Which Way Are Mobile Phone Games Heading?

Aside online games and static game devices like Playstation, mobile games are the next most popular games around now.

The popularity has grown so big that mobile operators are competing against each other by offering their subscribers loads of both free and paid games for their pleasure. Not only mobile operators, cell phone manufacturers are also pre-programming their phones with a variety of games.

The growing interest in mobile gaming is producing a lot of benefits for the mobile industry. The operators are deriving sizable revenue from selling these games, software developers are regularly deriving royalties from phone manufacturers and the manufacturers themselves are cashing in heavily on revenue from subscribers. You will appreciate the level of income in this are if you consider the fact that by the year 2009, there would be 220 million mobile phone game fans in the world.

Now lets delve into the kinds of games we have around:

We have the embedded games that are factory coded into the phones, SMS games that operate by interacting with a SMS server upon which the game resides and browser games that are played online using the cell phones mini browser. Of all these games the cheapest and most popular is the inbuilt ones though the excitement offered by SMS and online games are not a deterrent to people who would spend every dime to get hooked on. The reason is browser games are of multi-media origin and can be compared to the type experienced on Playstation or xbox.

There are several ways to develop mobile games though the most popular language used are C++, Java and Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW) platform .

Out of these three, Java is the most popular method. The reason is obvious – java is widely supported by the web and supported by all the principal phone manufacturers. Again a medium like J2ME is open source and thus cheap to use as a development medium.

Java as we know it is highly portable across platforms and leaves developers with little worry that their program will not work on certain phones. Programmers choose this language platform because it does not interfere with programs running natively on the phone.

But in reality the future of mobile game development is in MIDP 2.0 API which is a compilation of high end applications that allow developers to come up with sophiscated and highly interactive games for fans. It is fast to use and ensures a stable program after compilation.

It is projected that this program, though futuristic, shall be the standard for mobile game developers for a long time as it exhibits versatility and the quick deployment – qualities programmer love.

About The Author
Peter Lenkefi
For more more information about mobile phone games please visit http://www.cellular-mobile-phone-games.com.
plenkefi@yahoo.com.au

Location Sensitivity - Cell Phone GPS

This is basically a system to locate the handheld when making a call to 911. In the mid to late 1990's, many people got cell phones just for the emergency use of being able to call for help almost anywhere. The problem came up when statistics showed that almost 92% of all serious 911 calls, (where the person was just barely able to make the call), they either didn't know where they were or was unable to tell the 911 operator where they were, or they might not have been able to talk at all. This caused a big concern, 911 operators couldn't do anything but listen to the person on their cell phone as they pass away. The Location Sensitivity system still doesn't work if you are in an area that only has an analog signal. (Which is the older cellular system of the mid 1990's and earlier). Most metropolitan areas and all interstate freeways are covered by the newer digital service. It's just when you get out in the middle of no-where, you might end up with an analog signal. Most!

phones will display the letter "A" in the top right or left corner when using this system. Check your phone documentation, some phones don't even have this capability. Which means if you get into one of these areas, you can't make any type of call what-so-ever.

Soon, the Location Sensitivity feature will probably be offered by the cellular companies as part of their pricing plan. Some carriers like Nextel are already taking advantage of this new technology by giving customers a GPS location service along with their calling plan. If you don't have this option with your carrier, and you have a Smartphone you can always purchase one of the SD slot GPS units that works with mapping software. The program I've really enjoyed is Mapopolis, which works great with most of the popular GPS hardware available. And most even have a voice activation that will tell you where to turn, which is directed through the speaker phone portion of the Smartphones. The ability to have GPS information and mapping on your handheld will be a great plus while traveling.

Back to the Location Sensitivity. I'm just wondering how much the cellular companies are going to charge for such a GPS type service!? I'm sure they're all working hard right now on the new pricing plans that we'll have to pay if you don't have the GPS hardware to install on your Smartphone.

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When these services become available, they will only be location based. Another words, most GPS's these days will actually give you your current altitude and most have a pretty fast refresh rate. The refresh rate is the time between position updates. An example; If you have a GPS in your hand that refreshed three times per second, this would be a very acturate reading. Even if you are driving at 70 miles per hour, the moving map on the GPS will be able to keep up with your actual location. That's an issue the engineers are dealing with on the Location Sensitivity system. It wasn't designed to have any type of refresh rate at all. Once a position has been found, it never was designed to refresh that position. (I guess if you are hurt, and you called 911, you aren't supposed to be moving. Hmmm, So if you fell off a bridge, and landed in the back of a truck driving down the interestate, I'm not sure if they would be able to locate you. They would know where you were when you!

first dialed 911, but as your location changes, they might not be able to find you). Supposedly, the 911 operator can pull a refresh, this would at least tell them the direction the vehicle is moving. But to locate you while you're moving, might be more difficult than anyone had expected.

Another problem with many of the handheld units, the actual speed of the processors within them. Most cell phones operate on around 1 to 2 MHz processor speed. Most Smartphones operate anywhere between 30 to 500 MHz. (Most new home computers are operating between 2 to 4 GHz processor speed, just to give you an idea). This is where the engineers are running into the biggest problem with creating a GPS refresh rate. The processors in all handhelds will just have to be faster than they are today. And like all of our other technolgies, I'm sure this won't be a problem very much longer for the designers.

Hmmm, soon we'll have Pentium 9 cellular and Smartphones running at 8 GHz processor speed! You know it's going to come to this, and it's not that far away.

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About The Author
Robert Lett has operated his 25 year old company Infinite Data for the past 4 years with nothing more than a handheld Smartphone. As a public records research specialist, I need to have all my important files with me when ever I speak with a client. I now carry all those files with me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, hanging on my belt. I haven't sat at my desk in front of my computer for over 3 years. Be productive 24/7, anywhere - anytime.
palm@robertlett.com

Are You Communicating Without Polycom?

Are all of your business associates, partners and clients always in the same room at the same time? Probably not. For this reason, it is not unheard of to use telephone meetings as a way of communicating. Ordinary handset speakerphones used to be the best way to do this, until now. Enter Polycom.

Polycom, a world's leader in providing communication solutions, has introduced some of the best technology in audio video conferencing. As most speakerphones allow you to speak to others in different locations, Polycom offers a way to communicate verbally and visually.

While other products on the market seem to be able to deliver a similar convenience, Polycom offers a variety of telecommunications products to allow for "real" interaction. The Polycom SoundStation VTX 1000 is the first wideband conference phone with breakthrough technology.

Polycom's patented Acoustic Clarity Technology makes the VTX 1000 the first conference phone that adapts to each meeting environment. All participants can feel free to speak from any area in the conference room and they can be heard as clear as when speaking right into the microphone.

When coupled with the Polycom VSX 7400, participants can actually see each other as they communicate verbally. Since the VSX 7400 is a visual component, all parties must have this capability to be able to interact visually.

Most businesses rely on meetings and conferences for day to day activity. With Polycom, you can be in many places at once without ever leaving your office. Although convenience makes the day easier, quality makes it worth while.

About The Author
Jill Meluson is the Marketing Director at TelephoneIsland.com. For more information on Polycom, please visit http://www.telephoneisland.com.
jillmeluson@telephoneisland.com

Free Ringtones For Your Cell Phone

The internet is laden with free things and ringtones are not excluded from this list. You only need a browser to get tons of free ringtones for any make of phone you have.

Typically, you only need to visit one of the hundreds of sites offering ringtones and help yourself to dozens of download available. Though some sites may charge a token fee, many of them offer their services for free because most of the tunes they use are no longer under copyright. Even when tunes have been under copyright, rintgone crazy webmasters have managed to seek licenses to produce tones out of them free for fans.

If you locate a site, the next step is to get the ringtone into your phone memory so you can select it as a ringer. There are several ways to get the tones into your phone: You can use a data cable to transfer the files into your phone, transfer through the net by SMS or manually type the keys on your phone to get the sound.

A more sophicated technology is to use infra red technology like bluetooth to load the sound onto your phone.

Though SMS is supposed to carry text messages primarily, enhanced versions can carry ringtones or sound files to your phone.

Another method that involves a third party is to select a ringtone and the have it texted to you after offering your phone number.

A cell phone with melody composer will allow you to compose tones yourself by manually pressing the keys in sequence to the notes of the tone. In this case, the site will show you the notes equivalent on your keypad and you only have to keep pressing the sequence to generate the tone you want. After typing, you save onto your phone and make it available for use.

Of growing popularity in ringtones are mp3 rintgones which are actual music converted to ringtones. With this system, the voice recorder of the phone can be used to record any sound such as voice or actual music and then stored as a ringtone. Infact this method has enabled many exotic and sometimes latest pop music to be used as ringtones due to its ease of application.

Now some sites offering free ringtones.

http://www.ringtonesgalore.co.uk has a well-laid out site with tones in several formats including key press sequence. It Features pop music and classical tines.

http://www.ringtones4all.com has an overwhelming volume of free ringtones in WAP, midi and key press sequence formats. It has an easy to use interface which suits beginners.

Ringtones help individuals to express their personalities and uniqueness. With midi and mp3 formats available, any sound at all – including one;s own voice, can be easily converted to a ringtone in a matter of seconds.

About The Author
Peter Lenkefi
For more more information about free cell phone ringtones please visit http://www.cell-phone-ringtone-search.com
plenkefi@yahoo.com.au

Mobile Phone Accessories – Both Fancy And Technical – Enhance User Experience Of Cellular Devices

Aside replacement and ornamental purposes, mobile phone accessories boost or enhance the use of our cellular devices. There are several types of accessories when it comes to mobile phones. We have operational accessories that helps users to safeguard their phones or enhance their operations. These include battery chargers, hands free kits antenna boosters and batteries.

Some accessories come in the form of attachment which are devices that enable you extend your phone to some other object. An example is speaker phone kits that enable you to drive whilst receiving calls and car phone holders that serve as carrying cases for drivers.

Cases form another category of accessories and are purchased to hold the phones. They come in various shapes and there are some that can be worn around the belt.

Then come the technical accessories like games, radiation shields, antenna boosters and ringtone downloads which have more to do with the technical functionality of the device.

Next comes the most common of all accessories – phone covers and face plates which can be found in various fancy designs.

That said, do we really need phone accessories? Yes we do – whether for fun or for protection of our mobile phones.

A Bluetooth device enables you to receive calls with just a small piece of cordless device in your ear. Will you risk driving by trying to reach your phone from the dashboard if you got a call?

While traveling, a travel charger may be needed in addition to the regular one. If you are hard pressed for time to charge the phone but still need to keep it running, you can plug the phone to the car charger whilst on the road to save time and to get the capacity to make and receive calls.

You need that case to protect your phone from scratches. Tech people are in constant interaction with hard objects like tools which can scratch their phones. So getting a case to protect the phone can save you the headache of buying a new phone too soon because of scratches.

If you make or receive a lot of calls, you may wish to keep a spare battery in case you lose power from the current one and not in a position to immediately recharge.

Lastly, if your mates have the same kind of phone as yours, you may want to get a customized ringtone to differentiate yourself. You can't always be reaching for your phone when you hear that ringtone – it may be someone else's ringing.

Accessories can be fun or a necessity depending on who is buying. Nevertheless, we should be very careful to buy right. Before you make a purchase, you have to triple check to make sure that the product or service is compatible with your phone. It should fit the phone with ease and if the accessory is electronic in nature, refer to the owner's manual to check if that's the right thing you are putting inside the phone.

About The Author
Peter Lenkefi
For more more information about cell phone accessories please visit http://www.cell-phone-accessory-search.com
plenkefi@yahoo.com.au

Tips on Buying Your First GPS Unit

An introduction to GPS technology, the various types of GPS systems on the market, and tips on choosing a unit that is right for you.

Anyone that enjoys the great outdoors has probably heard of GPS devices. They can come in handy when you are hiking, boating, biking, or doing just about anything else in the great outdoors. Twenty years ago, you had to rely on a compass the position of the sun and stars and your own common sense. Not anymore! Now you can have a handy little device that can pinpoint your exact location at any given time of day.

If you are in the market for a GPS device, it is important that you understand how it works. Since the GPS devices rely on air signals, you must have a GPS receiver and a clear view of the sky for them to work. When your device is turned on it is actually linking up with 27 orbital satellites in place around the planet. Four of the nearest satellites are located and the distance from them to you is calculated via the hand held device. The process is called trilateration. Based on that, the GPS device can determine where you are on the planet. Pretty neat huh?

When you look at the different types of GPS devices out there, you may wonder which one is right for you. Prices can range from $100- 5000 dollars, so it is important to do your homework. Find out what features each device has, and determine whether you need them or not. The following is a list of tips to get you started when you are shopping.

- Research the name brand. Though GPS technology is fairly new, the manufacturer should have a long track record of creating quality electronics.

- Don't buy the cheapest or the most expensive GPS device out there. The cheapest may not meet your expectations and the most expensive one probably has too much extra stuff you will never use.

- Look for a large display, lighted if you are going to be traveling at night.

- If you plan on traveling by foot look for a model that is lightweight, and water resistant.

Once you decide on a model that you are interested in, head over to your local sports supply store. Get prices on the model above and below it for a good range. You can also try to look at auction sites like Ebay.com to find a good deal. If you are lucky enough to find one that is used, make sure to test it out first to make sure that it works properly.

Deciding to buy a GPS system is a personal one, so make sure that you understand the ins and outs of the technology. If you do a variety of different activities a good basic, waterproof model will do the trick. If you have friends or family members that own a GPS system, ask them if they are happy with their purchase. That way you can get an honest opinion on the different brands out there. An online opinion site like epinions.com is also a great place for honest answers.

About The Author
Adrienne MacDonald is a freelance author and contributing writer to http://www.gpsresource.info – site that provides free information on global positioning systems.