Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications
Posted: 08/04/08 by Mobile Future Team
You fasten a seatbelt while driving a car and you wear a helmet while riding a biking, but what are you doing to protect yourself while texting on the go?
Citing a rise in texting related accidents, the American College of Emergency Physicians has warned the public to pay more attention to what is going on around them while on the move.
Although texting while driving is definitely a bad idea, not to mention, illegal in some states, texting while walking has proven to be a safety hazard as well.
Dr. James Adams, the department chair of emergency medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, says, "People are texting and they trip and fall on their faces - usually people in their 20s. We see a lot of face, chin, mouth [and] eye injuries from falls."
Recently, the media picked up on a small "misstep" for Barack Obama's advisor, Valerie Jarrett, who twisted her ankle when she encountered an unsuspecting curb with her head buried into her Blackberry.
Even more serious, in two unrelated incidents, California pedestrians were killed by motorists when they inadvertently stepped into the way of traffic while busy texting away on their cell phones.
According to the wireless association, CTIA, an impressive 363 billion text messages were sent in the United States last year. As more people take up texting, hopefully they will head the physicians' warning.
But, if you aren't willing to give up texting on-the-go, and you're not living in London, where they have started to campaign for padded lampposts, you may want to pick up a helmet and maybe even some knee pads and elbow pads.
Better safe than sorry.
Posted: 07/11/08 by Hiram 'Art' Contreras
Before the Internet, child safety measures largely applied to monitoring one's children as they ventured outside the safety of the home. Children could only meet strangers and threatening individuals once they moved into an uncontrolled environment. With the rise of the World Wide Web, came instant communication in chat rooms, web sites, streaming video, and email, now our children have access to the outside world with the click of a "mouse". The outside world is now inside the front door. And now, with the possibilities of wireless Internet service on children's cell phones, the threat has been expanded. As parents and grandparents, we want to provide every opportunity to our children to expand their knowledge of the fascinating world of cyberspace. However, we must also be diligent and raise their level of understanding to deal with and recognize a possible threat.
The Yankee Group research organization estimates that over half of the 20 million preteens (8-12) living in the United States will be carrying a cell phone by the end of 2008. And while wireless service provides myriad child safety protections-the ability to phone for help if a kid gets lost or physically threatened and ensured communication with a parent-it also bears potential threats.
Cyberspace can unfortunately sometimes place kids dangerously close to sex predators, criminals, or simply inappropriate content. LA Times reports, for example, on how kids visiting popular website and virtual worlds like Webkinz and Club Penguin are being harassed by cyber bullies-kids stealing each other's virtual goods, or discovering how to swear and curse at each other. But even if wireless service is responsible for the problem, it can also provide the solution in cyber security measures and education programs for young children.
New Zealand 's law enforcement organizations have given education high priority and adopted a national interagency approach to cyber safety education called NetSafe. Many New Zealand Police officers have worked with NetSafe since its inception in 2000; including members of the fraud squad, the E-Crime Lab, sexual abuse teams, and police youth education officers
NetSafe seeks to get children excited about cyber security with a separate, charitable subsidiary of the site called Hector's World, created in 2006. In its high-quality animated episodes, Hector Protector is a dolphin in the underwater realm of Silicon Deep. The site lends children a fictional and appealing context in which to learn cyber security guidelines; in the eight minute clips, the first set focuses on privacy and personal information online, while the rest of the storybooks tailor to specific age groups (5-6 or 7-8, for example) to reach out to the child viewer. Hector's World even has a free downloadable Hector Safety Button, a child-activated safety device which installs a swimming Hector in the corner of the computer screen; if the child is disturbed by something online, he or she can click a button so that Hector swims across the screen and covers it from view. The site's applications thereby stimulate proactive cyber safety in children who end up emulating the behavior of Hector Protector as he swims through his own watery community.
If children can be taught at an early age general guidance for online safety behavior, they can adopt healthy habits for when they later become engaged with more extensive online-browsing. The wireless Internet undoubtedly presents some risks for children playing with their cell phones, but it also offers valuable opportunities to combat those risks with early education.
Posted: 07/09/08 by Diane Smith
As the parents of an active teenager, my husband and I are constantly texting, phoning, and otherwise using our daughter's cell phone to keep track of her. And, as summer vacation frees children across the country from their classrooms, it becomes more difficult than usual for parents to keep track of their roaming kids. Cell phone and wireless communication enable parents, grandparents, and other concerned adults to stay in touch with their preteens at the beach, playground, or friend's house. Parents can rest easy knowing that their child is not only capable of being reached, but also phoning for help in a moment of peril.
Summer is when police departments receive the most missing child calls, and with the speed of wireless communication, even the surrounding community can assist in providing child safety. Summer vacation spots like Kittery, Maine participate in the "A Child is Missing Alert Program," where law enforcement officials send a customized alert message to all registered numbers in the area in question. Wireless communication, when utilized correctly, can thereby alert individuals in a crowd at a fair, amusement park, or beach where a child has gone missing.
Of course, preteens tend to be less interested in these wireless capabilities, and more interested in their cell phone's multimedia, games, and text messaging. So it's important to teach kids the responsible use of their cell phone, particularly when it can keep them from harm. Already a third of the 20 million American preteens between the ages of 8-12 have a cell phone, a number that will jump to nearly half by 2010.
Nicholas P. Sullivan and David Aylward are proponents and researchers of cell phone safety and head COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance, a nonprofit educational and advocacy group of more than 100 organizations representing emergency responders nationwide. "Children need to be taught that the cell phone is a tool, not a toy. It can play an important role in emergency situations involving children, but only if their parents have taken the time to teach kids what they need to know," said Aylward.
Aylward and Sullivan outline the basic ways each parent can teach their children cell phone safety in the summer months.
- One should teach their kids how to press 9-1-1 and SEND on their cells, and then stay on the line to explain their emergency.
- Parents should stress, however, that calling the police is not a game, as some children unfortunately sometimes fail to grasp, resulting in disruptive and illegal prank calls.
- Also, adults should pre-program their kids' cell phones with all emergency phone numbers and precede them with ICE, for "in case of emergency."
Parents can also take advantage of some cell phone companies' more customized child-friendly provisions. There are some service plans that can be prepaid, which limit kids' free talking and encourages children to "budget" their phone time. Other phones allow only numbers pre-approved by parents to be called and accepted by the child, including offering a special emergency key. These are great tools to focus and monitor kids' cellular activities.
Finally, parents should always insist that their kids keep their cell phones on at all times, and provide an extra battery for the kid to prevent any possible excuses. Wireless technology is a gift to families-in Sullivan's words, a "safety blanket" that adults may extend to their loved ones when they leave the security of the house-and so it is crucial for children to understand that wandering around in the summer months without a powered phone is not an option.
Posted: 06/27/08 by Mobile Future Team
As some of you may have seen, we used to have a section our Web site called "Mobile Moments." Mobile Moments were for the times when you saw something and thought "I've got to take a picture of that," so you pull out your cell phone camera and snap a pic. The other day I had the misfortune of experiencing the kind of Mobile Moment that no one likes to have - a car accident.
It was a Monday morning and I was driving to work in DC-rush hour traffic, something I try to avoid at all costs. As I was circling the block looking for a parking spot, I got into a fender bender with a delivery truck. Luckily, no one was hurt and there was only some superficial damage to my car. However, as with any accident, my reaction to said incident was to become flustered and discombobulated. As I surveyed the scene and tried to keep from crying and/or cursing, one of my coworkers happened to be walking down the street. Fortunately, he was more composed than I was. He quickly assessed the situation and helped me tremendously by getting the other driver's information, saving it in his cell phone, taking pictures of the scene from all angles on his phone (Mobile Moment!), and then emailing all the information to me.
It probably only took about five minutes, but proved to be so helpful when I was making the claim to my insurance agency. Thanks to my colleague's help, I was able to reference the pictures to answer all of my agent's questions clearly, and was able to forward them to her so she could evaluate the situation herself for her report. While being in an accident is never fun, his cell phone assistance made the experience much less painful. While I hope that no one else has to experience the kind of Mobile Moment that I dealt with, it pays to keep your head and use your cell phone should it happen to you.
Posted: 05/30/08 by Hiram 'Art' Contreras
As a former U.S. Marshal, I still have a keen interest in what is evolving within the law enforcement community. An excellent source of information is the FBI's public information website. Through periodic updates, the bureau alerts its subscribers about current criminal cases that may impact or be of interest to the public. Last week, I received an article regarding the recent break-up of an international crime ring that used tactics called "phishing" and "smishing." Since these criminal perpetrators can target anyone of us, I share the information with you.
Phishing is a scam where you receive an email that looks like it's from your bank or other trusted financial institutions asking for personal information (PIN numbers, social security numbers, credit card information and passwords, etc). If one responds, the information can then be used to defraud him or her of thousands of dollars, as well as identity theft.
By now, most people have learned about the dangers of "phishing." However, smishing is a new variation on the scam and operates via text message rather than email. Smishing involves SMS text messaging. Cellphone users will receive a text message with a URL address. A past example of smishing is a text message that indicated that the cellphone user had signed up for a dating service and would be charged $2 a day unless they visited a Web site to cancel the subscription. If the user follows the link, he or she will download malicious software programs.
The break-up of the crime ring included indictments of 38 people who had links to global organized ring, and was made possible through partnerships between the FBI, the U.S. Postal Service, the IRS, and local law enforcement agencies. Hopefully, the indictment of these criminals will serve as a deterrent to others looking to swindle people via email and text messages. Unfortunately, as technology advances so do the scamming techniques, but there are some steps that you can take to protect yourself.
- Don't reply to unsolicited emails and text messages, even if they appear to be from a company that you do business with, since scammers sometimes impersonate legitimate companies.
- Instead, you can visit the legitimate company's Web site directly or call them.
- Also, remember that most legitimate companies will not ask you for sensitive information by email.
While law enforcement agencies are doing their best to track down and break-up these scams, the best defense is to be aware of these scams and to protect yourself and your personal information.
Posted: 05/20/08 by Jo-Anne Basile
As I was listening to NPR this morning, I was reminded how cell phones have changed the way we react to extraordinary events. On Monday, the Sichuan province of China was hit by a devastating earthquake. The 7.9-magnitude earthquake is estimated to have killed at least 15,000 individuals, but the death toll is expected to rise throughout the week. However, even in the remote areas ravaged by the disaster, cell phones enabled those affected by the earthquake to get in touch with their loved ones. In fact, according to the NPR story, “Phones Faltering, Quake Survivors Rely on Texting,” the first notification of the disaster came via cell phone.
More than 600 million people in China have cell phones. However, in the wake of the earthquake, instead of making the traditional phone call, most were choosing text messages as their primary method of contact. In China, text messages cost about half the amount of a phone call, and while most people do have cell phones, very few have voicemail. Additionally, in times of disaster when getting enough signal strength or connecting to cellular networks can be tricky, text messages can go through more easily and require less battery strength than phone calls. Even without the disaster, text messages are the preferred method of communication for most Chinese. In the NPR story, Alvin Wang Graylin, CEO of mInfo, a mobile search and advertising firm based in Shanghai, says China sends more text messages per user than any other nation.While this is a tragic time for those affected by the earthquake, at least there are some who can be comforted by knowing that their loved ones are okay, even if it is only in the form of a text.
Posted: 05/09/08 by Chris Parandian
This morning I had the privilege of talking with a senior journalism studentat the University of Maryland who is conducting a report on thewireless industry. As a part of that report, she was looking into the efforts of the industry to provide services that can deliver in a timeof need.
With that in mind, I wanted to highlight the story of Elizabeth Shoaf who was held captive in an underground bunker in South Carolina. Ms. Shoaf was able to convince her kidnapper to allow her to play gameswith his cellphone and also took the opportunity to text message her mother when he fell asleep. This led authorities to her location using triangulation and she was rescued.
An Amber Alert was not issued in the Shoaf case but they are another valuable tool in raising awareness of a missing child. The wireless industry worked withthe Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to make this happen. Any wireless subscriber can opt in to receive alerts (you will not be charged for the message alert) and you can sign up here.
Safety is your most important call and amber alerts are another way to participate in your community. Signing up takes little effort and you could make a huge difference in saving a life.
Posted: 05/05/08 by Chris Parandian
Spring brings not only a change of season but also some very exciting news in the telecommunications industry. Brian Fontes, a wireless industry veteran, will be leaving at&t to take the reigns at NENA (National Emergency Number Association). Brian will serve as Chief Executive Officer of the organization.
Brian's passion for wireless and consumers is second to none. Accordingly, it was not a surprise to see him take a position where he can contribute to public safety and the 911 community. Brian's deep experience in telecommunications policy will be incredibly valuable to NENA as it navigates the legislative and regulatory landscapes of a digital age.
We wish Brian all the best and look forward to working with him in his new capacity at NENA.
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Tags: Mobile Health, Mobile Phone, News, Public Safety, Text message