Mobile phones - Cell phones

Index Page

To view the whole site please click on >> SITE MAP

Next Page :Early Computing

Although you can find a mobile phone shop on every town street these days there may still be people who do not have one or are mystified as to what the advantages are and whether they should have one.

Jnauary 2008  Vodaphone is increasing its download rate for mobile video to 7.2Mb/s.  Or, to put it another way,... very fast!

The Apple iPhone is very expensive * and coveted by everyone who wants to show off.  It has wi-fi and Blutooth capability for sending and receiving mail, surfing the web and downloading music etc. But did you know that to replace the battery you should send it back to Apple. However it IS possible to open the case and some companies are already producing compatible batteries.  However, these days mobile MOST phones can get emails and some, like the Blackberry even have tiny QWERTY keyboards. The latest RIM Blackberry is also Wi-fi capable.
* The minimum you will pay for the use of an iPhone during the first 18 month contract will be £899.

** n.b. The most common form of robbery on the streets today is for mobile phones.  And yet you can block the use of a phone almost immediately by getting in touch with the service provider and telling them to block it.  You will need to tell them the Serial Number.  To get this you should press *#06# on the phone and make a note of it in a safe place

First, the Pros and Cons of a Mobile phone, Cell phone or Cellular phones

Cons :

The main disadvantage of the mobile phone is that the cost of calls is higher than from a landline phone.

Secondly there are some areas where reception is poor or impossible  - but see satellite below.  If you are often in an area where reception can be bad (in a valley, out of line of sight of a transmitter), it is very important to choose the right company, as they each have their own transmitting aerials

They are one of the most frequently and easily stolen items.  The thief can then rack up huge bills for you until you cancel the account. They can also get a great deal of information which may help them with scams such as Identity Fraud.

Although many have excellent volumes they cannot be used with a hearing aid in the 'T' (induction loop) position.

Pros :

You don't need a land line connection, so can telephone from anywhere where reception is reasonable.  There are many motorists, solitary pedestrians (especially children) and even yachtsmen who have been very relieved to be able to get in touch when in difficulty.

Once you have bought your phone, if you choose a Pay as You Go method of payment, there is no cost whatsoever unless you use the phone.

Your mobile phone has its own answerphone system, so if your phone is not on or you do not answer it people can leave messages.

You can send text messages to people which can be picked up later and are cheaper than voice calls. Useful if you are deaf. For use with hearing aids it is necessary to purchase a T-link device and some phones also require an adapter.  See http://www.deafequipment.co.uk/store/viewCategory.do?id=299.

The phone has a screen and this can be used to display messages, notifying you that a text or sound call has been left.  

A deaf person, like myself, can be contacted. Not only do the phones ring but they can also vibrate to tell you a call is coming through. Although many have excellent volumes they cannot be used with a hearing aid in the 'T' (induction loop) position without an adapter (above).

The screen can also be used to display games

Many phones allow you to take still and video pictures with sound and these can be sent to other mobile phones or transferred to a computer and printed or even printed directly from the telephone. Some include high megapixel cameras and even a flash.

Many phones have a facility to add as much as an 80Mb memory card, allowing you to load professional videos as well as MP3 music and photographs.  These can be downloaded from your computer via USB or wirelessly via 'Bluetooth"

There are often facilities to be updated on sporting events by text or even video excerpts.

Some phones are contactable via satellite and can therefore be used anywhere in the world and can also be used for satellite navigation whether in a car, on a boat or on foot. Many lives have been saved by mobile phones, not only by calls from injured people but also from people in danger, such as at sea, lost, stranded, trapped in a vehicle or half way down a cliff. Many children now have them for safety reasons.

Many telephones allow you to send and receive e-mails. The RIM Blackberry, the mobile phone you can use at the top of Mount Everest (and pick up your emails while you are there) is about to seal a deal in China, which already has 500 million mobile phone users.  In fact any moble phone that can access the net can also receive email from web based sites such as Googlemail.

The mobile telephone network is now worldwide, so you can probably telephone someone on a land line or another mobile phone anywhere in the world, although may have to have a phone which is suitable for use in Europe, Japan or the USA.  Some services are remarkably cheap, especially to more technologically developed countries.

All mobile phones have a Menu of facilities including a telephone book.  These numbers may be called merely by pressing one number.  A friend pressed the number of his contact by mistake and the contact answered.  The friend said " But I thought you were off to Singapore !" The contact replied " Yes I am in a cafe in Singapore!"

Saving money on mobiles abroad

Danger, Voicemail abroad

If your voicemail's called when you're overseas, whether the phone's on or off, even if no message is left, most networks charge as if you'd received a call. This can be up to £1/min, plus retrieving the message is an overseas call too.

Mobiles are overseas once the phone is switched on and connects to an overseas network, it's then demarked as abroad until its next UK connection, even if it's switched off for the remaining time. If you're willing, ask your network to switch the voicemail off.

If voicemail isn't disabled, keep the phone on, as it's cheaper to answer than pay double to receive and then listen to a voicemail; provided you don't natter on once you're called.

Change message. Re-record your voicemail message, keeping it short and ask others only to leave only necessary, short messages. Better still, suggest they text, as it's always free to receive texts abroad. And while texting back costs, condense it into one and it's relatively cheap.

Use mobiles like pagers. Get people to quickly call, or preferably text when they need to, and then call them back a cheaper way (remember you pay to receive). This certainly doesn't mean using a hotels' phone; that often charge a lot. Buy a phone card there, or if you've got a laptop or internet access, use an ‘internet to phone' calling system like Skype.

Vodafone and Virgin customers. Are you using the correct overseas network?

At home the phone automatically connects to your network; overseas it scans and picks the strongest single. Yet Vodafone* and Virgin* customers pay more if they don't connect via their ‘preferred' overseas partner. For example, in Australia a Vodafone customer calling home pays 79p/min via the preferred network, but 99p with all others. Thus check which is the cheapest foreign network before going, then pick it via the manual network selection option on your handset. Whatever your network, use a special overseas add-on package.  See the difference ?

The main networks now offer special packages for those travelling overseas. Rather interestingly two of these, Vodafone's ‘passport' option which is much cheaper for long calls home and O2's My Europe (not My Europe high roamer) are ‘free on request', in other words if you don't ask, you don't get.... so ask! (full details) Plus upon request Orange gives first time European roamers £5 (£3 on PAYG) free credit to try.  Other add-on packages cost a couple of quid a month, such as Vodafone's International Calls Saver, Orange's Frequent Traveller or T-Mobile's* International Option. They need to be set up more than three days before you go away, and importantly, always remember to cancel them when you return

*********

Here is an example of a couple of sophisticated telephones which have many extra facilities. Phones like these may cost as much as £250 if you 'Pay as you Go. But may be 'free' if you agree to a montly contract.

The Sony Ericsson K750i . The technical specifications of a high spec mobile pictured above:

4X Digital zoom Camera (2 megapixel), Imaging Autofocus, Viewfinder display, Video streaming, Video record, Video Clip, Sound recorder SMS long (Text Messaging) Predictive text input, Picture Phonebook, Picture effects Picture editor, Photo light, MMS Video Multimedia Messaging, Instant Messaging, Enhanced Messaging, Email, integrated Backlight display

Entertainment : Melody composer/MIDI, Music tones, Media Player, Games Download, FM radio.

Connectivity : USB support; ML Synchronisation; PC Memory Stick, Infrared port, GPRS (Global positioning) Bluetooth wireless technology.

Internet : WTLS WAP 2.0 WAP 1.2.1 OTA settings Modem

Voice Mail, Vibrating Alert, Sleep mode, SIM card lock, Volume Keys, Redial, Joystick Icon Desktop

Organiser : Timer, Tasks Stopwatch, Speaker phone, PIM Sync, Phone book, File manager, Contacts, Conference calls Clock, Call list, Calendar, Calculator, Business card exchange, Alarm clock, Memory Stick

Screen 176x220 pixel Color LCD 262,144 Sound Polyphonic Sound 40 voices, 34MB memory

Networks GSM 900 GSM 1900 GSM 1800.

Some phones have wide screens and full keyboards

****************

Methods of Payment

The two main methods of payment are a Contract + call cost and Pay as You Go, where you just pay for each call. All telephone providers offer these, although pricing can be complex and variable. Charges will vary according to the time of day and whether the call is to another country.

Many companies will provide a sophisticated telephone free of charge providing you commit yourself to a contract.  They may also offer a certain number of free calls or text messages before further charges are made.

A typical offer might be..if you sign up for an 18 month contract at £25 a month you might get 600 free texts and 150 minutes talk time a month.  After that you would begin to pay at variable rates.  There are many offers, usually to tempt you to sign up with them on a contract.

Usually it is cheaper to phone someone who is with the same provider e.g. Orange to Orange.

Pay as You Go people can 'top up' their telephone either by phone and a credit card or on the net or by using a registered card in a shop or Post Office.  you may get more calls per pound by requesting a large top up.

Examples of telephone companies :

The main companies making mobile phones are Motorola, Samsung, Siemens, RIM (O2-Blackberry) Panasonic, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, 3  LG

Providers of services  (the people who own the transmitters and who arrange your payment system) include Orange, T-Mobile, O2, Vodaphone, Virgin, BT and Hutchison

Shops include www.phones4u.co.uk, www.Carphonewarehouse.com, www.theLink.com, www.dialaphone.co.uk   or you can go to comparative sites such as www.audiovisual.kelkoo.co.uk and http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/mobile-phone/

Comparisons can be made between phones can be made by clicking on CHEAP MOBILE PHONE DEALS (a www.moneysupermarket site)

Independent links include www.reviewcentre.com and http://www.iegmp.org.uk/  (The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones)

Lost your Phone ?  You should immediately report the loss to your provider so further calls can be stopped.  It is easier if you have the equipment identity number which is displayed if you tap in Star, hash, 06, hash. (*#06#) You can also register your phone with http://www.immobilise.com

Next Page :Early Computing