telephone calls news stories on Newser

Good-Bye, Phone Call: Texts Rule Teen Communication

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:30:03 CDT

So much for the olden days of talking on the phone for hours: Texting is now the "dominant daily mode of communication" for teens, according to the results of a recent Pew Research Center survey. The median number of texts per day is now 60 for teen users, up from...

Father, Son Arrested for Harassing Palins: FBI

Matt Cantor — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:58:01 CDT

A father and son have been arrested on charges of harassing the Palin family by phone, an FBI agent tells Reuters . Craig Christy, 47, and Shawn Christy, 19, were hit with a federal indictment on Wednesday over calls made from Aug. 1 to Aug. 9—after Sarah Palin had already...

Why I Love My Land Line

Polly Davis Doig — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:42:00 CDT

That smartphone can text, email, navigate, surf, organize, amuse, and waste time indefinitely. But the one thing it sucks at? Actual phone calls, writes Stephen Randall in an LA Times requiem for the land line, which "sits like a weird dusty antique on my desk. It won't let me play...

Phone Numbers Will Be Gone in 5 Years

John Johnson — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:50:22 CDT

Nikhyl Singhal is certain he'll never have to remember his grandkids' phone numbers—because the whole concept of those 10-digit numbers will be long gone by then. In fact, "it may not even take 5 years for the phone service, as we know it, to meet its demise," he writes...

$1,500 Device Intercepts Cell Phone Calls

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 14:54:17 CDT

A computer security researcher says he has built a device for just $1,500 that can intercept some kinds of cell phone calls and record everything that's said. Chris Paget planned to show off the device today during a talk at the DefCon hacker conference. But he was reconsidering the...

Why Talking on the Phone Stinks

Kate Schwartz — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 05:11:21 CST

Though you'll have to pry the smartphone out of most Americans' cold, dead hands, there are plenty of reasons why those gadgets are good: They allow you to communicate in so many ways other than talking. The Oatmeal illustrates (literally) 10 good reasons why talking on the phone sucks: All...

O'Keefe: The Media Are Picking on Me!

Kevin Spak — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:06:22 CST

James O’Keefe says he did not try to bug Mary Landrieu’s phone, and reports saying he did are false. In a lengthy statement on Andrew Breitbart’s Big Journalism blog railing against the media, the conservative activist acknowledges a "visit" to the senator's office and says, "On reflection, I could have...

See You Soon, But Not on Skype

Harry Kimball — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:18:00 CST

When Joel Stein is on the phone with you, here’s what happens. “As soon as you begin to talk, I feel trapped and desperately scan the room for tasks I can do to justify the enormous waste of time that is your talking. I wash dishes, I file receipts, I...

Hello? I'm Calling From Twitter

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:54:03 CDT

Twitterers will be able to use the microblogging service to make phone calls beginning today, reports CNET News. A third party system by Jajah will make it possible to call any Twitter account by typing @call@username. The calls, which can be made for free, will be limited to two minutes...