cell phone industry

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Introducing the Planet's Worst Cell Phone

Everything about the 'truly dreadful' Samsung Craft is a 'nightmare'

(Newser) - MetroPCS is a cell phone carrier known mostly for its low cost—so when it announced plans to offer 4G coverage, for a cheaper price than most other carriers charge for 3G, and introduced a 4G phone, it "sounded too good to be true" to Farhad Manjoo. "And,...

Android World's No. 1 Smartphone Platform

Passes Symbian; iPhone at No. 3

(Newser) - Google’s Android is now the world’s most popular smartphone platform, having edged past Nokia’s Symbian in the fourth quarter of 2010. Vendors shipped 33.3 million Android-based phones that quarter, beating Symbian’s 31 million, a report out today finds. That’s good news for Android phone...

Cell Phones Can Be Saviors for World's Poor: UN

Report shows gadgets can lead to better livelihoods

(Newser) - For the financially comfortable, cell phones may make life a little easier—but for those in less-developed countries, the gadgets can be the difference between a life of poverty one of relative comfort, a UN report finds. “Mobiles have spawned a wealth of micro-enterprises, offering work to people with...

FCC Battles Cell Phone 'Bill Shock'

Haiti volunteer hit with $30K in roaming charges

(Newser) - A FEMA worker supporting the earthquake relief effort in Haiti was hit with a $30,000 bill for roaming charges when she arrived back in the US. Federal regulators say this kind of cell phone "bill shock" is all too common, and they hope to curb it with regulations...

Offered a Free iPad? It's a Scam
 Offered a Free iPad? 
 It's a Scam 
ATTN. FACEBOOK, TWITTER USERS

Offered a Free iPad? It's a Scam

Con artists will dupe you, friends in bogus cell charges

(Newser) - If you spend much time on Facebook or Twitter, chances are you’ve been given the chance to get a free Apple iPad by signing up to test the product. And if you’re at all familiar with the Internet, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that it’...

German Hacker Cracks Cell Phone Code

Expert warns 80% of cell phones lack proper protection

(Newser) - A German hacker says he and his team have managed to crack the code that has protected most of the world's cell phone conversations for over 20 years. Karsten Nohl told a hackers' conference in Berlin that cracking the encryption code for GSM communications—which secures 80% of cellular communications—...

Verizon Ads 'Sneaky' But OK
 Verizon Ads 'Sneaky' But OK 
JUDGE HANGS UP ON AT&T

Verizon Ads 'Sneaky' But OK

AT&T-bashing campaign can stay on air, judge says

(Newser) - A series of Verizon ads that rip AT&’s 3G network are “sneaky,” a judge ruled today, but aren’t misleading and can stay on the air. AT&T had tried to shut down the “There’s A Map For That” spots, but won’t get...

Cell Phones May Raise Risk of Tumors: WHO Study

Lead researcher says kids' use should be restricted

(Newser) - One of the most thorough reviews yet of the health risks of cell phones suggests that longtime users face a higher risk of brain tumors. The World Health Organization study is not definitive, but it bolsters the case that precautions make sense. The lead researcher tells the Telegraph she thinks...

Nokia Sues Apple Over iPhone Technology

Finnish cell phone maker alleges copyright infringement

(Newser) - Nokia, the world's biggest cell phone maker, is suing Apple in US federal court for alleged copyright infringement, saying it has 10 claims on the technology used in the iPhone. The Finnish company said Apple used "fundamental" patented technologies concerning wireless data, speech recognition, security, and encryption. It has...

Cell Refuseniks Hail Independent Life

They don't respond to every beck and call

(Newser) - Most of the remaining few Americans who don't have cell phones are elderly or unable to afford one—but a tiny minority within that minority actively refuse to get one. Life without interruptions and being a slave to a tiny screen is preferable, the "refuseniks" tell the New York ...

How to Slash Your Phone Bill
 How to Slash Your Phone Bill 

How to Slash Your Phone Bill

Cell phone bill out of control? Here's how to save

(Newser) - Your cell phone plan sounded pretty good when you got that nifty handset, but if you aren't vigilant, carriers can hit you with fees and charges that will bleed you dry. PC World lists five ways wireless companies gouge you, and how to avoid them.
  1. Texting fees: Go over your
...

Report Revives Fears of Cell Phone-Tumor Link

Industry is downplaying cancer risks, charges group

(Newser) - A new report charges that health organizations and the cell phone industry are downplaying clear links between cell phone use and brain cancer, reports the Los Angeles Times.  The latest research shows that cell phone use significantly increases the risk of some kind of tumors, and that young people...

Hello, Senators? Greedy Cell Phone Biz Needs Attention

(Newser) - It's nice to see Congress looking out for the cell phone customer with hearings on carrier exclusivity, but there's plenty of dubious practices in the business they should look into before they worry about getting us all Verizon iPhones, David Pogue writes in the New York Times. 
  • Texting fees.
...

Arbitration Firms Quit Consumer Debt Biz

Credit card, cell phone companies scramble to collect by themselves

(Newser) - Credit card and cell phone companies are scrambling as two major arbitration firms back out of the business of settling consumer disputes, the Wall Street Journal reports. The National Arbitration Forum—accused in a Minnesota lawsuit of misleading consumers into thinking it was impartial—will stop taking cases this week,...

Why Don't We Have Cool Japanese Cell Phones?

Makers stifled by hardware too advanced to leave country

(Newser) - Able to surf the internet, stand in for credit cards, and check body fat, Japan’s smartphones make ours look primitive—yet we’re sticking with what we have. That’s because Japan’s phone makers have been “a little too clever,” writes Hiroko Tabuchi in the New ...

iPhone Too Dainty? Rugged Competitors Can Take Beating

New offerings can be used as hammers, soaked, dropped

(Newser) - The iPhone might be pretty, but it’s probably best not to use it as a hammer. If you’re looking for a phone that can handle such treatment—and can be thrown, showered with, or plunged into beer—your best bet may be one of the rugged models from...

Japan's Mobile Network Buckles Under Porn Demand

(Newser) - Japan's mammoth 3G wireless network is beginning to buckle as users download world-record amounts of porn, Bloomberg reports. Mobile carriers have been forced to restrict the heaviest users of their "unlimited plans" to prevent outages. Privacy laws prevent the firms from saying what is being downloaded, but porn providers...

EU to Get Universal Phone Chargers by 2010

Plan expected to reduce electronic waste, make life simpler for consumers

(Newser) - Cell phone makers have agreed to introduce a one-size-fits-all charger in the European Union within the next six months, CNN reports. The deal is expected to reduce the tens of thousands of tons of chargers thrown away every year, and should hasten the introduction of a universal charger for the...

Free Market Rings Up 4B Cell Phones Worldwide
Free Market Rings Up 4B
Cell Phones Worldwide
ANALYSIS

Free Market Rings Up 4B Cell Phones Worldwide

6 in 10 connected, thanks to private biz

(Newser) - The global explosion in cell phone use is a timely reminder of what free markets can achieve, David A. Gross writes in the Christian Science Monitor. There are now more than 4 billion mobile connections worldwide, two-thirds of them in developing countries, according to a new UN report. This leap...

Prepaid Cell Phones Are New Frugal Chic

Pay-as-you-go replaces contracts as consumers cut spending

(Newser) - More customers are turning to Tony Soprano-style, pay-as-you-go cell phones, and not just to avoid wiretaps. As the recession forces consumers to cut costs, all-inclusive prepaid plans are the new frugal option, reports the New York Times. "In today’s economy, it’s not cool to pay $120 a...

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