Oct 28

Send-Us-MoneyI am all for respectable charities, and I feel that if you are in a position to share some of your money, time, or knowledge, you should donate to where you feel you can make the most difference. That being said, I do not want charities to start texting me asking for money. Unfortunately, this seems to be a fast approaching reality/annoyance.

During the first timeout in the first quarter of the LSU-Auburn game at Tiger Stadium, United Way sent out over 2,558 text messages asking fans to donate five dollars by texting “LSU” to a certain number. The mass text brought in approximately $8,550 dollars from fans willing to donate to the non-profit organization. Apparently, the five dollars will be billed to their next cell phone bill.

I’m not sure where this kind of campaign falls, legally, but I’m sure if this one was a success, we’ll be receiving these kinds of pleas in the near future.

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Sep 22

Do not txt on your phone and drive! Ford Motors has become the first automotive manufacturer to support the anti-texting ban that has been introduced by U.S. Sen.  Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. Common sense would tell you that it’s not safe to text and drive, but Ford is saying, “Actually, it is – or it will  be.”

Ford is currently developing an improvement to their already popular Sync electronics package, which will convert voice into text  message. Ford reports that approximately 70 percent of the vehicles that they currently sell include the $395 Sync option. Based on  personal experience, Sync actually works very well. While driving your car, Sync enables you to deliver voice commands such as: “Call  (person’s name from your phonebook),” and your car will automatically dial the number and play the audio of the call through the  car’s speakers. With the text addition to Sync, the user will be able to narrate a text message to the system, and the system will convert  the narration into a text message and then send to whatever number or contact that the user wishes.

As the proposed ban on texting gains support, 25 percent of U.S. highway aid will be withheld from any state that does not comply if the ban is passes, it is nice to know that companies like Ford are working to incorporate systems like Sync in order to provide users the opportunity to use features, like texting, that have become a modern day necessity. The Sync system seems to be beneficial to non-texters as well as with Sync, more sets of eyes will be kept on the road where they belong.

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