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Cell Phone Security: Questions to Ask Yourself, Your Cell Phone Service Provider

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:03:13 +0000

In light of today’s economic downturn and the plan by many consumers to reduce their cell phone upgrades and service plan costs, now may be as ripe a time as any to understand and assure your cell phone security.

Airwide Solutions, which builds mobile messaging and wireless Internet systems, this week issued a helpful list of questions to ask yourself and your carrier so you can take advantage of the security mechanisms likely already in place for you.

1) “What kind of spam filtering options does my carrier offer?”

2) “How much do I need to worry about viruses and other types of spyware coming onto my phone through multimedia messages?”

3) “What if my cell phone is compromised (i.e. stolen or lost)? What can be done to ensure all data is secure but wiped from the phone?”

4) “Are there controls or limits on when and how messaging can be used (i.e. while driving)?”

5) “How can I protect myself against scams that ask for personal information?”

6) “Are there any user-control settings I’m not aware of that I should be? Can I control what messages I receive on my phone and I just don’t know it?”

You can learn more about mobile security on my article on the topic.

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Cell Phone Users to Delay Upgrades, Cut Usage During Economic Downturn

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:53:16 +0000

Whether it’s a recession today or the worst is yet to come, cell phone users across the globe are feeling the impact and are acting accordingly.

A new poll conducted by mobile applications portal GetJar says consumers across the globe are delaying their plans to upgrade to new cell phones and reducing the amount they spend on cell phone service in the meantime.

GetJar said in a statement this week that 78 percent of subscribers plan to put off their purchase of a new cell phone while 76 percent plan to cut the amount they spend on usage.

This news come in stark contrast to news published here only 2.5 months ago.

A report issued on Aug. 19, 2008 by the NPD Group, which began tracking cell phone sales in 2005, said U.S. consumers were buying fewer phones but spending more on them.

The NPD Group report said consumers snapped up 28 million cell phones in the second quarter of 2008 while spending $2.4 billion for them.

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Japanese Samsung Omnia comes with mobile TV receiver and WVGA screen

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:51:55 +0000

Regular Samsung i900 Omnia is cool, but the Japanese version is even cooler. Instead of sporting a 240×400 pixels screen, the Omnia which will be sold in the “Land of the rising Sun,” SoftBank 930SC Omnia, will come with a 0.1-inch larger (3.3 as apposed to the original 3.2 inches) touchscreen which displays WVGA resolution - 480×800 pixels. But the news don’t stop there. The Omnia that will be offered by Japan’s SoftBank also sports a one-seg mobile TV receiver, allowing its users to enjoy TV on-the-go. Finally, the SoftBank 930SC Omnia will be available in three colors - black, white and red. The last mentioned looks super cool, as I’m sure you can tell from the image above.

Ok, we don’t need that mobile TV receiver. We can also live with standard silver color, but we do want is the WVGA screen. C’mon Samsung, HTC already has that with its Touch HD model. Can you make an Omnia version with such a screen for the rest of the world. Will “please” help

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Google’s mobile voting locator tool helps volunteers in encouraging citizens to vote

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:50:28 +0000

With U.S. elections just around the corner, political parties and non-partisan groups are sending out volunteers to encourage citizens to vote on November 4. To assist these volunteers, Google launched a mobile voting locator tool to help them find home addresses of registered voters and their voting locations. The tool is made so that a volunteer can use it in different instances — whether they’re in an office making phone calls, are working from a booth set up outdoors, or are going door to door. While on the go, Google wants them [volunteers] to rely on Google Maps to find address and display directions to voting locations.

Finally, between talking to potential voters, volunteers (and anyone else for that matter) can check out the “Elections” section in Google News for mobile for the latest updates…

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Samsung T*Omnia announced in Korea; Better screen and mobile TV included in the mix

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:48:37 +0000

The improved Samsung Omnia isn’t a Japanese thing any more. The Korean electronics giant is bringing the same device to the home market under the name “T*Omnia.”

As with the Japanese version, this Omnia will also come with a better 3.3-inch WVGA (480×800 pixels) touchscreen and a mobile TV receiver. However, for the Korean market it’s satellite DMB rather than one-seg receiver that is used in Japan.

Korean SK Telecom will be selling device in two flavors: SCH-M490 with 4GB and SCH-M495 with 16GB of internal memory.

Rest of the specs are unchanged and include 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and image stabilizer, WiFi, GPS, HSDPA, and Bluetooth support. Windows Mobile 6.1 with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI is running the show.

Now Samsung if you could bring this baby to Europe and North America, we would love you. Forget mobile TV, we don’t need that at the moment, or at least prepare two Omnias: one with and the other one without mobile TV receiver. That would work!

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KDDI out with Fall Winter collection; 8 phones that will make you move to Japan

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:46:48 +0000

Again and again we see super-cool phones coming from the Land of the rising Sun. Why handset makers don’t bring those babies to the western hemisphere is beyond me. I’m sure many IntoMobile readers share our passion for high-end phones, jam-packed with all the latest technologies. Anyway, let’s briefly introduce KDDI’s latest collection…

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MOTOZINE ZN5 officially official at T-Mobile USA

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:45:40 +0000

Just as we expected, Motorola’s kick-ass cameraphone is hitting the T-Mobile’s portfolio. The 5 megapixel camera with Xenon flash equipped MOTOZINE ZN5 is now available for $99 on a contract. With this announcement, T-Mobile has become the first North American mobile operator to carry Moto’s flagship device.

Rest of the specs are known as well and include WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth, memory card slot, TV out, and KODAK Imaging Technology that should ensure high quality photos.

The MOTOZINE ZN5 will hit “select” T-Mobile stores and website later in a day. As I’m writing this, I couldn’t find it on T-Mobile’s website.

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The Signal (IntoMobile Podcast: Episode 6)

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:43:48 +0000

Not many headlines this week, so Will and I go over a bunch of things spinning around the rumour mill, including iPhone 3G price cuts, Samsung Glyde being taken off of Verizon’s shelves, and the BlackBerry Pearl Flip coming to Rogers. Plenty of attention goes to the flurry of BlackBerry 8900 Javelin Curve pictures that have been showing, as well as speculation about the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5.

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BlackBerry Storm 9530 User Manual Available for Download

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:33:18 +0000

Are you a BlackBerry Addict that simply can’t wait to get your hands on the new BlackBerry Storm? If you are, you might want to take a few minutes (or hours, or days…) to poke through the new BlackBerry Storm 9530 manual that has appeared online.

To download the BlackBerry Storm 9530 user manual, click here (249 page PDF file weighing in at 1.18MB).

I have to admit, I didn’t really have any questions in-mind about the device… I simply want to get my hands on it to see if I like it or not. But if you do have any questions, or simply want to read through the out-of-the-box documentation for the Storm, go ahead and give it a download. The manual covers all of the basics, from using the phone to using the camera, media browser and more. There’s even a chapter on the beloved ‘BrickBreaker’ game that comes standard on all BlackBerry devices. Enjoy!

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Sprint HTC Touch Pro Now Available Online!

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:31:59 +0000

Sprint customers will be overjoyed at the news that the Sprint HTC Touch Pro is now available online! The QWERTY slider can be snapped up at the Sprint site for $299.99 with free shipping and free activation of a new line.

For the $299.99 price tag, I should note that you’ll also have to lock-in a 2-year contract. The price includes $180 in ‘instant savings’ and a $100 mail-in rebate. To qualify for the rebate you’ll need to sign up for an ‘Everything Plan’ or add a Data Premier add-on or PRO Pack add-on to your plan.

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