Cell Phones

Our world has been transformed by these little communication devices, to the point that people think nothing of engaging in a cell phone conversation, whether in a bathroom, a bus, a movie, a date or a restaurant. . Let us not forget ringtones; the nail-scratches on a chalkboard of mobile technology. It seems the worse the song is, the louder and more prevalent it is too.

Alarm Clocks

Unless your alarm clock is ready to serve you bacon when you wake up (as the ingenious one shown above does), there really isn’t any fair reason for you to have to peel your eyes open and rise from the comforts of your warm and cozy bed.

Bluetooth Headsets

You’re standing in a grocery line when all of a sudden a shrill voice behind you shouts “Hey! What’s up? How are ya?” You nearly skyrocket through the ceiling, dropping all your items when you realize, the person behind you isn’t talking to you nor to themselves, in fact they are speaking into a contraption they insert into their ear that should only be used when driving.

Laptop Batteries

Techies have long known that official battery-life claims are pretty much worthless. After 12 months, that “full 8 hours of battery-life” lasts more like 3-4 hours, (if you’re lucky) and as a few more months go by, you may only have a few minutes before having to plug in. Rechargeable batteries aren’t much better, losing performance with every charge. Then there are the extreme cases of exploding laptops. There have been many reported cases of cells that have overheated and ruptured into flames.

Sealed Batteries

Why should the life of a product be tied to its internal sealed battery life? Products with sealed batteries (e.g. iPod, iTouch, iPhone) are frustrating in that you are not given the option to change your battery for a fresh one when your music dies.

TV

Perhaps more of a love/hate relationship, televisions provide us hours of distraction and entertainment but we are always the first to complain about its capacity to numb and obscure our humanity.

Remote controls

Even with universal controls, remotes are always getting lost, unless you are prepared to literally wear your remotes (as shown above).

http://blog.sherweb.com/technologies-we-hate-but-can%E2%80%99t-do-without/

The $175 Linux-based system has a Webcam built in, as well as a range of applications, including Web browsing, e-mail and IM.

It can connect to the Internet using a standard Wi-Fi connection, or it can use your cell phone’s mobile broadband connection via Bluetooth.

The company is currently pitching it to mobile network operators and retail stores.

It’s being compared to the ill-fated Palm Foleo. But the comparison doesn’t work because the Foleo was Palm-phone only, didn’t fit in a pocket and cost well over three times the price of the iKIT.

Would YOU carry a second device (in addition to your cell phone) like this?

http://blogs.computerworld.com/call_it_a_sub_subnotebook_new_pc_is_small_as_a_cell_phone

According to the experts, the chances of developing a malignant tumour are “significantly increased” for people who use a mobile for ten years.

The shocking finding is the result of the biggest ever study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organisation.

The experts found a type of brain tumour called glioma is more likely in long-term mobile users.

French experts analysed data from 13 countries, including Britain.

Although researchers admit the cause is unknown, but according to them radiation from handsets could be the trigger.

“To underestimate the risk would be a complete disaster,” the Sun quoted study chief Professor Elisabeth Cardis, as saying.

However, a British expert insisted mobiles are not dangerous.

Professor Patricia McKinney of the University of Leeds said: “Reasonable use is unlikely to increase the risk of tumours.” (ANI)

http://in.news.yahoo.com/139/20081016/936/thl-mobile-phones-really-do-up-brain-can.html

Citing published studies, the group said a red or itchy rash, known as “mobile phone dermatitis”, affects people who develop an allergic reaction to the nickel surface on mobile phones after spending long periods of time on the devices.

“It is worth doctors bearing this condition in mind if they see a patient with a rash on the cheek or ear that cannot otherwise be explained,” it said.

The British group said many doctors were unaware mobile phones could cause the condition.

Safety concerns over mobile phones has grown as more people rely on them for everyday communication, although the evidence to date has given the technology a clean bill of health when it comes to serious conditions like brain cancer.

“In mobile phone dermatitis, the rash would typically occur on the cheek or ear, depending on where the metal part of the phone comes into contact with the skin,” the group said in a statement.

“In theory it could even occur on the fingers if you spend a lot of time texting on metal menu buttons.”

Nickel is a metal found in products, ranging from mobile phones to jewellery to belt buckles and is one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis, according to the Mayo Clinic in the United States.

Earlier this year Lionel Bercovitch of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and colleagues tested 22 popular handsets from eight different manufacturers and found nickel in 10 of the devices.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/137/20081017/391/ttc-doctors-warn-of-rash-from-mobile-pho.html

The science has already warned us in strong terms that mobile phone has adverse effect on our health for its emission of electro-magnetic radiation each time we receive a call signal. Just imagine if one single unit of mobile set can cause bad effect on our health in due course of time, then what would be the consequence of bombardment of signal impulses which lead to ceaseless emission of electromagnetic radiation in greater density by transmitting towers near our residences.

Yes, different groups of scientists in US, Germany etc have come up with startling findings that just can deflate our pride in having our building crowned with mobile phone towers. The studies have established that person staying near 500 meters of the tower is three times more prone to suffer from cancer than other staying further away from the tower. Besides cancer other illnesses that may appear in few years are fatigue, cataracts, reduction of mental concentration and immune system. Children are more sickness-porn due to this electromagnetic radiation than the adult. Yes, the noise is also another gnawing irritant caused by this tower unit.

Well, I wonder how nonchalantly cool are our mobile company that they keep on erecting towers by paying a few thousand rupees per month to the building owners. They never bother to take opinions or permission of the immediate neighbors whose health is equally at stake for that towering system. If I am not wrong the law must require the company to formally obtain the permission of the people residing within the radius of at least 500 meters prior to installment of the tower.

I guess a few thousand rupees as rent now but fatal sicknesses later is not a fair bargain between the company and the building owners.

http://shillong-2.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/10/mobile-phone-towers-and-health-hazards.htm

The Apple iPhone 3G^TM, the phone everyone’s waiting for, is coming on Vodafone on August 22, 2008 With fast wireless technology, Maps with GPS, support for enterprise features like Microsoft Exchange, and the new App store, iPhone 3G puts even more amazing features in your hands. And just like the original iPhone, it combines three products in one – a revolutionary phone, a widescreen iPod, and a breakthrough Internet device with rich HTML email and full web browsing. iPhone 3G. It redefines what a mobile phone can do – again.

The iPhone 3G is available in 8GB and 16GB. And as you have already pre-registered with us, you can get it before others do. All you need to do is drop in at a select Vodafone Store between August 20 and 21 and confirm your booking by paying Rs 10000 through cash or credit card. Don’t forget to show the iPhone booking SMS, which you would have received from us, when you visit the Vodafone Store to make the deposit.Do that, and we’ll give you an appointment date and time starting August 22, when you can come and experience a full demonstration as well as collect your iPhone 3G, all ready to use with your contacts and settings, by paying the balance amount

Size and weight¹

Height:

4.5 inches (115.5 mm)

Width:

2.4 inches (62.1 mm)

Depth:

0.48 inch (12.3 mm)

Weight:

4.7 ounces (133 grams)

Color

• 8GB model: Black
• 16GB model: Black or white

Capacity²

• 8GB or 16GB flash drive

Cellular and wireless

• UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
• Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

GPS

• Assisted GPS

In the box

• iPhone 3G
• Stereo Headset with mic
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• USB Power Adapter
• Documentation
• Cleaning/polishing cloth
• SIM eject tool

Environmental Status Report

iPhone 3G embodies Apple’s continuing environmental progress. It is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

• PVC-free handset
• PVC-free headphones
• PVC-free USB cable
• Bromine-free printed circuit boards
• Mercury-free LCD display
• Majority of packaging made from post-consumer recycled fiberboard and biobased materials
• Power adapter outperforms strictest global energy efficiency standards

Display

• 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
• 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 163 ppi
• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Audio

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• User-configurable maximum volume limit

Headphones

• Stereo earphones with built-in microphone
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Impedance: 32 ohms

Video

• Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 3.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Camera and photos

• 2.0 megapixels
• Photo geotagging
• iPhone and third-party application integration

Language support

• Language support for English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish
• International keyboard and dictionary support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), French (Canada), German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean (no dictionary), Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish

Mail attachment support

• Viewable document types: .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel)

Connectors and input/output

• 30-pin dock connector
• 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
• Built-in speaker
• Microphone
• SIM card tray

External buttons and controls

• Sleep/wake
• Ring/silent
• Volume up/down
• Home

Sensors

• Accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• Ambient light sensor

Power and battery

• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery³
• Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter

• Talk time:⁴

  Up to 5 hours on 3G

  Up to 10 hours on 2G

• Standby time: Up to 300 hours⁵

• Internet use:

  Up to 5 hours on 3G⁶

  Up to 6 hours on Wi-Fi⁷

• Video playback: Up to 7 hours⁸
• Audio playback: Up to 24 hours⁹

Mac system requirements

• Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
• Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later
• iTunes 7.7 or later

Windows system requirements

• PC with USB 2.0 port
• Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later
• iTunes 7.7 or later

Environmental requirements

• Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F
  (0° to 35° C)
• Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F
  (-20° to 45° C)
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

iPhone Accessories

iPhone Bluetooth Headset

Answer iPhone calls wirelessly with this compact, lightweight Bluetooth headset. A single button lets you answer and end calls easily. And the lithium-ion battery delivers up to 5.5 hours of talk time and up to 72 hours of standby time.¹

MobileMe Subscription

With a MobileMe subscription, you have everything you need, anywhere you are. Your email accounts, calendar, and contacts stay up to date on your iPhone and your computer — automatically.

iPhone 3G Dock

Get fast access to USB charging, syncing, and audio out with the iPhone 3G Dock. Even conduct speakerphone calls when your iPhone is in the dock.

Apple USB Power Adapter

Charge your iPhone on the go with this new, ultracompact USB power adapter. Includes an Apple Dock Connector to USB Cable.

• iPhone Stereo Headset
• Apple Dock Connector to USB Cable
• iPhone Bluetooth Travel Cable
• iPhone 3G Universal Dock Adapter 3-Pack
• iPhone TTY Adapter
• Apple Universal Dock
• Apple Component AV Cable
• Apple Composite AV Cable
• AirPort Extreme Base Station

See more accessories in the Apple Online Store

1. Actual size and weight vary by configuration and manufacturing process.
2. 1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less.
3. Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information.
4. Talk time: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2008 using preproduction iPhone 3G units and software. iPhone 3G units were connected to a 1900MHz network or a 2100MHz network. All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the Wi-Fi feature Ask to Join Networks was turned off. Wi-Fi was enabled but not associated with a network. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.
5. Standby time: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2008 using preproduction iPhone 3G units and software. All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the Wi-Fi feature Ask to Join Networks was turned off. Wi-Fi was enabled but not associated with a network. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.
6. Internet use over 3G: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2008 using preproduction iPhone 3G units and software. Internet over 3G tests were conducted over a 1900MHz 3G network using dedicated web and mail servers, browsing snapshot versions of 20 popular web pages, and receiving mail once an hour. All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the Wi-Fi feature Ask to Join Networks and Auto-Brightness were turned off. Wi-Fi was enabled but not associated with a network. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, 3G connectivity, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.
7. Internet use over Wi-Fi: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2008 using preproduction iPhone 3G units and software. Internet over Wi-Fi tests were conducted using a closed network and dedicated web and mail servers, browsing snapshot versions of 20 popular web pages, and receiving mail once an hour. All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the Wi-Fi feature Ask to Join Networks and Auto-Brightness were turned off; WPA2 encryption was enabled. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, Wi-Fi connectivity, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.
8. Video playback: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2008 using preproduction iPhone 3G units and software. Video content consisted of a repeated 2-hour 23-minute movie purchased from the iTunes Store. All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the Wi-Fi feature Ask to Join Networks and Auto-Brightness were turned off. Wi-Fi was enabled but not associated with a network. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.
9. Audio playback: Testing conducted by Apple in May and June 2008 using preproduction iPhone 3G units and software. The playlist consisted of 358 unique audio tracks, a combination of content imported from CDs using iTunes (128-Kbps AAC encoding) and content purchased from the iTunes Store (128-Kbps AAC encoding). All settings were default except: Call Forwarding was turned on; the Wi-Fi feature Ask to Join Networks was turned off. Wi-Fi was enabled but not associated with a network. Battery life depends on the cellular network, location, signal strength, feature configuration, usage, and many other factors. Battery tests are conducted using specific iPhone units; actual results may vary.

http://coollinks.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/08/iphone-3g-technical-specifications.htm

(i) When I wake up with the call earliest in the morning from my maid saying that she won’t be coming due to some reason. Doesn’t matter the reasons are genuine or not, the unambiguous message it convey is, she is not on her way and I just realize that I need to make my way to kitchen and household chores. Worst, if it is a working day!

(ii) You have a “right hand” in your office, without whom you need to put a lot of effort to run the show. Then while driving to office, you get a “Good morning” from him in your cell, accompanied by the information about his grandson’s ‘Annual Day’ that he is planning to attend along with the rest of the family. You hardly have any choice to make your morning “Good” which was already starting to turn anything but good.

(iii) You are busy like hell in office, say during a Parliament Session concentrating on a “Star Question” when you get a call from the driver of your kid’s school bus, “….nobody’s at the place to receive your kid and I’m taking your ward back to school, please collect him from the school at the earliest possible”. Now it’s immaterial to find out why the lady who goes always to receive him didn’t go. You are some 30 km away from your kid’s school and you need to rush………rush to your Boss or make some hurried calls to your husband or anyone of the vicinity. Whatever, it raises your BP, that’s for sure until you arrange some way out.

(iv) If you are a writer waiting for the Editor’s call and then the call comes from the Secretary of the Editor……“the editor has read your manuscript carefully and he really appreciates your work, but sorry we’re running short of space, maybe better luck next time”.

(v) “Madam we have a great offer of free talktime upto 200 minuites if you go for the Plan-I or else Plan –II offers you the facility of …..”. To hell with your facility, though this call is of course not at all harmful & shocking, but how many times you can hear about these offers? They are already making you sick.

(vi) Somebody is in ICU and you are waiting for a call from someone who is there in the hospital as an attendant. Every passing moment is crucial and a question of life and death. Then the phone rings, without even bothering to see the caller’s number you grab it as quickly as possible……….“Good afternoon, I’m calling for XYZ Bank, are you interested for personal loan or free credit card……..”. You may actually feel like throwing the cell phone itself.

(vii) You are waiting for a call from your “Special someone” and then instead, a call comes from the irritating colleague, who is in a mood for a long chit-chat. It has two repercussions. First, you need to reply back atleast whatever the person is asking to save your etiquette, no matter how annoyed you are. Second and most harmful, your special someone might have tried to call you and found your phone ‘engaged’. It’s so awful!

Well……….there can be many more situations like this. I’ve just written whatever brushing my mind while I sit here to write this!

Suppose you get up early morning with your phone ringing, conveying you the message that you’ve just won a lottery of some lakhs and you need to do the needful to accept the prize money! Well, if it happens, you may jump in joy or you may suspect it as something fake depending on your nature and the nature of the call. The truth is, it doesn’t happen in reality. But on the contrary, we keep on getting some calls, many calls in reality which we wish, better not come our way! They check your nerve and drive you crazy. Here are some of these:

(i) When I wake up with the call earliest in the morning from my maid saying that she won’t be coming due to some reason. Doesn’t matter the reasons are genuine or not, the unambiguous message it convey is, she is not on her way and I just realize that I need to make my way to kitchen and household chores. Worst, if it is a working day!

(ii) You have a “right hand” in your office, without whom you need to put a lot of effort to run the show. Then while driving to office, you get a “Good morning” from him in your cell, accompanied by the information about his grandson’s ‘Annual Day’ that he is planning to attend along with the rest of the family. You hardly have any choice to make your morning “Good” which was already starting to turn anything but good.

(iii) You are busy like hell in office, say during a Parliament Session concentrating on a “Star Question” when you get a call from the driver of your kid’s school bus, “….nobody’s at the place to receive your kid and I’m taking your ward back to school, please collect him from the school at the earliest possible”. Now it’s immaterial to find out why the lady who goes always to receive him didn’t go. You are some 30 km away from your kid’s school and you need to rush………rush to your Boss or make some hurried calls to your husband or anyone of the vicinity. Whatever, it raises your BP, that’s for sure until you arrange some way out.

(iv) If you are a writer waiting for the Editor’s call and then the call comes from the Secretary of the Editor……“the editor has read your manuscript carefully and he really appreciates your work, but sorry we’re running short of space, maybe better luck next time”.

(v) “Madam we have a great offer of free talktime upto 200 minuites if you go for the Plan-I or else Plan –II offers you the facility of …..”. To hell with your facility, though this call is of course not at all harmful & shocking, but how many times you can hear about these offers? They are already making you sick.

(vi) Somebody is in ICU and you are waiting for a call from someone who is there in the hospital as an attendant. Every passing moment is crucial and a question of life and death. Then the phone rings, without even bothering to see the caller’s number you grab it as quickly as possible……….“Good afternoon, I’m calling for XYZ Bank, are you interested for personal loan or free credit card……..”. You may actually feel like throwing the cell phone itself.

(vii) You are waiting for a call from your “Special someone” and then instead, a call comes from the irritating colleague, who is in a mood for a long chit-chat. It has two repercussions. First, you need to reply back atleast whatever the person is asking to save your etiquette, no matter how annoyed you are. Second and most harmful, your special someone might have tried to call you and found your phone ‘engaged’. It’s so awful!

Well……….there can be many more situations like this. I’ve just written whatever brushing my mind while I sit here to write this!

http://anneshwa.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/07/phone-calls-better-not-come.htm

Check out the comparison to see the camera user interfaces, photos in well-lit outside environment and indoor locations, and photos with the LED light (if available). I would like to see shots in very low light conditions too, which is an environment that camera phones struggle with. The Nokia N82 does a fantastic job with its Xenon flash in low light, but there currently isn’t a Windows Mobile device with this capability.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=1247

The Nokia E90 Communicator runs on Symbian 9.2 mobile operating system. It supports POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP email technology which allows users to access both personal email accounts and corporate email accounts seamlessly. Besides that, you could open and edit email attachments (documents, spreadsheets, and presentations) right on the Nokia E90 Communicator phone

http://nokiaphonestore.sulekha.com/blog/post/2008/07/nokia-e90.htm