Mobile phones - Cell phones

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Although you can find a mobile phone shop on every town 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. So this page is NOT for the mobile phone junkies, who can't live without a phone glued to their ear (unwisely - the jury is STILL out on whether there may be long term harm).

A reasonable offer from Mpneysupermarket was an 'unlocked' Nokia C2-01 SIM only plan from 3. Easy-to-use mobile phone with all the handy features you’ll need. Make phone calls, send texts, take pictures and film off-the-cuff moments; listen to MP3 songs, tune into FM radio and play games; 8.75 hours of talk time – considerably longer battery life than a smartphone; 3G capability to access the web anywhere; send updates on Facebook and watch YouTube videos; colourful screen and useful shortcuts for easy navigation; unlocked handset to all networks. FROM £10 a month.  Why do I hate the word FROM ?

New software for mobile phones (called Myfriend) from www.aupix.com allows phones, such as the HTC Evo 4G, Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab Android smartphones to receive Video of the caller AND ALSO REAL TIME TEXT. This means you receive and send text immediately during a conversation.  Just like Skype ! It even allows you to talk to the phone, with the speech being converted to text. Having downloaded the Aupix software just log in to www.myfriendcentral.com to get a user name and password. Aupix recommended O2 and 3 as suitable networks but it also has a Wifi option, in which case the provider does not nmatter.

Warning : In a TV program, investigator, Dom, found that there is little protection for mobile phone users against having to pick up the expensive bills incurred by someone who steals their phone.  The program investigated a £3000 bill incurred by someone who had their phone stolen while on holiday abroad, despite having notified provider, O2, immediately. Dom was led a merry dance by Carphone Warehouse, O2, Oftel and even the (apparently powerless) Phone Ombudsman before getting the bill cancelled. Dom suggested that people should password their SIM to prevent such use.

Each year more than 350,000 phones are stolen. Police can check if a mobile has been stolen by searching the Mobile Property Register (even on the beat).  You can log the details of your phone (or other mobile device) with this register at www.immobilise.com and www.checkmend.com/uk  Checkmend also sell various security devices such as labels to attach to phones or electronic tracers for bikes.

Smartphones This is the term used for the most capable mobile phones, such as the Apple iPhone, HTC Incredible5, Nokia E7 and various versions of Blackberry. They would normally include a quality camera for stills and video, some with lenses on the back and front. Most have a large touch screen and this can be used to type on an on-screen keyboard. It will also accept 'gestures', enabling you to flick through photographs or text with a wipe of the fingers or even zoom in or out by pinching or spreading the photo with two fingers. They will give access to your emails and the internet and can load additional "Apps" such as satellite navigation, whether you are in a car or walking.  They may play music or even video of films, sport or newscasts. Bear in mind that a large screen and extensive use of the internet may drain the battery. Be prepared to pay quite a lot for a smartphone either on purchase or monthly contract.

Mobile computing is becoming more common.  This is usually via a mobile telephone system, so the signals are coming via the aerials of a mobile phone provider. A 'dongle' can be inserted in the USB ports of many pieces of equipment to get this service. Even broadband speeds can be achieved but a study shows that, when received on the same spot, the download speeds can vary greatly.  A study showed that O2 speeds were much faster than T Mobile, so it is advisable to check this before buying.

What is a SIM ? SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module. It is the little card that is in the back of your phone. It identifies you to the network and stores unique information about your account, including your phone number and payment method. You can get another SIM card (often free or very cheap) and keep your existing phone. Some phones are locked to a network and will need unlocking before you can use another SIM card in them.  There is usually a charge.  See more at http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/51252#ixzz1FdGvJDk9  

What is a PAC ? PAC stands for Porting Authorisation Code.  This code enables you to move to another operator and keep their telephone number. OFT has required phone companies to let you have this as a text message within two hours of requesting it. But do read your contract notes.

A modern 'basic' touchscreen phone is shown in a video HERE  It is the Nokia 5230, free from £15 a month (T-mobile). No Wi-fi but integrated GPS sat nav.

For people who can't stand fiddling with buttons to create a text message one can get a phone with a QWERTY keyboard (this may be on screen) or there is a Bluetooth keyboard that will connect wirelessly to many phones. But you must check that your phone is compatible with the HID standard. And many aren't.  

The HTC Sensation phone uses Google's Android operating system, has a 4.3" wide screen and two cameras.... a low definition one for video calls and an 8 megapixel one to take HD video and snaps. Its software includes HTC Watch for video renting and buying.

Some HTC smartphones (e.g. HD7) also have Facebook, Outlook, and browser touch screen buttons. It uses Windows Phone 7 operating system (previously called Windows Mobile) It connects wirelessly, by Bluetooth and has a GPS receiver. Unless you opt for a contract it will cost around £388.  Expensive ?  Try an iPhone at £499

Microsoft and Nokia have done a deal to introduce Windows Phone 7 and Bing browser to their smartphones.

For people who need a simple to use phone there is a SIM free one supplied contract free by www.aspect-two.com.  It is £29.99, has large buttons, vibrate, and speaker phone.  It also has an SOS button on the back which can be set to dial up to five emergency numbers in sequence until one answers. It will even send SMS messages to other mobile phones in case the owner is unable to speak.

March 2011  Money Savings Expert says, "Cheap mobile contracts. New Guide. Save £100s with our new step-by-step guide to get the very best mobile package.  80% of people overpay £200+ a year on mobile bills. So we've fully re-researched & rewritten our comprehensive guide to Cheap Mobile Contracts. Here's a brief summary:
Haggle with existing providers: Before jumping ship, see if you can negotiate a massively improved deal with your current network. The key is threaten to leave, so you get put through to 'disconnections', which has way more deals and power to keep you (see Mobile Haggling)".

Jan 2011. Phones get more and more facilities.  For instance the Samsung Genio Slide phone B5310 (£100 on PAYG) has a slide out QWERTY keyboard, satellite and wireless connections and has 'widgets' for Facebook, BBC iPlayer, MySpace, Google Maps, Flickr, Picasa, Twitter, Bebo, etc. It is an MP3 player, an FM radio with earphones. It has games, a 3.2MP camera and video is only 320x240 and 15 fps. Video calling is possible with 3G and the front-facing lens. Lastly it has GPRS (Satellite Navigation).

The Geemarc Clearsound phone is the loudest mobile around.  See http://www.geemarc.com/eng/product/prodspec.asp?id=244  It is also a basic phone.  So no camera, no music, no touch screen.  Just easy to use

Another very loud phone is the Doro. It is sold by RNID and Conevans (the deaf equipment people) but is a lot less expensive from Carphone Warehouse

October 2010 A Good comparison site can be found at http://www.moneysupermarket.com/mobile-phones/

July 2010 Important to me is the announcement that mobile phones will eventually have High Definition (HD) Voice.  Deaf people have great difficulty with the quality of telephones. HD voice increases the speech bandwidth from the standard 300 - 3400 Hz to 50 - 7000Hz. This will mean people with high or low frequency deficiencies will have a much better change of getting the message.  Hopefully, the inventive mobile phone sector will influence advances on land lines and their receivers.

July 2010 Phones are moving along apace with touch screens and on screen or QWERTY keyboards.  Most have a camera and this may now exceed the pixel specification of a normal camera. It may also have a flash (possibly LED type)  There may even be a lense both sides (e.g. iPhone 4), the front one being for video conversations. Many have voice recording facilities and a radio. While some will only access the mobile network, many now are 3G (third generation) and are capable of accessing the internet even without a nearby computer hotspot. The iPhone even includes video editing software, so you can create a reasonable video from clips. Although most phones are in 'portrait' format, many will happily switch to 'landscape' and/or have touch screens to access their facilities.

For people who do not expect to have the phone glued to their ear you can get a sophisticated one on a Pay As You Go basis.  Or if you get a monthly contract the phone may be free.  See a video of features of a modern HTC phone at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScianBHnY1w

May 2010 Mobile phones companies are getting increasingly competitive these days.  Many are offering good deals with a good phone thrown in.  But do go into the small print as, if they are offering a free Blackberry Curve 8520 (around £195 at Amazon) they will want to get their money back somehow.  So, although some companies offer this phone free with various free messages, (e.g. Virgin) there is probably a lengthy contract and they hope you will begin to rack up additional minutes. Daughter used one extensively in the USA during our delayed flight but returned to find a £200 bill from O2.  Take a look at http://www.rightmobilephone.co.uk/ comparison site  To look at the Blackberry site go to http://uk.blackberry.com/devices/

Feb 2010.  To see a modern phone have a look at this video HERE  The Doro Big Button gsm Mobile phone may be better for some older people, especially as it is hearing aid compatible.

I do use a mobile occasionally. Mine cost £8.50 from Phones4U plus £10 prepaid call charges.  I find it quite satisfactory; it worked in South Africa on holiday - no setting up required - and does things like take pictures. And it came with a swipe card, so instead of having to phone to top it up I can just go to a shop and pay them some cash. Easy!

All phone companies have now introduced mobile computing (not necessarily via 3G satellite). They can connect by connecting to their transmitting masts.  

For instance mobile phone company 3 is offering mobile broadband from £10 a month with a free mobile USB modem. See http://www.ebuyermobile.com/broadband/  I installed one of these in an XP machine I sold.  It

Phone charges story.  Unless you intend to increase your mortgage be careful when you use your mobile phone abroad.

A Manchester-based IT consultant was shocked to find a £31,500 telephone bill waiting for him when he returned from holiday. He had used his mobile phone as a modem while on holiday in Portugal to download an episode of Prison Break as well as several MP3s. "The original figures looked like they had come down from the moon. I just laughed. There had to be some mistake. I knew I had used a lot of data while abroad, but not to the tune of £31,000," says Mr X, who failed to check the limits of his data plan. The bill, sent from UK telecoms supplier Yes Telecom, is the latest in a string of huge charges from various providers that have brought to light the level of customer confusion over mobile broadband download limits and the high costs involved in exceeding them. In January this year a Vodafone customer received a bill for £27,000, after having downloaded 20 or 30 television shows over his mobile data package, believing that it included unlimited data. In March another Vodafone customer received an £11,000 phone bill after accidentally using a mobile broadband package while abroad. The phone owner's wife had started to download four episodes of the popular comedy show Friends on the handset while still in the UK, which had continued while abroad. However, in most cases, the high charges are heavily reduced after negotiations. Mr X disputed the bill using a firm of solicitors, and the company has now agreed to slash the charges to just £229.

April 08  Got an old mobile phone ?  It might be worth something.  See http://www.envirofone.com/

January 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 RIM Blackberry is also Wi-fi capable. Even Obama says he couldn't live without his Blackberry.
* 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. You should register your phone or other valuable items (free) with with www.immobilise.com. That way the police can verify if the oik they just arrested has your phone. In fact they can do it by the roadside. It is also possible to check if a phone is listed as stolen (for a fee of £1.99) by going to www.checkmend.com.  (Checkmend has a history of 40 billion serial numbered items worldwide - not just phones)

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 still 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 aid loops 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) has sealed a deal in China, which already has 500 million mobile phone users.  In fact any mobile 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!"

It will soon be able to track a mobile phone user almost anywhere in the world, providing the owner has given you permission. This will be useful for keeping track of kids (or forgetful old people!) and even to track where it is when it has been stolen. If it is a satellite based phone it will be within a few feet. If, not it will still be possible for a short distance (where there is a nearby transmitter)

Most phones will enable you to get emails or surf the web from almost anywhere via WAP.  

WAP stands for Wireless Access Protocol, and is more commonly referred to as "Mobile Internet" Most of today's mobile phones, smartphones and PDAs come with a built in WAP browser. With it  you can access dedicated WAP pages while on the move. For further information see HERE The cost of WAP depends on your phone company but also on the way you access the net. With standard dial-up, you pay by the minute to access WAP, and with GPRS, you pay for the amount of data you download.

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 set 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 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, a short message is 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.

Get a different SIM card or even a cheap phone while abroad.

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

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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 monthly 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 , some full keyboards and many now have touch screens with QWRTY keyboards on screen, so the days of having to master typing messages on keys with three or four letters and a number are gone.

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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(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

For the technically savvy :-

Killer combo - Netbooks and mobile phones Add the power of a netbook to the flexibility of a mobile phone and you’ve got a killer connected combo. Suddenly enjoying media and connecting with friends on the move becomes easier than ever. Here's how to tune up for a digital duet between phone and PC.

If there's one eternal rule of technology, it is that everything gets smaller and more powerful. Today's mobile phones pack the punch of yesterday's laptops, while modern netbook computers can crunch data and blast through graphics faster than desktops from a few years ago. Bring phone and netbook together, though, and you unleash a whole level of mobile creativity.

The first thing to get up and running is shared contacts, calendars and push email. This means that when you make a change to the address book or add an event on your netbook, it appears (almost) instantly on your mobile – and vice versa. It's as easy as installing an app on your phone – and you might not even need to do that, depending on what software you use.

Google's Calendar and Gmail services live in the cloud (an online sharing resource that users can access all over the world), meaning they can be accessed from any device with an internet connection. Getting these up and running on your netbook and almost any smartphone should be easy and free. If you use Microsoft Outlook, you might have to pay a few pounds for an app that does the same thing, while Apple's MobileMe service for iPhones (which has an annual fee) works seamlessly with all kinds of desktop software.

The days of fiddling with tiny memory cards and getting tangled up in USB cables are almost over. The quickest and easiest way to connect a mobile phone to a netbook is to go wireless. You'll probably know about Bluetooth from hands-free headsets but the same low power radio system can also be used to send small files to and from phones and computers – just pair them up and you’re ready to start sending.

Even more useful than Bluetooth is Wi-Fi. All netbooks and an increasing number of smartphones come with all the tech needed to join a wireless network at home or in a café. But what if you’re on the road or at the beach? The very latest Android handsets (version 2.2 and above) allow you to share your phone’s 3G web connection with your laptop – effectively turning it into a mobile hotspot.

It’s not clear yet whether all the phone networks will allow this ‘tethering’, but it’s definitely the way things are headed. Tethering works fine for one netbook but it can really slow down if you try to use a phone connection with several devices at once.

So far, so geeky... but what about sharing music, films and photos? That's pretty simple too, although you will need to install special server software on your netbook and phone .

A media server like Twonky (free) turns your computer and phone into DLNA devices capable of swapping files with thousands of different gadgets, from TVs to cameras. It uses Wi-Fi to set-up a private local network where you can stream music, watch films and access photo galleries at the touch of a button.

Your phone and netbook can even communicate when they're miles – or continents – apart, as long as both are turned on. For this you'll need a remote access program such as Orb (prices vary). Orb basically opens a secure gateway to your computer from an Android handset or iPhone, using the internet. You can browse all your folders, read work documents and even watch movies – although because it’s all running online, it doesn’t work as fast Twonky's local sharing.

And there's one final thing to remember. If all this media juggling has exhausted your phone, try simply plugging it in to a USB port on the powered netbook to recharge. It’s a match made in techno-heaven.

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