Mobile Photography and Tips to Improve It

Admit it! You love it when the mobile pictures you share online gets plenty of likes and comments. It gives you a sense of happiness to see the image you took, getting a lot of attention. But with the limited filters and settings in photo editing applications like Instagram, expect your pictures to look exactly like other people's photos.

If you want to improve your pictures and make them stand out, here are few tips that you should follow:

Look At Your Subject in Different Perspective

Do not limit yourself on what your eyes are making you see. Look beyond the linear perspective and experiment on angles and foreground. There are various perceptive composition to help images look entirely different. The most common perspectives are the birds eye view and the worms eye. The former being taken in high vantage point while the latter, taken in a low point of view. There are also overlapped perspective where subjects from the foreground partially covers the background subject. This creates a sense of depth, which shows relative distance among the subjects. Playing with angles help your photos dynamic and pleasant to look at.

Know The Perfect Filter

Instagram filters create a retro-analog effect to you digital images. Usually, people use a trial and error process in choosing which filter to use but it is time consuming. You have to be familiar with filters. Here are few:

•Hefe: Slight vignette edge that improves contrast and saturation. Makes color pop in an already vibrant subject.

•Valencia: High retro effect that makes an eerie feel. It washes out and overexpose images to create antique look to the subject.

•Toaster: High saturation filter with burnt center emphasizing vignette edges. This is a dramatic filter that pushes the attention to the central part of the image.

•X Pro II: A very versatile filter that suits indoor and outdoor subject, whether portrait or landscape. It also make colors pop out to give a Photoshop effect.

Be Creative with Props

You should add spice to your subjects by adding props like flowers, boxes, shells and figurines. Subjects with props get more attention than the bare ones that is why shopping stores always adorn their window displays with props. Play and experiment with these materials to improve the composition of your images.

Mind the Light

Everyone knows that bad light ruins an image. That is why you have to know where best to photograph your subject. Here are few points to note:

•Indoors, open as much light as possible, but be aware of harsh shadows because it can ruin the composition. You can use reflectors to minimize shadows.

•Outdoors, you have to avoid too much light. It basks your frame into too much white light that might remove important contrasts.

•Camera phone lenses are prone to sun flares. Sun flares can ruin your photos, but you can use it to you advantage by experimenting with it.

Experiment With Lenses

Be more creative by adding clip-on lenses on your phone. It can be wide-angle, close-up or fisheye lens. Fisheye lens is an ultra wide lens that makes visual distortion to your photos. Wide angles are perfect for taking landscapes while close up lens is good in capturing details. With lenses you can create great depth-of-field that you can only achieve through professional cameras.

Try New Photo Editing Tools

If you cannot achieve your desired effect in Instagram, you can export your photos and open it in a different editing application before posting it in Instagram. There are many great photo applications for android and iOS phones. Here are few apps that you can try:

•Camera 360: An easy to use photo editing application that offers creative filters. Unlike Instagram, camera 360 has filters that gives more than the retro style. You can play with saturation, glow and soften filters. You can also improve the lighting of under or over exposed pictures.

•Camera Zoom FXP: This photo app makes your phone camera more powerful. Aside from helpful grids to compose your images properly, this app helps you take in stable-shot mode to avoid blurry images. It also has voice activated shooting mode.

•Pixler Express: This is a mobile version of the widely popular Photoshop alternative. It basically runs the same way as Instagram but it feature more interesting filters. It also has a very user friendly interface to easily navigate the application.

These are the few tips that you can do to improve your photos and make them stick out from the usual retro images you see online. Remember expressing creativity should never be limited to filters, you have to think outside the box to make every photos you share online, memorable.

Author's Bio:

Maddy is a global writer and blogger, she is currently writing for Millennials in Manila, a web magazine about life, career, culture, entertainment and more. 

How to Enter and Thrive in the Mobile App Development Business

The market for mobile apps development is growing at a phenomenal pace and consequently the business of apps development can mean some serious bucks for developers. According to a study by research2guidance, the total amount spent by players in mobile / OS developers business on apps development was a whooping $20b in 2012. 

With apps developers being able to charge high rates, a growing army of software developers is extremely interested in garnering a share of this tasty pie. If you too are lured but don’t have a clue on how to embark in this rewarding field, here are some much needed tips for you.

Take a Course in Apps Development

A degree or certificate in mobile apps development will lend credibility to you as a developer. Although there are no industry recognized courses, a basic degree in computer engineering, augmented by a few specific certifications in mobile apps development is all what you need to be accepted as an apps developer on the market.

Choosing the Right Professional Partner

As a certified apps developer, you can look forward to hone your skills professionally. There are broadly two options at your disposal – 

1. Join a company into the business of apps development, or 

2. Engage yourself as an individual apps developer with the likes of Apple or Google. 

As a beginner, a better approach would be to engage yourself with less popular operating systems like Windows Phone 7 or Hewlett-Packard’s WebOS, as this will allow you earn the right attention required to be noticed. Engaging with an Apple or Google would imply competing with an army of apps developers who are already well established. So initially your strategy should be about being a big fish in a small pound.

If you choose to associate yourself as an individual developer within the space, the sky is the limit, subject to the condition you are able to prove yourself. As a developer you will need to first focus on the development and once it is done, you can place your apps for distribution on the apps store. This is not all done, and I would say developing an app is the just the first step in the right direction.

Marketing is Very Important

There are thousands of apps already listed on the apps store and hence it becomes crucial to let people know and understand the benefits of your apps. While you write the description of your apps, use the right keywords and ensure the message is conveyed in crisp and effective manner. If you are not able to effectively communicate the value of what you have, it is a disaster. Remember, your description should make your app stand ahead of the competition.

Deploying Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Marketing Optimization (SMO) can be pretty helpful for you to grab the initial attention.

If you have a really good app that is going to appeal the masses, you just have to ensure that a decent number of customers download your app. If customers love the app you create, then there is no more effective marketing tool than word of mouth publicity. You will be surprised to see the demand of your apps going viral. But as it is not easy to predict what consumers would like, to improve your odds for success it is advisable to develop a portfolio of apps.

Paying for Downloads

Although not everybody would agree with idea of paying for downloads, but it certainly makes commercial sense. There are firms who charge a fixed fee from developers and guarantee a certain number of minimum downloads. 

Downloads are driven by providing incentives to customers. The incentives are not real but virtual, like if a user is in the middle of a game, a pop up would appear which would give the user an option to download the app and in barter get a few extra lives or weapons. As more people download the app, it will gain popularity and as we discussed earlier if the app is appreciated by users, success will follow. A practical drawback with this methodology is that many users tend to ignore or delete the apps after downloading and hence the app may not even be noticed.

Bottom line

While marketing plays an important role in the success of an app, ultimately it is the quality of the app that drives its success. So, work on developing a quality app first and then devise a strategic marketing plan, fame and money will follow you. 

This post is contributed by Nilesh Talaviya, who works as a mobile strategist for Cygnet Infotech, A CMMi Level 3 and ISO 9001:20071 certified mobile game development company based in India. Facing any issues with game design or development  Feel free to get in touch with him at  nctalaviya@cygnet-infotech.com for useful answers and advice.

Bang For Your Buck: What Are You Getting Out of Your Phone Plan

With the purchase of a cell phone from almost any major retailer, a contract ranging from six months to three years or longer is often necessary. With even just a single smartphone, customers could be looking at potentially lengthy contractions and expensive stipulations, and that is why everyone should take a few extra seconds to understand a few basic steps to take in order to get the most out of one’s phone and phone plan.

Contract Details
One of the most important choices will come down to the contract details. Families and loved one’s will often purchase their phones and sign a contract in a bundle to save on money and cut down on the total minutes and texts that they will be using. Depending on the carrier, group contracts could cut costs by a relatively large percentage, but the length of the contract itself is another important consideration to make as they can range from just a few months to multiple years.

Phone Options
The next thing to consider is the phone itself. Many loyal Apple customers will opt for iPhone plans so that they can keep up with this mobile technology and its unique app market. Customers may also choose the Blackberry OS from Bell.ca in order to take full advantage of Research in Motion, also known as RiM. The primary alternative to Apple and Blackberry cell phones are phones base on the Android operating system. This company has a number of unique features including an app market that is owned and operated by Google.

Data Plans
Some cell phones do come without the need for a data plan, but almost all smartphones like iphone plans that are listed as a 3G or 4G phone require a 3G or 4G data plan. Data plans refer to the amount of information that is uploaded and downloaded from the phone when it is not utilizing a local wireless network. With modern carriers, the data plan is often the most expensive component of one’s overall phone bill.

Warranties and Coverage
A final consideration, and one that many customers overlook, is the warranty and coverage extended to the phone. Warranties will vary by the manufacturer of the phone as well as the retailer and they could potentially save the owner of the phone hundreds of dollars in the coming years. This coverage can often be extended to further cover all accidents and theft, preventing the need to purchase an additional phone before the contract is expired.

How Call Tracking Prevent Bad Marketing Decisions?

If you are going to use the phrase 'call tracking' with someone outside the context of marketing and entrepreneurship, it will conjure up images of government spying, computer geeks hunching over computer screens listening to the private conversation. The best and hot example is the recent controversy of NSA wiretapping.

In fact, the entire planet is talking about call tracking and the program used by the CIA or NSA to monitor or track calls along with social media, emails, etc. However, call tracking meant something entirely different before this kind of controversy came out.

Call tracking is a famous tool used by marketers and entrepreneurs to analyze which ads, marketing campaigns or search phrases generate phone calls. This is used to determine what type of campaign is effective and discontinue using other campaigns that do not generate sales. This call tracking tool is helpful in cutting cost and allows marketers to focus on an ad platform that is sure to provide ROIs.

Hence, it is advisable that in every online business or may be offline needs to have a call tracking tool and assign each of the phone numbers to a specific ad campaign to make this ad analysis a success.

So, how call tracking stop or prevent bad marketing decisions?

In conjunction to the above definition, call tracking software provides crucial information that marketers need to make decisions based on their marketing expenses. The following are the avenues where call tracking may be used to analyze or determine an effective marketing campaign.

Call Tracking in PPC

Many marketers and entrepreneurs spend billions every year on their PPC campaigns and Google Adwords. They know that they could generate as many leads and income tripling their expenses through the click-through ads like the PPC. This campaign is a known tool to drive traffic to their landing pages, and track the conversion rates and revenues based on visits.

Using this call tracking software, marketers track the phone calls coming from the PPC campaigns they placed in the Internet. The data generated by the call tracking software is critical to fill the blindspot as marketers track their real returns or ROIs.

Call Tracking in SEO

Search engine optimization is the most famous tool used in inbound marketing. While the ranking of keywords and social media campaigns are very expensive, it is important that marketers and entrepreneurs could generate income through the phone calls their SEO are generating. And if it's not, their allotted resources and money spent on an SEO service will be in vain. The role of the call tracking software is crucial to identify whether they generate sales from SEO or not. So, they could discontinue using the service if they found the other way around.

Call Tracking in Traditional Media

Many marketers and entrepreneurs place call tracking numbers in the radio ads, TV ads, print ads and direct mail ads. They want to know how many phone calls each of the ad platform are generating. This is to ensure that their ad on a specific campaign is effective and will discontinue financing on a campaign that do not generate many phone calls. So, they could save marketing expenses on a bad campaign and allot more resources on the best platform.

So, who says call tracking does not stop bad marketing decision?

It is a perfect tool in the marketer's toolbox that could save you from further profit losses.

Bio:

The above article is written by Steven Wright, a Marketing Expert at Dial800. His task is to reach out prospective clients through online marketing, and promotes their company's online social presence. He is passionate about virtual phone business, call tracking and the wonders of inbound marketing. You can connect with Steven via Twitter at @Dial800.

Need to know what about Lenovo K900

Chinese PC maker Lenovo, one of the largest smartphone vendors has launched the K900 smartphone which seems to be the first Intel Clover Trail powered device. K900 is Touch Bar type offering lot of exciting features to experience on the consumers end. It is a powerful handset that comes with a very attractive and slim build, while the specs are of high-end. The Intel-based smartphone is different from the competition – it will stand out in a crowd.

OS and Processor

The Lenovo K900 is equipped with the latest Android 4.2 version. This smartphone is powered by the latest Intel Atom mobile processor with a power boost of 1.8 GHz Z2580 and a graphic processor of PowerVR SGX 544. This is a smart chipset that shouldn’t be ignored because it’s just dual-core.

Design

Lenovo K900 is a very slim smartphone which is only 6.9 mm thin and measuring about 162 grams which is lighter than the Galaxy Note II and easily fits into a jacket pocket or handbag. The smartphone displays a full high-definition resolution 5.5-inch 1080p giant screen with touch-capacitive Gorilla Glass 2 protection. This delivers the K900 supreme clarity and crispness with enough room to capture high-definition images and video, as well as for browsing standard-size web pages. It features a higher pixel density- 400 ppi which supports HD games and videos, web video streaming, web browsing and other entertainments. This handset is also equipped with non removable 2500 mAh battery. Its elegant case is built out of stainless steel and poly carbonate. The result is an attractive unibody chasis which looks gorgeous in the hand. Lenovo’s stripe design adds to its slim profile. The back of the phone is crafted in such a way that it does not snag on your clothes.

Camera and memory

Continuing the high-specs trend, the Lenovo K900 sports a 13-megapixel camera  optimized for size with a new sensor, resulting in a clean and smooth rear surface. It is also equipped with a 2-mega pixel front facing camera that supports 88 degrees viewing angle, excellent for capturing self-photos and video calls. Considering the smartphone users wish to capture clear, flash-less images in low-light, Lenovo possess an F1.8 focal length lens, making it the first handset to deliver such a wider aperture on its camera. In addition to the basic functions of the camera such as fine tuning the parameters of brightness, color, sharpness, Advanced features allow experts to perform detailed tunings such as white balance, shooting the color temperature of the ambient light conditions and to choose ideal white balance.

The phone has an internal memory of 16 GB which can be upgraded up to 32 GB with the addition of micro SD card. It also supports 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC connectivity.

Media and connectivity

The smartphone is equipped with loudspeaker to intensify music playback and tones; it supports the speakerphone while you call. The media players loaded in Lenovo K900 can play files in different formats such as WAV, MP3, WMA, eAAC+ and video formats MP4, WMV, H.264. With MicroSD slot, you can enjoy the power of Stereo FM radio along with FM recording feature.

Lenovo K900 allows 2Gand 3G data transfers. It also supports Wi-Fi 802 connectivity. With the dual band Hotspot, K900 allows you to share internet connection. Bluetooth 2.1 enables personal data transfer. Google maps help you to view maps while GPS tracking helps you to locate places. The smartphone also supports messaging features SMS, MMS, Email, Push Mail, RSS.

User interface

The user interface is very simple. It’s easy to add applications or widgets in the home screen. Lenovo K900 reacts to body gestures. For example to turn off the screen you don’t have to press the power button, it’s enough to gently shake the device.

Price and availability

Lenovo K900 is available at Rs 32,999, which is cheaper than the Galaxy Note II. It is expected to hit the international markets in July 2013.

About The Author: Allie is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, traveling and reading books. She contributes on punchh.

Will Free Roaming hurt Dual sim phones

Recently all the blogs have been talking about the rise of Dual SIM technology in India and how some phone manufacturers have capitalized on this increasing demand of Indian phone users by making most of their phones supporting dual-SIM functionality.  Dual-SIM phones allow users to pick service providers of their choice and make best use of their offers. One can have a SIM for voice and text usage while another for data usage or even use two separate SIMs from two cities you visit frequently, and not spend much on roaming charges. All this is set to change. 

The opposition

After much pressure and huge delays, the Department of Telecommunications has finally announced that it intends to introduce free roaming for all mobile phone users by October this year. While this is a welcome move for all phone users who end up paying a fair share of their mobile bills as roaming charges, major service providers are opposing this introduction fearing loss of revenues. Introduction of free roaming is meeting strong opposition from telecom majors such as Airtel and Vodafone, who do not wish to lose such a large share of their income to the government’s decision. If enforced, these companies aim to recover revenue losses by increasing base tariff for all costumers, which would be unfair to bulk of the users who rarely using roaming facilities. Instead, both these players recommend the introduction of fixed price vouchers, just like SMS packs, ISD packs, that will allow users to enjoy free roaming for limited period of time. So, consumers who travel often can opt for these packs and enjoy free roaming while outside their home circles, without affecting the regular users in the circle. While this may seem like a win-win situation for telecom companies and users, it does fall flat on the government Telecom Policy. 

The opportunist 

Anil Ambani led Reliance - Reliance Communications though has quite a welcome approach to this government directive. Taking a leaf from similar policies implemented abroad, especially, the US, Reliance Communications believes that availability of free roaming will further boost telephone calls between roaming users and their home circles. This will increase average expenditure per user, which could make up for the losses companies might face if roaming charges are abolished. 

The present situation

Whether, these policies will affect dual SIM technology, depends largely on the number of users who use SIM cards from different circles on their dual-SIM compatible phones.  Dual SIM phones are also gaining popularity since they allow users to get maximum benefit out of a company’s offer for text messages and/ or data packs. As long as users stick such usage, Dual SIM technology is here to stay. Also, there are many users who opt to keep their business and personal life separate at all times. A few years ago, these were the people you would see carrying two-three phones at a time. With dual-SIM phones, it is now a rare sight to find someone carrying multiple phones. Such users take advantage of dual-SIM functionality to keep their personal and business life separate. You could be on vacation and still be reachable for important clients or choose to respond only to emergency situations, all thanks to your Dual SIM phone. 

Also, certain far-off areas such as agricultural fields, industrial areas do not have the privilege of multiple service providers. Hardly one or two service carriers connect these far off areas. People usually traveling to such areas regularly while residing elsewhere in the town or city tend to use dual-SIM phones to stay connected at all times. This is another set of users that will still continue to use Dual SIM Phones. 

The real dilemma 

As October approaches, the story of free roaming will slowly unfold. Whether the Government bows down to pressure from the service providers or stays committed to its announcement will only be known when October arrives. The introduction of Free Roaming will also bring about a much need unification of network circles. Whether it will kill Dual SIM technology or not, only time will tell, but unification of network circles and availability of mobile-number portability (MNP –meaning, the mobile number you are currently using might be the only one you will ever need) are a much welcome change. Again only time will tell whether or not these changes are here to stay.  It remains to see how Dual sim technology breaks into the Top 5 Trends in mobile industry.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Review

The world’s most popular Android phone is at it again. Samsung released specifications for the sequel to the hugely popular Galaxy S3 earlier last month at the Galaxy S4 release event in New York City. With rumors abound of eye-controlled browser navigation, the Galaxy S4 ended up living up to hype surrounding the long anticipated release.

The basics

On first glance, the Galaxy S4 retains the design aesthetic cherished by some and loathed by others. While it still comes in your basic black mist or white frost, the familiar polycarbonate covering is amplified with a slim metallic trim which elevates the device away from the less luxurious feel of the plain plastic back on the S3. Although the S4 can hang the heavy weights in screen size, when it comes to total weight the S4 comes in at a light 130 grams.

You think the retina display on the iPhone 5 is clear, check out the HD Super AMOLED  full five inch screen. Although that may seem like a minimal upgrade from the S3’s 4.8 inches, Samsung managed to add screen space while simultaneously making the device overall narrower, thinner, and lighter. Screen real estate is a premium and the Galaxy S4 clocks in at 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm. Finally, you won’t be able to discern any fuzziness on the S4 with its 441.5 pixels per inch display which rivals the new HTC One.

The Galaxy S4 may look a lot like its older brother the S3, but there are some distinct differences even at the surface level. The S4 will be the first mass market phone to take advantage of Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3. Corning outdoes itself this time with a screen that is three times more scratch resistant than its predecessor, while becoming thinner and sleeker. Check out thisYouTube video for a testament to the S4’s scratch resistance as it goes head to head with a variety of knives and pennies.

The nitty gritty

The guts of the S4 are fairly standard with 2 GB of RAM and a powerful battery of 2600 mAh. Carriers will offer 16, 32, and 64 GB versions of the phone. As with the S3, you can buy extra storage using the microSD card slot if you feel the 64G version alone just won’t do it for you. Naturally, the S4 is LTE equipped for lightning fast down download speeds.

The cool stuff

While Samsung really elevated the S4 on the software side, there are still some hardware upgrades that are noteworthy. The S4 comes with an IR blaster for those times when you are searching high and low for that blasted remote. You can simply use your S4 as a universal remote to access your TV and entertainment sets.

On the hardware site, Samsung gave the camera a big upgrade as well on this edition. The S4 has 13 MP sensor on the rear camera, up from 8 MP on the S3. The front camera has video chat capabilities and a 2 MP sensor. The camera capabilities are where Samsung leaped some bounds on the software side. “Dual Shot” eliminates the need of finding an external third person to be kind enough to take a shot of you and your buddies. Dual shot takes a picture on both the front and rear cameras and then superimposes your image into the final picture. For those pictures where everyone is looking every which way, Samsung offers “Best Face” which lets you take multiple shots of a group picture and compile everyone’s best face into a final compilation shot.

This article would be incomplete without mention of the S4’s most anticipated features: Smart Scroll and Smart Pause. Both take advantage of the fact that the S4 comes with the capability of knowing when you are looking at the phone directly. The Smart Scroll lets you tilt up or down to browse when directly looking at the screen while the Smart Pause will automatically pause a video when you happen to turn away.

Where and when you can get it

Within two weeks of product preview, Samsung had received 10 million pre-orders for the S4, outdoing the previous S3 record of 9 million. Here’s where you can join the ranks with 10 million other customers waiting to get their hands on an S4 once it is officially released at the end of this month. Head over to your carrier’s website or store. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint all offer the S4 on their networks. Big box retailers like Wal-mart, Staples, and Best Buy will also be selling the S4 in stores.

About author: Angie Picardo, she writer for NerdWallet. She helps to consumers finncially to save some money with the best online savings account.

Sony Xperia Z release date announced in India

Sony Xperia Z officially releasing on March 6 in India.

Xperia Z Specificatons:

Display: It comes with a 5" inch full 1080p reality display (1080 x 1920 pixels) powered by Mobile Bravia Engine2.

CPU: Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor
GPU: Adreno 320
Chipset: Qualcomm MDM9215M / APQ8064

Memory: micro SD, upto 32Gb
Internal: 16GB
2GB RAM

Camera: 13 megapixel camrera with 4G LTE (4128x3096 pixels)

Battery: Li-Ion 2330 mAh capacity

Thickness: 7.9mm body
Dust resistand and water resistand smartphone durable with tempered glass and anti shatter film on the front and back.

How Long Do I have to Wait to Leave a Message?

Every mobile phone user has left a message on a friend’s or loved one’s voicemail. Verizon, Sprint,

T-Mobile, and other major cell phone service providers include automated voicemail that takes messages even when your phone is turned off.

There are many conveniences to voicemail. If your friend’s phone is turned off or the battery has drained, you can still get in touch. You might have the opportunity to page your friend or, as the current trend has it, have a laundry list of options including listening to and re-recording the message. The latter could indeed take all afternoon.

In the first place, how long do you have to wait to leave a message? Think about it ― the waiting for the chance to talk, after thinking through your shtick. You take a breath, and are ready to go ― then there’s more chatter. Been there?

It all starts with the recorded voice, often starting with something like, “You’ve reached the voicemail of…” or “Your call has been forwarded to an automated voicemail system,” etc. The dialog goes on to say the person is not available, and you can leave a message for … here’s the part when your contact had the opportunity to input their name, during setup. Per the instructions, however, your friend left a greeting. “Hi, it’s me. I’m not available right now. Leave a message with your name and number, blah blah blah.”

Calling Is a Test of Patience

So now you know you’ve called the right person. The automated voice instructs you he or she not available, which has already been established. Perhaps your friend is checking the phone as this is all happening. After all, you know your buddy isn’t working long hours at an SEO company or financial firm.

The automatic voice, however, keeps on going. “To leave a message …” Yes, that’s exactly what you want to do. Why can’t you just do so, you ask? The ego-trip continues. “Please stay on the line, and wait for the tone.” It’s all sounding so good now. With an internal dialog ready to go, you take a deep breath and prepare yourself mentally to talk, only to exhale with a sigh.

Still Waiting…

“You can also leave a callback number or page the unavailable loser at this number …” You think it would all end here; after all, the intention was to leave a message in the first place. But wait, there’s more! “When you are finished …” Wait, does this mean I can start soon? “Please stay connected to hear some more options.” Life is full of choices, no doubt.

“To start recording your message, listen for the tone at the end of this recording. You can begin by stating your name, number, address, favorite meal, etc.” By now, it starts to sound like an opportunity to speak is nearing. “After the tone, start talking.” Ok, you’re ready; if you’re lucky, though, there will be a long pause between the end of the message and the actual beep. Maybe you won’t hear it, because of the false start. Ever been halfway through a message and ask yourself, “Was that the tone?”, and wonder whether or not your fabulous opening was recorded?

By then, you may have forgotten half the things you wanted to say, but you don’t dare listen to the damage. Half the day could be wasted refining your message on the automated mobile voicemail, and “listening to more options.”

The quotes here are meant to simulate a voicemail call, and are not intended to exactly replicate the script of any specific service.

How To Disable A STOLEN Mobile Phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number(IMEI), Enter the following digits on your phone!:
star-hash-zero-six-hash
* # 0 6 #
A 15 digit code(IMEI) will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone got stolen, you can call your service provider and say this code then they will block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stolen it, can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
Not only the above, but also in Australia your stolen phone is added to a "Stolen Mobile Phone" database, so if your phone is found later on it can be returned to you.

Also check out @ Mobile Phone Secrete Codes