Japan’s sole pager provider, Tokyo Telemessage Inc, will shut down radio signals for its services Tuesday, ending support for the device first introduced in the country half a century ago. Japan Today reports: In recent years, the device had been favored mainly by those working in hospitals, where cellphone use was once discouraged because of concerns over the effect of electromagnetic…
Tag: telephone
New iPhone Feature Can Send Unknown Callers To Voicemail Automatically
An anonymous reader quotes the Economist:
In its latest software release, Apple has made it possible for iPhone users to send all unknown callers to voicemail automatically. Although the feature will no doubt prove useful to the millions of customers whose peaceful suppers are ruined by fake calls, it could be disastrous for the faltering public-polling industry. The challenges telephone pollsters face…
Apple Considers Using Iconic Logo As a Notification Light, Patent App Suggests
Apple has applied for a patent to use the logo on the back of its phones as a notification light. The patent application, which was first spotted by Apple Insider, outlines how the “adjustable decoration” could respond to events such as “incoming communication” or “a calendar reminder” by changing its appearance or flashing to attract your attention. The Verge reports: The…
SpaceX Tries Buying Out Homeowners Around Starhopper’s Texas Launchpad
SpaceX “built its experimental spaceport in and around Boca Chica Village, a decades-old community of about 20 elderly residents,” reports Business Insider. But now “SpaceX is trying to buy as much of Boca Chica Village as it can and move people out…following an accidental brush fire, public-safety notices warning of the possibility for explosions, and a push to have the Federal…
Google is Bringing Its AI Assistant Service To People Without Internet Access
An anonymous reader shares a report: Google Assistant, the digital assistant from the global search giant, is available to users through their smartphones, laptops, and smart speakers. Earlier this year, the company partnered with KaiOS to bring Assistant to some feature phones with internet access. Now Google is going a step further: Bringing its virtual assistant to people who have the…
Feds Order Apple and Google To Hand Over Names of 10,000+ Users of Gun Scope App
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Forbes: Own a rifle? Got a scope to go with it? The government might soon know who you are, where you live and how to reach you. That’s because Apple and Google have been ordered by the U.S. government to hand over names, phone numbers and other identifying data of at least 10,000 users…
Phone Companies, State Attorneys General Announce Broad Campaign To Fight Robocalls
Twelve of the country’s largest telephone companies on Thursday pledged to implement new technology to spot and block robocalls, part of an agreement brokered between the industry and 51 attorneys general to combat the growing telecom scourge. From a report: The new effort to be announced in Washington commits a wide array of companies in the absence of regulation to improving…
Researchers Build a Heat Shield Just 10 Atoms Thick To Protect Electronic Devices
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: Excess heat given off by smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices can be annoying, but beyond that it contributes to malfunctions and, in extreme cases, can even cause lithium batteries to explode. To guard against such ills, engineers often insert glass, plastic or even layers of air as insulation to prevent heat-generating components…
Trump Administration Asks Congress To Reauthorize NSA’s Deactivated Call Records Program
Breaking a long silence about a high-profile National Security Agency program that sifts records of Americans’ telephone calls and text messages in search of terrorists, the Trump administration on Thursday acknowledged for the first time that the system has been indefinitely shut down — but asked Congress to extend its legal basis anyway. From a report: In a letter to Congress…
A Bipartisan Bill That Could End Our Robocall Hell Just Passed the House 429-3
The Stopping Bad Robocalls Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a nearly unanimous vote, with only two Republicans and one independent voting against the bill. Gizmodo reports: The bill, sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, prescribes strict regulations around the use of automatic telephone dialing systems or other artificial or prerecorded…