Business Mobile World

When choosing a mobile phone there are a number of different designs which offer variable user experiences. The one you choose may be decided by specific reasons or a good experience with a particular handset in the past.

• Candy Bar

The "standard" form factor, used on the very first mobile phones and still popular today. With this type of phone there is no protection for the screen or keyboard. Be careful not to keep it in a pocket with keys or other items that could scratch or damage the screen. Also make sure that the keyboard is locked as accidentally dialling someone or accessing the internet (many browser keys seem to be placed deliberately in a position where accidental use is encouraged!) could incur extra charges.

• Slide Phone

Usually the top part of the phone containing the screen slides over the keyboard. This means that the keyboard is protected but the screen remains exposed. They can be prone to screen damage due to broken connectors in the slide mechanism.

• Flip Phones / Clam Shell

Very rare nowadays to see a flip phone. The advantages are both the keyboard and main screen are protected. Outer screens remain at risk of scratching and breakage. When opened the phones should give a decent call experience with earpiece and microphone naturally in the right place.

• Touchscreen

More and more modern mobile phones are touchscreen. They can be used by touching with your fingers or a stylus. Keyboard use is via a "virtual keyboard" that appears on the main screen. Different manufacturers utilise technologies that give a different feel to their touchscreens. Some users swear by them but others cannot get on with them. It is easier to make a mistake than with a traditional keyboard.

• Hybrids

Some phones are now being released that feature more than one of these technologies. For instance they have a touchscreen top panel which slides out to reveal a standard keyboard. The best of both worlds or just more things to go wrong??

Sales of SmartPhones continue to soar and are predicted to exceed those of PCs by 2012. The average SmartPhone is now so packed full of features that they could possibly replace a number of devices in the fullness of time.

When you invest in a SmartPhone you are likely getting a

• camera
• media player (MP3/4/Radio)
• computer
• satnav
• TV
• communication device (phone/sms/mms/email)

All of these features are rolled into one device that you can carry around and, as processing power and memory increase, the potential for replacing all of your other gadgets with a single SmartPhone are being realised.

As more manufacturers enter the SmartPhone market prices are coming down and obtaining a free SmartPhone can now be done with even the most basic of business mobile contracts. For consumers, SmartPhones can be obtained free on contracts as low as £18 per month including data usage.

Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry device manufacturers, now have units available on £25 per month contracts. These include minutes, texts AND data, giving you everything you need to use all of the phone features.

If you do intend using the email and internet features of your SmartPhone make sure you have data usage included within your package as charges per MB out of bundle can be very steep and it doesn't take much browsing to run up a big bill.

Alternatively you can use a Wi-fi enabled phone utilising your home or office wireless network to download data. This should not incur any charges from your network.

If you are looking for a free iPhone you are going to have to pay a fair bit more, particularly if you want the latest model. However for a business user there are many handsets available free that offer better features without the need for an expensive tariff.

Researching handset models is easy, we use the GSM Arena website which details of all of the handsets released throughout the world. You can see photos, reviews, full specs and user comments.

When doing your research on this site make sure the model is released in the UK as some phones are US or Far East only. Once you have a model in mind give us a call or let us know the features you require and your budget and we'll let you know the best combination of handset and tariff giving you a free mobile SmartPhone.

Have you heard of affiliate marketing? The basic idea is that you refer business to other companies in return for either a flat fee or percentage of any deal that is done.

Whilst we don't yet operate an official program, we will reward anyone who can put good business our way. Maybe your current company is in the B2B field and has contacts with a number of businesses who may have telecoms requirements?

The best type of business is referral business. If you are happy with our service and tell other businesses about it then there is a good chance of them becoming customers too.

You don't have to worry about referring business to us, the deals offered by Business Mobile World are some of the best around and your referrals are likely to be pleased you recommended us when they see how much they could save.

As we offer mobile phones, landline, broadband and more there is plenty of scope for selling our products and services to your business contacts.

We are willing to pay up to 50% of our earned commission or fee to referrers of quality business. For more information please contact us to see what we can offer.

The despatch figures for October are in and the winner is...........

The BlackBerry 8520. This the best selling business mobile phone for October across our range of websites. This is the choice of users looking for a budget BlackBerry as it can be obtained free of charge on tariffs from £25. This INCLUDES data usage too.

In second place is the Samsung M110. This is also known as the "builders phone" as it comes in a rubberized casing making it shockproof. It is also dust proof and damp proof.

Keeping up Nokia's excellent record in the charts is the Nokia 6300 in third place. This is a solid business phone with a durable metal casing, ideal for all "road warriors" and those looking for a good quality, functional and inexpensive phone.

Another BlackBerry occupies fourth place, the BlackBerry 8900. Offering the usual quality expected of RIM and the excellent business tools including email and organizer.

Fifth place goes to another Samsung, the Samsung B2100. Another solid phone designed for those working in tough environments. Expect this to take over from the Samsung M110 in future lists.

Three Nokias occupy positions six to eight, namely the 3110, 6303 and 2680.

Bringing up the rear are the Samsung S5230, aka the Samsung Star, and the Nokia 6600 slide.

Only three manufacturers make this months list of the best business mobiles, no room for Apple, Motorola, Sony, HTC and a host of others. We have to conclude that, at this moment, if you are looking for a business mobile go for a Nokia, BlackBerry or Samsung!

With the release of the BlackBerry 9520 (aka Storm 2) Research In Motion (RIM), the BlackBerry manufacturer, are focusing on a competitor to the iPhone with an all-round aptitude for both business and leisure uses.

For the dedicated business mobile user which BlackBerry should you choose?

If you are looking for a BlackBerry device it is very likely that email is on your mind. From an email point of view can you manage without a full QWERTY keyboard? Most BlackBerry phones now provide this as standard either via a touchscreen interface or regular buttons. Older models can have half-QWERTY keypads but if you are going to be emailing regularly these are probably best avoided.

Remember that data usage out of bundle is extremely expensive so a BlackBerry Internet Solution (BIS) or BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) need to be included within your package. These will be charged extra and start at around £10 per month for 500MB of data for BIS.

As BlackBerry phones tend to be aimed squarely at business users some features, such as a camera, tend to be rather basic. A standard 2.0 or 3.2 MP camera is all that you are likely to get. Compare that to the latest 12MP camera phones now available.

If you want to access the internet via your own router, at home or in the office, then you will need Wi-Fi connectivity. This is becoming standard on newly released models such as the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Most also include GPS as standard.

In fact the latest models are remarkably similar in features, it is up to you whether you prefer the look and feel of the touchscreen BlackBerry Storm 2 or the more standard BlackBerry Bold 9700. You are unlikely to be disappointed with either model.

We can supply your business with either handset, or a choice of other BlackBerry mobiles, and these can be free of charge subject to the tariff you choose.

As a business user you are very likely to enter into a contract for your business mobiles rather than pay as you go. How long should your business mobile contract be?

If you are dealing direct with the network it is likely they will want to tie you to them for as long as possible. 12 month contracts are becoming a thing of the past and you are more likely to be offered 18 month, 24 month or even 36 month contracts.

Wherever possible you should keep the contract term as short as is available. This allows you the flexibility to change tariffs earlier and to replace equipment when it becomes obsolete.

Occasionally there are reasons why a longer term is necessary. For instance, if you want a large quantity of expensive phones free of charge you are going to have to take a long contract to allow the networks to recoup the initial purchase costs of the phones over the full duration of the contract.

Rather than take out a long contract in these circumstances you could opt for a shorter contract and put an amount towards the cost of the handsets.

Alternatively you could opt for a shorter contract with less expensive handsets. It is often possible to find cheaper mobiles which still do the same job equally as well. A bit of research can pinpoint the models which offer all of the features you need.

Longer contracts can also offer lower monthly payments. Some tariffs will have different monthly payments for exactly the same amount of minutes and texts depending on the contract duration.

Every business is different and has different requirements for their mobile contracts. Whatever your requirements we can put together a business mobile package that suits you and offers the best balance between handsets, usage and contract length. Contact us for your free quote.

It's not easy keeping up-to-date with all of the manufacturers, networks and companies providing operating systems and apps when they are announcing new developments on a daily basis. Here are some of the developments we've spotted which should be coming to the UK soon.

Projectors

Projector technology has now advanced to such a degree that there are projector units available of a similar size to a mobile phone. The next logical step is to integrate the projector within a mobile phone handset.

This has already been achieved within a Samsung handset available in South Korea (the home of the latest mobile phone gadgets) but will inevitably be coming to these shores in the fullness of time.

The projector could be used for business presentations but could also show live TV and stored media via the handset.

Free SatNav

Many mobile phones already include maps and sat navs, however there is usually a subscription charge for using the service. Google have now introduced a free service offering turn-by-turn navigation integrated with Google Maps as part of their Android 2.0 operating system.

This offers most of the features available in the average sat nav unit like live traffic data plus satellite imagery from Google Maps and real pictures of destinations via the Google street view service.

Currently available in the US, this technology will no doubt be making its way across the pond very soon.

Going green

As well as mobile phone handset manufacturers jumping on the green bandwagon with new models such as the Samsung Blue Earth - using recycled plastic, a five-star rated energy efficient charger, plus additional solar chargers on the rear of the phone - you will soon be checking your home energy use via your mobile.

Smart meters showing energy consumption within your home will soon become mandatory. The data they produce can then be sent to your phone so you can keep track of how much energy you are using and how much it is costing even when you are at work or on holiday. It may even be possible in the future to turn off appliances and lights remotely from your mobile!

These are just a few of the developments currently being made in the mobile phone world. We will keep you posted as and when new stuff appears which may help business mobile phone users.

Work is continuing on our group website UK mobile phone deals. As blogged previously we have been experimenting with a content management system (CMS) to make it easier for us to update the site remotely.

We originally tried Joomla, which was easy to install and get up and running. However, it was a little counter-intuitive, not easy to use for a beginner, although it might have become easier with a bit of practice.

However, what finally led us to abandon this system was the implementation of search engine friendly urls. When we turned them on within the software it caused a number of problems. Despite much research on the internet we were unable to solve these problems.

It looks like our Windows based server was the problem. Many users running Windows encountered similar problems. Rather than migrate all of our sites to another server we decided to look for a Windows-friendly CMS.

After a bit of research we came across MojoPortal. After download it was a big package to unzip and upload and installation didn't go without a hitch. However the problem was that the server was running an old version of ASP.NET. Once it was updated to the 3.5 Framework the program installed itself without a hitch.

Getting started was made easier by the online video tutorials which guided us through the set up stage and the interface is very user friendly. We haven't done much with it so far, you can see it in action at http://www.ukmobilephonedeals.co.uk/index.aspx.

We are currently experimenting with what it can do and will ultimately be looking at using our own templates to get a website design that better suits the subject matter (business mobiles).

Once we are completely happy with the new site it will go live and then we will look at implementing similar systems on our main site, 21C Telecom, due for relaunch in 2010.

Many people are now more likely to forget their wallet/cards/cash than their mobile phone when they leave the house. So the ability to pay for small items of shopping or travel fares via your mobile phone is going to appeal.

Already available in the Far East, trials continue in the UK to get the mobile wallet up and running and accepted by retailers. With many supermarkets already offering self-checkout, the ability to scan your phone to pay for the goods would seem reasonably straightforward.

No doubt there are a number of technical and payment problems to iron out, but the day you can start paying with your mobile is coming soon.

There are also many shopping related apps coming onto the market. Retailers are realising that the mobile is an ideal device to help them market themselves and sell more product.

For instance Amazon have released an app that allows you to place orders and keep track of them, in the same way as you would use their website. They also offer a special feature whereby if you see an item you like when you are out and about you can take a photo of it and upload it to their site and if it can be matched with a product they sell you can find out all about it and then order it from your phone (or just keep it in your visual shopping list).

Dominos Pizza have also launched an app to enable you to track your pizza delivery. It lets you know when the pizza is in the oven, when it is ready for collection or on the way to being delivered.

These apps are examples of how big business is embracing new technology and using it to keep in touch with customers. Small business users can also take advantage of mobile technology. Not necessarily by the use of apps, but by sms marketing which is relatively low cost and provides instant results.

If you can think of a way that using mobile phones could help your business from a marketing or sales perspective please contact us and let us show you how cost effective mobile phone marketing could be.

As a small business it can often be difficult to compete with much larger businesses on a level playing field. They can buy all of the technology they need, regardless of cost, and have deep pockets to pay for marketing their products and services.

However, with even the most advanced mobile phones available from only £35 per month, your small business can be equipped with the latest in SmartPhone technology without breaking the bank.

Armed with the latest SmartPhone you can download apps, often for free, that will make your phone perform exactly how you need it to. You can also find a lot of free software for your computer that emulates the performance of very expensive software and systems that can keep you competitive.

Being a small business means that you can also respond more quickly to new technology, getting the latest gadgets to help your business as soon as they are available.

What is the ideal mobile phone for small business users?

That depends on how you are going to use it and what you need it to do. With a bit of research you can find a cheaper alternative to the headline-grabbing phones that will do exactly the job you need.

Before plunging headlong into buying your new phone think about exactly which features you NEED (not want) for your business. All phones are going to give you similar performance for voice and texts, but the difference in browsing and email between handsets can be large. QWERTY keyboards and larger screens are the order of the day if you need email and internet usage on a daily basis.

If you need your phone to be durable, either because you work in a tough environment or because you are just clumsy, then a rubberized phone would be a good buy. They tend to be cheap and cheerful with few features but you will know you made a good decision in buying one the first time you drop it heavily onto a concrete path and it bounces back still working.

They may not be the most glamorous of phones but they could save you a lot of money in replacing your mobile time and time again. Remember, getting a replacement phone is likely to cost your business at least £100, and up to £500 for the most advanced phone, each and every time one is broken.

The array of mobile phones available to small business users can be daunting and research can be time consuming. If you prefer to talk to an expert in the field of business mobiles then pick up the phone and call us. We will happily talk you through all of the latest phones and features that could help your small business.

The latest news on the release date of the iPhone on the Orange network is that it will be 10th November, a day after O2's exclusive deal expires. This will make them the only official competitor in the run up to Christmas as Vodafone will not be carrying the iPhone until next year and neither 3 nor T-Mobile have officially announced that they will carry the phone.

3 are rumoured to be considering carrying the handset, with no offical announcement, whilst T-Mobile have ruled themselves out, although they are importing iPhones on an unofficial basis for some of their high spend and valuable customers.

So if you are looking for an iPhone on contract this Christmas your choice is likely to be O2 or Orange. This could drive prices slightly lower although a real price war is unlikely until Vodafone start their iPhone sales in the New Year.

If you are an Orange customer looking to upgrade to an iPhone and your contract is due for upgrade in the next couple of months get in touch with us as we also offer consumer upgrades on the Orange network in addition to our core business mobile sales.

Similarly if you are on O2 customer we can help you with upgrading to the Apple iPhone. You just have to be nearing the end of your contract.

The tariffs for a free iPhone on O2 start at around £35 for a 24 month contract. This includes 600 minutes, 500 messages and "unlimited" data. This is for the basic 3G 8GB. If you are looking for the iPhone 3GS 32GB you are going to have to pay around £75 per month to get one free of charge.

There are no details of tariffs yet on the Orange website but there is the option to pre-register for news of release and the opportunity of getting one as soon as it is released.

If you are a business customer we can help you with a new iPhone on a wide range of tariffs. Just contact us for a free no obligation quotation.

Businesses should always be looking at saving money. After all every penny saved is added to the business profits. Keeping an eye on all of your expenditure and making sure that you always have the best deal is one way of ensuring your costs are as low as they can be.

But is the cheapest deal always the best deal? Sometimes it is. For instance the gas and electricity that your business receives will be exactly the same regardless of which distributor you use. Prices between distributors vary greatly.

With business mobile phones there are a number of variables which mean that sometimes the cheapest deal is not going to deliver the results you want.

For a start there are handsets. The very cheapest handsets should deliver you a reasonable voice and text service, and if that is all you need then sourcing the cheapest business mobile deal is right for you.

Businesses who need durable phones with few added features, such as builders and other tradesmen, will find that their chosen handsets will be relatively cheap allowing them to choose from a full range of tariffs and get their handsets free.

However if you are going to need data use (email and/or internet), gps or camera functions then you need to think carefully which handsets will deliver all of the necessary functionality. If you need the latest handsets you are not going to get them free of charge on the cheapest tariffs, but if you use a lot of minutes, texts and data you could find that the tariff you need allows you to get the best handsets too.

Of course keeping a close eye on all of your expenditure is time-consuming and could take your focus away from your core business. That is why it could be a wise move to employ a broker to handle all of your telecoms requirements. They don't have to worry about running your business, they focus solely on your communications, how they could be improved and where money can be saved.

At Business Mobile World we can handle all of your mobile phone, landline and broadband infrastructure plus the necessary IT to make it all work together seamlessly. A converged solution offers your business full integration between fixed-line and mobile devices, offering improved communication and reduced costs. Get in touch to find out more.

Many of us have mobile phones lying around in drawers unused. Often a family could have several handsets belonging to family members which are no longer in use. These could be turned into easy cash by recycling.

There are now many websites offering mobile phone recycling. You enter your phone make and model and whether it is working or not and they give you a price. Or they could make a similar donation to charity (Children in Need this year are encouraging people to recycle their phones in order to help them).

However, be aware that may of these phones could end up in Nigeria or China, hotspots for cyber crime and fraud, and make sure that you delete all of your information from the phone memory.

This does not mean simply clicking on the "delete" button on your phone. Your mobile phone memory works in the same way as a computer hard drive. When you click to delete the data is not actually deleted but that portion of memory is available to be overwritten in due course.

A recent problem with a camera memory card which had apparently deleted some photos in error turned up 417 photos which were recovered using a bit of free software downloaded from the internet.

If you are thinking of recycling your phone make sure you use software to wipe the memory. Apart from embarrassing photos and texts there could be bank details, addresses and other info useful to fraudsters.

A recent poll by Consumer Focus found that nearly 70% of people think there are too many mobile phone tariffs available. The figure they quote for the total number of tariffs is a staggering 1.3 million!

As a result many people are not getting the best deal available and are finding hidden costs, for instance for accessing voicemail, after they have signed up to a contract.

With business mobile tariffs you can experience similar problems. There are so many different tariffs offering voice and texts, plus a huge range of bolt-ons for data, extra texts etc. Getting the right tariff that exactly meets your needs is difficult and, if you don't, your business is going to be overspending.

Rather than do the hard work of contacting all of the networks individually yourself, let us make it easy for you. We have access to all of the business tariffs plus all of the different mobile phone handsets allowing us to tailor a deal that exactly suits your business needs.

Our service is free and we are available at all times to discuss any changes plus advise you about other ways of saving money and utilising mobile communications that you may not have thought of.

We can start from a blank slate or can analyze your current bills to see exactly where your money is being spent and where savings could be made. A free review costs you nothing and will at least let you know if better deals are out there.

If you are not yet ready for a review but would like a quick chat about your business mobile contract just pick up the phone and call 0844 880 8116.

Another morning with an inbox stuffed with spam application forms. It seems spammers like our sites to use to send out their nonsense.

So updates have been made to the contact forms on the two sites in question, Best Business Phone Deals and Best Business Mobile Deals. This should stop them for a while. No doubt they will find some other sites to use or find a way around the human validation question in time.

However for the time being we hope to be receiving less spam and more genuine business applications in our inbox.

Work continues on the Joomla content management system for UK Mobile Phone Deals. The search engine friendly urls are throwing a real spanner in the works as we are hosted on a Windows server.

Without SEF turned on it seems to work fine, but once they are turned on the pages disappear and we get 404 errors. We've downloaded a plug-in that me might try to see if that solves the problem.

The one good bit of news is that we may be able to retain all of the old urls which will ensure continuity and the handful of search engine rankings for this site.

A recent survey of over 7,000 SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) reports that over 60% of businesses said faster broadband speeds had a positive impact on their business. Other beneficial technology included mobile devices (mobile phones and mobile broadband) and remote working tech.

Nearly 70% of those businesses that were embracing new technology were experiencing a "better" recession than those who lagged behind.

Not surprising to us, we have been blogging regularly about how new technology can help your business improve its communications and ultimately make you more money. Any initial investment can soon be overtaken by ongoing savings or increased profits.

And that is just the current scenario. Going forward into the future new technology will become ever more important in businesses that rely upon communications.

Even traditional trades, such as hairdressers, where actual technological advancements are unlikely to replace their core business (you cannot get a haircut on the internet!) need to embrace technology to make sure that their marketing remains relevant and accessible.

Letting customers (and potential customers) know about new styles, products and special offers by email or sms could keep all of their current customers happy and get people who may never have thought of using them in the past through the front door. 

All businesses should be thinking of how they could use technology to improve their communications inter-office and with customers. We can help you with advice about the latest technology and how it can be used to boost your business. Just get in touch.

Plenty happening across the many websites of the 21c Telecom group.

1. Best business phone deals

Lots of new pages being added, the latest of which deals with our business broadband offering.

2. UK Mobile Phone Deals

This website is currently being completely redeveloped. We are experimenting with the Joomla content management system to see whether that will help us make it easier for updates and more regular news/articles on this site. If it does work as we hope we may consider it for our main site when it is redeveloped in the New Year.

Whilst the actual content of the current pages can be retained the old URLs will disappear and we want to see what happens SEO-wise with this. We also want to see if the new Joomla URLs are SEO-friendly.

3. 21C Telecom

We try to update this every day during the working week with the latest news from the telecoms world. We also add pages as often as possible with resources such as FAQs and interesting articles.

4. 21C Vehicle Tracking

The new site dealing with vehicle tracking and device tracking is up and running and will shortly be added to with tracking related info and articles.

5. Business Mobile World

The latest blog posts have now been added to the home page. We try and update the business mobile blog at least once a day during the working week.

With mobile phones becoming more like computers, offering storage for documents, personal and work data, the need to keep this data safe for business mobile users is paramount.

Most phones offer a PIN code security system. This locks all of the data but leaves the phone enabled to make emergency calls. The pin code is usually 4-8 digits. In common with your bank pin code you should make it memorable, not make it easily guessable and should not write it down and keep it with the phone!

If for any reason you enter an incorrect pin code three consecutive times the phone and/or sim card will be locked and you will be unable to use the phone or access its data. To reactivate the phone you need to know the PUC code (Pin Unlock Code). This is also known as the PUK code (Pin Unlock Key).

Should you enter the pin code wrongly 10 times in succession you will permanently lock your phone and need a new sim card, for which the network will charge you.

For O2 users the PUK code can be obtained from their website. Find an O2 PUK code. For all other networks you will have to get in touch with their customer service departments by phone (not easy if you only have your mobile with you and you've just locked it!).

As well as PIN protection SmartPhone users can download software apps that offer password protected storage facilities for all of their contacts and data. There are also apps for the safe and secure back-up of mobile phone data in the event of a lost/stolen/damaged phone.

By using a cloud storage facility and keeping your data safely online, it can be retrieved easily and downloaded to your new phone in the event of any problems.

Many manufacturers of mobile phone handsets and mobile phone networks are having tough times making a profit. This is ideal for the end user as the business mobile deals on offer currently are excellent.

Lower handset prices, plus tariffs with extra minutes, texts and data mean that if your current mobile contract is coming up for renewal in the near future you are almost guaranteed to find either a cheaper alternative or get a lot extra for your current spend.

Finding the best business mobile phone deal is where we come in. We save you the time of dealing with all five networks and can advise you on the best handsets for your business.

All you need to do is provide us with a few basic details:

• Coverage - are there any networks where coverage is problematic in your area
• Landline minutes - how many minutes do you need to call landlines
• Mobile minutes - how many minutes do you need to call mobile phones
• Texts - how many texts per handset each month
• Data - do you need data bundles for email or internet. Do you need a BlackBerry solution
• Preferred handsets - How many handsets do you need. Do you have a manufacturer or handset type preference

From this we can find you the best combination of network, tariff and handset/s to give your business the lowest monthly cost without compromising on quality of service and making sure there are no nasty surprises when you get your first bill!

We don't stop there. Become a customer with Business Mobile World and you benefit from your own account manager helping you with any problems, additions, technical advice and letting you know about new technologies that might help your business.

Once you've sampled our customer service you might want to save money on your landline bills, broadband and mobile broadband. Arranging them all with us gives you one point of contact should there be any issues and will save your business money each month.

For a free quote for any or all of our services please contact us.

The days before mobile phones are long behind us and it seems nearly impossible to imagine how we used to live without them, even for those of us who spent many happy years without a mobile.

The range of features on the average modern mobile phone gives you a variety of things to do for business and pleasure but how much of the stuff you do on your phone is really necessary and how much is down to boredom or stress?

On several occasions I have left my phone at home when going to work. Half way there I realise and start to panic. Why? When I'm at work everyone can call me on the landline, I have internet access and constant emails. There is little reason for me even to carry a mobile at work.

OK, I could break down on the way home when it would come in useful but my irrational anxiety about being without my phone really hit home. It's getting harder and harder to switch off and relax.

I was waiting in a beautiful hotel lobby recently and admiring the art and decor around me when I noticed how many people were glued to their phones oblivious to their surroundings. Some may well have been important calls, but as I walked around I would catch snippets of some of them and they were as banal as the average twitter post.

There was a recent survey of people with internet access that found 50% of them would experience anxiety if they were not connected all of the time. This is the same thing. Mobile phones are incredibly powerful business tools if used correctly but many users need to know when to switch them off and relax.

Whilst I do take my mobile phone on holiday, it is only "for emergency purposes". It stays switched off and I'm pleased to say I've never had to use it overseas. I'd much rather be on the beach and forgetting about all of the work issues which may (or may not) be happening.

Whilst business mobile phones can help your business life run smoother, make sure you get some downtime too. Staying permanently connected seems to be addictive and is not going to improve your work/life balance.