Mobile phone with ringtone as loud as speeding train wins over the elderly

June 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, June 4 (ANI): A mobile phone with a ringtone as loud as a pneumatic drill or speeding train is proving a hit among the elderly.

The Geemarc Clearsound CL8200,which has a top volume of 1,000 decibels, has been designed for the millions of elderly people who find modern mobile phones far too complex as well as far too quiet.

It is understood to be the loudest mobile phone on the market.

The phone, which has been manufactured by the British Company in Hertfordshire, has been on sale for a few months at specialist websites including the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, which says it has sold thousands.

Hearingdirect.com, which sells discounted hearing aids and other accessories, said that it had seen twice as many visitors to its site since the phone was launched.

“We have found a lot of our customers who are hard of hearing were fed up with the amount of unnecessary technology on other mobile phones and wanted a simple phone they could hear ringing, make calls and receive texts. They were tired of missing calls because they could not hear the ring and fiddling with small buttons. We think it”s going to be a big seller,” the Telegraph quoted Jamie Murray Wells, the chairman of HearingDirect.com, as saying.

As well as the ultra-loud ringtone, the phone also has a loud receiving tone, allowing listeners to hear their caller louder than normal.

This volume is 25 decibels as compared to a standard 8 to 10 decibel standard volume.

A spokesman for Geemarc, which is based in Hertfordshire, said: “There is a real need for a phone that doesn”t look like a disability phone, but which is really simple to use. There are a lot of elderly people frustrated at iPhones, and smart phones which can practically boil a kettle but are very difficult to use if you are hard of hearing or short sighted.”

The mobile phone costs 89.99 pounds, and comes with a pay-as-you-go SIM card, with 5 pounds worth of credit. It is also compatible with any other SIM card. (ANI)

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Smart phones exposing kids to suicide, sex

May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, May 10 (ANI): Smart phones such as Apple”s iPhone are allowing children to download violent and sexually explicit games that have escaped government classification.

The classification loophole means schoolchildren given smart phones and similar devices by their parents are being exposed to material which would be restricted in other forms of media, such as video game consoles, magazines and movies.

The material can be downloaded on to iPhones from Apple”s App Store in as little as 60 seconds, and only a credit card or debit card is needed to create an iTunes account to download the apps.

An example of such games is the ”5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself)” game, which has an image of a man with a knife through his head as a logo, and where players have the option of a number of weapons to “get the job done”.

Another is the ”Girls And Drinks” game where players are encouraged to drink excessively to attract “sexy” barmaids, with a spiel saying, “Choose a sexy bartender. The more you drink, the sexier she gets”.

The suicide game triggered a furious response from Beyond Blue chairman and anti-depression advocate Jeff Kennett.

“Put this in the hands of a kid who is depressed or has been bullied, it”s like throwing fuel on the fire to the problem,” News.com.au quoted him as saying.

Apple has about 150,000 apps available on its site in Australia, and the ratings it gives are in small print on the games” listings.

The games do not contain ratings from the Government”s Classification Board, as they are required to under Federal law.

The board”s website notes “games must be classified by the board before they can be sold or hired in Australia”.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Attorney-General”s Department said it was “considering the issue of mobile phone applications”.

An Apple spokeswoman said the company “self-rated” a number of the game apps on its site.

“Our approval process is about protection of consumer privacy, protecting children where we can,” she added. (ANI)

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Print media followers make healthier choices

May 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 5 (ANI): A new research claims that people who turn to print media for their daily dose of health news are at a greater advantage than those who use digital media for health information.

“I think much is to be learned about health information-seeking behaviors and their relationship to the adoption of health behaviors in various demographic groups,” said Nicole Redmond, who led the team of researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

“One of the challenges in this area is the rapidly evolving nature of information technology. Telecommunications such as text messaging and Internet access through smart phones and social networking sites have created a very different communications landscape in a very short time frame,” Redmond added.

The survey asked participants to chose their preference of information source – mass media like TV, print media and Internet or interpersonal sources, such as family and friends, community organizations and health care providers.

Post analysis, Redmond and her colleagues found that print media, community organizations and health care providers showed the strongest associations. Earlier surveys in 2005 and 2007 had shown similar trends.

“I was not entirely surprised by the role of community organizations, but I did expect that friends and family would have shown a significant association with some health behaviors as well,” said Redmond.

The study appears in the June issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. (ANI)

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Immobile biometrics don’t show promise when it comes to security

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 24 (ANI): With the advent of mobile devices, such as netbooks, PDAs and smart phones, biometric logins would be impossible when one is on the move, say researchers from the US and Germany.

The researchers said that biometric logins, being immobile in nature might not do much good in boosting security for the financial industry.

Biometric logins that use fingerprints, voice recognition, or identify you based on how you type look set to replace conventional passwords for accessing online banking and credit card services, online payment companies and even internet stockbrokers.

However, smart phones and other portable devices do not currently have the sophistication to be adapted easily for biometric technology.

In addition, users are likely to be reluctant to carry yet another device and its associated electrical charger along with their smart phone simply to login to their bank account when not at their desktop computer.

James Pope of the College of Business Administration, at the University of Toledo, Ohio working with Dieter Bartmann of the University of Regensburg, Germany, has explained that the security of online financial transactions is becoming an increasing problem, especially as security loopholes in login systems and web browsers emerge repeatedly.

Simply logging in with a password looks set to become technically passé.

“Passwords have been widely used because of their simplicity of implementation and use, but are now regarded as providing minimal security,” said the researchers.

In addition, as repeated scare stories about hacking and identity theft pervade the media, consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about online security.

Further development of e-commerce and banking will be stifled if the issues of fraud and identity theft are not addressed.

While biometric readers are being adapted for desktop computers they are seriously lagging behind in portability and compatibility with smart phones and other mobile computing devices.

The study has been published in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing. (ANI)

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Stealth marketing – the latest gimmick to lure customers

April 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, Apr 19 (ANI): Companies are increasingly making use of a crafty promotional trick called stealth marketing, in which the consumers are being pitched for a product without even knowing it.

Companies like Blackberry have reportedly employed women to flirt with potential male customers, and then asking them to feed their numbers in the latest smart phones.

Now, ‘The Joneses’ is bringing stealth marketing, also called undercover or buzz marketing, to the big screen

The dark comedy stars David Duchovny and Demi Moore as the heads of a seemingly perfect family that is actually just a team of stealth marketers paid by brands to look perfect and push products on their friends and neighbours.

“Stealth marketers probably believe they”re providing a service because they are providing information on good products they believe in,” the New York Daily News quoted the movie”s writer and director, Derrick Borte, as telling The Times newspaper in the U.K.

“But I don”t think there is a defined line for where it stops and starts. We have to be suspicious of every message we see from everywhere at this point,” he added.

However, companies practicing this gimmick, the risks of stealth marketing outweigh the benefits, according to Jonathan Margolis, CEO of the Michael Alan Group and co-author of ‘Guerrilla Marketing for Dummies’.

“It might work if the product is good enough, but ultimately the consumer is being duped. It”s risky to stage something that people think is a natural occurrence,” he said.

“There is a potential for backlash. Consumers don”t like being deceived, and brands don”t want to look bad,” he added.

But not everyone views stealth marketing in a negative light.

“Stealth marketing has a greater potential to make a more sincere impact on the public as opposed to a TV or billboard ad. People are inundated with so many blatant advertisements on TV and in magazines that they don”t pay attention anymore. This is a way of creating buzz, and any buzz is good buzz,” said Jason Van Trentlyon, president of Street Guerrilla Marketing. (ANI)

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Stealth marketing – the latest gimmick to lure customers

April 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, Apr 19 (ANI): Companies are increasingly making use of a crafty promotional trick called stealth marketing, in which the consumers are being pitched for a product without even knowing it.

Companies like Blackberry have reportedly employed women to flirt with potential male customers, and then asking them to feed their numbers in the latest smart phones.

Now, ‘The Joneses’ is bringing stealth marketing, also called undercover or buzz marketing, to the big screen

The dark comedy stars David Duchovny and Demi Moore as the heads of a seemingly perfect family that is actually just a team of stealth marketers paid by brands to look perfect and push products on their friends and neighbours.

“Stealth marketers probably believe they”re providing a service because they are providing information on good products they believe in,” the New York Daily News quoted the movie”s writer and director, Derrick Borte, as telling The Times newspaper in the U.K.

“But I don”t think there is a defined line for where it stops and starts. We have to be suspicious of every message we see from everywhere at this point,” he added.

However, companies practicing this gimmick, the risks of stealth marketing outweigh the benefits, according to Jonathan Margolis, CEO of the Michael Alan Group and co-author of ‘Guerrilla Marketing for Dummies’.

“It might work if the product is good enough, but ultimately the consumer is being duped. It”s risky to stage something that people think is a natural occurrence,” he said.

“There is a potential for backlash. Consumers don”t like being deceived, and brands don”t want to look bad,” he added.

But not everyone views stealth marketing in a negative light.

“Stealth marketing has a greater potential to make a more sincere impact on the public as opposed to a TV or billboard ad. People are inundated with so many blatant advertisements on TV and in magazines that they don”t pay attention anymore. This is a way of creating buzz, and any buzz is good buzz,” said Jason Van Trentlyon, president of Street Guerrilla Marketing. (ANI)

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Delphi’s New Key Fob Technology Helps Make Smart Phone Connectivity Available at Low Cost

April 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

DETROIT, MI, Apr 14 (MARKET WIRE) —
Delphi Corp.’s new key fob technology and custom applications are
offering drivers a myriad of important vehicle information delivered to
their smart phones. The technology lets drivers know when to refuel or
get an oil change. It can even provide a vehicle’s location.

According to USA Today, when Apple’s app store opened two years ago,
100,000 apps were available. Since then, more than 2 billion have been
downloaded and the app economy is continuing to grow. Twenty-five percent
of cell phone users in Western Europe and North America utilize smart
phones today, and Strategy Analytics predicts the number will grow to 45
percent by 2014.

Delphi’s key fob technology is providing low-cost smart phone
connectivity using both Bluetooth and Near Field Communication (NFC)
platforms. The company’s key fob designs and custom apps enable
information exchange between drivers and their vehicles that is
continual, reliable and convenient while giving vehicle manufacturers the
ability to meet the specific information needs of different global
markets.

“Delphi is committed to developing innovative products that are easy to
use and provide exceptional value to our customers,” said Beth
Schwarting, general director, Electronic Controls, Delphi Electronics &
Safety. “Our new generation of fobs offers features that are not
currently available in the market. These features help vehicle
manufacturers competitively differentiate their models, as well as
provide drivers and fleet owners constant access to important vehicle
information.”

Smart Phone Connectivity via Bluetooth Gateway Key Fob
Using a custom
phone app with Delphi’s advanced key fob technology, medium-range
connectivity (650 feet/200 meters or more) can now be made available to
consumers without subscription fees, cellular network delays or coverage
gaps. Delphi’s Bluetooth Gateway Key Fob allows users to view important
vehicle information and complete often-performed tasks remotely on their
smart phone or similar device.

“From receiving security and diagnostic alerts to checking a vehicle’s
eco-score, our technology allows drivers to monitor vehicle statistics
from their smart phone via Delphi’s key fob,” Schwarting said. “Drivers
no longer need to be inside their vehicles or have an internet connection
to get updates on vehicle status.”

A useful complement to embedded telematics/phone app solutions when a
driver is out of cellular range, the system is made up of highly
reconfigurable electronics and offers a remote user interface that is
intuitive and user-friendly. It is also of benefit with connected
telematics solutions when a driver is out of a vehicle’s Bluetooth range.

Smart Fob Enabled by Near Field Communication
Delphi also offers a
Smart Key Fob that uses NFC to provide drivers direct accessibility to
vehicle information while helping to ensure the security of data
exchange. The NFC wireless standard, a read/write technology, offers both
secure information transfer and a low power consumption mode. Its
low-range communication profile — only 2 inches (5 cm) — helps prevent
hacking while its low consumption mode helps ensure durability and
reliability.

Data exchange is made possible using an NFC module integrated in the
vehicle. The system antenna enables data transfer from the vehicle to the
key fob, and the transferred information can be accessed by the driver
via any NFC-compatible portable device that has an active display such as
a smart phone. Data that can be accessed and managed includes mileage and
fuel level, safety and security information (such as tire pressure),
maintenance warnings and alerts, personalization features (seat, steering
wheel, A/C configuration), vehicle location (GPS), driver identity,
In-Case-of-Emergency (ICE) contacts and vehicle type.

Meeting Growing Market Needs
Delphi’s smart fob technology will be even
more valuable as the market for hybrid and electric vehicles grows. With
these fobs, drivers will be able to enhance their awareness of energy and
fuel consumption and manage them more effectively and in an
environmentally friendly way.

“From the differentiation Delphi’s smart fob technology offers vehicle
manufacturers, to the safety, security and convenience it provides
drivers to cost savings and efficiency for fleet owners, Delphi’s smart
fob technology offers nearly limitless connectivity applications for
drivers to stay in touch with their vehicles,” said Schwarting.

About Delphi
Delphi is a leading global supplier of electronics and
technologies for automotive, commercial vehicle and other market
segments. Operating major technical centers, manufacturing sites and
customer support facilities in 30 countries, Delphi delivers real-world
innovations that make products smarter and safer as well as more powerful
and efficient. Connect to innovation at www.delphi.com.

CONTACT:

Barbara Graves (U.S.)
765.451.5238
Email Contact

Malika Venezia (Europe)
+33 1 49 90 4888
Email Contact

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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Don’t Tweet and Drive Warns Swinton Insurance

April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM, Apr 11 (MARKET WIRE) —
UK drivers have been warned not to ‘Tweet and drive’ after a jump in the
number of accidents caused by in-car social networking.

Swinton, the UK’s leading car insurance provider, has reported a 12% year
on year increase in the number of claims for crashes caused by drivers
using Twitter, Facebook and other social network sites while behind the
wheel. Most have been minor prangs in slow moving traffic while drivers
have been distracted.

The car insurance company has warned drivers that any distractions behind
the wheel can lead to an accident, a costly insurance claim, and
potentially a conviction for driving without due care and attention.
Swinton’s advice is to turn off all mobiles, smart phones and PDAs before
driving any vehicle.

Steve Chelton, Insurer Development Manager at Swinton, said: “As
technology advances, we are seeing more and more drivers using smart
phones and other devices while behind the wheel – and this is leading to
more accidents on our roads. Even in slow moving traffic, writing or
reading a message is a major distraction. Our advice is simple – turn off
any electronic equipment before getting into a car for a safer journey.”

The announcement follows a survey by car accessories chain Halfords that
revealed that one in 20 drivers admitted to reading a post on social
networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, while behind the wheel.
Soaring numbers of motorists have gone beyond phone calls and are now
texting and even posting on social-networking sites while on the road,
the survey of more than 2,000 car drivers showed.

On 27th February 2007, the law was updated and the penalty for using a
hand-held mobile phone whilst driving was increased to GBP 60 and three
penalty points.

About Swinton

– With 580 branches nationwide Swinton is the UK’s largest high street
insurance retailer
– Unlike many other companies in the financial services industry, Swinton
is committed to keeping its branches open for business, and part of the
community
– Swinton provides a one-stop-shop for the insurance and related needs of
its clients, offering home, car, caravan, business, holiday, motorbike
and even classic car insurance
– With a dedicated team of advisors on hand at every branch to search a
panel of insurers to offer quality cover at competitive rates

Contacts:
SKV Communications
Anoushka Done, Anna Asamoah or Mairead Rodden
0161 838 7770
www.skvcommunications.co.uk

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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New security threat against ‘smart phone’ users identified

March 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, March 10 (ANI): Scientists have identified potential new security threats against new generations of smart mobile phones that could be carried out without the owner’s knowledge.

Computer experts at Rutgers University demonstrated how a software attack could cause a smart phone to eavesdrop on a meeting, track its owner’s travels, extract personal information from phone directories or rapidly drain its battery to render the phone useless.

Vinod Ganapathy, assistant professor of computer science in Rutgers’ School of Arts and Sciences, said: “Smart phones are essentially becoming regular computers. They run the same class of operating systems as desktop and laptop computers, so they are just as vulnerable to attack by malicious software, or ‘malware.’”

Ganapathy, computer science professor Liviu Iftode and three students, based their research on a nefarious type of malware known as “rootkits” that could lead to serious consequences.

Iftode said: “What we’re doing today is raising a warning flag. We’re showing that people with general computer proficiency can create rootkit malware for smart phones. The next step is to work on defenses.”

The findings were due to be presented at the International Workshop on Mobile Computing Systems and Applications (HotMobile 2010).

Working with Ganapathy and Iftode were Jeffrey Bickford and Ryan O’Hare, who worked on the project as undergraduates, and Arati Baliga, who worked on it as a postdoctoral researcher. (ANI)

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New Bluetooth alarm won’t let you lose your mobile again

September 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, September 13 (ANI): A firm in Edinburgh has designed a Bluetooth-based alarm that can tell absent-minded technology geeks when they have left their mobile phone or laptop behind.

The device called ‘Nio’, a result of years of research, is soon to hit the shops.

A report on this innovation describes it as a keyring-sized box of tricks that emits an alarm whenever a person’s device is more than a certain distance away.

It uses Bluetooth technology to create an invisible wire, and whenever this wire is broken-for example, when the user leaves the phone behind-both it and the keyring emit a shrill alarm sound.

Nio is the brainchild of 34-year-old gadget whizz Ben Hounsell, director of Tenbu Technologies based in Giles Street.

He says that the alarm may also make it easy to spot a potential theft.

He, however, advises people against challenging the thieves if their pockets start screaming.

“My advice would be don’t be a hero. Most thieves are opportunistic and the chances are if the mobile is attracting attention they’ll just drop it and run,” the Scotsman quoted him as saying.

Nio can be set to go off anywhere between two and 25 metres, and it can emit a police siren, a whoop or a Catchphrase buzzer sound.

Hounsell said: “We see this device as a ‘gadget guardian’ – it’s there to protect your device if it gets mislaid or stolen. The name Nio comes from Japan and is named after the fearsome looking statues outside Japanese Bhuddist temples that are there to protect the temple. Tenbu are the guardians of Bhuddist law in Japan. The names will also appeal to Japanese customers, who are well known for their love of gadgets, especially computers and smart phones.”

The device is currently available on their website www.bluenio.com.

Its creators are said to be in talks to sell it through Amazon within the next few months, and a number of High Street hardware stores by next year.

They have also approached government and health authorities with the advice that their innovation may prove helpful in preventing personal data and devices. (ANI)

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Why people use mobile device during meetings

July 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, July 5 (ANI): It’s not communication overload but peer behaviour that determines whether people use their laptops or smart phones during a meeting, say researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

It was believed that the more people experienced communication overload, the more they would engage in electronic multitasking during meetings.

But the study on individuals from a diverse range of organizations-including engineering, finance, software, energy, marketing and health care-debunked that view.

It was found that the perceived opinions of peers and supervisors and observation of others using their mobile devices in a meeting was what influenced an individual’s tendency to multi-task.

“There’s no doubt the ubiquity of mobile devices is changing the nature of workplace meetings. What we’ve found is that simply feeling overloaded with messages coming from channels such as e-mail, texts and instant messages is not the primary driver for multitasking in meetings,” said Keri Stephens, assistant professor of communication studies in the College of Communication.

The study is particularly informative as organizational norms overshadowed individual-level predictors, which might be due to the unique nature of portable technology.

For decades, people have been using non-technology communication-pens and paper-to multitask in meetings.

The research suggests that employee behaviour is likely to change if organizations ban mobile technologies, and set new norms for how they can be used during meetings.

The research comes in line with the news that organizations are banning mobile devices or going lap “topless” in meetings to get participants’ undivided attention.

While banning mobile devices will likely eliminate unproductive behaviour, the researchers have warned that it can stifle legitimately productive behaviour that can enhance the meeting process.

One of the key findings of the study is that prior to a meeting, facilitators need to communicate clearly about whether using mobile devices is acceptable or not.

Meetings also need to include the right content for the right people, as well as engaging material.

The report, titled ‘The Social Influences on Electronic Multitasking in Organizational Meetings’, has been published in the August issue of Management Communication Quarterly. (ANI)

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Google phone finally in India

June 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

NEW DELHI: Taiwanese cellphone maker HTC is all set to launch G2, or the second generation premier Google phone that runs on Google’s Android op
erating system, in India soon. It is likely to be priced between Rs 26,000 to 28,000.

The company is planning to sell the unlocked G2 Android phone through a large telecom service provider, most likely Airtel, according to sources.

However, it has no immediate plans to retail the same through Vodafone with which it has a tie-up to sell G1 and G2 in most other regions, including the entire Europe.

The phone is likely to be bundled by the telco with talk time, data plans, microSD card for storage and other offers which will make it a compelling buy for the consumer. But it being unlocked means that users on other networks too will be able to lay their hands upon the handset.

Android is based on the open source platform for mobile devices. Using these smart phones, a user can download a wide number of utilities and productivity applications from Android App Store, both priced and for free. For those who swear by Google’s apps, the phone is a good buy.

HTC partnered with T-Mobile and Google in the US to launch T-Mobile G1 in September 2008, followed by G2 recently. G1 never made it to the Indian market although T-Mobile claimed to have sold over a million pieces in the US. The phone, however, has been available in the grey market for around Rs 18-19,000.

The phone is being launched in India by HTC at a time when there are already a number of other smart touchphones vying for attention, including Blackberry Bold and Nokia N97 and its own Touch Diamond 2.

Branded as myTouch by T-Mobile in the US, G2 has the same hardware design as the Google Ion, which is also known as the HTC Magic. The device was introduced at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February and is now being sold by Vodafone in various markets around the world.

It is thinner than the G1 and slightly smaller than Apple’s iPhone. But it features a large 3.2-inch tactile touch screen with a resolution of 320 x480 pixels and no physical keyboard. The phone offers network support for 3G and Wi-Fi.

It also comes with 512 MB internal memory and has a microSD slot for external storage.

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IBM | IT major IBM to enter mobile application segment

June 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 17 (IANS) Targeting users of business and smart phones, computer services major IBM Wednesday announced a $100-million investment in the mobile services space globally, including India.

“IBM is investing to create technology in its labs that brings simple, easy-to-use services to the millions of people who have bypassed the personal computer as their primary method of accessing the Internet, and instead use their mobile devices for conducting financial transactions, entertainment, shopping and more,” IBM said in a statement.

The company, however, did not specify the investment earmarked for India, where it has offices in 14 cities. “We do not divulge investments for individual countries,” an IBM India spokesperson told IANS.

After 130 years of existence that saw IBM manufacturing diverse products ranging from guns to calculators, the latest decision marks its entry into the growing mobile applications market.

Although smart phones have been available for several years, mobile software and services are still in their infancy.

“In today’s inter-connected world, mobile device are gradually becoming ubiquitous and helping us transcend many boundaries – geographical, economic and social,” said Guruduth Banavar, global leader of IBM research mobile communication initiative.

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Cell phone viruses poised to reach epidemic proportions

May 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 22 (ANI): Unlike computer viral epidemics, no major outbreaks of mobile phone viral infection have been reported to date. Ever wondered why?

Well, Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, director of the Center for Complex Network Research at Northeastern University, says that it is because a highly fragmented market share has effectively hindered outbreaks thus far.

He warns that cell phone viruses will pose a serious threat once a single mobile operating system’s market share grows sufficiently large, and that that may not be far off considering the 150 percent annual growth rate of smart phones.

“We haven’t had a problem so far because only phones with operating systems, so-called ‘smart phones’, are susceptible to viral infection,” said Marta Gonzalez, one of the authors of a study report published in the journal Science.

“Once a single operating system becomes common, we could potentially see outbreaks of epidemic proportion because a mobile phone virus can spread by two mechanisms: a Bluetooth virus can infect all Bluetooth-activated phones in a 10-30 meter radius, while Multimedia Messaging System (MMS) virus, like many computer viruses, spreads using the address book of the device. Not surprisingly, hybrid viruses, which can infect via both routes, pose the most significant danger,” Gonzalez added.

The experts reckon that Bluetooth viruses eventually start infecting all susceptible handsets.

Given that human behavioural patterns have been restricting the spread of such infections thus far, the experts believe that there should be sufficient time to deploy countermeasures like antiviral software to prevent major Bluetooth outbreaks.

Although human behavioural patterns do not restrict the spread of MMS viruses, they are still constrained because the number of susceptible devices is currently much smaller.

The experts say that the unprecedented challenges will surface once people become increasingly connected.

They think that studies categorized as computational social science are necessary to understand group behaviour and organization, assess potential threats, and develop solutions to the issues faced by our ever-changing society. (ANI)

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Taiwan mobile phone sales to drop by nearly 10 per cent in 2009

April 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Taipei – Taiwan’s mobile phone sales were forecast to drop 9.3 per cent in 2009 because of weakened replacement demand and an extended replacement cycle, an industry report said Wednesday.

Sales were estimated at 6.39 million units by Taiwan’s Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute, which called 2009 a crucial year for Taiwan mobile phone operators in terms of strengthening their share in the mobile internet market.

“Overall, as the global economy is projected to be locked in a downturn in 2009, consumer confidence is expected to be even weaker in the year ahead,” the report said. “As a result, it is expected that there will be keen price wars in mobile phone sales channels and that mobile operators will lower the internet access rates for their data cards to stimulate demand.”

Phone sales dropped in the last three quarters of 2008 as did their average selling prices as mobile phone users mostly chose to obtain free phones when renewing their subscriptions.

However, mobile operators’ subsidy policies for 3G phones and smart phones boosted sales of 3G phones, which accounted for 49.7 per cent of the overall market volume, while sales of smart phones inched up to more than 5 per cent of the overall market volume, the institute said. (dpa)

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