Have we grown so attached to our cell phones that without them, it would seem that we just aren’t complete? I mean how many times have you left home without your cell phone? I know that myself personally, I never leave home without my phone, even though most days I have very little need for it. So why is it that we just can’t seem to be without these little contraptions?
A Different View
As a young person, I grew up with a cell phone in my pocket. My mother however is the exact opposite. She grew up using pay phones on the side of the street. She like many people her age don’t conform to today’s society where cell phones have become as much apart of you as an arm or a leg!
My brother and I decided to buy her a new cell phone for Christmas and guess what we got in return? Tears!! That’s right my mother was so angry at the present we gave her, that it drove her to tears. She said and I quote, “I don’t want it, I don’t need it, get rid of it!” I couldn’t understand at first why she wouldn’t want to be in the possession of a new cell phone, a phone that was a lot better than mine at the time.
So I decided to find out why it was that she became so angry after being given a cell phone and this was her answer – “Because now I have to learn how to use it!” Sounds crazy right to you and me, us youngsters? However I thought about it and in the end it made quite perfect sense.
Techno-Fool
There’s a word for my mother, a ‘techno-fool’ and it basically people who seem to have fallen behind with the latest technology. It would seem that a lot of older people(I don’t mean that old, more middle-aged!) have started to find it so difficult to use a lot of today’s technology, that it actually pains them to even try it!
That’s what my mother was going through. She was so scared learning how to use her new cell phone that it actually drew her to tears! I found out later that it was more the fact that she was scared she wouldn’t know what to do if someone important called, what if she pressed the wrong button!
I thought about the whole term ‘techno-fool’ again and wondered if I was ever going to be given this label in the future and although my initial response was “no way!” I later realized that it was in fact inevitable. I mean what is the cell phone going to look like in 10, 20 or 50 years time or what kind of cell phone plans are going to be available? It really does scare me, maybe not to tears, but it does scare me!
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Filed under Cellular Phones by on Sep 4th, 2010. Comment. 
When you are in the market to buy an unlocked cell phone, it is a good idea to have a basic idea of what “locked” actually means. The term locked when used with mobile phones means that the phone is programmed internally to operate on a particular system. This is usually the system that sells you the phone and provides the service. There are also two kinds of cell phones. These are the GSM and the CDMA types of mobile phones. The GSM is the type of phone used almost everywhere in the world, but the CDMA is a bit more common in the United States.
While it is possible to unlock a cell phone, many people prefer to buy unlocked cell phones. Any one who has watched television in the last couple of years is going to be aware of the tremendous competition between the various mobile phone service providers. These companies are most anxious to lock you into using their service and this is the purpose for locking them. When you own an unlocked phone, you are going to be able to select your own service, and use what is really your property in the way that you chose to use it.
GSM phones are very easy to unlock, and the CDMA phones are a bit harder. In either case, buying an unlocked mobile phone might make a little more sense than buying a phone and then unlocking it later. Ebay is one of the best sources for the purchase of unlocked mobile phones, but you need be a bit careful here. Some sellers on Ebay do not fully understand the concept of locked or unlocked. This is not really an attempt at dishonesty. They are not necessarily tech types, and simply do not understand. The best solution is to send a question to the seller and make sure that they understand exactly what it is you are asking of them.
Unlocked phones are also sold outside the United States and in some countries such as India; it is customary to unlock cell phones before selling them all the time. With the global internet market, this is a viable option for the purchase of an unlocked cell phone. Once again, the important issue to consider is making sure the seller understands exactly what you are looking to receive. Once you have your unlocked cell phones in your hands, it is an easy matter to determine if it is truly unlocked. All you need to do is try it out and it will tell you its status. If it is unlocked you are going to be able to use it to connect with whatever service you wish to use.
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Filed under Cellular Phones by on Aug 29th, 2010. Comment.
Your cell phone always knows where you are, even if you do not have GPS on your phone. It sends out a signal to the nearest tower so that you can get and receive your calls and/or text messages. Many phones today do have GPS, and they can narrow down your location to within a few feet of you rather than by a tower location. However, as useful as this can be, you have to know if it is illegal to use this to see where someone is. For the most part, you should be glad this is not something most can do.
Can you imagine how hard it would be to be stalked by someone? Though you may not think much of this, it happens more often than you think. It could happen to you. You want to stay safe, but that would be impossible if someone could use the GPS technology in your phone to see where you are at all times. If being stalked, the last thing you want to do is to leave your phone somewhere. This type of tracking is illegal.
In many cases, if your location is being tracked by GPS on your cell phone, you have to know it and agree to it. This is something some companies do when they give their employees phones, but it is not always legal. Your company may have a right know where you are during work hours, but what about after? If you always have your work phone with you, they can track you on matter where you are or what you are doing, even when you are off the clock.
GPS can do wonders for us, however, when it comes in a cell phone. This can help police find you if you are reported missing or kidnapped, or if you have been in a car accident and can not call for help. It can also assist 911 if you dial, but then can not speak for any reason. You can also find devices with GPS that you can use to be sure you know where your kids are at all times.
You may not be legally allowed to search for someone or locate them with GPS, but you can see what you can find out about them if you know their phone number. You can try a reverse number lookup to search a phone number for origin. That may not be all of the information that you want to have, but it can help more than you can imagine when trouble is brewing.
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Filed under Cellular Phones by on Aug 26th, 2010. Comment.
