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.

During days of old even lazy people came up with long, meticulously plotted excuses about why didn’t do their homework. In fact, many put more time into the excuses than it would have taken to have done the original assignment. But in the age of cell phones, where communication is succinct and instantaneous, you need a ready made response.

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:

As Thanksgiving approaches, the Military would like you to show your appreciation to the soldiers overseas by sending them a text message.

There's an urban legend being e-mailed around the net right now that starts as most urban legends do on a dark, cold night with a young woman alone in her car. An unmarked police car asks the young women to pull over to the side of the road; but suspicious of the circumstances, the girl remembers something her parents told her about how dialing #77 on your cell phone is a direct line to a state troopers dispatcher.

Refusing to leave her car, the girl places the call and 10 minutes later four real squad cars arrive; arresting a man who turns out to be a convicted rapist.

Now as far as urban legends go it's fairly bland, personally I would have added a tell tale prison tattoo, and obviously the rapist is the same man who killed her sister five years earlier; but this story does have one thing going for it... it's actually partially true.

Create Digital Musicshares the long lost secret of creating a drum pad out of your iPhone. These guys have obviously realised there are only two options left for a conceptual iPhone makeover: one, a musical instrument; two, a coffee cup holder. They chose the first option.

It's all in the BeatPhone -- a code hack from a Spanish musician. The feature set is as follows:

* 9 one-shot pads

* 6 loop-pads

* Samples in “any” format : WAV, AIFF, …