Tag Archives: SMS
OMG R U OK? America is getting its first-ever 911 texting service
Verizon is working on the U.S.’s first-ever emergency texting service.
Text-to-911 will be incredibly useful for a wide range of mobile customers, from the young-and-hip to the hard-of-hearing. It’s also more useful than voice communication in uniquely mobile scenarios, such as low battery or poor signal strength.
Verizon has just selected a vendor for the project; rollout should begin as soon as early 2013. The FCC is applauding the move, which will bring SMS emergency response services to any text-messaging-capable phone.
FCC spokesperson Tammy Sun told TheHill that the organization “commended the company for offering consumers another way to reach 911 that is consistent with how millions of consumers already use mobile devices in their daily lives.”
The FCC itself has been trying to bring 911 emergency services into the land of SMS since at least 2010. In a speech in November of that year, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski told the public,
Čítaj ďalej: http://feeds.venturebeat.com/~r/Venturebeat/~3/bZ1D0H0f1lA/
Autor: Venturebeat.com
Zdroj: http://feeds.venturebeat.com/VentureBeat
Verizon pioneering 911 texting service
Although it is sure to pose a lot of problems, the idea of being able to send a text message to emergency services is something that is long overdue. Texting is becoming the primary means of communication for Americans throughout the country. You can think of many reasons where it might be more useful to text – when you’re in a noisy situation and can’t speak clearly, or when you’re in a life-or-death spot and can’t talk. Or, for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The Federal Communications Commission is pleased that Verizon will be the compnay that finally makes this a reality. The FCC was quoted as saying that it “commended” Verizon “for offering consumers another way to reach 911 that is consistent with how millions of consumers already use mobile devices in their daily lives.” Verizon said it “is Čítaj ďalej: http://feeds.slashgear.com/~r/slashgear/~3/K36jGa1DHMM/
Autor: SlashGear.com
Zdroj: http://feeds.slashgear.com/slashgear
Happiness Is a Warm Text
Researchers from University of California at Berkeley found text messaging improves moods, crediting both sending and receiving messages with helping people out of lonely, stressed moments.
“We are harnessing a technology that people use in their everyday lives to improve mental health in low-income, under-served communities,” explained Andrian Aguilera, one of the social welfare professors working on the project.
Aguilera created a text-based intervention program for low-income Latino patients struggling with depression and mental health disorders. Automated text messages prompted patients to track their moods and think about interactions they experienced during the day, helping them reflect. They also received texts reminding them to take their medications, making patients feel cared for.
Aguilera emphasized how even poor patients generally have access to basic SMS, benefiting people from varying socioeconomic backgrounds.
The study focused on low-income patients in counseling, but researchers believe the results apply for people of all income levels, regardless of their mental
Čítaj ďalej: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/138997.html
Autor: Mobiledia.com
Zdroj: http://feeds.feedburner.com/mobiledia
Help, I’m In the Trunk #Carjacked
Thieves carjacked a Johannesburg, South Africa man’s car and shoved him in the trunk, but he managed to send an SMS message to his girlfriend. She then tweeted about the situation, including the car’s license plate number in her plea.
The South African woman chose to tweet her boyfriend’s information instead of directly calling the police, potentially stemming from widespread distrust of Johannesburg police. Twitter allows users to give anonymous tips, which helps in places where citizens do not trust law enforcement.
Within the hour, her tweet went viral, and private security employees coordinated efforts, locating the car and calling the police. The carjackers ran into a police roadblock and abandoned the vehicle, but the man escaped unharmed.
Twitter and Facebook are becoming increasingly important emergency tools, and this latest case drives home how useful they are to people in times of need.
Last fall, a woman in Tennessee used Facebook to alert Čítaj ďalej: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/137335.html
Autor: Mobiledia.com
Zdroj: http://feeds.feedburner.com/mobiledia
Espresso Machine Takes Orders by Text
The TextSpresso machine by Seattle-based startup Zipwhip makes custom drinks based on SMS texts sent to it by users, and features state-of-the-art edible inkjet printing to scrawl identifying numbers in latte foam.
The machine is designed to promote Zipwhip’s cloud texting service, which lets Android phone owners send and receive SMS texts from their mobile number on all of their devices, including laptops, tablets and other phones.
The machine is only available for demonstrations at the Zipwhip offices, but if it operated in a commercial environment, users could send in specific instructions for their caffeine fix using the company’s technology, which has a wide range of applications beyond coffee-making.
“Why can’t you just get your text popping up on your desktop? It almost seems a little bit crazy that it’s 2012 [...] and you still can’t get your tiny little 160-character text popping up on your desktop,” said Zipwhip CEO John Lauer. “If
Čítaj ďalej: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/137077.html
Autor: Mobiledia.com
Zdroj: http://feeds.feedburner.com/mobiledia