GeekSugar

Are You Afraid to Be Without Your Cell Phone?

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:43:57 PST

Do you suffer from Nomophobia, the fear of being without a mobile phone? According to a new survey out of the UK, two out of every three adults have anxiety, and some are even terrified of being without cell phone contact on any given day.

As we become dependent on technology, it's no wonder that people feel like they've lost a limb if they forget their cell phone at home (guilty as charged!), but becoming anxious to the point of terror is quite another issue.

Tell me - are you afraid to be without your cell phone during the day?

Vertu's Year of the Dragon Phone Will Set You Back $20,000

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:21:16 PST

In Chinese astrology, the dragon signifies luck. And you'd be lucky to have enough cash to acquire the Year of the Dragon smartphone. In honor of the upcoming Lunar New Year, Vurtu has crafted a luxurious mobile phone with a price tag that will have you breathing fire: $20,815.

Coming in three different models with stainless steel, yellow gold, rubies, diamonds, emeralds, and a hand-crafted dragon adorned on the battery cover, the (rumored) Symbian-running device will be produced in very short supply in Asia only, but will come with a perk not usually associated with mobile phones - one free year of concierge service.

Though, the Dragon phone has nothing on the world's most expensive cell phone, which was priced at 1.2 million dollars.

3 Ways to Protect Your Mobile Phone During Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:39:30 PST

Mobile shopping is on the rise. In fact, nearly 60 million users will shop on their mobile phone for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this year. Just because you might be using your smartphone to shop for gifts this year doesn't mean you aren't at risk for hacking, viruses, malware, or identity theft (especially if you're an Android owner, just sayin').

Since we increasingly put more personal information on our phones, including photos, emails, current location, and finances, you might want to consider downloading these services to protect your cell phone from malicious hackers. It's better to be safe than sorry!

McAfee VirusScan Mobile - Protects against viruses, worms, spyware Trojan horses, and battery-exhausting malware. In addition, it offers security for email, instant message, and Internet downloads.
Lookout - An award-winning mobile security service for Android, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry to scan and detect viruses, malware, and spyware. Lookout also acts as a backup system to restore data.
Norton Mobile Security - Offers protection against cell phone loss, theft, and malware for Android.
In addition to these, AT&T is working with Juniper Networks to release an antivirus and antimalware app for mobile phones, especially for Android, BlackBerry, and Windows phones. The scheduled release is for 2012.

While iPhones tend to be safer than Android phones, iPhone users aren't out of the clear. As people start to use their phones as a wallet and way to manage their money, iPhone hackers will start to creep up. Do you plan on investing in mobile protection, or do you think that it's unlikely that your phone will be hacked into?

Cell Phone Safety Tips For Paris Hilton (and You)

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:23:48 PDT

Reality star Paris Hilton reportedly lost two smartphones on a flight from Dubai to Manila over the weekend. Though both phones were located in her carry-on bag, she couldn't find them once it was time to deboard the plane. We've all experienced that sinking feeling when you can't find your cell; it's more than just a communication device these days. It's a device that holds a lot of personal information, especially if you have loaded up on banking, shopping, and instant purchase apps.

Before you make like Paris and lose your smartphone, follow some of these basic safety tips to keep from losing your phone, your personal info, and your mind.

Don't Let Your Cell Go Unprotected

Password-protect your home screen so hackers can't access your private info if lost or stolen. Here's how:

For iPhone: From the home screen, select Settings > General > Passcode Lock
For Android: From the home screen, choose Settings > Security > Screen lock and set an alphanumeric password for your home screen.
For BlackBerry: From the home screen, select Options > Security Options > General Settings > Password > Enabled

Locate and Wipe It Clean

It's a good idea to enlist a service or app that wipes your cell clean of any personal info if by chance it is lost or stolen. Norton Security and Apple's MobileMe app both let you remote lock and wipe your phone of sensitive info, while MobileMe can also locate your device on a map and track it down if you've left it behind.

Cell Phone Tips For Traveling Abroad

GeekSugar — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 06:47:22 PDT

Heading overseas this Summer? Your smartphone may be an essential gadget to have along on any trip, but data roaming and voice calls while outside your coverage area can lead to big surprises on your next cell phone bill. So how do you keep costs down? Check out these tips that will help ensure you stay within your budget, and not break the bank next time you travel abroad.

Use WiFi where you can - After you kill your data, 3G, and cellular functions, enable your WiFi to jump on free signals to check email or make calls via Google Voice or Skype.
Turn your iPhone's "Fetch" and "Push" off - I have my iPhone set to "fetch" my data every 30 minutes, and a ton of apps set to push new messages and alerts as they happen. This is great for keeping up with news and messages when I'm at home, but very bad if abroad since it uses 3G data instead of my known WiFi networks. Turn your "fetch" functions off on your iPhone, just go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, and Calendars > Fetch New Data > Manually. You can also turn off your email and calendar "push" from this screen. To turn off app "push" notifications, head to Settings > Notifications, then switch to off.

See the rest of my tips after the jump.

Do You Power Off Electronics During Takeoff and Landing?

Kristy Korcz — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 04:11:57 PDT

In a story that many of us have heard before, engineering and aviation experts are saying that electronic devices can interfere with an airplane's controls. While the experts also say that the signals emitted by electronic devices don't cause a problem every time (and not even close to the majority of the time), they still have the potential to cause trouble in the cockpit during takeoff and landing. In fact, a recent report by the International Air Transport Association cites 75 cases where electronic interference may have caused problems with a plane's autopilot, autothrust, and landing gear, even navigation and communications systems.

We all get the same message when boarding a plane: all electronic devices must be powered off during takeoff and landing, but tell me - how many of you actually follow instructions?

3 Easy Tips to Stay Secure on Android

GeekSugar — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:31:49 PDT

With the seemingly constant stream of new Android-powered phones and tablets to wireless carriers, the Android app market is now a worthy competitor to Apple's App Store. Because of Android's open developer environment, some security risks are inherent. Though Google regularly checks for malware or other infectious software within the available apps, the open nature of the OS and the ability of developers to post apps directly to the Android market mean that some security threats might filter through. That shouldn't deter you from reaping the benefits of an open source life, it just requires a bit of precaution.

Do your homework - Before downloading apps from the Android market, read other users' reviews and reference reviews from respected media sources.
Review app permissions - Check what sort of access the application is asking for within your device. Does a solitaire app really need access to your contacts and call logs? If you don't feel comfortable allowing the app creator access to private information, keep browsing the marketplace until you find that Goldilocks app.
Password, password, password - As we noted recently, passwords are key in remaining digitally secure. Should your EVO be lost or stolen, a clever password may hamper any efforts to access personal information on the device.

Additionally, there are plenty of security apps, many of them free, available to Android lovers. Remember to read the fine print and reviews to find the apps best for you, and just like email or web pop-ups, if something looks suspect, it probably is.

Cell Phone Signals Are Killing Honeybees

Angelica Marden — Fri, 13 May 2011 10:10:24 PDT

Here's some not-so-sweet news: According to a new study, the signals from cell phones disorient honeybees and can actually lead to their death.

The study found that when mobile handsets were placed by honeybees they had a "dramatic impact on the behavior of the bees, namely by inducing the worker piping signal." In the natural environment, "worker piping" announces the swarming process of the bee colony or is a signal of a disturbed bee colony. As you can imagine, both get the bees buzzing.

This is a point of concern given our food crops are pollinated by honeybees, and the UN already reports that the bee population is dropping all over the world. Just another reason to unplug and turn off your phone when you can.

12 Tech Tips For National Etiquette Week

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:56:43 PDT

Today kicks off National Etiquette Week, and it's come at a good time - apparently, Americans have terrible tech manners! We've rounded up some of our most helpful and handy tech etiquette tips to keep you in the good graces of your friends, family, and co-workers, so check them out. And be sure to leave your etiquette tips in the comments or on our Facebook page, so we can round up your awesome tips, too!

Does Your Child Have a Cell Phone?

LilSugar — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 07:02:47 PDT

Call me! Text me! Tweet me! If you're used to hearing those phrases in front of school you aren't alone. Twenty percent of children between six and 11 years old had a cell in 2009, according to a Mediamark survey and that number has only increased. Cell phones certainly streamline family communication, but the question of whether or not children should carry their own cells is a common one. Do your children have their own phone?