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| [ November 18, 2003 ] |
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SMS and Marketing
A Cellphone Telemarketing Back Door
Two telemarketing-industry trade groups have asked federal regulators to shield companies who accidentally call cellphones due to the onset of number portability, a potential back door to wireless telemarketing, according to the WSJ.
News, Buzz
Inmate Sentenced for Nextel Phone Scam
An inmate who used a jail telephone to impersonate Hollywood executives and dupe Nextel Communications out of more than 1,000 cell phones was sentenced Monday to more than 11 years in prison, according to 1010 Wins.
"Federal prosecutors said Sabatino, claiming at various times that he was an executive of movie houses like Sony and Viacom, talked Nextel into sending the phones, which he claimed were for movie shoots.
A federal complaint said videotapes from the jail show Sabatino spent as much as eight hours a day on the phone".
Studies and Research
 Remote Possibilites
A must read, Clive Thompson's article for the New York Times Magazine, entitled Remote Possibilites, which looks into some of the many (weird) ways today's mobile phones are used:
-- As teleportation devices : Wiring your house so that it can be remotely manipulated by mobile phone -- turning kitchen appliances on and off from the supermarket, for example. cf «Mealtime»: Text your kitchen appliances.
-- Feeding your cat left at home from anywhere in the world using your mobile phone, thanks to a remote control pet feeder.
-- Viewing a Webcam that allows you to zoom in or pann the room, turned on at home to check on a nanny with your kid, or on an elderly relative, contorlled and seen through from a mobile phone.
-- Cameraphones are bringing on great changes, making us live in a world with a million prying eyes - Mobile-phone executives are already talking about the advent of ''citizen reporters'' and a world where news breaks first via handsets.
Some interesting studies:
-- Mobile phones are making us ruder: 71 percent of mobile-phone users admit they are now consistently late for social events. Why? Because they can send a flurry of text-messages explaining where they are, how fast they're moving and precisely when they'll arrive, down to the minute.
-- Teenagers -- think nothing of sending dozens of messages a day to a single friend, keeping them in almost telepathic contact with each other. Qnd partners who do not live together may trade up to 100 text messages a day.
-- The single most commonly sent text message is ''Where are you?''
-- Mobile-phone texters, actually feel more disconnected from the world around them. ''When you're waiting for the bus and it's late, you could talk to the person next to you. But if you're texting to someone, you won't talk to that stranger,''
-- 20 percent of Norwegian teenagers are up past midnight at least one night a week texting with friends, destroying their sleep habits.
New SMS Services
SMS police to keep your homes safe
Residents of Kuala Lumpur can now notify the police via the short messaging service (SMS) when they are away for the Hari Raya so that the police can patrol their houses, according to Utusan Malaysian Online.
Bullying by SMS
Cyber-bullies make it tough for kids to leave playground
Early research says 20 to 30 percent of kids in America report being the victim of a bully, according to the Detroit Free Press.
"The emergence of cyber-bullies has coincided with what Glenn Stutzky, a school safety violence specialist, calls the rise of the "always-connected" generation -- teens who have grown up with computers and the Internet. Add cell phones to the equation -- one in three kids ages 10 to 19 now has his or her own cell phone, according to a study by the Yankee Group market research firm -- and "you have a generation that is in constant communications with a wide network of their peers no matter where they are."
For related stories on Bullying by SMS, cf this category in Textually.org
SMS and Politics
 Airwaves buzzing on eve of Bush visit
With President George W. Bush due to touch down on British soil Tuesday, Internet message boards, mobile phones and pagers are buzzing with the sounds of protest, and police are scrambling to catch every word, reports Bernhard Warner, European Internet Correspondent for Reuters.
"What you have now is the equivalent of battlefield soldiers. That's what the technology has created," said a London-based telecommunications security expert who advises law enforcement units.
British police have a special task force that follows how everyday technologies are being used to plot mass demonstrations and avoid the long arm of the law should violence break out.
Forces across Britain are preparing for anti-Bush protests this week which are expected to attract more than 60,000 demonstrators, by combing protest groups' Web sites and message boards for clues on their plans.
A number of anti-war organisations, including Stop the War, have been openly detailing their plans for rallies and demonstrations.
The bigger concern for police are groups that operate underground. Some use sophisticated encryption techniques favoured by the military to disguise the content of e-mail messages and Internet postings, the security expert said.
But it is the sophistication of hand-held devices that have police on the look-out.
Internet-enabled phones and gadgets are capable of sending and receiving elaborate messages detailing meeting locations, maps and last-minute instructions to fellow protesters in the streets.
The widespread use of picture phones is also a concern as they could be used to capture images of the police officers.
"Some of these guys run counter-intelligence. They want to know who the cops are. With a mobile phone that's equipped with a camera you could start your own database of cops."
Related article posted previously: Chasing Bush with SMS
Technology
 Britannica Encyclopedia on your cell phone
The venerable Britannica Concise Encyclopedia is now available as a mobile software program for a variety of mobile devices, reports InfosyncWorld.
Developped by MDM, this “plug ‘n play” card slots into either a handheld or mobile phone, giving access to the Concise version of the Britannica Encyclopedia.
SMS and Students
Testing students by mobile phone
As the British government announces plans to modernise the exam system, various experiments are going on with innovative ways of assessing what students know, according to the BBC.
One of them, known as the eViva project, is being tried at 10 English schools, where students use a cell phone to answer questions read out by a robot.
November 17, 2003 ]
Health Issues and SMS Alerts
Environmentalists say FCC violating bird rules on towers, carriers say evidence lacking
Wireless carriers continued their push for more research on whether tower facilities kill large numbers of birds, while environmental groups shook their collective finger at the government, alleging the Federal Communications Commission is breaking the law in comments filed with the agency on the effects of communications towers on migratory birds,according to RCR Wireless News.
"US Telecommunications carriers all commended the FCC for its quest for further information on the topic. The carriers agree that valid scientific information has not yet been shown regarding allegations that communications towers are responsible for the mass killings of migratory birds.
Moreover, the carriers implored the FCC to wait for valid scientific evidence on the topic before initiating a rulemaking proceeding that might hinder the buildout of wireless towers".
Technology
Cellphone jammer that looks like a cell phone
A British electronics supplier has started selling a local range cell phone jammer that is designed to look like another cell phone. The jammer would however be illegal in most countries around the world, although strangely, the company only restricts UK residents from buying the device, according to Cellular News.
SMS and Marketing
 Lingerie Company lanches SMS campaign to win diamond thong
Lingerie company Gossard is offering customers the chance to win a £25,000 diamond-encrusted G-string, by entering a test message contest, according to Ananova.
"Buyers of the limited edition G-string can find out if they have won the major prize by texting their lucky number, name and address to the
SMS and Marketing
Text Messaging New Tool for BMG
Cell phones are becoming yet another weapon in record companies' promotional arsenals. And AT&T Wireless and BMG have emerged as early players in the movement, according to Yahoo News.
"Through the service, customers are sent digital coupons for $2 off various BMG titles purchased at Sam Goody stores. AT&T Wireless plans to reach out to 1 million of its customers this month to expand the program. By year's end, nearly 40 BMG titles will have been promoted through a unique text-messaging program created by AT&T Wireless.
At the moment, AT&T Wireless is working exclusively with BMG, but the company expects to work with other labels, according to senior director of business development Jon Vlassopulos".
SMS Services offered by the Press
 The Bakersfield Californian Targets Youth With Text Messaging
The Bakersfield Californian is trying to reach teenagers via a communication method the kids already prefer: cell phone text messaging. In doing this, the paper could be at the cusp of a trend, according to Media Info.
"In a partnership with a local music store, World Records, the 65,889-circulation daily is conducting a poll of music fans using two-way mobile text messaging. In ads in print and on cable TV, the paper is inviting fans to vote via short messaging service (SMS) for five of 10 CDs listed in World Music's print ads.
San Francisco-based NetInformer, a wireless software and services company, collects the numbers and votes of the entrants and gives them to the Californian . The paper then replies to the voters via text-message, telling them to check the paper at the end of the week for contest results and a $2-off coupon for the winning CD at World Records. Voters are entered into a drawing for weekly gift certificates and the grand prize, a personal CD/DVD/MP3 player."
Push To Talk
Sprint Is to Join the Competition in 'Push to Talk' Mobile Phones
Following articles on Oct 26 and Oct 2 that Sprint was considering launching a walky talky cell phone, the company plans to announce today that it will become the third wireless provider to offer "push to talk," a walkie-talkie feature that lets users communicate with one another without dialing phone numbers, reports the New York Times.
"In an effort to distinguish itself from its rival Nextel, which pioneered the walkie-talkie use of the cellphone, Sprint will offer its service with the brand name Ready Link".
For more on Push to Talk cell Phones, check out this category in Textually.
SMS and The Arts
Urban Tapestries
To Josh Rubin on Cool Hunting, the Urban Tapestries project is the digital, indexed equivalent to the writing on public bathroom walls... A sort of spatial bookmarking. This project, based in London, takes it one step closer to reality.
"Urban Tapestries allows users to author their own virtual annotations of the city, enabling a community’s collective memory to grow organically, allowing ordinary citizens to embed social knowledge in the new wireless landscape of the city. Users will be able to add new locations, location content and the ‘threads’ which link individual locations to local contexts, which are accessed via handheld user devices such as PDAs and mobile phones".
SMS and Politics
 Chasing Bush with SMS
In spite of attempts by his handlers, George Bush's visit to the UK this week will generate protests and they will be carried by the media, reports BlueHereNow.
"Whether or not mainstream media picks them up is one thing but a site called interwebnet.org has organized 'Chasing Bush'. The site is using SMS messaging to track the movements of the Bush party.
According to the site, they will be accepting intelligence reports and images from volunteers and the public on the ground, then publishing them here for all to see on a post-and-update basis".
The site plans on collecting information on the following subjects:
- Bush: Current Location Reports
- Bush: Decoy Watch
- Visions of Protestors
- Images of Chaos (caused by security measures)
- Protests in the News
- Lies in the Media
SMS and Marketing
Misuse of shared numbers hits SMS revenues
This is disturbing... Apparently, UK content owners and media companies could be losing up to 50% of their SMS revenues through the misuse of shared shortcodes, reports New Media Zero via Moco News.
"The problem arises when companies run SMS services using a shortcode - the five-digit number consumers enter to request SMS content - that's shared with other content companies. Each client on the shortcode is given a dedicated keyword that consumers text in. If they mistype this keyword, the message can simply by dumped by the mobile service provider.
A second problem comes from subscription services run on the same shortcode. These have a much higher proportion of unbilled messages, from consumers who sign up but then have no credit.
'Most aggregators just pro-rate the 30% lost in this way across everyone on the shortcode,' said Monstermob sales director Alan Denyer. 'So simple services like voting can be penalised."
News, Buzz
Half of US States won’t meet 911 deadline
Only 24 states told congressional investigations that they plan to meet the 2005 deadline for wireless enhanced 911 Phase II deployment, according to RCR Wireless News.
"The Federal Communications Commission has mandated that wireless carriers be ready to deliver Phase II—precise—location information to public-safety answering points by Dec. 31, 2005. It is estimated the implmentation will cost $8 billion over the next five years".
News, Buzz
Mobile ban driven home by adverts
An advertising campaign launches in the UK reminding people of the imminent ban on using mobile phones while driving, according to the BBC.
SMS and Politics
SMS could be the politician's new poll brahmastra
Short Messaging Servic is all set to make its debut as a propaganda vehicle in the coming Assembly elections in India. Cellular service providers are willing to offer the service to election candidates to reach out to lakhs of voters simultaneously. However, companies are still debating the ethical aspects of the issue, according to The Times of India.
“Technology is not a problem. We can, theoretically speaking, offer such a service. However, the issue is about acceptability,” the chief operating officer of a cellular company said.
According to industry sources, SMS could be the most effective campaign medium for elections. The candidate can choose to send SMSs to the voters in his constituency. Or a party can choose to send general messages to cellular phone users across the state.
“One can even send multimedia messages, picture cards or poll symbols,” the vice-president (technology) of a cellular company said. However, the companies are wary of resistance from the subscribers. “A cellphone is a personal gadget and any unwanted communication could be seen as an intrusion. We have not decided whether to make this departure in the coming election campaign,” an executive of a cellular service company said “.
SMS and Politics
Use SMS to find out, teens told
Starting December 8, Malaysians born in 1986 can find out if they have been selected for national service via a short messaging service (SMS) sent to the National Service Department, according to The Star.
Quoting senior officials of the department, the daily said participants would be decided a day earlier through a random selection process.
[ November 14, 2003 ]
SMS, Spam and Hoaxes
New laws aim to curtail new form of spam
A good article in USA Today on how countries around the world are dealing with mobile spam, what their legislators are doing about it and the mechanisms put into place for fining abusers.
The toughest sanctions so far could come from Australia, where the government is debating a bill that would make people who send unsolicited SMS and e-mail spam liable to fines ranging from $31,500 for individuals and $158,000 for companies, according to Australian Communications Authority spokesman Paul Slocum.
News, Buzz
 Aston Martin and Motorola in exclusive Alliance
Aston Martin and Motorola have collaborated to create a limited edition handset co-branded handset, the Motorola V600, exclusively for Aston Martin.
"Only 1,000 versions of these Aston Martin ‘phones will ever be made and to highlight this they will be branded with the Aston Martin logo and features the sound of an Aston Martin engine as a ring tone", reports autofan.com.
News, Buzz
Text used to report missing children
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), along with the Philippine National Police and the Department of Interior and Local Governments, have launched a website for missing children and other persons below 18, according to Inq./7net
"The DSWD urged the public to regularly check out sagipbata.com - "sagip bata" being Tagalog for "save the children" -, which posts photos and basic information about the missing and report "recovered" persons and their happy reunion with their families. (PS. website is not active yet though or it's at another adress I cannot find)
In August, the US Justice Department official announced that Amber Alerts, a US nationwide network to help find missing children, should go nationwide by next year. The system is already existing in 45 States.
The Amber Alert network that once depended on fax and e-mail to relay images and messages now relies on digital images and other technology that can spread word about a missing child within minutes to everywhere from cell phones to lottery ticket machines. cf Amber Alerts to transmit on cell phones.
News, Buzz
Hotlink: South Africa’s first SMS business directory
Issued by BlackHatMedia, a South African technology company that specialises in the development of interactive SMS applications, the Hotlink busiiness directory is a quick and easy way of finding business names and phone numbers in South Africa by using SMS, reports Wireless Developer Network
"For example send an SMS to hotlink with the words "nandos in sandton" or "plumber in bryanston" and you will get back an immediate reply with a list of matching businesses together with their phone numbers. The phone numbers can then be dialled directly from the reply SMS or saved in your phone for future use".
[ November 13, 2003 ]
SMS and Students
 The mobile classroom
The new science of how to get to grips with a mobile phone is on the curriculum at a South Yorkshire college!
Lessons on texting, how to use internet facilities, phone calculators, settings and games are replacing the 'text' books on a course in Rotherham, reports Sheffield Today.
The course is also aimed at those people who have never used a mobile phone before and also the elderly, who may be more reluctant accepting texting.
Just a few months ago, a new course on mobile phone text messaging in the UK, dubbed «WAN2TLK», created an uproar by critics who claimed it was a waste of tax payers' money. cf Uproar over "Texting" class.
SMS and Politics
De Lille launches SMS link to voters
Fiery politician Patricia de Lille, leader of the Independent Democrats in South Africa, has launched an SMS based service to keep in contact with her voters, according to Business Day.
"She describes the service as "the revolutionary digital democracy forum" which involves cellular technology using text messaging known as SMS (short message service) "to engage the public on matters of national interest".
"The SMS technology is synchronized with the Independent Democrats website at www.id.org.za where all SMS messages comments and concerns can be viewed as it scrolls along the ID homepage."
De Lille said SMS polls would be conducted whereby South Africans "can instantly vote on controversial subjects". The party too can reply to voters - for example call a rally by SMS about a public issue."
Enhanced keyboards for SMS
Now, message people the desi way
A new software is about to be introduced on cellphones to facilitate communication in Indian languages, thanks to a specific keypad layout for Indian scripts based on ancient Sanskrit grammar, according to The Indian Express.
"So say goodbye to the days of fumbling with English language keys on your mobile to send unwieldy SMSs in Marathi or other Indian languages. To be launched on Gudi Padwa next year, this software is all set to revolutionise the messaging system all over the country".
Random Stats
Canadian SMS usages passes milestone
The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) announced today that Canadians sent more than 32 million person-to-person text messages during the month of September 2003.
This represents a tripling in monthly usage in the 18 months since the April 2002 launch of North America's first inter-carrier text messaging network by Canada's wireless carriers, according to Cellular News.
[ November 12, 2003 ]
New SMS Services
 New Snow Text Alert
Ski Magazine reports on a service offering skiers and snowboarders up-to-the-minute snow conditions on mountains within the New England region, delivered directly to cell phones by text message.
They need only sign up for free on Rubber Snow's website and select a suitable option: "the Thursday Report, essentially a weekend report delivering information on the mountain(s) subscribers have chosen, and/or the New Snow Alert, which alerts subscribers when new snow falls at the mountains of their choice".
Technology
Cell Phone Messaging Turns Mischievous
A good article in Silicon Valley.com on Bluejacking, a new fad briefly posted about last week which is rapidly spreading.
Journalist Mat Moore gives examples of "bluejacked" victims; surreptitiously surprised with a text message sent using a short-range wireless technology called Bluetooth. And you can see why this catching on and spreading like wildfire, it looks like alot of fun:
-- A group of tourists strolling through Stockholm's old town never knew what hit them.
As they admired Swedish handicrafts in a storefront window, one of their cell phones chirped with an anonymous note: "Try the blue sweaters. They keep you warm in the winter."
-- "I bluejacked three or four people," said 13-year-old Ellie of Surrey, who runs the site www.bluejackq.com and makes bluejacking a daily affair. "But one of them was particularly memorable. He was with his wife and I bluejacked him in a coffee shop. The look on his face!"
Using Bluetooth, which has a range of about 30 feet, she sent him a note asking how his coffee was and noting that she liked his wife's glasses.
Ellie said he looked and high and low and tried to figure out where the message came from, even sending text messages back and forth with his wife, but to no avail."
Of note! "A bluejacker could even send someone a photo taken with a camera phone using Bluetooth. It doesn't cost a thing since the message isn't being routed through any phone company".
SMS and Gaming
 Nokia Game 2003 About To Begin
Mark Grenville for 160characters.org reminds us that the Nokia Game, a 10-Day interactive multimedia game features turn-based multi-player storyline and prizes starts on 19th November.
For the fifth year in a row Nokia's interactive adventure is open for registration. It will play in 35 countries around the world in 10 languages.
The first game launched in 1999 attracted just 10,000 players. The following year the concept took off with 500,000 players rising to a million last year. cf Nokia Game 2003 Goes Mobile
"The objective of Nokia Game 2003 is to help the protagonist, Flo - an 18 year-old "mobile jockey" - overcome the evil AnyOne Clan. Although solo competition is possible in Nokia Game 2003, players are encouraged to recruit a "clan" of their own - a team of up to five players - to take on the AnyOne Clan. It's the ultimate battle of mobile good versus evil, with the future of mobile gaming on the line. The top winners in each participating country will receive a Nokia N-Gage mobile game deck as a prize".
SMS and Students
Lessons on how to talk not text
Kids normally get told off for talking to their mates in class, but schools are now being told to encourage you to chat, according to the BBC.
"People who make the rules say children are doing so much texting and e-mailing they don't really talk face to face. They say this means you could be forgetting how to actually speak to each other properly. Teachers have now been told to include lessons on how to speak, listen and disagree with your friends politely."
SMS and Dating
 Mobile phone marriage portal debuts in India
Indians hunting for a sweetheart can now dispatch their profiles by mobile telephone to a Web site that promises to generate compatible matches, according to ZDNet.
"A marriage portal seeking to tap India's surging population of 25 million mobile phone users launched a new SMS text messaging service on Wednesday. Most marriages are arranged either through relatives or newspaper advertisements in the nation of more than one billion people who continue to be traditional in such matters, despite the inroads of modernity in large cities".
SMS and Fund Raising
'Mobile-Aid' launched in the UAE
Following a campaign running in Jordan to raise money for cancer patients, another fund raising effort, coinciding with the Hold Month of Ramadan, when it's a traditional time of giving and helping those less fortunate, is being held in Dubai, according to AME info.
Called Mobile-Aid, it enables the mobile user to take part in the charity drive by simply sending an SMS message to a designated short code attributed to Dubai charities. The donor will then automatically receive an acknowledgement message and a small sum will be charged to their mobile phone account or deducted from their pre-paid card. 'To ensure fairness, different charities from Dubai will be chosen at the end of each quarter.
Push To Talk
 Nokia Launches 'Walkie Talkie' Phone, More Coming
okia today unveiled the world's first GSM push-to-talk handset, the sports-inspired Nokia 5140 phone, reports Infosync.
Along with its ability to connect users at the push of a button, the Nokia 5140 phone also includes a number of unique features designed for active-minded users such as a digital compass, Fitness Coach application and a built-in VGA camera.
"Push to talk" is currently offered in the United States by operators Nextel and Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon and Vodafone Group.
For more on Walkie Talkie phones, check out this category in Textually.org.
Technology
AOL instant messenger for Cingular users
The USA's Cingular Wireless has announced the launch of Mobile Instant Messaging for Cingular customers using AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ services. The expanded partnership with America Online lets Cingular customers see when their friends, family and colleagues are online and are able to send and receive real-time text messages on their wireless phones, reports Cellular News.
November 11, 2003 ]
Text Alerts
US Emergency Text Alerts
emergencye.com is a free public service, notifying US citizens of an emergency by e-mail, text messaging or pager, from local, regional and national government sources. [Unwired/cc] For other such services offered in the US and around the world, cf:
-- USA Terror Alerts by SMS
-- Israel's Terror Text Alerts
-- Kuwait War alerts by SMS
-- Britain's City Alert Texting System (C.A.T.S.)
New SMS Services
 Google to go
Mark Frauenfelder for TheFeature.com, reports on a a fee-based information service for mobile users in Australia called Mojo Know.
"To use the service you just SMS your question to the Mojo team. You can assign three levels of urgency to your question (Very Urgent means you need the answer in 15 minutes or less and costs $3.00). If the answer doesn't come back in the alloted time, you don't have to pay".
This is along the same idea as the "Ask Expert" sites which flourished on the Web a few years ago, when Internetters could ask live people to answer difficult questions and receive a reply by e-mail such as on Expert Central, or by consulting a forum such as the NY Times' famous, Abuzz. A fabulous concept made possible by the Internet, harnessaging the knowledge of thousands.
New SMS Services
 SMS boosts hotel services
Don't know your room number? Wonder what the latest hotel or restaurant deal is? Does your room need cleaning? SMS information on mobile phones is answering these questions and making inroads into Asia's hotel services from Singapore to Japan, reports CNN.
"Today's technology is so cheap and we needed to cut down the queues and phone calls to the hotel asking which room people were in," Anthony Rodriguez from Hotel Information Systems told CNN. "We can also target future guests -- we can filter through the hotel's history so if she/he stayed 10 times and spent $3,000, we can send them a special SMS inviting them back."
SMS and Gaming
Groups says N-Gage cracked
Hackers claimed Tuesday to have cracked the security code on Nokia's new N-Gage, saying they could play its games on other multimedia-capable cell phones. The company said it was investigating the claims, according to the The Miami Herald via Mobile Tracker.
"If so, that could result in N-Gage games becoming available for handsets made by other companies that use the Series 60 operating system. It also means that pirated copies could be downloaded from the Internet".
SMS and Health
 Teenage Text help for the morning after
North Tyneside Primary Care Trust in the UK is running a one-year pilot project under which girls will be able to call or text a number 24-hours a day and will then be given advice and counselling by health experts, reports the BBC.
"The Trust said it was using mobile phones to reach those who might not feel comfortable calling from home or visiting a doctors' surgery straightaway. Once a girl contacts the number, she will be invited quickly to go for an appointment with a doctor or someone from the sexual health service. [BBC] via [SMS Business gets the Message]
Random Stats
More than 300 million mobile phone users in EU countries
The European Union boasts more than 300 million mobile phone users, after a surprising surge in the 15-member states' market last year pushed the share of mobile phone subscribers beyond 80% of the population. [Telecom.paper ]
SMS and The Arts
 The Helloworld Project
As reported in September, during the course of the UN's World Summit on the Information Society to be held in Geneva from December 10 to 13 of this year, a project called The Helloworld Project - organized by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture - will be offering a unique opportunity to engage people from all over the world in a global dialogue by text message. A selection of which will be projected almost instantly by a laser beam on mountains and buildings in Bombay (Marine Drive), Rio de Janeiro (Morro dois Irmaos Mountain), New York (UN building) and lake Geneva's "Jet d'eau"(water fountain).
A press release received this morning explains the many ways to participate:
How to participate in "The Helloworld Project"?
As an online news journal or gateway:
- Feature The Helloworld Project on your website and invite your readers to participate in this global collaborative experience between December 9 - 12, 2003
- Feature The Helloworld Project as a link on your website
As a public art space / media lab / institution:
Create public access to "The Helloworld Project" by putting the projects webpage on your public screens, thus providing your visitors access to the project. Contact anisha@johannesgees.com for more details.
As an individual:
- Visit hellworldproject.com between December 9 and 12, 2003, and enter your message!
- Subscribe to our newsletter online. You will receive a reminder by email when the projectors go online. - Help mobilize as many participants as possible by forwarding this mail.
Technology
Teaching Your Cell Phone Where It Is And How To Act
Scientists and engineers at NIST have teamed up with a variety of computing and telecommunications companies to develop both the test methods and the standard protocols needed to make cellular telephones and other wireless communication devices more versatile, reports Science Daily.
"Programmable networks will include location aware services that will allow users to choose a variety of "context aware" call processing options depending on where they are and who they are with. For example, a cell phone that "knows" your location could be programmed to invoke an answering message service automatically whenever you are in a conference room or in your supervisor's presence. Context aware, programmable cell phone or PDA networks also may help users with functional tasks like finding the nearest bank or restaurant. Within organizations, these capabilities might be used to contact people by their role and location (e.g., call the cardiologist nearest to the emergency room)". [Science Daily]
Technology
F.C.C. Backs Phone Number Portability
Starting Nov. 24, consumers can switch their home phone numbers to their mobile phones, the Federal Communications Commission ruled. The ruling by the F.C.C. was a defeat for phone companies that argued that transferring wire-line phone numbers to wireless services was logistically difficult. [NY Times]
[ November 10, 2003 ]
Technology
Nokia says claims about its batteries are false
I have to apologize for posting yet another explosive Nokia battery story, but this time, a Belgian consumer organisation, Test-Aankoop, is claiming that three of Nokia's batteries (BML-3, BMC-3 and BLC-2) are not protected against short-circuiting. Nokia as denied this. [Smh.com]
SMS and Religion
Posters try to ban colour cell phones
Not something handset manufacturers will want to hear. Cellular News reports that posters have been appearing in walls in Jerusalem calling on "Torah fearing Jews" not to buy or sell mobile phones that have colour screens. The posters are signed by several orthodox Rabbis. "It is thought that the campaign is based on the fact that the handsets have access to the internet, which is frowned upon by selected Jewish sects".
"The influential Belz Hasidic sect imposed a ban on internet access to its members in October 2000 due to the existence of pornography on the internet". [Cellular New]
Push to Talk
Kodiak Offers New Perspective on PTT
The push-to-talk arena just became a bit more crowded and a lot more competitive thanks to the debut of Kodiak Networks, a technology vendor with some high-profile backers and an innovative take on the instant-chat phenomenon that Nextel Communications Inc. perfected and so many wireless operators are striving to attain.
"What makes Kodiak's solution different from the rest of the pack of vendors, is its Real-Time Exchange System, which is an all-IP based packet-switched solution that uses the existing voice channel. "This works everywhere because of the fundamental voice networks and it can speak the language of 2G networks and the language of 3G networks." [Wireless Week] and [Company press release]
SMS and Micro Payments
Forget the cheque, send a text
A Sydney-based IT company, Itaba3, offers a service that makes it possible for any merchant, including the self-employed, to accept and process credit card payments using any mobile phone. [The Age]
Cell Phones while driving, flying
Call for tougher penalties after text-messaging driver kills cyclist
Just a reminder really, to be careful on the road. A woman driver aged 24, hit a man as she drove down a road in December of 2001. Ms Ciach was sending an SMS message when her car veered into the bike lane killing 36 year-old Mr Marsh. A Victorian County Court judge handed down a two-year suspended jail term. [ABC.net.au]
On a related subject, the BBC has an article today on a new law which will come into force in 3 weeks, banning drivers from using mobile phones while at the wheel, and the BBC has posted answers to 10 questions about what UK drivers will and will not be allowed to do while driving. [BBC]
News, Buzz
 Text messaging cabbies fight crime
In yet another crime prevention scheme, The Bromley Police Station in south-east London has just launched a new text alert system for cab drivers, giving them descriptions of suspects or getaway vehicles, soon after the crime.
"The scheme involving the police and council, in Bromley, south-east London, and the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), will also allow drivers to report any conversations they overhear in their vehicles regarding criminal activity". [BBC]
Trend
Little phone junkies
Aloysius Choong writes about the way he grew up, in a mediated, multimedia, and interactive environment. And how like his generation, he craves sensory overload.
Having spent a good part of his formative years in front of the PC, Choong claims it has shaped his perception and world view in many ways. And he believes the current generation so deeply immersed in mobile phones, will probably embrace technology more completely than he has.
"They will grok mobility. To those accustomed to being tethered to a PC, the mobile phone is a convenience. To them, it will be different. The mobile phone will become a way of life; the PC, a inconvenience". [CNet]
Technology
Presenting... "Presence"
Aloysius Choong for C/Net Asia, has a must read article on a new SMS terminolgy and trend: IMPS. Nokia calls it "Presence". Sony Ericsson calls it "My Friends". The official name is IMPS. So what is it really?
What is IMPS? IMPS stands for "Instant Messaging Presence Services". Building on the popularity of SMS, this nascent technology introduces one exciting new component to messaging: Presence.
A presence user will be able to update his current status on his cell phone, and by doing so, allow his authorized friends to check whether he's available, busy, or free for a chat.
Why will I want it? IMPS may work by encouraging greater exchanges of messages. For example, if you're feeling bored, you can text a friend who's listed as "Free for chat" to start a conversation. You may even arrange to meet up for some Java. IMPS is thus likely to be pitched as a social tool. It may appeal most to teenagers who are already sold on the merits of instant messaging. [CNet]
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SMS and Religion
Hip mullahs send text messages
According to the Straits Times, Islamic preachers with poster boy looks and pop star styles are winning legions of fans in Indonesia.
"They share the stage with rock bands and use TV, radio and even SMS to spread their message. They move grown men to tears. Women mob them. Even the MTV generation is listening". [Straits Times] |
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SMS and Porn
 Dialanorgasm.com
I have to admit, I'm somewhat embarrased to be posting this, but here goes. In a similar spirit to the "Purring Kitty", Dialanorgasm turns your phone into a sex toy, thanks to a «Phildo» (Phone+Dildo). In their own words: "When your phone vibrates, VibraSMS transmits the vibrations to places your phone can't reach while protecting it from damage.Different ring tones give different virbrations. This is the first time in history you have been able to "touch" your partner without being in the same town, city or state! This is a revolution in sexual relations". [Netsurf.com] |
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SMS and Advertising
New Ad Frontier: Cell Phones
The Washington Post has an interesting article on short codes and how companies plan on using them for advertising as well as the legitimate fear voiced by consumer advocates, that once a customer uses a code "to snag a coupon, that cell-phone number could go on a list and be sold to telemarketers, making the cell phone just another target for junk solicitations".
"More than 150 companies have applied to register short codes -- numbers from 20000 to 99999 -- in the two weeks they've been available. Many of the companies that have registered for short codes so far have pledged not to share cell phone numbers with others or use them to market products unrelated to the original promotion. [The Washington Post] |
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Gambling games launched on mobile phones
Mobile phone users will this week be able to play lottery and gambling games anywhere they can receive a signal as T-Mobile, Deutsche Telekom's mobile phone arm, launches the UK's first lottery games on mobile phones.
The mobile operator has joined forces with MLotto, the creator of the Mobile Lottery, allowing users to play one of three games for £1 with the chance of winning up to £1,000. [FT]
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