Archive for July, 2010

Cellular Accessories: Gps Systems

July 18th, 2010

A GPS (Global Positioning System) can be used either with a cell phone like many cellular accessories or as a standalone unit. Both ways appeal to many people. However, there are differences between the two. Then there’s the question of whether or not the cell phone GPA is as good as the standalone version.

With a cell phone GPS, cellular accessories that are growing in popularity, when you need to power it up, keep in mind that you will be using a lot of juice from the cell phone battery. This may be a convenience for you in one way; but in another, these batteries only have so much power that they drain very quickly. You may not be able to use the GPS for as long as you had planned. In addition to that, not only will the GPS time be cut short, but you will not have a battery for your phone until you charge it up again.

For the sound, you can use a headset that will connect with your phone. You will be able to hear it very well. The signals for HTC accessories like GPS will come from the phone service provider. If you get a weak signal or no signal at all, it will affect your GPS.

With a standalone GPS, it is strictly used for GPS functions. You will need a plug to charge up the system. It also comes with software made for that system. Your vehicle will be used as source of power through the cigarette lighter.

The built-in speakers will provide the sound. However, if you want additional features, you will need more HTC accessories or other cellular accessories. Since the standalone requires dependency on satellite to function, it’s important to note that the signal can easily be knocked out due to inclement weather. If a satellite system in your home can be knocked off track for a gust of wind and rain, then think what it can do to the standalone system.

Then there is the cost factor. People that have the phone based GPS system pay a monthly fee while the standalone GPS requires an upfront one-time payment. The phone based model offers an alternative if you use it for a day or so. However, if you have a need for the majority of the month, the monthly fee is better and cheaper.

Now that consumers have this information in front of them, they can decide whether or not the cell phone GPS is as good as the standalone. It is cheaper for those who are on a budget, but timewise it can be costly in terms of the life of the battery.

On the other hand, paying a one-time upfront fee for the standalone can be a better choice. However, there may be people who cannot afford it all at once. Then there’s the issue of having reliable satellite service. If you don’t live on an island, you may have a good shot.

These are factors that will weigh on whether the cell phone GPS can rank up there with the standalone model

Understanding Cellular Accessories

July 18th, 2010

If you have a cellular handset, the next thing on your list will surely be some cellular accessories including Audiovox Accessories! And it’s absolutely astonishing the things they’ve come up with that are to be used with a cell phone, all from the Didn’t Know You Needed It Department! But the one true must-have accessory of them all is something that’s simply been overlooked, from the Didn’t Even Know It Was An Accessory Department, because it isn’t the first thing that would normally be thought of when looking for cellular accessories.

You see, many wireless companies like to “lock” their phones so that, unfortunately, they can’t work with SIM cards from another. Unlocking your phone means to reverse this programming so that it will work with any SIM card, from any carrier. This means that you will be able to put any SIM card into any GSM phone – or vice-versa – and it will work. Thus, when switching carriers, you simply insert the new SIM card, from your new carrier, into your existing phone, and that’s it, with no account set-up or registration on your part!

You see, there exists a unique electronic number for each and every phone, and it is used by your carrier to identify your account. Through this identifying number, the carrier knows that a certain phone is yours and is able to route calls to you. But GSM cell phones are not directly linked to their owners, where the phone itself contains an identifying serial number. Instead, GSM phones contain a removable Subscriber Information Module card, or SIM card, that holds the serial number.

Now there are many kinds of cellular accessories and technologies in the world, with different protocols and standards, and two of them are GSM and CDMA. Now all else being equal, it shouldn’t matter much in terms of your call itself, with such issues as clarity and coverage. However, if you want to switch providers, it can make quite a difference in terms of your convenience, unless you don’t mind throwing away your handset (which you really should recycle instead!).

So you see, more than carrying cases or belt clips, unlocking your GSM cell phone is the one true must-have accessory. After all, what is it that cellular accessories do, anyway? They help you use your cell phone better somehow, enhancing your experience of the device. Unlocking your phone is not a physical accessory, but it definitely enhances your use of your cell phone, making it possible to switch carriers while keeping the same phone! That’s a great accessory but remember to look at all options including Audiovox accessories, as all have great qualities.v

Cellular Accessories: Changes Over A Decade

July 17th, 2010

What a difference a single decade can make in terms of technology. Ten years ago we were closing the year 1999, the century, and more importantly the millennium. We, that is all of society somehow involved in technology, were scared about the possibility of a giant setback known as Y2K. The idea was that many computers, including those that store our banking, health and work information stored data based on dates, but the year of those dates was shown by only two digits. So rather than writing 1995, a computer would input 95. Thus the computer would not know, in a new millennium, if 95 represented 1995, 2095, 1895, etc. So chaos ensued. However January 1, 2000 came and went with very few problems. And now we’ve forgetten this all together.

But look at that same year 1999 in terms of cell phones and cellular accessories. People were happy if they had the worm game on their phones. And phones were bare bones, basic. Good luck finding an unlocked GSM phone at that time. Good luck finding cellular accessories built into your phone. These things just weren’t on the radar. In fact, car phones were still common piece of new technology in the US. What a limited and dangerous decvice.

Today cell phones are beginning to grow out of cellular accessories. Not completely, some accessories such as belt clips, headsets and car chargers are practical and accessories so long as cell phones remain portable devices. But now cellular accessories are becoming built-in tools, for any phone such as a locked CDMA or an unlocked GSM phone. If you have a smart phone then mapping tools, restaurant and bar finders, social networking tools can all be downloaded or accessed at your fingertips. All this in ten years!

There are even accessories that border on the completely unnecessary have still found a market. Think about a cell-strap that senses the user’s aura and glows one of eight colors to signify the energy that customer is giving off! Ridiculous, yet on the market.

We are a technological society and we seem to take it all for granted. How many people, on a daily basis, are complaining about cell phone reception or worse yet, a weak WiFi signal, on their phone? Way too many is the answer. Our pocket devices talk to satellites just to let us know where the nearest sports bar is and yet we yell at them and complain about them incessantly. Next time you freak out about your phone, think about Y2K and how far we’ve come and how great we are at adapting to these kinds of hang ups.