7th August 2008 - London: – Mobyko.com, the independent world leader in mobile to web innovation, today unveils its online calculator (‘The Mobilator’) designed to show how much money is tied up in our mobiles. The formula has been developed to educate people that there is far more to their mobiles than just the plastic. Professor of Applied Mathematics Frank Smith, University College London (UCL) and Post-Doctorial researcher Andrew Ellis developed the formula jointly with Mobyko to put a monetary value on all mobile content including; contacts, texts, photos, videos, music and games.

Full formula for the Mobilator:
X = St x T + Sv x V + Sc x C + Sp x P + Sm x M + Sg x G + Vm + W   
For those of us not well versed in applied mathematics visit www.mobyko.com/mobilator to calculate the value in your phone

Often the monetary value inside mobiles accounts for more than the handset itself and is often unprotected and vulnerable to loss. One thing that the Mobyko formula cannot estimate is the emotional value that a text or contact may hold for the owner.

Recent advances have transformed mobile phones into small portable computers that manage and organise our lives on a daily basis. Now for the first time the public can put a monetary value on the important stuff inside their phone.

Commenting on the study UCL Professor of Applied Maths Frank T Smith PhD said: “Only recently have people started to carry around so much personal information and entertainment content with them. Mobiles have become a digital treasure trove and we need to be made aware of their true value, it’s not just about the glossy handset.”

Examples:
Hungry Media Hound
Phone: Nokia 3650
Texts x15
Contacts x120
Photos x300
Videos x7
Music x30
Games x8
Total - $824

Constant Communicator
Phone: Sony Ericsson P1i
Texts x50
Contacts x200
Photos x10
Videos x1
Music x0
Games x0
Total - $716.98

Tidy Mobilist
Phone: Motorola v600
Texts x10
Contacts x80
Photos x6
Videos x2
Music x10
Games x0
Total - $425

Commenting on the study Julian Saunders, founder and CEO, Mobyko; said: “Our Mobilator shows people just how much their mobile content is worth. For many people mobiles are an extension of their daily lives, with personal memories, once in a lifetime contact details and the odd sexy text holding huge importance. Putting a cash value on it all seemed the best way to highlight the value of people’s mobile lives. The one thing the Mobilator can’t put a pound sign on is the emotional attachment to your personal content. So the message is clear, you should protect what is valuable to you.”

Roni Garcia of the Metropolitan Police’s National Mobile Phone Crime Unit (NMPCU) added: “If you lose your data, then often the loss for the individual is much more than the value of the handset itself. In most cases the information lost on a mobile is hardly ever retrieved. If a handset is stolen, the data loss has proven to be the biggest inconvenience and trauma during a theft, as you never know who has your details. This takes us into the realm of ID theft and fraud.”