Sony Ericsson Mobile Phone Terms
Although most people don’t look into specific features and functionality when they are looking at buying Sony Ericsson mobile phone, it is still nice if we know some of the common terms that are frequently being associated with the phones.
Below you will find many of these common terms.
3G: Stands for 3rd-generation. It is the latest evolution in mobile phone technology, following on from 1G analogue and 2G digital mobile phones. 3G offers high data speeds data transfer, always-on data access, and greater voice capacity. This enable advance functionality such as web browsing, video streaming, multimedia downloads and video calling on 3G-enabled handset
AAC: stands for Advanced Audio Coding. It is a music format proposed as a successor to MP3, offering a higher sound quality but taking up the same amount of memory. Ordinarily a higher quality would mean more memory needs to be used.
Bluetooth: A low power radio frequencies technology that enables devices such as computers, mobile phones and hands-free kits to be connected within a short distances without the need of wires and cables. With Bluetooth technology, you can connect your mobile phone to car kits, headsets, computer and other Bluetooth-enabled phones easily without any wiring.
Dual-band: Refers to the two different frequencies bands. In Europe Dual-band usually means GSM900/GSM1800 capable phone, while in USA it might mean GSM850/GSM1900 or combination of two other bands.
EDGE: Stands for Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution. Sometimes called the EGPRS, it is a technology that can provide faster delivery of data for GSM customers.
Firmware: Software which runs your mobile phone. You can upgrade your mobile phone’s firmware at the manufacturer’s website. Firmware updates can improve performance and fix bugs. Visit your mobile phone manufacturer’s Web site and use their update service.
GPRS: Stands for General Packet Radio Service. It is a technology that utilized packet-switched for high-speed wireless internet and other data communications. It is considered a 2.5G technology, slower than the latest 3G data services.
GPS: Stands for global positioning system. It is a system of satellites, computers, and receivers that is able to determine the latitude and longitude of a receiver on Earth by calculating the time difference for signals from different satellites to reach the receiver.
GSM: Stands for Global System for Mobile communications. It is a 2G digital cell phone standard used by mobile networks across the globe. The communication frequencies used for GSM network is generally the same in most countries, with the exception of the US. The US is using 1900MHz and 850MHz whereas others are using 900mhz, followed by 1800mhz. This are also commonly refer as single, dual, tri or quad band. If you are using a quad band phone, then, it will operate on any of the GSM frequencies, offering a larger range of roaming options.
HSDPA: Stands for High Speed Download Packet Access. This is a next-generation 3G service that’s also described as mobile broadband. It offers exactly what it is called, a high speed method of downloading data across a 3G mobile phone network.
IMEI: Stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It is a unique serial number that every mobile phone has and it can be used by mobile service provider to stop stolen phone from accessing its network.
Infra-red: Refers to a wireless technology that uses a beam of invisible light to transmit information. It allows cell phones, PDAs, and other Infra-red enabled devices to connect to each other for transferring of data.
Java: It is a programming language developed by Sun Microsystems which are readily available in most cell phones. Java is used for many games and application that you can download and install on your phone.
Memory Expansion Slot: It is a physical built-in slot in your phone which allows you to increase the memory capacity by inserting a higher capacity memory card. Common card formats used on a phone include Micro SD and M2.
MMS: Multimedia Messaging Service. It allows attachment of multimedia such as video and sound to messages for sending to and from mobile phones.
MP3: a shorter way of saying MPEG Layer-3. MPEG stands for Moving Pictures Expert Group, and refers to the experts who defined MPEG audio technology. MP3 allows digital audio files to be highly compressed whilst retaining an acceptable level of audio quality
PUK: Personal Unblocking Key: It is the security code used by networks operator to protect their customers SIM card if the wrong pin is entered three times If your mobile phone requests a PUK code, then you need to contact your operator to unlock your phone.
Quad-Band: Refers to the four major GSM frequency bands. The four bands include the 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz. The 850 and 1900 MHz bands are used in the Americas. The 900 and 1800 MHz are used in other parts of the world.
SIM: Subscriber Identity Module. The smart card used in cell phones which carries the user’s identity for accessing the network and receiving calls. It can also used to store other information such as contact and SMS messages.
SMS: Short Message Service. It allows subscribers to send short text messages to and from mobile phones.
Smartphone: Generally used to describe a handset with advanced data features. This means the handset has applications that include office software (word processing, spreadsheet etc), email client, games, entertainment, maps, Internet browsers, notepad, address book, calendar, media player, VoIP, persistent storage, passwords and many more. In a nutshell, it is its ability to manage and transmit data in addition to voice calls.
Track ID: It is a feature commonly found on Sony Ericsson cell phone. Track ID allows you to retrieve track information like name of song, artist, and album the song is from.
Tri-band: Refers to the three different frequency bands. It commonly refers to 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz.
Wi-Fi: Stands for Wireless Fidelity. It is a standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN). With a Wi-Fi phone, you can access the internet with your phone by connecting it to your wireless home broadband network, or the thousands of public hotspots available throughout the country.