July « 2011 « Sell Your Mobile

July, 2011

News — No Comments
29
Jul 11

Android gets Google+

It is nothing surprising that Android gets Google+, after all, Android is a product from Google itself. Android’s Google+ app is indeed very clever. The mobile app is intuitive and excellently designed, though of course it has a few flaws. If you didn’t know much about the Google+ app, you would probably think that it is designed specifically for mobile application.

As the application is opened, a home screen appears which includes most of the main elements such as Profile, Photos, Circles, Stream and Huddle. Interestingly, the element called Hangouts, used for video conferencing, is missing though Google is currently planning to add it sometime soon.

The moment you tap on any icon, it takes you to an inner screen which perfectly fits all the G+ elements within itself, without looking even a bit cluttered. The navigation is fairly easy and convenient too. When you tap on Circles, a list of Circles appears and after tapping on a particular one while using the bottom tabs, a list of people in that Circle appears. From there, the photos and/ or posts that you wish to see can be filtered.

One interesting thing about the Google+ app is its location awareness, which the web-based version lacks. If you wish to see posts from only the people near you, you can filter them accordingly with great ease. This feature is very useful and was demonstrated in one instance, when a Google+ user needed a bicycle pump for specific wheel type and was able to get it from someone nearby who had it.

Mobile Phone Recycling — No Comments
27
Jul 11

Recycling Your Cell Phone

The usage of SmartPhones, MP3 and MP4 players and computers is quite high in the UK. Additionally, the tablet market in the UK is growing significantly with the number of portable electronics increasing by the day. Such gadgets are extremely useful as they enhance our lives but are also harmful when they are not discarded efficiently and fill up our land with toxic waste.

Have you heard about sellyourmobile.info, the site that not only provides the UK cell phone consumer with an unbiased online comparison but also helps in discarding old gadgets in an eco-friendly manner?

It’s very simple to recycle your mobile!

You can easily know what deals recyclers are offering for any particular gadget by just a few clicks. You not only have great offers for recycling most popular items such as the SmartPhones and cell phones, but also for the iPod, the tablet and even the SLR camera.

Become environmentally responsible!

By choosing to recycle, you are not only steering clear of huge piles of toxic waste, but are also helping minimise the environmental problems which result from e-waste. Recycling your mobile phone is extremely important even if you do not recycle your daily household waste, as after all, the household waste does not leak toxins into our soil and ground water.

Become socially responsible!

Yes, you may have been done with your old phone and no longer wish to use it, but that in no way means that its life is over. Recycling programmes such as the one sellyourmobile.info offers, help in refurbishing old cell phone and give them a new meaningful life.

Mobile Phones — No Comments
26
Jul 11

Video Editing Company JayCut Acquired by RIM

JayCut, the Swedish video editing company, popularly known for its online editing software has recently been acquired by Research in Motion (RIM), the makers of BlackBerry tablets and SmartPhones. An announcement was made recently by RIM in this regard.

RIM has hinted that they are planning to use JayCut’s knowledge and expertise for enhancing the specs on the BlackBerry PlayBook (a tablet PC that can record videos in full high definition with 1080 pixels). Therefore, I would be all excited and looking forward to a brand new video editing application, if I were a PlayBook owner.

None of the two companies have disclosed any details about the whole arrangement. However, going by a recent update on the JayCut website, one thing is clear that the company will remain focussed on their current video editing and cloud-based software projects.

I cannot comment on your opinion about BlackBerry, if anything, but I remain a bit partial to the offerings from RIM. I recall when RIM used to be cutting-edge and how at that time I was shooed away from a Verizon store by the store clerk for drooling over a BlackBerry.

Despite its secured corporate communications expertise being replicated by several companies (T-Mobile just collaborated with Good to provide swift access to Good technology to Android customers), BlackBerry has not yet given up on the race. Every one is hoping that this new acquisition and many other things will ensure that BlackBerry remains a force to reckon with in the ever changing marketplace. We all want BlackBerry to succeed as competition is important. I am sure none of us would like a world with just Android and iOS.

Mobile Phones — No Comments
25
Jul 11

The Patent Wars

Have you ever wondered what’s happening behind the scenes when on one side, we are absolutely fascinated with the new technology from the major cell phone manufacturers? They are indeed at war, and if it was anybody’s guess, it is over patents.

Just last week, the US International Trade Commission charged the popular mobile phone manufacturer HTC for infringing upon 2 of Apple iPhone’s patents. However, an appeal has been submitted by HTC who is also threatening Apple to justify its position with reference to the patents that they gained when S3 Graphics was acquired. HTC’s CEO, Peter Chou, in a statement to BBC, also added that they are sure to win as they have enough patents in order to make a stand. Peter also mentioned that one should engage in such fights over customers only in the market place, not in courts.

On a similar front, Apple targeted Google, the manufacturers of Android, which also happens to be the operating system in the HTC handsets. A patent expert, Florian Mueller, strongly believes that Apple’s case against HTC draws straight to the core of ‘operating system functionalities’ of Android. Due to this reason, he feels there could be a serious patent implication on the complete Android ecosystem.

As if all this was not enough, Apple has also targeted Samsung Electronics in a case of patent infringement. Interestingly, Samsung has counter-sued Apple stating that the latter is fringing on few of its own patents alone in the US (approximately 28,700 patents are being held by Samsung).

Luckily, for us as customers, smartphone technology is continually moving forward and that is what matters!

Mobile Phones — No Comments
22
Jul 11

Carphone Warehouse Targets Small UK B2B

A recent Mobile Magazine online report informed that Carphone Warehouse is actively taking initiatives to obtain a bigger chunk of B2B market. It is specifically targeting local traders and SME customers by offering them a wide range of networks, tariffs, tablets and SmartPhones meant specifically to meet their needs.
With the help of these B2B schemes, the Carphone Warehouse intends to add its own tariffs to the tariffs offered by other operators. Going by Graham Stapelton’s (CCO, Company Warehouse) statement, these new tariffs will fill the gaps in current business offerings in the marketplace.
While in conversation with the Mobile Magazine, Mr. Stapleton stated that they perceived this new step as a significant strategy. Carphone Warehouse is still far from earning a good percentage of market share that constitutes over 10 million business mobile phone users. He believes that the company’s service proposition will be the differentiating factor and they are well equipped to create tremendous value for their subscribers.
Apart from offering the widest range of phones, tablets and tariffs, the Carphone Warehouse will also offer ‘Network Price Promise.’ This means that when the users will sign up with Carphone, not only will they obtain lowest prices, but also a 14-day coverage guarantee which will allow them to test the waters and even opt for alternative networks in case they are not happy with the reception. Moreover, Carphone Warehouse will provide an express handset replacement and a ‘Walk out Working’ service too.
Mr. Stapleton feels that the mobile phone networks are behind them in this regard. It is an excellent opportunity for Carphone Warehouse to bring small companies and sole traders on board which the existing B2B services are not able to do presently.

Mobile Phones — No Comments
21
Jul 11

iPhone App Released: You on Google Plus?

Google Plus is addictive. It has been a week now since I added myself to the app and already spend a lot of my time exploring its features on my Android mobile. It has been there on the Android software for a while, but only yesterday have the millions of iPhone users got their first whiff of it. Google released it a while back along with its other app, but Apple as usual has been a little slow integrating it with their interface. The response so far is largely positive.

Both the iPhone as well as the Ipod Touch can use it comfortably, but there is still a bit of difficulty on the iPad on account of it not being on the original software and the experience is largely muted. Hence, the iPad users, for the time being, would like to stick to the mobile site.

Some of the app features are as follows:

• Nearby circle – On swiping towards the right side from mainstream view, one can view posts from different Google+ users, which is especially nice if one is at an event or a concert.

• Push notification – Only offered by the app and not by the mobile site, it allows you to know when somebody comments on what you are following or adds you to his/ her circle.

• Check-in – Though it is a part of the mobile site, this feature on the iPhone allows you to add photos even.

• Huddles – It just doesn’t matter on which platform you and your friends are, whether it is Android or the iPhone, you can group chat with ease.

Mobile Phones — No Comments
20
Jul 11

Protect your Mobile from Hackers

As more and more information about the hacking scandal of The News of the World is coming out in the open, everyone is feeling dismayed about the level of unethical behaviour possible. We are not only appalled at the terrible incident, but wonder that any of us, including you and me, could have fallen prey to it. This is not a spectator sport and requires careful thought.

Lesson learnt: protect your mobile phone. Though no one can guarantee that it will be 100% hacker-proof, but the least we can do is to make it difficult for the hackers to get in. Follow these tips for your safety:

• Use features like key lock or password protection to lock your mobile. It is quite a task to unlock it before every use, but at least will save you few worries if it gets stolen.

• Do not share any mobile numbers on forms unless it cannot be avoided.

• Keep your mobile phone’s firmware up to date. To make it slightly easier, turn on the auto-feature option so it will automatically prompt you for an update.

• Become aware of your mobile phone’s tracking feature and familiarize yourself with it.

• Do not give any information via text to any person or service that is not known to you. Thieves and scammers also thrive on such information.

Above all, the most important thing is to apply this advice to all portable gadgets that you have – be it netbook, laptop or tablet. And saving your passwords is like giving away the keys of your car to the hacker thief.

Mobile Phone Recycling — No Comments
13
Jul 11

Recycling Your Mobile: Why is it so Important?

Roughly every year to may be a year and a half and at the most, every two years, the average person in the UK changes his mobile phone.

Each time a contract is renewed or the handset is bought SIM-free to be able to choose a mobile service provider of one’s own choice, people get new mobile phones. But what about the “old” mobile that they are replacing? Though the mobile users in the UK are getting slightly better about recycling, it is a long way still for majority of us who are still discarding the old mobiles improperly.

Whether or not we like it, but this is the truth. Most of us just don’t use our mobiles for so long that they really become ‘rubbish’. Unfortunately, we have this habit of treating them just like rubbish and putting them away in a drawer even though we are not going to use it. As a result, it anyways becomes old while remaining unused.

To get rid of any unwanted mobile, you can choose from the various options available:

• Trading the old mobile towards a new phone
• Selling it to a friend or through an auction site
• Giving it to any family member
• Selling it to one of the high street shops which buy mobiles

Though each of the ways mentioned above is considered ethical and responsible, if you are specifically looking to get some cash for your old phone, sellyourmobile.info is the way to go.

Mobile Phones — No Comments
11
Jul 11

Service Plan for Mobile: Things to Look For

Each time we have to choose a new cell phone service plan, our attention is often diverted towards the mobile phone that will go with it. Due to this reason, most of the times, the finer points of the contract get overlooked. It is worth noting down these important points before signing on the dotted line and binding yourself to a 2-year contract with a cell phone service provider:

• Availability of grace period: Whether or not the company offers a grace period for you to check the phone as well as the services and how long that grace period is for. It makes sense to trial run all services you’ve chosen in order to ensure that they are the ones you really need and alteration, if any, can be done.

• Duration of the contract: Ranging from monthly contracts to two-year commitments, one must know what he/ she is getting into, before signing on the dotted line.

• Number of minutes available and tracking the use of minutes between bills.

• Extra fees: Whether any additional fees or roaming charges are associated with the contract, including how the international travel tariff is treated. It has so happened that mobile users inadvertently get charged heavily for international roaming.

• Economy of a bundle plan: Whether a bundle or data plan including web browsing, multimedia services and email may save you some money.

• Early cancellation policy: Whether any charges or penalties are associated with early cancellation.