"A professional looking guy is standing nearby you, he is pretty calm &collected but needlessly trying to show of his latest PDA after few seconds pulls out the stylus tap here & there on the screen several times than put the phone in his pocket while giving a good gaze to all the near by guys with a smirking proudly smile".

I bet many of you have faced these kinds of incidents & have wondered why on earth a decent looking guy in professional attire can ever do these kinds of antics.

To further explore this mindset, If we look closely, the phenomenal growth in mobile penetration have also created a very unique socio cultural psyche. Imagine from a 12 year old kiddy to a 60 year old man all are playing with the small communication device known as mobile phone. A rough estimate suggests that in Pakistan the usage span of a new cell phone is mere 3 months (means majority of local users upgrade their cell phone within 3 months).

Confused, let me throw a simple question. What exactly do you want from your mobile? The 3 top of the mind features comes to your mind should be the core reason for you to owning your current handset; if that isn't the case than you must have lost the battle to your aspirations which are hiding somewhere underneath your mind.

Sounds' interesting right, precisely your honest answer is the basic premise of this article. Pondering further on this same concept, I have summed up the Pakistan's mobile user into 2 main categories (2 basic types of users).

1. Those who are driven by their needs (read 3 core phone functionalities)

2. Those who are driven by their aspirations (Users who can easily suffice their communication requirement through a say Rs. 10k mobile phone but instead they choose to carry a cell phones worth Rs. 40K or more)

In every mobile user's mind there is a battle going around, a battle between their needs & aspirations. Some own phones to suffice their communication needs some own phones to meet their aspirational urges.

Now look at this mobile phone user preference chart while making actual decision, the data is a study & I have used extrapolation for analysis purposes but it enable us to understand the psyche of local consumer. Also take a look at the chart depicting local consumer purchasing pattern.

I personally have come across so many professionals/ executives who take their hands on any new business phone which hits the market, to couple have them I even asked the question why you are carrying a blackberry/ PDA or a latest Nokia E-series the only answer I got in reply was we need to check our emails 24/7 that's it (surprisingly no words about PIM, one of the major feature of any business phone since majority of them doesn't exactly know what this Personal Information Management really stand for). I have even tried to convince majority of them that there are cell phones which can meet your exact requirement in half of the price you want to spend but my efforts always go in vain.

The main reason lies in the consumer mindset (the aspirational value attached to carrying a business phone) since how on earth you look professional (read top executives) if you are not carrying a business device or a PDA phone.

And this is not just a local phenomenon, even mobile user of developed countries tend to be manipulated by their desires & aspiration rather looking to their actual communication needs. Hence this battle netween needs & aspiration willcontinue.... how long, i am not too sure...

The leading players in the UK mobile industry often come up with attractive schemes and deals, like availability of cheap mobile phones, attractive mobile phone deals and so on. The big giants producing innovative and technological advance Mobile Phones in UK are Nokia, LG, Motorola and Samsung and Sony Ericsson. They offer cheap mobile phones as well expensive ones with excellent features and style.

There are various tariff deals prevailing in the UK mobile market. The three major are contract, pay as you go and SIM free. Among most popular online mobile phone deals, contract mobile deals, pay as you go mobile phone deals, 12 months free line rental, clearance deals are the best choices. All these deals bring along with them numerous free gifts and offers to the consumers. Free offers like free texts and free minutes are obviously cool rewarding programs directed towards the consumers by the online mobile phone shops. The users can implement the deals with the help of Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, 3Mobile, Virgin etc, the leading service providers of the country that are available at Cheap Mobile Phone Deals.

One can find 3G phones, camera handsets, music mobile devices and Windows mobiles these days. Now, mobiles are not only a medium of communication but also the source of entertainment. The prominent brands in the industry are Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, LG, etc., and they are bringing some stunning models of handsets. Currently, Nokia is the market leader with 40% market share and it is having its presence in almost all parts of the world.

Besides this, the choices in Mobile Phone UK is vast and innovative. You can select a mobile phone very easily and the best part is that these gizmos are available with best mobile phone tariff plans. The leading network service provider T, 3 Mobile, Vodafone, Orange and virgin offer mobile phone deals to every class of people. You can also get the best mobile phone deal with your chosen mobile phone. Now, there are unlimited choices available whether it is cheap mobile phones or the expensive ones.

Source: EzineArticles.com

These phones are nothing and can simply be classified as 'you pay for how much you speak'. These mobile phones help the users in so many ways like the users can avoid the huge monthly bills and they can change their number when ever they want. The users of these phones need not be bound into a contract and there is no need to pay monthly rentals for using the mobile phone. These handsets offer varied benefits to its users like free minutes, free handsets, free texts, free gifts and insurance. The retailers and network providers are offering all these benefits to attract the mobile users in order to enhance their business in the market.

The Pay As you Go Mobile Phones generally come with a particular amount of balance. It will not allow the users to make calls beyond that. If they want to talk, they should buy recharge coupons which add some credit on to their mobile phones. The users can recharge their mobile phones at any time and from anywhere. These are a good option for people who use their phones very less. Most pay as you go phones comes with no commitments, contracts and monthly rentals. These phones are beneficial to most of the mobile users like teenagers and frequent travellers, who don't want to pay huge monthly phone bills payments. These convenient and affordable phones offer value added services and the users can avoid huge expenses of mobile phone bills.

For instance, the regular travellers can get rid of roaming charges and heavy phone bills by using these mobile phones. These phones let them to change the network when they are travelling from one country to another country. These gadgets are beneficial not only for the regular travellers but also for all kinds of mobile users as they enable the users to maintain a mobile phone at cheap rates. Some of the latest pay as you go mobile phones that are available in the present day mobile market comes from eminent market names such as O2, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange. These mobile phones come with advanced features, stylish looks and superb performance and are reasonable priced in the market.

If you are looking to purchase a mobile phone with the best deal, you just need to visit the Online portals. They are the best source to get a mobile phone with a good deal as these shopping portals enhance the possibility of users getting the best phones with flexible network connections at very low prices. You can get all the information like the latest mobile phones, deals, gifts and offers with ease on these portals. By visiting a few websites, you can compare the price and different deals that will help you to get a reliable mobile phone at a reasonable price.

Source: EzineArticles.com

I went to the 3rd Girl Geek Dinners anniversary last night at Google's HQ in London! It was so exciting to be dining in the offices of an Internet giant! Well I didn't see their office per se (the security is pretty tight) but they have an awesome canteen ;)

There were a couple of interesting talks about the challenges of web design and mobile web design by one of the Googlers. As far as mobile web-design is concerned, the sites should only focus on one thing, and should be consistent with the user experience for different brands of mobile phones. Google use personnas to put themselves in the end user's shoes... Very similar to the sort of stuff I used to do in qual research!

There was also a (slightly depressing) talk around work/life balance. Unsurprisingly the UK and Ireland have the longest working hours in Europe. I got chatting to the CEO of Wee World who told me how difficult it is to juggle business and family life... The Google work/life balance sounds absolutely amazing as Google let their employees manage their working hours as long as the work gets done of course ;)

There are more photos right here. I also tried to take a picture of the screen showing the different searches as well as the Google logo but was told at reception I wasn't allowed to :(

It was a very pleasant evening, and many thanks to Google for having us!

More reading here and here

Onida has come up with a new range of mobile phones. Priced between Rs.2000-8000, their little babies sport some of the most popular features like camera, MP3 and FM radio. With the trust that Onida has built over the past two decades, the mobiles are faring well, without the backing of a famous brand ambassador.

These mobiles are built in a simple yet stylish design and promise to be a part of your conversation at very reasonable rates.

For all the loyal Onida fans, theses mobiles are being shipped all over India for just Rs.2 (you can re-read the shipping cost if you don’t believe it) at prices that can make you jaws drop, only at MobileNXT.com

South Asia Forum Chairman Javed Iqbal, Telenor CEO Jon Eddy Abdullah; Telecom Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom Member Noor-ud-Din Baqai and Next Generation Mobility Manager Director Aadil Rauf were also present on the occasion.

Dr Yaseen said the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has the spectrum earmarked, and all the groundwork is complete and would soon invite applications for 3G spectrum auction. He said the availability of the 3G spectrum would help the operators increase their capacity and revenues by deploying state-of-the-art HSPA technology.

Due to this addition users would enjoy high quality mobile broadband services enabling them to avail facilities of video telephony, high speed internet, video streaming, high quality mobile TV and a number of value-added services.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chief said the 3G technologies like HSDPA and HSPA have been widely adopted. There are over 220 HSDPA and HSPA operators in more than 90 countries with 280 million subscribers, he added.

Dr Yaseen also said that over 381 million are increasing at annual growth rate of 88 percent and these 3G users would grow more with its introduction in China, India, and Pakistan.

He said that China has recently lunched 3G services whereas other small countries in our region like Sri Lanka and Nepal have also launched 3G services while India has announced guidelines on 3G licensing and would soon be auctioning the 3G spectrum technology.

He said the Visionary Policies of the government that targeted liberalisation of the telecom sector has exhibited a growth rate of around 40 percent last year almost crossing 90 million mark adding around two million subscribers each month, he added.

He said that the government has taken such initiatives, which compelled the investors to invest liberally resulting spectacular rise of telecom industry, especially the mobile sector. Experts and analysts from Information Technology, Pakistan Telecom Authority, Nokia, Siemens Network and Warid Telecom Pakistan shared and discuss issues, suggesting solutions, sharing strategies and requesting policy support.

Telecom operators were of the view that the 3G auction should be carried out as soon as possible to provide broadband to the masses without delay any gap in the digital divide, he added. (data from brecoder)

1. Talking too loudly.

“YES! FOR THE LOVE OF BABY JESUS, WE CAN HEAR YOU NOW!” For some bizarre reason people feel the need to raise their voices while on their phones. I think we’ve come far enough, technologically speaking, to trust the phone’s microphone to adequately amplify and carry your voice. Your mouth couldn’t physically be any closer to the microphone, so unless you’re talking into it from a Captain Kirk distance or calling in an airstrike while under heavy machine gun fire, there’s no need to yell. Hell, even Kirk never raised his voice and he was communicating with an alcoholic Scotsman on a space ship!

Note: There are attention-seekers out there who speak loudly on purpose to “show off” recent accomplishments and victories to impress surrounding strangers. Do not hate on them too much, they were probably adopted and are cursed to constantly seek approval from anyone within earshot.

2. Holding inappropriate conversations in public.

No one needs to hear how wasted you were last night, or what color your boyfriend’s boxers were on the night the two of you, um, “played Scrabble.” Keep your personal conversations personal. If you don’t want people to see you crying in line at the bank or while ordering a stuffed-crust pizza, refrain from having emotional conversations in public. Offer to call the person back, step outside, or find a quiet place where you can openly and unabashedly describe your new foot fungus.

3. Rudely interrupting conversations.

Have you ever felt the only way to maintain a conversation with the person right in front of you is to give them a call? Ever arrive at the climax of a hilarious story, only to have the momentum ruined by “Sorry, I gotta take this”? Why is the disembodied voice of someone else more important than the flesh and blood standing before you? It’s very frustrating to stand around waiting while your “friend,” date, or family member gets into a phone conversation on your time. When this happens, I recommend simply walking away. Even when you’re sitting in a restaurant, if your date would rather chat with someone else, then you should get up and leave immediately to find someone else. Or, as I mentioned earlier, call them on their other line. “Hey, how’s it going? How’s your sea bass? Isn’t the wine delicious?” If you can’t beat ‘em, call ‘em.

4. Checking your phone at the movies.

Movie theatre announcements and people who are quick to “shhhh” have done a decent job of reducing reducing cell phone rings over the years. But people are still checking their calls and text messaging rfiends, silently, but equally annoyingly. There’s a reason why we spend an arm and a leg to watch movies in the theatre. When the lights go out and the screen lights up, we try to forget our everyday troubles and we submerse ourselves into whatever the hell world we bought tickets for. We escape. But when out of the corner of our eyes we see someone’s entire face light up while they check their phone messages, we’re yanked right back to reality and are reminded of how many jerks per square foot there are in the world. Turn your phones off, have a little consideration for the people around you. The world won’t stop spinning if you’re unavailable for 2 hours. “But what if there’s an emergency?” The odds of an actual emergency occurring are astronomical. Besides, if there was an emergency, it already happened. You already weren’t there, and chances are the people who could actually do anything about it, already have.

5. Texting while driving.

Somebody please get the “Darwin Awards” on the phone. Of course, if you’re driving when you do, make sure you’re on hands free or have pulled over before you start explaining how there are people who send texts while behind the wheel of a vehicle. According to a Harvard University study, cell phones cause over 200 deaths and half a million injuries each year. And that’s with eyes on the road! Laws are in place to make sure people aren’t talking on their phones, and yet people are typing?!?! (I very rarely use the double question mark with the double exclamation point at the end of sentences, but this is ridiculous) I would love to see the tombstone: Was LOL when he WCTTFW (Went crashing through the freaking windshield) Anyone caught texting while driving should be stripped of their driving license forever.

6. Texting while talking.

You ever have someone try to listen to your story while text messaging someone else? You want to give them points for making the effort as they clumsily insert “oh yeahs” and “un huhs” at all the wrong moments, cutting you off mid-sentence with a “no way” as they furiously thumb type in your face, but at the same time you want to volleyball spike their phone to the ground for being unbelievably rude. A third option is tell better stories.

7. Texting small talk.

Does our friendship mean nothing? Have we become so lazy and disinterested in each other’s lives that we’re asking people to sum up their days with a text? “How r u?” “What’s up?” “What’s new?” These arbitrary questions are annoying enough when asked in person, but at least we have the ability to fire back equally insignificant responses in one second or less. But expecting people to waste their time typing “not bad, u?” or “same sh*t” or heaven forbid “let me tell you about my day” is about as lame and pointless as your appendix.

8. Loud and annoying ringtones.

I was riding the bus to work one morning, when out of nowhere the silence was shattered with screaming. It was the type of scream a frat boy lets out when a serial killer is in the process of gutting him with a fountain pen. I just about had a cardiac arrest and many of the people on the bus jumped out of their seats. It was only when the repetitive screaming suddenly tripled in volume that we all discovered the culprit: a cell phone. Some jerk pulled the phone out of his pocket, embarrassed at how loud it was, and accidentally dropped it on the bus floor. The joke now on him, the whole bus watched in amusement as this dude’s face grew redder and redder, scrambling to pick up and silence the screams coming from his phone. While there are far too many stupid ringtones out there to mention here, the story makes the point: turn down your stupid ringtone! No one thinks you’re clever, or funny, or musically savvy when you’re little pocket jukebox interrupts their thoughts. That guy on the bus probably thought his scream-tone was hysterical, but the looks on everyone else’s face read loud and clear: “What a douche bag!”

9. Disturbing live performances.

Comedy shows, concerts, plays etc…Nothing boils my blood more than having art ruined by a ringing cell phone. I nearly gave a security guard a standing ovation when he grabbed a gentleman by the collar and escorted him out of a Cirque du Soleil show for having his cell phone go off during a particularly dangerous acrobatic stunt. You ruin someone’s comedy act or interrupt an actor on stage, in turn spoiling the experience for everyone around you who’s spent their hard earned money on a night out, and you’re an arrogant douche-monkey who should be put in the corner with the rest of the 5 year olds. But when you disturb a performer who’s very life depends on needle-point focus and concentration, you should be put in jail.

10. Location location location

There are countless locations where “taking the call” is inappropriate and extremely annoying to those around you. The first two off the top of my head as the most frustrating are in libraries, and fast food restaurant lines. One of the last places on earth, aside from an empty church or your own bathroom, where people can go to read, think, and study in silence, is under attack by people who refuse to disconnect from the outside world. Does the word SSSSHHHHH mean nothing to you? Take the call outside, before someone throws “War and Peace” or Stephen King’s “It” at your head.

While ordering food, there’s no need to explain how annoying a phone call can be for both the restaurant staff and for the customers in line behind you. Check out how one Subway restaurant dealt with this problem. Again, if people are going to act like children we need to treat them like children. Well played Subway, well played.

After reading threads all over CrackBerry.com, I have came to the conclusion that some BlackBerry Bold's have memory issues, example taken from CrackBerry.com

"OS Version 4.6.0.125 (Platform 4.0.0.134) Mine had 20MB free out of the box.

A few hours later it had 5MB with no new apps, photos or other files added.

I deleted all the unused languages and had 40MB after the restart.

A few hours later I had 15MB.

If there is a memory leak, it can't be blamed on a 3rd party app because I haven't added any.

I was really hoping to have more room to play with on this unit.

Treo Pro runs Windows Mobile 6.1 (it has a touchscreen) and a digital camera in the back, which is pretty standard. the specifications are not public yet, but I suspect that it might be a (somewhat) low-cost windows mobile phone. What’s your take? Read more Palm introduces Treo Pro Smartphone