Thai Election candidates asking camera phone users to take photographs of their completed ballot papers

Election candidates are harnessing the latest technology to purchase votes, asking camera phone users to take photographs of their completed ballot papers as evidence of the party they voted for, according to a Thai Rak Thai Party candidate in Thailand's southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat, according to MCOT via Cameraphone Report.

Related incidents:

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

Australia. Crackdown on camera phones

Moco News reports that Australian officials are considering new regulations for cameras - both in mobiles and on their own - following strong concerns of breaches of privacy.

"The attorneys-general had asked for options to deal with mobile phone cameras, and these would be considered at a meeting in March.

"The question is whether photographs taken in public without the knowledge or consent of the subject are taken in a way that is compromising or offensive."

The state Government was considering making it an offence to take photographs "for an improper or offensive purpose".

[...] But media outlets had "worked themselves into a lather" over the Brisbane website that published photographs of clothed children, when police found no evidence of any offence.

The producer of the website, Paul Bartram, said the photographs had no sexual connotations, and he had taken them solely because he found children artistically appealing. "

The power of the citizen paparazzi

Celebrity spotting, a favourite pastime of many, is being vaulted to new levels of possibility, reports The Sydney Morning Herald, in an overview of cameraphones and reported incidents with regard to the new citizen paparazzi. Most stories have been posted in this column before, but it's a good recap.

"About 80 per cent of Australians own a mobile phone - expected to rise to a saturation point of 89 per cent by 2008 - and we are already starting to see the effects of people snapping others in places where cameras have previously been precluded by manners and convention.

Ordinary folk, already labelled in the US and Britain as "snapperazzi", with mobiles poised and a gossipy nose for news, are making good pocket money selling their shots of celebs to supermarket weeklies."

20% of U.S. Internet Users Now Own a Camera Phone

A recent InfoTrends/CAP Ventures study reveals that nearly 20% of U.S. Internet users owned a mobile phone with an embedded digital camera at the end of 2004, compared to just 3% in 2003, reports Photography Blog.

"In addition, 27% of consumers who do not currently own a camera phone are highly interested in purchasing one as their next mobile phone. Two out of three current camera phone owners use the camera function on a regular basis to take pictures."

US to slap tourists with RFID

This is not an RFID story related to cell phones, but I find it so shocking, I'm posting it here.

Silicon.com reports that the US Department of Homeland Security has decided to trial RFID tags in an effort to make sure only the right sort of people get across US borders.

"The controversial US-VISIT scheme for those visiting the US from abroad already fingerprints holidaymakers on their way into the country and is now adding RFID to the mix in order to improve border management, the department said.

The exact way RFID will be used with the travellers is not yet known.

RFID chips will be used to track both pedestrians and vehicles entering the US to automatically record when the visitors arrive and leave in the country."

RFID Cell Phones? Maybe In 2007

Electronics and Technology Research Institute (ETRI) plans to complete development of a built in RFID reader chip that will allow cell phones to receive RFID signals, according to MobileMag.

"This would enable users with the device embedded into their cell phone to receive info based on their surroundings. Such as, standing in front of a movie poster and hearing the latest soundtrack from that movie, or even view a teaser trailer."

Blogging and camphones, a paedophile's dream'

Online journals and camera phones are a "paedophiles' dream" which have increased the risk to children, the Scottish Parliament has been warned, reports the BBC.

"Dr Rachel O'Connell, a forensic psychologistsaid that the emergence of moblogs - mobile weblogs - allowed even faster transfer of pictures to the internet using mobile telephones with cameras.

She said: "This is just a paedophile's dream because you have children uploading pictures, giving out details of their everyday life because it's an online journal."

The psychologist, whose research and work with police and other agencies has included posing as a child on internet newsgroups, said predatory adults could use an RSS feeder program - a syndication tool - to be instantly e-mailed any picture when it was added to a blogging site.

"The parameters of grooming are now about to alter whereby they don't necessarily have to have contact with the child," she said

HP focuses on paparazzi-proof cameras

This is wild. News.com reports on new technology that could scramble the camera function of a cell phone, making the image appear blurry.

"The good news is you can keep the camera in your cell phone. The bad news is anyone who wants to can turn it off."

At least that's the way it might work if technology described by Hewlett-Packard makes it to market. A recent patent application from the computing giant describes a system in which digital cameras would be equipped with circuits that could be remotely triggered to blur the face in any images captured by the camera.

U.S. patent application 20040202382, filed in April 2003 and published in October 2004, describes a system in which an image captured by a camera could be automatically modified based on commands sent by a remote device.

In short, anyone who doesn't want their photo taken at a particular time could hit a clicker to ensure that any cameras or camera-equipped gadgets in range got only a fuzzy outline of their face"

Cell phones channel TV broadcasts

More than half of U.S. cell phone customers will soon be offered the wireless equivalent of cable TV in the largest expansion yet of the North American mobile video market, reports News.com.

"Cingular Wireless on Tuesday began selling MobiTV, making scores of shows available for $10 a month, plus the cost of downloading data. While offered nationwide, MobiTV is only available on a half-dozen Cingular handsets, including Motorola's white-hot Razr.

In a week, Verizon's $15-a-month vCast debuts in 32 cities and on a small number of devices.

Cell phone operators are turning to TV to boost sales of wireless broadband services, meant to make up for revenue lost to price-cutting as years of aggressive competition drove down the cost of handsets and voice minutes."

Fans Have 24's Number

It sounds like one of those Hollywood PR releases of the 1940s, but here goes.

Broadcasting Cable reports that "according to Fox publicity, the prop master on drama 24 got more than 50,000 calls on his cell phone after his number appeared on-screen in the Jan. 17 episode of the show.

"Apparently, fans with DVR's were able to pause a scene and decipher the number, which was supposed to be the mother of the corpse whose cell phone was receiving the call."

Editor's note: The news of the cell phone "snafu" comes a day after a NATPE seminar in Las Vegas on the marriage of cell phones and video content. Coincidence? Your call.

Party goers can dowload their pics onto cell phones

ITWeb reports on a clever MMS service launched by young adult culture magazine, JHB live, whereby party goers can download pictures of themselves, directly to their mobile phones.

"It's a multimedia messaging service gallery service, allowing users to download event photos of themselves or their friends, directly to their mobile phones.

"People love to see photos of themselves and their friends on a night out. Now with our new technology created by our IT partner, Igroup, we give users the ability to download their photos directly to their phones.

Once a JHBLive photographer has snapped users at an event, they can log on to the site to view their photos and SMS the desired photo code to the number provided. They are then sent an SMS with directions to download the photo."

Swiss daily Le Matin, has been offering a similar service for quite some time through a partnership with tillate photographers. It's a smart revenue scheme for newspapers, as customers pay a premium for the photos.

Controversial smooch in film?

A Bollywood film is to be made on the privacy issues surrounding cameraphones.

Remember the controversial smooch that raised a storm sometime back? To refresh your memory, a mobile phone user captured an alleged smooch of two stars on the mobile-camera and the intimate pics were printed on the front page of a leading tabloid.

Well, according to Sify.com, "not just this incident, but several occurrences reported in the media vis-à-vis camera phones/mobile phones will be packed in Deepak Tijori's new film. Yes, you've read it right, Tijori's new film is based on the pros and cons of the mobile phone technology.

What prompted him to make a film on an offbeat theme? “You come across so many stories in the media these days. So many incidents that highlight the misuse of camera phones have come to light of late. But my film won't just look at the negative side, but also the positive side of owning mobile phones,” Tijori says."

Samsung ups network security

Amid fears of industrial espionage, Samsung is massively upgrading its corporate security, reports JoongAnd Daily.

"The JoongAng Ilbo recently discovered that Samsung Electronics' semiconductor factory in Giheung, Gyeonggi province, has just begun replacing employees' personal computers with network computers: They will no longer have their own hard-disk drives but must log on to the central server.

A worker at Giheung confirmed yesterday that about 30 of 100 computers there have been changed so far. "Computers in the research and development labs are being taken out first," he said.

A network computer allows a person to access the central computer. The user will be able to perform the same functions, but the history of his or her work will be recorded in the main server.

Until the change, Samsung's security measures were based on software; it forbade the usage of portable data-saving devices such as USB drives or other means of data recording such as CD burning, as well as the use of camera phones.

A policy in line with global trends: Hitachi is changing its personal computers to network computers this year and Microsoft already has".

No camera phones at the wedding please

Sign of the times, guests of the Trump wedding to be held this weekend in Palm Beach are being asked not to bring cell phones or other recording devices.

Via the Associated Press.

Haj Goes Better With Mobile Phones

Much has been written about Saudi Arabia banning -- and recently lifting the ban -- on camera phones, but cellular phones -- including camera phones -- are used by millions of Arabs around the world.

An article in the Arab News reports how useful cellular phones -- including camera phones -- are to Arabs on Haj (pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia to visit and pray at the holiest places in the Muslin world).

The article notes that some Arabs carry camera phones and are "immortalizing some unforgettable moments of Haj on it to show them to their family members back home."

reBlogged from Cameraphone Report

Relatled articles on Saudi Arabia and their relationship with camera phones and interesting because it's just the opposite, Pakistan imposes ban on cell phone use during Eid Festival.

Sundance & Cingular new coolness for cells

The folks at Sundance and Cingular are working together to bring indy movie lovers up-to-the-minute highlights of the festival right on their mobile phones.

Cinema aficonados can see film shorts, get info on new-release wheelings and dealingsó-and, for the more shallow minded, hot celeb sightings and gossip--text messaged to them on their Cingular cells.

It's quick, easy, entertaining-- check it out til festival's end on Jan. 30.

Related:

-- Motorola donates cell phones to Sundance Film Festival - Motorola made a donation to the Sundance Institute and is providing cell phones for festival organizers and volunteers as part of its collaboration with official sponsor Cingular.

Camera phones in inaugural coverage

"ABC News Now aired Sprint 'Video Mail' clips captured from the cell phones of nearly two dozen participants along the inaugural parade route. Some of the Sprint folks sent video clips from aboard parade floats and in marching units.

Innovative, yet I'm curious to see how much the video clips will add to ABC News Now's coverage. UPDATE: Just watched a 30-second, edited clip narrated by someone who chronicled his early-morning journey to the parade route. Very poor quality, but it was watchable -- and the video did add a 'citizen journalism' flavor to the coverage.

A good first step. We'll see a lot more of this as technology improves."

reBlogged from Cyberjournalist.net via Lost Remote

Prince Harry wearing a swastika armband was a camphoneshot ?

I followed the headlines of this story in the press like everyone else, but this is the first I've read - in JoongAng Daily - , that the picture of Prince Harry wearing a swastika armband, which broke on the front page of The Sun, was taken by one of the guests at the costume party with a camera phone. The theme of the party was "colonial and native".

"[...] Recently, an amateur paparazzo took a photo of 20-year-old Prince Harry wearing a Nazi uniform. The prince was at a costume party, and one of the attendees there had taken a photo of him with a cell phone camera and sold it to a tabloid. The photo was instantly spread around the world via Internet."

(note from emily) I think this information should be taken with caution, because I've been reading through the UK press and can't seem to find another article on this event that claims the picture was taken with a camera phone.

Picture from the BBC.

Schools Ban Camera Phones Amid 'Happy Slapping' Craze

Following yesterday's mention of “happy slapping”, today the Scotsman has a full article on this violent new craze among teenagers which has been plaguing commuters on trains and buses in London.

"The craze has involved groups of teenagers slapping strangers in the face while filming their reactions on mobile phones.

The gangs have targeted people on trains, the Underground and buses in the capital.

Superintendent Mark Newton, of British Transport Police, said: “It is a cowardly form of attack – childish but also criminal.

“These people who think it is all a bit of a jape could end up in jail.”

Women's tennis goes upwardly mobile

Sony Ericsson mobile phone users may soon be able to download images or video of Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova in action, reports The Age.

"Emerging mobile phone giant Sony Ericsson revealed it had paid $US88 million ($A116 million) for a global sponsorship deal with the Women's Tennis Association Tour.

The six-year agreement illustrates that, at least in tennis, women can match it with the men in cutting big deals. The corporate sector is chasing women's tennis because it can offer them the one thing men's sport cannot consistently do - sex appeal on top of athletic ability.

On Sunday, Sony Ericsson didn't use that phrase but the company's description of why it is handing over such a large cheque sounds like that's why it is interested."

Putting the photos in perspective

A very interesting piece by Josie Appleton for Spiked-Culture" on how degrading photographs permeate our culture. Reference is made to "On Photography", a slim book of essays published in 1977 by the American writer Susan Sontag, who died a few weeks ago.

"Sontag showed how Western society's use of images reflects its problems of social, intellectual and moral alienation. showed how Western society's use of images reflects its problems of social, intellectual and moral alienation the photos.

[...] The photos from Abu Ghraib made public bear a striking resemblance to the everyday torture and humiliation that is part of our reality TV-obsessed culture.

And Appleton brings up something I've never read about before, "a new London craze called 'happy slapping', where boys go up to people in public, slap them around the face, and get their mates to video it on their mobile phones."

Sprint / ABC News Now to cover Inaugural Parade

ABC News teamed up with Sprint to get first person coverage of today's Inaugural Parade, reports Mobile Tracker.

"Nearly two dozen parade participants will be equipped with Sprint PCS video phones and will file from aboard parade floats, in marching units and along the route of the parade from the Capitol to the White House.

Footage taken with the mobile phones will be shown on ABC News Now, ABC News' 24-hour news channel (also available online).

How Contact Centers Need To Change In The Age Of The Cameraphone

Call centers became contact centers once email entered the equation. Some people answer phones, others answer email. The next challenge may be to integrate cameraphones into the process, according to Mike Masnick for TheFeature.com.

"The basic concept of a call center is pretty obvious. Contact center employees sit there, take calls from people and answer their questions or solve their problems.

Some people, however, are beginning to think about ways to redesign contact centers in the age of cameraphones. It's not hard to see how this could be very useful. As the old joke goes, in the digital age, a picture is worth 1024 words. Sometimes it's difficult to explain what's happening in words, when a picture would make it clear immediately.

[...] Of course, all of this would require a significant change in how many contact centers are set up. Right now, most simply don't have the infrastructure in place to either receive cameraphone photos or to send them. Adding infrastructure costs probably isn't a particularly exciting idea for many contact centers -- but as cameraphones become even more common, it's going to be tough to ignore the potential to use them.

CEATEC Japan 2004: DoCoMo and mobile TV

With Vodafone doing mobile TV for some time now and KDDI expected to release their first TV-capable mobile before the end of next year, DoCoMo was showing a prototype for its vision of mobile TV.

DoCoMo had no dates for when the expect to launch mobile TV and like all concept mobiles, the final product will no doubt be a lot bigger and a lot less cool.

[ via blog pukupi via Clippings. reblog

Almost Hollywood

An MMS-based soap opera called "Almost Hollywod" launched in Denmark. The episodes last about two minutes and feature both audio and action. According to Flemming Lund, director at Inmobia, quoted on BT Mobil (in Danish), it's a relaxing entertainment.

[via KoBot!]

Related articles on mobile Soap Operas:

-- A Library and Cinema in Your Pocket Doreen Carvajal for The New York Times looks into "phone soap operas and made-for-mobile dramas that can be absorbed in less time than it takes to flick through a book introduction"

-- Cellpop, The First Cell Phone Drama That is not for your Mama! - Cellpop is a humorous look at the dark side of the music industry. It follows the lives of the people who make the hit music we listen to. Each day a new episode is delivered straight to your phone.

-- MMS Soap on Spanish Telefónica Móviles - Móviles has launched FanTESStic, an interactive series with real actors created exclusively for MMS

-- Launched on the Internet and closed in the late nineties, the Internet's first Soap, «The Spot» is back - on (Sprint) mobile phone.

-- «InYrShoes» - The plot of a UK soap called «InYrShoes» is not decided by scriptwriters, but by viewers sending text messages at the end of each episode, featuring a cliffhanger or dilemma.

-- Jong-Zuid: First picture soap opera for mobile phones The Netherlands came up with the first Picture Soap, Jong-Zuid, starring famous soap opera actors.

Legislation Being Considered To Keep Camera Phone Users From Taking Surprise Photos

The Wireless Weblog has more on the proposed New Jersey legislation which would have cell phone manufacturers alter the devices to make a sound or flash a light in order to prevent people from being photographed in compromising situations or without their knowledge.

"As of yet, only Hawaii has passed this type of law, but more states are considering similar laws because of privacy concerns such as images from camera phones beeing spread through e-mail or the Internet andphotographing someone typing personal identification into an ATM.

Opposition to the bill has been expressed by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, which said the legislation places the emphasis on the device and not the action."

Related articles:

-- Should Cell Phone Cams Come with Alarms?

-- Camera phone clampdown demanded

-- Louder Camera Phones?

-- A seal to cover a camphone lens

-- Camera Phone to Require Shutter Sound From Next Year

-- Do phone cameras have to make a sound when digital cameras can be silent?

-- Manufacturers oppose camera-phone restrictions

-- Korean gov't wants to make cameraphones noisy

Cameraphones used for expense reporting

This sounds fabulous and is another example of how business is using picture phones.

A company called epc has developed an app that uses the camera in a cameraphone to take photos of expenses for expense reporting.

How it Works:

Whenever you incur and expense, be it business or personal, you simply:

- Use the camera in your Smartphone to photograph your receipt. You will be amazed at the quality.

- Record a voice tag to summarise the details of the expenditure.

- Select from drop down lists for category, method of payment and other information.

- Export the information to the EPCeipt Excel Application.

Later At Your PC With the EPCeipt Excel Application:

- You can view your receipts, listen to your voice tags, and edit your expenses before submitting them.

- All your scanned receipts are embedded in the spreadsheet so you can submit your expenses by emailing just one file.

And In The Finance Department:

- Paper is eliminated. Click on a button in Excel to bring up the scanned receipt image.

- Print an expense invoice, and copies of the receipts directly from Excel.

Benefits:

- Your expenses are done in real time as you travel. Get back that day a month that you spend on paperwork.

- Eliminate the costs of handling paper invoices.

- Get up to date real time financial information.

- Improve productivity and job satisfaction.

- Retain scanned images of receipts for warranty purposes.

Further details and download a trial version can be found at here.

Patient's written consent of camphone pictures in hospital

In today's WSJ, Sarah Rubenstein writes on how cell phone rules are easing up in US hospitals across the US but points out that St. Luke's Episcopal in Houston has a new policy saying that camera-phone users must comply with privacy rules for photography, which require a patient's written consent for a photo."

UK wants to tax TV phones

The UK's official TV licensing authority is looking to charge mobile handset owners if their phone can receive live TV broadcasts, writes The Inquirer. As the law stands the owner of any device which is capable of receiving live transmissions will need to purchase a licence for it. At present 3G networks only transmit video clips but there are moves towards launching handsets capable of receiving and recording live TV. And the mobile TV scene should hot up soon as some operators are set to trial TV transmissions to mobile phones. The typical mobile phone TV licence dodger, however, is expected to be a young person who owns no TV set but does have a mobile phone and a broadband capable PC.

Camphone to be banned on Australian beaches?

A few month ago, a man was fined in Australia for secretly taking pictures with his cell phone of a woman sunbathing topless. Another man will face court after allegedly being caught at the same beach with 75 images of topless women in his phone.

Now Australian authorities, thinking that some users have been taking in too much of the beach-side scenery, are considering banning camera phones on the country's beaches.

One law expert says any camera ban will be almost impossible to enforce, since everyone takes them to the beach. (via Kfor)

Related:
- Phone snapper's illicit topless shots.
- Man charged over snaeky beach snaps.