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Talking on a mobile phone while riding a bus or train is frowned upon, and messages asking passengers not to make calls and to switch their phones to silent mode (”public mode” or “manners mode” in Japanese) are played frequently. This, combined with the low per-message price, ample allowed length per message (10,000 characters per message) the ability to enhance messages with special characters, emoticons, pictures, and small animations, and to write in English or Japanese, has made e-mailing from cell phones extremely popular among people of all ages.

Many people send and receive a large number of e-mails daily; teenagers are especially fond of this simple, fast, and private method of communication, though many schools ban the use of cellular phones on campus.

E-mails are also a popular way to communicate with potential friends or lovers. Many internet sites maintain phone-accessible portals via which users can search for and contact others with similar interests.

Japanese mobile phones have the capability to use very large sets of characters and icons based on JIS standards that define characters for industrial appliances. More than one thousand characters including all of the Latin alphabet, hiragana, katakana, kanji and special characters like cm (centimeter), arrows, musical notes and more can be used to compose messages. Japanese mobile phones also use emoticons differently from Western mobile phones.

These character sets are used extensively, and often in a way that do not use their original meaning by relying more on the information based on the shape each character has. For example, ‘\’ may be attached at the end of a sentence to show that they are not happy about the event described. A sentence like “I have a test today\” (translated) might mean that he or she didn’t study enough, or that the test itself is depressing. Some of these usages disappeared as suitable icons were made but these newly made icons also acquired a usage not originally intended. Another example deals with the astrological symbol for Libra. It resembles a cooked and puffed mochi, and is sometimes used in a happy new year’s message as mochi are often eaten then. The symbol for Aquarius resembles waves, so this would be used to mean ’sea’. The number of icons gradually increased and they are now colored on most cell phones, to make them more distinct. ASCII art is also used widely and many of them are faces with expression.

Media Markt is a German chain of stores selling consumer electronics with numerous branches throughout Europe. It is Europe’s largest retailer of consumer electronics.

Media Markt was founded by entrepreneurs Leopold Stiefel, Walter Gunz, Erich Kellerhals, and Helga Kellerhals. The first store opened on 29 November 1979 in Munich.

Today, it is owned by MediaSaturn Holding, which also owns the rival Saturn chain of electronics and media stores. MediaSaturnHolding in turn is owned by the German retail company METRO AG.

MediaMarkt is active in Greece.

Media Markt is known in Germany for its humorous, but sometimes crude, advertising campaigns; for example, the slogan “Lasst euch nicht verarschen” (”Don’t let them make an ass of you”).

Media Markt’s main slogan “Ich bin doch nicht blöd” (I am not stupid) has been translated into the languages of the other countries where the company operates.

2006 World Cup advertising campaign

Prior to the 2006 World Cup, Media Markt launched a campaign, claiming to be the “best fan supplier” (”Bester Fanausrüster“), with commercials showing international football fans shopping at Media Markt, showing exaggerated stereotypes of the participating countries, and making fun of the Austrian team, which did not qualify. This included a French seductress, Dutch fans smoking marijuana in caravans, or a Saudi haggling - to pay more. Germans fans were portrayed with big bellies, asking for refrigerators to keep their beer cool, rather than looking for a new TV set.

An additional series of ads, promoting a rebate of €10 for each goals Germany scores (except penalty shoot-outs), showed international soccer fans begging the Germans to score as many goals as possible - against their own team.

When the Netherlands lost to Portugal, Media Markt used a quote from a 1970s show featuring the late Rudi Carrell, a Dutchman who was a long-time TV celebrity in Germany, to express Schadenfreude. A World Cup trophy is shown to grieving Dutch fans in their caravan with the comment “This would have been your prize!”.

Polish advertising controversy

In March 2006, the “Poland version” showed moustache-wearing Polish customers praising the shop for “prices deep like Polish soul” before hugging the German sales managers, who looked quite uncomfortable in the bear hugs. Afterwards, one of the Germans pointed out that his watch was still there, and that “The Pole is an honest person, after all”. Then, the three men are shown to be missing their trousers.

This commercial caused a scandal in Poland, for the widely known German stereotype of Poles being thieves. Media Markt argued that the advertisements also made fun of other national clichés, including Germans, and none of the other clichés were perceived as negative towards the people they presented. Its aim was to exaggerate the cliché of the Polish thief to dismiss it as unjustified prejudice, Media Markt claimed.

The store apologised and withdrew the advert after their Polish branch asked to do so, following protests in Poland, a call from the Polish embassy in Berlin and protests from German Polonia.

Portuguese advertising controversy

In January 2008 Media Markt launched a campaign presenting a fictitious country called “Dumb Land”, where several characters were presented as being from this country, which even has an anthem. A central theme of this campaign presented a Boy Scout as an idiot. This really upset people as many consider Scouts to be responsible and valued members of society. An online petition was created to persuade Media Markt to withdraw the campaign and to offer a public apology. Due to this petition and a lot of pressure from the Scouting movement, Media Markt had to remove the Boy Scout from their campaign, including TV and radio ads.

Comedian Lee Hurst apparently went a bit crazy during a show in Guildford recently when he thought a member of the auduance was filming him using their Mobile.

He reportedly smashed the phone up then left the stage and failed to return. The member of the audiance claimed he was only texting the babysitter.

A recent suevey in the states suggests that Apple’s products are going down very well with US teensagers. 8% of American teenagers have iPhones and a hefty 22% said they were planning to buy an iPhone within the next 6 months.

Moreover, a monster 84% of US teenagers own iPods.

This if good news for Apple - if they learn to love the brand they could be there for life.

Digicel is a mobile phone network provider in the Caribbean region. Based in Jamaica, the company provides mobile services in 23 countries and territories in the Caribbean and Central America with more than six million wireless users. Digicel is preparing to launch in the British Virgin Islands, Honduras and Panama which will bring it to a total of 26 markets. Meanwhile its sister operation Digicel Pacific to date (Jan 2008) operates in four markets in the South Pacific (Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu) with launch imminent in Fiji. The company’s largest competitor in the Caribbean region is Cable & Wireless’s bmobile brand

History

Digicel, first established April, 2001 in Jamaica grew to 100,000 customers in approximately 100 days. In the 7 years since the initial launch, Digicel’s Jamaican customer base has grown to 1.9 million users (March 2008). In Haiti, where they launched operations in May 2006, the company reached 1.4 million subscribers by May 2007 and now has more than two million customers making Haiti Digicel’s largest customer base to date. Digicel is 100% owned by Irish entrepreneur Denis O’Brien. The company has a marketshare of roughly 70% in Jamaica.(Digicel makes cellphone connection in Jamaica)

Competitive Issues with Incumbents

The majority of Digicel networks start up in countries where the telecommunications market has been newly liberalised. As a result there have been numerous rows between Digicel executives and former state incumbent operators over interconnect agreements. This has led to Digicel taking some incumbent operators to court.

Digicel Expansion

In 2006 Digicel expanded into the South American mainland as well as the Pacific. On September 2006 Digicel acquired an unrelated mobile phone provider Digicel Holdings in El Salvador, rebranding it as El Nuevo Digicel, and a mobile telecommunications license in Guatemala. Then in December 2007 Digicel won a highly competitive bid for a mobile license in Honduras and expects to launch in its second Central American country in 2008. Digicel in Guatemala must be launched before June 18th (2008), when its authorization expires.

In 2007 Digicel also expanded their presence in South America and in the country of Guyana, acquiring U*Mobile, now rebranded as Digicel Guyana Ltd as well as launching in Suriname (December 2007) and French Guiana (June 2006). Digicel now operates in 23 markets. Digicel won a licence to operate in Panama in May 2008.

Digicel Pacific

Digicel’s sister operation in the Pacific Islands region currently operates in Samoa and in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu , Tonga, Fiji, as well as an experimental licence in the Solomon Islands.

Partnership with ezetop

On 20th March 2007, Digicel signed an agreement with ezetop to provide mobile credit to the diaspora across the world. ezetop currently markets Digicel top-up for Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Guyana and Samoa in retail stores in the US, the UK and online around the world at their website.

Partnership with Vodafone

On 6 February 2007, Digicel signed a three-year partnership agreement with Vodafone. Though both will remain separate and independent companies, the agreement, which includes Digicel’s sister operation in Samoa, will result in the offering of new roaming capabilities. The two groups will also become preferred roaming partners of each other.

Digicel Foundation

Digicel and its shareholders set up a foundation that has been actively involved in charitable work throughout the Caribbean involving a wide range of school and sports projects as well as providing assistance after Hurricane Ivan devastated many of the islands, especially Grenada and the Cayman Islands. To date the Digicel Foundation in Jamaica has allocated US$7 million to sustainable development community projects in the country. In Haiti the Digicel Foundation built 20 primary schools in its first year.

Digicel are the official sponsors of the West Indian cricket team.

Child protection groups in Australia have warned teenage girls against tanning their Mobile numbers on their backs using zinc sunscreen. The craze has begun to spring up with teenagers on the beach taking advantage of the improving weather as Summer approaches.  

The girls use zinc total block sunscreen to advertise their mobile numbers to get the attention of boys. They are being warned that giving out their number in this manner may attract unwanted attention.

Kate Middleton, the girlfriend of Prince William was spotted using her Mobile Phone whilst driving The Sun is reporting today.

Using a Mobile whilst driving is, of course, illegal and can result in 3 points and a fine of £60.  

The number of people with Mobile Phones in India is growing massively, last year a staggering 83 million people got mobile. When you consider it’s taken the best part of 15 - 20 years for the UK for effectively reach 100% or 65 million it illustrates how incredible India’s growth is.

At Insurance2go our favourite Indian network is the wonderfully named Spice Telecom. There also appears to be a manufacturer called Gee Pee. 

Sony Ericsson is a joint venture established in 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to make mobile phones. The stated reason for this venture is to combine Sony’s consumer electronics expertise with Ericsson’s technological leadership in the communications sector. Both companies have stopped making their own mobile phones.

The company’s global management is based in Hammersmith, London, and it has research & development teams in Sweden, Japan, China, Germany, the United States, India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

While Sony Ericsson has been enjoying strong growth recently, its South Korean rival LG Electronics overtook it in Q1 2008 due to the company’s profits falling significantly by 43% to €133 million (approx. US$ 193.6746 million), sales falling by 8% and market share dropping from 9.4% to 7.9%, despite favourable conditions that the handset market is expected to grow by 10% in 2008. The situation is getting worse as Sony Ericsson announced another profit warning in June 2008 and saw net profit crash by 97% in Q2 2008, announcing that it would cut 2,000 jobs, leading to wide fear that Sony Ericsson is on the verge of decline along with its struggling rival, Motorola.

Sony Ericsson has, as of July 18, 2008, approximately 9,400 employees and 2,500 contractors worldwide.

The Samsung I850 is a new handset coming soon - competing directly with the Nokia N95 and N96, it’s packed with goodies.

An 8 megapixel camera, Music / Vidoe Player, Stereo Bluetooth, using Nokia’s S60 interface it’s easy to use. It’s stylish casing with a large screen it’s a superb piece of kit.

If you get your hands on one then insuring it will be a no brainer - look no further than www.insurance2go.co.uk