cell phones – News Stories About cell phones - Page 17

May 7, 2008 8:18 AM CDT

High-Tech Pope to World Youth: Bless U

Church looks to reach young Catholics with text messages

(Newser) - The Catholic Church is going digital. During July’s World Youth Day in Sydney, Pope Benedict will reach out to the 225,000 young Catholics in attendance by text message, "using new ways to connect with today's tech-savvy youth," a spokesman tells Reuters.

Calif. Bill Would
Drive Pets Off Laps

May 7, 2008 6:11 AM CDT

Calif. Bill Would Drive Pets Off Laps

Drivers would have to steer clear of distracting pals

(Newser) - California legislators are pushing a bill banning pets from drivers' laps after a national study ranked pets, along with cell phones, among the leading causes of road distractions and a cause of thousands of accidents. A bill before the state legislature will impose a fine for driving while holding dogs,...

ATT to Offer Half-Priced iPhone

Apr 30, 2008 11:43 AM CDT

ATT to Offer Half-Priced iPhone

Rumor has it that AT&T will underwrite $200 of the handset's cost

(Newser) - The new iPhone will have not only a GPS chip and a slimmer silhouette, but a much lower price tag than its predecessor, Fortune reports. AT&T will subsidize as much as half the cost of each phone bought along with a 2-year contract, a source tells Fortune, bringing the...

Slumping Razr Sales Slash Moto Earnings

Earnings report

Apr 24, 2008 7:59 AM CDT

Slumping Razr Sales Slash Moto Earnings

Motorola posts larger-than-expected $194M loss

(Newser) - Apple and Nokia chewed away at Motorola’s cellphone market share, pushing the troubled handset maker to a larger first-quarter loss than expected, Bloomberg reports. Moto lost $194 million, or 9 cents a share, and revenues fell 21% to $7.45 billion. The company also issued a bleak forecast for...

Local TV Is Ready to Go Mobile

Apr 15, 2008 2:06 PM CDT

Local TV Is Ready to Go Mobile

Station owners push for open standard

(Newser) - Local TV stations that have been hemorrhaging ad dollars are banding together to pursue mobile television. A group of more than 800 local outlets is pushing for an open standard that would permit broadcasting to devices including cellphones and laptops, bypassing cellphone providers. The group projects that mobile advertising will...

Parents Get the Text Message

Apr 11, 2008 8:42 AM CDT

Parents Get the Text Message

(Newser) - Moms are leading the charge in taking text messaging beyond the teen set. Adolescents and adults in their forties and fifties are the two most active groups sending texts, the Washington Post reports. In the past two years, texting increased 130% among people 45 to 54, while text-saturated teens saw...

Bar Code Marketing Misses Mark

Apr 8, 2008 2:04 PM CDT

Bar Code Marketing Misses Mark

Scanning codes with your phone reveals information—for a fee

(Newser) - A technology that lets European and Asian cellphone users point their phones at bar codes on everything from products to street signs to bring up more information isn’t ready for deployment in the US. At least that’s the indication so far of a trial at Case Western Reserve...

Motorola Agrees
to Seat 2 Icahn
Board Picks

Apr 8, 2008 7:29 AM CDT

Motorola Agrees to Seat 2 Icahn Board Picks

Billionaire, company reach truce; Icahn drops proxy threat

(Newser) - Carl Icahn, who last month pressured Motorola into selling off its troubled mobile phone division, added win No. 2 yesterday in his battle with the telecommunications equipment maker, as the company agreed to nominate two Icahn’s candidates to its board, the Wall Street Journal reports. Icahn will drop his...

In-Flight Cell
Use Cleared For Takeoff in EU

Apr 7, 2008 1:15 PM CDT

In-Flight Cell Use Cleared For Takeoff in EU

Airlines will choose whether to offer service, which might be pricey

(Newser) - Good news for the EU-based air travelers who suffer BlackBerry withdrawal as soon as their plane takes off: Mobile-phone use in European airspace could be available as early as next month. The European Commission has cleared the technology needed to make calls from 10,000 feet up, and has left...

New Cell Service
Warns of Speed Traps

Apr 4, 2008 12:24 PM CDT

New Cell Service Warns of Speed Traps

Trapster helps motorists avoid tickets

(Newser) - Motorists intent on avoiding tickets can now rely on a mobile phone service designed to warn them about radar traps and red-light cameras, the AP reports. Called Trapster, the service uses wireless Internet or a phone’s GPS capabilities to determine location, and gives users an alert if they are...

Is a New iPhone on the Way?

Apr 3, 2008 12:58 PM CDT

Is a New iPhone on the Way?

Apple-store shortages prompt a frenzy of speculation that a refresh is coming early

(Newser) - Yes, there’s an iPhone shortage at Apple stores. No, that doesn’t mean a new iPhone is on the way, reports the New York Times. Apple product shortfalls usually presage new-model introductions, but experts say there’s no certainty that the 3G iPhone will arrive before its scheduled mid-year...

Facebook App 'Nose' Where U R

Apr 3, 2008 12:02 PM CDT

Facebook App 'Nose' Where U R

SNIFF allows users to pinpoint cell phone locations

(Newser) - A Facebook application launching in the UK will put people’s friends on the map—in real time, reports the Times. The Social Network Integrated Friend Finder or ‘Sniff’ app lets users pinpoint a friend’s cell phone down to the nearest 650 feet. Privacy is a priority: users...

BlackBerry Maker Sees Earnings Soar by 54%

Earnings report

Apr 3, 2008 6:53 AM CDT

BlackBerry Maker Sees Earnings Soar by 54%

Smartphone sales double to $1.88B

(Newser) - Strong North American sales helped Research in Motion to a 54% fourth quarter earnings increase, despite a global economic slump, reports the Wall Street Journal. The BlackBerry smartphone maker said quarterly sales doubled to $1.88 billion. RIM yesterday also projected first-quarter sales of $2.3 billion, topping analysts' estimates...

New York Subpoenas Texting Guru

Mar 31, 2008 12:20 AM CDT

New York Subpoenas Texting Guru

Messaging coder helped anti-GOP protesters communicate

(Newser) - New York lawyers have asked the creator of a mass text-messaging service for records of texts sent during 2004 Republican Convention protests, the New York Times reports. MIT student Tad Hirsch’s TXTmob service was a communication tool for demonstrators and reporters, providing up-to-the-minute data on what was happening where....

Cell Phones Worse Than Smoking, Study Says

Mar 30, 2008 3:46 PM CDT

Cell Phones Worse Than Smoking, Study Says

Neurosurgeon warns that handsets double brain tumor risk

(Newser) - Cell phones may cause more deaths than smoking or asbestos, warns a new study in which an Australian neurosurgeon found that a decade of cell use can double brain tumor risk—an effect that he says will show in coming years. "We are currently experiencing a reactively unchecked and...

Your Phone May Soon Know If You're Sick

Mar 28, 2008 2:45 PM CDT

Your Phone May Soon Know If You're Sick

System developed for sampling molecules from a user's sweat

(Newser) - Your cell phone might soon be able to tell you if you’ve caught the flu. Researchers with Japan’s NTT DoCoMo have developed a workable method of “molecular communications”—a system for the transport of microscopic samples from a user’s sweat into their phone for analysis,...

Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban

Mar 28, 2008 12:50 PM CDT

Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban

Still-pricey service is signal of new president Castro's promised reforms

(Newser) - The Cuban government said today it will lift restrictions on mobile phones for the first time, the BBC reports—a sign new leader Raul Castro is following through on reform pledges. Cell phone service will be made generally available next week; service fees will have to be paid in foreign...

AT&T Offers Mobile TV; Demand Slow on Verizon Unit

Mar 28, 2008 11:27 AM CDT

AT&T Offers Mobile TV; Demand Slow on Verizon Unit

But CNet asks: does anyone care?

(Newser) - AT&T will offer TV subscriptions on some of its cellphones starting in May. The 10-channel service will be available for the LG Vu and the Samsung Access handsets. The company won’t release prices until May, but Verizon charges $15 for a similar service. The question—especially in a...

UK Moves Closer to
In-Flight Cell Phones

Mar 26, 2008 5:58 PM CDT

UK Moves Closer to In-Flight Cell Phones

Service awaits nod from EU aviation safety boards

(Newser) - British air travelers may soon be able to use their cell phones while in flight, Reuters reports. UK telecom regulator Ofcom approved airline proposals to offer mobile service, pending assent by the European aviation safety authorities. Passengers would be able to make calls once the aircraft was in the air...

Millions Tune In to Afghan 'Idol'

Mar 26, 2008 8:40 AM CDT

Millions Tune In to Afghan 'Idol'

Fans of American Idol -inspired hit back female singer over clerics' objections

(Newser) - More than a third of all Afghans were hooked on this year’s Afghan Star, the nation's version of the TV hit American Idol. Although religious leaders condemned the show for allowing women to perform, viewers voting on cell phones chose a female contestant as one of the top five...