The W233 Renew doesn’t take photos. It doesn’t let you access your email. It has a smallish screen and a boring, old-school look. In short, there’s not much that would make this phone stand out, at least at first.

But what makes the Renew special is its impact, or lack thereof, on the environment. The Renew is made of recycled plastic bottles (which uses 20% less energy than standard plastic processing), and the case is 100% recyclable. It’s also carbon-neutral, since Motorola’s alliance with Carbonfund.org offsets the energy needed to make, distribute and use the phone. The Renew can come with up to 2GB of memory, and it has a 9-hour talk time so that the need to charge it regularly is reduced. Even the cardboard packaging is recyclable. And if you decide to recycle your old phone, the Renew comes with a postage-paid envelope that will help you send back your old phone at no cost to you.

Aside from talking, texting and listening to music, the phone doesn’t do much. But that’s probably a good thing. If people used their cell phones less, they’d use less energy keeping them charged and running, which is better for the planet.

On T-Mobile’s website, the Renew MSRP is $59.99, but it costs $9.99 after $50 “instant discount” (read: contract). It probably won’t replace the gadget-heavy, application-ridden cell phones that most people have come to know, love and be addicted to, but for everyday use, it’s a great green choice.

So if you have a T-Mobile account (or feel like getting one), be sure to pick one up. And then register your number with the Do Not Call registry, of course!

Text message spam (often called m-spam, for “mobile spam”) is among the most annoying spam we get. We’ve all gotten pretty accustomed to receiving spam in our email inboxes, even if we don’t care for it. But our cell phones are more personal. Receiving an unexpected text message that advertises something feels like more of a violation than other methods of spam. Also, many people pay per text message for the SMS technology, incoming AND outgoing, so victims end up not just enduring but PAYING for the experience of receiving unwanted texts. Customers don’t have the option of choosing which of their incoming text messages they accept (and agree to pay for) and which ones they don’t. Text message spam is frustrating and costly, so what can be done about it?

The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 addresses this issue, at least in part. The Act prohibits sending unwanted commercial email messages to wireless devices without express prior permission. The definition of “commercial messages” (those that advertise a product or service) is pretty widely understood. That said, the CAN-SPAM Act covers messages sent to cell phones and pagers IF the message uses an Internet address that includes an Internet domain name. It does not cover “short messages” sent from one phone to another.

So if a spammer sends commercial texts to your cell phone and uses another phone (instead of a computer) to do it, are you stuck without any recourse? No, because where the Act leaves off is where the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and other FCC rules take over. From the FCC website regarding the TCPA: “FCC rules prohibit sending unwanted text messages to your wireless phone number if they are sent using an autodialer, or if you have placed that number on the national Do-Not-Call list.”

So for starters, put your cell phone on the Do-Not-Call list, just in case you receive (or fear you might receive) undesired text messaging. That way, you’ll have grounds for filing a complaint with the FCC. Keep in mind, though, that some messaging is exempt from the bans; for example, if you have an established relationship with a business (i.e., messaging regarding a warranty you have on a product you’ve bought from them), if you’ve given them consent to text or call you (always read the fine print when you sign up for a service, just to make sure you’re not giving consent if you don’t want to), or if the messaging falls under the noncommercial category (which includes political organizations and religions), you’re not allowed to file a complaint. But outside of these exceptions, if you put your phone on the Do-Not-Call list and still receive spam texts, or you receive a commercial message sent via email that is clearly in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act, you can file a complaint here.

What about short-code text messages? You know, the ones with just a 4-6 digits instead of a full phone number. If you get messages from short-code sources, you probably opted-in for something, such as radio station updates. If you don’t want to receive them anymore, reply with “STOP” and see if that works. If you’re not even sure where the messages are coming from, there’s a short-code registry that allows you to check. It’s not guaranteed to be accurate, and it’s not comprehensive, but it’s a start if you need to find out the source of your unwanted messages so you can contact them and tell them to stop.

What else can you do to prevent text message spam before it happens? First, don’t give your cell phone number out unless you absolutely have to. Don’t post your number online where people can find it, since that’s just an invitation to spammers. If you DO feel the need to share your number with a website (say, when you’re signing up for alerts), read their privacy policy to make sure that your phone number won’t be sold to a third party. You don’t want to unknowingly give out that “express prior permission” described in the CAN-SPAM Act that would open the door for spammers to flood your phone with messages.

You can also contact your cell phone provider to make them aware of unwanted text messages if it becomes a problem. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon offer methods on their websites that allow customers to block emailed messages (or just certain domains) sent to their phone; for each provider, look for “text messaging preferences” or “communication tools” after you log in to get you started on setting up an email block. Even if your carrier doesn’t offer this feature online, most U.S. carriers should be able to handle this for you if you call them directly. Be careful using this option, though, since it could block messages you actually WANT to receive via email-based messaging, such as the message from your airline notifying you of a flight change. 

If all else fails, responding to a text spam with the word “unsubscribe” is worth a try.

Sources for this article: www.fcc.gov, www.lifehacker.com, www.consumer-preference.com, Wikipedia, Pogue’s Posts

The June 4, 2008 issue of Nature featured an article about humans and where their daily movements take them. Tracking the movements of human populations over time can be vital to understanding and preparing for concepts like controlling disease outbreaks and designing urban areas. The study’s authors followed Europeans for 6 months to collect data about where they went, what patterns emerged from their travels, etc. How did the authors track the people? By tracking their cell phones.

The cell phones of 100,000 users sent data to the an unnamed European cell carrier, which then shared the anonymized data with the study authors. Every time a call or text was made (and the cell users made millions of them), the carrier recorded the location (to within 3 km) that the user was in at the time. After six months of data, the study authors found that, by and large, humans are creatures of habit. Most people found themselves in the same places, day after day, making calls or texts from those places. It’s a fairly obvious conclusion, but the authors determined that “people devote most of their time to a few locations.” And our cell phones, as well as the ease at which we are tracked, provide the proof.

The use of cell phone data to keep tabs on the public doesn’t stop with determining call locations for the benefit of science. That technology has existed for years, albeit in a less-than-precise form. But now, a UK-based company called Path Intelligence is taking cell phone signal monitoring to a new level. A shopping center can place a Path Intelligence FootPath(tm) device on its wall and track users who are wandering the shops, even if they’re not making a call at the time (a cell phone that’s turned on will emit silent pings back to the network when it’s not in use, and those pings can be tracked). The system can monitor when people enter the shopping center, how long they stay, what stores they visit, and even what route they take through the building, all to within a few meters of distance. It can also keep track of the country in which a given phone is registered. As of May 16, 2008, two shopping centers in the UK had installed the Path Intelligence system, with three more planning to install it in the next month.

Is this a bad thing? Privacy watchdogs say it might be. Path Intelligence claims that its system can’t record information from a user’s cell phone, such as personal identity, phone numbers, account information or other sensitive material. But even supporters of the system do caution that it would be inappropriate if the system were to be linked to other systems that contain personal information. While getting a good idea about the shopping interests and habits of customers might be extremely helpful to shopping centers, intruding on personal privacy is not a responsible means to gain that information.

In addition, many people dislike the idea of being monitored in their movements. When an article about this system was posted at the Times Online, comments on the article from readers included concerns that the monitoring could extend into private homes if the homes were located close enough to the shopping centers. Questions were also raised about whether customers in the shopping centers were informed of the monitoring when they entered, or whether this monitoring was a form of forced “market research” (the article did not address this question). In short, many cell phone users might be uncomfortable with the thought that someone else is watching their movements, especially without their consent.

Path Intelligence, however, counters these concerns by saying that their FootPath(tm) technology is less invasive than closed-circuit televisions or other monitoring devices currently in place in many shops. “All we do is log the movement of a phone around an area,” they say in their website FAQ, which is less intrusive than methods that collect more personal information, such as your image. They insist that their system does not collect or keep personal information, and they say that their monitoring is similar to watching a dot move around a screen (or many dots, in the case of a shopping center). They currently encode the information that they receive in order to further protect the privacy of customers, as well.

Do you feel better, or are you feeling “watched”? One way to address this concern is simple: turn off your cell phone if you don’t want to be tracked. It makes it more difficult for people to reach you, of course, but if you don’t want the cell phone companies (or anyone else) to know your physical whereabouts, it’s the only way to be invisible. Other than total technological disconnect, there’s not much that average cell phone users can do about being tracked if the cell providers deem it worthwhile. For now, our technology, by its very nature, makes it possible for us to be a dot on a screen.  

Sources for this article: ars technica, Nature, The Times Online, Path Intelligence; Photo source: FCC

Wrong. Let’s go through some of the most common misconceptions of the Do Not Call Registry, and what the reality is:

Misconception #1 – Being on the list means no one can call you to sell you anything.

The reality – The list doesn’t include calls from political organizations, charities, telephone surveys, companies that you have a business relationship with (i.e., you bought something from them recently), and companies that you have already given permission (in writing) to call you.

Misconception #2 - You can register just home phones and landlines, not cell phones.

The reality – You can register any number, including cell phones, with the Do Not Call Registry. There is an email that has been making the rounds for years that insists a cell phone database is about to be released to telemarketers, but this email is a hoax. You are not about to be inundated with telemarketing calls to your cell phone, as it is against FCC regulations for automated dialers (which most telemarketers use) to dial cell phone numbers. Still, if you choose to register your cell number with the Do Not Call Registry, you may do that.

Misconception #3 – The same day that you register your number, the calls must stop.

The reality – It may take up to 31 days for telemarketers to update their systems and stop calling you.

Misconception #4 – Even if a telemarketer calls me without permission, they won’t be penalized. 

The reality – If you receive a call from a telemarketer more than 31 days after signing up for the Do Not Call Registry, and you don’t think the telemarketer is included in the list of permitted callers, then you can file a complaint with the Registry on their web page. If a telemarketer is found to be in violation of the rules, they will be penalized with a hefty fine, up to $11,000 per violation.

Misconception #5 – If you add your number to the Do Not Call Registry, the privacy of your information will be compromised.

The reality – Your number is placed in the registry solely for telemarketers to use in updating their own do-not-call records every 31 days. Phone numbers may also be shared with law enforcement officials, but other than that, all information is stored securely and not shared with anyone else. 

Misconception #6 – Your registration will expire after 5 years.

The reality – Pending final Congressional approval to make the list permanent, your number won’t be dropped from the list after a 5-year period (or any other period).

Misconception #7 – There is a deadline for registering your number.

The reality – There is no deadline for adding your number to the National Do Not Call Registry. You can do it at any time.

To learn more about the National Do Not Call Registry, visit the FAQ page.

If you are a business that uses telemarketing techniques, you should make sure that you are in compliance with the National Do Not Call Registry guidelines. The registry’s website has some information for businesses that you can use to learn more, such as the cost for accessing the Do Not Call database (the first five area codes are free), the potential penalties for violations, and the specifics about what calls are exempt from the regulations.

Sources: www.donotcall.gov, www.ftc.gov, www.fcc.gov, www.snopes.com