Phones

Austrian luxury designer and jeweler Peter Aloisson, creator of one of the world’s most expensive cell phones, has broken new ground—sort of. Sure, there’s nothing new about the whole diamond-studded phone thing, but the iPhone Princess Plus has the distinction of being the world’s most expensive iPhone.

A few days ago, Richard Burkard of Burkard’s Blog of Columbus suggested that we run a sampling of our cell phone ring tones for public opinion. It came in the form of a comment to a post we had run regarding cell phones (ours) and the genuinely stomach wrenching ringtones that came native to them.

I knew that T-Mobile was using Medio Systems as I tested this new mobile content search service in August. A full review has already been written in The Mobile Search analyst and I have also discovered that T-Mobile offers not one but five mobile search providers on its Internet portal. I thought this was a gimmick - but it isn't - now even t-zones and Web 'n' walk are strangely inter-linked.

This is one of the weirdest proposals we think we have ever heard. Researchers Dale Joachim, an MIT electrical engineer and biologist Eben Goodale are proposing giving cell phones to owls.

This gizmo is the Inflight USB Power Unit , a gadget that plugs into the armrest headphone jacks found in most commercial airplane seats to power iPods, cell phones, and similar devices through their USB connections.

Cell phones, coupled with their built-in cameras and the ability to post to a blog or website from anywhere, have made it so “citizen journalists” beat the major media outlets in breaking a story by several minutes and in some cases, several hours. Who better to report on an event that someone who actually saw it happen?

Writing (simple) programs and games for mobile phones has gotten a whole lot easier thanks to Adobe/Macromedia's Flash Lite technology. It basically extends their flagship Flash presentation engine to the realm of mobile handsets by providing a player, similar to that which is installed on desktop PCs, to many of the mobile phones.

Wirefly is the #1 seller of cell phones and plans in the US. They recently announced their Ten Most Popular Cell Phones of 2006. I've provided the list below and, as usual, the ProductCritic scores associated with each phone.

Am I the only who missed the rumor that she was a witch? Could you imagine if she joined that religion? There would be cell phones magically hitting people for no reason.

More specifically, are there certain RSS feeds or pushed data normally found on the desktop that are appropriate for the phone?

This applies to Cingular Wireless, T-Mobile and Nextel phones; Sprint, Verizon Wireless and Alltel subscribers are out of luck, for reasons I’ll explain below.

Very neat and could possibly create a whole new sub genre of cinema veritae. These guys made an entire documentary with cell phone video. Although studies have shown that people actually want less features on cell phones, photo and sometimes video capability just come standard on even base models and likely will in the years to come.

You can use it simply to neutralize the harmful effects of EMF’s in the house — computer, TV, and other electrical appliances, cell phones, microwaves, etc. But usually people also notice other positive effects even if they weren’t looking for them. I started out gridding my house with the small “towerbusters,” and my interest grew from there. I own quite a few larger personal devices that are quite beautiful and powerful.

Isn’t it a great world that we live in? I watched a “documentary” on Discovery on Friday that showed how Captian Kirk changed the world. It seems that people who watched Star Trek got some cool ideas and set on a life adventure to make them come true. Cell Phones, ION pulse engines, transporters, and warp travel are all things that were inspired by some actors making shit up. Awesome.

Today people have telephones, cell phones, email, instant messenger, web sites and e-commerce. These activities leave a digital trail, not just of phone numbers, but the contents of communications, what we buy, what we read, even our physical location is revealed by cell phone records.

Anyway, I didn’t take my laptop. The cell phones didn’t work in Death Valley, and there were no Internet cafes. Yeah, it is nice to totally unplug for a while, to not be a slave to the e-mail monster for at least a brief period, and to be blindly ignorant to news headlines (by resisting the temptation to glance at newspaper headlines in the gift shops). But the price paid upon plugging back in is awful. I’ve spend a big chunk of today slogging through my inbox, and I’m not even close to reading everything (or deleting it) and dealing with the important stuff.

What did people used to do to pass the time at work when there was no internet?! Oh right, they actually got their work done! So my latest client does not have internet access for us. I feel like I am in the stone age. Haha. It really isn’t so bad, but I don’t think I am any more productive than when we did have internet access. I think I end up spending the extra time thinking about what might have possibly hopped into my Inbox while I was at work. And when we contact people that we need to reach immediately, we actually have to use *gasp* our phones! We use our cell phones though because there isn’t a land line in our room. Luckily, I get in touch with the present when I am back in the hotel room. Free wireless internet - huzzah!

The Apple iPhone rumor is played out. Unless you’ve got something real to show us, shut up about it. We’ve hit the point where even year-old rumors are getting recycled, and “analysts” are piling on with their own predictions in an attempt to look with it.

The phone will be connected next Thursday and we’ll let people know via email that number. In the meantime you can reach us on our cell phones, though we’ve had some trouble using them in the new apartment. There is no longer a phone at our old place since we brought the phone and such with us. So, if you really need us, email is going to be your best bet.

If there had been this sort of rigid, unyielding regulation when cell phones were first coming out, I can guarantee that the US would have never developed a cell phone market, and we’d be even further behind the rest of the world in our cell phone technology than we are today (we’re only a half decade or so behind Europe and Japan with our current cell phone tech). Now, the US is going to fall drastically behind the rest of the world in its VoIP technology, too.

Earlier in the week, a story came out of Singapore about a hospital that was allowing its staff to carry mobile phones after tests showed they had no impact on medical equipment. Many hospitals have held to their bans on phones in fear they’ll interfere with equipment, but another new study says there’s actually a big benefit in letting people use them (via Textually). Researchers at Yale have found that the use of cell phones in hospitals reduces their error rates since it allows for more timely communications — and the incidence of interference is lower than the incidence of error caused by delayed communication. Looks like that long-held ban might be hurting things more than it helps.

Be the hit of the party with Drinknation, a new mobile application which brings the breadth and depth of a Bartender�s Bible to the palm of your hand. Whether you�re in a bar or planning a house party, mixology 101 is only a flip (phone) away.

Well, tonight we’re in Eureka Nevada - s till 7 hours from Sacramento. Weather has been kinda scary and we didn’t realize how much mountain driving there would be. My first appointment is 11:30 Tuesday so we have some leeway. Cell phones have had no signal here. More tomorrow night.

I’m not an engineer, and I’m sure there are a great many reasons for not building a TV receiver into cell phones. Multiple standards does not a standard make. Lets just hope the cellcos choose their “standard” with the people (as opposed to their pockets) in mind.

I had the pleasure of being a guest on our arch nemesis’ show - The Redboy Podcast. Fun and merriment were had by all. Cell phones, Aussie Tom, and general geekery were the mainstays of the evening.

I believe it’s quite possible to love someone but not like them very much. I wonder if the cause of so many people’s dissatisfaction or distance from their families comes from the high divorce rate in modern society, like the traditionalists claim. Or, despite the conveniences of cell phones and e-mail, if it’s more possible for a modern person to keep a certain degree of emotional separation from family members now, simply because we were not raised on a farm, all performing chores together, where our group survival depended on each member doing their share. this emotional distance may also be a symptom of our high tech world–so many other options for communication or amusement. Parents split up, working late, spending more time at the office than at home, and at home they’re often busy with their Blackberry or shopping online or watching digital cable. Kids on their cell phones, or im’ing friends, or at the mall or soccer practice or hanging out somewhere in a pack.

I have learned to not ask questions of the girls who are desperately searching for fishnet stockings. . .and to be helpful but internally disapproving of the girls frantically looking for short plaid skirts and children’s size white button-down shirts. I am not sympathetic to the girls that come in chatting on their cell phones and make me feel like I am interrupting them while they are asking me for help. And I try to be as helpful, low-key, and friendly as possible with the guys making their first foray into the wild and frighteningly complex world of women’s hosiery. Because, after all, it has always been my experience that the closer that a holiday becomes, the ruder women become and the kinder men act. Woo-hoo…go men!

Verizon and Samung announced the availability of the new Samsung SCH-a970 cameraphone. This is one tricked out multimedia phone with tons of features including:

As you may know, Amateur Radio has historically played an important role during disasters. In many cases it’s the only reliable means of communications when normal communications, such as landline telephones and cell phones, are not operational (sometimes for weeks). Check out the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL), eHam.net, or send me an e-mail if you’re interested in Amateur Radio.

However, there have been rising concerns that cellular coverage underground may aid terrorists in striking subways. Besides allowing them to communicate through mobile devices, cell phones have been a favorite tool among terrorists to detonate remote bombs; as may have been the case in the Madrid commuter-train bombings that killed 191 last year.

Engadget 1985 is by far the funniest piece of computer geek humor that I’ve read all day. It took me right back to the day I got my first modem—which was actually back in 1991. Cell phones have definitely come along ways since their brief case-sized ancestors debuted. And thank goodness GPS receivers have come down in size and price. Gadgets that cost more than your house just don’t seem like a wise investment no matter how cool. Catch it all and the trendytapecast over at Engadget.

I was reading Oliver Star's Blog today and I saw this.

It turns out that Parks and Associates did some research on what features users wanted to use on mobile devices…

I've been having to make calls back to the UK for the last couple of weeks, and I didn't want my phone bill to be through the roof with roaming charges, so last week I decided to go hunt for a pay as you go phone or SIM (whichever was easiest, and cheapest to come by). First stop was Best Buy, where they had Virgin Mobile pay as you go phones and Moto Boost. Neither are GSM and you have to buy the phone (there is no SIM card), whilst this was appealing I didn't really want to carry 2 phones around, so I asked the sales assistant if they did SIM cards, and his reply was that you just can't get them over here, and that I'd have to buy a Virgin or Moto phone. So disillusioned and concerned for the US mobile phone market, I wandered out and 2 doors found a Cingular store. So I wandered in, asked if they did prepaid SIM cards, and the answer was yes (It's nice to know that I still have the ability to find the incompetent sales assistant in a consumer electronics store (Best Buy) regardless of country).

Tonight I’m home alone with my honey (that’s a happy thing) and the animals, who now outnumber us (not so happy.) Nick is in DC on his way to National Scout Jamboree. (Happy for him, not so happy for me.) Katy is somewhere nearing Japan, where she will land at Osaka Airport in a few hours. (Really, really not happy for me but thrillingly happy for her.) I am a little bit distressed as I have no way to contact her (nor she me, apart from a very prohibitively expensive collect call which I would totally take if she needed to call me) and she’s half a world away. I keep reminding myself that there was a time when there weren’t cell phones and we still managed…I just miss my kids.

Many of you know that when I am not fulfilling my duties as a “Professional Traveler”, I also do some tax consulting as a backup. Ok in all fairness, I do enjoy my tax work & have worked hard to make it a global tax practice, unfettered by cables and anything else that restricts me to one location. Thanks to the wonders of laptop computers, wireless internet access, international cell phones, and Adobe Acrobat, I can (and do) run my practice from anywhere in the world. Even 5 years ago I think this was not possible. Now I roam free and make a living at the same time!

We know that real-time geographic information is here: weather and traffic are examples. We know that remote sensor technology provides these data and can display them on maps. And we know that access via the internet and cell phones is providing anyone who will pay for it the ability to see it. We know that a shop keeper in Shanghai can see traffic congestion in Chicago...but why would he? We just know that he can.

It hanged, just like any other windows powered devices. Been using the phone for almost a week now and I must say I like the features and the clever functions put into it. Being new in the market, it still does have some minor issues I wished they would fix.

When we finally arrived we had to go through airport like security. No food is permitted, including gum, and they only thing electronic you can bring is a camera. No cell phones because of security issues. Upon entering the grounds there is still a good little walk through another entryway to the actual tomb.

The newsletter is a hub of information, or at least is meant to be. The writers, again, focus too much on the fear of the newsletter rather than keeping in mind the need to inform and not scare the crap out of. In the last issue, it was suggested that cell phone usage is a high risk security issue and we’re all better keeping them off except when needing to place a call. The newsletter’s writing suggested there are individuals staked out all over the city, waiting for your cell phone to log on to your provider network so they can steal your credentials. Even better, the newsletter suggested that our cell phones are at risk to becoming “microphones”. I found this to be humorous… “We don’t know where, we don’t know when, but someone is going to hack your cell phone and use it as a mic. That is all…” I understand these are real issue, but c’mon! Do you honestly think somebody wants to listen in on your calls just to hear how your shitty day at work went?

A Norwegian company has developed bridging technology that links cell phones with Skype Technologies’ VoIP service in a configuration that enables users to make worldwide calls at local rates.

can you remember what we did before cell phones, pda’s, and other bullshit electronic gadgets we really don’t need?

Alexandria City Council has approved a new tax on cell phones as part of its fiscal 2006 budget. Residents will pay $3 a month on cell phone bills of more than $30. People on lower-cost plans will be charged ten percent of their monthly bill.

“GPS-enabled cell phones are now mostly a curiosity, Ludford said. However, such technological obscurities have a way of worming themselves into everyday life, which is why researchers are already working on applications.

Place Mail stores the latitude and longitude coordinates of the users’ favorite spots - Washburn Library, Bayer’s Hardware, Discount Video or the Wedge - into the cell phone’s memory. The user also programs in location-specific reminder notes.”

I love the lightness (4.3 oz) and size (large candybar) of the Blackberry. It works as a phone, no questions asked. I'm doing pretty well using the Suretype QWERTY and think it's a boon to solving a key problem with big pdas trying to be cell phones.

I started my sales and marketing career in 1977 as a sales trainee for ASG Industries. My tools were a legal pad, a couple of Bic pens and a secretary named Darlene, who typed everything on an IBM Selectric typewriter. I sat at a Steelcase desk actually made from steel and painted gunmetal grey. This was before fax machines (at least reliable ones), FEDEX, email, cell phones, desktop publishing, the Internet, and all the other tools and technologies available to marketers today.

Cell phones really have changed the way we live. Sometimes I feel like I got into a time machine and landed in the future. Do you know that in Japan and Korea, you can actually watch TV on your cell phone? What else is coming, I wonder.

7. Inconsiderate people leaving their cell phones on audible ring mode. The ridiculous ring tones (for example, the Sanford & Son theme song) are distracting and irritating, especially when some individuals’ cell phones ring ten to twelve times per day.

So, will cell phones be next on the feds' censorship wish list? You better believe it. I'll make a prediction now: Within the next two years, legislation will be introduced proposing the extension of the FCC's current clear-as-mud indecency rules to mobile content and devices.

Yet it's the press that the Bush entourage continually wants to hold responsible for its failures. Rumsfeld, at a recent speech to the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, said that a globalized press in this digital age can instantly spread damaging information. He lamented "a global Internet with universal access and no inhibitions, e-mails, cell phones, digital cameras wielded by anyone and everyone," and "a seemingly casual disregard for the protection of classified information, resulting in a near continuous hemorrhage of classified...

As someone from a smaller city with large-city driving habits, one of my pet peeves is the constant whining about people who talk on their cell phones while driving (usually from people who don’t own cell phones). I came across this article today, and just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to rant. The article is documenting efforts by an increasing number of states to regulate the use of cell phones while driving. From the article (emphasis mine):

Games based on location. Now that is intriguing. I don't know if it would interest ME, per se, but it does sound like a neat concept and something perfect for cell phones.

Eleksen announced a deal with outdoor apparel manufacturer O'Neill to incorporate the fabric in its H2 apparel line, which includes a backpack with a built-in solar panel and coat with a control panel for cell phones or MP3 players. The coat will also contain built-in headphones and microphones, so you won't have to take your coat off to speak or listen to music. A built-in Bluetooth module handles communications and also switches feeds from the MP3 player to the phone and vice versa.

Millions of people carrying camera cell phones or portable instant messaging devices are being encouraged to share what they see, hear, and think as it happens -- and by Google, no less. Think about that: the owners of the world's largest data storage and retrieval system are gathering audio, video, photos, and text messages from all over. Should we be pleased? Or worried?

Anyone who has heard me gripe about cell phones, (and most people who know me have,) might be surprised at this, but cell phones do come in handy at times. I’m thinking about this because I’m really liking my Nextel phone I got with my new job. The walkie-talkie feature is really pretty handy. Of course, with a company phone, you don’t always get everything you want. Two features I’d love to have are text messaging and a camera. I can see where both would be very handy in the everyday working world, (I’d love to be able to take pictures of broken parts I need to order,) but both my last employer and my new one do not allow them. What are your favorite cell phone features? What new ones would you like to see invented?

I. hate. stupid. people. I have very little patience with people who don't have common sense, that's one of the reasons I can't stand my SIL. The other big pet peeve I have is people in movie theaters that put their feet on the seats, talk, play on their cell phones, kick your seat, and rattle packages during the whole movie. I actually have contemplated not going to the movies anymore and just waiting for things to come out on dvd because the general public annoys me so much. It all comes back to the common sense.

Coldplay had hoped to go straight to No. 1 on this Sunday’s British singles chart with its new song, Speed of Sound. But by today, it appeared that Crazy Frog Axel F - which is available for digital download and as a compact disc single in retail stores - would prevail, said Castaldo. The ring tone was expected to replace the Oasis tune Lyla as the No. 1 hit on the list released Sunday by the Official UK Charts Co. The weekly singles chart, which has been released since 1952, is based on the sales of 5,600 retail shops across Britain. While...

All of this week i've been in remote villages in India, which had no electricity, a smattering of landlines that donot work, a few cell phones. And i have been able to chat with friends in the US and UK on Skype and beam pictures to my blog from there. LIVE !

At several levels - the most basic is the invitation to call when you see someone is 'online', or the knowledge that you shouldn't be disturbing someone right now. This doesn't happen with landlines, and unless you send an sms in advance, not on cell phones either. I personally still prefer to send a small chat ping before I call someone, unless I know them really well, in which case, I call them any which way.

- What is it replacing in your basket of communication products both online and off ... IM clients? Landlines? Cell phones?

The team at Skype has done a great job in helping a new generation become aware how easy it is to communicate using VoIP. But before any of us can talk about a true communications revolution, we need to take a hard look at the communication habits of this segment of the "always on" generation and see how much, if any, of their core communication needs is being replaced by the advent of services like Skype rather than depending upon their cell phones and/or other communication products & services.

This survey of 526 U.S.companies has found that 5 percent use GPS technology to monitor cell phones and 8 percent use GPS to track company vehicles."When it comes to workplace computer use,employers are primarily concerned about inappropriate web surfing,with 76% monitoring workers’ website connections.Fully 65% of companies use software to block connections to inappropriate websites".Further,"26% have fired workers for misusing the Internet.Another 25% have terminated employees for e-mail misuse.And 6% have fired employees for misusing office...