Mobile phone addiction (nomophobia)

We decided to include a segment for you about mobile phone addiction, for those of you that may or may not be aware of mobile phone addiction. important things to consider are.... how do we know if we are addicted to our mobile phones? what classifies as mobile phone addiction? are there any support networks available for those of us who are addicted to our mobile phones? to what reign does our mobile phone hold over our everyday lives? is mobile phone addiction harmful?

Mobile phone addiction is alive and present, and perhaps maybe more than you would think.

An addiction is when the thing that you are addicted to begins to control your life and interferes with your daily activities, work and even relationships. A common form that may indicate you may be addicted to your mobile phone would include being on or checking your phone, as soon as you wake up in the morning and or before you go to sleep at night. Common signs of addiction include:

• finding yourself texting while driving
• checking your phone instead of working on and important assignment or report
• checking social media sites during a romantic dinner

Heres some astounding facts worth considering:

• 70% said they check their smartphone within an hour of getting up.
• 56% check their phone within an hour of going to sleep.
• 48% check over the weekend, including on Friday and Saturday nights.
• 51% check continuously during vacation.
• 44% said they would experience "a great deal of anxiety" if they lost their phone and couldn't replace it for a week.

How to mobile phone detox

Get real!

when you are with someone in person, and they are engaging with you, it is rude to divert your attention away from them. You may have such thoughts as: "oh but they wont mind" or "I just need to check that" but it is still rude. It reflects poorly upon you and your manners. its time to live in the NOW.

Have some "no phone time" allocated to yourself within the day
Many organisations have now implemented into the scheduale of their employees to take this time out of their day to recharge,  recharge and refresh. yes we understand that some occupations require you to use or be acesssible by phone in the current workforce, however it was discovered that the time away from the phone and to have a "break" from the phone proved to be more beneficial to not only the employee's and their well being but also for overall productivity. This allows focus to stay in tact as well. Take in your surroundings and be in the now.

Have a no phone call and no texting rude in the car
If you have a bluetooth connectivity in your car then its fine to receive phone calls. But text messaging while driving is definately a NO-NO! you put your own health and safety at risk along with others around you on the road. Also playing around with music and apps can also prove to be quiete fatal. This could result in death!

Dont lose sleep over it!
If you find yourself up late at night and checking social media sites, playing with apps, watching videos and or text messaging. and you are jepardizing your 8 hours needed sleep. Then perhaps its time to switch that handset off. You will be suprised how much quicker you fall asleep with no distrations. Your phone is not worth losing sleep over

Health concerns of mobile phone overuse

• Increased levels of stress- with your mind and body remaining under constant stress from frequent checking of phone at short intervals, you attention veers away from work and relationships and ultimately put them under pressure.
• Stress on fingers- as silly as it sounds the constant strain you put on your fingers from constant checking of your mobile phone can result in hand/finger spasms and cramping.
• Insomnia.
• Anxiety- waiting for messages, notifications, phone calls can cause stress and anxiety, especially when you are expected to have an online presence.
• Depression- when you are receiving the attention from your mobile phone that you require and need: " Our minds start to think “why didn’t he/she call me back?“, “why isn’t he replying to me?“, “My friends are busy texting but I am alone“, etc.
• Aggression: we become agile when we are addicted to something and not getting the desired outcome from what we want.

If all else fails, and your addiction is becoming concerning for you or those who care about you there are support networks available such as:

• Therapy or psychiatric help
• Mobile phone rehab

Dont know if your addicted?
Mobile Phone addiction test. Click here*


References:
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/addicted-your-mobile-phone-5-ways-beat-your-phone-addiction.html
http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/addicted-your-smartphone-what-to-do

By Bulesa Dover

10 Fun Mobile phone facts

10 Fun mobile phone facts

On a lighter note we decided to share with you some mobile phone trivia found off the Internet,  these facts range from humble beginnings of the first phone call made to the outrageous studies relating to recharging mobiles through the use of urine! how true or false they actually are, is for you to decide, yet none-the-less definitely worth a read! some of them are even shocking, and even raise some health concerns! we hope you enjoy reading them, as much as we did finding them for you, and don't forget to stay safe, and sanitise :)

1. In 1983, the first mobile phones went on sale in the U.S. at almost $4,000 each
2. Apple sold 340,000 iPhones per day in 2012.
3. Mobile phones have 18 times more bacteria than toilet handles.
4. Scientists have developed a way of charging mobile phones using urine.
5. The first mobile phone call was made in 1973 by Martin Cooper, a former Motorola inventor.
6. Nomophobia is the fear of being without your mobile phone or losing your signal.
7. 100,000 mobile phones are dropped down the toilet in Britain every year.
8. A UN report discovered that more people in the world have mobile phones that toilets.
9. 65% of smartphone users download zero apps per month.
10. Mobile Phone Throwing is an official sport in Finland.

By Bulesa

ws:start:WikiTextUrlRule:22:http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/388974/40-years-of-the-mobile-phone-Top-20-facts http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/388974/40-years-of-the-mobile-phone-Top-20-facts ws:end:WikiTextUrlRule:22 

ws:start:WikiTextUrlRule:23:http://www.cnet.com/news/apples-fiscal-2012-in-numbers-125m-iphones-58-31m-ipads/ http://www.cnet.com/news/apples-fiscal-2012-in-numbers-125m-iphones-58-31m-ipads/ ws:end:WikiTextUrlRule:23 

ws:start:WikiTextUrlRule:24:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1298057/Mobile-phones-18-times-bacteria-toilet-handle.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1298057/Mobile-phones-18-times-bacteria-toilet-handle.html ws:end:WikiTextUrlRule:24 

ws:start:WikiTextUrlRule:25:http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-23333533 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-23333533 ws:end:WikiTextUrlRule:25 

ws:start:WikiTextUrlRule:26:http://mashable.com/2013/04/03/first-mobile-phone-call/#AIU21S4kqiqO http://mashable.com/2013/04/03/first-mobile-phone-call/#AIU21S4kqiqO ws:end:WikiTextUrlRule:26 

ws:start:WikiTextUrlRule:27:http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-study-nomophobia-mdash-fear-of-being-without-a-mobile-phone/ http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-study-nomophobia-mdash-fear-of-being-without-a-mobile-phone/ ws:end:WikiTextUrlRule:27 

1,227 Quite Interesting Facts to Blow Your Socks Off 1st Edition, by John Lloyd John Mitchinson, James Harkin ISBN-13: 9780393241037

ws:start:WikiTextUrlRule:28:http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44452#.VzmCrGNYKRs http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44452#.VzmCrGNYKRs ws:end:WikiTextUrlRule:28 

ws:start:WikiTextUrlRule:29:http://qz.com/253618/most-smartphone-users-download-zero-apps-per-month/ http://qz.com/253618/most-smartphone-users-download-zero-apps-per-month/ ws:end:WikiTextUrlRule:29 

ws:start:WikiTextUrlRule:30:http://www.mobilephonethrowing.fi http://www.mobilephonethrowing.fi

Foodies and Phones

Everyone has that one friend that stops you from gorging your food before they whip out their phone to take a million pictures of it. Wait, are you that friend? Don't worry! This isn't a post about bashing foodie photographers. Despite the bad rep foodies get for making everyone halt for that great picture, there are definitely upsides to this trend!

1) Create memories
 Pictures in general are a great way to document memories and events. What better way to document a great meal, catching up with old friends, "food therapy", or a special event than by taking a picture?

2) Introduce people to new venues and cuisines
Visually appealing pictures of food is a great way to introduce new types of food to your friends and family when you upload them on your social media. The prettier the food, the more comments that go along the lines of, "Oh wow, where was this?". There will definitely be more people willing to join you on your next food hunt.

3) Appreciation
Chefs and baristas and the like work hard to plate your food and make them visually appealing to you. By taking that extra 5 minutes before devouring it shows them how much you appreciate their work and effort of going that extra mile in beautifully arranging your food. 

4) Digital food diary
By taking pictures of your food, you would at least remember what you've eaten throughout the week. This will not only help you remember what food you liked the last time you visited the restaurant, but also will help you be more conscious of what you actually put into your body.

5) Practice amateur photography skills
With the release of smartphones with cameras, we no longer need expensive, high-end digital cameras to capture the beauty of things we like. Now we can just take out our mobile phones and go snapping away! With food photography and mobile phones, at the very least we're teaching ourselves how to light the plate of food in an attractive way as well as how to position items on the table to make them pleasing to the eye.

So, if you're against waiting for your foodie friends to be done taking pictures of their food hopefully this will convince you otherwise!  

- Cynthia

Source: https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-take-pictures-of-their-food 

Communicating Using Pictures; The Influence of Emojis

Do you know what that means? Hopefully you do. But if you don’t, I’ll tell you at the end. Regardless, emoji’s are taking over the world, in a kind of insane way. What started out as simple pictures to lighten up your messages has now turned into a multi-million-dollar industry. No keyboard is complete without its own set of emoji’s. Emoji’s are so popular, that even celebrities like Kim Kardashians have their own. They’ve become so universally accepted, that we can basically communicate through these little pictures.

However, just like anything, sometimes, people can get a little too sensitive and out of control. Emoji’s have become so influential, that currently, the New York Police Department are trying to determine if sending a gun and bomb emoji is a threat to society. Furthermore, last year, there was a big call for organizations to create emoji’s that were more culturally diverse. As a person from a South East Asian background, I personally would not care less if emoji’s just had one colour; they’re literally a tiny picture on your phone. But as always, some people out there are always willing to pick on the little details.

Emoji’s has become such a major thing that there is actually an Emoji movie in the works! I’d love to see how that works out. Hopefully it won’t be a major downfall, like as if it was raining cats and dogs… get it? (That’s what the emoji’s stood for… Am I still punny?)

- Maddie

Sources

http://www.iemoji.com/pic/6xEmlskMbNvF_JIQUH43QPb9w@2x.png

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/major+emojis+rise+influencing+language+virtual+world/11770483/story.html

http://www.livemaguk.com/much-influence-emojis/

How the Mobile Phone Changed Kenya

Over 260,000 people live on the outskirts of Nairobi (the capital of Kenya) in the slum of Korogocho. A decade ago, the digital gap between the developing and developed worlds was widening, where Sub-Saharan Africa had limited landlines and broadband. Most people had no access to banks and economies relied on cash.

At first, mobile phones seemed as if they would always be as inaccessible to poor Africans as other technology had been. In 2002 Kenya had just two mobile phones for every 100 of its 38 million people.

To transfer money, Kenyans would travel over a day to purchase orders for their businesses or give money to families. The only way to send money home was via a minibus taxi, which was inconvenient, time-consuming and open to theft.

Between 2002 and 2006 the number of mobile phones in Kenya increased from 1 million to 10 million.

Multinational telecom companies arrived and, with few planning restrictions, quickly erected mobile-phone masts, even in remote areas. Cheap handsets – generally second hand and always basic – became available. Although the prepaid service that most subscribers used were costly for ordinary Kenyans, they enabled contact with villages half a day away, unreachable by road, and without water or electricity. This transformed both business and social and family life.

Now, everyday millions of Kenyans transfer money using M-Pesa (mobile money) readily through text messages.

- Riana

Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/africa/how-the-mobile-phone-changed-kenya-1.2646968

Cyberbullying and Smartphones

As much as we are thankful for all the advancements in technology, not everything about this is good. One of the biggest problems with social media is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is an easy way for bullies and internet trolls to attack or harass other people. Why is it easy? Because they’re doing it behind a screen and in most cases, they can be anonymous about it. With 9 out of 10 teens owning a smartphone or gadget that has access to social media, cyberbullying has gotten out of control.

Here’s a couple of facts about Cyberbullying

1. Nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online. 1 in 4 has had it happen more than once.
2. Over 80% of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most common medium for cyber bullying.
3. 81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person.
4. 90% of teens who have seen social-media bullying say they have ignored it. 84% have seen others tell cyber bullies to stop.
5. Girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying.

Cyberbullying is seriously getting out of hand and it is something that young people need to be concerned about. So what can we do about it? I personally think the best thing to do is to education EVERYONE. This ranges to the parents, and to make sure they keep a subtle eye on what their children are doing. Teenagers and young people also need to be cautious about what they post on social media. If they wouldn’t say it in public, then they shouldn’t post it online. Remember, the things you post online stays there forever. Cyberbullying doesn’t just affect young people, everyday people can also be affected, like the average worker. So basically, everyone should pay attention to what they post online. Just remember, treat everyone the way you want to be treated.

- Maddie

 Sources

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying

http://www.antibullyingpro.com/blog/2015/4/7/facts-on-bullying?gclid=Cj0KEQjw3-W5BRCymr_7r7SFt8cBEiQAsLtM8j-80Uxi8eeGSjTFjOAxbXJkgdBnltFDunURXBt1n8caAi4f8P8HAQ

http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/text-bullying.html

The Underdogs of the Market: Part 2

Back at it again with the cool phones… that you might not have known existed. Listed below are three more phone brands that are underrated in the market, but are slowly making themselves known.

Vivo

Vivo was founded recently in 2009 and the company is based in China. At the moment, Vivo are only manufacturing and selling smartphones, but they hope to branch into other products in the upcoming future. All of their phones run on Android. An interesting fact about Vivo is that they were first to put a QHD (2560x1440p) resolution display in a smartphone, making the quality of their screens even better than their competitors. This is one of the reasons that they are very popular in India, and they are slowing reaching into western markets as well. Currently, their phones are not available in Australia, but keep an eye out for their outstanding products!

Zopo

Zopo is another Chinese based phone company. Whilst they are generally unknown to the typical consumer, they are ahead of their Chinese competitors as they have started off by releasing their products in European online retailers. They currently have pop up stores in France, Hong Kong, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, Malaysia and Spain, making them one of the most diverse upcoming brands. They currently only have smartphones available, all of which run on Android. They have three categories of smartphones. The first one, ‘Speed’, is considered to be a higher-end smartphone. Their second category is ‘Flash’, which is ideal for photographers. Their last category is ‘Color’ which is targeted for young audiences as it is very affordable and colourful.

Microsoft Lumia

You might be wondering why I put this on the list. Whilst Microsoft is known for their software and work on PCs, their Lumia phones are not as successful, and many consumers tend to overlook their smartphone products. Unlike most phones, Microsoft runs on Windows, which means it is easy to connect with other Windows products; in other words, nearly every other PC. They primarily target their phones for professionals and business people because it is so easily synced up with Windows program, and they often advertise it as having a ‘handheld PC’. Their older version, Microsoft Lumia 620, can be bought upfront at $299 AUD. However, their newer product, Microsoft Lumia 920, can be bought at $899 AUD.

- Maddie

Sources

http://www.androidauthority.com/worst-named-smartphones-all-time-691981/

https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/mobile/phone/lumia950/

Virtual Assistants

There are three well-known smart phone virtual assistants currently on the market that we selected today to explore with you. These Include:

• Siri
• Cortana
• Google now

Just in case you haven't herd about them, or don't know too much, we are going to tell you about them, and also show you some videos to show you how they work, and what sort of things that have brought to handset usage for smart phone users.

Siri: Siri is a computer program that works as an intelligent personal assistant. Siri is a knowledge navigator, part of Apple Inc.'s iOS, watchOS, and tvOS operating systems. Siri uses a natural language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Web services. The software, both in its original version and as an iOS feature, adapts to the user's individual language usage and individual searches (preferences) with continuing use, and returns results that are individualised. Siri was originally introduced as an iOS application available in the App Store by Siri Inc., which was acquired by Apple on April 28, 2010. Siri, Inc. had announced that their software would be available for BlackBerry and for phones running Android, but all development efforts for non-Apple platforms were cancelled after the acquisition by Apple. There are several accent and gender combinations for the voice of Siri.

Siri is also integrated into Apple Watch's watchOS, where the feature can be activated by holding down the Digital Crown or by saying "Hey, Siri." Siri is additionally integrated into Apple TV's tvOS, where the feature can be activated using a button on the included Siri Remote.

Since 2014 Siri has been available in some cars via CarPlay, a system that enables a the vehicle audio system to be a display and controller for an iPhone. It is available on all iPhones from iPhone 5 with at least iOS 7.1 software.

Cortana:

Cortana is an intelligent personal assistant created by Microsoft for Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft Band, Xbox One, iOS and Android. Cortana was demonstrated for the first time at the Microsoft BUILD Developer Conference (April 2–4, 2014) in San Francisco.[1] It has been launched as a key ingredient of Microsoft's planned "makeover" of the future operating systems for Windows Phone and Windows.[5] It is named after Cortana, a synthetic intelligence character in Microsoft's Halo video game franchise originating in Bungie folklore, with Jen Taylor, the character's voice actress, returning to voice the personal assistant's US-specific version.

Cortana is currently available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese language editions, depending on the software platform and region in which it is used. Cortana mainly competes against assistants such as Apple's Siri and Google's Goggle Now.

Google now:

Google Now is an intelligent personal assistant developed by Google. Google Now is available within the Goggle Search mobile application for Android and iOS, as well as the Goggle Chrome web browser on personal computers. Goggle Now uses a natural language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of web services. Along with answering user-initiated queries, Goggle Now proactively delivers to users information that it predicts (based on their search habits) they may want. It was first included in Android 4.1 ("Jelly Bean"), which launched on July 9, 2012, and was first supported on the Galaxy Nexus smart phone. The service was made available for iOS on April 29, 2013 without most of its features. Goggle Now was released for Goggle Chrome on March 24, 2014. Popular Science named Goggle Now the "Innovation of the Year" for 2012. Goggle Now mainly competes against assistants such as Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana.

So as you can see these virtual assistants have been integrated into our smart phones for everyday use, and attempt to cater to a variety of different cultures and languages. Their compatibility even extends as far as our TV remotes and our cars.

Here we see an example of an Individual that is part of the digital divide, encounter Apples, Siri for the first time, and it doesn't go so well.......

Whether or not you like or dislike, use or not use any of these features, they have now been made accessible for those if us with smart phones. I'm sure at times that they can become useful, but in saying that I'm sure there will be times when they can be frustrating for us too, especially when the answer is not known or the feature mis-hears or does not understand you.  I have also included a social experiment that was posted to show the interactions that the virtual assistants have with each other, enjoy

By Bulesa

References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HJodK56EsU&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXXtCE_zi34
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortana_(software)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siri
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Now

Another side to the mobile phone

The older generation have been known to condemn the youth and millennial for being too attached to their smart phones and for using them in place of face-to-face interaction and communication. They're so quick to condemn this piece of technology that they don't notice the important role it plays in some people's lives.

Below is a video that touches on how a mobile phone becomes an essential life tool to a refugee. Check it out.

   

- Cynthia 

 

Source: Channel 4 News

I bet you didn't know: How phones are recycled

The turnover of mobile phones have increased dramatically over the recent years. It's become a norm of society to upgrade their (smart) phones every 2- 3 years with the release of a new generation of smart phone. So what do people do with their old smart phones? They trade it in and the greener mobile users will put them up for recycling.

Presently, Australia has a national recycling program that goes by the name MobileMuster. For any curious minds, below are the 6 steps of recycling taken by MobileMuster.

Step 1: Sorting
The phones are dismantled and sorted into these different components

• batteries
• printed circuit boards
• handsets
• chargers
• accessories
• plastics
• metals
• paper/cardboard packaging

Step 2: Batteries
The batteries are then further sorted into their chemical types.

• Lithium ion and nickel metal hydride batteries are shipped to TES-AMM in Singapore where they're processed for cobalt, lithium and nickel
• Nickel cadmium batteries are shipped to KOBAR Ltd in South Korea where they are proccessed for nickel (to make stainless steel), cadmium (to make new batteries) and copper.

Step 3: Circuits
Circuit boards are stored and then shipped to TES-AMM in Singapore where they are processed for precious metals including gold, silver copper and lead.

Step 4: Casings
Any handset casings that are made of pure plastic are then sent to either one of these local plastics manufacturers:

• Australian Composite Technology, who shreds and uses the plastic to produce composite plastic fence posts  
• Close The Loop/ EWood who shreds and uses the plastics to make plastic wood planks for garden beds/furniture

Step 5: Accessories and Mixed Plastics
The copper wiring is sent to local metal recyclers for recovery. Other accessories and mixed plastics are processed by TES-AMM in Singapore. There they are shredded and the plastics are separated from the ferrous and non-ferrous metals for re-use. The plastics are then used to make shipping pallets and the metals are sold on to the manufacturers.

Step 6: Packaging
The packaging is separated into plastic and paper and sent to local recyclers for further processing.

And there you have it! At least now you know where the bits and pieces of your phone goes to and what they can be recycled into. So if you have a few extra spare phones lying around, consider sending it to MobileMuster!

- Cynthia 

Source: MobileMuster

Top 20 Best-selling Phones of all time

A huge number of mobile phones have entered our market in the past few decades. Today, Samsung and Apple seem to be the most prominent and controversial brands amongst them. Taking into consideration our ever-increasing use and reliance on technology, can we assume that Samsung and Apple take the win for the most sold handsets? In short, no. In fact, Samsung and Apple aren't even in the Top 10! Let’s countdown the top-selling mobile phones in the world, you’ll be surprised at which brand and model takes the lead. 

20. 

Samsung Galaxy III. Released in 2012 – 60 million units sold

19.

Motorola StarTAC. Released in 1996 – Over 60 million units sold

18. 

Apple’s iPhone 4S.  Released in 2011 – Over 60 million units sold

17. 

Nokia 5120. Released in 2007 – Over 65 million unit sold

16.  

Apple’s iPhone 5. Released in 2012. 70 million units sold.

15.  

Nokia 6010. Released in 2004. Over 75 million units sold.

14. 

Samsung Galaxy S4. Released in 2013. Over 80 million units sold.

13.  

Apple iPhone 6 Plus. Released in 2014. Over 100 million units sold.

12. 

Nokia 1208. Released in 2007. Over 100 million units sold.

11. 

Nokia 3310. Released in 2000. Over 126 million units sold.

10. 

Motorola RAZR V3. Released in 2004. Over 130 million sold.

9. 

Nokia 1600. Released in 2006 for Emerging Countries. 130 million sold.

8.  

Nokia 2600. Released in 2004. Over 135 million units sold.

7.  

Samsung E1100. Released in 2009. 150 million units sold.

6. 

Nokia 6660. Released in 2003. Over 150 million units sold.

5. 

Nokia 5310. Released in 2009. Over 150 million units sold.

4. 

Nokia 1200. Released in 2007. Over 150 million units sold.

3.

Nokia 3210. Released in 1999. Over 150 million units sold.

2.  

Nokia 1100. Released in 2005. Over 150 million units sold.

1.  

Nokia 1100. Released in 2003. Over 250 million. Amazing!

- Riana

Reference: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/01/26/the-20-bestselling-mobile-phones-of-all-time/

Some of the accessories available to hand-set users

It is undeniable that with the expansion of handset variety, an increase in handset options shall too expand. 

When I was a teenager (2000-2006) the handsets were now referred to as "Bricks". And there is now the ongoing mockery that those particular phones could survive a nuclear war! however no matter how large our handsets were, this never stopped my friends and I from buying into the market of cellphone accessories, and boy-oh-boy can I tell you how the times have changed. My friends and I thought we were EXTREMELY cool, by covering the back of our handsets in an array of individual bejewelled stickers to form the shape of a heart, we wore neck straps that hung our "Bricks" from our neck, and even my father wore the infamous belt holder phone case, a case that would attach through the loop holes of your belt and fasten your handset just above your bottom in a case. And even through I cringe now, mobile phone accessorising and having your handset becoming apart of fashion is still ever- present in todays society. However it has completely changed, and yet some things remain the same. I still encounter people that still find value in the belt handset holder, and young girls that still enjoy putting stickers on their handsets.

Some of the Accessories available in present day to handset users include:

• A smart-phone controlled drone.
• Cases that can be wallets, chargers, bumper to protect, gimmick shaped, or with extra lighting.
• Battery banks and charging docks.
• GPS trackers, for cars, laptops, dog leaches that can all be monitored through your handset.
• Selfie sticks
• gaming controllers, that attach to the handset
• an array of wireless headphones
• belt clips
• arm bands, that syncs to a playlist while people enjoy fitness.
• Mounts and car holders for handsets.
• camera lenses, attatched ontop of the already present camera.
• watches, compatible with cellphones that allows phone calls to be taken through the watch.
• Tv compatability
• Tablet/Laptop/PC compatibility
• Pens that can be used as a stylus 
• Fitness bands, that can track how many steps are taken every day reporting to a handset
• VR gear that connects to smart phones
• And Bluetooth.

And like the future of cellphones, the future of accessories could take us anywhere...

By Bulesa

Reference:
shttps://www.google.com.au/search?q=phone+accessories&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=728&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjVjP6YodLMAhWMFpQKHcEJC3YQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=xr7LJmVFZ60OcM%3A
V
http://www.apple.com/au/shop/accessories/all-accessories/toys-games
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_accessories

The Underdogs of the Market: Part 1

Apple. Samsung. Sony. Nokia. HTC. Basically, they’re all of the phone brands you’ve ever heard of. These brands have become part of our vocabulary. When someone asks ‘What brand of phone should I get?’, you’re probably going to answer one of the above. There is actually a vast market of phone brands arising, and today and on Sunday, I’ll inform you about some of the underdogs in the market.

Alcatel

Alcatel is owned by the Chinese electronic company TLC Corporations. They have a variety of smartphones, tablets and smart watches, which all run with Android. They categorize their smartphones into the categories ‘Idol’, ‘Pixi’, ‘Pop’ and ‘Go’. The design of the phones is all symmetrical, which allows users to hold the phone better. A feature they have is that users can pick up the phone upside down. This is convenient when you’re in a rush and need to quickly grab your phone out of your messy bag or your back pocket. In comparison to the big brands, Alcatel is quite cheap, with their smartphones starting at $59 AUD.

Asus

Whilst most people know Asus for its laptops and computers, Asus also has a line of smartphones. Asus is based in Taiwan, and also has a range of smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches. Their brand of phones is categorized as the ‘Zen’ Series. One of their most popular phones is the ZenFone 2, which CNET reports delivers smooth performance, a clean and feature-rich user interface. They also provide accessories for their products such as camera tools and a speaker set which can be connected to exclusively Asus products. Their pricing range for their phones start of at $180 AUD.

Huawei

Huawei is the 4^th largest manufacturing company for mobile phones and they too are based in China. They are recently trying to bring their phones into Western countries, and this can be seen by their pop-up shops located all over Australia (I personally have seen 2 in my local mall). Huawei have a range of smartphones, tablets, PC’s, and smartwatches. They have recently come to popularity due to their P8 phone, and reviewers have stated it is the company’s best phone to date. They also run on Android, with additional customization apps exclusively for Huawei products. Many have stated that this brand will soon become one of the main brands of phones you see in the market.

- Maddie

Sources
http://www.cheatsheet.com/technology/5-of-the-best-android-phone-brands-youve-never-heard-of.html/?a=viewall
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Most-underrated-phones-of-2015_id76695

Phone apps for students

Source: theguardian.com

As young students, it seems as though we can never go anywhere without our smartphones in our hands or stuffed in the back of our jeans pockets. It's mostly used as a gateway to connect and keep up with friends via social media, which can be a massive procrastination tool. With great power, comes great responsibility. If we're smart about how we use our phones, we can transform what was once a time waster, to something that is much more productive. With the few mobile applications listed down below, we're sure that it'll help you to be on track in becoming the next Hermione Granger!

1) Quizlet

Available on: iOS, Android, Web

Cost: Free

Function:  Quizlet is an app that is essentially a digital form of flashcards. These are handy when you want to memorize facts or vocabulary. They offer memory games to help you memorize the content and they allow you to bookmark certain flashcards that you have trouble recalling. 

2) iCal

Available on: iOS

Cost: Free

Function: iCal is a basic calendar app that allows you to separate your calendars into different categories (i.e. clubs, university, family, friends, work) or by units that you're taking so you don't miss out on any deadlines. The app also has a feature whereby you can share your calendar with your friends or family so that they know what your workload is like before asking you out. 

3) Duolingo

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Function: Duolingo is the well-known app for students who want to or are learning a new language. It's useful for teaching the language from novice to advanced level. The app appeals to your sense of achievement by awarding you points as you progress through the different levels of language mastery. 

4) Evernote

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free but certain services need to be paid

Function: Evernote is the ultimate student mobile application as it's designed for the student to take notes, organize them and retain them through the semester. It allows you to save documents, links and images that you've stumbled upon or need later on. It also has a feature where you can sync the data across platforms as long as you log in with your account. 

5) GoogleDrive and Dropbox

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free but to increase storage requires payment

Function: Both applications are useful for you to store your assignment files online, enabling you to access them from your tablet, phone or computer as long as you have Wifi. You can back up your files so you never lose them again! The apps are also useful in collaborating and sharing documents with your group mates when working on those pesky group assignments. 

6) Splitwise

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Function: Splitwise is an app that makes splitting the bill when dining out with friends effortless. The app is especially useful for university students whom have housemates to work out the portion of grocer expenditure each housemate needs to contribute to the household. 

7) Forest

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: 3.99AUD

Function: The Forest app is an app that helps you focus in a fun way. As you use the app, you set the timer to plant a tree. Should you pick up your smartphone and exit the app to scroll through your newsfeed, the tree will wither and die. But if you manage to persevere till the time is up, the tree grows fully. At the end of each day, you have a forest of trees; it may be full of green trees or withered ones, depending on how well your focus and self-control is.

8) SAM

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Function: Understandably, university life can be very stressful sometimes. This app is good in helping you manage that stress and anxiety by helping you understand and manage your anxiety better. It offers self-help methods for you to reduce or handle your anxiety and look after your mental health.

9) ZombieRun

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Function: You can't just sit by your desk and study all day. To really take care of yourself, you'll need to incorporate some exercise into your routine. Zombie Run is a role playing app that makes running (i.e. exercising) fun and less tedious! It's always good to refresh your brain. 

10) Ted

Available on: iOS, Android

Cost: Free

Function: If you ever need to take a break from studying, instead of mindlessly scrolling through your social media, why don't you use this app to give yourself that extra push of motivation? At the same time, you can educate yourself on certain issues spoken about in the TedTalks.

By Cynthia

Positive and Negatives of owning a handset

There is undoubtably a large percentage of handset users across the globe. But have we all weighed up the pro's and cons of owning a handset? Do we actually know what the updated negative outcomes are of owning a handset are?

In this post we decided to explore some of the "oh so wonderful's" of owning a handset, and some of the "I actually didn't know that" facts, to help you all keep in mind when using your handsets.

so lets start with some of the positives. It is largely agreed upon that owning a handset has increased communication, accessibility, and convince for us within this modern age. with the technological advances handsets are now, lighter, more compact in size, portable, and you can be reached in a variety of different places. Great right?

you can now communicate with people overseas, have informtion at your fingertips.

what if you dont want to be reached all the time? what are the effects of large cellphone usage? are our handsets taking us away from "the world around us"?

Many students in todays society, take a mobile phone to school, these are usually purchsed by parents wanting to be able reach their child, and importantly, if ever faced with an emergency.

Another prominate feature of the modernized "smart phone", is that it provides us all with entertainment. in an array of different ways, including games, youtube, your own personal music player,streaming, downloading, watching movies etc.

we've all had one of those moments when we've turned to our mobile phones for entertainment either to have that music playing for the bus/ train ride home, those late night Facebook checks we do before we fall asleep. but again has our cellphone usage integrated itself into our lives more than we know, or realise?

Crash data from 2010 to 2014 showed there were 236 crashes where hand-held mobile phone use by drivers was identified as a contributing factor. This included seven fatal crashes and 116 injury crashes. These crash numbers are considered to be under-reported because of the difficulty of finding evidence of illegal mobile phone use at crash scenes. This suggests the size of the problem could be much greater.

From July 2014 to June 2015, more than 35,300 fines were issued to drivers in NSW for using hand-held mobile phones, showing the problem is still prevalent. Pretty scary stuff right?

Now lets take a look at studying . Can you ever think of a time that youve had an essay due the next day, or a big task at hand and your sitting at your laptop, PC, or tablet, and youve opened a tab on the internet, or picked up your handset to visit a website, unrelated to your assighment, and then next thing you know..... *click click click* ..... and you've gone through numerous  websites and you're on a webpage absorbing content unrelated to the task at had? - well I know I have! Its actually not as uncommon as you think, two new studies suggest that our mobile phones are making us "dumber". One found that people who are interrupted by technology score 20 percent lower on a standard cognition test. A second demonstrated that some students, even when on their best behavior, can't concentrate on homework for more than two minutes without distracting themselves by using social media or writing an email. Innovation or Imprisionment? thats up to you to decide.

In terms of health Our lecturer Matt Mansour breifly touched on the correlation between cell phones and cancer recently in one of our letures, But heres the 411 from cancer.gov to explain why these claims are circulating.

The three main reasons why people are concerned that cell phones (also known as “mobile” or “wireless” telephones) might have the potential to cause certain types of cancer or other health problems:

• Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy (radio waves), a form of non-ionizing radiation, from their antennas. Tissues nearest to the antenna can absorb this energy.
• The number of cell phone users has increased rapidly. As of December 2014, there were more than 327.5 million cell phone subscribers in the United States, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. This is a nearly threefold increase from the 110 million users in 2000. Globally, the number of subscriptions is estimated by the International Telecommunications Union to be 5 billion.
• Over time, the number of cell phone calls per day, the length of each call, and the amount of time people use cell phones have increased. However, improvements in cell phone technology have resulted in devices that have lower power outputs than earlier models.

In conclusion, I think first and foremost it is of upmost importance to put your own health and safety as a priority when considering handset use on the roads while driving. Yes handsets definitely have their positives, but it is always important to be mindful and aware of the negative implications of handset use.

Stay safe all.

By Bulesa

Referenced articles:

http://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/campaigns/get-your-hand-off-it/index.html

http://www.thephonetown.com/positive-and-negative-effects-of-mobile-phones/

http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/cell-phones-fact-sheet