Considering it?s a device that contains a huge chunk of our lives, it?s surprising that many of us
give no more thought to how we take care of our mobile phones than we do to tossing away a
paper coffee cup. Yet when you think of it, these devices are incredibly fragile, made up of
dozens of miniscule components, some of them no thicker than a hair.

The truth is, we can make our mobiles last a lot longer by following just a few basic easy-care
tips.

* Protect your mobile against dampness
* Safe storage, away from dust and dirt
* Buy a properly fitted cover for your mobile – and use it
* Keep your mobile away from children and pets
* Keep your mobile battery properly charged, and get into the habit of doing it on a
regular basis
* Treat your phone as if it was made of thin glass. It?s fragile.
* Never, ever clean it with cleaning solvents or wet cloths. Use a soft, dry, dust-free
cloth instead.

Safe Practices Around Water, Children And Pets

Client Care Representative Rosemary of Telus Mobility (“We?re not allowed to give out our
surnames…”) passionately offered a fascinating insight into some of the most common
mishaps that befall mobile devices. She admitted some of the causes of breakage are “a sore
point” with her.

“The most common call I get related to broken cell phones has to be water damage. Number
one would be spilling coffee on it. Number two, dropping it in the toilet. But I get a
surprisingly high number of calls from people who have given it to their toddlers to play with,
or rescued it from the dog. Saliva – and that goes for baby-drool like you wouldn?t believe –
does more damage than you could ever think possible.

“Besides which – cell phones are not good for babies to play with. Even an old, dead one. If
you?re going to give it to your kid to play with, at least take the battery right out and make sure
there are no bits that can come off.”

Heat Can Do More Mobile Damage Than You May Think

Another source of damage that surprises people, says Rosemary, is heat damage. And that
includes:

* Leaving your mobile in a hot car on a summer?s day
* Talking for too long (causes overheating)
* Listening to music for extended periods of time
* Charging your phone in an enclosed space, without proper ventilation around it
* Setting your phone down on a heat source such as a radiator, or on a counter next to a
hot stove

“They?re pretty delicate. You can?t treat them like a book,” she cautions.

“And buy a cell phone that locks – one that won?t turn on automatically if it gets pressed
against something in your purse.”

What was Rosemary?s strangest mobile damage query?

“We had a guy who phoned us to see how to get potato salad out of his brand new Nokia N82.
He said that after a week, it was still working, but he was bothered because it was starting to
smell like egg.”

So what did Rosemary recommend?

“I told him to take it to his nearest Nokia dealer!”

This information was provided by the Folks at http://2gsm.mobi Where you can find tools, tips,
videos and MobiBooks formatted for your Mobile Phones and Kindle.

You?ve been dreaming of that Blackberry? Storm? 9530 for ages. But when you get to the
mobile phone store, the salesman talks you into a Blackberry? Tour? 9630 instead (at almost
one hundred bucks more!)

Are you happy about it?

That depends. Did the salesman upsell you because he realized from proper questioning there
were features you wanted that the Tour had but the Storm didn?t – or did he just upsell you to
make you spend more money?

The fact is, it pays to do your homework on many, many levels, before you buy your next
mobile phone.

The other fact is… the majority of people I surveyed admitted they bought their mobile phones
based on fashion and prestige, rather than functionality.

The other major trend I noticed: most cited camera function as a vital feature. Most admitted
they did not buy the original phone they?d had in mind. All were upsold to a more expensive
handset.

And 60% of them were already regretting their purchase for a variety of reasons. (That?s an
awful lot of unhappy mobile users!)

Rosemary of Telus Mobility says that people “tend to lose or break phones more” when they?re
unhappy with their purchase. (A subconscious wish to be rid of them?)

And sometimes, there?s no option for replacement, if they?re on a tight budget, with a high-end
Smartphone – and they?ve just renewed their mobile plan, which means they don?t qualify for
another hardware discount till the end of the next plan renewal period.

So how do you prevent:

1. Being upsold purely for the salesman?s gain
2. Buying a phone that doesn?t have the features you really wanted
3. Paying far more than you budgeted – or seeing the same phone seriously discounted
somewhere else?

Tips To Help You Stay Happy With Your Mobile Purchase

The first place you might wish to start? Sit down and decide:

* Why you are buying a mobile?
* What you are going to use it for the most?
* What features are absolute essentials?
* What is your budget?

Once you?ve answered these questions – and only then – get online and start researching phone
models.

TIP: Start with your mobile plan company website first. If you purchase a mobile through
their stores, you may be eligible for a discount – besides which, phones purchased at another
company?s stores may not be compatible with your cell phone plan provider?s programming.

Once you?ve narrowed your phone list down to 6 or less phones, it?s time to phone your cell
phone company.

Ask how close you are to your plan renewal date. Tell the Client Care representative that you
are going to seek a new mobile, and ask if there are any offers provisioned for your account.
After all, why pay $149.99 for a Blackberry? at another dealer?s if you can get the exact same
phone through your cell phone plan provider for $0 – merely by renewing your contract for 3
years instead of one?

Here are some more tips to help you narrow your search further:

* Do you like clamshell (hinged flip phone) or sliders? (Smartphones usually come in
slider form.)
* If you want a Smartphone, are you more comfortable with keyboards or touch screens?
* What color do you want – and how important is color and style to you, at the end of the
day?
* What phone plan will you have to take, if you upgrade to a high-end Smartphone? (You
should probably consider an unlimited data plan – at least $40 more per month than
you?re used to paying, but well worth it in functionality, ease of use and savings.)

If your main use is staying in contact by voice, with the occasional text message, and you?re on
a tight budget, consider a lower-end mobile flip phone. Explore other features these don?t have
by all means, just to see what you?re missing. This exercise may make you drool – but it will
also help you fend off those upselling salesmen at the mobile store!

If you seriously want to use your mobile more for computing purposes and as an organizer,
consider a Smartphone or high-end PDA. You?ll thank yourself every time you use it.

TIP: If you?re absolutely sure of the model you want, you can order online or by phone from
your mobile phone plan provider.

Finally, if you really haven?t a clue about the mobile of your dreams or about the features you
want, start out at About.com?s 20 Questions: Reveal Your New Cell Phone page. Clicking on a
multiple choice answer will take you to the next question, narrowing your search down further
and further – and you?ll learn all about those confusing features and factors in a painless and
lightning fast way.

This information was provided by the Folks at http://2gsm.mobi Where you can find tools, tips,
videos and MobiBooks formatted for your Mobile Phones and Kindle.

Here?s a novel concept: Use your mobile phone to pay for itself – by making money directly
from its use. mGinger promises to allow its country?s mobile phone population to do just that.

The premise is simple: Allow this Indian company to send through a maximum of 10
permission-based SMS ads per day, targeted for your particular interests, and receive a small
payment. In addition, each ad you share or refer will add to your earnings.

Although legitimate and backed by $200 million in funding from investors, the company only
started in 2007, and initially seemed to be having problems getting ad sponsors. Several people
complained in blogs or forums about only getting one or two SMS ads, total, after being signed
up for at least a month. But when you consider it takes the average offline business a good two
years to make any impact at all towards functionality, their concern was perhaps premature.

If you visit mGinger?s site today, however, you?ll see a professional, well-designed portal with
links and stats supporting their stated potential and goals. You can read their ongoing press and
media coverage, as well as press releases.

A scrolling list of “top earners” shows the maximum payout (as of this date of writing) at 7,404
Indian Rupees. (That works out to $155.494 US Dollars.) It?s a far cry from “real internet
wealth”, but hey – it just might pay your mobile phone bill and data plan. And you get free
games and coupons too. (You receive your first payout check when your account has
accumulated 300 rupees.)

mGinger lists itself as an “opt in permission based marketing portal”, and has proactively
added incentives like “mCoupons”, showing that the company is innovative and marketing-
oriented. Their staff is openly listed, and in February 2009, mGinger won a Global Youth
Forum?s Star Youth Achiever Award (ages in the company range from 25 to 36 years old).
Appearing in Indian media often, including newspapers and television, mGinger practices
better transparency than many companies, with founders Veerendra Shivhare, Chaitanya Nallan
and Anil Sharma highly visible in all news coverage.

mGinger was actually started when its founder hit upon a brilliant way to combat the sea of
spam flooding Indian mobiles. By accepting only ads targeted to your own interest, you
actually receive information which is relevant to you, good coupon offers and discounts and “a
bit of pocket money.”

mGinger fights spam in a more direct way too, encouraging its blog readers to call the
National-Do-Not-Call list every time they receive a true spam SMS (the 500 rupee “reward” is
an incentive too.) The benefits of this policy for mGinger is twofold:

* Put real spammers out of business
* Get everyone in India signed up for mGinger, to receive targeted advertising and offers
they actually want to read about

mGinger openly admits there is a direct relation to how many people you know and send
messages to, and how much you earn. In other words, if you?re a recluse who only phones your
mother once a year, you?re not going to earn anything. But if you?re like the average Indian
teenager or twenty-something, and spend several hours a day texting and chatting on your
mobile to a flood of acquaintances, the chances are that it?s worth your while to join.

And why should North Americans care about mGinger?

Well, if nothing else, this company provides a wonderful model of successful marketing, in the
way they work the media, practice transparency and social problem solving, get funding and
turn a mobile phone problem into a money-making solution for all and sundry.

Anyone feel like starting something similar over here?

This information was provided by the Folks at http://2gsm.mobi Where you can find tools, tips,
videos and MobiBooks formatted for your Mobile Phones and Kindle.

If you?ve quietly fumed because the store clerk rang up your purchase while chatting on her
mobile phone, never looking at you or making eye contact once while treating you as if you
were a blob of donut jelly, chances are, you?re over 30. And mobile phone manners are only
one of the conventions of etiquette to disappear into the mists of time.

You might notice that age polarization again, if you ever get into an argument over what
constitutes good mobile phone manners. If you?re bemoaning modern rudeness, you?re most
likely over 30. If you?re cheerfully insisting you can pay attention to a conversation with your
miffed opponent while you?re texting at the same time, you?re probably a teen or early
twentysomething. (And you?re texting while you?re arguing.)

I?ve heard good arguments – and bad – on both sides.

And I really don?t think the whole mobile phone manners issue has anything to do with mobile
phones, at all.

It has to do with being self-centered, in the truest sense of the word.

It has to do with thinking we?re sophisticated and important, when we?re really just obnoxious.

(And usually loud.)

My grandmother taught me a thing or two about manners, back in those mists of time. I?ll
admit I used to snigger, but one example keeps coming back to me, recently.

“You should be like the Queen,” she once said, amid our stifled giggles. “She knows good
manners aren?t about knives and forks. They?re all about making the other person feel valued
and comfortable.”

She then went on to tell us a story about Queen Elizabeth II entertaining some very “small”
local dignitary aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. The man picked up a spoon, and began to eat
his salad with it, oblivious to the fact that HRH hadn?t yet even started eating. He was visibly
nervous.

Did Queen Elizabeth get offended? We?ll never know. But what she did do was promptly pick
up her spoon too, and began eating salad. (After a moment?s hesitation, everyone followed
suit.)

I wasn?t very old, but I got the point.

So who are you making feel comfortable, when you hold a loud conversation in a library next to
the ear of someone deep in study? Who are you impressing, when you ignore the clerk behind
the counter and make her (and the rest of the line) wait while you shout into your mobile
phone?

That?s the crux of the matter. A large portion of teens and twenty-somethings nowadays will
be surprised at the above questions. After all, don?t we know that our precious selves are the
most important persons in the universe?

As for myself, I think that manners (or lack thereof) we assume when clutching a cell phone are
all just part and parcel of 21st century people?s disconnection with real-live, flesh and blood
human beings. We?re a schizophrenic society, having our deepest relationship with Bugaloo25
or Jade Rabbit on Twitter, while our spouses, moms, children or friends sit pouting right beside
us, ignored.

Let?s bring back manners before we completely lose all ability to understand how monstrous
we can be.

And if you?ve no idea what I?m talking about, let me give you some hints about what
constitutes bad mobile manners…

1. Leaving your ringer on in church, weddings and movies
2. Talking loudly and interrupting the minister and the vows during said wedding
3. Talking loudly, period.
4. Texting while driving
5. Texting while already in the middle of a conversation with a real live human being
6. Bombarding people with really, really inane text messages because you?re bored, and
You Can
7. Having ringtones that rip the air apart with Cannibal Corpse Meets Beethoven?s 9th
Symphony
8. Tapping your foot and singing loudly along with Cannibal Corpse Meets Beethoven?s
9th Symphony
9. Sailing absent-mindedly through doors held open for you while absorbed in a mobile
phone conversation (or bumping into people as if they?re road pylons, oblivious to their
feelings and existence)
10. Holding loud conversations in restaurants (somehow I always seem to sit close to
someone who does this, drowning out my dinner conversation.) (Or maybe there are
really just that many people who practice the “Stop, world! I am talking on my
mobile!” shtick.)

Meanwhile, I?ll continue to do what I was taught to do, when confronted with people who have
no idea their manners are truly atrocious…

…Lie back, and think of England.

This information was provided by the Folks at http://2gsm.mobi Where you can find tools, tips,
videos and MobiBooks formatted for your Mobile Phones and Kindle.

The first thing any mobile phone company Client Care representative will tell you is that
getting your mobile phone wet is guaranteed to kill it.

Yet that?s not necessarily true.

If you act quickly enough, chances are you might be able to save it.

But you?ve got to know what to do – and what to avoid.

What To Do If Your Mobile Gets Wet

1. DO take the battery out instantly. This is possibly the most important step you can
take!
2. DO remove the SIM card if your mobile has one, providing it?s a GSM. Gently blot it
with paper towels and leave it to dry further in the air
3. DO remove any covers or accessories and put your phone in a Ziploc bag after you?ve
dried everything you can possibly dry (gently). Then rush it straight to a Cell Phone
Repair Centre
4. DO wait till it feels thoroughly dry – preferably at least the next day – before turning
your mobile phone on, to see if it works

4 Things Not To Do If Your Mobile Phone Gets Wet…

1. DON?T turn it on to see if it still works while it?s even the slightest bit damp! You
could cause a fatal short circuit, and the chances of it being irreparably damaged
increase 100%
2. DON?T use a hair dryer or radiator to heat it. In fact, don?t heat it at all. This will only
increase corrosion, push moisture deeper inside – and can also result in components
melting or coming loose.
3. DON?T panic! Instead, fish it out of whatever water it?s fallen into immediately. Or
blot it dry with paper towels, if you?ve spilled something on it
4. DON?T take it apart yourself, unless you?re already skilled with electronics

What?s the difference between GSM (Group Speci?le Mobile, now Global System for Mobile
Communications) and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)? They?re just rival
technologies. Although CDMA is more common internationally, while GSM is used almost
exclusively in North America, one sure way to tell involves whether or not your phone has a
SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card. If it does, it?s a GSM. CDMA handsets do not use
SIMs.

Remember also that most mobile phone company warranties may be void, if the phone has
suffered water damage.

The best way to instantly find a cell phone repair center?
Do it ahead of time! Have that number ready, along with your other Emergency numbers. (Just
don?t program it into your mobile! It won?t do you any good there.)

If all else fails, take it back to the store where you purchased it (though any warranties will
most likely be void) – or failing that, to a dealer for your particular type of phone.

If Even The Repair Center Says Your Phone Is Dead…

Phone the company you purchase your monthly data plan and voice plan from. Explain your
phone is damaged beyond repair, and ask if there are any “offers” provisioned in your plan. If
you are within a couple of months of your annual renewal date, very often mobile companies
will try to sweeten the pot and stop you from switching service providers by offering great
deals on high end phones (or extra free features on your plan, or lowering the price.)

If there?s nothing available, tell them to put you through to the cancellation department. Why?
That word “Cancel” is a huge red flag to Client Care Representatives. Your call will most
likely be instantly “escalated” to a Loyalty and Retention department – whose sole job is to
prevent you from leaving.

Explain that you?re unhappy that they?re not willing to help you purchase a new phone after
your awful disaster (you are unhappy, aren?t you?).

Then zip your lips, sit back and wait.

If you?ve just re-signed a 3-year contract, you?re probably out of luck. They?ve got you, and
they know it.

But if you?re within 6 months of your contract renewal date, chances are the L & R
representative will have the power to provision a new offer on your account.

(Don?t be afraid to negotiate. If you really want a Blackberry Storm for your next phone, and
she?s offering you an LG Dare? 9700, say so. If your L & R rep can possibly swing it (and if
you aren?t trying to bully her) she?ll provision the Blackberry Storm instead.)

If you?re lucky enough to get some help from your mobile service company in the form of a
new offer provisioned on your account, just head on down to your mobile dealer of choice. The
offer should be sitting there on record, on his computer link to your service provider.

And remember – don?t drop this one in the bathtub!

This information was provided by the Folks at http://2gsm.mobi Where you can find tools, tips,
videos and MobiBooks formatted for your Mobile Phones and Kindle.

It?s finally happened. Your child wants a mobile phone – and you?re actually considering
mobile phones for kids as a viable option.

You worry about 3 things:

* Keeping your child safe from those harmful cell phone emissions you?ve read about
* Keeping them secure from mobile phone or internet predators
* Being hit with unexpectedly huge monthly phone bills, as they go beyond what their
plan allows

So let?s demystify what we can for you…

Cell Phones And Brain Cancer

Is there any truth to the rumors about children, cell phones and brain cancer? A study from a
Kent University sociologist, Dr. Adam Burgess, is just one of a plethora of such studies
providing research indicating that mobile phones cause no harm.

Also on the plus side: mobile phone microwave radiation energy is “millions of times lower”
than energy from X-rays, and doesn?t have sufficient energy to cause damage to human DNA.

However, you have to remember that formal research doesn?t deal even in strong probabilities,
but in black-and-white absolutes. The truth is, it has been proven that exposure to radiation
from mobile phones kills brain cells in live rats, even though these bursts of mobile phone
radiation were of short duration. (This is what one such study called “inconclusive”.)

It has also been proven that mobile phones do cause a slight heating of the brain, as well as
proteins ERK1 and 2. These proteins, which relate to cell division, are found at significant
levels in certain forms of cancer.

A British Department of Health pamphlet states “research does show that using mobile phones
affects brain activity…” and admits: “There are also significant gaps in our scientific
knowledge.” Their recommendation? To limit mobile use for children under 16, as their
brains and nervous systems are still growing.

But quite apart from possible health risks, there are other good reasons to limit your children?s
use of mobile phones…

Cell Phone Predators

Child predators don?t just lurk on street corners or the internet: They?ve invaded mobile
phones too. The big danger here? Text Messages and other media sent randomly to hook
children into engaging. This is especially true if you let your child engage in Social
Networking.

While it?s a very real danger, common sense should prevail here. It?s startling to discover the
amount of parents who give their children virtual free rein on the internet, but obsess about
mobile phone predators. (And vice versa.)

A more balanced approach is to:

* Educate your children about safe internet and mobile phone practices. (Remember that
people aren?t always who they say they are, don?t answer Text Messages from strangers,
don?t accept any downloads you haven?t asked for.
* Have features like Text Messaging blocked completely, if it makes you feel safer

The truth is, having a mobile phone (especially one with a GPS tracking device) would also be
a big plus, should your child ever be snatched by a stranger. And if they find themselves in
dangerous predicaments – for example, your spouse got into an accident and never picked them
up at school, and they?re standing out on the street alone – a cell phone can help them contact
you – or Emergency Services – quickly.

There is even a phone with parental controls made expressly for this purpose. You can program
the Firefly to call only either you or your spouse – or 911 for real emergencies. (Be sure to
educate them on what does constitute a real emergency!) Firefly handsets start at $49.99, plans
from $9.99. (In the U.K., they have a similar deal with the Teddyphone.)

Children And Blowing Your Mobile Phone Budget

But the truth is, you can call your mobile phone service provider and request that all internet
and text messaging capabilities be disabled on just about any mobile phone. You can set it so
that only you are allowed to make changes on the phone plan by setting a special extra
password. Unless this password (as well as the regular PIN) is given over the phone to the
mobile phone company Client Care representative, no changes can be made. (Mobile phone
companies are diligent about security.)

It?s well worth setting up the “extra password” precaution on your child?s phone, because
children can be devious when it comes to mobile phone use, in their quest to play the latest
game or talk endlessly with peers, as Telus Mobility employees know all too well.

“We had one case where a 9-year-old programmed his parental-control-activated kid?s cell
phone to wake him at 2 a.m. every morning so he could game all night on his dad?s phone,”
says Client Care representative Rosemary. “This came to light when I got a furious phone call
from his father, who wanted to know why he was being charged an extra $80 that month for
internet use on his mobile. He was blaming us at first, but by tracking the times of use, which I
was able to do on the spot, and him hauling his son to the phone, we found out that the son was
using the dad?s Blackberry? in the middle of the night to play games.”

With older children, you may be more concerned about teaching them responsible phone use.
One way to do this? Use “Pay-As-You-Go phones. “Provision the phone with a $10, $25 or $50
card and tell the child that?s the mobile allowance for the month. And once they?ve used it up,
that?s it for the month,” says Rosemary.

But the bottom line is… mobile phones can be life savers, when it comes to your child
experiencing an emergency situation when you aren?t physically by his side.

What will your choice be?

This information was provided by the Folks at http://2gsm.mobi Where you can find tools, tips,
videos and MobiBooks formatted for your Mobile Phones and Kindle.