This morning, a quick scan of the news wires uncovered a few of the newer ways that twenty-first century cell phone manufacturers and service providers are making small, portable communications devices even more impossible to live without.
Personal trainer – Trimble, a California-based company that specializes in “advanced positioning solutions” (think GPS), offers a service called AllSport GPS, described in a Mercury News article today as “an application that enables users to measure distance, time, speed and calories on their cell phones.” Those measurements can be uploaded to a Web site for later analysis or just to keep track of fitness progress. The service was released in August as part of the company’s Trimble Outdoors line and, is available on 10 Sprint phone models and on 17 Nextel phones.
Voter registration – If you live in Pennsylvania, you now can get started registering to vote by sending a text message on your cell phone. According to a report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today, voters can type in either “Pgh” or “Pa” and send it to the number 75444 to register. This brings up prompts to enter name and address, along with the option to have a completed registration form sent to the person’s residence. That form then must be signed and sent in by October 10. Then, on Election Day, the user gets a text message reminder to hop on over to the polls. The service is sponsored by Pennsylvania League of Young Voters Education Fund.
Staying faithful – For busy residents of Phoenix, Arizona who don’t want to lose touch with their religious faith, local mobile phone company FaithFone Wireless now is offering a service combining its Faith and Family content. A Christian Newswire report today says that FaithFone is “the first ever faith-based branded mobile phone service to offer Daily Devotionals, Bible passages, Prayer Of The Day, Life Advice, and like-minded entertainment content via (SMS) Text on a branded mobile phone handsets.” The service was launched Sept. 22.
Preventing theft – Britons who stress out about having their cell phones stolen (along with the valuable or sensitive data stored on them) now can rest a little easier. A Yahoo! News report notes the launch in Britain of new security product called Remote XT. It’s a device that makes a mobile phone unusable to anyone but the rightful owner. If a thief tries to use a stolen phone, sensitive data is automatically wiped (the software allows the owner to back up this data) and the phone emits a piercing scream. Subscribers can add this new level of security for £9.99 per month.
Spotted any new cell phone services lately? Let me know.
