at&t
Disaster Alert System for Cell Phones
Apart from receiving disaster alerts through the television or radio, the FCC has now expanded to mobile phones and will be rolling out this feature in 2012 starting with New York city by the end of the this year with support from all the major carriers – AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon.
This system will be known as PLAN – Personal Localized Alerting Network, which will allow customers of participating carriers to turn their mobile device into a personal alert system. The alerts will be in text message form and will be sent to the cell phones of those who need or want to be notified in the event of an emergency. These alerts will be targeted geographically so that people will only be receiving alerts based on where they live and relevancy.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate, and executives from the major mobile carriers have gathered together today at the site of the World Trade Center to announce PLAN.
“Following the devastating tornadoes in the Southeast, we are witnessing yet again the critical role the public plays as part of our nation’s emergency management team,” Fugate said in a statement. “Making sure that they get useful and life-saving information, quickly and easily, right on their mobile phones, will help more people get out of harm’s way when a threat exists. This new technology could become a lifeline for millions of Americans and is another tool that will strengthen our nation’s resilience against all hazards.”
This seems like a pretty good idea as pretty much everyone has their mobile phones with them at all times therefore increasing the likelihood that you will be prepared in case of an emergency.
Now here is a handset from the folks over at ZTE which intends to provide a sense of continuity, although this time around you will not be able to pick up the Zmax 2 from T-Mobile, as ZTE has decided on AT&T to be their US partner and mobile carrier for their latest phone. In fact, this device falls under the mid-range segment of things, where it will just cost $149.99 unlocked, now how about that for affordability?
That kind of pricing would see you end up with a 5.5” 720p touchscreen display, an 8MP camera with LED flash at the back, a 2MP front-facing shooter, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable memory, a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 4G LTE connectivity, Dolby Digital Plus Audio, and a 3,000 mAh removable battery, and Android 5.1 Lollipop as the mobile operating system of choice. [Press Release]
You can be forgiven for being confused about ASUS’ Zenfone 2 range to date, and here is yet another model that will add to the brouhaha. I am referring to the ASUS Zenfone 2E, where it has just been announced to be an AT&T exclusive, where you can pick one up for just $119.99 without any contract, and it is also offered by the carrier’s GoPhone prepaid brand.
At that price point, you would get a 5” 720p IPS touchscreen display in return, an 8MP camera with LED flash at the back, a 2MP front-facing shooter, a 2,500 mAh battery, a dual-core Intel processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal memory, 4G LTE connectivity, and Android 5.0 Lollipop running underneath Asus’ own ZenUI. Opt from either black or white shades.
If you have been hankering after the LG Watch Urbane for the longest time, while being an AT&T subscriber, then here is good news for you. This particular timepiece can be picked up for $349 a pop from AT&T, where it will arrive in a shade of silver to boot. This timepiece will run on Android Wear and is compatible with any smartphone that has Android 4.3 or higher as the mobile operating system of choice.
It is best to use the LG Watch Urbane within the confines of a Wi-Fi network all the time, along with your smartphone, so that you can keep track of notifications, send messages and make use of your Android Wear compatible apps at all times. Sporting a 1.3” circle P-OLED display, the Watch Urbane comes with replaceable 22mm stitched leather straps for more flexible fashion choices, while the integrated PPG Sensor (average pace, speed, heart rate, and distance) ought to keep fitness buffs happy, with a 410 mAh (non-removable) battery that has an all-day battery life. [Press Release]