cellphones

Mobiledit Lite is light on the execution

The cloud has become a popular term of late, and for good reason: It offers users a convenient way to store and access frequently used files from any location. Mobiledit Lite taps into the cloud's convenience by giving users a way to manage their mobile device on any computer. However, when we put it to the test, it failed to recognize our mobile device after repeated attempts to connect.

During the installation process, a pop-up window asked if we wanted to install phone drivers if we didn't already have them installed. We opted to do so and were … Read more

Amazon's got game (and textbook rentals)

Tuesday's top tech stories are out to disrupt your world:

Oh Amazon, what don't you do? Well cross off game development, as it just launched its own studio to make Facebook games and compete with Zynga. It also joined the textbook rental service to face off with eBay's Half.com and BookRenter.

YouTube will no longer be a pre-loaded default app on Apple devices. Apple is dropping the YouTube app for iOS 6, and Google will create a separate app you can download. It's all part of Apple's mission to distance itself from Google.

If … Read more

FCC to re-examine cell phone radiation standards

The Federal Communications Commission is planning to take a closer look at its standards for cell phone safety to see if the agency needs to revise the 15-year-old guidelines.

Later today, Chairman Julius Genachowski will circulate a notice of inquiry that will look at a series of questions surrounding whether the current standards need to be updated or whether the agency's testing practices should be altered, a source at the commission said. And the agency will also examine whether it needs to make improvements in how it communicates safety information to consumers.

The FCC hopes to get comments from … Read more

5 lessons from a lost iPhone

For years, I've been doing the Gadget Boy dance. It's what you do when you get out of a taxi in NYC, tapping various parts of your clothing to make sure you have your gadgets, keys, wallet, etc., with you.

On Sunday, as I exited a cab, I forgot to do the dance and left my iPhone 4S behind. By the time I realized it, the cab had left and I was iPhone-free.

I am supposed to get the phone back this afternoon, but here's what I've learned halfway through 48 hours without a smartphone for … Read more

Could Qualcomm supply constraints delay the 2012 iPhone release?

A Qualcomm conference call Wednesday, according to Reuters, brought Qualcomm's supply constraint issues to light. CEO Paul Jacobs, addressing analysts on the call, stated, "At this stage we cannot secure enough supply to meet the increasing demand we are experiencing."

That supply constraint could affect many cellphone makers hoping to use Qualcomm's advanced 28-nanometer chips, including Apple. To handle the constraints, Qualcomm is looking for new manufacturing partners, a move that will contribute to raising its operating expenses up to 23 percent, according to Chief Financial Officer Bill Keitel.

"Demand went so far ahead of … Read more

Car Tech Live 256: New York auto show preview and the last live show ever! (podcast)

The Feds want to ban navigation systems, a preview of the New York auto show, we take a ride in not one, but two very fast cars, and finally we say goodbye to Car Tech Live.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 256 SHOW NOTES

• Fed driver distraction guidelines make navigation unusable

• Piece the 2013 Nissan Altima together from this trio of teasers

• BMW X1 in New York heralds U.S. introduction

• Toyota new sedan

• New Acura Flagship to Debut at the New York International Auto Show

Phonearts.net is a free ticket to a cell phone art exhibit

Online image editors and smartphone apps like Aviary and Instagram give everyone the tools to manipulate images on their phone, but a small group of contemporary artists are already exhibiting these works at the URL phonearts.net...probably because pharts.com is already taken.

The site is a gallery of works curated by an international coalition of artists who only use cell phones and illustration apps. It started when Daniel Littlewood and Hugon Guillaume found friendship on Flickr based on their shared interest in interactive design, and decided to recruit others to exhibit similar creations online.

All the images you see on the site are the size of the average phone display, roughly 3 or 4 inches, and one thing they all share is their temporal nature.

The subjects jump from rotating GIFs to application screenshots and other images I don't even know how to describe, but they all communicate themes of spontaneity, cyber-nostalgia, and universal access.

View them with a sly eye, and enjoy the infinite scrolling!

More photos after the jump.… Read more

Cell phone service comes to some NYC subway stations

New Yorkers will finally be able to use their cell phones in subway stations--as long as their commute takes them through one neighborhood in Manhattan.

The New York Times reported yesterday that cellular service will come to four stations starting Tuesday. AT&T and T-Mobile customers will be able to make phone calls, send text messages, and browse the Internet on their phone underground--something that's virtually impossible today. The deployment is extremely limited: only four stations in the Chelsea neighborhood on the west side of Manhattan.

The initial launch, which acts as a pilot program for a wider … Read more

The 404 883: Where the PATH to success is paved with delays (podcast)

Why are schools no longer teaching typing? Typing class used to be a sanctuary for nerds, but now that everyone has a smartphone and a Facebook profile, some school districts are making a case against teaching standardized touch-typing lessons.

But before we dive into the technology lessons we think should be taught in all grade schools, we start today's episode of The 404 Podcast with a recap of the past week's metaprotesting in San Francisco and the flames that ignited Anonymous to shut down public transit.

The 404 Digest for Episode 883

SF subway closes stations during Anonymous protest. Why are schools no longer teaching typing? A video voice mail from Andrew in Ontario!

Episode 883 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more