Text messages effective against smoking
A pair of related studies on smoking cessation by researchers at the University of Oregon and other institutions have isolated the brain regions most active in controlling urges to smoke and demonstrated the effectiveness of text-messaging to measure and intervene in those urges.
Both projects used the same group of test subjects — 27 heavy smokers recruited from the American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking program in Los Angeles.
Elliot Berkman, professor of Psychology at the UO, and colleagues Emily Falk at the University of Michigan and Matthew Lieberman at UCLA, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in the first study to map areas of the brain in which impulse control battles are fought. They described kicking an unwanted habit such as smoking as a war that consists of a series of momentary self-control skirmishes.
According to reports, the individuals’ abilities to inhibit their responses to cravings can be predicted through fMRI testing. That means, it may be possible to tailor smoking cessation programs to individuals’ response-inhibition capacities.
Berkman added that they are really excited about this result because it means that the brain activation they see in the scanner is predictive of real-world outcomes across a much longer time span that they thought. The tasks that they use in the laboratory are simplified models of these real-world processes — but they seem to be valid models.
The second study — also by Berkman, Falk and Lieberman, along with Janna Dickenson of UCLA and posted online in advance of publication in the journal Health Psychology — tested text messaging as a user-friendly and low-cost option for ecologically measuring real-time health behaviors. Research participants were prompted by eight text messages per day for three weeks to document their ongoing cravings, mood and cigarette use.
The research showed that text messaging is at least as effective as more expensive and harder-to-use handheld data collection devices in the brief interval assessment of people in smoking cessation programs. The palmtop devices typically used for what smoking cessation researchers call ecological momentary assessment can cost more than $300 each, while 86% of U.S. residents already have cell phones and 91% of those are SMS-enabled.
The study also confirmed earlier findings that monitoring smoking cessation participants at regular intervals — whether by text messaging or through the use of other hand-held devices — helps to eliminate “memory biases” that are common when cravings and outcomes are reported only on a daily basis. Its findings corroborate those of other studies that have indicated the importance of rapid, real-time measurement of smoking urges and resistance to them.
Text message monitoring of the Los Angeles smoking cessation participants was also a key element in the study by Berkman and his colleagues of the three brain regions that are most involved in response inhibition — the right inferior frontal gyrus, the pre-supplementary motor area and the basal ganglia.
In that study, the smokers initially were asked to perform a simple self-control task as an fMRI machine that scanned their brains’ activity. They were next given lung and urine tests to determine the physical extent of their tobacco addictions, and were asked about their cravings and smoking patterns. Then they began the smoking cessation program, and were asked to respond to text message prompts eight times per day for three weeks.
The study concluded that those participants who had shown activity in the key regions of their brains during testing were also most likely to resist their cravings to smoke — which was documented in their Text Message responses.
Miami, New York and LA top the stolen phone charts in the US
Miami, New York and Los Angeles have become a hub for cell phone theft in the USA, according to a survey. The survey found that 36% of US consumers have become victim to cell phone loss or theft.
In the survey, Miami is claimed as the city with the highest rate of cell phone loss or theft against the 20 most populated cities in the U.S. In fact, over half (52%) of respondents in Miami have experienced cell phone loss/theft. New York and Los Angeles were at the second and third slot in the survey with 49% and 44% of respondents experiencing loss/theft respectively.
Frustration was the most dominant feeling that consumers experienced when their mobile phone was lost or stolen, likely because 87% could neither remotely lock nor remotely wipe their phone’s memory afterwards and more than half (54 percent) of all smartphone users did not password protect their phones. An overwhelming majority of respondents contacted their mobile service provider to resolve the situation as the first step and ultimately reported that it cost an average of $125.30 to resolve.
Top 20 US Cities For Cell Phone Loss/Theft:
1. Miami – 52%
2. New York- 49%
3. Los Angeles- 44%
4. Phoenix- 41%
5. Sacramento- 41%
6. Chicago- 40%
7. Dallas- 39%
8. Houston- 37%
9. Philadelphia- 36%
10. Tampa- 36%
11. Cleveland- 36%
12. Boston- 35%
13. San Francisco- 35%
14. Atlanta- 34%
15. Orlando- 34%
16. Denver- 34%
17. Washington DC- 31%
18. Seattle- 31%
19. Detroit- 31%
20. Minneapolis – 29%
HTC acquires stake in Saffron Digital (Taiwan, UK)
Taiwan’s HTC is making a strategic investment in the UK based Saffron Digital, a software firm based around mobile content delivery.
Saffron Digital has seen its technology integrated into products and services in Europe by HTC, LG, Paramount Digital Entertainment, Sony Ericsson, T-Mobile and Nokia, among others, and in the USA by Samsung.
According to Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation, Saffron Digital has developed an incredible expertise in mobile multimedia delivery. This ability to deliver optimized content in the future will be a key asset as content becomes more and more complex and localized. The company is excited to be working with Saffron to increase their global service delivery capabilities and expertise.
Financial details were not disclosed.
Saffron Digital will continue to provide its media and content services to its third party partners, which include device manufacturers, network operators and content providers in 26 countries. The company’s headquarters will remain in London and Los Angeles while its management team will continue to remain unchanged.
Sprint launches 4G in San Francisco (USA)
Sprint Nextel has launched its WiMAX network in the San Francisco Bay Area. The service will initially be available in San Francisco, San Jose, Palo Alto and Oakland. Nationwide the WiMAX network is available in 71 markets across the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New York City.
According to Matt Carter, President-Sprint 4G, the Bay Area is responsible for creating so much new technology and today they are bringing the power of 4G to their customers in that region who are hungry for fast mobile broadband. The introduction of Sprint 4G will be a great asset for this area, and they encourage customers to try it by using one of their well-regarded 4G mobile devices.
Sprint first launched its 4G network in Baltimore in September 2008.
Sprint 4G Rolls Out in Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio
San Francisco Market expected to launch 4G Service on Dec. 28
Sprint today officially unleashed the power of 4G — enabling fast mobile downloads, wireless video chat and turbo-charged mobile Web browsing up to 10 times faster than 3G service(1) — in Los Angeles, Miami, Washington D.C., Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. Customers in these metropolitan areas can now take full advantage of the Sprint 4G network using a wide range of 4G-capable devices. With the addition of these six markets, Sprint 4G is now available in 68 markets(2) across the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and New York City. Additionally, the wireless carrier announced that it expects to launch the San Francisco market — home to Silicon Valley and thousands of tech enthusiasts — on Dec. 28.
How will 4G benefit Sprint customers in these areas? With the Overdrive(TM) 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot by Sierra Wireless, a visitor to Washington, D.C., (including Northern Virginia and parts of Maryland) can connect to the Internet with a laptop or any Wi-Fi enabled device to check the news at speeds that are up to 10 times faster than 3G. A hungry tourist in Miami, Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach can search for the best food truck in their vicinity using one of the food-truck applications in the Android(TM) Market on Samsung Epic(TM) 4G. If sports fans in Cleveland, Cincinnati or Columbus are looking for up-to-date scores, no problem — it’s easy and quick to find on HTC EVO(TM) 4G. And, surfers in Los Angeles can forgo the waves and surf the Internet on-the-go using the first 3G/4G-embedded netbook and notebook from Sprint — the Dell(TM) Inspiron(TM) Mini 10 (1012) netbook and Dell(TM) Inspiron(TM) 11z notebook.
“We have witnessed a great demand from our customers for 4G speeds, power and capabilities in these cities already and today they officially have it,” said Matt Carter, president-Sprint 4G. “We are proud to deliver on our commitment to serve our customers and deliver 4G to more major metropolitan areas in 2010.”
Sprint first launched 4G in Baltimore in September 2008 and since then has delivered a comprehensive consumer, business and public sector strategy and a robust portfolio of devices, consisting of phones, USB aircards, notebook/netbook products, mobile hotspots and routers, that are being used by satisfied consumers and businesses.
To get an insider’s view about how Sprint is making sure that 4G is ready for its customers, visit the YouTube Web video series “Wiring Up 4G.” Videos are available for Los Angeles and New York City.
Sprint is delivering the power of 4G as the majority shareholder of Clearwire, the independent company that is building the WiMAX network. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 48.8 million customers at the end of the third quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
(1) “Up to 10x faster” based on download speed comparison of 3G’s 600 kbps vs. 4G’s 6 Mbps. Industry published 3G avg. speeds (600 kbps-1.7 Mbps); 4G avg. speeds (3-6 Mbps). Actual speeds may vary by plan or based on other factors.
(2) Sprint 4G is now available in 68 markets: California — Los Angeles, Merced, Modesto, Sacramento, Stockton, Visalia; Connecticut — Hartford, New Haven; Delaware — Wilmington; District of Columbia — Washington D.C.; Florida — Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, Tampa; Georgia — Atlanta, Milledgeville; Hawaii — Honolulu, Maui; Idaho — Boise; Illinois — Chicago; Maryland — Baltimore; Massachusetts — Boston; Michigan — Grand Rapids; Minnesota — Minneapolis-St. Paul: Missouri — Kansas City, St. Louis; New Jersey — New Brunswick, Trenton; New York — New York, Rochester, Syracuse; Nevada — Las Vegas; North Carolina — Charlotte, Greensboro (includes High Point and Winston-Salem), Raleigh (includes Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham); Ohio — Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus; Oregon — Eugene, Portland, Salem; Pennsylvania — Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading, York; Rhode Island — Providence; Tennessee — Nashville; Texas — Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Waco, Wichita Falls; Utah — Salt Lake City; Virginia — Richmond; and Washington — Bellingham, Seattle, Tri-Cities, Yakima.
Clearwire and Sprint to Introduce 4G in Los Angeles
Clearwire Corp. and Sprint announced plans to launch their respective 4G mobile internet services in Los Angeles later this year.
According to a release, both companies will offer 4G services under their own 4G brand.
Clearwire and Sprint will both launch commercial 4G service in Los Angeles on December 1 with official launch events and retail store openings to follow. Consumers and businesses should expect to see additional network expansions in Los Angeles, and a range of independent marketing and advertising initiatives.
The companies said the 4G customer experience from Clearwire and Sprint is similar to Wi-Fi but without the short-range limitations. The network uses wireless 4G technology that differs from Wi-Fi because it provides service areas measured in miles, not feet. Outside the 4G service area, dual-mode 4G/3G modems keep users continually connected by leveraging Sprint’s 3G data network.
Clearwire and Sprint to launch 4G services in November (US)
Sprint Nextel and its Clearwire Corp venture will start offering their 4G services from November in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
According to Sprint, the service, powered by a new technology known as WiMax, will be available in New York on November 1, Los Angeles on December 1 and in San Francisco around the end of December. As these cities have a high attention of rich people who tend to want to buy the latest technology first, they are seen as key battlegrounds for U.S. telecom providers.
Sprint, the No. 4 U.S. mobile provider and a 55% owner of Clearwire, will offer the service, which it markets publicly as its 4G, using space on Clearwire’s network.
The launches come as Verizon Wireless, the biggest U.S. mobile service, plans to roll out a high-speed upgrade to its network in 38 cities covering 110 million people by year-end.
Clearwire, which has been launching its WiMax service gradually throughout the year, has promised coverage for 120 million people by the end of the year.
Customers in the New York City area will soon be able to increase their mobility and productivity in many ways: from instantly downloading large files to get work done on the run, to browsing the web just like at home from across the city, or watching online videos and movies nearly anywhere around town.
Subscribers will also be able to purchase a wide range of 4G devices, including compact USB modems, numerous Intel embedded WiMAX laptops and netbooks, portable Wi-Fi/4G hotspots, and other wireless devices, all aimed at making lives in 4G cities more mobile and efficient.
Naguib Sawiris submits a revised offer for Wind Hellas
If sources are to be believed, Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris submitted a revised offer for Wind Hellas Telecommunications SA after lenders to the Greek telecommunications company failed to agree on a preferred bidder.
According to the sources, Sawiris is offering US$252 million of cash and plans to refinance Wind Hellas’s revolving-credit facility by raising US$404.98 million of bonds. Holders of Athens-based Wind Hellas’s US$1.67 billion of senior secured floating-rate notes will be offered US$153.58 million of bonds and 40% of the company.
As per the sources, Greece’s third-largest mobile-phone company requested revised proposals earlier this week from bidders, including the biggest Nordic phone operator Telenor ASA and Los Angeles-based investment firm Saban Capital Group Inc., after talks between creditors to select a buyer broke down. A group of senior bondholders also has sought to take over Wind Hellas.
According to Wind Hellas’s statement, it expects to make a choice in the near term, without being specific.
As per Sawiris’s proposal, senior secured bondholders will get the chance to invest in Wind Hellas, while holders of its subordinated bonds will be wiped out.
Verizon reveals Plans for 4G Network
Verizon Wireless has unveiled plans for the release of its faster and futuristic mobile device Internet service.
Verizon was trying to improve and increase its cellular infrastructure to make its network available in over 38 cities in the United States with the help of its 4G data network. The plan is expected be completed by the end of this year. The cities to be covered include Los Angeles, California; New York; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; and San Francisco, California.
The 4G wireless network of the company is capable of transmitting data ten times quicker than the 3G signal. The 4G network of Verizon is expected to be faster than T-Mobile’s HSPA+ and Sprint’s 4G networks. On the other hand, AT&T has admitted they would launch their 4G service in 2011.
The continuous efforts of all wireless carriers to offer faster networks have been the result of the consumers’ increasing demand for smartphones, which have the ability to download apps, stream music and video, and exchange photos.
According to the new Chief Operating Officer of Verizon Communications, Lowell McAdam, the company was excited and proud to be the first to launch a 4G network. They had waited for years to finally offer their customers the chance to use the best in wireless network.
