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Verizon pitches standardized early termination fee proposal to FCC
Good news for those of us who change carriers on a weekly basis: Verizon Wireless (with consultation from other major carriers) and the FCC are negotiating a proposal to standardize early termination fees across the wireless industry, limiting the damage the fees might do to your pocket. The proposal would allow consumers to cancel service within 30 days of the contract (which most of the major carriers already allow), or within 10 days of receiving the first bill. In addition, it would set a cap on fees, and prorate them based on how far the customer is into their contract (which some carriers, such as AT&T, have already announced plans to implement.) Of course, none of the carriers are looking to limit revenue without something in return, so the proposal doesn’t come…
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Japanese Bra Charges Mobile Phones Using Solar Power
Japanese lingerie maker Triumph unveiled a Solar Power Bra featuring a solar panel that can generate enough energy to charge a mobile phone or iPod. The Solar Power Bra requires a solar panel to be worn around the stomach to gather direct sunlight. The concept bra will not be in stores anytime soon, said Triumph spokeswoman Yoshiko Masuda, as "people usually can not go outside without wearing clothes over it." The Green-colored brassiere should not be washed or worn in the rain as well. "It is very comfortable and I can really feel involved in eco-friendly efforts as well," model Yuko Ishida said. Eco-friendly items are now fashionable in Japan, and the Solar Energy Bra follows the company's other green-themed undergarments that include a bra that…
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iPhone case maker shows off 3G iPhone's new look
iPhone case manufacturers are arguably some of the more reliable source for upcoming iPhone mock-ups. Why? Well, in order to get cases and accessories prototyped and pushed into different retail channels in time for a device-launch, certain manufactures are privy to precise and specific details on not-yet-launched devices' dimensions. The UI and other cosmetic details might not be accurate, but the 3G iPhone's dimensions help give us a pretty clear idea about the shape of Apple's next-generation iPhone. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see that XSKN, a little known iPhone case maker, posted images today that seem to show the upcoming 3G iPhone in all its tapered-edge glory. The images were meant to show off the "EXO Mask iPhone 3G," but they also give…
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China allows bloggers, others to spread quake news
Almost nonstop, the uncensored opinions of Chinese citizens are popping up online, sent by text and instant message across a country shaken by its worst earthquake in three decades. "Why were most of those killed in the earthquake children?" one post asked Thursday on FanFou, a microblogging site. "How many donations will really reach the disaster area? This is doubtful," read another. China is now home to the world's largest number of Internet and mobile phone users, and their hunger for quake news is forcing the government to let information flow in ways it hasn't before.
A fast-moving network of text messages, instant messages and blogs has been a powerful source of firsthand accounts of the disaster, as well as pleas for help and even…
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New Dior Phone Targets China, Russia
French luxury-goods company Christian Dior SA Wednesday will unveil a line of mobile phones, extending beyond its traditional fashion business to boost sales, particularly with brand-hungry consumers in new markets such as China and Russia. The new Dior phone -- priced from ?3,500, or $5,000, and up -- comes after competitors such as Prada SpA and Dolce & Gabbana have turned their fashion-branded mobile phones into significant businesses. "In the same way that we have developed our watch and jewelry lines, we want to increase sales with the phone," Dior Chief Executive Sidney Toledano said in an interview.
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Palestinian girls, dating, and the mobile phone
Last fall, Hiyam Hijazi-Omari and Rivka Ribak presented a paper called "Playing With Fire: On the domestication of the mobile phone among Palestinian teenage girls in Israel" at AOIR. They studied teen girls who received their mobile phones from their boyfriends and hid them from everyone else. Through this lens, they examine how the mobile phone alters social dynamics, relationships, and the construction of gender in Palestine. In short, they document how culturally specific gendered practices (not technological features) frame the meaning and value of technology. Palestinian boys give their girlfriends phones for the express purpose of being able to communicate with them in a semi-private manner without the physical proximity that would be frowned on. At…
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Big Brother’ database for phones and e-mails
A massive government database holding details of every phone call, e-mail and time spent on the internet by the public is being planned as part of the fight against crime and terrorism. Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecoms companies would hand over the records to the Home Office under plans put forward by officials.
The information would be held for at least 12 months and the police and security services would be able to access it if given permission from the courts. There will also be concern about the ability of the Government to manage a system holding billions of records. About 57 billion text messages were sent in Britain last year, while an estimated 3 billion e-mails are sent every day.
Home Office officials have discussed the option of…
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Teclast T50 offers multi-touch & more...
Teclast has begun offering one of the few media players beyond the iPod touch to supply a multi-touch display, according to an update from a firm picking up the device. The T50 shares a very similar software interface to that of the Apple player and recognizes multi-finger input: swipes with two fingers zoom through images. The interface is also sensitive enough to recognize flicks and other quick gestures for scrolling through lists. Along with a smaller 2.8-inch screen, the T50 differs from its Apple inspiration in its native support for radio, audio recording, and explicit e-book support with a text-to-speech function; it adds support for AVI, DivX, Flash, and XviD videos in addition to more conventional MPEG-4 video. Teclast is still said to be in the early stages…
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Report: Apple, Labels in Talks on Mobile Music, iTunes Pricing
Apple (NASD: AAPL) is in talks with some of the major labels on offering a wider selection of ringtones and a mobile music delivery service, while at the same time the labels are pressing Apple to budge on its 99-cent song pricing at the iTunes Store, The New York Times reported. Apple is reportedly very interested in offering ringback tones, as well as over-the-air song downloads to the iPhone -- both of which are traditionally priced higher than regular ringtones and PC-based song downloads, respectively. Apple has stood firm on its 99-cent song download pricing at the iTunes Store, while the labels have continually pushed for more flexible, variable pricing -- where new releases and hits could be priced higher than 99 cents, while older tracks might cost less.…
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Verizon Wireless to Introduce Linux Phones
Verizon Wireless is backing a free operating system that competes with programs from Microsoft, Google and Qualcomm and expects it to become the "preferred" software on its network. The No. 2 U.S. mobile service joined a consortium working on a Linux-based mobile operating system expected to rival a mobile system being developed by a group headed by Google. The announcement follows signals last month that AT&T would support Android, the Linux operating system being developed by Google and about 30 partners. "Verizon Wireless is demonstrating itself a champion of openness in mobile innovation by joining the board of LiMo Foundation," said Morgan Gillis, executive director of LiMo Foundation. "Major wireless service providers from across North…
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