Talk Mobiles Blog

ID theft a reality for mobile users

Fri, 15 May 2009 16:12:22 BST

New research has been carried out by security firm Credant into just how safe mobile phone users are from the threat of data theft. The results are quite shocking, and suggest that up to 4.2 million people across the country are at risk of becoming victims of identity theft due to sensitive data being stored on their mobile handsets.

Credant interviewed a selection of London commuters for its research, and the figures reveal that more and more people are saving data on their phones that is potentially sensitive without realising the dangers that this represents to them or to the people whose details they hold on the handsets.

The research found that 24% of those interviewed kept their passwords or pin numbers on their phones, and that 10% store credit card information. But despite that, only 6 in 10 people use a password to protect their phones, meaning they are leaving them open to abuse if the handsets are stolen.

And it’s not just personal details that are being put at risk. 99% of those interviewed used their phones to conduct business of some sort, meaning the contact details of colleagues and clients are being put at risk as well.

One of the reasons that the problem is so large is the proliferation of smartphones. As phone handsets have become ever more capable and people have become increasingly dependent on them, more and more data is being stored on them. Although this is very convenient, it is putting a greater number of people at risk.

Experts say that if you are going to keep sensitive data on your phone then password protection or even data encryption is essential in order to reduce the risks.

Graham Cluley, who is the senior technology consultant for the security firm Sophos, said after reading the findings that for people storing sensitive data on their phones, they “must ensure it's protected by a good password - or even better a pass-phrase”.

'Freedom Packs' from Vodafone

Fri, 08 May 2009 16:31:06 BST

Hard-pressed Vodafone customers are to be offered a new money-saving gimmick by the mobile operator. The company has just released ‘Freedom Packs’, its way of helping its customers to pay less for a lot more, and they are certain to prove popular in these cash-strapped times.

The 'Freedom Packs' are available to PAYG customers only, and consist of rewards for topping up with a certain amount. If customers top up by £10 in one go, they will receive 300 texts and 100 minutes of phone calls, which is worth £50 normally.

This is a phenomenal deal, but if customers top up by £15 or £20 in one go then the rewards are even greater. £15 leads to 600 texts and 200 minutes of talk time, double the amount of the £10 top-up, and £20 leads to unlimited texts and 300 minutes.

The bonuses will last for 30 days from the moment that they have been topped up, providing plenty of time for customers to take advantage of the features.

Vodafone is already one of the leaders when it comes to the PAYG mobile market. Other offers that the company already has are its ‘Free Weekends’ deal and the ‘Text Unlimited’ deal, offering free texts every month.

But the latest Freedom Packs are certain to lead to a new level of competition in the PAYG market. PAYG phones are an obvious choice for people in the current economic climate who do not want to get drawn into a long and costly contract, and by offering such a good deal Vodafone is certain to tempt more people towards getting a PAYG handset instead.

Live mobile TV from BBC

Fri, 01 May 2009 16:17:40 BST

It has been revealed that the BBC has been trialling a new feature that will allow mobile phone users to watch live BBC TV programmes on their mobile handsets. The BBC has already seen its iPlayer become a huge success online, which offers viewers the chance to catch up with any programmes in the last week that they have missed. However, this is a completely different arena, and if successful could change the way we watch TV altogether.

The free mobile TV service is currently in its Beta phase, meaning that it is only available on a very select number of mobile handsets. It is also only available over Wi-Fi connections, and will not work over a 3G connection. It is unsure whether this will change in the future or whether this will remain the case.

The news only broke recently, but the BBC was quick to release a statement saying that the service has been trialled since last year, and that it is not some kind of covert operation. It is being offered through the iPlayer for mobiles service, and the BBC has said that it will be quite a while before this becomes a regular service.

All the main BBC channels are currently available on the free TV service for those phones that have access to it, but the BBC has pointed out that it is still a criminal offence to watch the programmes without a valid TV licence. How they are going to enforce this in the future, however, is anyone’s guess.

Nokia 'Point and Find' launched

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:37:23 BST

‘Point and Find’ is a new futuristic device released from Nokia, whereby users point their mobile phones at an object or a picture and the phone is then able to produce a wealth of information about it right on the spot.

It all sounds very hi-tech, but it’s real and the Beta version has just been launched in the UK and the US. It works by using the camera and the internet connection on the handset. Although a picture is not actually taken, the viewer captures the image, sends it off to some huge database in cyberspace, where it is then cross referenced with other items and information is collected and delivered back to the phone in seconds.

The Beta version is limited to film posters at the moment, meaning the user can simply point their phone at a film poster and receive information on reviews, trailers and showing times in seconds. However, in the future the aim is to have a system that works for almost anything. It is also limited to certain Nokia handsets for the time being, but over time the feature will not just be available on Nokia phones and could become a regular addition to most handsets.

This could completely change the way that we use our mobile phones, but the possibilities for marketing are even greater. In the not-too-distant future, it is quite likely that companies will place ads which, when people use the ‘Point and Shoot feature’, will be able to provide videos, music and adverts straight to their phones.

Skype now available on iPhone

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:33:56 BST

After causing conflict across the mobile phone industry over recent weeks, Skype has now managed to arrive on the iPhone and the iPod Touch, which has itself caused more than a few ripples through the industry.

The free Skype application essentially allows users to make free calls over the internet to other Skype users, as well as low-cost calls to landlines all over the world. It also allows users to send texts to mobile phones.

However, it is not all as great as it sounds and will surely not make the iPhone network providers, which in the UK is O2, redundant. For a start, Skype can only be used on a Wi-Fi connection rather than 3G. This means that users cannot simply use Skype rather than their regular network whenever they want.

On top of that, the call quality will vary depending on where the phone is being used. If the Wi-Fi connection is in a bar with lots of other users, it will not be as good as using the regular network.

However, the application’s popularity has been phenomenal, racking up over a million downloads in the first two days alone. This is sure to worry the industry players, who will be worried about losing revenue to calls made over Skype. Only recently, O2 and Orange were threatening not to stock the Nokia N97 unless the in-built Skype application was removed, so it is fair to say that they will not be too happy with the latest developments and will be hoping that Skype does not prove as popular as it’s download figures have suggested.

SIM-free iPhone from Play.com

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:56:12 BST

Up until last week, if you wanted an iPhone then the only way to go about it was through O2. And even though O2 has just announced cheaper deals where customers can get the iPhone for free on longer contracts, a new option has arrived on the market from Play.com.

The online company has just announced that it will be offering the iPhone on a SIM-free basis, meaning customers will not have to sign up to a hefty contract with O2 in order to get all the benefits of the revolutionary phone.

This caused a few ripples through the industry, and many people were quick to question the legitimacy of the deal. However, Play.com has assured its customers that anyone who buys an iPhone from the company will be covered by Apple’s warranty. Indeed, the company actively encourages its customers to sign up on the Apple website after purchasing one.

It wasn’t long ago that Apple was threatening to block iPhones that were unlocked by their owners, and that any that were would not be covered by the warranty. However, Play.com says that the move has been possible due to “EU legislation ensuring the sale of SIM-free mobile phones”.

It’s all great news for those who are looking for a bit more choice, but it will of course come at a cost. The 8GB version is selling for £549.99, and the 16GB is currently selling for £599.99, although this could well go up in the near future. This is still cheaper than taking out a two-year contract with O2, but then you have to factor in money spent on a different contract as well.

And with rumours circulating that a new iPhone model will be released this summer, do you really want to splash out a small fortune on something that is sure to go down in value on the announcement of any new models?