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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: mobile phones

mobile phones stories: 30 news summaries

1 - 20 of 30 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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 Court Backs Cell-Tower Haters 

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

Oct 26, 09 1:48 PM CDT
(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... More »

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California • Sprint • wireless industry • cell phone towers • gated community • mobile phones • court ruling • aesthetic

 NYC to Ban All 
 Cabbie Phone Calls 

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

Oct 16, 09 10:29 AM CDT
(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... More »

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New York City • cell phones • Bluetooth • taxi driver • regulations • mobile phones • hands-free cell phone • rule

90% Want to Outlaw Texting While Driving: Poll

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

Sep 28, 09 11:11 AM CDT
(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... More »

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cell phones • driving • ban • texting • opinion polls • mobile phones • outlaw

Smartphones Heart QWERTY, Click Off Users

iPhones, Blackberrys ignore alternative keyboard, to enthusiasts' chagrin

Sep 28, 09 1:57 AM CDT
(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... More »

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smartphones • handsets • keyboard • mobile phones • cellphones • Dvorak Simplified Keyboard

analysis

 Bye-Bye Landlines, 
 Hello New Problem 


Aug 15, 09 7:44 AM CDT
(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.... More »

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cell phones • phone service • land lines • mobile phones

 Woman Gets PhD in Texting 

Philosophy thesis is first on text message communication

Aug 6, 09 7:57 PM CDT
(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,... More »

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cell phones • philosophy • communication • PhD • text message • texting • mobile phones

OPINION

 Twitter Is Just a Fad 

Social networking site has no long-term viability: Friedman

Jul 29, 09 5:27 PM CDT
(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... More »

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social networking • Internet • Web 2.0 • business models • Twitter • user base • mobile phones • microblogging

 Barcode of Future Is Tiny, Shiny 

MIT researchers design an alternative with 'Bokodes'

Jul 27, 09 5:50 PM CDT
(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... More »

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cell phones • business • LEDs • information technology • bar codes • bar code readers • mobile phones • Google Street View • Bokode

 Gadget Turns 
 Phone Into 
 Microscope 

CellScope could help curb outbreaks of disease in developing world

Jul 22, 09 4:29 PM CDT
(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... More »

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health care • cell phones • disease • malaria • developing world • microscopic • mobile phones • clinic

Tech Review

You Don't Need a Smartphone

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

Jul 13, 09 12:44 PM CDT
(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:... More »

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Verizon • iPhone • smartphones • Sprint • AT&T • T-Mobile • mobile phones

UK Phone Firm Seeks 160-Word Resumes

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

Jul 5, 09 3:50 PM CDT
(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,”... More »

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United Kingdom • text message • job • mobile phones • job application

tech review

Too Many Phone Numbers? 
Google Can Help

Promising new free service handles access to all your devices

Jul 2, 09 9:20 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Google • land lines • phone software • telephone • mobile phones • Google Voice • women's issues

ANALYSIS

 iPhone Competitors 
 Close In on Apple 


Jun 10, 09 12:23 PM CDT
(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... More »

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iPhone • Apple • Google phone • smartphones • Google Android • AT&T • mobile phones • Palm Pre

(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. “... More »

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Internet • iPhone • Apple • smartphones • Google Android • iPhone applications • App Store • mobile phones

(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... More »

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iPhone • Apple • smartphones • Sprint • mobile phones • Palm Pre • Worldwide Developers Conference • product launch

Explore Galaxy With New Google App

Star Droid helps cellphone astronomers with GPS, maps, tags

May 11, 09 10:03 AM CDT
(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... More »

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astronomy • Google • cell phones • constellations • night sky • light pollution • mobile phones • Star Droid • Jay-ZTV • Droid

 Sex Query? 
 Experts Help 
 Teens Via 
 Texting 

Health professionals text teens answers to anonymous sex questions

May 2, 09 3:14 PM CDT
(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... More »

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pregnancy • North Carolina • sex education • abstinence education • STD • text message • texting • teenager • mobile phones

(Newser) - Phonemaker Nokia is flummoxed as to why hackers are offering more than $32,000 in underground forums for old handsets, NetworkWorld reports—though bank fraud is a distinct possibility. “We have not identified any phone software problem that would allow” misuse, the company said. But a 2003 model manufactured... More »

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cell phones • Germany • Nokia • black market • hackers • cybercrime • bank fraud • SIM cards • online banking • mobile phones

Sexting 'Craze' May Really Be Skewed Polling 

'Internet cowboys and cowgirls' twist results
of online surveys

Apr 8, 09 10:05 AM CDT
(Newser) - One in five teenagers have shared naughty pictures of themselves over the phone or online—at least according to reports of the “sexting epidemic” that’s been causing hysteria lately. But the figure might be bogus, the Wall Street Journal reports, because it’s based on a voluntary... More »

MORE ABOUT:
text message • child pornography • polling • teenager • mobile phones • sexting

Skype Could Hit iPhone
as Soon as Next Week

Voice-over-IP firm may announce its client at CTIA Wireless

Mar 27, 09 12:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - Skype is putting the finishing touches on a version of its VoIP client for the iPhone, and may debut it as soon as an industry conference next week, GigaOm reports. Skype is looking to the mobile market to keep growing as its PC usage starts to plateau. Skype already offers... More »

MORE ABOUT:
iPhone • software • Skype • Voice over IP • telephone • iPhone applications • mobile phones

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