Understanding Mobile Phones for Teens

It is hard to imagine being able to function properly without a mobile phone in this day and age. It helps keep track of appointments, important data, reminders, to-do lists and instantly gives us a reference check of contact numbers and addresses. Take away an average adult’s mobile phone and you can hamper their schedule by about two or three hours.

If you do the same to teenager, you might as well lock them up in a room for the whole day.

According to a recent study, the average teen is so reliant on a mobile phone. Not only as an additional form of communication or as a digital organizer, but as a primary way of being able to socialize with friends. It is hard to grasp a social standard where being unable to answer to “wall posts” on Facebook can be looked down upon, but such is the world of teens.

Gone is the day when a text message was simply a way to leave notes of varying importance to friends and colleagues. Among teens, not being able to reply to a text message fast enough is as good as giving a friend the cold shoulder in person. It is almost taboo, and it is that severe peer pressure that they are bound to their devices that makes teens unable to grasp the logic of having a mobile phone.

The worst part however, is how social networking and instant messaging using smart phones has completely changed teen’s perceptions of socializing and the value of having real friends. These days, all you need to be a friend is to either invite or accept an invite to a social networking site. Gone are the days when people still had to be introduced, interacted and found a common interest or passion to share and relate with.

Apple’s Conference: Ruling Out Improbable Fixes

It is pretty much common knowledge now that the Apple iPhone 4 comes with a very faulty antenna. While the issue has not been resolved, there have been calls to Apple to find ways of fixing the problem. As the number of users with complaints about dropped calls continuously increasing, there is no doubt that Apple’s earlier plan to simply ignore the problem and release a non-related software patch is obviously not working.

As a result, Apple seems to have been forced into action and before they tell the world what solution they have come up with, they will be holding an emergency conference. At the moment, it is not yet confirmed what Apple actually intends to do, but many are hoping to hear a viable solution by the end of the week.

There are, of course, certain solutions that users are already familiar with, but are unlikely options for Apple to take.

The first is to start for a full recall of the iPhone 4. While this would certainly fix the hardware issue if Apple is willing to invest so much into fixing every single handset. But since this would prove to be too costly, it is a step that Apple would most likely avoid taking.

It has also been reported that the iPhone 4 Bumper is a workable solution since it prevents direct contact with the antenna. Since Apple is currently retailing the accessory, many believe that it would be well within Apple’s power to simply give away free bumpers for any existing iPhone 4 owner. Apparently, taking an action that would somehow imply that Apple is at fault is not an option for the Cupertino based company.

There is no doubt that the conference will be a major turning point for the success or downfall of the iPhone 4.

Android Handsets Get Thumbs Up from Mobile Phone Inventor

While the debate between Android devices and the iPhone still rages on, it seems that the inventor of the original mobile phone has swayed towards the little green robot due to its dependability and flexibility. Martin Cooper, the guy we have to thank for starting all our mobile tech today, has vocalized his preference for current gen Android smart phones.

He has also gone as far as to give his iPhone to his grandson in order to replace it with a Google powered mobile phone. The Droid has lasted him for a number of months, which is a sign that the inventor is thoroughly enjoying his purchase.

The open source operating system may be attributed for his outward support of the device. He has expressed that Android mobile devices are at par, or even better than Apple’s popular smart phone.

Though he has not gone into detail as to why he believes Google powered mobile phones are a better deal than the iPhone, it may be attributed to the fact that the iPhone is more of a “jack of all trade” gadget.

The inventor is known to prefer dependable mobile phones versus an all in one gadget. Having invented the first mobile phone, he believes that adding to many features may cause the basic things to fail or work poorly. This is certainly true when it comes to the iPhone 4, considering its reception issues. Android devices on the other hand, have been known to perform exceptionally well when it comes to vital functions (such as calling and texting).

The 81 year old father of mobile phones is not closed off to new developments in the mobile phone industry however, and the ‘Droid is just his current handset of choice. He is even testing an expensive Vertu for a European mobile firm.

iPhone 4 Jail Break Not Likely to be Released to Public Any Time Soon

George Hotz, also known by his net handle “Geohot” has just expressed his annoyance with people pestering him for the release date of his iPhone 4 jail break.

Hotz, one of the most trusted hackers when it comes to jail breaking Apple devices, makes use of his famous Blackra1n software in order to unlock countless iPhones, iPhone 3Gs and iPod Touch devices. He is usually a little bit more enthusiastic when hinting at a jail break, but it seems that his popularity attracts more and more public pestering. In a rather jaded blog entry entitled “Meh”, the coder confirms that he was able to jailbreak the latest version of the Apple iPhone but is not likely to release his work anytime soon.

Looks like breaking into the iPhone 4, to be specific the iOS4, was done more for his personal use rather than for the benefit of the masses for now. From what could be gathered from his blog post, it looks like the coder is not getting as much excitement from showing his work to the public as compared to the days of the first iPhone, iPhone 3G or iPhone Touch.

Those who are hoping for a hint of the release date will just have to keep mum for now. iPhone celebrity coder Geohot is not about to bend to continuous requests for a solid release date.

“Again, please don’t ask for release dates. Every person that does makes me want to release a little bit less.”

That means that everyone waiting for the all in one solution to use unauthorized apps or perhaps to use a different carrier, will have to sit tight and wait a little longer. For now, people will have to content themselves with tidbits about his limera1n, the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad’s user friendly jail breaking tool.

Smart Phones: the Web Made Easy

The internet and the smart phone is a great merger of two important technologies that combines accessibly with absolute information. The web is the largest storage of data and information in the whole world. Media, data and plenty of content are accessible online. Smart phones are easy to use, always carried around and can be operated by almost anyone. Putting the two together is everything that our society needs in their ever changing world.

According to a recent study, women are more likely to start browsing the web to check their Facebook updates using their smart phones when they start their day. Waking up in the morning is not really encouraging for anyone who has to crawl up to a computer chair, fire up the router and wait for the long boot time. On the other hand, reaching for the smart phone on the nightstand and clicking open the browser or an integrated application is so much easier.

Information at our fingertips –literally; this is the unspoken promise that the smart phone industry is bringing to human society at a mad pace. And even humanity is having trouble keeping up. From being able to establish rules and laws for standardization, to simply being able to obtain a decent enough handset to be ahead of the times, there is plenty of commercial and technological pressure for people to keep up.

The Android OS, Apple’s iOS and the Microsoft Windows Phone 7 OS are all pushing for interconnectivity and faster, easier web access. Social networking sites are balancing the privacy of internal networks of users as well as being able to data mine information to attract for advertisers.

In the meanwhile, end users are in for the full ride. With the technology continuously growing, it is easy to see that there is plenty more to come.

T-Mobile Prepping Up for the iPhone 4

The Apple iPhone 4 is the most prominent smart phone of today. The latest handset from the folks at Cupertino is fast proving to be the hottest selling device in the industry –selling more than 1.7 million in the first three days of sales. Had the device not gone out of stock in many stores, the number would have gotten much larger too.

In any case, it seems that T-Mobile has yet to get their stocks drained. In fact, they have yet to get their stocks at all. With the actually launch date of the iPhone 4 still unconfirmed, it is hard to tell when T-Mobile will actually have the product. But some guesses are saying that the launch will be coming in a matter of days.

The reason behind this logic is a recent report that T-Mobile is training their staff to be ready for the iPhone 4. Sales personnel and customer support are being trained to handle many of the most common issues of the iPhone 4. These include teaching people how to remove and insert a SIM card properly into the device, how to switch the phone off and on, and lastly, learning to use iTunes.

The last part is particularly hard; as each user has a unique computer set up and while the controls of the iTunes software is uniform, not everyone is as familiar with computer controls. It is not uncommon that an iPhone owner does not know how to use a computer at all.

Despite the preparations, it seems that T-Mobile will not be taking care of the antenna issues. Even if so many people have complained about the dropped calls and other antenna issues with the handset, T-Mobile seems content enough to refer to the open letter that Apple made regarding the matter.

Vodafone: Making Philanthropy Easier

The mobile phone is a very powerful device. In the past few years, the average handset’s purpose has increased from simply being able to receive calls and text but also for handling emails, media and many other functions. People have come to trust the mobile phones to handle reminders for bills and other payments. Phones have also been the main channel for many micro transactions as well.

Among the things that people can do with mobile phones is to donate to charity, and the task is as simple as simply texting a single message to a specified number by a network operator.

It may not seem like much, but since the advent of text based donations, plenty of charities and causes have celebrated the influx of additional funds, and the number of people getting involved is also growing.

This is thanks to the very nature of the mobile phone. Unlike having to donate through other channels, the mobile phone is a medium that is always there by user’s sides. There is no need to fill up special forms, seek out representatives or even travel to distant offices. The entire transaction is managed in a few simple taps of the button, and as long as your handset has a signal, you can send the donation from almost anywhere you could be.

Vodafone UK has announced that it is going to improve the already impressive phone donation system. And to do this, the network operator has decided that the entirety of the donations being sent will be given to the charities: no transaction charges at all.

The big news is a great plus for many generous folks who worry about the additional transaction costs that add up in the monthly bills. Of course, the people that Vodafone is helping out the most here would be recipients who stand to gain a significantly bigger amount from donations.

New Rumors about the Gingerbread and HTC Sabor Appear

It was only just a couple of days ago that Google decided to clear up rumors about the upcoming Android 3.0 Gingerbread. Now it appears that the there are new rumors about the upcoming smart phone OS and this time, they are linked to a brand new smart phone, the HTC Sabor.

Despite the odd choice of name, the new smart phone’s rumored specs are quite impressive: a 1080p screen resolution and a 2GHz CPU. While impressive, this information is highly speculative and from our initial assessment, quite possibly a fake.

HTC has been partnering with chip maker ARM recently and it is quite likely that there will be no 2GHz Snapdragon CPUs coming out anytime soon. At the very least, the fastest rumored speeds by the end of the year would be 1.5 GHz –the clock speed for another rumored HTC handset, the Vision (but at least the Vision has already been leaked in images).

So far, there are no supporting evidences that the HTC Sabor is a real handset or that the specs that are being attributed to the device any real.

In the meanwhile, it seems that Google does not need to make any reactions regarding this rumor as it does not attempt to disclose any information about the upcoming Android version. So far, Google has confirmed that they are indeed working on the Android 3.0 Gingerbread but unlike what the rumors initially stated, the new OS will not be imposing any new minimum requirements for handsets.

Speaking of upcoming HTC smart phones, the HTC Vision will certainly be one device worth looking forward to. According to various sources, the new smart phone will come with the latest Android OS, a high speed processor and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. The handset is expected to be released sometime near the end of the year.

MeeGo and Symbian on Nokia: No Room for Androids

According to Nokia, it is unlikely that they would be releasing an Android smart phone. While the phone maker is more than able to produce a smart phone that can handle Google’s open source operating system, they are already supporting two major operating systems that the Espoo based company is already heavily involved in.

In some ways, Nokia is pretty much like Apple in that same sense that they are an integral part of the development of the operating systems that they use. The only difference is that Apple only uses their proprietary OS: the iPhone OS.

On the other hand, Nokia has been a major supporter of the Symbian Foundation since the company’s earliest days (and in many ways, Nokia has a control over the development company as well). At the same time, Nokia is working on the MeeGo operating system –which they co-developed with Intel. The new OS is a combination of two proprietary mobile platforms: the Nokia Maemo and the Intel Moblin.

With the new upcoming Symbian^3 confirmed to be an open source operating system and the MeeGo also being open source in certain aspects (the Moblin is a Linux based OS after all), it would be a conflict of interest for Nokia to support the Android as well.

Unlike companies such as Samsung that is supporting several operating systems aside from their own proprietary OS, the Bada. Nokia considers their exclusivity to the Symbian and MeeGo platforms to be integral as part of their operations.

On the other hand, the company is already looking forward to the development of the Symbian^4 operating system. While the Symbian^3 has yet to be established –the Nokia N8 has yet to be made available (it is expected to launch sometime later this August), the current head of mobile solutions, Anssi Vanjoki, has confirmed that he is heavily considering the possibility of an N-series Symbian^4 smart phone.

Software Matters: How the HTC Desire Intends to Rule by Showing its Soft Side

Out to Impress

The HTC Desire is simply a majestic mobile phone. However, while a lot of positives can be said about the Smartphone’s entire feature set, one thing we can never overlook is the software. The Desire is indeed a marvellous device, but what takes it a cut above the rest is the software that it comes with. Here’s a look.

Undeniably Android

One thing going for HTC Smartphones is that they are built with the acclaimed Google Android mobile operating system. The HTC Desire is no different as it has version 2.1 or Eclair on board which is definitely an awesome OS. In fact, a lot of critics might even argue that the Android has made its way to the top of the heap as the best mobile operating system there is today.

This version is loaded with tons of improvements which makes the software even more impressive than it originally was. This of course means that Desire users will have the freedom of loading all the wonderful Google applications on their handset without having any compatibility issues at all.

Sensual Interface

What makes the Android OS even better on the HTC Desire is the user interface it comes with. On board the device is HTC’s own Sense UI which also happens to be one of the most remarkable interfaces in the business. Not only is it as user-friendly and eye-catching as they come, but it is also loaded with awesome widgets and applications.

One that stands out is the Friend Stream widget which compiles all of your social networking info all in one place for easy and immediate access. Then there’s also the Leap feature which allows you to jump from one home screen to another, making it much easier for users to leaf through the all the features and functions of the HTC Desire in half the time.