South Carolina took important steps in reducing cell phone use on their roads this week by banning cell phone use by the SC Department of Transportation and the Department of Safety employees while operating state motor vehicles. The state policy might become state law and legislatures consider banning texting for all drivers in the state.
According to national statistics, 6,000 deaths in 2008 resulted from inattentive drivers. With 500,000 injures resulting from drivers that were distracted for one reason or another. And a recent survey found that 40% of cell phone users did text while driving.
The legislature being considered would ban all mobiledevice use that requires direct interaction but hands-free devices would be allowed. Individuals that disagree with the law conclude that cell phones are distracting when they are also hands-free. And enforcing the rules will be next to impossible. Adding a violation when drivers are pulled over for other infractions is the most likely result.
When suspensions for cell phone usage during class didn’t stop the abuse of texting during school, Escambia Co School District changed their policy. The school system now confiscates the cell phones and calls the parents of the student to come and pick up the phones.
Parents like having their kids carrying cell phones during school in case there is a need for the student to contact their parents. But when kids began texting all class long, something had to be done. The schools began suspending students which led to 2,000 suspensions and the kids didn’t stop using their phones.
The new policy has had some parents concerned about their kids not having cell phones but it has worked. Middle school use of phones during class has declined 83% while high school use has dropped by 66%. Banning cell phones all together is not allowed as state law prohibits out right banning. But the current policy is permitted.
2009 was a very popular year for cell phone usage and cell phone advances. You saw new phones, new apps (applications), new services, and new odd uses for cell phones. Here are the top 10 2009 cell phone stories of the year according to the popular web ranking service Digg.com. This article is a part of the Group Writing Project: 2009 in Review designed by DailyBlogTips.com. I hope you enjoy the list and the other 2009 reviews that are a part of the project.
1. The Return Of Zack Morris watch! Mark-Paul Gosselaar appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon as Zack Morris, complete with cell phone and a… (Submitted by bobara) Made popular Jun 9, 2009 * 3242 diggs
https://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show
2. New plan for drivers talking on cell phones view! picayune.uclick.com — (Submitted by d2002) Made popular Feb 3, 2009 * 3131 diggs
3. Typing “Prompt Commands” Sufficient to Seize Your Property eff.org — You need to take the time to read the warrant available via PDF. Insanity. Someone’s computer crashes and suspects it’s a CS student’s fault because he does things like “‘jail breaks’ cell phones” and he is sometimes seen with a “[computer with] a black screen with white font which he uses prompt commands on.” Yikes. (Submitted by allocate) Made popular Apr 14, 2009 * 2944 diggs
4. Do police have the right to confiscate your camera? carlosmiller.com — Seconds after BART police officer Johannes Mehserle shot and killed Oscar Grant, police immediately began confiscating cell phones containing videos that have yet to see the light of day. In fact, the only videos that have been seen by the public were filmed by people who managed to leave the scene before police confronted them. (Submitted by mklopez) Made popular Jan 22, 2009 * 2880 diggs
5. TED: Wireless Electricity Demo (VIDEO) watch! blog.ted.com — Eric Giler wants to untangle our wired lives with cable-free electric power. Here, he covers what this sci-fi tech… (Submitted by MarkBrent) Made popular Aug 27, 2009 * 2832 diggs
6. How the Cell Phone Service Oligopoly is Robbing Us Blind view! billshrink.com — Due to high barriers to entry, the cell phone service industry has a very limited number of players. As a result, the… (Submitted by oboy) Made popular Mar 9, 2009 * 2603 diggs
7. Think Being Gay is a Sin? Think Again! view! topcultured.com — If a sin is a sin is a sin, then pretty much anything can be a sin, like driving under the speed limit, talking on… (Submitted by yeeaauuh) Made popular 2 days ago * 2377 diggs
8. Cell Phone Giants To Explain Senate Why Texting Is Expensive mynewsjunkie.com — Representatives from Verizon, AT&T, and Cricket will be faced with questions from US Senators on why those short 160 character SMS messages are so darn expensive these days. Text messaging can cost from .01 cents to… (Submitted by mecanofan) Made popular Jun 16, 2009 * 2344 diggs
9. Verizon: Pay up or die timesreporter.com — A 62-year-old man was found unconscious and unresponsive Thursday morning during an intense search overnight. Sheriff Williams said he attempted to use the man’s cell phone signal to locate him, but the man was behind on his phone bill and the Verizon operator refused to connect the signal unless the sheriff’s department agreed to pay the bill… (Submitted by aramova) Made popular May 24, 2009 * 2313 diggs
10. 12 of the Ugliest and Lamest Cell Phones Ever Made pcworld.com — Now to be fair, many cell phone makers fail when they are too ambitious, adding cutting-edge features way before their time or taking a design risk. Without these noble failures, perhaps no iPhone would ever have been possible.The phones in our dirty dozen list all suffer from either design flaws or functionality failures, or both. (Submitted by socivitus) Made popular May 4, 2009 *1842 diggs
Amazon Black Friday Deals on Cell Phones and Accessories
Amazon didn’t want to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start cutting prices on popular items including cell phones and cell phone accessories. The popular holiday shopping website has rolled out an entire week of Black Friday deals that shoppers can take advantage of. You will find phones with service, prepaid phones, unlocked phones, mobile broadband and much more.
They have a Nokia N900 Unlocked Phone and Mobile Computer for $549.99, a 15% savings. Plus a $50 rebate which reduces the price to just below $500. You get free shipping with your purchase but must wait as only pre-orders are being taken at this time. It’s a pretty nice phone with a touch screen, keyboard, 5 MP camera, Browser, and 32 GB of memory.
The deals aren’t limited to cell phones either. They range in categories from Books and Movies to Clothing and Home. Their Black Friday Lightning Deals have a ticker that creates the excitement for specially marked merchandise. A SpaceBalls DVD for 87% off only has 3 minutes remaining with 46% of the quantity sold. And a Assassins Creed II for PS3 video game is selling for 17% off for the same limited time.
Unwanted calls on any home are annoying but when you are being billed by the minute, like on a cell phone, the calls can be extremely irritating. Ever wonder how to block certain numbers from calling your cell? We have answers for you today.
Telemarketing Callers
Telemarketers have been collecting more and more cell phone numbers as the public has slowly been switching all their phone service to cellular. The best way to keep your number from being called by telemarketers is to list it with the FTC Do Not Call List. The Federal phone number registry requires all sales calls to first double check the list or be fined. You can find the registry page at www.DoNotCall.gov. If you are registered and still receive sales calls, you can file a complaint at eSupport.Fcc.Gov/Complains.htm.
Cell Phone Blocking
Check the features on your cell phone. Many cell phones now allow users to block numbers when an unwanted call is received. Often the call does not ring the phone and is either ignored or sent to voicemail automatically. Take a look at your manual of at Howard Forums, an online repository of cell phone information.
Service Provider Features
Some service providers have features to block calls within the network before they are routed to your phone. You have the option of developing a list of blocked numbers or giving your provider a list of approved numbers. Often there is an additional charge for this service but if the calls are considered to be harassing, the fees are waived.
A Secondary Service
Having an additional phone line available will relieve some of the calls you do not want to receive. Google Voice offers free local numbers and can be used for this purpose. Google Voice takes every incoming call and redirects it based upon your settings. You can also change the redirection based upon the time of the day. Therefore if you have free nights and weekends on your cell phone, receiving all calls then will not affect your bill.
Often people have a number of old cell phones around the house after getting a new device offered by their service plan, especially if you are a Verizon subscriber on a two year program. These older cell phones become chew toys for their dogs, fake phones for their toddlers or un-degradable waste in their garbage. But reselling or recycling the devices is a great way to earn a little income and help the environment.
A conscious member of a family can collect cell phones from brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles. Once the devices are in hand, erasing all vital information from the phone is important. Selling the better devices on Craigslist or eBay is the first step in recouping some of the money invested years ago. Check the serial numbers to make sure the price you ask is appropriate. Sell components separately if the battery or the charger is compatible with newer phones.
Another option for the phones that will not sell online is to find donation services online that pay for older phones, minus the shipping and handling. With the final option being a local charity that has a drop spot that will take the phones. Churches and non profit organizations have become cell phone donation centers across the country.
Once you complete your first set of cell phones, expand your circle to include friends and other relatives. When you complete the process a third time you’ll be ready to return to the first group that has now received another new phone.
