Mobile phone guilty pleasures

Having a mobile phone that can do everything it great, but it does mean productivity can dive bomb. We take a look at the top guilty mobile pleasures.

By Clare Hopping, 26 Nov 2010 at 16:47

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With the dawn of smartphones and all the services they offer, it’s pretty easy to spend time playing games, obsessing about apps or downloading huge amounts of data while you’re working.

Although the download limits may not be important to you, especially if you have an unlimited data plan, you may still want to keep tabs on your data usage. After all, most networks have scrapped the ‘unlimited’ from their plans and will soon start charging for anyone who does over their data limit.

But what mobile apps are we spending most of our time on and what ones do we need to keep an eye on using while at work so we don't get in trouble?

Angry Birds

Angry Birds is the biggest phenomenon to hit mobile gaming since its launch on the iPhone. Although it’s a straightforward game, where you’re required to position your birds in a catapult to knock down structures and kill little green creatures, it is seriously addictive.

With the move onto Android and Symbian devices, it’s pretty likely you’ll be able to download the application. And when you do, be prepared to lose hours of time.

It’s probably the best 59 pence you can spend.

YouTube

YouTube comes preinstalled on most smartphones, making it easy to upload and view thousands of YouTube videos while you’re on the go.

The issue with YouTube on your mobile is twofold: if you’re uploading lots of video, such as those shot in HD on the iPhone, it’ll take an age to upload and although most networks don’t support uploads over your network, it may still stall your phone.

Secondly, it’s also a very easy to use app, making it even more likely that you’ll spend all day searching YouTube for funny videos and sharing them with friends.