phone

Infopackets Reader Jim H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I'm trying to download the free eBooks online your website (such as the Windows 8 Guide eBook , the PC Maintenance Handbook , and the Windows 7 Pocket Guide , etc), but I'm having trouble. When I ... click on the orange 'Request Now' button to download the book, it is asking me for my name, a business email address, my company name, etc. Why do I have to enter all this information? How do I download the free eBooks? " My response: The answer to this is two-fold, and I'll try and break it down. Note that I've also ... (view more)

Google is reportedly working on a super smartphone. Dubbed the 'X Phone', it will directly compete with the Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy series. However, Google is reportedly having significant problems designing the new device. Google is working ... on the project with Motorola, the major electronics manufacturing firm it recently acquired for $12.5 billion. This marks the first time the two companies have worked together to build a smartphone. Reports also indicate the Google and Motorola partnership will produce a special 'X Tablet' computer. 'X Phone' a Feature-Rich Device Reports suggest ... (view more)

Microsoft is in the process of pursuing a new patent that would stop mobile phone rings with a simple "whack". The new technology could save users from embarrassing searches through pockets and purses in order to find and press the 'decline' or 'end ... call' button. The Microsoft patent application is filed under the name "Controlling Audio of a Device." According to the patent description, it covers "a method comprising, in a mobile communications device, receiving information indicative of acceleration of the mobile communications device, determining correlation between the information ... (view more)

A U.S. federal appeals court has ruled that police and other law enforcement officials have the right to use Global Positioning System (GPS) data from a suspect's cellphone without a warrant. The judges decided a technicality in existing law means ... such actions do not violate the Fourth Amendment, which forbids unreasonable search and seizure by the federal government. The Appeals Court ruling came in the case of convicted drug dealer Melvin Skinner, who was tracked down by GPS after an investigation. The investigation involved acquiring a cellphone number used by Skinner. Drug enforcement ... (view more)

Many people are pegging 'tap sensitivity' as the next untapped technology in the race to make smartphones even smarter. Now, a new set of programmable tags working alongside the next generation of Samsung and HTC smartphones seem ready to put this ... idea into practice. The hope is that everyday routines can one day be controlled with the simple tap of a mobile device. In addition to rolling out its new flagship Galaxy S III smartphone (set to launch in June or July, 2012), Samsung will also release its first batch of smart tags called "TecTiles". Basically, these are tags in the form of ... (view more)

Microsoft has launched a website and mobile application service that allows users to program smartphone functions based on their locations and schedules. Microsoft has designed the product to run exclusively on the Android smartphone. This is not ... the first time Microsoft has designed a product that does not run on its very own Windows Phone mobile platform. Photosynth (a digital photograph analyzing software application), for example, ran only on the iPhone. This new service is called "on{X}". It's intended to offer a futuristic glimpse of smartphone use by allowing users to program ... (view more)

A recent study has found that some smartphone applications unnecessarily waste battery life. The worst offenders appear to be free games that make money for their developers by bombarding gamers with advertising. Most free apps fall into one of ... three categories: Promotional tools or pieces of larger information campaigns. Trial or demo versions of apps that charge for their "full" version. Advertising-supported apps that normally display advertising as they operate. Excessive App Power Use: Researchers Identify Causes Apps in the third category -- ad supported -- have attracted the ... (view more)

A British newspaper has accused Facebook of reading its members' text messages. In response, Facebook says the article is misinformed and "completely wrong." Google Android Security Permissions Scrutinized The dispute involves a Sunday Times report ... based on an investigation into Android-based handsets, the results of which may also apply to Apple iPhones. The investigation scrutinized the security permissions system within Android, which breaks into several different categories the information an application may use. For each category, the application must ask for and receive permission from ... (view more)

Google has temporarily suspended one of the features on its mobile wallet system for smartphones following word the platform has at least two serious security flaws. Google Wallet allows users to make payments using "near-field communications," a ... wireless protocol like Bluetooth, but with a maximum range of just centimeters. Users can hold, tap or swipe their smartphone next to a payment device without having to worry about the signal being intercepted. 'Brute Force' Could Break Code The system can be protected with a PIN (personal identification number) code, to prevent misuse when ... (view more)

A flight attendant on an Australian commercial airplane saved the day after a passenger's iPhone spontaneously burst into flame. No one was harmed. As dramatic as some accounts try to portray it, the event may have been a relatively tame one. ... Reports: iPhone Exploded in Mid-Flight Several major news outlets claimed that the phone exploded, and that it did so in mid-flight. The fact is that the airline's official statement says the incident took place after the flight had landed. It also did not mention an explosion. Rather, the airline says the phone "started emitting a significant amount of ... (view more)