You will be able to play The Sims 2 on your cell phone

“Sometimes real life can get pretty boring. Waking up, brushing your teeth, going to school… it’s so mundane. Now you can liven up that commute by accessing a virtual life on your cell phone, Sims 2 by Electronic Arts is going mobile. There are going to be two versions of the game available: the regular ol’ Sims 2 and the Connected Edition.”

From Sims 2 offers virtual life on cell phone

I’ve never been a fan of The Sims but I’m curious as to how complex this game can get on a cellular phone before hitting technical limitations.

“Online payment company PayPal said it was preparing to offer a service for consumers to make purchases or money transfers through text messages via cell phones.

Known as PayPal Mobile, the service will be launched in the next couple of weeks in the United States, Canada and Britain. Over time, PayPal Mobile may extend to the more than 55 countries and regions where PayPal is registered to transfer funds online.

Customers will be able to send payments over the phone via text message or by calling an automated customer service system and using voice commands. Offering options to transfer funds by phone to nearly anyone they choose, PayPal Mobile in effect turns a cell phone into electronic wallet.”

Read more at Mobiledia.

It sounds like a good idea. Anything that makes my physical wallet smaller is a good thing.

“Biomass-based bioplastics, such as polylactic acid (PLA)** that is made of corn, have been drawing attention in recent years as new materials to replace conventional petroleum-based plastics, amid increasing interest and concern over environmental problems such as global warming and resource depletion. However, application of regular PLA to electronic devices is difficult as it has insufficient heat resistance and strength.

NEC succeeded in improving the heat resistance and strength of PLA by adding kenaf fiber to it, one measure for the prevention of global warming. Then together with UNITIKA it realized the durability of the new material by applying it to the components of a PC. More recent research carried out by both companies involved the further improvement of the characteristics of the kenaf fiber-reinforced PLA in order to allow its application to mobile phones. Its moisture resistance was improved by UNITIKA, using their commecialized PLA “TERRAMAC.” Fall impact*** durability was increased by adding a biomass-based flexibilizer and a reinforcing filler that NEC developed for this resin. In addition, moldability was further advanced by using original additives that were jointly developed by NEC and UNITIKA.

The newly developed bioplastic achieves the highest biomass ingredient ratio out of all bioplastics that are currently being used in electronic devices, with a ratio of approximately 90%. It simultaneously realizes a high level of fall impact durability, moldability and heat resistance****, which are all desired features for mobile phone casing.”

From the Japan’s Corporate Network press release.

“A University of Calgary study that will likely fuel the argument for a ban on cellphones in vehicles is moving along at a snail’s pace due to a lack of participants.

Researchers are still looking for a handful of novice motorists for the much-anticipated cellphone driver-distraction study - originally slated to be completed by last August - says a spokesman for the Insurance Bureau of Canada, which is picking up the $200,000 tab.”

From Subjects needed for cellphone study

What I would like to see banned is the use of cell phones without headset while driving, but please, don’t do anything silly such as banning all cell phone usage in a car. If you’re near Calgary, between 16 and 21 years old who has obtained a probationary licence within the past year, you can call 1-888-999-1565 and you’ll be paid a whooping $65. :D

“As we stated in our Nokia 7380 First Look Initial Thoughts: “The very first thing that stands out is the hefty price tag for the 7370 but as is the case with most Nokia phones, the price is inflated. Overall, the phone appears to pack the latest features and functionality that are a must have in today’s cell phones, but Nokia has done injustice to the phone multimedia features with 10MB of onboard memory. Unfortunately, the onboard memory is too low for anyone to seriously take advantage of the entertaining attributes of the device.” This pretty much sums up our initial thoughts on the 7370 as well. In addition to packing the latest features and releasing a product line for royalty, we certainly hope delivers on audio quality, which is a must for any cell phone.”

Nokia 7370 GLD
Nokia 7370 BR

From Nokia 7370 Cell Phone: Inspiringly Playful for Royalty

From Cinemas mull cell phone ban:

“With theatergoers on the edge of their seats, the film reaches its climax as the villain turns to the hero and utters his last words, which cannot be heard over the unexpected, annoying ring of cell phone.

Such disturbances could become a thing of the past. The motion picture industry is considering implementing technology designed to block or restrict cell phone reception in cinemas.

[…]

Most movie theaters have on-screen reminders and lobby signs asking customers to silence their cell phones. Wireless provider Cingular even sponsors pre-film ads to encourage proper etiquette.

Parents with young children may want to stay connected to baby sitters in the event of emergency. Doctors on call would also need to be reachable.

“Their right to go to the movies on call ends at the tip of my ears,” said Joseph Tecce, a psychology professor at Boston College. “Cell phones have created and nurtured a greater atmosphere of entitlement.”"

Seriously, it’s not hard to remember to turn off your cell phone when you go to a movie. With all the signs and advertising around, some people just don’t get it. Just put your phone on vibrate if you don’t want to miss a call!

“AirPlay Network, a startup based in San Francisco, is launching a suite of games that are tied to live television shows. By signing up, you can predict what is going to happen on Monday Night Football, who is going to be the next American Idol, or what the correct answer is to that vexing question on Jeopardy!”

Read the rest at Cell phone and TV interact

“Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) asked the mobile phone operators to record all conversations as well as to archive all text and multimedia messages and to make them available to the government whenever it wants.

Muhammad Omar Farooq, BTRC’s chairman, sent a confidential letter to the operators on Thursday ordering them to install “lawful interception” system without outlining the details. He also asked the operators to “maintain call related information and have provision for maintaining call content, so that on the request of the requiring bodies, this can be made available to them forthwith.”

Sources said BTRC had a series of meetings with the operators on the eavesdropping issue and the operators always agreed to link their respective networks with the government’s recording facilities. In those meetings the regulator said the government will record the calls and messages but now it is asking the operators to do that job.

“How can we install ‘lawful interception’ system when it is unlawful at the first place?” commented a mobile operator’s high official requesting anonymity. He dubbed the directive as “grossly inconsistent” because recording the conversation of any customer or preserving clients’ messages is totally illegal for any operator and the telecoms law as well as the license strictly mandates them to maintain customers’ privacy.”

Read more at Cellphone firms now asked to record all text messages

“Have dozens of photos of documents or whiteboards from your camera phone that you want to print out but can’t because they’re too lo-res? ScanR can help.

The company is known as a Web-based scanner service that specializes in making clean and readable versions of poor-quality photos and files. Just email them your snapshot of a piece of paper, board drawing or what have you and they’ll clean it up and send it back. They have just upgraded their service to offer you pdf files tagged with keywords, these make it easy to search for things within your documents.”

From ScanR’s cellphone scanning service gets a clear picture

“The Korean government plans to offer a reward of a maximum 10 million won for those who report producers of cloned cell phones.

Every cell phone has a unique factory-set electronic serial number (ESN). A cloned phone is one illegally programmed to have an identical ESN as a legitimate handset.

Cloning of cell phones has emerged as a social headache in Korea, where more than 38 million among the country’s total 48 million population are subscribed to mobile telephone services.

The number of cloned phones detected by the ministry decreased from 1,097 units in 2003 to 858 in 2004. But the figure exploded almost eight-fold to 6,574 last year.

In the hands of unscrupulous people, cloned cell phones can be used to wiretap conversations of legitimate handset owners as well as commit other identity theft-based crimes.”

From Korea offers big rewards to apprehend phone cloners