Cellphone9 » Cell Phones

Cell Phones For Hearing Impaired Users

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:13:00 +0000

I won’t lie. I never really thought about whether hearing impaired individuals could use cell phones. These little devices are so much a part of our culture and, in addition to being a way to keep in touch, they can be used as life-saving tools in an emergency. When you think of it that way, it seems downright tragic that deaf or hard of hearing people are limited in their ability to use them. Sure, they can text message but that’s not quite the same thing, is it?

Cornell University

Researchers are Cornell saw the need and began working with colleagues to create cell phones that can communicate using sign language. The technology is supposed to allow deaf people “untethered communication in their native language” — exactly the same connectivity available to hearing people, she said. The project started four years ago with the first Mobile ASL (American Sign Language) phone prototypes making their debut last year. They are currently being used by 25 deaf people in the Seattle area.

Basically, the researchers built on the videoconferencing platforms being used for distance-learning courses but they had to find a way to compress the video to make it clearer and easier to transmit. Of course, this does drain the phone’s resources so they also had to come up with a way to maximize the cell phone’s battery life.

It’s really pretty amazing. I’m not sure when the phones will become available to the general public but the research team is currently working on perfecting the technology and making it more affordable.

Post from: Cellphone9

iPhone Sales in China Doing Poorly

Jeanne Dupuis — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:06:23 +0000

It was almost two months ago that Apple finally launched the iPhone in China, hoping to take advantage of the big market in the country.

However, what was hoping to be a successful beginning to the iPhone’s run in China, has now turned into a huge disappointment for the folks at Apple.

To date, sales in China for the iPhone have only gotten up to approximatel 100,000 units being sold. The second largest mobile operator, China Unicom, were chosen to carry the phone – a company who have about 140 million users.

South Korea’s main carrier, KT, already has 60, 000 pre-orders for the iPhone, which hasn’t even been launched there. To top it off, KT only has 14 million users compared to China Unicom’s 140 million subscribers.

Those are some really crappy sales in a country that holds about 1.3 billion residents. Hopefully, sales increase in the next few months.

Image: Amazon

Post from: Cellphone9

Black Friday & Cyber Monday With AT&T

Jeanne Dupuis — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:40:55 +0000

Let the holiday sales begin! AT&T has just announced a series of weekend-long sales on wireless handsets starting today and you’re not going to want to miss out!

Black Friday is a great time to check out incredible deals on some of the most popular touch screen wireless devices and the best U-verse deals of the year!

On Saturday, customers can take advantage of the 24-hour Blackberry sale. Get a free Pearl 8110 or Curve 8310; $49 Curve 8320; or $99 Curve 8900. Two-year agreement with a minimum $69.99 plan required.

On Sunday, shoppers looking to score a free quick messaging device can choose the Solstice, Magnet, Propel, Karma or Neon. Two-year agreement and unlimited messaging or data service required.

Cyber Monday is a great way to kick off your week. For just a penny (one cent!) you can purchase the Nokia e71x, Sony Cybershot, Curve 8900, Pantech Reveal, or Samsung Jack. Device offers rotate every three hours. Two-year service agreement required.

For more information visit www.att.com/holiday09 or sign up for Cyber Monday sale text reminders!

image: att.com

Post from: Cellphone9

Use Your Cell Phone as a Microscope

Jeanne Dupuis — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:39:40 +0000

It seems that every day someone is coming up with another reason why cell phones are such useful tools so I wasn’t surprised when I read a New York Times article about how U.C.L.A found a way to adapt a cell phone to function as a microscope for screening diseases like anemia, tuberculosis and malaria.

Incredibly, the engineer who thought of this only spent about $10 in supplies to make it using common every day items.

The whole thing works by creating holgrams of slides and can be used in hospitals and diagnostic laboratories. The phone’s camera sensor can detect slides and then can send the information wirelessly to whomever needs it.

If they can find a way to make this work, it could make analyzing biological images so much easier, especially if they keep the cost of materials low.

image: Ozcan Research Group at U.C.L.A

Post from: Cellphone9

Why You Should Protect Your Cell Phone Number

Jeanne Dupuis — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:57:00 +0000

In our high-tech world, thieves are always finding new ways to steal and, while many of us realize that giving out our address or social security numbers is risky, most of us willingly provide our cell phone numbers without even thinking twice.

A Canadian article discussed why this could be dangerous. Have you ever been asked to enter your cell phone number for any reason? I was at a concert last November and they told us to text our phone numbers to a certain code for a chance to win backstage passes and send the band a message. I did it without even thinking but, truth be told, I could have been signing up for something I didn’t necessarily want.

Some consumers have been complaining that they have been signed up “for pricey text message schemes after entering their cell phone number through games and quizzes” and I can see how that could be something very easy for thieves to pull off.

This is particularly true in some parts of Europe where cell phone number are now used to pay for small services including parking and restaurant bills. It is probably only a matter of time before features like that become available in North America. In fact, there are already websites, like mobilegiving.ca, that allow used to type in their cell phone number to make a donation to a charity. That could very easily be exploited.

Long story short – be mindful of who you give your cell phone number to. It could cost you more than having to deal with an annoying person that you met at a bar.

image: Amazon

Post from: Cellphone9

Sony Ericsson Releases “Equinox”

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:45:00 +0000

Sony Ericsson released their “Equinox” model last week. The flip phone doesn’t look like the most high-tech gadget around but it’s a decent option for those who want something new and sleek without all the bells and whistles.

The Equinox features a 3.2 megapixel camera (with picture messaging), stereo Bluetooth and 3G network support and a built-in GPS sensor. It also lights up and pulsates when a call or message comes in which would be great for me since my ringer doesn’t currently work (I accidentally put my phone through the washing machine). I also read that you can silence or reject phone calls with hand gestures. Handy (no pun intended).

Visit the Sony Ericsson website for more specific information about the Equinox and its accessories.

image: Sony Ericcson

Post from: Cellphone9

Universal Cell Phone Charger Approved by U.N.

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:09:00 +0000

I have to admit that I didn’t realize that the United Nations got involved with cell phone technology but I read an interesting article on the MSNBC website that changed my mind.

Last month, the U.N. telecoms agency approved technology for a universal cell phone charger and their reasons completely make sense – they want to “reduce the confusion, clutter and waste” caused by phones having to many types of charging devices. I personally think that is awesome!

According to the article, the new chargers will use a micro-USB plug which will be similar to the ones used for digital cameras prompting some manufacturers to consider allowing the cable to plug into a computer. This is convenient in a pinch but the power you’d get from a computer isn’t going to be as strong as that from a wall socket so it would take longer to charge the phone but, as I said, it is a nice option for times when you don’t have a choice.

I seriously am looking forward to seeing this implemented. I’ve got a phone charger graveyard in my basement from all of the phones I’ve gone through (as well as those of my family members) and I’m sure we can all think of a time when we were someplace and our cell phone battery died and no one had the matching charger. This really makes things so much simpler!

image: Amazon

Post from: Cellphone9

Motorola DROID Features Android 2.0

Jeanne Dupuis — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:55:42 +0000

If you keep up with cell phone news, you’ve probably read a lot of articles talking about the new Motorola DROID which is set to become available on November 6, 2009. It’s just days away but people are already talking about how cool it is so I’m pretty intrigued.

This is the first smartphone to be powered by Android 2.0 and is supposed to be stronger and faster than the competition. The device promises “high-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, customizable large screen, access to thousands of Android applications and hundreds of widgets.”

Apparently, the shell is pretty solid while still being one of the thinnest full-QWERTY slider phones around so I’m sure a lot of people are going to be putting this on their holiday wishlists!

I read over some of the product details on the Verizon website and the best features include the following:

Connecting to the internet at 3G speeds with access to a multi-window HTML browser.
Widescreen visibility on a 3.7” high-resolution screen which makes viewing email, Google Maps, videos and websites a lot easier!
You can toggle between up to six applications at the same time!
Super quick Google searches!
The 5 megapixel camera lets you take digital camera-quality snapshots with autofocus, image stabilization and dual-LED flash. The DVD-quality video capture also comes in handy as does the 16 GB memory card!
The DROID is the first device to feature Google Maps Navigation which provides turn-by-turn voice guidance for FREE!!!! That alone is worth checking this phone out. How awesome is that? You can even see live traffic, street views and satellite images along your route.

The DROID by Motorola will be available in the United States exclusively at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online on Friday, November 6, 2009 for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement after a $100 mail-in rebate.

For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

image: Verizon

Post from: Cellphone9

Nokia 6720 refurbishes the classic design

Jayvee Fernandez — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:25:35 +0000

Nokia did it again with the 6720. While retaining the essentials for any classic line, it brings in two main features that make the mobile stand for functionality: active noise canceling for better quality phone calls and TV out for viewing photos and images onto the big screen.

We like this.

Post from: Cellphone9

YOU and HTC

Jayvee Fernandez — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:04:31 +0000

Everyone’s gone mainstream. Three years ago, you’d consider Windows Mobile users to be either geeks or early adopters. We’re not exactly sure if it was because of the iPhone, but smartphones have gotten sexier. It’s not just HTC that’s gone into the lifestyle route. BlackBerry has too, with the debut of the 8520, making push email more accessible to everyone.

Post from: Cellphone9