Group Texting

Group texting (sending the same text at the same time to two or more recipients) is at it’s most popular towards the end of December. Whether it’s saying Merry Chrsitmas to your mates or Happy New Year to the family, many of us will fire out one of these generic messages.

Everyone uses their mobile at Christmas

Tip: Keep it short and sweet. Remember, if your text runs into two messages, then you’re sending two messages to everyone who gets it. So if it’s going to 50 people, you’re actually sending 100 texts. Ouch!

Saying Thanks

When we open our presents on Christmas morning, a lot of us will have our phones at the ready to text people and immediately thank them for their generosity. But while it’s always a good thing to show gratitude, it’s also a quick-fire way to run out of credit.

Tip: Instead of texting, why not send an email or write a letter to say thank you. Not only does it save you valuable Christmas credit on your mobile, but it also shows you’ve gone to that extra trouble, so the message will be even more kindly received.

The Repeat Text

During peak-times, particularly New Year’s Eve around midnight, texts have a habit of getting lost in some kind of phone network vortex and you’re never quite sure whether the messages you’ve sent have gone through or not. And what often happens, is that you try to send the text repeatedly hoping it will go through, only to find out you’ve sent the same message about twenty times and paid for all of them. Ouch!

Tip: It’s quite simple, wherever possible, try not to text at peak times. For example, even just sending a text at 11:45 on New Year’s Eve significantly improves your chances of the message going through smoothly, as does sending the text at 12:15.

Of course, if you want to make sure you can always send a text message to your love ones, whether you’ve got a credit or not, the PleaseCallMe Service is the perfect solution.

If you’ve got cash burning a hole in your pocket (around £400) and are determined to get one of the best Pay As You Go handsets on the market, then the HTC Hero is well worth consideration.

Styling

It’s not as sleek as the iPhone, but the HTC Hero is still a beauty. Simple design, a good size and choice of colours to boot.

Functionality

This is where the HTC Hero really comes to the fore. Powered by Android, Google’s amazingly intuitive operating system, this handset can do pretty much anything you could ever want a phone to do. Watch videos on YouTube, catch up with your friends on Facebook, send email on the go; whatever you demand, the Hero delivers. You can visit the Android Market at the touch of a button and download thousands of games and useful applications in an instant, meaning the Hero’s capabilities are seemingly endless. A perfect example of what a modern handset should be able to do and match for the market leading iPhone.

Camera

Most smart phones (including the iPhone) don’t have a particularly good camera, normally settling for 2.0 megapixel device that does a decent job of capturing everyday shots. However, the Hero crams in a quite brilliant 5.0 megapixel camera, which delivers crisp and clear images, perfect for every occasion. And once you’ve taken a picture, you can immediately upload it to Facebook and Twitter or attach it to an email for friends and family to enjoy. Easy.

Conclusions

If you’ve got deep pockets or are feeling particularly flush, then you can’t really do much better than the HTC Hero. Looks brilliant, can do practically anything you want it to and handles tasks with the simplest of ease, thanks to Google’s excellent Android operating system. If you can afford it, buy it.

Marks

9.5/10

Images

When you’re on the go a mobile phone that allows you to get online is a great thing to have. Here’s what we reckon are the top three things people do online using their mobiles.

Mobiles like the iPhone have made web surfing on the go far easier

1. Checking Email – Whether it’s work or pleasure, we’re a world obsessed with getting mail. And because we’re so obsessed, we want to check for new messages whenever and wherever possible. Mobile phones allow us to read and send emails. The only downside is there’s no reason for not replying!

2. Facebook & Twitter – In fact, it’s not just these two social networking sites, but all of them. Most of us are signed up to at least one of these services that allow you to log-on and see what you’re friends are doing. Mobile phones allow us to keep up with all our mates on the go. Slightly obsessive but perfectly normal of course.

3. Passing Time – Before we had the Internet on our mobiles, we used to play games like ‘Snake’ and ‘Solitaire’ on our phones. Mobile web browsing has changed all that, so whether we’re passing time waiting for something or just getting distracted, having the Internet in the palm of our hands is of great benefit.

The only problem with using the web on your mobile, is that it costs a lot of money and if you’re on a Pay As You Go deal it can quickly use up all your credit.

That could mean that in an emergency situation, when you need your mobile phone the most, you might not be able to use it.

The Please Call Me service allows you to spend your mobile phone credit however you see fit, without having to worry about not being able to make a call or send a text when you really need to.

Click here to learn more about all of our services.

The reason that phone networks, such as 02, Vodafone, T-Mobile, etc, lock mobiles is so people can only use a handset on their service, making it more difficult for customers switch to another network and take their business elsewhere.

Getting a mobile phone unlocked is completely legal

Whilst these operators are perfectly entitled to take this action, you as a customer are equally within your rights to unlock any handset, as long as it hasn’t been reported lost or stolen, and use it on your network of choice.

How To Unlock a Mobile Phone

In order to unlock a mobile phone you first need to learn its IME number. This is a unique number given to all mobile phones, which gets marked as invalid when phones are reported lost or stolen.

In order to find out your IMEI, simply enter *#06# into your handset, and make a note of the number that appears.

The next stage is get the unlock code. Every code is different, as it relates directly to your IME number. You can phone up your phone network and request an unlock code, but they won’t always provide you with one, or in some cases you might be charged a fee.

If your network can’t provide you with the code, there are plenty of phone unlocking services on the web, although some aren’t particularly good. If possible, look for a mobile phone shop in your high street. That way, you don’t have to hand over any money until they’ve done the job for you.

Stay Safe

Of course, if you’re unlocking a contract phone to use on a Pay As You Go Service, it might mean that you run out of credit when you need to make an emergency call.

The Please Call Me service removes this danger and allows you to enjoy your newly unlocked phone, without having to worry about running out of credit when you need to make an important call.

Click here to view our full range of services.

It's embarressing when your phone rings in a quiet cinema.

1. The Cinema – There are countless adverts shown before every movie, telling audience members to switch their mobile phones off. So if yours starts to ring during the film, expect stern looks from your fellow cinemagoers.

2. In Lectures or Meetings – If someone else is speaking and trying desperately to concentrate on what they’re saying, the last thing they want is to hear somebody’s mobile phone ringing. The embarrassment of frantically scrambling to find it and turn it off is also pretty horrific.

3. On a Plane – There a lot of nervous flyers out there and you’ll almost certainly feel their wrath if you have your mobile phone on when you’re specifically told not to. Plus, if you believe what you’re told, it can also be incredibly dangerous, both to you and other passengers.

Of course, the one time you’d always want your phone to ring is if it’s your child calling you or texting to say they’re in trouble.

Unfortunately though, many children have Pay As You Go mobiles, meaning it’s all too easy to run out of credit at the worst possible time.

The Please Call Me services ensure this never happens and your child can always get in touch with you, should an emergency situation occur,

Click here to learn more about our services.

Bullying is still a big problem amongst young people

The group that carried out the research stated that bullying goes far beyond physical harm and also includes emotional damage such as making fun of the way a child acts, looks or talks.

The latest and most worrying form of abuse is known as ‘cyber bullying’, where bullies use devices such as computers or mobile phones to send hurtful messages or pictures or to spread rumors.

The findings highlight just how important it is for a child to be able to contact their parent should they become the victim of bullying or feel in danger.

Unfortunately, most children have Pay as You Go mobile phones and, should they run out of credit, are unable to contact their parents in an emergency situation.

The Please Call Me services ensure that a child always has the option to call for help in an emergency, which can be of great comfort, both for children and parents alike.

Click here to learn more about our services.

To give you an idea about how crazy that number is, it equates to 484 messages a day. That’s over 20 text messages for every single hour of a 24-hour day. That’s a message every 3 minutes for every single moment of a calendar month. Mental.

14,528 text messages in one month. Is that even possible?

Fortunately for the girls parents, who pay her bill, they were wise enough to have her mobile phone on an unlimited text plan, which meant they were saved somewhere in the region of $3,000.

Of course that doesn’t mean they weren’t shocked when the 440-page statement dropped through their letterbox, bringing to their attention the addiction their daughter has to her phone.

Although this is a one-off case, further research has found that the average teenager between the ages of 13-17 sends an average of 1,742 texts per month. That’s still well in excess of 50 texts per day.

This highlights how much the average teenager uses their phone and how quickly they can run out of credit. And it would be just typical for a teenager not to be able to call or text, when they really needed to i.e. in an emergency situation.

Fortunately, the Please Call Me services allow parents to restrict their child’s mobile phone use with a Pay As You Go deal, but still have the piece of mind knowing they can make contact in an emergency.

Click here to read more about our services.

When first released, there was a frenzy of interest, which resulted in the iPhone becoming near impossible to get hold of. Over time, this has gradually cooled off, but the Apple branded phone remains the must-have piece of tech.

Apple iPhone - Great handset but can cost you on PAYG

Of course you’ve got to have quite deep pockets to afford the iPhone. You can get it for free on a contract, but have to commit to a lengthy agreement and pay a huge sum each month.

The other option is to buy it unlocked on PAYG, which many people are doing. You’ll have to pay a fair old whack for the handset, but you then have the freedom to spend as much or as little as you want on credit.

Sounds like the perfect solution doesn’t it?

The only problem is that the iPhone is so heavily dependent on an Internet connection that you can use up all your credit in the blink of an eye, just by trying to download a new game or application to play with.

Of course you probably knew that before making the decision to splash out on the phone. However, it does mean there’s a good chance you could be out of credit, at the exact moment you need your mobile phone the most.

So if you’ve invested in an iPhone on Pay as You Go, make sure you’re safe and covered in emergency situations, by signing up to the Please Call Me Service.

Click here to learn more about what we do.

Here are 3 reasons you should consider a Pay As You Go mobile:

1. Control.

All of the big mobile phone networks have great PAYG offers.

With PAYG, you have complete control of how much money you’re spending. If you’re on a contract, it’s very easy to go over your free minutes and texts, spending more than you can afford in the process.

PAYG mobiles enable you to choose when to spend money, and give you far more options when it comes to your personal finances. So if you’re trying to economise or look after your bank balance, PAYG is the only realistic option.

2. Benefits.

How many PAYG adverts are there with offers like ‘free calls when you top up’ or ‘200 free texts when you spend £10 a month’? Loads.

You see, it benefits the phone companies to entice PAYG customers into spending more, so they constantly offer great incentives. People on contracts are already tied in, so they miss out on lots of these great offers and extras.

3. No waste.

It’s quite simple. If you’re on a contract and get 500 free minutes and 1000 texts, but only use half of that, then you’re wasting money every month.

With a PAYG mobile, you always get complete value for your money, so you have piece of mind knowing that your not throwing cash away.

Of course the 1 benefit of a contract mobile phone…

Is that you never run out of credit, so you’re always able to make calls or send a text in an emergency situation.

Well, the same now applies to PAYG mobiles.

The Please Call Me services allow you to enjoy all the perks and benefits of a PAYG mobile without having to worry about not being able to make contact in an emergency.

Click here to read more about our services.

But when would be the absolute worst times to be unable to send a text message or make a call? Here’s our top 3.

There's never a good time to run out of credit on your mobile

When You’re Cheating in a Pub Quiz

I don’t think there’s a pub quiz in the land where someone isn’t hiding a phone under the table, covertly texting their friends or family for illegal answers. So unless you’re fortunate enough to be blessed with superior general knowledge, you better keep your phone topped up.

When you’re asked the BIG Question

Do you want to go out later? Interested in a spare ticket? Will you marry me? OK, the last one is a bit of a stretch, but it’s typical that the same moment you get a text with an important question, you realise you’re out of credit. Then the race really is on to send some kind of response before the window of opportunity closes.

When You See David Beckham in McDonalds

OK, so maybe it’s not David Beckham in McDonalds or Angelina Jolie in Argos, but if you spot a celebrity (however minor), the first thing you invariably want to do, is tell someone about it. But no credit equals no gossip. How unfortunate.

But in all seriousness…

The most important time you don’t want to be without the service of a mobile phone is in an emergency. Whether you’re in trouble or just really need to get in touch with a friend of family member, making contact suddenly becomes the most important thing in the world.

Please Call Me allows you to enjoy all the benefits of a Pay As You Go mobile without having to worry about running out of credit.

Click here to read more about our services.