Cellphone Stuff

iirc, the new handsfree while driving law goes into effect in Cali on june 1st.. if you dont have a headset, and you answer your phone in a bluetoothless car, better get one.

They had Q & A with one of our VPs the other day. I thought this one was interesting:

What do you see in terms of equipment upgrade cycles? Is the interval going to be every two, three, 10 years?

Devices are going to get faster and have more memory. They are going to get smarter. And I think the flip phones with the standard 12-button keypad like you have now will become obsolete in a couple years. The new devices will be the same size, but will have either virtual or real keyboards that allow you to navigate the Web in a much easier fashion.

The question of upgrades is interesting. As devices begin to get touch screens, they begin to look the same, and changes will be made through software. So I'm not sure whether that will lengthen the time that somebody keeps a device or not.

It's just sad our most advance phone doesn't have half the functions a Japanese preschooler has on his cellphone. :puppydog:

It'd be great if they could make their damn phones works everywhere in the world, instead of having their own technology. Locking the phones is lame too. :grumble:

krim wrote:iirc, the new handsfree while driving law goes into effect in Cali on june 1st.. if you dont have a headset, and you answer your phone in a bluetoothless car, better get one.

had that law here for a while now but it's not really changed anything. you still see people chatting away or pulling up in stupid places to answer them.

tabana wrote:It's just sad our most advance phone doesn't have half the functions a Japanese preschooler has on his cellphone. :puppydog:

It'd be great if they could make their damn phones works everywhere in the world, instead of having their own technology. Locking the phones is lame too. :grumble:

Like what?

Pay stuff like train ticket, watch over the air HDTV, "bar code" scanner with the camera, a lot of animations...

Not tech related, but they never pay for incoming calls/sms too. :pout:

tabana wrote:It's just sad our most advance phone doesn't have half the functions a Japanese preschooler has on his cellphone. :puppydog:

It'd be great if they could make their damn phones works everywhere in the world, instead of having their own technology. Locking the phones is lame too. :grumble:

I lose a bar of battery life just by taking a picture. On top of calls and the very occasional txtmsg, I can't see how anyone can keep battery life going without charging constantly when they play music, watch video, surf internet, and what not on their cell. Of course, I use a cell phone just as a cell phone.

krim wrote:iirc, the new handsfree while driving law goes into effect in Cali on june 1st.. if you dont have a headset, and you answer your phone in a bluetoothless car, better get one.

Actually it's July 1st, not June 1st.

I'm going to Japan this coming month, so what's the deal with the cellphones there? I've already googled it but I'd prefer feedback from those who already dealt with it. :)

tabana wrote:
Not tech related, but they never pay for incoming calls/sms too. :pout:

Eh? People pay for incoming calls and smses?? :doh:

Lifo wrote:I'm going to Japan this coming month, so what's the deal with the cellphones there? I've already googled it but I'd prefer feedback from those who already dealt with it. :)

There used to be a time when all you needed was to show a passport as identification to get a prepaid cell phone. Which came in handy since you now had a local number to make and receive calls.

That changed a few years ago, when lawmakers decided that criminals could use the phones for bad things and since they were prepaid, could be disposed of quickly. So they passed a law that only citizens, permanent residents, and holders of the Alien Registration card could purchase cell phones (both contract-based and prepaid). Which means no temporary visitors can purchase one.

So you have some options:
1. Many cellular companies have roaming capabilities in Japan. But you need a world phone capable for use in Japan (you carrier will know), and you need to sign up for the super-duper-ultra-expensive international roaming plan. So you would have a phone that you could use in Japan, but because of the high cost to use it, you'd probably leave it off.

2. If you're going there for work-related purposes, you can have your Japanese counterpart issue a letter stating your purpose and it might be good enough to use as your "ID". I would have the Japanese-side contact au by KDDI or NTT DOCOMO for more information.

3. If you know someone in Japan, you can have them buy the phone for you. They would be using their own ID, of course. Now keep in mind that phones from Japan are only good in Japan (for the most part). You likely won't be able to use the phone when you return home. I have gone this route before.

4. Rent a phone. At the major airports, there are counters that you can rent phones from. Before leaving Japan, you would mail the phone and accessories in the prepaid package. I think qilver has used this option.

If you want more information about any one of these options, let me know.

dochira wrote:4. Rent a phone. At the major airports, there are counters that you can rent phones from. Before leaving Japan, you would mail the phone and accessories in the prepaid package. I think qilver has used this option.

Thanks a lot for the information. I think I'll be likely to go by this option. ;)

Lifo wrote:

Thanks a lot for the information. I think I'll be likely to go by this option. ;)

Cool, chances are you'll be landing at Narita. Here is a list of phone rental companies. http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/list/svc_19.html

I think the Softback rates are pretty reasonable.

dochira wrote:

Cool, chances are you'll be landing at Narita. Here is a list of phone rental companies. http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/guide/service/list/svc_19.html

I think the Softback rates are pretty reasonable.

Actually, I'll be landing in Osaka first, then I'll be going to Tokyo. They'd provide the same service I suppose? (Kansai international airport).

EDIT: I've checked the official site and yes, they provide these services. Thanks anyway. ;)

i have nokia..
but i want to buy a new one.. :D

azngelique wrote:i have nokia..
but i want to buy a new one.. :D

How 'bout Samsung?
I'm using one now.
Try U900 SOUL.
Damn, it's a cool phone ever.

Prototype Nokia phone recharges without wires

Tue Jun 16, 2009 1:06PM EDT

Pardon the cliche, but it's one of the holiest of Holy Grails of technology: Wireless power. And while early lab experiments have been able to "beam" electricity a few feet to power a light bulb, the day when our laptops and cell phones can charge without having to plug them in to a wall socket still seems decades in the future.

Nokia, however, has taken another baby step in that direction with the invention of a cell phone that recharges itself using a unique system: It harvests ambient radio waves from the air, and turns that energy into usable power. Enough, at least, to keep a cell phone from running out of juice.

While "traditional" (if there is such a thing) wireless power systems are specifically designed with a transmitter and receiver in mind, Nokia's system isn't finicky about where it gets its wireless waves. TV, radio, other mobile phone systems -- all of this stuff just bounces around the air and most of it is wasted, absorbed into the environment or scattered into the ether. Nokia picks up all the bits and pieces of these waves and uses the collected electromagnetic energy to create electrical current, then uses that to recharge the phone's battery. A huge range of frequencies can be utilized by the system (there's no other way, really, as the energy in any given wave is infinitesimal). It's the same idea that Tesla was exploring 100 years ago, just on a tiny scale.

Mind you, harvesting ambient electromagnetic energy is never going to offer enough electricity to power your whole house or office, but it just might be enough to keep a cell phone alive and kicking. Currently Nokia is able to harvest all of 5 milliwatts from the air; the goal is to increase that to 20 milliwatts in the short term and 50 milliwatts down the line. That wouldn't be enough to keep the phone alive during an active call, but would be enough to slowly recharge the cell phone battery while it's in standby mode, theoretically offering infinite power -- provided you're not stuck deep underground where radio waves can't penetrate.

Nokia says it hopes to commercialize the technology in three to five years.

I am just starting to run into this problem and I would be pleased if you all could contribute some thoughts. Here it is.

A lot has been written on cell-phone etiquette, regarding yakking on the phone in public. But what about behavior toward the people who are trying to call you?

Suppose you get a call. You look at the incoming number and recognize it as a friend of yours. If you are free to take it, either you pick it up our you don't, basically saying "ah Itazura Ichiban is not worth the time I'd take to answer his call." So you let it go, presumably leaving the I&I to leave an exasperated message, or try calling back later.

Is this rejection? If your friend is standing in front of you, asking to talk, do you put your hand up, and say, "Talk to the hand!"? Or am I just being overly sensitive? Should I just leave a message and trust my friends to call me back when they feel like it? Is it rude to screen friend's calls? :grumble:

(I apologize that I come from a previous century in which a phone had a dial, and bells, and if you were trying to call a friend, you rang until they picked it up.)

Uh, you should post this in the Cell Phone thread, huh?

Cell phone thread? :nut:

ok.