Texting Archive

  • How-to: stay connected while traveling internationally

    How-to: stay connected while traveling internationally

    Posted on June 9, 2010 | No Comments
    It's a harsh reality that every avid traveler faces, and unless you're fortunate enough to have been born in a generation where you're not expected to check your inbox every half-hour, glance over Twitter updates every 7.23 minutes seconds and tell the world where you're at this very moment via Foursquare, you've probably found yourself wondering how on Earth you're going to remain connected once your swipe that passport and leave the comfy confines of a native network. Staying connected while traveling abroad is no easy task, and while the internet may feel ubiquitous to tech-savvy smartphone owners who remain planted within the borders of their home nation, the world wide web suddenly becomes a whole lot less easy to track down once you plop down on foreign soil. Looking to splurge on a little international travel this summer, but can't figure out how you're going to (affordably) upload those Twitpics and YouTube videos once you get there? Fret not, young jetsetter -- we've got the keys to keeping you connected whilst overseas just beyond the break.

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    How-to: stay connected while traveling internationally originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Iota Flex wants to be a MiFi for voice and text

    Iota Flex wants to be a MiFi for voice and text

    Posted on May 27, 2010 | No Comments
    Would you believe us if we told you that that rubber bracelet-looking thing is actually going to have a built-in SIM card and bring voice / text capabilities to Android tablets, e-readers and netbooks via Bluetooth? Yeah, it sounds super crazy, but that's exactly what it'll eventually do. Convinced that 2G capabilities like talking and texting should be easier to add to MIDs, tablets and netbooks, Seattle-based startup Iota has come up with the Flex. It's definitely in the early stages of development, but in essence they see people clipping the bendable device to a bag, pairing it to an Android tablet, e-reader or MID, and then making calls from said devices.

    We caught some time with Iota and the prototype at the Netbook Summit this week and were told that they plan to sell the Flex through retailers for under $100 -- and that would actually include unlimited calling and texting thanks to a partnership with Simple Mobile. Here's where we say we wouldn't hold your breath for this thing to hit the market -- though if they can pull it off, it'll certainty be an interesting solution for adding voice and text to those hoards of incoming Android tablets. After you're done wrapping your brain around this wearable voice and text accessory, check out the hands-on pics and hit the break for a hacked together demo of the dev kit they've been selling.

    Continue reading Iota Flex wants to be a MiFi for voice and text

    Iota Flex wants to be a MiFi for voice and text originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 20:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Survey says: most teens don’t have a data plan, almost all send texts

    Survey says: most teens don’t have a data plan, almost all send texts

    Posted on May 5, 2010 | No Comments
    Microsoft and Verizon might think all the kids want to do with their new Kin phones is pay absurd data rates for a half-baked Twitter experience, but it turns out Generation Upload is still actually just Generation Text Message. That's at least the word according to a Pew Internet Research survey published on April 20th and neatly summed up by a new Flowlogic infographic published today -- only 23 percent of American teenagers with cellphones use social networks with their phones, while 72 percent of all teens use text messaging. You might argue that Kin seeks to flip that balance, but Pew found that 63 percent of teens with cell phones don't have data plans and the vast majority of teen cellphone plans are part of a larger family plan, so the Kin's $30 / month data rate might be a hard sell to Mom and Dad.

    We also thought voice calling on the Kin seemed like an afterthought to texting and social networking, but it turns out more and more older kids simply turn to the phone: 77 percent of 17 year olds text each other, but 60 percent of them call each other's cell phones -- and only 33 percent of them connect over social networking sites. Perhaps most damningly, Pew says nearly half -- 46% -- of teens play games on their phones, but Kin has no games at all. The report is actually full of other interesting tidbits like this and the infographic is quite nice, so hit the read links to check 'em out -- perhaps Microsoft and Verizon should do the same.

    Survey says: most teens don't have a data plan, almost all send texts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Pew Internet report reveals what everyone already knows: Teens like to text

    Pew Internet report reveals what everyone already knows: Teens like to text

    Posted on April 20, 2010 | No Comments
    If you've seen a teenager in the last two years, then you've seen a teenager texting. Seriously, I can't think of a situation in the last couple of years where I saw a teenager without a cell phone. The teenagers in my extended family send text messages seemingly all day long, every day. Now the Pew Internet and American Life project has released a pretty comprehensive analysis of teen texting behavior.

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  • Nationwide no texting law goes into effect for buses and commercial trucks

    Nationwide no texting law goes into effect for buses and commercial trucks

    Posted on January 26, 2010 | No Comments
    Newsflash: Sending text messages while driving is dangerous. There’s really no safe way to send a text while behind the wheel unless you’re at a stoplight or pulled over. And while there’s no nationwide texting ban for regular drivers, Uncle Sam has just decreed that anyone driving a large commercial truck or bus anywhere in the country can be fined up to $2,750 if caught texting while in motion.

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  • Texting and driving now banned in New York State

    Texting and driving now banned in New York State

    Posted on November 1, 2009 | No Comments
    Residents of New York State, beware: texting and driving is now 100 percent banned. No, it's not the first state to enact such a ban—far from it, actually—but sometimes things don't register till they happen in your backyard. The law goes into effect today, and infractions carry a maximum fine of $150.

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  • HTC Hero having intermittent text messaging problems?

    HTC Hero having intermittent text messaging problems?

    Posted on October 26, 2009 | No Comments

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    There's not exactly much in the way of official statements on the matter just yet, but it looks like support forums have been piling up with reports of text messaging problems on the HTC Hero over the past few weeks, and with no signs of a fix in sight. Apparently, the phone can send texts just fine, but runs into a little trouble when it comes to receiving 'em, with most folks reporting only intermittent problems, and at least some not receiving any at all. Interestingly, the problem seems to be occurring in both the US and the UK, so it would seem to be a problem on the phone's end and not the carrier's, and a few people seem to have had some (brief) success after resetting the device. Of course, there are also plenty of folks having no problems at all, but there doesn't seem to be any question that the issue is out there. So, have you been missing some texts on your Hero? Let us know in comments.

    HTC Hero having intermittent text messaging problems? originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • This is the problem with being charged to receive text messages

    This is the problem with being charged to receive text messages

    Posted on October 9, 2009 | No Comments
    Well it looks like my not-even-a-month-old new cell phone number is already out in the wild somehow. I received this unsolicited text message from a 718-area phone number, which Nicholas tells me is Brooklyn or Queens, New York (I'm in Boston).

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  • Safety: Obama Administration now looking to eliminate texting while driving

    Safety: Obama Administration now looking to eliminate texting while driving

    Posted on September 30, 2009 | No Comments
    Looks like the Obama Administration, which really ought to be focused on getting Americans like me affordable health care (unless doctors now accept World of Warcraft Gold as payment, lol!), has set its sights on eliminating the scourge of distracted driving once and for all. Case in point: Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood is holding a summit this week that has the ultimate goal of “finding ways to eliminate texting while driving.”

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  • Auto manufacturers don’t think you should text while driving either

    Auto manufacturers don’t think you should text while driving either

    Posted on September 24, 2009 | No Comments
    This just in: the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers thinks it's a bad idea for you to talk on your phone while driving if you're not using a headset. They also think that you shouldn't text while driving, because that causes you to take your eyes off the road. Well duh?

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  • Anti-texting while driving message hits home WARNING GRAPHIC

    Anti-texting while driving message hits home WARNING GRAPHIC

    Posted on August 16, 2009 | No Comments
    Before you watch this be warned it’s pretty graphic. I’ve seen plenty of people swerving because of texting - one guy I saw was on his old, ratty Nokia rolling from lane to lane as he texted whoever was most important in his life while traveling 75MPH on I75 in Ohio - and this PSA [...]

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