Devices - Mobile Phones

Mobile Phones

Example Smart Phone

Mobile phones were originally developed to make and receive calls, but over the years they have developed into Smart Phones. These can be used for purposes that were never imagined when they were first launched, such as taking pictures or using the Internet. A smart phone is an example of a multifunctional device.

* Smart Phone—a phone offering advanced features, eg. The ability to send emails, surf the Internet.

* Multifunctional—having the ability to do many different things using the same device.

Some multifunctional features:

       3G; Camera; Bluetooth; WiFi; Personal Organiser; Calculator; MP3 Player; Internal memory; USB
       port; Predictive Text; Voice recorder; Alarm; GPS; Hands free device; Video calling; Games; SMS;
       MMS

Today mobiles can also
be used for other things such as GPS

Convergence is term given to technology that has developed to the point where what would traditionally be separate technologies converge into one device.  For example before Smart phones we would have carried around a separate phone, camera and GPS device.

How they Connect:  Mobile phones work by sending radio signals to the nearest phone mast. These phone masts are owned by various mobile phone operators so you need to have a contract or pay-as-you-go card to be able to make a connection.

In addition to the telephone service, mobiles can share information with others close by. This is achieved with Bluetooth. This is a short range technology (a few metres) that allows you to share photos and information with friends.

Another common way to communicate is WiFi. This is another radio technology that works over a much longer distance than Bluetooth. Usually WiFi is used to connect to the Internet although the usual telephone service allows you to do this as well.

3G is another way to connect.  3G = 3rd Generation.  Its the new mobile network, and 4G is currently starting to be used in the UK.  It lets you video call etc.  In simple terms it is a High-Speed Mobile Data Network !

—Bluetooth is a type of radio communication and networking protocol combined.  —It was designed so that devices that are close in proximity can exchange data, without the use of a cable (physical connection).  —The distance is usually within 10 metres of one another.  —This has enable people to for example: be able to have ‘hands-free’ phone conversations whilst driving a car.

Advantages of Bluetooth:

—Bluetooth takes very little power and therefore is ideal for battery operated devices such as mobile phones.

—It is completely automatic. Every Bluetooth enabled device will sense the presence of another device within range. They can do this because they share a ‘network protocol’ that allows them to share data.

—WiFi is a communication technology that makes use of radio waves in order to connect to a local area network.  A WiFi enabled device searches for the nearest WiFi base station. —Once a network is found, you can connect to it by providing the correct password. Some networks are not password protected and you can connect immediately. —The access points are called ‘Hot spots’. —The WiFi base station usually takes the form of a network router/ADSL modem. This router is often connected directly to the internet on a standard ADSL telephone line. This is why you are able to connect to the Internet using WiFi.

There can be issues with WiFi networks such as:

Security – you are broadcasting your network over radio waves and these are easily picked up by other devices within range. —To ensure that your wireless network is more secure it should be password protected.

WiFi uses a small number of radio channels to work. In a busy office this might mean a lack of channels making it difficult to make a connection.

POP3 / IMAP4

Both these terms refer to retrieving email.

POP3 is a popular way of retrieving email over your phone. Since POP3 creates local copies of emails and deletes the originals from the server, the emails are tied to that specific machine, and cannot be accessed via any webmail or any separate client on other computers.   You can retrieve emails but cannot reply to them.

IMAP allows users to log into many different email clients or webmail interfaces and view the same emails, because the emails are kept on remote email servers until the user deletes them. In a world where we now check our email on web interfaces, email clients, and on mobile phones, IMAP has become extremely popular.

Battery Life  Most features on a mobile phone will drain the battery to some extent. You need to know what features use the battery more than others. For example using features such as GPS and Watching Internet TV will drain the battery quickly because they are constantly updating the screen with new images, connecting to the internet and playing sound.

Memory: This determined the storage capacity of the phone. Memory is measured in gigabytes. The more memory the phone has, the more it can store. There are two very popular flash memory card formats available. SD cards (Secure Digital) and SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity).  You should know what memory cards can be used for (for example backing up your data and transferring files to another device).  SD cards are an example of solid state storage (solid state means that they have no moving parts)

Issues of using Mobile Phones:   Watch this clip on 'How to avoid RSI' from the BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9756391.stm

Phone Etiquette:   There are certain things that you should consider when using your phone.  Think of them as 'good manners' when using your phone.  These are things such as:

• Not using your phone in quiet public places like libraries
• Not using your phone whilst driving (unless on hands-free)
• Not using your phone to send insulting/upsetting/threatening messages
• Not using your phone to upload images to the internet of other people without their permission
• Recycle your 'old' phones
• Don't walk along using a mobile phone, you might cause an accident

etc



Security:

You will always want to keep your mobile phone (and the data it contains) safe.  There are a number of different things you can do to help:

Hide the phone.  Phones can be easily stolen if you are not keeping an eye on them (ie/ you leave it in the car!)
Set a PIN, biometric or password lock
Lock the SIM card
Record the unique IMEI number - your mobile service provider can block the phone using this number.
Restrict Bluetooth usage - 'Bluejacking' is where people nearby send anonymous messages to users who have left the Bluetooth switched on.