Mobile users in Middle East victims of cyber crime

Ismailia, EGYPT: An Egyptian woman speaks on the phone as she reads the advertisement of Etisalat in the city of Ismaila, 100 kms north of Cairo, 01 May 2007. The new mobile company is starting its services in Egypt today with the third generation of mobile services. More than 20 million in Egypt use mobile. AFP PHOTO/KHALED KANDEL (Photo credit should read KHALED KANDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

Mobile users in Middle East victims of cyber crime: Study - Ismailia, EGYPT: An Egyptian woman speaks on the phone as she reads the advertisement of Etisalat in the city of Ismaila, 100 kms north of Cairo, 01 May 2007. The new mobile company is starting its services in Egypt today with the third generation of mobile services. More than 20 million in Egypt use mobile. AFP PHOTO/KHALED KANDEL (Photo credit should read KHALED KANDEL/AFP/Getty Images) less 

Abu Dhabi, April 7 (IANS/WAM) Lack of precaution by mobile users can have unfortunate consequences. Close to two in five mobile users in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have fallen victims to mobile cyber crime, says a new study. 

The study by Norton anti-virus producer Symantec showed that nearly nine out of 10 online adults (87 percent) in the MENA are mobile device users, of which a large majority (78 percent) use them to access the internet. 

The study revealed that few people take necessary precautions to keep their devices and content safe and secure. 

"People are relying more and more on their mobile phones and tablets to navigate, share, socialize and shop in today's constantly-connected world," said Tamim Taufiq, head of consumer sales MENA for Symantec. 

"What many consumers may not realise is exactly how much of their personal and private information is up for grabs should these devices be compromised, lost or stolen." 

Yet as people expand their online lives through mobile devices, many are not taking steps to secure their device and the content it contains. 

Nearly one in four mobile device users in the MENA admit to not always downloading applications from trustworthy sources - Close to three in 10 (29 percent) indicated that they do not use secure payment methods when making purchases from their mobile device, leaving their sensitive information such as credit card details vulnerable. 

More than one quarter (28 percent) admitted to not using a password to help protect their personal data. 

In the event of theft or loss, a treasure trove of personal information stored on the device can potentially be accessed including personal emails, a possible gateway to other sensitive information such as work correspondence and documents (54 percent), passwords for other online accounts (20 percent), and bank statements (33 percent). ( Indo Asian News Service )

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4G launch, : what to expect

4G launch: what to expect - The UK’s first 4G mobile network will launch in Britain tomorrow. We round up what users can expect, and how much it will cost.

Everything Everywhere, owner of T-Mobile and Orange, has been given permission to reuse its existing mobile phone spectrum for new, faster 4G networks. In trials for rival operator O2, users got download speeds of up to 100MBPS, and American users routinely report 20MBPS download speeds in commercial deployments. Existing 3G mobile networks struggle to deliver 5MBPS.

Britain's first 4G network will offer faster mobile broadband services

Everything Everywhere will launch a new brand, purely to deliver 4G services and related products. Sources say its name will be every bit as outlandish at its parent company, but the service announced will go far beyond initial expectations.

While previous speculation had suggested that a very limited area of the UK would be covered for mobile broadband, in fact tomorrow’s announcements, at London’s Science Museum, are now expected to include details of mobile phones and broadband dongles. The coverage area is set to be “widespread” within a year and significant in major cities by the end of 2012, sources said.

The first devices are likely to include Nokia’s new Lumia 920, and could also include Apple’s new iPhone 5. Details of which radio frequencies the new iPhone uses will be crucial however, as Everything Everywhere only has access to spectrum that broadcasts on 1800MHz.

The iPhone expected to be announced on Wednesday and be a ‘pentaband’ device, meaning it can use five different radio frequencies. If one of the frequencies offered is the 1800MHz device that is currently available solely to Everything Everywhere, owners of T-Mobile and Orange, then it would become the only company in the UK able to offer the speeds of 4G.

Rival operators have threatened to challenge Everything Everywhere’s plans in court, claiming that communications regulator Ofcom is allowing the firm an advantage of up to a year when it will be Britain’s sole 4G operator. Everything Everywhere, however, has in turn threatened to challenge the auction that will itself allow rivals to provide such services. Three is likely to offer a 4G service early in 2013, but Vodafone and O2 are likely to have to wait until summer at the earliest.

Those premium handsets and expensive new infrastructure could mean that the UK's first 4G network is expensive for consumers - but prices are not likely to be beyond those early adopters pay for the latest phones, and are likely to be competitive, sources say. That should mean £40 a month and less, on a contract.

Improving mobile broadband was a key plank of former Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s bid to ensure Britain had “the best broadband network in Europe by 2015” and Maria Miller, his successor, has unveiled a new consultation to ease planning rules so that both mobile and fixed broadband infrastructure can be installed faster. ( telegraph.co.uk )


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Battery worn out? The T-shirt that uses loud music to charge up your mobile

Battery worn out? The T-shirt that uses loud music to charge up your mobile - Glastonbury revellers with mobile phones running low on batteries have an extra incentive to elbow their way closer to the stage this weekend.

A prototype T-shirt that charges mobiles while festival-goers watch bands in action has been unveiled by telecoms giant Orange.

Users just have to plug their phone into the T-shirt for a quick top-up charge whenever they need it.

Power it up: A prototype T-shirt that charges mobile phones while music fans watch bands at this weekend's Glastonbury Festival has been unveiled

The futuristic garment works by using noise-responsive technology - simply, the louder the music, then the quicker the phone charges.

It uses an A4-size piece of piezoelectric film in a T-shirt to absorb pressure from sound waves. It converts these into an electrical charge, which it then transfers from its battery into a lead that fits most phones.

Orange will be conducting live testing of the gadget on site at the festival to see which acts are the 'best to charge to' around the Spirit Of 71 stage.

Tony Andrews, co-producer of the Spirit Of 71, said: 'Sound vibrations, particularly bass frequencies, will create enough shaking to produce electricity from a material as simple as piezoelectric film.

'It looks like it could provide a real solution to mobile charging and I'm interested to see how the Orange Sound Charge performs in a live testing environment such as Glastonbury.'

How it works: The futuristic garment uses noise-responsive technology to charge the phone

Andrew Pearcey, head of sponsorship at Orange UK, said: 'In a vibrant festival environment such as Glastonbury, sound is such an obvious medium that it seemed like a natural fit to use it in the development of this year's prototype.'

The new Spirit Of 71 stage harks back to Glastonbury's earliest year with veteran acts returning to Pilton Farm to perform.

Terry Reid and Linda Lewis will be playing back-to-back as they did in at the 'Glastonbury Fayre' in 1971, the festival's second year, but the first time the iconic Pyramid stage was constructed.

Glastonbury 2011, which officially starts this Friday, sold out all 137,500 tickets within hours of going on sale last October. ( dailymail.co.uk )

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What's that tree? Try Smithsonian's new app to see

What's that tree? Try Smithsonian's new app to see - If you've ever wondered what type of tree was nearby but didn't have a guide book, a new smartphone app allows users with no formal training to satisfy their curiosity and contribute to science at the same time.

Scientists have developed the first mobile app to identify plants by simply photographing a leaf. The free iPhone and iPad app, called Leafsnap, instantly searches a growing library of leaf images amassed by the Smithsonian Institution. In seconds, it returns a likely species name, high-resolution photographs and information on the tree's flowers, fruit, seeds and bark.

Users make the final identification and share their findings with the app's growing database to help map the population of trees one mobile phone at a time.

Leafsnap debuted in May, covering all the trees in New York's Central Park and Washington's Rock Creek Park. It has been downloaded more than 150,000 times in the first month, and its creators expect it to continue to grow as it expands to Android phones.

By this summer, it will include all the trees of the Northeast and eventually will cover all the trees of North America.

W. John Kress, director, Consortium for Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet, curator and research scientist, Smithsonian Institute, displays his Leafsnap app on his iPhone along with tree leaf specimens, Thursday, April 28, 2011, at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum's specimen storage room in Washington. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

W. John Kress, director, Consortium for Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet, curator and research scientist, Smithsonian Institute, displays his Leafsnap app on his iPhone along with tree leaf specimens, Thursday, April 28, 2011, at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum's specimen storage room in Washington. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Smithsonian research botanist John Kress, who created the app with engineers from Columbia University and the University of Maryland, said it was originally conceived in 2003 as a high-tech aid for scientists to discover new species in unknown habitats. The project evolved, though, with the emergence of smartphones to become a new way for citizens to contribute to research.

"This is going to be able to populate a database of every tree in the United States," Kress said. "I mean that's millions and millions and millions of trees, so that would be really neat."

It's also the first real chance for citizens to directly access some of the science based on the nearly 5 million specimens kept by the U.S. National Herbarium at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. The collection began in 1848 and is among the world's 10 largest plant collections.

Kress said it will allow users to easily learn about the plant diversity in their yards and parks. It also includes games and could be used to build lessons or scavenger hunts for schools.

Christopher Casal, a technology teacher in Brooklyn, said he recently stumbled across the app and shared it with elementary science teachers who plan to test it this summer to try to integrate Leafsnap into their lessons next fall.

"You could be studying a certain kind of plant that you don't have accessible in the school yard," he said. "It just sort of gives it that hands-on experience without actually having the flower in your hand."

Casal said he was impressed with the design and the universities behind it that give the tool "a little bit more credibility, a little more hope that it will remain a free app."

For Colleen Greene, an avid hiker and a librarian at California State University, Fullerton, the app immediately caught her eye for its potential to engage citizen scientists and especially students. She has already downloaded the app and started trying to use it, even though it won't cover all West Coast trees for some time.

"If we lug our wildflower and track finder books out with us, something like this is much more engaging and much more portable," she said. "For young people, for young adults, students, I could see them just eating this up."

There's just one catch for her — a demonstration video shows a girl plucking a leaf off a tree to take a snapshot with the app. That's a violation of "leave no trace" principals for outdoor stewardship and illegal in many parks, including national parks, Greene said.

"You know, one or two leaves may be not such a big deal, but if it's a popular, highly used app, I would think it could eventually cause some issues," she said.

At the Smithsonian, Kress said the app is an important tool because learning about the environment is the first step in conserving it.

"We are of course concerned about the impact we have on nature, but as educators and scientists, we think the value of helping people learn more about the environment outweighs the small impact of plucking a few leaves," he said.

It can be used without plucking leaves off of trees, as well. To identify a tree, it works best if users place a leaf on a white background to photograph.

Engineers used facial recognition technology to devise an algorithm that could identify a leaf by its shape and features. The image is uploaded to a server, and within seconds it returns a ranking of the most likely tree species a user has found, along with other characteristics to help confirm the tree's identity.

Users make the final identification.

To create a reliable database as the app's backbone, the team started by photographing leaves from the Smithsonian's vast collection of specimens. It became clear, though, that they would need images of living specimens for the application to work correctly. A nonprofit group called Finding Species was called in to capture thousands of images of leaves for the app.

Beyond finding answers about the world of trees, even casual users can contribute to scientific research. Images and tree identifications are automatically sent to Leafsnap's database with mapping information from the phone. Scientists said that data could be used to map and monitor the growth and decline of tree populations.

The iPad version also includes a feature called "Nearby Species" to show all the trees that have been labeled by others near a user's location.

Such a reinvented field guide, as simple as a Google search, wouldn't have been possible just a few years ago before the emergence of smartphones, said computer science Professor Peter Belhumeur, who directs Columbia University's Laboratory for the Study of Visual Appearance and helped create the app.

"People often think of technology as alienating us from other people or the outside world," Belhumeur said. "I hope that this technology helps connect us with our natural environment."

Other apps have been developed to identify songs from short clips recorded on a smartphone or to find restaurants. More science apps could be on the way as well.

Belhumeur said his son, William, already is thinking of apps they could create to identify fish or bugs. Smithsonian scientists are exploring such possibilities with butterflies and other critters, Kress said.

Scientists also are getting requests to expand the app's capabilities to cover trees in France, Morocco, Thailand and elsewhere.

"We want to spread this, not across the United States, but across the world," Belhumeur said.

It's just a matter of collecting and photographing all the tree species native to a region.

Leafsnap cost about $2.5 million to develop, funded primarily by a grant from the National Science Foundation. It will cost another $1 million to expand it within the next 18 months to cover all the trees of the United States, involving about 800 species. ( Associated Press )

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Where's the Panic Button on This Phone?

Where's the Panic Button on This Phone? - Even the smallest suggestion that cellphones cause cancer makes everyone flip out. They needn't.

Nothing seems to unite our common hysteria more than news that cellphones just might, in rare circumstances, in just a few people, have something to do with cancer. This week, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a panel of the World Health Organization, listed the electromagnetic fields emitted by cellphones as being "possibly carcinogenic." Those cooler minds who took the time to read IARC's report by the light of their cellphone bonfires realized that there wasn't much to be afraid of.

When you dig into this issue, the IARC's decision seems to be an over-cautious interpretation of the current understanding of cellphones and our brains. That's OK—the panel is known for its extreme caution, and it listed cellphones in its lowest-risk category of potentially carcinogenic agents, a classification that requires only "limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and less than sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals." So far, there's very little in the research about cellphones and cancer to suggest we should consider them to be among the more deadly products we come into contact with every day.

Yet the reaction to the WHO study—and, more generally, the decades-long panic over the possibility of cellphones causing cancer—suggests we're irrationally scared about this possibility. Lawmakers in California, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, and Pennsylvania are pushing bills to add warning labels to cellphone packages. Last year, the city of San Francisco passed a measure requiring retailers to post the radiation levels of every cellphone model they sold, and several other cities across the country are considering similar policies. These laws are bizarre—we don't go around requiring warning labels on the many more deadly products we use all the time. You'd be surprised how much radiation you absorb on a five-hour flight, for example. Our worries about cellphones and cancer clearly aren't based on a rational analysis of their relative risk compared with other products we use.

Why do we reserve special fear for our phones? I suspect it's because they're new, and they're everywhere. In a very short time, cellphones have infiltrated every inch of our lives, totally upending how we conduct our closest social relationships. As they become more omnipresent, they become more indispensible every day. We can't live without them, but we all occasionally yearn for the days before these blasted things were invented. The paranoia over cancer reflects this sudden, uneasy intimacy: What if these alien devices are silently killing us?

As best as we can tell, they're not. Let's look at the science. When people worry about cancer caused by cellphones, they're mainly referring to three kinds of cancer—acoustic neuroma, meningioma, and the most common and the most deadly form of brain cancer, glioma. Over the last decade, there have been several extensive studies of the effects of cellphones on all three of these forms of brain cancer. (The IARC's classification deals only with gliomas.) In a press conference, Jonathan Samet, an epidemiologist at the University of Southern California and the chairman of the panel that made the classification, said that the group was heavily influenced by a study conducted by a group called Interphone. The research, which focused on gliomas and meningiomas, was the largest and most recent study on how cellphones affect the brain. It was conducted by researchers across Europe and funded by European governments and cell phone industry groups; researchers were given scientific independence over their findings. The trouble is, Interphone's results were wildly inconclusive—and, according to its own authors, the study was most probably flawed.

In one sense, the results of the Interphone study are very comforting: The researchers found that people who called themselves "regular users" of cellphones (meaning they conducted at least one call a week for a period of more than six months) were less likely than people who didn't use cellphones to develop gliomas and meningiomas. That's right—the study, which compared 2,708 glioma patients and 2,409 mengioma patients with a matched group of people who didn't have cancer, found that, in many ways, using a cellphone seemed to reduce your risk of cancer. This finding held true for almost every way that researchers sliced the data. People who used cell phones for more than 10 years had almost 20 percent lower odds of developing a meningioma, and a 2 percent lower chance of developing a glioma, than people who didn't use cellphones. People who reported having made more than 27,000 cellphone calls in their lives also had lower odds of developing both cancers than non-cellphone users.

There was only one category of users in the Interphone study for whom cellphones seemed to pose an increased risk: People who reported having spent more than 1,640 hours of talk time without using a hands-free headset. (They were probably on your train car.) Compared with nonusers of cellphones, these extremely heavy users saw a 15 percent increase in the odds of developing a meningioma and a 40 percent increase in the odds of developing a glioma.

Taken together, these findings look suspicious. The story they tell about cellphones and cancer doesn't make any kind of medical sense—you'd have to believe that for most users, mobile phones seem to confer some kind of benefit against cancer, but that when you pass more than 1,640 hours of use, they suddenly turn deadly. In their paper reporting these findings, the researchers rained on their own parade, explaining that both conclusions about phones (that they somehow reduce the risk of cancer for most users, and increase the risk for heavy users) were probably the result of various research biases. Of the finding that cell phones cause cancer in heavy users, the researchers wrote that "biases and errors limit the strength of the conclusions we can draw from these analyses and prevent a causal interpretation."

Many other studies have offered similarly confounding results. See this list of the major investigations of cellphones and cancer conducted over the past decade—nearly every one shows that cellphone use has either no effect or reduces the odds of developing cancer. You may argue that these don't tell the whole story. As Siddhartha Mukherjee pointed out in the New York Times Magazine in April, finding the connection between a rare form a cancer (like brain cancer) and a very common potential risk factor (like cell phones, of which there are now more than 5 billion in use worldwide) is an extremely difficult epidemiological task. Researchers looking into the links between cancer and phones face many ethical and logistical hurdles—among them, that mobile phones may be too new to have caused any effects yet, and that there's a smaller and smaller population of non-cellphone users to study as a control group. Over time, with deeper research, it's certainly possible that we might find some increased risk.

But it's wise to keep that possibility in perspective. The overall incidence of brain cancer is very low, so if it's proven, eventually, that mobile phones increase your risk, they may still be relatively safe. For instance, in Europe and North America, the incidence of glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive malignant brain tumor, is between two and three new cases per 100,000 people per year. If we assume that the most alarming findings from the Interphone study are true—that heavy users face a 40 percent increase in the chance of developing gliomas—this amounts to just one extra case of glioblastoma per 100,000 people per year.

To me, that sounds like a very small increase in risk. When it comes to cancer, you likely face more danger going out into the sun than you do on a cellphone. Indeed, risk of getting cancer from a phone seems, at most, to be on the order of other freak but otherwise minimal dangers of modernity—the risk of getting strangled on window-blind cords, of choking on a hot dog, or getting injured in a while playing in a bouncy house. When we hear about these things, we fret, but we don't freak out. That's how you should regard cellphones, too. Yes, they're new and scary. But there's no reason to panic—so long as you're not trying to drive at the same time as you talk. ( slate.com )

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Tablets, 3D in focus at future-shaping Taiwan IT show

Tablets, 3D in focus at future-shaping Taiwan IT show - The question of how to get 3D technology into every living room and a tablet computer into every hand is set to dominate Asia's largest IT fair which opens in Taiwan next week.

Around 1,800 exhibitors from across the world will descend on Taipei for the Computex fair, which runs from Tuesday to Sunday, hoping to generate an estimated $23 billion of sales from 36,000 buyers, organisers say.

Under the slogan "Shaping the future!" the fair will showcase a cascade of new products designed to stir the interest of tech-savvy consumers.

3D is expected to take centre stage, as the technology becomes cheaper and migrates from multiplex cinemas to ordinary homes.

"In the past, the resolution of the TV displays was low, and people could only watch 3D movies in the theatre, where they also had to wear goggles," said Stephen Jeng, secretary-general of the 3D Interaction and Display Alliance.

"But now, equipped with Blu-ray 3D players, people can see movies at home on their own TVs."

Most exhibitors are tight-lipped over what new gadgets they will unveil at the show, hoping the element of surprise will add to the impact among potential customers.

But among technologies confirmed to be on display is one developed by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a semi-official research body in Taiwan, allowing 2D and 3D to be showed alongside each other on displays.

Another example of what's in store is The HoloAD, a box-like device developed by Taiwan-based company Innovision, which allows a three-dimensional display for advertisements.

The development of 3D content remains slow due to high production costs, but forecasts for the sector are bullish.

In 2011 up to 12.9 million TV sets with built-in 3D may be sold worldwide, up from 3.5 million last year, according to a forecast from ITRI.

Last year's global sales of 3D TV panels accounted for 2.1 percent of the total number of panels sold worldwide, according to the institute which expects the figure to treble this year before soaring to over 50 percent by 2015.

Technology giants such as Samsung of South Korea and Japan's Sony have already released 3D televisions sets, and Taiwan players are expected to follow later this year.

Taiwanese manufacturers BenQ and Chimei both plan to launch 3D televisions in 2011.

Chimei Innolux Corp, a leading liquid crystal display panel maker, is one of the Taiwan high-tech companies now tying a major part of its revenue stream to the new format.

"Our 3D display sales in China, largely for use in desktop monitors and TV sets, will account for 20 percent of total shipments there," said spokeswoman Loreta Chen.

The other hot new sector to be showcased at Computex is the tablet computer, which has seen a proliferation of brands hit the market since Apple's groundbreaking iPad was released in April last year.

This trend is spawning whole new industries, such as a solar power-generating cover for iPad-type devices and e-books, developed by Portable Solar Power, based in the Taipei area.

"Since the iPad was put on the market, it has swept the world, and demand will be even stronger this year," said Chang Li from the Taipei Computer Association which co-hosts the annual event.

"But Apple's competitors are not likely to sit idle and let Apple keep dominating the market," he said.

"They definitely will work together with manufacturers to vie for a big slice of the market share. We estimate that at least 50 models of tablets will be on display at the show."

Competitors have rushed to cash in on soaring demand for tablets, a trend that has eaten into PC sales.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab is the best-selling rival to the iPad and Research in Motion is the latest to join the fray, with the release in April of its Blackberry PlayBook ( AFP )

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Mango Phone 7 Update Enhances User Experience

Mango Phone 7 Update Enhances User Experience - Ramping up its effort to break into a smartphone market that seems to be passing it by, Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled the first major update to Windows Phone 7, seven months after the software giant introduced the revamped mobile operating system. Nicknamed Mango, the update will enhance the social-media connectivity of Windows phones, an effort in which Microsoft failed terribly last year when it briefly featured a series of Kin phones centered on quick-share options.

In a series of media events around the world Tuesday, Microsoft officials demonstrated enhancements to its live-tiles system allowing dedicated space for updates from groups or individuals as well as localized search for Bing; smart camera operation through Bing Vision that allows scanning of bar codes or searching based on pictures or text; and Music Search, which allows users to hold up their phone to listen to, identify and download songs, as users of Verizon's VCAST can do.

Pushing Boundaries

In the biggest nod to the social-media addicted, Mango will allow threads to incorporate texts, Windows Live Messenger messages, and Facebook chats into a single conversation.

In all, Mango has 500 new features the company says will "push the boundaries of the smartphone experience around communications, apps and the Internet."

The timing for updates of existing phones wasn't announced, but a new Phone 7 devices are due this fall from Fujitsu, Acer and ZTE that will ship with Mango, as will upcoming Nokia devices.

Finland-based Nokia recently signed a deal estimated to be worth $1 billion to replace its Symbian operating system with Phone 7 on many devices.

Currently, Phone 7 is available on a handful of smartphones made by HTC, Samsung, LG and Dell.

Microsoft also announced added support for additional languages, and expanded access to Windows Phone Marketplace in 19 new countries. The beta software developer kit for creating Mango apps is also available now.

"Seven months ago we started our mission to make smartphones smarter and easier for people to do more," said Andy Lees, president of the mobile communications business at Microsoft. "With Mango, Windows Phone takes a major step forward in redefining how people communicate and use apps and the Internet, giving you better results with less effort."


Still Trailing

According to Gartner Research, sales of Phone 7 devices made up 6.8 percent of the global market in the first quarter, almost unchanged from the previous quarter and still trailing Symbian (44.2 percent), Research In Motion's BlackBerry (19.7 percent), Apple's iOS (15.3 percent), and Google's Android (9.6 percent.)


Can Mango give Phone 7 a boost?

"It's always hard to judge when you have not actually played with the device, but certainly it looks like on paper they are improving the experience in social, Internet and apps -- three core aspects of what users do with smartphones," said Gartner Vice President Carolina Milanesi. "It's good to see that [the] Nokia [deal] has not put off vendors and new licensees were announced today. Not sure this is much about hardware, to be honest. This is about delivering a stronger experience on whatever hardware you have, and having had hardware at the launch might have taken away from what matters, which is the software."

But she said what devices use Windows is secondary to making the user experience more sexy as an interface, an area where Android and iOS have excelled. "This is what Mango is trying to address," she said. "Having had this at launch would have made (Phone 7) a stronger proposition from the get-go." ( newsfactor.com )

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The young generation are 'addicted' to mobile phones

The young generation are 'addicted' to mobile phones - Young people are now so addicted to their mobile phones it feels like they have lost a limb when they are without them, a study finds.

Some said they feel so bereft without their iPhone or Blackberry that it evokes similar feelings to the "phantom limb" syndrome suffered by amputees.

The findings, by the University of Maryland, show the growing reliance that the younger generation has on technology and how it has become central to their lives.

While phones were the most essential device, other technology such as computers, MP3 players and televisions were also considered essential to get people through their day.

The change comes as a result of the strong demand from consumers to watch video and access the internet using mobiles

Many young people reported mental and physical symptoms of distress and “employed the rhetoric of addiction, dependency and depression,” when reporting their experiences of trying to go unplugged for a full day.

“Students talked about how scary it was, how addicted they were,” said Professor Susan Moeller, who led the project.

“They expected the frustration. But they didn’t expect to have the psychological effects, to be lonely, to be panicked, the anxiety, literally heart palpitations.”

The study titled "The World Unplugged project" asked more than 1,000 students from 10 countries around the world, including Britain, to go without any media for 24 hours and monitored their feelings.

Prof Moeller said that more than 50 per cent of students failed to go the full 24 hours and everyone claimed to suffer some kind of withdrawal symptoms.

Ryan Blondino, a student at the University of Maryland who participated, compared the experience of going without digital technology to missing a limb.

“I felt something very similar to a phantom limb, only it would be like phantom cellphone,” he said.

“I still felt like my phone was vibrating and I was receiving messages even though I didn’t have it on me.”

A student from the UK said: "Media is my drug. Without it I was lost. I am an addict."

The study found few differences in the way students used and relied on digital technology in different countries, despite those countries’ huge differences in economic development, culture and political governance.

It concludes that most college students, whether in developed or developing countries, are strikingly similar in how they use media – and how 'addicted' they are to it.

They all used virtually the same words to describe their reactions, including: Fretful, Confused, Anxious, Irritable, Insecure, Nervous, Restless, Crazy, Addicted, Panicked, Jealous, Angry, Lonely, Dependent, Depressed, Jittery and Paranoid.

In effect, cell phones have become this generation's security blanket."

The report was published by the International Center for Media & the Public Agenda. ( telegraph.co.uk )

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Mobile phone addiction as hard to quit as cigarettes

Mobile phone addiction as hard to quit as cigarettesText size. Givimg up a mobile phone can be as hard as quitting cigarettes.

Many Australians are as addicted to their mobiles as others are to nicotine, booze or drugs.

Deprived of their handsets, 20 per cent of phone junkies suffer increased heart rate and anxiety levels, a study has shown.

It also linked excessive phone use - or "nomophobia" - to failed relationships, emotional stress and falling literacy levels.

Stuck on the phone ... mobile addicts have been through three to five handsets / File

Queensland University of Technology researcher Diana James found phone addicts had mobiles for about 6.5 years and all were on to their third to fifth handset.

Use ranged from 1.5 to five hours a day and the average monthly bill was $140.

"Problem mobile phone users can't give up their handsets. They can't turn them off in my classes or at their workplace," Ms James said.

One user described the feeling of being deprived of the mobile like "one of my limbs is missing".

Another said: "If I go to work or somewhere and accidentally leave my phone at home, I literally get anxious."

But psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg says the jury is still out on mobile phone addiction.

"While this is one of the first studies, there is still no body of evidence to show 'nomophobia', the fear of being deprived of a mobile phone, is real," he said.

"Mobile phones have become almost a body part. The young digital generation seem to be born with a mouth and a mobile in the hand.

"But let's not lose our developmental perspective and realise when TV arrived some said it was the end of civilisation. We may be no more addicted to mobiles than we are to TV or a computer."

Saturation point

Mobile phone saturation reached 100 per cent in Australia last year.

"There are now more mobile phones than there are people to use them, with just about everyone having a couple of old ones in a drawer somewhere," says Optus spokeswoman Melissa Claire.

Mobile phone use is also spiralling, especially for texting. New terms are being coined to describe excessive users. They're described as "mobile addicts", "text addicts", "mobile junkies" and "problem users".

Policy makers and community groups warn while there is no hard data, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to link extreme use to rising levels of debt.

And to harassment of others and anti-social behaviour including making or taking calls in banned public spaces or while driving.

"The evidence shows mobile phones are the number one reason for young people's debt," Ms James said. / news.com.au

READ MORE - Mobile phone addiction as hard to quit as cigarettes

Could you live with no mobile?

Could you live with no mobile?. INCESSANT ringing in the ears is usually recognised as a sign of tinnitus. But in today's technology-driven society, it could be a symptom of a disturbing new phenomenon

Nomophobia – the fear of being separated from your mobile phone – has been identified by doctors as an increasing problem in our 24/7 society. Sufferers have been shown to display alarming anxiety levels, comparable to other stressful events such as wedding days and visits to the dentist.
Nomophobes are addicted to feeling connected. You probably know one, or perhaps you are one.

Do you get the sweats when your mobile is showing only one bar on the battery and you are nowhere near a charger? Do you often imagine your phone is ringing when no one is calling? Have you ever got up out of bed to check your messages?

Consumer behaviour researcher Diana James from Queensland University of Technology recently conducted a study of mobile phone users. She is presently writing up her findings.

A total of 2500 Queenslanders took part in the study, in which Ms James concluded that 20 per cent were potentially addicted to their mobile phones.

Most people find directives to turn off mobile phones in places such as airports and hospitals nothing more than a minor inconvenience. But Ms James says nomophobes can experience acute stress, similar to that felt by an alcoholic in a bar.

"When you have obsessive thoughts about anything, it can become a problem," she says. "There are phone users who are ruled by the device. They find it almost impossible to be unreachable. They simply must check their messages. There is a chemical reaction in their bodies – a mounting tension.

"Perhaps if they have been in the doctors or at an appointment, they can't wait to get out to check if anyone called. It may be a behavioural habit or for some they have low self-esteem. They feel the need to build up their image or identity. Rushing to check messages makes them look more significant in life.

"During the study I was told many times 'I use the phone to make me feel better or to escape my problems'.

"Unfortunately, dependency is in fact adding to their problems. They rack up debt, they find it difficult to have face-to- face relationships because most of their communication is done with their texting thumb . . . their work and productivity can suffer."

So how did society get so wrapped up in mobile connection?

"I believe our behaviour struggles to keep up with the rapid changes in technology," Ms James says.

"My study revealed that unemployed people were more likely to run up big mobile bills because of the need to build their self-esteem and be part of life.

"Similarly young people are lured by the social networking. Many feel that they are missing out if they are not constantly in the loop. Ironically these are two demographics who can least afford the massive bills."

Ms James says dependency on mobile phones can be difficult to pinpoint. But the key to controlling your phone use is to turn your mobile off regularly.

If you have more than fleeting thoughts about your phone when it is turned off, Ms James says, then that could be your warning sign.

The Sunday Mail asked three dedicated mobile users to spend a few days without their phones. Here's how they coped . . .

IAIN McGREGOR, 40, Gold Coast

Graphic design company director, father of two

SATURDAY

Head to Brisbane to see friends and family at BBQ. Before we meet, I take kids to movie and couldn't phone my wife Lou to tell her when movie finished, so we had to make prior arrangements. You need to be organised when you have no phone! We were late to movie as I don't wear a watch – usually get time from my phone. Kids delighted they had my 100 per cent attention without phone calls.

Got lost on way to BBQ, which wouldn't normally happen as I can get directions on my iPhone. I don't own a Refidex. Aaargh!

Everyone worried about us because I couldn't call. Borrowed Refidex!

SUNDAY

Off to Milton for breakfast. Kind of cool – no need to ring anyone, very relaxing. Back to Gold Coast.

My son Morgan bummed he couldn't play games on my phone to pass the time.

MONDAY

Left mobile with my studio manager in case of work emergencies.

During the week I realised I will have to be super organised at all times and punctual – that's a strain. But there was a great sense of achievement too.

At work I am lucky to have the internet, so was not entirely cut off.

TUESDAY

Needed my phone desperately to find numbers of clients and friends. Time wasted looking them up on computer. My wife has probably found this all very annoying as she can't just ring me if something crops up.

Good thing is that I have been communicating with people face-to-face a lot more and I have enjoyed that.

WEDNESDAY

Today I am feeling a sense of freedom. I have realised that 99 per cent of calls are not urgent.

My journeys in the car are not filled with endless chatter. I picked up the kids from school and we sang together. A whole lot of fun and something I realised I will do more often.

When I got home from work, had to nip back out to shops because Lou couldn't call me to pick up milk on way. Now that's annoying.

REBECCA FITZGERALD, 26, Sherwood

Social worker

SATURDAY

Oops, running late to meet a friend for coffee and realise I can't just text to let her know! I guess before there were mobile phones we had to be firmer with our plans and much more punctual.

Dropping a friend back to her place after lunch, her partner tells me "Ben's just phoned me – he's locked out". Ben is my partner and regularly locks himself out of our unit. Usually he can just call me and I come to the rescue. This time he has a frustrating wait in the beautiful outdoors.

SUNDAY

Have had to make a date to have a catch-up phone call with my mum. Very inconvenient. Can't just go about my business while making calls . . . need to stay home near phone.

Using the landline we ring back and forth – she doesn't pick up the first time, then I'm in the shower. I need to leave the house to do errands but can't. Very annoying!

MONDAY

Realise I haven't had a chance to tell anyone at work I'm not contactable via mobile. I worry that my boss might be texting to say I'm needed for a shift. I eventually relax – I have a good excuse, I am in the middle of a phone experiment . . . ha ha!

It's very rare that our landline rings, so it was a bit of a shock. I'm surprised to hear a young woman on the line – it's my best friend Em, yet I didn't recognise her voice – all so unfamiliar.

On Tuesdays she and I do tutoring with a refugee family; Emily's rung to let me know she has sinusitis and won't be going. Usually she would just text this but it's really nice to have a Monday night chat with her.

Often I find it really overwhelming when my phone's beeping with texts, especially in the evening after a long day at work when all I want to do is zone out.

What I don't like about my mobile phone is that people can get in touch with me anywhere anytime and it's often not a good time!

TUESDAY

I'm stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I'm going to be late for work. Can't call to warn them. Get frustrated.

My partner and I keep in touch throughout the work day by texting – today I'm feeling a bit sad that we've lost this link and then "blip" an email from Ben pops up in my email in-box instead. Technology never fails us.

I need to organise lifts for tonight. That's a hassle. Don't have anybody's number – they are all in my phone. Also I realise how much I rely on my phone's calendar – my alarm rings as a reminder.

Later when Meg's picking me up, I wonder if she'll remember which driveway is mine in the dark – but can't just text my address in case.

She had been trying to ring me. I think this is more of a hassle for my friends than for me.

Seriously, I'm really starting to enjoy it!

LAUREL ENGLISH, 15, Fig Tree Pocket, student

SATURDAY

This no-phone-for-a-week thing is going to be a piece of cake. It's about 10am and I have only just woken up, so that's part of the day over already. Easy.

It's 1pm and I take back that piece-of- cake remark. I have just realised that I need to tell a friend that she is supposed to be introducing an esteemed guest during our school careers conference next week. I can't text her and I don't have her home number.

When I think of it, I do use my phone quite a bit. I use it to double-check how I'm getting to and from school, I use it to remind friends of assignments that are due and I use it every time I catch public transport to let people know how far away I am. I think this will shape up to be a very interesting and somewhat annoying week.

SUNDAY

I was sick and still at home today so not much need for a mobile. However I would have liked to text my friend to see what she is wearing to the first day of careers week. It's only day two without my mobile and I am already missing being able to send quick messages. It feels a little isolating.

Annoyance is definitely starting to set in.

MONDAY

Like a kid looking for candy I've just searched the entire house for my mobile. Finally found it on mum's bedside table. She must have felt the need to hide it knowing that I would come looking. I simply have to text my friend Rose to tell her I am having the most boring day ever being sick at home. I put in my pin code before managing to control myself.

Mum knows me only too well.

Can't phone my crazed Harry Potter fan-friend Millie to tell her I have finally given up my heathen ways to read the series. I'm thinking that Mum too will not be receiving my daily texts, so she will have no comic relief from the daily grind.

Days of Our Lives is making me lose my grip on reality! I need to contact someone. Surely it won't matter if I send one teeny weeny secret text? Will it? Will it?

TUESDAY

Day four and I was at school today, so not much need to text or call anyone. However, it would have been convenient to have a mobile to arrange how I was getting home. I'm catching the bus, no the train, no I'm getting a lift. How am I getting home?

I can feel my stress levels rising. I can do without my phone for social reasons, well most of the time, but I must have it to work out the logistics of the day.

WEDNESDAY

Everything was going fine, school had ended and I was waiting to be picked up. Kids hopped into their cars and zoomed off and eventually I was one of the only people left. Then it hit me; I was supposed to be on the train.

I was freaking out. I had to borrow a friend's phone to sort it out.

I thought I would be struck down by the No Phone fairy.

THURSDAY

I embarked on this phone challenge thinking it would be easy-peasy. But it was harder than I thought. I have just turned my phone back on and the messages have been rolling in.

The week has been annoying, stressful and I really felt quite alone when I was stuck waiting for my mum to pick me up. Half the messages that rolled into my phone were from her, even though she knew I was doing the challenge!

Oh how I love you mobile phone!

Could you cope? Email us at yournews@thesundaymail.com.au

READ MORE - Could you live with no mobile?