usage

By civilians

This Railfone found on some Amtrak trains in North America uses cellular technology.

See also: List of mobile network operators

An increasing number of countries, particularly in Europe, now have more mobile phones than people. According to the figures from Eurostat, the European Union's in-house statistical office, Luxembourg had the highest mobile phone penetration rate at 158 mobile subscriptions per 100 people (158%), closely followed by Lithuania and Italy.^[6] In Hong Kong the penetration rate reached 139.8% of the population in July 2007.^[7] Over 50 countries have mobile phone subscription penetration rates higher than that of the population and the Western European average penetration rate was 110% in 2007 (source Informa 2007). The U.S. currently has one of the lowest rates of mobile phone penetrations in the industrialized world at 85%.

There are over five hundred million active mobile phone accounts in China, as of 2007, but the total penetration rate there still stands below 50%.^[8] The total number of mobile phone subscribers in the world was estimated at 2.14 billion in 2005.^[9] The subscriber count reached 2.7 billion by end of 2006 according to Informa^{[citation needed]}, and 3.3 billion by November, 2007^[3], thus reaching an equivalent of over half the planet's population. Around 80% of the world's population has access to mobile phone coverage, as of 2006. This figure is expected to increase to 90% by the year 2010.^[10]

In some developing countries with little "landline" telephone infrastructure, mobile phone use has quadrupled in the last decade.^[11] The rise of mobile phone technology in developing countries is often cited as an example of the leapfrog effect. In many remote regions in the third world went literally from having no telecommunications infrastructure to having satellite based communications systems. At present, Africa has the largest growth rate of cellular subscribers in the world,^[12] its markets expanding nearly twice as fast as Asian markets.^[13] The availability of prepaid or 'pay-as-you-go' services, where the subscriber is not committed to a long term contract, has helped fuel this growth in Africa as well as in other continents.

On a numerical basis, India is the largest growth market, adding about 6 million mobile phones every month.^[14] With 256.55 million mobile phones, market penetration in the country is still low at 22.52%. India expects to reach 500 million subscribers by end of 2010.

There are three major technical standards for the current generation of mobile phones and networks, and two major standards for the next generation 3G phones and networks. All European, African and many Asian countries have adopted a single system, GSM, which is the only technology available on all continents and in most countries and covers over 74% of all subscribers on mobile networks. In many countries, such as the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, India, and South Korea and Vietnam GSM co-exists with other internationally adopted standards such as CDMA and TDMA, as well as national standards such as iDEN in the USA and PDC in Japan. Over the past five years several dozen mobile operators (carriers) have abandoned networks on TDMA and CDMA technologies, switching over to GSM.

With third generation (3G) networks, which are also known as IMT-2000 networks, about three out of four networks are on the W-CDMA (also known as UMTS) standard, usually seen as the natural evolution path for GSM and TDMA networks. One in four 3G networks is on the CDMA2000 1x EV-DO technology. Some analysts count a previous stage in CDMA evolution, CDMA2000 1x RTT, as a 3G technology whereas most standardization experts count only CDMA2000 1x EV-DO as a true 3G technology. Because of this difference in interpreting what is 3G, there is a wide variety in subscriber counts. As of June 2007, on the narrow definition there are 200 million subscribers on 3G networks. By using the more broad definition, the total subscriber count of 3G phone users is 475 million.

Culture and customs

Between the 1980s and the 2000s, the mobile phone has gone from being an expensive item used by the business elite to a pervasive, personal communications tool for the general population to where specific styles of phones are often seen as a regular fashion statements (much to the lament of some). In most countries, mobile phones outnumber land-line phones, with fixed landlines numbering 1.3 Billion but mobile subscriptions 3.3 Billion at the end of 2007.

In many markets from Japan and South Korea, to Scandinavia, to Israel, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, most children age 8-9 have mobile phones and the new accounts are now opened for customers aged 6 and 7. Where mostly parents tend to give hand-me-down used phones to their youngest children, in Japan already new cameraphones are on the market whose target age group is under 10 years of age, introduced by KDDI in February 2007. The USA also lags on this measure, as in the US so far, about half of all children have mobile phones.^[15] In many young adults' households it has supplanted the land-line phone. Mobile phone usage is banned in some countries, such as North Korea and restricted in some other countries such as Burma.^[16]

Given the high levels of societal mobile phone service penetration, it is a key means for people to communicate with each other. The SMS feature spawned the "texting" sub-culture amongst younger users. In December 1993, the first person-to-person SMS text message was transmitted in Finland. Currently, texting is the most widely-used data service; 1.8 billion users generated $80 billion of revenue in 2006 (source ITU). Many phones offer Instant Messenger services for simple, easy texting. Mobile phones have Internet service (e.g. NTT DoCoMo's i-mode), offering text messaging via e-mail in Japan, South Korea, China, and India. Most mobile internet access is much different from computer access, featuring alerts, weather data, e-mail, search engines, instant messages, and game and music downloading; most mobile internet access is hurried and short.

The mobile phone can be a fashion totem custom-decorated to reflect the owner's personality.^[17] This aspect of the mobile telephony business is, in itself, an industry, e.g. ringtone sales amounted to $3.5 billion in 2005.^[18]

The use of a mobile phone is prohibited in some train company carriages

Mobile phone use can be an important matter of social discourtesy: phones ringing during funerals or weddings; in toilets, cinemas and theatres. Some book shops, libraries, bathrooms, cinemas, doctors' offices and places of worship prohibit their use, so that other patrons will not be disturbed by conversations. Some facilities install signal-jamming equipment to prevent their use, although in many countries, including the US, such equipment is illegal. Some new auditoriums have installed wire mesh in the walls to make a Faraday cage, which prevents signal penetration without violating signal jamming laws.

Trains, particularly those involving long-distance services, often offer a "quiet carriage" where phone use is prohibited, much like the designated non-smoking carriage of the past. In the UK however many users tend to ignore this as it is rarely enforced, especially if the other carriages are crowded and they have no choice but to go in the "quiet carriage".^{[citation needed]} In Japan, it is generally considered impolite to talk using a phone on any train -- texting is generally the mode of mobile communication. Mobile phone usage on local public transport is also increasingly seen as a nuisance; the city of Graz, for instance, has mandated a total ban of mobile phones on its tram and bus network in 2008 (though texting is still allowed).^[19][20]

Mobile phone use on aircraft is also prohibited and many airlines claim in their in-plane announcements that this prohibition is due to possible interference with aircraft radio communications. Shut-off mobile phones do not interfere with aircraft avionics; the concern is partially based on the crash of Crossair Flight 498.

By government agencies

Law enforcement

Main article: Lawful interception

Law enforcement have used mobile phone evidence in a number of different ways. In the EU the "communications of every mobile telephone user are recorded".^[21] In other countries, evidence about the physical location of an individual at a given time has been introduced by triangulating the individual's cellphone between several cellphone towers. This triangulation technique can be used to show that an individual's cellphone was at a certain location at a certain time. The concerns over terrorism and terrorist use of technology prompted an inquiry by the British House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee into the use of evidence from mobile phone devices, prompting leading mobile telephone forensic specialists to identify forensic techniques available in this area.^[22] NIST have published guidelines and procedures for the preservation, acquisition, examination, analysis, and reporting of digital information present on mobile phones can be found under the NIST Publication SP800-101.^[23]

In the UK in 2000 it was claimed that recordings of mobile phone conversations made on the day of the Omagh bombing were crucial to the police investigation. In particular, calls made on two mobile phones which were tracked from south of the Irish border to Omagh and back on the day of the bombing, were considered of vital importance.^[24]

Further example of criminal investigations using mobile phones is the initial location and ultimate identification of the terrorists of the 2004 Madrid train bombings. In the attacks, mobile phones had been used to detonate the bombs. However, one of the bombs failed to detonate, and the SIM card in the corresponding mobile phone gave the first serious lead about the terrorists to investigators. By tracking the whereabouts of the SIM card and correlating other mobile phones that had been registered in those areas, police were able to locate the terrorists.^[25]

Disaster response

The Finnish government decided in 2005 that the fastest way to warn citizens of disasters was the mobile phone network. In Japan, mobile phone companies provide immediate notification of earthquakes and other natural disasters to their customers free of charge ^[26]. In the event of an emergency, disaster response crews can locate trapped or injured people using the signals from their mobile phones. An interactive menu accessible through the phone's Internet browser notifies the company if the user is safe or in distress.^{[citation needed]} In Finland rescue services suggest hikers carry mobile phones in case of emergency even when deep in the forests beyond cellular coverage, as the radio signal of a cellphone attempting to connect to a base station can be detected by overflying rescue aircraft with special detection gear. Also, users in the United States can sign up through their provider for free text messages when an AMBER Alert goes out for a missing person in their area.

However, most mobile phone networks operate close to capacity during normal times and spikes in call volumes caused by widespread emergencies often overload the system just when it is needed the most. Examples reported in the media where this have occurred include the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Hawaiian earthquake, the 2003 Northeast blackouts, the 2005 London Tube bombings, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2007 Minnesota bridge collapse. Thus mobile phones are better for isolated emergencies such as vehicle accidents.

Under FCC regulations, all mobile telephones must be capable of dialing emergency services, regardless of the presence of a SIM card or the paymen

History of mobile phones

Main article: History of mobile phones

In 1908, U.S. Patent 887,357 for a wireless telephone was issued in to Nathan B. Stubblefield of Murray, Kentucky. He applied this patent to "cave radio" telephones and not directly to cellular telephony as the term is currently understood.^[48] Cells for mobile phone base stations were invented in 1947 by Bell Labs engineers at AT&T and further developed by Bell Labs during the 1960s. Radiophones have a long and varied history going back to Reginald Fessenden's invention and shore-to-ship demonstration of radio telephony, through the Second World War with military use of radio telephony links and civil services in the 1950s, while hand-held cellular radio devices have been available since 1973. Due to their low establishment costs and rapid deployment, mobile phone networks have since spread rapidly throughout the world, outstripping the growth of fixed telephony.^{[citation needed]}

In 1945, the zero generation (0G) of mobile telephones was introduced. 0G mobile phones, such as Mobile Telephone Service, were not cellular, and so did not feature "handover" from one base station to the next and reuse of radio frequency channels.^{[citation needed]} Like other technologies of the time, it involved a single, powerful base station covering a wide area, and each telephone would effectively monopolize a channel over that whole area while in use. The concepts of frequency reuse and handoff as well as a number of other concepts that formed the basis of modern cell phone technology are first described in U.S. Patent 4,152,647 , issued May 1, 1979 to Charles A. Gladden and Martin H. Parelman, both of Las Vegas, Nevada and assigned by them to the United States Government.

This is the first embodiment of all the concepts that formed the basis of the next major step in mobile telephony, the Analog cellular telephone. Concepts covered in this patent (cited in at least 34 other patents) also were later extended to several satellite communication systems. Later updating of the cellular system to a digital system credits this patent.

Martin Cooper, a Motorola researcher and executive is widely considered to be the inventor of the first practical mobile phone for handheld use in a non-vehicle setting. Using a modern, if somewhat heavy portable handset, Cooper made the first call on a handheld mobile phone on April 3, 1973.^[49]

The first commercial citywide cellular network was launched in Japan by NTT in 1979. Fully automatic cellular networks were first introduced in the early to mid 1980s (the 1G generation). The Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) system went online in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in 1981.^[50] NMT was the first mobile phone system that enabled international use of the phone, or "roaming" on other networks in other countries. This was followed by a boom in mobile phone usage, particularly in Northern Europe.^{[citation needed]}

In 1983, Motorola DynaTAC was the first approved mobile phone by FCC in the United States. In 1984, Bell Labs developed modern commercial cellular technology (based, to a large extent, on the Gladden, Parelman Patent), which employed multiple, centrally-controlled base stations (cell sites), each providing service to a small area (a cell). The cell sites would be set up such that cells partially overlapped. In a cellular system, a signal between a base station (cell site) and a terminal (phone) only need be strong enough to reach between the two, so the same channel can be used simultaneously for separate conversations in different cells.

Cellular systems required several leaps of technology, including handover, which allowed a conversation to continue as a mobile phone traveled from cell to cell. This system included variable transmission power in both the base stations and the telephones (controlled by the base stations), which allowed range and cell size to vary. As the system expanded and neared capacity, the ability to reduce transmission power allowed new cells to be added, resulting in more, smaller cells and thus more capacity. The evidence of this growth can still be seen in the many older, tall cell site towers with no antennae on the upper parts of their towers. These sites originally created large cells, and so had their antennae mounted atop high towers; the towers were designed so that as the system expanded—and cell sizes shrank—the antennae could be lowered on their original masts to reduce range.

The first "modern" network technology on digital 2G (second generation) cellular technology was launched by Radiolinja (now part of Elisa Group) in 1991 in Finland on the GSM standard which also marked the introduction of competition in mobile telecoms when Radiolinja challenged incumbent Telecom Finland (now part of TeliaSonera) who ran a 1G NMT network.

The first data services appeared on mobile phones starting with person-to-person SMS text messaging in Finland in 1993. First trial payments using a mobile phone to pay for a Coca Cola vending machine were set in Finland in 1998. The first commercial payments were mobile parking trialled in Sweden but first commercially launched in Norway in 1999. The first commercial payment system to mimick banks and credit cards was launched in the Philippines in 1999 simultaneously by mobile operators Globe and Smart. The first content sold to mobile phones was the ringing tone, first launched in 1998 in Finland. The first full internet service on mobile phones was i-Mode introduced by NTT DoCoMo in Japan in 1999.

In 2001 the first commercial launch of 3G (Third Generation) was again in Japan by NTT DoCoMo on the WCDMA standard.^{[citation needed][51]}

Until the early 1990s, most mobile phones were too large to be carried in a jacket pocket, so they were typically installed in vehicles as car phones. With the miniaturization of digital components and the development of more sophisticated batteries, mobile phones have become smaller and lighter.

In the 2000s, video and TV services are driving forward third generation (3G) deployment. In the future, low cost, high speed data may drive forward the fourth generation (4G) as short-range communication emerges. Service and application ubiquity, low cost data delivery, and a high degree of personalization and synchronization between various user appliances will be drivers. At the same time, the radio access network may evolve from a centralized architecture to a distributed one.^{[citation needed]}

mobile phone

"Cell phone" redirects here. For the movie, see Cell Phone (film).

Several examples of non-flip mobile phones.

The mobile phone (also called a wireless phone or cellular phone)^[1] is a short-range, portable electronic device used for mobile voice or data communication over a network of specialized base stations known as cell sites. In addition to the standard voice function of a telephone, current mobile phones may support many additional services, and accessories, such as SMS for text messaging, email, packet switching for access to the Internet, gaming, bluetooth, infrared, camera with video recorder and MMS for sending and receiving photos and video. Most current mobile phones connect to a cellular network of base stations (cell sites), which is in turn interconnected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) (the exception is satellite phones)

According to internal memos, American Telephone & Telegraph discussed developing a wireless phone in 1915, but were afraid deployment of the technology could undermine its monopoly on wired service in the U.S.^[2]

The first commercial mobile phone service was launched in Japan by NTT in 1978. By November 2007, the total number of mobile phone subscriptions in the world had reached 3.3 billion, or half of the human population (although some users have multiple subscriptions, or inactive subscriptions), which also makes the mobile phone the most widely spread technology and the most common electronic device in the world.^[3]

The first mobile phone to enable internet connectivity and wireless email, the Nokia Communicator, was released in 1996, creating a new category of expensive phones called smartphones. In 1999 the first mobile internet service was launched by NTT DoCoMo in Japan under the i-Mode service. By 2007 over 798 million people around the world accessed the internet or equivalent mobile internet services such as WAP and i-Mode at least occasionally using a mobile phone rather than a personal computer.

Cellular systems

See also: Cellular frequencies

Mobile phone tower

Mobile phones send and receive radio signals with any number of cell site base stations fitted with microwave antennas. These sites are usually mounted on a tower, pole or building, located throughout populated areas, then connected to a cabled communication network and switching system. The phones have a low-power transceiver that transmits voice and data to the nearest cell sites, normally not more than 8 to 13 km (approximately 5 to 8 miles) away.

When the mobile phone or data device is turned on, it registers with the mobile telephone exchange, or switch, with its unique identifiers, and can then be alerted by the mobile switch when there is an incoming telephone call. The handset constantly listens for the strongest signal being received from the surrounding base stations, and is able to switch seamlessly between sites. As the user moves around the network, the "handoffs" are performed to allow the device to switch sites without interrupting the call.

Cell sites have relatively low-power (often only one or two watts) radio transmitters which broadcast their presence and relay communications between the mobile handsets and the switch. The switch in turn connects the call to another subscriber of the same wireless service provider or to the public telephone network, which includes the networks of other wireless carriers. Many of these sites are camouflaged to blend with existing environments, particularly in scenic areas.

The dialogue between the handset and the cell site is a stream of digital data that includes digitized audio (except for the first generation analog networks). The technology that achieves this depends on the system which the mobile phone operator has adopted. The technologies are grouped by generation. The first-generation systems started in 1979 with Japan, are all analog and include AMPS and NMT. Second-generation systems, started in 1991 in Finland, are all digital and include GSM, CDMA and TDMA.

The nature of cellular technology renders many phones vulnerable to 'cloning': anytime a cell phone moves out of coverage (for example, in a road tunnel), when the signal is re-established, the phone sends out a 're-connect' signal to the nearest cell-tower, identifying itself and signalling that it is again ready to transmit. With the proper equipment, it's possible to intercept the re-connect signal and encode the data it contains into a 'blank' phone -- in all respects, the 'blank' is then an exact duplicate of the real phone and any calls made on the 'clone' will be charged to the original account.

Third-generation (3G) networks, which are still being deployed, began in Japan in 2001. They are all digital, and offer high-speed data access in addition to voice services and include W-CDMA (known also as UMTS), and CDMA2000 EV-DO. China will launch a third generation technology on the TD-SCDMA standard. Operators use a mix of predesignated frequency bands determined by the network requirements and local regulations.

In an effort to limit the potential harm from having a transmitter close to the user's body, the first fixed/mobile cellular phones that had a separate transmitter, vehicle-mounted antenna, and handset (known as car phones and bag phones) were limited to a maximum 3 watts Effective Radiated Power. Modern handheld cellphones which must have the transmission antenna held inches from the user's skull are limited to a maximum transmission power of 0.6 watts ERP. Regardless of the potential biological effects, the reduced transmission range of modern handheld phones limits their usefulness in rural locations as compared to car/bag phones, and handhelds require that cell towers be spaced much closer together to compensate for their lack of transmission power.

Some handhelds include an optional auxiliary antenna port on the back of the phone, which allows it to be connected to a large external antenna and a 3 watt cellular booster. Alternately in fringe-reception areas, a cellular repeater may be used, which uses a long distance high-gain dish antenna or yagi antenna to communicate with a cell tower far outside of normal range, and a repeater to rebroadcast on a small short-range local antenna that allows any cellphone within a few meters to function properly.

Handsets

Nokia is currently the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones, with a global device market share of approximately 40% in 2008. Other major mobile phone manufacturers (in order of market share) include Samsung (14%), Motorola (14%), Sony Ericsson (9%) and LG (7%).^[4] These manufacturers account for over 80% of all mobile phones sold and produce phones for sale in most countries.

Other manufacturers include Apple Inc., Audiovox (now UTStarcom), Benefon, BenQ-Siemens, CECT, High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC), Fujitsu, Kyocera, Mitsubishi Electric, NEC, Neonode, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric), Pantech Curitel, Philips, Research In Motion, Sagem, Sanyo, Sharp, Siemens, Sendo, Sierra Wireless, SK Teletech, Sonim Technologies, T&A Alcatel, Huawei, Trium and Toshiba. There are also specialist communication systems related to (but distinct from) mobile phones.

There are several categories of mobile phones, from basic phones to feature phones such as musicphones and cameraphones, to smartphones. The first smartphone was the Nokia 9000 Communicator in 1996 which incorporated PDA functionality to the basic mobile phone at the time. As miniaturization and increased processing power of microchips has enabled ever more features to be added to phones, the concept of the smartphone has evolved, and what was a high-end smartphone five years ago, is a standard phone today. Several phone series have been introduced to address a given market segment, such as the RIM Blackberry focusing on enterprise/corporate customer email needs; the SonyEricsson Walkman series of musicphones and Cybershot series of cameraphones; the Nokia N-Series of multimedia phones; and the Apple iPhone which provides full-featured web access and multimedia capabilities.

Main article: Mobile phone features

Mobile phones often have features beyond sending text messages and making voice calls, including Internet browsing, music (MP3) playback, memo recording, personal organizer functions, e-mail, instant messaging, built-in cameras and camcorders, ringtones, games, radio, Push-to-Talk (PTT), infrared and Bluetooth connectivity, call registers, ability to watch streaming video or download video for later viewing, video calling and serve as a wireless modem for a PC, and soon will also serve as a console of sorts to online games and other high quality games. The total value of mobile data services exceeds the value of paid services on the Internet, and was worth 31 billion dollars in 2006 (source Informa).^{[citation needed]} The largest categories of mobile services are music, picture downloads, videogaming, adult entertainment, gambling, video/TV.

Applications

The most commonly used data application on mobile phones is SMS text messaging, with 74% of all mobile phone users as active users (over 2.4 billion out of 3.3 billion total subscribers at the end of 2007). SMS text messaging was worth over 100 billion dollars in annual revenues in 2007 and the worldwide average of messaging use is 2.6 SMS sent per day per person across the whole mobile phone subscriber base. (source Informa 2007). The first SMS text message was sent from a computer to a mobile phone in 1992 in the UK, while the first person-to-person SMS from phone to phone was sent in Finland in 1993.

The other non-SMS data services used by mobile phones were worth 31 Billion dollars in 2007, and were led by mobile music, downloadable logos and pictures, gaming, gambling, adult entertainment and advertising (source: Informa 2007). The first downloadable mobile content was sold to a mobile phone in Finland in 1998, when Radiolinja (now Elisa) introduced the downloadable ringing tone service. In 1999 Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo introduced its mobile internet service, i-Mode, which today is the world's largest mobile internet service and roughly the same size as Google in annual revenues.

The first mobile news service, delivered via SMS, was launched in Finland in 2000. Mobile news services are expanding with many organizations providing "on-demand" news services by SMS. Some also provide "instant" news pushed out by SMS. Mobile telephony also facilitates activism and public journalism being explored by Reuters and Yahoo!^[5] and small independent news companies such as Jasmine News in Sri Lanka.

Companies like Monster are starting to offer mobile services such as job search and career advice. Consumer applications are on the rise and include everything from information guides on local activities and events to mobile coupons and discount offers one can use to save money on purchases. Even tools for creating websites for mobile phones are increasingly becoming available, e.g. Mobilemo.

Mobile payments were first trialled in Finland in 1998 when two coca cola machines in Espoo were enabled to work with SMS payments. Eventually the idea spread and in 1999 the Philippines launched the first commercial mobile payments systems, on the mobile operators Globe and Smart. Today mobile payments ranging from mobile banking to mobile credit cards to mobile commerce are very widely used in Asia and Africa, and in selected European markets. For example in the Philippines it is not unusual to have your whole paycheck paid to the mobile account. In Kenya the limit of money transfers from one mobile banking account to another is one million US dollars. In India paying utility bills with mobile gains a 5% discount. In Estonia the government found criminals collecting cash parking fees, so the government declared that only mobile payments via SMS were valid for parking and today all parking fees in Estonia are handled via mobile and the crime involved in the activity has vanished.

Mobile Applications are developed using the Six M's (previously Five M's) service-development theory created by the author Tomi Ahonen with Joe Barrett of Nokia and Paul Golding of Motorola. The Six M's are Movement (location), Moment (time), Me (personalization), Multi-user (community), Money (payments) and Machines (automation). The Six M's / Five M's theory is widely referenced in the telecoms applications literature and used by most major industry players. The first book to discuss the theory was Services for UMTS by Ahonen & Barrett in 2002.

The availability of mobile phone backup applications is growing with the increasing amount of mobile phone data being stored on mobile phones today. With mobile phone manufacturers producing mobile handsets with more and more memory storage capabilities the awareness of the importance in backing up mobile phone data is increasing. Corporate mobile phone users today keep very important company information on their mobiles, information if lost then not easily replaced. Wireless backup applications like SC BackUp offer users the chance to backup mobile phone data using advanced wireless technology. Users can backup, restore or transfer mobile data anytime, anywhere all over the world, to a secured server.

Media

The mobile phone became a mass media channel in 1998 when the first ringing tones were sold to mobile phones by Radiolinja in Finland. Soon other media content appeared such as news, videogames, jokes, horoscopes, TV content and advertising. In 2006 the total value of mobile phone paid media content exceeded internet paid media content and was worth 31 Billion dollars (source Informa 2007). The value of music on phones was worth 9.3 Billion dollars in 2007 and gaming was worth over 5 billion dollars in 2007 (source Netsize Guide 2008 [1]).

The mobile phone is often called the Fourth Screen (if counting cinema, TV and PC screens as the first three) or Third Screen (counting only TV and PC screens). It is also called the Seventh of the Mass Media (with Print, Recordings, Cinema, Radio, TV and Internet the first six). Most early content for mobile tended to be copies of legacy media, such as the banner advertisement or the TV news highlight video clip. Recently unique content for mobile has been emerging, from the ringing tones and ringback tones in music to "mobisodes," video content that has been produced exclusively for mobile phones.

The advent of media on the mobile phone has also produced the opportunity to identify and track Alpha Users or Hubs, the most influential members of any social community. AMF Ventures measured in 2007 the relative accuracy of three mass media, and found that audience measures on mobile were nine times more accurate than on the internet and 90 times more accurate than on TV.

Power supply

Mobile phones generally obtain power from batteries, which can be recharged from a USB port, from portable batteries, from mains power or a cigarette lighter socket in a car using an adapter (often called battery charger or wall wart) or from a solar panel o a dynamo (that can also use a USB port to plug the phone).

Formerly, the most common form of mobile phone batteries were nickel metal-hydride, as they have a low size and weight. Lithium-Ion batteries are sometimes used, as they are lighter and do not have the voltage depression that nickel metal-hydride batteries do. Many mobile phone manufacturers have now switched to using lithium-Polymer batteries as opposed to the older Lithium-Ion, the main advantages of this being even lower weight and the possibility to make the battery a shape other than strict cuboid. Mobile phone manufacturers have been experimenting with alternate power sources, including solar cells.

SIM card

In addition to the battery, most cellphones require a small microchip, called a Subscriber Identity Module or SIM Card, to function. Approximately the size of a one-cent postage stamp, the SIM Card is usually placed underneath the battery in the rear of the unit, and (when properly activated) stores the phone's configuration data, and information about the phone itself, such as which calling plan the subscriber is using. When the subscriber removes the SIM Card, it can be re-inserted into another phone and used as normal.

Each SIM Card is activated by use of a unique numerical identifier; once activated, the identifier is locked down and the card is permanently locked in to the activating network. For this reason, most retailers refuse to accept the return of an activated SIM Card.

Those cell phones that do not use a SIM Card have the data programmed in to their memory. This data is accessed by using a special digit sequence to access the "NAM" as in "Name" or number programming menu. From here, one can add information such as a new number for your phone, new Service Provider numbers, new emergency numbers, change their Authentication Key or A-Key code, and update their Preferred Roaming List or PRL. However, to prevent the average Joe from totally disabling their phone or removing it from the network, the Service Provider puts a lock on this data called a Master Subsidiary Lock or MSL.

The MSL also ensures that the Service Provider gets payment for the phone that was purchased or "leased". For example, the Motorola Razr V9C costs upwards of CAD $500. You can get one from Bell Mobility for approximately $200. The difference is paid by the customer in the form of a monthly bill. If, in this case, Bell Mobility did not use a MSL, then they may lose the $300–$400 difference that is paid in the monthly bill, since some customers would cancel their service and take the phone to another carrier such as Telus, or Verizon. This would eventually put the carrier or in this case, Bell Mobility out of business.

HeadlightsNew Innovations With LEDs

n the upcoming year, the globe should expect a new milestone from headlights manufacturers. From now on, car producers are going to exclusively use LED. It is now definitely confirmed that companies who make lights are working on producing little LEDs to install in future cars. This is good news, for two reasons - LEDs are more energy efficient and they are also a cost effective lights that last longer.

LED is an acronym for "light-emitting diode" which is a semiconductor gadget which releases incoherent narrow-spectrum light when it meets with electricity in the frontward route. The way light is formed is a type of electroluminescence. Also, whatever colors LEDs release will vary due to condition and composition of the semi-conducting material such as infrared or ultraviolet.

LEDs were first made in 1970s and people most commonly saw them initially in their wristwatches. The fact that they can be used as lights has only been a utilized feature in the recent years. LEDs can now be seen on taillights and traffic signals. It is now something the car manufacturing industry demands for their headlights.

Headlights equipped with LEDs can shine up a whole street during night hours. These products are dependable because they last for long lengths of time. The A8 Audi has headlights which work during daylight hours. This particular car was Audi's first try at utilizing LED lights in one of their vehicles. Soon, the S6 Audi and the S8 Audi were also equipped with LEDs. This upcoming year, Audi will be producing the R8 sports car with LED lights and it will be available within the borders of the United States.

One slight negative about LED headlights is their price. They are a bit on the expensive side, and many companies don't want to use them just yet. Nonetheless, they are becoming standard and are way more energy efficient; the following cars are already beginning to switch over to LED headlights: the Cadillac Escalade, Lexus LS, and Lincoln Navigators.

LEDs are a sophisticated device which will definitely make you and your car infinitely cooler. It will also make your nighttime driving experience way better. Who doesn't like being on the cutting edge of being trendy? Check out your online auto parts dealer for some of the hottest LED headlights for your car. You should also talk to your local mechanic to see if he has any special recommendations for your particular car.

How You Can Let the IRS Pay for Your Car Upgrade

What if I told you that you could let the IRS pay for your car upgrade? You would probably jump right on it, right? I know that everyone would love to know that the IRS will actually do this, and the how and why behind this. This is why I decided to share this little secret with you. The first thing that you should know is that the IRS will pay for any car upgrade that is considered to be beneficial to the economy, as well as the environment. This is all made possible by Going Green! Here, you will learn about how the IRS elects to pay, and the numerous advantages that are available to you!

Based on the obvious increase in fuel costs, and the overall shortage of oils that produce fuel, we all know that every single one of us will suffer in one way or another. The heavy hitter when it comes to our lives are the prices that we will have to pay to enjoy fuel, and the luxuries that fuel offers such as electricity and other types of utilities. Saving money on gas is the first goal that each of us should have. There are a number of ways that we can optimize our modes of transportation in order to decrease the amount of money that we spend to fuel those modes, but that takes a lot of work! Besides, the IRS will not pay you to have your spark plugs changed, or for that new fuel filter.

If you want a single solution to how to save money on gas, it does not require you to breakdown all the components in your engine and replacing them, all it takes in integrating a hydrogen or water for gas fuel system! By using this type of fuel system, you can easily double the amount of miles that you are able to drive on a full tank of fuel! The IRS likes the fact that you are not having to purchase as much gas and/or diesel because that means that the Federal and State government does not have to keep bargaining with expensive companies to get the best, yet high prices on oil barrels. In return for your assistance in this, the IRS will pay for your car upgrade!

If you want to know other reasons on how the IRS pays for your car upgrades that is easy! If you use less oil, and less fuel, you are actually decreasing the amount of pollutants that are released from your vehicle into the atmosphere. This helps to reduce the amount of dangerous chemicals that break down the atmosphere and contribute to the effects of greenhouse gases! If you want to make a positive contribution to the environment, save money on fuel, and let the IRS pay for your car upgrade, you should consider implementing the use of a water fuel system.

Products of Automotive Business Unit

Wiring Harness A wiring harness is stretched around every portion of the vehicle, and plays the roles of the blood vessels and nerves in human body. It distributes electric power from battery to the lamps, motors, and computers, and communicates information on speed and temperature, and other data such as sounds and images. As signal transduction and energy transfer in vehicles becomes more enhanced, demand for lighter, safer, and environmentally-friendlier wiring harnesses is increasing. The wiring harness business of SEI Group is being conducted in collaboration with Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. for the purpose of meeting the requirements of customers in Japan and overseas.

Brake System SEI is the first company to establish a mass-production system for disc brakes in Japan. For nearly 40 years, we have been working toward improvement of product quality. Presently, brake system development and sales functions are consolidated into ADVICS Co., Ltd. and production function is contracted out to Sumitomo (SEI) Brake Systems, Inc. for further expansion of our global business.

Present Situation and Future prospects of Automotive Business Unit -

The market of automotive components is not completely unrelated to the global trends of finished car manufacturers. Not only cost reduction due to global production shift and enhancement of production efficiency, but also quality assurance, development of systemization and modulization technologies, and environmental care are demanded.

Firstly, let me explain about the wiring harness operations of SEI Group. SEI is responsible for business planning, sales and long-term technical development, Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. takes charge of designing and production, and Auto Networks Technologies, Ltd. handles mid-term technical development. In 1992, we have set up a goal for "Global 15 (winning of 15% share in the world market)". Since then, we have adhered to the policy of increasing the global presence and developing the top technologies.

Our global networks of sales, development, production, physical distribution, and quality assurance, as well as our technical expertise in the fields ranging from materials to systems are being recognized highly by the finished car manufacturers. Coupled with the expansion of business of Japanese car manufacturers in overseas, we prospect that we can achieve the world market share of 15% in fiscal 2004. Moreover, we intend to achieve the goal of "Global 20" (winning of 20% world market share) in around 2010.

In order to expand our global market share, we need to improve our competitiveness in quality and price, enhance the local supply rate, and increase the level of customer service. In the aspect of globalization, we will establish (1) production facilities of automotive electric wires, (2) production facilities of connectors and other components, (3) mounting/assembly facilities, and (4) customer service technical centers for creation of the worldwide networks of physical distribution and information communication.

This agrees with the trends of Japanese finished car manufacturers, with whom we are closely connected.

For achieving "Global 20", increase in business with non-Japanese car manufacturers is inevitable. Therefore, not only the expansion of facilities are considered, but also the M&As and alliances with our competitors.

As for wiring harness that plays the roles of the blood vessels and nerves in human body, the trend toward "intelligent system" is expected to accelerate. We will concentrate our technologies in such fields as telecommunications, electronics, high voltage and new materials to develop new products that beat our competitors.

Other key operations of Automotive Business Unit are brake system and ABS. Since we must compete against the world's leading brake manufacturers, it had been necessary for us to expand in quantitative aspect. Since equipment investment has become a great burden to a single company in this trend toward modulization, Sumitomo Electric has teamed up with Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd., Denso Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation to establish Advics Co., Ltd., which is aiming to become the world's No. 1 brake system manufacturer. In March 2003, our North American brake company was also integrated with Advics.

The trend of motorization is growing all over the world. Automotive Business Unit of SEI will strive toward establishing its presence in the world market, keeping pace with the market trends. We would like to take this opportunity to ask you for continuous supports.

On the internet I'm sure you have come across many articles, advertisements, and even spam emails promising you ways to make money online. Most of these are scams trying to make a profit on your ignorance of internet business. They usually bait you in with promises of 3000 dollars a day or month or whatever, and then make you sign up to their program not really knowing what to do. I'm here to tell you that 90% of people who sign up to programs like that fail with in just a few months. The reasons they fail vary, but usually it comes down to the fact that they don't really understand internet business. That is why I am going to list the basic internet business models so you can see what program is right for you, and hopefully give you a better understanding of how people really make money online.

These websites charge for brokerage or intermediary services and add value by providing expertise, and/or a wide variety of useful alternatives. You can make a website like this by making a basic website, and becoming an affiliate of programs or products you wish to sell. A good place to find affiliate programs is the commission junction website. They have thousands of free affiliate programs for you to choose from. Affiliate programs usually pay you between 2%-10% commission on the products or services you sell, depending on the product and of course who you are an affiliate of. Just make a website, and fill your pages with information on whatever products you are trying to sell, and that's it.

Advertising Based

These websites sell their own content to advertisers. To make this business model successful you have to start by writing quality content that other websites are going to want. Then you have to let other websites know that you are there, and that your content is available for purchase. A good example of a place to sell your content is a newspaper or magazine. These businesses get paid to have advertisements on them, and use your content to attract readers. All you have to do is convince them your content will attract readers, and get your content listed on their pages.

Mark Up Based

This is probably one of the most commonly used business models out there today. That being said, there is a lot of competition in this field. What you have to do is find a whole seller who sells products for cheap. Then you obtain these products either through drop shipping or by purchasing them directly, and you mark them up a percentage and keep the profit. This model is used in almost every online store. The trick is to find a product as cheap as possible and mark it up so that you make some profit, but not mark it up so much that people can just go to a store and buy it for almost the same price. You are going to want to try and start with a well known brand name to quickly access a wide customer base who is already familiar with your product or company.

Referral Based

These businesses make money by referring customers to other businesses. An example of this model is all those free computer ads you see everywhere. If you have ever clicked on one of these ads you will quickly notice that the computer or other promised free product is not actually free. You have to sign up for other peoples products and/or services. You can choose anything from memberships to music stores to credit cards. Companies pay to have this referral based company make people sign up for their services. The referral company then turns around and makes a deal with another company to get their product for a low price. The referral company then offers this product to anyone who signs up for a set number of offers that they decide. You can make some decent money with this model, but there are a lot of businesses like this already out there, and most people just disregard this type of business as spam.

Subscription Based

This type of business charges a fee for services rendered. People sign up for whatever service you are offering, and they pay a monthly or yearly fee to keep it. You have to make sure that you offer either a service or content that people are going to be interested in. A good example is a music website where people pay you a monthly fee to download music from your website. Music is probably one of the more popular subscription based internet businesses out there today. That being said, if you plan to make a website that is subscription based you have to consider your competition. See what they offer for services and additional features, and see how much they charge for a subscription fee. You have to make your site special if you plan to compete with these already established online businesses.

Fee For Service Based

This kind of website makes money off a service that it performs. An example of this is a website review and rate business. There are internet based businesses out there that you can pay to have them review your site. They can check it for spelling and grammar errors, site overall design, and even SEO stuff like meta tag flaws, keyword stuffing, and overall page rank by search engines. Most of these websites also offer advice on how to better optimize your website so that you can attract more visitors and get better ranked in the search engines. In order to be successful as a fee for service based business, the first thing you have to do is find a service that you can offer. Once you do that you just have to put time and effort in to getting more customers, and of course performing the service that your website promotes.

These are the most commonly used ways to make money online. Don't fall for those scams that promise you can start making 3000 dollars a month in your first year. I'm not saying that doesn't occasionally happen, I'm saying that chances are it is not going to work for you. Just like everything else in life, you have to put time and effort in to something if you plan on it being successful. Don't expect to make a lot of money quickly for doing nothing, but plan on possibly making a decent amount of money after 6 months to a year of hard work. If you stick with it for a few years you may actually find that you can be financially independent off your internet business.

Also important to having a successful internet business is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I also have an article on this which you can find a link to in the source box, or in the reviews and articles section of my website. Hope this guide helps you on your journey to owning your own web based business, and I wish you the best of luck.

By: The PC Line

Starting a home business can be a daunting task. With so many do's and don'ts, here's and there's, one can get overwhelmed in the process. In this article you will learn three very important tips that will get you off to a good productive start. The reason that many home business owners fail is not the lack of knowledge, but the lack of endurance and focus needed to succeed in this competitive world that we live in. Applying the following tips to your business will benefit the birth and the growth of your home business.

Listed below are the three tips and a brief description about how using each one can and will improve your home business.

1 . Arm Yourself - Arm yourself with as many resources and tools as you can before starting your business. Learn everything you can concerning your business from start up cost to potential earning capacity; crunch those numbers! Figure out all of the supplies that you will need to start your home business such as a computer, stationery, pens, staplers, cell phones and even space. Take time to search the internet for anything dealing with your particular niche. Read of articles that talk about the business that you are about to embark on. Print out these articles and highlight all of the things that you find useful. Strap yourself with as much knowledge as you can while having helpful email addresses and phone numbers at your finger tips. Be sure to have easy access to all of your tools and resources. Get everything organized; it will make things go a lot smoother.

2. Study Your Competition - Let's be honest, the chances of your business not having some sort of competition is slim. This is why you need to find your competition and study them. Look at what they are doing as well as what they have done. Find out where they can approve at, as well as where they are excelling at. Study their campaign ads, compare prices and even try their products and or services to get an even better understanding of how they work. After doing all of these things, see how you can incorporate you findings into your own business. By doing this you will eventually dominate your competition, producing more revenue for your own home business.

3 . Get Rid Of Failure Being An Option - This is actually one of the first things that you must do. This is also one of the most difficult things to do. See, as great as it may sound, and as potentially great as it could be; starting your own home business takes a lot of work. It will take some studying and some patience, some trial and some error. There will be some obstacles and some set backs to over come, but you will over come them. It will be well worth it. If you think that you will fail, you probably will; therefore, get rid of the thought altogether. Focus on where you want to be and you will eventually get there.

Start a home business isn't just going to be a walk in thepark, but it will be worth it when you succeed. Always remember, in order to succeed in the "home business world"; you must stay focused, dedicated, and BE PATIENT! Things may not happen when you want them to, but stick with it and keep your eye on the final goal.

By: earl stringer

Home Based Business; A Dream Or A Reality

Home Based Business is booming across the world and for good reason. Starting a Home Based Business has many rewards and challenges. It has increasingly become a very popular way in which to earn a primary or secondary income. For many years now, starting an online Home Based Business has been a dream for thousands of people. Starting a Home Based Business is more affordable than most people think. If you turn a hobby in to a Home Based Business then you won’t have to worry about that big of a start up cost. If you have a good idea and a willingness to work and learn, a Home Based Business can be extremely rewarding and a great joy. A lot of people dream about starting their own business and a Home Based Business is a great place to start.

Owning a Home Based Business offers many benefits to you and your family. When you work at home you can often adjust your work schedule to reflect the needs of your family; for example, when small children are sleeping or in school. Owning a Home Based Business also gives the term ‘multi-tasking’ a whole new meaning. Instead of working on your computer and talking on the phone at the same time as in an office, your new version of multi-tasking may include talking on the phone while you feed your baby, record business letters while you walk your dog, or problem solving while you throw in a load of wash.
Obviously, with your own Home Based Business there is no storefront or office to rent, fewer or no additional phone lines to pay for, little or no additional utility expense, little or no additional furniture to buy and the cost savings go on. There may also be many tax benefits to owning your Home Based Business. You may be able to deduct the mortgage payment, property taxes, repair, maintenance and cleaning costs, as well as heating and cooling costs for certain parts of your home that are directly involved in the operation of your Home Based Business. If you are planning to quit your job in order to start a Home Based Business, it is important that you patiently take the time to have plans in place before you quit. Picking the right Home Based Business is the single most important decision you will make. There’s a final reason to consider a Home Based Business; it’s open to all walks of life, from high school students to the growing population of what-do-we-do-now retirees. While retirement is not a period of life during which the family savings should be put at risk, the wisdom and experience of maturity mixes perfectly with the structured prudence required to successfully operate a Home Based Business.Owning your own Home Based Business can be a fun, exciting and rewarding experience. Best of all you get to pursue your hobbies, get plenty of free time – and get extra cash in hand. Just make sure your Home Based Business is one that will be in demand ten or twenty years from now.

By: Patricia J. Heil

Making Decent Money Online

After reading this, you will know how to get rich on the internet!! Just Kidding!!! If only it were that easy! If it were, I’d have someone else writing this for me. That’s why I called this article, “Making Decent Money Online”, not, “Get Rich on the Web”. How much money you are able to make depends on your motivation and dedication. The truth of the matter is, not many have the ability to get RICH on the web. There is good news for the rest of us, however!!! With some work and a little know how, you can generate some decent supplemental income. Some have even been able to quit their primary job. It is definitely possible!

The following are some very good ways to make money on the web.

Google AdSense
Google Ad Sense is a pay-per click program. Money is generated by relevant ads on your website. Google’s technology matches ads to your site’s content and every time a user clicks on them, you earn money. It is FREE, very easy to sign up, and you can potentially start earning money right away. The key is to generate enough traffic to your site. There are some stipulations that Google has, however, to qualify for their Ad Sense program. To apply, you must have:

• A launched website with acceptable content and valid URL.
• A valid payee name and mailing address to receive your payments.

I know it sounds easy doesn’t it? As I said earlier though, the key is that your site has to generate enough traffic to generate a decent pay out.

Hosting Resellers
A reseller is a company or individual who resells a product or service instead of consuming them. For example, in this case you would sign up (usually for a fee) with a company who sells web hosting and resell their plans. Normally you would get set up with your own website and can even set your own prices. You then receive commissions off your sales. This is an excellent way to make money.

Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs are programs in which a business pays commissions to affiliates for each sale they generate. Typically you would promote a product in your website that relates to your target audience. So if you have a website dedicated to getting in shape, then you may become an affiliate with a supplement store to promote their products. You would then get a commission every time one of your visitors buys from the supplement store. Generally businesses keep track of who is responsible for the sale via links an buttons placed on the affiliates web page. These buttons and links contain code which identifies the affiliate. Commission Junction is a great place to start. They have tons of affiliates offering thousands of products that you can promote on your site.

So what if you don’t have an existing website to sign up for Google AdSense or an affiliate program? And you’re not really interested in reselling hosting plans. Well you can develop your own site, get a web developer, or you can take advantage of EBay. You do not need a site of your own and many people make quite a living from EBay.

I encourage you to explore The Amazing Web website for more information on how to generate money. It will take some time and dedication to generate substantial income, but it can be done. Whatever you do, do not fall for one of the get rich quick schemes. Stick to your gut feeling and give it a try.

By: Shane Walker

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Shane Walker
TheAmazingWeb.com

Start Your Own Business Or Employ Yourself

I would like to believe that the majority of us love the idea of running your own business or working for yourself. Personally, I was one of those people who didn't like getting up in the morning to go and work for someone else. The only way out was by employing myself or starting my own legitimate small business. The majority of us really like this sort of independence that comes with owning your own business, but we are not courageous enough to make the move or necessary step to better our careers. Its only those who try and actually do something about it who end up independent and financially free. We obviously know that nothing comes to you but you have to go out there and get what you want. Thats only the beginning.

Everyone is capable of being successful but there are so many people out there who do not believe in themselves. They actually put themselves down before they even try. So they have failed before they try. Put everything you have into it and believe in yourself. Research and find the best business going, work hard at it and thats a good start. Believing in yourself is the first great step you can ever take.
Self-motivation is the best remedy to succeed in business. If you are not self-motivated you are bound or destined to fail. If you can't motivate yourself who is going to motivate you to succeed? Remember you are in this by yourself and you have to cover your own back all the time because no one is going to do that for you.

Stay away from people who offer you business startup ideas and systems and ask you for a payment for their so called proven system. If you try and hang around with these guys you are building yourself for failure. There are a lot of free resource organisations that can help you start and build you business from scratch. If you are going to pay someone make sure they are recognised and they are not going to take your money from you.

A lot of people think you need thousands of dollars to start a business. You can actually start a business on a shoe string budget. There are a lot of businesses you can start with close to nothing. Personally, I started my business with only a hundred dollars but at the moment I'm surviving pretty well.

All the best if you are trying to break away from the traditional everyday get up in the morning and go to work rat race system. Ambition is always good. Don't be lead but lead and build a future for yourself.

By: Kudzai Mukono