A Telecom, Paging, Text Messaging and SMS Blog from NotePage

Sprint Court Case

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0400

A U.S. district judge ruled that Sprint Nextel Corp will not face a nationwide class-action lawsuit that claims the No. 3 U.S. mobile company overcharged customers for taxes and refused refunds, court documents show.

complete article

Mobile Money

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Being able to use a mobile phone for money transfers, bill payments and even savings would give some of the world's poorest people the chance to become part of the financial system, telecom providers and bankers have said.

complete article

Cell Phone Disaster Alerts

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Tens of thousands of mobile users in Bangladeshs flood and cyclone-prone areas will now receive advance warning of an impending natural disaster through an alert on their cell phones, a government official says.

Bangladesh -- one of the worlds most densely populated countries -- is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, including cyclones, storm surges, droughts, floods and earthquakes, which often affect millions of people.

Wireless Messaging Glossary

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Glossary of Wireless Messaging Terms.

Time Management Tips

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Managing your time and using it wisely is a journey, and not something that can be easily mastered overnight. Implementing a plan will help, but it is not going to be a sure cure. Time management requires a significant amount of self-discipline.

Here are some tips to assist you with time management...

Exclusive Deals Harmful?

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The Federal Communications Commission will open an investigation into whether exclusive cell phone deals are harmful to consumers, acting Chairman Michael Copps said Thursday.

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Cellular Tax Repeal

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The Obama administration on Tuesday said it will back repealing a hard-to-enforce tax on personal use of work cellphones, appeasing the business community, phone makers and users.

A 1989 law requires companies seeking to deduct worker cellphones as an expense to track personal use with painstaking documentation of minutes. The government, in a notice last week sought public comment on making compliance easier, but now says the law should be scrapped altogether.

complete article

Text Message Price Collusion Possible

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

U.S. wireless carriers Verizon Communications and AT&T took issue with assertions that they colluded in setting prices for text messages, saying on Tuesday that prices for most customers had fallen and the market was competitive.

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Web Review Webinar

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Join us June 23rd for the 2nd Website Critique and Review Webinar. Subjects covered include the initial impression created by a website, structure, navigation, communication, SEO setup and more. The second website critique will be taking place on Tuesday June 23rd at 12:00 EST. Sign-up to have your website reviewed.

Driving While Texting

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The vast majority of US mobile phone users know that making calls, texting and using other features while driving is dangerous, but admit doing so anyway, a poll showed Tuesday.

Seventy-two percent of people who drive and own a cellular phone admitted that they use their mobile while driving, even though more than eight in 10 said they thought that doing so was dangerous, the Harris Interactive survey of 2,681 adults showed.

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T-Mobile Breach

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

T-Mobile is investigating a claim that a massive amount of internal data has been stolen from the telecommunication operators servers, a company spokesman said Monday.

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Pandemics Limited By Cell Phones

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

A few months from now, a highly contagious disease will spread through a Japanese elementary school. The epidemic will start with several unwitting children, who will infect others as they attend classes and wander the halls.

If nothing is done, it will quickly gain momentum and rip through the student body, then jump to parents and others in the community. But officials will attempt to stymie the disease and save the school — using mobile phones.

complete article

Common GPS for Flights

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Get lost in the woods and a cell phone in your pocket can help camping buddies find you. Drive into a ditch and GPS in your car lets emergency crews pinpoint the crash site. But when a transcontinental flight is above the middle of the ocean, no one on the ground can see exactly where it is — in the air, or worse, in the water.

The disappearance of Air France Flight 477 and its 228 passengers over the Atlantic Ocean this week has critics of radar-based air traffic control calling on the U.S. and other countries to hasten the move to GPS-based networks that promise to precisely track all planes. Current radars are obsolete more than 200 miles from land.

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Greener Cell Phones

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Cellphone maker Sony Ericsson unveiled on Thursday two handset models it said are more eco-friendly, adding that the company will push greener features across its product line in the next two years.
The new models, C901 GreenHeart and Naite, will be sold in smaller packages and have user manuals that are electronic. The devices use more recycled materials and consume less energy.

Greener Cell Phones

Plants Can Send Text Messages

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Technology that lets plants send text alerts when they are running dry may someday reduce overwatering, says a Discovery Channel report. A chip about the size of a clip-on earring can be attached to a plant leaf and linked to regular cell-phone networks, sending a text message when it is time to irrigate. Watering only when necessary could save water and energy, especially in the arid West. A company called AgriHouse is marketing the chip, which is based on technology developed by NASA for long space trips.

Plants Can Send Text Messages

Student Discount at Software Conference

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Student Discount for Software Industry Conference in Boston MA July 16-18th. Only $50.00 with student ID normally $249.00! Educational sessions for software developers and marketers.

The Future of Mobile Phones

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Few companies innovate with the intensity and frequency of those working in mobile, and todays present is a future that only a handful of people would have predicted just a few short years ago. While most of us happily soak up rampant innovation as mere consumers, a handful of people in the hallowed corridors of mobile R&D labs are already working on the next big thing -- the phones we'll be carrying around in our back pockets in 2012 and beyond.

Very occasionally we get a glimpse of this future. Nokia recently went public with their morph concept phone -- an idea which seems so crazy and off-the-wall it might actually be possible.

complete article

Jitterbug Recall

Sun, 31 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

GreatCall and Samsung jointly recalled 160,000 easy-to-use Jitterbug cell phones after the phones carrier discovered the units could not make 911 calls in a small rural carriers coverage area.

Software Industry Conference Participation

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Join us at the Software Industry Conference. The conference is a premier event for software developers and software marketers. We will have speakers presenting and participating in the conference. There is even a Student Discount for Software Industry Conference admission is only $50.00 with student ID normally $249.00! Educational sessions for software developers and marketers. The conference is in Boston MA July 16-18th.

NotePager Pro Tutorials

Tue, 26 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

We have just added some new tutorials for using NotePager Pro text messaging software. There is a setup and installation tutorial, adding carriers tutorial, and adding recipients tutorial.

Cellular Rattle

Sun, 24 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

When Annamarie Saarinen needed to soothe her ailing daughter, she used a rattle — downloaded to her iPhone.

Jeff Hilimire uses a white noise application on his phone to make shushing noises for his infant daughter. And Tracie Stier-Johnson lets her young daughters answer trivia questions on her phone while waiting in the doctors office or at parent-teacher conferences.

complete article

Cell Blocking

Tue, 26 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Gov. Martin OMalley said Monday he would consider going against federal law to hold a cell-phone jamming demonstration at a Maryland prison to help stop illegal cell phone use by prison inmates, but he hopes that won't be necessary.

O'Malleys spokesman, Rick Abbruzzese, said the administration plans to send a request to the Federal Communications Commission for permission to hold a demonstration, but has not yet. The FCC has said the Communications Act of 1934 doesn't allow state and local agencies to use the technology, which prevents cell tower transmissions from reaching phones.

complete article

iPhone Fees

Mon, 25 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

If you want an iPhone but are turned off by the high monthly service fees, some good news may be on the horizon. According to BusinessWeek, AT&T Wireless may offer lower-priced plans as early as late May. If the report is true, the starter iPhone plan would cost about $60 a month.

complete article

US Cellular with Free Batteries

Tue, 19 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

US Cellular is poised to become the first carrier in the States to offer a free battery swap program for customers that are loyal enough to hold on to their handset.

Starting last week, customers with dead or dying batteries can walk into any US Cellular store and receive a fully-charged replacement for free.

complete article

Transit Drivers in Mass Are Banned From Cell Phones

Thu, 14 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Transit officials in Massachusetts are banning train, trolley and bus drivers from carrying cell phones while they are behind the wheel after one operator crashed a street car while text-messaging his girlfriend.

EU Looking to Cut Mobile Termination Rates

Tue, 12 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The European Commission launched a new assault on what it considers to be rip-off costs in mobile telephony Thursday, this time setting its sights on mobile termination rates.

Unlike earlier moves against mobile roaming charges, which involved setting price caps, the latest initiative recommends that national telecom regulators in the 27 European Union member countries take action.

Google Will Recognize Stars

Mon, 11 May 2009 12:00:00 -0400

New Google software will identify stars and planets via mobile phone pictures. Stargazers will soon be able to identify stars and planets in the night sky via their mobile phone and Google.

The search engine is pioneering software which can identify distant planets and galaxies from a photo taken on a mobile.
The Google Earth technology, called Star Droid, will use GPS mapping systems which are now in most new handsets, to identify the position of the user and compare it with existing maps of space.

A Fifth of US Homes Cellular with No Landlines

Thu, 7 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

For the first time, the number of U.S. households opting for only cell phones outnumber those that just have traditional landlines in a high-tech shift accelerated by the recession.

In the freshest evidence of the growing appeal of cell phones, 20 percent of households had only cells during the last half of 2008, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey released Wednesday. That was an increase of nearly 3 percentage points over the first half of the year, the largest six-month increase since the government started gathering such data in 2003.

The 20 percent of homes with only cell phones compared to 17 percent with landlines but no cells.

World Phone

Wed, 6 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

AT&T has grabbed the spotlight from competitors before the summer rush. The wireless carrier will offer Research in Motion's BlackBerry Curve 8900 in early summer, it announced Monday.

The silver smartphone with black finish is the slimmest of the BlackBerry devices with QWERTY keyboards. Touted by AT&T as a world phone because it allows customers to access data in more than 170 countries and make calls in more than 200.

complete article

No Such Thing As Safe Sexting

Tue, 5 May 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Teens sending nude or suggestive photos of themselves over their mobile phones are being warned that sexting can damage their future.

Australias state government of New South Wales launched an education campaign this week to combat the growing practice of sexting, saying these images or sexually explicit text messages can be posted on the Internet or forwarded to others, which can end up in harassment or even sexual assault.

complete article

Motorola Losses

Sun, 3 May 2009 14:21:57 -0400

Cell phone maker Motorola Inc posted a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss thanks to cost cuts that helped offset a sharp drop in cellphone sales.

While it said losses would narrow in the current quarter, the cellphone makers shares fell 9 percent after it also announced its cash position fell about $1 billion in the last three months.

complete article

Swine Flu Updates on Your Cell Phone

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The CDC - Center for Disease Control and WHO - World Health Organization are putting out a lot of information about the Swine Flu. There are even Twitter accounts that keep update information on the Swine Flu. Also a number of RSS feeds for Swine Flu are available. All of these can be directed to your cell phone so you can get the latest information on your mobile phone!

Cellular Patient Monitoring

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Obstetricians today can monitor critical patients remotely using an iPhone, Blackberry or other portable communication device thanks to a software application developed by locally-based AirStrip Technologies.

The application sends real-time wave-form data and information to these mobile devices, giving the doctors the ability to make vital decisions on patient care without having to stand at the patients bedside.

complete article

Universal Cell Chargers

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

CTIA, the main industry association for U.S. mobile operators, has put its weight behind an initiative calling for a universal cell-phone charger.

EU Cuts Texting Costs

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The cost of sending text messages on your mobile phone while abroad in the European Union is about to fall sharply in July, when a new law approved Wednesday comes into effect.Similarly, the price of Internet downloads onto your mobile while you are traveling in the E.U. will drop, and calls made from abroad will be charged per second, rather than per minute. Currently European consumers are paying as up 24 percent too much because their calls are rounded up to the nearest minute, according to the European Commission, the regulatory and executive branch of the E.U.The European Parliament rubber-stamped the update of roaming laws Wednesday at a plenary meeting in Strasbourg.

complete article

Broken Phone Worth Thousands

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Criminals are willing to pay thousands of euros for a discontinued Nokia mobile phone with a software problem that can be exploited to hack into online bank accounts, according to a fraud investigator in the Netherlands.

Cellular Monitoring

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

One evening last winter, Mike Harris was watching his local TV news when he saw a segment that caught his attention: Parents were using software to monitor their kids cell phones.As more kids carry cell phones, some parents are using software to monitor their calls and texts.

Harris, an investigator for the Child Sex Internet Investigations Unit in Jefferson County, Colorado, thought the service could be a new tool for combating sexual predators.

Equipping his phone with the software, Harris posed as an underage child on social-networking sites and began luring pedophiles. He immediately got results. Since then, Harris has made 83 arrests of alleged sexual predators -- 44 of them with the help of the monitoring program.

complete article

Retain Harsh Penalties for Sexting

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas says he does not want to change Vermonts laws to lessen the potential penalties for teenagers who use their cell phones to send sexually explicit pictures and messages.

The House is considering a Senate-passed bill that would remove the threat of a child pornography prosecution for a practice called sexting. Other laws with lesser penalties still could apply.
complete article

Website Review Webinar

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

We in partnership with Shareware Promotions are going to be running a Website Review Webinar. During the course of the 40 minute webinar we will be critiquing websites. You can submit your website for review or simply sit back and enjoy the commentary.

Skype Spinoff

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

EBay Inc plans to spin off its Skype unit, acknowledging that the Web telephone service does not fit with the rest of the company, in an indictment of former CEO Meg Whitmans acquisition strategy.

complete article

Cell Phones the Drug of Choice in Prison

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Drugs were once the contraband of choice of prisoners. These days, corrections officials across the country are on the lookout for a more high-tech scourge — cell phones.

Cell phones have been used to help at least two inmates escape from minimum-security conservation camps. Prison investigators fear they also are being used by gang leaders to order assaults on other inmates and employees and to coordinate the timing of prison uprisings.

complete article

Vermont Considers Legalizing Sexting

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Sexting combines the words sex and texting, and essentially involves sending sexually revealing pictures of yourself via text message to someone. Of late, its hit the headlines because its become a teen fad, and some of those teens have been charged with trafficking in child pornography.

Some of these cases are ongoing, and Vermont is considering legalizing sexting between teens, with the proviso that the sexting be voluntary; the measure leaves intact penalties for those who coerce others to participate.

Vermont Considering Legalizing Sexting

Vandals Effect Phones

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Police had no suspects early on April 10, although it has been speculated by some authorities that the vandalism might be connected with a labor dispute. About 110,000 AT&T workers nationwide have considered going on strike. Five regional union contracts expired on Sunday, April 5.

Connectivity was restored April 10 to tens of thousands of land line, cellular and Internet customers of several telecom companies in the San Francisco Bay Area following the vandalism of underground fiber-optic telephone and Internet cable lines at four locations on April 9.

AT&T pledged a $100,000 reward, which was increased to $250,000 later on April 10, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of the felony vandalism.

complete article

Space Age Cell Coverage

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The vast, thinly populated expanses of the country that still lack cell phone coverage could be getting an interesting option next year: ordinary-looking cell phones that connect to a satellite when there's no cell tower around.

complete article

Support Forum

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

If you have questions regarding NotePager Pro or PageGate check out the NotePage support forum.

Mobile Marketing

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The four major U.S. mobile operators have agreed to align their mobile marketing practices with a set of guidelines to be worked out with the Mobile Marketing Association, a move the industry group said will lead to a more consistent user experience and lower costs for marketing companies.

complete article

Research in Motion Application Store

Sat, 4 Apr 2009 18:12:45 -0400

Research In Motion is launching an online application store that will let users of its BlackBerry smartphones download software for everything from news and entertainment to travel and games.

Unlike the iPhone application store of rival Apple Inc, which offers 70 percent of revenue from each piece of software to the developer of the software, RIM plans to offer 80 percent.

complete article

EU Texting to Get Cheaper

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The cost of calling, texting and accessing the Internet via mobile phones while abroad is about to get cheaper for European residents, following an agreement Tuesday among lawmakers over the shape of a new mobile roaming law.

Members of the European Parliament and representatives of the 27 national governments reached an informal agreement to cut prices from July 1. The compromise they struck must be rubber-stamped by both institutions, probably in April, but the hard negotiating is over, said Adina-Ioana Valean, a Romanian member of the European Parliament involved in the negotiations.

Cellular Coupons

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

AOL has launched its Shortcuts.com coupon service on mobile phones, MediaPost reports, in an effort to let customers get discounts while in the grocery store or otherwise on the move.

Shortcuts.com members can select coupons from their handsets, which will then load them onto grocery store shopping cards. Later, when the shopper swipes their discount card at the check-out machine, the system will recognize the coupon and deduct its amount from the total bill.

Saving Money on Cellular

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The recession has prompted consumers to re-think their cell phone plans, whether it is ditching contracts for pre-paid options, cutting back on extras like Internet service and texting, or cutting mobile phone service entirely, according to a Thursday report from the New Millennium Research Council (NMRC).

complete article

Cell Phone Taxes

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Two members of Congress on Tuesday re-introduced a bill that would prevent states and local jurisdictions from imposing new taxes on cell phone service.

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Internet Mobile Device Use Doubled

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

The number of people using mobile devices to access the Internet more than doubled from January 2008 to January 2009, according to comScore, a provider of Internet tracking. Internet users have been using smartphones for personal use and to conduct business, similar to the way they would use a laptop or home computer.

Only Cellular

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

At least 26 percent of households are now cell-only in Oklahoma and Utah, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated. That rate was at least 20 percent in nine other states — Nebraska, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina and Tennessee — and the District of Columbia.

Mobile Applications for Windows Platform

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Microsoft on Wednesday revealed it will pay developers 70 percent of sales for applications they develop and sell on a Windows Mobile application marketplace introduced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month.

Microsoft also has released tools to enable developers to build applications for the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which will be offered on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 software and allow developers to sell thousands of applications to users of Windows Mobile devices. Handsets running Windows Mobile 6.5 should begin shipping in the second half of the year.

The Windows Mobile marketplace is Microsofts answer to the App Store of iPhone applications Apple offers as part of its software for the iPhone, which popularized the idea of buying and downloading mobile applications from the devices themselves.

complete article

Dilbert Loves His Cell Phone

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Solar Cellular Phones

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0400

Chinese group ZTE unveiled the worlds first low-cost solar-powered mobile phone targeted at the worlds poor on Wednesday and said it would go on sale in June for about 40 dollar or about 32 euros.

Mobile Phone and Fingerprints

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Mexico will start a national register of mobile phone users that will include fingerprinting all customers in an effort to catch criminals who use the devices to extort money and negotiate kidnapping ransoms.

Under a new law published on Monday and due to be in force in April, mobile phone companies will have a year to build up a database of their clients, complete with fingerprints. The idea would be to match calls and messages to the phones owners.

Hundreds of people are kidnapped in Mexico every year and the number of victims is rising sharply as drug gangs, under pressure from an army crackdown, seek new income.

Wonder What Privacy Experts Will Say - New Meaning to Big Brother is Watching

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0500

U.S. Internet search company Google Inc released software on Wednesday that allows users of mobile phones and other wireless devices to automatically share their whereabouts with family and friends.

Users in 27 countries will be able to broadcast their location to others constantly, using Google Latitude. Controls allow users to select who receives the information or to go offline at any time, Google said on its Web site.

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Cost Cutting Cell Phone Measures

Wed, 4 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Consumer Action identified five ways that consumers often inadvertently spend too much money on cell-phone service.

1. Early Termination Fees
2. When you buy a new phone, perhaps because an old one was lost or stolen, operators typically they are required to start a new contract.
3. Some operators charge $.40 to $.45 per minute for calls that surpass a users monthly allotment for a postpaid plan.
4. Excessive text messaging charges.

Nokia Fighting with Finland

Tue, 3 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Mobile phone giant Nokia threatened to leave its native Finland if a change to laws blocking companies from monitoring employee emails was not introduced, a respected Finnish newspaper said Sunday.

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Inaugural Cell Phone Coverage

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

The history-making inauguration of President Barack Obama also was a cell-phone test. Wireless networks braced for an onslaught of photos, text messages, video and voice communications from the millions of people attending the inauguration.

Initial reports were that cell phones in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area were buckling under the strain, with some voice communications having trouble getting through, although text messages were doing fine.

complete article

Driving and Cell Phones

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Many parents would love to be able to give their teenagers a cell phone that could not be used while driving. Now some inventors say they have come up with ways to make that possible, but they appear to be relying on wishful thinking.

complete article

Follow NotePage on Twitter

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

NotePage has set up an account on Twitter. Follow NotePage on Twitter.

National Safety Council Asking to Ban Cell Phone Use

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

The nonprofit National Safety Council on Monday called on all U.S. states to ban the use of cell phones while driving.

The NSC, which says it counts 55,000 companies as members, compared talking or texting while driving to drunken driving and urged states to ban even the use of phones with hands-free kits.

No state has completely banned cell-phone use while driving, though 23 have passed some form of restriction.

complete article

Cell Phone TV Broadcasts

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

TV stations in 22 U.S. cities announced Thursday that they will start broadcasting their signals this year in a format designed to be received by mobile devices like cell phones, MP3 players, GPS units and in-car entertainment systems.

Unlike current mobile TV services, the broadcasts would most likely be free, and would provide access to local news, weather and traffic updates. The broadcasts could also fill an important role in emergencies like hurricanes, since they can be received by portable devices and do not jam up under load like cell-phone networks.

complete article

Mobile Spy Software May Be Illegal

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

There is a new application called Mobile Spy and lawyers are contemplating whether it is legal. The software works like this: if someone sends a text message from an iPhone, or to an iPhone user, a third party could receive the message on any desktop computer. Moblie Spy claims to be a useful tool for employers and parents, but an attorneys are not so sure.

BlackBerry Storm Users Frustrated

Mon, 5 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0500

The BlackBerry Storm is an impressive piece of hardware.

Global Positioning System, stereo Bluetooth, fast processor, powerful battery, excellent camera and a huge, sharp screen. The first touch-screen phone from Research in Motion comes with everything you could want, except Wi-Fi.

But the software suffers major problems.

Cell Only Households Growing

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Nearly 18 percent of households in the United States have no traditional telephone and rely on wireless services only, which is up several percentage points from a year earlier, the government said on Wednesday.

In the first half of 2008, 17.5 percent of households were wireless only, up from 13.6 percent a full year earlier, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Merry Christmas

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Staff of NotePage, Inc.

Nanotechnology Imacts Cellular Technology

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Nanotechnology may someday expand your cell phones range while improving its battery life if a prototype transistor from IBM gets to market.
Researchers at the company are using nanotechnology to build a future generation of wireless transceivers that are much more sensitive than the ones found in phones today. They will also be made with a less expensive material, according to IBM. The catch is that the new chips probably won't make it into consumers' hands for another five or ten years.

complete article

Mobile Spy

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Paranoid types with trust issues have reason to celebrate, as Mobile Spy--a hybrid software/service that spies on smart phones--has finally infiltrated the iPhone.
Mobile Spy allows the account administrator to implant an undetectable rat inside the iPhone.

It then squeals to a server, which is accessible via the Web. Mobile Spy records SMS messages and inbound and outbound call info, including call duration. That means if you want to see what your employees are texting in real-time, or how long your teenaged daughter gabs with that kid from down the street, you can now do so for $100 per year.

Texting is a Sign of Recovery

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Doctors at some of the UKs busiest music festivals say a young patient's ability to use a mobile may be a good test of how ill they are. Each year hundreds of festivalgoers who have either fainted or suffered panic attacks are treated in medical tents.

Medical teams noticed that as soon as they were well enough to text their friends, they were generally well enough to rejoin the action.

Texting is a Sign of Health

Key2SafeDriving

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

A pair of US inventors are bringing to market a computerized car key that prevents people from chatting on mobile telephones or sending text messages while driving.
Key2SafeDriving adds to a trend of using technology to thwart speeding, drunken driving, and other risky behavior proven to ramp-up the odds of crashing.

Inappropriate Phone Use

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

One in five US teens has sent nude or partially clothed images of themselves to someone by email or mobile phone and twice as many have sent sexually suggestive electronic messages, a poll showed Wednesday.

complete article

Agora - Google Phone Set for Release

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

The worlds second Google phone, based on the Android mobile operating system, is set to launch at the end of January. Manufactured under the Australian Kogan brand, the phone will come in two flavors, for $225 or $295.

The Agora and Agora Pro models are both available for pre-sale now on Kogans website and are sold SIM-free - that is without a contract or network locking. If your wireless carrier is AT&T or T-Mobile, then you can snap the Kogan Android up January 29 when the units officially go on sale.

FCC Cell Towers

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

The White House has rejected a plan by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to require eight hours of backup power on every cell-phone tower in the country.

The FCC proposed the rule in 2007, after Hurricane Katrina caused service interruptions on the Gulf Coast. The Office of Management and Budget, an arm of the White House that oversees federal regulations, said it rejected the rule because the FCC failed to get public comment on it.

The plan has drawn opposition from the mobile industry, led by the industry group CTIA, which has sued to stop it. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had postponed its ruling on the suit until after the OMB released its decision.

complete article

Mobile Phones Biggest Driver Distraction

Thu, 4 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Mobile phone calls distract drivers far more than even the chattiest passenger, causing drivers to follow too closely and miss exits, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

Using a hands-free device does not make things better and the researchers believe they know why -- passengers act as a second set of eyes, shutting up or sometimes even helping when they see the driver needs to make a maneuver.

complete article

Fuel Cells on the Horizon

Wed, 3 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Laptop, cell phone and iPod owners tired of having their devices run out of charge after a few hours have been patiently waiting for the next portable power source to arrive.

Tiny fuel cells, powered by combustible liquids or gasses, have long been touted as the eventual solution. Potentially, they could power a laptop for days between refills.

But fuel cells have perennially remained a year or two away from reaching the market as companies have worked on making them small, cheap and long-lasting, while making sure they do not overheat. The U.S. government removed a key roadblock this year when the Department of Transportation amended its hazardous materials regulations to allow cells with methanol, butane or formic acid to be carried on airplanes. Methanol and butane are flammable, and formic acid is corrosive.

complete article

EU Caps Roaming Charges

Tue, 2 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

European Union governments agreed on Thursday to cap prices of roamed mobile phone texts and data downloading from July 2009, EU president France said.

Blackberry Storm Attempting to Blow Away iPhone

Mon, 1 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Hundreds of people lined up at some Verizon Wireless stores on Friday to buy the BlackBerry Storm, the first touch-screen phone from Research In Motion that aims to compete with Apples iPhone.

More than 200 people had waited at a Verizon store in mid-town Manhattan early in the morning, many of whom were turned away after it ran out of the new phones less than an hour after opening at 8 a.m. The angry customers caused a ruckus and police came to restore order.

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Free Shipping on All CD Orders

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

NotePage, Inc. never charges for shipping! Order a NotePager Pro CD for a holiday gift and it will ship free of charge.

New Packaging for NotePage Software

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

We have updated all the packaging on the NotePage Product line. Check out the slick new DVD cases.

Cellular Psychology

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

A Japanese professor on Wednesday launched what he said was the worlds first web-based psychotherapy sessions available via mobile phone, as the country grapples with a growing problem of depression.

The interactive service offers cognitive therapy sessions that identify a persons level of depression by asking questions about his or her sleeping and eating habits, weight change, and emotional well-being.

Using their mobile phones -- which are also widely substituted in Japan as wallets, train tickets, books, and television -- people can easily access the service.

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Rating Cellular Chargers

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

The worlds top five cellphone makers launched on Wednesday a common energy rating system for chargers, making it easier for consumers to compare and choose the ones consuming the least energy, Nokia said.

The new rating system is a cellphone industry response to heavy criticism from environmentalists. The industry has become the worlds top consumer electronics business by volume.

Obamas Cell Records

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Verizon Wireless has fired several employees who improperly accessed Barack Obamas cell phone records, which may have included billing data revealing who the president elect spoke with, and when.

The mobile in question was not the Blackberry that Obama is reluctantly giving up when he moves into the White House, but a plain-vanilla flip phone that had been inactive for several months. Neither e-mails nor the contents of any calls would have been exposed, but the account information may have included the type of list of incoming and outgoing calls, with their times and durations, found on a monthly billing statement.

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iPhone Growing

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

The iPhone is emerging as king of the corporate world as global shipments of smartphones reached a new peak. Defying speculation about a global recession, worldwide smartphone shipments climbed to just shy of 40 million units in the third quarter, according to the latest estimates from Canalys. That means smartphones now represent about 13 percent of the total mobile-phone market, up from 11 percent in the second quarter.

Texting While Driving

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Tapping out text messages on a cell phone while driving is dangerous, the American Medical Association agreed on Monday, and supported state legislation to ban it.
The group, which represents about 240,000 U.S. physicians, voted to lend its weight to laws that would make it easier for police to pull over drivers who are doing it.

Cell Phone Tickets

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Forget e-tickets. Going paperless is the next wrinkle in air travel as American Airlines tests mobile boarding passes at OHare International Airport.

Travelers on American can flash a bar code on their cell phone screens to board flights and get through security checkpoints at OHare using new technology rolled out Thursday.

To use the feature, passengers must have an active e-mail address and an Internet-enabled mobile device to which their boarding pass and a 2-D bar code can be sent.

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Telecom Carrier Settings Updated

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

We have made an effort to update many of the Telecom carrier settings see the updates for SNPP, WCTP, TAP and SMTP settings. Let us know if you have any suggested additions.

Verizon Must Sell Assets in Alltel Deal

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 09:00:00 -0500

The Justice Department on Thursday effectively gave Verizon Wireless the go-ahead to buy Alltel Corp. in a $28 billion deal that would create the nations largest wireless carrier.

Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Britains Vodafone Group PLC, already has agreed to the governments condition that it sell assets in 22 states.

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RIM Application Store

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Research in Motion is coming online with an application store uniquely its own. On Tuesday, RIM unveiled two distribution initiatives for BlackBerry smartphone applications at its annual developer conference: A new online application store and a new on-device application center that opens up BlackBerrys millions of users to developers vying for an audience.

RIM said it plans to launch the BlackBerry application store in March 2009, giving its users a one-stop shop for compatible applications and a user-friendly way to manage upgrades and purchases.

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Texts Tackle HIV in South Africa

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The popularity of mobile phones in South Africa is helping to tackle HIV and AIDS in the nation.

Project Masiluleke will send one million free text messages a day to push people to be tested and treated.

Approximately 350,000 people die of AIDS related diseases in the country every year.

Trials of the system showed that calls to counselors at the National AIDS helpline in Johannesburg increased by 200% when messages were broadcast.

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Tracking Terrorists Using Mobile Phones

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Taliban insurgents said Tuesday they had told mobile phone operators to shut down their networks during the day in the Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul, saying signals help track insurgent fighters.

The warning comes on top of a Taliban order earlier this year for phone operators to turn off their networks throughout the country at night.

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DriveAssist Prevents Calls While Driving

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0400

A Canadian company has unveiled software crafted to prevent people, particularly mobile device-loving teenagers, from making telephone calls or text-messaging while driving.

Aegis Mobility describes DriveAssist as advanced call management technology that essentially creates virtual personal secretaries to intercept calls or text messages intended for mobile telephones in moving cars.

DriveAssist software detects when phones are moving at automobile speeds and then tells callers that the person they are trying to reach is driving. Callers are invited to leave messages or call-back numbers.

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RIM Touch Screen

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Research in Motion the maker of the Blackberry, unveiled its first smartphone with a touch-screen on Wednesday, its answer to the popular Apple iPhone.
The phone, the Blackberry Storm, will be available later this year through Verizon Wireless in the United States and Vodafone in Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand, the Canadian company said.

Projections for Mobile Phones Sales Are Cut

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The global mobile phone market should grow at much slower-than-expected rates next year as consumers put off buying new devices due to deepening economic concerns, according to forecasts from analysts.

While industry executives often say mobile phones are the last thing consumers will give up to save money, analysts are now citing lengthening phone replacement cycles and weakening economies around the world for their weaker sales estimates.

UBS analyst Maynard Um halved his forecast for 2009 global handset growth to 3 percent from 6 percent, pointing to particular weakness in Europe and North America.

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Verizon Looking to Purchase Alltel

Wed, 8 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Verizon Wireless says it is moving forward with plans to acquire Alltel Corp. for $28.1 billion, although the countrys financial climate has worsened since the companies reached an agreement four months ago.

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T-Mobile Lost Confidential Data

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Europes leading telecommunications company, Deutsche Telekom, admitted Saturday that it has lost confidential data belonging to 17 million T-mobile clients.

The theft, in 2006, which is now subject to a judicial inquiry, involved telephone numbers, dates of birth, addresses and email addresses, subsidiary T-Mobile said in a statement.

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Cell Phone Popularity in Europe

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

A growing number of Europeans do not bother to buy landline telephone service in their homes, relying instead on their cell phones, the European Commission said Thursday.

Cell phones, which first outnumbered human beings in Europe in 2006, did that by an even greater margin in 2007: nearly 112 phones for every 100 people, the EU executive body said.

One reason is that monthly line rental for fixed phones costs more on average than a prepaid mobile phone package.

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RIM TouchScreen

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Research In Motion is preparing to launch the long anticipated touch-screen version of its BlackBerry smartphone, according to an official promotion e-mail from U.S. carrier Verizon Wireless .

RIM Touchscreen

G1 Phone Game Changer

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Turn off the rumor mills, pull down the mocked-up artwork, and say goodbye to the blogger speculation. Google and T-Mobiles G1, the first mobile phone built around Googles open-source, Linux-based Android platform, is officially a product.

Before a warm, if not entirely enthusiastic crowd in Manhattan, executives from T-Mobile, HTC and Google (including a surprise appearance by company founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page) officially unveiled the T-Mobile G1.

Listing for $179 with two data plans ($25 and $35), the T-Mobile G1 is available now to existing T-Mobile customers in limited quantities (via T-Mobiles web site) and at all T-Mobile locations by late next month. It will also launch in the U.K. in November, and across all of Europe by early next year.

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Financial Toll on Mobile Industry

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Mobile phone makers and operators risk losing thousands of their most profitable customers as financial havoc whacks the global banking industry.

Analysts said the success of Blackberry-maker RIM is the most dependent on Wall Streets future.

In worst case scenario 40,000 workers may lose their jobs in finance following Lehmans collapse and problems at other big financial firms, New York Governor David Paterson said earlier this week.

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Texting Could Be Source of Train Tragedy

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Federal investigators said Sunday they plan to obtain the cell phone records of two teenagers and the engineer of a commuter train to determine whether text messages played a part in a head-on collision that killed 25 people.

A commuter rail car lies on its side after a collision Friday near Los Angeles, California.

The Metrolink train had failed to stop for a red signal, triggering the Friday collision with a freight train, according to the commuter trains operators. In addition to the 25 fatalities, more than 130 passengers were injured.

On Sunday, Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board said investigators have been in touch with two teenagers who told a local television station that they had been exchanging text messages with the Metrolink train engineer before the impact.

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Never Forget

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Rising Text Messaging Rates

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

A key member of the Senate Judiciary Committee is asking the nations top four wireless carriers to justify the sharply rising rates they charge people to send and receive text messages.

In letters to top executives at Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile, Wisconsin Democrat Herb Kohl said Tuesday that he is concerned that rising text messaging rates reflect decreasing competition in the wireless business.

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Yahoo Search on AT&T Phones

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 07:37:27 -0400

AT&T plans to offer, through its mobile Internet portal, a collection of Yahoos oneSearch mobile Web services including links to news, financial information, weather, Flickr photos as well as Web search via the phone.

Cowboys and Satelite Phones

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The craggy gullies where Idaho cowboy Paul Nettleton runs 1,200 head of cattle are often precious minutes from reliable cell phone coverage.

That could spell disaster in this region where sudden summertime storms howl in from eastern Oregon, bringing dry lightning that can ignite fast-moving wildfires on sage- and juniper-covered hillsides. Unchecked, the flames could quickly turn this old mining towns historic wooden buildings to ashes.

This spring, Nettleton and six other Owyhee County ranchers who make their livelihoods in some of Americas most remote backcountry began carrying satellite telephones provided by the federal Bureau of Land Management and the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security.

It is an effort to turn men whose ranching families have been wedded to this land for more than a century into a high-tech advance guard against devastating wildfires.

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Nokia Market Share is Shrinking

Sat, 6 Sep 2008 10:18:58 -0400

Nokia the worlds biggest cellphone maker, said it expects to lose market share in the third quarter as it fights to maintain profit margins, sending its shares as much as 14 percent lower.

Nokia warned its third-quarter market share would fall from the 40 percent notched up in the second three months of the year, compared with a steady market share it forecast earlier.

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PageGate New Version

Wed, 6 Aug 2008 21:00:00 -0400

A minor update has been made available for PageGate. PageGate is a network messaging gateway that allows messages to be sent via SMS, Fax and a variety of Internet protocols to wireless devices. The latest release version of PageGate is 5.09 and is available from the download section. If you are a current registered PageGate user the release is available free of charge. Details of the current version changes can be seen in the PageGate release notes.

600 Million Cell Phones in China

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The number of mobile users in China, the worlds biggest cellphone market, now tops 600 million, the government said, as subscribers increasingly abandon fixed lines.

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Cell Phones and Cancer

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.

The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that do not find a link between increased tumors and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Herberman is basing his alarm on early, unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science and he believes people should take action now — especially when it comes to children.

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ICE Emergency Contacts

Mon, 4 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0400

In the English-speaking world, many cell phone users leave emergency contact information in the devices address books under an entry labeled ICE — for in case of emergency.

Now, the U.N. International Telecommunication Union is trying to adapt that system for the rest of the world.

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Text Messaging Helps Food Pricing

Sat, 2 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The rising cost of food is a growing concern for many people across the world.

There have been protests, and even riots, in countries including Mexico, India and Egypt, clear evidence of the struggle that many people are now facing.

However, if Italians feel that their local food retailer is charging unreasonable prices, they can now call on a new service to help them haggle or walk away.

Thanks to a SMS text system set up jointly by the Italian agriculture ministry and consumer associations, shoppers can check the average price of different foods in northern, central and southern Italy.

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Mobile Download Site Trouble

Fri, 1 Aug 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Hundreds of mobile phone download sites are to be investigated after an EU-wide sweep of services.

Some 80% of the 500 websites offering ringtones and phone wallpaper breached regulations, the European Commission said on Thursday.

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Low Cost Cell Phones

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

For less than $15, you can buy a cell phone loaded with minutes. You can buy more as you go whenever those minutes run out. Best of all, you are not locked into a long-term contract.

But in South Florida, New York, California, Georgia, Texas and elsewhere, traffickers have figured out they can make big profits by purchasing thousands of these low-cost phones and tweaking the software so that calls can be made on any cell network. The altered phones are then sold all over the world — costing the phone companies tens of millions of dollars.

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EU Cuts Cost of Sending Text Messages

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The cost of sending a text message from the bar or the beach when mobile phone users are outside their home state in the European Union will be cut by 70 percent from next year under new plans, an EU source said.

EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding will announce outline plans on Tuesday that include extending price caps on roamed voice calls for another three years, the source added.

Pope Sends Text Messages

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Pope Benedict XVI took a new hi-tech road to spreading his message Tuesday, sending a mobile phone text to pilgrims attending World Youth Day celebrations in Australia, organisers said.

Young friend, God and his people expect much from u because u have within you the Fathers supreme gift: the Spirit of Jesus - BXVI. Was the first message sent.

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Mobile Giving Foundation

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Washington Nationals fans soon will be able to text in charity donations during a game, thanks to a partnership between the team, MLB.com, and the Mobile Giving Foundation. During the July 13 game against the Houston Astros, fans will be invited to text the word NATS to 90999 to give $5 to support the work of the Childrens National Medical Center to fight pediatric diabetes.

additional details

Ringtone Media Studio 50% Off on Software Deal of the Day

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Ringtone Media Studio is the best way to create your personalized ringtones from your mp3s and CDs, mobile movies from your video collection, and picture slideshows or mobile wallpapers from your photo collection. No subscriptions, no contracts, no pay-per-download. Create as many ringtones, wallpapers and movies as you want.

Ringtone Media Studio is 50% off for only 24 hours!

Cellular Spying

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are suing the Department of Justice to obtain official records concerning the U.S. governments possible use of cell-phone-tracking technology to spy on individuals without first obtaining a court order based on probable cause.

In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the civil-liberties groups said the DOJ failed to provide an adequate and timely response to a records request filed last year under the Freedom of Information Act.

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Mobile Phone Tools on Software Deal of the Day

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Mobile PhoneTools creates unlimited communication possibilities by synchronizing your cell phone with your PC and allowing you to exploit the most powerful features of your phone.

Mobile Phone Tools Discounted 50% for only 24 hours!

Telecom Providers Protected

Thu, 3 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

By a vote of 293 to 129, the House of Representatives passed a bill meant to protect telecom companies from being sued for eavesdropping. The Senate is expected to approve the bill sometime next week.

Lawmakers have crafted a compromise on a bill that would extend controversial eavesdropping legislation and add provisions meant to protect telecommunications companies from private lawsuits, including several already under way.

Ending months of negotiations, the House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill that shields cooperating telecommunications providers from invasion of privacy lawsuits and extends the powers of government agencies to order wiretaps without a judge-issued warrant.

The House passed the update to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) by a vote of 293 to 129. All but one of those voting against the bill were Democrats.

Hang It Up or Use a Headset

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

California will try to wrest cell phones from the hands of drivers, telling everyone from movie starlets and dot-com millionaires to surfers and soccer moms that conversations behind the wheel must be on a headset.

Twenty-Four Percent of EU Homes Use Mobile Phones

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 09:00:00 -0400

quarter of European Union households surveyed by the blocs executive body have turned their backs on fixed lines in favor of mobile phones, with a fifth now making calls over the Internet.

The European Commission's survey of 27,000 homes in the 27-nation bloc found that 24 percent were using mobiles only.

Nokia Buys a Social Site

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The worlds top cellphone maker Nokia said it has agreed to buy social networking start-up Plazes as part of its major push into offering Internet services. Plazes provides location-aware services that people can use to plan, record, and share their social activities.

Cellular Waste

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The disposal of massive numbers of unwanted mobile phones will be a key focus of a five-day meeting on waste management which started Monday in Indonesia, organisers said.

The fate of the more than three billion of the gadgets in use today will be discussed by more than 1,000 delegates from 170 countries at the meeting on the Basel Convention in Bali, a statement said.

Cellular Disposal

Mobile Price Wars

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Virgin Mobile USA is introducing a plan with unlimited calling for $79.99 per month, helping feed the price-cutting frenzy that has washed over the cellular carriers this year.

The prepaid plan will be available July 1, the carrier said. Virgin was charging $99.99 for 1000 minutes per month with no limit on night and weekend calls.

Verizon Wireless introduced a plan with unlimited nationwide calling in February for $99.99 per month that was quickly matched by its competitors.

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Associated Press Via Cell Phone

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Associated Press on Monday unveiled an iPhone program for accessing its newly launched service that delivers news, photos and video to mobile phones.

The APs Mobile News Network was launched May 5 for a variety of smart phones, including the iPhone. The service displays advertising-supported local news stories from more than 100 participating newspapers as well as national and international news from AP. The reports are organized by ZIP code.

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Teens Ignore Cell Phone Rules

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Targeting inexperienced motorists, several states have passed laws during the past five years restricting cell phone use by teenage drivers.
But an insurance industry study being released Monday that looked at whether teens are ignoring such restrictions contends enforcement and parental influence are just as important as new laws.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety studied North Carolinas law, enacted in 2006, which fines motorists under age 18 who are caught using a cell phone.
Researchers who watched as high school students left school found that teenage drivers used their cell phones at about the same rate both before and after the law took effect. In South Carolina, which does not have a similar restriction, cell phone use by teenage drivers was about the same for both periods studied.

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Slower Cellphone Growth in USA Could Bring Good Deals

Sun, 8 Jun 2008 21:32:42 -0400

After years of go-go growth, the number of people signing up for cellphone service in the USA is finally slowing.

That could spell good news for consumers as carriers turn up the marketing heat, says Craig Moffett, a senior analyst at Bernstein Research and author of a report documenting the trend.

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Kids Should Limit Phone Use

Thu, 29 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Japanese youngsters are getting so addicted to Internet-linking cell phones that the government is starting a program warning parents and schools to limit their use among children.

The government is worried about how elementary and junior high school students are getting sucked into cyberspace crimes, spending long hours exchanging mobile e-mail and suffering other negative effects of cell phone overuse, Masaharu Kuba, a government official overseeing the initiative, said Tuesday.

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Hydrogen Powered Cell Phones a Possibility

Thu, 29 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400

French researchers said on Wednesday they had invented a hydrogen fuel cell as a backup power source for mobile phones, thus easing dependence on an electricity supply to charge the gadget.

The miniature fuel cell uses a hydrogen-filled cartridge about the size of a small cigarette lighter, according to the press presentation made by the researchers at the Atomic Energy Commission.

The gadget, designed to be carried in a belt pouch, has been in gestation since 2005 with a semi-conductor group, STMicroelectronics.
The cartridges are being developed by the company Bic, which makes pens, lighters and razors.

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Family Can Send Cell Phones to Cuba

Wed, 28 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400

President Bush will announce a policy change on Wednesday to allow Americans to send mobile phones to family members in Cuba, the White House said.

Government Working on Reducing Cell Phone Fees

Tue, 27 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The government is quietly negotiating to help cell phone customers avoid expensive fees when they cancel contracts with wireless companies.

Cell phone companies routinely charge customers $175 or more for quitting their service early. Under a proposal to the Federal Communications Commission, the wireless industry would give consumers the opportunity to cancel service without any penalty for up to 30 days after they sign a cell phone contract or until 10 days after they receive their first bill.

Cell Phones Dominating

Tue, 20 May 2008 09:48:57 -0400

For nearly three in 10 households, do not even bother trying to call them on a landline phone. They either only have a cell phone or seldom if ever take calls on their traditional phone.

The federal figures, released Wednesday, showed that reliance on cells is continuing to rise at the expense of wired telephones. In the second half of last year, 16 percent of households only had cell phones, while 13 percent also had landlines but got all or nearly all their calls on their cells.For nearly three in 10 households, do not even bother trying to call them on a landline phone. They either only have a cell phone or seldom if ever take calls on their traditional phone.

Pope Text Messaging

Thu, 15 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Pope Benedict will text message thousands of young Catholics on their mobile phones during World Youth Day in Sydney in July, hoping going digital will help him connect better with a younger audience.

The Pope will text daily messages of inspiration and hope during the six-day Sydney event while digital prayer walls will be erected at event sites and the church will set up a Catholic social networking Web site akin to a Catholic Facebook.

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Clearwire

Wed, 14 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Clearwire and Sprint Nextel will combine their wireless broadband units to create a $14.55 billion communications company.

The new company, to be named Clearwire, will receive a $3.2 billion investment from Intel Corp., Google Inc., Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc. and Bright House Networks. The investment is based on a target price of $20 per Clearwire share and will give the companies a 22 percent stake in the new venture.

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911 Wireless Problems Are Critical

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400

As more advanced wireless devices are put into use, the nations 40-year-old 911 emergency system is becoming increasingly antiquated and unable to function properly for users of the new devices, according to the 911 Industry Alliance.

Jeff Robertson, executive director of the industry group, said in an interview Wednesday that the issue is reaching crisis proportions. The problem is that consumer technology has surpassed the 911 technology, he said. Ninety-five percent of 911 call centers are analog. Emergency data gets stripped out.

complete article

iPhone Moves To Latin America

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400

In another step in the worldwide march of Apple iPhone, the top mobile phone operator in Latin America said Wednesday that it has inked a deal to bring the multimedia gadget to more than a dozen countries starting later this year.

America Movil SAB, controlled by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, said it plans to bring the iPhone to all of its Latin American operations but did not offer any more details about the arrangement, including whether it would be the exclusive iPhone provider in the targeted countries.

New Computers Could be Revolutionary

Sun, 4 May 2008 12:36:54 -0400

Computers that boot instantly to the exact place where you left off and mobile devices that do not need recharging for weeks. These are only some of the possibilities resulting from Hewlett-Packard research that proves the existence of what the company described as the fourth fundamental circuit element in electrical engineering.

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Urban Mining Goes Mobile

Fri, 2 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Thinking of throwing out your old cell phone? Think again. Maybe you should mine it first for gold, silver, copper and a host of other metals embedded in the electronics -- many of which are enjoying near-record prices.

It is called urban mining, scavenging through the scrap metal in old electronic products in search of such gems as iridium and gold, and it is a growth industry around the world as metal prices skyrocket.

CinemaNow Brings Movies via Phones

Thu, 1 May 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Privately held digital entertainment provider CinemaNow said on Tuesday that U.S. consumers would be able to use their cell phones to view movie trailers and order full-length movies to watch on their home television or computer through its mobile website.

The service, offered on Web-capable phones at http://mobile.cinemanow.com, would let U.S. consumers immediately buy or rent a movie from their mobile phone.

Kennebec County Alert System

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400

Kennebec Countys emergency-alert system operates a little differently than the newly-approved FCC program.

The county system, called PageGate, enables county crisis-management officials to send emergency messages via text message, pager, e-mail and fax, but only to first responders, school administrators and municipality officials. Several hundred key numbers are stored in the PageGate system.

PageGate has been used since January 2007 to alert emergency agencies and officials when there has been severe weather or flooding. Developed with a federal grant from the Department of Homeland Security, it will continue to be used, no matter how the FCC plan will be deployed through cellular providers across Maine.

complete article about PageGate

Silencing Cell Phones

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0400

The world has never been more connected, but in some corners, its developing a real hang-up over the ubiquitous cell phone.

Taking a cue from Frances national railway, which offers phone-free zen zones on high-speed trains, Austrias second-largest city this week began ordering public transit commuters to keep their phones on silent mode.

complete article

TextBuyIt Launched By Amazon

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Amazon TextBuyIt, which launched late Tuesday, lets people text the name of a product, its description or its UPC or ISBN to 262966 (that is Amazon on the keypad) from anywhere their cell phones work — including from inside physical stores.

If Amazon stocks matching items, the service returns two results at a time. Shoppers can immediately buy one of the first two the selections by texting back the number 1 or 2 or they can ask for more by texting the letter M.

Sopranos and Bell Canada

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Bell Canada on Tuesday began delivering full episodes of The Sopranos to its mobile phone subscribers as part of an agreement with HBO.

A Cellular Cuba

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0500

As befits a new dictator seeking to win some popularity, Raul Castro is lifting ownership restrictions for ordinary Cubans on mobile phones, computers, DVD players, even toasters.

These however do not come free. Each of Castros offerings to buy goods comes with a state-set price most Cubans have no realistic prospect of affording.

China Investigates Text Messaging Spam

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Chinese authorities said Monday they are investigating complaints that millions of cell phone users were spammed with unwanted text messages from advertisers.

The uproar over what China's media has dubbed Text-message Gate has drawn apologies from a major advertiser and the country's biggest mobile phone carrier, China Mobile. The commercial text messages were sent to more than 200 million mobile phone users through two companies — China Mobile and its smaller rival, China Unicom.

China Investigates Text Messaging Spam

FCC Auction

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0500

The Federal Communications Commission auction for the 700-MHz wireless spectrum is over, and the winners are known. One obvious winner is the FCC itself, which exceeded its initial estimate of $10 billion with a $19.59 billion total.

A Mobile Iraq

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:24:16 -0500

Saddam Hussein deemed Iraqis could live without modern technology such as mobile phones and the Internet. Now that his regime has been swept away, they are finding they just can not get enough of it.