cell phones

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A Possible Cure for BlackBerry Thumbs
A Possible Cure
for BlackBerry Thumbs
product review
Jul 25, 2008 3:23 PM CDT

A Possible Cure for BlackBerry Thumbs

Gizmo comes complete with claims about treating geeks' aches

(Newser) - If your thumbs ache after hours of texting and gaming, a new gadget may be able to whip your digits back into shape. The Xtensor "exercise device" helps geeks strengthen their wrists and hands or rehabilitate injuries, reports Laptop Magazine, but reviewer Joanna Stern acknowledges that she hasn't had...

Cancer Researcher Warns of Cell Phone Risks

Chief of center in Pittsburgh advises his staff to take precautions

(Newser) - The chief of a cancer institute in Pittsburgh warned his staff today to take precautions with cell phones because of possible health risks, the Post-Gazette reports. The doctor advised people to keep their calls short, text whenever possible to keep phones away from the head, and limit use among children....

iPhone Mania Gets Under Way Across Asia

Apple's upgraded phone goes on sale in Japan, elsewhere

(Newser) - The new iPhone model went on sale in the Asia-Pacific region, with throngs at one Tokyo store counting down the last 30 seconds in unison. The celebration is part of a global rollout in 22 nations of the 3G, or third-generation, wireless connecting iPhone, an upgrade of the model that...

Dogs Fetch Contraband Cell Phones in Jails

Md., Va. among states using canines to bust crooks' outside contact

(Newser) - Dogs, it turns out, can sniff out more than just bombs and drugs. Authorities in Maryland and Virginia have canines rooting out cell phones, described by one official as "perhaps the worst type of contraband" in today's prisons. The increasingly tiny devices are easy to smuggle in, the Washington ...

Troubled Sprint Woos Angry Subscribers

New CEO tries personal approach with customers, staff

(Newser) - Facing upset customers, merger fallout, and peeved execs, Sprint’s new CEO started the job with his work cut out for him. The company has the sector's highest rate of customer dissatisfaction. But by getting personal with patrons and employees, new boss Daniel Hesse is fighting to save the company,...

Hands-Free Phones Still Dangerous Driver Overload

Scientists say any kind of phone use makes for risky driving

(Newser) - California motorists are now banned from using cell phones, but scientists say the move won't make the freeways any safer, reports the Los Angeles Times. Research shows that it is the lack of attention rather than occupied hands that impacts safety, and that drivers chatting on phones with both hands...

States to Motorists: Hang Up
 States to Motorists: Hang Up 
Jun 27, 2008 2:10 PM CDT

States to Motorists: Hang Up

Number of tickets issued soars since states make talking a primary offense

(Newser) - It might be time to get that hands-free cell: Tickets for phone use while driving are skyrocketing, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. States are increasingly making yakking behind the wheel a primary offense, meaning police can pull motorists over just for that. California and Washington next week join New York, Connecticut,...

Forget Batteries —Get Ready for Fuel Cells

They could soon be a better choice to power laptops, phones

(Newser) - Think fuel cells are just for cars? Think again. Their real value may be to power portable electronics such as laptops and cell phones. Fuel cells that use methanol, rather than gasoline, could replace batteries in electronics. They last much longer and take just a moment to refuel—and they're...

Physicist: No, Cell Phones Can't Pop Corn

Far-fetched YouTube videos smell like viral marketing campaign

(Newser) - YouTube videos showing three people popping corn with their cell phones have taken the Internet by storm, but apparently aren’t for real, Wired reports: A physics professor says the feat just isn’t possible. Instead, the videos look like a viral marketing campaign. The phones seem to be the...

iPhone May Be Too Low-Tech for Japan

Consumers love their gizmos, and Apple has relatively few

(Newser) - The new iPhone will be in Japan at the end of the year, but it may not be souped up enough for consumers there, Wired reports. Japanese phones tend to have an endless array of cool features such as live TV and Wii-style games. Even though most people hardly ever...

Verizon Seeks Alltel Deal, Challenge to Top Dog AT&T

Wireless companies are in negotiations to cover 80 million customers

(Newser) - Verizon Communications is in negotiations to buy wireless carrier Alltel, a merger that would cover 80 million US subscribers and create the nation's biggest cell-phone company, the Wall Street Journal reports—though the potential $27 billion deal could easily fall through. But if it's consummated, and the feds see no...

Phone Data Used to Map Human Activity

Study, outside US, finds ingrained habits, raises privacy issues

(Newser) - Researchers using mobile-phone data to study patterns of human movement find that we're quite creatures of habit, the BBC reports. The 100,000 randomly selected subjects—outside the US, where such tracking would be illegal, the AP notes—remained mostly in the same small area, traveling less than 6½ miles...

If Brain Surgeons Only Use Their Cells on Speaker ...

... perhaps we all should worry about brain cancer—though studies unclear on link

(Newser) - Experts, including the American Cancer Society, say cell-phone use doesn’t increase the risk of cancer. So why do three prominent neurosurgeons avoid holding phones up to their ears? The debate has been reopened, the New York Times reports, by the surgeons’ recent comments on CNN and by Ted Kennedy’...

Cell Phone Market Nears Saturation

Which means services for customers should get better

(Newser) - The number of Americans signing up for cell phone service is slowing down after more than a decade of explosive growth, reports USA Today. Within a couple of years, experts say, just about everybody who wants a cell phone will have one, meaning good news for consumers as companies focus...

Apple Eyes Solar-Powered Gadgets

iPods and iPhones could soon harness sun's power with new patent

(Newser) - Apple is seeking a different kind of moment in the sun, reports Forbes, as the behemoth has filed a patent that would integrate solar cells with its iPods and iPhones. The technology would boost the amount of area available for cells, paving the way for truly mobile gadgets free totally...

Yes On Phones, No On Talking: Poll

Passengers would use cell's silent features, don't want neighbor yammering in their ear

(Newser) - Americans want wireless service on airplanes, but not voice calls, PC World reports. A survey finds 60% would use silent features like texting and email, but 74% think that no matter what, conversations shouldn’t be allowed. Americans "don't want to be forced to listen to the conversation of...

Cellphone Sales Drop
 Cellphone Sales Drop 
May 20, 2008 2:35 AM CDT

Cellphone Sales Drop

Recession driving down sales

(Newser) - The cellphone market is experiencing a significant sales slide, with the most serious decline so far among lower-income users, reports the Wall Street Journal. Studies reveal first quarter sales dips ranging from 5% to  22%. Analysts expect growth to slow even further. The market may be reaching saturation with 83%...

Bluetooth Gets a Makeover
 Bluetooth 
 Gets a 
 Makeover  
PRODUCT REVIEW
May 15, 2008 2:19 PM CDT

Bluetooth Gets a Makeover

Walter Mossberg reviews Aliph and Plantronics new offerings

(Newser) - As more states push “hands-free” rules on drivers, ridiculous-looking wireless headsets only get more common. But two firms, Aliph and Plantronics, are attempting to address that. While the Wall Street Journal’s Walter Mossberg finds the “jewelry-esque” makeover of both models pleasing, it’s the functionality of Aliph’...

Consumers Giving Up Landlines
Consumers Giving Up Landlines
May 14, 2008 8:29 AM CDT

Consumers Giving Up Landlines

One-sixth of US households are now wireless

(Newser) - Mobile and Internet-based phones are replacing landline phones in US households as younger Americans lead a movement to newer technologies, reports USA Today. The number of homes depending on wireless phones jumped 159% between 2004 and 2007. Nearly 35% of people 25-29 years old lived in wireless-only households in the...

Air Passenger Charged After Not Ending Call

Businessman wouldn't hang up cell phone during Texas flight

(Newser) - An air passenger was charged yesterday with disorderly conduct after refusing to stop talking on his cell phone on a flight from Austin to Dallas. A spokesman for Joe David Jones' company told the Dallas Morning News the businessman was trying to reach the hospital where his father was being...

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