iMessage is a convenient way for iOS users to swap messages, and it seems that extends to those engaging in less-than-honest dealings, particularly of the drug variety in this case. The folks over at CNET got their hands on an internal Drug Enforcement Administration memo that details an investigation and the difficulty suspects who use Apple's messaging system pose.
We're here at Facebook's phone event, where they just announced Facebook Home, a new home screen of sorts built for Android devices. The company is going a little deeper in depth on some of the new features, one of which is a new messaging system called Chat Heads, which essentially allows you to message your Facebook friends in a new way.
We all know that texting while driving is dangerous, but it turns out that almost half of all commuters in the US admitted to doing it anyway, according to a survey conducted by AT&T. Not only do 49% of commuters text while driving, but 98% said that texting while driving is dangerous and that they probably shouldn't do it.
State governments around the US have been cracking down on mobile phone use during the past couple of years. Some states even make it illegal to use your mobile phone at all while driving, while some states will allow you to talk, but not text. However, it turns out that 1 in 3 US drivers still text when behind the wheel.
If you've ever received a spam text message offering a free gift card or prize from a popular retailer, it could very well have originated from one of the 29 defendants the FTC has charged with sending over 180 million spam text messages. The text messages alleged that individuals could receive a prize from Best Buy, Walmart, Target, or similar stores for free by providing personal information and applying or subscribing to services.
Blackberry is working on implementing a money-transfer feature for its Blackberry Messenger service. It hopes that this feature will make Blackberry Messenger stand-out from all of the other messaging apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, and Facebook Messenger. Blackberry lost about 1 million BBM subscribers last quarter, and it is steadily losing more. With 3 out of 4 Blackberry users using the BBM service, Blackberry believes that this move will have positive effects.
Facebook is working together with 18 carriers throughout 14 countries to bring free or discounted data for Facebook’s messaging services. The free/discounted data will be available for Messenger on Android, Messenger on iOS, and Facebook for Every Phone within the next few months. This will allow people to save money on their current messaging plans, and will also draw in more users from those emerging markets.
Texting while driving is obviously really dangerous, and many states have already banned the use of mobile phones altogether while driving, with more and more states moving closer to that goal. However, with voice controls in smartphones becoming more prevalent, drivers are resorting to hands-free texting in the car, but recent studies show that hands-free texting is just as dangerous as hands-on texting.
The coalition of groups and government agencies that brought us Wireless AMBER Alerts announced today that the program will be ending at the end of the year. AMBER Alerts, as most you already know, aim to alert the public to recent abductions in an effort to get kidnapped children home safely as quickly as possible. Never fear though, as Wireless AMBER Alerts aren't going away, they're just being rolled into a new program called Wireless Emergency Alerts, which was launched earlier this year.
Law enforcement representatives from both the state and local level have submitted a proposal to the US Congress that would require mobile carriers in the US to keep SMS logs for all users for at least two years, just in case they're eventually needed for future criminal investigations. The law enforcement reps say that the lack of a current requirement "can hinder law enforcement investigations."
If you can believe it, text messaging turned 20 years old today, and while the technology really didn't boom until just a few years ago, the service has been around since 1992. The first text message ever sent took place on December 3, 1992, and was sent by British engineer Neil Papworth. The message simply read, "Merry Christmas."
Spam is annoying, and we all do whatever we can to prevent it from getting to us, but sometimes it can still slip through the cracks, especially via SMS. UK residents Christopher Niebel and Gary McNeish have been fined £440,000 (about $700,000) by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office for sending out almost 800,000 spam text messages per day.