For many people, a smart phone also doubles up as a personal information management (PIM) tool. A typical smart phone is expected to have at least an address book, a calendar, email storage and the ability to configure alerts and reminders. This table is meant to compare the PIM synching capabilities of different smart phone OS’s across different platforms and different email clients.
Nokia's version of the iPhone called the N900 was supposed to be released in October, is now slated for release in November. It will cost $649, have a 5 megapixel camera, and expandable memory.Nokia's version of the iPhone called the N900 was supposed to be released in October,... more
Last week the Maine legislature approved a bill for consideration that would mandate warning labels on cell phones directed at children and pregnant women.
From the National Cancer Institute Fact sheet:
"Why is there concern that cellular telephones may cause cancer?
There are three main reasons why people are concerned that cellular telephones (also known as "wireless" or "mobile" telephones) may cause certain types of cancer:
Cellular telephones emit radiofrequency (RF) energy (radio waves), which is a form of radiation that is under investigation for its effects on the human body (1).
Cellular telephone technology emerged in Europe in the 1980s but did not come into widespread use in the United States until the 1990s. The technology is rapidly changing, so there are few long-term studies of the effects of RF energy from cellular telephones on the human body (1).
The number of cellular telephone users has increased rapidly. As of December 2008, there were more than 270 million subscribers to cellular telephone service in the United States, according to the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. This is an increase from 110 million users in 2000 and 208 million users in 2005."
We have reached a point where you cannot hide from cell phones. Even if you don't use one, you may be on the train with 20 people who use them. You may be in an apartment building where everyone uses a cell phone. There is no sheild you could use to protect yourself from this type of radiation. It seems like we are conducting a mass human experiment on the effect of radiation from cell phones on the brain, only there is no control group. The 'everybody's doing it" excuse sounds as lame to this phenomenon as it does to the jumping off the bridge scenario.Last week the Maine legislature approved a bill for consideration that would mandate... more
A new revolutionary technology by Samsung called Flexible AM OLED can be bent and hit with a hammer without any damage at all! This is so cool!A new revolutionary technology by Samsung called Flexible AM OLED can be bent and hit... more
Ouch. Swift action? That sounds pretty harsh. However, remember that this is the same guy who told his daughter that if he ever saw her talking on a cell phone in the car, she would be "taking the bus".Ouch. Swift action? That sounds pretty harsh. However, remember that this is the same... more
In this day and age, most large companies monitor your tweets, email, IM and voip messages, sent from their network, for insurance and HR reasons. This surveillance typically includes employee information on public profiles and social networks. This is legal in most states and rarely mentioned in employee manuals or other company documentation.
And now, this cell phone application monitors photos of the workplace, keystroke events, when workers are checking in and out, latest work memos and their billing status (profitability).
I know, few people have anything to hide, however... I think this is an issue about privacy and how new technology used by corporations is affecting it.
By the way, the company who made this application is backed by Benchmark Capital to the tune of $29 million. They also back Twitter, AOL, Linden Lab, Yelp, Ebay, Art.com & Mint, Among others.In this day and age, most large companies monitor your tweets, email, IM and voip... more
Trying to compete with a $99 iPhone is no easy task, but it is even harder when you’re more expensive than the competition. Palm was recently able to bridge the gap by reducing the price to $99 on Amazon, but Wal-Mart is obviously looking to sell a boat load of Pre’s by offering them for a mere $79.99 with a two year contract...Trying to compete with a $99 iPhone is no easy task, but it is even harder when... more
Well, we can't say we didn't see this one coming. At today's meeting, the FCC has said that it will be launching a formal inquiry into the wireless industry and specifically into certain business practices of the big four: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile USA , and Verizon Wireless.
The commission hasn't yet detailed exactly how they're going to go about this, but you can bet they'll be looking into exclusivity deals between handset manufacturers and carriers. And who knows? They might be interested in the whole iPhone / AT&T / Google Voice conundrum, especially if it turns out that AT&T had a hand in dissing the app. According to Reuters, the agency is looking into "how competition affects consumers," with an eye towards further investigations into other areas, including cable and broadband.Well, we can't say we didn't see this one coming. At today's meeting, the FCC has said... more
I don't know if this could ever be a real, functioning mobile phone, but it's a cool concept anyway -- the "Window Phone" by designer Seunghan Song is accurate at providing current weather conditions, and is slim enough to use as a bookmark.
To dial numbers or start texting, all you have to do is breathe on the phone. It sounds easy and efficient, but looks like some for the distant future...what do you think?I don't know if this could ever be a real, functioning mobile phone, but it's a cool... more
TX to teach the Bible in public schools, 90% of US currency has cocaine on it, Canadian Health Care imploding, the Downsizer Dispatch, Philly outlaws talking on the phone while riding a bike, ham sandwiches are the newest health scourge, busting kids for selling lemonade without a permit, and Supreme Court Justice Scalia says there is nothing unconstitutional about executing an innocent man.e
Voting has opened to determine the winner in the Enough Project's Come Clean 4 Congo contest. There are three videos for you to choose which best raises awareness and makes the connection between your cell phone and the war in the Congo.
Make sure you're logged in to your Google-YouTube account. Visit the link and click VOTE. The official rules say you can vote once per hour, so if you're slow at work, you can vote lots!
Tell your friends, enemies, family and complete strangers! Voting ends Sept. 8.
BTW, if you want to help a fellow Current user out, vote for the Black and White video. That's mine. Thank you! If you do, I'd think you are cooler than I already think you are, and that's saying a lot. Thanks!Voting has opened to determine the winner in the Enough Project's Come Clean 4 Congo... more
July 26, 2009 – It’s here! Well, almost. T-Mobile’s new Android-based Google phone hits the market in a little more than a week (Aug. 5), but already the cell phone company’s site is all geared up to offer accessories and a slew of new information about the myTouch smartphone....July 26, 2009 – It’s here! Well, almost. T-Mobile’s new Android-based Google... more
It's time to talk about how we can give up cell-phone use while driving.
Let's stop pretending that we aren't doing it, that we're doing it safely, or that it can be done safely. There's too much evidence that none of these things is true.
We prohibit driving under the influence of alcohol. We should prohibit driving under the influence of cell phones, too. But giving up our phones is hard. How can we do it? How can we maintain what cell phones offer—mobile access—without endangering others?
Let's start with the wireless industry's recommendations. Its "Driving Tips" include these three rules: "Don't Text and Drive," "Place calls when you are not moving," and "Let the person you are speaking with know you are driving; if necessary suspend the call in heavy traffic or hazardous weather conditions."
The research compiled by NHTSA and others shows that conducting phone calls, not just placing them, is too dangerous at the wheel. So the second rule needs to be extended: Use the phone only when you aren't moving. The third rule needs to be similarly amended: Let the person you're speaking with know that you're in a car, that you may soon have to drive it, and that the call must then be suspended.It's time to talk about how we can give up cell-phone use while driving.
Let's stop... more
China just delivered a stunning, real-world demonstration of the changes rocking -- and transforming -- modern journalism.
When deadly riots broke out in the western province of Xinjiang last week, the Chinese government sprang into message control mode. It choked off the Internet and mobile phone service, blocked Twitter and Fanfou (its Chinese equivalent), deleted updates and videos from social networking sites, and scrubbed search engines of links to coverage of the unrest. At the same time, it invited foreign journalists to take a tour of the area.
That's right, it slammed the door in the face of new media -- and offered traditional reporters a front row seat.
China's leaders realized that it's one thing to try to spin the on-the-ground views of bused-in reporters ("To help foreign media to do more objective, fair and friendly reports," in the words of the government's PR agency), but quite another to try to spin the accounts and uploaded images of tens of thousands of Twittering and cell-phone camera-wielding citizens.
The Chinese have clearly learned the lessons of Iran.
The same can't be said about New York Times columnist Roger Cohen who, writing about covering the Iran uprising, recently claimed:
To bear witness means being there -- and that's not free. No search engine gives you the smell of a crime, the tremor in the air, the eyes that smolder, or the cadence of a scream.
No news aggregator tells of the ravaged city exhaling in the dusk, nor summons the defiant cries that rise into the night. No miracle of technology renders the lip-drying taste of fear. No algorithm captures the hush of dignity, nor evokes the adrenalin rush of courage coalescing, nor traces the fresh raw line of a welt.
How bizarre is it that Cohen chooses to attack the tools of new-media-fueled reporting by citing the very event that highlights the power of those tools -- and the weakness of his argument?
Indeed, search engines, news aggregation, live-blogging, and "miracles of technology" such as Twitter, Facebook, and real-time video delivered via camera phones, played an indispensable part in allowing millions of people around the world to "bear witness" to what was happening in Iran.
The truth is, you don't have to "be there" to bear witness. And you can be there and fail to bear witness.
Obviously, there is tremendous value in being an eyewitness. But we have to always keep in mind that the conclusions drawn by eyewitnesses are greatly influenced by the eyes doing the witnessing.
Malcolm Muggeridge famously called this "the eyewitness fallacy" -- the tendency of people to see, in eyewitness accounts, what they want to see.
[more at link]China just delivered a stunning, real-world demonstration of the changes rocking --... more
This week Sergio gets Jiggy Wit It and looks at the top selling rap songs on iTunes. On the list: New Boyz, Young Money, Pitbull, Sean Kingston, and Drake.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at http://current.com/infomania/ or on Current TV. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://infomaniafacebook.com.This week Sergio gets Jiggy Wit It and looks at the top selling rap songs on iTunes.... more
Here are 3 ways to put that cell phone to work at networking events and in making contacts.Here are 3 ways to put that cell phone to work at networking events and in making... more
This week on infoMania Paula Deen tells a weird story about a goat's beard and urine. P-Diddy reminds us why we don't like P-Diddy. Local news stations across the land are on your side. Sarah Haskins looks at every older woman's fantasy show: 'The Cougar.' Ben Hoffman goes for a ride with Kogi BBQ, a taco truck that twittered its way to fame. And Sergio Cilli counts down his favorite summer jams of all time.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at http://current.com/infomania/ or on Current TV. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://infomaniafacebook.com.This week on infoMania Paula Deen tells a weird story about a goat's beard and urine.... more
