photo credit: Free SafeLink Cell Phones

Phone booths on every street corner are a thing of the past. With so many cell phones out in the market, phone booths have become almost extinct. So if you can’t afford a cell phone or home phone, what do you do? Rely on neighbors? One solution is a decades old federal program, started in the 1980’s, commonly known as Lifeline and Link Up, which provides low income people with telephone service. This federal program is funded by the little Universal Service Fee on phone bills (both land line and cell phone bills) and this year payments into the fund were expected to reach $1.4 billion. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Lookout App to Protect Your Droid

It was only a matter of time before malware hit the Smartphones. A new Android Trojan that displays some botnet characteristics has emerged from China, Lookout Mobile Security warns. This Trojan is called Geinimi, and can compromise a significant amount of data from a user’s Android Smartphone, sending it to remote servers. Once installed on the phone, it could allow the server’s owner to control the mobile device, says Lookout. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Tweet from Times Square

Are you planning to tweet “OMG It’s 2011” tonight from Times Square? You’re in luck because AT&T has expanded the hot spots around Times Square to accommodate all the users tonight. The “hotzone,” as AT&T calls it, is part of the company’s response to all the complaints about its 3G network. AT&T’s connection problems will be magnified by the 1 million people expected to gather in Times Square tonight to watch the ball drop. Many will want to send photos, e-mails and text messages from the celebration. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Motorola Splits

Effective January 4, 2011, Motorola will split into 2 companies. According to an article written by Peter Svensson, AP, Motorola is splitting its consumer-oriented side, which makes cell phones and cable set-top boxes, from the side that sells police radios and barcode scanners to government and corporate customers. Shareholders of record on December 21, 2010 will receive shares in both the consumer business, Motorola Mobility, and the professional business, Motorola Solutions after the first of the year. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: O’Car Stereo

O’Car is not a new Irish type of car. O’Car is a car stereo which uses the iPhone as its display and control panel. Why the Irish sounding name? The O’Car stereo really comes from Oxygen Audio. It has an iPhone swiveling dock so you can just drop your iPhone in there and use it for display and control. There is also an RDS radio tuner and a 4×55-watt amp, so you can still tune in to something when you forget your phone. (As if you would become detached from your precious iPhone….) The iPhone charges when it’s docked, and you can make and receive calls via the integrated Bluetooth hands-free kit. In addition, the O’Car will hold the phone vertically or horizontally, so you can use any app, turning this nifty stereo into a GPS navigator or Pandora Radio. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Verizon iPhone

When Verizon finally gets the iPhone 4, Apple’s stocks will skyrocket. This is according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. Munster is so sure that Verizon will have the iPhone 4 in early 2011 that he has included Verizon in his Apple sales estimates for next year. Munster is predicting that Verizon will sell 9 million iPhones next year, and that is a conservation estimate. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: 911 Cell Phone Bank

The 911 Cell Phone Bank program is giving away free cell phones for emergency calls. Started in 2004, this program was created to provide an ongoing and readily available source of 911 cell phones and funds to meet unexpected and urgent needs of participating law enforcement and affiliated victim service agencies. To date, the program has generated more than $1 million in funding and has distributed over 95,000 emergency cell phones nationwide.

The 911 Cell Phone Bank program has more than 1,500 active agencies participating, and is growing. The top ten participating agencies in November were:

1. Cook County Sheriff’s Office, IL
2. Harbor House, FL
3. FDEP Central District, FL
4. Quigley House, FL
5. Capital Area Corporate Recycling, LA
6. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, FL
7. Bay County Sheriff’s Office, FL
8. AMS HQ Fitchburg, WI
9. City of Hampton Sheriff’s Office, VA
10. Ross County Sheriff’s Office, OH

Each year over 100 million people upgrade their cell phones. Most people just throw them in a drawer and forget about them. Wouldn’t it be great if more people knew about this program and sent their phones to the 911 Cell Phone Bank? I know that our company, batteries4less.com, donates new batteries for cell phones donated locally to victim survivor groups. Verizon also has a program called Hopeline, refurbishing retired cell phones and distributing them to charitable organizations.

10.5 million seniors live alone. According to the 911CellPhoneBank.org website, every 9 seconds a woman is abused, and 60% of those women are pregnant. Many areas distribute these phones through county agencies or through law enforcement. Most communities have some sort of domestic violence survival program. Providing an emergency cell phone to these people has the potential to save lives in a big way. The 911 Cell Bank organization works strictly with agencies, not individuals.

Emergency phones are only for dialing 911. Cell phones are given free of charge to people who need them, but the phones will only have the capability of dialing 911. Officials estimate that more than 2,000 emergency cell phones are distributed each month through law enforcement and other agencies. Imagine the lives they can save.

Promote the 911 Cell Phone Bank and everyone wins. All donations are of course a tax deduction. You can also promote 911 Cell Phone Bank’s Facebook fan page and reach even more people. Their goal is to be “liked” by 1,000 people by the end of the year. So get on Facebook and click on the like tab for the 911 Cell Phone Bank page. Awareness is everything! You never know whose life you may be saving by a free emergency phone.

photo credit: Pulse News Reader

Pulse News Reader is gaining in popularity. Pulse (Alphonso Labs), was released back in May 2010. It gives users the ability to build a personal newsfeed with the newspapers, magazines and blogs of their choice. Originally designed for the iPhone, it is now available for the Android platform as well. It has been the top selling news app for the iPad, and consistently in the top 40 of all paid apps. The best news though, is that although they have been charging between $1 and $4 for the app, it will now be free. The goal is to attract more users, and  paid partnerships with publishers and advertisers. Alphonso Labs has also raised $800,000 in venture capital to further their efforts of taking this from just an app to a full fledged business. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Flammable Batteries

The FAA is urging airlines to take special precautions when transporting lithium ion batteries as cargo. The Federal Aviation Administration’s warning comes on the heels of the recent UPS cargo plane crash in Dubai. The FAA’s concern is justified regarding the flammability of bulk shipments of rechargeable batteries in the holds of cargo planes. What a perfect way to blow up a plane. Add a small remote triggering device, and boom! Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Organic Battery

Scientists at the University of Texas (UT) are working on a non-toxic, organic battery. Made from plastic, the battery would last longer than the batteries we use today, as well being flexible. These batteries could be used for cell phones as well as laptops. While not there yet, the scientists are a step closer to creating a battery that will revolutionize the battery industry. Imagine not having to worry about the toxic waste ending up in our landfills. Read the rest of this entry »