by: Joe Macon

Short message service (SMS) is a wildly popular feature available on most digital mobile phones. SMS allows users to send short messages to other cell phones. These short messages are called text messages. SMS was invented by a Finnish civil servant named Matti Makkonen. Many people understand what SMS is, but few understand how it actually works.

In SMS, messages are sent with a “store-and-forward” mechanism. The messages are sent to a Short Message Service Center (SMSC), and then relayed to the intended recipient. If the messages do not reach the recipient upon the first attempt, then the SMSC will try again. It is important to understand that SMS delivery is not guaranteed. Many messages cannot be delivered, but the delivery is called “best effort.” The amount of attempts to send a text message varies with the company.

SMS messages are transmitted via SS7 within the standard GSM MAP framework. SMS messages have a certain payload length. The signaling protocol is precisely 140 bytes. In simple terms, SMS messages have very constrained character limits. This is why messages are sent in “txt speak.” Text speak is the practice of shortening words and phrases in order to fit messages into the allowed amount of bandwidth. SMS messages cost different amounts in different countries. In the United States, the average message costs 10 cents.

Text messages do not always have to be sent from mobile phone to mobile phone. AOL Instant Messenger has an option that will send instant messages to a cell phone. Additionally, there is a widget available for Mac OS X Tiger that will allow a user to send text messages to a cell phone from the dashboard. SMS messages can also be utilized to give news alerts. Additionally, SMS messages can be used to give sports updates and statistics. In this way, SMS messages are very versatile.

Technology is constantly evolving. SMS services prove that communication is becoming broader and easier. Technologists predict that SMS service will advance such that the service will be more reliable, and be able to store more data for the purpose of transmission.

About The Author

Joe Macon writes about a variety of technology topics, with a focus on SMS technology.

by: John Lim

The Best Cell Phone Plans Vary According to The Amount Of Calls You Make. Find Out If A Prepaid or Postpaid Plan Is The Right One For You.

Before buying the first prepaid or postpaid plan you see, it’s better to first find out about the different cell phone plans available. The best way to rate exactly what kind of plan you should have is to think about how much you’ll be making calls on your mobile phone. You also need to monitor the time (hour) that you often make calls. This is because most cell phone plans will be limited to ‘anytime’ minutes which mean that you can make limited calls during peak hours.

When looking at cell phone plans, you will also want to consider the amount of coverage you will get. It is important to know whether the prepaid or postpaid plan that you’re signing up for is local, regional or for nationwide coverage. If you do not travel a lot, then it doesn’t matter. But if you do, then it’s important to know what you’re getting into or you could find yourself paying a high price for ‘roaming’ charges. Take note that the cell phone plans with the best values are the ones that include free long distance calls.

A family plan is also an option when shopping for a cell phone plan. It allows you to share your monthly airtime allowance with additional lines. What’s great about postpaid packages like these is that you’ll be able to make free inter-network calling so you won’t have to pay to talk to your family members.

If you are still unsure of which postpaid plan to get, after reviewing the various cell phone plans available, then you might want to consider the prepaid option. The prepaid plan is best if you don’t have a consistent usage every month. What you do is pay a sum of money upfront and you’ll get a certain amount of time/minutes. When you’ve used up all your minutes, you’ll be able to renew it easily. One of the advantages of having a prepaid plan is that you don’t actually have to sign any contracts, although some telco providers may require you to fill in your details for security purposes. If you are unhappy about the prepaid plan at any time, you can terminate the prepaid plan without any hassles!

by: John Lim

Don’t Be Fooled When You Shop For New Cell Phones. When You Buy The Latest Mobile Phone, Make Sure It’s Really New.

So you’re thinking of buying the latest mobile phone and your friend says “Why not get a used cell phone? It’s cheaper and just as good!” Now that isn’t quite accurate. It may be true that you can get a fairly new second-hand cell phone at a cheaper price, but the question remains, why would you want to?

In the past, new cell phones used to be much more expensive and it was probably better to get a used mobile phone because of the price. But these days, it’s quite different. New cell phones are more reasonably priced and they come with great cell phone plans that you don’t want to miss out on. Obviously, you won’t be able to enjoy these offers when you buy a used phone.

It’s also true that you can still get some of the latest mobile phones when you buy them second-hand. But why would you want to buy a reconditioned phone? It may look like a new cell phone but you wouldn’t know if it has ever been broken or if any of its parts have been removed or replaced. If you’re shopping for the newest cell phones in the market, then you might as well get a brand new phone. The only reason you might want to get a used phone is because the mobile phone model that you’re interested in is either out-of-date or out of stock.

Honestly, if you’re looking to buy a new cell phone, then you might as well head to the store and get the latest mobile phone on offer. At the very least, you know that it’s new out of the box, and there is a negligible risk of your new cell phone breaking down for no apparent reason.

Of primary concern to all internet users is their actual connection to the internet.A user needs to look at all the factors and weigh the benefits and costs
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Reliability - is the connection available 24/7, or do you get a busy signal?
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Speed - at what speeds can a user upload and download files?
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Costs - what are the setup and monthly costs for the internet connection service?
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Support - is support available 24/7 and is it free or is there a cost associated with it?
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Availability - is the desired service available at your location?

Available options with good and bad features include:Local dial up with phone company (local isp) - While this many times is the simplest, often times, they are the most costly and support can be an issue. Speeds are typically the slowest at 26k to 56k connection speeds.

Software file compression- If you only have 26k dialup isp connections available to you or you want to speed up your DSL connections, this is an important option you should take a look at. With this type of software you can increase your internet connection speeds by as much as five times for very little money. Popular software products that accomplish this are ActiveSpeed, PropelAccelerator, Dr. Speed, and SuperSpeeder, Highly recommended solution to increasing your browsing experience.

Local dial up with national firm - This is by far the most popular with companies like AOL, People PC, Juno, EarthLink, and Netzero providing this service to millions of users. These certainly are the most cost effective and provide excellent 24/7 support. With the high speed upgrade options you can approach 112 k speeds. If the company has a local or toll free number available in your area, then this alternative provides the lowest cost isp internet connection.

Cable connection - If cable TV is available in your area, many firms also provide an internet connection for an additional fee. Requires special cable modem. Speeds are anywhere from 512k to 10Mps.

DSL or digital service line - Many local phone companies are providing this service to selected areas. Requires installation of DSL modem on your computer and speeds typically are from 512k to 9Mps. The distance from the local hub also affects your speed. You will pay 2 to 3 times the costs of basic dial up.

Broadband - Is a term loosely thrown around that is applied to a DSL, cable, wireless, or satellite internet connections. Technically broadband is a minimum of 1.5Mbs but is used to market products with bandwidth as low as 512k. When you hear the term broadband used, think like "health food", an undefined marketing catch word.

Wireless internet connection - This option is available in limited area's and requires a wireless modem on your computer. Speeds typically are 2Mbps and this is a flexible approach as you do not need to be hardwired or plugged in. Available in many metro area's.

Satellite internet connection - This is the perfect solution for remote area's if you require a high speed internet connection. Upload and download speeds are different and in some cases you can only download via satellite and are required to upload via dial up. This is the most expensive alternative, but you can get service basically anywhere in the world. Speeds starting at 500k are available. Contact Directway for dependable and fast satellite internet connections.

by: Matre Eringto

As mobile phones define one's personality in the same way ringtone defines mobile phones personality. Ringtone is nothing but the pleasing sound from the mobile instrument indicating an incoming call. It provides a sense of personalization to your mobile phone. Using the same old dull ring tone will never be able to differentiate you in the crowd. But, having a personal ring tone will immediately grab the attention. So ring tones are melodies, tunes, sound, noise your mobile make when an incoming call or message arrives.

Ringtone has become a rage among cell phone users, especially youth. Ringtones have brought around a fresh round of innovations to otherwise monotonous mobile phone market. There is always competition among youth for the ringtones downloaded and put to use. Ringtones show that you're up to date and happening. You can truly display your lifestyle and certainly your musical taste on your sleeve.

There are typically two different types of ringtones: monophonic ringtones and polyphonic ringtones. Monophonic tones are simple tunes, most commonly compatible with today's cell phones. The majority of cell phones previously could only make a single tone at a time. The monophonic tones comprised of a series of sequential tones at different frequencies. Polyphonic tones are played on each and every cellular phone now a days that have the capability of playing up to 16 separate tones at once. The combination of tones creates a harmonic melody. Polyphonic ringtones are more musical than a monophonic ringtone.

New ringtone services are operating in order to offer ringtones for download. These ringtones vary from old numbers to just released songs from latest albums. There also are sound effects, anything from chirping crickets to a rocket blasting off to a galloping horse. Ringtones can either be downloaded from net or can be created by the user. The websites vary in that some allow you to purchase specific ringtones while others offer subscriptions that allow you to download an unlimited number of ringtones. Users often download multiple tones so that they can have different rings for different callers. Software is also available that allow consumers to create their own melodic ringtones. The software runs on a computer, and once the tune is set it can be transferred to the phone via a data cable.

Some technical websites declare that the cell phone of tomorrow will replace the MP3 players of today. This will be possible once a dual use battery is invented that can hold a sufficiently long enough charge. The power would last more than a few hours and could be easily recharged. The technicians declare that memory capabilities must be enhanced so that the user can download and store hundreds and thousands of songs. This isn't that far off, in fact an MP3 player being replaced by a cell phone is considered possible within 5 years according to most technical websites. The development has started and there's no looking back. Consumers spent nearly $3.5 billion last year to download 30-second polyphonic renderings of popular songs. Thousands of ringtones are available to suit the personality and mood of the user.

About The Author

Matre Eringto is the owner of Ringtones I which is a premier resource for ringtones information.