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Guy Who Thought Up Text Messaging Dies
 Guy Who Thought Up 
 Text Messaging Dies 
OBITUARY
Jul 1, 2015 5:26 AM CDT

Guy Who Thought Up Text Messaging Dies

Finn came up with the idea 8 years before first text sent

(Newser) - Matti Makkonen didn't much care for being called the "father of SMS," but that's how a lot of people have been describing the tech pioneer after his death at the age of 63. The Finn thought up the idea of sending text via cellphones over a...

School Locked Down After Auto-Correct Texting Mishap

Phone changes 'gunna' to 'gunman' in message sent to wrong number

(Newser) - A Gainesville high school student who apparently flunked Texting 101 caused a school lockdown yesterday. The West Hall student intended to peck out "gunna be at west hall today," but his cell phone's automatic spelling correction feature changed "gunna" to "gunman" in a text message...

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...

This Text Message Will Self-Destruct in 60 Seconds

Vanishing text service new friend to the stars

(Newser) - It's too late to help Tiger Woods cover his tracks, but the creators of a text message auto-delete service say other celebrities trying to keep their lives private are among its half-million users. TigerText—no connection to the golfer—sends texts that disappear from both a user and sender's phone...

Texting Incites Nigerian Violence

Ongoing interfaith violence worsens with a tech assist

(Newser) - Technology is not always a force for peace. In Nigeria, SMS text messages have been used as a tool for ethnic cleansing in an ongoing conflict between Christian farmers and Muslim nomads. Both groups have used texts not only to coordinate their violent efforts, but also to incite violence among...

Text Message Frame-Up Lands Woman in Jail

'Victim' blames ex for threats, gets 1-year sentence

(Newser) - It turns out, you can go to jail for threatening yourself—just call the cops and try to pin it on your ex-boyfriend and his sister-in-law. Jeanne Manunga, a 25-year-old California woman, has been sentenced to a year in jail for sending herself threatening text messages from a prepaid cell...

Ford Cars to Read Text Messages Aloud

Company frees drivers' hands for safety

(Newser) - The next generation of Ford cars will be able to read your text messages aloud. The update to Ford's SYNC technology—which will be available on 2011 models—is pitched as a safety improvement so drivers can keep their hands on the wheel. The new version of SYNC (for Blackberry...

'Every iPhone in the World' at Risk Tomorrow

Text-messaging flaw could let hackers take over your mobile

(Newser) - The iPhone’s text-messaging system has a dangerous flaw that hackers could exploit to take control of your phone, researchers say. They’ll reveal the trouble at a conference tomorrow, Forbes reports. So if you get a text with a “single square character,” turn off your phone right...

OMG! Wrld's Bst Txtr Wins $50K

500 text per day habit pays off for Iowa teen

(Newser) - A 15-year-old Iowa girl took home $50,000 and a new phone after thumbing her way to first place in the National Texting Championships yesterday, CNN reports. Kate Moore, who has developed a 500 text-per-day habit since getting her first phone last year, aced speed and dexterity tests as well...

US Texts Now Outnumber Calls
 US Texts Now Outnumber Calls 
Sep 23, 2008 7:23 AM CDT

US Texts Now Outnumber Calls

Teens lead boom in SMS communication

(Newser) - Americans now send more text messages than they make phone calls—a major change in communication habits that is being driven by teenagers, CNET reports. Cell phone users sent and received 357 text messages in the second quarter of 2008, compared with making and receiving 204 phone calls. Teens between...

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