MetaFilter posts tagged with Phone

The Present and Future of Mobile Phones

filthy light thief — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:35:50 -0800

Jan Chipchase is employeed by Nokia in the "corporate anthropology" field, but he considers it "design research," as he's not an anthropologist by training. His work covers researching how people modify their phones in China, India, Ghana, and elsewhere, adding features or extending battery life. He also tracks how cellphones are associated with personal identity and how they are playing roles far from urban and suburban centers. In some locations, cell phone numbers are written above doorways for identification, when there is no official map or organization for streets. He also blogs about his experiences, and his most recent post, he covers the rise of "Super Fakes." The term "super fake" is often applied to designer goods and can refer to counterfeit money. But in terms of fashion products, imitation goods are more than an attempt to dupe the unknowing end-user to maximize profit. Chipchase's question, "What happens when a large % of your target market wants your brand cachet but is happy with a decent-enough quality fake?" is about branded technology, but the question can also be applied to knock-off purses. Knock-off electronics have their own following, with some websites devoted to such items. Such sites can do more than detail the successes and feature sets of imitation products, they may also add background details to news stories (the original story didn't detail that MediaTek is only now shifting to legit production, starting in production of knock-offs). Shanzhai, previously.

A maemo to Apple and Google

sien — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:43:24 -0800

Nokia has announced the n900 running the maemo Linux based operating system will be released in October. The phone has similar specifications to the iphone, but with a keyboard and considerably higher resolution display (800x480). In addition the OS is an open platform with free GPL development tools. More from The Guardian and CNET.

The Boy Who Heard Too Much

kylej — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:08:52 -0800

Matthew Weigman, a fat, blind kid, started phone swatting when he was 15. Three years later, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison. His exploits include trying to initiate phone sex with Lindsey Lohan, sending swat teams to people's homes and gathering confidential information from Verizon and AT&T. In person, Weigman was a shy and awkward teenager with a shaved head who spent his days holed up in his room, often talking for up to 20 hours a day on free telephone chat lines. On the phone, he became "Lil' Hacker," the most skilled member of a small band of telephone pranksters known as "phreaks."

Outing An Online Outlaw

krautland — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:36:47 -0800

The Smoking Gun turns the table on a group of pranksters allegedly responsible for terrorizing strangers over the phone: Outing An Online Outlaw describes how the group leader used skype, an unprotected wifi connection and his mothers bedroom to engage in what TSG calls "an orgy of criminal activity."

Jake Fogelnest's phone # is 646-484-5323

rageagainsttherobots — Mon, 18 May 2009 08:42:26 -0800

Jake Fogelnest, VH1, Sirius, MTV, SNL writer, puts his phone number on the Internet.

Google Voice

storybored — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:01:03 -0800

Google introduces phone service. At the moment, the service is restricted but it should be publicly available within weeks. List of features and how they work here. Click on "Place calls" to see how basic calls would work. Highlights include free phone calls within the U.S. and reportedly lower-than-Skype rates for international calls.

Nietzsche on your Nokia

desjardins — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:29:27 -0800

Need a little Tolstoy while you're waiting in line? How about some Mark Twain on the subway? Booksinmyphone puts - surprise! - books in your phone, for free.

Social Networking, Mobile Phones, and Crisis Communication

divabat — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:12:12 -0800

Can social networking be used to effect positive social change? Ushahidi (meaning "testimony" in Swahili) is one such project that harnesses mobile technology to empower local citizens to report on crucial and crisis situations in their area. Started as a mashup of user-generated reports and Google Maps on the post-election crisis in Kenya, it has now been deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. They are currently working together with other organisations, such as Kiwanja, which uses mobile technology to assist NGO communications and outreach, mobile programming education, and gorilla conservation. Currently they're collaborating on prototyping the "ultimate activist tool". MobileActive is a dedicated blog that tracks such technology in international development and advocates for the use of mobile technology in crisis situations and disaster relief. (This post is a collaboration between divabat and infini.)

How smart is YOUR phone?

ZakDaddy — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:08:51 -0800

How smart is your phone? Maybe it plays music. Boring. Maybe it's famous for constant connection; almost addictive? Ha. Ha. It's been done to death, that one. But wait, there's more. Warning: This is not what you think it is. Also, pretty sure you have to have up-to-date Flash. ...and I'm not going to give away the surprise here. Have fun exploring!

Reception of this FPP will be better if you move closer to the window.

not_on_display — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:24:43 -0800

Cell Phone Reception and Tower Search: "...searchable databases of over 130,000 cell phone tower locations registered with the FCC, and over 43,000 cell phone carrier comments submitted voluntarily from real customers using their service all over the U.S. ...and with our graphical tower location search, users can pinpoint nearby tower locations. Even to the exact rooftop with satellite imagery and the help of Google Maps!"[e.g. Casper, Wyoming] You can also search for dead spots, and see how your neighbors really, truly feel about their reception.

If information is power, then access is empowering

infini — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:24:54 -0800

In a recent Roundtable on Creative Capitalism hosted by TIME, CK Prahalad, author of "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid" brings to our attention the insight that "the essence of poverty is the assymetry of information" and that this asymmetry was now changing due to the availability and affordability of mobile phones in developing nations. Jeffery Sachs supports him by pointing out that the digital divide was being closed by market forces not civic efforts. Global leader Nokia has already leapt into the breach by opening a Research Center in Nairobi, Kenya in order to develop concepts and products that are of value and relevance for those at the Base of the Pyarmid. The ubiquitious little cellphone has now been spotlighted as a key tool for poverty alleviation, although the debate continues. [previously]

uncrazyfrog: toneshared ringtone library

nthdegx — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 02:08:48 -0800

toneshared is a library of free mobile phone ringtones made by electronica/alternative musicians. From the subtle to the mashed to the downright annoying.

But they DO fry your brains, you know...

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:01:37 -0800

Did you happen to see those "making-popcorn-pop-with-a-cellphone" clips that showed up at the end of last month on the toobs? Well, WIRED wrote about it, and a kajillion copycat clips showed up in about the time it'd take to, you know, make some popcorn. Turns out it was a viral, natch, as a cursory search will reveal. But just today a clip appeared that explains how the actual stunt was pulled off. Well, anyway, as you've probably guessed by now, this is all just an excuse to link to Popcorn. Yep, Popcorn. Actually, I lied. This was all just an excuse to link to this utterly charming video of the Tetris theme played on bottles.

The Androids are coming!

loquacious — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:37:00 -0800

Google's Android goes live for demo. Lots of video and stills. Cache.

Technological Darwinism

desjardins — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:15:19 -0800

The Evolution of Computer & Video Games (Google video) The Evolution of Computer Commercials (video) The evolution of mobile phones (video)

Obama supporter shocked to see herself in Hillary ad

doug3505 — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:33:54 -0800

Obama supporter shocked to see herself in Hillary ad. "Especially because she's a fierce supporter of Barack Obama." "But the young girl starring in the ad will actually be voting age next month and says she's no fan of Hillary Clinton." The footage is another example of the risks of using stock film or images to convey an advertising message. The footage comes from Getty Footage Stock. FYI that footage prices out at around $ 2,500 for national advertising usage. {via}

Phreaking subculture alive and well

Roach — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:01:51 -0800

If you thought phone phreaking was a dying art, you may be surprised to read the story of "Li'l Hacker", as told by old-school hack/phreaker Kevin Poulsen.

How the iPhone Blew Up the Wireless Industry

Brandon Blatcher — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:00:44 -0800

"(Steve) Jobs, a notorious control freak himself, wasn't about to let a group of suits — whom he would later call "orifices" — tell him how to design his phone."

What would your phone do?

tellurian — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:04:20 -0800

Where's my Gphone? "Despite all of the very interesting speculation over the last few months, we're not announcing a Gphone. However…"

9/11 changed everything? And the NSA is only looking at overseas and terrorist-related phone and internet records?

amberglow — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 12:04:00 -0800

to gather information about Americans' phone records --... the NSA had approached the company (Qwest) about participating in a warrantless surveillance program to gather information about Americans' phone records. ...Nacchio's account, which places the NSA proposal at a meeting on Feb. 27, 2001, suggests that the Bush administration was seeking to enlist telecommunications firms in programs without court oversight before the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon. The Sept. 11 attacks have been cited by the government as the main impetus for its warrantless surveillance efforts. ... -- The Administration's crimes and illegal spying on all of us and Quest's punishment for not going along with their plans.

If the iPhone had been made in the 80s

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:53:38 -0800

The son of industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger (creator of the distinct styling of the Apple IIc and subsequent products, as well as founder of frog design) shares memories and photographs (auf Deutsch; Google cache) of Apple's early attempts at an iPhone.

Molly Walker Need Not Apply

chuckdarwin — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:42:39 -0800

WIRED: A ~~cell~~ mobile phone helped police find the body of missing student Kelly Nolan. "The average citizen is not aware that they are carrying a location-tracking device in their pocket..."

This keyboard will not only stomp your colon, but the colons of distant relatives of the human species such as lagomorphs

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:58:25 -0800

Maddox on iPhone

A horror movie come to life

daninnj — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 19:06:08 -0800

For four months, the Kuykendalls, the Prices and the McKays say they’ve been harassed and threatened by mysterious cell phone stalkers who track their every move and occasionally lurk by their homes late at night, screaming and banging on walls. Police can’t seem to stop them. The late-night visitors vanish before officers arrive. The families say investigators have a hard time believing the stalkers can control cell phones without touching them and suspect an elaborate hoax. Complaints to their phone companies do no good – the families say they’ve been told what the stalkers are doing is impossible.

Having your mobile content and eating it too!

Samuel Farrow — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 14:42:27 -0800

The mobile content market is big but the mobile service companies control the bottleneck of data to your phone and may well be holding the industry back. A NZ site has launched offering a platform for mobile content producers to sell direct to mobile content consumers globally: Voeveo.