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Phones

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Mobile Phones

Nobody these days should be without a mobile phone, what you don't have one ' Mobile phones have come right down in price, and with a pay as you go mobile phone, the running costs don't have to be high. Here in the UK we have a number of companies with good deals, Orange mobile, Virgin mobile and O2 mobile to mention just a few of them. This page is not about whose best :) although I personally use Orange, its about the "Jargon"

Before you buy a mobile phone, there are some basics you need to know, otherwise you could end up with a cheaper model which don't do exactly what you want.

Camera phones

Mobile phones now have built in digital cameras, and the quality of them are getting better with each new model release. Snap a picture then send it to another camera phone at about '0.40 a time. Normally digital cameras are rated by mega pixels, the higher the number the better the quality, on mobile phones they might list the size of the picture, and how many the phone can take, depending on the phones memory size.

SMS

Short message service, all mobile phones will send a text message, with an average cost of '0.10 pence a time, it might be cheaper than ringing someone up. New phones can send MM (Multi media) a network with MMS will support the phone sending text, pictures and sound, SMS messages can also send small logo's and greetings.

Calculator

Most mobile phones will be able to be used as a calculator, more advanced phones can run programs, for example the Nokia 7650 can download programs from the internet, like TV remote controls, shopping programs, Video recording and lots more.

Infrared

A mobile phone with Infrared can communicate with other devices with Infrared, like a PC or another phone, with an Infrared connection, you could exchange pictures, sound or programs. Although USB is becoming very popular now, phones with Infrared are still very useful. Infrared is a light beam, unlike radio waves Infrared signals are sent in a beam of Infrared light so you need to point your phone at the other device within a foot or so.

Bluetooth

Yet another new type of communications is Bluetooth, mostly used for headsets. A mobile phone with Bluetooth can be kept in your shopping bag, while a small Bluetooth earpiece is placed in your ear, anyone ringing you will get transferred from the phone to the headset, completely hands free operation, just say hello to the caller !

Sim Card

When you buy a contract phone, its normally locked to a particular network, so if you bought a contract phone from Orange, you can only use a orange sim card. A sim car is just a tiny peace of plastic with a chip on it, the chip will hold some of your names and addresses, but mainly it tells the phone what network to connect to, and what tariff your on. If you buy a "Sim Free" phone, this means the phone is not locked to a network, so you can then buy a sim card from any mobile phone company. You snap out the small sim card and insert it into your mobile phone, switch on and ring the company to have it activated. The sim card also has your mobile number stored on it.

Pay As You Go

No contract, you just pay for the use as and when you want. Mobile phone companies now have "Top Up Cards" which you can use at many stores to add credit to your account. Supermarkets can do it for you, as well as the mobile phone shops themselves. Just decide how much you want to pay (Minimum '10) hand your card and payment to the store, and your phone will be credited within a few seconds. You can also register credit cards, and even use the internet to top up your phone. Orange offer a '5 top up on the internet.

Contract

No need for a top up card, you receive a monthly bill for your calls AND a monthly charge, which can range from '15 per month. Calls are no cheaper with contract phones, but you don't need to worry about your credit running out. If you don't want a monthly bill use the pay as you go system.

Charges

On average, most companies charge you '0.35 for the first 3 min then '0.05 per min after that, same day and night. But you need to check this with the company your thinking of joining, is there is a big variation with this. You can call the emergency services for free, but there are no landline free numbers like 0800.

Ring Tones

When your mobile phone rings, you have a choice of what tune you want, most mobile phones already have ring tones built into them, however you can also download a ring tone yourself, via infrared, Bluetooth data, USB or simply get someone to send it to you. There are internet sites about charging '1.50 for each tune, so if you can download them yourself you can save money.

What make

Well there are so many to chose from these days, I have always been a fan of Nokia, from the early 3210 upwards, if you have a mobile phone which you can install programs in, it will last a bit longer than most, as you could install something new. However mobile phones are like fashion accessories, so you might want to change yours every 6 months :)- so think about this when you consider the cost.

Well that's a brief introduction, if you need some help or want to discuss this, visit the forum, the ladies will be happy to brag about the phones they use, and tell you how much better their phone is than yours :)