photo credit: Texting During Disasters

Phone call restrictions in Japan leave more people texting. After the earthquake in Japan earlier this month, cell phone providers as well as landline phone service was restricted or at best, heavily congested. Many found the only way to reassure friends and family was through texting. CNET reported that in addition to texting, people were using “social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Mixi” to stay in touch. The phone carriers were “limiting voice calls on congested networks, with NTT DoCoMo restricting up to 80 percent of voice calls, especially in Tokyo and in northeast Japan, where 30-foot tsunami waves caused extensive damage.” Even after restrictions were relaxed, coverage was spotty. For many, texting was the answer.

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photo credit: iPhone Stick-on Keyboard

4i Concepts’s 4iThumbs2 is a stick on keyboard for the iPhone. The concept behind the stick on keyboard, available in both portrait and landscape mode for $13-$25 with bumper, is to get users comfortable with the virtual keyboard. According to an article by Doug Rule, Mobiledia, “4i Concepts’s 4iThumbs2 is an invisible, removable plastic film that sits over the face of an iPhone, with ridges between keys to help ensure a finger hits the intended key, not any of its neighbors. The film is held in place by a bumper, and can be easily removed and stored on the back of the phone when not in use.”

“As the only tactile ridged screen for the iPhone, 4iThumbs2 is sort of like training wheels for new iPhone users, making their transition to a touch screen comfortable and easy,” said Jerry Rosengarten, founder of 4i Concepts.

Have you sent embarrassing text messages because of typos? There is actually a website dedicated to the laughable and embarrassing mistakes. It’s called “Damn You Auto Correct.” It features mistakes like “Your Mum and I are going to divorce next month,” instead of “Your Mum and I are going to Disney next month.” The founder of the site, Jillian Madison, has actually been offered a book deal due out this month, according to an article by Brian McCullough, Mobiledia. Perhaps this new keyboard will help that situation.

iPhone users seem to be more susceptible to texting errors than other Smartphone texters. According to the article on Mobiledia, apparently this is due to the fact that iPhone requires specific input to decline an auto suggestion, and many users are in too much of a hurry and just press “send” without checking. Not only can this be embarrassing but can be potentially career damaging, depending on who you are texting.

What about the Android users? So far there are no plans for a similar keyboard for the Droids. Perhaps this is because they vary in screen size. Regardless, Google has given the Android users several tools to help with their clumsy fingers. I think my personal favorite is Swype. It allows you to slide your finger along from letter to letter in a continuous motion and have the Swype app auto suggest words. Another tool Google offers on the Android is speech to text so you can dictate your testing. It works fairly well, and is of course editable.

Got any embarrassing text mistakes you want to share? Are you an iPhone user or use another Smartphone? The bottom line is that you should proofread your texts before sending. Yes, a keyboard trainer would help, but you still need to check your words.

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photo credit: Unlimited Free Texting

Tired of going over the limits of your cell phone plan? At least with texting, there is a solution. With mobile broadband access, you can download apps to give you unlimited texting. It is no surprise that these apps are some of the most popular apps downloaded. Many of these free apps come with ads, but it is a small price to pay for a new phone number that delivers unlimited texting to your cell phone. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Driving & Texting

California State Highway Patrol says distracted driving is the #1 cause of teen driving accidents. Distracted driving includes texting as well as cell phone calls. Furthermore, California has the second-highest fatality rate nationwide involving drivers between the ages of 15 and 20. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: No Texting

The U.S. DOT (Department of Transportation) clamps down on truckers and bus drivers. Commercial drivers now face a fine of up to $2,500 for texting or using hand held cell phones while driving. Read the rest of this entry »

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photo credit: Driving while talking

An overwhelming 28% of all traffic accidents are caused by people talking or texting on their cell phones. Almost a half million accidents are attributed to cell phone conversations, while another 200,000 are blamed on texting while driving. Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Cell Phone Distraction

Cell phone distraction affects walking as much as driving. Apparently a study by the University of Illinois found that talking on a cell phone while crossing the street leads to accidents. Duh! Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Obama using BlackBerry

Obama has declared war on driving while using cell phones! Driver distraction based accidents are becoming an epidemic. In the last year, over half a million people were injured and 6,000 were killed due to driver distraction. This includes talking on cell phones and texting. Read the rest of this entry »