Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Rigged Phone Becomes Key Evidence in Divorce Proceedings

July 12th, 2010

People love technology, and by love, we mean that they abuse it to bits. Most devices are made to do plenty of things –take smart phones for example: the handset is designed to take calls, make messages, write emails, go online, play media and do plenty of other things. But when the basic functions are not enough, people go on an out-of-the-box mode and try their best to make devices do more than they should, and as an estranged couple from Walsall has realized, the average mobile handset can be more dangerous than what one might think it to be.

Right off the bat, it has to be pointed out that at this point in time, Mr. Gora has not admitted that he has actually rigged the Bluetooth handset on his ex-wife’s car device, but that has not stopped the woman from making a case in court.

According to the testimony, Mrs. Gora states that her former husband has used a mobile phone as an accessory for “bugging” her car –recording her private conversations with her family and personal friends. These conversations covered very sensitive topics and as such, Mrs. Gora is seeking that the court would order the tapes of these conversations be destroyed.

However, Mrs. Gora’s ex husband is denying that he has made such tapes. The man did testify that he only claimed that he did, to her (most apparently to spite the woman), but he has never actually done so.

While technology is not inherently evil; nor are machines intentionally out to get us, there is nothing wrong about being a little careful about what one does with one’s own personal belongings. Phones and computers often have password settings and other important features that help people restrict others from tampering with the software. At the same time, simple things like full case coverings, decals and other accessories discourage other people from tampering with the device itself.

Why Text Donations are Important

July 8th, 2010

It is not too uncommon to see various methods through which people can be able to help out others in need. The most common method would be to donate money. After all, the average people has work, daily tasks and basically lives that do not allow them the leisure of volunteering an entire week or even month of their lives in the service of other people.

But people are actually willing to be part of it. Despite the economy, people naturally want to help out. While that may seem as a very optimistic point of view, the success of text based donations proves the point quite well.

Texting is an easy thing to do. It takes only a few moments, and a single text message can be sent from anywhere that is covered by a network (which is about 70% of the UK). It is accessible, fast and something that people are more willing to engage in as compared to having to spend an hour in commute looking for an obscure address to drop off a donation. Even a trip to the post will take at least fifteen minutes (for those lucky enough to be living nearby).

By taking out time and energy from the equation, getting people to donate is made much easier (take the success of the drives for the quake and flood victims of the recent months and last year).

According to the chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, John Low, “Donating by text is popular because it is instant and easy for donors.”

Mobile network operator Vodafone UK is adding a nice incentive as well: the operator will be giving the entire proceeds to charities –as opposed to deducting a transaction fee from the donors. Officially, they are the first network operator to establish this new standard. It would be nice if other networks also followed suit.

Consumer’s Choice: Smart Phone and Tablet or Computer?

July 6th, 2010

Electronics are expensive; they are quite the big investment. This is why choosing one’s home and outdoor experience is often a big choice between the many possible hardware combinations possible.

At the moment, smart phones like the iPhone are the gadgets of choice when it comes to outdoor experience. While netbooks provide more functionality, their bulk and limited battery life (well, at least they have less battery life than the typical iPhone), makes them less accessible in outdoor environments. For indoors, there is a tradeoff between the iPad (which is currently the only tablet), a netbook and a desktop computer.

Figuring out the right combination of the above is a pretty big choice and one that has to be considered properly.

For the outdoors, getting a smart phone is the most logical solution, it is accessible, easy to use and it also serves as you mobile phone (as opposed to carrying around a basic 2G handset and a netbook). Unless you spend hours outside the home but still have access to a table and chair, a netbook is difficult to use.

The big payoff with a desktop computer is that it can do everything –except be accessible. It is not mobile, it takes longer to open, it takes up more space and unless you really need all that hardware, users might be better off with a netbook instead. Unless you are a professional who needs a computer for heavy computing work (programming, graphic design and others), or a hardcore gamer whose games need the latest hardware, a desktop would be too much on an investment. Opt for a netbook for home use instead.

Tablets, particularly the iPad, are media access devices, so users should not expect to get much functionality besides web browsing, media playback and the occasional app.

Smart Phone Gaming: Point and Click, Tower Defense and More

June 24th, 2010

The video game industry is vast and large, and thanks to the arrival of smart phone technology, the range of the types of games available has increased drastically. If the game development boom with Flash games allowing independent developers was already impressive, the fact that these very same developers could make a significant profit on app development has further spurred on the race to create new games.

But as original as some games may be, there is also nothing wrong with sticking to basic genres. So if you are new to the world of digital gaming, here is a quick guide to the various kinds of game apps for mobile phones.

First up, point and click adventures. This is a great place to start with gaming. Not as intense or as action packed as smart phone conversions of arcade titles, but much more fulfilling to play. Point and click games rely heavily on good storytelling and often have a very straightforward storyline (though the game play will have you travelling around a lot).

Tower defense is a genre that has slowly grown with Flash game development. The point of the game is quite simple: players will build defenses in order to prevent waves of enemies from invading the player’s ‘base’. With the many variations of the tower defense style of gameplay, gamers with a wide range of interests will be able to find a title that suits their tastes.

Racing games are pretty common and straightforward, but smart phone players should know that the control systems on touch screen smart phones are quite different. Many make use of the accelerometer on the screen in order to steer the player vehicle which can prove to be quite an enjoyable challenge.

Of course, there are more genres than these three, but starting with these simple game types is a great way to pass the time.

Privacy in the World of Smart Phones

June 23rd, 2010

Smart phones are not the tools of a big brother conspiracy (well, they could be, but they are not), but that does not mean that nobody is watching. With the average camera on a basic smart phone being a 3.15 mega pixel snapper, people have the right to worry about being filmed or having photos being taken of them without their permission.

The worry stems from the fact that anyone can record videos and images using mobile phones. And since most people are already armed with the technology, it makes for a terrible inconvenience. Simply going out in an unflattering outfit could lead to someone taking an image of you and uploading it to one or several of the thousands of joke sites on the internet that make fun of people wearing unflattering outfits (yes, you no longer need to be a celebrity to have your fashion sense bashed).

While being worried about strangers is one thing, friends and family are even worse culprits, as they will stubbornly, and outright refuse to obey the “I do not want pictures taken of me” request. The worst part is when they upload the images on Facebook where it will be open for everyone to see. And if the embarrassment was not bad enough, these people are usually the very individuals who would actually tag you in the image.

It is not surprising that most people now have worries about having candid images being shot –more importantly, being uploaded. As these images often have people in unflattering and otherwise, very awkward moments. Some women intentionally pass up attending large social functions such as weddings just to be free of the worry.

The saddest part about this whole thing is that there is nothing that anyone can really do –if there was, the next generation would never have to worry about having a family photo book full of really embarrassing images.

New Altek Leo Phone Sports 14 MP Camera

June 21st, 2010

Taiwan based electronics manufacturer Altek is known for their camera technology. The company is well known for making cameras to be used for assembling mobile phones as well as their standalone digital camera series. Aside from this, the company has also produced a small series of electronic driving assistance devices as well.

At the CommunicAsia event in Singapore, many expected Altek Corporation to show off their latest cameras made for mobile phones –in order to attract phone manufacturers. But they instead surprised everyone when they went up onstage to show off the new Altek Leo. With the device’s 14 mega pixel camera, Xenon flash, 1/2.3 inch CCD sensor and 3x optical zoom, the device seemed like a handy little camera –until they announced that it was also a mobile phone.

And not just any mobile phone; aside from the fact that the Leo allowed users to make and receive phone calls, the real clincher is the fact that this smart phone is an Android handset. Yes, right behind that spectacular 14 MP lens is a large capacitive touch screen display with Google’s ever familiar mobile platform user interface.

It brings apps, plenty of Google features such as Maps, Goggles, Mail, Chat and more, a really powerful camera and what we can only assume would be a decent CPU and a sufficient degree of internal storage (or at least some microSD card support). Overall, this is one smart phone that you people should not pass up –if they get a chance. It seems that there are no confirmed plans to release this handset in any European territory at the moment.

So far, Altek has only confirmed an Asian release for this impressive piece of technology but considering the amount of interest there is in the device, it would a great idea for the Taiwanese camera maker to consider bringing this smart phone to the west.

How Mobile Technology is Affecting Children

June 15th, 2010

According to some experts, children should not be exposed to computers until the age of 9 or older. It is a pretty tough suggestion, considering how nearly impossible the task would be, but this is one of the answers that was given with regards to helping curb the growing number of children with psychological and social problems brought by their dependence on computers and technology.

And while the computer is easy to keep from a child, the smart phone is a different issue. Many parents now find it difficult to not let their child have a mobile phone, and more often than not, it is a smart phone. Children tend to prefer devices that would allow them to access the same resources and networks that their peers at school have –which means that handing a child a basic GSM device will not be sufficient.

It is a double edged sword; giving a child a mobile phone could potentially make the child addicted or reliant on social networking as opposed to making real friends. Refuse to give a child a smart phone and the child will be alienated and ostracized by their friends who are all playing with their mobile handsets.

What many experts fail to realize is that despite the conundrum, there is already a working solution system, and all it takes is for people to realize that it is accessible: good parenting. Parents have long failed to incorporate new technology such as social networking and the internet as part of a person’s growth. Whether we like it or not, it is, and it should be introduced to a child properly.

Keeping children away from technology is never the answer. There is nothing bad about the internet, computers, smart phones, social networking, games and other such resources, it is up to parents to properly teach and prepare their children for the technology of today.

The Green Approach to Mobile Phone Technology

June 11th, 2010

It is hard to deny that mobile phones –especially smart phones, are some of the most convenient electronic devices ever to be made. These handsets allows users to make calls and messages instantly to friends and family, it can access the internet, provide entertainment through music and videos, be used as a camera and more. Our society is now heavily reliant on the use of mobile phone technology.

As one might expect, this convenience comes with a price. Aside from the usual retail tags and monthly tariffs, our society gets billed with a huge carbon load –which the environment pays for.

This is why there is now a growing need for people to be more aware and responsible for their carbon footprint. And starting with changing one’s mobile phone habits is a great first step.

What people should realize is that as end users and consumers, society has the ability to dictate and decide what companies will manufacture and sell. By choosing to support eco-friendly companies and by buying green products –manufacturers can be swayed to change their approach. Nokia and Sony Ericsson have been heavily promoting their green-solutions internally with reduced packaging and better choices of raw materials. Choosing to buy handsets made out of recycled plastics will encourage other companies to do the same.

It does not end with choosing a phone either. Users have the responsibility to ensure that devices are used wisely. A smart phone can consume about a metric ton of carbon in a single year (energy wise), so ensuring that a battery charge is spent properly, and avoiding over-charging are also important steps.

Lastly, support your local recycling drives. Many companies such as Orange UK hold phone recycling programs in order to encourage people to dispose of their handsets wisely –more often than not, they also offer incentives to people who recycle.

World Cup Apps from Nokia’s Ovi Store

June 10th, 2010

Even the smart phone is not safe from the World Cup fever. A quick trip to the Nokia Ovi store will reveal plenty of impressive and highly informative apps that will be useful to football fans of all ages. With services ranging from match coverage to news to even tips about where you can go to watch the matches, these World Cup apps are a must have for any certified footy fan.

The first app on the list is the ESPNsoccernet app. If you are a football fan but do not already have this app, you should get it or you have missed out a lot. This app is not only focused on the 2010 World Cup alone. It has coverage and details for all other major matches. With plenty of media content, such as live commentary, game visualizations and all the hard statistics on player and team performances, ESPN’s app is a one-stop comprehensive tool that fans should not be without.

App developer Drinksin (read as Drinks In) has also made a special app for the World Cup: the Footy Pubs 2010. This app combines pub reviews and GPS technology to bring you to the best places to watch and enjoy the matches. It even has special recommendations for each pub on the top lists –there are even pubs that will give Footy Pubs users a small incentive too. So if you and your drinking buddies cannot decide where to go, this is the app for you.

Last on our recommended list is the official World Cup app from the Associated Press –the AP 2010 World Cup Coverage. Complete with all the details that one could hope for such as full player profiles, video downloads, live score lists, match schedules, team standings, images and plenty more. The app is also available in four different languages. With full coverage and all the details, the best part of is that this app is free.

Vlingo Now Available for the Android

June 7th, 2010

Fans of the old BlackBerry Vlingo app will be happy to know that the software is now heading to the Android Market. This impressive little gadget will give you full hands free operation –well mostly, by reading out content to you as you handle more important things such as paying attention to the road while driving.

The Vlingo app’s function is quite simple; it will give you text-to-speech capability in plenty of functions. This is most useful when you need to check that latest email or text message but cannot afford to spend the time looking at your phone the whole time. As long as you are wearing a headset (or simply in a location where you can hear your phone well), you will not have any problems.

Not that Vlingo will not function when used with the speaker phone (most handsets have one anyway), but this is certainly not recommended if you are in a public location where other people may be able to overhear the contents of the messages that are being sent. After all, the last thing you want your colleagues in the office to hear is what the latest insider tips you are receiving. And this is why it is recommended to make use of a headset.

Privacy issues aside (which can be easily remedied anyway), the Vlingo app is immensely useful if not somewhat of a novelty function for some. It is pretty much expected that not everyone will need to have map data being read out to them (and Google already provides free voice guided sat nav), but there are certainly plenty of people who will find good use for Vlingo –many BlackBerry users did after all.

This paid app is already available for download at the Android market and is a well recommended download for people who are often on the go.