Lights, Mobile Phone, Action

Yet another cell phone film fest! DW-World.De reports on 150 wildly experimental short films competing for the "MicroMovie Award," the crowning glory of an international film festival focusing exclusively on films shot with mobile phones. Called interfilm the festival will be debuting in Berlin from Nov. 2 to Nov. 7.

"In cooperation with its main sponsor, "interfilm" has provided film schools and producers worldwide with the latest mobile phone generation and is now waiting for applications that have to be sent in to Berlin by the end of August."

Other short film festivals:

-- Zoie Films sponsors it's first annual "Cellular Cinema Festival"

-- 10 Second Film Festival announces "Call for Entries"

-- World's Shortest Film Competition

-- 15-second films for Nokia 3650s entered in The Raindance Film Festival

-- World's Smallest Film Festival Showcased

Samsung to add payment function to cell phones

Samsung and Koninklijke Philips Tuesday said they are teaming up to incorporate Near-Field Communication technology in future cell-phone models from Samsung, giving users the ability to use their phones to make payments, reports Network World Fusion via Engagdet.

"NFC is a short-range wireless technology that can be used for identification and communication. As a communications technology, NFC can allow a cell phone to wirelessly transfer photographs to an NFC-enabled television or computer".

Incorporating an NFC chip from Philips in Samsung's phones will effectively turn the handsets into contactless smart cards, with the ability to make payments, according to a joint statement. The phones could also be used as a key card to enter a building, for example."

Turning Readers Into Reporters

Readers equipped with picture phones can turn into reporters instantly, anywhere and anytime. [ via E-Media Tidbits ]

Danish regional newspaper Aarhus Stiftstidende recently published a picture of two bank robbers waiting for a bank to open. The picture was taken by a witness who passed the bank minutes before the robbery. In this case, the picture probably won't help solve the crime, but it certainly makes the story come alive both on paper and on the Web.

Getting such scoops doesn't come without hard work. Editors who constantly "train" readers to interact will no doubt get more tips, scoops, and good leads from readers, as readers learn there is a demand for their ability to turn into reporters on the spot. Journalists and photographers will just have to face the competition.

For more stories on citizens as camera phone reporters, click on this categoryin Picturephoning.com. See also Camphone snapshot nab criminals.

A robot in the museum

The museum of Kitakyusyu allows visitors, who are not physically able to make it to the museum, to remote control a robot (the T63 Artemis) via their NTT DoCoMo cell phone (FOMA"900i series) and take pictures - through the robot. How cool is that? [ via Akihabara News ]

Zoie Films sponsors it's first annual "Cellular Cinema Festival"

Zoie Films has partnered with Tin Can Mobile and Nokia cell phones to present a Cellular Cinema Film Festival.

Works must be under 5 minutes and a minimum of 1 minute, in vhs or mpg formats. Ultimate deadline for entries is November 1st and the Festival starts December 1st.

Zoie Films Festival is dedicated to the development of independent artists and exploring innovative exhibitions of their work. More in Wired.

Other short film festivals:

-- 10 Second Film Festival announces "Call for Entries"

-- World's Shortest Film Competition

-- 15-second films for Nokia 3650s entered in The Raindance Film Festival

-- World's Smallest Film Festival Showcased

Webcam images go mobile on Sprint

Sprint is hooking up with live Webcam service EarthCam to let subscribers view streamed videos on their camera phones, reports News.com.

"The wireless carrier announced Monday that owners of certain Sprint PCS Vision handsets loaded with EarthCam's Java-based software, EarthCam Mobile, will be able to view live images from their PCs' Webcams using the new service.

They will also be able to watch videos from Webcams around the world and find local traffic and weather Webcams by simply typing in a ZIP code.

The EarthCam Mobile service is available for $4.95 a month and can be accessed through the "Downloads" menu on Sprint camera phones.

Read Alan Reiter's (dubious) take on this feature.

No More Locker Room Talk for Media

The NBA is banning reporters from using mobile phones in the locker room, a move designed to prevent unauthorized photos from being taken and put on the Internet, according to the Washington Post.

"The league previously barred still photographers from the locker room, where players change into and out of their uniforms and shower after the game.

Members of the media will be allowed to carry phones on their belts or in their pockets but not use them, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said".

The league is also trying to cut down on the number of live interviews players are asked to do. It's common for radio reporters to hand their mobile phones to players and ask them to go on the air.

"It became a distraction for the players," Frank said".

Hong Kong residents asked to photograph voting for pro-Beijing candidates

Alain Reiter for Camera Phone Report links to a pay-for-article from the New York Times on the heated election campaign for the legislature - whereby people have "complained that their mainland relatives had been told by security personnel to ask Hong Kong family members to vote for pro-Beijing candidates, and to provide proof by photographing their ballots using cellphone cameras.

Election officials here have reminded the public that it is illegal to take photos in a polling place".

Read also Encouraging Cameraphone Use -- For Less Than Encouraging Reasons.

RFID in Korea: u-City

Korean authorities are talking about u-City (Ubiquitous City) reports RFID Japan.

"Ubiquitous City is an intelligent next-generation city based on u-IT (Ubiquitous Information Technology.)

Examples of u-IT include RFID and wireless internet technologies. One of the first efforts to build u-Cities is the development of the convention center district in the Korean city of ChanWon.

In a u-City, RFID would be used in the following ways:

-Automated parking system
-Vehicle identification
-House keys
-In-store services: product information, tailor-made clothes, fashion news
-Automated checkout in retail stores
-Attach RFID tags to sewer pipes to manage waste water
-Track locations of vehicles, children and pets.

Back online: Collaborative Photo Mosiac

Posted last week, but after being slashdotted and server-overwhelmed, peffis.com is finally accessible again. In case you missed it - their "Cloud" affect is worth a look, the result is quite fascinating.

via slashdot - Jaric writes "Over at peffis.com users post their cell phone photos to a shared photo blog. The creator of the open source site now has invented what he calls Clouds. It is a combination of all the posted photos into one cloud, or mosaic.

Click here to see the current Cloud.

Samsung Rolls out Horizontal Handset  

Samsung Electronics introduced the first mobile handset (SCH-V500) with swiveling screen. The LCD screen can rotate 90 degrees into landscape mode. The ratio of the LCD screen can be like that of TV screens.  [ via Telelcoms Korea ]

Video magazines directly to your mobile phone

Three O'Clock has launched a video magazine service for mobile phones, reports moremobile.com.

"Subscribers can gain free access to 60 video magazines to watch and read on their java-enabled mobile phones. Coinciding with the launch of the Three O'clock video magazine service, the company is offering 5 special magazines covering Video Games, Urban Music, Cars, Surfing and Female Fashion.

The new Three O'clock service provides subscribers in any country, on any mobile operator network, access to 60 video magazines to watch and read on their mobile phone. The service is free of charge to end users (except for data charges). The magazines cover a broad range of interests, with content provided by premium sources including Electronic Arts (EA Games and EA Sports).

The latest magazine added to the Three O'clock service is the 'EA Insider' which takes a detailed look at new and up coming video games. The magazine uses a combination of video, text, graphics and photographs to review games and trends in this exciting market."

Click to see a demo

MOPORT: The Republican National Convention

Moport.org, a new mobile phone reporting tool, will allow anyone with a camera phone or a digital camera to cover the protesters and thereby provide an alternative view of the events.  The free service will allow people to report collectively about important events in real-time using mobile phones. [ via Gotham Gazette ]

In their own words:

The RNC in New York City will be the inaugural MOPORT event. 15,000 media representatives will be covering the convention, but we don't think they can necessarily handle the job--especially with 250,000 protesters, 10,000 police officers and 5,000 delegates in attendance.

Nokia Takes a Risk in Putting New Phone on the Big Screen

When "Cellular" hits U.S. movie theaters Sept. 10, viewers will see Kim Basinger playing a kidnapped mother and William H. Macy as the cop who helps find her. But the title character is a snazzy new Nokia Inc. videophone -- the result of a risky product placement by the Finnish cellphone maker, reports the WSJ.

"The Nokia 6600 is central to the film's dark storyline, which portrays both the best and worst features of cellphones - such as a scene in a wireless-phone store, where, Ryan, frustrated by rude customer-service representatives, fires a revolver at a smiley-face sign to get their attention.

Nokia spokesman Kari Tuutti declines to say how much the phone maker paid for placement in the movie. Time Warner Inc.'s New Line Cinema, the film's distributor, declined to comment.

Absent from the movie, however, is any approved mention of a major U.S. wireless carrier".

Above - scenes from the trailer for "Cellular": Chris Evans's character receives a call from a stranger who says she is kidnapped (top). He tries to stay on the call but his phone's battery runs low on charge (middle). He tries to buy a charger, but only firing a gun at a store sign gets the attention of the sales staff. Watch the trailer for "Cellular" at the film's official site.

UK girls use camera-phones to check their hair - poll

DMEurope reports that Vodafone UK polled 3,500 female customers to find out how they use their camera phones and the results are, well, interesting:

-- 20 percent of mobile users send snaps of themselves in new outfits to friends to see if they like them.

-- 18 per cent take pictures of shoes or clothes on display for the same reason.

-- 5 per cent take pictures of snappy dressers that they see on the high street to copy their style.

-- 15 per cent frequently pull out their camera-phones to photograph the sides and backs of their hair,

-- 10 per cent use their camera-phones as a mirror to check their make-up.

-- 4 per cent even resort to getting the phone out in the middle of a restaurant after dinner - to check their teeth.

-- More than 20 per cent use their phone to capture details of a new property, and 15 per cent send pictures of new furnishings to partners to get their opinions.

Consquently, Vodafone UK has updated its Vodafone Live service with the addition of a new "For Girls" section.

The new mobile content section in the Vodafone Live portal will offer, amongst other things, fashion news, health advice, recipes and celebrity gossip.

Buzznet 2.0

The brand-new Buzznet is here. A sparkly new design, and loads of new features. Many of the new features apply to both Free and the new Buzznet Premium accounts.

Buzznet will also be hosting a protest moblog at the RCN for Reason Magazine.

Cool feature here! Buzznet reports on stick-on attachment lenses for camera-phones.

The Buzznet team will try them out and let us know what they think, as soon as they come in from Hong Kong.

We are a camera

We are a camera or our lives one picture at a time. [ via The Red Ferret Journal ]

In their own words

"We are a camera building a picture of your world through your eyes.

Upload one photo per day to add to our window on global humanity, stating time, location and comments.

Use the menu below to search the database through other people's eyes.'

The above picture: Two girls walking through the Saigon market on their way to school

“Photo-2Phone”

Film processor Bonusprint has just launched their “Photo-2Phone” service, enabling photo snappers a better quality wallpaper than those they normally get with the phone or low resolution camera phones, according to Webuser.

Mobile users can send digital images to the www.bonusprint.co.uk/p2p website for download to any mobile with a colour screen and a WAP connection. Te website matches the image to the size of the mobile screen and sends it back to the phone.

Taking Pictures of Magazine Ads

Jane magazine is offering giveways to readers who use their cellphones to photograph ads, in a promotion called Jane Talks Back, reports the New York Times.

"Jane urges, "Grab your camera phone and take a picture of any and all ads in this magazine." It promises readers who send the photos to Jane "a ton of freebies, sweepstakes, MP3's and interesting info."

Some readers may forgo the chance to study magazine ads more closely, incentives or no. But others, Jane executives said, will find the promotion speaking their own language: cellphone-ese.

"They use picture and texting functions on their cellphones almost more frequently than they talk," said Eva Dillon, vice president and publisher at Jane, a magazine for young women that is published by the Fairchild Publications unit of Advance Publications. "We were brainstorming what we could do that would make them get involved in our programs in a way that's fun and speaks to them in a way that they speak to each other."

The Collaborative Photo Mosiac

via slashdot - Jaric writes "Over at peffis.com users post their cell phone photos to a shared photo blog. The creator of the open source site now has invented what he calls Clouds. It is a combination of all the posted photos into one cloud, or mosaic.

Click here to see the current Cloud. The result is quite fascinating.

AT&T Wireless and Cingular announe MMS interoperability

Leading wireless carriers, AT&T Wireless and Cingular Wireless, announced the first agreement to offer intercarrier Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).

As of tday, Cingular and AT&T Wireless customers can send and receive messages that include text, photos, animated graphics, voice messages, music, and video clips to each other using.

Both companies cite cross-carrier text messaging as a major reason for the explosive growth in text messaging over the past two years, and they view cross-carrier MMS as an essential element for widespread adoption of this service as well.

Buy a Coke With Your Phone

A new coke machine in Japan called the Cmo2 supports I-Mode phones with FeliCa capability (allowing mobile phone users to pay for small purchases simply by waving their phones over sensors) according to NEAsia via Mike's List.

"To buy a coke, the thirsty user holds his expensive Japanese phone up to a special pad, and the transaction takes place in half a second. The machine also has an LCD screen for game playing.

The first Cmo2 machines hit Japan in September".

Related article: - Coke Reaches Consumers by Phone - Switzerland has coke dispensing machines that allows mobile users to buy a soda with their cell phones.

Times Online photo site backs Sony Ericsson phone

Times Online has launched a microsite for Sony Ericsson to promote its new camera phone handset.

Visitors to the site can view articles on digital imaging and a specially created photo feature, The Month in Pictures, to promote the new Sony Ericsson K700's handset. [ via Revolution Magazine ]

Help me, I'm lost!

Researchers at Cambridge University are perfecting a system which will help people who find themselves lost in a strange town to take a photograph of a nearby building, press send and the wait for photo recognition software to analyse where they are. Seconds later they will receive details of how to get to their destination. [ via the Scotsman ]

Tokyo Picturesque

Tokyo Picturesque is a site where people in Tokyo can attach pics taken with their GPS enabled mobile phone. The system then associates that image with the location on the map where it was taken. [ via near near future ]

Orange Playlist to encourage viewers to interact with the show with their cameraphones

A new weekly music television show that will showcase charts for mobile phone ringtones and music downloads is to be aired on ITV1 in a sign of the growing influence of both the mobile phone and the internet on music sales, reports the FT.

"Orange, France Telecom's mobile arm, and Endemol, the TV company behind Big Brother, have teamed together to launch Orange Playlist, which will begin showing on British TV screens in September. cf Orange invests in television programming with Endemol

The emergence of new ringtone and music download charts confirms the rising importance of these media, which are growing rapidly at the expense of CD sales.

In addition, Orange, which is part funding the new weekly music show, is hoping to use the programme to encourage viewers to interact with the show using their mobile phones by sending picture and text messages. Selected picture messages will be aired on each night's show.

The move is designed to stimulate use of picture messaging.

While the majority of mobile phones now sold feature integrated cameras, operators privately concede that the number of pictures being sent over their networks is disappointing.

Many users have been put off from sending picture messages because of high costs, difficulties in using camera phones or because some picture messages do not reach their chosen destination.

Fish bar code system under development

A new cell phone information system is being developed to enable consumers to receive detailed information about fish at retail stores, including where and when the fish was caught and by whom, reports the Daily Yomiuri Online via Engadget.

"DoCoMo Sentsu and the NPO, Fishing Boat and System Engineering Association, will test the system in a series of experiments next month on sanma (Pacific saury) caught off Kushiro, eastern Hokkaido.

In the experiments, on-the-spot information, such as the names of the fishermen, the cooperatives they belong to, and where and when the fishery operations were conducted, will be transmitted from fishing boats to a data processing center via telecommunications satellites.

At ports where the fish is unloaded, information from the fishing boats will be converted into QR codes so fishery certificates containing the information can be issued by the fishermen's cooperatives concerned.

After these certificates are printed, they will be affixed to boxes of sanma at the time of their shipment.

Copies of the certificates will be placed alongside the fish being sold at supermarkets and other retailers.

If customers being served the fish at restaurants are shown the certificates, they will be able to pick up the information on their cell phones, providing that they are able to pick up satellite-relayed information, DoCoMo Sentsu said.

Web site addresses and phone numbers of offices will be included so that customers can make inquiries if necessary, according to the company. "

Man faces federal charges of having child pornography on a cell phone

A Waterloo man faces federal charges of having child pornography on a cell phone, reports KTVOTV3.

"Prosecutors say it may be one of the first cases of its kind in Iowa.

Twenty-year-old Justin Van Dyke is charged with one count of possession of child pornography. According to the indictment filed this week, Van Dyke had child porn on his cell phone which had picture viewing and storing capabilities.

The charge carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine."

Related incidents around the world:

-- Canadian sentenced for posting pictures taken with cameraphone - A 20 year-old Canadian man was sentenced to 6 months in jail for posting pornographic pictures of his 17 year-old girlfriend on the Internet.

-- Picture Phones Used to Distribute School's Porn Pics - A disturbing case of distributing a school girl's pornographic images has surfaced in Ireland..the girl's picture was circulated to hundreds of mobile phones across the country.

-- Camera phone used to take illegal photos of children - A 20 year old Australian man is facing charges of indecent treatment of a child after he apparently took photographs of a young girl in a playground using his camera phone.

-- Hardcore Child Porn Peddled by Camera Phones - Picture messaging phones with images of children being abused have been found by the police in a raid in Central Scotland. The Scottish police were participating in «Operation Ore inquiry», an investigation into 7000 suspected paedophiles in the UK.

World's first Two Minutes Ad on Mobile Phones

Telecoms Korea reports that Korean brewer OB will run a 2 minute ad for mobile phones through SK Telecom from August 23.

The most outstanding feature of the ad is that it was made only for mobile phone service while other ads have been edited version of TV ads and that the beer ad will be 120 second-long compared with 10 seconds of other ads run on mobile phones.

Last year, ON attracted more than 1.1 million beer lovers to convenience stores by sending SMS messages about sampling of its new product.

The only thing which is not clear in this article is how people view this ad. Do they opt-in to receive it, thus paying for it? (My Nokia 6600 came with a 15 second clip of a BMW commercial - another way of getting people to view an ad).

THE CRASH!

THE CRASH! is a feature offered on Keitai Watch on a weekly basis, where users who have somehow destroyed their phones send in pictures along with short descriptions of how it happened. [ via techJapan via Clippings ]