Kennebec Countys emergency-alert system operates a little differently than the newly-approved FCC program.

The county system, called PageGate, enables county crisis-management officials to send emergency messages via text message, pager, e-mail and fax, but only to first responders, school administrators and municipality officials. Several hundred key numbers are stored in the PageGate system.

PageGate has been used since January 2007 to alert emergency agencies and officials when there has been severe weather or flooding. Developed with a federal grant from the Department of Homeland Security, it will continue to be used, no matter how the FCC plan will be deployed through cellular providers across Maine.

complete article about PageGate

The world has never been more connected, but in some corners, its developing a real hang-up over the ubiquitous cell phone.

Taking a cue from Frances national railway, which offers phone-free zen zones on high-speed trains, Austrias second-largest city this week began ordering public transit commuters to keep their phones on silent mode.

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Amazon TextBuyIt, which launched late Tuesday, lets people text the name of a product, its description or its UPC or ISBN to 262966 (that is Amazon on the keypad) from anywhere their cell phones work — including from inside physical stores.

If Amazon stocks matching items, the service returns two results at a time. Shoppers can immediately buy one of the first two the selections by texting back the number 1  or 2 or they can ask for more by texting the letter M.

Bell Canada on Tuesday began delivering full episodes of The Sopranos to its mobile phone subscribers as part of an agreement with HBO.

As befits a new dictator seeking to win some popularity, Raul Castro is lifting ownership restrictions for ordinary Cubans on mobile phones, computers, DVD players, even toasters.

These however do not come free. Each of Castros offerings to buy goods comes with a state-set price most Cubans have no realistic prospect of affording.