Cell Phone Hub

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Why aren’t all cell phones compatible? There are two answers to this question. First, there are various different types of radio frequencies and encoding services which different cell phone services use - and if your phone doesn’t receive the frequency and encoding of the local service, it becomes, of course, useless.

The second problem is a commercial issue - your phone will only work on other companies’ services if there is a cross-billing (i.e. roaming) agreement between the mobile network suppliers. Roaming is common within the US, but becomes more problematic internationally.

To get cell phone service in another country you need both a compatible phone and a compatible account. Your best bet is to rent a cellular phone, either in the US or overseas, but be sure you get one that will be compatible internationally in the countries you plan on travelling to. There are several different ways of getting airtime as well. Read on for an explanation of all these issues and suggestions on the best way to get a phone working.

Frequency and Compatibility Issues

The good news is that almost everywhere in the world (except for the US and Canada) uses GSM type digital cell phone service. This service was originally at a frequency of 900 MHz and now increasingly is being upgraded to an 1800 MHz service. If you have a GSM phone, in theory you can access service in 212 different countries! Although the US and Canada have some GSM service, most cellular phone services are of a different type and a different frequency as well!

Unfortunately, the GSM service in North America is in different frequency bands to the rest of the world - 1900 and sometimes 850 MHz instead of 1800 and 900 MHz. And there is no way that a 1900MHz phone will work at 1800 MHz (or vice versa). Frustrating, isn’t it!?

Note that not all other countries use regular 900/1800 MHz GSM. Notable exceptions include Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, and some Central/South American countries, although there may be some limited coverage GSM networks in these countries, and/or GSM networks at the US 1900MHz frequency.

By Alison White. For a guaranteed compatible selection of mobile phone rentals and international cellular phone rentals please visit www.cellhire.com.

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Would you care to offer an opinion on what a person should do with his obsolete cell phone? Now, now… We don’t want to hear about what you thought that guy who was talking on his cell phone during the movie should do with it… The bad manners of a few people aside, cell phones do pose a significant waste disposal problem for society.

INFORM, an environmental research organization partly funded by the EPA, has estimated that cell phones are typically used only for about 18 months before being replaced. Calling plans are often packaged with free or low-cost cell phones, which often makes keeping your current phone economically disadvantageous. Thus, many cell phones face their demise before they have become technologically obsolete, and the waste stream gets not only the cell phones that are truly unusable, but also those that are simply no longer the best deal for the owner.

As of 2001 (the last year figures were available), there were 129 million cell phone users in the US, with 400 million users worldwide. In the coming years, as population and market penetration for cell phones both increase, the number of cell phones destined for the waste stream will continue rising. With such a short average lifespan for each cell phone, it’s easy to perceive the magnitude of the cell phone disposal problem. INFORM estimates that by 2005, nearly 130 million cell phones will be discarded every year in the United States.

How does this affect the environment? In addition to the volume of landfill space that cell phones could take up, they also contain toxic chemicals such as:
- arsenic (used in some semiconductors)
- brominated compounds (used as flame retardants)
- lead (used in the solder that attaches components to circuit boards)

These and other cell-phone toxins enter the environment when discarded cell phones are incinerated or when rainwater leaches the materials out of landfilled phones. Many of the toxic compounds in cell phones are found on the EPA’s list of “persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals.” EPA warns that these substances can cause a range of adverse human health effects, including damage to the nervous system, reproductive and developmental problems, and cancer. Eek! Call a doctor!

So, what is a highly mobile, well connected cell-phone lover to do with a phone they no longer need?

Well, if you could go back in time, you could reconsider the waste issue when evaluating your current cellular-service package. True, you can’t do that; but here in the present, you can include the disposal issue when considering whether or not to renew your current plan or go with a one. If your phone still works fine, choosing a plan that allows you to keep it is the best option from an environmental standpoint. If you do decide you want a new phone, you can still take the waste issue into account to avoid finding yourself in the same situation a year later. Don’t accept a plan where the economically intelligent thing to do again will be to throw away a perfectly functioning phone.

Inevitably, at some point you will probably have a still-working but money-stupid cell phone on your hands. If so, you may be able to give it back to the manufacturer for reuse or recycling. Two major cell phone manufacturers, Nokia and Motorola, offer take-back programs. Or you can donate your phone to certain charitable organizations that can put them to good use. Two such organizations are:
- Collective Good (http://www.collectivegood.com)
- Donate A Phone (http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/DonateaPhone/index.cfm)

There are other donation options, and new ones are likely to come up in the future. To find out how else you might find a good home for your old cell phone, or to figure out how to just recycle it, visit:
- The Wireless Foundation (http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/)
- The cell phone industry’s recycling site (http://www.recyclewirelessphones.com/)

In grocery stores and restaurants, in traffic, and even sometimes while sitting on the can, cell phones are becoming an essential part of an efficient lifestyle for many people. Only you can prevent the flushing of perfectly good cell phones!

Finally, we just want to mention that it’s not true that our cell phone has the president on speed-dial #1. We did for a while, but the Secret Service made it clear that our “ideas for putting more humor into governance” were not welcome.

For jokes, cartoons, and more great environmental information, visit http://www.grinningplanet.com .

About the Author
Mark is a writer, financial analyst, web developer, environmentalist, and, as necessary, chef and janitor. Grinning Planet is an expression of Mark’s enthusiasm for all things humorous and green, as well as a psychotic desire to work himself half-to-death. Hobbies include health foods, music, getting frustrated over politics, and occasionally lecturing the TV set on how uncreative it is.

There are very few people in this world who posses the kind of social graces intrinsic to the characters in an Austen novel. Some would argue the children of the “information revolution” lack social propriety altogether. Despite the rumours that etiquette is dead, many of us do manage to exercise a little common courtesy toward our fellow man. After all etiquette exists simply to make the whole society caper a little less confrontational. The introduction of wireless communication has taken social interaction to an unprecedented level. Mobile technology allows people to communicate regardless of time or location, giving rise to a raft of contemporary etiquette concerns. Foremost among these concerns is consideration for the sensibilities of those in our physical presence when we take a call. Is it impolite, for example, to conduct a phone conversation whilst engaged in a carnal act? The contemporary socialite must also extend courtesy to the absent caller. Is it offensive to conduct a telephone conversation whilst using the toilet? This article offers guidance to the bewildered and brutish.

1. It is a truth universally acknowledged that cell phones must be switched off in the theatre. There is absolutely no excuse. Offenders shall be tarred and feathered. Obviously, this also applies to the cinema, the symphony and spoken word and performance art. Rock concerts and hip-hop shows are generally considered exempt, however, a punter with his fingers in his ears screaming “Huh? huh? huh?” into his cell is a frightful sight.

2. When piloting an automobile, use a hands-free device or resist answering incoming calls. Not only is it dangerous to talk and drive, it is illegal in many countries. Care should be taken not to incite road rage in other motorists. Furthermore, chatting vacuously on your cell while mounting the footpath will pique pedestrians.

3. Conducting loud cell phone conversations on public transport should be avoided at all costs. To believe that other commuters ought to be interested in your conversation is narcissistic at best, to subject travelers to your confabulation is an indulgence. Moreover, as one clever blogger puts it, there is a special circle of Hell reserved for people who, upon buying a new phone, cycle through every available tone on the bus or train on the way home.

4. When in the company of others, neither take nor make telephone calls. Nothing is more irksome than being spurned by a friend whose frequent cell phone conversations take precedence over live tete-a-tete. Answering an incoming call in an interview or business meeting is a faux-pas that is to be avoided at all costs. To observe basic cell phone etiquette is neither difficult nor inconvenient. Technology such as cell phones create many possibilities for the advancement of society; society is founded upon mutual regard for one another. Always refer to the fundamental principle of good manners: treat others as you yourself wish to be treated. As for holding a cell phone conversation on the toilet…ignorance is bliss.

About the Author:
Emily Sims has published several articles on ringtone culture, and mobile content related issues. Emily contributes to a weblog, The Foovely Files, which she hopes someone, somewhere is reading.

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Do you have conversations over the phone that you do not want others to hear? If so, then it may be necessary to protect yourself from cell phone bugs. Cell phone bugs are just as high tech as many other bugs, and can pose even more of a threat, since they are harder to detect. Depending on the bug that is used to listen to your conversation, you might not even realize that someone nearby can hear every word crystal clear.

Even if most of your conversations are of little importance, it is a good idea to make sure that you are well protected against cell phone bugs when you make a vital phone call. It is possible to decrease your chances of being listened to if you follow a few simple steps to avoid eavesdroppers.

Go somewhere where you know you’ll be alone. Some cell phone bugs intercept signals being sent. A person who looks like she or he is speaking on a cell phone has a special device that allows him or her to hear what you are saying on the phone. Additionally, make sure you are in a place where you can watch for newcomers.

Beware the charging or forgotten phone. Many cell phone bugs look just like they are charging or like their owner forgot them. If you see a cell phone charging or lying nearby unattended, go someplace else. Someone may be listening in via the innocent looking phone.

Don’t accept new cell phones as gifts. The latest in cell phone bugs is a phone that works like a regular phone, but has a secret access number. If someone gives you a cell phone as a gift, be aware that he or she may be able to dial the phone and not only listen to what you saying while you are on the phone, but activate the cell phone’s microphone in order to hear anything that is going on inside the room.

With a little vigilance, you can avoid eavesdroppers through cell phone bugs. Best of all, if you use ingenuity you can “plant” false information for eager ears. You can outsmart surveillance and the use of cell phone bugs.

About the Author
By Kingston Y. Amadan. To learn more about Spy and Surveillance Products visit http://www.spyassociates.com Read other related articles at http://spyassociates.blogspot.com/

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Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone? – Cartoon caption by James Thurber.

But I say, “I will not pick up my cellphone even if you called the right number. Message/Text me.”

Let’s put this straight: cellphones are a threat to both your privacy and your grey matter – in the literal way.

You go to a party and find a really beautiful girl. You know that you have to talk to her. And that’s exactly what you do. You grab two glasses of champagne and head towards her.
“Euhem,” you manage to utter. She turns to look at you. She smiles and you hand her the champagne. Then out of nowhere, your cellphone vibrates in your pocket.
“Oh shit!” you say. She glares at you and asks, “sorry?”

Damn the cellphone. What’s more, it was only mum calling to check whether you are all right.

Anywhere you go somebody can call you. Little by little, you’ve become an answering machine. And you don’t even have a moment for yourself because the cellphone always rings/vibrates when you least need it to. Because cellphones actually do obey Murphy’s Law!

But then you might say that you don’t even have a private life anymore, so why bother. Well you have to know that cellphones may damage people in other ways.

Only a small amount of energy is emitted by a cellphone. However even this amount will cause stress responses in your cells and affect your reflexes.

Cellphone radiation can even cause molecular changes in your cells. An experiment was performed by a Finish team to prove this. 4500 genes in human cells, cultured in laboratory, were exposed to cellphone radiation for only 48 hours. More than 20 genes were found to have had their activity rate interrupted. Now in your brain alone are billions of genes. Even if a small group of cells will be perturbed, the group isn’t really small at all. It still contains several millions of genes. Are you prepared to lose these genes and consequently the cells then?

Cellphone radiation has yet another effect on your grey matter. It increases blood-vessel permeability in the brain. This permits molecules normally excluded from the brain to seep in. This same thing happens in rats’ brains. It is now thought that this bleach in the blood-brain barrier may be accompanied by the death of brain cells. If however you like the fact that all types of I-don’t-know-what molecules are pouring into your ‘defeated’ brain, then only may you continue to use your cellphones regularly. But don’t blame me; blame yourself.

And yes; you’re right! A rat’s brain is not like a man’s one. In fact the energy absorbed by the rat is really low compared to what a person gets when using a cellphone! And what if the effects add up over time? Maybe your head will literally explode.

Neuroscientist, W. Ross Adey of Loma Linda University says, “You have to ask, ‘How much can people handle before it becomes a significant problem?’”

Cellphones may come in handy when you’re in need. But remember that many of your cells are dying every time you pick up the cellphone. Hang up!

About the Author
Khalil A.Cassimally is the editor in chief of Astronomy Journal and Astronomy Journal Ezine. He is also the co-founder of the RCPL Astronomy Club. He is currently Senior Columnist at BackWash.com and Columnist for bbc.co.uk h2g2 The Post where he writes ‘Not Scientific Science’ column.

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Today a mobile phone does not exist by itself only. There are cell phone accessories to accompany it. A few companies like sony ericsson phones come with their own sets of accessories.