Mobile

In Australia, more than 1,850 people succumb to skin cancer each year -- more than the number of those killed in road accidents. Researchers believe that close to two-thirds of all Australian youths will be diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of ... 70. (Source: canoe.ca ) Now, in an effort to reach out to this generation and save a few lives in the process, a new iPhone application has been released, providing current weather forecasts and the maximum ultraviolet levels expected for the day. Temperature and UV Rays Difficult to Discern In a recent report, Sue Heward, SunSmart Manager at Cancer ... (view more)

Microsoft's new mobile phone system, Windows Phone 7, has only been available on handsets for a couple of weeks, but "enthusiasts" have already discovered how to jailbreak it. The process allows users to run any application on the handset, including ... those that haven't gone through a Microsoft vetting process. Jailbreaking Dissimilar to Unlocking Cells It's important to note that jailbreaking is not the same as unlocking. The latter is the process of removing the protection manufacturers put on a phone so that it only works on a particular network, usually in cases where the handset was sold ... (view more)

The FCC is working on ways to modernize 911 call centers across North America. If current plans come to fruition, it would enable emergency response teams to accept text messages, picture messages, streaming video and other emergent technologies. ... The update, called Next Gen 911, marks the first change made to the 911 system in close to a decade. The most recent revamping occurred back in 2001, when the FCC required cellular carriers to offer the emergency service along with the GPS data of the caller (within 50 to 300 meters in proximity). (Source: computerworld.com ) Phone Calls Are Not ... (view more)

With Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system (OS) recent debut, experts are already debating whether or not it's a success. One source claims first-day sales were nowhere close to the release of other high-profile phone systems, ... while others report significant stock shortages. The sales figures come from an unnamed market research source speaking to a financial news website. The source claims a total of 40,000 handsets running Windows Phone 7 were sold the first day it went on sale. That compares poorly to the 1.7 million sales of the iPhone 4 in the first three days it was on ... (view more)

If regulators have their way, cellphone companies will have to warn customers before they incur unusually high charges. It's a new program designed to prevent situations where a customer unexpectedly receives a bill for $68,505, as was the case for ... one customer in the first quarter of 2010. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which oversees the mobile industry, is proposing three new rules regarding how and when companies should tell users about potential charges beyond their normal fees. Cell Phone Bill Shock: Shocking Statistics In May, the FCC released a report suggesting that ... (view more)

Verizon will issue refunds to around 15 million customers after mistakenly charging them for non-existent data use. But the company may wind up paying a bigger price for the error. Phone Users Victims of 'Technical Errors' in Billing In a statement ... attributed to deputy chief counsel Mary Coyne, the company said the mistaken bills were issued over the past several years. It said the customers did not have data plans, but were victims of technical errors, either with phone software sending and receiving "minor" data, or being billed for following web links that shouldn't have incurred data ... (view more)

Verizon has revealed it won't be stocking any handsets running Windows Phone 7 until next year. It means a big dent in Microsoft's plans to firmly establish the new mobile phone operating system this fall. Uncertainty over Windows 7 Phone Launch ... Date Brenda Raney, a spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, said that not only will the network not carry any handsets when Windows Phone 7 launches, but that it won't have any devices until next year. Although Raney described the two companies' relationship as being solid, Bloomberg reports Verizon plans to support the system and will "probably" release a ... (view more)

Social networking giant Facebook has flatly denied a report that it is working on its own cell phone. But not everyone believes the rumors are false. Facebook Phone Story Leak by TechCrunch The first report came this past Sunday when TechCrunch ... founder and writer Michael Arrington claimed that Facebook was working on a program by which it would write the phone's operating system and software, while partnering with a manufacturer to physically build the handset. According to Arrington, two senior Facebook staff members have been working on the project. One helped create the Mozilla Firefox ... (view more)

Wal-Mart will soon compete with the major cellphone networks by selling its own calling plan. The world's largest retailer will offer exceptionally low rates on voice calls and texts, though its data charges may be too expensive for many users. The ... chain will be acting as a virtual operator, meaning it licenses bandwidth from a mobile network (T-Mobile in this case), and resells it to customers. Its plan, dubbed "Family Mobile", costs $45 a month for one line and $25 a month for each additional line, with unlimited US calls and texts. That's substantially lower than what major networks ... (view more)

Microsoft says its Windows Phone 7 developer tools have already been downloaded more than 300,000 times. The firm hopes this means there will be plenty of apps available to help the new system compete with rivals such as the iPhone and Android. ... Microsoft confirmed that the final edition of the developer toolkit will be released on September 16th, 2010: a package that should contain everything developers need to make sure their apps work when the phones go on sale. (Source: arstechnica.com ) Thus, we now have the clearest indication yet that phones carrying the new operating system should be ... (view more)