online experiences.

Companies have been toying around the idea of a wireless Internet for quite some time, but the wireless revolution, as we know it today started to really pick up steam in 1997. Disparate standards movements and "microbrowser" Companies like Phone.com collectively mobilized implementations, who, along with Nokia, Motorola and Ericsson, formed the WAP (Wireless Access Protocol, sometimes jokingly referred to as "Why Another Protocol?") Forum to develop an independent standard for the wireless Internet, based on WML (Wireless Markup Language).

Around the same time, NTT DoComo in Japan released a similar technology based on compact HTML called i-Mode. The last several years has seen a rapid proliferation of wireless content, mostly throughout Europe and Asia, but also in the U.S. and Latin America. The numbers for WAP, however, are not as thrilling, mainly due to the fact that application developers need to redesign their content using WML.

In the pre-WAP era, SMS (Simple Messaging Service) clearly was the most popular trend by enabling two-way messaging and mobile e-mail. SMS text messages now represent about 8 percent of total mobile revenues in Europe (Approximately $10 billion) and that figure is growing exponentially.

But it is 2000 and 2001, which will belong to the mobile Internet, according to infotech services company Infosys, whose offerings now include wireless content solutions. Europe with its focus on standards has achieved 100% ubiquity with the adoption of GSM, whereas North America has traded innovation and diversity for ubiquity with a slew of cellular technologies like AMPS, TDMA, CDMA, GSM, IDEN, thus
making it slower for mobile Internet services to take off.

In most markets, much WMI usage is among trendy teenagers, but it will become more and more "professional" and mainstream, predicted Bertrand Bidaud, telecom research analyst at global research firm Gartner Group, in an interview for this publication.

"M-Commerce will eventually overtake traditional PC-based B2C commerce," predicts Infosys wireless consultant Shashi Vempathi. The cellular phone will fast transform from a voice device to be the key enabler of secure mobile commerce in the 21st century, and by its mobile nature it will become the instrument for conducting every day sundry transactions -- something that is difficult for PC-based B2C e-commerce to achieve, he says.

Market Potential and User Behaviour

Applications well suited for the WMI domain include B2B services (mobile Intranet access, roaming email services), travel information (for buses and Airlines), finance (time-critical banking and stock trades), e-commerce (betting, auctions), and community (chat, e-postcards, cartoons), according to Johan Montelius,
wireless Internet specialist at New York-based research firm Jupiter Communications.

A recent study that Hewlett-Packard conducted on mobile markets found that the first generation of "me-services" falls into six categories:

Transactions (banking and travel reservations) information (sports Scores, real-time news), Database search (yellow pages and translation services), Entertainment (customer ringers, games), Personal services (calendars, address books), Communications (Group SMS, mail).

M-commerce is great for time-sensitive and location-sensitive sales.

M-commerce can easily spur impulse buying for items like music -- consumers can buy an album almost as soon as they hear it on radio or see the video on MTV. News and information services have been among the first to jump in to exploit the possibilities of WMI, and dozens of news feeds are now accessible via mobiles.
Phone.com has already rolled out book and music ordering via WAP for Amazon in the U.S. and U.K.

In the corporate environment, banking and airline sectors are early adopters. But for a long time to come, the "killer app" of WMI will still be Old-fashioned messaging and related services, says Gartner's Bidaud. "B2B will come later. It appears at a more mature stage, as in the wired world. First will be B2C and then corporate application (Intranet)," he observes.

WMI in Action

In Japan, one of the most profitable WMI sites is Bandai, which "uploads" new cartoons everyday on the phone. Tone rings download is also very popular. A large proportion of stock trading in South Korea has shifted to the Net and mobile phones.

U.S.-based Inktomi is offering "shopping dial tone" solutions via WAP directory and catalog services for cell phone users, so that online commerce is accessible irrespective of the platform used. Inktomi is working with hundreds of merchants to offer sales of millions of products via WAP; merchants use a branded interface, while Inktomi will handle billing, data center, and shopping basket operations.

Yahoo's sites in many countries offer instant access to mail, finance, news, WAP directories, and other information for mobile users in many languages. Yahoo has tied up with four mobile phone firms in Taiwan to carry its Chinese-language WAP portal, which includes news, email and weather forecasts.

In Australia, early results have shown that on Telstra's WAP service, financial news, horoscopes and sports results were some of the most popular services, followed by movie listings, flight information, and Yellow pages reference data.

Hewlett-Packard has launched a Mobile Services Bazaar, targeted at service providers and developers for mobile-related initiatives.

Companies like ConsumerDesk.com, a comparison-shopping site, already have WAP-enabled product spreadsheets for consumers. "Soon, real-time discounting information will be made available for cell phone users. And since cellphones are always on, this can become a real killer-app for m-commerce," says Rene Jepma, CEO and founder of ConsumerDesk.

Pan-European auctioneer QXL.com has announced a deal with mobile Internet portal iobox that will enable users to track auctions and receive bid alerts from their mobile phones. iobox, launched in 1998 in Finland, has half a million users in Finland, Sweden, Germany and the U.K.

A star performer in WMI-space is Japanese Telco NTT's cellular arm DoCoMo, whose one-year-old iMode service for mobile Net access has already surpassed the six million-subscriber marks. More than 800,000 new subscribers are now signing up for this service each month. Over 12,000 i-mode sites are available in Japan for mobile Internet access, offering banking, travel ticketing, news and email services via a "portal tone."

Next year NTT plans to roll out 3G W-CDMA services with 2 Mbps bandwidth and broadband content, as the number of users accessing the Net via mobiles exceeds those accessing it via PCs. The pervasive, "always on" nature of mobile Net access will undoubtedly continue to spin off entirely new innovations in online services.

Very interesting concepts are emerging in Europe, such as Amadeus, which provides a WAP based travel service, Webraska, which provides a WAP, based navigation service, Paybox, which provides a bill payment service, and NECS, which provides an e-mail aggregation service.

Companies provide internet-to-paging gateways like Silicon Valley based Unimobile.com, which also allow consumers to control the receipt and delivery of messages, alarms and Internet content directly on their devices.

The service also lets users customize the look-and-feel of the desktop product to match their offline wireless devices. Another offers online contact information and diary management solutions via mobile Internet Silicon Valley called company eCode.com.

Roadmaps and Guidelines

Before embarking on their own WMI services, it is key that commerce companies recognise m-commerce as a completely unique service. "Cellphone users are more impatient than Internet users. The paradigm here is not surfing; all services for the mass market have to be pitched at users in such a seamless way that they need not even be aware that they are accessing the Net," according to Cindy Dahm, international director for Phone.com.

"Businesses first need to understand their customers to identify where they can provide the greatest value in a mobile environment. This could range from pushing promotional rewards to facilitating impulsive shopping over mobile phones. Having figured out the mobile commerce strategy, businesses would have to m-enable their e-
commerce and CRM systems," according to Infosys' wireless consultant Vempathi.

The cost of m-enabling primarily would be that of re-writing the existing applications to make them MI-compatible. There could be additional costs, which the businesses would have to bear if they want to leverage cellular networks for providing value, added services based on location information, says Vempathi.

For B2B (corporate application, Intranet), the main cost will be education. "It is about a new way to interact with employees, and that requires dedicated effort," says Gartner's Bidaud.

The most versatile language to choose by designers and application developers would be XML (extensible Markup Language). Sites should be designed using XML for organizing the content and adapting it appropriately to HTML, CHMTL or WML based on the channel of delivery - Web or WMI.

"But it is also important in design to bear in mind that a user would access a service over wireless for performing highly prioritized operations which are time and location sensitive -- unlike a user accessing the service over the Internet who usually has time and flexibility on his side," cautions Vempathi.

So the wireless version of the service should be designed to enable high priority "Here and Now" operations while keeping the wired version loaded with all possible options.

"Wireless interaction requires short dialog today since content is not as rich as on the Web. Design should really focus on key applications, and make them easily reachable to mobile users. Simplicity is key. Local content is also more important than in the wired world," says Gartner's Bidaud.

Many companies embarking on m-commerce tend to stumble on some key misconceptions, such as assuming that the mobile Internet is merely WWW on the cellular phone, or that it is just a matter of code conversion, or that all phones have the same and look and feel for WMI content.

Privacy and security are also a matter of concern, given the unprecedented precision that mobile operators have for gathering user and location data.

The Road Ahead

To sum it up, we can compare the early excitement generated over WMI to the release of the Mosaic Web browser in the early 1990s. "Just as Mosaic slowly matured into Netscape Navigator, WMI will also be capable of handling text and multimedia over both low and high bandwidth networks," says Shishir Gundavaram, CTO of lifeguru.com, a wireless portal.

"A me-service has to eventually become second nature -- it must naturally weave itself into the fabric of our daily lives -- like buying train tickets or checking flight schedules," according to HP CEO Carly Fiorina.

In conclusion, consensus seems to be emerging that the performance of m-commerce will improve since airtime fees are expected to drop further, more WMI gateways will become available, and content and commerce services from independent players will proliferate.

Torbjorn Nilsson, senior vice-president of business development at Ericsson, predicts that despite a slow start, the potential of m-commerce is huge. "It will be like pouring out of a ketchup bottle. Nothing ...nothing... nothing ... and
then all at once," he says.

About the Author

Dr. Madanmohan Rao is an Internet consultant and writer based in Bangalore, India. He is the co-author of the handbook "The Internet Economy of India, 2001" and the forthcoming "Asia Pacific Internet Handbook" (McGraw Hill). Madan was formerly the communications director at the United Nations Inter Press Service bureau in New York, and vice president at IndiaWorld Communications in Bombay.

....The Future Of Telecommunications May Look Very Different....

2005-05-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

by Michael Lemm

The current "frenzy" over VoIP seems to focused mostly on BroadBand phones and their predicted replacement of landline phone calls as we know it.

But that's just the obvious action on the surface.

VoIP technology is & can be much more than that. And company R&D is gearing up in unprecedented ways to prepare for that surprising leap in expectation.

Notice I said expectation.

Seems the old business model in Telco was that whatever the companies came up with is what the consumer would take.

The companies drove the market & what was in it...including any technology "advancements" and their application, distribution, etc.

Remember.....we had dial-up internet....then DSL, cable, & satellite access. Now WiFi & soon reliable WiMax deployment.

We had high cpm PSTN / POTS residential phone calls....then we had bundled local/LD.... then flat rate LD. Now Broadband phone (VoIP).

We had bulky analog cell phones then digital/PCS, text messaging, and now sleek video cellular.

But that is old world thinking.

The reason is 2 fold....

First....VoIP technology (note I didn't say VoIP "phone") stands to afford unprecedented advancements and capabilities yet to be seen. The potential is boggling.

Second....the old business model was that whatever companies came up with consumers would accept. The companies drove what was available & came to market.

No more...now consumers are dictating to companies "we want this now come up with it".

That's a drastic change in thinking that companies must now deal with. Those that do will be better positioned to capture what markets are created by consumer demand...vice the old approach of markets being created by what companies developed and released. And the foundation of this new consumer driven demand will likely be based on VoIP (and I believe wireless) technology.

That aside, I'd really like to see what you think of this shift in product development and market control to consumer "vision" vice company "idea" driven....fueled by the possibilities surrounding VoIP and wireless. We've seen....or soon will....a host of Gee Whiz break throughs & possibilities focused heavily on multi-media & data (both residential & business). What do you think the future holds?

About the Author
Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications http://ld.net/mscprez and http://DS3-Bandwidth.com .......delivering choices to both residential and business consumers for voice and data broadband services. Michael also authors BroadBand Nation http://BroadBand-Nation.blogspot.com where you're always welcome to to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, and ramblings for the masses.

Cell Phones--The Increasingly Indispensable "Luxury" Gadgets

2005-04-29T08:30:00.000-05:00

---------

by Larry Denton

Millions of people in the U.S. and around the globe use cell phones. They are such great gadgets--with a cell phone you can talk to anyone on the planet from just about anywhere! Once thought of as an expensive, distracting "toy", cell phones have become a necessity for many people around the world. In just a few short years, cell phones have graduated from being considered a luxury to an absolute necessity. The ability to keep in touch with friends, family, business associates, and access to email are only a few reasons for the increasing importance of cell phones.

When cell phones were first introduced, they were heavy, bulky and expensive. Good reception was a major problem and battery life was severely limited. These days, cell phones provide an incredible array of functions, and new models are being added at a breakneck pace. Depending on your cell-phone model, you can: store contact information, make to-do lists, use the built-in calculator, download information from the Internet, play simple games, and even listen to music.

Camera cell phones are one of the newest and neatest pieces of pocket technology on the market. Camera cell phones have benefited from the ever-shrinking microchip technology, making the phones more affordable and the pictures more viewable. If you want to purchase a camera phone, consider the quality of the pictures you want to take. Most camera phones have less than one mega pixel resolution which produces low-quality images. If you really need to take clear photos, check out a camera phone with 3 or more mega pixels. And always buy one with a removable memory card which will allow you to upgrade the camera's memory capacity and allow you to more easily transfer photos to a computer or printer.

Selecting a cell phone is no longer just about communication--it is now a lifestyle choice. If you don't get one to fit your personality, you won't be satisfied. Text messaging or "texting" in now a standard feature on most cell phones. Multimedia messaging allows you to send audio, video and pictures. Some of the newer phones are designed with entertainment as a primary function. They can play music MP3 files, stored video, movies and even video games. Random House hopes to cash in on the cell phone phenomenon by offering foreign language courses using cell phone text.

And more changes are on the way! "Charge it to my cell phone," is an instruction that store clerks may soon hear in increasing numbers. Phones that can be swiped against credit card readers are already on sale in Asia and U.S. cell phone manufacturers are seriously studying the technology. A new report from the Diffusion Group, a consumer technology think-tank, shows that most consumers are comfortable playing music and videos on their cell phones and that more than 30% of the U.S. consumers surveyed wanted to watch TV on their cell phones as well. According to the survey, more than 70% of U.S. households now own at least one cell phone.

When it comes to buying a cell phone there are several ways to compare makes and models. Just like when buying a car, there are countless options, models and prices from which to choose. Talking to a sales rep in a cell store seems to be a good way to compare phones, but that is not always the case. They are going to try to steer you towards a certain brand or model because their commission may depend on it, and they may have limited knowledge of the various manufacturers and service providers.

Checking online reviews from customers is a great way to research cell phones. Doing research in magazines such as Consumer Reports will probably give you some valuable information about specific models. Talking to friends is always a reliable way to research different products. Since most of your friends and family probably have a cell phone, you'll be able to get reliable information about phone models and service plans. You can learn from their mistakes or follow their lead and use what they're using.

Once you have your phone, the next step is choosing a service provider or carrier. You need not rush into anything when choosing a cellular phone provider. Remember when there was only one phone company? Thanks in part to technology, cellular phone providers are working hard to improve service and reception in all areas. There is now so much competition, that with just a little research, you can find the exact plan that specifically fits your needs. Are there major concerns about a service provider other than price? According to Consumer Reports, dropped calls and misleading billing are the leading irritants for cell phone customers.

The importance of cell phones has increased the competition in the wireless service provider industry, making cell phones affordable, dependable and easy to use. Cell phones have gone from an elite status symbol to a reliable convenience which provides information and security.

With the exponential increase in the number of people using cell phones, it is more important to understand how to use your phone without being obnoxious or irritating. For example, it is a good idea to put your cell phone on vibrate (rather than ring) when in restaurants, theaters, churches, weddings and funerals. As for ring tones, not everyone appreciates being bombarded with Creedance Clearwater Revival or Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Suggestion-- use the vibrate feature in all public places.

About the Author
Larry Denton is a retired history teacher having taught 33 years at Hobson High in Hobson, Montana. He is currently Vice President of Elfin Enterprises, Inc., an Internet business providing useful information and valuable resources on a variety of timely topics. For a telephone booth full of information, resources and suggestions about cell phones, visit http://www.CellPhoneSage

Buying a cell phone is not that hard when you know what to look for?

2005-04-22T07:58:00.000-05:00

----------

by Vince Ohare

When you start on your journey into buying a cell phone there are just a few questions that you must ask yourself before you buy a phone.

Most people think that they need the latest and greatest cell phone thats hip. That couldnt be further from the truth. Actually it is not the phone that matters at all. Its the calling plan that is the important thing to think about when selecting a cell phone.

Getting regional or nationwide calling plan is one of the most important things. There is no reason to get nationwide service if you are only going to use the phone in your home calling area. This can save you quite a few bucks over the long haul.

Do you really need a camera on your phone? You can save money buy getting a plain jane phone as I call them. Actually most on the service plans online nowadaycome with either a free cell phone. Sometimes you even get cash back on the cell phone purchase. Thats right cash back!

Having your service plan company turn off the ability to receive and send text messages can also save you money. You can see more tips like this on Cell Phone Buyers Guide a free site for cell phone information.

We hope that these tips will save you money when you are looking to save money on a cell phone.

About the Author

Vince Ohare has written for many publications and is currently designing a new technolgy weblog

How to get a free ringtone for your Mobile

2005-04-13T13:45:00.000-05:00

by Alex Timaios

Jamster!, has started a
Promotional offer for the
US Market, offering a variety of Ringtones and Cell Phone Games.

Registered Users get one free ringtone, to be chosen among a wide
selection of Ringtones for the most popular cell phones available on the
US-Market.

The Company satisfy the demand for high-end Multimedia content for modern mobile phones, including the latest technology as Polyphonic
Tones and animated screensavers.

The product offer of Jamster! covers:

o Polphonic Tones
o Real Tones
o Fun Sounds
o Color Wallpapers
o Animated Screensavers for Mobilephones
o Mobile Games
o Mobile Software

More details can be found in:

http://www.101homebiz.com/jamster

As the Cell phone Industry is evolving
continuosly towards high-technology graphic
and multimedia support, the demand to
appropiate content able to leverage the full
potential of the available hardware is
showing an increasing trend.

Jamster! has wide experience in this field, as the company is serving multiple markets of
the world, as Uk, Irland, Australia, Germany and Italy among others.

More Information about Jamster can be obtained under:

Jamster International Sàrl
Bd de Pérolles 55
1700 Fribourg
Switzerland
c/o M. Patrick Vez, Fiduconsult SA

Customer Support:
e-mail: info@jamster.com
Hotline:1-866-856-JAMS

About the Author

Alex Timaios is an independent Author and Internet Marketing Consultant. He runs the sites http://www.101homebiz.com
and http://www.101workathome.biz

Those Mobile Phone Wielding Drivers

2005-04-08T12:08:00.000-05:00

----------

by Ieuan Dolby

A taxi driver in Singapore recently drove his taxi headfirst into a rather deluxe condominium swimming pool! At the subsequent court case the driver was fully exonerated from any blame on the grounds that it was raining heavily at the time of the incident and (would you believe it?) that no barriers were in place around the pool. If anybody was to ponder over this scenario it would not be hard to conjure up a few chinks and cracks in the stories armor. Well, swimming pools do not normally reside directly in front of condominium entrances as those living there tend not to favor passerby’s peering in! Oh, and who would design it such that drunken residents, returning home from a night on the town, are faced with an assault course before being allowed to their apartment and to bed? I would also question the lack of lighting around the driveway, the speed that the taxi was taking and his knowledge of the area. But going no further; the driver was so obviously doing what millions of other people are doing right now – he was concentrating away on his cell phone, weaving and ducking around plant pots and over grass verges and was not able to fully apply himself to staying on the driveway! A point to back-up this reasoning is that Singaporean taxi-drivers always ring the customers upon arrival at the pick-up point. So this driver was without doubt struggling to call his future passengers to come down, whilst paying little attention to the large sign that said “swimming pool ahead”!

Mobile Phone usage by drivers on the move has increased world-wide. Many officials, governments, safety bodies, other drivers and pedestrians are becoming seriously worried about this modern phenomenon. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the USA conducted a survey and came up with some startling and very shocking data! The results showed that 1.2 million people or 8% of drivers in the States were using handheld or hands free cell phones during daylight hours in 2004; a 50% increase since 2002 and a 100% rise in four years. Mr. Ray Tyson, a spokesperson for NHTSA shared his views with us: while we don’t have hard evidence that there’s been an increase in the number of crashes, we know that talking on the phone can degrade driver performance”. Thanks Ray for the enlightenment but why did you restrict the survey to daylight hours only, do you expect mobile phone wielding drivers to always tell the truth and why don’t you have any hard evidence? Ray clearly reduced his statement to casual observation status rather than committing himself or the NHTSA by shouting out loudly to the world that the situation was reaching disastrous proportions ………..etc!

Over in Japan recent statistics shine another bad light on the situation. The Japanese Police produced some hard evidence (maybe they should contact RAY) of 1140 car accidents that occurred in Japan during a three month period in 1996! All of these accidents occurred due to drivers being distracted by their mobile phones in one way or another. In fact the police went a little bit further: 9 people died of these accidents! 45% of these accidents happened while drivers attempted to answer their ringing phones. 28% while drivers tried to combine driving with dialing, 18% while the drivers were talking and the remaining 11% due to other causes like scrambling under the seat to retrieve a dropped phone having just swerved out of the path of an oncoming camper van on cruise control!

Oh! And heading back to the Americas some objective Scientific Research from some body in Toronto shows that the risk of being involved in a traffic accident increases fourfold if a mobile phone is used whilst driving! Thanks for that, maybe these scientists were spent some time with Ray!

Zooming across the Atlantic, over the Middle East, China and to Taiwan! A country that manufactures and has its hand in the production of many electronic devices currently being used in the world today! As a pedestrian crossing any road in Taiwan is similar to putting ones head in the mouth of a lion, it is a dangerous event that most achieve by closing ones eyes and with a rapidly beating heart just taking the plunge – crossing the road that is! Recently this style of heart racing adventure has just gotten a little bit better: drivers manically wielding cell phones have dramatically increased the heart in mouth adventure of trying to get to the other side! It is still similar to putting ones head into a lion’s mouth, but a lion that has only just finished chomping to death its keeper, that is being prodded by a child with a stick between the bars and has been forced to listen to a mobile phone users checking out is new ring tones!

There has never been a co-coordinated system of traffic flow in Taiwan; a total lack of respect for traffic lights and pedestrians exist and weaving drivers on betel nut (a chewy nut that causes hyper activity when chewed and drowsiness in-between chomps) just adds to the general fun! Most pedestrians hug walls and sneak along with eyes working overtime as potentially hazardous drivers are logged and tracked by a well-developed brain radar system brought on by a desire for survival. Only last week a bus zoomed by with a cargo of terrified children peering helplessly and desperately out of the windows; the driver was happily conversing on his mobile whilst weaving an unstoppable course through various red lights at well over the moral speed limit! Another recent incident which in retrospect is quite hilarious was when two moped drivers approached each other across an intersection. Their speeds were not great and the whole scenario played out as if in slow motion; each was concentrating on their respective conversations, each was weaving drunkenly forwards in fits and starts and as if pre-ordained they collided head on. A tangled heap resulted but without serious injury or damage. But what is even more hilarious is that both individuals picked themselves up, brushed themselves off and without acknowledging each other or scrambling to shift blame they both reached around for the cell phones. And without pause they continued their conversations – why let a mere traffic accident get in the way of a call? Who knows, maybe they were talking to each before they crashed and afterwards were busy obtaining each others insurance details – all over the phone!

Even worse than being a pedestrian these days is to find oneself sitting in the back of a taxi with driver who feels the urge to converse not with you but with his mobile! Suddenly from being a normal driver who bores his passengers to tears with stories of his economic plight or Liverpool’s recent football score, emerges a maniac of WW11 convoy evasion tactical ability! The driver suddenly decides that any action of the foot on the gas peddle must be immediately followed by one on the brake and passengers find themselves alternately with their heads embedded into the seat in front or their bodies lying twisted and mangled against the rear window! From a driver, who although was naturally aggressive in his driving managed with skill to avoid others, emerges a monster. A massive monster who will play head on “who will brake first” games with a speeding tank, who will assume that spaces the size of a shopping trolley will mysteriously expand if he gets enough speed up and who considers that all other drivers are mere figments of his imagination!

Indeed the mobile phone driving syndrome situation is far worse than authorities, governments, Ray, the Japanese Police and the bored or underpaid scientist’s state. This maybe due to the fact that most of the above mentioned bodies and groups tend to use their very own mobile phones whilst driving to work every day so ……….can’t make too much noise now can they!

One country is stepping up its efforts to clamp down on this new menace! The UK! As of 2005 drivers caught using mobile phones will be immediately fined 60 pounds and have three penalty points on their driving licenses! In fact Ms Janet Anderson, MP for Rose and Darwin ( a couple of houses in England connected by a single lane dirt track) clapped her hands in delight upon receiving a report that hands-free kits (once heralded as a safe alternative) were nearly as dangerous as actual hand-held phones! She went on a bit further to say that, “it must be made crystal clear to drivers who insist on behaving in this way that they endanger the safety of the public generally and their own safety too”! Yippee!

Still in the UK - recent tests at the Transport Research Laboratory have shown that drivers on mobiles have a slower reaction time and stopping time than those under the influence of alcohol! It does not really take a team of highly paid scientists and many pounds later to figure that one out: it is blatantly obvious that a driver under the influence will be applying every ounce of his available concentration on his driving, albeit slightly misguided, whilst a driver on his mobile will not be concentrating at all! But the findings of this year long study did place in writing some much needed data and statistics that can now be used and wielded by those trying to clamp down on the menace! At last some hard evidence!

Hopefully the future will change people’s attitudes regarding mobile phone usage! Hopefully normal people will not feel the urge to be in contact 24/7, will not suffer withdrawal symptoms should they be disconnected for a nanosecond and be able to not answer a ringing phone – in fact it would be superb if people could actually switch mobile phones off sometimes!

But this is way, way, way into the future! As far away as us conversing with aliens from the planet “zong” in the “xzihngty” galaxy about them trying to eat us for breakfast! In the meantime it will be up to governments and the introduction of new laws to clamp down on the menace and thus make drivers think twice before answering or making calls whilst on the move!

Maybe the answer is not to punish drivers through penalty points on their license or the threat of paltry monetary fines:

“You have been found guilty by this court of talking on a cell phone whilst driving. You will from this day forth not be allowed to own, borrow, use or even look at a mobile phone, PDF or portable communication device for a period of ten years. Additionally you will complete three months of community service upon completion of which you will attend counseling in “how to survive on this planet without being in constant touch”. Upon completion of this course you will then attend a four week course titled, “how to use a phone that is connected to a land line”. Take him away boys!

The only crisis left to solve would then be to clamp down on those drivers who insist on doing a full make-over in the rear-view mirror whilst doing 60MPH through a built up area! To put a halt to business men who assume that drivers’ seats are wonderful places to shave, rinse and swallow! To convince short sighted people that, “cleaning ones specs” by removing them and whilst navigating a hair bend in icy conditions is not really sensible. Oh, and that various forms of sexual attention might be pleasurable at the time but not when subsequently wrapped around a lamppost or underneath an HGV still doing 60MPH down the freeway!

When these drivers have had their shaving kits and make up bags confiscated and are safely tucked away behind bars then it might be safe for the average pedestrian to step foot outside once again and with confidence, without fear of being mowed down by cars driven by self-engrossed and selfish drivers who assume that the conversation they are currently having is more important than life!

About the Author
Author and Webmaster of Seamania. As a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Navy he has sailed the world for fifteen years. Now living in Taiwan he writes about cultures across the globe and life as he sees it.

Cell Phones and TV

2005-04-04T14:50:00.000-05:00

by Catherine Kenyeres

What if you want to catch up on the morning TV news passing the time away on your morning train commute into the city. Stuck in line somewhere and want to find out how your favorite sports team is doing. Well, an alternative that is coming soon instead of TiVo or videotaping your favorite TV program is watching television programming on your cell phone.

"Cellular carriers are banking on the fact that Americans love TV," said Neil Strother, an industry spokesperson with In-Stat/MDR Inc. "By delivering these new video applications, carriers think they will be able to lower customer turnover and develop new revenue streams." In fact, Nokia just recently acknowledged wireless television pilot program in Finland.

Cellular manufacturers have been toying with this idea for some time but the technology just wasn’t there. It will require a combined effort on the part of cell phone manufacturers and television programming providers. Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola’s headsets are leading the pact by providing phones that include tuners that have the capability of receiving television programming.

Some milestones are still need to be reached including the capability of watching TV on a cell phone for long periods of time without the battery running out. As well, the video quality just isn’t there yet and needs to be worked out.

Cell phones aren’t just for talking anymore.

About the Author:

Catherine Kenyeres is a free lance writer and publisher for Best-4u-Cell-Phones.com. Catherine provides the latest information, reviews and comparisons for her cell phone clients.

....The Future Of Telecommunications May Look Very Different....

2005-04-02T06:50:00.000-05:00

by Michael Lemm

The current "frenzy" over VoIP seems to focused mostly on BroadBand phones and their predicted replacement of landline phone calls as we know it.

But that's just the obvious action on the surface.

VoIP technology is & can be much more than that. And company R&D is gearing up in unprecedented ways to prepare for that surprising leap in expectation.

Notice I said expectation.

Seems the old business model in Telco was that whatever the companies came up with is what the consumer would take.

The companies drove the market & what was in it...including any technology "advancements" and their application, distribution, etc.

Remember.....we had dial-up internet....then DSL, cable, & satellite access. Now WiFi & soon reliable WiMax deployment.

We had high cpm PSTN / POTS residential phone calls....then we had bundled local/LD.... then flat rate LD. Now Broadband phone (VoIP).

We had bulky analog cell phones then digital/PCS, text messaging, and now sleek video cellular.

But that is old world thinking.

The reason is 2 fold....

First....VoIP technology (note I didn't say VoIP "phone") stands to afford unprecedented advancements and capabilities yet to be seen. The potential is boggling.

Second....the old business model was that whatever companies came up with consumers would accept. The companies drove what was available & came to market.

No more...now consumers are dictating to companies "we want this now come up with it".

That's a drastic change in thinking that companies must now deal with. Those that do will be better positioned to capture what markets are created by consumer demand...vice the old approach of markets being created by what companies developed and released. And the foundation of this new consumer driven demand will likely be based on VoIP (and I believe wireless) technology.

That aside, I'd really like to see what you think of this shift in product development and market control to consumer "vision" vice company "idea" driven....fueled by the possibilities surrounding VoIP and wireless. We've seen....or soon will....a host of Gee Whiz break throughs & possibilities focused heavily on multi-media & data (both residential & business). What do you think the future holds?

About the Author

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications http://ld.net/mscprez and http://DS3-Bandwidth.com .......delivering choices to both residential and business consumers for voice and data broadband services. Michael also authors BroadBand Nation http://BroadBand-Nation.blogspot.com where you're always welcome to to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, and ramblings for the masses.

10 best cell phone deals on the net!!!

2005-03-30T06:44:00.000-05:00

http://gettingrichfast.com
http://ultimatehomebusinesspackage.com
http://tinyurl.com/5uxez

-----------------

10 Best Sellers from A1 Wireless:

FREE Motorola C650 Camera Phone Plus $125 Cash Back! (T-Mobile)

Free Motorola V180 Plus $125 Cash Back!
(T-Mobile)

FREE Nokia 6015i Plus $50 Cash Back!
(Verizon)

FREE Motorola V265 Camera Phone (Verizon)

FREE Sony Ericsson Z500a Video Phone Plus $80 Cash Back! (Cingular)

Motorola Razor V3 Camera Phone for Only $189.99!(Cingular)

FREE Motorola i730 Plus $50 Cash Back (Nextel)

FREE Motorola i710 with $75 Cash Back (Nextel)

FREE Audiovox 8912 Camera Phone(Sprint)

LG PM-325 Slider Camera Phone for Only $29.99! (Sprint)

-------------------------------

SMS and Web Mobile Call

by Michael Fleidervish

The telecommunications (Telecom) sector is one of the fastest growing markets
in the world. With deregulation occurring in most European countries, competition is resulting in cheaper calls. The use of cell phones is by far the fastest growing market; in the UK alone, we now have 51 million cell phones in use. Cell charges
can vary tremendously due to the labour, marketing, maintenance and infrastructure costs of each telecommunications company (Telco). If these costs could be stripped out of the equation, then the actual cost of making a call could be very small.

CellWireless saves you money on your phone calls but also enables you to earn bonus- es on people you introduce to the service., either as a customer or as an afﬁliate.

CellWireless is an international Telco company which ofﬁcially launched in November
2003. With their exclusive patented technology their target is to become the pre- mier Telco provider in the telecom industry. In order to achieve this CellWireless will be providing services at the most economical rates available.

As a CellWireless customer you will have the ability to call from ‘anywhere’ to ‘any- where’ at the most economical prices available! CellWireless’s patented technology is called *TLC – Text Link Cellular – this technology allows you to get connected to
their global platform network which will connect your call to almost any phone in the world using your cell phone. You can use the TLC technology to call almost any landline using your cell phone for as little as US$ 0.05 per 30 seconds. This also applies if you want to call someone in your own country e.g. UK !

How can this be possible?

CellWireless buys huge quantities of time from some of the world leading Telco’s, such as AT & T and BT. Because CellWireless does not use traditional marketing and distribution methods (such as Vodaphone,Verizon, Sprint etc), it can offer signiﬁcant discounts to it’s customers.

To illustrate the variance in the current calling rates amongst the larger
Telco’s please visit http://www.cellwireless.com/shmuel84 (‘current rates’).
See also http://newestmobile.blogspot.com/

CellWireless are constantly negotiating with various providers around the world to get you even better rates!

Michael Fleidervish
Group Team Leader

Online text messaging and pc to mobile texting

2005-03-25T14:29:00.000-05:00

by Marinda Stuiver

The use of text messaging as a medium to communicate with mobile users is increasing as handset penetration increase in the Global market place. SMS warehouse and PositiveComsol Pvt Ltd launched PositiveSMS, free downloadable software which enables users to send text messages from their desktop or personal computer to mobile phones, backed up by a web site which allows for online text messaging.

Text messaging or SMS is the transmission of short text messages to and from a mobile phone, fax machine and/or IP address. The messages consist normally out of alpha or numeric text and cannot be longer than 160 characters. Messaging is nowadays used widely for personal as well as business communication. This form of communication became very pervasive over the last couple of years as it is not just cheap but also easy to use for any person able to operate a mobile phone.

Texting from an IP address opened up a whole new world as far as mobile messaging is concerned. As a result products are available where users could send messages to mobile phones from web sites. With the aid of specially designed software and an internet connection the same objective could be achieved by users using dial-up accounts. SMS warehouse and PositiveComsol opened up communication for smaller businesses and private users with the launch of PositiveSMS desktop software and internet text messaging from smswarehouse.com.

PositiveSMS is a desktop tool distributed as Freeware. Ease of use is key to this software. Users simply download the software and register online for a username and password. Thirty free test credits are allocated to each registrant for testing (users have to purchase more credits when it reaches the limit of 17). PositiveSMS includes an online phone book which ease maintenance of mobile phone numbers and contact details. It also logs the messages as they are sent as a history of sent messages.

Should users prefer internet text messaging, they could log into the website with the same username and password and send messages. Online phone book, message history, WAP bookmarking and business cards are available to web site users.

Handset to handset texting limits users to sending one message at a time - a very frustrating excercise when one has a list of friends to contact. SMSwarehouse web SMS allows users to create a list of numbers (comma seperated), save the file as a text file in a memorable place on their pc and upload it to the web for bulk sms. One short message is typed and despatched to the numbers on the list with a throughput of 3 sms/second and works on any computer that has access to the web.
....more
sms-2
No installation, no maintenance, no training is required. When updates are done, the web site will display the upgraded version of the software and users will be advised of the latest upgrade and added features.

"This product is real easy to use and I have had great feedback from clients with whom I communicated via sms using PositiveSMS" says Mr. Christo Els, Restauranteur in Secunda, Mpumalanga South Africa. SMME's could especially benefit from this product as the software is distributed as freeware with users only paying per SMS. It opens up the world of text messaging for smaller business in areas where mobile telecommunication is available for example restaurants, liquor stores, guest houses as well as educational institutions (schools, universities, colleges).

PositiveSMS is distributed by SMSwarehouse and has been launched on http://www.smswarehouse.com or for South Africa http://www.smswarehouse.co.za.

About the Author

Marinda Stuiver has been working in the marketing industry since 1996. She worked as International sales and marketing consultant for Station Africa Telecoms where one of her responsibilities was media liaison during sponsored events such as the Camel Trophy 4X4 events, Kathy O’Dowd’s firs ascent of Mt Everest, the 1999 BT sponsored Vasco da Gama Yacht race and many more.

Is Your Cell Phone Safe?

2005-03-23T14:54:00.000-05:00

by Loring A. Windblad

This compilation of information is Copyright March 2005 by http://www.organicgreens.us and Loring Windblad; the basic information is Copyright 8 March 2005 by Molly Wood and CNET.

The reference for this article is the author’s personal knowledge and experience working in the Communications Field for more than 25 years plus all the cited references in Molly’s article.

This article may be freely copied and used on other web sites only if it is copied complete with all links and text, including this header, intact and unchanged except for minor improvements such as misspellings and typos.

So you have a cell phone?

But, you aren’t one of the people who blithely goes cruising down the highway and 10-15 miles over the speed limit, talking on your cell and blissfully unaware of the people around you and what they might be doing? Does it matter that you only use your cell phone “Safely”? Is there such a thing as “Safe use of Cell Phones?”

When you read the following article by Molly Wood, copyright Molly Wood and CNET, March 8, 2005, you will come to understand some of the hidden dangers inherent in our modern cell phone use.

And yes, this same problem is inherent in the “cordless” phones we now use to have “walkabout” capabilities in our homes while we chat on the phone. We can keep on preparing our meals, working in the kitchen, working at odds ‘n ends around the house and just carrying the cordless phone with us.

It broadcasts on RF frequencies in the VHF and UHF ranges which are as harmful as the Microwave frequencies on the Cell Phone.The danger lies in “being that physically close” to the radiating source….i.e., right up against our ears.At any rate, for an enlightening look at this potentially very serious health problem, make sure that you follow all the links and read the source material that went to validate the article.

Molly has done her homework on this one, and this article alone validates her being the Senior Editor at Ziff-Davis’ CNET.

Molly is the editor of the feature recurring article “Anchordesk”.Read her article, follow the links and read the supporting information, and then make up your own mind as to the safety or danger of Cell Phones. For my part, my mind is already made up….they’re inherently extremely dangerous. While you are checking the sources out make certain you also check the very last reference given – the cell-phone radiation chart – it will be eye-opening.

The cell phone industry: Big Tobacco 2.0? By Molly Wood, senior editor, CNET.comTuesday, March 8, 2005So, there's this incredibly popular product that has widespread consumer use and a massive marketing presence. Nearly everyone uses it, and it has very high social acceptance, even though some people find it annoying when it's used in public. It's highly habit-forming; people who use the product on a regular basis find it almost impossible to live without.Unfortunately, studies start to appear showing that the product might be harmful to its users--even cancer-causing.

The product's manufacturers deny the presence of any danger and even spend millions of dollars trying to discredit the research that points to problems. Then, an insider emerges, seemingly with proof that the product could be dangerous. The industry agrees to publish warning data about the product, but continues to maintain that the product itself is safe for use. Lawsuits against the product's manufacturers are filed, but all are dismissed.

Industry analysts know that any case that does succeed could start a domino effect of future lawsuits, which keeps the industry determined to maintain that the product is harmless, despite increasing evidence to the contrary.Sound familiar?Well, put down your lighter, I'm talking about cell phones.

I've already maintained that I don't like the cell phone industry's iron-clad control over phone releases and pricing, its ever-lengthening contracts, and the annoying habit it has of crippling Bluetooth phones so that I can't use them the way I want to. But it takes only a few minutes of looking into the cell phone radiation quagmire before I start to think, man, these guys have Big Tobacco 2.0 written all over them.

Actually, I'm not the first to think of it, but a recent article in the University of Washington alumni magazine indicates that the behaviors aren't going away, even as the potentially damning research continues to mount.

OK, I know the obvious differences: I'm sure cell phone manufacturers are not deliberately making their products more addictive, for example – although they are, of course, always offering new and improved services and ever-increasing buckets of minutes, which can't help but encourage us to use our phones more and more frequently.

But, just as Big Tobacco did, the cell phone industry seems bound and determined to thwart and deny any suggestion that its product might be dangerous.A history of bad newsFor example, in 1994, University of Washington bioengineering professors Henry Lai and Narendra Singh found that the DNA in rats' brains was damaged after two hours of exposure to levels of microwave radiation considered safe by the government.

When Lai and Singh published the research, a leaked memo from Motorola's head of global strategy, Norm Sandler talked about ways to minimize damage by undermining their research, with Sandler writing, "I think that we have sufficiently war-gamed the Lai/Singh issue." Ouch. Worse, research biologist Jerry Phillips, who was paid by Motorola to conduct similar testing, says he was able to duplicate Lai and Singh's findings, but was then asked not to publish the research and was subsequently shunned by the company.

Motorola says it told Phillips that his findings needed clarification, and the industry still maintains that Lai and Singh's results have never been duplicated and can't be considered legitimate.The biggest Russell Crowe-style insider in this case, though, is Dr. George Carlo, who was hired by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association to head up a $28 million research program into possible health effects from cellular phones.

Unfortunately, he now says his findings show an increased rate of brain cancer deaths, development of tumors, and genetic damage among heavy cell phone users. He wrote this letter of concern to the president of AT&T Corporation and later went public with his findings after what he considered to be neglect by the industry. He's since broken with the industry, become a vocal critic, and coauthored a book called Cell Phones: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age--so you can tell he's on the "cell phones could cause cancer" side of things.Meanwhile, more studies keep coming, and they seem to be getting worse.

A study funded by the European Union reported last December that radio waves from mobile phones do, definitively, damage DNA and other cells in the body--and that the damage extended to the next generation of cells. Even though mutated cells are considered a possible cause of cancer, the UK National Radiological Protection Board said that since the study didn't show that the damage definitely led to disease, consumers shouldn't worry too much about the findings.

Uh, right. In the meantime, the report recommended that children use mobile phones only in emergency situations. You know, just in case. How reassuring.The cell phone industry hasn't commissioned another large-scale study – at least not publicly –since its fateful encounter with Dr. Carlo – and why would they? They're in a catch-22. It's a multibillion dollar industry, and they simply can't afford to find out, definitively, that cell phones are dangerous. Worse, just like the tobacco companies, if they start issuing warnings and precautionary tales now, it'll look like they knew all along that the radio waves were dangerous, opening them up to major liability claims.

They've already dodged one big, big bullet--an $800 million lawsuit against Motorola and cell phone carriers was thrown out in 2002, with the judge ruling that there wasn't sufficient evidence for trial. Since then, neurologist Dr. Christopher Newman, who filed the lawsuit, has died of brain cancer.

Listen, I use a cell phone, and I'm not trying to scare the bejesus out of everyone. But I do use a headset when I'm talking for any long period of time, and I carry that sucker in my purse, not my pocket. (I know you guys don't have that luxury, but reconsider the briefcase, OK?) And if you're shopping for a new phone, you might want to check our cell phone radiation chart to see which ones carry a low dose.In a few more years, we'll either know for sure that cell phones can cause cancer, or we'll know they can't. I just hope we don't find out the hard way – through subpoenaed documents from cell phone makers and carriers who've been trying to minimize their damages and maximize their profits for more than a decade.

About the Author

Loring Windblad worked in communications for more than 25 years and has observed first hand the harmful effects of RF radiation in near proximity to both humans and other animals. His latest business endeavor is at: http://www.organicgreens.us