Sep 21

Your Mobile Phone Can Help You Save Your City

By Chris Samaras Phones In The News 1 Comment »

CitySourced-Logo

The political action group FreedomSpeaks.com has recently launched a company called CitySourced, whose goal is to give the average citizen the ability to improve their city. CitySourced will soon release a pretty cool application for Blackberries, the iPhone, and Palms. The app will allow smartphone users to report any problems that they encounter in their city such as potholes, graffiti, fallen trees, etc., instantly. Via the app, any notification sent from a citizen will go straight to the city department responsible for fixing the issue.  GPS will even tell the department exactly where the problem was reported.

The program was demonstrated at the TechCrunch 50 conference in San Francisco earlier this month, and the city of San Jose, California has already purchased the program. Palm has also invested in the program, and they plan on marketing the app in conjunction with their phones in the near future. The app should be available for Blackberrys and the iPhone by the end of November.

Pete Constant, a member of the San Jose City Council who participated in CitySourced’s demonstration said that, “Currently, people typically wait until they get home to report a problem and may not do it for a few days, he said. The tool should also save city workers some of the time they now spend looking for problems.”

Once the program is in place in your city and you encounter a problem, filing a report will be quite simple. You need only to take a picture of the problem, open the application, choose a report type from a menu, type a few words in the report box, and hit send. There will also be a way for you to rate the severity of the problem so that the city will be able to prioritize responses.

The app seems like a great idea as long as the city is quick to respond by fixing the reported issues. Undoubtedly, conscientious citizens of major cities across the US are eager to participate in the improvement of their city, given the convenient opportunity. For more, visit the complete article from The New York Times.

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Sep 20

What does Google Voice do for Your Cell Phone?

By Chris Samaras Interesting Phone Stuff, Phones In The News 2 Comments »

voice-main-videoGoogle Voice is a new service from Google that is speculated to have an enormous impact in the lives of tech savvy people across the globe (even though it is only available for American users at the moment.) The service is centered around the idea that people are trying to get a hold of you not the phone that you pick up, meaning that when someone calls your Google Voice number, you can have it programmed so that up to six different phones ring simultaneously. People no longer have to figure out whether or not you are at home, at the office, near your cell phone, or at your vacation house. You can program your contacts so that they ring at only some of your six possible phones so that if your boss calls, only your work phone will ring. But if your son calls, all six phones will ring.

So what does it mean for your cell phone? Well, to really take advantage of Google Voice with your cell phone, you need a cell phone that has WIFI. The best part of Google Voice is that it’s totally FREE, but it is an Internet program so you need WIFI in order to get around being charged by your cell phone carrier. Once connected to the Internet via your cell, you can use Google Voice to call any cell phone or landline in the U.S. for free! You can also send and receive texts for free as well. In a nutshell, Google Voice is your new secretary who receives all of your calls/text messages and then forwards them to wherever you have instructed. Here is a list of some other features that make Google Voice appealing for the cell phone user:

Voicemail – Your Google Voice number comes with a cutting edge voice mail service. When someone starts leaving a voicemail, you can press a button on your cell and listen in on the message they are leaving. If you decide the call is important, you can answer it while they are leaving the message. Another great feature is that Google Voice’s voicemail program will transcribe the voicemails that are left into text and then send you the text via email and text message.

Call Recording – When someone calls you, you can press 4 at any time during the call, and Google Voice will start recording the call. When you press 4 again, the recording will stop, and the recorded segment of the call will then be forwarded to your in box. So when you are driving and can’t get to a pen and paper, just hit 4 and record whatever information you need.

Conference Calls – If you are having a conversation and someone else calls, you can add them to your call, and up to three more callers, creating a conference call.

Cheap International Rates – When using Google Voice to call overseas, you will receive much cheaper international rates than what your current service provider will charge. Calling a landline in London, for example, costs two cents per minute with Google Voice, where as it would cost $1.29 with AT&T or Verizon if you don’t have an international calling plan.

Spam Blocker – You can tag numbers as spam so any time the number calls again, it is automatically forwarded to a spam folder.

For more about Google Voice, visit their home page.

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Sep 20

Top 10 Cell Phones in Terms of Radiation

By Chris Samaras Interesting Phone Stuff, Phones In The News 1 Comment »

Cell Phone Radiation RiskAlthough the debate as to whether or not mobile phones are dangerous to users is still heated, the undeniable fact remains that all cell phones emit some level of radiation. There are standards in place, however, which are set by the Federal Communications Commission, by which all cell phone companies must abide. Currently, the standard requires that all cell phones must emit 1.6 W/kg or lower.

The government watchdog group, the Environmental Working Group, has completed an extensive study on cell phone radiation, and their vice president of research feels that people who have used a cell phone for more than ten years have an increased risk for brain and mouth tumors. France, Germany, and Israel are concerned by cell phone radiation to the point that they have issued mobile phone usage limits, especially for children.

CTIA, the wireless industry lobbying association, strongly disagrees and claims that years of scientific study show that cell phones pose no serious risk to the user. The American Cancer Society, the World Health Organization, and the Food and Drug Administration all agree that it is perfectly safe to regularly use a mobile device. It is comforting to receive guarantees from such credible associations as these, however, as a consumer, it is always nice to have all the facts and statistics on hand. That being said, below is a list of the ten best and worst mobile phones in regards to the amount of radiation they emit.

The Top 10 Mobile Phones that Emit the Least Radiation (Watts per Kilogram):

  1. Samsung Impression SGH-a877           0.35
  2. Motorola Razr V8                                     0.36
  3. Samsung Impression SGH-t229            0.38
  4. Samsung Rugby SGH-a837                     0.46
  5. Samsung Propel Pro SGH-i627              0.47
  6. Samsung Gravity SGH-t459                    0.49
  7. T-Mobile Sidekick                                      0.50
  8. LG Xenon GR500                                      0.52
  9. Motorola Karma QA1                                0.55

10.  Sanyo Katana II                                               0.55

Top 10 Mobile Phones that Emit the Most Radiation (Watts per Kilogram)

  1. Motorola Moto VU204                         1.55
  2. T-Mobile MyTouch 3G                         1.55
  3. Kyocera Jax S1300                                1.55
  4. BlackBerry Curve 8330                        1.54
  5. Motorola W385                                     1.54
  6. T-Mobile Shadow                                  1.53
  7. Motorola C290                                       1.53
  8. Motorola i335                                         1.53
  9. Motorola Moto VE240                         1.52

10. BlackBerry Bold 9000                                1.51

It is important to reiterate that all phones on this list are under the 1.6 w/kg limit that the Federal Communications Commission has set as the maximum. The Federal Communications Commission feels that all phones on this list are perfectly safe for the consumer. But if after reading this article, you feel as though you may want to exchange your current phone for something at emits a little less radiation, there is some good news – many phones on the lower side of the radiation spectrum are currently being sold after being refurbished for a fraction of their original cost. This means that, buy purchasing a refurbished cell phone, it may not cost you much to decrease the amount of radiation to which you expose yourself. To find complete list of more than 1,000 phones that were tested for this study, click here.

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Sep 20

Is It Legal to Unlock My Cell phone or Buy an Unlocked Cell phone?

By Chris Samaras Interesting Phone Stuff No Comments »

It is Legal to Unlock your Cell PhoneFor the consumer, the answer is yes. The law on this topic is called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). This act was originally created to prevent people from using technology to get around copyright – protected barriers that have been placed in the software of electronic devices such as cell phones. This act, originally, made it illegal to unlock your cell phone so that it could be used with a carrier other than the carrier for whom the device was originally produced. In November of 2006, however, an exemption was passed that allows consumers to unlock their cell phones “for the sole purpose of lawfully connecting to a wireless telephone communication network.” This exemption makes it legal for a consumer to unlock their cell phone (or purchase an unlocked cell phone) as long as the only reason they are doing it is to use the phone with a different carrier. This was great news for consumers, but the exemption was only approved for three years. In November of this year (2009), the Librarian of Congress will have to issue a re-ruling of this act.

Naturally, several major companies are strongly apposed to allowing people to have their cell phones re-programmed, but there are several companies who are pushing to further the allowances approved in the current exemption. MetroPCS, Pocket Communications, and The Wireless Alliance have all submitted proposals very similar to the original exemption, but they have all requested that the original wording be changed to allow the unlocking of cell phones “regardless of commercial motive,” which would basically make it legal to unlock cell phones for any reason. This would greatly benefit the companies who purchase large amounts of phones and unlock them with the sole purpose of selling them for a profit.

Companies like CTIA, Apple, and Virgin Mobile are strongly apposed to any modification to cellular products. These companies are arguing that unlocking a cell phone breaks more than just the “lock” that prevents a phone from being used with a different carrier, and it damages other software that can cause the phone to function improperly. They argue that altering a phone, which, in turn, will cause it to work improperly, creates a false image of the company whose logo is printed on the device.

Until November, as a consumer, you are not violating any laws by having your cell phone unlocked if you do it so that you can use your phone with a different carrier. Purchasing an unlocked cell phone is also completely safe as you, the consumer, did not actually unlock the phone. It seems unlikely that the Librarian of Congress would remove the exemption allowing consumers to have their phones unlocked. What remains to be seen is whether or not they will vote to allow the unlocking of cell phones “regardless of commercial motive.”

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Sep 20

How to Use Your Cell Phone to Pick Up Women (Or Men)

By Chris Samaras Cell Phone How To's 1 Comment »

If Fresh Prince Had A Cell PhoneThe idea for this article came when I was watching an old episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air the other day. Will was in a bar and delivered one of the funniest pick up lines I’ve heard in awhile. He walked up behind some very attractive woman, put his phone down in front of her, and said, “Why don’t you put your number in that before I don’t want it anymore more.” Obviously, no one makes things sound cool like the Fresh Prince, but you’d have to be a total troll to not to at least get a smile with that one.  (Note – Will didn’t really have a cell phone when he did it, but that’s how the cell phone version would have gone down.)

Will Smith makes it look easy on TV, but a friend of mine actually pulled this next one off in real life. Tom, we’ll call him, swung by the local Wal-Mart on his way to the bar, and picked up the cheapest pre-paid phone he could find. When he met us at the bar, he loaded the phone up with a 20 minute card and then called his own phone, declined the call, and then saved the number as “The Chosen One.” As the night went on, we had forgotten about the whole plan in the making until Tom said, “There she is. The hottest girl of the night.” Before we could ask what was going on, he was on his way over to her table. When he got there, he smiled at her, took the cell phone out of his pocket, put it on the table in front of her, and said, “I’ll call you later,” then walked away. We were all impressed that he had the balls to attempt such a pre-meditated hail Mary, but our awe turned to worship when we found out that they talked for an hour later that night and then met up for dinner the following.

These two are just straight up awesomely bad pick up lines that require a cell phone for the full affect. Number one: “Pardon me, but I lost my phone number. Can I borrow yours?” Number two: “There is something wrong with my cell phone. It doesn’t have your number in it.” If you decide to actually take these out into the field, you’d better consult Will Smith himself for some delivery tips.

If you are up for doing a little acting, this one should definitely work, especially if your potential pick up is on the shallower side. This pick up routine works best if you have a phone that gets a quick Internet connection. When you are at the bar, bring a buddy and work your way within earshot of your potential pick up. Once in place, visit http://popularitydialer.com/ from your phone, where you can program the website’s auto-dialer to call yourself. Schedule the website to call you every 45 seconds or so. The website allows five free scheduled calls, which should be more than enough to get the point across. Once your phone starts ringing, get ready to drop the following, “Ah man, I hooked up with this girl the other night, and she will not stop calling!” Follow it up on the next call with something along the lines of, “This must be like the 20th call today.” If you can get creative enough with your reactions, your desired pick up should be unable to resist commenting on the situation… and there is your window. Note – If you do not have internet on your phone, just have your buddy dial you repeatedly from his pocket.

This last one is of my own creation, but it involves a bit of risk and relies heavily on timing. You also need a wingman. If you see a woman you’d like to pick up, you need to make sure that you get a seat at the bar next to her. Before you do, however, re-program your buddy’s name in your phonebook to read: “You are really cute, please answer me.” After you’ve been sitting next to the woman long enough to have established yourself as a non-threat, wait for her to turn away and then place your phone as close to her drink as possible. Make a quick exit to a place where you can still see the girl. When you are sure that she has noticed that you’ve left your phone, call your phone from your buddy’s. Once she answers, you’re on your own.

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Sep 20

Five Facts You Didn’t Know About Cell Phones

By Chris Samaras Interesting Phone Stuff, Phones In The News 1 Comment »

Buy Art Using Your Cell PhoneI’m sure there are millions of things that the average cell phone user does not know about cell phones and what they are being used for, but here are five facts from recent news:

  1. 1. You can use your phone to buy art – A new cell phone app allows you to bid on and purchase fine art, and jewelry, from your cell phone. Art auctioneer Saffronart hopes to take advantage of technology to boost the declining sales in fine art. The application, which is reported to be the first of its kind, allows cell phone users to preview items being auctioned and when they want to place a bid on an item, they simply text the bid via their mobile phone. Saffronart has an auction coming up this fall during which art collectors may use the app to bid on works by contemporary Indian artists Akbar Padamsee, Subodh Gupta, Surendran Nair, S.H. Raza, and Manjit Bawa. For more information, visit: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090904/lf_nm_life/us_india_shopping_1
  2. 2. You can use your cell phone to order the paper – The publication, The Economist, is currently offering a new service to its readers in New York City. Instead of having to walk to the newsstand to pick up a copy of the publication, you can now order a copy to be hand delivered to your door, online. If you register with The Economist, you will receive an outline of Friday’s issue’s headlines on Thursday night. If you are interested in purchasing the issue, you simply reply with a yes, and the issue will be delivered to your door by 6 a.m. This New York trial requires that you go online to order the delivery, but a previous trial in London allowed you to order by simply replying to a text message. The Economist plans on offering this text feature by the time the program goes nation wide in the US. For more information, visit: http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=138789
  3. 3. You can use your mobile phone to redeem coupons – Companies like 8coupons, Cellfire, Yowza, and Zavers are now offering coupons from thousands of major companies via text messages. Instead of having to cut a coupon out and carry it to the store, you can now simply show the cashier the text message and they will enter the code in the message, allowing you to receive your discount. Most of these services allow you to choose which types of companies that you receive coupon texts from so that you don’t receive coupons that you are not interested in. For more information, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/29/technology/29coupon.html?_r=1
  4. 4. Cell phones are now better than sex and chocolate – Humanity has become so dependent on their cell phones that a survey carried out on behalf of Lumison shows that out of the one thousand British people polled, seventy five percent of them reported that they could not do without their cell phone for more than 24 hours. The survey then asked which of the following would you rather give up for one month: Chocolate, alcohol, sex, or your mobile phone. 62 percent said chocolate, 23 percent said alcohol, 8 percent said sex, and 7 percent said their mobile phone. For more information, visit: http://www.techdigest.tv/2009/08/mobile_phones_-.html
  5. 5. Over 50% of American 12 year-olds have Mobile phones – Richard Mullins of the Tampa Tribune reports that surveys from The Pew Internet and American Life Project show that 51% of all American 12 year-olds now have cell phones. This figures have spiked since 2004, when only 18% of 12 year-olds had cell phones. As these children age, the numbers continue to climb. Currently, 72% of all 14 year olds in America have cell phones. For more information, visit: http://www.xchangemag.com/hotnews/More-Than-Half-of-All-12-Year-Olds-Have-Cell-.html
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