I was looking for a PDA phone to buy so that with Wifi, I could use Skype even without my laptop. I narrowed my choice down to the Dopod 818 pro or the HP 6282 PDA phones. But recently Starhub slashed the price of the o2 Xda stealth making it quite a bargain as a newly owned model could be bought at around the second hand prices of 818 pro and 6282.

Anyway after sometime of searching, I saw a pretty good deal on vrforums .It turned out the seller was quite dishonest both about the age, the origin and the condition of the phone. Just to help everyone, here is a handy list of items to check when buying a second hand phone

1. Check IMEI
The IMEI is a code that identifies each phone. No 2 phones have the same number and manufacturers use this number to verify stolen phones and the amount of warranty that your phone has. Check that the IMEI number on the phone corresponds to the number on the box and receipts. If the numbers differ, there could be several reasons. The first is that the phone is a stolen/ found set or the phone had been sent for servicing and had the main board replaced. Both situations are warning signs of a problematic phone.

2. Examine the Original Receipt
Get a receipt from the seller. If it comes from a reputable retail outlet, then you do not have to worry much. The receipt will be able to tell you when the phone is bought and how much warranty is left. Phones usually have only 1 year warranty. However if you see a receipt that is of dubious origin, be very wary. The receipt might be faked to make the phone look younger than it actually is. It might even be from a second hand dealer trying to sell off the phone again.

3. Closely Inspect the Exterior
This step is rather simple and should give you an idea of how old the phone is. Wear and tear will occur. Usually this means the buttons’ paint will peel of. For PDA phones, the paint near the Stylus slot will also peel off. Ensure that the condition is what you expect to pay for. Ratings by sellers are very subjective therefore when no photos are uploaded, buy only when satisfied of the condition.

4. Stress Test the Keypad
Press all the buttons…many times…phones should be able to withstand multiple presses without giving away.

5. Do a Detailed Check of the Functions
After you are done with the exterior, it is time to check the phone itself. Try every function that the phone has. A laptop or another phone will come in handy at this time. For pocketPC phones, there is a self test function under the “Programs” Menu. You can use that to check the various functions of the phone.Phone manufacters have a secert code on their phones that will allow access to a menu that test the functions of the phone.(Sony Ericsson: -> * <- <- * <- *)
Example of functions to check
· Calling
· SMS
· Bluetooth
· Music Players (Speakers)
· Infrared Red
· Wifi
· GPS

6. Scratches on the Display?
Check the LCD display. Dead pixels are rare in phones unlike LCD monitors. But for phones, try to see if there are scratches on the screen. Scratches are expensive to repair and most people should buy a lcd screen protector to ensure the high resale value of their phone.

7. Moving Parts
Some phones have sliders, flippers. Try them to test if they are flimsy. Moving parts tend to be easily damaged by drops and frequent use.

8. Battery life
Batteries drop in performance as they age. However even a second hand phone should not use more than 10% of its battery in the time you are testing. This point is hard to check and the best solution is to get a personal warranty from the seller so that you can test the battery life later.

9. Charger
Plug in the charger and see if the phone charges the battery. Try to nudge the charger connection a bit to see if the charging port is loose.

10. Accessories
Usually most phones have headsets now. Plug em in and repeat the calling test

One last thing…

11. Is there Warranty?
Get the warranty card. See if it has been sent in. Some manufacturers will not honor their warranty if the card has not been sent in within a few days of purchase. Some brands will also have their users register their warranty online. Prior to meeting the seller, get the IMEI number and do a warranty check online. Also ask the seller for a 7 days personal warranty so that you have time to interact and ensure that the phone is in working condition.

This is unlikely to be an exhaustive list of what to check when buying a second hand phones. Everyone should exercise caution and bear in the mind the saying of “caveat emptor”

You might also be interested in:
10 Totally Cool Phone Prototypes Everyone Hopes to Own
Top 10 Predictions of New Uses for Your Mobile phone

1) Google Vision Phone
Transparent displays that can be rolled up? Now the problem is, how do you press the button on the screen if both hands have to be used to hold the phone?

2) Mountable wall phone
The circle in the middle is not a joystick. It is the connector to the cradle. Just mount your phone and your phone will be handsfree and charging.

3) Asus Aura
Accelerometer sensor to sense the orientation of the phone. Slide out keyboard

4) Tiny Phone Concept
Smallest Phone possible
Can only call people but it is smaller than your pen 4 buttons that can slide to make up the 12 inputs necessary to make and receive calls

5) NEC Tag
“shape-memorizing” material — the tag will bend and twist at your command.
The unbreakable phone. Folds and shape twist instead of breaking. Can be strapped on your wrist or around your neck.

6) CUin5 Interesting Concept Phone
With this phone, you will have as many keys as you would like. No display though. And it has a microphone and speaker on every side of the phone. Again…not sure what use that would be for

7) Finger Phone
Turn Your Fingers into a Mobile Phone
Work by projecting laser beams to your hand and sensing if you have touched them
Super cool…though not sure if it will really work

Nokia Aeon
2 Separate Panels that are entirely touch screen. Buttons are all virtual meaning that the GUI can be changes according to the program being used.

9)Synaptics Oynx

Synaptics‘ revolutionary clear capacitive touch screen Synaptics enabling technology, interaction design proficiency and concept prototyping capabilities with Pilotfish’s user interface and industrial design expertise

10) Ozel Phone
This is a project I am working on. Can’t give much detail except that it is software and hard customizable. You can also put multiple phones together and create a larger screen for watching movies or gaming.

You might also be interested in:

Top 10 Predictions of New Uses for Your Mobile phone

Top 10 Ways People Use Their Mobiles Now

Copyright : TodaysTen.com

Mobile phones are becoming increasingly more powerful. Here are 10 new uses of mobile phones that will create new opportunities for entrepreneurs to tap on. Many of the features are in prototype phase or already in commercial use in countries where cell phones are more advanced i.e. Japan.

Top 10 Predictions of New Uses for Your Mobile phone

1. Larger Processor, bandwidth, Storage (Always)
a. Similar to the computer industry, the capabilities of cell phones are matching those of old generation desktops. Although it is certain that cell phones will always be underpowered compared to desktops, it is also true that cell phones do not need to be as powerful as a desktop as the application range is different.

2. Accessories/Customization (Always)
a. Currently customization of a cell phone is pretty much limited to ringtones and graphical themes. Will we see further customization on the software side if OS are opened up? Ubuntu Linux has 3D interfaces which Windows does not have. It is plausible that an open OS will allow greater creativity to flow to phones. FIC has just announced a phone running off Linux called the OpenMoko and is expected to sell for US$350. http://www.openmoko.org/

3. Device Convergence (1-2 Years)
a. It used to be that phones were just phones. Now they are cameras and MP3 players too. What are the new features that could converge into phones? Thumb Drives seem to be the most likely to me in the short term.

4. Web services( 1- 3 years)
a. Currently Wifi and 3G technology connects most cell phones to the internet. However this is set to change as new technologies (ie. WiMax, EVDO, HSDPA) take root. Always connected cellphones mean that new web applications can be dreamt of. It is hard to say what applications will surface but there are many possibilities. As of now, there is certainly no Mobile 2.0 yet.

5. TV/Video watching ( 1- 3 years)
a. Youtube on your phone? This seems to be a reality as broadband speeds reach your cell phone. You can also already watch Free to Air TV stations with some cell phones, providing you entertainment on your ride home. However I think the more likely scenario is that someone will download an episode of LOST and convert is to run on his cell phone. This is much like what the video Ipod has brought to mobile video.

6. Networked Gaming ( 2- 4 years)
a. You can even connect to Second Life on your mobile phones. What Game types are more suitable for mobile phones? Generally it is agreed that they do not require a fixed amount of time since the user might not have complete attention to play the game.

7. Location based Services (2-4 years)
a. Because you are moving around and your phone is always with you, there are services that can come up according to where you are. Most of them currently are Finder type of applications where you find nearby bars, restaurants etc. Also your cellphone can act as a mapping tool and help you get around unfamiliar places. This might even replace the GPS devices we find in cars now.

8. ePayment (5-10 years)
a. Designed to incorporate a RFID chip that acts as a secure payment devices. Japan has numerous phones like this introduced by NTT Docomo where RFID tags are incorporated into the phones and phone readers are licensed out to retailers. You just need to swipe your phone near to the reader and the payment will automatically take place.
b. Think also of internet banking/Paypal on the go. Instead of physical devices, connected cellphones can now do transaction over internet. However this requires authentication that is more troublesome that using a RFID chip.

9. Personal Key (5-7 years) a.
Using RFID or Bluetooth, it is possible that you can use your phones to unlock doors. RFID is the more common option currently. It also means that you only need 1 phone to access all your locked doors(i.e. Office, Home, etc)

10. Identification (10-15 years)
a. Perhaps the furthest off trend for your cell phone. As the availability of cell phones rise, will they become a form of identification? Like holding your driver’s license and medical history? After all, your phone is always with you and it is a personal device. However for this to come true, it will require a big government push and this does not seem likely in the near future.

There are many opportunities to build new applications. Combining 2 or more trends together yields interesting uses. Imagine a Google earth where you are tracked using location based services to let your friends know where you are(or for government surveillance). They can ask you out for lunch. Another service I can think of is where you can organize nearby people to buy goods together at a cheaper rate from a retailer or take advantage of a group discount. Or if ePayment takes place, you can do online banking at home without a credit card anymore. Everyone will just have an RFID reader at home. Anyone else has any Business ideas to take advantage of the trends above?

See the difference between the future and Now: Part 1 Top 10 Ways People Use Their Mobiles Now

* time prediction is time to mass adoption

Copyright : TodaysTen.com

Mobile phones are an inaugural part of us. As they become more and more like laptop in terms of processing power, it is worth while to look at how people use mobile phones now and what they expect to be able to do with them in the future.

Top 10 Ways People Use Their Mobiles Now
1. Make a call
2. SMS
3. Take Photos
4. Show Off your new phone
5. Check Email
6. Listen to Music/Podcast (like these podcast: Top 10 Geek Business Podcast )
7. Personal Organizer
8. Blog
9. Online Instant Messenger
10. Surf the net

Communication still ranks high on the list. However the peripheral services offered by the mobile phone have been gaining in popularity. As predicted, device convergence is adding more and more features into mobile phones. Right now, our phones are like traditional PDA + the ability to communicate.

The mobile phone opens up a lot of web enabled applications that were not feasible on your laptop/desktop computer. However manufacturers have to solve the problem of developing the same application for different platforms. Many handset companies use a different Operating System which means that developers have to rewrite a lot of code everything they want to get their program on different phones. This is by far the largest obstacle as it limits the user base of any applications. To further encourage web enabled applications, mobile broadband cost has to come down. Right now I still do not use many web enabled apps as data cost is still expensive in Singapore.( 1MB is about $5 USD). If the cost comes down, I can probably see myself using more email and certain web applications.

Copyright : TodaysTen.com