Unlocked Cell Phones - What's the Big Deal

When you purchase a new cell phone from a network provider such as Verizon, AT&T or Sprint for example, the cell phone will likely be locked to that particular network provider. This basically means you can only use that provider's network. You will not be able to take the phone and sign up to a different network. With unlocked cell phones, you totally remove that restriction. If a cell phone has been unlocked, you will be able to just plug in the appropriate network's SIM card and you will be able to use the phone.

A SIM card is a Subscriber Identity Module and basically holds the identifying information needed to authenticate to a particular service provider's network. Many phone manufacturers will design the phone to only work with one particular SIM card which means that you cannot use alternate SIM cards to access networks other than your particular providers'. This is what is meant to be locked to one service provider and in some countries it is illegal for provider's to force this lack of choice onto consumers.

GSM is an acronym for Global System for Mobile communication. GSM is the most prevalent standard for cell phones in the entire world today. This technology allows users to switch carriers without switching phones when they are roaming. One obvious benefit of this is that when you roam outside of the area of your particular network provider, you are able to use another provider whose area you are then currently in. Unlocked cell phones allow users to do this without having to manually switch SIM cards.

Now, the SIM is used in GSM cell phones. The SIM is just a small card which is inserted into the phone, also known as a handset. So in order to have an unlocked cell phone, you need to have a GSM cell phone. It is legal for people in the United States to have and use unlocked cell phones. As a matter of fact, in November of 2006, the United Stated Copyright Office issued a statement that you have a right to unlock your cell phone.

It is obvious why GSM is such a popular communications technology. Consumers do not want to be tied, or locked, to one service provider. We should be able to choose who we want to do business with. We should be able to decide who has the best service plan for out own needs. We should also be able to decide which network provides the best reception in our area.

For people who travel to other parts of the world, the benefits of GSM technology are that you will not need to carry a different cell phone for each country you will be visiting. You will only need the appropriate SIM card and your unlocked cell phone.

About the Author - Keri Cooper believes technology can be simple to understand when it is explained properly. Check out Keri's Unlocked Pink Cell Phones for style.

Learning Anytime, Anywhere, Anyplace at Any Pace with Kwiry!

We know that 21st century learners do not want to be confined to the four walls of the classroom or a quiet library in order to reference information, gather data, and formulate ideas. Learning anytime, anywhere, anyplace, at any pace is possible with Kwiry.
Kwiry allows users to text any subject to 59479. Then Kwiry will immediately search the web, finding resources for the subject, and post the results in multiple places (your email account, your private or public Kwiry account, and any of your friend's accounts that you would like the Kwiry posted).
Kwiry Bonus Links!
In addition you can send a photo to Kwiry with MMS text messaging (on most phones with cameras) by texting the picture to save@kwiry.com. You will get search results with images too! For all of you Jott users, Kwiry does link with Jott Links :). Kwiry also works with iCal and Google Calendar...to meet all of your task and scheduling needs.


I see Kwiry being useful for learning in a variety of ways, but here are a few examples:

1) Out of the classroom learning
On field trips, for homework, or anywhere that students are away from computer access, but want to gather information on a topic. For example, if students are on a field trip, they can send subjects to Kwiry that they want to research further when they are back in class(such as an artist or historical figure or scientific phenomenon).

2) Group projects/Saving Time/Brainstorming
Students could create a group Kwiry account where they can share search topics with each other. They can brainstorm topics that they want to research during their short 50 minute computer lab time, send their topics to Kwiry, and the next day they have all of the links to their subject in their email or Kwiry account.


Both of these learning activities demonstrate a wider goal; showing students how their cell phones can be a life long professional learning tool anytime, anywhere, anyplace, at any pace in the real world! They can use Kwiry (and similiar resources) long after they leave their classroom and are working (or looking for a job) in the real world!

Jott is out of Beta...Alternative Speech to Text Free Services

The bad news is the one of my favorite resources Jott, is out of beta. This means that some of the best features you have to pay for. While it is not expensive, I am not a proponent of asking students or teachers to pay for resources. Therefore I wanted to compare a few other tools similar to Jott that allow for FREE speech to text translation/messaging services.


Dial2Do
I am becoming a big fan of this site. It is quick and easy to use. You call in to Dial2Do, tell them what you want to do ("email" "text" "twitter" "reminder") and then speak your message. Almost instantly it is transcribed (definitely faster than Jott) to a text-based message. I am a big fan of the "text" option, since I can send myself a text message reminder (such as someone giving me directions, I can call Dial2Do and have them speak the directions into the phone, and have them instantly "text messaged" to me!). Like Jott, Dial2Do does have group messaging serivces. Therefore with one phone call you can send multiple text and/or email messages. Each message also becomes an instant downloadable MP3 file. Dial2Do backs up all messages in your Dial2Do account. Even better, if you choose to send yourself "reminders" you can check them off the list in Dial2Do. That could be very helpful for teacher and student organization.


ReQall
I have written about Reqall before.

Web2.0 Voicemail: A Teacher's Uber-Management tool!

While we are familiar with the basic voicemail systems on cell phones and landlines, they are often limited. In the web2.0 world there has emerged new and FREE uber-voicemail systems. Some examples include Grand Central, YouMail, and Amphibian. These mail systems allow for the following;
1) By passing the caller and going right to voicemail.
2) Creating custom greetings for individual callers or groups of callers
3) Being able to send text message feedback directly to the caller
4) Documenting all voicemails as an MP3 file
5) Transcription of voicemails right to your cell phone as a text message file minutes after the voicemail is left.
6) Searchable voicemail messages
7) Caller ID (even from cell phones!)...
8) The ability to reply in text or audio to voicemail messages on the web directly to cell phones and/or email account of the caller.
9) A private phone number (so you don't have to give out your real cell phone number)
10) A private phone number that will ring as many phones as you wish (cell, landline...)
11) Call Recording on the Fly

So how does web2.0 voicemail help teachers?
Here are just a few ways (at least these are ways that my YouMail and Grand Central accounts have helped me with my own students)

Transcription of VoiceMail
Since YouMail and Grand Central both send me a transcribed text message of every voicemail left on my account, I no longer need to call my voicemail to find out who called and the message that they left. I also have a transciption of numbers left in my voicemail (instead of having to remember them as I listen to the message). This can also be a very nice feature for hearing impaired students to be able to participate in voicemail services.

MP3 files of every voicemail, the "by pass" feature right to voicemail (so my phone does not ring), & custom greetings.
Every message left in my voicemail is automatically stored on my YouMail account online as an MP3 file. While this is helpful for documentating phone calls (espeically from students and parents), but it is a great feature for oral quizzes. Students can call in to the YouMail account, listen to the unique custom greeting that I set up, and they can "speak" their quiz. The quiz is then stored in my YouMail account (I can listen through my mobile phone and send a text message or voicemail evaluation back the student OR I can listen online at my YouMail.com account and send the text message or voicemail feedback to the student through this account). Since these are private calls, the quizzes are kept private...but I get to keep the MP3 files as a record of the student's progress over the school year. I can even sort my YouMail account so that I can look at all of one individual studnet's oral quizzes at one time.

Group Messaging
I can send out messages to groups of my students or parents at anytime. In my Youmail.com account I can send out reminders about upcoming assignments or ask them to call in an oral quiz.

Private Phone Numbers
Grand Central gives out a private phone number, so teachers do not have to give out their real cell phone number to their students. Instead they hand out the private number. This is a nice feature because you can set the number to go directly to voicemail (great for oral quizzes...no ringing or buzzing on your cell phone while student's are taking their quizzes). In addition, you can set the number to ring on any phone you wish, so you could set up a student helpline which rotates each week between the students (just change the phone that rings with the private number each week to a different student's phone).

Call Recording On the Fly
Grand Central also has a call recording feature (is this legal???). This is great when you have a difficult conversation with a parent, studnet, or community member and want to make sure that it is documented. You can even start the recording in the middle of the conversation. It becomes an MP3 file in your private Grand Central account!


Something Similar: Slydial
Slydial allows for by passing the caller and going straight to voicemail. It can work with any mobile phone or landline. This is helpful for students who are taking oral quizzes where teachers have YouMail accounts and they want to go right to the voicemail to speak their quiz. Here is how it works...

1) Dial 267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425) from any landline or mobile phone.
2) At the voice prompt, enter the U.S. mobile phone number of the person you want to slydial.
3) You will be directly connected to their voicemail. Leave them a voicemail.

Geograffiti...VoiceMarks: Mobile Audio Geotagging to Google Maps

If you call 213-221-3802, you can create your own voicemarks. A voicemark is an audio "blurb" posted on a virtual free verbal message board ... for exchanging location-specific community information ... any place with any mobile phone! This is made possible by a site called Geograffiti. I have been playing with this site a bit and found it engaging. What I like is that you can create audio "geo tagged" projects with this resource. This means that every audio file is immediately put on a private google map in the place where it was documented (or you can assign it to a specific zip code/phone number if the audio file is being documented in one place but referring to another. Such as students creating a "walking tour" of history in Spain from a classroom in Kansas. After they record their voicemark, studnets can submit the location where they want their voicemark placed on the google map! Super Cool! AND you can do this from any basic cell phone (even a landline!)...Great for including those without cell phones.

Geograffiti also allows students to publish "breaking news stories" on-the-go! Students can become instant mobile citizen journalists! And create their own News Map, like this one.


Additionally, students do not have to have an account in order to use Geograffiti (just call the number). But I found it works best if the teacher creates one account, and then adds their student's cell phones into the account. Also, students can all call in to the same account to create their voicemarks (which will automatically be placed on a class google map). I immediately thought of the Murmur project in CA, as a great example of how schools could take advantage of a resource like Geograffiti. Murmur documents oral histories by asking people to recount events in the geographic location that the event occurred (making the oral histories richer by being able to walk through history).

There is also a comment/response feature for each voicemark. So students can comment on each other's voicemarks and give feedback or their opinion on a story. Since the teacher has control of the account, they can monitor the comments and delete any they think are inappropriate.

Did I mention tagging? Yes! you can also create tags and keywords for each voicemark so that you can ask students to use specific keywords/tags for each post...which makes it easy when someone calls in to Geograffiti to hear the voicemarks (YES! you can listen to voicemarks on your phone as well as view them on a map...great for visually impaired students).

Finally for students who do not have cell phones or schools that do not want phones in the classroom (although you can easily do all the mobile posting outside of the classroom), students can click on any point on the Geograffiti map, and it will let them type in any phone number (even a landline) and record Geograffiti will call them to record their post! Fantastic! Saves on long distance fees for landlines!

Getting Good Deals In Used Blackberry Cell Phones

You're planning to buy a Blackberry mobile phone unit but unfortunately you have insufficient funds to buy one? Perhaps purchasing a used Blackberry cell phone will solve the dilemma. It has the same quality of a brand new Blackberry cell phone at a much cheaper cost.

You cell phone has recently been lost or stolen? Perhaps buying a used Blackberry cell phone is the answer. It's the same Blackberry quality at a much cheaper cost.

Yes, we give you two scenarios but provide you with only one and the same solution to let you ride the Blackberry mania.

All you have to do is choose from a wide array of Blackberry mobile units, push the purchase button and then the desire for a Blackberry phone is fulfilled. Even if you seek to have that same lost Blackberry model, you can have it in the Used Blackberry Cell Phone market.

Three reasons are given why you should buy a used Blackberry cell phone rather than buying a new phone: convenience, affordability and helping the environment.

Opting for a used Blackberry cell phone will save you from the hassles of signing a contract with local cell phone companies. We know how un-fun going through that process of asking for a replacement phone and reading through all those boring pages which would only certify after that you are at the mercy of the phone companies and bound by stringent rules and penalties when you lose that replacement phone again. Why do that? It takes a lot of time and emotionally excruciating to say the least.

When you purchase a used Blackberry cell phone, it only takes few minutes to have it activated and can be made right at the comfort of your home. If you subscribe to Cingular, T-Mobile, or ATT, you simple need to remove your SIM card from beneath your cell phone battery (generally, this is where you will find the SIM), and then re-insert it into your newly bought Blackberry cell phone. For Verizon, Metro PCS, and the like, where SIM card is unnecessary, you only have to dial *611 on your newly acquired Blackberry cell phone, and a customer representative from your local phone provider will provision your phone with your existing account.

The crux of the matter is that a used Blackberry phone works just as good as a new Blackberry unit. For instance, a new Blackberry 8700 can go as high as $299, a used Blackberry 8700 can be obtained for only $70.95. Indeed, you get the same great value with used Blackberry cell phones at a much discounted price. Have a look at other variety of Blackberry cell phones: used Blackberry 7100g for $60 only, used Blackberry 7105 for $65.95 only, Blackberry 7250 for $35.99 only, Blackberry 7280 for $39.99 only.

When you choose to buy a used Blackberry mobile phone, you don't only provide convenience for yourself, but you also give a favor to the environment. And why not upon considering to buy a used Blackberry cell phone, instead of having them been discarded to waste, we minimize the amount of harmful chemicals from crawling with us. It's a known fact that cell phones are usually made up of lead and mercury - two very unfriendly toxics to the environment.

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Cell Phones In School - Should They Be Allowed?

When cell phones first became popular, school administrators banned them from school premises due to the connection between these devices and illegal drug activity. Due to school shootings and the events of 9/11, the question has arisen again as to whether cell phones should be allowed in the academic environment.

Many parents argue that the devices should be allowed if such an emergency occurs. They feel safer knowing that their children are just a phone call away. These adults also point out the fact that one of the reasons that their children have these phones is to enable them to have the ability to call home for a ride after school activities.

School administrators on the other hand argue that cell phones are more of a convenience than a necessity and that these devices have no place in the school environment. These officials point out that the use of these phones are disruptive in the classroom due to students receiving and answering calls and text messages when they should be paying attention to the teacher.

Text messaging also creates problems by being a means in which students can gossip about other children without the worry of being overheard. "Text messaging bullying" has also become an issue between school officials and cell phone users.

Thanks to another feature that is now available on cell phones, these devices are now barred from locker rooms due to the fact that some inappropriate pictures were secretly taken and posted on the Internet within the hour.

Another worry that many experts have about the widespread use of cell phones among children is the fact that these youngsters may be losing basic communication skills. By talking on the phone or text messaging their friends, these children are not taking the opportunity to speak to other youngsters when standing in the lunch line or hanging out in the hall. The ability to conduct face-to-face communication is found to be seriously lacking in the students that are cell phone users.

A compromise has been reached in many school districts. In these areas, the students are allowed to have cell phones as long as they are shut off during school hours. This agreement allows for the teachers to have a disruptive-free class room while the students still have the ability to call home during after-school activities. Administrators also suggest that students have prepaid cell phone plans that limit the number of text messages that the child is allowed to send. These officials point out that if a student is only allowed three text messages daily, they are more likely to use them wisely instead of as a means to gossip or bully.

In the case of a school shooting or other type of emergency, students using cell phones can overload service lines and can also cause radio interference with the equipment that is used by the police and other emergency response workers. Cell phone usage may interfere with evacuation procedures as well. A child who is talking on a phone may miss important instructions that are being given to them by the school officials. In case of an emergency, it is considered best if the school employees make any necessary calls while the students carefully follow any directions that are given to them.

Overall, the use of cell phones by students is fine if this use is limited to the proper times and places. Otherwise, these devices are not a necessity in most academic environments.

You just got a new cell phone or you want to personalize your current cell phone visit this article on cell phone accessories.

Cell Phones Contribute to Automobile Accidents

According to current statistics, one person is estimated to die in a vehicle crash every 12 seconds in the United States. Statistics also show that automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for Americans age 35 and under, and 98% of reported accidents involve a single, distracted driver. In most cases, that distraction is his/her cell phone.

Other distractions include rubbernecking (watching other drivers and accidents), driver fatigue, looking at scenery, child-related distractions, and adjusting the radio. In fact, a new study reports that the reaction time of cell phone users is slowed dramatically, greatly increasing the risk of accidents and traffic problems in general.

The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association reports that fifteen years ago approximately 4 million people had wireless communication devices, such as cell phones; however, in May 2007, that number was a staggering 236 million.

With increased dependence on mobile phones, the number of people using them while driving has, of course, substantially increased. There are predominately two dangers associated with cell phones and driving: drivers must take their eyes off the road to dial, and people become so absorbed in their conversations that they cannot concentrate on their driving. David Strayer, University of Utah psychology professor, performed a study on cell phone use and auto accidents and reported, "If you put a 20 year old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone their reaction time is the same as a 70 year old not using a cell phone."

Each year cell phone distraction while driving results in over 3,000 deaths and approximately 350,000 injuries in our country. Because information on cell phone use is somewhat limited, the actual number of deaths and injuries is probably higher. Many states have implemented a hands-free cell phone while driving law; however, even hands-free cell phone use distracts drivers because they're so involved in their conversation.

Studies have reported that drivers talking on cell phones are less adept than drunk drivers with a blood alcohol level of .08. The cell phone users' impaired reactions involve seconds, not just fractions of seconds, so stopping distance increases by car lengths, not just feet.

It has been reported that motorists who use cell phones while driving are four times as likely to get into collisions serious enough to injure themselves or others. In 2001, New York passed the first law banning hand-held cell phone use while driving which prompted a national debate on the extent of the danger cell phone use while driving poses.

In May 2007, the state of Washington became the first state to ban the practice of texting while driving. The fine for DWT (Driving While Texting) is $101 in Washington, but it is a secondary offense, which means you have to be pulled over for something else to get that ticket.

While cell phones do play an integral part in our society, the convenience they offer us may be coming at a very high price.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an automobile accident in New York or Pennsylvania, please visit the website of The Stanley Law Offices today.

"NPR" Anytime, Anywhere, Anyplace, Any pace! Listen to Radio Broadcasts on any Cell Phone.

Lately I have come across a few different websites where you can listen to your favorite radio shows for free on your cell phone. You dial in a number (for example you can call Lexy radio at 415-692-4933), where you can select from a menu of shows OR you can create a "playlist" online or by phone and listen to your favorites at anytime. Additionally, many of these sites (such as http://cellecast.com or http://foneshow.com) allow you to stop listening, hang up, and when you dial in again you can resume listening to your show at the place where you stopped! Nice.

I think listening to radio shows at anytime, from anywhere (waiting at the DMV or in the doctor's office...), at any pace (stop and start on the go) works well for the 21st Century student. Teachers can have their students create playlists of NPR, CNN, or other news-worthy shows.

One additional feature that many of these sites has is the ability to send segments of a particular show or Cellecast calls them "cell grams" to anyone else on their phone (recipients do not need to be registered with the service to do this). Teachers could send students segments to listen to as homework, or they could ask students to send them segments as a homework assignment. For example, teachers could ask students to find a broadcast that debates a historical issue or event. While waiting in line at the bus stop, students could listen to radio shows that focus on history using Cellecast, Foneshow, or Lexy and send the segment via phone to their teacher. The best part is that you do not have to register with Cellecast or Lexy in order to listen to the programs.

Create Mobile Audio Books for Free with Jott Feeds and DailyLit!

Recently I have been playing with the wealth of options in Jott Feeds and came up with an idea. Why not create Jott Feed Audio Books? This would be useful for students with visual impairments, for schools that may have a hard time purchasing the texts, or even just to help studnets who prefer their cell phone to a traditional read hear the book. Using a web site called Dailylit, you can create free RSS feeds for just about any classic piece of literature (I made one for Oscar Wilde's The Important of Being Ernest). Once you have the feed, you just paste it into Jott feeds and BAM! Call Jott anytime to hear your novel. Dailylit also has many current novels (but you have to pay for many of these). However, if you do make an RSS for one of the current novels, you really only have to pay a one-time fee of a few dollars and all of your students can use the RSS feed to hear the book. This may save a few trees and inspire students who normally do not read (or only look at Sparke notes) to actually listen on the go!

Digital Storytelling with Earfl

I stumbled across a new site called Earfl. It allows people to tell stories via cell phone (in 3 minute increments) that are posted online. They can be posted publicly or privately. In addition, you can add photos in the Earfl online account. One of my favorite aspects of this site (unlike audio-recording sites such as Voicethread, Gabcast, Gcast...etc) is that you do not need an account to get started! Just dial the Earfl number and tell your story (this is great for outside of class activities when you want students to document but do not have Internet access to set up an account).


I think this is a great resource for students/teachers who would like to do easy digital storybooks but do not have easy access to microphones and/or would like their students to get the audio portion of the assignment completed outside of class. Additionally students on field trips could call in their stories and then add photos later on (they could also use their mobile cameras to send pictures into their Flickr accounts). For example students who go to a historical village, could describe their experiences in the Noah Webster house, then go online and get images (via Flickr--which works with Earfl or other Creative Commons resources) and insert those images into their Earfl story. The stories can embed to websites, YouTube, and blogs too! Another great use for this site would be for students to use it as an oral diary or i-search project that spans over time. For example students could document their learning in a class by calling in once a week a story about their learning, then adding pictures associated with their learning. By the end of the school year, students have documentation of their learning and how far they have come over time.

There is also a nice group feature on Earfl, where you can join a group (and call in your story to add to a collection of stories, such as the Iowa Caucus story example below) or create your own group where people can join in and talk about their stories (again similar to Voicethread, and you do not have to have an account!). The stories play individually (which makes it easy to click and play the ones you are most interested in hearing). Also each individual story (while on the group page), has it's own embed code.





The last feature that I think is useful for classroom learning is the map feature. Here is one example of a map of stories about "tributes". When you set up a group, you automatically get a link to a Google map. Every time someone calls in to Earfl to add to a story to your group, the story (along with any images) will automatically be placed on the Google map. Therefore you can see exactly where in the world the stories are coming from! This might be a great feature for classes studying foreign languages or different concepts around culture and sociology.

Text Messaging Shakespeare!

An 11th grade English teacher Inez Brown is encouraging students to use text messaging to build their knowledge about Shakespeare. The students are using text messaging (in groups so not all students need to have a cell phone) to summarize and answer critical thinking questions (each text is 140 words or less) about Richard III. Since the students can only use 140 words or less, they need to consider how they word their answers and think of only the most important or profound pieces of the reading.

Using a tool like Wiffiti or Polleverywhere's Open Polls would be a nice addition to this text messaging assignment. Students could see all of their text messages immediately on the open boards. And a discussion could ensue.




Image retrieved from Phil Romans