Mobile Phones Blog

You can't accuse the phone manufacturers of resting on their laurels. Sony Ericsson has announced yet more handsets to increase their burgeoning product portfolio; the first item of interest is the W580.

Sony Ericsson must have realised that we are all drinking and eating too much and they have to get us in the gym as the slide open W580 features a pedometer and a variety of other sports based applications that will enable you to 'feel the burn' or 'get in the zone'. Exercise is obviously not something that appeals to everyone so its lucky that we also have a 2 megapixel camera with FM radio and a sharp 262k TFT screen to keep us couch based humans happy. When you factor in the memory stick micro card slot to store your exercise mix on, it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to suggest that this phone will give you a six pack. OK that might be a lie.

The next handset on the mobile menu is the Z750. This phone looks much like the female friendly Z610i but it features a raft of technical improvements. The main feature that jumps out from the press release is HSDPA compatibility, which is a first for Sony Ericsson. In terms of hardware the Z750 is much the same as the Z610 (the very standard 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, M2 memory card slot) except it has an FM radio and an enhanced display.

So here you have two phones that are both technically accomplished and desirably styled. Obviously choosing between them is a matter of preference but it wouldn't be wild speculation to suggest that these handsets will be quite popular.

According to reports Blyk, the free mobile operator, is about to ink a deal with Orange which will give it access to the UK market. Blyk is a free mobile operator, targeted towards young people, that is funded by advertising. People receive free calls and texts if they are willing to receive adverts on their phones.

Blyk is a start up run by the former president of Nokia and has an impressive roster of advertisers including Buena Vista and Coca-cola. But right now there are more questions than answers. It has not yet been confirmed how the user will receive the service or what the adverts will look like. There is no definite word that Orange has even signed a deal. But the great unknown in the business plan is whether the people who sit through these adverts will actually buy the products. But with the internet rumour mill in full swing an announcement is sure to appear very soon.

This does sound like it could be a very lucrative venture and parents will certainly welcome it if it means they won't be hassled for phone credit every five minutes. Now all we need is something to stop them using their mobiles to play happy hardcore mash ups on the bus;

The much vaunted new penalties for using your mobile phone whilst driving came into force on the 27^th of February. Now the police can sting you with a minimum of three points on your licence and a £60 fine if you're caught in the act. It's estimated that around 90% of drivers stopped using their mobiles while driving since the law came into force at the end of 2003, when the smaller fine of £30 was introduced. But it's been pretty common lately to see people driving around with a mobile perched on their shoulder. Around 10 million motorists admit to still doing it. So it's clear that everyone needs to be reminded that you are four times more likely to have an accident whilst using a mobile phone. To put that into perspective, using a mobile phone while driving makes you more at risk of an accident than driving when drunk. Shockingly some people even admit to texting at the wheel.

So in the interest of saving you a few quid (and maybe saving your life or someone else's) I thought I would give you a reminder that if you go hands free you'll be going legal. Most phones have a speaker feature or you can buy one of the many stylish Bluetooth headsets that are currently available. However I (and not forgetting the police) would argue that it's always best to turn your phone off completely when you're burning up the road. Some have argued that talking on a mobile with hands free is no different to talking to a passenger. But remember, a passenger in your car can see when you're about to run into a brick wall. Someone on the other end of the phone obviously can't do that. Calling to find out what you've got for dinner or what the football score is certainly isn't worth a life.