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Information-gathering company, Intelius, has released an app called Date Check that in minutes scans billions of publicly available documents stored on numerous databases and hidden in countless files to ascertain if the guy (or girl) you just met is worthy of a second date. Does he/she have a criminal record, hold the job they say, live with mum and dad or a spouse and kids or earn enough to keep you happy? The company says it’s like having a private investigator in your phone but we’re guessing privacy advocates have other ideas.

In its defense, Intelius says it’s not accessing information acquired by scurrilous means, such as searching through one’s trash, cracking safes or spying with long-lens cameras. It says it has developed proprietary software that synthesizes publicly available information, public records and social network data from thousands of sources – they just get the information much, much quicker and probably cheaper than the average inquisitive Joe or Jane Citizen can.

Intelius says Date Check is a first of its kind mobile application that delivers critical information about potential dates right to your finger tips. Once the free app is downloaded, Date Check only needs a name, phone number or email address to provide information to help you determine whether the person you’ve met minutes ago is worth going out with again. Punch in the information and Intelius goes to work (for a fee) synchronizing billions of public records to provide a top line summary.

Intelius collects, interprets and delivers information to consumers and businesses online. The company says its helps to facilitate an intelligent and informed decision-making process for our customers in business and life. Intelius offers products and services ranging from basic people search and list management to employment screening and identity theft protection products available. We do much more than deliver reliable and accurate information-we augment, interpret, and present it based on your unique needs, creating valuable and trusted solutions for our millions of customers across lifestyles and industries.

Services with the app

Sleaze Detector searches criminal records based on a person’s first and last name and state where the conviction occurred. If a criminal record exists, for a few bucks more you run a criminal check through Intelius for the details of the criminal conviction.

Compatibility is a feature that uses date of birth and displays astrological information that gives you insight into his or her personality. The $ $ $ feature delves into property ownership information, details like square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, assessed value and tax information.

Still interested? Then the Living Situation feature delivers information about other people associated with a person’s address. Do they live alone, with their parents, or even with a spouse and kids they didn’t mention? The Interest feature searches LinkedIn, Flickr, Facebook, MySpace and dozens of other online social and professional networks to create a summary. Click ‘More Details’ and run an Intelius ‘Social Net Lookup’ for a comprehensive report and links to the various profiles. The reports cost US$19.95 for a Single State Criminal Check (Sleaze Detector); US$14.95 Property & Neighborhood Report (Net Worth); US$9.95 Social Net (Interests); US$1.95 People Search (Living Situation) or US$39.95 for a full Date Check.

Date Check is available for download on iPhone and Android devices and Blackberry users will soon have access to the app...

source :- gizmag

Text messaging was found to help develop rather than damage spelling

Children who regularly use the abbreviated language of text messages are actually improving their ability to spell correctly, research suggests.

A study of eight- to 12-year-olds found that rather than damaging reading and writing, "text speak" is associated with strong literacy skills.

Researchers say text language uses word play and requires an awareness of how sounds relate to written English.

This link between texting and literacy has proved a surprise, say researchers.

These latest findings of an ongoing study at the University of Coventry contradict any expectation that prolonged exposure to texting will erode a child's ability to spell.

Improving 'hmwrk'

Instead it suggests that pupils who regularly use text language - with all its mutations of phonetic spelling and abbreviations - also appear to be developing skills in the more formal use of English.

If we are seeing a decline in literacy standards among young children, it is in spite of text messaging, not because of it Dr Clare Wood

The research, part-funded by the British Academy, suggests that texting requires the same "phonological awareness" needed to learn correct spellings.

So when pupils replace or remove sounds, letters or syllables - such as "l8r" for "later" or "hmwrk" for "homework" - it requires an understanding of what the original word should be.

Instead of texting being a destructive influence on learners, the academics argue that it offers them a chance to "practise reading and spelling on a daily basis".

Using initials and abbreviations and understanding phonetics and rhymes are part of texting - but they are also part of successful reading and spelling development, they say.

"If we are seeing a decline in literacy standards among young children, it is in spite of text messaging, not because of it," said Clare Wood, reader in developmental psychology.

This is an interim report, based on a year-long study of 63 pupils in England, with the final report expected next year, but so far researchers have not found a negative association between using text abbreviations and literacy skills.

The use of text language "was actually driving the development of phonological awareness and reading skill in children", said Dr Wood.

SINGAPORE--Mandating take-back facilities for portable batteries is a "very good" move, but one industry observer familiar with the local green movement reckons that consumer recycling mindsets in the country are still lacking for such directives to work.

Responding to a recent development in the United Kingdom where battery sellers will soon be required to provide recycling containers for users to return their batteries, Howard Shaw, executive director of the Singapore Environmental Council (SEC), said battery recycling should be in place to complement efforts to reduce the use of conventional use-and-dispose batteries.

From Feb. 1, all distributors in the U.K. that sell 32kg or more of portable batteries in a year--either in a physical store, online or by mail order--are required to provide a take-back facility free of charge for consumers, according to a document released in December 2009 by the U.K Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The Department said the amount is equivalent to about one pack of four AA batteries a day, and the directive also includes button cells such as those used in watches, and batteries in mobile phones, laptops and electronic appliances.

Batteries are a common problem, Shaw told ZDNet Asia in a phone interview, as toxic waste or fumes would end up in the environment regardless of whether batteries are disposed via landfill or incineration. "No matter how good your technology, a lot of these chemicals [present in the batteries] are not easy to screen out," he pointed out.

However, a similar directive to ensure batteries are properly recycled may not yet be practical in Singapore, he noted. One major challenge here is the lack of infrastructure to recycle batteries, he said, adding that consumer mindset is another obstacle.

"We are still fairly early on in nurturing people's attitudes to participate in voluntary recycling programs," Shaw said. "We've received a lot of queries here at the SEC [asking where to recycle batteries] but the interest level is confined to a very small minority."

Even if the collection of batteries is introduced at retail outlets, incentives such as offering a discount for new batteries, may be necessary to encourage consumers to return used ones, he added.

Enforcement will be challenging as well, he noted. The 32kg requirement, he said, will mean the inclusion of "every petrol station [and] every 7-11" convenience store in Singapore. "Logistically this is going to be a nightmare to operate, and it's going to be tiresome to enforce," he added.

In addition, such measures appear to penalize sellers--not consumers--so it may be limited to some extent in terms of effectiveness, Shaw said. Regulation that targets specifically consumers may eventually be employed in Singapore, he concluded.

User education is a long-term investment, he said, noting that Singapore typically "diligently tracks" such initiatives and may prefer to have "some form of regulation" to spur adoption.

In Japan, for instance, households are required to segregate their trash into different recycling bins, and if the waste is sorted into the wrong bin, no collection will be made, he said. And in certain boroughs of London, users will be issued a fine if authorities find recyclable waste in their mixed waste bins.

"There are so many cases of regulation that [can help] Singapore get where we want to go," Shaw said. "We did it with chewing gum and smoking in public places, and definitely [safeguarding] the environment is more important than chewing gum ending up on pavement."

Asian retailer chips in
Hong Kong-based Dairy Farm Group, which operates retail outlets across Asia including supermarket chain Cold Storage and convenience store cluster Wellcome, said in an e-mail interview the company has availed collection containers for used batteries in its domestic market, despite not being required to provide battery recycling facilities in the jurisdictions it operates in.

"Some of our businesses in Hong Kong do provide collection boxes or recycling bins for customers in collaboration with certain battery brands on a voluntary basis," a spokesperson noted. "We will cooperate fully with the local governments, if such facilities are required, to help reduce pollution to the environment."

The Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, which oversees environmental issues in Singapore, did not respond by press time.

The original LG Lotus become available from Sprint back in 2008. Its 2nd iteration, the LG Elite was announced today. We liked the original Lotus and gave it an 8.7 rating in our review. We are not going to go in detail and explain every subtle difference but will give you major stuff which is the touch-sensitive front display. Everything else is about the same (not counting the increased weight, the three new shortcut keys and the 32GB external memory support).

The external display has grown in resolution and size in addition to its touch capabilities. The whole idea is of course to use the phone without the need to open it all the time. That’s why only the most important functionality is accessible through the front display. There are several different screens which can be switched by swiping your finger from left to right or vice-versa. Speed Dial, Contact, Call History and Picture viewing are some of the available options (each one can be turned on/off).

The other not so major updates are redesigned hinge, D-pad and the keys around it.

If you liked the original Lotus, you will definitely like its revised version. We’ll hold our judgment until we get our hands on a final version and do a proper review.

Hands-on with LG Lotus Elite:




LG GT540

LG, just like almost any other mobile phone manufacturer slowly but steadily starts to push out more and more Android OS based devices. After the debut of the GW620, which we already previewed, here comes their second Android phone. Don’t expect it to be anything special or extraordinary in terms of specifications. What attracts the attention is its design – with very round edges and metal like trim around the corners. The controls are a combination of two touch sensitive buttons (back and menu), while the home, call and end are regular ones.

Specs-wise, there is not a lot to talk about – 3 mega-pixel camera and … that’s about it. Again, LG has put more emphasis on the design, then on the specs. Still it looks like an interesting phone, so stay tuned for its review.



Hands-on with LG GT540





LG GW990




LG Rumor Touch

The LG Rumor Touch is the 3rd model of the Rumor series. As the name implies, instead of a keypad on the front, the phone will feature a touch-sensitive screen, which will use resistive technology. Naturally, the UI has been optimized for use with fingers. The actual screen size and resolution are increased as well to accommodate the touch interface (3 inches and 240x400 pixels resolution). Other hardware upgrades include EV-DO rev.0 data and 2 mega-pixel camera.

The software has undergone some refreshing as well. The main menu is now a list of all available options (of course customizable).

A new software feature is the Favorites option. It pretty much consists of four screens, where you can position and arrange the photo thumbnails of your favorite contact the way you like it. One screen could be your personal contacts, the other your business ones, etc. Pretty nifty.

The LG Rumor Touch will be available later this quarter.



Hands-on with LG Rumor Touch:

Google’s Nexus One handset is the most advanced Android mobile device available till date, it uses the latest Android 2.1 OS, and is custom built by HTC for Google. The device is dubbed by Google as a ‘Superphone’ which in my opinion is justified by speed provided by a never before

1 GHz Snapdragon processor, coupled with 512 RAM. These specs made it a great multi-tasker which I am sure you will love to operate. Nexus one also comes with a 5MP camera with autofocus and LED Flash and can record videos at 720 x 480 resolution.

Full Specifications of Nexus One:

• 3.7-inch AMOLED Touchscreen
• 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD 8250 processor
• 512 RAM
• 5 Megapixel With Autofocus and LED Flash
• 512 MB Inbuilt memory
• 4 GB microSD Card, upgradable to 32 GB
• Assisted GPS
• Proximity sensor
• Digital Compass
• Accelerometer
• Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
• Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
• 1400 mAH battery, up to 10 Hours talk time

It also features voice enabled keyboard that lets you send out your text messages, fill out email or update twitter/facebook by Voice, you can even get driving directions by just speaking into it.

Videos of Nexus One:

Price of Nexus One:

Nexus one is priced at 529$ or around Rs 24,241 when it comes to India. This price is for a unlocked Nexus One, it is also available at $179 with a T-Mobile contract in U.S.

This article contains unofficial information.

CES, the world´s largest consumer electronics tradeshow takes off January 7, 2010 and we, the PhoneArena team will be reporting live from the event for fifth consecutive year, so you better stay tuned for the latest news from the cell phone world. There is still enough time to prepare as the eagerly anticipated date draws near, but the official information on what we are to expect at the event is, however, still sketchy at best - Synaptics will showcase its concept cell phone called the Fuse, Sprint and LG are planning to bring joy to the lives of many by introducing a brand new device and not last, the manufacturer intends to announce three new handsets that allow for digital TV. At the time of this piece of news, there are still no rumors on what´s in store at CES 2010, but there are lots of unofficial details on handsets that, sooner or later, should be introduced to the general public. We have compiled pretty much everything we know about them here and do hope to get to see many of these devices at the upcoming event.

Verizon:
The HTC Passion – the rumor has it this is the CDMA version of the HTC Nexus One (also known as the Google Phone) and unofficial details about it just keep coming in by dribs and drabs. The latest leaked information on the Nexus One indicates that Google will most probably introduce the handset January 5. We do hope to see it at the exhibition and possibly, unearth further details on its CDMA version.

The Palm Pre Plus is the second most intriguing handset that we cherish hopes to see at the exhibition. There is still absolutely no information on the differences between the new device and the original Pre.

Version of the Palm Pixi codenamed P121EEW already passed FCC testing about two weeks ago and that was when the first speculations that it would roll out through Verizon sprang to life. According to the latest information, the carrier has already ordered 600,000 units.

The Motorola Devour A555 (also known as the Calgary) is the fourth device that we dearly hope to get our hands on at CES 2010 and something tells us we will probably see it with the logo of Big Red on it. The alleged junior sibling of the DROID is expected to feature 3MP camera, Android 2.1 and run the MOTOBLUR interface.

The BlackBerry Essex 9650 (most probably the Tour2) - a picture of the handset with Verizon´s logo on it has already been leaked on the Internet and the rumor goes the major difference to the original Tour is the presence of a Wi-Fi module.

The LG VS750 is the last device on the list of handsets that we think are likely to show up at the fair. One of our trusted tipsters dropped a word in our ears that actually, this is going to be the first LG-made smartphone to roll out through Verizon. Supposedly, the handset is a CDMA/GSM hybrid based on Windows Mobile 6.5.



AT&T:

The Motorola Backflip (also known as the Motus and Enzo) – leaked pictures of the cell phone have revealed that AT&T is laying plans to add it to their product catalogue, although it´s still anybody´s guess when this is to happen. Who said CES?

The HTC Hero is yet another Android-based handset that is, allegedly, to be released by the same carrier. One of our devoted tipsters mentioned certain details on the matter some time ago, but we are still waiting to see if the rumor speaks true.

The Acer Liquid А1 has passed FCC testing running on 3G frequencies compatible with AT&T´s network, which added fuel to the fire and caused quite a few tongues to wag. We do know that Acer has been preparing to invade the American cell phone market and frankly, we see absolutely no reason why the manufacturer shouldn´t be cooperating with AT&T.