Cell Phones

In 1992 the first Smartphone was introduced to the world as a Concept product at the COMDEX computer industry trade show in Las Vegas., NV. The mobile phone was called “Simon” and its feature set included a touch screen, stylus, calendar, World Clock, address book, calculator, eMail, Fax, games and a note pad.

Smartphones have come a long way in just 17 years. Although many of the original features still exist, (Facsimiles? Really? Well, I guess it was still cool in 1992…) they’ve added things like Global Positioning Systems, Digital Cameras, Accelerometers, contact management, QWERTY keyboards, Media Software (for your .mp3’s and videos) and are seen operating across a range of platforms from “Windows Mobile” to Google’s Linux-based “Android” and the Mac OS X based “iPhone OS.”

According to Sacha Wunsch-Vincent of the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) these Smartphones are just “One Evolution in an Evolution …the deal here is to make the device as invisible as possible, between you, and what you want to do”

The obvious Question, then, is “What’s Next?”

Solar Panel LCD Screens

A little over a year ago, Apple filed a patent detailing how they can incorporate solar cells into mobile devices placing them behind the LCD screens. For those of us who don’t keep sunshine in our pocket, Idaho-based M2E has been developing a Kinetic Gadget Charger. Couple these green energy ideas with the recently released “Wireless iPhone Chargers” from Wildcharge and “Palm’s Touchstone Wireless” chargers for the Palm PRE and what have you got? Well, wireless energy for one. You won’t have the excuse that you forgot to charge your phone anymore, for another. Outdoor Enthusiasts or sailors would be able to use their Smartphones as a map and compass on week-long hikes and boat-trips, and with solar or kinetic energy, the Smartphone could very easily act as a fail-safe emergency beacon if anything unfortunate were to happen.

Ad Supported Wireless Service

Well now that we it can nearly charge itself, what else will our Smartphone do for us? How about pay for its own way?

If Hotmail was any indicator that users are willing to endure the occasional ad-banner, and the success of Google’s Adsense program is the continued trend, then an argument could be made for the use of ad-sponsored Smartphones. It’s as simple as it sounds: The user purchases their new or gently loved iPhone or Blackberry. They then subscribe to a monthly service provided by their preferred carrier which, in lieu of charging them a monthly fee, provides them with advertisements for useful products. Now while most people may not be fans of the idea, imagine having all the benefits of a Smartphone at no cost. If the carrier were really bright, they’d incorporate the sponsorships and advertisements in a way as unobtrusive (and effective) as possible, best serving the interests of their advertising clients as well as their service users.

Brain-Machine Interface

So the future of Smartphones is a bunch of gimmicks? Our iPhone and Palm PRE are doomed to a future of commercial sales-points that any chuckle-head with a marketing degree could imagine? It’s not likely. Think back to what Wunsch-Vincent of the OECD had to say. “…make the device as invisible as possible between you and what you want to do.”

Companies and institutes all over the world have been researching BMI (Brain-Machine Interface) for years now. Honda has a video floating around with their friendly little “Asimo.” A BMI controlled humanoid robot who Honda claims “responded correctly to human thoughts in more than 90% of all cases.”

The Fraunhoffer Institute in Berlin has spent over two years developing what they call a “Human brain-computer interface,” which, still in its infancy, can allow you to move a cursor around a screen or type a sentence in five to ten minutes. While many of us measure our ability to type in words per minute, ten minutes to compose a sentence isn’t long for a severely disabled person who hasn’t been able to communicate in years.

Augmented Reality

Last but not least there’s MIT Media Lab’s “Sixth Sense,” an Augmented Reality device which allows users to project digital data onto surfaces in the world around them, and interact with that data using natural hand gestures. Comprised of a projector, a camera and a mirror, and attached to a mobile computing device which could fit in a pocket, the “Sixth Sense” has potential to trump Apples ‘Dual Touch’ and Microsoft’s Surface Computers in size and potential.

Why are we suddenly talking about computers, though? Because it’s folly to look into the near future when asking a question like “What is the future of Smartphones.” With technology already in existence like I-Tech’s Virtual Laser Keyboard, the future of computers is the future of Smartphones.

The Sixth Sense is intended to make the internet a tactile, real-world phenomenon. A possibility exists where you can research the dietary nutrition of a product as you’re standing in the aisle of your grocery, purchase it immediately with the scan of a laser and walk out with your pockets full.

The future where a BMI-Smartphone can gauge the level of a users’ intoxication, disable their vehicle, call them a cab and then direct the cab driver by GPS sounds Orwellian, but might not be that far off.

Augmented Reality (that yellow “First Down” line in NFL football broadcasts) would only take a set of glasses, and your “NavMan” is painting the route in your line of sight, so you really can’t miss that blind driveway.

The only thing missing is an implant physically connecting us with our Smartphones. Considering how common Bluetooth headsets are, and the precedent set by the Software Designer who recently replaced his missing ring finger with a USB Drive, the Science Fiction of implanted Smartphones is rapidly becoming reality.

Cell phones are quickly become the center of mobile life. Not only are cell phones being used for personal health monitoring but the Chicago Times is reporting that Chicago residents may soon be able to pay for their public transportation by swiping their cellphone over a scanner.

Chicago’s public transportation authority is currently investigating the possibility of allowing passengers to use their cell phones to replace tickets. Using cell phones instead of tickets simplifies the process and makes life easier on daily commuters. And since cell phones can be waived over a scanning device to make payment, it would probably eliminate expenses for the Chicago Transportation Authority.

Savings simply from reducing the number of tickets printed would be about $650,000 per year.

Cell phones are the perfect technology for this kind of convergence. After all, more people carry cell phones than credit cards or bank cards. So why duplicate efforts when we could just carry one thing instead of multiple things? We expect this trend to continue and that people will be able to pay for more and more things with their cell phones in the future.

More and more people will be using their mobile phones for search in the coming decade. And California based Google knows this well. It’s a fact that is at the center of their growth strategy.

To acquire market share in the world of mobile search, Google has created a cell phone operating system called Android. This free operating system for cell phones is designed to offer ease of use and unique functionality in order to win customers over.

The first step, of course is to get the operating system into the hands of customers. And this requires that cell phone carriers choose to use Android. The good news is that in the global recession, cell phone carriers are looking for ways to generate new business. And many of them are starting to look to Google’s Android to provide this.

Case in point: DoCoMo, Japan’s largest cell phone carrier. They are ready to release their first Android powered cell phone in the hopes of gaining new customers and convincing old customers to upgrade phones.

There is also another perk for the cell phone carriers: with Android they receive a pricing advantage that allows them to either increase profit margins or lower prices to draw in more buyers.

You have waited months for the baseball season to begin. The length of time you have through which you have actually had to suffer is/was dependent on how well your favorite baseball team did/does during the regular season and (if your lucky) the playoffs. When the much anticipated new season finally arrives, life predictably and inevitable interferes with your enjoyment. Business meetings, college classes, your children’s special events always seem to happen at the same time as the baseball game you cannot wait to see. Though there are times you may be able to finagle a way to attend to your responsibilities and still enjoy the game, there are times when no amount of juggling or scheduling will fix the problem. And you just know because you are missing the game, something momentous and historic will occur because you are going to miss it.

Since the dawn of man (okay maybe that is a slight exaggeration), or at least since the dawn of baseball, baseball fans everywhere have had to live with and accept such circumstances. Some were able to get away with hidden radios. Others employed the neck crane; twisting their necks to try and see the television positioned at an impossible angle for viewing. But both techniques were flawed and exposed the avid baseball fan to reprimand and punishment when caught; which was pretty much a guarantee. That was the case until the advent of the mobile phone. Dedicated fans of the sport of baseball recognized an opportunity with the device and ingenious entrepreneurs recognized an opportunity. Tools could be created to keep these unfairly persecuted baseball fans in touch and current with up to the minute updates and information.

1. MLB.com Game day Audio: Never miss a home game again. With the live audio broadcasts fed straight to your phone, you will hear everything that goes on. Some away games are also available. The Blackberry Bold, Storm and Curve 8900 can access this option through the MLB.com Mobile Premium subscription package offered to Mobile Web users. iPhone and iPod touch will receive access with the MLB.com At Bat 2009 application. Windows Mobile Devices can also receive the audio feeds by subscribing at MLB.com to the Game day audio Mobile link. Other mobile devices which have streaming media playback capabilities can subscribe such as AT&T and Sprint. Check out the MLB.com website for details.

2. MLB Mobile 3-D game: Perhaps you may never have the opportunity to play professional baseball; but with the mobile 3-D game offered at MLB.com you can get one step closer to the real thing. Create your own custom team or use your favorite team. Update your roster. Enjoy interactive replays. Engage your favorite team in a full season of games with the season mode. Experience the thrill of playing in the World Series by playing the World Series Mode on the game.

3. At Bat Lite for the iPhone: Stay in the loop with up to the minute score updates. Receive current league standings. Access the entire schedule for the season. All of this is available for no cost at the App Store on MLB.com.

4. Team text and/or video Alerts: Receive up to 20 alerts via text message each week. Alerts sent during the game will tell you when lead changes occur and home runs are hit. The alerts will include summaries of the games. You can also expect an outline of the game highlights as they happen and lead changes so you don’t miss out. Breaking news reports and classic news are also featured with this application. The Team Video Alerts can be delivered to mobile devices with internet data plans and supported video capabilities. In addition to the text data, subscribers can opt to receive video messages delivered to their device. Enjoy up to five video alerts during each baseball game.

5. MLB.com Blackberry Desktop Icon: BlackBerry owners can download the MLB.com icon for a direct link to the MLB.com official web site. The icon serves as a one-click ticket to the latest news, updates, schedules, team rosters, player stats and anything else a baseball fan could want.

6. Baseball Calculator 2.1: Finally, someone understands the need to know exactly how fast that ball is going. With the baseball calculator, just click the start when the baseball is pitched and hit stop when the ball is hit or caught. The speed of the ball will automatically be calculated for you. The calendar feature provides both the best ball speed of the day and the average. You can view historical information. The graph provides an easy read of the data.

7. The Mickey Mantle Novel 1.0: Baseball lovers can read the novel written about the most famous baseball star of all time; Mickey Mantle, directly on their mobile device. This novel is a must read. You can read the book all it once or select by chapters. The book regales the reader with tales of the great star. Hear stories from his personal life, his great baseball moments, and enjoy the retelling of his favorite lewd jokes and references. Read about his alleged secret affair with the sexiest woman of all time, Marilyn Monroe. No self-respecting baseball fan will miss out on the opportunity to get the inside track on the man synonymous with the sport of baseball.

8. PDA Baseball Stats 3.51: More than 16,000 baseball players are stored in this free database which references teams dating back to the 1870’s. Just choose a name from the list provided. The database will pull up everything you could want to know about the player. Learn the date and place of birth and, if applicable, death. Find out where the athlete went to college. Know which hand the baseball star throws with and which he bats with. Get the height and weight and the date they turned pro. You can even find out what the baseball players made and what their nickname was.

9. Live Baseball Browser 1.1.7: Is your device internet capable with a WiFi connection? Do you have a subscription to the streaming media product at MLB.com? If so, you can watch the live baseball games on your mobile device. Not only will you get to see the games, you also receive the highlight clips. So the next time your game day plans are interrupted or superseded by an event you cannot afford to miss, you can rest easy knowing you can view the game while still attending to your responsibilities.

10. Sports Trivia (Baseball Pack 1) for Symbian 1.2: The 200 question trivia game will test your knowledge of your favorite teams and coaches throughout baseball history. The questions cover stats and great all-time records. You can track your scores and your times. This is the perfect game for baseball fans to help pass the time or as a fun introduction at parties or social events.

11. MLB Wallpapers and ringtones: What could be better than seeing your favorite team’s logo displayed on your screen each and every time you look at it? Choose from a variety of option available at MLB.com. You can select a logo, a mascot, or a specific player from the past couple of years. The vintage logos rouse sentiment for baseball nostalgia and the ringtones are guaranteed to make you feel as if you’re at the game every time your phone rings.

Thinking about all of the sneaky methods thieves employ to steal your personal information and what would happen if these lawbreakers succeed may well prevent a narcoleptic from ever sleeping again. At one time, it used to be that thieves had to work hard to retrieve personal information to steal your money. But today, thanks to the advancements in technology and the prevalence of electronic transactions, these crooks have merely to pay attention to the plethora of information being conveyed in private conversations being conducted publicly or retrieve the data stored in mobile phones. Some particularly conniving thieves will contact their victims directly and with a few well planned words, attain all the personal and financial information they need to swindle you out of your hard earned money.

It isn’t only the thieves who work alone who should concern you. Many thieves work within a network. A group of thieves will pool their various skills to serve a specific purpose within their group to ensure the success of a wide reaching, lucrative scheme. It is often more prosperous to steal from many people than just one. That one person may not have enough to offer to make the risk worth the effort. On the other hand, if you target a large number of individuals, the chance of success and the amount you walk away with will be much greater. Within the group of nefarious individuals will be spies; persons whose job requires them to retrieve the information by eavesdropping and/or other methods. And these spies are exceptionally skilled at gleaning the needed information.

Besides having concern about information being overheard or gained through trickery, anyone with a cellular phone should find the massive amount of personal data contained on these mobile device to be of great concern. A month of faithful trash picking couldn’t reap the plethora of information attained with just one glance at a cellular phone. The contact list or address book offers the names, numbers, and other identifying information of the persons closest to the cell phone owner and generally the most recent and current place of employment. The calendar reveals scheduled appointments and a glance into the individual’s daily life. The notes section could divulge anything from the type of work, regular purchases made, to interests and responsibilities. All of this information offers a telling glance into the identity of the individual to whom the phone belongs.

The emergence of smart phones had opened the owners of these advanced devices to serious identity and financial risk. These phones store website history, passwords including bank passwords, and email contacts and content. Any business records stored on the phone can be useful for aspiring identity thieves. Mobile banking applications allow users to create shortcuts for quick and easy access to bank accounts. Quick and easy for the user and theives alike. GPS is a modern marvel enjoyed by most; identity theives and criminals are not the exception. The GPS can serve as a marker for your photographs, permanently detailing the location of the pictures and offering a map to find your home and those of your friends and most frequented locations. Even something as seemingly innoccuous as employing one of the mapping applications can let a thief know where you’ve been and what places you have viewed most recently.

Bluetooth technology has experienced several snags in the security area. The most commonly associated issue has been named ‘Bluesnarfing’. A determined thief can obtain access to the data stored on your phone by entering through the bluetooth device. As security has improved on the bluetooth devices, so have the methods of infiltration. Malicious software is being employed to perform the task. Trojans, once installed on the cellular phone, can send the contact lists and other personal information to the party waiting at the other end of the next bluetooth device.

Let’s not forget about the favored form of cellular phone communication. No, not calling, texting. Texts disclose all manner of personal information and schedules. People text when they are running late, when they are on their way home, and when they have important events. Most people will not delete their texts immediately. Some people keep the texts as a journal of recent and current events to help remind and track dates and events. Think of the content of the text messages currently residing on your cellular phone. Just imaging the wealth of information it could provide a person with malicious intentions.

What does a person need to steal your identity? Surprisingly, not too much information is required to become you, on paper at least. Your name and address are the first steps to the new you. Your birth date, which could be found in the calendar on your phone or in text messages with well wishes, can be used as verification over the phone or in writing that the person with whom the agency is conversing is the right one. A driver’s license number can be helpful in the same regards. Credit card and bank account numbers are generally the ultimate goal. Once certain information is obtained, a person can even gain receipt of an individual’s social security number. It is the combination of these identifying facts which can be used to become a new person and to begin siphoning their resources and benefiting from the person’s good name.

It is with this type of information a thief can perform many destructive acts. New credit applications can be completed and credit extended, copies of birth certificates can be obtained, and new driver’s licenses issued. Insurance plans can be purchased and claims can even be filed and paid. People can purchase cars with new loans or attend college with government loans. A person can obtain employment under your social security number. New cellular phone accounts can be opened with the customary contract which usually comes with it. Your savings and checking accounts can be drained. Subscriptions to various services and new utility accounts can be opened. Imagine finding out your electric service is being turned off because of an outstanding bill of which you had no knowledge or cable service cannot be initiated due to a fraudulent account.

In light of all these facts and potential threats, it is imperative to take defensive action safeguarding your personal information. It can be difficult to sacrifice convenience for safety, but it is a necessity in these electronic times. It only takes seconds for your personal information to be transmitted to a criminal network. It takes experienced thieves less time to steal your identity, resources, and good name than it took you to establish them. Though there is some sacrifice and effort involved, it is well worth it. Because restoring your credit and identity can take years and sometimes is never fully complete. Identity theft can be a ghost which haunts you the remainder of your life.

Use this list to help you protect your information in our cellular world:

1. Make sure you know the make and model of your phone, the phone number, the serial/IMEI number, the PIN number and the descriptive details of the phone including color, shape, size and identifying features. Taking a picture of your phone is helpful. Staple the picture to a sheet of paper with the details noted above. If your cell phone is ever stolen, the police will need this information to help with their investigation.

2. Contact the network with whom you have service as soon as you realize your cell phone has been stolen. Ask that they block your phone across all networks so service cannot be obtained with another provider.

3. Use the PIN or security lock code option available with your phone to lock your phone when it is not in use. This will keep your valuable personal information safe from a thief who gains access to your phone.

4. A limited number of phones have a remote lock capability. If your cell phone has that option, familiarize yourself with how to do it and set up your phone for it. The feature will allow you to lock your cell phone and your memory card.

5. Use an ultraviolet marker to place a security mark on your cell phone and battery. It is recommended that you use two numbers of significance to you. Do NOT use an account or PIN number. You can use your zip code, your house number, a lucky number.

6. Clear your text messages and calendar entries as soon as possible. Entries of significance or sentimental value can be forwarded to your home email and printed out or stored on your computer’s hard drive.

7. Never elect to have passwords saved on your device or to stay logged on to your accounts from your cellular phone. Though it may save you a few precious seconds, it can cause you significant harm which will require a substantial amount of the time you cannot afford to waste.

8. Allowing your browser history to be saved for lengthy periods of time can offer some useful information to a savvy thief. Make sure your settings are such that eliminate the history as quickly as allowed. Let your home computer be the place you store that type of information if you must.

9. Protect your friends and families from identity theft. Do not keep comprehensive contact information stored in your phone. Imagine the harm that could befall your loved ones if you were to have their names, birthdates, email addresses, and relationship to you saved for anyone to see.

10. When engaged in a conversation in public, do not readily reveal personal data. If it is required, save the conversation for a time when you are in private. If the phone cal cannot wait and you must provide this type of information only do so if you have access to a secure area which limits the potential for strangers to overhear.

11. Don’t leave your phone out when it isnt’ in use. No point in making a thief’s job easy, is there? Keep your cell phone away whenever possible.

12. Register your cell phone with The National Mobile Property Register. This will make the process of getting your phone returned to you easier for the police. Report your cell phone missing, lost, or stolen as soon as you notice it.

13. Do NOT leave your phone visible in the car when you leave it there. Half of all cell phone thefts occur in vehicles.

14. Do NOT open texts from unknown or unfamiliar sources. These could be malicious software waiting to steal your information or encouraging you to visit a particular website with the intent of retrieving certain information.

15. Report suspicious activity or issues with service immediately. Overage charges could be caused by malware texts or by someone gaining access to your service and using to attack other people.

16. Avoid using downloadable software unless it is from a trusted source or has been deemed acceptable by a trusted source.

17. Disable remote capabilities when they are not in use to limit the opportunity for information being retrieved in that manner.

18. Encrypt your information if you must keep it on your cell phone. Some devices offer the option to encrypt files or the software to do it.

It’s estimated that Americans have over 130 million cell phones are retired each year and up to 500 million old cell phones are sitting in storage. Many people just assume that their old cell phones are junk.

However, it just might be that your old cell phone is worth some money. As an incentive for recycling old cell phones, there are many paid recycling programs that are emerging. One of the most prominent of these programs comes from CellForCash.com where people are offered between $5 and $150 for their used cell phones.

If you’re wondering how the recycling company recoups its investment, here’s how: they extract precious metals from some phones and donate other phones to charities (tax write-off).

Recycling your old cell phone is not only good for the environment but could provide you with some extra money at the same time. So consider digging that old cell phone out of the closet and checking to see whether it’s eligible for a reputable recycling program.