mobile phones – News Stories About mobile phones - Page 4

Schumer Lands
in Hot Water
Over 'Bitch'
Comment

Dec 17, 2009 11:29 AM CST

Schumer Lands in Hot Water Over 'Bitch' Comment

Flight attendant made him hang up on Harry Reid

(Newser) - Chuck Schumer set off an unfortunate cascade of events Sunday when he bridled at a flight attendant’s request that he turn off his cell phone so a plane could take off and then muttered that she was a “bitch.” As the story circulated around the Beltway, it...

Holiday Shoppers Embrace
Price-Comparing Apps

Dec 16, 2009 9:26 AM CST

Holiday Shoppers Embrace Price-Comparing Apps

Secure deals with a wave of the smartphone, or go elsewhere

(Newser) - Smartphone downloads of apps designed to help shoppers find the product they want at the cheapest price are way up this holiday season, making it what the Wall Street Journal calls the “first app-powered Christmas.” Particularly useful are programs that utilize the camera of, say, your iPhone to...

Txting Sunscreen
Rmnders Werx :)

STUDY SAYS

Nov 23, 2009 2:40 PM CST

Txting Sunscreen Rmnders Werx :)

Digital prodding pays off with increased usage: researchers

(Newser) - Just 20% of adults use sunscreen regularly, a distressing number for skin cancer specialists. But far more can receive text messages, and people who receive a daily text message instructing them to slap on the Coppertone are surprisingly likely to pay attention. More than half followed through when they received...

Court Backs Cell-Tower Haters

Oct 26, 2009 1:48 PM CDT

Court Backs Cell-Tower Haters

Aesthetics a valid reason for town to deny permission, Calif. judges say

(Newser) - Ghastly cell towers are proving to be little match for vista-loving communities: Palos Verdes Estates, a wealthy enclave near Los Angeles, took Sprint to court over proposed towers—and won, as have a number of other California towns. “You want cell coverage, but you also want beauty,” a...

NYC to Ban All
Cabbie Phone Calls

Oct 16, 2009 10:29 AM CDT

NYC to Ban All Cabbie Phone Calls

Even hands-free devices will be a no-go under new rules limiting electronics

(Newser) - New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission is cracking down on its drivers, proposing tough new rules today that ban the use of any electronic communication devices while on the job, hands-free included. "Every driver will be prohibited from even wearing a Bluetooth device on their ears and...

90% Want to Outlaw Texting While Driving: Poll

Sep 28, 2009 11:11 AM CDT

90% Want to Outlaw Texting While Driving: Poll

Younger Americans slightly more tolerant, but 83% still in favor of ban

(Newser) - An overwhelming majority of Americans think texting while driving is such a bad idea it should be outlawed. A new poll finds that 90% of us support a ban; the most contrary demographic is, rather unsurprisingly, young'uns aged 18 to 29—though a robust 83% are in favor of a...

Smartphones Heart QWERTY, Click Off Users

Sep 28, 2009 1:57 AM CDT

Smartphones Heart QWERTY, Click Off Users

iPhones, Blackberrys ignore alternative keyboard, to enthusiasts' chagrin

(Newser) - Smartphone users are baffled that the the commonly used QWERTY keyboard is dominating their text-typing world. Many would prefer the little-know Dvorak keyboard, which was designed to be easy to use, placing the most common letters on the home row. QWERTY, used on computers, was designed to overcome a technical...

Bye-Bye Landlines,
Hello New Problem

analysis

Aug 15, 2009 7:44 AM CDT

Bye-Bye Landlines, Hello New Problem

(Newser) - Americans are gleefully dropping landlines at a rate of 700,000 per month without any regard for the long-term consequences, the Economist says. Few of us will weep for businesses that rely on landlines—telemarketers and pollsters come to mind—but emergency services like fire and police also need them....

Woman Gets PhD in Texting

Aug 6, 2009 7:57 PM CDT

Woman Gets PhD in Texting

Philosophy thesis is first on text message communication

(Newser) - A British graduate student has earned a PhD in texting—an academic first, Discover magazine reports. Caroline Tagg’s doctorate, more specifically, is in the philosophy of texting communication. Tagg studied 11,000 texts from 235 people over four years. Among the findings: The average text is 17.5 words,...

Twitter Is Just a Fad

OPINION

Jul 29, 2009 5:27 PM CDT

Twitter Is Just a Fad

Social networking site has no long-term viability: Friedman

(Newser) - Jon Friedman doesn’t really like Twitter, he writes for MarketWatch. He thinks the 140-character cap keeps Tweets superficial—which is why Ashton Kutcher loves it. It proved useful for Iranian protesters, but for those of us in relatively stable countries, Friedman agrees with blogger Jon Taplin: "Twitter has...

Barcode of Future Is Tiny, Shiny

Jul 27, 2009 5:50 PM CDT

Barcode of Future Is Tiny, Shiny

MIT researchers design an alternative with 'Bokodes'

(Newser) - MIT researchers have designed a possible replacement for the conventional barcode, the BBC reports. Called Bokodes, the tags are made up of a powered light-emitting diode, a mask and a lens, and can store much more information than the black-and-white stripe variety. More, the scientists say, the Bokodes can be...

Gadget Turns
Phone Into
Microscope

Jul 22, 2009 4:29 PM CDT

Gadget Turns Phone Into Microscope

CellScope could help curb outbreaks of disease in developing world

(Newser) - A new gadget could mean big improvements for health care in the developing world. Called the CellScope, the device attaches to any cell phone with a camera, turning it into a microscope, Science Blogs reports. Invented by researchers at UC Berkeley, the CellScope also features an LED that can detect...

You Don't Need a Smartphone

Tech Review

Jul 13, 2009 12:44 PM CDT

You Don't Need a Smartphone

iPhones et al might have more than you need; here are some cheaper alternatives

(Newser) - Smartphones may be the future, but you may not need one just now, writes Marguerite Reardon of CNET. The iPhone and its pricey brethren probably have more features than the average user needs. Here are some cheaper feature phones that might meet your needs. Prices are for a 2-year contract:...

UK Phone Firm Seeks 160-Word Resumes

Jul 5, 2009 3:50 PM CDT

UK Phone Firm Seeks 160-Word Resumes

Text messages force 'sassy' applicants to get to the point

(Newser) - A British firm is asking job candidates to apply for its marketing job by text message, BBC reports. With a 160-character word limit, mobile phone services company Teimlo hopes to separate those who “just want any job” from applicants who are “sassy” and “good with words,”...

Too Many Phone Numbers?
Google Can Help

tech review

Jul 2, 2009 9:20 AM CDT

Too Many Phone Numbers? Google Can Help

Promising new free service handles access to all your devices

(Newser) - One phone number for home, two more for work, another for your mobile—Google Voice aims to change that. The new free service, which gives you one internet-based number that dials all your phones, "will take years to reach its full potential," but it looks promising, Hiawatha Bray...

iPhone Competitors
Close In on Apple

ANALYSIS

Jun 10, 2009 12:23 PM CDT

iPhone Competitors Close In on Apple

(Newser) - Until recently, the iPhone ruled the smartphone roost, but a new crop of competitors could threaten Apple’s bottom line, Jon Fortt writes for Fortune. AT&T, the sole iPhone carrier, pays Apple $300 for every new customer. Until now, paying for the privilege made sense, because AT&T monopolized...

Meh on Actual iPhone,
Bullish on App Store

OPINION

Jun 9, 2009 2:34 PM CDT

Meh on Actual iPhone, Bullish on App Store

(Newser) - The iPhone itself isn’t in a class by itself as far as smartphones are concerned, Farhad Manjoo writes for Slate—but the App Store makes it unbeatable. Apple boasts more than 50,000 applications, and the rate is increasing; Google’s Android operating system only supports 5,000. “...

Palm's Launch
of 'Pre' Thumbs
Nose at Apple

ANALYSIS

May 19, 2009 2:23 PM CDT

Palm's Launch of 'Pre' Thumbs Nose at Apple

(Newser) - Sprint will launch the much-ballyhooed Palm Pre smartphone June 6, two days before the annual Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Though this year’s WWDC isn’t expected to produce any new hardware, John Biggs writes for TechCrunch, the scheduling of the Pre launch is connected … probably. Though unlikely, Biggs...

Explore Galaxy With New Google App

May 11, 2009 10:03 AM CDT

Explore Galaxy With New Google App

Star Droid helps cellphone astronomers with GPS, maps, tags

(Newser) - Budding astronomers will soon have a new cell-phone tool that spots the stars they’re looking for, the Telegraph reports. Google’s Star Droid helps stargazers navigate the night sky using GPS technology that cross-references the user’s position with existing space maps, and adds identifying tags to the heavenly...

Sex Query?
Experts Help
Teens Via
Texting

May 2, 2009 3:14 PM CDT

Sex Query? Experts Help Teens Via Texting

Health professionals text teens answers to anonymous sex questions

(Newser) - Teenagers no longer need to reveal their angst over pregnancy or noisy sex in crowded classrooms, the New York Times reports. Public health officials, fretting over the state of sex ed in US schools, are now answering questions via text message. Some use multiple choice menus and automated responses, but...