Back in May, MakeUseOf published 10 Tips to Take Better Digital Pictures With Your Phone’s Camera.

In this article, I will address some particular common cell phone problems that users run into when taking photos with a cell phone camera; and we all know, there are plenty.

The problems addressed in these article will apply to most any cell phone camera, though I use the iPhone 3G camera for illustration.

Blurry Images

The easiest and probably most common cell phone problem with cell phone photos is they end up blurry. This occurs for a couple of reasons.

• Cell phone cameras need to be properly held. You always want to hold the camera steady with both hands. The tricky part is clicking the shutter button after holding and composing a shot. So one thing to remember is that typically the shutter of the camera does not activate until the button is released. That means you can first push and hold down the button, frame your shot, and then release the button to release the shutter. Avoid trying to frame the shot while you push down the button.

  

  Also try to rest part of your phone on one of your fingers or in the palm of your hand to get a firm grip.

• You might also try bracing your camera against a wall or on a table to help you steady a shot. Even setting up a tripod for your cell phone camera is a useful idea for portrait and group shots.
• The less ambient light you’re shooting in, the more likely you’re going to get blurry photos. Because you can’t increase the shutter speed or open the aperture wider on a cell phone camera, you need to shoot in the brightest area possible, or use a flash if your camera has one.
• If the shot is not blurry but still not as sharp as it needs to be, you can try using an image editor to sharpen the images — but this is less than ideal.

Shooting Moving Subjects

Because cell phone cameras have slow shutter speeds, it’s nearly impossible to capture moving subjects. To address this problem, you might try using an iPhone camera application that delivers multiple shots (or what is called burst mode) after the shutter is pressed. Check out this article for a couple of great iPhone photography apps: The Best Free Alternatives To Top Commercial iPhone Photography Apps

Furthermore, to shoot moving subjects like children you definitely want to shoot in the brightest possible light to compensate for the slower shutter speed. The photo below is an example of the type of moving subjects that are nearly impossible to freeze capture using a cell phone camera.

Photos Lack Contrast

As with most digital photography, photos typically lack good contrast especially when shot in low light settings. The best solution for this is using an image editor and processing photos after they are taken.

Image editors such as the free iPhone app, Photoshop Mobile, have automatic brightness/contrast tools that can make the colors in your photos pop.

Subject Looks Too Small

There’s an easy solution to this one. Shoot close. You need to zoom in with your feet, even if you camera has a digital zoom. Fill the frame with the subject of the image. This is something that you do no matter what you’re using. In an image editor, you can also crop your images to make the subjects closer; however, because cell phone cameras have lower resolution than many point-and-shoot cameras, cropping too much may result in increased pixilation, especially when photos are printed. So zoom with your feet, instead of the lens, to get the best close-up you can. Experiment with shooting from different angles to get a better shot.

Images Are Dark

The obvious problem with dark photos is that there was not enough light when you took the shot. If your camera does not have a flash and you’re shooting in a low light area without a flash, there’s really nothing you can do to address this problem except get more light on the subject. Indoor lights at night are typically not enough light for cell phone cameras. You will need a flash.

Backlight

Also, watch for what is called backlighting. That is, when there’s more light in the back of the subject than there is facing the subject. So make sure the light is coming from behind you and is facing the subject.

In my experience, camera apps like the free and pro version of Camera Plus for the iPhone address some the problems described above. While cell phone cameras may never be a good replacement for point-and-shoot cameras, the portability of mobile cameras make learning how to use them more effectively worth the effort.

Let us know how you fix particular common cell phone camera problems. Have you found an application or two that is helpful for your camera photography?

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This is a Mini Touch Screen PDA, Cell Phone, MP3 Player, MP4 Video Recorder with 2 Megapixel Camera. This is a Tiny Smart Phone! It measures 3.5″ X 2″ X 1/2″. It has a USB data cable for File Transfer as well as Charging the Battery. USB Wall Charger included. Also Included is a Mini USB Ear Buds for the FM Radio and the MP3 Player. The MP3 Player has a “Shake” feature to change songs along with the Loud Speaker and/or Headset at the Playing at same time. The Calculator is like a Real Usable Calculator! 6 different Alarms. Caller ID can have a Special ring or Picture per known Family, Friend or Foe. It has Dual SIM Abilities. This means you can have 2 GSM carriers or 2 numbers from the same Carrier at the same time! I tested T-Mobile and AT&T and it worked Great! This is the Smallest Smart Phone I’ve ever seen so far. Well Worth the Money. They Come in Black, White & Pink.

Step by step of how to load cell phone spyware on any cell phone. Read text messages, read files, read call logs, Use the Target phone as a listening device. see more at cellphonedetectivepro.com

It happens to all of us. You set your phone down to go do something and later on you can’t remember where you left it. Or maybe it fell out of your pocket somewhere. Whatever the case may be, a lost cell phone can give you a headache in a hurry.

After all, we’re dependent on these devices. What if it was stolen? You don’t want your private information in the wrong hands, especially since these new phones are capable of making purchases online.

In this article, I am going to cover a few of the tools you can use to locate your lost or stolen cell phone. So the next time you lose your phone, hopefully it won’t take all day to find it.

[Note]: Finding your cell phone is much easier if you have the ringer turned on or at least have it on vibrate. Finding a phone on silent can be done (if you have GPS), but it is by far the trickiest of all recoveries.

WhereisMyCellPhone

For a lot of you, this may be the only tool you need. If you don’t have a house phone (less and less people do every day), you can go to WhereisMyCellPhone and dial your number for free. We’ve covered this app in our directory before. Simply type in your number, click Find It!, and let it ring until your phone is found. There is no registration required to use this app.   This app is US-only.

BlueRetriever

If you think you’ve left your phone in a public place, you can try this directory app. BlueRetriever is pretty cool in that it allows you to create a wallpaper for your phone that has a site URL and an ID number on it.

When someone finds your phone, they can go to the website, type in the ID number, and they will be able to find out who the phone belongs to. You can even offer them a reward, which you set yourself, of up to $100 in gift cards (Amazon, Starbucks, Target) or donations with Kiva.

Site registration is free and BlueRetriever supports the following devices:

• iPhone Original/3G/3GS.
• iPod Touch.
• Blackberry: Curve, Storm, Bold, Pearl.
• Palm Pre.
• Google G1.

[Note]: If your phone is not on the list, feel free to try the service anyway. You may however need to crop the image to fit on your phone’s screen.

Lookout

This app supports Android, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile phones. Lookout provides security in the form of virus and malware protection, data backup of your contacts and photos, and device location.

The site says that if you can’t find your phone you can make it “scream” (not quite sure what that means) or wipe it out.

F-Secure Anti-Theft

If you’re really worried about your data being stolen, you can look into F-Secure Anti-Theft (directory). Supported by Symbian OS, Windows Mobile, and Android, this application provides the ability to track your lost phone, remotely lock it, and even remotely wipe out all the data.

If your phone is stolen, you can text message a key to your phone to find its geo-location. Send the phone different keys to perform the activities mentioned above.

We’ve covered similar software in WaveSecure and BuddyWay.

iTag [Android]

If you own an Android phone, you need an app like iTag. Once installed this app will allow you to view your cell phone’s location, make it ring from the website even if it is set to silent or vibrate, lock the keys, back up your contacts, delete the information on the phone, and more. There’s not much this app can’t do in the way of finding your cell phone.

Conclusion

Did you find your lost cell phone? I hope you did.

Other articles you can check out relating to this matter include How To Trace & Deactivate A Stolen Cell Phone, How To Trace a Mobile Phone Location with Google Latitude, and 6 Possible Signs Your Cell Phone May Be Tapped.

Image Credit: boostmobile

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Motorola offers mobile users the option of sharing, downloading, as well as accessing cell phone features through a laptop and/or desktop computer. Highly recommended by customers, Motorola Phone Tools are considered a very important aspect for those who enjoy listening to music, chatting online, manipulating photos, etc.

It’s simple; there are two different ways to connect the Motorola cell phone to other devices. First, the Bluetooth feature, which provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices, such as mobile phones, laptops, desktops, printers, digital cameras and even video game consoles. Besides Bluetooth, the Universal Serial Bus, or the USB cable, can as well be connected to other devices.

Before using either or connectors, the Motorola Phone Tools CD ROM is needed in order to start the program. Once the program is saved and stored to the PC, it’ll be a whole lot easier to access phone tools on the desktop.

There are several ways to get ringtones unto those phones.

Firstly; you can purchase the datacable and the software (Mobile Phone Tools) for the phone. You can get this at any phone outlet or even online. With this you can then create and transfer images, wallpapers, movies and mp3 ringtones to and from the phone.

Secondly; you can purchase the Bluetooth Dongle (USB Adapter), and then use this to transfer your images and ringtones from your PC to your phone and vice-versa. This will all be done using the bluetooth wireless technology.

Thirdly; you can go online and find some free ringtones that you like and then have them transferred to your phone directly off the internet using WAP technology.

You can also even get the ringtones texted using MMS to your phone or you can even have them emailed to you.

These are the best options for you to choose from. There are more but work with these for now. Oh and don’t get led on by these Network people that want to make extra money.

There are two ways of doing this. The first is using Bluetooth, which is a wireless connection and the second is using the data cable and Motorola Phone Tools (MPT). I would recommend that you use the data cable because it is very thorough and it has a simple user interface.

The data cable you can purchase at any phone store or even on Ebay. As for the software MPT, here is a link that you can use to download it.

If they ask for a password to open the file after you have downloaded it then you can try this:

Password: Freshwap.com

When you copy and paste the link, you will be directed to rapid share. Then you scroll down the page to the button ‘free’ located at the bottom of the second column. Click on the free button and then you will go onto another page. This page should have a timer counting down. This is how long you have to wait before you can download the file. When the timer expires, then you can enter the 3 character confirmation code that they give you, and then hit download and that’s it.

You will also need WINRAR, that is the software they use to zip the files. This you can get anywhere on the net but you can check: www.downloads.com if you don’t already have it.

Tips: abcnews.go.com Never let your cell phone out of your control — spyware can be installed on it in as little as a few minutes. If you think spyware is on your phone, security expert Robert Siciliano says you have two options: Get aa new phone or call your cell phone service provider. They will tell you how to reinstall the operating system. Reinstalling the operating system should wipe out the spyware.

With a simple program, someone could take control of your phone, listen to your calls, read your e-mails all while tracking your every move. If you have a camera phone, they can even turn it on and look at you! The infected phone looks like it’s off. But you can secretly listen in or watch you. How does the software work? Someone can trick you to go to a website you don’t know….and the spyware is installed whtout you knowing it. The best thing you can do, don’t visit websites you don’t know and don’t let anyone use your phone. It only takes a few seconds for your mobile phone to be turned into a spyphone…that spys on you. You should know, this is against federal law and is considered wire tapping. Communication specialists say the only way to take the spyware off is for phone companies to install anti-virus and anti-phisihing software on their own servers to screen it out.

This tutorial shows you how to make a ringtone using a freeware program called audacity, and the Lame MP3 plug in. Links: Audacity audacity.sourceforge.net LAME MP3 Encoder spaghetticode.org

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www.spyphoneguy.com Did you know in 5 minutes, someone can install spy cell phone software on your phone? Once installed, they can listen to your live calls, read your text messages, track your location, and more. Spy cell phone software is available for iphone, blackberry, Android (Droid, Google Nexus One, HTC, G1, My Touch 3G, etc.), Windows Mobile, & Symbian devices. Watch this spy cell phone software video to find out what spy cell phone software is, & if spy cell phone really does work, or is it just a scam.

Nowadays you can never imagine how fast the communication technology move forward. Especially the mobile phones seem to always be evolving with new advancements and new ideas coming to the forefront regularly. In a word, a mobile phone isn’t just a mobile phone any more!

Then the trouble is coming! Tons of mobile phones combining so many functions are in the market for you to choose. Some phones come with built-in camera, MP3 player, Java, others with Bluetooth, GPS and even a mini TV set! But maybe you have been tired of selecting from these various phones because you don’t want to miss any of them. However, you don’t need to be worried any more because DaPeng T2000 WIFI Cell Phone has come to the world.

DaPeng T2000 WIFI Cell Phone will undoubtedly impress you even though you see it in the picture. It comes with symmetry or attractive shape and good tactility. Most importantly, it nearly includes all the handset functions coming to the forefront such as build-in camera, MP3 player, Bluetooth, TV and so on. Of course, DaPeng T2000 WIFI Cell Phone is also a WIFI phone.

DaPeng T2000 Cell Phone allows you to browse the internet faster and for free! In other words, it provides wireless network connectivity. You’re undoubtedly aware how integral the Web has become in our everyday lives. DaPeng T2000 WIFI Cell Phone creates a connection between components on the same network and has ability to transfer data between the devices. It is evident that DaPeng T2000 WIFI Cell Phone which could connect us with the Internet will give you much unexpected pleasure!

DaPeng T2000 WIFI Cell Phone is particularly characterized by the hot-swappable portable QWERTY keypad design. This QWERTY keypad can make the operation more visually oriented and convenient. Especially when you are playing Java games, you will find it’s very easy to control. The QWERTY keypad can also be used as a delicate protector for the phone. It looks pretty good and cool.

DaPeng T2000 WIFI Cell Phone is such a wonderful phone. I can think of nothing better than sending it to your friend or your lover as a present. It just can attract much attention when it was seen at the first time. It’s a device of great importance or use or service for everyone. Moreover, it looks so nice and fashionable that nobody will refuse it.

Disturbing TV report about spy and tracking software that can be used through cell phones.