Why? Because according to this Wired article, 46% of all under 24yo drivers text at the wheel with thier cell phone/pda. So if the kid in the mirror has peach fuzz on his face you can figure that you have a 50/50 chance he is a distracted driver.

And that can result in a suspended license and prob8n. OMG.

Even if you’re in one of four states that ban texting while driving (or one of the 33 trying to), drivers who were distracted by phone messaging when they plowed into the back of the car in front of them can be nailed for negligent or reckless conduct, and that can be enough to get your license pulled.

The demographic breakdown of the survey isn’t particularly surprising, considering it mirrors the adoption of texting in general. A study last year by the Automobile Association of America found 46 percent of kids aged 16 and 17 text behind the wheel. Combine those stats with the invincibility complex every kid has and it’s a wonder more states haven’t taken action. Luckily, texting while driving in the AARP crowd is nearly nonexistent: We’d be terrified to get a text from grandma asking, “whch 1 iz D br8k?”

FindLaw’s stats probably understate the scope of the problem because any survey that tracks socially undesirable behavior will suffer from some bias. We can’t imagine a teenager answering a telephone survey with his mom in the next room is going to say, “Yeah, I text all the time when I’m driving — especially when I’ve got a Bud Light in the cup holder and I’m watching a DVD on my hacked AVIC-N3.” Let’s just hope that Barack Obama isn’t behind the wheel when he texts supporters the name of his running m8.

Personally I still don’t understand the fascination with textng. It takes longer to do than doing a speed dial. But hey every generation has its set of cultural markers to live by. Texting is just one of them. But mixing that with driving? Suspending license is too good. The authorities ought to go for revocation. Texting is a certain distraction. More so than just talking on the cell.

But hey you have been warned! Watch that mirror!

You know there are just some days it does not pay to be a CEO! This is one of those days, if you happen to be General Instrument a maker of settop boxes. –

The set-top box, a necessary appendage for millions of cable television customers for decades, is moving toward extinction.

A leading television manufacturer, Sony Electronics Inc., and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association said Tuesday they signed an agreement that will allow viewers to rid themselves of set-top boxes, yet still receive advanced “two-way” cable services, such as pay-per-view movies.

In most cases, cable viewers also could dispose of another remote control since they could use their TV’s control rather than one tied to the set-top box.

The agreement marks a significant meeting of the minds between cable companies and one of the world’s dominant makers of consumer electronics. The two industries have been feuding for a decade about how best to deliver cable service to customers while allowing them to buy equipment of their own choosing.

I take this as a positive development for the delivery industry as a whole. Its one more appendage out of the way. The cable mavens aren’t out of the woods yet. But this is a good first step.

More here.

RCR is reporting that cell phone sales have dropped sharply in the first quarter. Considering the sate of the economy right now, frivolous upgrades like to an iPhone or Blackberry curve has to be expected. Why spend the dollars when the handset you have is working fine and you are satisfied with the carrier? —

Cellphone sales in the United States declined abruptly in the first quarter of the year, the first time since The NPD Group began tracking handsets, the firm wrote in a new report. The quarter saw a 22% decline in sales year-over-year, reaching just shy of 31 million units and sales of $2.7 billion, down from $2.9 billion a year ago.

The 7% drop in sales revenues came soon after the traditional holiday season rush, wrote Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis at the firm.

“Cellular phone service has become a practical necessity in modern life; however, with looming economic concerns on the horizon, many consumers may be holding back on new handset purchases, especially those tied to new prepaid plans,” he wrote.

Motorola Inc. nabbed a 27% share of units purchased during the quarter, maintaining its lead in the U.S. market. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. gleaned 18%, followed just barely by LG Electronics Co. Ltd. at 17%. Nokia Corp. and BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd. rounded out the remaining top five OEMs at 8% and 5%, respectively. RIM made the biggest move in the quarter, shoving Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. out of the top five.

It will be interesting to see if there is a consumer ‘freeze’ once Verizon announces the services and handsets for the 700mhz band. A shift will occur at that point causing cannibalization of the current cellular market. It is going to be fun to watch folks!!

Linky.

Aaah Blackberry, the device I despise. (at least you know where I stand.) Its a meeting killer unless companies instill social protocols to prevent it. (Which is another social issue that should not be, but I digress….) But if you read this APC article the author intones that maybe RIM is headed for the dustbin?

Now I will buy the authors argument that iPhone since its launch last year has made enormous market gains. More so that RIM. But I will defend the Blackberry in one aspect — it was designed as a messaging platform from the beginning. Not a phone like the iPhone was with messaging added on. That difference in mindset as to the device has large effects on how you utilize it and design future additions. It is also RIM’s Achilles heel.

iPhone, and smartphones like it are the future. Today messaging is an adjunct and for some users a replacement for voicemail. Can’t voice them right now? Text them instead and leave a call back on the text. Add text to speech to the device and pretty soon the idea of text/email on smartphones take on the air of XML as a protocol on which to offer advanced services. But you don’t use the text directly.

RIM also has one other vulnerability — they are a one trick pony. They have no other venue of revenue, unlike Apple, Sony or HP. Any MBA will tell you its not the most optimal situation to be in. If you stumble you fail not just fall.

Sharp release a cell phone with some pretty neat features. One of whish is a built in biz card scanner! Quite a feat I would say. —

The Sharp Softbank 922SH features a 3.5 inch screen with VGA resolution and 2,000:1 contrast ratio.
Sharp highlights the large 9.9mm key pitch of the QWERTY keyboard that enables ease of use.

Other features of the elegant “Internet Machine” include external 1.2 OLED screen, sending and receiving email while closed, business card scanner, and microSD card slot.
The Sharp Softbank 922SH will start shipping on March 28th in Japan.

You have an IPhone and you like the pics it takes but they are all in a slight wide angle view for portraits. Sometimes you just want to pull a picture close in right? So you whip out –

The problem?

• “Hey there big boy that an iPhone in your pocket or you just happy to see me”
• It works but looks like sin.
• It weighs more than the iPhone.
• and last — It makes you look like a dork.

Saving grace is that for all the jokes its only $20. If you can handle the embarrassment

Linky..

Noted in passing that Mr. Wozinak, the other half of the Apple founders has reached a point of dissatisfaction with iPhone. Like he wonders why the unit was not 3G enabled from the git-go.

My impression of Steve is a guy a very Geeky, and not enamored with the Corp culture thing. I mean he pitched it all, socked him money away, and took up teaching. Have to admire a guy like that — convictions. So if he thinks the iPhone is all ego; he just might be right.

The Boss covered upticking your onsite Linksys or Buffalo router some time back with Tomato. Wired has an article out today about doing the same with DD-WRT. So if you are looking for features of the big boys, like for free then please go over and take a look here.

We ThirdPipers find nothing wrong with the DD-WRT firmware. Its rock solid and is the granddaddy that started it all. But we just find the Tomato product is more in tune with our overall goals in doing a firmware upgrade.

Enjoy.

Android is not the only game in town for FOSS portable handset development. There is another called LiMo and it has a proven track record with NTT, Samsung and Motorola.

LiMo Foundation is an industry consortium dedicated to creating the first truly open, hardware-independent, Linux-based operating system for mobile devices. Backing from major industry leaders puts LiMo at the Heart of the Mobile Industry and makes LiMo the unifying force in Mobile Linux.

The mission of the LiMo Foundation is to create an open, Linux-based software platform for use by the whole global industry to produce mobile devices through a balanced and transparent contribution process enabling a rich ecosystem of differentiated products, applications, and services from device manufacturers, operators, ISVs and integrators.

If LiMo has any failing it is in the last chunk of the platform — UI. That is left up to the developer to finish. No really big deal but that is what differentiates Android from LiMo. Android is a full stack, top to bottom while LiMo is middleware for portable devices.

LiMo Website.

Smart manufacturers are learning that building open devices creates multitudes of applications and markets that the original designers never dreamed of. This creates new markets for the same products, and pushes the envelope for future commercial development with reduced R&D costs. It’s the same model created the explosive variety of apps on the internet where anyone can be a publisher. We’d reported last year on an open source DD-WRT firmware that packs a ton of data center grade goodies into a cheapie router. A few months later, open source firmware Tomato adds ease of use to DD-WRT’s feature set, and the router has gotten even cheaper. Closed source and close architecture companies take note: you could become a “boutique manufacturer” soon if you don’t join the open source wave. Link to article on Lifehacker