I recently bought a BenQ-Siemens EF81 in my quest to find the perfect mobile phone but unfortunately I couldn’t get used to the different menu arrangements after being used to using Motorola phones for some years now and I wasn’t happy with the camera arrangement where the viewfinder was the small screen on the front of the phone.

When I saw that Motorola had launched the KRZR K1 which added all the features I was missing from my trusty Motorola V3 I decided that it was a must have.

It arrived a few days ago and I have to say it is without a doubt a vast improvement of the Motorola V3 and has all the features I could possibly want and more. The new form factor is just perfect and has a very tactile feel to it. Talking on the telephone seems much more natural now with the smaller width of the phone.

Added features that I wanted are:

Better camera: 2MP digital camera with 8x digital zoom, and image editing.
Premium video capabilities: video capture and playback MPEG4 (15 fps CIF); record up to 25 minutes of video on embedded memory
MicroSD slot for optional upgradeable memory
EDGE for high speed data access (class 12)
Midi, MP3, AAC, AAC+ enhanced music player for listening to your favorite music on-the-go

Other great additions are:

Integrated Stereo Bluetooth wireless technology connectivity for hands-free convenience
Enhanced phonebook with new contact fields: URL, IM, Postal Address, Birthday, and other information
MotoSync – sync your contacts and calendar at the touch of a button
Screen3 technology for zero-click access to your favorite news, sports, and other premium content
I really think this mobile phone is as close to being perfect as it possibly could be.

FOr more information about this phne check out Motorola’s MOTOKRZR K1 page.

I kind of forgot about this but as of 1st October 2006 EasyMobile have a minimum charge of 1 minute. That means the minimum call charge is now 15p unless you are calling another EasyMobile phone where it will cost 3p.

Seems a big hike from the per second billing that they used to offer with no minimum charge. I think I will have to look around and see if I can get a better deal.

Well I haven’t bought a new mobile phone for a while and saw a BenQ-Siemens EF81 on Ebay and decided to get it.

It’s virtually the same size as my trusty Motorola V3 but is a lot more up to date in what it can do. The advert on Ebay said:

The BenQ-Siemens EF81 is a premium handset with premium features. With a magnesium and brushed stainless steel exterior the BenQ-Siemens EF81 packs a lot of technology into an extremely slim handset.

2.0 Megapixel Digital Camera
262,000 colour screen
bluetooth technology
clock, alarm & calendar

Boasting a 2.0 megapixel digital camera with 5x zoom, the BenQ-Siemens EF81 turns mobile snapshots into stunning photographs perfect for viewing on the large 262k colour TFT screen made from hardened mineral glass to ensure durability.

The BenQ-Siemens EF81 also has 3G functionality allowing you to enjoy such features as live video calling from your mobile together with super-fast data download or just simply audio and video streaming.

It does a lot more than that in reality and you can also put a memory card in it so it will store more ringtones, mp3’s and pictures than my old Motorola will.

The only disappointing thing I have found so far is the camera. It’s only got the one and it is fixed to point at you when the phone is open presumably for the video calling so people can see you. That means you have to rely on the small screen on the front of the phone when you are taking pictures which is really too small for that.

I just a text message from T-Mobile offering a month’s free evening and weekend texts to UK mobiles if I top up my pay as you go card by £10 or more in a single top up. I think it is only for new customers who have ordered a sim card online as I don’t see the offer on their website.

They point to the terms at T-Mobile.co.uk/freetexts which headlines “Unlimited Free evening and weekend texts for life - Web exclusive!”.

In line with other unlimited offers it isn’t actually unlimited and subject to a fair usage policy of 3000 texts per month. Still a good deal but why say “Unlimited” when there is a limit. Perhaps these marketing people should consult a dictionary to see what “Unlimited” means.

If you continue to top up your phone with a minimum top up of £10 each month then you get free texts for the next month.

When I got my sim card from them last week it cost just 50p. Now I see they are giving them away for free so if you’re a bit of a text junkie and you’re on a pay as you go scheme it may be worth looking into.

Well I think I’ve seen it all now. Petsmobility have launched a Mobile Phone for your Dog!

As ridiculous as this may sound its actually a pretty good idea. Especially if you have a pet with a tendency to run off on its own.

The PetsCell not only allows you to call your dog if it gets lost but also allows anyone who finds it to call you. Coupled with GPS navigation you can also track online where your dog is and setup a Geo-Fence around a certain area and get notified if your dog leaves this specific area.

It could be said as a responsible pet owner you shouldn’t let your dog wander off unattended and I for one would agree with that sentiment but it could be useful if you have taken your dog for a walk off its lead and if it runs off at least you will be able to find them easier enough.

I guess the next step would be to somehow miniaturize this for use with cats. That I could see as being a good use of the technology as cats are always wandering off sometimes for hours on end. At least with one of these you’d know where it was.

Only problem is you’d have to move to America for it to work!