Shopping For A Cell Phone

I realized the other day that my two year cell phone service contract period will be coming to an end next month. It always excites me because this means that I will be getting for a new cell phone with my contract renewal. Over the past six years I have had Motorola brand cell phones. However, I am convinced that there are better brands of cell phones available on the market, like LG, Samsung and Nokia.

I used to have a Nokia and it seemed to be indestructible. I even ran over the phone with a stretch cab Ford Powerstroke, and the screen busted, but the phone would still make and receive calls perfectly fine! On the other hand, I have seen my Motorola phones slip out of my hands and hit the ground and break off into pieces and occasionally have to mail them in for a replacement unit. I do not consider myself clumsy or accident prone, but I can assure you accidents will happen over a span of two years.

I began my cell phone shopping with the bias opinion that Nokia and LG are two brand names that I admire and respect through informative word of mouth recommendations from friends and family. As I have read consumer reviews about various phones made by these companies, I have found that it is difficult to make a decision. There are a few things that I value most among the different features and functions in cell phones. Things I consider while shopping and forming a decision of preference for cell phones include speaker phone volume, battery life, size of screen, sleek size, available cell phone accessories, and other things I discover to be major points made by consumers in their reviews.

In addition to the things I have considered above, an emerging popular trend in cell phone usage includes Web browser and Instant Messaging capabilities. I was very attracted to the iPhone in this aspect because of its smooth animation and graphical user interface for searching the Web. When I looked at other cell phones with Web browsing capabilities I noticed that the iPhone had a larger than average screen size, however it is still small to me. How can you actually navigate through Web pages with a small screen that could fit in your pocket? My eyes are not as good as they used to be, but I can see children loving it.

Finally, I am continuing to search for the best phone, which balances all of my concerns for the features and Web browser capabilities. It should be a good decision because I will have my phone of choice for the next two years. Or I could even choose to go with one of the cell phones offered with the pay as you go cell phone plans. The only disadvantage to the pay as you go cell phone plans is that I will actually have to pay for the cell phone up front instead of paying for it by locking my self into a service contract. Nevertheless, there are many options out there so I am sure to find just the right cell phone for me.

Find a fantastic selection of cell phone accessories and the perfect one you are looking for at http://www.wonderfulcell.com

How to Find a Cell Phone Number

Cell phones are one of modern life's most useful conveniences. They give us the ability to stay in touch with friends, family, and business associates in a variety of ways as well as provide a mobile platform for organizing our lives and schedules. That is until you try to look someone up and you find your self wondering how to find a cell phone number.

Don't even try looking in your local phone book because cell numbers are not published in any hard copy format. You also will not find them in any of the free online version of the white or yellow pages for much of the same reasons. These reasons being privacy issues related to federal regulations that prevent cell phone numbers from being freely distributed that the cellular providers follow.

The easiest way to find a cell phone number is through a national cellular registry website. These large third party data sites are able to work with the various cellular providers to give access to cell phone name and number information through memberships that protect their customer information from data mining operations (telemarketers).

You will have to pay a small fee but the price ($20-$40) is well worth it. The data they provide in their databases includes names, number, status of the person's cell phone, and even unlisted phone and fax numbers. This makes it exceedingly easy to find a cell phone number quickly.

There are a couple of things you will want to look for when joining one of these reverse cell phone lookup sites:

1. Make sure they offer a money back guarantee. This will ensure that if you are not happy with the results of your search you can get your money back.

2. Make sure that there are no hidden fees or charges that will surprise you. Most of these sites offer unlimited cell phone number searches for the one time fee over the life of the membership. There are a few sites that will charge you by the month or even worse by the search. Steer clear of these as they offer the same information as those sites that charge you once up front.

So if you want to know how to find a cell phone number quickly and easily a national cellular registry is your best choice. They are hassle free to use and return the information you are looking for almost instantaneously to you monitor.

To learn more about national reverse cell phone registries and how to look up cell phone numbers click here.

Team with Spike Lee to create a co-collaborative mobile production!

Nokia has teamed up with Spike Lee to encourage people of all ages (including students) to create mobile productions. They would like mobile submissions in order to create a co-collaborative film produced by Spike Lee! In a sense it is a mobile production Wiki! People can submit movies, images, audio, or text to help produce this film! The film is about music and Spike Lee encourages people to be "creative" with their submissions. This might be one way to introduce the cell phone as a data collection tool by having students collect and send media related to music using their cell phone. Spike Lee will introduce new Acts over time with different themes pertaining to music. Act 1 is on the theme of Humanity. Students can use any feature on their cell phone to submit their work (text, audio, video, or image capture). The site has many suggestions on how to collect media with a cell phone that is relevant and thoughtful. Even if you do not have your students participate in this particular project, the concept of a mobile co-collaborative production could be developed in your own classroom on a smaller scale. For example in a science class studying metamorphosis, the science teacher can ask students to collect mobile media of metamorphosis (images, sounds, movies, or text) for homework and then back in class the students can use a video editor to compile everything together into a coherent and creative production on metamorphosis.

Getting Good Cell Phone Reception at Home

For many people, cell phone reception is poor at home. Not to worry though, most of us still have a landline that gives us outstanding reception there. Of course, that's an added cost, a separate number, additional phones, the inconvenience of two bills, and so forth.

Certainly, many people have employed boosters to try to improve their cell phone signal but these have very mixed results at home and certainly seldom result in the ability or desire to eliminate the additional expense of a landline phone.

However, there are at least a couple of potential solutions still evolving which may eliminate such issues. Both options function by shifting cellular calls to the user's broadband connection once they are home. In essence, these are VoIP calls but they are made via an individual's cellular provider so that there is a single bill and a seamless transition when shifting from a cellular connection to their IP service. This allows cell phone calls to proceed uninterrupted and the user doesn't have to do anything to shift the calls.

The first option, one used by the T-Mobile HotSpot @Home service, requires the use of a hybrid phone that can operate from both a cellular network and Wi-Fi. Calls are switched to Wi-Fi in the home and also in any HotSpot locations found in various retail and public facilities. Users must have a Wi-Fi/cellular phone and a wireless router at home. The cost of the T-Mobile HotSpot @ Home is $19.99/month when added to qualifying individual plans and $29.99/month when added to family plans. It gives users great reception and the ability to save on calls with unlimited nationwide calls over their Wi-Fi network day or night.

Another emerging option is the use of a "Femtocell"; a type of base station that connects to the users broadband connection allowing calls to be made from there. Currently, Sprint is offering these devices to customers in just a handful of test markets but may be poised to expand the program in the near future. This option gives users a greater selection of cell phones to choose from but does require the purchase of the Femtocell. The Sprint program is currently offering the devices for $50 and users then pay $15/month for unlimited calling.

Obviously, the additional monthly fee for either of these programs is significant over time but it is certainly less than what most users are paying for their current landline. For all of this to hit the broader market of course, other cellular providers will need to begin offering similar services. Verizon has indeed announced that it plans on introducing femtocells for their customers use before the end of 2008 and AT&T has been known to be researching the possibility for the past year. With all of this activity, it would appear that getting good call quality at home may no longer require a landline in the near future.

The author is webmaster of homemedias.info, an online cellular and home electronics store. If you are searching for a new cell phone be sure to check out her site or her Blackberry Curve and Sony Ericsson webpages.

How to Run a Reverse Cell Phone Lookup

You've just received a phone call, but you need to know the owner of the number. How do you find the information you need? If you have Caller ID, then you'd have the answer. But, if it was that simple, your problem would already be solved.

Your best bet is to run a reverse cell phone lookup, using ReversePhoneDetective.com:

==> http://tinyurl.com/2s74wm

Protect Your Interests

A reverse cell phone lookup is an easy way for you to track down information about the owner of a particular phone number.

Suspect your spouse is cheating with the caller? Think your child is sneaking around with someone behind your back? Think you're being pranked? Simply want to know who called you last? A reverse cell phone lookup can be a huge help in finding out what you want to know.

How ReversePhoneDetective.com Works

To get started, you need to select a site that provides this feature. Now, you'll find several that promise free reverse phone lookups -- but they only work on landline numbers. You see, your home phone number is published pretty much everywhere -- which is why you get so many of those annoying telemarketing calls!

But, because cell phone numbers are treated more privately, they are not collected in a central database. Putting such a database together requires extensive time and money, and that's why such services -- if they are legitimate -- charge a fee to use them.

One reverse cell phone lookup service that you need to consider using is Reverse Phone Detective. This incredible service specializes in reverse cell phone lookups, and has expansive coverage. Plus, your fee will entitle you to search as many times as you want within its members' area -- and not only once, either.

More Services Than Anyone Else!

Reverse Phone Detective doesn't just provide phone numbers. It gives you access to expanded people search databases, plus background information about the phone owners.

But, it don't stop there. The company's service is backed up with the strongest guarantee in the industry, and has been ranked #1 by many customer satisfaction surveys!

After you sign up, you can start your reverse cell phone lookup by entering the area code, followed by the seven digits of the number whose owner you want to find. The search takes just a few seconds. Then, information about the person is immediately accessible.

The next time you want to run a reverse cell phone lookup, you know where to go -- ReversePhoneDetective.com! Go here to get started:

==> http://tinyurl.com/2s74wm

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Kari Larson is a free-agent writer, small-business champion, health journalist, investor and publisher [e.g., ProsperNOW -- http://prospernow-foolish1.blogspot.com] who's focused on creating total health *and* artistic, personal, professional and financial freedom.

***

For unlimited reverse phone lookups, go to: ==> http://tinyurl.com/2s74wm

Cell Phone Number Searches Online

For many people their cell phones have become their primary phone, to the point that they no longer have a landline into their home. The convenience these little electronic devices have brought to modern life is quite incredible, that is until you try to do cell phone number searches for someone whose number you don't have. You can't just pull the phone book out of the drawer and look up their name and number because cell phone numbers are not published.

There are any number of reasons you may need to look up someone's mobile phone number. A business or sales opportunity that to good to just pass up but you don't know your contacts phone number; or you know the name of someone you would like to get to know better but don't know how to get a hold of them; or the reverse is happening you have a number but you aren't sure who it belongs to.

If there is one frustrating aspect to using a cell phone this is it. The inability to easily look up names or do reverse searches like you can with residential and business landlines. Fortunately there is a way but unlike the free Yellow Pages directories you do have to pay a small fee to access these mobile phone directories.

The great thing about many of these phone registries is the amount of information you'll gain access to. Not only will you find names, phone numbers, and addresses but also background information that can tell you something about a persons past. Court records, marriage and divorce records, bankruptcy filings, and just about any other publicly available record can also be searched.

There are several things to look for when you are considering a cell phone number directory. The first is to make sure they offer a complete money back guarantee. While these directories do file and catalogue nearly every cell phone number out there there are instances where they are missing a few. You don't want to pay for something and get nothing in return.

Also be sure that they charge a one time fee for unlimited searches. Most sites offer this which means that you will basically have a cell phone book on your computer. If you have a web enabled phone you can access these sites right from it, taking your phone book wherever you go.

Having a complete version of the cellular Yellow Pages on your computer or phone allows you to do cell phone number searches anytime and anyplace you want, making this little communication device the ultimate modern convenience.

To learn more about national cell phone registries and how to do cell phone number searches please click here.

Cell Phone Birthday Ecards- The New Wonder

Our family and friends are very important to all of us, its better to say that they are the world for us and as we share a deep bonding with them we always crave to see their smiling faces. We always look for ways to make them smile, we send them gifts in special occasions, we wish them on the special days, we try hard to spend time with them. However after completing the days busy schedule in these days I think only few people are lucky enough to spend time with their parents and siblings, even we don't have enough time to sit and chat with our best friend. In these days, what we all are looking for is a bit care and love from our parents, friends, siblings and children.

Birthday is such a special day in everybody's life that we all love to celebrate that. We love the warmth and the enjoyment of receiving greeting cards from loved ones. And believe me by wishing your loved ones on birthday you can show your care, you can express your love and they will be delighted to see that you remembered his/her birthday.

Few years back we did use paper birthday greeting cards and enjoyed some priceless moment in our life. However nowadays we find paper greeting cards to be expensive and troublesome; not just buying them but then we need to put stamps on them, mail them to the intended recipient and needless to say after all these it takes a long time to be delivered. Even after doing the needful we don't know when the birthday greeting card is going to reach the recipient. We got the solution.

Nowadays what we are using is Ecards to wish our near and dear ones "happy birthday". We have easily accessible online greeting cards in different websites from where we can choose the perfect one, we can customize it in the way we want, and we can express our feeling with own sweet words and see smile on the faces of the people we love.

Though we love to send and receive ecards then also we would be more than happy and want to see our cell phone inbox flooded with birthday text messages. Cell phone is the most popular device in the world today which is used in every part of the world and SMS is about to be more popular than email, so do cell phone birthday text messages. Innovative technologies and third generation mobiles are gradually becoming the industry standard. These days aside from the basic phone features we use cell phone as a camera, we use it to watch video, we use it as a music player, as a radio, internet browser and more. Now we really can think about sending somebody an interactive greeting card with a lovely text message through cell phone. Yes its reality today. Cell phone birthday text messages are in the market. We can use it as a card and at the same time as a birthday SMS. We can choose ecard of our choice customize it in our own way, add text message what we want to and just need to press the send button and your loved ones smile will be more wide after getting the combo pack of ecard and SMS at the same time . So what are we waiting for, lets start sending cell phone birthday text messages.

Joydeep is an experienced person in the Internet Marketing industry. His area of expertise is email marketing. While working he has acquired in and out knowledge about email marketing strategies and implementation . Joydeep also writes articles and contents for different websites, starting from Cell Phone Ecards to graphic designing and many more...

Send Cell Phone Ecards- Improve Relationship

We all individuals look for ways to keep our relationship strong and put our best foot forward to improve our relationships. However to do that we fight against daily busy schedules and day to day priorities. People have become accustomed to the wonders brought by internet today and using an ecard to greet and stay in touch with their loved ones has made life easier.

Ecard has already become a very popular way of greeting and wishing people while enhancing the relationship. Don't be astonished about the enormous growth of ecard industry, perhaps one of the biggest reasons is the easy way of sending an ecard. A person who has a computer connected to the internet can get into any ecard site available and choose ecard from a wide variety and send it across to their loved ones. As we were talking about enhancing relationship....can you tell me how many of us are able to give time to our partners when he/she is depressed? I'm sure 90% would say, not much. How it would be if we can send few inspirational ecards to improve their mood when we are at work! They will be happy seeing that we are worried about them and the feel good factor will work. Not only personal relationship, people are using ecards to strengthen the business relationship as well. If you are an entrepreneur, send your customer an ecard on his/her anniversary or birthday, trust me he'd love it; next time he needs your service he would not even think of any second vendor and not just that he might as well refer your services to his friends and families. So what did you get by sending an ecard? You earned goodwill for your customer support, earned customers faith and trust, and you developed and enhanced the relationship, bonding and may be some more business. This is why usage of ecards is increasing day by day.

When life is becoming increasingly busy and stressful, continuous development in technology is made to make life easier and mobile technology is one of the ideal examples. Mobiles are one of the easiest way to stay connected with our friends, family and beloved. Few years back when cell phones were first introduced to the public, they were bulky, expensive and with minimum features.

The major problem was with the reception of signals. However technology improved and cell phone has become easy to use with more and more mind-blowing features and now it has become more and more important to our life. The advancement in mobile technology has reached the extent that in near future we hope to use mobile phone for doing everything from paying for lunch to unlock our car.

Now you must be wondering that why on earth mobile phone came into my topic where I was talking about ecards! I'll tell you how....due to some reasons you are feeling sorry for somebody and want to express your feeling and now you are on the way to your work and you really cannot wait to reach office and then log in to your PC and then look for a ecard site and send your loved ones a message . You don't have to wait now for your PC. The good news is, you can do it from your cell phone. Yes Cell Phone Ecards are in town. Use it whenever you want and wherever you are. Its really not possible to carry a laptop all the time with you but you can always carry a cell phone and make it work as your pocket PC and always send Cell phone Ecards and improve your relationship while staying mobile.

Joydeep is an experienced person in the Internet Marketing industry. His area of expertise is email marketing. While working he has acquired in and out knowledge about email marketing strategies and implementation . Joydeep also writes articles and contents for different websites, starting from Cell Phone Ecards to graphic designing and many more...

Cell Phone Etiquette In Public

As more Americans are purchasing cell phones, there is a new etiquette specifically targeted at cell phone users. While some of these rules are necessary, others are personal choice.

Picking a ringtone for when you are in public may be a good idea. If you are on a subway or waiting for a bus, people around you may not want to hear loud music playing every five minutes as you are taking incoming calls. One option would be to put your cell phone on the Vibrate Only setting, although in densely crowded areas you may not have easy access to reach it if you do get a call. Another option is to program a backup ringtone that is a milder song or a more traditional one that sounds like a regular telephone ringtone.

Some phones enable you to program music that will play while an incoming caller is waiting for you to pick up the call. Again, although you may be a fan of heavy metal music, your grandmother probably is not, and may end up hanging up before you get a chance to talk to her. Be considerate of everybody that may be calling your cell phone. Make a selection that most callers will enjoy listening to.

There is always a question of when and where you should shut your cell phone off. While hospitals and airplanes are places that require you to do this, you may also want shut it down in the theater or a library. Any conversation that you may try to have in either of these places is going to disturb those around you. College classrooms and Sunday church services are two other locations that you may just want to shut it down. Allow your voice mail to pick it up and you can return the call later.

There is nothing wrong with answering your cell phone in a restaurant if you are with colleagues from work or a group of close friends. It may not be proper, however, if you are dining with just one friend or celebrating a romantic dinner with your spouse. The friend may feel as if you would rather talk to the caller than to him, and your spouse will probably just become angry. Again, in these situations you may be better off just shutting your cell phone off.

Using your cell phone in the checkout aisle in a busy store may not be a good idea either, especially if there is a long line of people behind you. These customers may feel that you are holding up the line, even if you are not.

You should also always turn your cell phone off during a wedding ceremony or a funeral service. Receiving calls during such a solemn occasion may offend the family and anger many of the other people that are in attendance to pay their respects. Although this example may seem to be common sense to most adults, some younger people may not realize how disrespectful answering a cell phone call can be on these occasions.

Again, cell phone etiquette is a personal choice. You should just be considerate of the people around you and you will do fine.

You just got a new cell phone or you want to personalize your current cell phone with the latest in cell phone accessories. Visit www.WonderfulCell.com today to find the cell phone accessories you need!

Send Birthday Ecards Using Your Cell Phone

Birthdays are always very exciting and if it's a close friend's birthday we just wait for the clock to tick 12 o clock and we always try to be the first person to send a sweet birthday SMS . Same goes for the birthday boy/girl, as they cannot wait to open the SMS from friends and families. We all love to receive birthday SMS on our cell phones, these are some of the feel-good emotions that a simple text message can express.

Previously we used to rush to a paper greeting card outlet at the last moment to grab an attractive card for the special person. However if that person is not living in the same city as you do, then you got to go to the post office to collect stamp and post it. And the sad part of the story is you don't know whether your loved one would get the card on time or after his/her birthday! Here comes the concept of Ecards where the effect is instant. Sending a sweet birthday ecard is also a way to wish your loved ones and ecards are much more interactive than a paper greeting card. Then also we just wait for the first SMS to reach our inbox. Why so! Coz though it's the age of computers it's not possible for anybody or everybody to sit in front of the computer all the time or carry a laptop. However we all can carry a cell phone wherever we go or whatever we do. Cell phones are evolving faster and new features are being added every time. They are turning into versatile multimedia devices with the added advantage of camera, music, radio, internet browser, scheduler and many more. We all would love to send an ecard to our friends and loved ones but sometimes we fail to do so and we keep ourselves happy by sending a SMS.

How will it be if we can send an ecard directly from our cell phone to the person we want to wish! Would be great right! Yes now we can really do that, we can send Cell Phone Birthday Text message directly from our cell phones. Nowadays cell phones are coming with features as GPRS, WAP and EDGE which are basically used to access the internet. So now what we have to do is, log into internet using our cell phone and key in the ecard website address, choose the ecard you want to send, customize it in the way you want, if you want you can type text message along with the selected card and send it to person you want to wish. Can you imagine the excitement and expression of the person who is going to receive it in his/her mobile message inbox? So today onwards we have choices, we can send a normal text SMS or we can send a Cell Phone Birthday Text Message ....I would always like to go for the 2nd one. What about you?

Joydeep is an experienced person in the Internet Marketing industry. His area of expertise is email marketing. While working he has acquired in and out knowledge about email marketing strategies and implementation . Joydeep also writes articles and contents for different websites, starting from Cell Phone Ecards to graphic designing and many more...

The Next Big Thing in Cell Phone Technology

First it was games, then text messages, then video and audio capabilities, then the Internet. Once luxuries, these technologies have become standard cell-phone features that many people can't live without. And, if you think the cellular world has run out of innovations, think again - the next big trend could be cell phones with built-in projectors.

Microvision, a Washington company that holds over 115 patents, is developing the technology to make projector phones a reality. The company already has produced a pico projector, a pocket-sized device that can be used to display video, photos or presentations almost anywhere - from walls to pieces of paper to someone's shirt. Microvision displayed a prototype of the invention at the CTIA Wireless industry show recently, and they expect to have it on the market later this year. By significantly reducing projector size, the pico projector allows people to watch movies without a TV or display business presentations while sitting at a restaurant. The projector connects to a variety of different devices, including computers, gaming consoles and iPods, and its picture quality is reported to be very sharp - even when projected at fairly large sizes.

Unlike a standard projector, the pico projector shines red, green and blue lasers on a rapidly moving, 1-millimeter square mirror. This process creates rows of pixels so quickly that an image is formed, which is then projected to the user. The new technology used to power the pico projector requires no fans or vents (which are what make standard projectors so large and bulky). Microvision estimates their first pico projector will have a battery life of about two-and-a-half hours, and will cost between $300 and $400. While the pico projector could easily become a hot gadget in the business world, it's the prospect of embedding the technology into cell phones that really has commercial potential.

Microvision is still tweaking the technology, but it fully expects to create a projector small enough to be incorporated into cell phones and other portable media devices (like iPods) within the next year. But Microvision is not alone. A number of other companies also are developing pico projector technology - including 3M, Texas Instruments and Alcatel-Lucent. While mobile devices that play video and display images have become a hot commodity, the small screens on these devices have been a limiting factor (the idea of watching a movie on a tiny cell-phone screen isn't really appealing). But the prospect of being able to project a movie from a cell phone onto a six-foot screen, or even the back of a bus seat, could be a big draw. Whether it's teenagers displaying photos for groups of friends or businesspeople referencing charts in an instant, the technology would have across-the-board market appeal. And it's not limited to cell phones either - projectors eventually could be embedded in laptops, digital cameras, gaming systems, and even eyeglasses.

While no projector phones have been officially announced yet, there's a good chance most major cellular companies will have them at least in production by 2009.

Shad Connelly currently oversees all editorial responsibilities for InventHelp's Invention and Technology News (http://news.inventhelp.com). He received a bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (with an English major/Journalism minor) and a master's degree in Professional Writing from Carnegie Mellon University.

Ever Ask How Can I Find Someone's Cell Phone Number?

Cell phones are one of the greatest modern conveniences of the new millennium. There is almost nothing you can't do with one when it comes to keeping in touch with and communicating with other people. From simply talking to text messaging, checking emails and taking pictures, the cell phone does it all. Except for one little thing that can be a real pain in the butt from time to time; finding someone's cell phone number is often an exercise in frustration for many people.

If this has ever happened to you then you know that there isn't a cell phone number book or associated website that just lets you look up someone's mobile phone number. For all intents and purposed the cellular phone companies treat their customers numbers as unlisted. Does this mean that it is impossible to find cell phone numbers?

No it doesn't because there are several methods you can use when you find your self asking "How can I find someone's cell phone number?"

We'll start with the method that gives you the greatest chance of success; using one of the national cellular registry websites that gives you access to the hundreds of millions of cell phone numbers that exist today. This information is not free but the good sites charge only a small fee for unlimited searches for the length of your membership; some of which are for a lifetime.

If you don't want to pay you can try one of the free cellular directories that have begun to appear around the online world. Your chances of success with a free directory are not as good as with a paid registry site because the free directories databases are populated by their users. In order to use one of these free cell phone number sites you will have to enter your own name, number, and sometimes address to become a member. As time passes these free cell phone look up directories will grow, but there is a good chance if you use one that you will not find the number you are looking for.

Your last choice is also free but you are relying on two things; the ability of the big internet search engines to find the number you are looking for and the fact that the person you are trying to find has left their mobile phone number in the open on a website somewhere. This actually happens more often then you think but the odds are still pretty low that you'll find the number you are looking for.

To do this use your favorite internet search engine (Google, Yahoo, and MSN) and enter the persons name with quotes around it in the search box. To narrow the search add some personal information such as where they live after their name so that it would look like this: "Jane Doe" + Cleveland. Hit the search button and see what you get. You never know you just might get lucky.

So the next time you are wondering how can I find someone's cell phone number you can try one of these three methods. While the last two may or may not return the results you need you can be almost completely guaranteed to find that elusive phone number on one of the big national registries of cellular numbers. You will have to pay a small fee but the cost can be more then worth then worth it.

To learn more about national cell phone registries and how to find someone's cell phone number please click here.

How Can I Look Up Someone's Cell Phone Number - 3 Reverse Lookup Tips

As convenient as mobile phones have made everyone's daily life there is one inconvenience associated with the use of these modern day wonders. There are times when you need to call someone and you find yourself asking, "How can I find someone's cell phone number?" They could be someone you met earlier in the day, a new business contact you don't have a phone number for, or any number of other reasons for wanting to contact them but you can't just look them up with your local phone book.

And there in lies the problem. There is no freely available "Yellow" or "White Pages" for cellular phone, either in book form or online. Cell phone numbers for all intents and purposes are unlisted. This doesn't mean you can't find the number you are looking for because there are 3 good options for doing just that.

1. Use an internet search engine - Google, Yahoo, and MSN all do a good job of indexing every piece of information that exists in the public domain on the internet. If a certain piece of information, including names and phone numbers, exists on a website that is freely available it can be found. The most likely places mobile phone information would be found are online classified ads, social networking sites, and message boards. Simply type in the name of the person you are looking for along with a general location like a city or town and see what your search returns. You might get lucky.

2. Check one of the free cellular directories - These free directories have begun to show up in recent years but there is a catch to their use. All the information in their name and number database has been put there voluntarily by their members. In order to join and use one of these sites you will have to give up your own name and number before you will be granted access. So while these directories have quite a few names and numbers they are far from complete, making a successful search largely hit and miss.

3. Join a National Cellular Phone Registry website - This is your best option when it comes to looking up someone's cell phone number. It will cost you a nominal fee in the $20-$40 range but these sites will give you access to hundreds of millions of cellular records which gives you a high probability of finding the number you are looking for.

So the next time you find yourself wondering "How can I look up someone's cell phone number" here are three tips that will help find who you are looking for.

To learn more about national cell phone registries and how to lookup someone's cell phone number please click here.

The Uses of Reverse Cell Phone Number Lookup

Many are not yet aware that there is such a thing as a reverse cell phone number lookup. Yes, this time around you can't only trace home phone numbers but very elusive cell phone numbers as well. The information you can get with reverse cell phone number directories can include any details of the number such as the name of the user, address, and the carrier.

There are available reverse cell phone number lookup services in the internet. These can either be free or a paid service. However, before you make your decision on which service to go for, it is necessary that you know where the difference lies in free or paid services aside from their cost.

Cell phone numbers are basically not kept in directories, unlike the home phone numbers. This is the reason why free reverse cell phone directories offer limited services. This is also the reason why there aren't that many number of reverse cell phone directory services that are offered for free. If there are, they most likely are a scam and might give you information you don't need.

If you come across a free reverse cell phone number directory the only information that will be handed over to you is the name of the cellular provider. Free searches don't have a wide area of coverage and won't give you the specifics you need such as the name and address.

On the other hand, paid reverse cell phone number lookup services have varying charges depending on the company. Aside from varying charges, they also have varied services. It is best that you search for many of these services and compare them to each other and see which one suit you best. It is also advisable that you read reviews about the company or any testimonials made by both satisfied and unsatisfied customers.

There are existing paid reverse cell phone number lookup services that have a wide area of coverage and can give you more than just the name of the user and his or her address. Vital information such as background checks, criminal and civil history will also be possible to find.

These services offer various benefits for your life. You can stop prank calls especially made through a cell phone on the notion that cell phone numbers will be hard to trace. You can increase you and your family's security or you can even use these services to get in touch with a long lost friend.

You can find out more information on reverse cell phone number lookup when you visit my blog.

Start your reverse phone number lookup immediately to discover everything you need. Also, read another of his popular article on reverse cell phone lookup.

Reading Your Cell Phone Bill-data Services, Taxes, And Insurance

Most people admit that they just pay their monthly cell phone bill without looking at it. Many of these individuals say that they do not know what all the different listings are or what they mean. When looking at your cell phone bill you will see the different sections and the charges listed within these areas. The first section on your bill is usually your Monthly Plan, while the second may be the Calling Charges section. The last few sections probably include the Messaging/ Data Charges section, the Taxes Section, and the Insurance section.

The Messaging/Data Charges section is the listing of the preset charges that you have set up as part of your cell phone plan. This includes text messaging and surfing the Internet with your cell phone. The only additional charge in this section is the Text Messaging Surcharge. This fee is incurred if you text message someone abroad as these messages are not included in most service provider's plans. There will also probably be a $.15 fee for each of these text messages that are sent.

The next section is probably the Taxes, Fees, and Surcharges section. This is the area where most people become confused. First there is usually a FCC Universal Service Charge. This is a fee that your cell phone service provider charges all their customers to meet a mandatory FCC requirement that the companies should help fund telecommunications infrastructures for low-income residents as well as schools, libraries, and health-care services. Technically, the customers are paying for this funding as well as the providers.

The next listing in the Taxes section is the State and Local Charges. Some states and local governments have a sales tax for wireless infrastructure, the E911 service, or discounted telephone services for low-income customers. Some areas may charge for all three. If this amount seems too high to you, you can call your provider but usually there is nothing that the company can do about these fees.

The Regulatory Fees and the Administrative Charges are usually the next two listings in the Taxes section. The Regulatory Fees are the charges that you pay to finance federally mandated programs such as services for the hearing- and speech-impaired customers, wireless phone number portability, and an enhanced 911 system that enables law enforcement officials to track your location in case of an emergency. Administrative Charges are simply the fees passed along to you by your cell phone service provider to cover the administrative costs of their business. On your first bill, this fee may seem to be high due to an activation fee that most providers charge to new customers. You may be able to get this fee waived if you sign a two-year contract with the provider. Otherwise, you are probably going to have to pay it.

The last section of your cell phone bill is probably the Insurance section. There may only be one listing in this area-Handset Insurance. This insurance provides extra protection for you if your cell phone is lost or stolen. This fee may also include road-side service if you are broken down. If you can afford it, this insurance is a nice asset to have.

Understanding your cell phone bill can enable you to choose a plan that better fits your needs as well as allowing you to eliminate any unnecessary costs.

You just got a new cell phone or you want to personalize your current cell phone with the latest in cell phone accessories. Visit www.WonderfulCell.com today to find the cell phone accessories you need!

Your Cell Phone And Computer Are Damaging Your DNA -- How To Stop It Now!

How many times each day do you raise your cell phone to your ear or sit in front of a computer? Did you know each time you do, dangerous radiation is damaging your brain, letting toxins flow into your body, and causing harm to your DNA?

While the media has been slow to report this problem, medical and scientific communities have been studying the effects of cell phone radiation for years. A landmark study by Dr. Henry Lai of the University of Washington showed even at low levels, exposure to cell phone EMF/RF caused DNA damage to brain cells of rats, resulting in loss of short term and long term memory and slower learning.

Your cell phone isn't the only thing spewing out harmful radiation. Your microwave, your computer, and even your bedroom clock are all giving off harmful EMF/RF.

The radiation from these devices changes the way your blood works, allowing outside toxins to slip in. That leads to a whole slate of maladies.

I wouldn't be surprised if one day soon, scientists link this pervasive radiation to a wide range of current ailments, including America's growing forgetfulness and learning disabilities suddenly found in huge numbers of children.

But what can YOU do about EMF radiation? Fortunately researchers found a simple answer a few years ago while searching for a way to stop radiation coming off some of the world's most dangerous toxic waste dumps. They found a patch with thin layers of rare earth elements could "transmute" the energy, re-tuning radiation so it was no longer harmful.

Today you can purchase a small, thin patch that goes inside your cell phone and effectively neutralizes radiation before it reaches you. The patches are cheap, easy to use, and highly effective.

I know some people who won't let their kids use a cell phone until the neutralizer patch is placed inside. That's an excellent idea. Young people have developing brains and thinner layers of tissue and bone that poorly protect them from radiation. The EMF neutralizer is the perfect solution.

Companies, worried about the health risks to their employees, are outfitting every one of their hundreds of phones with low-cost neutralizer patches. These companies will realize huge savings as employee illness is reduced and productivity improved. Imagine just how much better products and services will be when created by workers who finally feel great.

EMF/RF is an insidious danger. You can't see it, can't smell it, and can't taste it. But that certainly doesn't mean it isn't there. Radiation is real and far more dangerous than many of the daily hazards you encounter.

EMF/RF radiation is the hidden danger affecting us all, yet isn't YET being talked about widely in the media. Be the first to protect yourself, your family, and those you care about. Join the millions of people who are realizing the dramatic health improvements EMF neutralizers can make in their lives.

Chris Vermeulen is with Lenson International Corp., providing the Electromagnetic Field Neutralizer. The Neutralizer is a small, thin patch packed with cutting-edge technology that effectively neutralizes harmful EMF radiation. Get yours at www.The-EMF-Neutralizer.com

Cell Phone Towers In Hiding

While driving down any American roadway it is not an unusual sight to see electrical lines, telephone poles, and cell phone towers. You may notice, however, that there do not seem to be enough cell phone towers in comparison to how many cell phone customers exist. This phenomenon is caused by the fact that you are not looking in the right places. Cell phone towers have gone into hiding, disguising themselves as trees, church steeples, and even gas station signs in an attempt to preserve the look of the landscape.

Cell phone towers are a necessary element to allow us to transmit our signals from cell phones and must be placed at appropriate intervals along the highway. Unlike other utility towers and poles, these structures are wireless and usually solitary. The number of towers needed in an area is directly proportional to the density of cell phone users. As different cell phone companies use different antennas that are all located on the same cell phone tower, these structures can be quite unsightly. Thus the cell phone tower began to be disguised.

Cell phone "trees" have become the most popular disguise that these technological giants assume. These "plants" come in every shape and form depending on what species of trees are close by to help them blend in. This disguise is usually part of a landscape theme or a forest. In the Pacific Northwest, Douglas firs are a popular species that are "planted" among the thick woods and forests in this mountainous region. In southern California, different species of "palm trees" blend in with their natural counterparts along the streets and boulevards. In the desert of Arizona, "cacti" are springing up in the most remote regions. While birds do not nest in these "trees, other wildlife call these towers home, such as various bugs and insects who do not seem to be able to distinguish these "plants" from the natural ones.

There are several advantages to these cell phone "trees" that natural trees do not have. The cell phone species do not lose their leaves and maintain their color indefinitely. They never need pruning or trimming and maintain their original shape in and out of season. Cell phone "trees" are also immune to diseases, tree parasites, and drought. These "trees" do not require watering or even soil for that matter. They can survive just as easily in concrete and can be "planted" anywhere. If you are a hay fever sufferer, there is also no pollen present.

Opponents argue that these cell phone "trees" are dangerous to the surrounding environment. These individuals point out the fact that was previously mentioned that birds do not nest in these "plants", explaining that the birds may know something that we do not and claim that these "trees" are a potential health hazard. While there has long been a debate about cancer being linked to power lines and electrical towers, a possible link between this disease and cell phone towers is being hotly debated. Opponents also point out that while these cell phone "trees" look better that the traditional towers, the public may be exposing themselves to potential health hazards without even knowing that the towers are there. Of course, when these individuals are out locating these health-threatening towers, they are probably calling the locations in to their bosses on their cell phones.

Cell phone towers are a necessity to modern life, and if by disguising these mechanical monstrosities as beautiful trees can help us preserve the natural look of the surrounding environment, most people would agree that it is a beneficial policy.

You just got a new cell phone or you want to personalize your current cell phone with the latest in cell phone accessories. Visit www.WonderfulCell.com today to find the cell phone accessories you need!

Cell Phone Recycling For Profit

If you want to began a business from the ground up that requires virtually no money than maybe you should think about cell phone recycling I have always accepted the fact that we toss away to much junk in this world. Most of the time I did not have much incentive to recycle cell phones among other things. It just felt nice and it was a way to treat the environment right. Lately however I was informed about recycling cell phones as a way to do something nice for the earth and make some real money along the way. Cell phone recycling is not something recent but not many folks have become aware of how profitable it can be to recycle cell phones. There have been billions of cell phones produced since the initial unit came out. Less than one in a hundred cell phones have been recycled and there are hundreds of millions more phones being manufactured each year. Like other things soon it will be common knowledge that you can make some solid money accumulating and recycling cell phones and turning them in. Make some cash and save the earth. Looks like a winning opportunity to me. All you have to do is recycle cell phones. There are already beginning to be some places on the internet just pleading for you to recycle cell phones. Do you have old cell phones taking up space around your home? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to recycle cell phones and make some more money? I have 6 cell phones collecting dust that I no longer use. This doesn't just work to recycle cell phones. You can also recycle old PDAs, chargers, pagers, and other accessories. You can even recycle digital camera's and camcorders? If you just want to put some extra cash in your pocket think of the possibilities to recycle cell phones. If you get inventive you can probably come up with a list of places you could recycle cell phones from. Friends or family members might be a good place to start if you want to recycle cell phones. If you inform them how damaging cell phones can be to the environment they might let you recycle their cell phone for them. Get rid of some of your cell phones that you are not using. Here's a place that will pay you to recycle cell phones. Thank you for visiting Cell Phones Recycling For Profit.

Check out http://cellphonerecyclingforprofit.blogspot.com/ for some great tips on how you can cash in on the recycling boom.

Cell Phone Plans - Things to Know Before Signing

Cell phones can be very convenient, but before you sign a contract for wireless phone service, be sure to ask a number of questions: Where can you make and receive calls? Most providers now promote their plans as local, regional or national. A local plan offers a low-cost option if most of your calls are near home. Regional plans generally offer a much larger geographic area, sometimes several states. If you call outside the area covered by these plans, you will pay long distance and roaming charges in addition to the airtime used. National plans are the most expensive, but they let you use your phone anywhere in the country for a single per-minute price. Roaming and long distance charges are replaced by a single, predictable flat rate. How frequently will you use the phone? If you just want a phone for emergencies, an economy plan with a few minutes a month might be all that you need. On the other hand, if you are going to be a heavy user, a plan with several free hours and the lowest airtime charge is a wiser choice.

Is a family plan option available? Instead of individual cell phone plans for each member of the family, you can share one cellular service plan among several phones. Everyone shares the same pool of monthly minutes, and the monthly cost of additional minutes is usually less than if you purchased individual accounts. Is the technology digital or analog? Digital service is clearer and more secure than analog, but coverage can be spotty. Analog networks have greater coverage, especially in rural areas. If you want digital service, make sure your cellular company has a "roaming" agreement that lets your phone work on an analog system when you are outside digital range. But beware: roaming can be expensive, and it requires a "dual mode" phone. Is there a trial period during which you can test the service? Everyone has experienced dead spots where their cell phone doesn't work. A trial period lets you test your service in places where you will be using it--the office, your house, your car, and the roads you travel--so you don't get surprised by these dead spots.

Are there any fees or limits on changing your plan? Some providers charge a fee if you want to downsize or upgrade your plan. Others limit how often you can make changes. Moreover, what happens if you want to cancel your service? Most providers have a penalty, which can be a concern if you have to move out of the area covered by your plan.

Finally, there are 'Pay-As-You-Go Plans.' If you want cell phone service only for emergencies or aren't sure how much you will actually use a cell phone once you get it, you may want to consider a prepaid cell phone before you commit to a long-term wireless contract. With a prepaid cell phone, there is no contract to sign and no monthly bill to worry about. You will know exactly how much you spend. The down side of prepaid plans is that you pay more per minute, and if you don't use the phone for an extended period of time, you could lose the money in your account.

Jeff Gasner is with CPR-Cell Phone repair. The leader in Cell Phone Repair and iPod Repair offering cell phone repair services nationwide. Visit http://www.chicagocellrepair.com.

Renting an International Cell Phone

As a business traveler, student abroad, or an occasional tourist, you don't want to have to worry about staying in touch with the office, family back home, or traveling companions. Using a cell phone to stay in touch is convenient and cost effective. Cell phones can be used to confirm or make reservations, call home, or confirm business appointments. They also let you avoid the extraordinary international calling rates charged by hotels and pay phones.
Many travelers don't realize that the cell phone standards and equipment we use in the USA are incompatible with the GSM (Global System for worldwide Mobile communication) 900/1800 standards used abroad. If your phone does work overseas, depending on your service, you can wind up paying expensive roaming rates plus other hidden charges. Simply put, your cell phone probably does not work overseas. This means that if you want to stay in touch by cell phone you will need to buy or rent a compatible phone. Most of us don't travel frequently enough to warrant buying an international phone.
Thankfully, you can rent an international cell phone on the internet before you depart. We think this is a better option then renting a phone on arrival at your destination because local inventories tend to be depleted and phones may not be available at all times and, you won't be able to disseminate your contact number before you depart. If you rent from one of the companies on the web, remember that not all companies include all charges in their quoted rates (be sure that you read their terms). This can result in your charges being 2 to 3 times more than the quoted minute rates. These companies also rent satellite phones for locations where cell phone coverage is limited suchas, cruises, undeveloped regions and state parks.
Roberts Rent-A-Phone is one of the online cell phone rental companies. During their 15 years of service to the travel industry they have developed a highly regarded reputation for providing quality equipment and personal customer service.
Roberts has developed a simple one page order/contract form. Unlike their competitors, there are no hidden charges and there is no fine print. They do not add VAT taxes, international connectivity charges, roaming or surcharges to their quoted rates. Their phones work in over 130 countries, with simple order forms designed for different regions of travel worldwide.
These regions include: Africa, Asia (including Australia), Caribbean, Europe, Eastern Europe, France only, Italy only, Middle East, South America and the UK. More information about International Cell Phone Rental is available at roberts-rent-a-phone.com or by calling our customer service center Toll Free (800) 964-2468

Author Bio

Roberts Rent-A-Phone is the easiest to use and understand International Cell Phone Rental web site. We are the only cell phone rental service that has no hard to read.It is a International,Global and worldwide cell phone rental.

The Best Legal Alternative to Cell Phone Detailed Billing Records

Normally, bills for cell phones have several useful information about the calls made, send text messages and every SMS activity. Everything will be laid out in very fine detail. This system was created to needlessly inform customers how they are being charged daily.

These informative cellular phone billing records have been quite useful aside from maintaining order between telecommunications companies and their clients. Case investigations have relied on the system since everything can be tracked down and time slots can be filled out accurately. Crimes and other anomalies have been cleared and solved because records can show that the parties listed were indeed involved. However, people are now looking for a legal alternative to cell phone detailed billing records wherein evidence can still be shown without compromising confidentiality and the risk of damaging reputation.

Some agencies also suggested that since billing records development uses MIT to trace outgoing and incoming messages and calls, there might also be a way to reverse the entire process. Perhaps records may also be able to show phone numbers, times, dates and duration of calls of others contacting your own cellular phone. This will eliminate threats and other annoying matters like text spam. Everything works relatively the same as reverse email search so other individuals will learn how to respect your privacy. More innovations are still currently underway.

Several individuals are getting concerned about having their billing records accessed without their permission. There are already laws and regulations protecting the confidentiality of such documents unless ordered by legal authorities. Trying to catch a cheating spouse or a stealing employee will need a legal alternative to cell phone detailed billing records.

One of the most excellent ways available is handheld digital forensics wherein gadgets and other types of media used to store data can be accessed including deleted files or photos. Suspicious partners and company owners will be able to view and possibly prove any foul play through text messaging exchanges, pictures taken, recorded voice mail, recorded calls and other digital records present in any given device. Another advantage is that data can be retrieved even if the given device is damaged or modified. Advanced tools and programs are now created by experts to outsmart dishonest individuals and criminal minds.

Digital forensics has made it possible to solve old crimes as well as prevent new ones from taking place. Since information is discovered upon retrieval of all available data, there will be a lot of time to catch unscrupulous individuals during the scheming and planning phase. Specific and authentic information about mischievous activities will be revealed. The information provided will be way more helpful compared to billing records.

You will still be able to get the same data provided by detailed billing records plus more. There are other protection programs and applications that further help companies and families maintain the integrity of relationships such as security surveillance in cellular phones, PDAs and other telecommunications gadgets. Electronic privacy is maintained while protecting the interests of the government, corporations and striving families.

Ed Opperman invites you to visit his cyber investigation website for all of your search needs. He offers employment locate, internet infidelity investigations, email tracing, telephone investigations, and much more. To learn more about billing records retrieval and other useful information please click here now:===> http://www.emailrevealer.com

Personal Safety Tips: Six Must-Have Cell Phone Emergency Numbers

These days, you can store practically all of your computer and digital information on your cell phone - from your entire music collection to the latest dog-riding-a-skateboard video. You can also use your cell phone or mobile device as a personal safety net. When it comes to driving and personal safety, your cell phone can be a life-saving resource in case of an emergency.

Find out what emergency cell phone numbers you should keep in your phone / mobile device with these personal safety tips and advice from Nationwide Auto Insurance. Then take five minutes right now to tap these important cell phone emergency numbers into your contact list so you'll be prepared if something unfortunate happens.

Important Cell Phone Emergency Numbers For Your Phone

ICE ("In Case of Emergency")
This number, which stands for "in case of emergency," should be your emergency contact, such as a parent, spouse, close friend or whomever you want notified if something happens to you. Many emergency responders and hospital personnel are trained to look for this cell phone emergency number if you are unable to provide one.

Home
Your home phone number. If someone finds your lost cell phone, he or she can call this number to let you know your phone is intact. Emergency personnel may also try it as an alternative number if there is no answer at the ICE number.

Local Police
In case you have an emergency or witness someone else who needs help, you can notify your local police station about the situation more rapidly if you already have the number stored in your phone.

State Highway Patrol
See a motorist stranded by the side of the road? Be a good Samaritan and call the state highway patrol for assistance. This emergency cell phone number is also important for when you are traveling or commuting, in case you have a breakdown or other emergency.

Auto Insurance Company
If you are in an accident, you can notify your insurance company immediately, and get roadside assistance or towing help if you need it.

Your Motor Club
Membership in an auto club can get you out of a jam. Store their 800 number in your cell phone in case you lock your keys inside the car or get a flat tire.

Another Personal Safety Tip Regarding Cell Phones
Although technology continues to improve, many cell phones do not offer a way to determine a caller's location. If you call 911 in an emergency, be sure to mention your location, your cell phone number and what has happened.

Another personal safety tip?

Even if a cell phone is not on a service plan, it will still connect to 911 as long as the battery is charged and the phone will turn on. If you have an old cell phone, it's a good idea to keep it handy. Store it in a glove compartment and recharge it regularly. In case you have problems with your new cell phone, you will still have a backup phone to call 911 during an emergency.

For more personal and driving safety tips, or an auto insurance policy quote, visit Nationwide.com.

Written by Nationwide Auto Insurance and edited by Melanie Broemsen.

Making Avatars part of Mobile Learning

I know that many educators who are involved with the gaming world are interested in Avatars. I have seen some creative examples of how Avatars can become learning tools. Such as the Voices of the World project. While I fully admit to being a novice at Avatars (I just learned the proper pronunciation recently), I have just discovered that many web resources which allow you to create Avatars couple nicely with cell phones. One in particular called Voki, allows users to create an avatar for free, where they can upload their own backgrounds, record their own voice with a cell phone, and even send their avatar to their cell phone (or anyone else's). One of the benefits is that Voki will call you to record (therefore students without cell phones could use a land line). While it does cost a small fee to send an avatar to a cell phone, we can hope that in the future these sites will have some free options (hint, hint, hint to Voki and others...)!

I see potential learning applications with this resource. For example, students in a social studies class could create avatars of historical figures. They could create the Voki to look like the historical icon, including an appropriate background that reflects the time period. Second, using their cell phones they could record a message about who the figure is, and why they are significant in history. Finally, students could share them on each other's cell phones---thus becoming an instant review! The avatars could also be saved to a blog, wiki, or webpage. Students could update their Voki avatar through the unit as they learn more about their historical figure. This same activity could be done with science figures, biological species such as insects or flora, or even mathematical equations! I would love to hear about other Avatar sites that allow access to cell phones or teachers who are using Avatars for learning!

Student Mobile Blogging with Drop.io: Ad Free, Password Protected!

While there are many file storage and sharing sites on the web, I have been very impressed with Drop.io. Drop.io allows anyone to store and share media files up to 100MB on a free account. Drop.io also has password protection and you can designate how long files will stay stored on the site ( a year or a day...etc). This is very helpful for students who are dealing with sensitive media that they need to share or move from place to place (especially larger files). Beyond the password protection, Drop.io has mobile sharing options!!!! Therefore students who want to capture and store media on the Internet via their cell phone can do so in a protected Drop.io class or individual account. They can store mobile images, video, or even voicemail recordings. With each account, Drop.io creates a blog. The person who creates the account can decide if the blog will be public, private, or semi-private.

Advantages
1) Password Protection!
2) No Advertisements!
3) Mobile blog all types of media (image, video, text, and audio recordings)
4) Has it's own blog (which can be password protected).
5) Administrator passwords (teacher can have total control) and lower-level passwords (so students/parents can view data but not change it).
6) Teachers can decide when files are deleted and can have control over publication.
7) RSS feeds with each account


Learning Applications:
While Drop.io is really a great mobile data storage tool, there are many learning projects that can happen with the aid of Drop.io. Below are a few ideas...feel free to add yours!

Field Trip and outside of school activity documentation!
Immediately I thought of students being able to use their cell phones to document their learning during a field trip. Taking pictures, videos, or a voicemail interview that goes into a private account allows the teacher to make sure that the students were actually "learning" during the field trip. The same could be true of activities that take place outside of school such as journalism students who are capturing news stories in the local community (send the media to the journalism Drop.io account). They could even publish their newspaper with the assistance of the Drop.io blog.

Oral Language Learning
I have mentioned this for other resources too, but I like the voicemail recording feature for oral quizzes. This is because the teacher can set up the account so only the teacher can access the media in the account. Besides quizzes, Drop.io's voice mail recording could be used for practicing oral speeches and language learning.

Local Collaborative Digital Research Papers
Students can document a local biography or local science experiment by going to the "real" locations of the topic (such as visiting the local pond where waste is being dumped, or interviewing and taking pictures of people who lived through a great historical event). The students can immediately send their data from their mobile phones to a private Drop.io site, where they can then use the information in class to put together a digital presentation or blog with their "real world" evidence.

Distance Collaborative Learning
Distance learning projects are easy with the aid of Drop.io. For example, students in a Foreign Language class can do an epals exchange with students in a Spanish speaking country. They can share video, image, or audio feeds of similar cultural topics (such as "a typical American Breakfast" or "a typical school day"), and they can use the private Drop.io blog with their epal to communicate experiences back and forth.

i-search papers
Students can record their i-search project on the public Drop.io blog with their mobile media as "evidence" of their findings.

Mobile Timelines: Field Trip, Mission Trip, or Local Scavenger Hunt

Using a free web resource called Whrrl students could document a location-based learning experience outside of school. Whrrl is a SMS social networking map tool, yet it can be an effective tool for students to document their local and distant travel experiences. Students can send SMS text messages to a private Whrrl map from each location they visit. Whrrl will then number each location, which creates "footprints" on the map of where students visited (numbering their visits, with a number/time/date), along with their text message experiences of the visit. For example, students can do a local social studies scavenger hunt, where they can use their cell phones to create a map-based travel journal of a learning experience. The teacher can give students local community "items" to find such as a home that was used on the underground railroad or where to go for jury duty. The students would visit these locations, get answers to questions (provided by their teacher), and then SMS text their answers along with the proper location to the Whrrl map. Whrrl is similar to Flagr (expect Flagr allows pictures, and Whrrl does a better job documenting contributions). Whrrl maps also include local attractions. While in the United States this could be used for planning a school trip (such as going to Washington DC), In cultural studies it could be used for foreign language students to role-play a travel agency helping Americans plan trips to a foreign country (Whrrl maps all over the world!).


The other nice feature of Whrrl is that students do not need to be in the location to SMS text about the location. So they can do some timeline projects based on people who lived in different cities or events that took place in other countries. For example, students reading a biography in English or Social Studies class, could create a timeline map of the experiences of the person or events in the biography. Such as a biography of Ernest Hemingway and documenting the places that Hemingway lived and wrote his novels (and if/how those living experiences may have influened the particular novels he was writing at the time). Or students studying the spread of influenza in Europe and North America the early 1900's, could trace the spread by short SMS stories or quotes that they uncover doing their homework reading about the spread.

Mobile Learning is Global: Examples of Teachers Using Cell Phones for Learning!

I have come across two examples of international teachers using cell phones for learning, one in India and one in the United Kingdom. It should not be surprising that we are seeing more examples of mobile learning globally since it has been found that

• "There are estimated to be over 3.3 billion cell phones by 2010" (globally)
  
• "Cell phone usage (over 350 million in China alone) outstrips television and internet usage in many parts of the world save radio"

India
In India Rashmi Kathuria has blogged about how she has been using cell phones with her mathematics students. She uses here Nokia phone to create mathematic video tutorials (example here). Additionally, she has her students taking pictures with their cell phones to take pictures of mathematical steps; here are a couple examples from her blog
1) Dodecaheron
2) Patonic Solids
3) Geoboard

UK
Converge Magazine had an article about a ICT technology specialist Jonathan Furness using cell phone cameras to document lab experiments (see his mobile blog here). Furness also documents other daily educational activities on his mobile blog via cell phone.

Make your student podcasts Mobile! Free!

Using a resource called Podlinez, any podcast can be heard on a telephone (or cell phone ). While I have used this resource to hear current news with CNN or my favorite NPR programs, any podcast that has an RSS feed can become mobile. Here is how...
1) Copy the RSS feed for the podcast that you would like to hear
2) Login to http://www.podlinez.com/
3) Paste the RSS feed into podlinez
4) Immediately a phone number will be generated, where you can call anytime from any phone to get the latest updates on the podcast!

It does take a few minutes for the RSS to generate into the mobile podcast (so give it ten minutes before you call in). But once you call in, you can store the number in your contact list and then call the number to hear the latest broadcast!

Classroom Applications:
1) Parents, community members, alumni can hear the latest school news with just a telephone number.
2) Also, since you can turn a blog text into an audio text with Talkr or Odiogo, those feeds can be subscribed to through Podlinez, resulting in parents being able to hear their child's latest text blog post. For example, I use Odiogo and I put my Odiogo RSS feed into Podlinez. Now you can listen to my blog posts by dialing 1-712-318-9982.

Listen By Phone

podlinez.net

This may also have application for visually impaired students.
3) Students who do not have Internet access at home can still listen to blog and newsfeeds from the class activities.

Every time a cell phone rings, a student gets an instant unit review!

One way that cell phones can be utilized without having them inside of the classroom, is by developing projects for the cell phone. One project could be to have students' create unique ringtones for their own phone or to share with others. Using a free web resource called Ring Blender, students can actually compose, mix, and share their ringtones to their cell phone directly from the Ring Blender website. Therefore, students do not need to bring their cell phones into the classroom to create a content-based ringtone project.

While it is popular to ask students of all ages to create jingles or raps about concepts or unit themes (such as a rap about different chemical elements or a jingle concerning themes of democracy), these can easily be recorded in Ring Blender and sent to cell phones. The enhancement of recording these activities as ringtones is that they are instant reviews for students. Every time their cell phone rings, they get to review the themes or ideas. Additionally, students could set up their cell phones so that all of their friends have a different "ringtone" review jingle. Therefore, every time their cell phone rings, a different ringtone review is played!

UPDATE! Thanks to Adam Zurn, I have learned that you cannot upload you original work or record your original ringtone on Ring Blender. But you can do this on Audiko or Phonezoo.

Do you use cell phones in learning? Have some ideas, please share...

I created a Voicethread, where I hope we can share our ideas for using cell phones in learning. I know there are some brave educators who are trying cell phones in a variety of ways. I would love to hear about them. Please share...


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