modrepublic

Cell phone companies are adding a second option for users the chance to have unlimited free dialing from home. Users can either buy a phone that seamlessly hops onto WiFi networks, or buy femtocell hardware that routes calls from any phone over a broadband connection.Read More...

Europe should force cell phone subscribers to pay for incoming calls, says one research group, and require both parties to share the cost of the call. It may not sound like a good deal to European cellular subscribers, but the researchers say it would reduce costs all around and allow for further development of next-generation networks.Read More...

A search on the Internet for free cell phone ringtones usually leads to websites that claim to offer free ringtones but normally require the visitor to signup and pay for the ringtones anyway. Ringtones are quite a bit market which is somewhat surprising considering that many cell phones are capable of using audio files on the cell phone as ringtones. A visit to a site that can convert the audio of Youtube videos ensures that basically any song can be downloaded for free.

In parts of Japan, all you have to do in order to pay for something is wave your cell phone. MasterCard is now working on getting the ball rolling for a similar system here in the US, but actually getting equipped phones into the hands of the public will be the real challenge.Read More...

The Taliban may no longer rule Afghanistan, but it still wants a say in the country's technology policy. The group has now issued an ultimatum to Afghanistan's four mobile phone operators, saying that if they don't shut down operations at night, their towers and offices will be under attack. Ironically, the group confirmed the threat to the media via cell phone.Read More...

US consumers just aren't buying cell phones like they once were, according to the NPD Group. Unit sales are at the lowest level since the firm started tracking them in 2005, although consumers do seem to be buying more expensive units. Read More...

American Airlines announced today that it had begun testing mobile boarding passes for domestic travelers out of Chicago's O'Hare, and will soon be rolling it out for Los Angeles and Orange County as well. Just whip out your phone, let the TSA have a scan, and go on your way. Well, sort of.Read More...

Only a minority of cell phone owners have access to a data flatrate. Most have to cope with utterly insane pricing schemes and pay per Megabyte transferred. If you are old enough to remember; That’s how the first Internet Service Providers handled business when the Internet became popular in the Nineties.

An appeals court has upheld the 2005 law banning cell phone possession in New York City schools. The judge said that although she sympathizes with parents, the devices are disruptive, and kids can't be trusted to turn them off at the right times if adults can't.Read More...