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NEWS ABOUT: cell phones

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How Siri Could Hurt Everyone's Cell Service

She's a giant 'bandwidth guzzler': Paul Farhi

(Newser) - Siri is knowledgeable, convenient, even funny—but she has a dark side. "Siri’s dirty little secret is that she’s a bandwidth guzzler, the digital equivalent of a 10-miles-per-gallon Hummer H1," writes Paul Farhi in the Washington Post . Indeed, the iPhone 4S, which brought us Siri,... More »

Customers Not Happy About Verizon's New $2 Fee

Complaints flood Twitter

(Newser) - Will outraged consumers convince Verizon to backtrack on its newest fee , just as they did with Bank of America ? Perhaps: The New York Times notes that yesterday's announcement of the $2 fee, which will be levied against customers who make one-time bill payments using a credit or debit... More »

NTSB Bid to Ban All Phone Use in Cars Is 'Overkill'

Why can't drivers use hand-free sets?

(Newser) - The NTSB's proposal for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones while driving, even of the hands-free variety, "is impractical, it's overkill, and it doesn't make sense," writes Sascha Segan at PC Magazine . Authorities can and should come down hard on anyone caught... More »

Verizon 'Emergency' Text Spooks New Jersey

Customers ordered to 'take shelter now,' but it's just a test

(Newser) - Verizon sparked panic in central New Jersey yesterday by sending thousands of customers a text message reading: "Civil Emergency in this area until 1:24 PM EST Take Shelter Now US Govern." Verizon says the message, which caused 911 dispatchers to be swamped with calls, was part of... More »

Big Police Problem: 'Butt Dials' to 911

One city says 20% of emergency calls are mistakes

(Newser) - "Butt dials" are becoming a police menace if Evanston, Illinois, is typical. About 20% of the city's 911 calls—around 500 a month—fall under the category of "unintentional" or "abandoned," and police blame most of them on people sitting on their phones or something... More »

Cyber Monday Was Biggest-Ever Online Shopping Day

Sales up 22% to $1.25B

(Newser) - This year's Cyber Monday was the biggest day in the history of online shopping, with a record $1.25 billion in sales, up from $1.03 billion last year, according to research firm comScore. Online sales were very strong all through the holiday weekend, but the following Monday "... More »

Time to Relax Rules About Electronics on Planes

We still have to turn them off, but it's not clear why: Nick Bilton

(Newser) - C'mon FAA, it's time to rethink the overly strict rules governing the use of electronic devices aboard planes, writes Nick Bilton in the Disruptions blog at the New York Times. There's just no evidence to suggest that somebody with an ebook or video game will endanger a... More »

How Your Discarded Phone Can Improve Global Health

It can send texts, and one advocate says the Third World can benefit

(Newser) - Text messages could be the key to successful health care in poor countries. At least 24-year-old Josh Nesbit thinks so. He's the CEO of nonprofit startup Medic Mobile, which disperses old cell phones to create a text messaging network that can connect doctors to patients, monitor the spread of... More »

You Don't Want to Know What's on Your Cellphone

There's a good chance it's fecal matter: study

(Newser) - If you’re reading this on your smartphone, you might want to go wash your hands now: A new study out of London finds that one out of six cellphones has fecal matter on it. UK researchers swabbed 390 mobile phones and the British hands that used them, and found... More »

T-Mobile User's Phone Bill: $201K

Brother ran up some serious roaming charges

(Newser) - When a Florida woman put her college-student brother on her cell phone plan, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. After two weeks in Canada, he managed to run up a $201,000 bill, WSVN reports—and that's without even talking. Turns out he hadn’t... More »

Steve Jobs Designed the iPhone 5

Apple CEO involved 'from concept to final design': analyst

(Newser) - While pancreatic cancer was slowly killing him , Steve Jobs dedicated his final months to a new project: the iPhone 5. The next-generation phone "was the last project that Steve Jobs was intimately involved with from concept to final design," a financial analyst wrote in a report acquired by... More »

Wireless Devices Officially Outnumber People in US

Why? Because many of us need a phone and a tablet

(Newser) - For every person, a mobile device … or two. In the United States, wireless devices now outnumber people, according to a new survey by trade group CTIA. That’s possible because so many people own more than one such device, for example a smartphone and a tablet. There are now... More »

'Sensual' Phones Kiss, Cuddle

Don't hang up on me, baby

(Newser) - Here's a cellphone that's got your number. In pursuit of more "emotional" and "sensory" phones, a designer at the Berlin University of the Arts has come up with three different touchy-feelie models that will blow on your neck, coo, and even kiss, reports the Los Angeles ... More »

Driver in Texting Death Can't Have Phone in Car

It's part of plea deal struck for probation

(Newser) - A modern punishment to fit a modern plague: A California woman who killed an 80-year-old pedestrian last year while she was driving and texting will no longer be able to have a cell phone in her car, reports the Glendale News Press . It's part of a plea deal struck... More »

BART Shuts Service Amid Protests

Cellphone signals aren't blocked, stations reopen

(Newser) - San Francisco officials didn't block cellphone signals this time around during a BART protest, but they did halt transit service at all four downtown stations. Hundreds of commuters were forced to the street to find other ways to get home during rush hour. Some 50 protesters who gathered on... More »

Amazon CEO's Latest Idea: Cellphone Airbags

Jeff Bezos files patent application for phone protection system

(Newser) - Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' next big idea is one for the klutzes of the world: cellphone airbags. According to a patent application obtained by Geekwire, the bags would deploy if the phone sensed, using radar, that it was falling (say, out of your pocket, where you really shouldn't keep... More »

San Francisco Subway Cuts Cell Service to Foil Protest

Move apparently worked, but backlash is growing

(Newser) - This one could get interesting: Transit authorities in San Francisco temporarily cut cell phone service to four subway stations yesterday to prevent protesters from organizing, reports CNET . It seemed to work: The protest—over the fatal shooting of a man by a BART police officer last month—never materialized. But... More »

33% of You Would Ditch Sex for Phones

Respondents weigh a week of sacrifice

(Newser) - If you’d prefer a sexless week to a phoneless one, you’re in good company: A third of Americans agree with you, a survey finds. Some 70% of Americans would turn down alcohol for a week rather than leave their phones behind, and 55% would kick their caffeine habits,... More »

Philly Targeting People Who Text ... While Walking

Safety program focuses on distracted pedestrians

(Newser) - Police in Philadelphia are stepping up their campaign against bad behavior on the city's thoroughfares—and distracted pedestrians are as much a target as distracted drivers and sidewalk cyclists, officials say. Officers enforcing the "Give Respect, Get Respect" program in the city center will be looking out for... More »

Homeless Guy Arrested for Charging Cell Phone

Shaun Fawster charged with 'theft of services'

(AP) - Police have brought charges against a homeless man in Maine who helped himself to an outdoor electrical outlet to charge a pair of cell phones. A Bangor cop checking downtown businesses discovered 23-year-old Shaun Fawster charging his cell phones in an outlet hidden behind some flowers. Fawster was charged last... More »

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