Want to enhance your mobile experience? Here are thirty-three ways to have a whole lot more fun with phones.
(1) Upgrade to a diamond-encrusted, million-dollar GoldVish phone. Conspicuous consumerism at its best. GoldVish is a must-have for all you multi-millionaires out there. Over 100 carats in diamonds and white gold throughout. Wow. That’s hot. If Paris Hilton doesn’t already have this phone, I guarantee she will by the winter. If you can’t afford a GoldVish, go for the much more affordable Vertu (though it’s no cheapie with a base price of $800). What’s that you say, your long-term cell contract is the only thing keeping you from buying one of these babies? Celltradeusa.com offers a get out of your cellphone contract free card…for a small fee. But if you’re rich enough to afford either the GoldVish or Vertu phones, you probably don’t care anyway.
(2) Go full screen. Nokia is developing a ridiculously sexy new phone called the “aeon” which uses a full touch screen over the entire surface of the phone. [Engadget via Mobility Site] Basically the entire surface of the phone turns into a touch screen when in use, and then back to generic looking plastic when not. It’s ingenious.
(3) Find yourself. Get GPS. It’s expected that the number of cell phone subscribers with GPS services will reach 315 million by 2011. Here’s an example of a Nokia handset with GPS. GPS is this year’s in-phone MP3 service, or last year’s camera phone technology. Expect almost every phone manufacturer to include some form of GPS in their newest phones in 2007. In fact, the competition for having the best GPS technology among phone companies has already begun as Nokia recently signed a deal with GPS giant Trimble.
(4) Grab your 15 seconds of fame. Enter a cameraphone art contest. Keep in mind that Andy Warhol actually said, very cynically, that everyone will have their 15 seconds of fame, not 15 minutes.
(5) Project yourself. This could be taken two ways: get a screen projector for your cell phone, or a phone with 3D images. The projector idea won’t be useful for most people, especially for $400. But if you’re really into gadgets, there’s no better way to make a statement at a party than with a projection screen shooting out from your cell. By contrast, the 3D images I’m digging. I predict that everyone is going to want this technology; unfortunately they aren’t exactly available yet.
(6) Get mobile VoIP service. VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, is a new form of telephony where a call is carried over the Internet. With PDA cellphones coming into the mainstream, millions of people already have broadband Internet access via their phones. So taking the next step to using your cell to make free VoIP calls is already possible, and its only a matter of time before it goes mainstream. In fact, if you have a cellular data plan, you might already have access to mobile VoIP (although not all providers allow it). Mobile VoIP is relatively new, but depending on your phone and provider, some of your choices are Mino Wireless, EQO Mobile, iSkoot, Fring, SoonR, and Skype for PocketPC (specific handsets). There are also a few more technologies like Talkster, that are still being developed. If you’re a tech-junkie, you’ll want to follow VoIP and cell-phone integration for the next few months, because when this hits the mainstream, its going to be huge.
(7) Get mobile TV service. It’s not for everyone, but the number of people subscribing to TV broadcasts over their mobile phone/ PDA is increasing. That’s because reviews consistently say that the quality is excellent and at $9.95 per month it is within almost everyone’s price range.
(8) Get mobile radio. There are new mobile radio services forming, including Motorola iRadio, which features 600+ channels of National Public Radio music programming. CD quality at that. I expect this to be really popular in cities where commuters rely on public transit, because people will be able to get the daily news without having to carry an extra pocket radio.
(9) Unlimited cellular data plan. If you’re planning on browsing the Internet with your cell phone, listening to streaming music, or using mobile VoIP or mobile TV (see above), then you need not only need a cellular data plan (aka cellular wireless), but an “unlimited” monthly bandwidth account. Just make sure that “unlimited” means unlimited, as some providers cap monthly data bandwidth at 250 Megabytes, others at 10 Gigabytes. To get an idea, a video might be 50 Mb. So 250 Mb doesn’t take you very far. In case you’re interested, almost every provider is offering these unlimited plans, and they will typically run you about $60-$80 per month.
(10) Add a Wi-Fi card. Some smart phones and PDAs have a slot where you can insert memory or other modules. If you don’t want to get an expensive cellular data plan, you can access the Internet on your phone using Wi-Fi as long as you are near a Wi-Fi network. In fact, Motorola recently introduced a model where the wifi connectivity was actually built in to the phone.
(11) Setup a Bluetooth headset or earpiece (or sunglasses!). These are great if you tend to move around in a room a lot. You can also tuck your cell phone in your pocket and answer your calls through the headset. If you’re out in public and feel silly wearing a headset, try an earpiece, which tucks into and around your ear. Bluetooth headsets/ earpieces are also great for using VoIP on your desktop or laptop computer, provided that they are Bluetooth-enabled. If you feel like splurging, there’s the Motorola Razrwire Bluetooth-enabled sunglasses from Oakley, for roughly $200-300. A great accessory for someone on the go, particularly athletes.
(12) Get/make a ringtone. Ringtones are a multi-billion dollar market today. Individually, they’re pretty expensive considering that you’re rarely getting a full song. So if you’re the DIY sort, make your own ringtones. If you use Audacity to record, the software is free and easy to use. So scour through your collection of music and create your own custom tones. Just make sure you don’t try to sell them if you didn’t write the songs yourself, else you may have to call home. Hello Dad? I’m in jail. Just kidding.
(13) Buy and sell your own ringtones through your mobile. If you’re more of a leader than a follower, especially if you have a geeky bone or two in your body, you’ve probably already made your own ringtones (see above), phone wallpaper, and other mobile content. If not, MyNuMo provides web-based tools to do that very thing. What’s sexy about that? You can sell your creations on your own NumoMedia site, or via SMS, with MyNuMo handling all the distribution and transactions for your little company. Imagine your tones, papers and videos on your friends phones, their friends’ phones… the mind – and wallet – boggles.
(14) Make your cell phone squeal. After all the investment you’ve put into your phone to sexy it up, the last thing you want is for it to be stolen. So get your hands on Remote XT, an application that makes your phone scream if it’s stolen. It stores all your crucial data online, and if the phone is stolen, RemoteXT wipes the databank clean so that the thief can’t use it. When you recover the phone (or switch to a new one), you can restore all your contacts and other data.
(15) Pay with your cell phone. A number of newer phones are being tested in various parts of the world, including sports stadiums, which use a technology called contactless payment. Contactless payment comes in several forms including smart cards, key fobs, and now cell phones. Basically, you wave the phone near a special reader, and the appropriate amount of money is transferred from your account. Contactless payment uses a technology known as RFID, or Radio Frequency IDentification, which is at the cutting-edge of Mobile technology. This technology is just coming on to the market, but RFID contactless pay looks like it could be the next big thing.
(16) Pay with your cell phone, part 2. Paypal, an online payments processor, lets you send payment to people via your cell phone. After registering for a free account at Paypal, you can activate the mobile payment option. To get money into or out of your account, you can “add” either or both of a bank account or credit card. (You can also get paid from Paypal by check.) When you want to make a payment with Paypal on your mobile, you can send an SMS text message to Paypal, specifying the person who is being paid, either by their Paypal account name (email) or their phone number. They will have to be registered with Paypal as well.(17) Go green. Use your mobile in an environmentally friendly way. Cellphones (and many other electronic devices) are generally manufactured with toxic chemicals which create disposal issues. If you want to do your part to ensure that there will be a next generation, you should consider joining the efforts of companies and organizations who are developing cell-phone disposal options that will help make the next generation of mobile technology more “green.” The consortium isn’t just a paper tiger; Nokia’s phones, for instance, have not contained polyvinyl chloride (PVC) “for the past year”, and the company expects to fully stop using components with brominated flame retardants (its motherboards are now BFR-free) “by early next year.” Want to make a difference now? Unplug your charger after using it; your planet will thank you.
(18) Go batteryless. Go green, part 2. The Aimulet LA is a new type of communication device that is made of bamboo and has no battery. Instead, they phone is powered by spherical solar cells, which are are ecologically-friendly and activated by light.
(19) Make a custom skin. There are tons of vinyl, stick-on skins offered by Skinit.com. But even with all the categories and designs they offer, the company knows that the ultimate in personalization is… personal. Photo-upload capability is provided, meaning that you can create your own one-of-a-kind skins from your own digital or scanned photographs. The skins — whether chosen from the many graphic designs or whether designed from your photo — cost $14.95. For your techie friends, think about customized skins as a gift idea; the site sells PIN card codes (one code = one skin) you can give to friends and family, and let them design their own style. If skin isn’t your thing, how about fur? Fun Friends uses “cutting edge plush technology” to bring you cute cat, dog, monkey, mouse — and a host of other — covers for both bar-type and flip-style phones. These furry covers usually cost under 10 dollars each, and they can be combined with a matching $2.99 keychain/ backpack accessory for the full look.
(20) Fix unsightly blemishes. If your phone’s display looks like an icerink after a hockey game or two, you may be interested in Displex Display Polish, an inexpensive product which removes scratches.
(21) Surf the web, even with an old, cheap phone. Don’t let not having a smartphone or PDA prevent you from Internet content surfing. Opera Mini, the software of the Opera web browser has been developed for all WAP-enabled phones, is now in its second release. Version 2.0 enables browser skins, “speed-dial” bookmarks, and rich-content (such as MP3s) downloading. What will it look like (and how will it work) when you’ve installed it? Check out the simulator on the Opera Mini website. Find out more about the mobile web, and the .mobi domain.
(22) Create an IM-like away message for callers and texters. Jaiku lets your friends know where you’re at, and whether you can respond to their calls and text messages. Very much still in beta, the application publishes your
… IM-style away line, your phone profile (ring volume, vibrate), location (country, city/region, neighborhood), Bluetooth devices around, upcoming calendar events, and the amount of time your phone has been idle.” (from the Jaiku blog)Certainly worth investigating, the service currently works only on Symbian-enabled Nokia Series 60 Second Edition phones, and moves a lot of data. If your carrier charges data traffic by the kilobyte, you may wish to pass on this.
(23) Chase teens away without bugging the adults around you. The discovery that an irritating, high-pitched sound that kids and teens can hear but cannot be heard by adults has led to interesting applications. Used by adults via loudspeakers to disperse unruly packs of teenagers from malls, the ‘Mosquito’ sound has been adapted by teens into ‘Teen Buzz’ – a ringtone adults can’t hear. With students’ texting alerts set to Teen Buzz, teachers will need eagle eyes to catch cheaters. If you’re a parent, the sound can be used to de-child the TV room prior to mature programming. With the spread of the ringtone into mobile phones, the technology is certain to find other mobile applications such as a chemical free bug repellant that emanates from your phone.
(24) Gambling through your mobile. Imagine if all the time you spend waiting – waiting for dates, buses, and airplanes, could be spent doing something fun. Something like playing games and winning cash for instance. Mobile gambling has been around for a few years now, and its spreading quickly. As noted by Impact Lab — if you’re a UK-based mobile phone user between 20 and 35, there’s a 50 per cent chance you’ve already tried mobile gambling. Established poker sites like PokerRoom.com provide real mobile poker play for mobiles. Just make sure you don’t lose your online poker bankroll and that online gambling is legal in your country.
(25) Upload videos to YouTube. If you’re not into cameraphone art contests (see item #4 above), maybe you want to share your video masterpiece with the world at YouTube (now owned by Google). YouTube allows mobile uploads which means that you can touch up your videos and pictures without having to start up the computer.
(26) Connect your laptop to the Internet with your cell. If you have a cellular wireless plan (see item #9 above) for your cell phone, you can use your wireless plan to hook up your laptop (or desktop) to the Internet. This is usually called “dial-up networking” and there are a couple of ways you can do it, depending on your phone: either with a special USB cable or using Bluetooth. Engadget tells you how to connect a Pocket PC phone, but the process is similar for most phones.
(27) Watch time-shifting mobile TV. If you don’t want to pay for expensive mobile TV broadcasts (see item #7 above), you can also watch content that you’ve recorded onto your hard drive. One option is TivoToGo Mobile, another is Orb. Your ability to use either service may vary by where you live, but assuming you can use the service, you can watch your fave shows on the go. Orb also lets you access your photos, audios, and other video content download from elsewhere. Orb is free, TivoToGo Mobile requires specific equipment.
(28) Boost your call signal. Stop dropped calls by boosting your cell signal through a personal amplifier. A antenna setup for a single cell phone will run you only $200, whereas an antenna for all the calls made in your house or car will cost you closer to $400. Either way, this is a great way to eliminate once and for all the ‘dead spots’ in your home, car, or any other building.
(29) Blog from your phone. Have a weblog and want to post to it on the go? TypePad Mobile and other web services let you do this. TypePad Mobile works with Palm OS 5, Windows Mobile 5, and Symbian Series 60 phones/ PDAs (at the time of this writing).
(30) Add some input. If you are planning to blog from your phone/ PDA, typing up stuff is much easier with a fold-out portable keyboard. Almost every smartphone and PDA has a compatible keyboard available.
(31) Mess with NoMess. A fun yet challenging game is NoMess (or PalmGear), which is sort of a combination of othello, go/ gomoku, and chess. It’s super-addictive, and will make any long airport or traffic delay pass really quickly. It can actually function as a stress-reliever but the game requires patience and forethought. Unfortunately, it’s only for the Palm OS platform (any PalmOS-based phone/ PDA, not just Palm devices).
(32) Play Quake. You’ll need a Nokia N93 phone, but with it, you can actually play Quake online. Yes, that means actually playing with and against other players around the world, all from your cell phone. Pretty awesome.
(33) Get a Mobal world phone. Anyone who travels around the world knows what a pain it is to try to call home. Mobal solves all of this by offering a mobile that works anywhere in the world. This is a great gift for the world traveler, whether that’s you or a friend or family member. There are two packages, including the 140-countries and 160-countries plans. The latter includes US service. Both packages include a lifetime phone number that works in all of the countries where you have service.
