photo credit: PGA Allows Cell Phones

The PGA has long banned fans having cell phones at Tour events. Finally, after significant pressure, Andy Pazder, the PGA Tour’s Chief of Operations, announced the policy change Tuesday after allowing cell phone use at five previous tournaments as part of an experiment to enhance fans’ overall experiences, according to Reuters. The PGA’s new rules allow the mobile devices with the some restrictions. The volume must be on silent, you can only make calls in designated areas, you may only take still photos during practice rounds, and there is to be no video recording at all.

The Tour will formally introduce the new policy at the Honda Classic in March. After several months of testing, the powers-that-be decided fans could bring and use their mobile phones at Tour events. Of course there will be stiff penalties like being kicked out of the tournament if you are caught taking photos or don’t have your phone on silent mode.

“We understand that mobile devices are an important part of everyday life,” said Andy Pazder. “We concluded, after the five test tournaments, that allowing mobile devices on-site at Tour events was a tremendous fan enhancement, allowing them to stay connected to business and family.”

There are more benefits than just being able to make calls. With web browsing capable cell phones, you can also pull up PGATour.com and check the leader boards for the latest scores and statistics. According to Yahoo Sports, there are also some interesting stories about the old days when cell phones were banned at the Tour Events. Fans would use their cell phones up to the last minute before entering the event, and then toss them into a bush with a lot of other last minute users’ phones. When they came to retrieve their phone, they would use someone else’s phone to call their cell phone and pick up the one ringing. I bet that was pretty funny to watch.

Are you a golfing fan? Do you think the PGA should let fans bring their cell phones into events? Do you think fans can be trusted to only use cell phones in designated places and have the phones on silent mode? How many of us hear cell phones go off in movie theaters when it is clearly posted and even announced that cell phone usage is prohibited? Perhaps being threatened with expulsion from such a costly event, like the PGA Tour, is a good deterrent. After all, confiscating your cell phone probably constitutes some sort of personal freedom violation.

photo credit: Cloud Print from Cell Phones

Google launched Google Cloud Print for mobile phones on January 31st. It is a service that allows you to use your Gmail account on your cell phone to print to a cloud print enabled printer. Imagine how convenient that will be for commuters or business travelers.

“Let’s say you need to print an important email attachment on your way to work so that it’s waiting for you when you walk in the door. With Gmail for mobile and Google Cloud Print—a service that allows printing from any app on any device, OS or browser without the need to install drivers—you can,” Google wrote in its Official Gmail Blog. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Universal Cell Phone Charger

Mobile phone users in the European Union will soon have universal chargers for many of their devices. According to an article by Don Reisinger, CNET.com, “DigitalEurope, the continent’s largest digital tech organization, has delivered a sample of a universal mobile phone charger to European Commission vice president Antonio Tajani. The EU said that the sample now paves the way for consumers to get their hands on devices that support the universal charger in the very near future.”

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photo credit: Use Smartphone to Pay

Do you want to pay for things through your mobile phone? You’re not alone. Mobile carriers, device manufacturers and point-of-sale (POS) vendors also want you to pay in this convenient way. After all, if it is convenient, you’ll possibly spend more money. Payment providers like Amex, Visa, and MasterCard are on top of the idea of mobile payments in a big way. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: MetroPCS Android Cell Phone

Partnering with Boingo, the nation’s leading source of public Wi-Fi, MetroPCS phones running Android can now tap into hotspots for free. The LG Optimus M and Huawei Ascend, two of MetroPCS’s Android phones, will now come pre-loaded with special software from a company called Devicescape. The app recognizes 500,000 hotspots that are controlled by Boingo, which would cost other users a monthly or weekly connection fee. For the other 200,000 hotspots that actually cost money, the user would have to pay $7.95 a month fee. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: dushaun

In early 2007, Verizon and some other cell phone carriers began offering Digital TV services as features on their latest and greatest phones, but prices for this service have been so lofty that many customers aren’t willing to pay. For those customers who are still interested in having digital TV on their cell phones, however, there are ways to access Digital TV other than through your carrier.

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So you bought a new or used cell phone, and a nice one at that - speakers, 3G, multimedia, the works - but now its time to hook it up with a plan for it to be used. Depending on your circumstances, particularly whether or not you already have a plan in order, activating your cell phone may or may not be easy. The first order of business is to make considerations about the carrier you will be using, if you haven’t done so already. In the United States, the four most popular carriers are AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint. For each carrier, there are separate guidelines you’ll need to follow to activate your phone.

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Tony Fiend, undrafted rookie linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens was arrested sunday and charged with assaulting a Cop. The police state that they saw the linebacker pass a gun to one of his friends. Of course later it was found not to be a gun, but a cell phone.

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Cell phones have become a staple in all of our lives. Leave home without your mobile phone and you are sure to feel naked, and sometimes even useless. You use it for absolutely everything, games, texting, phone calls, organizing your schedule and even browsing the internet. If your battery dies, it can almost feel impossible to get everything you need done. However, as convenient and useful as they are, there is often nothing more shocking than when that cell phone bill comes in at the end of the month. How many times can you recount your mouth hitting the floor as you tear open your cell phone bill each month? If this has ever happened to you, then here are some tips on how to save on your cell phone bill each month.

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photo credit: Ko:(char *)hook

So you wanna have a cell phone in Costa Rica? I’d think twice about that if I were you. It’s not as easy as you may think!

When I got my first cell phone and plan in the U.S., I went to a store called GCI wireless, picked my service provider (T-Mobile) and a free phone (a cute little peanut-shaped Motorola). I was issued a number and off I went, calling all my friends and family, one after another, to shout, “I have a cell phone” in their ears. It was so easy. I wished I’d done it years before. However this is not the case in other countries!!

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