Three Mobile Phone Trends To Add Extra Security To Your Life

When most people think of security, they think of home alarm systems, surveillance cameras, or bodyguards--they're probably not thinking about their mobile technology. But mobile devices, especially phones, are a place where you can both gain and lose security, depending on how you use them. Here's a look at three new mobile phone trends that offer security features in a variety of ways.

Mobile Ordering and Payment

Using your phone for more than just making calls and surfing the web has been possible in places like Asia for years now. The United States is finally catching up and offering product ordering and payment by cell phone at select retail locations. These systems offer far better personal and financial security than magnetic strip cards.

Features of some of these programs include:

• apps to make menu selections (vs. browsing website via Internet)
• GPS and directions to closest or most convenient store location
• estimated wait time for food items
• payment through prepaid store card
• payment through "token" exchanged by third party for credit card number
• fingerprint scan to prove user is the owner of the mobile phone

The last three items provide extra layers of security that debit and credit cards can't offer. With card data heists on the rise recently, this is a huge boon for consumers.

Kosher Phones

Strict observers of the Jewish faith have various types of rules governing the use of electronic devices, especially during the Sabbath. Because there is not enough demand for each country to have a special network to accommodate these rules for mobile phones, certain rabbinical groups have purchased regular cell phones and modified them to meet their religious needs. These so-called "kosher phones" can be obtained by application within Jewish religious communities.

One big concern is the constant availability of corrupt secular material and inappropriate communication for young people on smart phones. To remedy that, some groups have retooled phones with no SMS, no Internet, and no camera capabilities.

For adults, secular Internet content is still a concern. For them, there are phones with apps that allow email, texting, online banking, satellite navigation, and religious readings, in addition to basic phone service. This permits them to conduct business without inadvertently surfing the Internet.

When no cellular service of any kind is permitted on the Sabbath, this can pose problems for people like political leaders, military officials, doctors, and law enforcement professionals. Another way kosher phones have been adapted is to delay phone signals so that users are technically not connected at the time calls are placed, therefore not violating Sabbath laws while able to tend to things like national and municipal security.  

Prepaid Phones

Prepaid phones are another way mobile users can get around a host of security and financial worries. For global business travelers or vacationers, taking a smart phone across national borders can result in huge roaming charges. And there's always the risk that a valuable smart phone full of personal data could be stolen or lost.

Travelers can now purchase international prepaid phones with either one international SIM card that works in hundreds of countries or two SIM cards that switch automatically when the user's location changes (great for travelers who move back and forth between the same two countries). You can add as many prepaid minutes as you want and never worry again about accidental roaming charges.

Domestic prepaid phones are an ideal solution for teens who rack up huge bills for their parents or for adults who don't want to take their more expensive regular phones boating, jogging, or other places where they could be lost or damaged.

As mobile phone technology advances, consumers are likely to see a wealth of new features to further protect them in unique ways. If you have particular security concerns, it just might pay to ask a cellular provider like High Tech Surveillance if they have a solution for you, and you could be on the cutting edge of a new trend yourself.