On April 3rd, 1973, Motorola engineer Marty Cooper placed the first public call from a cellphone. In midtown Manhattan, Cooper called Joel Engel — head of rival research department Bell Labs — saying "Joel, this is Marty. I'm calling you from a cell phone, a real handheld portable cell phone." The call was placed on a Motorola DynaTAC 8000x, which weighed 2.5 pounds, a far cry from today's 4-ounce handsets.
Earlier this year, the Library of Congress allowed an exemption to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act to expire, effectively making it illegal to unlock cellphones purchased after Jan. 26. A group of citizens outraged at the unlocking ban started a petition on the White House’s “We The People” website to fight the new law, garnering more than 114,000 signatures in 30 days.
Today, the White House responded. The verdict? The administration is firmly in support of ending the unlocking ban. Unfortunately, it can't do very much about it on its own.
David Edelmen, senior advisor for the Internet, innovation and privacy at the White House, wrote:
The White House agrees with the 114,000+ of you who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties. In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones. And if you have paid for your mobile device, and aren't bound by a service agreement or other obligation, you should be able to use it on another network. It's common sense, crucial for protecting consumer choice, and important for ensuring we continue to have the vibrant, competitive wireless market that delivers innovative products and solid service to meet consumers' needs.
A while ago, I thought that cellphone carriers were unaware that consumers could buy a phone for the contract price and then use it anywhere unrestricted. Then, after a while I learned this wasn’t the case and that carriers had every possible loophole filled in.
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a bill to hinder hackers from wandering away from their device’s service provider, will now include an additional rule stating that unlocking phones will be deemed illegal.
Knowing your data plan can mean the difference between a normal cell phone bill and a heart attack. 1 in 6 mobile phone customers have experienced some degree of bill shock. 50% of those were hit with charges of $50 or more. This infographic, provided by Xigo, explores the most insane cases of bill shock and how to avoid this happening to you.
On Tuesday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that law enforcement officials don’t need a warrant to track suspects via cellphones. Attorneys argued to overturn Skinner’s many convictions, citing that the GPS location information that led to the defendant’s arrest was obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment, which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures. This didn’t wash with the majority of judges over the case, who voted in a 2-1 ruling.
hese days, if you own a mobile phone (and 75% of the WORLD does) there is a decent chance you have the capacity to be a photographer. BUT you might not be a very good one and putting on an Instagram filter isn't the only way to try and make your pictures better.
While plenty of apps abound and we do love Instagram, getting a handle on the basic rules of composition and understanding some of the important camera functions built right in to your iPhone can help you create MUCH better images. And then they will look even cooler when you add a filter...or you might not even need one.
Are you a photography enthusiast but do not wish to burn a hole in your pocket by opting for a super-expensive SLR? Or perhaps you like to shoot weird signboards, views from bus windows and other random things — naturally, you wouldn’t want to carry a heavy camera 24/7, would you?
If the above description applies to you, you can probably use a common device that almost everyone has nowadays.
From cables to speakers to stands that prop up your phone, there are more cool accessories out there than you can shake a stick at—and they all seem grossly overpriced. Don't feel like cashing in an arm and a leg to power up your phone? Here are 10 cellphone accessories that are cheap and easy to make yourself.
These were my dumb phones. In fact other than a short-lived Treo (returned!) this is every phone I owned prior to the first iPhone. I know, I know. I should have sent them to soldiers. But I didn't.
Earlier today, all of us from Gizmodo were talking about how much money we used to pay for dumb phones, and I dug up this old picture. And then I was suddenly nostalgic! I mean, I wouldn't take any of those phones back on a bet. Not even the T68i, which was the world's best phone prior to the iPhone. But I do have a lot of fond memories of playing snake on that Nokia to the far left. And then there was the time the cops kicked in the door while I was playing a bowling game on that Nokia in the middle. (Really. Ask me about it in person some time.) And omg, I remember when I bought that RAZR it was the hottttttttnessssss.
Valentine's Day seems an odd time to get environmentally responsible, but Verizon has done just that. The carrier has just announced a new nationwide trade-in disposal program for its old handsets and is giving away gift cards in exchange.
Most of us have experienced dropping or spilling liquid over our over priced sensitive cell phones or gadgets and lost them forever.
Most people try to save their gadgets the wrong way . ex using a hair dryer witch may force moisture further into the small components and giving your phone a complete knockout .
Apple has only 4% of the total phone market, but captures 52% of its profits according to Canaccord Genuity analysts T. Michael Walkley and Mattew Ramsay.
Sprint is ending its unlimited 4G data offering for customers who use mobile broadband devices like tablets, netbooks, USB cards or mobile hotspot devices. Smartphone customers are not subject to the change, which takes effect in November.
A new large-scale, longitudinal study from Denmark finds mobile phone users aren't any more likely to get brain cancer than anybody else. But why do different studies still find different results, why are there still warnings, and what seems to be the consensus?
A new long-term study from Denmark’s Institute of Cancer Epidemiology examined the medical histories of more than 350,000 mobile phone users over a period of eighteen years. The study’s conclusion? Mobile phone users are at no greater risk for developing cancer in the brain or central nervous system than people who don’t use mobile phones. The study has been published in the British Medical Journal.
The number of wireless devices in the United States now outnumbers the people living here.
Connected devices with wireless subscriptions rose to 327.6 million in the second quarter, according to a new report from wireless industry association CTIA. That represents a 9% increase since the same period last year. The U.S. population currently clocks in at 312.4 million, the U.S. Census Bureau said.
Sprint just made it official that they will be rolling out 4G LTE. They have said, essentially, that they will have 4G LTE everywhere they have 3G. It sounds like they're going all in. Developing and updating...
LTE deployment will begin in mid-year 2012, with the first 1900MHz devices in mid-2012. The rollout will largely be completed by 2013. They plan to get through 2014 with their 1900MHz spectrum, and if the LightSquared deal goes through, then the1600MHz spectrum will get them through 2015.
While both text messaging and calling on cellphones have leveled off for the adult population, young adults are much more likely to text on their phones than to talk, according to a Pew Research Center study.
As of this morning, Microsoft and its partner carriers have begun pushing the 7.5 Mango OS update (review) to the first wave of Windows Phones.
The question on everyone's lips isn't so much if the over 500 changes to Windows Phone OS will satisfy current Mango users; they will. It's a good release, on one that proves Windows Phone is maturing, however gradually. With it, Microsoft will continue to keep its current customers. After all, that set is already committed to the platform, at least for another year or so until their contracts expire.
In anticipation of Sprint's 4G announcements on October 7, Cnet says the wireless carrier will flip the switch on their 4G LTE network early next year, with hopes of making it available to customers in Q2 2012.
Cnet cites unnamed sources in the article, but says that Sprint is currently building out the LTE network, which will undergo testing in select markets in the very early parts of next year, and then go live in the following months.
