You have to admit it, the video above is a work of art. Sure it’s a commercial / viral video made by Vodafone NZ but it’s still amazing. This Symphonia experiment uses 1000 cellphones that are syncing 53 different ringtone alerts from 2000 sent messages. The final result is the 1812 overture from Tchaikovsky which makes this endeavor all the more interesting.

In case you loved the whole show then you can go ahead and download it from Vodafone New Zealand’s by following the link below. You can get the full track of Symphonia but you can also get the 53 ringtones used to create the overture. Although we do advise you not to try to recreate the experiment at home if you don’t have 1,000 phones yet.

via Vodafone

Tags: 1812 Overture, Mobile News, New Zealand, SMS, Symphonia, Tchaikovsky, Vodafone, Vodafone

All over the world taxi drivers have suffered or seen many incidents, and to improve this situation there is a good solution, in Mexico it is called Vigilante Taxi Drivers. Basically the taxi drivers use their 3G cellphone to send a message to the police, and thanks to the system they are using - GPS - the message contains the exact location of the incident, which means the cops can get to the spot pretty fast and help the needed.

As you can imagine, the incidents can go from car accidents, to street fights, and many other scenarios. There are over 5,000 lusacel cellphones that taxi drivers have, and they have reported over 10,000 incidents. The best part is that the government provides the devices for free, with a bit of credit to send the messages.

Tags: Cell Phones, Cellphone, mexico, Mobile News, SMS, taxi

This was bound to happen sooner or later — It seems that a 911 call center in Iowa has announced that they will now be allowing the public to send SMS messages instead of actually calling them.

There is a catch, however, as only i wireless subscribers in Black Hawk County can use the SMS support. As for everyone else in Iowa, support most likely isn’t very far off.

SMS messages to notify 911 would prove to be very useful when making noise would put you in danger so let’s hope it catches on in other parts of the US.

Read (USA Today)

Tags: 911, Cell Phones, Crazy Mobile, i wireless, iowa, SMS, text message

The day is finally here, Apple has officially announced that iPhone OS 3.0.1 is ready for download. There isn’t much to go along with this update other than the fact that it fixes an SMS exploit that could have potentially given hackers control of your phones.

Anyways, to pick up version 3.0.1 just sync your handset with iTunes and update it like you normally would.

Tags: 3.0.1, Apple, Apple, At&T, bug fix, Cell Phones, exploit, iPhone OS, Mobile News, Mobile Software, SMS, Uncategorized

That’s right folks, if you happen to own an iPhone as we speak then your handset could be hijacked through a SMS security issue. The whole thing doesn’t stop there! Once you iPhone has been hijacked then all you’re other iPhones from your contact list will be hijacked too. And so on! You get the picture, don’t you? Every iPhone in the world could be hijacked at some point in the future.

What’s the flaw you ask? Well it looks like invisible SMS bursts will allow hackers to gain control over your phone. The security issue has been discovered about a month ago and it will be present at the Black Hat conference if you’re attending. Apple hasn’t issue any fix for now but we’re counting on a future solution for this security issue. In the mean time iPhones all over the world keep functioning so we shouldn’t feel threatened just yet.

via Forbes

Tags: Apple, Black Hat, hijacking, iPhone, Mobile News, Portable Devices, security, SMS

Google has recently announced that they have launched a Google Voice mobile application for the Blackberry and Android mobile platforms.

If you were lucky enough to get an invite to the Google Voice service you should definitely check this out as it will let you place calls and send SMS with your Google Voice number as well as view voicemail transcripts.

To download the Android application just head to the Android Market and search for Google Voice. However, on the Blackberry just point your browser to m.google.com/voice and you’re good to go.

Tags: Android, Android Market, application, BlackBerry, Cell Phones, Google, Google Voice, mobile app, Mobile News, MP3 Players, Research In Motion, SMS

Besides that overheating problem which can’t exactly be corrected right now, there’s another important issue with your iPhone. There’s a certain SMS vulnerability which puts your iPhone at risk. Apparently it’s possible to:

run software code on the phone that is sent by SMS over a mobile operator’s network in order to monitor the location of the phone using GPS, turn on the phone’s microphone to eavesdrop on conversations, or make the phone join a distributed denial of service attack or a botnet.

The flaw has been discovered by OS X security expert Charlie Miller and it was presented at the SyScan conference in Singapore. Apple is probably going to patch this security issue pretty soon and we’ll keep you updated.

via HotHardware

Tags: Apple, Charlie Miller, iPhone, OS X, security, SMS, software

As we told you earlier this year, Zer01 Mobile has been getting ready for a nationwide launch in July. In case you forgot let me refresh your memory! Zer01 Mobile is going to bring you unlimited nationwide voice and data and even international unlimited calling.

In order to take advantage of all those unlimited calls and data you will have to install custom software on your phone. Should you choose to purchase a new phone from Zer01, that option is available too. Why do we need custom software installed on the phones? Zer01 will use data networks for any kind of connectivity. That means your call will not drop even if the coverage of your chosen network isn’t that great as the software uses the data connection for making and receiving calls.

Not yet convinced? Zer01 Mobile won’t force you into any new contract. Their offers work as prepaid services. You’ll end up paying $69.99 per month for all the unlimited phone calls, messaging and Internet browsing and an additional $10 for unlimited international calls. Whenever you choose to stop you’ll be able to do so! If you own a BlackBerry or Android phone you’ll have to wait a while until you can get the service since Zer01 Mobile will only work on Windows Mobile phones right now. But what do you say? Anxious to try something new?

Tags: Android, BlackBerry, Calls, data, international, Mobile News, Mobile Software, OS, Other Brands, SMS, Unlimted, Windows Mobile, Zer01 Mobile

Skype version 3.0 has just been released for handsets running Windows Mobile and adds 2 highly sought after features.

First of all, Skype version 3.0 will allow users to send pretty much any type of file they please to other Skype users for free, over a WiFi connection of course. Futhermore, version 3.0 adds the ability to send SMS messages to other cellphones also free of charge over a WiFi connection.

Skype really made a splash when it was first released for the iPhone and with this new Windows Mobile version 3.0 it only looks to improve.

Read (Skype)

Tags: 3.0, Cell Phones, file transfer, microsoft, Mobile News, Mobile Software, Skype, SMS, VoIP, Windows Mobile

Rogers Wireless is getting ready to make a few changes when it comes to its SMS service. It looks like the Canadian provider is going to start charging customers for all incoming SMS messages if they don’t have any prior text messaging plan. Starting with July 7th all incoming messages will be charged 15¢ each so you should better get an SMS plan. If you happen to send and receive a total of 34 messages or more every month then you should better get a $5 plan instead of paying for all those messages.

Tags: Canada, Messages, Mobile News, Other Brands, Plans, Rogers, SMS, wireless

One thing about owning a phone and making calls is the scope of coverage. Normally, your service provider limits calls to local vicinities and should you want roaming services, this will mean additional cost and services. If that should be the case, the best you can do is avail the best one there is and Truphone Local Anywhere is most certainly it.

The introduction of Truphone’s multi-country, single-SIM service will change the current experience of people with an international lifestyle. Their mobile experience is currently characterized by frustration, brought on by constantly having to juggle multiple SIM cards and mobile phones in order to minimize their mobile costs.

Truphone Local Anywhere Benefits include:

Number portability of existing mobile and landline numbers to Truphone;

Full service multi-language customer support;

Ability to manage their Caller ID (CLI);

Competitive rates on domestic calls, SMS, and data in home country;

Low cost international calling to the world from any Truphone Local Anywhere-supported country;

Up to 80 percent savings on roaming charges when visiting other countries;

No roaming surcharges to receive calls in most major destinations;

TruFriendsTM – providing even lower calling rates to call to other Truphone Local Anywhere customers;

Additional “virtual” country mobile numbers to seem ‘local’ in another country so friends/colleagues can call at local rates.

(Source) Press

Tags: caller id, Cell Phones, international call, mobile costs, mobile experience, Mobile News, mobile numbers, mobile phones, Mobile Software, roaming charges, sim cards, SMS, truphone

This is at least weird but it could be quite useful in various situations. If you need to report a crime but calling the police is not an option just yet, then simply send an SMS to the police in London. The perpetrator will not know what you are doing and the police will arrive to the scene of the crime.

So if you’re in London, add this number to your contacts list: 07940 500 500. That’s the Metropolitan Police Service number for answering to crimes reported via SMS.

via phone-arena

Tags: London, Mobile News, Mobile Software, Police, SMS

Score one for Nokia as far as trying to save marriages and bringing down increasing counts of divorce cases with this new call and text screening application called Black & White Guard.

It is available in most Nokia phones and can certainly act as a savior of sorts as far as avoiding certain callers and deleting intimate SMS some mobile phone owners want to avoid.

How does it work?

It hides information about dialed numbers and SMS from White List.

It rejects calls and SMS from Black List.

It is very, very simple to use.

The Black & White Guard activity is based on White List, a list of phone numbers, which is able to identify all intimate SMS and calls. Black & White Guard deletes these messages and data about calls and saves them into a Safe, where the user can read them. Access into Safe is protected by password.

Application works also with Black list, which allows automatic deleting of SMS and refusing calls from unwanted numbers. From these reasons the name of the program is Black & White Guard. It is also possible to set automatic locking of the keyboard.

(Source) CMI Technologies

Tags: Cell Phones, divorces, keyboard, Mobile News, Mobile Software, Nokia, nokia app, nokia phones, phone numbers, SMS

Sprint had a bad 2008 but the carrier might just get back on its feet. The WiMAX network has been launched and the Palm Pre will arrive soon. In fact, Palm will be also resuscitated by the Pre. Is this why Sprint decided to boldly go where no one is going anymore?

Sprint has launched an unlimited wireless plan which costs only $50. Boost Mobile is a Sprint brand that will offer the new service. Boost Mobile has been offering prepaid wireless service so far and it’s pretty good at it. With 3.9 million customers at the end of September 2008, Boost Mobile seems like the best choice for the new unlimited wireless plan. Besides unlimited data traffic you also get unlimited minutes and voice messages. All you need is a great phone to take advantage of this amazing offer. Will everyone else follow Sprint’s unlimited initiative?

via tgdaily

Tags: Boost Mobile, internet, Mobile News, SMS, Sprint, Sprint, Unlimited, voice

If you are getting a mobile phone for the first time or maybe looking for a good spare phone, chances are the Samsung B100 is for you. The B100 is pretty basic, no cameras and no Bluetooth capability. It is perfect for prepaid phones widely used today and a good buy at $70.00.

It may not be the ideal phone that most advanced mobile phone users look for today. However, if you are on a tight budget and are dying to have a handy and compact mobile phone, you can check out the Samsung B100. It will do until the time comes you have enough for a better and more advanced-featured phone.

The B100 is basic as they come, with a 500-name phonebook, SMS and MMS messaging and a range of PIM functions that includes a calendar, alarm clock, calculator, a currency converter and sound recorder.

(Source) PCWorld

Tags: cameras, Cell Phones, clock calculator, mms messaging, mobile phone users, phonebook, Samsung, Samsung, samsung b100, SMS, sound recorder

If you happen to own a Nokia or any other Symbian device you might consider dealing with an annoying bug, the “Curse of Silence” which will prevent your handset from receiving any SMS messages. How is the bug activated? Well when a user uses more than 32 characters and includes a small identifier that marks a message as Internet Electronic Mail then the bug will be triggered. At that point the device will automatically stop receiving SMS messages without letting the user realize the problem.

There’s no patch for fixing the issue even though it was found a few weeks ago and signaled to Nokia already. Unfortunately quite a lot of devices are affected by it so check out the list to see if your Nokia phone can be a potential victim:

S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 (S60 3.1):
Nokia E90 Communicator
Nokia E71
Nokia E66
Nokia E51
Nokia N95 8GB
Nokia N95
Nokia N82
Nokia N81 8GB
Nokia N81
Nokia N76
Nokia 6290
Nokia 6124 classic
Nokia 6121 classic
Nokia 6120 classic
Nokia 6110 Navigator
Nokia 5700 XpressMusic

S60 3rd Edition, initial release (S60 3.0):
Nokia E70
Nokia E65
Nokia E62
Nokia E61i
Nokia E61
Nokia E60
Nokia E50
Nokia N93i
Nokia N93
Nokia N92
Nokia N91 8GB
Nokia N91
Nokia N80
Nokia N77
Nokia N73
Nokia N71
Nokia 5500
Nokia 3250

S60 2nd Edition, Feature Pack 3 (S60 2.8):
Nokia N90
Nokia N72
Nokia N70

S60 2nd Edition, Feature Pack 2 (S60 2.6):
Nokia 6682
Nokia 6681
Nokia 6680
Nokia 6630

Tags: bug, Mobile News, Mobile Software, Nokia, Nokia, SMS, symbian

TriPlay has inaugurated what they claim to be the “world’s first” cross-platform multimedia messaging service on the US. In other words, they launched a service that lets you get in contact with 2 billion people using your cellphone, be it by image, sound, or text. All the new users (tip: find a way to register again if you already are a TriPlay member) will get 100 free messages and e-greeting cards that can be customized and sent as a MMS.

TriPlay is divided into 3 areas: a Facebook application named CellMates that lets users send photos to Facebook, and SMS + Facebook photos to cellphones; a Firefox add-on called TConnect that takes care of text, image, or video while using the Firefox Browser; and a free Computer application named TStyle that lets users edit audio, video, or image files and send the data to a cellphone.

Each message sent to a cell phone costs one TriPlay “credit” or 8 cents.

TriPlay

Tags: Cell Phones, Cellphone, mms, Mobile Software, SMS, triplay

Now that you know the name of it, what do you think this handset does best? Take a close look at its keyboard, it’s not a QWERTY keyboard but it’s a full one and this keyboard will get you faster SMS texting! The Telus ZTE TXTer will use that Fastap keypad and eZiType word prediction to send your messages out much faster than your regular handset. Fastap, is an input method which offers you small keys in between larger numeric keys. The designed combined with that eZiType word prediction software will get you those speedy SMS messages.

And for what it’s worth it has GPS navigation, a microSD memory card slot, EV-DO connectivity and a 1.3 Megapixel camera. It can be all yours for $29.99 with a three year contract or for only $229.99 with no contract.

Tags: fastap, Mobile News, Other Brands, SMS, Telus

The following events actually happened recently and they go to prove the utility of any cell phone and particularly of any smartphone. A British surgeon was a volunteer with the French medical charity Medicin Sans Frontieres. David Nott found a boy in Africa who needed to have it’s gangrenous arm amputated. That’s when he asked for assistance from a London surgeon, Meirion Thomas.

Thomas sent a 10-step guide via SMS to perform surgery on the boy and eventually that saved a life.

Thomas’s response was a cool 10-step guide to performing surgery on the boy to remove his arm along with collar bone and shoulder blade. Armed with that and a wish of good luck from his friend, Nott just “got on with it.”

He ended up saving the boy’s life. An iPhone saved a life and the knowledge behind that.

via reghardware

Tags: Africa, Apple, iPhone, Mobile News, Other Brands, SMS

It looks like a 32-year-old woman in Oklahoma, Tonia Mullins, tried to hire some hitman for some murder. Unfortunately she used one too many times SMS messages to talk about the whole deal:

Don’t care who as long as they can in no way be traced 2 me or u guys through someone else.

Price is going 2 be the big factor here. What r we lookin at?

She is looking at time in jail and by the time she gets out cell phones will look a whole lot different. Don’t hire hitmen over the phone! In fact, don’t hire them at all!

via Boing Boing

Tags: Cell Phones, Cell Phones, Mobile News, SMS