Phone Factories

Latest word about Nokia’s touch-screen XpressMusic phone 5800 is that the unit is selling like hotcakes in most Asian countries and some part of Europe. Realizing the success of the said phone, Nokia is introducing the new 5630 XpressMusic phone. The Nokia 5630 is an ultra-slim mobile device which is geared for users looking for a nice multimedia device that can play music, videos, game, as well as share mobile contents.

Carrying the XpressMusic mobile phone features, the Nokia 5630 offers a world class music player which delivers high-quality audio, music and videos whenever and wherever you are. It is packed with a 4GB memory card that can hold up to 3000 music tracks. If that’s not enough, you can upgrade the microSD memory card up to 16GB. It also comes with a 3.5mm AV jack for a more pleasurable listening experience.

The Nokia 5630 is also loaded with Nokia’s “Say and Play” feature which lets you play a song by simply saying the artists of title of the song. The device is also compatible with Nokia Music Store, so you can browse through its music catalog and buy tracks from the store. Other lucky countries will have the Nokia 5630 with the Comes With Music feature.

Another nifty feature of the Nokia 5630 phone is the Contacts Bar which lets you access up to 20 contacts from the phone’s main screen. This also displays communications history of each of the contacts including recent emails, messages, phone logs and shared photos. In addition the phone’s homescreen also includes a shortcut bar at the bottom which lets you quickly access your most frequently used applications. For mobile gamers, the 5630 supports Nokia’s N-Gage gaming site.

Other features of the Nokia 5630 include:

• 3.2 megapixel camera with flash
• video capture
• mobile content sharing through Share on Ovi, Flickr, and Facebook

Slated for a Q2 release, the Nokia 5630 XpressMusic will retail for 199 EUR.

A SIM card, also known as a subscriber identity module, is a smart card that stores data for GSM cellular telephone subscribers. Such data includes user identity, location and phone number, network authorization data, personal security keys, contact lists and stored text messages. Security features include authentication and encryption to protect data and prevent eavesdropping.

A SIM card and can be switched easily from one phone set to another. The portability of data offers a number of benefits. For example, a user that buys a new phone can install the current SIM card to associate the new phone with the same number and user preferences as the old one. In another common situation, if a phone’s battery runs out of power, the user can easily install the card to another subscriber’s phone to borrow it without running up that user’s minutes. Some vendors offer prepaid SIM cards that can provide travelers with local numbers, as long as their cell phones are not locked to a specific carrier.

A device called a SIM card reader can be used to upload data from a SIM card to a computer or other device.

EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) is a faster version the Global System for Mobile (GSM) wireless service designed to deliver data at rates up to 384 Kbps and enable the delivery of multimedia and other broadband applications to mobile phone and computer users. The EDGE standard is built on the existing GSM standard, using the same time-division multiple access (TDMA) frame structure and existing cell arrangements. Ericsson notes that its base stations can be updated with software.
EDGE became commercially available in 2001. It is regarded as an evolutionary standard on the way to Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS).

CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access) refers to any of several protocols used in so-called second-generation (2G) and third-generation (3G) wireless communications. As the term implies, CDMA is a form of multiplexing, which allows numerous signals to occupy a single transmission channel, optimizing the use of available bandwidth. The technology is used in ultra-high-frequency (UHF) cellular telephone systems in the 800-MHz and 1.9-GHz bands.

CDMA employs analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) in combination with spread spectrum technology. Audio input is first digitized into binary elements. The frequency of the transmitted signal is then made to vary according to a defined pattern (code), so it can be intercepted only by a receiver whose frequency response is programmed with the same code, so it follows exactly along with the transmitter frequency. There are trillions of possible frequency-sequencing codes, which enhances privacy and makes cloning difficult.

The CDMA channel is nominally 1.23 MHz wide. CDMA networks use a scheme called soft handoff, which minimizes signal breakup as a handset passes from one cell to another. The combination of digital and spread-spectrum modes supports several times as many signals per unit bandwidth as analog modes. CDMA is compatible with other cellular technologies; this allows for nationwide roaming.

The original CDMA standard, also known as CDMA One and still common in cellular telephones in the U.S., offers a transmission speed of only up to 14.4 Kbps in its single channel form and up to 115 Kbps in an eight-channel form. CDMA2000 and wideband CDMA deliver data many times faster.

D-AMPS is now called time division multiple access/IS-136.
D-AMPS (Digital-Advanced Mobile Phone Service), sometimes spelled DAMPS, is a digital version of AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone Service), the original analog standard for cellular telephone phone service in the United States. Both D-AMPS and AMPS are now used in many countries. D-AMPS adds time division multiple access (TDMA) to AMPS to get three channels for each AMPS channel, tripling the number of calls that can be handled on a channel. D-AMPS is Interim Standard-136 from the Electronics Industries Assocation/Telecommunication Industries Assocation (EIA/TIA).

Like AMPS, D-AMPS uses frequency ranges within the 800 and 900 Megahertz (MHz) electromagnetic radiation spectrum. Each service provider can use half of the 824-849 MHz range for receiving signals from cellular phones and half the 869-894 MHz range for transmitting to cellular phones. The bands are divided into 30 kHz sub-bands, called channels. The receiving channels are called reverse channels and the sending channels are called forward channels. The division of the spectrum into sub-band channels is achieved by using frequency division multiple access (FDMA). The time division multiple access processing (TDMA) is added to each sub-band channel created with FDMA to triple the number of channels available.

Although AMPS and D-AMPS originated for the North American cellular telephone market, they are now used worldwide with over 74 million subscribers, according to Ericsson, one of the major cellular phone manufacturers. D-AMPS is one of three digital wireless technologies that use TDMA. The other two are GSM and PDC. Each of these technologies interprets TDMA differently so they are not compatible. An advantage of D-AMPS is that it is easier to upgrade to from an existing analog AMPS network. An alternative to D-AMPS and the other two TDMA technologies is direct sequence code division multiple access (CDMA).

TDMA (time division multiple access) is a technology used in digital cellular telephone communication that divides each cellular channel into three time slots in order to increase the amount of data that can be carried.
TDMA is used by Digital-American Mobile Phone Service (D-AMPS), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), and Personal Digital Cellular (PDC). Each of these systems implements TDMA in somewhat different and potentially incompatible ways. An alternative multiplexing scheme to FDMA with TDMA is CDMA (code division multiple access), which takes the entire allocated frequency range for a given service and multiplexes information for all users across the spectrum range at the same time.

TDMA was first specified as a standard in EIA/TIA Interim Standard 54 (IS-54). IS-136, an evolved version of IS-54, is the United States standard for TDMA for both the cellular (850 MHz) and personal communications services (1.9 GHz) spectrums. TDMA is also used for Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT).

GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) is a digital mobile telephony system that is widely used in Europe and other parts of the world. GSM uses a variation of time division multiple access (TDMA) and is the most widely used of the three digital wireless telephony technologies (TDMA, GSM, and CDMA). GSM digitizes and compresses data, then sends it down a channel with two other streams of user data, each in its own time slot. It operates at either the 900 MHz or 1800 MHz frequency band.
Mobile services based on GSM technology were first launched in Finland in 1991. Today, more than 690 mobile networks provide GSM services across 213 countries and GSM represents 82.4% of all global mobile connections. According to GSM World, there are now more than 2 billion GSM mobile phone users worldwide. GSM World references China as “the largest single GSM market, with more than 370 million users, followed by Russia with 145 million, India with 83 million and the USA with 78 million users.”

Since many GSM network operators have roaming agreements with foreign operators, users can often continue to use their mobile phones when they travel to other countries. SIM cards (Subscriber Identity Module) holding home network access configurations may be switched to those will metered local access, significantly reducing roaming costs while experiencing no reductions in service.

GSM, together with other technologies, is part of the evolution of wireless mobile telemmunications that includes High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HCSD), General Packet Radio System (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), and Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS).

General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) is a packet-based wireless communication service that promises data rates from 56 up to 114 Kbps and continuous connection to the Internet for mobile phone and computer users. The higher data rates allow users to take part in video conferences and interact with multimedia Web sites and similar applications using mobile handheld devices as well as notebook computers. GPRS is based on Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication and complements existing services such circuit-switched cellular phone connections and the Short Message Service (SMS).
In theory, GPRS packet-based services cost users less than circuit-switched services since communication channels are being used on a shared-use, as-packets-are-needed basis rather than dedicated to only one user at a time. It is also easier to make applications available to mobile users because the faster data rate means that middleware currently needed to adapt applications to the slower speed of wireless systems are no longer be needed. As GPRS has become more widely available, along with other 2.5G and 3G services, mobile users of virtual private networks (VPNs) have been able to access the private network continuously over wireless rather than through a rooted dial-up connection.

GPRS also complements Bluetooth, a standard for replacing wired connections between devices with wireless radio connections. In addition to the Internet Protocol (IP), GPRS supports X.25, a packet-based protocol that is used mainly in Europe. GPRS is an evolutionary step toward Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) and Universal Mobile Telephone Service (UMTS).

Cell Phone Plans Ratings
Comments on Reviews

CNet.com

Kent German, CNet.com’s cell-phone “guru,” says that finding the best carrier means considering a host of factors. Those include the comprehensiveness of the network, but also aspects like customer service, costs, plan options, phone selection and more. Though CNet.com does not evaluate cell-phone plans, it invites readers to do so. Reader feedback is summarized here. T-Mobile rates highest among readers for its customer service and plan selection. Other carriers have strong points as well: Verizon is liked for its network, Sprint for its features and AT&T for its phone selection. Though helpful, the ratings here are based on hundreds of reports, while the surveys we rate higher are based on feedback from thousands of subscribers.

The New York Times

Eric Taub provides a well-rounded basics course on avoiding the headaches of using a cell phone abroad by factoring in the carrier you use, the length of your trip and your destination. Taub points out that 82 percent of the world’s cell-phone subscribers use the GSM network available with AT&T and T-Mobile phones. Thus, phones that use CDMA networks — offered by Verizon and Sprint — are much more limited. Taub advocates that if you have a GSM phone, get a temporary SIM card and unlock your phone before you travel. No particular services are rated or recommended, however.

10 Cell Phone Radiation Protection Tips
by Taraka Serrano

“The voluntary exposure of the brain to microwaves from hand-held mobile phones… [is] the largest human biological experiment ever.”
~ Professor Leif Salford, Head of Research at Lund University, Sweden

Watch Sydney TV report: “Brain Tumors and Cell Phones: Are They Linked?” Watch BBC report: “EMF Damages Blood Cells, Test Shows”

There are now estimated to be 208 million cell phone users in the U.S. alone, 1.9 billion worldwide. Scientists fear we may be on the verge of a health crisis of epidemic proportions. Dr. George Carlo, former chief scientist of the cell phone industry’s $28 million safety research project, predicts 500,000 new cases of brain and eye cancer each year by 2010 attributable to cell phone use (there are currently 30-50,000 cases each year).

Studies have linked cell phone radiation to health problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, brain tumors, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and more. There is a latency period for most diseases and it may take years and more studies before the required weight of evidence is established. But the effects are cumulative and precautions should be taken now before it is too late.

Here are some steps you can take to minimize the effects of cell phone radiation exposure:

1. Limit use to essential calls and keep calls short. Even a two-minute call has been found to alter the natural electrical activity of the brain for up to an hour afterwards.

2. Children should be allowed to use the cell phone in cases of emergency only. Because of their developing skulls, the radiation can penetrate much more deeply.

3. Wear an airtube headset (not regular wired headset). The regular wired headset has been found to intensify radiation into the ear canal. The wire transmits not only the radiation from the cell phone but also serves as an antenna attracting EMFs (electromagnetic fields) from the surroundings

4. Don’t put the cell phone in your pocket or belt while in use or while it is on. The body tissue in the lower body area has good conductivity and absorbs radiation more quickly than the head. One study shows that men who wear cell phones near their groin could have their sperm count dropped by as much as 30 percent.

5. If using the phone without a headset, wait for the call to connect before placing the phone next to the ear.

6. Do not use the cell phone in enclosed metal spaces such as vehicles or elevators, where devices may use more power to establish connection. The metal enclosure also acts as a Faraday cage that traps the radiation and reflects it back onto the occupants.

7. Do not make a call when the signal strength is one bar or less, which means the phone must work harder to establish a connection.

8. Purchase a phone with a low SAR (Specific Absorption Rate). Most phones have a SAR level listed in its instruction manual. The SAR level is a way of measuring the quantity of radiofrequency (RF) energy that is absorbed by the body. The lower the number the better. (Be aware, however, that studies with RF hundreds of times lower than current SAR limits still show biological effects.)

9. Use a scientifically validated EMF protection device. There are advanced technologies available nowadays that strengthen your bioenergy field and immune system against the effects of EMF. The EMF radiation causes a problem only when the cumulative effects due to repeated exposure weaken the body’s ability to repair itself. Even when you don’t use the cell phone, ’second-hand’ radiation and EMFs from other devices can also cause biological stress, so these types of devices are increasingly becoming essential.

10. Take nutritional supplements, particularly anti-oxidants SOD, catalase, glutathione, and Coq10. Microwave radiation has been shown to decrease levels of these anti-oxidants in the body. These are substances the body produces to protect itself, and their levels are sensitive indicators in stress, aging, infections and various other disease states. Other supplements you may need are:
- Melatonin: a powerful anti-oxidant noted to prevent DNA breaks in brain cells. Also effective in preventing kidney damage from cell phones;
- Zinc: protects the eye from oxidative damage and helps preserve the levels of anti-oxidants in the blood;
- Gingko Biloba: an herb considered a powerful anti-oxidant which prevents oxidative damage in the brain, eye and kidney. Also helps support the production of SOD, catalase and glutathione;
- Bilberry extract: preserves vision and reduces oxidative damage to the eyes.

This list is not exhaustive but represents different layers of intervention you can do right away to protect yourself and your family. Cell phone radiation (and wireless radiation in general) poses an extreme public health risk that may take years to become fully realized. Some experts go on to say that if estimates are correct, then we are on the verge of a health crisis that could cripple our current health infrastructure. Let’s not wait and find out if this proves true.

(Note: This article is shared for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. If you believe that you have a health problem, see your doctor or health professional immediately.)

© 2006 Taraka Serrano

Taraka Serrano is a writer and health advocate. Watch video reports on the dangers of cell phone and EMF radiation, and learn more about the right protective solutions for you. Visit EMF-Health.com EMF Protection