That phone call was made on a Motorola DynaTAC 8000x (pictured above), a 2.5-pound piece of machinery that was priced at $4,000 when it went on sale in 1983. When Cooper called Engel from his DynaTAC, he was quite literal with his feelings, and didn’t say anything too poetic: “Joel, this is Marty. I’m calling you from a cellphone, a real handheld portable cellphone.”

Of course, this may remind you of Alexander Graham Bell’s work and his invention of the first practical telephone. On October 9, 1876, Bell called his assistant, Thomas Watson, and they talked by telephone to each other over a two-mile wire that stretched between Cambridge and Boston, marking it the first time that anyone had ever communicated through two-way voice over electronic signals.

As for the first cellphone, that’s still a remarkable feat, and as with the traditional telephone industry, the mobile phone industry has come a long way since its inception. We went from 2.5-pound cellphones costing thousands of dollars, to devices that weight just a few ounces and can do pretty much anything. We certainly can’t wait to see what the next 40 years will bring us.

Image via Flickr

The president has long been expected to sign the bill, so we’re certainly not surprised by the official passing of the bill. He said earlier this year that that his administration “strongly” supported the House bill and its ability to “ensure the continued availability of this critical intelligence capability.”

A number of proposed amendements that would have required greater government transparency and a quicker expiration of the program were shot down, though. While the bill does not allow the government to specifically target any individual American citizen, the longstanding problem of innocent citizens’ communication records being swept up and reviewed without a warrant continues to be a concern for many.

The President’s signature of the bill extension comes after a Senate vote last week that saw a vote of 73 to 23, where almost all Republicans favored the bill, with most Democrats also supporting the bill. Previously, the House of Representatives passed the bill with a vote of 301 to 118, with a larger number of both Republicans and Democrats supporting the bill.

[via The Hill]

Image via Flickr

The bill passed with flying colors through the House of Representatives back in September, with 301 voting for and 118 against. However, the bill isn’t official just yet. It still has to be signed by President Obama, but he said that his administration “strongly” supports the bill, which means it’s on track to be extended just before the original law expires on December 31st.

In 2007, the Senate voted to grant blanket immunity to companies like AT&T, which conspired with the NSA to monitor conversations without government oversight after 9/11. Today’s vote continues that immunity. Phone calls, text messages, and emails are all fair game, and a judge doesn’t have to give the OK, as long as it’s in the name of counterterrorism.

However, users should be worried and angry over the bill. The Electronic Frontier Foundation says that in order to be considered as a terrorism threat, the communications only have to deal with “foreign intelligence information,” which is quite a broad term that can mean virtually anything. One secret FISA order can be issued against groups or categories of people that can potentially affect “hundreds of thousands of Americans at once.”

[via The Verge]

Samsung is expected to account for 29% of all worldwide cellphone shipments by the end of the year, up from 24% in 2011, according to the IHS. Nokia dropped down to 24% this year from 30% last year. Apple sits at 10%, while ZTE is at 6% and LG at 4%. This marks the first time that Samsung has sat atop the list.

Perhaps what’s more critical is that Samsung extended its lead over Apple. Last year, they were separated by 17 percentage points. This year, they are now separated by 19 percentage points. The IHS said global smartphone shipments are set to rise by 35.5% this year, while overall cellphone shipments will increase by just 1%. This will result in a smartphone penetration of 47%, which is up from 35% in 2011.

It was a transitioning year for Nokia as they struggled with transitioning their products from Symbian over to Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 8 operating system. Samsung, on the other hand, spent the year selling 30 million Galaxy S III units, while Nokia just recently starting selling their flagship devices.

Back in April, we reported that the FCC and wireless carriers were joining forces to create a national database for zapping stolen phones into serviceable gadgets. Part of that database is now live, and works by blocking the stolen cell phone’s IMEI number, making it impossible to get service. AT&T and T-Mobile have both launched a joint database that blocks stolen phones, while Verizon and Sprint are slated to launch their own databases soon.

By the end of November 2013, the four major carriers will merge their databases, with smaller carriers joining in, to create a unified system for targeting and blocking stolen phones. Also in the plans is joining the national database with an international one to block stolen phone use overseas. “The goal is to not only protect the consumer by cancelling the service, but by ultimately protecting the consumer by drying up the after market for stolen phones,” said CTIA Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Chris Guttman-McCabe.

Consumers are also being encouraged to join in the anti-smartphone theft task. Cell phone users advised to use PINs or passwords with lock their phones, and to enable remote wiping capabilities. “Consumers also play a key role in protecting their information and preventing smartphone theft. By using passwords or PINs, as well as remote wiping capabilities, consumers can help to dry up the aftermarket for stolen devices.”

[via Network World]

Right now if a cellphone is stolen, the user can call their carrier and cancel all service on that phone, but it doesn’t stop the thief from activating a new service. Whereas they wouldn’t be able to get away with that on Verizon, who block stolen cellphones, they could on AT&T and T-Mobile. All four major carriers have agreed to work together on the new database.

Carriers plan to use a UDID (Unique Device Identifier) for every phone, and build the database around that. If the carrier blocks a specific UDID, a new SIM card wouldn’t work in the handset, regardless of original or new carrier. The plan isn’t perfect, though: the block would only work in the United States. If stolen phones were shipped overseas, they would work in other countries, since there’s no worldwide database of stolen phones.

The plan is similar to what some countries, like the UK, already have. For example, if a phone is stolen in England and you have the phone’s IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number, you can call the carrier and block that phone from being used ever again on any carrier in the country. The FCC wants there to be compatibility between different countries, but there’s no guarantee that the plan will be enforceable across the globe.

Ofcom is also looking to simplify call charges for 08, 09, and 118 numbers. 08 numbers typically includes the common 0845 prefix, used for customer support lines and government agencies. Ofcom say that charges won’t exceed 7p per minute for 084 numbers, and 13p per minute for 087 numbers.

The telecoms regulator hopes to clear up confusion surrounding the 03 prefix as well. Consumers seem to believe right now that the number is associated with extra charges, when in fact it is treated and costs the same as a geographic landline number.

If the new plans gain approval, companies using 08 numbers will be asked to use the phrasing “This call will cost you X pence per minute plus your phone company’s access charge” to avoid confusion. Ofcom expect to hear on the final decision of the new plans by early 2013, with an 18-month transitional period since the change will affect a large number of businesses and companies in the UK.

[via The Next Web]

When police had arrested Lopez in a methamphetamine bust, they found one cell phone on him and two more in his truck. The police then turned on those cell phones to check for their numbers in order to use the numbers to file subpoenas to the carriers for call histories. The searches did not go any deeper than to obtain the phone number of each device.

According to Posner, this type of search is allowed without a warrant. Citing another case, United States vs. Robinson, Posner explained that a “container” on someone’s body at the time of arrest can be searched for relevant evidence, but acknowledged that more thorough searches would be intrusive. For instance, if a diary were found, police can check the diary to verify a suspects name, address, and other information relevant to the crime. He believes that a cell phone search for its number is similar and even less intrusive since the number can be found without having to go through all of its contents.

Posner did touch on the use of home monitoring apps such as the iCam that could turn a phone search into an intrusive home search, but that this deep of a search into a cell phone would not be permissible. However, he doesn’t draw a clear line of exactly what defines intrusive for cell phone searches, leaving that debate for another time.

[via Forbes]

The CEC says that these power-sapping chargers waste as much as 60 percent of the electricity they consume. Many of these chargers also continue to draw power from an outlet even when a device is not attached. There is an estimated 170 million of these so called “vampire” chargers and they account for up to 13 percent all the power used in California.

The CEC believes that this new regulation can save enough electricity to power 350,000 homes. It’s expected to save residential and commercial electricity customers a total of $306 million each year. The new standard will take effect February 1, 2013.

[via IntoMobile]

Nokia had dominated the mobile phone market for over a decade, but the company has been struggling when it comes to smartphones with the surge of Android and iOS. Nokia’s smartphone sales lost to Apple in the second quarter of 2011 and now the company’s betting on its partnership with Microsoft to launch new Windows Phone devices.

According to Reuters, Nokia expected to sell 418 million mobile phones in 2011 while Samsung expected 320 million. This year that gap has closed to 388 million for Nokia and 359 million for Samsung. Although analysts believe that Samsung could build on its momentum to surpass Nokia this year, many analysts still expect Nokia to keep ahead.

Garnter analyst Carolina Milanesi explains that Nokia is still strong in emerging markets and that’s where analysts are expecting to see the most growth in 2012. Hence, it would be difficult for Samsung to beat Nokia without focusing more on this market. Samsung’s confidence suggests that it believes Nokia will fail miserably in the mature markets.

[via Reuters]

Altogether, including the XP3300 Force, Sonim latest lineup boasts four ultra-rugged mobile phones with the addition of the XP1301 Core NFC, XP1330 Core PTT, and the XP3340 Sentinel. All the devices are designed for workers in extreme environments, offering them extended talk time, battery life, light-weight portability, and enterprise support as well as other unique safety-oriented features.

The XP1301 Core NFC model is designed specifically for markets in cleaning, security guarding, facilities management, equipment maintenance, and home visit healthcare. The built-in NFC chip can scan tags placed in various work-site locations to verify activity or attendance. It includes key apps such as Guard Tour Verification, Proof of Activity, and Real Time Attendance.

The XP3340 Sentinel touts the longest GPS tracking time of any mobile phone, up to 29 hours. It’s focus is on man-down worker safety situations and it features a dedicated red panic button and a man-down sensor to detect emergencies and accidents, automatically calling for emergency help.

The XP1330 Core PTT the ability for push-to-talk to enable instant communication among work teams while the the XP3300 Force supports Mobile Resource Management apps, including location tracking, job dispatch, and timecard reporting.

[via Engadget]

From earlier today, we already know that Apple blew past Nokia to be the number one smartphone manufacturer, according to Strategy Analytics. Holding an 18.5 percent market share, Apple is followed by Samsung with a 17.5 percent share and then Nokia with 15.2 percent. But that’s looking at unit shipments, wait till you take a look at profit comparisons.

From what Dediu has gathered, the latest quarter saw a decline overall in the profits of the mobile phone sector, with four of the major vendors—Nokia, Motorola, Sony-Ericsson, and LG—all reporting losses. Of the other vendors that did see gains, Apple chomped 66.3 percent of the pie, followed by Samsung with 15 percent, RIM with 11 percent, and HTC at 7.4 percent.

[via Asymco]

The Motorola i412 allows for instant communication via text messages as well as walkie-talkie functionality. It features a VGA camera with zoom, web access, GPS, Bluetooth, and Java support for games and apps. It also has a iTap predictive text entry feature that speeds up text messaging.

The i412 will be available on June 13 and is priced very affordably at $69.99, excluding taxes. It will be available through Boost Mobile’s retail stores as well as through select independent wireless dealers. By late June, it will be available in major retail stores across the country.

The Motorola Theory features a high-finish premium design, 1.3-megapixel camera, and a 2.4-inch QVGA display. It also offers threaded messaging, web and email access, and Bluetooth.

The device is slated to launch on June 7 for a very affordable $79.99, excluding taxes. It will be available starting at Boost Mobile’s retail stores and select independent wireless dealers across the country. By late June, the Theory will roll out to major retail outlets nationwide.

The Motorola Clutch i475 has the same candy-bar styling as its predecessor but features an improved QWERTY keyboard to enhance instant communication and has a easy to grip more rugged exterior. The device also supports threaded messaging, Bluetooth, web and email access, VGA camera, and GPS.

It is the first of three new devices to come from Motorola and is available now for $99.99. You can find them at Boost Mobile retail stores, major retail outlets nationwide, as well as at independent wireless dealers.

“We want everybody with a cell phone or regular digital camera to be able to capture 3-D objects,” says Eric Stollnitz, one of the Microsoft researchers who worked on the project.

The new Phone app is based on the same technology developed for PhotoSynth, that killer app which captured the inaugeration of President Obama and used thousands of photographs sent to Microsoft by people on the scene. PhotoSynth would take images that were uploaded to it’s servers and then would then encode each position in 3D space to create an amazing kaleidoscope of images of that exact moment. Researchers have taken the next step and used images from a cellphone to create a 3D model. The phone app takes several pictures of an object at different angles … say a car. It then uploads those images to a server and the software processes it and assembles the 3D model.

The more images, the more accurate the model. A detailed 360 view of a car would take about 40 images, says Stollnitz. The software compares the photos, calculates depth from the stereo effect, and works out where the angles are in 3D space. Then, it breaks the image apart and molds it into a 3D model in virtual 3D space. Once processed, Users can then download the model and navigate around it with a flick of a finger, navigating around as if they were walking around the object.

Very cool.

[via Technology Review]

Ultra-high-frequency radio waves are emitted during calls and data transfers. Some researchers suspect but cannot conclude that this could contribute to health risks such as brain cancer. The new study to be published tomorrow in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that areas of the brain close to the cellphone use up to 7 percent more energy.

Unlike previous approaches, this new study employed 47 test subjects monitored over a longer time for more significant data. “We have no idea what this means yet or how it works,” said neuroscientist Nora Volkow of the National Institutes of Health. “But this is the first reliable study showing the brain is activated by exposure to cellphone radio frequencies.”

Although the study cannot conclude whether the increased brain activity is safe or harmful, for the time being Volkow recommends using wired headsets or the speakerphone function to further reduce risk.

[via Wired]

The two projects are sponsored by Research in Motion (RIM)—makers of the BlackBerry—and the Royal College of Art’s Helen Hamlyn Center. The first concept, SmartCall, allows callers to indicate the urgency, subject, and deadline to respond for their calls. Although still an initial concept, RIM is already seeking to patent the idea for development.

The seemingly more outlandish concept, SkinDisplay, actually requires a physical mechanism on a phone that could translate digital code into small raised messages on the phone’s surface. By then pressing your finger against the raised message you could then imprint the message temporarily onto your skin.

When you get a call during an important business meeting, you can simply reach into your pocket and imprint the caller ID on your finger without ever taking out the phone and risk being impolite.

And apparently with developments in piezoelectric technology, where electricity can deform a material, and the reverse, the SkinDisplay concept may not be as impossible as it seems.

[Via Recombu]

The world’s smallest cellphone jammer is designed to work within a small range, so if you wanted to take out a large swath of cellphone users, you’re out of luck. The device is able to take out GSM and 3G signals, all within a 34-foot radius. When the device is activated, and there’s a cellphone with the correct frequency in play, the user on the phone will suddenly be attacked by static, instead of the person’s voice on the other line.

As we mentioned above, the world’s smallest cellphone jammer is available to purchase right now. It only costs $46. However, here’s something to think about, if you’re in the United States and think this is something for you: it’s illegal to use a cellphone jammer in these parts. The fine? $11,000, on top of the year in prison you could find yourself in. Laws are different all around the world, though.

[via TechnaBob]

This lovely piece of cloth is about to be put on sale (right in time for you know what) for the ultra cheap price of $15. And guess what? Not only does this cloth block your hands with it’s loud lettering, it blocks phone signals to and from your device as it’s made of a smart material that does such a thing. Wacky! Wonderful! Go buy it starting November 25th at Uncommon Goods.

Thanks to the back-illumination technology, there’s increased sensitivity and lower noise in the final shots, and the sensors are capable of shooting Full HD video (1080p 30fps or 720p 60fps) as well.  Each CMOS has a matching lens assembly, the IU081F and IU105F2, with F.26 and F2.4 respectively and each having an equivalent focal length of 28mm.

Both Sony sensors and their lenses will ship in 2011, with the exact timescales in the gallery below.  Sony expects the 16.41-megapixel CMOS to be a roughly $30 component, while the 8.13-megapixel CMOS will be roughly $18.

On the back there’s a pop-open door which hides a paper address book, while a pull-out pen can be used to jot down numbers.  Up to ten speed-dials can be set – one for each number key – and it comes carrier-unlocked, quadband and ready to take any standard SIM card.

A volume switch on the side toggles between ringer-off, medium and loud, while the display shows battery status and caller ID (and can be conveniently read even with the phone in your pocket or bag).  John’s Phone are targeting travellers, the elderly or people who don’t want the frustration and complexity of a regular phone; the handset will begin shipping at the start of October.

[via BoingBoing]

As you can tell from the picture, the Dryer Box doesn’t look all that complicated. After all, it’s a white cube, with a digital read-out. If you didn’t know what it is and you saw it in a shop, you might not even give it a second glance. But, with this little box, there’s definitely a big secret inside. The boxes have been showing up in Yodobashi Camera shops all over Tokyo recently, and they only cost $12.

There’s no detailed schematics here, so we’re not exactly sure how they get the job done, but if you’re handset does come into contact with a bit of water, and you’ve managed to pull the battery out before any permanent damage could be done, then this guy will give you some extra life. And, it only costs $12 — and that’s only if your device gets saved.

[via DVICE]

The Best of R3 Media

An HTC Hero with Cox Branding: We love when things get sold on eBay, or especially Craig’s List. It’s just a sneaky way to show off something we never thought would happen, in some cases. Like this one. Someone managed to sell a Cox (as in the cable company) branded CDMA HTC Hero. It looks exactly like the Sprint version, but this one had no physical branding on it. There’s plenty of branding on the software side, though, which even includes a boot screen showing the Cox label. Definitely interesting stuff, especially considering Cox wants to launch their own wireless service. Testing in progress, perhaps? [via Android Community]

Samsung Wants You to Make Apps for Bada: Yes. If you’re a developer, and you want to get on yet another platform, then maybe you should start thinking about Samsung’s Bada mobile Operating System (OS). It’s the proprietary one that became famous when the company unveiled the Samsung Wave handset, and sure, it probably won’t make you rich, but perhaps winning this developer’s contest will. You see, if you get to the second round, not only will you get a new Samsung Wave of your own, but you’ll also have a shot at winning upwards of $300,000. A lot of money for you developers out there, so if you’ve got the chops, go for it. And let us know how it goes, yeah? [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge Net

BlueAntS4 Bluetooth Speakerphone Available (soon?): There’s plenty of options out there if you’re in the market for a Bluetooth speakerphone, but this one from BlueAnt is definitely one of the more attractive approaches. Sure, it’s still just a Bluetooth speakerphone, but it has a few features worth mentioning. Like, for example, voice activated features. You can turn it on by saying, “BlueAnt speak to me.” You can also turn on the Vlingo SafeReader application by saying, “Start SafeReader.” (Tricky, right?) That feature will read you your own text messages and emails. It will go for $99 at Best Buy locations, and AT&T stores across the nation. The Vlingo app is currently compatible with BlackBerry devices, and Android-based handsets running Android 2.0 or later. [via Ubergizmo]

iSuppli Says Worldwide Shipments of Cellphones is up 13.8 Percent: Good news all around for the cell phone industry, but perhaps not so much for a few companies out there. For example, Motorola has dropped from the sixth spot to the eight spot in worldwide cellphone sales. They sold 14.7 million handsets in the first quarter of 2009, but managed to only push out 8.5 million in the same period this year. Sony Ericsson was the only other company worth mentioning that didn’t sell as many handsets. Samsung, Nokia, and LG Electronics are all at the top of the list, still. Which, incidentally, isn’t surprising at all. [via Engadget]

This LEGO Contraption Can Lay Down its Own Bridge: You read that title correctly. This LEGO creation of awesomeness is created from LEGO Technic pieces, which means it has a bunch of motorized pieces in there. And, while we aren’t putting the video here, you definitely need to check it out. The vehicle can lay down its own bridge, which takes roughly about a minute, and then move aside to let other LEGO vehicles by. It can then traverse its own bridge, before it reverses, and picks the bridge back up, which folds nicely over its back. The process is slow, but it’s still one of the coolest things to watch, considering the LEGO prowess involved. [via TechnaBob]