cell phones – News Stories About cell phones - Page 23

Sep 26, 2007 3:36 PM CDT

Court Says Past Travels Not Private

Cops don't need probable cause to grab old cell records

(Newser) - A federal court has ruled that one’s historic whereabouts are not protected by the Fourth Amendment, and that the government doesn't need to show probable cause to access old cell phone records. Authorities only have to claim the information is “relevant to an ongoing investigation,” Computerworld reports,...

Free Phone Service Listens In, Tailors Ads

Sep 24, 2007 12:42 PM CDT

Free Phone Service Listens In, Tailors Ads

Startup sparks privacy concerns with marketing that draws on conversations

(Newser) - In much the same way that Gmail scans emails to push relevant advertising, a California start-up is using voice-recognition software to translate the strategy to Internet phone calls. Puddingmedia offers free phone service if customers allow eavesdropping on their conversations, the AP reports. The data isn't recorded, but privacy advocates...

Cell Phones Linked to Hearing Loss

Sep 20, 2007 4:03 AM CDT

Cell Phones Linked to Hearing Loss

Study finds hour a day on cell phone caused progressive damage

(Newser) - Extensive cell phone use can cause progressive hearing loss, according to a new study presented at a scientific conference in Washington. The study, conducted by researchers in India, found high frequency hearing loss among users who talked for more than an hour a day for four years on their cell...

Cell Phones Spur Growth Surge in Africa

Sep 15, 2007 7:30 AM CDT

Cell Phones Spur Growth Surge in Africa

Phones kickstart development, improve standard of living, in remote areas

(Newser) - Mobile phones are revolutionizing the economic life of many of the world's poorest countries, igniting an unprecedented growth surge across Africa. In remote villages in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, people who until recently lived without any modern infrastructure now use cell phones to sell crops, summon doctors, transmit vital information,...

Advertisers Eye Your Cell Phone

Sep 14, 2007 7:07 PM CDT

Advertisers Eye Your Cell Phone

Bluetooth-enabled billboards to offer downloads if you get too close

(Newser) - If you’ve dreamed of having ads beamed right to your cell phone, a slew of new Bluetooth-enabled products might make you drowsy. Get close enough to one of these billboards or displays, and it’ll ask you to accept a download—a video, song, or coupon. Given cell phones'...

New iPhone Hack Lets You Switch Carriers

Sep 13, 2007 8:06 AM CDT

New iPhone Hack Lets You Switch Carriers

Software makes unlocking the gadget easier, but is it legal?

(Newser) - New software that allows iPhone users to unlock the devices for use on any network without having to disassemble them is available online. Hackers have been on the case for 2 months, MacNewsWorld reports, and this week's breakthrough means customers can buy phones directly from Apple and don't have to...

Smartphones Flunk IQ Test

Sep 8, 2007 9:31 PM CDT

Smartphones Flunk IQ Test

Joe Nocera concludes that packing in features is making many phones dysfunctional

(Newser) - In a New York Times piece sure to resonate with frustrated smartphone owners everywhere, Joe Nocera unspools a Treo horror story that runs the gamut from weird, intermittent glitches to a lethal software upgrade. After turning in his moribund phone for a new one, and finding the replacement as balky...

Google Phone: Fact or Fiction?

Sep 4, 2007 5:36 PM CDT

Google Phone: Fact or Fiction?

Blogosphere speculates on possible iPhone rival

(Newser) - The blogosphere is rife with rumors of a possible Google phone, even though the tech behemoth won't confirm the gossip—but it has been investing heavily in the mobile search market. The buzz: The so-called GPhone would offer mobile phone service free, as long as customers can stomach the advertising,...

Service Lets Parents Watch Kids' Cells

Sep 4, 2007 2:39 PM CDT

Service Lets Parents Watch Kids' Cells

New AT&T interface includes limits on mobile minutes, texting, downloads

(Newser) - As cell phones become ever more an extension of kids' ears and thumbs, AT&T is helping bill-paying parents avoid the sweaty-palmed opening of the monthly bill. For $4.99 a month, Smart Limits lets parents have some say in who and when their children call, and how many texts...

Yawning Gap in Sleep Time Linked to Work, Cell Phones

Sep 4, 2007 3:25 AM CDT

Yawning Gap in Sleep Time Linked to Work, Cell Phones

Study also finds preschoolers with less sleep are more hyperactive

(Newser) - Cell phones and long work hours are the biggest thieves of sleep, according to new studies in the journal Sleep. People who slept 4.5 hours or less per night worked about 1.5 hours more per weekday and nearly two hours more on weekends, researchers found. Almost two-thirds of...

Yahoo Adds Phone Text Messaging to Email

Aug 27, 2007 5:01 AM CDT

Yahoo Adds Phone Text Messaging to Email

And, OMG, it's free

(Newser) - Sending phone text messages soon won’t require a phone, thanks to an upgrade in Yahoo’s already leading email service, which will provide the new feature for free. The new system will integrate email, text messages and instant messaging, reports USA Today. Customers "don't want to bounce around...

Will That Be Credit, Debit,
or Cellphone?

Aug 7, 2007 4:41 PM CDT

Will That Be Credit, Debit, or Cellphone?

Next-gen tech gives cash-free shoppers more options

(Newser) - Shoppers in the not-too-distant future may have a new option when they get to the checkout line: their cell phones. Many retailers are warming up to the idea of consumers using "contactless" payment methods—cellphones or cards with a built-in wireless chips that can process transactions with a simple...

Get Ready
for the Googlephone

Aug 3, 2007 3:17 AM CDT

Get Ready for the Googlephone

Company showing prototypes in bid to break into cell phone ad market

(Newser) - Google is spending hundreds of millions of dollars secretly developing a cell phone which offers Google search technology and other services, reports the London Independent. Prototype phones have been shown to several wireless carriers. The company is poised to bid on wireless spectrum licenses in the upcoming federal auction, which...

Nokia Sees Boom in 2nd Quarter

Aug 2, 2007 1:31 PM CDT

Nokia Sees Boom in 2nd Quarter

Phone giant steals share from Motorola

(Newser) - Cellphone leader Nokia’s sales rose 29% in the second quarter, the most in five quarters, and its profit more than doubled as it stole market share from Motorola, Bloomberg reports. The Finnish company’s stock hit a 5-year high today as shares jumped 9.3% to 22.50 euros.

Text Messaging Steers
Teens Into Trouble

Jul 18, 2007 4:47 PM CDT

Text Messaging Steers Teens Into Trouble

More than a quarter admit to texting while driving

(Newser) - Text messaging is growing into a serious hazard for young people, ABC reports. A new study showed that teens are texting at rates that border on addiction—some sending thousands of messages a month. Most alarmingly, however, a full 28% of teens admitted to texting while driving, a dangerous practice...

Google Hears New Cell Service Calling

Jul 17, 2007 12:43 PM CDT

Google Hears New Cell Service Calling

Web giant boosts wireless profile with move into mobile media

(Newser) - Google is taking its business to a smaller screen with the development of a search tool to help cellphone users find and purchase content. Sources tell the Wall Street Journal the company hopes to tap into the small but lucrative world of mobile media, expanding beyond simple Web searches to...

Apple Toying With Mini iPhone

Jul 10, 2007 2:55 PM CDT

Apple Toying With Mini iPhone

Analysts guess $300 scaled-down version of popular gadget in the works

(Newser) - Apple will release a fewer-frills, cheaper counterpart to its wildly successful iPhone by the end of the year, a JP Morgan report claims. A Taiwan-based analyst cites an unnamed source in the supply chain and a patent application for a multifunctional handheld device with a circular touch pad, which Apple...

Carlyle Bids on Faltering
Virgin Media

Jul 2, 2007 1:37 PM CDT

Carlyle Bids on Faltering Virgin Media

Debt-riddled UK cable provider, 35 ($ a share), seeks rich buyout firm

(Newser) - The friendly corporate raiders at the Carlyle Group have floated an offer to buy out Virgin Media, the British cable provider, with total equity in the range of $8B and $10B, the Journal reports. The besieged media company has been losing customers to rivals in the UK, and has stacked...

iPhone Frenzy
Inspires Profiteers

Jun 28, 2007 5:00 AM CDT

iPhone Frenzy Inspires Profiteers

Scalpers find imaginative ways to take a bite of Apple

(Newser) - Apple and AT&T aren’t the only ones cashing in on the iPhone craze. The Washington Post reports on strategies—both high-tech and low-brow—being deployed to profit on tomorrow's release. Many of those camping on lines around the country are being paid for their trouble; offers on Craigslist...

19M Ready to Pick Up iPhone

Jun 18, 2007 3:09 PM CDT

19M Ready to Pick Up iPhone

More than twice as many users as projected hear Apple's new gadget calling

(Newser) - The iPhone doesn't even hit stores until next week, and already 19 million American cellphones users have it on their shopping lists. The estimate, drawn from a survey of 11,000 Americans, is good news for Apple, which projects sales of 10 million units through the end of 2008, and...