November 22, 2008
President 2.0
Much has been written this week about President-elect Barack Obama having to give up his Blackberry once he's president. He doesn't have to, but Newsweek explains why he should.
Statutes say that any official correspondence from the president becomes property of the office, not the man in it. The rules were drafted at a time when the president's sole communication was on paper, and there wasn't that much of it.
But now, with things like e-mail and instant messaging, the most mundane messages from or to Obama would become government property, and much of it would eventually be accessible to the public under the Freedom of Information Act.
For this reason, Obama earlier this month started to wean himself from his BlackBerry. If he wanted to, he could choose to keep it. But if he did, he'd have to acknowledge that a historian decades from now could study just how much time the president spent bantering with pals or gushing about the White Sox.
"He'll be restricted by how much information about him will become public property," says Lawrence Lessig, founder of the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford. "This is an area where the statutes are far out of date for the current technology."
Security officials also worry about Obama using the device for official business, fearing a hacker could gain access to internal deliberations.
Becker gets dumped by girlfriend with text messages
Heartbroken Boris Becker has revealed to the German tabloid press that his 25-year-old girlfriend dumped him with five text messages less than a month ago. The 40-year-old three-time Wimbledon champion told Bild that the blow "trampled on my soul."
[via Tennis Talk]
TerriblyClever launches iPhone applications targeting universities
TerriblyClever piloted its first five applications less then two months ago, in partnership with Stanford University. The set of applications, called iStanford, is available for free on iTunes. It includes a university directory, maps, real-time information about school sports, and a course directory.
Read full article.
Which is the Most Recycled Phone?
According to ReCellular, the Nokia 6010 and the Motorola RAZR V3 have topped one electronics recycling firm's list of the most-recycled cell phones in 2008.
[via PC World]
Apple launches ‘iPhone your life’ site
If you are looking for good iPhone application recommendations head over to a new section on Apple’s website called iPhone Your Life. It allows you to see applications as they relate to different parts of your life, and what app they would recommend to make the phase of your life easier in some way. iPhone's Talk reports.
They have staff picks, top downloaded apps, and descriptions of featured applications. It’s an interesting philosophical approach to the everyday use of the smartphone, and the apps recommended are generally the best of the lot.
Nokia N96 Bruce Lee Edition
There is such a thing. A Bruce Lee Nokia N96 phone. Spotted on iTechNews. A special edition for the Chinese market.
Nokia to start Japan cellphone service in 200
Nokia plans to launch a mobile phone service in Japan next spring, a move expected to intensify competition among Japanese cellphone carriers, Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Saturday.
[via Reuters]
Audiobook on your iPhone:"The Audacity of Hope" narrated by Obama
I'm so in love with my 3G iPhone and in complete awe at the innovative apps available. My latest and favorite download is not an app though, but an audio book, Barack Obama's Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. Did I mention the narrator is Obama himself? That's 6 hours and 11 minutes of Obama talking just to me and available via iTunes to anyone as hard it as I by O-phoria.
November 21, 2008
Doro Launches New Mobile Phones Designed for Active Seniors
Spotted on slashphone, new elder phones.
Read full article.
Nokia heads to Hollywood
According to TechRadar, Nokia has decided to open a laboratory in Hollywood and plans on "recruiting from and collaborating with the Hollywood entertainment, media and art communities".
Shift Seen in Telecom Regulation
New congressional leaders as well as policy makers in the Obama administration are expected to press for fresh limits on media consolidation and require phone and cable firms to open their networks to Internet competitors, lobbyists and industry officials say.
[via WSJ]
New iPhone Apps Help Drivers Beat Speed Traps
NMobile and Trapster are two mobile applications that provide up-to-date, detailed maps of speed-enforcement zones with live police traps, speed cameras or red-light cameras. After launching, each application pulls up a map pinpointing the locations of speed traps within driving distance. An audio alert will sound as vehicles approach an area tagged as harboring a speed trap.
Both applications rely on the wisdom of the crowds for their data.
Read full article in New York Times Bits blog.
Verizon staff did not listen to Obama voicemails
According to Money am, the contents of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's voicemail messages and emails were not breached by the Verizon employees who gained unauthorized access to his cellphone account, an Obama aide said on Thursday.
'We were notified yesterday that employees had accessed the records of an old cell phone no longer in use,' the Obama aide said. 'No voice or emails were listened to or read.'
Related:
-- Verizon employees had unauthorized access to Obama's phone (MobileTopSoft)
-- Obama's Cellphone Account Breached by Verizon Employees (WSJ)
Verizon employees had unauthorized access to Obama's phone
According to MobileTopSoft, several US Verizon employees were put on immediate leave after the discovery that they had unauthorized access to a personal cellphone account of President-elect Barack Obama.
"All employees who have accessed the account – whether authorized or not – have been put on immediate leave, with pay. As the circumstances of each individual employee’s access to the account are determined, the company will take appropriate actions. Employees with legitimate business needs for access will be returned to their positions, while employees who have accessed the account improperly and without legitimate business justification will face appropriate disciplinary action," said McAdam.
According to the WSJ, Verizon said it discovered the unauthorized account access this week and said it related to an account that has been inactive "for several months." The device on the account was a standard feature phone, rather than a smartphone with advanced email and data capabilities.
The company said it has put all employees with access to the account on leave, with pay, as it sorts out which of those workers accessed the account without a justifiable business purpose. Those who did not have a good reason to view the account will be punished, the company said.
According to Money am, Verizon's staff did not listen to Obama voicemails.
Photo from flickr .
November 20, 2008
Two glass phone concepts
Spotted on Yanko Design, two glass phone concepts by Designer Mac Funamizu.
OpenTable Reservations Come To The iPhone
Online reservation serviceOpen Table released an iPhone app today that lets you not only find nearby restaurants, but book a table as well. You don't have to call and wait on hold. The app uses OpenTable's online reservation system to book and confirm a table. It will even give you directions to the restaurant from wherever you are.
[via The Washington Post]
Ocarina Surges To Top Paid iPhone App Position
Ocarina, the second iPhone application from Silicon Valley based Smule, has surged to the top spot on the iPhone App store just a little over a week after launching. The Washington Post reports.
In their own words: Ocarina is the first true musical instrument created for the iPhone. Ocarina is sensitive to your breath, touch and movements:
- Blow into your microphone to generate music
- Hold down combinations of the holes to change your pitch
- Tilt your phone from front to back to change the vibrato depth
- Tilt your phone from side to side to change the vibrato rate
iCEPhone for the Paramedic Inside of You
The iCEphone (iCE for in Case of Emergency), the Medical Phone Ltd out of Edinburgh, UK is a mobile device that will provide step-by-step instructions during emergency medical situations, and can quickly call 911, your doctor, as well as a nearby hospital.
emily | 9:09 PM |
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Toy car. A friction-motor toy car for your iPhone
This App is a virtual Toy Car featuring fun graphics, surprising features, and realistic sounds.
Toy Car is powered by a 'virtual friction motor'. Launch the car and hear the engine revs build. As soon as you 'release' the car, it will sound as if it is running along the floor - it sounds just like the real thing! Touch different parts of the car to discover features (e.g. touch the windshield to activate the wipers).
[via Pocket Picks]
SMS naming killers of baby sent to thousands
A text message identifying those responsible for the death of a baby has been sent to thousands of people across the country. This is London reports.
The text messages urges people to pass it on to "name and shame" the couple, who it brands "the cruel vile killers of baby p".
It also names the street where the 17-month-old was subjected to the months of abuse that eventually killed him. The message urges people to sign a national newspaper's petition demanding "justice for that poor little boy".
It says: "The papers may be banned from naming and shaming the cruel vile killers of baby p but I aint".
The text message has raised fears that future legal proceedings could be put at risk.
Irish the heaviest users of mobile phones: Ofcom
Residents in the Republic of Ireland spent the most time on their mobile phones and sent the most text messages per head in the world in 2007, according to a report which examines changes in the communications industry.Reuters reports.
... Some 216 million new mobile subscriptions were registered in Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2007, with China alone adding more new connections at 88 million than the total number of subscriptions in Britain.
Take up in Russia increased nearly 1,000 percent.
November 19, 2008
Google iPhone voice-recognition tool baffled by British accents
According to The Telegraph, Google's voice application for the iPhone has hit a stumbling block - it does not understand British accents.
But British iPhone owners who eagerly downloaded the new software to their phones were left baffled after it responded to requests with bizarre titbits of unwanted information.
When asked to search for "iPhone" the results varied wildly. A user with a Scottish accent found his phone opted to search for the term "sex" instead, and suggested a link to an adult web site. On a second attempt, the search engine looked for "sledding".
Asked in a Kentish accent to search for "iPhone", it came up with "my sister" and "Einstein", while a Surrey user was offered "myspace" as well as "Einstein".
Read full article.
Google Mobile App for iPhone, now with Voice Search
Mike LeBeau of the Google mobile team gives an overview of the new Google Mobile App for iPhone on YouTube.
[via Google Mobile Blog]
British Lord to Be Prosecuted Over "Texting While Driving" Fatal Accident
A British Lord is to be prosecuted for alleged dangerous driving after it was claimed that he had sent a text message from his mobile phone, just moments before a fatal road accident. Lord Ahmed, a Labour peer in the House of Lords was involved in an accident on Christmas Day last year when it hit another motorist who was killed instantly.
Checks later carried out found that the same phone which was used to call the emergency services had also been used to send a text message just before the accident occurred.
[via Cellular News]
November 17, 2008
FaceCall
Spotted on iPhone Atlas, a speed dialer iPhone app called FaceCall which allows you to create icons of your contacts - by selecting their pictures from the iPhone’s camera or photo library.
iPhones dress up for Christmas
Dress up your iPhone for Xmas over at more-thing.com.
[via technabob]
Mobile messaging services set for growth despite tough economic times
Despite the fact that the global economy is slowing down, mobile messaging growth will continue. According to data from ABI Research’s recent report, mobile messaging services revenues will grow from $151 billion in 2008 to greater than $212 billion globally by 2013.
[via Intomobile]
Cell phone use can trigger the release of mercury from your fillings
Add this to the long list of how your cell phone can be harmful to your health. According to a study conducted by the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, cell phone usage can trigger the release of mercury from the fillings in your teeth.
In other words, the metal in your mouth interferes with your cell phone's electro-magnetic radiation - which is made of similar material.
And in a bizarre logic, the article claims that cell phones could be recycled for dental amalgam use. Check the study Mercury Release from Dental Amalgam Restorations after Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Following Mobile Phone Use
November 16, 2008
How many iPhone apps is too many?
How many iPhone apps is too many? Just ask Flickr user Sigalokos who has 8 screens.
[via Core77]
Pakistan to Increase Penalty for Handling Stolen Mobile Phones
Pakistan's telecoms regulator has asked the government to pass a new law and permit imprisonment for up to 49 years for handling stolen mobile phones.
[via Cellular News]
Banner Free iPhone app
This free app was reviewed by App Store App Reviews in July so it's only new to me because I downloaded it yesterday, but it has become one of my favorites. In case you missed it: