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Bluetooth
GSM Phones
SIM Cards
SMS
Smart Phones
What is Bluetooth?
Bluetooth is a radio technology that transmits digital voice and data signals over short distances (approximately 32 feet or 10 meters) between various electronics devices such as computers, PDAs, cell phones, televisions, and so forth without a wire connection.
What are some of the advantages of Bluetooth?
Bluetooth uses low transmission power and therefore conserves battery power. It is inexpensive and, unlike technologies such as infrared, does not require line of sight to operate. It can even go through walls. It eliminates the need for wires and gives the user much greater mobility.
Are there any disadvantages to Bluetooth?
Because it is possible to "steal" signals from the air, Bluetooth like any wireless technology opens up the possibility of having signals/data intercepted by others. However, users can enable features on Bluetooth that are felt to be quite effective in preventing this theft from happening. Users are able to instruct their Bluetooth devices to accept communication only from certain "trusted devices". Signals from other devices then require the user to grant permission manually.
How can I find out more about how Bluetooth can be used and how it functions?
The best source for this type of infomation is the Bluetooth site. You can go to the following URL for additional information. http://www.bluetooth.com
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What is a GSM phone?
GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communication and is the transmission technology that is the cell phone/mobile phone standard in most European and Asian countries. Having one standard allows networks/phones to communicate with each other. In the US Cingular and T-Mobile are the primary GSM cellular service providers. GSM cell phones all possess a removable SIM card which contains the personal account information of the user. A full description of how GSM operates is included in Wikipedia.
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What is a SIM Card?
A Subscription Identity Module is a smart card about the size of a postage stamp that is present in all GSM cell phones.
What functions does a SIM card perform?
A SIM card possesses quite a bit of memory, 64 Kb is not unusual. The card identifies you, the user, to the network and is actually the part of the cell phone that has your specific cell phone number attached to it. (This allows owners of unlocked cell phones to switch out the SIM cards to a different phone and yet maintain their same phone number.) The SIM card stores text messages, phone numbers, and potentially music and video files. Use of cell phones for ticketing and payment functions is anticipated in the future by using SIM cards as well.
Is there anything else I need to know related to SIM cards?
Because SIM cards contain a great deal of personal information it is important to be sure all such information is destroyed before trading in or recycling cell phones to assure that sensitive information does not fall into the wrong hands.
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What is SMS?
SMS is the acronym for "short message service". SMS is essentially what is also known as "text messaging" which is available through cell phones on GSM networks. The most common uses of text messaging on cell phones are personal communication, brief messages to family and friends, and the submission of queries for the purpose of retrieving information from the internet.
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What is a Smart Phone?
A smart phone is basically a type of cell phone which allows internet connectivity for web browsing, e-mail, faxing, voice mail, and data transfer between the phone and a computer in addition to other functions. PDA (personal digital assistant) cell phones are usually considered a type of smart phone.
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