How GPS Can Be Used To Track Cell Phones

Though GPS technology has been consistently in all phones since 2005, only recently have services started being offered where people can track their children, spouses, etc using their home computers.

Though GPS chips have been included in cellular phones for a while now, it is not until very recently that tracking technology could actually be accessed by the average person. Until now, GPS tracking technology required very expensive hardware and software systems that would be prohibitive to just about anyone. On the other hand, the only hardware required now is a cellular phone and home computer, and the only software is a simple, user-friendly application that can be installed on any Windows or Mac-based computer.

The reason that GPS chips were initially required to be installed in cellular phones was to make it possible for enhanced 911 (e911) emergency services to locate the caller no matter where they were, when phoning from their mobile. By the year 2005, GPS was a standard integration into any cellular phone and every cellular phone manufacturer and cellular service provider was obligated to comply with regulations that stated that a cellular phone must be traceable to within 100 meters of its actual location.

Instead of trying to rebuild the cellular network to make cell phones traceable, it was decided that by the phone carriers that it would be much easier to simply build the GPS chip into each phone upon manufacture. It is not the same kind of GPS used by people who live in very remote areas, or those who hike far away from civilization, but it allows emergency services to locate a caller wherever there is cellular service. This allows all service providers to comply with FCC standards without having to reconstruct their expensive networks.

Though the majority of cell phone services don’t include GPS tracking in what is available to the end user, there are services now geared toward parents that allows them to track their children’s cell phones from their home computers. Many services for children’s cellular phones also include a great deal more parental control than only GPS. It also allows parents to see the numbers of all incoming and outgoing phone calls and then use reverse phone searches online to find out who owns a phone number.

If the idea of having someone know your every mood is not unsettling enough, you should also realize that unlike tracking spyware that may be installed on a cell phone, GPS tracking hardware works whether the telephone is turned on or off. The benefit of GPS hardware is that it is hardware, and as such, it is visible on your phone if you know what you are looking for. If you think that there may be a GPS trace on you, check your phone over carefully, particularly under the battery. If you do not find anything, contact your cell phone carrier and ask if your phone has been unlocked for GPS use. If so, someone with access to your account has unlocked your phone. If you cannot find GPS hardware on your phone, and it is not unlocked (this is separate from being unlocked for 911 service), you are probably safe from GPS tracking.

Gloria is a telecommunications and consumer advocate guru with a distaste for telemarketers. You can check out her next big project- a site for find the owner to phone numbers here.

Acceptable Use Of Cell Phones In Schools

Cell phone use in schools has dramatically changed since 911. When I started out as an administrator pagers were forbidden in school because they were associated with drug trafficking. If a student didn’t want to turn over their pager it was considered a fourth degree disorderly conduct offense, and the principal could file a police report. I don’t believe that it is a state policy that cell phones should be confiscated if they are in plain view in school. Each district probably does have their own policy on cell phones which varies from town to town and state to state. I think what we are looking for here is what we do with the distraction of cell phone use in school? Because of the hoards of recent school shooting that everyone knows about, and the fear of terrorism many parents feel more comfortable sending their child to school with a cell phone so they can get in touch with them when they want to, and in the event of a school emergency. The problems that schools run into is the blatant use of cell phones in school during class time and the disrespectful attitudes that students have when the teacher attempts to confiscate the phone. I have been through this nightmare, so let me see if I can shed some light on this for you.

90% of students are going to bring a cell phone to school. Even in the elementary grades students come to school with a cell phone. Both of my daughter’s carry a cell phone with them all the time. The cell phones are turned off and they are never to be used in the school building during school hours. Do I ever call my oldest daughter during the school day? The answer is no. Would I call her if I knew the school was going through a crisis situation? The answer is yes. If we know that kids have cell phones on them our request should be to keep them off during school hours and keep them out of sight. As a principal I am not going to go through the process of frisking kids to see if they have a cell phone. To me it’s out of sight, out of mind.

If I was to be walking down the hall and find a student talking on a cell phone and there were other students around I would ask to see the student privately and confiscate the phone. My comment to him would be, “Give me the phone, and I will return it to you at the end of the day.” The biggest concern that kids have is not getting the cell phone back. I make them aware that I will return the phone. I don’t want their phone or the responsibility that goes with it. By the time the student comes to my office to pick up the phone I will have already called the parent and made them aware of the infraction and asked them to please talk to their child about the blatant use of a cell phone. If I couldn’t get in touch with the parent I would call until I did. When the student came down to the office to pick up the phone I would give him his phone back. My goal is to remove the phone from the mainstream of the school until the end of the day, not to take a student’s property and hang on to it until a parent comes in.

Cell phone use is not going to go away. We need to have policies that address acceptable use of cell phones in school, not forbid the use of them. By forbidding students to have a cell phone in their possession we will only be creating a rule that we can’t enforce.

Jim Burns is one of America’s most inspirational educational speakers. His humorous and insightful presentations touch and influence his audiences in an unforgettable way. He is best known for his presentations on Bullying, Motivating Disaffected Students, Diffusing Power Struggles,& CharacterEd. For more about Jim Burns http://behavioral-management.com/

Interesting Facts About Cell Phones

Cell phone (telefone celular) is a wireless, portable, long-range, electronic telephone, which during travel can seamlessly change antenna connections, from one radio reception cell to another radio reception cell, without dropping or losing the ongoing call.

Besides the standard voice function of a telephone, latest cell phones (telefone celular) have features such as SMS for text messages, MMS for multimedia messages, radio, games, internet connectivity for email, browsing, blogging, music (MP3) playback, memo recording, built-in cameras and camcorders, ringtones, personal organizers, Push-to-Talk (PTT), Bluetooth and infrared connectivity, call registers, streaming video, downloading video, video call, and also serve as wireless modems for PCs that can be connected to the Internet.

The power in a cell phone (telefone celular) is obtained from rechargeable batteries, which can be recharged from the mains, a USB port or a cigarette lighter port in an automobile. Nickel Metal Hydride were the most common types of batteries, which due to the "memory effect" (the user can recharge only when the entire battery is drained off) were replaced by Lithium-Ion batteries, which did not suffer from any memory effect.

Cell phones (telefone celular) came into existence because of the invention of hexagonal cells in 1947, for the base stations by Bell Labs engineers at AT&T. This was further developed during the 1960s by Bell Labs. During a call, the channel frequency could not be changed automatically from one cell (base station coverage area) to another cell (base station coverage area) as the person traveled from the area of one cell to the area of another cell. Amos Joel of Bell Labs invented a breakthrough invention and called it as the `call handoff` by which the channel frequency could be changed automatically from one cell to another cell, during the same call, as the mobile user traveled from one cell to another cell. Due to their heavy construction, these phones were used mainly in automobiles.

The first practical cell phone in a non-vehicle setting, and which could be handheld, was invented by Martin Cooper, the General Manager (Communications Division) of Motorola, who made the world`s first handheld cell phone (telefone celular) call on April 3, 1973.

The technology by which the cell phone (telefone celular) works depends on the mobile phone operator; however, all of them use electromagnetic radio waves, which are in touch with a cell site (base station). The base station is composed of several antennas which are mounted on a pole, tower, or building. Cell sites are spread at a distance of 5 to 8 miles (approx. 8 to 13 km) from each other. The low power transceiver from the cell phone transmits the voice and data to the nearest cell site. During movement, the cell phone will "handoff" the information to other cell site. Mobile phone operators use many technologies to maintain the smooth stream of digitized data from the cell phone to the cell site and vice versa.

The wireless telephone technologies are grouped under heads known as generations, starting from zero generation or 0G. The current generation going on is 4G; however, there are old cell phones (telefone celular) that still operate on 1G, 2G, and 3G technologies. The wireless telephone technologies used in each generation are as given below:

0G: PTT, MTS, IMTS, AMTS, OLT, MTD, Autotel/PALM, ARP
1G: NMT, AMPS/TACS/ETACS, Hicap, CDPD, Mobitex, DataTac
2G: GSM, iDEN, D-AMPS, IS-95/cdmaOne, PDC, CSD, PHS, GPRS, HSCSD, WiDEN, CDMA2000 1xRTT/IS-2000, EDGE (EGPRS)
3G: W-CDMA, UMTS (3GSM), FOMA, TD-CDMA/UMTS-TDD, 1xEV-DO/IS-856, TD-SCDMA, GAN (UMA), HSPA, HSDPA, HSUPA, HSPA+, HSOPA
4G : UMB, UMTS Revision 8 (LTE), WiMAX
Frequency bands: SMR, Cellular, PCS

The impact of cell phone (telefone celular) usage on human health has been of considerable worldwide concern. Research studies in Copenhagen, from the Danish Institute of Cancer Epidemiology, the National Cancer Institute, and the Institute of Cancer Research, do not establish any link between cancer and cell phone usage. However, an intergovernmental agency IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) forming part of the World Health Organization of the United Nations, undertook a study of 4,500 users and found a statistically significant link between cell phone usage and tumor frequency. Further research is going on.

Cell phone (telefone celular) usage and driving is a common worldwide phenomenon. Some jurisdictions have banned usage of hand-held phones during driving, but allowed the hands-free fashion of cell phone usage while driving. However, studies have found out that the distraction is caused by the conversation itself; hence, both hand-held and hands-free cell phones contribute towards road traffic accidents. Further studies on cell phone usage and driving are going on.

Nokia Corporation is currently the world`s largest manufacturer of cell phones (telefone celular). Other notable cell phone manufacturers, in alphabetical order, are 3G, Audiovox (now UT Starcom), Benefon, BenQ-Siemens, Fujitsu, High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC), Kyocera, LG Mobile, Motorola, NEC, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric), Pantech Curitel, Philips, Research In Motion, Sagem, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Siemens, Sierra Wireless, SK Teletech, Sony Ericsson, T&A Alcatel, Toshiba, and Verizon.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

This article can be accessed in portuguese from News Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/celular.php Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br

Easy and Free mobile classroom website resources and ideas

I have run across two new FREE sites for developing mobile-friendly webpages. Both are mobile-web friendly and easy to navigate on any basic cell phone with web access (of course, check your plans for mobile web fees).

First, Mobilemo has both a free account and premium account. Mobilemo allows you to use their templates (which does include lots of options) to create your mobile website. Mobilemo also has some features that the other mobile webpage builders do not often have, such as the ability to create mobile polls and surveys, mobile forms, private mobile options such as uploading and retrieving files from a personal briefcase that only you can access on your mobile phone, ability to post mobile comments and add to a mobile guest book. There are some nice "moderator" features for the teacher in charge of the mobile site, such as restricting comments, or turning off the guest book.


UBIK is a site similar to Mobilemo. UBIK has many more templates, but it does not have the ability to create polls/surveys. UBIK does have a general comments pages, which you could turn into a guest book. I do think the UBIK site is easier to navigate and use, but more limited in what you can do, compared to Mobilemo.

Classroom Applications:
Here are a few ways these free mobile website developers could be integrated into classroom learning.
1) Classroom Mobile Website Run by the Students
Because these sites are template-based students as young as 2nd grade could easily develop the content for the site. Students could take turns adding information to the classroom or school mobile website.

2) Activism Project
Students could engage in an activist-type project for their classroom by developing the mobile website around a particular cause (related to the class curriculum, such as animal rights) and asking people to take the polls, complete forms, comment, and write in the Guest Book (which could become a digital petition list).

3) Business Advertising
While a business class could create an entire mobile campaign around a product (or even better team with a local community business to do this), another business type venture for the school would be to advertise upcoming shows and events such as the Spring musical.

Cell Phones: A Lifestyle Choice

With the world fast globalizing and the means of travel and communication narrowing the space between locations that once were only accessible by month-long journeys, there is no place where the concept of a cell phone or the Internet is unheard of.

Even in the third world, people own cellular phones. What was once a tool that was associated only with the rich and the extremely busy corporate crowd is now a basic communication device even for elementary school students and residents of rural areas.

A 12-year-old can simply call up her dad if she's ready to get picked up after school. Friends can easily send text messages to their other friends about where to meet up or simply to say 'hi'. Why, even strangers get to meet one another and make new friends by just using their cell phones.

With the many service providers available and the multitude of handset models around, owning a cell phone has elevated status from being a communication tool to a standard lifestyle and social device.

Nowadays, cell phones are not just cell phones. They can be video and sound recorders, Internet browsers, music composers, mp3 players, mini cameras, data storage devices and many others.

Users can even talk to each other via video phone and make their own movies using their phones. They can listen to hours' worth of music on cell phones with relatively greater memory storage capacities. Some can even be used as a portable unit to transfer data files from the computer to another terminal. And with manufacturers constantly coming up with new innovations, who knows what cell phones can do next?

In Japan, particularly, people are so obsessed with cell phones that majority of them change their units monthly or whenever a new model comes out. Some even own more than two.

In fact, because most cell phones are already equipped with mp3 players, video recorders and the like, other electronic devices like iPods and mini-recorders might become extinct over time. But that's just a prediction. Of course, there still are people who prefer that the different media functions remain separate.

Indeed, what began as a means of communication, where all you needed to do was punch in a few numbers to talk to somebody else, is currently an all-in-one media tool. And since manufacturers constantly develop and distribute upgraded versions, their price tags are bound to become lower, making them a lot more accessible even to people in the lower income bracket. Children may even be able to pay for their own phone bills through prepaid connections.

It ss a small world, yes. And it's getting smaller everytime a new communication device is introduced. Living in this day and age, we are already considered lucky.

Now there is a gallery of powerful information yours for the taking. Decide now to reduce stress and improve the quality of your life. Click here: http://www.cell-phones-made-easy.com/

Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Tumors?

In the past 5 years or so, cell phone technology has increased and human use of the cell phone has grown rapidly world wide. By the year 2003 it was estimated that 700 million people around the world were using cell phones - and that number only continues to grow. Since the number of cell phone users is at such a large amount, increasing worry about health concerns is becoming an issue.

The concern for brain tumors caused by cell phone radiation technology surfaced in the early ninety’s when someone claimed that they had a brain tumor caused by cell phone use. This case was however dismissed due to lack of evidence, but extensive research has been going on ever since.

Cell phones emit radio frequency radiation in order to transmit sounds. The amount of RF’s that are directly coming into contact with a person depend on several factors which include the distance you are from the base station, the length of the call and the age of the cell phone (older ones emit more RF’s than newer ones). There has been studies done in the past to detect any link between brain tumors and cell phone use, however none of the studies have proved to be substantial enough to prove any real evidence. Some people suggest using hand-free cell phone models since they are not pressed against the head, creating less exposure to your brain. There is no proof however that this is safer or not.

While there remains no proof that cell phones can cause brain tumors, you should try to lower your RF exposure if you are worrying about it. Try using a home or office phone instead of your cell phone if you are going to be making an extensive call. Or, if you have to use your cell phone for long periods at a time, try getting a head set, or holding your phone farther away from your head.

Cell phone technology has virtually only been around for a decade, so it is really impossible for scientists to get any long term information on the health hazards that cell phones may influence. Right now, there is little evidence to suggest that cell phones cause any type of long term damage, main thing to remember, is only time can tell.

Author Barney Garcia is a proud contributing author and enjoys writing about many different topics. Please visit my web sites @ online-technology-source.info and migraine-headaches-suck.info

The Future Of Advertising On Cell Phones

Conventional Advertising

Most people often ignore advertising and are actually even irritated by it. This is because people find that the ads, which can be found anywhere and everywhere at anytime, were more often than not irrelevant for them. Furthermore the impact of the ad campaigns when launched is very difficult to assess. There is also a big possibility that with most people’s negative attitude towards ads, much of the campaign efforts go to waste. Because of this business owners usually have second thoughts about investing on serious campaign ads.

Advertising in the Internet

With the advent of the Internet, new advertising models have come out that appear to be more effective when it comes to reaching the advertisers’ audience. Targeted advertising became very popular and is still popular. Contextual advertising took targeted advertising to the next level and made ads even more relevant for people. These targeted ads, also called smart ads, have allowed advertisers to not only reach a more receptive audience but also to cut their advertising costs. Advertisers scrambled to place ads on the Internet and the Internet advertising industry boomed to reach $9.6 billion in revenue in 2004. The advertising industry has finally realized the power of the Internet as a medium for advertising.

Smart Ads in Cell Phones

However, for forward thinking marketers there are even better ways and an even better medium in which smart ads can be implemented. To them the ultimate medium for smart ads would be a device that would enable advertisers to target specific individuals and send or show them their supposedly relevant ads anytime of the day at anyplace. The device that fits this criterion is the mobile phone or cell phones.

Cell phones are the ideal smart ad machine for marketers because: 1) a large percent of the world’s population owns cell phones, 2) cell phone owners use their cell phone all the time and their phone is rarely far from their side, and 3) owners usually read their messages before deleting them and would rarely ignore a text message. Because of these facts advertisers who wish consumers to see their ad even for a brief period will find that they have a large base of cell phone users who will spend a few moments actually reading their ad before deleting them. In other traditional media like the television or in magazines users often just change the channel or turn the page as soon as ads come out without paying any attention to the ad.

Cell Phone Spam

The field of advertising in cell phones is indeed very lucrative for advertisers but they need to think of creative ways to deliver their ads via the cell phone or their ads will eventually turn into spam. In Europe and Japan mobile spanning is already banned by their law. However in United States and other parts of the world mobile spammers in the guise of informative messages are beginning to annoy users. Take the case of the Acacia National Mortgage Corporation as an example. Due to lowered interest rates they sent an advertising text message to 90,000 cell phones. However, the unsolicited message from them prompted Rodney Joffe, who was interrupted during a “Riverdance” performance at Arizona State Unversity, to file a lawsuit against them, which in turn initiated a new bill in California that bans “wireless spam”. According to Joffe, an Internet marketing expert, he is “determined not to let cell phone spam rise to the level of e-mail spam before doing something about it”. Governments and the wireless industry do worry about cell phone spam too and are taking initiatives to start banning them. However in them mean time companies are still free to send text messages to cell phone users and they still do. It is also very probable that even after laws has been passed banning companies from sending unsolicited text messages on a large scale mobile spamming will still continue. As Jerry Youhanaie, the president of Acacia Corp. said, “This is the wave of the future, and if you don’t like it, you need to move to a different universe”.

PR in Cell Phones

Other businesses have, however, found more creative ways to advertise their products and brands. The music industry is a sector that benefits much from cell phones. With the new and more technologically advanced phones capable of playing music aside from videos, more and more people find themselves downloading ring tones and Vcasts (videocasts). However since the choice of ring tones and Vcasts to download are controlled by the telecoms they are able to give extra publicity to certain artists or labels. For example Verizon has used its status to promote the music of its partner labels like EMI and Universal. This type if advertising as a whole is effective since it is the cell phone users that opt to pay for the service and actually seek the products.

Cell Phone Downloads

However there are also problems with the download industry. Some businesses take advantage of peoples’ interest in one ring tone or wall paper or whatever feature to send them a string of other unsolicited features. This is usually done by sending a text message to users in the guise of advertisements. The advertisements appear to offer free ring tones as samplers if they reply to the text message or to a given number. However, after the first free download what happens is that the user is periodically and continuously other ring tones, which are not only unsolicited but are not free of charge as well. The free sampler actually acts as a “subscription confirmation”. This is strategy is used by businesses not only for ring tones but for wall papers, games, and other add-on services like jokes, weather updates, news alerts, and horoscopes.

Despite this problem with rather unscrupulous businesses, not all downloads are scams and add-on services are gaining popularity. Advertisers want to ride with the wave naturally and are looking for creative ways to insert brief ads along with the services. Despite the fact that most users dislike the idea of having ads along with the services in their cell phones a recent survey revealed that 90% of advertisers are already trying to find ways in which they can place ads in cell phones. It seems that ads in cell phones are a sure thing. The question is whether advertisers will be able to find ways to ensure that the ads will be as relevant as the contextual ads in the Internet and as non-intrusive as well.

http://www.theinternetone.net

Inspiration! Bravo to Craik School in Craik, SK.

Yesturday, Dean Shareski invited me to watch the 13-14 year old students from Craik School in Craik, SK. present about their experiences using cell phones in their language arts classroom. Their teacher Carla Dolman was asked by the school's principal to turn student's cell phones which was an annoyance in the school, into a learning tool. Carla took the risk and sat down with her students and put together a plan for integrating cell phones into their classroom learning experiences. Together they came up with rules and ideas for the cell phone integration. They used their cell phones for everything from schedules, to text messaging assignments, to literature circle activities. What an absolute privilege it was to be part of this presentation! Thank you. Here is a link to the presentation on Ustream.


A few things from the presentation that skeptics might find surprising:
1) No students violated the rules set up for the cell phone use. I think they were too busy learning with them to worry about abusing their privilege!
2) The teacher, Carla, enjoyed learning about student cell phone culture and embraced the new knowledge by using it in her assignments (such as the bluetooth function that her students taught her).
3) While there was a split on whether students found the cell phones to "enhance" their learning, they all seemed to agree that cell phones helped with motivation because they made the assignments more "fun"!
4) Students view cell phones as kind of a private diary
5) They had many discussions of adult misuse and abuse with cell phones.
6) The students were well aware of the difference between text message "lingo" and proper English grammar.
7) While initially the parents were more skeptics than proponents, they soon began to change their viewpoints as they witnessed the learning activities with cell phones.
8) The students learned about their cell phone plans in order to participate in the class activities.
9) While not all students had cell phones, they were still able to participate through group projects (where only one cell phone was required per group).
10) Carla will continue to use cell phones in learning and wants to focus more on video and images with cell phones!

I would also like to add that I think these students were really excited to be on the cutting edge of technology in schools! If you are interested in learning more about Carla's project please see Dean's website.

Thank you again!

The Wonderful Future Of Cell Phones

The popularity of the mobile phones is constantly on the rise like a snow ball. There are numerous reasons for that and they are well beyond mere communicating with each other.

The development of the cell phones and technology in the past decade along with social and cultural processes as well as sharp decrease in prices contributed to their phenomenon success.

Cell phones have long become a symbol of status as well as a fashion statement. Some manufacturers have started to produce special designed phones for women. Other models are designed with interchangeable facades to cater for the youngsters. A lot of young people are transferring their instant-messaging habits to their cell phones.

The integration of so many different functionalities and technologies into the cell phones is more impressive and beneficial than the all-in-one office devices that integrated a scanner, a copier, a fax and a printer into a single compact space saving multifunctional machine.

The current generation of G-2.5 technology as well as the very near future G-3 units that are starting to emerge right now will carry in it so many functions which are mind blowing. These new Cell phones are going to be a multimedia center, a mobile office, a navigation device GPS (Global Positioning system), a computer with fast Internet access, a text messenger, a high resolution camera and video, a watch, a calculator, a PDA, an MP3 music player, TV and a Wallet! Yes, we will be able to pay with it for things we today pay with coins like vending soda or coffee machines as well as for parking space, trains and buses tickets etc’. It has become our “Swiss Army Knife”...

In Israel they used the cell phone to send SMS message and approval for one dollar donation payment for needy children. I guess that in the future it will be a legitimate tool for voting in contests and may be even in Elections.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, an executive for a wireless company noted that “in Slovakia, people are using mobile phones to remotely switch on the heat before they return home,” and in Norway, “1.5 million people can confirm their tax returns” using cell phone short text messaging services. Paramedics use camera phones to send ahead to hospitals pictures of the incoming injuries; “in Britain, it is now commonplace for wireless technology to allow companies to remotely access meters or gather diagnostic information.” Construction workers on-site can use cell phones to send pictures to contractors off-site. Combined with the individual use of cell phones—to make appointments, locate a friend, check voicemail messages, or simply to check in at work—cell phones offer peoplean unknown level of convenience. (Source: The New Atlantis – Article by Christine Rosen).

Other interesting applications are providing a locating service of your friends, or in other words if one of your friends is very close to where you are right now an SMS massage can alert you of this fact.

Cell phones and Dating Services

Several companies now offer a way to flirt and meet people anonymously. These services offer cell-to-cell texting and PC-to-cell texting. (Text-messaging phones also can receive messages sent over the Internet from a PC.) Companies including UPOC (Universal Point of Contact) and SMS.ac allow users to fill out a profile as they would at any dating service (some dating sites are dabbling with texting) and then search for an ideal match. Profiles can include photos and can be accessed either with a picture-enabled cell phone or through a PC. Say you want to meet a 20- to 30-year-old man in Kentucky who is interested in hiking. Do a search and three names pop up. You can send one a text message without ever exposing your phone number

Cell phones as safety device

One of the main reasons the cell phones have become so wide spread nowadays is that besides convenience it is perceived as a security and safety aid, Parents provide their children with mobile phones in order to track their whereabouts, to make sure they arrived safely to their destinations, to give them a mobile phone to report in real time when in any sort of trouble. Many women feel much safer in the street knowing they can call for help when in need.

Amit Laufer is a Writer & Internet Marketer. MBA - International Trade & Finance. Bsc. Computers and Information Systems. Hobby: Photography. Married with two Children. Owner Editor of: http://www.cell-phones-infoweb.com/

TXT60...Easy video conversions for cell phones!

I recently came across a resource called TXT60. This tool allows you to upload and convert any video, or any Youtube/TeacherTube video so that it can immediately be viewed on a cell phone. I tried this with one of my favorite YouTube videos called A Vision of 21st Century Student, if you want to view and/or download the video on your mobile phone, you can do so by doing the following steps:
1) Login to your mobile web browser (YES! you do need mobile Internet).
2) Login to txt60.com
3) Type in the code: 899506


The video should immediately download to your cell phone for viewing!


Classroom Applications
While students do need to have mobile Internet access to utilize this tool, it is an easy way to view educational videos outside of school, particularly for students who do not have Internet at home (or have a very slow connection which often makes it difficult to view videos). Besides viewing educational videos, students could also create their own "mobile videos" using classroom content. They could disseminate these videos to cell phones by getting a code from TXT60. For example students could create public service announcements, short skits, or even weekly newscasts . The students (or teacher) could give out the code to parents/community members/teachers, which allows for a more "private" viewing of the videos.

Can Cell Phones Harm Your Health?

It seems like everywhere a person goes there is at least one person in view with a cell phone to their ear whether it is on the road, in a store, in a parking lot, walking down the street, etc. Even in places where cell phone usage is banned such as concert halls or movie theaters there is the occasional offender, or more likely, at least a few people using the text messaging feature on their phone.

Cell phone usage has exploded over the past decade and continues to rise. Nearly two hundred million people in the United States have cell phones and there are well over one billion users worldwide. That means there are a lot of phones sending their frequencies over the airwaves at any given time.

Concern has arisen over whether or not cell phone usage can harm a person’s health. Brain cancer rates in the United States have risen since cell phones were introduced, leading some people to wonder if cell phone usage is the reason for the increase.

There have been reports of people developing brain tumors in the exact same spot where they held their cell phone. Some studies have expressed concern over long-term cell phone use, believing it can lead to a person to develop cancer. That is not to say a person who uses a cell phone is going to get cancer, but some studies suggest long-term use increases a person’s risk.

Things may not be all gloom and doom however. A large study done in Denmark with almost a half million cell phone users showed no increase in cancer for cell phone users.

Yet, other studies have concluded there is a greater risk of cancer but only with analog phone users. Some other studies conclude that any type of cell phone usage can raise a person’s risk for developing cancer. There are a lot of varying opinions on the subject. According to the FDA, available data does not show there are definitely health problems associated with using wireless phones, but the information goes on to say that there is also no proof that wireless phones are completely safe either.

What about cell phone usage is causing the concerns and the numerous studies to be done? Cell phones emit radiation when they are used. The levels are low and are the same type of radiation as a microwave oven emits but in much smaller amounts.

It has been suggested that using hands free sets can alleviate the problem of the head being exposed to the radiation. Again opinions vary. Some studies say it does not decrease the amount of radiation exposure at all. Other studies say it significantly decreases the amount of radiation exposure.

Some people say the biggest danger with cell phones isn’t from the either real or perceived potential to develop cancer, but from inattentiveness while using the cell phone. How many of us have seen vehicles driving somewhat erratically down the road and then see when we get near the vehicle that the driver is talking on a cell phone. It is a proven fact that a driver on a cell phone is less attentive and more likely to get in an accident. And, hands free sets aren’t the answer that some people may believe. Yes, they free up both hands for driving and prevent a person from getting a sore arm, but the driver’s mind is still occupied with the conversation and therefore less attentive to what is going on around him or her on the road.

Even people who are walking and talking on a cell phone at the same time can put themselves in more danger because they are not as aware of what is going on around them.

All the conflicting reports make a person wonder what they should do. The good news is that more comprehensive studies are being done to see if cell phone usage does or does not cause cancer. At the same time, manufacturers are working on new processes that will decrease or even possibly eliminate a person’s radiation exposure. Until more definitive answers are given, a person may want to avoid talking on a cell phone for several hours every single day, but a person probably does not need to feel like they should have to give their cell phone up. It is still a great tool.

The advice about driving and talking on a cell phone is the same as it has been though. A person should pull over in a safe area out of traffic before engaging in a cell phone conversation.

D Ruplinger is a featured writer for http://www.cellphoneshome.com. For more information about cell phones visit http://www.cellphoneshome.com.

Inside Michigan Education Podcast

Last week I was interviewed by Rob Huisingh of Inside Michigan Education. The podcast with my interview is now up on the website, along with many other interesting interviews concerning Michigan education issues.

The Evolution Of Cell Phones

Cell phones are increasingly popular in the world today. There are many different types of cell phones, such as the standard cell phone, two-way radio cell phone, picture cell phone, video cell phone, PDA cell phone, and touch screen cell phone. Of the many different types of cell phones, one can find useful specialized technology that aid, entertain, and organize the progressive lifestyles of today.

Although cell phones have become complex with evolving technology and improvements, the standard cell phone, which is used to place and receive calls is still the primary function that is used by most persons. As time has progressed and technology has evolved the primary use of phones to be that of more complex features, types of cell phones are more prominent in the marketplace today.

The two-way radio cell phone, one that is comparable to the function of a walkie-talkie, uses Push-to-talk technology, which allows instant communication rather than dialing another cell phone user and waiting for an answer. The use of this type of cell phone has been very popular for employees of substantial sized businesses. Not only does the two-way radio cell phone make instant communication without the need to dial in numbers and wait for another user to answer, but it also makes and received standard calls, as well.

A picture cell phone has become a popular feature since its introduction. A picture cell phone enables one to capture a moment, just as a camera does, and send it to another cell phone or an e-mail address. It allows some basic functions such as, crop, zoom, as well as other morphing features. The picture cell phone’s technology has advanced to provide better picture quality and zoom, like a digital camera.

A video cell phone is very similar to a picture cell phone. In fact, its functions are fundamentally the same, but the video cell phone captures an event just like a camcorder or a home video recorder. However, the amount of time allotted to record is not long. Many of the phones today are only able to record up to 30 seconds of video.

The PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) is a portable electronic device, which can includes some of the functions of a computer, a cell phone, a music player, and a camera. Although these can be pricey tools and toys, they have many useful features. Features include: high quality display and camera function, e-mail, internet capabilities, interactive touch screen used to navigate the use of the phone, a full “qwerty” keyboard, GPS (global positioning system) capabilities, and music storing and playing abilities.

One of the newest introductions in the cell phone market is the new touch screen cell phone. This type of cell phone enables the user to browse the internet with ease, collect and play multimedia files, and use e-mail.

Cell phones are advancing and expanding their use from their initial basic functions. The many exciting and useful functions of cell phones have created a new source of entertainment and helpful tools. We should continue to see cell phones evolve into a more dynamic bundle of features as time progresses.

Find the cell phone accessories you are looking for at our website http://www.wonderfulcell.com

Working Of Cell Phones

Cell phones or cellular phones are so called as they cover compartmentalized, cell like areas. The origin of the Cell phone can be traced back to the year 1973 when Motorola came up with World`s first cellular portable telephone which was commercialized as Motorola DynaTAC 8000X.

These days, new cell phones are being added at a rapid pace. The parts of them typically consist of following: circuit board; antenna; keyboard; LCD - liquid crystal display; battery; microphone; speaker.

In recent times, they are available with a wide range of functions. To list a few functions, depending on the type of cell phone you choose: store contact information; keep track of appointments; set reminders; prepare to-do lists; send/receive e-mail; play games; send text messages (sms); access to internet; watch and enjoy TV; built-in calculator; integration with other devices like GPS receivers, MP3 players, etc.

Cell phones, operating on radio frequency, have come up with an innovative cellular approach to counter limited availability of RF spectrum. Now, several cell phone towers are used to cater to a large geographic area.

Each tower (base station), covers a circular area called a cell. A large region is split into a number of cells allowing different base stations to use the same channels/frequencies for communication. This enables thousands and thousands of mobile telephone users to share far fewer channels.

Another important aspect is that, phones need less power to transmit to reach any base station as each base station covers a smaller area. Reducing the required transmit power reduces the size of the battery and thereby the weight of the phone. This has led to miniaturization of cell phones which would not have been possible without the cellular technology.

When you use your cell phone, following things happen. First the phone locates base station having strongest signal, and requests for a channel assignment. The base station permits channel assignment and the call gets accepted. The call is then forwarded to the local telephone network if it is to a regular phone otherwise it is transmitted through the cellular network. The call is then sent to its destination through the telephone network.

When the cell phone is switched on, SID (System Identification Code) on the control channel compares it to the SID programmed into the phone. If the SIDs match, the phone understands that the cell is communicating with home system. The phone sends a registration request, along with the SID and the MTSO keeps track of the phone`s location in a database. If the SID on the control channel does not match the SID of your phone, then the phone is in roaming.

The three technologies commonly used by 2G cell phone networks for transmitting information: frequency division multiple access (FDMA); time division multiple access (TDMA); code division multiple access (CDMA).

GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) implements TDMA, to connect to the specific service providers in different countries. GSM uses subscriber identification module (SIM). SIM stores all the connection data/identification numbers needed to access a particular wireless service provider.

Standard 2.5G protocols used widely are GPRS, EDGE to name a few. Some latest 3G protocols are: Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service (UMTS); Wideband Code-Division Multiple Access (WCDMA); High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA); Evolution Data Maximized (EVDO).

A few popular cell phone models in the market have been offered by Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, LG, etc. with each model with its own range of collections.The year 2008 may be a high watermark in the cell phone history with Nokia N-Gage 2, HTC Dream, Apple iPhone 2, BlackBerry Touchscreen, Sony PlayStation Phone which are expected to be launched.

This article can be accessed in portuguese from the Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/celular.php Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br

Liz's Workshop in Olivet, Michigan

I will be presenting two workshops at Calhoun Intermediate Schools in Olivet Michigan on August 13th. I just found out they are open to the public. At my past conference presentations I have been asked if I was doing local workshops on "how to" use cell phones in learning. Most of the workshops I have done, have been private, but since this one is open to the public I thought I would put the handout for the workshops below (click on the image for a larger view). If you are interested, you can click on this link for more information.

10 Tips For Cell Phones

Here are 10 tips for cell phones that include safety and security issues.

1) Cold dangers for electronics - Do not store your cell phone in a cold environment (40 deg or below). When it warms back up, moisture can form inside and damage the electronics inside. If the phone has been exposed to cold temperatures, store in a warm enviroment for at least 45 minutes before turning on the power (this applies to most electronics).

2) Cell phone antenna power drain- Do not touch the antenna, this causes power drain on the phone. Some antenna's are located on the back, so watch where you put your fingers.

3) Cell phone batteries - Any type of battery can explode if damaged. Recent national news reported that a young teenage girl was seriously injured when a cell phone exploded in her pocket. That is probably only a one in a million chance of that happening, just a safety tip. If any apparent damage has happened to the battery (i.e.- dropped the phone and cracked the battery) get a new battery.

4) Cell phone charging - Always charge your phone indoors (or in your car). NEVER OUTSIDE. You might get the shock of your life.

5) Recharging your cell phone - It is best to let the battery completely discharge periodically / occasionally before recharging. It helps extend the battery life. It takes up to three complete discharge and charge cycles for a new battery to achieve it's full performance. It is also recommended to not leave them on chargers for unnecessary extended periods of times.

6) Cell phone voice privacy - It is virtually impossible to "target" your cell phone conversations (minus the government agencies). But, we have heard "random" conversations over the cell phone and on scanners. If your network offers voice privacy option, you can turn it on in your Network Services settings.

7) Clean your cell phone periodically - Keep your cell phone clean with a soft dry cloth. Do not use cleaners. Q- tip swabs come in handy if you need to clean around the keys. As an absolute last resort use diluted rubbing alcohol for cleaning plastic parts. Do so at your own risk.

8) Cell phone fire danger - Turn the cell phone off while putting gas in your car. A major oil company has issued warnings to business's about this potential danger. Some say this is an "urban legend". It was stated that static electricity caused the fires, not cell phones. The guy doing the study seems very knowledgeable (visit our website for the link). Urban legend or not, just a safety recommendation. From the Naval Safety Center "NOTE: The General Services Administration (GSA) has also listed drivers responsibilities on its web page. Included is the following statement: "DO NOT use your cellular telephone when at a gas station. Cellular phone use at gas stations or anywhere fuel is stored is hazardous. The switches and high-powered batteries in the phone can generate sparks that can set-off explosions. In one incident, a driver suffered burns and his car was severely damaged when gasoline fumes ignited an explosion while he was talking on his mobile phone near a gas pump. All electronic devices in gas stations are protected with explosive containment devices, while cell phones are not." In the front of your Nokia cell phone owners manual "FOR YOUR SAFETY -Switch off while refueling".

9) Pacemakers -Keep cell phones at least 6 inches away from pacemakers. Do not carry in breast pocket. Hold to ear opposite the pacemaker.

10) Flying - Switch cell phones off in planes. It could interfere with aircraft equipment. Whether that is true or not, I sure would not want to find out at 30,000 feet.

Jen Wilson operates the site http://www.wilsonselectronics.net Online electronics dictionary Information and Tips for Consumer Electronics

Listen to Your News Feeds on Mobile! Students and Current Events...Anywhere!

Jott has just added a brand new resource called Jott Feeds. It allows you to call in to Jott and listen to your favorite news feeds on your cell phone! Jott has a large list of news categories from political to financial to technology. In addition, if you cannot find your favorite feed, you can add your own. For example, I am going to be on the road tonight, but I still want the latest updates from CNN concerning the democratic race. Jott did not have CNN Politics as a feed option, so I simply created one under their Jott Feeds link. Now I can call in to Jott, ask for my "jott feeds" and say "CNN" to hear the latest update on the political race. So even if my radio does not get CNN (which I know it does not, I will be driving in the middle of radio no-where), I can call in with my cell phone.

Of course as I learned of Jott feeds, I immediately started to think of classroom applications. Here are some ideas:
1) Current Events Research
Students can learn how to use their cell phone as a resource for current news events. While it is often difficult to get students to read the paper (although they should) and some students do not have Internet at home, they could add some news-worthy feeds (NPR, CNN, Smart Money...etc) to their Jott Feeds, so they can get the latest information anytime. Students could use Jott Feeds as part of their research as long as they subscribe to legitimate news organizations, they could listen to the news and then cite the feed itself. Who says that all resources have to be in "print"?!

2) Sharing Their own Feeds
Students or Classes who have their own podcast or blog with an RSS could create a Jott Feeds of their own work to share.

3) Class Assignments/More Accessibility
Teachers who assign articles or broadcasts that have an RSS feed, could create a Jott Feed link so that their students who do not have Internet access could listen to them for homework. This would also be helpful for visually impaired students and Internet readings.

What Are GPS Cell Phones?

Fads come and go. But when it comes to technology, every trend is a worthwhile experience.

Take the case of mobile phones. From the plain call and text features, the cell phone industry has definitely gone a long way.

Today, cell phones are made more innovative by applying technologically advanced applications such as GPS or Global Positioning System. Equipped with this remarkable device, cell phones can now operate beyond their basic functions.

With the GPS system, cell phones can be used as a tracking device that enables people find the right places or even hunt down a relative or friend on his exact location.

GPS or Global Positioning System is a device used to pin down people’s specific location anywhere on earth. The central hub of the system depends on “24 satellites” that move around the earth two times a day.

The identification of certain locations was made possible using fully operational devices that includes a series of receivers and satellites.

The information gathered by the satellites are being transformed back to the earth using exact timing indicators to receivers such as GPS cell phones. In this way, the hunted person’s exact location is identified based on altitude, latitude, and longitude measurements.

Back then, the magnitude of GPS were only utilized in navigational purposes as well as for “land surveying,” and map-making. But since the proliferation of the new technology, the utilization of GPS has significantly increased.

Today, GPS-enabled cell phones are being used beyond their usual features. With the help of GPS, people can now locate new addresses and navigate a new place without the difficulty of turning to your maps every now and then.

With GPS, cell phones can demonstrate the exact areas where to turn right or left. Hence, the need for a true GPS tracking device is lessened as more and more cell phone companies are gradually employing the utilization of GPS.

In fact, it was the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which had instructed various cell phone companies to equip their new mobile phone models with GPS “tracking mechanisms.” The agency said that with GPS-enabled cell phones, the user’s location could easily be tracked within 300 feet anyplace on earth.

This proposal of the FCC had been based on cases where people are using their cell phones to call 911 during emergencies. FCC further explained that the utilization of GPS cell phones would expedite responses to any one who will need such assistance.

However, the initial reactions of most cell phone companies is slightly on the negative side. They believe that using “GPS chips” will only add to the cost of each product. Today, cell phones are literally being given away free when purchased on regular mobile service plans.

Nevertheless, the probability of earning additional incomes were seen by other cell phone companies. They know how information-hungry people are nowadays ever since the Internet technology had dominated the communications industry.

Even if it means egotistical commercial gains, most cell phone companies believe that the utilization of GPS cell phones are important in today’s modern world.

One of the probable profits that the commercial market can gain is the distribution of graphical advertisements on mobile phones with the help of GPS. Hence, it is not surprising if one day, your cell phones will turn into small posters or advertisements notifying you of the latest event in town.

Indeed, with the introduction of GPS cell phone in the market today, people will have to change their units again just to cope up with the ever-changing world of the communication industry.

From 3G or the third generation technology to GPS, cell phones have definitely gone a long way since it was created for a simple call. With these features in your phones, what more can you ask for?

http://your-cell-phone.com is a free information site that offers articles and resources on Cell Phones. If you want to read or share information on GPS, you're always welcome!