The US Amber Alerts system distributes messages to selected media and web resources. This is done whenever children are abducted, and selected criteria, set by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, are met.
To help in this effort you can choose to receive such alerts over your cell phone. Note that your cell phone provider may charge you for text messages if you are not under an unlimited plan; check with your mobile phone provider for details. However, according to the FAQ:
"Will my carrier charge me for receiving Wireless AMBER Alerts?
No. The carriers who are participating in the Wireless AMBER Alerts Initiative have entered into an agreement with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children that requires them to provide these alerts at no additional cost to consumers. Your wireless phone must be capable of receiving text messages (virtually all recent models qualify) and your service plan must include basic message receipt capability. If you have any questions, you should contact your wireless carrier."
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Give Your Wireless Phone a Wire
Tired of all this gosh-darn-fancy-new-age gadgetry like wireless phones? Want to return to "the old days" with vintage phones containing a big handset you can grab?
The "Please Hold!" retro cell phone handset attaches to your cell phone and looks like a vintage phone handset from the 50s and 60s, complete with a coiled cord. While this won't completely turn back time, it may turn peoples' heads.
Other retro cell phone handsets can be found on the following websites (again, listed for informational purposes ONLY):
* Computer Gear
* Entertainment Earth
* ThinkGeek
And if you don't want wires but still want a handse.
The "Please Hold!" retro cell phone handset attaches to your cell phone and looks like a vintage phone handset from the 50s and 60s, complete with a coiled cord. While this won't completely turn back time, it may turn peoples' heads.
Other retro cell phone handsets can be found on the following websites (again, listed for informational purposes ONLY):
* Computer Gear
* Entertainment Earth
* ThinkGeek
And if you don't want wires but still want a handse.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Camera Phone
For those not "in the know", the definition of a camera phone is simply a cell / mobile phone that has a built-in camera. Most camera phones contain few if any features that digital photographers are used to, such as mode settings (night, landscape, portrait, etc), a zoom lens, flash, white balance adjustments, ISO sensitivity tweaking, and the capability of taking multi-megapixel pictures. However, all of this is changing with newer technology.
Some camera phones store pictures in memory built into the cell phone while others support add-on media. Without add-on media support, most camera phones can take very few pictures before you have to delete some to take more.
Why should you care about a camera phone if the pictures don't turn out as well as those taken from a compact, prosumer, or digital SLR camera?
* It's much easier to carry a cell phone around with you than most digital cameras, and people are more used to carrying around a phone than a camera. Camera phones are great for taking photos at the spur of the moment when something catches your eye (though don't take camera phone pictures while driving!). Plus, they are great at parties and get-togethers.
* Instant feedback. Many camera phones let you e-mail pictures to other camera phone users or anyone with an e-mail address as soon as you have taken the picture. Try that with most (if any) digital cameras. Many people are becoming roving photojournalists, capturing unique images and immediately sending them to news agencies, personal web sites, and blogs.
If you are interested in acquiring a camera phone, talk to your cell phone company. Most, if not all, cell phone providers support camera phones from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony, and/or other brands. Note that camera phones are usually more expensive than other cell phones, and if you want the ability to send pictures via e-mail or to other camera phone users, you may have to pay extra per month and per photo sent.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Battery Conservation Tips
Is your cell phone battery losing power constantly? Have you ever had to stop using your cell phone in the middle of a call because the battery died? Here are a few tips you can use to conserve your cell phone battery's power:
* Turn off the cell phone's backlight. While this may make it harder to use your cell phone at nighttime or in pitch-black situations, most of the time you can easily use your cell phone without it being brightly lit. If you must, change your cell phone's backlight settings so the light goes off after 5 or 10 seconds of inactivity. This way your phone should still be usable at nighttime.
* If you know you're traveling to an area without coverage or with only roaming coverage, consider turning off your cell phone. It can use up a lot of power trying to find a suitable network.
* The less you talk, the less battery power your cell phone will use. Try to limit your conversations until you can get to your home phone.
* Limit your usage of non-voice features such as web browsing and playing cell-phone games. If you have a picture cell phone, realize that taking pictures can eat up battery power, especially if you have flash turned on.
* Turn off the cell phone's backlight. While this may make it harder to use your cell phone at nighttime or in pitch-black situations, most of the time you can easily use your cell phone without it being brightly lit. If you must, change your cell phone's backlight settings so the light goes off after 5 or 10 seconds of inactivity. This way your phone should still be usable at nighttime.
* If you know you're traveling to an area without coverage or with only roaming coverage, consider turning off your cell phone. It can use up a lot of power trying to find a suitable network.
* The less you talk, the less battery power your cell phone will use. Try to limit your conversations until you can get to your home phone.
* Limit your usage of non-voice features such as web browsing and playing cell-phone games. If you have a picture cell phone, realize that taking pictures can eat up battery power, especially if you have flash turned on.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
12 Tips for Improving Camera Phone Photos
We are living in a time where ‘convergence’ is everywhere. Gone are the days when a camera was a camera, a MP3 player was an MP3 player, a phone was a phone….
These days digital cameras are found in a variety of other gadgets – including cell phones. In fact Camera Phones are one of the fastest growing segments of the digital camera market and with the improvements in the quality of what is being offered in some phones (higher megapixels, better lenses, high capacity storage) some believe that they are beginning to win market share away from the low end offerings of many digital camera manufacturers. Our current poll on ‘take anywhere cameras‘ reveals that many of you are using camera phones regularly.
Unfortunately many of the pictures being taken with Camera Phones are poor in quality. This might partially be a result of lower quality cameras – but it is also often a result of poor photographic technique.
Following are 13 tips for Camera Phone owners to help them get the most from their cameras phones:
1. Light Your Subject Well
The better lit your subject is the clearer your image is likely to be. If possible shoot outside or turn on lights when shooting inside. If you’re turning on lights in a room to add extra light to your shot be aware that artificial light impacts the color cast in your shots and you might want to experiment with white balance to fix it (see below).
Some cameras come with a built in flash or light – this can really lift a shot and add clarity to it, even if you’re shooting outside (in a sense it becomes a fill flash). If your camera doesn’t have a flash or light you should avoid shooting into bright lights as you’ll end up with subjects that are silhouetted.
2. Get Close to Your Subject
One of the most common mistakes with camera phone images is that their subject ends up being a tiny, unrecognizable object in the distance. Camera phone images tend to be small due to low resolution (although this is changing) – so fill up your view finder with your subject to save having to zoom in on the subject in editing it later (which decreases quality even more).
Having said this, getting too close on some model camera phones creates distortion and focusing issues (particularly if the camera phone doesn’t have a macro or close focusing mode).
3. Keep Still
As with all digital photography, the more steady your camera phone is when taking your shot the clearer your image will be.
This is especially important in low light situations where the camera will select longer shutter speeds to compensate for the lack of light. One trick is to lean your camera phone (or the hand holding it) against a solid object (like a tree, wall, ledge) when taking shots.
Keep in mind that many camera phones also suffer from ’shutter lag’ (ie the time between when you press the shutter and when the camera takes the shot can be a second or so). This means you need to hold the camera still a little longer to ensure it doesn’t take a shot as you’re lowering it away from the subject.
4. Edit Images Later
Whilst it can be fun to use your camera phone’s inbuilt editing and effects, editing pictures later on your computer produces much better quality images. Take your shots in color at high resolution to keep your options open on how to treat it later.
You can always make it black and white on your computer, but you can’t make it color if you take it in Black and White mode.
5. Don’t Throw Away ‘mistakes’
Remember that on many phones the quality of the screen will not be as good as your computer’s. So if possible hang onto your shots until you can get them on your PC. You might just find that they come alive on a quality monitor. You’ll also find that even ‘mistakes’ and blurred shots can actually be quite usable (in an abstract kind of way)
6. Avoid Using the Digital Zoom
As tempting as it might be to zoom in on your subject when taking your picture (if you have a zoom feature on your camera phone), if the zoom is a ‘digital zoom’ it will decrease the quality of your shot to use it (you’ll end up with a more pixelated shot)..
Plus you can always edit your shot later using photo editing software on your computer.
Of course some camera phones are beginning to hit the market with ‘optical zooms’ – these are fine to use as they don’t enlarge your subject by enlarging pixels.
7. Experiment with White Balance
An increasing number of camera phones come with adjustable white balance which allows you to modify color balance in your images based on shooting conditions. Experiment with this feature to get a good feel for the impact that it has on your shots. I find that it impacts different camera phones differently. Read your manual to find out how it works on your phone.
8. Take loads of Shots and Experiment
The beauty of all forms of digital photography (including that of camera phones) is the ability to shoot off many shots quickly and without cost. This means you can experiment with different modes and composition and discard those that you don’t want to keep.
Camera phones are particularly good for experimenting with new angles and perspectives – shoot from down low, up high, close up etc and you’ll end up with interesting and fun shots.
9. Follow Rules of Composition (and then Break them)
Learn some basic composition ‘rules’. (for example – the rule of thirds – ie don’t place your subject squarely in the middle of your frame but a third of the way in). Simple tips like this can bring life toyour photos.
But then also remember that the beauty of a camera phone is its ability to break all conventions – some of the best shots around break all the rules. So shoot from the hip, the floor, up high, up close – anything goes.
10. Keep Your Lens Clean
One of the challenges with many camera phones is keeping them maintained and clean. Phones spend a lot of time in pockets, in bags and being used in all manner of weather and conditions. As a result they get dirty and can easily become damaged – fingerprints are a common problem on camera lenses – especially if your phone doesn’t have a lens cover. From time to time clean the lens of your camera using a soft cloth (sunglasses cleaning cloths are great).
1. Observe Camera Phone Etiquette
While there is no formal set of rules for using camera phones – it is worth considering how you use it and what impact it might have upon others. There are many cases of camera phones being abused to take sneaky or voyeuristic photos. Ask permission to photograph strangers, consider restrictions on the use of cameras in places like theaters and concerts etc.
12. Use the highest resolution possible on your camera phone
Some phones allow you to choose what resolution you want to take photos at. It almost goes without saying (but we like to state the bleeding obvious) that the higher your resolution the clearer your shot will be. This is especially true for camera phones which often have sensors of under 1 megapixel in them. Keep in mind however that the higher the resolution the larger the file size of the images you take – this means if you want to send images they can end up taking a long time to send.
These days digital cameras are found in a variety of other gadgets – including cell phones. In fact Camera Phones are one of the fastest growing segments of the digital camera market and with the improvements in the quality of what is being offered in some phones (higher megapixels, better lenses, high capacity storage) some believe that they are beginning to win market share away from the low end offerings of many digital camera manufacturers. Our current poll on ‘take anywhere cameras‘ reveals that many of you are using camera phones regularly.
Unfortunately many of the pictures being taken with Camera Phones are poor in quality. This might partially be a result of lower quality cameras – but it is also often a result of poor photographic technique.
Following are 13 tips for Camera Phone owners to help them get the most from their cameras phones:
1. Light Your Subject Well
The better lit your subject is the clearer your image is likely to be. If possible shoot outside or turn on lights when shooting inside. If you’re turning on lights in a room to add extra light to your shot be aware that artificial light impacts the color cast in your shots and you might want to experiment with white balance to fix it (see below).
Some cameras come with a built in flash or light – this can really lift a shot and add clarity to it, even if you’re shooting outside (in a sense it becomes a fill flash). If your camera doesn’t have a flash or light you should avoid shooting into bright lights as you’ll end up with subjects that are silhouetted.
2. Get Close to Your Subject
One of the most common mistakes with camera phone images is that their subject ends up being a tiny, unrecognizable object in the distance. Camera phone images tend to be small due to low resolution (although this is changing) – so fill up your view finder with your subject to save having to zoom in on the subject in editing it later (which decreases quality even more).
Having said this, getting too close on some model camera phones creates distortion and focusing issues (particularly if the camera phone doesn’t have a macro or close focusing mode).
3. Keep Still
As with all digital photography, the more steady your camera phone is when taking your shot the clearer your image will be.
This is especially important in low light situations where the camera will select longer shutter speeds to compensate for the lack of light. One trick is to lean your camera phone (or the hand holding it) against a solid object (like a tree, wall, ledge) when taking shots.
Keep in mind that many camera phones also suffer from ’shutter lag’ (ie the time between when you press the shutter and when the camera takes the shot can be a second or so). This means you need to hold the camera still a little longer to ensure it doesn’t take a shot as you’re lowering it away from the subject.
4. Edit Images Later
Whilst it can be fun to use your camera phone’s inbuilt editing and effects, editing pictures later on your computer produces much better quality images. Take your shots in color at high resolution to keep your options open on how to treat it later.
You can always make it black and white on your computer, but you can’t make it color if you take it in Black and White mode.
5. Don’t Throw Away ‘mistakes’
Remember that on many phones the quality of the screen will not be as good as your computer’s. So if possible hang onto your shots until you can get them on your PC. You might just find that they come alive on a quality monitor. You’ll also find that even ‘mistakes’ and blurred shots can actually be quite usable (in an abstract kind of way)
6. Avoid Using the Digital Zoom
As tempting as it might be to zoom in on your subject when taking your picture (if you have a zoom feature on your camera phone), if the zoom is a ‘digital zoom’ it will decrease the quality of your shot to use it (you’ll end up with a more pixelated shot)..
Plus you can always edit your shot later using photo editing software on your computer.
Of course some camera phones are beginning to hit the market with ‘optical zooms’ – these are fine to use as they don’t enlarge your subject by enlarging pixels.
7. Experiment with White Balance
An increasing number of camera phones come with adjustable white balance which allows you to modify color balance in your images based on shooting conditions. Experiment with this feature to get a good feel for the impact that it has on your shots. I find that it impacts different camera phones differently. Read your manual to find out how it works on your phone.
8. Take loads of Shots and Experiment
The beauty of all forms of digital photography (including that of camera phones) is the ability to shoot off many shots quickly and without cost. This means you can experiment with different modes and composition and discard those that you don’t want to keep.
Camera phones are particularly good for experimenting with new angles and perspectives – shoot from down low, up high, close up etc and you’ll end up with interesting and fun shots.
9. Follow Rules of Composition (and then Break them)
Learn some basic composition ‘rules’. (for example – the rule of thirds – ie don’t place your subject squarely in the middle of your frame but a third of the way in). Simple tips like this can bring life toyour photos.
But then also remember that the beauty of a camera phone is its ability to break all conventions – some of the best shots around break all the rules. So shoot from the hip, the floor, up high, up close – anything goes.
10. Keep Your Lens Clean
One of the challenges with many camera phones is keeping them maintained and clean. Phones spend a lot of time in pockets, in bags and being used in all manner of weather and conditions. As a result they get dirty and can easily become damaged – fingerprints are a common problem on camera lenses – especially if your phone doesn’t have a lens cover. From time to time clean the lens of your camera using a soft cloth (sunglasses cleaning cloths are great).
1. Observe Camera Phone Etiquette
While there is no formal set of rules for using camera phones – it is worth considering how you use it and what impact it might have upon others. There are many cases of camera phones being abused to take sneaky or voyeuristic photos. Ask permission to photograph strangers, consider restrictions on the use of cameras in places like theaters and concerts etc.
12. Use the highest resolution possible on your camera phone
Some phones allow you to choose what resolution you want to take photos at. It almost goes without saying (but we like to state the bleeding obvious) that the higher your resolution the clearer your shot will be. This is especially true for camera phones which often have sensors of under 1 megapixel in them. Keep in mind however that the higher the resolution the larger the file size of the images you take – this means if you want to send images they can end up taking a long time to send.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Mobile Phone Tips : Emergency Situation
1) Emergency number
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112.
If you find yourself out of coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly .. this number 112 can be dialed even while the keypad is locked. Try it out.
2) Locked the keys in the car? and your car has remote keys?
This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are home, call someone on your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the other person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from
Having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other “remote” for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Tester’s Note: It works fine. We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone.
3) Hidden Battery power
Imagine your cell battery is very low, u r expecting an important call and u don’t have a charger. Nokia instrument comes with a reserve battery. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when u charge your cell next time.
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112.
If you find yourself out of coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly .. this number 112 can be dialed even while the keypad is locked. Try it out.
2) Locked the keys in the car? and your car has remote keys?
This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are home, call someone on your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the other person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from
Having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other “remote” for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Tester’s Note: It works fine. We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone.
3) Hidden Battery power
Imagine your cell battery is very low, u r expecting an important call and u don’t have a charger. Nokia instrument comes with a reserve battery. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when u charge your cell next time.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Know Your Geo Location Via Google Mobile Search
If you have reached a place, about which you don’t know any thing, or stuck in traffic and find out your exact location you generally use GPS. But what if your mobile handset doesn’t GPS. Don’t worry in this case, what you can simply do is type “Where am I” on www.google.com and you will get your location.
Now Google has improved its search results quality and gives the best result search which suits your requirement. If you want to find out your location, while on the go, on your mobile handset then simply type “where am I” on google.com and it will come up with results that will show you your location. The main drawback is that this works only on the mobile phones in US. But don’t get disappoint, google will make this feature available to other parts of the world soon.
The facility of “where am I” is available on your phone in US from today onwards. This will give much cheer to those who don’t have GPS facility on there mobile phones. Although GPS is a much better application to find your exact location and route to from one point to another, this “where am I” on google.com will also give the almost exact location of yours.
Note that some results may not give you the actual location but this may be because, it is the alpha release of “where am I”. But accuracy may get better with more usage of the same. Hence the first answer you get on the search result may vary from the actual results.
Now Google has improved its search results quality and gives the best result search which suits your requirement. If you want to find out your location, while on the go, on your mobile handset then simply type “where am I” on google.com and it will come up with results that will show you your location. The main drawback is that this works only on the mobile phones in US. But don’t get disappoint, google will make this feature available to other parts of the world soon.
The facility of “where am I” is available on your phone in US from today onwards. This will give much cheer to those who don’t have GPS facility on there mobile phones. Although GPS is a much better application to find your exact location and route to from one point to another, this “where am I” on google.com will also give the almost exact location of yours.
Note that some results may not give you the actual location but this may be because, it is the alpha release of “where am I”. But accuracy may get better with more usage of the same. Hence the first answer you get on the search result may vary from the actual results.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Hands Free Cell Phone Use Shown to Disorient Drivers
Research is slowly but surely revealing that the use of cell phones is dangerous and may play a large role in the modern day increase in cancer as well as brain diseases such as Alzheimer's. Certain US States and European countries have banned or are planning to ban the use of cell phones while driving. Now research shows that even hands free phones can affect drivers.
England has already banned the use of handsets while driving, and is set to take further action to ban the use of hands free cell phones. Government research has discovered that any cell phone use, including hands free, causes a disorientation which may increase the risk of accidents. This disorientation can last up to 10 minutes after the phone call is finished.
Cell phone use was compared to conversation with another person in the car. This was shown to have no disorienting effects, indicating that conversation itself does not interfere with driving ability. On the other hand, cell phone activity appears to affect concentration, reaction and focused attention.
Researchers are not entirely clear as to why even hands free phones have such a negative effect on driving ability. They know that one is still exposed to harmful rays even when the phone is 2 to 3 feet away. Another reason may be that the brain must use abilities to create an image of a person who is not physically present, which distracts from driving.
Other Warnings of Cell Phone Use Includes:
*Germany warned it citizens to avoid wireless devices in 2007
*In September 2007, the European Environment Agency advised people to stop using WiFi and cell phones based on 15 separate studies. They warned wireless technology may potentially be a public health disaster that is equivalent to cigarette smoking, asbestos and lead in car gas.
*The Israeli government has banned placing antennas used for cell phone reception on residential buildings.
*A study of 51,000 men at the Case Western Reserve University, Ohio showed that cell phone use may damage sperm.
*Pregnant mothers, who use cell phones 2-3 times per day, are found to give birth to children with malfunctioning cells.
*Toronto's department of public health has advised teenagers and young children to limit their use of cell phones.
*A study published in the Biochemical Journal showed that just 10 minutes of cell phone use can trigger changes in brain cells linked to cell division and cancer.
*A Finnish study published in The International Journal of Cancer Regular showed that cell phone use raises the risk of developing a brain tumor. The risk was highest among people under the age of 20.
Unfortunately, most people rely on their cell phone or on a wireless computer network. Even if people don't use this technology themselves, they are still exposed to it daily. There are no easy answers to dealing with this issue.
What you can do to Protect Yourself
Ensuring that you get plenty of antioxidants in the diet is crucial for avoiding environmental pollution, including cell phones. Raw chocolate, goji berries, acai berries, wild blueberries and pomegranates are some of the foods highest in antioxidant activity.
Spending time in nature away from the constant bombardment of cell phones and wireless technology can help to rebalance the body. There is even some evidence to suggest that having plants around the house and in the work place can offer some protection against harmful rays.
There are some devices which are known to protect against cell phones and computers. Some of these are worn as necklaces while others are placed on the phone or computer. Further studies need to be done in order to confirm their validity.
England has already banned the use of handsets while driving, and is set to take further action to ban the use of hands free cell phones. Government research has discovered that any cell phone use, including hands free, causes a disorientation which may increase the risk of accidents. This disorientation can last up to 10 minutes after the phone call is finished.
Cell phone use was compared to conversation with another person in the car. This was shown to have no disorienting effects, indicating that conversation itself does not interfere with driving ability. On the other hand, cell phone activity appears to affect concentration, reaction and focused attention.
Researchers are not entirely clear as to why even hands free phones have such a negative effect on driving ability. They know that one is still exposed to harmful rays even when the phone is 2 to 3 feet away. Another reason may be that the brain must use abilities to create an image of a person who is not physically present, which distracts from driving.
Other Warnings of Cell Phone Use Includes:
*Germany warned it citizens to avoid wireless devices in 2007
*In September 2007, the European Environment Agency advised people to stop using WiFi and cell phones based on 15 separate studies. They warned wireless technology may potentially be a public health disaster that is equivalent to cigarette smoking, asbestos and lead in car gas.
*The Israeli government has banned placing antennas used for cell phone reception on residential buildings.
*A study of 51,000 men at the Case Western Reserve University, Ohio showed that cell phone use may damage sperm.
*Pregnant mothers, who use cell phones 2-3 times per day, are found to give birth to children with malfunctioning cells.
*Toronto's department of public health has advised teenagers and young children to limit their use of cell phones.
*A study published in the Biochemical Journal showed that just 10 minutes of cell phone use can trigger changes in brain cells linked to cell division and cancer.
*A Finnish study published in The International Journal of Cancer Regular showed that cell phone use raises the risk of developing a brain tumor. The risk was highest among people under the age of 20.
Unfortunately, most people rely on their cell phone or on a wireless computer network. Even if people don't use this technology themselves, they are still exposed to it daily. There are no easy answers to dealing with this issue.
What you can do to Protect Yourself
Ensuring that you get plenty of antioxidants in the diet is crucial for avoiding environmental pollution, including cell phones. Raw chocolate, goji berries, acai berries, wild blueberries and pomegranates are some of the foods highest in antioxidant activity.
Spending time in nature away from the constant bombardment of cell phones and wireless technology can help to rebalance the body. There is even some evidence to suggest that having plants around the house and in the work place can offer some protection against harmful rays.
There are some devices which are known to protect against cell phones and computers. Some of these are worn as necklaces while others are placed on the phone or computer. Further studies need to be done in order to confirm their validity.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Evolution of the Mobile Technology
"If you can dream it, you can do it", according to this we can leap 3G to 4G along its features and future trends in mobile technology. In wireless communication, mobile technology is advanced and in this system 4G is the latest at present.
The article discusses 4th generation. 4G mobile, aims to provide an effective solution for the next generation mobile services. Progressing from previous three generations, 4G mobile systems have been significantly improving in terms of interactive multimedia services:
The first radiotelephone service was introduced in the US at the end of the 1940s, and was meant to connect mobile users in cars to the public fixed network. In the 1960s, a new system launched by Bell Systems, called Improved Mobile Telephone Service" (IMTS), brought many improvements like direct dialing and higher bandwidth. The first analog cellular systems were based on IMTS and developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The systems were "cellular" because coverage areas were split into smaller areas or "cells", each of which is served by a low power transmitter and receiver.
First generation:-
1G analog system for mobile communications saw two key improvements during the 1970s: the invention of the microprocessor and the digitization of the control link between the mobilephone and the cell site. AMPS ( Advance mobile phone system ) was first launched by US which is 1G mobile system. It is best on FDMA technology which allows users to make voice calls within one country.
Second generation:-
2G digital cellular systems were first developed at the end of the 1980s. These systems digitized not only the control link but also the voice signal. The new system provided better quality and higher capacity at lower cost to consumers. GSM (Global system for mobile communication) was the first commercially operated digital cellular system which is based on TDMA.
Third generation:-
3G systems promise faster communications services, including voice, fax and Internet, anytime and anywhere with seamless global roaming. ITU’s IMT-2000 global standard for 3G has opened the way to enabling innovative applications and services (e.g. multimedia entertainment, infotainment and location-based services, among others). The first 3G network was deployed in Japan in 2001. 2.5G networks, such as GPRS (Global Packet Radio Service) are already available in some parts of Europe.
3G technology supports 144 Kbps bandwidth, with high speed movement (e.g. vehicles), 384 Kbps (e.g. on campus) & 2 Mbps for stationary (e.g.inbuilding )
Fourth generation:-
At present the download speed for mode data is limited to 9.6 kbit/sec which is about 6 times slower than an ISDN (Integrated services digital network) fixed line connection. Recently, with 504i handsets the download data rate was increased 3-fold to 28.8kbps. However, in actual use the data rates are usually slower, especially in crowded areas, or when the network is "congested". For third generation mobile (3G, FOMA) data rates are 384 kbps (download) maximum, typically around 200kbps, and 64kbps upload since spring 2001. Fourth generation (4G) mobile communications will have higher data transmission rates than 3G. 4G mobile data transmission rates are planned to be up to 20 megabits per second.
Before understanding 4G, we must know what is 3G ? 3G initiative came from device manufactures, not from operators. In 1996 the development was initiated by Nippon Telephone & Telegraph (NTT) and Ericsson; in 1997 the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in the USA chose CDMA as a technology for 3G; in 1998 the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) did the same thing; and finally, in 1998 wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) and cdma2000 were adopted for the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS).
W-CDMA and CDMA 2000 are two major proposals for 3G. In this CDMA the information bearing signal is multiplied with another faster ate, wider bandwidth digital signal that may carry a unique orthogonal code. W-CDMA uses dedicated time division multiplexing (TDM) whereby channel estimation information is collected from another signal stream. CDMA 2000 uses common code division multiplexing (CDM) whereby channel estimation information can be collected with the signal stream.
Access Technologies (FDMA, TDMA, CDMA) -
FDMA: Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) is the most common analog system. It is a technique whereby spectrum is divided up into frequencies and then assigned to users. With FDMA, only one subscriber at any given time is assigned to a channel. The channel therefore is closed to other conversations until the initial call is finished, or until it is handed-off to a different channel. A "full-duplex" FDMA transmission requires two channels, one for transmitting and the other for receiving. FDMA has been used for first generation analog systems.
TDMA: Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) improves spectrum capacity by splitting each frequency into time slots. TDMA allows each user to access the entire radio frequency channel for the short period of a call. Other users share this same frequency channel at different time slots. The base station continually switches from user to user on the channel. TDMA is the dominant technology for the second generation mobile cellular networks.
CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access is based on "spread" spectrum technology. Since it is suitable for encrypted transmissions, it has long been used for military purposes. CDMA increases spectrum capacity by allowing all users to occupy all channels at the same time. Transmissions are spread over the whole radio band, and each voice or data call are assigned a unique code to differentiate from the other calls carried over the same spectrum. CDMA allows for a " soft hand-off" , which means that terminals can communicate with several base stations at the same time.
Beyond 3G
In the field of mobile communication services, the 4G mobile services are the advanced version of the 3G mobile communication services. The 4G mobile communication services are expected to provide broadband, large capacity, high speed data transmission, providing users with high quality color video images, 3D graphic animation games, audio services in 5.1 channels. We have been researching the vision of 4G mobile communication systems, services, and architectures. We also have been developing the terminal protocol technology for high capacity, high speed packet services, public software platform technology that enables downloading application programs, multimode radio access platform technology, and high quality media coding technology over mobile networks.
Reasons To Have 4G -
1.Support interactive multimedia services: teleconferencing, wireless Internet, etc.
2.Wider bandwidths, higher bit rates.
3.Global mobility and service portability.
4.Low cost.
5.Scalability of mobile networks.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Going Green With Your SmartPhone and Replacement Parts
If you're concerned about the environment lately when it comes to making purchases, you definitely aren't alone. More Americans than ever before are getting involved, whether it's trying to carpool whenever possible or bringing recyclable bags along to the grocery store to diminish the impact of asking for a double plastic bag to take things home. And it's not just in the world of day-to-day activities that these things are starting to matter. Computer companies like Apple are going to great lengths to provide products that are energy efficient and greener than ever before, and even the parts to the new iPhones are supposed to be more biodegradable than ever before, making them a superior choice to other smartphones.
But sometimes, going green can be a little bit tough. After all, you can't just chuck out an old phone that might not meet standards for a new one: that's sort of beside the point. The fact is that you can find different ways of doing a better job by the environment, and that one of those ways is definitely considering investing in a used phone or recycling your own phone's parts towards the cost of a new model. This way, you are making use of everything out there, rather than being hasty or wasteful, but you are still getting what you want and what you need.
Anyone who is not in the business of using a smartphone on a regular basis is not going to understand the trouble and the benefits of having the right phone in the right situation. But those who understand or comprehend the combination between status and functionality will see immediately what's at stake. If you are using a model of a smartphone that is three years old while trying to land an important technology or entertainment-based contract, then you are not going to see success. The reason for this is that having the right pieces of equipment matter to the people in those industries, and to be seen as someone who is not there yet is to be seen as someone who can't get the job done, green or not.
This is where being smart enough to recycle in a nontraditional way comes in. If you have an older model phone and want to trade up but have to wait, then it is as simple as taking the old phone you have and selling it to someone who does repairs. Someone in the business of refurbishing smartphones will gladly pay for a phone with a pristine touch screen or other pieces, and then you can use that very same money towards the purchase of a new device for yourself to impress those who need impressing from Cashforiphones.com.
But doing things this way isn't just about you being at the top of your game as far as business is concerned. It is also about being able to say that you are environmentally conscious, that the decision you are making in technology are helping, not hurting, the environment. And understanding that there are a number of different channels that make this sort of thing possible rather than assuming that the only method of recycling out there is the one involving the blue plastic box is the right step towards a more creative and beneficial for everyone tomorrow, with or without smartphones.
But sometimes, going green can be a little bit tough. After all, you can't just chuck out an old phone that might not meet standards for a new one: that's sort of beside the point. The fact is that you can find different ways of doing a better job by the environment, and that one of those ways is definitely considering investing in a used phone or recycling your own phone's parts towards the cost of a new model. This way, you are making use of everything out there, rather than being hasty or wasteful, but you are still getting what you want and what you need.
Anyone who is not in the business of using a smartphone on a regular basis is not going to understand the trouble and the benefits of having the right phone in the right situation. But those who understand or comprehend the combination between status and functionality will see immediately what's at stake. If you are using a model of a smartphone that is three years old while trying to land an important technology or entertainment-based contract, then you are not going to see success. The reason for this is that having the right pieces of equipment matter to the people in those industries, and to be seen as someone who is not there yet is to be seen as someone who can't get the job done, green or not.
This is where being smart enough to recycle in a nontraditional way comes in. If you have an older model phone and want to trade up but have to wait, then it is as simple as taking the old phone you have and selling it to someone who does repairs. Someone in the business of refurbishing smartphones will gladly pay for a phone with a pristine touch screen or other pieces, and then you can use that very same money towards the purchase of a new device for yourself to impress those who need impressing from Cashforiphones.com.
But doing things this way isn't just about you being at the top of your game as far as business is concerned. It is also about being able to say that you are environmentally conscious, that the decision you are making in technology are helping, not hurting, the environment. And understanding that there are a number of different channels that make this sort of thing possible rather than assuming that the only method of recycling out there is the one involving the blue plastic box is the right step towards a more creative and beneficial for everyone tomorrow, with or without smartphones.
How to Find the Newest Cell Phone
Cell phone are some people's prized possessions. They have documents, all their music and their life on their phone. Although, others just simply make a quick phone call and they're done with it. If you're someone that loves technology and keeping up with the latest cell phones, you probably love to keep up with the newest phones that come on the market.
The technology these days is always changing and it's always fun to keep up with what's going on and what's coming out next. For ways to find the newest phones, continue reading below.
Websites: If you like a particular phone company, all you really need to do is hop on their website online. They will most likely have their latest phones on their front page. If not, check out all their phones and scroll through which ones you've never seen before.
Stores: Certain stores like Radio Shack and cell phone provider stores will always have the newest phones on display. These will usually be in the front window waiting for people to check them out. For example, people were waiting for the exact day the Android came out. This was all over the place and on display everywhere.
Blogs: There are several people like yourself that love to keep up with technology. People blog about it and write about all the time. Just check out social bookmarking websites and you will see several blogs on the newest phones coming out.
Finding the newest phones is always fun. It's cool to see what they've come up with this time and to see how they're different from the previous phones. To keep up with this information, consider a few of our tips!
Report Shows Long Term Use of Cell Phones Linked to Brain Tumors
A report by Toronto Public Health advises children to limit their use of cell phones as much as possible, citing studies that have linked long-term mobile phone exposure to an increased risk of brain tumors.
"We think it's responsible to limit children's exposure," the researchers wrote.
"While scientists were pretty dismissive of any risk years ago, with the accumulation of studies, it appears people who have been using their phones for a long period of time are at greater risk of certain kinds of brain tumors." said report co-author Loren Vanderlinden.
Toronto Public Health recommends that children use land lines whenever possible, using mobile phones only for "essential purposes." When cell phones are used, the report urges children to keep calls shorter than 10 minutes and to use headsets or other hands-free devices as much as possible. Limiting cellular phone use is especially important for pre-adolescents, the authors said.
"Teach [children] the ways to use a cell phone responsibly," Vanderlinden advised parents. "To make shorter calls, to use other modes of communication; if it's possible, use a landline."
Researchers suspect that the thinner skulls and smaller heads of children place them at greater risk than adults from the same degree of mobile phone radiation. Indeed, some studies have confirmed that cell phone radiation penetrates deeper into the brains of children than adults.
The use of cellular phones has dramatically increased in Canada over the last 10 years, particularly among children. Approximately 61 percent of children between the ages of 12 in 19 now use mobile phones. The numbers for children under the age of 12 are not known.
The Toronto warning is the first warning against cellular phone use in Canada, and is similar to warnings that have been issued in Belgium, England, France, Germany and Russia. Health Canada, the country's public health agency, said it had no plans to follow Toronto's lead.
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