The question today is whether or not cell phones are actually used for making calls.  This is been something that’s been on my mind for quite a while and I thought I might take a few minutes to do some pulmonary research to see if my suspicions were true.  With all the amazing things that are touchscreen smart phones, such as the iPhone can do, I began to think that perhaps we are not even using our cell phones to make that traditional phone call.

I was browsing the web from my traditional PC, as I stumbled upon an article on the online version of the Wall Street Journal.  This begins to give me some general information that perhaps I was on the right track and that we are not using our cell phones for calls.  The article centered on some Harvard students that are involved in developing a new application geared towards those attending this illustrious school.  However, halfway through the article the conversation turned towards the fact that many of these students do not use their cell phone to make telephone calls.  Matter of fact, one student that was interviewed had to stop for a moment, as she had to think whether or not one of her friends had the ability to send and receive e-mail via her cell phone.  The student had to actually call using her cell phone, something that she does not do but maybe once a week.  The student stated that normally they would use their cell phones to call home and other than that they only use them to send e-mail and text message.

So I began to think, surely there would be some statistics that would back up the fact that no one really uses her cell phone anymore to make telephone calls.  And I was right.  I found a report, even though it is slightly outdated, from the Nielson Company, 2008 that began to show some interesting facts.  The average number of calls back in 2006 per month was 198 per person and those same people received 65 text messages.  By the end of second quarter 2008 these numbers changed dramatically.  The estimated number of monthly text messages was 357 as compared to the 204 monthly phone calls.  I would imagine that if we had up-to-date statistics today we would see that our cell phones are predominantly used to send and receive text and e-mail, and that probably less than 30% of a mobile phones use is for actual telephoning.  Hopefully I will be able to find an updated statistical report that will prove my original theory.  My unlocked iPhone can help me do this as my PC is too slow!

We recently came across this article on CNN that talked about high roaming charges and we thought it would be a good idea to bring it up on the blog.

The article talks about P. Morgan Brown and “when his wife decided to take a spur-of-the-moment vacation to Indonesia.”  When she got back from the trip her “Verizon bill came to a staggering $8,000. Text-messages home cost an astounding $2.50 each and the meter was running at an eye-popping $1.75 a minute for phone calls.”

Now Mrs. Brown’s case is an exception but it’s happening more and more.  People aren’t realizing the charges and the roaming rates they are being charged.

This problem isn’t happening just with overseas travel.  Steven Frischling, a New York travel consultant, returned from a recent trip to Detroit to find a $500 international phone bill.  The problem wiht his bill was he was in Detroit which meant it wasn’t actually roaming.  The problem was the Apple iPhone he used kept picking up signal from the Canadian towers.  He was able to prove that he was in Detroit and the charges were eventually reveresed.

The article gives 5 things you can do to alleviate those high charges

1. Buy another phone.  That’s right when you get over to the place you are going by a local service with pre-paid SIM card.  Likely this will be a cheaper alternative then the roaming charges.  We are sure that a local cell phone place would have been better then an $8000 bill.

2. Get a plan.  If you want to keep you phone and still use your carriers service then consider getting a international plan.  One where roaming is included.

3. Go VOIP.  VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol is a feature that lets you make a call over the internet rather then over the cell phone towers.  You may have heard of Skype.  This is a VOIP service and if you are make Skype to Skype calls then calling is free anywhere in the world.  You can be in the US and calling someone in China and you wouldn’t pay a dime.

4. Swap Cards.  Probably the most convenient way.  If you have a GSM cell phone you can get it unlocked or you can buy an unlocked cell phone.  By doing this it lets you use the same phone you are use to but simply remove the SIM card in the phone and replace it with one locally.  Basically this gives you the option of getting a local plan but not having to buy a phone.  This is good since you can generally pick up a SIM card in most convenience stores.  You basically are turning your cell phone into a pre-paid service.  When you get back state-side simply put your regular SIM card back in and you’ll have your old service without the charges.

5. Leave your phone at home.  If you really want to be sure then simply don’t bring your phone.  If it’s not out of the country then it can’t get high roaming charges.

LG is among the largest producers of electronics in the world. The company is recognized internationally as the technology innovator in consumer electronics, home appliances and mobile communications.  LG cellular phones are very famous among mobile phone users all around the world due to their smart looks and great functionality. LG sells a wide range of high quality cell phones in all price ranges. Handsets of every design whether sliding, flip or swivel with the user friendly interfaces are manufactured by this reputed company to enhance the style as well as the entertainment level of the people. This article discusses some popular LG cell phone models:

LG KE970 Shine: This compact and lightweight mobile phone is a perfect blend of marvelous design and immensely entertaining features. The LG KE970 Shine delivers a distinguished appeal with its unique stainless steel material base and a mirror-like front screen. This stunning sliding phone is loaded with the features like 2 MP auto focus camera, MP3 player, USB & Bluetooth V1.2 and more. LG KE970 Shine is available in colors like silver, pink, gold and more.

LG KT610: A candy-bar-style phone with 2.4 inch screen and a QWERTY keypad. This amazing cell phone runs Symbian operating system 9.2 (S60 3rd Edition) and consists of an external display and alphanumeric keypad as well. LG KT610 supports GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth and USB. The other features incorporated in this mobile phone are push e-mail, a full Web browser, multimedia capabilities and much more.

LG KF750: An ultimate sliding and a compact cell phone. The most of the features of this stunning cell phone are accessed by just touching the screen. This mobile phone has 100 MB user available memory and supports GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth and USB. Some of the exciting features loaded in this mobile phone are 5.0 MP digital camera, powerful MP3 and media player, memory expansion card slot, integrated FM Radio and more.

LG KP500: A touch screen phone and is regarded as the most affordable cell phone in the touch category. This eye-catching cell phone incorporates all the features of the other costly touch screen handsets available in the market. LG KP500 is furnished with the features like 3.15 MP camera, 48 MB internal memory, FM radio with RDS, MP3/WMA/AAC player and more. It also supports GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth and USB and offers multiple color choices.

LG KM710: This music cell phone is also known as the “Mark Levinson Phone” as it is a result of combined effort of LG and Mark Levinson. Due to its superior sound quality, it is ranked among the top players in the global audio market. This innovative cell phone has 3.15 MP camera with auto focus, 160 MB internal memory, 2-inch LCD main display, Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, MP4 video recording player and much more. Black and white are the available colors in this model.

LG’s new line up seems to be strong.  Like all the cell phone manufacturer’s LG is really leaning toward functionality but doing what they can to incorporate style into it.  We hope LG can keep up with their previous line ups of great phones in the years to come.