It is not another article from the series “about the harm caused by mobile phones.” A mobile device, undoubtedly, is a useful and good thing. Especially the modern ones with the help of which you can not only call and send text messages, but listen to the music, watch images and video, learn the latest news. All of these can be ordered and received on your phone fast and easy. And unfortunately not always safe!

All the text, audio and video information that can be downloaded to a phone is called “mobile content.” There are a great number of ways to get money from users by the means of mobile content. All the online magazines are full of advertisements like send SMS with a code on some number and get ringtones/images/video-clips. The price of the service was shown in the bottom and written in a small font.

The ways of deceiving users are really multiple. For instance, you ca be offered to download an image or ringtone at a good price “forgetting” to warn that you automatically subscribe to paid newsletter. If you try to complain you will be explained that the payments taken from your account are additional charges, percents or whatever. There are cases when the ordered content wasn’t even received by the user (the service refers to the wrong number of the wrong secret code etc.)

The scheme is very simple: the frauds only have to persuade users to send SMS on the paid number, and then the money will be taken from them. Not the sum the user expects, but the sum the mobile pirates will want to withdraw.

Getting involved with untrustworthy content you can lose both money and health. Of course, not your health, but the health of your phone. Alongside a doubtful media-file your phone can download harmful software. It is no wonder. Phones are getting more and more close to PCs in their abilities, and the development of mobile viruses doesn’t stand still.

“Undoubtedly mobile viruses are the most steadily developing type of harmful software and moreover they have great potential for further development” - state Kaspersky Lab researchers. Moreover, the way PC viruses have covered in 20 years was made by mobile ones in only 3 years. It is especially true for smartphones – there appear at least 10 new Trojans each week. It is assumed that in the near future, mobile anti-virus software will be as obligatory as PC-based one.

Mobile viruses may spread via WAP-content, MMS and through average content as well. Games are especially dangerous in this very respect. A peculiar story happened three years ago when the game Mosquito 2.0 was released.

Shortly after that there have emerged messages that the game, being installed started to send SMS on unknown numbers. The actions that had been considered to be the result of a virus turned out to be anti-pirate know-how of the developers: SMS was sent on British-registered number in order to trace the legality of the spread of the game.

Nowadays, mobile viruses act according to the similar scheme – taking control over a phone and getting money from the account of the owner. All that can be recommended – be careful in downloading content. And if you are a lucky owner of a smrtphone, you’d better install regularly updated anti-virus software.

Who Esle Wants the Latest Mobile service by 3 and AT&T?

According to the study conducted by the company J.D. Power and Associates, the users using many functions and mobile services on their devices spend at least $14 more each month than the others who do not “abuse” their phones.

The research under the name “2007 U.S. Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation Study” was carried out by J.D. Power and Associates and it shoed that those US users who send/receive e-mail ans text messages, take and send shots, download music with their phones pay the average of $77 per month. The average phone bill of the users who do not do the things mentioned above makes around $63.

The users who work with non-voice applications from their mobile devices regularly spend twice as much as those do not use them ($70 and $37 accordingly).

During the research it turned out that Sony Ericsson is the leader in providing additional mobile services reaching 741 points out of 1000. High achievements of the company are pointed out in the area of accumulator functioning and functionality. Moreover, the company got high marks for power reserve and device durability. Samsung and Motorola occupy the 2nd place. The users’ satisfaction from using mobile devices was evaluated according to 5 criteria:

• Appearance
• Comfort
• Functionality
• Power reserve
• Durability

The results of the study were based on the interrogation of 18453 respondents who have been using their mobile devices for over 2 years.

Kirk Parsons, senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power and Associates, claimed:

“It’s not surprising that handset manufacturers and service providers are offering more cell phones with advanced features in order to increase revenue. Wireless monthly service fees and handset price points have increased as technologies and services have been added to phones, particularly those that include advanced features such as downloading and playing MP3 files or streaming video. For example, the average reported monthly wireless bill has increased $13 since 2005 to $73 in 2007.”

The study also finds that photo applications—taking, sending and receiving pictures—are particularly popular among wireless owners, as 34 percent of customers report using this feature.

Are You Aware of What is Going on in the World?

The company Nokia has announced that the Internet-service WidSets, launched into beta version in October 2006, has been re-launched on a new revolutionary platform.

The new service WidSets will offer the mobile users a wide widget-library and location-based orientation. Moreover, the new WidSets features a advertising business-model. The service is supported by almost all the phones with Java. According to Nokia, with the help of WidSets the users can gain access to online-content without an inbuilt browser. The new platform will also offer a new function of dynamic search and the developed tools for crating widgets.

Jarmo Jokinen, head of WidSets, Nokia Emerging Business Unit, stated:

“We are happy to have received the feedback by our users. During the period of beta-testing over 3 million users owning around 300 phone models registered on WidSets.”

Nokia plans to pre-install WidSets on all the mobile devices released during 2008. The service will be available in 5 languages. The first phone to feature WidSets will be Nokia 8800 Arte, the sales of which are to start at the end of the year.

What WidSets say about themselves:

“When we began we were a small group of Nokia people with a long history of Internet and mobile-related experience, and we´ve created all kinds of interesting products over the years (and to be honest a few less interesting ones too). We’d been using a range of social networking services for quite some time and wanted to make these services available via mobile phones, so we came up with an idea - and got the funding. Work started in 2005, and the rest is history :-)”

Users Want Ad-Supported Location-Based Services

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