Muse.On-The.Net

For a ubiquitous device loaded with useful features, most people don’t know how to use their mobile phone for more than voice calls. Many people can figure out text messaging which, for all the complexity in the implementation, is trivially easy to use - the hallmark of a good service offering. Games for mobile phones exist in great numbers and variety and are readily available - yet uptake is poor. Why? I think for two related reasons - people are reluctant to spend money without knowing what they will receive for it and it is very difficult to understand how to go about getting the games. Your phone company wants to restrict your access to those games offered on their “deck” at prices they control. This article will discuss how to find and download games for free to your mobile phone.

Finding games is easy. Go to http://www.mobilerated.com for free mobile phone games (http://www.mobilerated.com/wap/ on your mobile phone browser). These games are legally free, by the way - offered by their developers to the public for free. Some games include in-game advertising and some are game demos, but many are totally free and complete games and each game is labeled so you know what you are getting.

If you go to the site with your mobile phone browser, there is nothing to it. Once you pick your game, you can download it directly and it will install automatically. You are done! The one caveat - you must have a data plan and you may be charged by your phone company a small charge for the amount of data you download. Check with your phone company - plans vary.

To avoid data charges, you can access the site via a regular web browser. It is easy to browse and download games to your computer. The trick, therefore, is how to get them to your mobile phone.

Many modern mobile phones have memory cards that can accessed by your computer. If so, you can transfer the files this way to your phone. You may need to install the games, in which case your phone will include software for this purpose - consult your phone manual.

Another approach is via data cable. This may or may not be included with your phone. A data cable connects your phone to your computer’s USB port. With software included with the data cable, you can transfer data and applications between your phone and computer. Once again, many mobile phones require that games be installed, so you need to use the right software for the job (the application install tool, not simply the data transfer tool - both will be provided).

If you have Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity with both your mobile phone and your computer, you can transfer games that way. These are wireless technologies that allow you to transfer data and applications to and from your phone without use of a data cable.

That’s all there is to it! Enjoy the games.