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Amy Gahran

Nearly nine out of 10 U.S. adults have a cell phone -- and they're having a lot of problems with them. New research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that almost three-fourths of phone users experience dropped calls at least occasionally.

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Fighting fire with data, spacecraft, dronesupdated: Thu Jul 26 2012 09:37:00

Wildfires are fast-moving targets, so one of the most important weapons firefighting teams can have is timely, precise information about where the fire is, where it's likely to spread and what's in its path.

Could mobile apps save local news?updated: Mon Jun 18 2012 08:52:00

On mobile devices, social media may be hot, but news still captures people's attention. And the news business, troubled though it has been, is all about attention. But can mobile news apps help save news about your community?

4 Southern newspapers cut productionupdated: Mon Jun 18 2012 08:52:00

The Times-Picayune and 3 other Southern newspapers are cutting production to three days per week.

Report: More than half of seniors now use the Webupdated: Thu Jun 07 2012 17:48:00

It's looking like the digital divide may have less gray hair than it used to -- but it's still a big issue for U.S. seniors.

'No permission' Android apps can see and share your dataupdated: Mon Apr 23 2012 17:47:00

Savvy Android users tend to be wary of installing apps that request seemingly unnecessary permissions. When an app wants access to data or functions on your phone, such as your contacts list or the ability to send text messages, it can signal potential security or malware risks.

E-Reader or iPadupdated: Thu Apr 05 2012 05:34:00

Which one is right for you? HLN's Jennifer Westhoven visits Consumer Reports to find out.

E-books spur reading among Americans, survey showsupdated: Thu Apr 05 2012 05:34:00

E-books aren't just becoming increasingly popular. They also appear to be promoting reading habits among American adults.

Which cities lose cell phones the most, and when?updated: Sat Mar 24 2012 09:06:00

If you're at a coffee shop, anywhere in Philadelphia, or if it's late at night, hang on to your smartphone.

The best of what's new in mobile phonesupdated: Sat Mar 24 2012 09:06:00

The latest phones released at the 2012 Mobile World Congress include high resolution cameras and built-in projectors.

Getting text spam? New service helps you report itupdated: Mon Mar 19 2012 15:37:00

Unsolicited text messages from scammers, companies and political campaigns are illegal and annoying. But at least now they're easier to report.

Why QR codes aren't catching onupdated: Fri Dec 09 2011 06:21:00

Quick response (QR) codes -- those two-dimensional barcodes that resemble a checkerboard on LSD -- are appearing more frequently on billboards, magazine ads, business cards, stickers, T-shirts and anything that is used to promote stuff.

Kindle Fire panned by 'usability expert,' but will it matter?updated: Wed Dec 07 2011 05:34:00

Although it has been on the U. S. market for just three weeks, Amazon's Kindle Fire is expected to become the second-most popular tablet in the world by the end of this year, according to the research firm IHS.

How carriers will make money (from you) on 4Gupdated: Thu Nov 10 2011 16:04:00

How do U.S. wireless carriers expect their investments in new 4G high-speed networks to pay off? This shift is about more than simply providing mobile data -- and it could even bring some long-overdue improvements to the humble telephone call.

The way carriers manage networks can hurt phone performanceupdated: Tue Sep 06 2011 18:16:00

Does your smartphone seem slow, or is its battery draining fast? Part of this may be due to how your wireless carrier manages its network, according to a recent study by researchers from the University of Michigan and Microsoft Research.

Survey: Carrier in-store purchases offer best phone buying experienceupdated: Fri Aug 19 2011 15:04:00

If you're in the market for a new cell phone, you'll probably have a better buying experience if you visit the carrier's store to shop and make the purchase, rather than buying online or over the phone, a new survey says.

Recent solar flare may disrupt your GPSupdated: Mon Aug 08 2011 14:02:00

We're nearing the peak of the 11-year solar cycle, so double-check your GPS and watch where you're going.

Wireless contracts yield better customer service, survey saysupdated: Mon Aug 01 2011 17:04:00

Few people would say they actually enjoy contacting their wireless carrier for customer service. But if you have a contract for your cell phone, you'll probably get slightly better service, according to a new survey from J.D. Power and Associates.

San Francisco passes cell phone radiation law, but what's the risk?updated: Thu Jul 28 2011 19:05:00

On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a new ordinance requiring cell phone retailers to display and distribute a state-produced fact sheet that explains radio frequency emissions from cell phones and how consumers can minimize their exposure.

San Francisco tries again on cell phone radiation warning lawupdated: Thu Jul 21 2011 17:08:00

San Francisco is once again moving forward with its controversial plan to warn consumers about potential health risks related to cell phone use.

How to spot bogus phone bill chargesupdated: Sat Jun 25 2011 14:06:00

Financial analyst Clyde Anderson explains how to spot excessive fees the FCC says phone companies charge landline users.

FCC moves to fight mystery fees on your phone billupdated: Sat Jun 25 2011 14:06:00

Phone bills, especially cell phone bills, are notoriously complex and cryptic. This makes it easy to slip in new charges without consumers noticing -- including for services that the consumer never authorized.

Nielsen: Androids are the big data hogsupdated: Tue Jun 07 2011 09:59:00

The days of unlimited mobile data plans are waning, as Verizon follows AT&T in reportedly moving toward tiered plans that charge users based on how much data they use.

Cell phone radiation: Would labels help?updated: Thu Jun 02 2011 06:59:00

Following the World Health Organization's announcement that radio frequency emissions from cell phones may increase the risk of some kinds of brain cancer, what do you need to know about the radiation coming from your phone?

Dr. Gupta explores cell phone safetyupdated: Thu Jun 02 2011 06:59:00

CNN's Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta discuss manufacturers' guidance for using cell phones.

Most Twitter users access service from their phones, study saysupdated: Wed Jun 01 2011 17:17:00

Among U.S. adults who go online, 13% use Twitter -- and more than half (54%) of these people access the popular social media service with their mobile phone, according to new research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Warrantless cell phone searches spread to more statesupdated: Tue May 31 2011 07:09:00

Think about all the data -- photos, videos, text messages, calendar items, apps, call log, voice mail, and e-mail -- on your cell phone right now. If you're arrested, could the police search your cell phone? And would they need a warrant?

Password-storing service may have been hackedupdated: Thu May 05 2011 17:10:00

Virtually every online service requires users set up an account protected by a password, and the conventional wisdom is that you shouldn't use the same password for multiple accounts. This makes services that help users generate and store strong passwords very appealing.

Android or iPhone? Surveys show smartphone users are fickleupdated: Wed Apr 27 2011 09:22:00

Is Android "the new black"? New research from Nielsen indicates that consumer tastes in smartphones may be as variable as fashion trends.

The Army's first smartphone? Android, of courseupdated: Fri Apr 22 2011 18:33:00

I was recently in Fort Knox, Kentucky, to visit my nephew in Army Basic Training, where my sister gave him a basic Tracphone so he could call home more easily.

How to gain influence on Twitter? Focusupdated: Fri Apr 08 2011 10:29:00

Lots of Twitter users have lots of followers. For instance, according to Twitaholic right now Lady Gaga has over 9.2 million; Justin Bieber has over 8.6 million; and Britney Spears, over 7.3 million -- just slightly ahead of Barack Obama.

Boost Mobile scores highest among no-contract phone ownersupdated: Tue Apr 05 2011 16:41:00

To control costs and increase flexibility, more and more U.S. mobile users are choosing no-contract plans (month-to-month or prepaid) for cell phone service.

Mobile banking is booming, survey showsupdated: Tue Mar 29 2011 17:52:00

Despite online security concerns, the number of Americans who use mobile devices to access financial services is growing fast, according to new data from comScore.

Google Maps' Android app now routes drivers around trafficupdated: Fri Mar 18 2011 13:09:00

Recently, Google announced that the Android version of its Google Maps app now automatically routes users around traffic when providing directions.

Android users wait and wait for OS updatesupdated: Fri Feb 25 2011 14:07:00

Samsung's popular Galaxy S series of Android smartphones has been available on the four major U.S. wireless carriers for nearly a year.

One-third of U.S. households lack broadband Web accessupdated: Fri Feb 18 2011 20:21:00

How's the broadband access in your community -- or perhaps in other places where you'd like to live, work or send your kids to school?

Crowdsourced maps help mobile users compare network reliabilityupdated: Thu Feb 17 2011 08:52:00

Mobile devices are only as good as the networks that serve them. But too often, a mobile user will purchase a new smartphone with a two-year carrier contract, only then to learn that the phone gets lousy reception at home, work or school.

No-contract smartphone may lure first-time usersupdated: Fri Feb 11 2011 08:14:00

The economy is still tight, so for many U.S. mobile users a key obstacle to upgrading to a smartphone is cost.

ComScore on the future of mobileupdated: Thu Feb 10 2011 15:59:00

This week comScore published its 2010 Digital Year in Review report, which covers topics ranging from e-commerce to consumer electronics.

Vehicle owner's manuals -- now on smartphonesupdated: Mon Jan 31 2011 18:44:00

If you own a 2011 Dodge, you might want to check out out the new Dodge smartphone app for your vehicle, which includes a digital owner's manual. Hopefully, this will grow as a trend among vehicle manufacturers.

Unlimited data for the iPhone? Don't bet on it long termupdated: Fri Jan 28 2011 15:03:00

Lately, Verizon and AT&T have been sending confusing signals to current and would-be iPhone users about how much data service for this trendy device will cost.

Why Starbucks' mobile-payment system might workupdated: Thu Jan 20 2011 17:16:00

This week, Starbucks unveiled a new mobile purchase system by integrating its mobile app with a barcode scanner at thousands of Starbucks and Target locations around the U.S., letting customers buy coffee with their smartphones.

Bringing digital reading to the bus ... or the bathroomupdated: Mon Jan 17 2011 18:31:00

When online media first arose, one of the common complaints about it was that it wasn't very portable. Unlike books or magazines, you couldn't easily read your desktop or laptop on the bus or in the bathroom.

Hulu Plus coming to Android phonesupdated: Mon Jan 10 2011 17:37:00

At the just-ended Consumer Electronics Show, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar announced that Hulu is bringing its premium Hulu Plus service to smartphones running Android 2.2. He also demonstrated the Hulu Plus app during his presentation.

Ruling lets California police search your phone without a warrantupdated: Wed Jan 05 2011 15:02:00

If you get arrested in California, better hope there are no incriminating texts or e-mails or sensitive data stored on your phone.

GOOG-411 shuts down, but there's an alternativeupdated: Thu Nov 11 2010 18:44:00

Google's 411 service will shut down for good on Friday, but that doesn't mean the end of free calls to business numbers.

How to send free texts over e-mailupdated: Tue Oct 05 2010 07:00:00

Text messaging is one of the popular ways to communicate these days. However, unlike most wireless carriers in the rest of the world, U.S. wireless companies tend to double-charge customers for texts: They charge both for sending texts and for delivering each text message. This can be annoying, especially for the vast majority of people who don't have smartphones.

Mobile maps make apartment-hunting easierupdated: Wed Aug 25 2010 16:07:00

Hunting for apartments can be exhausting and confusing, but you can make it a bit easier with the help of Google Maps on your smartphone.

Will new charging standard help cut the power cords?updated: Mon Aug 09 2010 09:03:00

When does mobile not feel very mobile? Every time you have to plug in a cord to charge a device. But power cords could become a 20th century artifact (at least for small mobile devices) if wireless charging technology becomes affordable, reliable, interoperable and easy.

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