Numerous different tariffs are provided by phone operators
Mathematicians and scientific advisers from Oxford University have helped develop a price comparison website for mobile phone users.
BillMonitor has become the first mobile phone comparison site to be accredited by the communications regulator Ofcom.
The UK mobile market offers consumers more than three million deals on over 119,078 tariffs.
The site is financed by commissions on its recommendations and only takes account of some of the deals on offer.
Consumers supply details of their bills and the website analyses them for a tailored recommendation.
"Science has been put to work for struggling consumers in a free service to help them lower their bills," said Stelios Koundouros, co-founder of BillMonitor.
Review
Ofcom had previously accredited two price comparison websites (covering broadband and digital television), but accepts that there are a number of websites that had not applied for accreditation.
The watchdog Consumer Focus is investigating the state of the mobile phone market after 100,000 complaints were made about services in the last two years.
"The love affair with mobile phones is turning sour. Tariffs are complex and public confidence in the service providers is low," said Ed Mayo, Consumer Focus chief executive.
"Mobile phones are not a luxury but now an essential service and need to be treated as such. Missing out, paying over the odds or being given the run around by companies should no longer be acceptable."
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Shock as number of mobiles in jails rises
HUNDREDS of mobile phones used to organise serious crime from behind bars were seized from North prisons last year, new Government figures reveal.
The numbers, from the Ministry of Justice, show a huge leap over the past 12 months, with 304 phones or SIM cards being discovered, compared with 169 the year before . . . an 80 per cent increase.
Colin Moses, chairman of the Prison Officers Association, said: “These phones are used by people in prison to keep businesses going, to set up drug deals, or sometimes even to intimidate witnesses.”
Mr Moses – who worked at several prisons in the region before taking up his present position – said the news was worrying and that prisons should do more to stop phones being used.
He told the Sunday Sun: “It is a massive problem and I’m not surprised at all to see this kind of increase.
“It’s a combination of better methods of finding them, but there are also definitely a lot more phones to be found. There needs to be measures taken to block mobile phone use inside prisons . . . the technology is there.”
The Government admits that the numbers may be underestimated, with some phones not being sent for proper analysis by officers, or used as evidence, and therefore not counted.
Officers at Kirklevington Prison in Teesside discovered 78 phones in 2008, compared with 24 the year before. At Holme House, also in Teesside, 53 phones were found and, in Frankland Prison in County Durham, 41 were seized.
The phones are either smuggled into the prisons by visitors or sometimes thrown over prison walls for criminals to pick up.
Justice Minister David Hanson said: “It’s a criminal offence to have a mobile phone in a prison . . . they are a threat to security and public safety.
“The Government is committed to stopping mobile phones and SIM cards from entering prisons, and to finding and disrupting any which are smuggled in. These seizures demonstrate that commitment, as well as the effectiveness of prison security and intelligence, work.
“We have already introduced a range of new technology to bolster prisons’ ability to find mobile phones and SIM cards, including body scanning chairs.
“In addition, the Government has strengthened the law around this, meaning that someone convicted of bringing a mobile phone or its components into a prison now faces up to two years in jail.”
A boon or a curse--Mobile phones in Manipur
Imphal| May 10: Recent reports of the misuse of mobile phones by certain individuals or groups in the state of Manipur have left certain questions to be answered as to whether the mobile phones are a boon or a curse in the state. Certain features such as being ‘mobile’, handy and available almost ‘24x7’, a larger majority of the people would feel the boon. However, a critical analysis and study into recent reports of mobile phones being misused could speak otherwise.
Mobile phones made its first appearance in the state in 2004 with the launch of BSNL services by the centre. Since then many private cell phone companies like AIRCEL, AIRTEL, Reliance and the recently Tata Indicom and Vodafone have made its way into the state thus providing more choices to the users. However, the use of SIMs under fictitious names has been a concern for security in the state with the increasing number of mobile phone related crimes and extortions.
However, the misuse of mobile phones came to its peak in the second half of 2008 when a series of monetary demands and threats were made through the mobile phones in the state to various individuals and officials including organisations and institutions. The headmistress of Don Bosco School, Langjing in Imphal West revealed to the media that she had received monetary demands and threats through an SMS and this demand eventually led to the closure of three Don Bosco Schools of Langjing and Pheiyeng in Imphal West and Don Bosco of Chingmeirong, Imphal East. They were however re-opened few days later having come to a negotiation with civil societies.
Following such incidents, city police under the Home department of the state began to hunt for “Black SIM” as a security measure and in a span of about two days captured over 200 such SIM cards.
As per reports, a state police officer informed this drive was launched after the police found out that individuals had bought the BSNL and other private company SIM cards and then sold them in black to other, adding this was a cause of concern for the security of the state.
L. Kailun, Senior Superintendent Imphal West district police was also reported to have informed that the high number of SIM cards in black was the main problem leading to the problem of insurgency control in the state. “The SIM cards in black were leading to the problems of insurgency control. So we came up with this policy of collecting mobile phones,” the reports quoted the SP as saying.
This drive was further fuelled by the recovery of 18 (eighteen) mobiles from the militants under trial at the Sajiwa jail in Imphal East in October last which one could perhaps termed as a prove of the various allegations that mobiles were being use to threaten and extort money from the government officials and the general public alike.
Th. Radheshyam, the Superintendent of Imphal East district police is reported to have informed the media the raid began on October 10 and in a span of just about two days collected 18 mobile phones from the various under trial militant inmates in the jail. Most of these militants belonged to the various state based outfits such of the Kangleipak Communist Party-Military Council (KCP-MC), Kuki Revolutionary Army-United (KRA-U) and People’s United Liberation Front (PULF) involved in extortions and monetary demands and that they were conducting their programmes through the phones from the jail, stated reports as per information deliver by the Imphal East SP.
And with the recovery of the mobiles from the militant inmates of the Sajiwa jail, speculations spread that threats, extortions and demands through the mobile would decrease. However, the misuse of mobile phones emerged in the early part of 2009 when state based militant outfit apprehended few couples for recording their ‘immoral acts’ and circulating it through the phones. Following this initiative, civil societies and local bodies began to keep an eye on such acts especially amongst the youth.
Reports had it locals in Imphal West district torn down a house which was allegedly rent out for ‘immoral act’ where couple recorded such deeds. This falls in great contrast to the moral value that the state observes.
No doubt, the mobile phone has all the requisites for a good entertainment viz. the MP3 players, video recording and playbacks, cameras and Bluetooth for easy transfer of files between mobiles. One cannot leave behind the availability in times of emergency and keeping in contact with near and dear ones, near and far. However, the recent reports of the misuse of the mobile phone have raised few questions if it is boon or a curse to the state.
Mobile phones made its first appearance in the state in 2004 with the launch of BSNL services by the centre. Since then many private cell phone companies like AIRCEL, AIRTEL, Reliance and the recently Tata Indicom and Vodafone have made its way into the state thus providing more choices to the users. However, the use of SIMs under fictitious names has been a concern for security in the state with the increasing number of mobile phone related crimes and extortions.
However, the misuse of mobile phones came to its peak in the second half of 2008 when a series of monetary demands and threats were made through the mobile phones in the state to various individuals and officials including organisations and institutions. The headmistress of Don Bosco School, Langjing in Imphal West revealed to the media that she had received monetary demands and threats through an SMS and this demand eventually led to the closure of three Don Bosco Schools of Langjing and Pheiyeng in Imphal West and Don Bosco of Chingmeirong, Imphal East. They were however re-opened few days later having come to a negotiation with civil societies.
Following such incidents, city police under the Home department of the state began to hunt for “Black SIM” as a security measure and in a span of about two days captured over 200 such SIM cards.
As per reports, a state police officer informed this drive was launched after the police found out that individuals had bought the BSNL and other private company SIM cards and then sold them in black to other, adding this was a cause of concern for the security of the state.
L. Kailun, Senior Superintendent Imphal West district police was also reported to have informed that the high number of SIM cards in black was the main problem leading to the problem of insurgency control in the state. “The SIM cards in black were leading to the problems of insurgency control. So we came up with this policy of collecting mobile phones,” the reports quoted the SP as saying.
This drive was further fuelled by the recovery of 18 (eighteen) mobiles from the militants under trial at the Sajiwa jail in Imphal East in October last which one could perhaps termed as a prove of the various allegations that mobiles were being use to threaten and extort money from the government officials and the general public alike.
Th. Radheshyam, the Superintendent of Imphal East district police is reported to have informed the media the raid began on October 10 and in a span of just about two days collected 18 mobile phones from the various under trial militant inmates in the jail. Most of these militants belonged to the various state based outfits such of the Kangleipak Communist Party-Military Council (KCP-MC), Kuki Revolutionary Army-United (KRA-U) and People’s United Liberation Front (PULF) involved in extortions and monetary demands and that they were conducting their programmes through the phones from the jail, stated reports as per information deliver by the Imphal East SP.
And with the recovery of the mobiles from the militant inmates of the Sajiwa jail, speculations spread that threats, extortions and demands through the mobile would decrease. However, the misuse of mobile phones emerged in the early part of 2009 when state based militant outfit apprehended few couples for recording their ‘immoral acts’ and circulating it through the phones. Following this initiative, civil societies and local bodies began to keep an eye on such acts especially amongst the youth.
Reports had it locals in Imphal West district torn down a house which was allegedly rent out for ‘immoral act’ where couple recorded such deeds. This falls in great contrast to the moral value that the state observes.
No doubt, the mobile phone has all the requisites for a good entertainment viz. the MP3 players, video recording and playbacks, cameras and Bluetooth for easy transfer of files between mobiles. One cannot leave behind the availability in times of emergency and keeping in contact with near and dear ones, near and far. However, the recent reports of the misuse of the mobile phone have raised few questions if it is boon or a curse to the state.
Envirofone Collects 40,000 Old Mobile Phones in 3 Months
During the last 3 months, Envirofone has collected about 40,000 old mobile phones, according to organizers. The recycling initiative has also collected 23 tons of other electronic waste. Envirofone is a collection scheme for mobile phones and other waste in the nation. It is sponsored by etisalat, a telecom giant, in an attempt to take harmful substances out of communities.
During the UAE National Environment Day on February 4th, etisalat pledged they would give Dh5 million to the initiative, which gave Envirofone a boost. Last year the initiative collected 200,000 mobile phones, as well as 52 tons of electronic waste across the UAE. Besides old mobile phones, many people still keep other gadgets that they don’t use anymore, and they either discard them or recycle them.
Stuart Fleming, the managing director at Enviroserve, the company that oversees Envirofone, said that 3 million mobile phones, at least, could be in consumers’ homes, waiting to be recycled. One person who turned in their old mobiles had 22 that they weren’t using anymore, he continued. It is clear that they are going ahead of efforts last year with more awareness of needing to be socially responsible, Fleming added.
As an incentive to get more people to recycle their old electronics, etisalat is offering rewards every month. Aside from rewards, they are also giving part of the money that they get from the recycled materials to charity. They have installed 450 deposit boxes for mobile phones at key areas in the UAE in order to facilitate this process. Fleming said that accessibility is the key to making recycling the easy option for consumers.
Don't let your old phone go to waste
So it is no surprise that over the years millions of unwanted mobiles have been discarded in the UK.
But not everyone realises that when mobiles are dumped, they are often burned, which releases toxic chemicals into the atmosphere.
Mobiles also contribute to the thousands of tonnes of non-biodegradable waste that goes to UK landfill sites every year.
Empty printer cartridges can also be reused — but many of them are also disposed of as normal waste.
Both mobile phones and printer cartridges can be recycled for reuse, thus reducing the environmental burden on landfill sites and offsetting some of the energy consumed in their manufacture.
Devon legal firm Slee Blackwell, which has an office in Queen Street, Exeter, is encouraging people to give it their old mobile phones and printer cartridges to raise money for charity.
The phones can be handed into the reception areas of all five offices, where they are sent to Recycle for Charity.
The not-for-profit company then recycles the phones and cartridges. It keeps some of the money to keep itself going and sends the balance the Devon Community Foundation.
John Hasson, an associate solicitor at Slee Blackwell's Queen Street office, said: "I had heard of some other charities doing it and I am a keen believer that you should do what you can for the environment and every little bit that you do helps. It also helps raise awareness.
"At the same time, we became aware of the Devon Community Foundation, and its Grassroots Challenge means any money it raises is matched by equal funding from the Government.
"I think people are more likely to take part in something if they think it is going to benefit local communities."
Slee Blackwell started collecting phones in January and hopes to run the scheme until September.
John said: "From what I understand, the recycling company says any phone can be recycled — different makes generally fetch different amounts.
"They can be worth £50, or some can be as little as £2.50."
He said the scheme was part of Slee Blackwell's general commitment to be eco-friendly.
"As a firm, we are very conscious of the environment and cut down on the amount of consumables we have," he said. "We try to cut down on paper and to use electronic communications as much as possible."
Once sent to the recycling company, the mobile phones are stripped down for reusable components and precious metals such as gold and platinum are taken out of them.
John said: "There are an awful lot of precious metals in there and a lot of the components can be reused, so less mining needs to take place.
"Receiving metals that have already been refined uses a lot less energy than actually trying to melt the minerals out of the iron ore. So, it's more energy efficient to take metals out of existing products in a useable form.
"Batteries are very bad because they contain mercury and various acids that then leech into the soil, whereas if you send them to a recycling company, they make sure the acids can be safely disposed of.
"If they are dismantled in a safe environment, there is less chance of anything escaping and polluting the soil."
John has just changed his mobile phone and plans to take the old model in to be recycled. He said: "I'd rather know that something positive was happening with it and that it was being disposed of safely and was raising funds for a worthy cause."
When mobiles suffer from ‘sunstroke’
BALASORE: It seems the heatwave has also taken mobile phones in its grip. A number of mobile phones in the coastal district of Balasore has been staying out of service during afternoons leaving a message on the screen ‘paused by temperature’. The phones are restored to their normal condition once they are placed in an air conditioned room.The problem is seen with all mobile service providers including BSNL, Reliance, Airtel, Aircel and Vodafone. Many customers have also complained that during the ‘paused’ period, they are neven ot able to see the stored numbers.Sources said, for the last one week, temperature in the city has been hovering between 37 and 40 degree Celsius.Abinash Das, a mobile repairing mechanic, said this usually occurs to mobile phone sets whose batteries are old as these cannot tolerate excess temperature.General Manager of BSNL, Balasore telecom district, S Adak said, he had not received any complaints in this regard. ‘‘It may be a problem in the handset but not in the service
Mobile Value added Services from Diginatives
It is only natural then that the IT companies which till now were concentrating on their big baby, the computer, are now focused completely on the little one – the mobile phone. This little one has a lot of potential and its mobility and handy size gives it an edge. All web based applications are coming up with their mobile versions as well.
Mobile Value Added Services is hence a fully developed field and a specialized industry. Diginatives Content Solutions, a Delhi based Media Content Company has an entire team of specialists who solely create content for the mobile phones – they create MOMICS, yes the comics on mobile! And the M Cards, M Cartoons, JAVA and Flash lite based mobile games and even jokes! This world class content has won accolades from clients testimonials of which can be read on Diginatives Client List (http://www.diginatives.com/clients.html).
Mobiles are a tool for elearning as well. Diginatives creates learning content for a variety of mobile phones which can be for curriculum based learning or certification examinations.
Other services in the field of Mobile VAS that Diginatives provides at competent rates maintaining the strictest of standards include:
• Product engineering outsourcing
• Custom mobile application development for WAP, J2ME, BREW, Flash Lite, iPhone and Android.
• Porting across different family of phones
• Testing of mobile applications
• Integration with the Telecom Operator's billing system, MMSC, SMSC, WAP server, etc.
• Support
Being a certified ISO 9001:2000 company Diginatives is one of the most reliable and capable content providers for Mobile VAS amongst other services which range from elearning to software solutions to gaming and DTH VAS.
Free line rental contract mobile phones – Superb connection with low rates
India is the largest growing mobile market in the world. It becomes the style statement of the people. Nowadays, mobile phones are very famous as exchanges of gifts also. It has widest range to cover across the world. In these days, mobiles are more recovered with tremendous facility of making calls, SMS, radio, MP3 player, camera, alarm clock, stop watch etc. There has been a constant increment in the number of people who use mobile phones.
Free line rental contract mobile phones are the growing deals which are attentively gaining the popularity among all the users. These are the free line convenience of 12 months or 18 months free rental deals to get completely free handsets which may trim some monthly bills difficulty in regular life. These are the more required plans where you only pay some amount as protection. Once you had deposit it then you are able to select any latest handset given by remarkable providers. They offers some free gifts and incentives like mobile phone insurance, free minutes, free messages, free mobile phone accessories, cash backs, Low tariff rates, free talk time, free downloading, I-Pod and more.
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You can get such deals with more enthusiasts in whom you can gear up for expenses. These are the latest addition to line-up of mobile phones which are affected by the economic ups and downs with more suitability.
Nokia 2630 is very charming and new launched handset come with some various features and functions such as Weight 66 g, Color Display : TFT 65K colors, MP3, Camera, MP3 , Bluetooth, GPRS, video calling.
Jeron Adum works with many experts of UK in the mobile industry. His research works and articles have proves to be a blessing for the people of UK who want to own a mobile phone.Why do advertisers like mobile ads ?
Once merely a device for voice calls, mobile phones are now used for browsing, gaming and other non-voice purposes almost 90% of the time.
And as mobile phones evolve into hand-held multimedia computers, India focused companies are increasingly vying for that tiny private space that consumers have in their phones.
With over 330 million mobile subscribers in India already and the number growing each day, several FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) companies, financial institutions and TV stations are trying to tap the user interest through mobile platforms.
A mobile has unrivalled advertising impact and is 3 times more powerful than online ads for raising purchase, intent, brand favourability and ad awareness, according to Dynamic Logic AdIndex, an advertising data provider.
Why do advertisers like mobile ads ? Mobile advertisements have demonstrated brand recall on par with a 30-second television spot (which is much costlier) but 'click through rates' are exponentially higher than online ads, Nielsen IAG, an ad metrics provider, said.
"We launched 2 lakh mobile phones in India that have a Gillette-sponsored cricket game pre-installed on the device. It's the first instance of embedding a branded game on a mobile in the country. There would be more such instances in future," said Tom Henrikkson, head of interactive advertising, Nokia.
Nokia is geared up to try its hand at advertising through its mobile advertising network and the world's biggest mobile maker is trying to push advertising to publishers' mobile websites, with Nokia acting as an ad network. Nokia has planned aggressive mobile campaigns like banner ads, location finders and mobile coupons etc.
Many brands, which have sizeable presence in India, like Ford, Hyundai, BMW, Pepsi, Unilever and Universal Motion Pictures have tied up with Nokia on its media network. It already has signed up Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel which would see top brands on Nokia's media network advertise on Airtel Live portal.
Globally there are more mobiles (4 billion) than television sets (1.5 billion) and personal computers (1.1 billion) put together. Naturally, the reach is huge as far as mobile advertising goes which now has a market size of $2.6 billion. By 2012, there would be 5 billion internet-connected mobiles, Henrikkson estimates.
With a 40% share of the handset market, and more than 1 billion devices in use, Nokia is opening the mobile world to brands.
And as mobile phones evolve into hand-held multimedia computers, India focused companies are increasingly vying for that tiny private space that consumers have in their phones.
With over 330 million mobile subscribers in India already and the number growing each day, several FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) companies, financial institutions and TV stations are trying to tap the user interest through mobile platforms.
A mobile has unrivalled advertising impact and is 3 times more powerful than online ads for raising purchase, intent, brand favourability and ad awareness, according to Dynamic Logic AdIndex, an advertising data provider.
Why do advertisers like mobile ads ? Mobile advertisements have demonstrated brand recall on par with a 30-second television spot (which is much costlier) but 'click through rates' are exponentially higher than online ads, Nielsen IAG, an ad metrics provider, said.
"We launched 2 lakh mobile phones in India that have a Gillette-sponsored cricket game pre-installed on the device. It's the first instance of embedding a branded game on a mobile in the country. There would be more such instances in future," said Tom Henrikkson, head of interactive advertising, Nokia.
Nokia is geared up to try its hand at advertising through its mobile advertising network and the world's biggest mobile maker is trying to push advertising to publishers' mobile websites, with Nokia acting as an ad network. Nokia has planned aggressive mobile campaigns like banner ads, location finders and mobile coupons etc.
Many brands, which have sizeable presence in India, like Ford, Hyundai, BMW, Pepsi, Unilever and Universal Motion Pictures have tied up with Nokia on its media network. It already has signed up Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel which would see top brands on Nokia's media network advertise on Airtel Live portal.
Globally there are more mobiles (4 billion) than television sets (1.5 billion) and personal computers (1.1 billion) put together. Naturally, the reach is huge as far as mobile advertising goes which now has a market size of $2.6 billion. By 2012, there would be 5 billion internet-connected mobiles, Henrikkson estimates.
With a 40% share of the handset market, and more than 1 billion devices in use, Nokia is opening the mobile world to brands.
Tesco is a big scary monster that will ultimately take over all the high streets and enslave us. In the meantime, it's finally offering pretty good ra
Today, majestic era has come up with more manipulation with rounded swiftness in mobile phones. In this growing generation, mobile phones are developing seriously for the ease of the people in their boring schedules. Nowadays, mobiles are becoming an important part not for society but for private invasion also just as tracing the criminals with tracking systems, to make the records of the crimes, indulge some penalties to them and so many.
Buy Google g1 white is a fantastic Android OS based handset with 3g multitasking assistance and standard technology which may boost the user’s expectation high. It has imaginary features with modification of functioning such as 3.2 MP camera with an image resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, Bluetooth, GPRS, video calling, MP3, Navigational maps, Micro SD expansion, stand by Up to 5 hours of talk time, built -in GPS receiver, an accelerometer sensor which provides mobility of auto rotation with facet of handwriting recognition. It has mainly focused on MyFaves service which provides unlimited calling to your five most called contacts.
You can get Google g1 white with charming deal like as contract deal. These contract phone deals are very unique by giving some facilities after bonding sort of an agreement between reputed providers and users like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony and LG. These are the time limits of few months like as 6 months, 12 months or 18 months. During these time period, users become the host of various attractive offers such as free incentives, free text free insurance, free accessories, instant cash back, free downloading, Sony PSP, I-Pod etc.
Banjo Haide writes articles on contract mobile deals. He is a regular contributar to the sites which provide valuable information related to mobile phones deals. His good quality advices have proven to be a blessing for such mobile phones seekers.Mobile Phones
Tesco is a big scary monster that will ultimately take over all the high streets and enslave us. In the meantime, it's finally offering pretty good rates for mobile users.
Based on 175 texts per month and 250 minutes of calls -- half to other mobiles, Tesco simply steamrolls the opposition. The next cheapest is 3's Relax 350 tariff -- a full €12.27 per month dearer.
Best: Tesco Anyone anytime with free €30 top-up €36.73
Avoid: Meteor Talk 200 €55
Saving: €219.24
Old mobile phones welcomed by charity
With new mobile phone models featuring the latest in technological innovations introduced so frequently, it is not surprising that the number of unwanted mobile phones discarded in the UK number in the millions.
The recycling industry has noted that not everyone buying a new phone is aware that discarded mobiles are often burned, leading to the release of toxic chemicals into the environment.
In addition, discarded mobile phones contribute to the massive amount of non-biodegradable waste dumped in UK landfill each year.
Another item that can be recycled, but is often discarded, is a printer cartridge. Rather than being reused, many are simply treated as waste, also ending up in landfill.
When mobile phones and printer cartridges are recycled for reuse, the burden on landfill sites and the environment is reduced and some of the energy required for their manufacture is offset.
Devon-based law firm Slee Blackwell, with an office in Exeter on Queen Street, has been encouraging consumers to drop off their old mobiles and printer cartridges to help raise money for charity.
All of the law firm’s five offices are accepting phones and cartridges at their reception areas. Once collected, they are sent to Recycle 4 Charity.
The non-profit group recycles the items, keeping a portion of the funds received for its administrative expenses, and donates the balance to the Devon Community Foundation.
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