Tag archive: SMS

Google's popular Android operating system appears to still be the mobile operating system of choice for fraudsters and malware authors: Google has just pulled dozens of apps from the Android Market because they trick European users into paying premium SMS charges. According to the mobile security firm Lookout, Google has removed 22 apps from the market for essentially being wrappers around a new RuFraud threat; Lookout says they've… Read More

According to an article posted by the Wall Street Journal earlier today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that texting while driving increased from 2009 to 2010. The NHSTA performs this study each year by watching intersections and stoplights for anyone that's operating a smartphone or other handheld device to send text messages in addition to other functions like reading and typing email, watching… Read More

Announced yesterday, Ford is rolling out a software update to Ford's SYNC software that will allow text messages to be read aloud while driving the vehicle. While the system requires a compatible smartphone, users will likely hear the messages through the speakers in the car. The smartphone communicates with the software through a Bluetooth connection. This upgrade to version 3.2.2 of the software will be able to be applied to all SYNC… Read More

An increasing number of apps that allow users to send messages to one another for free are whittling away at the profits of wireless carriers, reports The New York Times. And the problem is only expected to get worse with this week's release of iMessage, Apple's new free iOS-to-iOS messaging service. Last year, the wireless industry as a whole made $20 billion off of more than 2 trillion text messages. Verizon Wireless alone brings… Read More

Likely designed for people that haven't upgraded to a smartphone just yet, Twitter launched support for photo posting through sending a simple text message. While updating a Twitter account through text messages has long been a feature of the service, users haven't been able to transmit mobile pictures without the help of a Twitter application. Since Twitter launched text messaging support for users, approximately four billion SMS… Read More

It’s been a long time coming, but cheaper alternatives might be putting the final nails in the traditional text message’s coffin. Skype’s $85 million acquisition of GroupMe only reinforced the belief that the SMS is about to become a thing of the past. You had a good run, and were inarguably addictive. But it’s starting to look like SMS was just a gateway drug for the good stuff. Sure, we have the original SMS to thank for all of the superior… Read More

Verizon has announced that it has filed a lawsuit against a group of six individuals and 20 companies, who it alleges tricked people into signing up for a fraudulent premium text messaging service. The suit names Jason Hope and Wayne P. DeStefano among others and their associated companies, including Cylon, Jawa and EyeLevel Holdings. Verizon is seeking an immediate injunction to stop the companies' activities as well as monetary… Read More

Incessant text messaging is easily one of the worst traits a person can have, but incessant smoking is still much worse. Research is now showing that the lesser of these two evils can help you kick the nicotine habit.  Two related studies at the University of Oregon reveal that texting has an effect on the brain that suppresses the urge to smoke. Researchers mapped the brains of 27 “heavy smokers” (who came courtesy of recruitment efforts from… Read More

Like it or not, the Internet’s variety of communication tools have paved the way to extinction for tangible letters. But even though its popularity has been drastically decreased, snail mail still serves a purpose – and it’s now getting an electronic makeover. Sweden is developing a way for citizens to pay for postage via SMS. This means that buying, licking, and applying stamps could be a thing of the past. Consumers will be able to text the… Read More

An online survey conducted by State Farm revealed that 19 percent of the participants admitted they browse the Internet while driving. According to the results, the perpetrators are mostly like to be using their phones for directions, using e-mail, and our favorites, “looking up/reference specific information of immediate interest” and “looking at/reading social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc).” If it’s any comfort to you (and it… Read More

Google executive Wael Ghonim is still making the rounds, telling the world how he used a Facebook account to aid the Egyption uprising. And before he’s through, we will similar events unfold in Libya. As tensions in the region increase and social media continues to play a significant role in the escalation, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi has cautioned his citizens to hinder their Facebook use. Activist groups have been using the social network… Read More

So, you think you’re a big texter, huh? What have you got; 30 a day, 75, a day, 112 a day? Well, as usual, enterprise is taking it to a whole new level. As shared by our friends over at TechCrunch, GroupMe is sending out 1,000,000 texts per day. (By the way, if you’re sending 200 messages a day, congrats on making the most of your unlimited plan, but it’s likely you’re ignoring some in-person conversations.) GroupMe is a service, like… Read More

Facebook is still in the process of rolling out its Messages application, but a few recent studies and surveys already bode well for the social network’s new feature. A recent comScore study revealed that Web-based e-mail is losing popularity, declining 8-percent in the past year. Naturally, 12-to-17 year olds were most likely to ditch the archaic communication tool last year, closely followed by 18-to-24 years olds. 25-to-34 year olds also… Read More

After more than a week of violent protests and political upheaval, Egypt's major Internet service providers brought the embattled country back online Wednesday, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal and The Next Web, as well as a deluge of first-person accounts on Twitter. The reconnection, which includes access to previously blocked sites like Twitter, comes only a day after more than a million Egyptians converged on Tahrir… Read More

In an unsurprising turn of events, Facebook unveiled its “modern messaging system” this morning. As expected, Project Titan will indeed compete with Gmail and other e-mail providers with the option of an @facebook.com domain, but Facebook hopes it will eventually revolutionize the way people use the Internet to communicate – emphasis on eventually. In the lengthy announcement, CEO Mark Zuckerberg and director of engineering Andrew Bosworth… Read More