Nowadays, a large number of children have their own mobile phones. Whilst parents buy a mobile phone with the interest of monitoring their whereabouts and ensuring their safety, the younger generation see mobile phones as fashion and social validation item. Ultimately, children will strongly express their views on which handset they desire and grind you down to the point where you end up splashing out on the latest handset just to avoid experiencing a mental breakdown.
The fact is, mobile phones can be an incredibly useful tool for children and after much deliberation in the past; it seems it has been deemed acceptable for children to possess their own mobile phone.
With TV advertisements, billboards and hints from your child about which phone is currently "the best" you can be left feeling rather swamped by the large market and competition. With a phenomenally sized market out there it can be nigh on impossible to know what phone to buy if you're not an avid follower of the gadget trend. If you're currently browsing for a handset for your child, here are some aspects to consider when purchasing a pocket-sized device.
Contract or Pay as You Go?
Whilst contract phones can provide you with a bargain on a newly released model, they may not be the best option for children. Aside from kids' superhuman abilities to run-up a phone bill, 3G internet may also incur hidden charges for browsing if it's turned on and there's no wireless network in range. Your child may not even be using the phone, they may merely have an app running in the background which is eating up data and inflating your bill. One of the up-sides to contracts however, is that you can get amazing deals on the latest handsets and you can now monitor your bill online too, so if you see your child attempting to run up the bill you can stop them before they do so.
Some networks are also beginning to introduce a contract "cap" which allows you to buy a contract phone and limit the amount you want to spend on it - giving yourself a fixed monthly tariff with no additional fees (plus your child can get the phone they desire). Although this isn't commonplace as of yet, if it takes off it could be the new easy way to buy phones for children.
Pay as You Go phones are a common choice for children, with many networks offering a variety of different tariffs, you can customise your child's Pay as You Go tariff to have a monthly allowance of minutes, texts or internet data, or a combination of the three. The beauty of opting for Pay as You Go is that you pay in advance and your child has X amount to spend, so you can easily control their phone usage.
The downsides to Pay as You Go phones are that the initial cost of the handset can be high - so you may not be able to afford the latest models. Also, you may find that your money doesn't stretch very far as browsing the internet can on Pay as You Go can be expensive, especially if you haven't incorporated internet data into your child's tariff.
Safe Internet Browsing
One of the most common concerns parents have about buying phones for children, is the access they're granted to the internet. Parental control packages are available so that you can monitor what your child is accessing and even restrict certain webpages. If you get a contract phone for your child, some networks only allow access to restricted content after phoning them and confirming your date of birth.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
App Review: My Fitness Pal
Available on: Apple, Android, Blackberry and Windows
Price: Free
One of the most popular New Year's resolutions is to "lose weight" or "get in shape". If you've jumped on the bandwagon this year you may feel like you're losing motivation as January draws to a close. Having fitness apps on your smart phone can be an excellent way to boost your morale; whether you need to tighten your calorie control or need an encouragement boost, your much-loved gadget can help you to achieve your New Year's resolution.
One fitness app in particular has been hugely successful - My Fitness Pal. It's an all-rounder which allows you to track your fitness and weight whilst precisely monitoring calorie intake. Its automated calculations allow you to closely analyse how your diet and exercise are impacting your weight - making weight loss plans incredibly easy.
You can closely scrutinise just about every aspect of your fitness regime - to monitor your weight loss progress over a period of time and, set goals and share your success online. You begin your virtual fitness journey by inputting information on your height, typical daily activity, current weight and target weight. You can then choose a daily, net calorie goal to stick to.
Using the diary function, you are able to create an online food diary which automatically calculates your calorie consumption for that day. Each time you add a consumed food the calories are subtracted from your net calorie goal. One of the huge benefits of this app is just how many products are in the database, you can select exactly what you've eaten right down to the branding and weight of the food product. You can also view other nutritional information per 100g on the food product you've selected so carbs, saturated fat and salt intake can also be easily monitored.
In addition to healthy eating, you're probably incorporating some degree of exercise into your fitness regime - which you can also record. The exercise database is also very large, with almost every exercise you could ever imagine covered. There's even the option to click different exercise speeds for example, "running at 5mph" and to input how long you performed the exercise for. This gives you a very accurate calculation of just how many calories you've burned by doing the selected exercise.
At the end of the food day, once you've submitted your diary, the app tells you what you'd weigh in 5 weeks' time if you ate and exercised exactly the same amount as the submitted diary day. This helps to give you an indication of your daily progress.
Your progress updates display on your "news feed" which mutual friends on My Fitness Pal can view, so if you’re falling behind they can encourage you.
One of the main drawbacks of this app is just how much time and dedication is required to ensure its accuracy. Inputting every last morsel of food (including cups of water) can be harder to stick to than the fitness regime itself! If you miss one day the accuracy of the app's calculations will drop, although weighing yourself on a regular basis means you can afford to have a day off from diary tracking. It's also not very relevant suitable for people who are looking to increase body mass by growing muscles, although the calorie calculator may be useful if you're following a set calorie plan.
My Fitness Pal's definitely an app to download to try and increase your motivation. The weight graph makes it very easy to see if you're succeeding or failing your fitness regime and the net calorie goal and target weight can be edited at any time. It is advisable to network with friends when using the app however, as you'll probably need to encouragement to keep inputting the data.
Price: Free
One of the most popular New Year's resolutions is to "lose weight" or "get in shape". If you've jumped on the bandwagon this year you may feel like you're losing motivation as January draws to a close. Having fitness apps on your smart phone can be an excellent way to boost your morale; whether you need to tighten your calorie control or need an encouragement boost, your much-loved gadget can help you to achieve your New Year's resolution.
One fitness app in particular has been hugely successful - My Fitness Pal. It's an all-rounder which allows you to track your fitness and weight whilst precisely monitoring calorie intake. Its automated calculations allow you to closely analyse how your diet and exercise are impacting your weight - making weight loss plans incredibly easy.
You can closely scrutinise just about every aspect of your fitness regime - to monitor your weight loss progress over a period of time and, set goals and share your success online. You begin your virtual fitness journey by inputting information on your height, typical daily activity, current weight and target weight. You can then choose a daily, net calorie goal to stick to.
Using the diary function, you are able to create an online food diary which automatically calculates your calorie consumption for that day. Each time you add a consumed food the calories are subtracted from your net calorie goal. One of the huge benefits of this app is just how many products are in the database, you can select exactly what you've eaten right down to the branding and weight of the food product. You can also view other nutritional information per 100g on the food product you've selected so carbs, saturated fat and salt intake can also be easily monitored.
In addition to healthy eating, you're probably incorporating some degree of exercise into your fitness regime - which you can also record. The exercise database is also very large, with almost every exercise you could ever imagine covered. There's even the option to click different exercise speeds for example, "running at 5mph" and to input how long you performed the exercise for. This gives you a very accurate calculation of just how many calories you've burned by doing the selected exercise.
At the end of the food day, once you've submitted your diary, the app tells you what you'd weigh in 5 weeks' time if you ate and exercised exactly the same amount as the submitted diary day. This helps to give you an indication of your daily progress.
Your progress updates display on your "news feed" which mutual friends on My Fitness Pal can view, so if you’re falling behind they can encourage you.
One of the main drawbacks of this app is just how much time and dedication is required to ensure its accuracy. Inputting every last morsel of food (including cups of water) can be harder to stick to than the fitness regime itself! If you miss one day the accuracy of the app's calculations will drop, although weighing yourself on a regular basis means you can afford to have a day off from diary tracking. It's also not very relevant suitable for people who are looking to increase body mass by growing muscles, although the calorie calculator may be useful if you're following a set calorie plan.
My Fitness Pal's definitely an app to download to try and increase your motivation. The weight graph makes it very easy to see if you're succeeding or failing your fitness regime and the net calorie goal and target weight can be edited at any time. It is advisable to network with friends when using the app however, as you'll probably need to encouragement to keep inputting the data.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Who Are Huawei?
Despite their status as one of the world's largest and most innovative technology companies; the vast majority of UK residents are unlikely to have heard of Huawei. Even more surprisingly; a large number of these people will own a device designed and manufactured by the Chinese tech giant.
Having previously kept their name hidden away from the Western market by producing devices bearing the name of brands we're more familiar with, Huawei (pronounced WHA-WAY) are now poised to step into the limelight. With a brand new marketing department featuring ex Samsung and Everything Everywhere executives, there's no questioning that Huawei are taking a UK launch seriously. With this in mind here are some things you may not know about a brand who are likely to gain household name status over the course of 2012.
Huawei in Disguise
From the Orange Barcelona, T-Mobile Pulse and Vodafone Smart mobile phone handsets through to 3 Mobile Broadband dongles; all manner of UK phone network branded devices are in fact Huawei's in disguise. Not only have these instances of white labelling allowed Huawei to build relationships with networks but also allowed them an insight into how the UK market interacts with their devices. Having tested the water so to speak, the company are now removing their disguise and announcing their presence to a new market - a move which has surely been partially inspired by the immense success of HTC since they took the same step.
Thin is In
At technology showcase extravaganza CES 2012 in Las Vegas, Huawei unveiled the Ascend P1S - one of the first Smartphones bearing their name with a release scheduled in the UK. As well as boasting Android Ice Cream Sandwich and a powerful processor the handset is also the thinnest phone in the world. This impressive accolade is sure to grab them the headlines when the Ascend P1S is available here around April 2012.
It's a Media Thing
As well as attempting to take the mobile phone market by storm, Huawei also have their sights set on the media tablet sector – with their MediaPad 7 inch tablet already on the market. As with the Ascend P1S, the hope is to take advantage of the interest in Android's Ice Cream Sandwich operating system with a re-vamped ICS equipped MediaPad due for release imminently.
Given the success HTC have experienced in Western markets since selling handsets in their own name it seems that Huawei have a good chance of breaking through - particularly given the arsenal of products they have lined up and ready to launch.
 |
| Huawei Mobile Phones |
Having previously kept their name hidden away from the Western market by producing devices bearing the name of brands we're more familiar with, Huawei (pronounced WHA-WAY) are now poised to step into the limelight. With a brand new marketing department featuring ex Samsung and Everything Everywhere executives, there's no questioning that Huawei are taking a UK launch seriously. With this in mind here are some things you may not know about a brand who are likely to gain household name status over the course of 2012.
Huawei in Disguise
From the Orange Barcelona, T-Mobile Pulse and Vodafone Smart mobile phone handsets through to 3 Mobile Broadband dongles; all manner of UK phone network branded devices are in fact Huawei's in disguise. Not only have these instances of white labelling allowed Huawei to build relationships with networks but also allowed them an insight into how the UK market interacts with their devices. Having tested the water so to speak, the company are now removing their disguise and announcing their presence to a new market - a move which has surely been partially inspired by the immense success of HTC since they took the same step.
Thin is In
At technology showcase extravaganza CES 2012 in Las Vegas, Huawei unveiled the Ascend P1S - one of the first Smartphones bearing their name with a release scheduled in the UK. As well as boasting Android Ice Cream Sandwich and a powerful processor the handset is also the thinnest phone in the world. This impressive accolade is sure to grab them the headlines when the Ascend P1S is available here around April 2012.
It's a Media Thing
As well as attempting to take the mobile phone market by storm, Huawei also have their sights set on the media tablet sector – with their MediaPad 7 inch tablet already on the market. As with the Ascend P1S, the hope is to take advantage of the interest in Android's Ice Cream Sandwich operating system with a re-vamped ICS equipped MediaPad due for release imminently.
Given the success HTC have experienced in Western markets since selling handsets in their own name it seems that Huawei have a good chance of breaking through - particularly given the arsenal of products they have lined up and ready to launch.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Predictions, Rumours and Wild Guesses for 2012
It looks like 2012 is going to be a great year for mobile phone aficionados and gadget fans at large. With this in mind we've had a little think about the developments that we're most excited about (potentially) happening during the next 12 months:
Quad-core Mobile Phone Processors
It was announced in February 2011 that Qualcomm had developed a mighty quad-core processor for use in Android handsets - and that they were to make it available to handset manufacturers in 2012. This promise seems to have been held with the HTC Edge potentially due a February release - complete with a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor.
Although this might not sound exciting to most; the step up from a single core processor (as you'd find pre 2011) to a dual core is an impressive improvement - but a quad core means double the power again! This additional power means not only faster execution of multiple processes but also improved battery life and the ability to effortlessly handle HD video chat.
3D Displays in Handsets
For a number of years 3D displays have been gradually working their way into new environments - from specialised cinemas, through to home cinemas and even handheld gaming consoles. In 2011 we finally saw 3D mobile phones which were able to provide that third dimension without glasses.
The HTC Evo 3D and LG Optimius 3D both hit UK shores and were met with intrigue initially. Despite boasting innovative technology however; the lack of 3D content and hardware and software shortcomings lead to a general dismissal of these two pioneering handsets.
Here at Free Contract Mobiles we are absolutely certain that in 2012 there will be breakthrough 3D handsets which take the market by storm by addressing the problems encountered by the Evo 3D and Optimus 3D. Recent rumours about the Samsung Galaxy S3 featuring 3D capabilities are another very strong pointer towards a future of 3D handsets.
Kindle Fire Hailing Changes in the Tablet Market
In January 2010 Apple unveiled the iPad to worldwide acclaim and subsequent torrents of copycats - thus the tablet market was born. 2011 brought the iPad 2 and a wealth of heavyweight competitors from Asus, Blackberry, Samsung and others.
In 2012 things are however set to change...potentially radically. Although the likely release of the iPad3 may be of most interest to some; it is Amazon who are likely to cause the greatest change with the UK launch of the Kindle Fire tablet. Already available in the USA priced at an incredible $199 the Kindle Fire combines Amazon's huge range of media with a high tech, low priced tablet - making for something which could knock Apple off their pedestal. The consequent hotting up of competition in the tablet arena is likely to have a knock-on effect with regard to pricing - which is in the best interests of all gadget fans!
Quad-core Mobile Phone Processors
It was announced in February 2011 that Qualcomm had developed a mighty quad-core processor for use in Android handsets - and that they were to make it available to handset manufacturers in 2012. This promise seems to have been held with the HTC Edge potentially due a February release - complete with a 1.5 GHz quad-core processor.
Although this might not sound exciting to most; the step up from a single core processor (as you'd find pre 2011) to a dual core is an impressive improvement - but a quad core means double the power again! This additional power means not only faster execution of multiple processes but also improved battery life and the ability to effortlessly handle HD video chat.
3D Displays in Handsets
For a number of years 3D displays have been gradually working their way into new environments - from specialised cinemas, through to home cinemas and even handheld gaming consoles. In 2011 we finally saw 3D mobile phones which were able to provide that third dimension without glasses.
The HTC Evo 3D and LG Optimius 3D both hit UK shores and were met with intrigue initially. Despite boasting innovative technology however; the lack of 3D content and hardware and software shortcomings lead to a general dismissal of these two pioneering handsets.
Here at Free Contract Mobiles we are absolutely certain that in 2012 there will be breakthrough 3D handsets which take the market by storm by addressing the problems encountered by the Evo 3D and Optimus 3D. Recent rumours about the Samsung Galaxy S3 featuring 3D capabilities are another very strong pointer towards a future of 3D handsets.
Kindle Fire Hailing Changes in the Tablet Market
In January 2010 Apple unveiled the iPad to worldwide acclaim and subsequent torrents of copycats - thus the tablet market was born. 2011 brought the iPad 2 and a wealth of heavyweight competitors from Asus, Blackberry, Samsung and others.
In 2012 things are however set to change...potentially radically. Although the likely release of the iPad3 may be of most interest to some; it is Amazon who are likely to cause the greatest change with the UK launch of the Kindle Fire tablet. Already available in the USA priced at an incredible $199 the Kindle Fire combines Amazon's huge range of media with a high tech, low priced tablet - making for something which could knock Apple off their pedestal. The consequent hotting up of competition in the tablet arena is likely to have a knock-on effect with regard to pricing - which is in the best interests of all gadget fans!
Mobile Innovators of 2011
With a new year now upon us, it's the perfect time to reflect upon the best of 2011. The mobile phone industry saw a wealth of innovation during the last 12 months with leading handset manufacturers intensifying their quests for increased market share. Rather than assemble a straight forward 'best handset' list we wanted instead to acknowledge those handsets which brought something new and exciting to the table - so here's our list of the most pioneering handsets of 2011 and what we believe makes them so special:
HTC Sensation XE
The HTC Sensation was an exceptional handset in it's own right - with a speedy dual-core processor, a fresh version of HTC Sense and a supersized screen on a surprisingly skinny frame. Not content with this, HTC decided to roll out a turbocharged version towards the tail-end of the year. The HTC Sensation XE had a slightly faster processor to match up to that found in the iPhone 4S and a unique audio interface developed in conjunction with Dr Dre and his Beats Audio brand. This partnership not only made the Sensation XE the only choice for audiophiles - with unparalleled audio capabilities and Beats Audio earphones but also brought with it Beats Audio branding on the phone and the operating system adding to the fashion appeal.
Apple iPhone 4S
The iPhone 4S may have been a letdown for those hoping to see a complete re-invention of the iPhone given its similarity to its predecessor - but it did bring with it a unique feature. Referred to as 'Siri' the iPhone 4S introduced the arrival an exceptionally developed voice controlled 'assistant'. Siri is able to recognise and respond to a vast array of voice commands allowing the phone user to dispense with the touchscreen altogether if they so wish. This innovative operation interface is leaps and bounds ahead of any rival handset manufacturer's voice control systems making a worthy addition to our innovators list.
Motorola Atrix
This slightly lower profile smartphone from stalwarts Motorola may not have received the public interest levels of the HTC or Apple offerings - but certainly holds it's own in the innovation stakes. Although the handset itself doesn't necessarily set itself apart from other recent Android mobile phones for standard performance (except in terms of processor power where it does excel) - the ace up its sleeve is the way it interacts with its unique arsenal of accessories. The most notable of these accessories is the laptop dock - which transforms the Atrix into a fully functional netbook. Allied with the phone's inbuilt fingerprint reader this full utilisation of the phone's capabilities through external devices will surely inspire further innovation on this front by Motorola and others.
HTC Sensation XE
The HTC Sensation was an exceptional handset in it's own right - with a speedy dual-core processor, a fresh version of HTC Sense and a supersized screen on a surprisingly skinny frame. Not content with this, HTC decided to roll out a turbocharged version towards the tail-end of the year. The HTC Sensation XE had a slightly faster processor to match up to that found in the iPhone 4S and a unique audio interface developed in conjunction with Dr Dre and his Beats Audio brand. This partnership not only made the Sensation XE the only choice for audiophiles - with unparalleled audio capabilities and Beats Audio earphones but also brought with it Beats Audio branding on the phone and the operating system adding to the fashion appeal.
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| HTC Sensation XE |
Apple iPhone 4S
The iPhone 4S may have been a letdown for those hoping to see a complete re-invention of the iPhone given its similarity to its predecessor - but it did bring with it a unique feature. Referred to as 'Siri' the iPhone 4S introduced the arrival an exceptionally developed voice controlled 'assistant'. Siri is able to recognise and respond to a vast array of voice commands allowing the phone user to dispense with the touchscreen altogether if they so wish. This innovative operation interface is leaps and bounds ahead of any rival handset manufacturer's voice control systems making a worthy addition to our innovators list.
 |
| Apple iPhone 4S |
Motorola Atrix
This slightly lower profile smartphone from stalwarts Motorola may not have received the public interest levels of the HTC or Apple offerings - but certainly holds it's own in the innovation stakes. Although the handset itself doesn't necessarily set itself apart from other recent Android mobile phones for standard performance (except in terms of processor power where it does excel) - the ace up its sleeve is the way it interacts with its unique arsenal of accessories. The most notable of these accessories is the laptop dock - which transforms the Atrix into a fully functional netbook. Allied with the phone's inbuilt fingerprint reader this full utilisation of the phone's capabilities through external devices will surely inspire further innovation on this front by Motorola and others.
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| Motorola Atrix |
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