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Cell Phone Takes a Bullet for New Orleans Man

by Evan Shamoon, posted Nov 21st 2008 at 9:14AM

Having two first names is cool, but being saved by your cell phone is even cooler.

The Times-Picayune reports that a New Orleans man by the name of Ronald Richard was mowing the lawn last Saturday when a stray .45 caliber bullet hit him in the chest. But somehow, instead of killing him, the bullet hit his Motorola RAZR; the phone was destroyed, and Richard was fine. The bullet may have come from the woods near Richard's home.

Making the story even more miraculous, Richard normally clips his cell phone to the hip pocket of his overalls. On this particular Saturday, however, he hooked it to the chest of the overalls just over his heart.

"Something hit me in the chest really hard," said Richard. When he removed his sweater and opened his phone's case, a .45-caliber bullet fell out of it. "I don't look at any of this as coincidence," Richard said Wednesday. "I look at this as God telling me to put my cell phone in that pocket, and I'm grateful and humbled."

There's one thing that doesn't make sense, though: We thought God used an iPhone? [From: Nola.com]

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Irish Use Cell Phones the Most, Report Says

by Tom Samiljan, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 5:46PM



Maybe it's the vast green pastures separating towns and cities or just the lousy weather, but in 2007, residents of the Republic of Ireland spent the most time per head talking and sending text messages on their mobile phones. This is just one of several statistics disclosed on the International Communications Market report by British regulator Ofcom, Reuters reports.

The Finns may have more mobile phones, but it's the folks who live on the Emerald Isle who take the cake for actually using those mobile phones a lot. But enough about mobile phones and Ireland -- this report shared the gadget-use-superlative love among many countries.

China, for example, added 88 million new mobile phone subscribers last year, while Russian cell phone use rose a whopping 1,000-percent. And let's not forget the U.S., where folks spent the more time online per week -- 15 hours -- than any other country (followed by the UK at 14 hours per week). The U.S. and Britain also watched TV shows online more than any other country, but Canadians, it turns out, like to get on Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo the best, since more than half of them (55-percent) are on social-networking sites.

Unfortunately, the U.S. also tops the list for TV-watching, on average 4.5 hours a day. Does that mean that, like our economy, we're a nation of depressed couch potatoes? [From Reuters]


Do you prefer making phone calls or text messaging on your cell phone?




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Hands-On With the BlackBerry Storm (Video)

by Tom Samiljan, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 12:01AMBreaking News


It's been an exciting year for anyone who wants to upgrade to a smart phone, what with the iPhone, the G1 "Google" phone, and, on Friday, the BlackBerry Storm for Verizon Wireless. At last, BlackBerry lovers and loyal Verizon Wireless subscribers who have been resisting the switch to an iPhone can boast their very own touchscreen-enabled handheld that's as much about fun (high-quality camera, stunning screen, media player, fun apps) as it is about business (excellent e-mail, document editing, Web access). The Storm will cost $199 with a two-year contract (you'll need to send in a $50 rebate, too).

But is the BlackBerry Storm fun enough to take on the iPhone, and will its incorporation of a touchscreen (albeit a moveable click-based one that you actually have to depress to in fact 'strike' a key) turn off those serious business (and heavy e-mailing) users? Well, we can't entirely answer that question, since we only had a day and a half with the thing, but we were able to get our first impressions down in the above video. We'll be back with more impressions in the coming days and weeks, since these newfangled smart phones have a tendency to either grow on you, or make you increasingly want to throw them out the window.

Once you're done watching our video, head on over to Engadget's in-depth review, where you can get more details on the first touchscreen BlackBerry ever.

British Lord to Be Prosecuted for Causing Fatal Accident by Texting

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 19th 2008 at 2:15PM


Lord Ahmed, a Labour party member in the British House of Lords, will be prosecuted for causing a fatal accident last year, allegedly while texting, Textually.org notes.

On Christmas of last year, Ahmed called paramedics on his cell phone shortly after the wreck in which the other driver died immediately. Authorities later discovered that a text message had been sent from that same cell phone, just prior to accident.

As 'texting while driving' becomes increasingly common, the news of this trial comes at a time rife with stories of text-message-induced traffic accidents, including a texting teen who was struck by a train last year, and the implementation of anti-texting laws by federal and state governments. [From: Textually.org]

How World Leaders Call Each Other

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 18th 2008 at 11:36AM



Some seemed to think it was embarrassing when Sarah Palin was fooled into believing that a Canadian radio shock jock was French president Nicolas Sarkozy shortly before election day. Many people (including some commenters on this site) defended Palin, asking how she could have known (ignoring the obvious clues such as the request to hunt wolves from a helicopter).

Do you ever wonder how someone like the President gets in touch with other world leaders? Let's say the President of the United States wants to speak to Nicolas Sarkozy. The normal procedure involves aides or White House operators calling assistants or operators for Sarkozy. An appointment for the leaders to speak is established. Aides to Sarkozy will call back the White House to confirm the appointment, and then patch the leaders through to each other at the appropriate time. It's not exactly speed-dial.

Continue reading How World Leaders Call Each Other

Engadget Mobile

Study Shows Cell Phones Can Trigger Mercury to Leak from Fillings

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 18th 2008 at 10:48AM

We're not even going to pretend we fully grasp what's going on here, but the long and short of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences' latest findings are that cell phones can trigger the release of mercury from one's fillings. Yes, seriously. The study asserts that out of 14 test subjects with fillings, those who used mobile phones had a statistically significant increase of mercury from urine tests than those who refrained from yapping. The science behind all of this is far beyond our IQ levels, but we're a little freaked out/not freaked out, regardless.

[Via textually]

Obama May Have to Ditch BlackBerry, But Could Be First Laptop Prez

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 17th 2008 at 4:09PM

Obama May Have to Surrender Blackberry
The Obama campaign and upcoming presidency are indelibly linked to modern technology. Barack Obama already admitted to being addicted to his BlackBerry. But there is a small roadblock to a tech-literate White House -- Obama may have to give up his BlackBerry and e-mail altogether. That may be tough for the man who has relied so heavily on his hand-held to keep in touch with friends, family, and aides on the campaign trail, as well as a way to keep on top of up-to-the-minute news and to read briefings.

Due to security concerns and the requirements of the Presidential Records Act, the President-elect may be forced to leave the conveniences of electronic communication behind. The Presidential Records Act requires that all electronic communication by the President (even that from a personal e-mail address) must be archived and is subject to public review. That means that personal e-mails between Obama and his wife Michelle, as well as deliberations over policy with aides, would become matters of public record.

Continue reading Obama May Have to Ditch BlackBerry, But Could Be First Laptop Prez

Obama, the First Real Tech President, May Give Have to Give Up E-Mail

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 17th 2008 at 12:39PM

Barack Obama - The Tech President
I'm sure we don't have to tell you that Barack Obama has changed how the Web is leveraged in politics. Sure, Gore and Bush dabbled, and Dean and his campaign manager Joe Trippi showed you could build a base and raise enormous amounts of money, but it took the Obama campaign to prove that you could practically replace the traditional party machine with social-networking.

Perhaps we're being a bit glib, but the general point is undeniable. President-Elect Obama used the Internet in a way never seen before. He built a base, organized probably the largest grassroots movement this nation has ever seen, raised more money than anyone thought possible, and actually made supporters feel as if they were engaging in an exchange of ideas with the candidate and his campaign.

The New York Times' David Carr is in agreement. The Political Machine pointed us to a quote from his article:
"...while many people think that President-elect Obama is a gift to the Democratic Party, he could actually hasten its demise. Political parties supply brand, ground troops, money and relationships, all things that Mr. Obama already owns."
Carr sees not only the end of traditional political methods, but perhaps of traditional party politics.

As we've covered in great detail before, Obama has made extensive use of social networking services and ideas to build his enormous support base, and it appears he has no intention of abandoning those tools anytime soon. Just visit Change.gov, where the Obama transition team posts blogs, gives the public the opportunity to apply for positions within the administration, and even lets average Americans peruse the Transition Directory, a document intended for the incoming president and his administration. Our new President-Elect also intends to supplement the traditional weekly White House radio address by posting it as a video on YouTube.

There is one small stumbling block though. Even though Obama will be the first president to put a computer in the Oval Office, he might not have a whole lot to do on the PC since he may be forced to give up e-mail for the duration of his administration. Quite painful for a man who has admitted to being BlackBerry addict.

Let the age of the transparent tech-enabled presidency begin! [From: The Political Machine]

Why Broken Gadgets Are Easier to Thorw Away Than Fix

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 16th 2008 at 10:15AM


Frustrated with his beloved iPhone acting up on him, Popular Mechanics writer Glenn Derene used the opportunity to write this piece on the iPhone, and the larger state of electronics today.

After struggling to coax functionality from the iPhone's buttons for months, Derene finally caved in, taking the phone to his local Apple Store's Genius Bar. The resulting tale should not be unfamiliar to any trouble-shooting Mac user, or problematic iPod owner; Derene waited for over two hours to receive no suggestion other than the one to buy a new iPhone.

Blame for this "no-fix" phenomenon can be, according to Derene, attributed to the increasingly complex and integrated electronic systems that lie within the most advanced gadgets. While a savvy, tech-minded amateur could -- with some extra time on his hands and help from Radio Shack -- fix most of yesterday's electronics, he is today confined to tossing his misbehaving gadget into the garbage. (The iPhone's backplate can't even be removed without destroying the phone).

So, after all that, what's the culprit? What was it that defeated this fine specimen of machinery? That nearly drove Derence mad? Pocket lint lodged under the buttons, of course. [From: Popular Mechanics]

Send Cash Through an ATM Using New ATMSend Service

by Kaiser Hwang, posted Nov 12th 2008 at 4:02PM

Money makes the world go 'round. The problem is, how to get money 'round the world. Sure, there's always Western Union or MoneyGram, but if you ask us, that requires just one step too many. A Charlotte, North Carolina-based company, Privier Inc, hopes to have an easier, and more accessible, solution.

The company's service, dubbed ATMSend, would allow a user to send cash to another user for pickup. What sweetens the deal here is that neither the sender nor the receiver would require a bank account at the participating bank, or at all. All that's required is that the sender verify their identity by registering a cell phone. Once the cash is ready for transfer, the sender would input their registered number into the ATM, wait for a text message with an authorization code, and then send the receiver the authorization code for pickup.

Depending on the participating banks' fee (if any at all), ATMSend could even be a cost-saving alternative to services such as PayPal, which takes a cut from certain transactions. Sending money sans a bank account is sure to be valuable for a number of people, though we're a little worried about the possible ways this could be beneficial to evildoers. [From: MarketWatch]

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