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As if it isn't hard enough to get to sleep on overnight journeys, one group of unlucky passengers shared a carriage with a woman who talked loudly on her mobile phone for 16 hours. In the end she was arrested. Lakeysha Beard of Tigard, Oregon, was charged with disorderly conduct after police were called by Amtrak staff following continued complaints from passengers. Police said the 39-year-old became aggressive and was involved in a 'verbal altercation' when asked to be quiet during the journey from Oakland, California to Salem, Oregon. Fellow travellers said Ms Beard refused to put the phone down...

I have a friend who just started a job selling cars. Used to be a stock broker. This is a desperation move. Problem is one of the other salesmen sits with his finger on the phone and insta-answers every incoming call on the first ring. That means he gets all the leads. Management knows and doesn't care. Once upon a time, I read that the phone line actually has a change in voltage before the first ring. Any Freeper know of a box or program that detects that and could answer/forward a call BEFORE the first ring? (I figured if...

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759 A couple of days ago, I read an article about how police in Michigan (go figure) were forcing motorists to surrender their cell phones upon being detention for traffic violations. They are using the common tactic that most liberals and anti-constitutionalist morons use that "if you have nothing to hide, you'll do what I ask." This, of course, is false logic. "If I've done nothing wrong, there is no reason to ask" is the proper...

Two of the most important players in the mobile industry, Verizon and Motorola, have essentially called Windows Phone 7 a failure, with a Verizon exec going so far as ... This is clearly not what Microsoft hoped for when it launched Windows Phone 7 to great fanfare late last year. The statements from both executives were surprisingly blunt. ... I do want a strong third OS out there. ... But I still have doubts whether Microsoft will get the traction they are hoping for with Windows Phone 7. Melone was equally unimpressed with the Nokia-Microsoft deal, explaining: If you look...

A bill to reform the state’s 1991 Telecommunications Act regulating landline providers has moved to the Michigan House Energy and Communications Committee. House Bill 4314 was introduced February 22, 2011, amended, and referred to committee on March 7. Introduced by Ken Horn (R-Frankenmuth), chairman of the House Energy and Communications Committee, on February 22, 2011, and cosponsored by Roy Schmidt (D-Grand Rapids), the Michigan Telecommunications Modernization Act (MTMA) updates, deletes, or repeals many provisions of the Telecommunications Act last revised in 2006. “AT&T strongly supports House Bill 4314 and the work being done by Representatives Ken Horn and Roy Schmidt,”...

What invention most improved women's lives during the past century? The birth control pill for granting women greater control over child bearing, and modern, electric clothes and dish washers for freeing them from time-consuming housework likely spring to mind. Here's another candidate to consider: the creation of the internet and wireless technologies. Certainly, everyone has benefited from the dawning of the information age, but women have been uniquely touched as these technologies make it easier for women to perform critical tasks—from generating income to getting an education—while at home. That makes it all the more important that policymakers at all...

At one time, having a dedicated land-line phone in your house was a requirement. Like heat or air conditioning, every house had it. With the advent of cell phones I have found it impossible to justify the cost of keeping a land-line phone—I just don't use it that much anymore. When you include taxes, the minimum cost of having a land-line phone in the house (in my state) is $45 a month ($540 ayear). I only used the land-line phone for 5-10 calls a month, which worked out to be over $5 per call. I thought about getting a land-line...

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski on Monday unveiled a plan to overhaul a much-criticized program that helps provide phone service to far-flung rural areas, proposing to focus it on expanding high-speed Internet access to those same locations. The $8-billion Universal Service Fund is paid for by telecommunications companies, who must contribute a percentage of their long-distance revenue, often passing those fees on to their customers. The decades-old program has successfully spread phone service to residents in hard-to-reach areas that often are unprofitable for companies to serve, Genachowski said in a speech to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. But...

On Monday, a bill banning talking on the phone while driving will be introduced in the North Carolina Senate. The bill would ban using hands free devices while driving as well. Highway Patrol Trooper Beckley Vaughn said it boils down to being distracted while driving. Vaughn said at only 55 mph, a driver goes about 88 feet per second. He said the average reaction time is only .75 of a second.

Analysts at Ovum have announced a number of predictions for the telecoms industry in 2011, with expectations that Windows 7 will become the fastest growing platform for smartphones, while the mobile landgrab in emerging markets will begin to slow down with emphasis shifting to broadband. It is thought that telecoms markets in the emerging markets of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America will see intensified competition that will lead to lower prices, slower growth and indeed lower margins. It is noted by Ovum analyst Angel Dobardziev that the “land grab phase” which occurred in the last decade will begin...

(CNN) -- Facebook wants your address and mobile phone number. But it's not sure exactly how to ask. It's a complicated digital courtship, particularly because Facebook doesn't just want this data for itself -- it wants to "share" this info with all of its friends, which in this case happens to be app developers (think FarmVille, Compare People and Where I've Been -- all that non-Facebook stuff that pops up in your news feed). That may sound confusing, but the debate over this Facebook phone-number-sharing -- which caused Facebook to backtrack a bit from the request after bloggers and users...

Have telemarketers found a way around the do not call list? I have been getting calls from telemarketers where they always ask for the wrong name. When I reply that they have the wrong number, they say, "well, maybe you can help me." The first time it happened, I listened for a minute, wondering why this person on my phone would be asking a stranger for help. When I realized what they were up to, I simply hung up. I've had several calls since, with the caller using the same tactic. Anybody else have any experience with this scam?

While I was on my flight to Alaska, Mary Jo beat me to the punch with the news that more than 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 devices have been sold by the manufacturers since the launch in late October (Europe) and early November (U.S.). While these numbers do not show the total bought by consumers, it still is pretty impressive and much more than what some have predicted. Device sales isn’t the whole story with Windows Phone 7 though as we also see a huge growth in applications with over 4,000 apps now available in the Windows Phone Marketplace. Device...

I bought a Droid2 phone a couple of months ago because I wanted to be able to listen to Rush's archived shows. Unfortunately, I can't get the shows to play. I have talked to 3 different Verizon representatives about it and they are flummoxed. I can't figure out if they don't know what they're talking about or if the phone simply doesn't have the capability to stream his program. I don't have any trouble accessing his archives on my home or work computer, so I can't figure out what the problem is. Are there any Droid2 users out there who...

Comcast blames automatically dialed pre-election phone calls for massive New England outagesBy Associated Press 7:44 a.m. CDT, November 2, 2010 CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Telecommunications company Comcast says massive numbers of automatically dialed political telephone calls that caused service outages in New England have dropped off sharply. The outages came Monday as political campaigns hit the phones to woo voters before Tuesday's midterm elections. Philadelphia-based Comcast says congestion resulting from the calls Monday night forced it to reroute phone traffic as it tried to identify the carrier whose telephone numbers were generating them. Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas says the volume...

Shooter is a highly accurate ballistics calculator for the Android™ mobile platform (v1.6 and higher) and is currently for sale in the Android Market for $9.99. Shooter's primary goal is to provide accurate shot solutions quickly and easily when in the field. This is done by utilizing a proven-accurate and fast ballistics solver coupled with an advanced, intuitive user interface supporting features like firearm and ammunition profiles (so you never have to enter the same data twice) and options to use your device's hardware (GPS, Accelerometer, Compass) to help you input shot-data both quickly and accurately.

Techies - I seek a software solution that will do this: Enable my Windows PC to be a telephone/ speakerphone plugged in to the PSTN via an UTP/RJ-11 jack out the modem, NOT a VOIP ( a la Skype ) phone emulator connected to the Internet via RJ-45/TCP/IP. I recognize this involves a modem. This stuff used to be bundled freeware with PCs and has fallen out of fashion. What's out there now?

Kerfye Pierre's thanks for helping out victims of Haiti's earthquake? A $35,000 bill from T-Mobile. Pierre tells CNN that she racked up about $35,000 while texting family and friends from Haiti with the news that she had just survived the devastating earthquake. T-Mobile offered to waive voice plans for Americans who were volunteering there after the crippling disaster, but Pierre said she didn't realize that the waiver didn't include text messages. The company has now reduced her bill to approximately $5,000, but Pierre says she still can't pay that. "I would be OK to pay for it if everything was...

Verizon will not be distributing its white pages directory to local residents for at least the next two years, the company said Tuesday. Instead, residents will be able to find the directory online at www.verizon.com/whitepages . A printed and CD-ROM copy will also be available for free upon request. Verizon subscribers will still receive printed directories for business yellow pages and government white pages, according to the company. Florida's Public Service Commission granted Verizon Florida LLC the right to not hand out the directories to every customer for two years. Verizon had been looking for a permanent waiver because they...

We here at the Tea Party Express are pulling out all the stops to help ensure a great victory for constitutional conservative Christine O'Donnell in Tuesday's critical GOP Senate primary. We launched a "Phone From Home" program that allows supporters like you from around the nation to do your part to volunteer and help this campaign for free.  And we urgently need more people to join this program and make calls from home for Christine O'Donnell to Delaware Republicans both today (Monday) and tomorrow (Tuesday). It's simple for you to participate in. Just send an email to: phonefromhome@teapartyexpress.orgWe'll send you a short...