Young Iranians use mobile phones to video events

With traditional forms of communication blocked, Iranians are using technology to keep the world informed about events. The BBC reports.

Middle East political and security analyst James Spencer told the BBC: "As foreign correspondents find their work restricted and their visas curtailed, the ubiquity of the mobile phone... is coming to the fore.

The ability to send graphic, near live-time footage, often then uploaded to YouTube elsewhere, is an incredibly powerful tool.

"This raw imagery has little need for translation or editing, and often under-cuts the State's message, both in content, and by pre-emption."

He added that tags like "IranElection" on the social networking site Twitter have attracted huge numbers of "followers".

These tweets often reference a YouTube clip or a URL, thus further increasing the audience, he said.

A YouTube spokesperson said there had been an increase in activity for all types of videos related to the Iranian election.

Related: - Iran Protests: Tech Tools at Work

Camera Phones to Interpret Visible World for Blind

iVisit, a company out of Santa Monica, California that specializes in video teleconferencing applications, has teamed up with the National Institutes of Health to turn a mobile phone's camera into an eye for the blind.

Using advanced image recognition software to identify what is in front of the phone, the system reads off what it is seeing.

Read full article in MedGadget.

Nokia Point and Find video

Nokia Betalabs have put together a video highlighting the key features of their Point and Find service that enables you to get up to date info about a product or service, on your phone.

In the above video, Sophie-Charlotte Moatti of Nokia explains how the service works. Once you’ve downloaded the app from pointandfind.nokia.com, you can fire it up and point your device’s camera at a movie poster. The app will quickly locate the movie and with it a host of options, including reviews, ratings and even your nearest cinema.

[via Nokia Conversations]

A vacuum cleaner controlled by videophone

Spotted on Unwired View, a cleaning robot which can be controlled via 3G mobile phones.

Built in collaboration with the Korean company Microbot, the CW100 robot – which is actually a very smart vacuum cleaner – uses video calling to send live images to your phone. By seeing what the robot sees, you can remotely control its actions, helped by your phone’s keypad.

KTF says the new robot can also be used for monitoring kids, elders or pets at home.

[via Phone Reviews]

Cell Phone Video Clears Man of Rape Charge

A UK businessman has been cleared of raping a university student after jurors were shown a video of the sex session taken on a mobile phone. The footage showed the woman 'actively' performing a sex act on him.

[The Daily Mail via Switched]

Cell phones help filmmakers reveal unseen Africa

Resourceful African filmmakers are using cell phones tell their stories in spite of political censorship. CNN reports.

Kiripi Katembo Siku, an art school student from the Democratic Republic of Congo is one such director who shot his first film using only a mobile phone.

The ingeniously devised "Voiture en Carton" ("Cardboard Car") provides a rare glimpse of street-life in Kinshasa, the country's capital, while highlighting the lengths filmmakers must go to in circumventing the eye of the law.

While the country's name implies freedom of speech, filmmakers in the country's capital are restricted by government censorship.

To get around these problems, Siku came up with a novel plan.

He attached his mobile phone to a toy car, set it to film, and gave it to a young girl to pull behind her on a piece of string as she walked through the streets of Kinshasa.

The film runs for seven minutes, during which time the toy car stops and starts (it also upends a number of times and has to be righted by Siku's young camerawoman) giving viewers a clandestine look at life in the capital -- the dancing feet of children, some teenagers gambling, and at one point a United Nations jeep passing by.

Siku is one of a number of filmmakers in DR Congo who say using a mobile phone allows them to film in ways that were previously impossible.

Read full article.

NFL Games Go Wireless

For the first time Thursday, a National Football League game -- the Cleveland Browns vs. the Denver Broncos -- will be broadcast on Sprint mobile phones as part of the wireless company's exclusive partnership with the league. That partnership deal is valued at about $500 million over five years.

[The WSJ via engadget:mobile]

A glimpse of Soweto via your cellphone

Mobile social network The Grid has launched Mobikasi, South Africa's first geo-tagged documentary for cellphones, which explores youth culture in Soweto. IOL reports.

Users can explore Sowetan youth culture on their cellphones from anywhere in South Africa through The Grid's map interface, or by physically touring the famous township and watching documentary clips on their phones at the locations where they were shot.

The location-based documentary looks at people, music, fashion, social issues and places of interest. Instead of showing the twenty-five minute documentary in a linear fashion from start to finish, Mobikasi splits the content up into twenty-five inserts of one minute each.

Each one-minute clip covers a different topic that is relevant to the youth in Soweto and is geo-tagged to the location where it was shot.

Read full article.

Music film 'shot on mobile phone'

Radio 1 produced a feature length music film shot just using mobile phones. The BBC reports.

Radio 1 has produced the first ever feature length music film shot just using mobile phones.

Bands such as Wombats and Black Kids were given mobiles to use at festivals over the summer, while music fans were told to film their experiences.

The hour-long film, "Shoot the Summer", was shown at the Electric Proms and is now available online.

Radio 1 producer Hugh Garry went round festivals handing out mobiles to punters, all of which were returned.

Kashmir's mobile phone chroniclers

... As the mainly Muslim Kashmir valley erupted into protests last month after a row over transfer of land in the region snowballed into a movement for freedom from India, armies of mobile-phone toting youngsters began trawling the city to record the events. The BBC reports.

The images and recordings of those momentous events have been swapped between friends, or put up on popular video sharing sites.

One of those, YouTube, spits out nearly 250 results when a search is done for "Srinagar protest" and many of these clips have been put up by youngsters from the valley. "

[via Smart Mobs]

Capturing the Moment (and More) via Cellphone Video

The New York Times writes up how early adopters are now using their mobile phones to send live video broadcasts. They’re streaming scenes from their daily lives — like trips to the mall, weddings, a new puppy’s antics or even a breaking news story that they happen upon.

"People have moved on from texting,” said Carla Thompson, senior analyst at the Guidewire Group, a marketing research firm in San Francisco. “Just typing in what you are doing is no longer enough. That’s why the field of live video streaming is burgeoning.”

Once they have the right phones and plans, users can aim their built-in cameras, press a few buttons and, with the right software, be broadcasting within seconds. Their videos can be seen on blogs, on social networking sites like Facebook or, among other places, on the Web sites of companies that provide the software and services for streaming, like kyte or Qik.

Viewers can respond immediately to videos, typing messages on their keyboards, for instance, and sending them along to a live session. The typed chat appears instantly at the bottom of viewers’ screens."

National Geographic launches new mobile division

National Geographic is launching a new mobile division to further develop its mobile content and games business.

Next month, the organization will launch a WAP site for all of its news, images, music and videos that will be tied to company’s magazines and TV network.

[via mocoNews.net]

Taking soccer to the small screen

Across Europe, however, the lure of professional soccer is so strong - and the hunger of some fans so great - that some mobile operators, especially in Britain, are beginning to report a rise in mobile viewing. The IHT reports.

"... In Europe, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange so far are the mobile leaders in live sports. T-Mobile has live viewing packages in Britain, Germany and Austria. Vodafone's English Premier League games are available to all subscribers through its Vodafone Live! portal.

Dirk Wende, a T-Mobile spokesman in Bonn, said live soccer has become the most popular form of video on T-Mobile cellphones, followed by boxing, where the compact action is easier to follow on a smaller screen."

Designer Collections Packed Into an iPhone

STYLE.COM, the online home of Vogue, is introducing an iPhone application offering videos and pictures to enable dedicated followers of fashion to watch runway shows during New York Fashion Week next month on their phones, within hours of the last model’s exit from the catwalk. The New York Times reports.

"It is no small measure of the demand for immediacy in fashion that customers can now turn their cellphones into shopping portals. Ralph Lauren announced last week a mobile version of its online store, and Chanel introduced its own iPhone application last month that offers video from its fall haute couture show, as well as the ability to direct-dial stores that carry Chanel around the world.

Others have brought runway shows to phones, such as an ahead-of-its-time Fashion Week offering from Sprint in 2006 (fashion people were so not into Sprint), but Style.com’s application is likely to be the most comprehensive. It is designed eventually to include photos and videos from hundreds of shows in New York, Paris, London and Milan."

Flixwagon and MTV Think broadcasting live from the National Democratic Convention

MTV yesterday deployed a number of street reporters armed with Flixwagon-equipped mobile phones to cover the National Democratic Convention in Denver. A similar number of reporters will also be on the scene using Flixwagon at the upcoming Republican National Convention.

The street reporters are making live videos throughout the four days of the convention from their mobile phones directly to their pages on the MTV Think website, in another installment of MTV's Choose or Lose campaign. The street reporters can easily broadcast live video and capture the atmosphere of the conventions in real-time without the need for large camera crews or bulky equipment.

Live mobile-to-web broadcasting is changing how journalists’ research and report on events such as these conventions, delivering a real-time, interactive experience that can be delivered to a broad audience.

Some of the videos and street reporters can be found here:

-- http://think.mtv.com/profile/trevorFmartin

-- http://think.mtv.com/profile/cgeraci25>

-- http://think.mtv.com/profile/MiGoNev

-- http://think.mtv.com/profile/janeflemingkleeb>

Press release.

Can You See Me Now? - Sign Language on Mobile Phones Tested

A group at the University of Washington has developed software that enables deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans to use sign language over a mobile phone. [via Cellular News]

"UW engineers got the phones working together this spring, and recently received a National Science Foundation grant for a 20-person field project that will begin next year in Seattle.

This is the first time two-way real-time video communication has been demonstrated over cell phones in the United States. Since posting a video of the working prototype on YouTube, deaf people around the country have been writing on a daily basis.

Links to related articles on video phones for the deaf or hearing impaired.

How to watch your iPhone videos while driving

This gentleman likes to watch videos while he drives at night. He places his iPhone on his car's dashboard and watches the reflection on the windshield.

He wears a headset while he watches, but usually with just one ear bud inserted "so that I can hear the traffic and whatnot."

[via boingboing]

Equally as nuts: - French Truckers Drive 'By Ear' So They Can Watch TV

Lollapalooza Videos Are a Two Way Street

The Lollapalooza music festivalkicks off on Friday in Chicago, but fans and bands are already mingling on the site's video section, which is broken down into two channels. Wired reports.

"Channel 1 will feature backstage interviews with bands, fans and other exclusive stuff shot by two Lollapalooza employees using one "real" camera plus a more compact one.

Meanwhile, the aptly named Channel You features videos shot by fans who are encouraged to "film anything you can with your phones and cameras" on site or at home as they prepare for the festival.

Both sections will be updated with new uploads before and during the event, giving concertgoers a chance to say which bands they think are going to be best, review the shows they've already seen and share their experiences at the event. Those who aren't attending can watch unlimited clips on both channels for free."

Pupsight. For a Dog Day Afternoon

Pupsight is a system and device that lets your pets share their day with the world. Owners can set the parameters of how their dog's camera uploads images and video to the net. They can also check in on what their dog sees from their mobile phone. Pupsight is the next chapter in doggy blogging, as well as a new way to define the modern guard dog.

Picture from diana eng

At Newseum, Mobile Phones, Bloggers Upstage Old Media

When the Newseum was last open to the public in 2002, a prominent feature was Walter Cronkite's hulking TV camera. Today, when the journalism museum reopens in Washington, a spotlight will be on Jamal Albarghouti's phone. Bloomberg reports.

"Albarghouti used his mobile phone's camera to record video during last year's massacre at Virginia Tech University. The graduate student e-mailed his footage to CNN, bringing the news to the nation before the networks got anywhere near the scene.

That shift sums up a new mission of the interactive Newseum, which at $450 million is among the most expensive museums ever built: to reflect the revolution in the media, where citizen reporters, bloggers and Web sites have overtaken an industry once dominated by a few centralized news sources. "

Send a Video Message to the Presidential Candidates’ Cell Phones

The general public has a new way to get their voices heard by the presidential candidates: cell phone video messaging.

Start-up Mogreet, out of Venice Beach, Calif., recently launched a service that lets people send personalized video messages to the presidential candidates’ cell phones.

Geared toward the younger set, voters can go to www.mogreetthevote.com to pick a video on a topic that matters to them and then personalize the video with their own text message. Mogreet gave each campaign's communication director a cell phone to which the message will be sent.

[via Fox Business]

Bootleg videotapes of concerts flourish

With high-tech, camera-equipped cell phones now standard gear, venues are increasingly finding their anti-video policies stretched to the limit. Columbas Dispatch reports.

"We're dealing with thousands of people on a given night," said Blake Schilling, director of event services at Nationwide Arena. "We do the best to our ability to catch everyone. Obviously, when you're talking about thousands of people, it's pretty difficult."

So difficult, in fact, that within hours of Linkin Park's Columbus performance, videos of the show started popping up on YouTube. As of last night, viewers could choose from more than 50 clips.

... With most cell phones capable of shooting video and small digital cameras able to film lengthy live footage, policy enforcement can be a losing battle.

"You spend the night hunting flashes down," said Scott Dickson, director of event services at the Schottenstein Center. "Sometimes we have to weigh how tough we want to be."

But it's easier to prevent videotaping than get the videos off the Internet, said Edward Lee, a professor of copyright and intellectual property law at Ohio State University."

« Live from Davos on my phone »

Robert Scoble is blogging « live from Davos on my phone » from the WEF. So interesting. More great coverage in both writing and video on Jeff Jarvis' buzzmachine.

Interesting post today on Swiss Television's blog (TSRBlog) also present at Davos, pointing out that the WEF's rules and regulations are somewhat out-dated. TV crews and cameramen are only allowed in the sessions one by one so as not to create a disturbance, while dozens of participants are videoblogging the conferences live - like Scoble.

MMS realtor

A new application for house sellers enables them to create and send virtual property tours to a home buyer's mobile phone using MMS. 160characters.org reports.

"The new web application called Cellyspace from Boston based Skycore enables realtors to compose property slideshows using images, audio, video and text.

They then choose a unique keyword for their content which can be promoted on signs and print advertising. When home buyers text this unique keyword to Cellyspace's SMS shortcode, the slideshow is sent to them phone using MMS."

Video pictures of unborn baby onto Moms' cell phones

Expectant mothers can now download video pictures of their unborn baby onto their cell phones or iPods. This is London reports.

"Launched today by the Portland Hospital, the new high-tech scanning service could signal the end of grainy black-and-white prints. The 4D realtime ultrasounds provide a new level of detail for in-the-womb images - and are better for detecting problems.

The private maternity clinic in central London, whose celebrity patients have included Victoria Beckham and Sarah Ferguson, has tailored the £ 120 babyscan service to suit career mothers.

Women can visit the clinic in their lunch hour, have a 40-minute scan and then download the high-definition images to their MP3 player or mobile phone via a secure internet site."

[via
Spluch ]

Man films speedometer with cameraphone while at 143mph

Throw the book at him!

A 20 year-old Scottish man (allegedly) drove at up to 143mph while filming the speedometer with a mobile phone. And then posted the clip on YouTube.

[via the BBC]

"Mobile Fitting" Lets You Try On Glasses Via Your Cell Phone

New technology enables users to "virtually" try on glasses via their cell phones. Gizmodo reports.

"Customers take a quick snapshot of themselves and then combine it with images of glasses downloaded from the merchant's mobile website. This "Mobile Fitting" service is currently being utilized in Japan's Megane Top ("Top Glasses") superstore."

Football game gets instant replay on cell phones

College fans attending Purdue University home football games this fall will be able to call up instant replays on their cell phones, according to UPI.

"Purdue's e-Stadium is believed the first service to offer access to instant replays by demand on cell phones without charge.

Fans attending football games at Purdue's Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind., can use cell phones that have Internet capability to demand and view replays from as many as six camera angles and will be able to sort the replays to find videos involving particular players or types of plays.

Current game statistics, scores of other games in progress, and biographical information of players and coaches also are available."

The official phone game of the Beijing Olympics

At the the Tokyo Game Show 2007 (which boasted a total attendance of 193,000 over four days (Sept. 20-23) at Makuhari Messe in Chiba), NTT DoCoMo displayed the Peking Olympic Mobile Games, the official mobile phone game of next year's summer Olympics in Beijing.

In one of the game's events, you put the phone down on a table and pump your arms like a sprinting runner. The phone's camera picks up your movements and accelerates your onscreen running character accordingly.

[via Yomiuri]

Practice English with 3G phones

SK Telecom said yesterday it will offer the English education service, "Live on English," using video telephony functions available in WCDMA-based 3G handsets.

The service allows users to practice conversational English for a maximum of 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

[via The Korea Herald]

Medicine goes 2.0

Quebec-based Myca already has a hit with a service called MyFoodPhone, which lets users snap photos of their daily meals and send them to the company's nutritional analysts. CNN Money

"Now it's set to release Doctorphone and Babyphone, two services that offer patients and parents instant videoconferences with physicians via cell phone.

Doctorphone and Babyphone, both still in development will let subscribers conference with Myca's network of freelance nurses and doctors. Heart rate and temperature data can be transmitted to a patient's electronic medical-record file, and doctor-patient conversations are archived for future reference.

The fee for these services will likely be billed by the minute. In return, Myca will handle billing with insurance companies - at least for the 10 percent of U.S. health-care plans that reimburse physicians for video visits."

Amateur show jumping clips to feature on video website

There are alot of horse lovers where I live and I think this idea is great. From Horse and Hound.

"A new online video channel enabling amateur show jumpers to show clips of their finest — or most embarrassing — moments is to be launched later this month.

The 'Grassroots' website, which will be part of the community website ITV Local, is inviting clips shot on video cameras or mobile phones to be submitted for inclusion on the site.

TV Local's director of content Lindsay Charlton said: "Limited television airtime means that only a fraction of what goes on at equestrian events actually makes it to the screen. Grassroots will create a window through which amateur sports people can show off their talents — and their bloopers."

Ms Charlton added that the aim of the site was to raise the profile of local show jumping events and to provide an informative and entertaining service. "We're also interested in coaching tips, and even the antics of supporters," she said. "

Hollywood refusing to play Bollywood phone games

The Herald Tribune reports on Bollywood's close ties with cell phones.

"... In India, companies are churning out mobile-specific video clips, while in Hollywood, producers have been largely unwilling to make the investments needed to produce that type of content.

Hollywood has shown it is willing to learn from Bollywood - several studios, including Warner Brothers, are developing Bollywood movies - and industry executives have said the same might happen with mobile phone content. But so far, Hollywood film executives have resisted making content from their movies, even older ones, available on cellphones, either through a pay-per-view model or with advertising.

There are exceptions, notably 20th Century Fox, which released short clips connected to the film "Borat and made ringtones and wallpaper related to "The Simpsons Movie" available just as the film hit theaters last month.* Read full article.

Police condemn ghoulish onlookers who videoed horrific crash scene

UK Police have condemned ghoulish onlookers who videoed the horrific crash scene after a mother was mown down by a lorry in front of her two children, reports Daily Mail.

"... While some rushed to help, others stopped in the street and used camera phones to take pictures or video footage of the gruesome scene in Portsmouth, Hants.

Today police launched a scathing attack on them and said those intent on capturing the trauma had got in the way of emergency services."

Camera Phone Classified Ads

Step into the future of classified advertising. With the flip of a phone, users can broadcast or search a wide range of items - including autos, boats, sporting goods, consumer electronics, video games, concert tickets and jobs - thanks to Snap Send Sell by iqzone Inc..

Snap Send Sell enables you to use your mobile phone to post a classified ad in less than 60 seconds.

Simply take a photo or video clip, text a description and send to ad@iqzone.com.

Their intelligent agent then categorizes and maximizes exposure of ads, broadcasting them to the universe of relevant online and print classifieds.

... Sellers can use video to introduce themselves, demonstrate products and personalize ads. They can even hold a virtual garage sale to spring clean their home or clear out a dorm room. [via Business Wire Press release]

Sign language for your cellphone

Roland Piquepaille in Emerging Technology Trends for ZDNet, wirtes about mobilesign, a dictionary of 5,000 words in British Sign Language (BSL) with accompanying downloadable videos for mobile phones. [via 21talks.net]

Below are screen captures of a search for the word "phone", and the sign language that goes with it.

Extracurricular videos roil campus

YouTube, MySpace and other websites are sprinkled with videos taken in high school classrooms around the country — often, it appears, without permission of the subjects, reports The Los Angeles Times. [via Alan Reiter's Cameraphone Report]

"Many are relatively tame — others not. One popular YouTube video called "The Angry Teacher" shows a male instructor increasingly losing his cool to a classroom of unruly students. (A search for Angry teacher on YouTube brings up dozen of such videos).

But policing these secret videos is proving a challenge for educators, who say they must balance protecting the rights of students to express themselves in this digital age with the need to shield classmates and teachers from ridicule.

"It's a gray area for us," said Malibu High Principal Mark Kelly. "We want to recognize our students' free speech rights, but on the other hand we have to assess the educational impact to the students and our school. Is this going to disrupt the education process of the school day?"

... While students are not supposed to use their phones in class, the reality is much different.

"It's very easy to conceal phones and not have teachers notice," said Sarah Paxton, a senior at Malibu High and the student representative on the school board. "Most students will use books and then have phones in their laps, and they'll text message, or you can have a sweater covering [the phone] so only the camera shows. It's not that difficult, especially if the teacher is trying to focus on the whole class."

That's what happened on one of the videos, in which students compared a popular math teacher with an unpopular substitute teacher."

Teenagers Misbehaving in New York Suburbs, Now for All the Internet World to Watch

An an eye opening article from Ny Times on bored US teenage antics filmed with cameraphones and posted online, hoping to achieve celebrity status.

... "Video sharing sites are flooded with teenage-fight videos, and there are many sites, like PSFights.com, devoted solely to similar acts. In response to such cyberbullying, Steve Levy, the Suffolk County executive, recently asked school districts to designate a staff Internet monitor to watch for Web-posted misbehavior among students.

... Staples of suburban teenage life have taken on a new dimension as online cinéma vérité.

Instead of being whispered about among friends and then fading away, such rites of ridiculousness are now routinely captured on video and posted on the Internet for worldwide perusal, and posterity.

“Teens have been doing inappropriate things for a long time, but now they think they can become celebrities by doing it,” said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Schneider Children’s Hospital at Long Island Jewish Medical Center.

Most suburban teenagers, it seems, can rattle off a litany of the latest teens-gone-wild offerings as though they were the local multiplex listings: boys holding cellphones under the lunch table to photograph up girls’ skirts; an innocent kiss at a party posted out of context on an ex-boyfriend’s Web site; someone bursting in on friends who are in the bathroom or sleeping, drinking or smoking; students goading teachers into tantrums; assaulting homeless people.

“Teens always do crazy stuff, but it’s just that much more intense and fun when you can post it,” said Nathaniel Visneaskous, 18, of Deer Park.“When you live in a boring town, what else is there to do?”

Call for video clips on the best and worst of worship

This is a truly first, a religious denomination requesting submissions of user generated video content with criticism or positive views on the Church.

"The Methodist Church is appealing for people to send them short video clips saying what they like or dislike about worship to help churches improve services, reports UK'sInspire Magazine.

The clips will form part of a presentation at the Heart Of Worship event in Llandudno from 4-7 May.

We want as many people to send in clips as possible,”says Rev Michaela Youngson, Methodist Secretary for Pastoral Care and Spirituality and one of the organisers of Heart Of Worship. “We want people to be brutally honest about what they like or dislike."

Baghdad diary: Technology at war

BBC war correspondent Andrew North from Baghdad on "technology at war".

"... Ordinary Iraqis now have to day-to-day communication devices like mobiles and the internet. Some use it as part of their fight, others to survive.

Millions of Iraqis own mobiles. Despite the violence, the phone companies have gradually expanded coverage - although their security budgets are astronomical.

Even in places like Falluja, you get good reception.

... The camera-equipped mobile phone has a central place in Iraqi history now, thanks to the notorious video of Saddam Hussein's execution.

But for Ali, a doctor, it was also the only way he could show his parents and relatives his newborn son. It is just too dangerous for him to travel across town to where his parents live.

Insurgent groups have long used the internet and mobiles to get their message out, distributing clips of attacks on the Americans - long before any US version of events is available.

Wealthier families use internet phones to keep in touch with loved ones across the city and abroad."

Street kissing - a kind alternative to happy slapping

French initiative StreetKiss offers a friendly alternative to happy slapping, "Street Kissing".

Instead of slapping a random stranger, kiss them instead and capture the moment with a cameraphone - then post it online.

And don't be surprised, since this comes from France, men can kiss other men too.

Street kissing is catching on. Check out videos on Dailymotion and YouTube .

Navy recruits by sending cellphone videos via bluetooth

The Navy Reserve is using cellphone videos and bluetooth to encourage sailors to consider enlisting. The Navy Times reports.

"Since November, sailors passing within 30 feet of selected pay phone kiosks on 13 Navy bases across the US have received a prompt on their Bluetooth-enabled cell phones.

Those accepting the prompt see a two-minute video encouraging sailors to consider transitioning to the Navy Reserve when their enlistments end.

The video takes about 30 seconds to download and is viewable on most cell phones built within the past three years. And when it cannot be viewed on a cell phone, the video can be saved and downloaded onto personal computers or forwarded to other cell phones that are capable of showing the video.

Advertising officials say Bluetooth advertising is ideally suited for Navy bases for two reasons.“The [base] audience tends to be younger, and they are much more technologically savvy than the general population,”

50 pay phone kiosks have been placed in such high traffic areas as near Navy Exchanges, movie theaters and dining halls. "

Millions eager to star in "hamedori" - the art of filming sex

Insight from the Daily Mainichi on "hamedori " or the art of filming sex, popular in Japan.

About one in three Japanese women are interested in having their sex captured on camera, says Spa! magazine .

"Mobile phones now have built-in video functions, so lots of guys who use them to film their sex are probably doing it for a bit of fun," a 33-year-old securities worker and practitioner of hamedori -- filming or photographing sex -- tells Spa! "If you whipped out a single-lens reflex camera the woman would probably get a bit antsy, but because it's a mobile phone, she'll often go along with it."

The bulk of Japan's hamedori fans say they engage in the practice for sexual stimulation."

New camphone video of Saddam's Corpse after the hanging on Internet

A second camera phone video showing Saddam's condition after he was hanged -- including showing a close-up of a bloody neck wound -- has appeared on the Internet, on LiveLeak. [via Reiter's Cameraphone Report]

According to the Associated Press, "the video appeared to have been taken with a camera phone, like the graphic video of the hanging which showed guards taunting Saddam in the final moments of his life.

... The 27-second video was posted on an Iraqi news Web site that is known to support Saddam's outlawed Baath Party. "A new film of the late immortal martyr, President Saddam Hussein," the web site said in a headline over a link to the video."

Previously:

-- Saddam's 'snuff video' signals the end of editorial control

-- Mobile phone captures Iraq's cruelty

-- Official held in Saddam hanging video

-- Iraq PM orders probe into Saddam cameraphone video

-- Cameraphone footage of Saddam’s Execution made its way to video sharing sites

Saddam's 'snuff video' signals the end of editorial control

The Observer writing about the release of the unauthorized videophone footage on the internet showing Saddam' execution, puts it's finger on what has become a common occurence; mainstream media has all but lost control of what reaches the public domain.

"... Last Saturday, the media broadcast what the Iraqi government wanted shown - the original, silent, cut-before-the-drop film.

With the internet release of the videophone footage, whatever editorial control the media had initially was swept away. It showed a different story, of Saddam being mocked and humiliated in his final moments by guards chanting the name of the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

The Saddam video proves again that no act is too gruesome or intimate that someone won't try to take a picture of it and share it with the wired world,' said arts critic Richard Woodward in the Wall Street Journal. 'We better get used to living without visual boundaries - and with the curiosity and flexible morality of the viewer as the only limit on what we can see - from now on.'

... The visible end to a murderous dictator has one benefit: It quells theories that he escaped the reaper. - The execution of Romania's dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu and his wife Elena in 1989 by a firing squad, was broadcast on national television (and worldwide) for just this reason - Hitler's suicide was not photographed and allowed a belief in his survival to thrive for years."

Related:

-- Mobile phone captures Iraq's cruelty

-- Official held in Saddam hanging video

-- Iraq PM orders probe into Saddam cameraphone video

-- Cameraphone footage of Saddam’s Execution made its way to video sharing sites