Assignment 3 Essay posted online

Third generation phones and pros and cons

Abstract
All over the world 3 G mobile phones are getting more popular. You can send motion pictures with it, surf the internet and send symbols and logos. With all this comes a threat of being watched. If you have the skills and the equipment you can easily track a mobile phone or a phones history. Are 3 G phones to the best for the users or is it a threat to our privacy?

Introduction
For only fifteen years ago mobile phones were not exactly common day use. It was something really exceptional. Now a day's mobile phones are so ordinary that they often are given away in connection with marketing schemes and production promotions. Mobile phones are a dominating voice communication medium. However they have to take on new challenges in the likes of video, multimedia traffic and transmitting high speed data. 3G phones are capable of high data rate internet connection. It can give "always on" internet and do many services that are available on computers accessible to mobile users (Safavi-Naini, R. Susilo, W. Taban, G. 10-12 Oct. 2001). Early analogue mobile phones are called first generation mobile phones. Second generation phones features digital radio technologies. Third generation mobile phones needed to handle all the new technologies (Oliphant, M.W. Aug 1999).

Discussion
Yong people are taking advantage of 3G phones. Instead of sending SMS, they are now sending moving images, sound-bytes, symbols and logos. Studies shows that 3G phones offers people the possibility to communicate with content themselves have produced. This being said they are scared by the privacy of the content they have produced. Instead they download content for a fee. This indicates for creators that they have to make channels more secure so they can produce their own content and distribute them across platforms (Christine Satchell, Supriya Singh, 2004).

If you have a 3G phone there can be people watching you. According to Kristina Dell (March 27, 2007) People can get your call records and sell them further on to make money. It can also be used for good reasons. 3 G phones can be triangulated within 300 yards. Police can then track a suspect for instance. Using GPS data drivers can be alerted by officials via their mobile phone about gridlocks and reroute them. There is also a program which helps out employers. A program embedded in your company phone can help them check out if you playing hooky. Moreover have Cambodia banned 3G phones. this as result because Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's wife received pornography on her 3G phone (Lester Haines, 26 may 2006). In Italy the mafia tried to use the 3G phone in an inventive way. They wanted to manipulate the vote in oncoming regional elections by taking picture and send them proving they have cast their ballot as told. The Italian authorities took action and banned mobile phones in the polling stations (http://news.bbc.co.uk, 16 May, 2003).

Even though you manage to keep your phone private you can still end up with people checking everything you have on it. ‘Trust digital’ is a company that makes mobile phone security software for large companies. They bought staff member’s top modern mobile phones from eBay. Then they used software to get information out of the phones. What they found was shocking. A total of 27,000 pages of information including passwords, bank accounts, exchanges between lovers, prescription drug information, e-mail accounts and passwords among heaps of other information were retrieved from the phones. Erase all information on your phone is practical impossible. Not many people are aware of that cell phones use something called a "static" memory chip. This chip retrieves information even when the power is off. They store the likes of pictures, numbers, and voice mail passwords and saved instant messages. You can also get information from a mobile phone from a person you don not even know. A company named Locatecell can sell you the last 100 outgoing calls on any mobile phone for a small amount of money. You will also get address for the numbers called if that is available. Cell phone providers are working hard to stop this information leak, but without successful outcome (Royal Van Horn, November 2006).

Based on 3G mobile technology links a lifesaving product have been brought to life. Inside of an ambulance it was installed a laptop computer and a digital camcorder. This was done in order to allow videoconferencing between the moving ambulance and a doctor at a base station. Including the video and voice they also made it possible to send high quality images. In Athens they tested this experiment in a series of 17 trial runs with real patients in the ambulance. The result was clear videoconferencing produced with a fair degree of clear video. The whole testing period included 23 hours in an area of about 180 square km. they only lost contact nine times with a total of 17 minutes. This study made it clear that the system could shorten the time prior to the patient was seen by a doctor. (Konstantinos A Banitsas, Konstantinos Perakis, Sapal Tachakra, Dimitrios Koutsouris, 2006). They also have 3G phones for the blind and deaf. This model can offer a real-time communication in video, real-time text and voice. A new model called the Textlink 9100 make it easier for the disabled. This phone is kind of like an instant messenger. If you are deaf and the phone rings you can not hear it. Now you can get a phone that blinks instead of making noise (Tamlin Magee, http://www.theinquirer.net, 02 April 2007).

Conclusion
It is to be said that the introduction of 3G phones both have been positive and negative. There are so many things you can use this technology for. A study has suggested that the way people communicate can be changed by the expanding use of 3G phones. it can also make new trends and tribes. The study shows that the technology a 3G phone possess can motivate a generation of users. Film makers, clubbers and bloggers are taking advantages of it. it offers a span of high speed mobile services including e-mail, games, video calling and messaging, photo messaging and information services. Mobile network 3 had a study that shows that 62% of current 3G users were men. The technology is most popular among the wealthier 25-35 age group than the 18-24 group that marketers most often market to. Women could use the phone for security and take picture of the taxi driver for example. Blind date is not a blind date because you can send photos to each other on forehand (Adam Blenford, 23 March, 2006). Furthermore, across the globe parents are concerned that 3G phones with Net access and their built in camera are a threat to their children’s safety. Research by NCH can tell that three out of four parents are worried about 3 G technologies. John Carr claims that this poll gives evidence that it gives parents lots of concerns about this kind of technology. NCH believes that if the mobile operators really want 3G phones to take off in the market among youngsters they have to prove to the parents that their product are safe or can be made safe. in order to this Orange, O2, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone and 3, all British mobile phone operators presented a joint code of practice to avoid children from approaching gaming, porn and other inappropriate content on their phone (Tim Richardson, 6 may 2004).


Reference list
Banitsas, Konstantinos A, Perakis,Konstantinos, Tachakra, Sapal, Koutsouris, Dimitrios (2006) 'Use of 3G mobile phone links for teleconsultation between a moving ambulance and a hospital base station' Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. London: 2006. Vol. 12, Iss. 1; pg. 23, 4 pgs

Blenford, Adam (23 march, 2006) Text http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4833426.stm (accessed 10 may 2007)

Dell, Kristina (March 27, 2007)'the spy in your pocket' Time. New York: Mar 27, 2006: Vol. 167, Iss. 13; pg. 45, 1 pgs

Haines, lester(26 may 2006) 'Cambodia bans 3G phones' Text http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/26/cambodia_3g_ban/ (accessed 10 may 2007)

Oliphant, M.W. (1999) 'the mobile phone meets the internet' Spectrum, IEEE Aug 1999: Volume: 36, Issue: 8

Satchell, Christine, Singh, Supriya (2004) '3G Multimedia Content Production as Social Communication' Text http://mams.rmit.edu.au/wsuucner3urj.pdf (accessed 10 may 2007)

'Mafia turns to 3G video phones'(16 may, 2003) Text http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3033551.stm (accessed 10 may 2007)

Magee, Tamlin (2.april 2007) '3G phones for the deaf coming' Text http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=38656 accessed 10 may 2007)

Richardson, Tim (6 may 2004) 'Parents worried about 3G phones' Text http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/05/06/nch_3g_worries/ (accessed 10 may 2007)

Safavi-Naini, R. Susilo, W. Taban, G. (08.07 2002) 'Towards securing 3G mobile phones' http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=962344 Publication Date: 10-12 Oct: 2001 222- 227

Van Horn, Royal (November, 2006) 'Privacy update’ Phi Delta Kappan. Bloomington: Nov 2006: Vol. 88, Iss. 3; pg. 183, 2 pgs