Cell Geek

Sri Lanka is trying to pass legislation to ban letting someone borrow your cell phone! Really, I am not kidding. The new legislation from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority would require cellular phone owners to carry around a Certificate of Ownership. The legislation is aimed at helping to reduce terrorist activities, and reducing threats to their national security.

The FCC and the FAA have already banned cellular use while flying, but the so called "Hang Up Act" could make the in-flight calling ban illegal, and permanent. While there have long been concerns with using a cellular phone during flight due to perceived risk of interference with vital navigation systems, some regions in the world are moving forward with in-flight calling services. The bill comes mostly based on a poll recently done that recorded an over whelming majority of passengers do not want to be subjected to other phone conversations in close environments. In the United States there are already internet services starting to become available with companies like AirCell. The current ban would be lifted soon if this act is not approved. The bill currently only bans voice conversations, WIFI, text messages, and emailing are safe from the bill. The bill was approved by the House Infrastructure and Transportation committee, and is headed to the US House of Representatives.

More Via IT World

A local At&t dealer in Forest, MS has a bad week as he is broken into 4 times. Out of the 4 times someone broke in, items were stolen on 3 separate occasions. More than 60 phones were taken during the burglaries at more than $250 each! Arrests have been made, the oldest arrested was 17. At&t uses a sim based GSM phone system. This means that unless the phones are inspected there is no way to flag the unique serial number on the phone. Users who purchase the phones run little risk of being caught as they can use their existing SIM in most phones, without ever bringing the phone into a carrier. Cellular phone theft is starting to become more and more common. Thieves are even stealing personal phones that are already active. Anyone stealing a cellular phone qualifies for the charge of Grand Theft in most counties due to the pricing of cellular phones. Depending on the area the border for Grand Theft starts at $100 and goes to $1000. The border in most areas is $200. What should you do if you have a phone stolen?
Check here.

It seems that drivers in the South East and South Central Seatle area did not heed the warning given when there was a ban put on cellular phone use in Washington.
Drivers face a $124 fine per offence, but unlike the law in California, the drivers may only be ticketed if the officer also believes that the driver violated another law, while using their cellular phone. The law does permit cellular phone use if the driver is using a handsfree device.
More than 300 people have been pulled over for the offence, and 113 were actualy issued tickets. The highway patrol has no official grace period while drivers adjust to the new law.
Just buy a bluetooth headset or car kit already! You can get a great headset for $124. While there are alot of places that still do not prohibit cellular use while driving, its just a good idea!
Think about the last time you were cut off, tail-gated, or watched someone turn right from the left lane. My money says they were probably on their phone, and didn't even realize they were breaking the law!

More from Bellingham Herald