cell phone

Track Air Pollution on Your Cell Phone

Anya Kamenetz — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:55:04 -0500

Image: Tiny air quality sensors from Seacoast Science.

The Droid - No Compromises?

Katie Barry — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:34:39 -0500

How good is the new Droid phone? I can't tell you that - but I CAN tell you that the premise of an ad I found displaying on CNN.com tonight has me intrigued.

The ad (shown in the static screen grab here) states plainly "Compromise Deactivated." Being on the search for a new cell phone (no decision yet), I've had trouble making a decision based on the compromise factor.

OLEDs Could Be as Cheap as Newspaper to Produce

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:11:23 -0400

Plasma televisions are already on the outs with consumers due to their energy-sucking tendencies, meanwhile LCD screens have closed the gap on picture quality and are more energy efficient. But as many TV buffs know, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens are the future--if scientists can figure out how to produce them cheaply enough.

Is Sprint's Biodegradable Phone Really Green?

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:03:18 -0400

Bits and pieces of sustainable cell phone manufacturing are slowly coming together. First came the solar-powered phones, and now Sprint and Samsung are unveiling a biodegradable handset that is 80% recyclable and comes with a 40% corn-based plastic cover.

Seven (More) Reasons to Ditch Your iPhone

Chris Dannen — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:32:50 -0400

It's been a nasty week for iPhone users. Apple has buckled to pressure from AT&T and denied Google's Voice application from the App Store: a nifty service that helps you consolidate phones and manage your voicemail online. The app lives on at the BlackBerry App World and Android Market, making some of the technorati so angry they've vowed to ditch AT&T in protest--and their beloved iPhone with it. Here are seven reasons why you should make AT&T and Apple suffer for their sins.

The CellScope Disease-Diagnosing Microscope Gets a Color Upgrade

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:12:04 -0400

A few months ago, we took a look at the CellScope, a tool that turns camera-enabled cell phones and netbooks into handheld microscopes that can diagnose diseases like malaria and tuberculosis. When we originally reported the story, images could only be captured in black and white.

Cell Phone Towers Could Predict the Next Hurricane Katrina

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:50:54 -0400

Cell phone towers can do more than just satisfy our need for constant communication; they might be able to save us from major floods, according to researchers from

Google Brings Texting Services to Africa

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:02:10 -0400

Many residents of African countries can't afford a computer, but the continent has the world's highest cell phone growth rate, with one-third of the population already owning a mobile phone. That's why Google unveiled its Google SMS suite of applications yesterday. The suite includes access via text messaging to information on health, agriculture, sports, weather, and more.

Samsung Blue Earth: The World's First Solar-Powered Touchscreen Phone in Action

Ariel Schwartz — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:42:58 -0400

Samsung first announced the impending arrival of the Blue Earth, the first solar-powered touchscreen phone, this past February. CNET Asia had the enviable opportunity to check out the Blue Earth in person at CommunicAsia. The verdict? Blue Earth is sleek, attractive, and aside form the presence a solar panel, much like any other smart phone.

Brando's $20 USB Hub Doubles as a Solar-Powered Charger

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:16:14 -0400

Brando's new USB Solar Charging 4-Port Hub is the Swiss army knife of USB chargers. The device contains six cell phone connectors, and can be used as a traditional USB hub or as a solar-powered gadget charger. The hub is ultra-light at 54 grams, and measures just 64 centimeters wide.

Samsung's Solar-Powered Cell Phone on Sale for $59 in India

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:45:23 -0400

Samsung has announced the impending release of its first solar-powered cell phone, hot on the heels of Sony's GreenHeart C901 and Naite phones made from recycled CD cases and water bottles. But while consumers in the U.S. will be able to get their hands on Sony's phones, the Samsung Crest E1107 will be released in Europe, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, and Latin America.

Forget Solar Power: Nokia Is Developing a Radio Wave-Powered Cell Phone

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:22:48 -0400

Solar-powered cell phone prototypes and rumors abound, but Nokia has a battery-less alternative power source for our cell phones lined up: radio waves. The company told MIT's Technology Review that it is working on technology to suck up enough power from ambient radio waves emitted by Wi-Fi transmitters, cell phone antennas, and television masts to keep a cell phone charged.

Qualcomm's Low-Power "Mirasol" Cell Phone Displays Coming Stateside This Year

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:12:28 -0400

Blink and you'll miss all the new eco-friendly developments coming from the cell phone industry. Solar power, recyclable materials, e-manuals, and now low-power displays. Unlike LCD displays that shine with their own light, Qualcomm's new "mirasol" cell phone displays, now in production at a Taiwan facility, reflect ambient light.

Sharp Develops Ultra-Thin Solar Panel for Cell Phones

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:40:22 -0400

First Sharp announced the development of the world's first waterproof solar-powered cell phone, and now the company has done the world one better by developing the thinnest solar module for mobile devices ever. The LROCGO2 Solar Module measures just 0.8 mm thick--the width of eight human hairs.

Inconvenient Truth: Orange's Foot-Powered Cell Phone Charger Makes No Sense

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:24:00 -0400

20 Must-Have Apps -- But Not for the iPhone

Fast Company staff — Mon, 11 May 2009 12:15:05 -0400

Apple's iPhone isn't the only one with applications. Here are great apps for the BlackBerry, Android, and other smartphones.

BeamSuite ($49.99)
Get this app to access PDF, Office, and RTF docs, and stop grousing about the clunkiness of email attachments on the BlackBerry.

Learn more about this app

Thanks, Recession! Cell Plans to Get Cheaper

Chris Dannen — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:36:36 -0400

Perhaps the only shot that Mobile carriers will have at growth in 2009 will be to cheapen their plans.

The World's First Solar-Powered Waterproof Cell Phone

Ariel Schwartz — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:52:57 -0400

Ever find yourself with a water-soaked low-battery phone? Sharp and Japanese network KDDI have a solution: the world's first solar-powered waterproof cell phone.

Who Needs a Femtocell?

Chris Dannen — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:16:18 -0400

During the last presidential election, two major mobile phone carriers parked portable antennas at John McCain's Arizona ranch, as it was out of range of the nearest tower. If you live in a dead spot, you can get a smaller portable antenna for your home that will do the same thing. But does anyone really need one of these things?

It's called a femtocell, and it's a little device the size of a Wi-Fi router that has become something of a media darling: make your own little cell phone network in your home! Easy! Convenient! The future of wireless!

The racket works like this: if you get poor signal at your home, you can buy a femtocell from Verizon or Sprint (an AT&T version may be coming soon) for between $100-$250, plus a monthly fee. You plug the femtocell into your broadband Internet connection, and voila: you get 3G speeds on your cell phones in an area of about 5,000 square feet.

Yes, you have to pay extra because your cell network doesn't reach your house. "For most of us, we expect coverage to be part of the deal," says Steve Shaw, executive vice president of corporate marketing at Kineto Wireless. Kineto makes the software that is baked into some brands of femtocell, allowing them to convert cell signals into broadband data. (T-Mobile also uses their software in some of their VoIP applications.)

Ericsson, Orange Sending Solar-Powered Cell Coverage to Africa

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:35:48 -0500

While many of us struggle to tear ourselves away from computers and cell phones, communities in rural Africa deal with a different problem: lack of communication.

Mobile World Congress Preview

Theunis Bates — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:45:28 -0500

Anders Runevad
Executive VP
Sony Ericsson

"The current financial uncertainties are going to be a big discussion point, because this is an industry that has experienced extreme growth. In 2007, the handset market grew at around 16%. In 2008, that slowed to around 10%. Volume growth is still strong in emerging markets, but it's happening at the very low end of the price band."

20 Coolest New Products from Top Design Shops

Fast Company staff — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:30:06 -0400

From Smart Design: Good Grips thinking moves from the kitchen to the home workshop with features such as a level with a magnetic bottom and a hammer with a bumper to protect surfaces when prying nails.

From $8

From Smart Design: Theis wildly popular Flip Video Ultra video camera does away with countless buttons that can make other models seem intimidating.

$150