PhoneTalk

MacWorld 2009 Preview

by Guest Blogger
Monday, January 05, 2009 (permalink)

We've teamed up with PhoneDog to bring you all the MacWorld coverage starting this week. Check out Noah Kravitz's preview of the show.

What's on tap for MacWorld 2009? The keynote is on Tuesday January 6, and Noah from PhoneDog has your preview of iPhone news and rumors.

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Why doesn’t my cell phone work at my desk but does three feet away?

by Will Taylor Follow me on Twitter
Monday, January 05, 2009 (permalink)

It seems incredibly difficult to believe, but your cell phone signal strength can be totally different even within a small radius of where you are. How can this be possible? Listen to this CBS radio interview with Mike Sugerman to find out and read more about it below.

Cell phone signals will be stronger when you are in “line of sight” to the transmitter. If there is something blocking the path for the transmission, you may not have a good signal. We all know what happens to your car radio signal when you drive through a tunnel. The same thing happens with cell phone signals. Dead zones are particularly an issue inside buildings, parking garages, and elevators built of concrete and steel. The signal can’t always penetrate through the building to reach the phone, which means you will miss calls or have a poor or lost connection. The closer you are to the outside air, even through a window, the more likely it is that you will have good coverage.

The network and the cell phone are constantly communicating with each other and trying to make sure you have the best signal possible. In some cases you may bounce from one transmitter to another. When this happens, you’ll see one or two bars of coverage then none then one or two again.

What can you do if you have spotty coverage or frequently come across coverage holes?

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California drivers can no longer text while driving

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Friday, January 02, 2009 (permalink)

On July 1st of last year, Californians had some using a cell phone while driving laws go into effect. Starting the first of this year, they have another one to add to the list: no texting while driving. This law is not limited to just cell phones, it encompasses any device that can be used for texting. This law was already in effect for drivers 16 and 17 years of age. In short, what this means in for all other drivers on the road in California is if a police officer sees you texting while driving he can pull you over and issue a $20 ticket (in reality, ends up being way more due to additional fees). Additional violations will cost drivers $50. If you do need to text or check your cell phone to access the Internet or anything like that pull over or wait until you get to your destination. That said, there are currently a few applications available that you can use that would allow you to speak a message and then it will be sent to another phone as a text. We'll be reviewing some of these services later this month.

For more information about this law, check out this MSNBC article.

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Happy New Year

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Thursday, January 01, 2009 (permalink)

We wish everyone a happy new year. Remember, the area you live in may have laws in effect about using a cell phone while driving. - LetsTalk.com

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2 Situations where a cell phone can be a real life saver

by Guest Blogger
Wednesday, December 31, 2008 (permalink)

We're accustomed to using cell phones as a routine part of our daily lives, but they can also be a real life saver during unexpected occurrences. So we asked Bloggers around the Internet to share their thoughts on just how useful a cell phone can be during an emergency. Our next post comes from Devin Moore. To read more from Vikram, check out his devinmoore.com notes blog.

There are two main types of emergency one can consider when thinking of using a mobile phone for emergency assistance:

1. Emergencies involving being lost

Unfortunately, there is one significant myth about cell phones that must be dispelled: in an emergency, despite your coverage, your phone may not be in a location that provides you with a signal. Therefore, the most important way to use a cell phone is to be aware of potential emergency situations, and use the cell phone as a means of letting people know that you are headed into the 'great unknown'. For example, if you are going to hike on a trail in a huge national park, call someone before you head out to let them know where you are, and when you should be back. This way, if you happen to get lost or injured on the trail and your cell phone will not get signal, at least someone knows where you are and can expedite help to your approximate location -- since they also know when you should have been back.

The GPS signal on a phone is great, if the conditions for using that signal are met. Depending on your phone, you may get a true GPS satellite tracking ability even without cell signal. This is ideal for conditions where you are lost in the woods, because you can get a bearing back to the last place you had signal, and then use the cell to call from there. GPS doesn't do you much good if you're trapped under a beam in your own basement without signal, though, which leads the discussion to the other type of emergency.

2. Emergencies involving an immediate threat

In the situation of being threatened in some way, anything from being trapped under a beam to some kind of assault, the cell phone is a useful emergency tool -- again, provided you can safely get signal. Cell phones become increasingly useful in getting multiple collaborating reports of traffic accidents or other public emergencies. I highly recommend adding an ICE "In Case of Emergency" number/contact in your contacts list, so that if you should become incapacitated in some way, and someone happens upon your location and/or your (Read more)

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3 Smart ways to handle your cell phone

by Guest Blogger
Tuesday, December 30, 2008 (permalink)

We're accustomed to using cell phones as a routine part of our daily lives, but they can also be a real life saver during unexpected occurrences. So we asked Bloggers around the Internet to share their thoughts on just how useful a cell phone can be during an emergency. Our next post comes from Vikram Deo. To read more from Vikram, check out his Not Another Mobile Phone Blog.

Use of Mobile Phones for safety purposes:

Mobile phone is something that people carry with them day in and day out. If used properly mobile phones can be a good medium to ensure one's safety. GPS function on a mobile phone will let your dear ones know about your location. Also location based services on mobile phones will help you in giving information about nearest Police Station, Hospital, Coast guard. If somebody meets with a mishap on a deserted road in the night, location based services would help him in finding nearest location where he can get assistance.

If your phone has a GPS feature to let other know about your location then travelling with such mobile phone is extremely safe as you would never be virtually alone. Also there are live update services like Twitter, which are also mobile enabled. Twitter lets your friends know what you are doing instantly the moment you update your status. Having Twitter enabled on your mobile phone will help you in keeping in touch with your friends. For example, few months back a guy has wrongly accused and put into a prison in some Middle Eastern country, Twitter helped him in sending out help messages to friends. When you are travelling alone or meet with an accident or somebody is robbing you/your house, you can immediately send a message to Twitter about your situation and it will be displayed to all the people who are following you on Twitter. Though Twitter is a social connectivity service, if used properly, it can be of great help.

Emergency Services for parents:

Nowadays with children carrying mobile phones, it is pretty easy for parent to track them. Use of GPS based mobile phone tracking parents can come to know about the location of their kids. If kids are going to an outing or some camping parents can educate children on how to enable location based services on their mobile phones and use them at the time of emergency. Having a child help line number as one of the hotkey will help parents in taking care of their children during the time of emergency.

Activities to avoid while using mobile phones:

Driving vehicles while using (Read more)

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How a cell phone can help during an emergency

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Monday, December 29, 2008 (permalink)

We're accustomed to using cell phones as a routine part of our daily lives, but they can also be a real life saver during unexpected occurrences. So we asked Bloggers around the Internet to share their thoughts on just how useful a cell phone can be during an emergency. Our first post comes from David Cassel. To read more from David, check out his posts at Tech.Blorge.

Are cell phones useful in crisis? Here's my favorite story. One family received a call from their mother about an emergency at the gas station. "Can you call them and tell them I'm stuck in their carwash?" The car washing mechanism had simply jammed, and she was pinned inside, unable to drive forwards or backwards.

"The stuff was on the side of the car swirling around," remembered a proud publicist for U.S. Cellular. "It was later at night and nobody was around... She didn't know the number of the station, so she called her home..."

That was when U.S. Cellular was trying to tout the advantages of a cell phone in your car -- but it makes an even more important point. Real life is unpredictable. ("I don't know if she would've gotten hurt if she didn't have a cell phone, " the publicist explained, "but she would've gotten wet!") Cell phones can be useful in emergencies -- but they're most useful in situations which are totally unpredictable.

In fact, even in an emergency, remember to use cell phones wisely -- and know when you shouldn't use a cell phone. In the same interview, the spokesperson also told me the story of a woman who driven into a ravine, and placed an emergency call to 911 saying "I'm in my car and it's sinking." He argued that these stories "make you thankful" for your cell phone. But my first thought was that if my car were actually sinking into a ravine, I wouldn't be stopping to make a phone call! I also remember when I interviewed a spokesperson for Verizon Wireless after a 6.8 earthquake had hit Seattle. Cell phones performed pretty well, but the spokesperson admit that "You simply can't build a network where you can have enough capacity that in a crisis, every call will go through the first time." In fact, it turns out that the standard advice for earthquakes is not to place calls unless they're absolutely necessary -- to free up the lines for those who really need them.

Parents love the ideas of tracking their children with (Read more)

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Cell phones In action: LG Decoy

by Aaron Horowitz Follow me on Twitter
Friday, December 26, 2008 (permalink)

We just got in a LG Decoy cell phone for Verizon Wireless. Get a closer look at what’s in the box, watch as I unpack it in the video below.

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Gifts for everyone else on your list

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Wednesday, December 24, 2008 (permalink)

We know finding the perfect gift is no easy accomplishment. In our final installment of holiday gifts, we have picks for everyone else on your list. You can see a complete list of holiday picks in our Holiday Gift Guide.

What to get the City Chic: She’s got a sense of style that comes straight off the pages of Vogue and Elle. So why not give her the cell phone that compliments her fashion savvy? That’s right, the Samsung Behold. It’s a slick looking cell phone with a touch-screen, shiny exterior, and slim profile. Everyone will want to know what phone she’s using.

A Little Something Extra: Since she’s so stylish, she’s probably got a social life to match. Help her find the best places to dine with a year subscription to Zagat To Go that’s available right on her cell phone.

What to get for Cool College Kids: They went off to school with trunks of clothes and new dorm room bedding. The one thing not upgraded on their college list of must haves was probably a new cell phone. Why not give them one that will help them get to class on time and look good doing it, such as the Pantech Matrix? You might even get a few extra text messages next semester since their so quick to tap out on the sliding QWERTY keyboard.

A Little Something Extra:There’s nothing like releasing a little extra energy after weeks of studying for finals. Why not give them a way to funnel their creative juices by signing them up for an account at ToneMine where they can mix their own ringtones. Best part about this gift: It’s free to use and share new tones with other community members.

What to get the Stylish Stud: He looks like he walked right off the pages of GQ or Details. He’s got it all: good looks, his own style and a penchant for the good life. Give him the Samsung Instinct. After all, it’s a lot like him: easy on the eyes and super slick.

A Little Something Extra: Even hot guys use Bluetooth headsets, but they’re stylish enough to remove it once they’re done using it. That’s why the the latest Jawbone 2 Bluetooth headset (Read more)

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T-Mobile eliminates handset upgrade fees

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 (permalink)

Want to upgrade your T-Mobile phone, but don't want to pay the $18 fee for it? No worries, the company recently announced that the company no longer requires the $18 upgrade fee. So, what's holding you back?

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