March 21, 2022

BBC: Not smart but clever? The return of ‘dumbphones’

BBC: Not smart but clever? The return of ‘dumbphones’. “Dumbphones are continuing to enjoy a revival. Google searches for them jumped by 89% between 2018 and 2021, according to a report by software firm SEMrush. And while sales figures are hard to come by, one report said that global purchases of dumbphones were due to hit one billion units last year, up from 400 million in 2019. This compares to worldwide sales of 1.4 billion smart phones last year, following a 12.5% decline in 2020.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
February 6, 2022

MakeUseOf: The 5 Best Apps for a Temporary Burner Phone Number

MakeUseOf: The 5 Best Apps for a Temporary Burner Phone Number. “We’ve all seen criminal types using burner phones on shows like The Wire and Breaking Bad. And most of us have secretly wanted to throw a phone away or break it in half at the end of a conversation. Unless you have reason to believe the NSA or FBI is interested in you, it’s probably not something you need. However, there are all sorts of non-criminal reasons to have a second phone number. While you may want to get a physical burner phone for emergencies, you could also just get a burner app on your existing phone.”

Useful Stuff 0
November 24, 2021

The Irish News: Mobile Phone Museum launches online

The Irish News: Mobile Phone Museum launches online. “A collection of mobile phones detailing the history of the device has launched as an online museum with more than 2,000 handsets dating back to 1984. The Mobile Phone Museum, founded by industry veterans Ben Wood and Matt Chatterley, includes high-resolution photos and backstories for many of the phones in its catalogue.”

New Resources 0
October 20, 2020

Mass. Using New Tool in COVID Fight: Phone Alerts for High-Risk Communities (NBC News)

NBC News: Mass. Using New Tool in COVID Fight: Phone Alerts for High-Risk Communities. “People who live in or near some Massachusetts communities at high risk for COVID-19 transmission were getting alerts on their phones Monday afternoon reminding them about coronavirus safety rules. It’s the first time a Wireless Emergency Alert is being sent about the coronavirus in Massachusetts, a Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center spokesman said.”

COVID-19 0
September 8, 2020

CNET: Phones for low-income users hacked before they’re turned on, research finds

CNET: Phones for low-income users hacked before they’re turned on, research finds. “Adware isn’t a problem just for [Rameez] Anwar and other users who have the same phone model, made by American Network Solutions. Because the phones and their service plans were subsidized by a US program, taxpayers were funding the data that was used to display the promotional campaigns. On top of that, the adware prevented the phones doing their intended job: keeping low-income people connected to vital services via phone and internet.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
November 11, 2019

Liliputing: Database of 200+ smartphones that can run Linux (unofficially)

Liliputing: Database of 200+ smartphones that can run Linux (unofficially). “In a nutshell all you have to do is type your phone’s model number into a box at… and if your phone is one of the 200+ models in the database, you’ll see listings for the GNU/Linux distributions that support your device. Have a Nexus 5? It’s supported by all three of the Linux-based operating systems mentioned above. Have a first-gen Pixel or Samsung Galaxy S7? Then your phone can run postmarketOS.”

New Resources 0
December 16, 2017

Digital Trends: Like a bullet to a gun, scientists can match a photo to the phone that took it

Digital Trends: Like a bullet to a gun, scientists can match a photo to the phone that took it. “You know that cop movie trope where a single bullet is traced back to the specific gun that fired it? Well, researchers at the University at Buffalo in New York have developed similar technology — only this time it’s for tracking a photo back to the phone that took it. It could potentially lead to a new way to enhance security and fight cybercrime.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
March 27, 2017

New-to-Me: An Online Database of Pay Phones

New-to-me but apparently around for a while: an online database of pay phones. “By the 1990s there were nearly three million pay phones in America. But now just a small fraction remain. Mark Thomas keeps track of the ones that are left. He created the Payphone Project, an online database of pay phones from around the world.”

New Resources 0
January 14, 2017

NBC News – It’s Not Just You: Why So Many People Lose or Break Their Phone Just as a New One Comes Out

Um, not me! From NBC News: It’s Not Just You: Why So Many People Lose or Break Their Phone Just as a New One Comes Out. “It might seem strange that smartphone owners would get clumsier right as a new model hits the market, but that’s exactly what happens, according to a forthcoming article in the Journal of Marketing Research. Data on lost iPhones shows that owners are less likely to try and track down their missing devices when a newer version is available, the paper found.”

Research & Opinion 0
January 10, 2017

Amit Agarwal: How to Make Phone Numbers Callable in Google Sheets

Amit Agarwal! What more needs to be said?! How to Make Phone Numbers Callable in Google Sheets. “If you click an email link on a webpage, it opens your default mail program. Similarly, you can make phone numbers on your website “callable” meaning when someone clicks the phone number, it will launch the dialer on their mobile phone and initiate dialing of the specified phone number. It is recommended that you make phone numbers clickable as more and more people would be accessing your site on their mobile devices.”

Useful Stuff 0
November 5, 2016

CNET: Is Facebook secretly building a phone?

CNET: Is Facebook secretly building a phone? “On a cloudy day this May, in the dull fluorescent light of a plain white Google conference room, Rafa Camargo, Richard Wooldridge and Blaise Bertrand told CNET their plan to disrupt the phone market. Ara, a Lego-like phone with modular parts, would let buyers snap on a better camera, additional batteries or any other creative hardware a developer might dream up. It was set to be the first phone entirely designed by Google, the three men claimed. Then the Ara project was abruptly shelved.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0

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