Nokia 6120 Phone Review

Early adopters of 3G have mostly been drawn in by faster downloads and video streaming, not the larger clunky mobiles, but finally there's a handset to convince users it's time to upgrade. The Nokia 6120 is a traditional looking handset, with standard numerical pad and navigation and menu keys, surrounded with lacquered plastic. The appeal of this phone is its slim size, complete with a crystal-clear widescreen display.

There are no fancy sliding mechanisms, no fold-out compartments, no concealed keyboards. It's a regular, no-nonsense, yet still stylish and fully functional mobile. The phone's slim size and weight does not restrict its 3G functions in any way - Telstra downloads are quick and easy and the Foxtel TV broadcasts stream to the phone without any lag. Unlike early models, the video streaming is entirely watchable, great for long commuter trips or even sneaking a peak at the footy duing a wedding.

The phone also has a 2 megapixel camera with built-in flash, with shutter and zoom buttons on the side so you can hold the mobile like a regular camera. There are plenty of games to download and controls are responsive when either using the keypad or navigational control. It also has a standard headphone jack for listening to music and can store MP3s on a microSD card, which are now so physically small - smaller than a pinky fingernail - it's almost ridiculous.

Mobile Phone Gadgets

BlackBerries and other work gadgets should come with a warning: Switch off, or risk ruining your relationship. A sticker similar to warnings on cigarette packets would warn keypad junkies that technology addiction was a happiness hazard, an expert said today. Organisational psychologist Ian Shakespeare said a rising number of wired workers could not bear to be offline and their careers and love lives were paying the price.

"The message would be something like: 'It's only a tool, you control it'," he said. In future, gadget overuse warnings would become an employer responsibility similar to workplace safety laws, Shakespeare said. Some executives felt so anxious about missing a text or call that they became compulsive gadget users, he said. "While there's nothing in itself wrong with people making a phone call on a train, you'll see people do it virtually every day."

Some addicts went on holiday and spent all day on the beach on their mobile phone, Shakespeare said, or rushed off a plane to check their messages while in the toilet. "Some people have this feeling of grandiosity, they're so important that they have to stay connected," he said. "It causes disengagement, people just stop displaying emotions."

Mobile Spend Report

Australians are spending a record $12 billion on mobile phones despite costs dropping by almost 50 per cent in the past decade. An Access Economics report found $12 billion was spent on calls, messages and handsets last year, up $4 billion in the past four years. This is despite call costs falling 27 per cent between 1997 and 2001 and 19.4 per cent in 2004-06 when capped plans were introduced.

Australian Communications and Media Authority figures reveal Australians sent a staggering 10.2 billion text messages in 2005-06, up from 1.9 billion in 2001-02. In the past decade, mobile phone penetration has rocketed from 30 per cent in 1998 to almost 100 per cent last year, with 19.9 million active Australian mobile accounts.

Pre-paid mobiles now make up 50 per cent of all accounts. In contrast, fixed-line revenue dropped 5 per cent during the same four-year period. "Consumers appear to increasingly perceive the mobile service as a substitute for traditional fixed-line voice services," the report said. Australians sent 63.6 million MMS messages last year, up from 13.7 million in 2003-04, while ringtone sales increased from $30 million in 2003-04 to $40 million in 2004-05.

Men and Phones

If you're wondering where the man of the house has got to, he's probably on the phone. Men have swapped places with women as the family chatterbox, a survey has found. They dominate the house phone as well as constantly chatting on their mobiles.

The average man is on the phone for 32 minutes a day, up from 22 five years ago. Women, on the other hand, spend a daily average of 26 minutes on the phone, down from 35 in 2002. But it's -not because they suddenly have less to say. Women appear to prefer to share their gossip using email and text messages, revealed the study of 3500 adults.

Calling banks or insurance companies, arranging tradesmen to call, buying tickets and booking restaurant tables were included in the conversations used to calculate the time spent on the phone. Work calls, however, were not. Almost three in 10 men (29 per cent) said that sport was their favourite topic, followed by 22 per cent who discussed the mysteries of women and 20 per cent the even greater mysteries of money.

A third of women (32 per cent) said they chatted most about men. A similar number said that what (and what not) to wear was their main topic of conversation. Other top subjects were mutual friends and making plans to socialise. The survey was carried out by UK loyalty card company Nectar and the telecommunications firm Talk Talk.

German Telecommunications Beginnings

In Germany, several mobile telephone network ‘islands’ emerged scattered across the country. The post and telecommunications operator Deutsche Bundespost merged them into the A-Netz12 in 1958 (Jung and Warnecke, 1998). The interconnection between the mobile system and the public fixed telecommunications network was manually operated. After ten years of operation, the A-Netz covered about 80 per cent of the former Federal Republic of Germany and at its peak (1971) had 10–800 subscribers. The A-Netz was closed down in 1977.

Meanwhile, with the setting up of the B-Netz13 in 1972, manual switching was replaced by automatic switching, the German territory was divided into mobile telecommunications areas and each had a prefix. To call a mobile subscriber from the fixed telecommunications network, it was necessary to dial the regional code and hence to know the region in which the mobile operator was located in that moment in order to establish automatic switching. In 1979 the B-Netz had reached its full capacity, with 13,000 subscribers, and covered the whole territory of the former Federal Republic of Germany. In 1980 the B-Netz also took over the frequency bands of the former A-Netz and could therefore expand its subscriber base to 27,000 in 1986. With a transmission power of 20 W, the base stations were able to cover an area of 25 km. Car phones had a transmission power of 10 W. The B-Netz could also be used by German mobile subscribers when ‘roaming’ in Austria, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The B-Netz was closed down at the end of 1994.

Cheap Mobile Phone Batteries

Strathfield is having an end of financial year sale and it includes mobile phone batteries.

The following phone batteries are currently on sale. Be quick before all the stock is gone.

Brand: Nokia
Model: 6230 / 6670 / 3120 / N70
Price: From $9.95

Brand: Nokia
Model: 3200 / 6220 / 6610 / 7250
Price: From $9.95

Brand: Nokia
Model: 3310 / 3315 / 3330
Price: From $9.95

Brand: Motorola
Model: V3 / V3i / V3xx
Price: $14.95

Strathfield have many other models available in store. Call them on 13 11 77 or visit a showroom located in Box Hill, Dandenong, Mentone, Sunshine, Geelong, Reynella, Bunbury, Joondalup and many other places across Australia.

MIO A701 GPS PDA PHONE

This sleek device combines a mobile phone, organiser, GPS, 1.3 megapixel camera, Picture Viewer, MP3 and movie player in one. Features a 520 MHz Intel processor with built in 128 MB ROM, 64MB RAM, 2.7 inch LCD touchscreen, bluetooth wireless technology and the latest sensis V13 mapping.

Power and portability
With a 520 MHz Intel® processor and built-in 128 MB ROM and 64 MB RAM memory, the A701 is not only designed with portability in mind, but doesn’t compromise on power. The SD/MMC card slot also allows you to expand the memory, ideal for any music, photo, storage, e-books and work fi les that you might like to take along for the journey.

Works both on the road and off it
For complete fl exibility, the A701 comes with preloaded MioMap™ V3 featuring the latest Sensis®V13 mapping. MioMap™ will guide you to your destination whether you’re driving, walking or cycling.

Stay in touch on the move
The versatility of a Pocket PC combined with the simplicity of a Windows phone means you never have to leave the offi ce without your Outlook™ Contacts and Calendar. The Mio A701 uses Microsoft® Office™ Mobile, enabling you to receive fi les and work on them right away. Wireless ensures you’re never more than a few clicks away from your e-mail.

Keep your hands on the wheel
Together with the headset, the Mio A701 allows you to switch from navigation to phone mode. Bluetooth® wireless technology also lets you synchronise Contacts and Calendar with Outlook™ on your desktop computer.

Entertain yourself
The Mio A701 comes with pre-installed MP3 Player, Picture Viewer and Movie Player so you’ll always have something to keep you occupied. With an integrated 1.3 megapixel camera, the A701 comes in handy for taking snapshots.

Price: $888
Where To Buy: Harvey Norman Maribyrnong