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Death by Cell Phone
We often regard cell phones as useful little tools that are usually trustworthy. We should perhaps revisit that premise after a man in China was killed when his handset exploded. The unfortunate victim, who was shopping in a Lenovo store at the time of the tragedy, lost large amounts of blood and fatal artery damage when the cell phone in his chest pocket exploded. Sadly, this is not the first time such a death has taken place in China, with seven similar incidents occurring over the past six years. The phone model has not been released, (Something to hide eh?) but experts have pinned the blame on the battery of the cell phone. Unfortunately, China suffers from rather poor manufacturing standards and while it would be premature to blame the assembly line for this…
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The Camera Phone Predator Alert Act Proposed.
Peter King, a Republican from Kentucky, is trying to pass a new bill called The Camera Phone Predator Alert Act. This government buffoon wants all phone cameras to make a noise when a picture is taken, in order to prevent YouTube perverts from taking pictures of rear ends in public. Unfortunately, like many politicians, Peter King was not elected for his ability to incorporate rational thought and due diligence. The Camera Phone Predator Alert Act (Why does the name have to be so long?) does not include video capture, so really Mr. King, what’s the point? And even in the event that this pointless law were to pass, who would enforce it? Hacks for eliminating the snapshot alert would be out in days and local law enforcement does not have the time or the resources to even…
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North Carolina Looking to Implement Download Tax
North Carolina, a state known for football, cowboys and tobacco, could soon be known as the state that taxes software downloads. State and local government actually had the audacity to suggest that electronic items such as games, music, ringtones and other internet goodies should come with the deathly hand of the sales tax. Predictions indicate that state government could earn upwards of eight million dollars from this new tax and that the chances such a tax law will be approved are quite high. While common sense would agree with the government of North Carolina that almost any means of exploiting new revenue streams are feasible and understandable during this economic crisis, there is a great risk of alienating the local yokels for a relatively small amount of money.…
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Juniper Research Makes Bold Prediction
It seems that there are no limits on bold and arguably absurd predictions in the mobile industry. Juniper Research is the latest culprit, accused of trying to make headlines and gain notoriety by creating erratic and potentially dangerous predictions that threaten to negatively influence the unsuspecting public. Juniper Research claims that more than 150 million people will use mobile banking regularly by 2011. Really? How? There are several reasons why Juniper’s prediction is a little hard to swallow. For one thing, there is a huge revenue struggle that is preventing such a service from being fully functional in the western hemisphere. The ‘who gets what’ dilemma is not one that can be solved with ease, as every entity involved in offering mobile banking services will…
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Americans Screwed Again by Big Business
Want to use your cell phone like a credit card? Want to wave your mobile handset to make a purchase at any retailer? If you live in the United States, you’re screwed. Making payments via a wave of your cell phone has been around for years in some parts of the world, but the profiteering scoundrels in America can’t decide how to split the revenue, thus holding back a service that should have been made available to the public years ago. God bless capitalism! Apparently, the supply chain for such a service has become a revenue war, with each link demanding a greater piece of the pie. When one thinks about it, splitting up the proverbial cake amongst credit card companies, financial institutions, carriers, retailers and other third party entities is rather difficult and…
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Text Prank at the University of Florida
At times, it is astonishing to witness how the mobile industry parallels the social evolution of humanity. Unfortunately, it is usually in the form of stupidity that the two cross paths. This dysfunctional relationship was highlighted when an unknown individual sent a text message to thousands of students and faculty members Tuesday at the University of Florida. The text message said “The monkey got out of the cage.” Local police have launched an investigation, with some suspecting the text to contain intent to racially attack President Barack Obama. All this hoopla is rather exaggerated and somewhat pathetic. For one, if someone were to send a racist text to thousands of people, he, she, or it, might as well be pretty blunt, as opposed to cleverly hiding the intended…
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Handset Recycling in Sweden
In a desperate effort regain some last income due to their struggling IKEA and ice fishing industries; Swedes have discovered an untapped gold mine in the mobile industry. Ok, so maybe not all Swedes and maybe there is more to Sweden than ice fishing, but cashing in on old mobile phones is a true stroke of genius. A mobile store near Stockholm is allowing customers to trade in their old phones for some serious cash. This new initiative, called Mobile Compost, will not only put some money in mobile user’s pockets, but is also environment friendly. Apparently, a ton of mobile phones would contain approximately 300 grams of gold. I am not exactly sure where the gold was located in any of the handsets I have owned in the past, yet this recycling program has been embraced so…
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New SMS Record on Inauguration Day?
With Inauguration Day looming, a company called VeriSign, which handles network infrastructure, is predicting that over 1.5 billion text messages will be sent when America’s first African American President finally takes his seat in the mighty imperial throne room… I mean the Oval Office. With thousands expected to mob D.C., the confusion is sure to increase the amount of text messages sent. However, the 1.5 billion estimated by VeriSign seems a little extreme. What could people have to say that will be so important that the current daily record of 803 million texts will be surpassed so convincingly? I can just imagine inane text messages like the following being sent across America:
1)Oooooo, Obama got a hair cut.
2)Hey, I didn’t know Obama was…
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Cell Phones Play Major Role in Gaza Fighting
The war in Gaza has featured plenty of blood, controversy and questionable tactics on both sides of the fence, so to speak. With all the noise and heat surrounding this horrific, but arguably necessary war, the importance of the cell phone in this endless struggle has perhaps understandably not received the limelight it deserves. But make no mistake about it, the cell phone is perhaps the most important tool in this battle and has influenced the strategies used by both sides. Hamas has sent text messages to Israelis with warnings and threats that Qassam rockets would be fired upon them. Israel has also used cell phones, albeit more strategically. Israel hacked the cell phones of Qassam rocket squads who use their mobile devices as their primary means of communication.…
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China to Reach One Billion Phones in 2009
China, long known for its numerous rice paddies, roasted beetles and a fantastic human rights record, can now also be known as a cellular powerhouse. While most us have long sense realized that China has more cell phone users than any other country, (this makes sense because they have the most people) it is now time that we must come to accept the fact that even per capita, China will soon have more cell phones than any other country. China is on track to pass the 1 Billion cell phone mark sometime next year and with currently 979 million phones in circulation, it is highly unlikely that they will not reach that coveted number. China can pride itself on fantastic cellular accomplishment when one considers that there were hardly any cell phones in the entire country…
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