Mobile Phones – The Environmental Question

The environment is an important issue to a great many people, and any time that someone makes a political or lifestyle decision in the modern day, there is always an environmental question to answer. Certainly it comes into play with mobile phones, as when thrown away they can be a major environmental hazard, with many of their components taking more than a century to degrade.

One major response to this has been the development of organisations who pay for old mobile phones so as to recycle the phone or its components. Even if your phone is very old and no longer really any use as a phone, it will have components which are usable, and even if the amount that you get for it is not much, it is better than nothing.

Of course, many mobile phone companies and stores have a similar policy of paying for old mobile phones or using them as a part-exchange component allowing the customer to make a saving on the new cell phone they wish to buy. In doing this, they prevent people from simply throwing away an old phone when they cease to have a use for it.

If the environment is a source of concern to you, then the options available for disposal of your old mobile phone have never been greater. There is of course always a push on to find more environmentally friendly ways of manufacturing, and it is to be hoped that these methods will develop quickly.

The Convenience Of Mobile Phones

In many ways, it is stunning just how maligned the cell phone has become in our society. Although most of us have them, most of us also have things we complain about with regard to our phone. Maybe it gets poor coverage, maybe it has short battery life. It could be that we don’t like the way our phone sometimes seems to give us our text messages when it feels the need.

However, on balance it would seem that most of us have more to be happy with than unhappy when it comes to our mobile phone. They have certainly increased the level of convenience in everyday life. There was a time, not so long ago, when an answerphone was something attached only to the home phones of people who could afford one. Now, it’s a standard feature of every cell phone.

This means that if we aren’t there to answer a call, at least a message can be left and, in most cases, listened to at no charge when the phone user is next able to take a few moments. Along with the convenience of text messages – they wait in your inbox until you have a chance to read them – this has made it easier to keep up to date while still going about your business.

In addition to that, remembering numbers always used to be something of a pain, and even writing them down in a personal phone book meant that you needed to stop and sit down to make a call. With a cell phone, you store the number and then find the name when you need it – and hey presto, you make the call.

How To Prevent “Mobile Phone Bullying”

Although the issue of mobile phone bullying is one that has a sense of ignoring the “real issues” – that is to say that it’s bullying per se that should be addressed, rather than a small section of that bullying – it is difficult to defeat bullying as a whole without looking at how it is carried out. And in the case of mobile phone bullying, there are things that can be done.

If it is the case that a child is being bullied by means of his or her mobile phone – threatening texts or crank calls – then it is possible to change their number and only give the new number to people who can certainly be trusted. Many if not most providers will provide a number change free of charge is they are told that the current number is being abused by bullies or stalkers.

If it is the case that messages are being spread about the victim of bullying by means of mobile phones, then there is less that can be done by the individual concerned – however, reporting it to the school authorities will mean that any such messages sent on school property can be punished within the school framework – outside of the school, it is a matter for the police.

If it is a case of a child being bullied because their phone is a cheaper model, then it’s a tricky issue. Spending more to get a better phone is both uneconomical and a red rag to a bully – there is as much chance that they’ll steal the new phone as stop their idiocy. Reporting any bullying and keeping their phone hidden whenever possible is the best step that can be taken.

Cell Phones And Bullying – The Manufacturer’s Fault?

It is the job of many a news journalist to inform the public about worrying developments, and if there are no developments that are particularly worrying, to make something sound like one. If people don’t get scared, after all, these people won’t have jobs. Is the issue of mobile phone bullying one of the latter, or the former – a reasonable cause to worry, or a phony hysteria?

It first came to widespread attention in the middle of the last decade that children were being bullied by means of their mobile phones. Just ten years ago it was not all that common for kids to have a cell phone, and less common for kids who weren’t their friends to have their number. But the more phones there are, the greater the potential for bullying.

This bullying tended to take the form of text messages, often sent from an unfamiliar number, that contained threats. In other cases, constant prank calls were the issue, as well as chain text messages telling lies about the victim of bullying. Then there have been other issues such as derision aimed at children who have less up-to-date phones, and theft from those whose phones are desirable.

Does this mean that there is a charge to lay at the door of the mobile phone manufacturer? They have made it easier for children to be bullied, after all, and given them something that will be the excuse for bullying to commence. This takes very little account of the irrationality and resourcefulness of a bully, however. While phones do indeed have the above capabilities, any bully will find a way and a reason to attack someone – not that precautions should not be taken.

Lord Of The Ring Tones?

An unforeseen development in the world of mobile phone technology, ring tones were not initially considered to be anything worth talking about even during the early years of mobile phone proliferation. Sure, you could change the sound your phone would make when it rang – it could sound like your home phone, play a slow three-bar musical excerpt, or make a sharper sound – but few of us gave much thought to that.

It was at the start of this century that people really started to think about the ring tone as something more than just an alert that someone was trying to contact you. Suddenly, monophonic interpretations of well-known songs started appearing, and people were impressed. To hear them now would be faintly comical, but at the time it was seen as pretty cool by a lot of people.

The development of polyphonic ring tones then took it up a level. While early efforts at replicating a chart single basically sounded like a series of bleeps with little resemblance to the original, polyphonic technology allowed the replication of guitar, bass and drums among other sounds, to sound more like “the real thing”.

As time has gone on, it has become possible to have an actual recording of the song of your choice as your ring tone, and this is all well and good. But it does beg the question – if you like music and want to listen to it, surely it is better to just play the song? If someone rings you, isn’t the idea to answer the call as quickly as you can, rather than sit singing along?

From Status Symbol To Indispensable – How It Has Happened

Mobile phones were, not so long ago, something that only people with plenty of money would own. The image of the city banker with a mobile phone, yelling “Buy! Buy! Buy!” into his handset is one of the great clichés of the 1990s. In 2010, a mobile phone is one of the most commonplace things you can own. What happened?

As time has gone by, the importance of having a mobile phone has increased – at least in our minds. But given that we mostly have home phones, computers with email, and failing either of those a postal service, is a mobile phone an essential? It would be hard to argue that it is a human need, at any rate.

The reason that it is seen as important to own a mobile phone is, mostly, the fact that it is so unusual not to have one. Most people do, so they use it as their primary mode of communication with people who are not within touching distance. This being the case, it is a matter of convenience to be able to be contacted by them – so even if you can take or leave it, having a cell phone is convenient.

Additionally, while 1990s mobile phones were unwieldy, poorly connected and expensive, the modern models and networks are a lot more reliable and handy, and retail for ever lower prices. So it is partly the case that it has become more beneficial to own one, but also partly the fact that it has become less prohibitive to buy and maintain them, that has made mobile phones so prevalent.

What Does Your Cell Phone Say About You?

In this day and age, just about everyone has a cell phone and there are so many models on the market that “brand loyalty” has become an issue. Some people change their mobile phone every few months, slavishly taking up every new development – phones get thinner, smaller, more colorful, more powerful and more desirable in a certain way – while others stick with their current phone until it no longer works.

Your own approach can be informative. Many people have the same mobile phone now that they did in 2005. When offered an upgrade, their answer is “Why? This one does everything I need – I just want to make calls and receive them, and send the occasional text?”. The offer of web-enabled phones or other features does little to persuade them.

Other people, as mentioned, will buy the newest phone the second it hits the market, often trading in their existing model to get the newer phone for a reduced price. Some do this because the new features are genuinely beneficial to them – for some people, increased internet capability is something that will help them in their job – while others just want to have the best phone in their circle of friends.

As long as you have the ability to fund every new phone you buy, there is nothing wrong with keeping your model up to date. However, there is certainly something to be said for keeping the old model until it can no longer be used – if you’ve got to this point without being able to make and upload YouTube videos, then you can probably go a little longer without it.

Do You Rely Too Much On Your Phone?

As technology develops to service a market hungry for the next innovation, there are always going to be people who are so struck by the brilliance of the new technology that they come to see it as a human need as important as oxygen, food or water. People develop addictions to technology which may not be seen as serious by everyone, but to some can be extremely debilitating.

As a caveat, it is important to state that a cell phone addiction is not, in terms of physiological impact, as serious as addiction to heroin or nicotine or any other “controlled” substance. The effects of those on the body of the user have been proven over time. While some people will get irritable and panicky if separated from their cell phone, it is not the same thing at all.

However, this notwithstanding, obsessive mobile phone use does happen and it does cause problems. There are endless stories of people who run up huge cell phone bills because they are compulsively sending text messages, making calls and paying for ringtones for their phone. Others cannot bear to be without the latest model and will spend every spare penny they have on upgrades.

While it may not be as serious as an addiction to hard drugs, cell phone dependence is not something that should be allowed to go unchecked. There are some situations where it is downright inappropriate to be on a cell phone, and when someone is stealing to fund their dependence it is as close to drug addiction as to make little difference. It is wise to limit cell phone use by whatever means are required.

The Advent Of Text Speak – A Good Thing Or A Nightmare?

With the popularity of text messages since the end of the last century came the birth – or at least the mutation – of “text speak”. This was a way of shortening words so that a message could be sent containing as much information as 160 characters would allow. For some people, it was a way of squashing down a message so that it could be sent for as little money as possible.

For others, it became the way that they conversed in text form. Even if the message itself was short enough to be spelt entirely correctly within the character limit, it was after all quicker to use text speak, and people took to it with an almost revolutionary zeal. “R U comin out 2nite?” was a fairly common message – meaning, of course, “Are you coming out tonight”, which is less than 160 characters in itself.

There are many expressions that have now entered the English language as expressions that are used not only in text messages, but in email, online chat and even in letters and spoken conversations by some people. “LOL”, meaning “laughing out loud”, and “OMG” meaning “oh my god” are now conversational staples for some.

There is no doubt that while some people enjoy the use of text speak, it has annoyed just as many others. It is seen as an example of rank stupidity by many, and of declining standards of English by others. Of course, we are all free to speak as we want. But consider the man who thought that “LOL” meant “Lots of love” and sent a message saying “Grandma’s dead. Sorry. LOL, Dad x” and think about how quicker is not always better.

The Text Message Revolution

Back when the idea of mobile phones for all was still a science-fiction idea, most of us would probably have imagined that the thing which would get cell phones into the “everyday accessory” category would be the way that they allowed you to make phone calls wherever you went in the world. However, it could be argued that the real tipping point had little to do with voice calls.

As the 20th century came to an end, the world saw a new innovation – text messaging. From nowhere, the idea that a mobile phone was nothing more than a telephone you carried around with you was killed. Every mobile phone sold on the market now had an additional feature – the ability to send short messages using the phone’s alphanumeric keypad, which could be read rather than heard.

The early limitations of “texting” came as a challenge to many people – most phones allowed you to send messages no longer than 160 characters, and to send a longer message you either needed to send it in parts, or to shorten down words – an idea which led to a major increase in what is now known as “text speak” or “txt spk”.

Texting is perhaps less popular now than it used to be, as many phones now include an email client that allows you to be more fulsome in what you say. However, for phones that do not have web browsers, or for users in a hurry, the option to send a text message is still a major bonus, and without the text message it is arguable that cell phones would still be a niche item.

Next Page »