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AT&T reveals iPhone Text Accessibility Plan for hearing impaired
Although AT&T has had a specialized plan for the deaf and hard of hearing for some time now, the iPhone has been unfortunately unable to take advantage. No longer will that be the case, as said carrier has just implemented the Text Accessibility Plan for iPhone, which provides unlimited texting, unlimited data usage, $0.40 per minute pay-per-use voice and Visual Voicemail. Granted, the iPhone TAP does cost $40 ($10 more than the vanilla TAP), but you are getting limitless texts (versus 5,000) and Visual Voicemail thrown in -- not that those inclusions really warrant the extra Hamilton. Nevertheless, those with adequate documentation can get their iPhone on the plan right now, just click the read link for details / instructions.
Bizarre campaign texts parents to check for lice in kids' hair
If you thought sending a SMS in order to gain entry into a public bathroom was on the weird side, get a load of this. An outlandish campaign sparked up in the UK has been sending out weekly text messages to parents in order to remind them of the need to check for head lice on their youngsters. Cleverly coined Beat the Bugs, the program led to the discovery of six cases of lice, and when polling participants at the end of the term, the majority stated that they felt more aware about treatment / prevention and that they were now checking their kids' heads at least once per week. We can hear it now: "C'mon Jimmy, time for me to look through your locks for any critters!" "Ah, bugger." [Via Switched, image courtesy of Interior Health]
Compulsive e-mailing, texting could be classified as bona fide illness
Considering the plethora of facilities that have opened just in the past few years to deal solely with individuals that have become undoubtedly addicted to video games, the internet and all things Hello Kitty (we jest, we jest), we're not surprised one iota to hear that uncontrollably texting / e-mailing could soon become "classified as an official brain illness." According to a writeup in the latest American Journal of Psychiatry, internet addiction is a common ailment "that should be added to psychiatry's official guidebook of mental disorders." More specifically, Dr. Jerald Block, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, even goes so far as to argue that said phenomenon (neglecting basic drives to spend more time online) be "included in the [next edition of] Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, psychiatry's official dictionary of mental illnesses." Until then, we wish you the best of luck convincing that creature living in your basement with a dedicated T1 line that he / she isn't alright. [Via textually]
Padded lampposts in London not really being tested
We had a sneaking suspicion that the world hadn't really come to strapping pads around lampposts in order to keep walking texters safe, and sure enough, the whole shebang was more of a stunt and less of a bona fide trial. Reportedly, only a few pads were put in place and photographed for around 36 hours -- afterwards, the PR firm responsible for putting them up simply took them back down. It seems as if the scheme was meant to "test out [the idea] and gauge people's opinions," according to a 118 118 spokesman, and safe to say it certainly accomplished that. [Via textually]
Verizon's unlimited plans get official, not as stellar as previously assumed
We had a sneaking suspicion that the lineup of unlimited plans we got wind of earlier this week was just a bit too good to be true, and sure enough, it was. Now that Verizon's Unlimited Plans have gone official right on cue, we're left with three general plans that can each have additional lines tacked on for more dough. The $99 / month Basic Plan seems to include limitless calling only (read: messaging of all types and data still cost extra), while the Select Plan ($119.99 per month) throws in messaging but still demands $1.99 per MB of data. The Premium Plan is the one that's really attractive, offering up unlimited everything (for all intents and purposes) for $139.99 per month or $269.99 for two lines. Needless to say, we're a bit let down, but you can hit up the read link for more details on what's offered.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Finland's roadside toilets: now accessible only by SMS
While those in London can use SMS to actually find a lavatory, folks passing through Western Finland will be required to bust out their handset in order to relieve themselves in select public restrooms. In an attempt to curb vandalism, the Finnish Road Administration has implemented a system along Highway 1 which requires restroom visitors to text "Open" (in Finnish, of course) in order to let themselves in. The idea is that folks will be less likely to lose their mind and graffiti up the place knowing that their mobile number is (at least temporarily) on file, but it remains to be seen if uprooters will simply take their defacing ways elsewhere or actually excrete in peace.[Via Switched]
Texting delays a given on New Years, celebrate accordingly
It probably doesn't come as much of a shock to you that plenty of texting goes down midnight-ish tonight, and naturally the carriers are gearing up for just such an onslaught. Palm isn't so optimistic about the proceedings: according to a study it commissioned in the UK with lpsos MORI, 70% of people who send messages at midnight experience a delay in delivery, with places like London experience 77% delays, and 23% of Britons waiting over six hours for their text messages to arrive. Palm suggests an IM or email might be in order, and smartphone users will have better luck getting their messages delivered over the comparably unclogged data networks. Verizon seems more excited about the prospect, expecting the 284 million text messages sent last year on its network between 12pm New Years Eve and 4am New Years Day to rise to 300 million. Telstra expects to process more than 53 million messages across Australia, and will have a "small army" of techs on hand to monitor network performance. Canadians are expected to send 50 million texts this year, according to Virgin Mobile Canada, with the average canadian sending two text messages each -- double that of last year. However and wherever you party, stay safe out there -- friends don't let friends drink and text their estranged exes. Read - Palm study warns of delays Read - Verizon predicts 300 million Read - Canada doubles in texts Read - Telstra's small army in Australia
Texting, talking at the wheel could land Brits in jail
We already knew that UK motorists caught driving while texting (or vice-versa) could face a penalty of two whole years in the slammer, but now it seems that merely talking while controlling a motor vehicle could land you in the exact same predicament. Reportedly, British drivers caught chatting on a handset or sending an SMS while on the road "could be jailed" under new guidelines that are expected to be published. In the most extreme cases, they could be tagged with "dangerous driving, which carries a two-year maximum sentence and an unlimited fine." Currently, these folks simply get slapped with an "automatic fine and three points on their license under the lesser charge of careless driving." But honestly, it's not like prison would be so bad for cellphone addicts -- after all, we hear some cells over there actually provide service. [Image courtesy of MotorTrend]
SMS parties down on 15th birthday... again
Ever wondered what it'd be like to have two birthdays in a single year? If so, just phone up, er, text SMS -- it's living the dream, baby! Apparently, the first "recorded text message" was sent from software engineer Neil Papworth to Richard Jarvis, a director at Vodafone, on December 3, 1992, which is arguably the birthday of SMS as we know it. Granted, the Short Message Service Center has been around just a hair longer, but without an official birth certificate tied to either, who are we to argue? So, here's to you (yet again), dear text messaging, but if you really try to sneak a third shindig in before the year's up, don't look to us to provide another round of hors d'oeuvres.[Via TGDaily, image courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald]
SMS-based SatLav service guides Londoners to public toilets
If you've ever found yourself stuck in London with the insatiable urge to urinate in an alleyway, help is on the way. Believe it or not, a new SMS-based toilet finding service actually has the aforementioned predicament as a top priority to solve, and the Westminster City Council is hoping that people utilize the system to keep streets a bit cleaner. Cleverly dubbed SatLav, the technology enables individuals passing through London's West End to text the word "toilet" to 80097 in order to receive a (hopefully hasty) reply with details to get to the nearest public restroom. Unfortunately, the service will cost users £0.25 ($0.52) each time they use it, so we're a bit skeptical that alleyway urinators will happily cough up some coin rather than just sticking to old ways.[Image courtesy of BBC]
cre8txt keyboard translates SMS slang to English
Granted, it seems that we'll all be using SMS slang to condense our resumés in the not-too-distant future, but on the off chance that unadulterated English is still required in some facet of your life, the cre8txt keyboard will make things an awful lot easier. This gem plugs into one's PC via USB and actually translates texting jargon into words that Merriam-Webster would approve of, and in case that wasn't gimmicky enough, it also includes predictive text software to complete sentences before you can even think up your own endings. We still can't see such a device being worth the £49.99 ($105) asking price, but we're betting that our kids will view things differently. Oh, the humanity.[Via ShinyShiny]
Rentokil's RADAR super-mousetrap texts you when the pests are dead
We've seen some relatively mouse-friendly attempts at a better mousetrap, but Rentokil's RADAR trap drops all the touchy-feely stuff and brings the pain action-movie-style: with infrared beams, a trick floor, and poison-gas dispensers. Mice are lured into the Rodent Activated Detection And Riddance unit by infrared beams, where the pressure sensors in the bottom of the box trigger the release of a "measured dose" of carbon dioxide, which Rentokil says is a "quick and humane" way of dealing with little Mickey. Once the deed is done, the trap fires off a text message to let you know that the rodent resistance is being dealt with, and prepares to strike again. No word on price -- Rentokil apparently only custom-installs the RADAR traps -- but availability is listed as "now."[Via Tech Digest]
Night of the Living Dead gets textual reinterpretation
While we highly doubt producers would allow movie goers to actually dictate the dialogue in their films with in-movie text messages, a demonstration of such hilarity was recently shown at the Wired NextFest. Essentially, the original Night of the Living Dead was broken down to "500 frames that visually told the story from beginning to end." Participants were encouraged to send in texts, which showed up in the order that they were received in specified speech bubbles throughout the film. Granted, this whole process sinks in much better if you see it in action, so be sure to click on through to catch a videoed demonstration.[Thanks, blahblah]
Ethiopia turns SMS back on
Some two years after the sole telecommunications provider in Ethiopia disabled SMS due to a hotly contested election, the nation's citizens can finally put their thumbs to good use once more. Reportedly, the Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation sent an SMS notice to all of its mobile phone customers that wished them a "Happy Ethiopian Millennium" and announced that the service was (finally) back online. Here's to hoping the ETC doesn't get crabby again anytime soon, eh?
Yahoo Mail adds text messaging support
Among a host of other improvements getting rolled out to Yahoo Mail this week comes this little gem: integrated support for SMS. Already having supported email and chat directly from the Mail client itself, text messaging seems like a logical jump, offering users the capability to fire up a text conversation with little more than a phone number and a few lines of text (remember, keep it brief!). Initially available to folks in the US, Canada, India, and the Philippines, the service should do a fine job of burning through hundreds of your closest friends' text messaging plans -- a solid reason to start upgrading to those unlimited packages that carriers are starting to push, we reckon.
Sprint raising SMS rates yet again, prevents contract breakage
We certainly hope this isn't just the beginning of yet another round robin of SMS price hikes, but reportedly, Sprint is aiming to jack up the cost of a casual incoming or outgoing text message (again) by five whole cents. Yep, that means every single SMS you send or get sent after October 1st while not on some sort of package plan will cost you one-fifth of a dollar, or in other terms, $0.20. Even worse, it appears that Sprint has made absolutely sure that you weasels out there won't be breaking free of your contract, as it purportedly stated that the increase "is permissible under its terms of service," and that users looking to get out will still be forced to pony up for that early termination fee. Shucks.
Teenager hit by train whilst texting, somehow survives
Granted, this isn't the first run-in we've seen involving trains and an SMS-minded individual, but the former story certainly didn't involve a train coming into contact with a human. This time, however, an 18-year old Ohio resident managed to get carted away from a devastating collision after being struck by an oncoming locomotive. The kid apparently waited for one train to pass, but rather than double-checking for anything coming in the opposite direction, he simply forged ahead. Consequently, he was thrown 50-feet and knocked unconscious mid-sentence, but is thankfully recovering in a Cincinnati hospital.[Via Switched]
Text messaging celebrates 15 years of debilitating thumbs
Just days after the IBM ThinkPad threw a shindig for its 15th, now we've reason to don our party hats once more for yet another notable birthday. The mobile phone industry is celebrating the 15th year of the Short Message Service Center (SMSC), which was the "principal application behind text messaging first brought to market by Acision in 1992." Over the years, the basic SMSC box has evolved into an IP-based SMS architecture, and while early iterations had a capacity of ten messages per second, current setups can handle a nearly infinite amount (good thing, huh?). So here's to you, dear SMS, and while we certainly hope you manage to hang around another 15 years or so, how's about cooling off the perpetual price increases along the way?[Thanks, John]
Texting while driving irks NY senator
First came a ban in New York against cellphone handset use while driving, but now texting behind the wheel may face the same fate. Yeah, we agree on this one -- after all, texting takes your eyes of the road unless you have some speech-to-text thing going on in that handset. Anyhoo, New York senator Carl Marcellino wants SMSing while driving banned due to the recent deaths of five young girls in auto accidents attributed to texting while driving. Washington state already has banned SMS use while driving, and with a recent Zogby Poll concluding that one-third of all people between 18 and 24 years old have sent texts while driving, we'll most likely see this kind of ban coming to more states.
T-Mobile myFaves subs get unlimited SMS for $10
We're fans of cross-carrier calling plans like T-Mobile's myFaves calling feature, but we get even more excited when unlimited text messaging comes along for a bargain price. That's just what T-Mobile is now supplying, as subscribers of myFaves calling plans now have access to unlimited SMS and MMS for $9.99 per month. This is a $5 per month discount off T-Mo's $14.99 price for non-myFaves customers, so this discount is a very nice 33 percent decline. Word is that the promo will be available now until September 12th.[Via Boy Genius Report]
