cell phone

Ben Rigby imagines people sitting in airports during a layover, using their mobile phones to do something for a cause. Using an application called Volunteer Now!, potential volunteers could instantly be connected with short-term "mini" volunteer opportunities near their present location. "We could utilize people's spare time to do good in the world," he said.

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Claire Joyce Tempongko, a Filipina immigrant, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in front of her two young children five years ago. Tempongko had repeatedly tried to get help from state services -- she had called the police before, and her ex-boyfriend had been in jail for domestic violence -- but she was murdered despite the involvement of various services.

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This Valentine's Day, forget the chocolate, roses, and poetry-filled greeting cards. Instead, consider surprising your love with ringtones of animal mating calls available for download to North Americans at eNature.com.

The site features 20 different ringtones with more to come in the future. Current animals include a lovelorn howler monkey, a horny tree frog, a lonely African lion, various birds, and many other species. The ringtones can be downloaded at no cost. And if you are curious and want to learn more, each mating ringtone page contains a description of the animal's mating habits and calls. We are sure you'll be able to delight your love there.

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Happy New Year, MobileActives!

To ring in the New Year, MobileActive is conducting, with the UN Foundation and the Vodafone Group Foundation, a global survey of more than 25,000 civil society groups about how these organisations are using mobile phones in their work.

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I interviewed Paul Currion for a research project for the UN Foundation and Vodafone Group Foundation that will be released next year. I asked him about the "state of affairs" of using mobile phones in disaster relief work and humanitarian emergencies. Veritable blogger that he is, he summarized his thoughts on his blog and gave permission to cross-post here.

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160 Characters has an excellent article describing some of the different ways that SMS messages are being used in the current crisis in the Middle East. For example the article explains how Sweden facilitated the evacuation of its citizens from Lebanon by sending them instructions via text message, and that Israel has a text message alert system in place to give residents a heads up that a bomb might soon strike in their area.  

Mobile phones are playing a role in the conflict in other ways too. Not surprisingly people in Lebanon are using their cell phones to shoot videos of the destruction and how it’s affecting people. One Lebanese blogger saw his traffic jump to 400,000 hits a day after he started posting videos that he took with his mobile phone. And of course this is in addition to MobileActive Erik Sundelof’s new blog that allows anybody to post to it from their cell phone. Justin Oberman wrote more about this project here.

Several Lebanese television stations are using mobile phones to reach out to people stuck in conflict zones. These stations are broadcasting the cell phone numbers of people who need help with the idea that their viewers will call them to provide medical advice, news and other information, and just words of encouragement.  

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With the unfortunate events that are occurring presently in the Middle East I thought it would be a good time to bring to your attention a little project underway by my pal and fellow MobileActive Erik Sundelof (a fellows at Reuters Digital Vision Program at Stanford University, a program that aims to develop technology to advance humanitarian goals in underserved communities).

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Cell phones need to be cheaper so that more people in developing countries can plug in. Lower cost communication options can help in so many aspects of poor people’s lives, from facilitating the finding of more accurate information on market prices to organizing to speak out against a government that often neglects them.

Bringing cell phones to the masses around the world is also a huge market place for producers to tap. But right now the price of handsets is still prohibitive for may poor people. Cellular-News recently published the article, $25 cellular handset achievable within two years (http://www.cellular-news.com/story/13029.php), looking at industry expectations for lower prices over the next several years.

“Among respondents to the survey, 80% reported a belief that a low-end GSM handset with a total bill-of-materials cost of US$25 can be achieved within two years or less, while 51% believe this level can be reached within one year or less. In addition to electronic and mechanical components, the cost of the handset as presented in the survey was defined to include battery, testing, final assembly, software and IP licensing, and product packaging.”

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High-Profile Help for Africa

By Sebastian Mallaby Monday, May 23, 2005; Page A19

Monday, May 23, 2005; Page A19

On the question of Africa right now, the Bush administration is up against Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair and the rock star-industrial complex, not to mention Sun Microsystems and Pat Robertson. It's one of those occasions when the sole pole in our (supposedly) unipolar world looks pretty much surrounded.

The sainted Mandela, who packs more moral authority than any man alive, visited President Bush last Tuesday to urge further efforts to help Africa. Blair's foreign minister was in town at the same time, reinforcing the same message. Mandela urged Bush to launch a new Africa initiative, perhaps around the time of the United Nations summit in September. For the Brits, the forcing event is July's Group of Eight summit, which Blair will host in Scotland.

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