Phones for the more mature: Part two

Old versus new

After a long battle with technology, my grandparents have almost discovered how it all works. Besides a few glitches here and there, they have definitely come a long way. Not only do they own a computer, a DVD player, a mobile phone, they also purchased their very own GPRS.

Recently, my Grandmother announced that she wanted a brand new mobile phone. Her reasons were simple. She no longer wanted a brick for a phone that is capable of only SMS, phone calls and has limited memory that can only store ten contacts. Rather she wants, as my grandmother says, a 'young and hip phone’.

I am fully confident that my grandparents will be able to use a phone that offers multiple functions and applications to its full potential. Although my grandmother would like the latest mobile phone, she made it clear that she does not want a phone that has a complicated set–up. I have learnt that most seniors would prefer to have the latest technology that is not too complicated to use. If you are a senior and looking for a new mobile phone then you are in luck. There is a wide range of latest mobile phones that are simple to use.

Mobile phone photography

Room showing different white balance settings 

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is just 23 days away. If you plan to attend some games and would like to capture all the action on your mobile phone camera, here are ten helpful tips to capture those spectacular moments on your mobile phone.

1. Make sure that your lens is clean as a dirty lens could blur images.
2. Set your phone to its highest picture quality and resolution. When printing it out it will be of better quality.
3. Set the white balance, if your phone supports it. White balance allows you to change colour balance in your image based on your shooting conditions. A camera will see that a given subject is redder than normal under normal incandescent lighting of your home. Experiment with this feature to get a feel for it.

Communicating via social network sites

Many people have turned to their mobile phones to access social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and many more. Even I have started to use my mobile phone, more regularly, to access these sites. A computer is not always accessible but with your mobile phone you can use social networks anywhere, anytime. By 2012, about 800 million people will access social networks via their mobile phone. This is changing how people communicate with one another on their mobile phones.

Previously, when using your mobile phone, SMSs and mobile phone calls were the only way to communicate but now with access to relatively high speed internet on your mobile phone it makes communicating on social networks much easier. People are using social networks rather than SMSs and mobile phone calls as social networks can offer you so much more. For example, when visiting Facebook, not only can you see the recent updates from your friends but you can also view events for the week ahead. 

Visiting social network sites on your mobile phone can even be cheaper than a phone call, encouraging many to switch to social networks to communicate via their mobile phone. Opera mini, for example, provides a cheap and easy way to access the internet via your mobile phone. Last year, Patricia de Lille complained that South Africa had the highest mobile phone call costs in the world.

SA ads to mobile

Advertisers have targeted mxit to reach South Africans 

The mobile phone has now become the answer to advertising. Mobile advertising is reaching far greater audiences, as the number of mobile phone subscriptions has predicted to reach 5 billion this year. Advertising companies are turning to the mobile phones for a better chance of consumers clicking on their advertisement. In Japan, already 44% of mobile phone owners click on advertisements they receive via their mobile phone.

It is no surprise then, that there is competition between Apple and Google to buy into advertising companies. Contributing Editor at the Search Engine Land, Greg Sterling said, “Apple tries to buy AdMob but Google ‘snatched’ it away”. Apple, however, manages to buy AdMob competitor Quattro Wireless while Google still battles with the US Federal Trade Commission to allow them to merge with AdMob. This competition is just 
an example of how successful mobile advertising has become.

South Africa’s involvement
But while I was thinking about the great influx of advertisement targeted at the mobile phone and the ongoing battle between Google and Apple, I started to think about South African's and their involvement in mobile advertising.

Captured on camera phones

                                                    

Camera phone

I don’t own a digital camera, neither do I have a camcorder to record spontaneous candid camera moments. Instead, I often use my mobile phone to take photographs and to even record video. The powerful portable nature of the mobile phone makes it easier to capture events faster and even often in real-time with the use of services such as Facebook, Twitter, weblogs, Qik and many more. This is changing how we share and show photographs.

Photographs and videos from the recent weekend or from yesterday’s family braai or even that fashion show that happened just an hour ago can now be uploaded on these services, to share those moments with family, friends and even people worldwide. These photographs can further be re-distributed with the use of MMS (multimedia messaging service) and Bluetooth, for example.

Photographs can be re-tweeted on Twitter or emailed to your contacts, used in blogs and links can be provided to enable others to click the link sending them directly to the desired photograph. The same photograph or video can be accessed on various sites on the web.

The never ending search

The Samsung Jet and the Samsung Corby

After I decided to put my mobile phone to rest, I started the search for a brand new one to enter into a fresh partnership, a relationship that will be different to the last. As a journalist studying new media, I want a mobile phone that would be a useful tool for journalism, a phone with a decent camera, recording functions, a reasonably fast web browser and a keypad easy to use.

I thought ending my relationship with my last mobile phone was the hard part but I was soon mistaken. A search that I believed would take five minutes took what felt like a life time, slowly eating away at my bandwidth. I was more confused than ever with the variety of mobile phones to choose from, ranging from Motorolas to Nokias and Samsungs to Iphones. It was like trying to choose between a Jenni Button suit and a Gucci bag, you want them both. It was overwhelming but my search did not end there.

I then stumbled across journalist, Galen Schultz's blog, Witness This, which provided more than just a list of the mobile phones functions but also his personal opinion on each mobile phone he describes. It drew my attention to two mobile phones in particular, the Samsung Jet and the Samsung Corby.

‘Til death do us part

                               

                                   

The mobile phone has come a long way since the humble telephone. For many, the mobile phone is an extension of their lives and few, including me, would not leave home without it.

It is the mobile phone’s portability and additional capabilities that make it much more than just a telephone. With satellite communication and ‘international roaming’, it is now possible for mobile phone users to communicate with people virtually anywhere in the world either by phoning them, text messaging them. People can even access the internet and send a message via e-mail or a social network service such as Facebook or Twitter.

There are many more applications which make the mobile phone a must-have item in today’s world. Your mobile phone can provide you with a handy camera or a music player, a radio or GPS, not to mention a calculator, diary, alarm clock and a source of endless information via Google. It is also a valuable source of entertainment as mobile users can download games and play for as long as their battery lasts.