Twitter to give bushfire alerts

Australia is to use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to give people early warning of bushfires. The BBC reports.

Victorian state premier John Brumby says social networking sites on the internet will help to improve advice to households.

"We'll be providing more information to the community, like Twitter and Facebook - alternative means of communication to get the information out to the public," Mr Brumby said.

SMS for electricity

Johannesburg mobile commerce company Swap Mobile has unveiled its mobile prepaid electricity voucher service that enables users to buy electricity vouchers directly from their cellphones. ITWeb reports.

Once registered get a free Swap Wallet account, electricity purchases are simple. Users dial *130*1313# and follows menu prompts to purchase electricity to the value of their choice with payment made from the Wallet, or from a linked credit card if the linking option has been taken.

The Swap solution, says the company, eliminates the concern of late payments, as vouchers are delivered by SMS directly to the cellphone, anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day.

Related:

-- Now you can buy electricity via SMS

-- Phone in for Free Electricity

-- Gas and Electricity Meter-Readings By SMS

Need help? Text 111

Police are pushing ahead with plans to purchase a system that would let the New Zealand public text them in an emergency instead of calling 111.

The proposals from possible suppliers of the system could also send mass texts in an emergency and help locate people by tracking their cellphone signal.

[via stuff]

SOS by SMS

Alastair McIndoe for The Straits Time looks at a text messaging helpline for distressed Filipino workers overseas.

When the Saudi employer of a Filipina domestic helper refused to let her return home after her contract was finished, friends sent a single text message that simultaneously alerted authorities in the Philippines and agencies helping migrant workers in distress in the desert kingdom.

It was received by a mobile phone linked to a computer server in the Manila appartment of IT expert Bobby Soriano. The server, bought from a junk shop, immediately routed the text message to the groups that may be able to help her.

"When the SMS (short message service) is sent the system sends back an automatic reply that it has been received and that somebody will call them," said Mr Soriano, who helped developed the system for the Centre for Migrant Advocacy, a local NGO.

Between six and 10 SOS SMS' a day are received a day, said Mr Soriano. Over half are from Saudi Arabia, where 1.4 million Filipinos work, mostly on short-term contracts.

The beauty of SOS SMS' is that they are directly routed to the Philippine government's welfare agency for overseas workers and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Ordering The Pill by Text Message

smsdepil.nl, a Web company in The Netherlands offers the option to order birth control pills by text message. Patients receive them by mail in the next three days. They can also sign up for SMS alerts, so as not to forget to send in their order again.

What's interesting is that the cost is billed to the patient's insurer.

[via portablegear.nl Google translate]

CNBC Launches Financial SMS Service

European stock market updates and financial news summaries are now available from CNBC to the UK market by SMS. 160characters.org reports.

Launched on 11 May, the service allows subscribers to receive up to three text messages on their mobile devices each weekday.

Subscribers have the option to receive two European financial markets updates (one at 10.00 and one at 16.45) and one update in the evening highlighting CNBC’s key on-air guests and analysts for the following day.

Prom Gone Mobile

Davids Bridal has gone mobile with the launch of David's Bridal Prom Mobile allowing girls to access the latest fashions for prom on their mobile phones.

The campaign includes SMS promotions, a mobile site with a click-through slideshow of the retailer's latest fashions, a store finder and send-to-friend capabilities.

Teenagers- or anyone for that matter- can text the keyword "PROM" to 74362 to get content on their cell phones, vote for their favorite dress styles, and get special targeted promotions leading up to the big day. They can also browse styles at the new mobile website, http://m.davidsprom.com.

Press release.

Text messaging used to make car payments in pilot project

Car payments can be initiated using text messaging from a mobile phone under a pilot project announced today by Western Union Co. and Consumer Portfolio Services Inc. Computer World reports.

Once a customer sets up the service, an alert is sent to the user's phone that a car payment is due. The user types a "yes" response as a text message to authorize transfer of the payment from a credit or debit card, the companies said. A confirmation text message is sent seconds later to the user.

A division of security vendor VeriSign Inc. worked with Western Union and CPS to set up the test program, which is expected to last about three months.

Read full article.

Swine Flu updates by SMS

With the recent pandemic of Swine Flu going around, and the ensuing need to know how you’re affected, US based CellPhones.org has created a new service for cell phone users:

Text PIGFLU to 41411 and we will send updates as news develops about the Swine Flu. The only cost is your cost for receiving regular text messages, and there will be no other billing. We are providing this service in the public interest.

Daily Updates will include:

-- CDC/WHO Updates
-- Information about New OutBreaks
-- Information From Health Authorities

We aim to send out info between 1-3 times daily, with urgent information such as new outbreak information, messages from health authorities and travel warnings as they develop.

Image from CBC.ca

Re-entry visa now through SMS

Residents of the Saudi Arabia may t rocess their re-entry visas through a new SMS service, according to the Saudi Gazette.

Great strides have been made by the Passports Department in introducing new technologies in passport services. 70 percent the administration now carries its services electronically.

Swedes files their taxes by SMS

Open a new text message, enter your Social Security number and a security code sent to you by mail, and zip it off to the Department of the Treasury. Your income taxes are now filed.

Sound like a dream? It's not, according to News.com

This is how lots of Swedish people will file their income taxes in May, as they have for the last five years. So what's the downside?

What Swedes actually do with their cell phone is sign a tax declaration that has already been prepared by the country's tax authority, officially called Skatteverket. It already knows everything about Swedish taxpayers' income--from a range of sources.

Taxpayers can only sign their forms via text (the number's 71144) if they accept all the Skatteverket's calculations and if--to the great joy of the agency--they renounce all deductions.

Read full article.

SMS updates now available for Dubai court case

The Dubai Public Prosecution (DPP) has gone live with a new SMS service that can be used by the general public as well as lawyers and prosecutors to find out the status and resolutions of specific cases.

The SMS feature is presently limited to the Judiciary and Public Prosecution areas but is expected to expand to other government authorities in the future.

[via ITP.net]

Shipper Offers Cargo Updates by SMS

Hyundai Merchant Marine said Wednesday that it will start a service that provides consignors with the location of their cargo in real time via text messages, a first in the shipping industry. Digital Chosunilbo reports.

The system sends text messages about the entire process, from when the container is loaded on the ship until delivery to the importer.

A Hyundai executive said, “We provided the information on the location of cargo via e-mail and fax or over the phone when customers called, so it took a lot of time, but we believe that the owner of goods will find the real-time text message service far more comfortable to use.”

Become a Fan of Facebook Pages With a Text Message

This is potentially huge news for brands that are using Facebook Pages. You can now promote your Page using text messaging – or rather, by simply asking people to text the name of your page (www.facebook.com/yourname) - to Facebook’s shortcode, 32665, to become fans.

[via Mashable]

New rent-by-mobile-phone car-sharing company to launch in Austin

It's impulse shopping meets car rental. Car2Go, a car-sharing concept from Daimler, will launch in Austin, Texas, in fall 2009. The service will enable members to use their mobile phones to locate and rent one of a fleet of 200 cars near them without advance reservation. Cnet reports.

Registered members can rent cars via their mobile phones and unlock the car with their membership card and pin number. They return the car to "any space not subject to parking fees or restrictions may be used--such as those along the side of the road or within designated parking areas," according to the company's press release.

Related: - Car2Go launches in Germany

Alive Status Verification SMS Service

One of the strangest SMS offers to ever cross my desk is South Africa's "Alive Status Verification" SMS Service launched this Monday by Home Affairs which allows citizens to find out whether they are officially dead or alive. News24 reports.

The purpose of the service is assist South Africans to check their status to ensure that they have not been fraudulently declared dead on the population register," the department said in a statement.

It did not elaborate on why anyone would be fraudulently declared dead.

Full press release.

SMS to billboard makes it snow, makes it stop

Designed as a promotional tool for Tryvann Winter Park, a ski resort just 15 minutes outside of Oslo, these snowing billboards alert commuters that conditions are optimal for hitting the slopes.

Whenever it begins snowing on the mountain, an SMS message is sent to the billboards instructing them to start their thing. A second message is sent when the snow stops.

Spotted on Gizmodo.

Text Messages Save Fire Department Thousands

Taylors Fire Department in North Carolina says text messaging is saving them money. The idea started when firemen started asking about using their cell phones instead of pagers when they are off-duty, a savings of $345 a month and more than $4,000 a year.

[via Channel News 7]

Big-Bellied, Text-Messaging Trash Cans?

Green Inc, a New York Times blog, reports on texting trash cans.

This month, Somerville, Mass., will install text-messaging technology in about 50 public trash cans located in high-pedestrian and far-flung areas. The idea is that the cans, made by BigBelly Solar, will transmit text messages to a central database, notifying haulers that they are full and allowing town managers to maximize collection efficiency.

Read full article.

Abbreviated mobile SMS search for sportsfans

Mobile search provider ChaCha is introducing a new sports update service ahead of the busy March sports season.

Thumbsavers allows users to send abbreviations by texts to ChaCha to get live scores, news and updates. ChaCha claims its service will send fans the results they’re looking for, even if the abbreviations are spelled wrong.

[via GoMo News]

Insurer alerts clients by SMS when roads are icy

A Dutch car insurer for women recently launched a useful new service. As soon as weather warnings are issued that could make driving hazardous, Onna-onna sends its clients a text message advising them to be extra alert or even stay off the road.

The company relies on weather reports from the National Meteorological Institute, and provides the text messages free of charge to clients who have signed up for them.

[via Springwise]

Ph.D. student develops SMS service for Magic Bus

Computer Science and Engineering Ph.D. student Scott Wolchok created UmBus, a program that allows students to check Magic Bus — an online bus tracking service — from their cell phones.

By texting “umbus” to 41411, and using a few simple commands, students can find out when a bus will be arriving at a specific stop.

A guide to the SMSBus commands can be found at mbusreloaded.com/smshelp.

[via Michigan Daily]

Related "Where's the bus" SMS alerts:

-- Pupils switch on to text-&-go bus timetable service

-- SuperBus Answers to Your Texts

-- Where's the bus?

-- Hold the Bus!

111 texts on the way in New Zealand

According to stuff, New Zealand police could soon let people text in an emergency instead of calling 111.

A new system which police have asked suppliers to provide costings on could also be used to send mass emergency messages, such as warning of a gunman on the loose, or find a person by tracking the source of their cellphone signal.

Police spokeswoman Philippa Sargent said it was not always practical for people to dial 111 for help, such as when a person was unable to hear, or in a situation where speaking would put them in danger.

Other features could include the ability to automatically analyse messages and prompt the sender for additional information such as their location, and the ability to assist with interpretation of text language.

The public could also send texts or pictures to police in non-emergency situations, including "for the purposes of reporting crime in an anonymous or tipoff way, or because it is more convenient".

Taxpayer Group Launches Text Messaging Advocacy Service

"We alert. You call. They listen." That's the idea behind the 362,000-member National Taxpayers Union 's announcement today of a new technology -- text messaging -- the group will use to activate concerned citizens nationwide on important matters of fiscal policy at the federal and state levels. Taxpayers can opt in to NTU's service by texting "FIGHT" to 54608. NTU unveiled its system today at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

After signing up for NTU's service by texting "FIGHT" to 54608, subscribers will receive an automated confirmation message with more information and opt-out instructions.

Press release

Elephant birthing alert by SMS

Thousands of elephant fans have registered on an on-line site promising live footage of the first birth of an elephant in Belgium, reports The Sydney Morning Herald .

Surfers logging on to www.baby-olifant.be can already watch the baby's kicks inside the belly of its mother, Phyo Phyo, an Asian elephant at the Antwerp zoo.

Zoo caretakers are also offering daily updates on Phyo Phyo's pregnancy to the site's 18,000 subscribers -- who will receive an SMS message 48 hours ahead of the expected delivery.

Related sort of, how SMS technology is being used to track elephants:

-- Text messages save elephants’ lives, villagers’ crops

-- Texting to save Kenyan elephants

--Cell phone technology helps researches obtain information about animals

NokiaCupid for valentines day

Nokia UK’s gone all romance for Valentine’s Day, with the launch of NokiaCupid.co.uk. The site enables users to anonymously send text messages to loved ones, past, present or future, for free on Valentine’s Day. You can set up your message to be sent any time before the big day and when the time comes Nokia will ensure someone gets a nice surprise.

[via Nokia Conversations]

In India, Railway police is just an SMS away

Now anyone needing help during a train journey can send an sms to a designated number and a government railway police constable will show up at their side, according to the Times of India.

The facility introduced on Tuesday will allow passengers inside trains and at railway stations across the state to post complaints and request police assistance.

"The messages will be forwarded to the beat constables based on the train number or station name given by the passengers. In case of the crime reported is grievous like doping, dacoity (robbery by a gang of armed dacoits), robbery or derailment, the message will be forwarded to higher level officials," said inspector general of police G U G Sastry.

London Borough Uses SMS To Boost Immunisation

Southwark has employed text messaging to improve the uptake of Childhood Immunisation and to tackle measles outbreaks in local schools within the Borough. 160characters.org reports.

... The campaign is in response to an increase in the number of measles cases reported in Southwark over the last few months.

Every quarter, surgeries receive a list from the central system known as Open Exeter, which indicates all the children who are due their immunisation for the combined measles, mumps and rubella jab (MMR).

By running a search on their clinical system, practices were able to send out a text message to a group of selected patients, who were due their first MMR or booster MMR jab, advising them to call the surgery to make an appointment.

Related: - SMS Polio Vaccination Campaign in Irak Backed by UN

Security Texting Planned for 2009 Super Bowl

Super Bowl XLIII uses 21st century technology to insure that fans have a positive experience on February 1, 2009.

The NFL will provide text messaging capabilities to their fans in order to report any unruly or negative behavior. Fans will be able to text issues right from their cell phone directly to the security command center in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida.

[via PRWeb]

In Tanzania, cell phones used to save Albinos

The head of police in Tanzania’s capital, Dar es Salaam, this week handed out free mobile phones to several hundred locals with albinism. This is a melanin deficiency that renders African skin pink and vulnerable to cancer, turns hair wispy and leaves eyes pale and impaired, writes The Economist.

Each phone comes with a “hot line” to the police. Albinos text in their location if they suspect they are being tracked by gangsters determined to kill them and harvest their body parts.

Investigators say the body parts of a single murdered albino sell for over $1,000, with the skin and flesh dried out and set into amulets and the bones ground down into a powder.

According to the Tanzania Albino Society, at least 35 albinos were murdered in Tanzania last year to supply witch doctors with limbs, organs and hair for their potions. The violence of the attacks and the prejudices they reinforce, both about albinos and Africa, have prompted Tanzania’s government to act.