Released January of this year, the K630 is Sony Ericsson’s attempt at incorporating great features in a budget mobile phone. Yes, this phone is inexpensive, not cheap, but relatively inexpensive.

It’s light too at 97 grams and can fit snugly in your pocket. With a 2 inch screen (176 x 220 pixels), the K630 also features a great music player that supports MP3/AAC/MPEG4 formats. Although not part of the Walkman series, its earphones have bass enhancers to make your music experience truly wonderful. And the sound quality, in true Sony Ericsson tradition is fantastic. It has the Sony Ericsson’s signature TrackID music recognition system which enables the user to get music information such as title of songs and the artist. It also features an FM radio with RDS to keep you abreast of the latest news and game scores.

Games are downloadable and with HSDPA, you can even download games online. Sony Ericsson fans are crazy over this affordable but nifty device which also supports GPRS and has EDGE technology. With WAP 2.0/HTML browsers, you can easily access the internet. The K630 also allows for picture blogging by just taking a few pictures, adding a caption and directly sending it to your online blog.

Its 2 megapixel camera is worth your money although it does not support a flash. It is, however, 3G capable. You can also easily connect this phone to ports such as USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 2.0. Its 32MB internal memory may be a bit small but it has a Memory Stick Micro for optional data storage of up to 4GB.

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Released in the US, the LG Voyager VX10000 targets the iPhone’s dominance in the touchscreen world of mobile phones. Although it may not likely replace the iPhone’s spot in American consumers’ hearts, the LG Voyager will be a worthy adversary.

Boasting of a dangerously sleek design and a 2.8 inches full touchscreen display and 240 x 400 pixels, the Voyager attracts attention like no other. Unlike other touchscreen phones, this phone prides itself in having a full QWERTY keyboard tucked neatly under its clamshell hinges. The internal screen is also the same 2.8 inch display that exhibits nothing but sharp and crisp pictures. This is the Voyager’s edge above the other touchscreen phones that can be very difficult to type messages or send emails without a keyboard (the iPhone not even having an optional stylus).

With these features, the Voyager weighs pretty decently at 140 grams. It has all the regular features of mobile phones such as a 3.5mm stereo jack, 2 megapixel camera, first-class web browser, great call quality, a Micro SD memory card slot and an excellent player that can play AAC/MP3/WMA music.

The Voyager also features a V cast Mobile TV Bluetooth which is EV-DO supported with a pull-out antenna for better reception. You can actually enjoy watching the news and won’t miss your football games while on your way home. It has a slim battery that can last you hours and call time is up to 8 hours. Despite all these features, critics complain about its lack of Wi-Fi and a flash. They also point out that the screen feels flimsy to the touch and is not even made of glass. However, LG argues that this was purposely done to make the mobile phone lighter.

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A new breed of telemarketer is evolving. This one will not call you at nay hour,    nor will it spend a long time trying to convince to purchase a product. No, this telemarketer comes in the form of ads in magazine, newspaper and TV. Even if it is in a non interactive form, it is none the less persuasive and tempting. All you would have to do is pick up your phone and order the product via SMS.

Undoubtedly this is, a marketing ploy directed towards impulse buyers who just can resist the temptation of a good offer. Even if you are not an impulse buyer, you won’t be able to deny that SMS shopping makes the process easier. It works like this; most ads found in the newspaper and seen on TV carry texting codes that allow a customer to order a product via SMS. Pretty persuasive, given that you don’t need to spend time on the phone talking to agents; now, your order is just a Text Message away.

The only call you will have to make is when you register your number with a Text Marketing Company of your choice, then you can enjoy unlimited purchases via text messaging. After you have placed an order, your purchase is then charged to your credit card then, the product is shipped to you.

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With the introduction of Voice SMS, one can’t help wonder: Are we witnessing the death of Text Messaging? By using Voice SMS, a person is able to send “Voice Packets” from a mobile phone to another. In a technical sense, it is nothing like SMS; it is only marketed as such to avail of the consumer’s affinity for familiar things.

It has several advantages against plain SMS, one is the fact that you will not need to spend time typing out your message you just need to “speak or listen”.

SMS or Text messaging is the way of communicating between wireless devices (e.g. Mobile Phones, Pagers, PDAs, etc.) that uses text.

It has grown in popularity over the years and had its share of lovers and haters. A few things that go for Text Messaging over Voice SMS are as follows: Storage – text storage is much easier and takes up less phone memory than audio storage. Less prone to interference – Voice SMS are highly vulnerable to interference, though it may be easier and faster to get your message through, there is a great possibility that the quality of your voice SMS may be compromised.

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Spam messaging has always been an irritating problem with email, now it is finding its way to Mobile Phones. Like what happened in late 2006, Spam Text messages offered free stock tips as well as a few announcements, but the companies mentioned in the Spam messages have denied collaboration with the Spam authors.

Like Spam e-mail, Spam text messages are more annoying than destructive. However, unlike Spam e-mail, this form costs some money. To avoid SMS messaging fees, Spammers use websites on the internet that offer free Text Messaging services. This leaves the cost to fall solely on the shoulders of those on the receiving end. If you report occurrence of Spam messages to your wireless carrier, you may be able to get a refund for the amount used up by Spam messages.

If the problem with Spam becomes too much to handle, most wireless subscribers would rather opt out of their SMS plans, which is bad news for wireless carriers who stand to earn over $3 Billion US through SMS subscriptions alone.

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The increasing use of text messaging has also increased the risk of exposure and acquiring of a Mobile Phone virus. An SMS message is not the only route that a Mobile Phone Virus can infect your cell phone or PDA. Bluetooth is also a threat as well as MMS messages.

A few years ago; some scientist in Holland discovered a way to send text virus laden messages to a certain brand of mobile phone. In the format that they had established, the phone owner would have no way of knowing that the message that they have received contained a virus that was capable of bringing their mobile phone down. The message was formatted so that it would instruct the phone to perform certain programs that renders it virtually useless.

The creators of this SMS virus also noted that it is unlikely that virus authors would use it as a vector for Mobile Phone infections, because the procedure was reported to be a bit cumbersome and that an individual needs to have an extensive knowledge of how a mobile phone works. Also, they said that one of the reasons why SMS viruses have not spread is that no author would want to spend their own money to infect mobile phones.

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Text Messaging rise to fame was not felt in the United States until less than a decade ago. Now, we see the value of its use (especially in helping individuals that have hearing problems) with communication.

In a way, text messaging is able to give the deaf community a sense of independence. They can just carry a phone with text messaging capacity and they are able to communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world. If it were not for the text messaging capacities of most phones; people with hearing disabilities would have had to use a TTY, which is a specialized text telephone.

With use of text messaging, a deaf individual is able to ask for help in emergency cases. Several Emergency Service Stations in the UK and the United States are working to accommodate emergency reports via text message.

Also, cell phones are readily available and are often quite affordable. It is also worth noting that with cell phones being a constant in today’s society; having one does not point out to a disability like the way some gadgets would.

However, there are a few disadvantages to the deaf using cell phones and text messaging. One is that cell phones interfere with the individual’s hearing aid. It is therefore recommended to keep a cell phone as far away from the hearing aid as possible; and only use the cell phone when necessary.

Another issue is that most wireless carriers only offer the text messaging feature as an add-on to Voice Only Plans. This means that a Deaf individual would have to pay for the Voice Only Plan (a feature which they obviously would not be able to use) before they can avail of the text messaging feature. To resolve this, deaf communities are in talks with wireless carriers to have them offer SMS only plans. Continue Reading »

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The use of cellphones has been a phenomenon in the world of information and communications technology. From a simple device which enables a person to call from anywhere , cellphones have evolved into powerful gadgets which can enable man to explore state of the art features and technologies in a single press of his fingers.

With more than a billion users globally, it is therefore safe to say that cellphones have lured people into a world of convenience and satisfaction. Mostly used by businessmen and teenagers, cellular phones are being used for various purposes such as keeping in touch with loved ones, business transactions, and even for emergency situations.

For persons with disabilities, however, the use of cellphones are quite limited because of their condition. For example, a person with visual malfunction or disability may find it hard to make a text message without checking what’s on his screen. Likewise, for a person with hearing disability, talking wireless is useless because he won’t hear what’s being said on the other line. These persons and others with various disabilities would find themselves isolated because of their limited environment.

In this light, there are already cell phone innovations in such a way that these persons with disabilities can carry out the basic cell phone features without finding difficulties due to their condition. One example of these features is the Voice Text™. This voice texting feature can be of great benefit to persons with difficulties in seeing because with just a press of a finger, he or she can verbalize his or her messages which can be heard by the recipient on the other line. Basically, in the situation of person with speech disability and hearing disorder, texting his or her message is already a blessing itself because he would not need to act his mind out.

Persons with disabilities need modern innovations despite their conditions in life; thus, they also need to be up to date with the latest innovations and reap the same benefits we get from these products of technology. These are but few of the benefits which persons with limitations and disabilities may get from cellphones. With these, the existence of cellphones is indeed a blessing for many; aside from the convenience it brings to us, it also makes things easier for people with disabilities.

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Text messaging or short messaging service is now considered the most favored communication tool in this century. With over a billion users, text messaging had become a craze not only for the teenagers who are considered to be the most texters but also for the adult generation.

Through texting, a person can conveniently get in touch with friends and loved ones in far away places; do business transactions and even join contests for entertainment. A normal person would take the benefits and conveniences derived from texting a matter of course. However, a disabled person would be greatly thankful for this technological innovation.

In the midst of hearing and seeing people, a visually impaired and hearing impaired person would feel at a loss because of the inability to interact. It is a fact that sign language is a big help for the deaf, not everybody though would easily understand the signs.

A disabled person should be treated just like any other normal person. The disability should not stop him or her from having access to information; news and events. They too should be able to enjoy and receive the benefits of modern technology.

Interacting with family and friends would be easy since in most probability they understand and know sign language. The problem lies if a disabled person would want to communicate with other people. A deaf person who wants to interact with a stranger would only have to show his message on his mobile phone. Texting his message would not require him to act what is on his mind.

Hearing impaired people would be ever grateful for the development of software that enables them to talk or converse by sending text messages. With the use of a relay service, the disabled person would call and give his message to the operator who would turn the voice message into text.

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Cell phones are of great advantage to many people. This is probably the reason why billions of people around the globe own one. However, in the same manner that cellphones bring us great benefits, there are also inconveniences we can get out of it. One example of the disadvantages we might get are the text scams which are very rampant nowadays.

Text scams are messages which aim to take advantage of cellphone users and subscribers in various ways such as offering them the prizes they have won in a raffle (one they did not join), collecting fees from the replies a subscriber sends, and many other sophisticated ways through which they earn money illegally. That is why it’s important for a consumer to be aware of these scams and take precautionary measures on how to manage these scams and how users can avoid being trapped into this kind of fraud.

The first thing a consumer should learn is to be suspicious of unexpected calls or messages most especially if the number seems strange and not stored in the phone book. In most cases, answering a “scam call” or replying to a “scam text message” could cost the victim additional charges and usually, the charges are higher than the standard cost of call and text.

Control and resistance should always be the attitude in cases where the scammer talks so good about the cash prize that awaits you or a free travel ticket you have won, it simply lures you into fraud. Hanging up is the best thing someone can do to avoid further damage and danger. Lastly, being cautious in giving out your cellphone number is a better preventive measure. In instances when some companies or organization asks for your number, ask them why they need it.

Although we reap a lot of benefits from these handheld communication devices, it might also increase our chances of being a victim of sophisticated scammers. That is why prevention can help avoid this situation from happening, always be alert for text scams.

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