phone book
Latest
California stops automatic phone book delivery following pressure from Verizon
We've long known paper books are on the decline, but now we're seeing the first death knell for the fattest of them all. California's public utilities commission has ruled that it will no longer deliver doorstops residential phone books unless folks specifically ask for it -- a move that's expected to prevent 1,870 tons of material from entering the state's waste stream. Californians, like everyone else, can search the White Pages online, but they'll still be able to request a paper copy or CD-ROM if they're feeling old-fashioned. For now, though, the state will continue to ship government White Pages and the Yellow Pages for local business listings (in a post-Yelp world, that seems antiquated). What's especially fascinating about all this is that the pressure to cease automatic phone book deliveries came from none other than Verizon, which mounted a case back in October, citing the enormous human and natural resources required to get updated phone books into people's hands each year. Of course, the estimated 1,870 tons of averted waste is a fraction of the 660,000 tons BanthePhoneBook.org says these tomes create every year, but here's hoping it'll be enough to make other states take note.
Ford's SYNCMyRide app forgives you for your lame phone, transfers contacts to your car
Bluetooth connectivity between phones and SYNC-equipped Fords is nothing new, but the problem is that a good number of handsets out there in the wild don't support phonebook download (seriously, check the compatibility chart) which means you can't dial names by voice -- and what's the fun in calling anyone if there isn't at least a small chance of your car confusing "Dad" for "Vlad"? That's where Ford's all-new SYNCMyRide comes into play, an app for Windows and Mac machines that'll take the names and numbers (up to 2,000) off your lame vintage handset and stick 'em on a USB drive; from there, you just plug the drive into your SYNC's port and kick off an upload. It's compatible with every SYNC-equipped car on the road today, so we've hooked you up with a link to go grab it -- but only begrudgingly, since we'd obviously love to see you upgrade to a better phone instead.
