As the Christmas season approaches the mobile phone industry gears up to release the latest handsets. If you are looking for a low-cost stocking filler or a more financially draining mobile phone, this top 10, which is in no particular order, should contain the perfect phone for you.

Samsung Genio
Perfect for the teens and young adults, the Genio is a low-cost touch screen phone with a variety of interchangeable battery covers to allow for personalisation and attitude. Though it lacks 3G connectivity and the camera is pretty basic, the touch screen and media player make it a decent choice.

Apple iPhone 3Gs
This is the smartphone that everyone wants to get their hands on, though you will have to pay quite a lot for the privilege of owning this must-have mobile. With up to 32GB of on board space, a large multi-touch sensitive screen and access to thousands of useful applications via the App Store, the iPhone 3Gs is easy to use and oozes style.

Nokia N97 Mini
This touch screen phone also has a full QWERTY keypad hidden beneath the top half and the new Mini version is smaller, lighter and easier to use without skimping on the versatile functionality. Despite the slightly bland design of the interface, there is a lot going on here.

LG BL40 Chocolate
With its ridiculous widescreen touch sensitive display and full cinematic aspect ratio, the long, monolithic BL40 could put of those with a weak constitution. However, the 5 megapixel camera and snappy interface make it smarter than the average fashion phone.

HTC Hero
With HTC`s own Sense interface allowing for you to customise and swap between multiple home screens for when you are at home, out and about or in a working environment, this smartphone is a bit of a chameleon and all the better for it.

Vodafone 360 H1
This Samsung handset is exclusively designed to work in tandem with the Vodafone 360 services and interface, allowing for online backup of your contacts, a 3D interface and social networking widgets which draw all of your messages and feeds into a single unified environment.

Sony Ericsson Satio
With a 12.1 megapixel camera sitting on the back of this touch screen smartphone few other mobiles can touch the Satio in terms of picture taking capabilities. It is also a good media phone, with access to the Play Now online store for applications and music downloads.

BlackBerry Storm2
The second touch screen BlackBerry mobile improves the display technology to make typing messages easier and built-in Wi-Fi enables you to send emails and browse at high speeds.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
This has been an incredibly popular mid-ranged touch screen phone, thanks to its 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, an excellent bit of software for media playback and its 3.2 inch screen.

Motorola Dext
If you are looking for the best mobile internet experience then this new Motorola handset might be the answer. The MotoBLUR software complies all of your social networking profiles and feeds into a single space for ease of use.

We’ve all been there. You’re waiting in line when suddenly you reach for your back pocket…and realize your wallet isn’t there. Well, good news, fellow geeks: The days of needing cash or even a credit card to pay for purchases are almost behind us. The cell phone is gaining new power in the world of payment and can actually connect you to cash right now – if you know how to make it happen.

Highlighting a variety of existing technologies, Jason Raphael of geeksaresexy.net has this to say about Cell Phone Payment:

Let’s start with what’s in the works. A developing technology called NFC, or near field communication, is growing closer to our pockets by the day. NFC lets your cell talk to other receive sites – kind of like BlueTooth, but quicker. With NFC, you can wave your phone in front of a receiver and have a connection within a second. NFC also works in a shorter range – about four inches max – and uses two-way communication, so the connection’s more secure.

As you can imagine, the possibilities with this thing are endless. The hope is that NFC will eventually act as a virtual credit card, letting you simply wave your phone in front of a panel to make a purchase. It’s also being tested for public transportation – hold your phone up to send your fare and board the bus – as well as eventually for identification, storing your official documents to send to anyone in a split second. In the future, NFC could even let your phone act as your car or house key, connecting with a panel on the door to transmit your identification and let you in.

Cindy Waxer of VoIP news has decoded VoIP Jargon for the benefit of the average human. No longer will you have to nod your head and smile when your IT Guy starts talking in tongues.

Here are a couple of excerpts:

Managed VoIP: With managed VoIP services, a third-party provider offers all of the equipment, software, operations facilities and technical expertise needed for a company to reap the benefits of an IP-enabled phone system without the costs, risks and headaches of an on-premise VoIP solution. Packages typically include the design, integration and deployment of IP telephony equipment and software, along with the management and maintenance of existing telephony solutions and the new VoIP network. To get the most out of a managed VoIP partnership, however, companies must establish a strict service-level agreement with a VoIP provider that guarantees a certain percentage of network uptime.

and

SIP (Session Initiated Protocol): A protocol for Internet telephony, SIP is a service that allows businesses that have a PBX system installed to use real-time communication technologies — including VoIP. By connecting a SIP trunk to a traditional PSTN (public switched telephone network), companies can not only communicate over IP within the enterprise, but also outside the business. What’s more, companies can replace traditional, fixed PSTN lines with PSTN connectivity via a SIP-trunking service, thereby creating a single conduit pipeline for multimedia components, including voice, video and data. As a result, a SIP-trunking service typically delivers greater cost savings and increased reliability as guaranteed by today’s SIP-trunk providers.

Erica DeWolf of DeWolf eMarketing & Design put together an interesting report about statistics surrounding mobile ads. In it, she writes:

According to a March 2008 Nielsen Company study, Nielsen’s Mobile Advertising Report, 58 million mobile phone users have been exposed to advertising on their phones in the past 30 days. That’s 23% of all United States mobile subscribers. Over half, or 28 million of these subscribers have responded to the mobile ad they were exposed to.

[...]

Mobile Ad Acceptance

• 51% of those who received mobile ads responded.
  • 26% responded by sending an SMS text-message
  • 9% responded by using “click-to-call”
• 32% of mobile phone users would be open to mobile advertising if it would lower their monthly cell phone bill.
• 14% say they care currently open to mobile advertising so long as the ads are relevant to their interests.
• 23% say they expect to see more mobile ads in the future.
• Only 10% of mobile phone users said mobile ads are acceptable, although an increasing number of individuals seem to be understanding the value proposition that will soon be associated with mobile advertising.

Some of the stats are a little surprising, but the overall message is that mobile advertising is becoming more and more acceptable in the marketplace, as long as the ads relevant or provide a tangible benefit to the recipient.

Most of us have been plagued by astronomically large telephone bills one time or another. This is all the more true for people having relatives in other areas of the globe. The need to talk to them could sometimes become so overbearing that the practical considerations of the amount of money that would be required for the exercise does not come in. However, the practicality of the situation often strikes later. And even the most emotional among us are motivated to rethink the way we are making our calls. Our thoughts inadvertently go towards Voice over IP and the benefits that it entails.

It can be said that the long distance phone calls are no more a cause for concern for many people. It has become possible to connect with friends and family members– who could be located in distant areas of the globe in a cost efficient manner– using the latest innovation called Voice over IP or VoIP. The routing of calls over broadband networks has made long distance communique very much affordable and easy. The role of VoIP devices can be understood in this context.

The VoIP devices are simple, cost effective and innovative and are required for the effective culmination of the process of data transfer over internet connections. First and foremost, the analog audio systems are converted into digital data which is then routed over the internet. One can use the latest applications in VoIP technology to make free calls to a distant place. One could also use the devices for making calls from personal computers– albeit with the services of a provider of repute. This way, the users are able to talk for extended hours with people who matter without worrying about exorbitant phone bills.

The Analog Telephone Adaptor is one such device. The phone that a person is currently using could also be used for making VoIP calls and the ATA makes this possible. It forms a modem between the traditional calling devices and the network connections to the user’s homes or workstations, as the case may be. The audio signal in analog format is converted into digital data packets and transferred over the internet. And the best part is that the users need not be very tech-savvy for using the ATA– it is quite simple and straightforward to use.

Another device that is gaining in popularity in the VoIP market is the Internet Protocol phone. These phones resemble the traditional phones that are in vogue today. There are separate buttons for the purpose of dialing. There is also a handset into which one can speak. An Ethernet connection is used for making calls that are routed through the internet.

Last but not the least; such calls can also be made from personal computers. When the calls are between two computers, then the users could go for the services of a reputed provider. The provider would ensure the availability of special software, microphone, and sound card – all necessary for the making of long distance phone calls. The monthly fee that the potential users would have to pay is quite affordable. As a matter of fact, it would more than make up for the astronomical phone charges that they would otherwise have to pay.

By: iCallGlobe Ltd.

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Here are some great reasons to use VoIP!

Its utility is numerous. It has a number of functionalities. In-fact these functionalities can be easily en-numerated as follows:

1. The Voice Telephone Calls can be transmitted to the same broadband telephone line.
2. This system has options like 3-way calling, automatic redialing and call forwarding.
3. Digitising and Digital transmission under standardized protocols.
4. It has location independence as only one internet connection is required to avail this connection.
5. It integrates with other internet based services like messaging, video conversation or data file exchange.

Source: VoIP: A means to organizational productivity – TMC Net – March 06, 2008