Intelligent user assistance for cost effective usage of mobile phone

Cost is the governing factor which defines the penetration and adoption of mobile phones in lower strata (lower income group) of the society particularly in developing countries like India. In this paper we describe an enhancement to the mobile phone design which interacts with the user to facilitate cost-conscious usage of the mobile phone. In particular, we propose an intelligent component in the mobile phone which tracks mobile usage pattern and informs the user of deviations in usage and suggests means of using the device cost effectively. Copyright 2008 ACM.