Here are some tips on how to charge your electronics when you are traveling:

Read up about the country or place of your destination (and more
specifically the place where you will be staying) on what type of
voltage and adapter plugs they use.

If you are not sure, carry a set of adapter plugs. It would be best to
bring a small adapter plug kit because it will have most of the common
plugs. These kits sometimes have a small converter which would be
perfect in case the hotel will have a different voltage.

In this case, bring a converter of your own and a surge protector,
especially if you have more expensive equipment.

If you need to make a phone call while you’re in public and you think that you need it to be more private, here are some stuff you can do:

Step from the crowd. If you are with people, make sure you excuse yourself. It’s the polite thing to do.

Find a place where it is more quiet and where you can speak without having to shout. Turn your face from other people and turn down the volume of the earpiece.

Cup your hand over the mouthpiece and talk softly. This will make sure nobody can hear what you’re saying.

Hang up when over. If you need to call back, find a more private place to do so.

Do you plan to buy a new phone and have no idea what to do with your old one? Why don’t you recycle it? Cell Phone recycling centers won’t charge you anything. Some might even pay you for handing in your old phone.

Terminate your service on the old cell phone. You can have it transferred to your new phone or cancel it permanently.

Remember to delete everything from your cell phone’s memory. Saved (incriminating) photos and videos, contact numbers and e-mail addresses from the phone book, phone call history and other information that might still be stored in your phone.

Retrieve your phone manual and follow the instructions on how to hard reset your phone’s settings. If your cell phone has a sim card, remove this from the cell phone.

Now it is time to surrender your phone. Take it and its battery to the nearest eCycling drop off location, which  is  coordinated by the U.S. EPA

Your cell phone runs out of battery while you’re out and you don’t have a car where you can just plug the charger into the cigarette lighter. What do you do? You can always charge it elsewhere. Here are some safety tips on charging your phone in public:

Always ask permission if you need to use any establishment’s electric outlet. There are some establishments who would gladly let customers peruse their facilities but this is not always the case.

Make sure that you charge your phone in a highly visible area. That means, visible to you and any security or receptionist in the area. But even then, do keep an eye on your phone. As much as possible, do not even leave it lying around. However, if you must, ask a personnel to watch your phone for you. Or you can also set your phone’s alarm so you don’t forget you have a phone charging somewhere. It will also keep you from overcharging your phone.

When you are done, put your charger away first and then your cell phone as phone chargers are easier to forget.

Or you can always bring an extra charged battery with you so you don’t have to go through all the hassle.

Buying a new cell phone? Still deciding whether to get a prepaid phone? Here are some considerations you might want to think about before making a decision:

• How often do you talk on the phone?
• What features will you frequently use (i.e. web browsing, text messaging, etc.)?
• Will you need special services such as roaming?

If you go prepaid, expect the following:

On one hand, you won’t get monthly bills since you will be using credit that you’ve already paid for. This means that you won’t have to concern yoruself if you go over your minutes. There will be no extra charges. Your call will simply get cut-off if your credit is used up. However, there are also prepaid plans that offer unlimited calling on specific times of the day so you can avail of that if you’re the type who live for calls. Prepaid cell phones can be picked up anywhere – from drugstores to electronics stores. You can always reload almost everywhere too.

On the other hand, call and text messaging rates are usually higher than in contract phones. Features such as mobile web are not available in all prepaid phones. Some prepaid phones only work in a local area. So if you plan to go cross-country or abroad, then your phone won’t be of much use. if you are particular about handsets, prepaid cell phones usually come in a limited selection of models.

So what’s the verdict?

It all depends on how extensively you will use your cell phone. if you need them for emergencies then a prepaid phone is a better choice. If you are buying for a child or a teen, then a prepaid cell phone can limit phone use.

However, if the cell phone is indespensable because it is needed for work and such, then a contract cell phone might be a better choice for you.

So yes, my Nintendo DS (Lite, actually) doubles up as my PDA and searching for some cool homebrew applications to install has been part of my routine at least twice a month. And would you look at that, Twitter on the DS via DSTwitter – another DS homebrew app. All you need is a card adapter for the DS (e.g. R4DS), a Wi-Fi connection, register and download DSTwitter, then run it on your DS.

Well, we just hope that someone translates this application since it’s only in Spanish right now. I don’t have any problems with it since I know a bit of Spanish to work things out. I have to admit though, while it is a welcome option, I still prefer Twitting via my mobile phone. If only they get to port Plurk for mobile.

Get DSTwitter here.

Via Mashable!

Like any other person in the room, you are inseparable with your cellphone; your gender doesn’t have anything to do with that. Gadgets are cool – ’nuff said. We love doing things the easy way and you have to admit that SMS or texting has made life so easy. Texting solves your problems: text when you’re late for a date, text when you can’t make it, text when you’re coming over, text when you’re canceling something, text when you need anything and text when you want a sumthin’ sumthin.

Don’t make texting the basic communication medium in your relationship. It will forever be a fact that women love the ageless thrill of the non-virtual. Besides, it only gets interesting when there’s actual touching involved.

In the context of courting, men are most likely to resort to texting. Why? Because it’s more convenient. An artless text message like “Are you free tonight?”, followed by a reply of a resounding NO will be more endurable than if the guy were rejected in person.

It’s very fortunate that women are quite open to this. But you know in your heart that she deserves much more than a text and more importantly, admit that you can give much more. Besides, wooing is so much fun if you see her blush at your cheesy lines.

In the event of a fight or an argument, texting can be “safer” for you what with all the heavy stuff she’ll hurl at you. But relationship problems are way too critical to be resolved through an exchange of text messages. The best way to talk is to actually talk, and we’re not including a phone call.

The last time, we put up this post on choosing a cell phone for you to buy so we decided to follow that up with this bit on choosing the service provider. As we’ve pointed out last time, that when shopping for a new phone you may consider the packages that service providers offer since they often have great deals (or even free phones) if you don’t mind being locked in to a contract with them. But how do you choose between the different providers out there? Read on.

Much like with choosing the phone unit itself, consider the practical side first. How much is your budget for such a service a month? How intensely do you need it? Is it for personal or work use?

Before you focus on service packages, check the service provider first. How extensive is its geographic coverage? Will you have a signal in your locality? Will your common and important destinations be in range of their towers? Do they offer international roaming for the countries that you often visit? There’s nothing more disastrous than having a cell phone without a signal in your travel routes.

Check out reviews of cell providers in magazines and websites. Getting opinion, especially from people who share your needs in a common locality, could help you in narrowing down which service will you be going for.

Compare packages. Don’t always go for price. Check the stronger areas of one package and compare it to your needs. You might want to get more calls instead of other services such as as SMS, MMS or Internet time,

Make sure that you read theB including the fine print. Some would have lock-in clauses that may prevent you from early cancellations of the service.

It’s the new year and with most electronics depreciate at the end of the year and that new models have come out, buying a new cellphone might be a great idea, just a little token for yourself for the past year well-spent. There are a lot of brands and models to choose from and its all about making a sensible purchase. Here’s a guide to choosing a cell phone.

Explore the practical side of it. Cellular phones are primarily made for communication purposes. This will help you choose which model packs the best configuration for your communication.

If you’re more of the calls person, you might want to opt for the model with the longest airtime and stores the most contact information. If you’re the SMS person, then opt for the model that lets you do that. If you’re more of the Internet type of person, then get the one that lets you optimum connectivity – MMS, 3.5G, Bluetooth…

However, also take into account your other needs. You don’t just want to be stuck with a phone that works as a phone. Consider your other needs like size, weight and color. Cellular phones have become very personal accessories that tell something about your personality too.

Take accessories into account too. Batteries and chargers are often included in the pack. Extra batteries can come handy but with the standard standby time of a cell phone lasting for more than a week these days, you might just want to consider buying a spare if you make and take calls more than the average guy.

For best connectivity, look for models that have Bluetooth, infrared and a data cable. Cables, however, are often purchased as a separate accessory.

Check out online magazines for reviews and comparisons. Then check out online stores for best price comparisons. Check out packages from service providers too. Many offer cell phones together with their service packages at very good discounted prices. If a time-bound and provider-lock agreement doesn’t bother you, then you might want to consider this.