| How web broadcasting works | | | | graphic images can be displayed. Mobile |
| | | | phones also now have onboard memories from |
| A mobile phone is no longer simply a device | | | | between 16MB and 96MB (although this is a |
| with which you stay in contact with others. | | | | standard that changes quickly). Additional |
| Today, a mobile phone is a multi-function | | | | memory (500MB or more) is available on phones |
| fashion accessory, as necessary to your | | | | dedicated to gaming and mp3 playing, and some |
| appearance as a hairstyle. From how the phone | | | | phones also offer slots for adding additional |
| 'flips' open in front of your friends, to the | | | | memory cards. |
| groove of the ring tone, your mobile phone is | | | | |
| a statement about who you are and how you | | | | Battery and camera |
| address the world. And as every parent of a | | | | |
| thirteen year old knows, you simply are not a | | | | Battery re-charge life of a phone is |
| 'whole person' without one. | | | | determined by the number of features and the |
| | | | amount of talk time used, but today's phones |
| To purchase a mobile phone, you need to | | | | range between 10 and 14 days of standby time |
| address a number of issues, not the least of | | | | and 2 to 8 hours of talk time. Obviously |
| which is who you will be shelling out a small | | | | memory intensive use shortens the re-charge |
| fortune to each month, and under what | | | | time. Even the most basic phones now come |
| conditions, and what you want from your phone | | | | with an in-built digital camera. Some now |
| service. On top of that, you will want to | | | | also have flash capacity, auto-focus, |
| decide which handset suits best and what | | | | self-timing, continuous shooting and zoom and |
| extras and accessories you want to go along | | | | macro facilities. Many offer low-resolution |
| with it. au is where you can compare a range | | | | video recording and can be used for video |
| of different offers from different phones and | | | | conferencing and receiving streaming video. |
| service providers very easily, and arrive at | | | | Optimally, a camera with more than one mega |
| a decision that works for you. | | | | pixel is desirable. |
| | | | |
| Mobile Phones | | | | Connections and options |
| | | | |
| The centre of communications | | | | A USB port on a mobile phone enables it to be |
| | | | connected to your computer to transfer files. |
| Different phones suit different people, but | | | | Wireless connectivity using bluetooth and |
| at the heart of the decision is the question: | | | | infra-red allows connection between devices |
| Is your mobile phone the centre of your | | | | such as PCs and PDAs, as well as providing |
| communications. The answer to this question | | | | hands-free utilities. You may also want a |
| will mean different things to people with | | | | voice-activated dialling feature, and voice |
| different needs. | | | | recording functions that enable you to send |
| | | | MMS messages and voice memos. Phones with |
| The student | | | | polyphonic ring tone capacity enable you to |
| | | | have a more musical ringtone, and produce a |
| The student's mobile phone is very definitely | | | | better sound. |
| at the centre of communications, but quite | | | | |
| clearly students have little money to splurge | | | | At au you can compare all of the features of |
| and therefore need to buy a phone that has | | | | the different brand names and the prices |
| access to economically efficient | | | | offered by different vendors. This takes a |
| communications. The trendy phone will be | | | | lot of the difficulty out of narrowing down |
| important, but at a low cost. It will need to | | | | exactly what you want from you mobile phone. |
| have excellent texting facility, be able to | | | | |
| accommodate ring tones, and be easy to carry. | | | | Connection choices |
| Of lesser concern are issues such as camera | | | | |
| and video capacity. | | | | There are essentially two choices for how you |
| | | | want to be connected to your phone network: a |
| The busy parent | | | | usage plan and term contract, or a pre-paid |
| | | | option. All service providers can offer both |
| Whether working out of the home or not, a | | | | and under Australian legislation, your phone |
| busy parent needs to be able to be in touch | | | | number is portable between service providers. |
| at odd times and in odd places. This person | | | | Some however may charge a fee for early |
| will be seeking a functional handset with a | | | | termination of a contract, and some may |
| good network capacity. Photographic features | | | | charge a fee for transferring your number |
| are handy as are texting features and long | | | | from another service provider, and some may |
| talk-time. | | | | charge a fee for transferring you number to |
| | | | another provider. These fees are entirely at |
| The executive | | | | the discretion of the service provider and |
| | | | have no basis in actual network cost |
| The executive is constantly on the go, and is | | | | whatsoever. If it is charged, it is charged |
| always in touch while on the go. This | | | | simply because they can. |
| person's phone will have added features such | | | | |
| as a teledex, web connectivity, video and | | | | You need to give some thought to how you |
| photographic features. Additional accessories | | | | intend (or do) use your phone. Call plan |
| will include 'hands-free' capacity and | | | | contracts are offered on the basis of how |
| portability across travel zones. | | | | many minutes (or in some cases, 30 second |
| | | | units) of call time you use, and at what time |
| The traveller | | | | of day. Carriers promote higher costs for |
| | | | high volume times of the day, and often |
| The traveller's phone needs most of all to be | | | | reduce costs, or offer 'free' time during low |
| portable across travel zones and able to | | | | times. Other low cost offers are made for |
| access networks in international zones. Long | | | | calls between the phones on the same carrier |
| battery life, video, photographic and web | | | | network, while others offer discounts for |
| connectivity features are all important | | | | bundling packages of home phone, mobile phone |
| features considered by the traveller. | | | | and Internet account. It's important to read |
| | | | the conditions attached to any of these |
| Phone choices | | | | offers. Free calls between midnight and six |
| | | | am may be of little value to you if you're |
| At the heart of your decision, is which phone | | | | sleeping at that time. |
| to choose? Some limitations may apply | | | | |
| according to the technology you need. If you | | | | Pre-paid is popular choice, especially if you |
| live in a rural area, or travel to the | | | | don't make many calls. It also enables a |
| country a lot, you will likely need access to | | | | better management of limited funds. When |
| a CDMA network, and not all handsets are | | | | deciding on your plan, look at costs such as |
| compatible. The majority of Australia's urban | | | | 'flagfall' costs and the different rates at |
| population (95%) is covered with GSM | | | | different times of the day. Also check the |
| technology, and there are a huge number of | | | | cost of calls when you exceed your 'cap' or |
| handsets available that are compatible. | | | | limit. It is often in this area that the |
| | | | carrier can make money out of unsuspecting |
| The technology | | | | users. |
| | | | |
| Other technologies that may affect both your | | | | Service providers |
| choice of handset and your choice of service | | | | |
| provider are the GPRS technology, designed | | | | The carriers of mobile phone services in |
| for sending data over the GSM network, | | | | Australia include Telstra, Optus, 3 |
| enabling mobile phones to access the internet | | | | (Hutchinson), Orange (Hutchinson), Vodafone, |
| and receive email messages; and the PTT | | | | Virgin, B and a number of smaller carriers, |
| service (Push To Talk), a technology that | | | | or agencies who provide services on behalf of |
| allows mobile phones to be used like two-way | | | | other carriers. |
| radios. | | | | |
| | | | Each of the major carriers can offer you the |
| The handset | | | | connection to their network on contract plan |
| | | | or pre-paid, as well as sell you a |
| The next step might be to decide on the type | | | | pre-packaged handset. Quite often a contract |
| of handset you favour. Handsets come in | | | | will include a monthly service and you pay |
| different configurations, from the 'candybar' | | | | for a number of minutes of talk or sms |
| format (long and slim) that is able to fit | | | | connections, as well as pay for the handset. |
| into a protective carrying case and be | | | | Once the contract is ended, you are free to |
| operated by one hand. The screen and keypad | | | | change the plan to a different one, or change |
| are limited by the size and shape of the | | | | carriers altogether. |
| handset. Flip-phones and slider phones have | | | | |
| the advantage of small size, but their | | | | Sometimes the plan you select is not right |
| screens and keypads can be larger because of | | | | for your usage, and you find that after a few |
| the use of two halves of a 'clamshell' case. | | | | months, you could reduce your costs by |
| Some slider phones have keypads on a swivel, | | | | changing to a different plan. Some carriers |
| offering a two handed operation. A smartphone | | | | enable you to do this mid-contract without |
| has a fully functional keypad that enables | | | | any extra penalty; others may charge you a |
| the editing of Microsoft word documents, | | | | fee to change your plan. Study any plan |
| presentations and spreadsheets. | | | | carefully and imagine how you will use your |
| | | | phone to take best advantage. |
| Screens and memory | | | | |
| | | | You may also need to compare the services |
| Colour screens are now standard in most | | | | offered by the different carriers, especially |
| models, but size, resolution and colours can | | | | their capacity to service your area within |
| vary, from between 101Ã-80 pixels to | | | | their network. There's not a lot of point in |
| 353Ã-288 pixels; and between 4000 and | | | | being with a carrier whose network doesn't |
| 262,000 colours. The better the screen | | | | enable anyone to call you when you're at |
| resolution, the better backgrounds and | | | | home. |