Mobile viruses can cause trouble as well as financial losses, so here are a few tips for you to stay on the safe side of things. So, what exactly do mobile viruses do, you ask? well, they send infected MMS messages to every phone number in your address list. Since sending MMS messages is not free, you’re actually paying money to send a viruses to your friends, family members and business associates.

Having your cellphone battery going dead in the middle of an important call can be annoying, at least. Here are some easy steps for you to take in order to maximize the life of your cellphone battery:

* Know what type of battery you have. Since most newer phones run off of lithium-ion batteries, the rest of the steps apply to this type. If you use a different type of battery, ask your cell phone service how to extend its life.

Ask a Cell Guru is a weekly column in which our very own CellGuru will answer your questions regarding cellphones, secret codes, service providers and beyond. Have a question for CellGuru? Don't be shy, email itto us!

You ask:

Iv'e been hearing a lot about GSM codes and shortcuts. What exactly are they and how can I use them to divert my calls?

CellGuru answers:

Well! everybody seems to be such great experts when it comes to cellphones, but the GSM subject is definitely something that got left behind on the continuous journey to mobile greatness - so I'm glad you asked about it.

Ok, so first, I'll explain what is GSM. GSM stands for Global System for Mobile communications. It is the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. Its promoter, the GSM Association, estimates that 82% of the global mobile market uses the standard.

GSM is used by over 2 billion people across more than 212 countries and territories. Its ubiquity makes international roaming very common between mobile phone operators, enabling subscribers to use their phones in many parts of the world. GSM differs from its predecessors in that both signaling and speech channels are digital call quality, and so is considered a second generation (2G) mobile phone system.

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The GSM standard allows most of the functions to be controlled by entering codes into the keypad of a mobile phone: you can set diverts and the like, accept or reject calls, or even change your PIN code by typing at the keypad.

Unfortunately, not all the codes listed here are enabled by every network. If a code isn't supported, it simply won't work: you won't break anything by trying to use it!

If you can use the codes directly, you can also store them in memory, so that you can easily recall and reuse them. For example, you might want to divert all calls to your office phone on a regular basis: from memory, it's just two or three keypresses to set up or cancel such a diversion.

Bluetooth can come really handy when you want to back up mobile data. Whether you have some really important celebrity contacts on your cellphone, or just want to gadget-play, here's how it goes:

1. Make sure you have the Bluetooth hardware and its drivers installed properly on your mobile phone. Recommended: check for new drivers updates!

We know you only wanna do it for the right reason: no, we won't tell, and yes, she is cheating on you. Blocking your cellphone number is pretty simple. You have two options: you can permanently block your phone number or you can block your number on a call by call basis.

To perform, please use a cellphone. Gently... gently.

1. Blocking Your Cell Phone Number Permanently:

Photo thanks to Rashiraj

Another day, another survey about the iPhone.

This one states that while 77% of people know about the iPhone, and 41% have a favorable impression of it, only 6% of the 1,300 people who own a cell phone and are responsible for the monthly bill said they were interested in buying one.

I ask you guys, what can be a better ending to 2006 than Saddam's hanging??? ha? how cool is that!

It's hard to pigeonhole Nokia's flagship multimedia device, the N95, as a mobile phone. Due in January 2007, it combines a quadband handset and a 5 megapixel camera, integrated GPS, 802.11g WiFi, HSDPA, microSD, 150MB of internal memory and pretty much any other spec you could ever care to have stuffed into your phone by a Finnish multimedia computer manufacturer.