Smartphones overtake 'dumb' worldwide

Models show Samsung Electronics Co.'s latest smartphones Galaxy S4 during its unveiling ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, April 25, 2013. Source: AP

A RESEARCH firm says that more smartphones than 'dumb' phones are being made this year, a milestone in a shift that's putting computing power and Internet access in millions of hands worldwide.

IDC says manufacturers shipped 216 million smartphones worldwide in the first three months of this year, compared with 189 million regular cellphones.

In the US, smartphones overtook regular cellphones in 2011. IDC analyst Ramon Llamas says the shift to a global majority of smartphones is now being driven by consumers in developing countries such as China, India and Indonesia.

Another firm, ABI Research, found that smartphones made up 49 per cent of shipments in the first quarter. Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest phone maker, doesn't provide a breakdown of its phone shipments, and analysts vary in their estimates.

View the original article here

Are smartphones for kids a dumb call?

Best friends Georgia Dinnison and Gracie Lovelock love having their own smartphones. Picture: Dylan Coker Source: News Limited

• 35 per cent of kids have their own mobile
• Parents 'forget smartphones are mini-laptops'
• Experts warn of social media predators

ONE in three primary school children now have their own mobile and kids as young as eight are carrying smartphones.

The sharp increase in mobile phone ownership amongst children has resulted in cyber safety experts calling for parents to ditch smart phones for "dumb phones''.

New research by the Australian Communications and Media Authority - obtained exclusively by News Limited - shows 35 per cent of children aged eight to 11 now owns a mobile phone, a figure which has almost doubled since 2007.

Mobile phones have also saturated the teenage demographic with 94 per cent of 16 and 17-year olds now owning a phone.

Key findings from the report, due to be officially released in June, have raised concerns among security experts who say many parents are unaware of the cyber safety issues surrounding children's mobile phone use.

Sydney cyber safety expert Leonie Smith, who runs regular mobile phone safety workshops in Australian schools, said parents still tended to think of mobiles as devices for talking and texting, forgetting smartphones are virtually miniature laptops.

Ms Smith said most parents were unaware of the dangers children are exposed to through smartphones such as viruses, data thieves and social media predators.

"What I normally recommend is if you've got a kid under 13 don't buy them a smartphone if you can avoid it, get them what I call a 'dumb phone' - a phone that makes calls and does SMS only,'' she said. 

"Think very carefully about why you want your child to have a smartphone; if you can have the same result using just a regular mobile phone that only texts and makes calls then I would say if they're under 13 go for that.''

A recent survey of parents by online security firm Trend Micro shows while 67 per cent of Australian parents have bought their school-aged child a smartphone, most do not give any thought to cyber safety concerns.

 Trend Micro cyber safety expert Aman Chand said while 85 per cent of parents had some sort of security software on their kids' laptops, only 22 per cent had anything on their smartphones. 

"That's a big concern because everything you can do on a laptop you can do on a smartphone as well,'' he said. 

Mr Chand said plummeting prices and a greater availability of prepaid mobile plans were tempting more parents to buy their children smartphones without carefully thinking through the cyber safety implications. 

Mr Chand recommended parents establish a set of rules around their children's use of phones, such as having to charge it in a family area at night instead of the bedroom.

"Make sure the smartphone isn't allowed to go into their bedrooms at night, definitely put parental controls on it, and really build education and speak to the child,'' he said.

Eleven-year old Gracie of Brighton, in Adelaide, has been using a mobile for four months after receiving a hand-me-down iPhone from mum Paula Brinkworth for Christmas.

Ms Brinkworth, a public relations manager, said Gracie's 13-year-old brother also had a phone so the family can easily keep in touch.

"It is quite handy if I need to text them, or they can text me after school if something changes with sport or pick up arrangements, it is quite helpful to know they've got their phone on them,'' she said.

"I feel more at ease knowing she's carrying her mobile on her."

View the original article here

Are smartphones for kids a dumb call?

Best friends Georgia Dinnison and Gracie Lovelock love having their own smartphones. Picture: Dylan Coker Source: News Limited

• 35 per cent of kids have their own mobile
• Parents 'forget smartphones are mini-laptops'
• Experts warn of social media predators

ONE in three primary school children now have their own mobile and kids as young as eight are carrying smartphones.

The sharp increase in mobile phone ownership amongst children has resulted in cyber safety experts calling for parents to ditch smart phones for "dumb phones''.

New research by the Australian Communications and Media Authority - obtained exclusively by News Limited - shows 35 per cent of children aged eight to 11 now owns a mobile phone, a figure which has almost doubled since 2007.

Mobile phones have also saturated the teenage demographic with 94 per cent of 16 and 17-year olds now owning a phone.

Key findings from the report, due to be officially released in June, have raised concerns among security experts who say many parents are unaware of the cyber safety issues surrounding children's mobile phone use.

Sydney cyber safety expert Leonie Smith, who runs regular mobile phone safety workshops in Australian schools, said parents still tended to think of mobiles as devices for talking and texting, forgetting smartphones are virtually miniature laptops.

Ms Smith said most parents were unaware of the dangers children are exposed to through smartphones such as viruses, data thieves and social media predators.

"What I normally recommend is if you've got a kid under 13 don't buy them a smartphone if you can avoid it, get them what I call a 'dumb phone' - a phone that makes calls and does SMS only,'' she said. 

"Think very carefully about why you want your child to have a smartphone; if you can have the same result using just a regular mobile phone that only texts and makes calls then I would say if they're under 13 go for that.''

A recent survey of parents by online security firm Trend Micro shows while 67 per cent of Australian parents have bought their school-aged child a smartphone, most do not give any thought to cyber safety concerns.

 Trend Micro cyber safety expert Aman Chand said while 85 per cent of parents had some sort of security software on their kids' laptops, only 22 per cent had anything on their smartphones. 

"That's a big concern because everything you can do on a laptop you can do on a smartphone as well,'' he said. 

Mr Chand said plummeting prices and a greater availability of prepaid mobile plans were tempting more parents to buy their children smartphones without carefully thinking through the cyber safety implications. 

Mr Chand recommended parents establish a set of rules around their children's use of phones, such as having to charge it in a family area at night instead of the bedroom.

"Make sure the smartphone isn't allowed to go into their bedrooms at night, definitely put parental controls on it, and really build education and speak to the child,'' he said.

Eleven-year old Gracie of Brighton, in Adelaide, has been using a mobile for four months after receiving a hand-me-down iPhone from mum Paula Brinkworth for Christmas.

Ms Brinkworth, a public relations manager, said Gracie's 13-year-old brother also had a phone so the family can easily keep in touch.

"It is quite handy if I need to text them, or they can text me after school if something changes with sport or pick up arrangements, it is quite helpful to know they've got their phone on them,'' she said.

"I feel more at ease knowing she's carrying her mobile on her."

View the original article here

Are smartphones for kids a dumb call?

Best friends Georgia Dinnison and Gracie Lovelock love having their own smartphones. Picture: Dylan Coker Source: News Limited

• 35 per cent of kids have their own mobile
• Parents 'forget smartphones are mini-laptops'
• Experts warn of social media predators

ONE in three primary school children now have their own mobile and kids as young as eight are carrying smartphones.

The sharp increase in mobile phone ownership amongst children has resulted in cyber safety experts calling for parents to ditch smart phones for "dumb phones''.

New research by the Australian Communications and Media Authority - obtained exclusively by News Limited - shows 35 per cent of children aged eight to 11 now owns a mobile phone, a figure which has almost doubled since 2007.

Mobile phones have also saturated the teenage demographic with 94 per cent of 16 and 17-year olds now owning a phone.

Key findings from the report, due to be officially released in June, have raised concerns among security experts who say many parents are unaware of the cyber safety issues surrounding children's mobile phone use.

Sydney cyber safety expert Leonie Smith, who runs regular mobile phone safety workshops in Australian schools, said parents still tended to think of mobiles as devices for talking and texting, forgetting smartphones are virtually miniature laptops.

Ms Smith said most parents were unaware of the dangers children are exposed to through smartphones such as viruses, data thieves and social media predators.

"What I normally recommend is if you've got a kid under 13 don't buy them a smartphone if you can avoid it, get them what I call a 'dumb phone' - a phone that makes calls and does SMS only,'' she said. 

"Think very carefully about why you want your child to have a smartphone; if you can have the same result using just a regular mobile phone that only texts and makes calls then I would say if they're under 13 go for that.''

A recent survey of parents by online security firm Trend Micro shows while 67 per cent of Australian parents have bought their school-aged child a smartphone, most do not give any thought to cyber safety concerns.

 Trend Micro cyber safety expert Aman Chand said while 85 per cent of parents had some sort of security software on their kids' laptops, only 22 per cent had anything on their smartphones. 

"That's a big concern because everything you can do on a laptop you can do on a smartphone as well,'' he said. 

Mr Chand said plummeting prices and a greater availability of prepaid mobile plans were tempting more parents to buy their children smartphones without carefully thinking through the cyber safety implications. 

Mr Chand recommended parents establish a set of rules around their children's use of phones, such as having to charge it in a family area at night instead of the bedroom.

"Make sure the smartphone isn't allowed to go into their bedrooms at night, definitely put parental controls on it, and really build education and speak to the child,'' he said.

Eleven-year old Gracie of Brighton, in Adelaide, has been using a mobile for four months after receiving a hand-me-down iPhone from mum Paula Brinkworth for Christmas.

Ms Brinkworth, a public relations manager, said Gracie's 13-year-old brother also had a phone so the family can easily keep in touch.

"It is quite handy if I need to text them, or they can text me after school if something changes with sport or pick up arrangements, it is quite helpful to know they've got their phone on them,'' she said.

"I feel more at ease knowing she's carrying her mobile on her."

View the original article here

Are smartphones for kids a dumb call?

Best friends Georgia Dinnison and Gracie Lovelock love having their own smartphones. Picture: Dylan Coker Source: News Limited

• 35 per cent of kids have their own mobile
• Parents 'forget smartphones are mini-laptops'
• Experts warn of social media predators

ONE in three primary school children now have their own mobile and kids as young as eight are carrying smartphones.

The sharp increase in mobile phone ownership amongst children has resulted in cyber safety experts calling for parents to ditch smart phones for "dumb phones''.

New research by the Australian Communications and Media Authority - obtained exclusively by News Limited - shows 35 per cent of children aged eight to 11 now owns a mobile phone, a figure which has almost doubled since 2007.

Mobile phones have also saturated the teenage demographic with 94 per cent of 16 and 17-year olds now owning a phone.

Key findings from the report, due to be officially released in June, have raised concerns among security experts who say many parents are unaware of the cyber safety issues surrounding children's mobile phone use.

Sydney cyber safety expert Leonie Smith, who runs regular mobile phone safety workshops in Australian schools, said parents still tended to think of mobiles as devices for talking and texting, forgetting smartphones are virtually miniature laptops.

Ms Smith said most parents were unaware of the dangers children are exposed to through smartphones such as viruses, data thieves and social media predators.

"What I normally recommend is if you've got a kid under 13 don't buy them a smartphone if you can avoid it, get them what I call a 'dumb phone' - a phone that makes calls and does SMS only,'' she said. 

"Think very carefully about why you want your child to have a smartphone; if you can have the same result using just a regular mobile phone that only texts and makes calls then I would say if they're under 13 go for that.''

A recent survey of parents by online security firm Trend Micro shows while 67 per cent of Australian parents have bought their school-aged child a smartphone, most do not give any thought to cyber safety concerns.

 Trend Micro cyber safety expert Aman Chand said while 85 per cent of parents had some sort of security software on their kids' laptops, only 22 per cent had anything on their smartphones. 

"That's a big concern because everything you can do on a laptop you can do on a smartphone as well,'' he said. 

Mr Chand said plummeting prices and a greater availability of prepaid mobile plans were tempting more parents to buy their children smartphones without carefully thinking through the cyber safety implications. 

Mr Chand recommended parents establish a set of rules around their children's use of phones, such as having to charge it in a family area at night instead of the bedroom.

"Make sure the smartphone isn't allowed to go into their bedrooms at night, definitely put parental controls on it, and really build education and speak to the child,'' he said.

Eleven-year old Gracie of Brighton, in Adelaide, has been using a mobile for four months after receiving a hand-me-down iPhone from mum Paula Brinkworth for Christmas.

Ms Brinkworth, a public relations manager, said Gracie's 13-year-old brother also had a phone so the family can easily keep in touch.

"It is quite handy if I need to text them, or they can text me after school if something changes with sport or pick up arrangements, it is quite helpful to know they've got their phone on them,'' she said.

"I feel more at ease knowing she's carrying her mobile on her."

View the original article here

Smartphones overtake 'dumb' worldwide

Models show Samsung Electronics Co.'s latest smartphones Galaxy S4 during its unveiling ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, April 25, 2013. Source: AP

A RESEARCH firm says that more smartphones than 'dumb' phones are being made this year, a milestone in a shift that's putting computing power and Internet access in millions of hands worldwide.

IDC says manufacturers shipped 216 million smartphones worldwide in the first three months of this year, compared with 189 million regular cellphones.

In the US, smartphones overtook regular cellphones in 2011. IDC analyst Ramon Llamas says the shift to a global majority of smartphones is now being driven by consumers in developing countries such as China, India and Indonesia.

Another firm, ABI Research, found that smartphones made up 49 per cent of shipments in the first quarter. Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest phone maker, doesn't provide a breakdown of its phone shipments, and analysts vary in their estimates.

View the original article here

Smartphones make it harder to avoid the homeless

What will the future be like for those unfortunate souls who have to beg others for spare cash? When the homeless upgrade to smartphones, it’s going to be harder to come up with excuses. YouTube.com/jle.

View the original article here

Smartphones make it harder to avoid the homeless

What will the future be like for those unfortunate souls who have to beg others for spare cash? When the homeless upgrade to smartphones, it’s going to be harder to come up with excuses. YouTube.com/jle.

View the original article here

Smartphones to replace wallets

Digital wallet: new smartphone technology could make carrying credit cards unneccessary. Illustration: Nomi Schmidt Source: National Features

BY the time you shop for Christmas gifts, you will be able to use your smartphone as a digital wallet.

After years of promising a revolution in mobile payments, Near Field Communications is nearly here.

Optus, Telstra and Vodafone are all involved in NFC trials in Australia, and all are likely to launch a full mobile wallet this year.

Vodafone general manager of strategy and business development Thomas Roets says NFC-capable smartphones will eventually replace the cards we carry in our wallets.

Similarly, Telstra chief technology officer Dr Hugh Bradlow says NFC will be one of the technologies to take off this year.

"It's been promised for a long time, but this year many devices on the market will incorporate Near Field Communication, which allows radio communication to be established by touching the devices together or bringing them into close proximity," Dr Bradlow says.

"NFC has been a slow burn but it will likely become entrenched this year and we plan to be a big part of that."

Visa country manager Vipin Kalra says Australia is on the cusp of a new wave of mobile and contactless payment systems as consumers fall out of love with cash.

Mr Kalra says half of Australians carry less than $50 in their pocket, while a quarter carry less than $20. "We are seeing a double-digit growth, month on month, on the use of contactless payments in Australia," he says.

The path to widespread NFC use has become clearer recently with key announcements coming out of Mobile World Congress and rumours Apple will include NFC in its next iPhone.

Samsung and Visa used the Barcelona event to launch an alliance that is tipped to accelerate mobile payments.

The deal - the first between a major NFC handset maker and a payment network - means all future Samsung smartphones will come NFC-ready and with the Visa PayWare app installed.

A Juniper report predicts there will be almost 300 million NFC-capable smartphones circulating next year, while ABI Research says that figure will rise sharply, with 1.95 billion NFC-enabled mobile devices in 2017.

Attitudes to mobile payments are also changing. In KPMG's 2008 Global Consumer & Convergence Survey of 31 countries, about half of respondents said they were very uncomfortable with mobile phone transactions.

By 2011, that trend had reversed and 66 per cent said they were willing to use their phone as a wallet.

One of the challenges consumers face embracing the new wave of digital payments is that several solutions are in the works, with different "digital wallets" offered by phone manufacturers, telcos and banks.

Along with promoting NFC, Visa has launched V.me in the United States and is set to release it here this year.

V.me will save consumers typing in their banking and delivery details when they shop online.

The system, which involves hitting one button to complete an order, is set to be popular with the growing number of online shoppers using smartphones and tablets.

Mastercard has beaten Visa to the Australian market with its similar product, MasterPass, that launches this month.

One of the key areas both MasterCard and Visa are promoting with these services are loyalty schemes.

Businesses will be able to take advantage of the buying history recorded with digital transactions, with customers offered real-time alerts if they are in a certain geographic area.

Mr Kalra says consumer confusion with mobile payments is certain to disperse with time.

"At every convergence point of technology or any intersection of moving from one platform to another platform, there may be some confusion for a while," he says.

"It's just that evolution of technology and people get used to the idea. It's the convenience factor that really drives people to change their behaviour. The trick is to keep things very simple."

View the original article here

Smartphones to replace wallets

Digital wallet: new smartphone technology could make carrying credit cards unneccessary. Illustration: Nomi Schmidt Source: National Features

BY the time you shop for Christmas gifts, you will be able to use your smartphone as a digital wallet.

After years of promising a revolution in mobile payments, Near Field Communications is nearly here.

Optus, Telstra and Vodafone are all involved in NFC trials in Australia, and all are likely to launch a full mobile wallet this year.

Vodafone general manager of strategy and business development Thomas Roets says NFC-capable smartphones will eventually replace the cards we carry in our wallets.

Similarly, Telstra chief technology officer Dr Hugh Bradlow says NFC will be one of the technologies to take off this year.

"It's been promised for a long time, but this year many devices on the market will incorporate Near Field Communication, which allows radio communication to be established by touching the devices together or bringing them into close proximity," Dr Bradlow says.

"NFC has been a slow burn but it will likely become entrenched this year and we plan to be a big part of that."

Visa country manager Vipin Kalra says Australia is on the cusp of a new wave of mobile and contactless payment systems as consumers fall out of love with cash.

Mr Kalra says half of Australians carry less than $50 in their pocket, while a quarter carry less than $20. "We are seeing a double-digit growth, month on month, on the use of contactless payments in Australia," he says.

The path to widespread NFC use has become clearer recently with key announcements coming out of Mobile World Congress and rumours Apple will include NFC in its next iPhone.

Samsung and Visa used the Barcelona event to launch an alliance that is tipped to accelerate mobile payments.

The deal - the first between a major NFC handset maker and a payment network - means all future Samsung smartphones will come NFC-ready and with the Visa PayWare app installed.

A Juniper report predicts there will be almost 300 million NFC-capable smartphones circulating next year, while ABI Research says that figure will rise sharply, with 1.95 billion NFC-enabled mobile devices in 2017.

Attitudes to mobile payments are also changing. In KPMG's 2008 Global Consumer & Convergence Survey of 31 countries, about half of respondents said they were very uncomfortable with mobile phone transactions.

By 2011, that trend had reversed and 66 per cent said they were willing to use their phone as a wallet.

One of the challenges consumers face embracing the new wave of digital payments is that several solutions are in the works, with different "digital wallets" offered by phone manufacturers, telcos and banks.

Along with promoting NFC, Visa has launched V.me in the United States and is set to release it here this year.

V.me will save consumers typing in their banking and delivery details when they shop online.

The system, which involves hitting one button to complete an order, is set to be popular with the growing number of online shoppers using smartphones and tablets.

Mastercard has beaten Visa to the Australian market with its similar product, MasterPass, that launches this month.

One of the key areas both MasterCard and Visa are promoting with these services are loyalty schemes.

Businesses will be able to take advantage of the buying history recorded with digital transactions, with customers offered real-time alerts if they are in a certain geographic area.

Mr Kalra says consumer confusion with mobile payments is certain to disperse with time.

"At every convergence point of technology or any intersection of moving from one platform to another platform, there may be some confusion for a while," he says.

"It's just that evolution of technology and people get used to the idea. It's the convenience factor that really drives people to change their behaviour. The trick is to keep things very simple."

View the original article here