Tag Archive for 'news'

Northumbrian offenders to get SMS probation reminders

Published
by
Stuart Houghton
on August 28, 2008
in Culture and Messaging
. 0 Comments

neighbourhood-policing-offi.jpgCriminals on probation in Gateshead are to receive regular text messages reminding them to attend probation appointments and counseling sessions.

The service is targeted at persistent offenders and those who have found it difficult to attend appointments in the past.

Barry Taylor, assistant chief officer at Northumbria Probation, said “Attending appointments is the offender’s personal responsibility and this system in no way replaces that.

“But for selected offenders who might be experiencing some difficulties, it can help them stay on track so they continue to engage with the probation service, receive the supervision and rehabilitation work they need, and don’t re-offend.”

I wonder if they could extend the scheme to text periodic reminders to repeat offenders - things like ‘Remember not to rob cars’  ‘ToDo: lay off the smack, don’t mug the elderly’, etc.?



CNN news app to be preloaded on Samsung G810

Published
by
Stuart Dredge
on April 11, 2008
in Applications
. 1 Comment

samsung-cnn.jpgSamsung has signed a big deal with CNN to preload the latter’s new Java news application various handsets, starting with its G810, which goes on sale here in Europe this May.

The application will let you go straight to the latest CNN stories, customise the news feed with your preferred categories, and watch hourly CNN World News Now video bulletins. It sounds like CNN has also been taking a leaf out of Nintendo’s book, with a 360-degree globe letting you grab five-day weather forecasts from around the world in a Wii Weather Channel stylee.

Interestingly, it’s a two-way process, as the application will also let you submit what CNN describes as ‘iReports’ to its citizen journalism website, including photos and video. Interested but don’t want a Samsung phone? Don’t worry, you can download the same application here for a selection of other handsets.

Streamline your mobile browsing with mDigger

Published
by
Stuart Houghton
on January 16, 2008
in Applications and Mobile internet
. 0 Comments

mdigerWe all love browsing the web on our mobiles but unless you have a decent data tariff a couple of prolonged ‘net sessions can leave you with a nasty surprise when you get your bill at the end of the month.

If you must have your net fix, but want to minimize the amount of data you slurp down from your provider, take a look at mDigger.

Billing itself as “The Mobile Internet done right”, mDigger users can create a list of favourite sites from a catalogue on the mDigger website or supply their own list RSS feeds.

mDigger will then grab all the latest info from your list and compress it, ready for download into the client app which runs on Windows Mobile and the iPhone. (There is also an XP & Vista version if you want to try it on a PC with a slow connection)

mDigger claim that browsing in this way is up to 30 times faster than using a typical mobile connection and that you can navigate using 150% fewer keystrokes. mDigger is a free download and the WinMo version comes in two flavours - one for devices with touchscreens and one for those without.