Wireless Guide News

Barton Silverman/The New York Times

At roughly 1:05 p.m. on April 1, barring poor weather, the Mets will host the Padres at Citi Field, and the Yankees will open the season at home with the Red Sox.

Kevin Frayer/Associated Press

An Indian man weeps as he holds his wife who was killed in a stampede on a railway platform at the main railway station in Allahabad, India, Sunday. At least ten Hindu pilgrims attending the Kumbh Mela were killed and more then thirty were injured in a stampede on an overcrowded staircase.

As…………… continues on New York Times

Hang up and drive, Missoula, a cellphone ban is on the books.

With just one no vote, the Missoula City Council on Monday night approved a law against driving or biking while talking on a mobile phone or using an electronic device. Unlike the 2009 ban rendered gutless with a mayoral veto, this one has an exception for hands-free options like Bluetooths.

“I think we saved lives by passing the cellphone ordinance,” Councilman Alex Taft said after the meeting. “Not as many as if we had a full ban (that included hands-free devices), but I think it’s great progress for the city.”

The council voted 10-1 in favor of the ban, with Councilor Caitlin Copple absent. Even Councilman Adam Hertz, who voted against it, said he favors the prohibition but would have liked to see it pass as a ballot initiative instead of a council ordinance.

“This is just the kind of thing I would love to see the whole community weigh in on,” Hertz said.

Ordinances typically take effect…………… continues on The Missoulian

There is no worse feeling that losing your cell phone, or having it stolen. AT&T is trying to help those who find themselves in this situation.

AT&T has announced the completion of the second phase of its stolen phone database, which enables customers to report and block stolen wireless devices. AT&T is now able to share data on stolen phones with other GSM carriers, allowing a reported stolen phone to be disabled on AT&T’s network.

“As we all know, the theft of cell phones can be a very costly expense and frustrating experience for not only the consumer incurring the loss, but also the individual who unknowingly purchases the stolen device on a secondary market,” explains Lance Skelly, AT&T Corporate Communications.

Customers now may report a stolen phone and suspend their service online at www.att.com/stolenphone, at an AT&T store, or by contacting AT&T Customer Care at 1-800-331-0500. Within 24 hours, AT&T will block the use of a device reported as stolen.

“Earlier this year, AT&T joined Senator Schumer, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, Washington, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, NYPD Deputy Chief Phil Pulaski and other wireless ca…………… continues on Examiner.com

Missoula is so far behind, it might just be a step ahead.

In 2009, Missoula was the first large city in Montana to consider banning drivers from using cellphones. The effort failed.

Now, Butte, Billings, Great Falls, Whitefish, Havre, Hamilton, Bozeman and Helena all have bans in place, and the Missoula city councilman proposing the ordinance yet again wants his bill signed and sealed.

“We have been eclipsed by all the other major cities in Montana sans Kalispell, and it seems like, OK, it’s time to get with the program here,” said Councilman Dave Strohmaier. “Let’s take another run at this.”

The council will hold a public hearing Oct. 22 on the proposal to prohibit use of cellphones behind the wheel – with an exception for hands-free devices. This new version also has officers writing only warnings for the first 90 days the ordinance is in place.

One reason Strohmaier is bringing up the ban again is that new councilors have been seated since 2009. Whether they support this second attempt or not, Missoula now has the benefit of being able to look to other cities as models and to national trends.

Other ordinances in Montana that push drivers to hang up and drive appear to be working well, according to law enforcement officers in those communities, but they and federal recommendations note the recipe for success must include ener…………… continues on The Missoulian

Apple may not make the most environmentally-friendly cellphone on the market, but a new Michigan-based study indicates the iPhone 5 has fewer toxic chemicals than its main competitor, the Samsumg Galaxy S III.

The Ecology Center of Ann Arbor on Wednesday released the results of extensive testing designed to measure the amount of toxic chemicals found in 36 popular cellphones, most of which were released in the past five years.

The center disassembled an average of 30 units of each cellphone, testing internal and external parts for bromine, chlorine, mercury, lead and other toxic chemicals.

“One hu…………… continues on MLive.com

Bill shock is common with travellers who take their cellphones on vacation without a travel plan. Tears, a possible snap, and painful conversations with customer service usually follow.

Even if you assume you won’t use your phone much while away, you should call your provider to ask for special rates on international travel. If you’re a Bell user, for example, you can get a call bundle for talk, text and data usage for $ 100 that would cost you close to $ 500 otherwise.

More Related to this Story

• Preet Banerjee Pros and cons of the new ‘mobile wallet’ technology

• Your money Feeling gouged? The nine biggest rip-offs out there

• Travel What to do when calamity hits your vacation

…………… continues on Globe and Mail

Omar Richardson

At the time 18-year-old Omar Richardson snapped a photo of himself using a cellphone that cops say he stole in a Jersey City carjacking, he probably didn’t think much of it.

But the cellphone was running a program that automatically forwards photos to the owner’s computer, police revealed last week.

When his mug popped up on the victim’s computer, she printed out the photo, brought it to the South District Police Station and one of the officers recognized the man as Richardson, Police Lt. Edgar Martinez said.

Last Sunday, the 20-year-old victim had gotten out of her car on Armstrong Avenue and a masked gunman approached her saying, “Give me your keys and phone,” according to a police report.

The carjacker drove away heading east on Armstrong. The victim told investigators she could not identify the man because he was wearing a ski mask.

Police told her to keep her phone service on so they could watch for activity. But instead, she got a photo of Richardson sent straight to her, Martinez said.

In the picture, the man identified as Richardson is seated flipping his middle finger, police said.

A warrant was issued for Richardson’s arrest on the cha…………… continues on The Jersey Journal – NJ.com

THE retail environment in SA will see big changes within the next year or so, experts say.

The cellphone will be at the centre of the revolution.

The way we go about making our purchasing decisions will be different and how these goods make it to the store will determine which retailer, ultimately, wins, says Adrian Bertschinger, MD for retail and consumer services at Accenture SA .

“The cellphone will change the face of retailing in SA,” he says. Customers will in 12-18 months be able to whip out their cellphones and compare prices, see where stock and sizes are available and make a purchasing decision, he says.

“Peer reviews will be important too ; the apps (applications) on phones will enable you to see what other customers have said about certain products by just scanning a barcode.

“Centralised distribution centres are very important for any retail business to run well and we have seen more and more retailers using them. However, many are still not efficiently run. It will become more of a science than an art,” he says.

“In future, all buying and procuring will be automat ed, as once a computer knows what sells in what store it will be able to order more for that store in the c…………… continues on Business Day

DAMASCUS, Syria — Protesters defied a heavy security presence across Syria on Friday to commemorate the 30th anniversary of a deadly crackdown on Islamist opposition in the city of Hama, but were effectively prevented from turning out in the capital, Damascus.

At least 17 people, including eight soldiers, were killed during the day, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The dead reportedly included one person killed in fighting near Aleppo, an important financial hub that until recently had remained largely free of the violence that has accompanied the 10-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

The Local Coordination Committees opposition network said that six people died in fighting in Hama, although it was not possible to confirm that or other casualty figures independently.

In Damascus, where last week fighting edged closer to the city than at any time since protests began, the streets were mostly quiet amid more vigilant security than usual. Several hundred people, mostly young men, attended a pro-government rally in Abbasid Square, in the city center, under a huge poster of the president.

In the Midan neighborhood, where small groups sometimes

PHILADELPHIA — Let’s start with the appropriate perspective here: Just as the Sixers’ blitzing of Chicago on Wednesday didn’t suddenly make them the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, Miami’s 99-79 white-washing of Philly here on Friday doesn’t make the Sixers also-rans. As the Sixers reach the halfway point of a brutal stretch of games, they stand right where they did two nights ago — as the strongest candidate for the No. 3 spot in the East, a young, growing team that has a chance to push the elite hard in the playoffs.

The Heat? They’re elite, and they had one of those games Friday that makes you wonder how anyone could ever beat them four times in seven games. Three things of note from Miami’s resounding win:

• The Heat’s half-court offense played to the standards they’ve set for themselves. In a grueling 48-minute game, there will always be a few possessions during which Dwyane Wade or LeBron James merely stands in the corner — possessions that make you wonder how the pieces fit, and whether…………… continues on CNN