Your Mobile Is A Mobile Data Center

We use our phones for more than ordinary calls. They have become an important part of our everyday life. We always take them with us. We use them as an all-round phone directory. We use them to send short messages. Thanks to 3G (Third Generation) Wireless, the future belongs to mobile email and video solutions. Life is so exciting that we don't want to miss a thing. Most of us even feel compelled to be available at any time and to communicate wherever we are.

At the same time, many phones now come with entry-level digital cameras because you always have them with you. Three mega pixel cameras embedded in a mobile phone are nothing special any more. Only the optical characteristics and missing zoom options distinguish mobile phone cameras the 'real' thing. Nevertheless, mobiles are not going to replace real cameras any time soon. But for consumers they are just fine for snapshots.

Mobile phones are our mobile data bases. They take and store pictures, manage your favourite songs, administrate your calendar and accommodate communication data - whether this is email or SMS. On the one hand, a wide range of features makes the phone more versatile. On the other hand, these features also make you more dependent on the phone. What would happen if you lost it?

Is Your Data Safe?

Most new phones provide expansion slots for memory cards. These cards can be RS-MMC, MMC Micro, Mini SD or Micro SD, and they are available in capacities from 64 MB to 2 GB. By using a USB card reader and an adapter to convert the tiny formats to standard SD-format, data can easily be read from or stored on these media using a PC.

This is the easiest way to backup user data like pictures, video clips, short messages and emails, and to make data accessible to your mobile phone. However, communication features such as the calendar and the phone directory usually cannot be saved to a memory card. They reside within the internal memory of your mobile. The safety-conscious user has to establish a connection between a computer and the mobile phone if she or he wants to secure or synchronize the calendar or the phone book.

You either have to use a USB data cable to connect the phone to a computer or you can establish a Bluetooth connection. Usually, a data cable is a mobile phone accessory that has to be purchased separately at a cost of £10 and up. Getting a Bluetooth stick for USB is a better alternative, because you can also use it for other purposes.