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banned posts

Sri Lanka to ban phone sharing in order to thwart terrorist activities

by Darren Murph posted Aug 1st 2008 @ 3:48AM

We've seen countries institute some pretty weird regulations when it comes to wireless handsets, but this one is apt to seem patently absurd to anyone outside of (and possibly within) Sri Lanka. Government officials are reportedly gearing up to implement legislation that would require handset owners to "to carry a certificate of ownership at all times when carrying their phone around." The new law will hopefully cut down on some terrorist activities that have apparently been going on, but it will also inconvenience quite a few innocent citizens as well. Ah well, at least locals can legitimately ask their mooching friends to get their own without sounding all snobbish.

[Via textually]

Karnataka, India banning cellphones for kids under 16?

by Darren Murph posted Sep 13th 2007 @ 9:12PM

We can't even imagine what would happen here in the US of A if our government suddenly stopped everyone under the age of 16 from chatting it up on a mobile, but it looks like we just may find out how it goes down overseas when Karnataka, India does just that. Reportedly, its government is going to "ban cellphone use by children less than 16 years on the basis of advice of medical experts," and while specifics weren't divulged, apparently someone up high believes that "prolonged use of [handsets] by teenagers does affect their health" in an adverse way. Additionally, mobile dealers will no longer be allowed to sell handsets to youngsters under 16, and while a hard date for the ban hasn't been announced just yet, notification should be "issued soon."

[Via OnlyGizmos, image courtesy of BBC]

Request for stay on Qualcomm chip import ban refused

by Conrad Quilty-Harper posted Jun 23rd 2007 @ 3:10PM

The battle between Qualcomm and Broadcom over the former company's status in the states has taken a turn for the worse from Qualcomm's perspective, as a judge here denies a stay on the import ban of Qualcomm chips. The ban is related to a patent dispute with Broadcom, which won a case against Qualcomm a year ago, resulting in an import ban on chips that help conserve power in cellphones. It seems as if the ban will remain in place thanks to this ruling, which reaffirms the earlier enforcement of a ban on top of a nearly $20 million settlement between the two companies. So far it's hard to judge the effects of the ruling -- there certainly hasn't been a shortage of 3G handsets in the country (or has there?) -- since the ban went into effect, but since we're sitting behind a sheen of consumerism, it's not like we're in the best position to notice.

Chess cheater's Bluetooth scheme sniffed out

by Darren Murph posted Dec 27th 2006 @ 6:06PM

It's no surprise to hear of someone using mobile / wireless technology to their advantage, and in the latest case of cleverness slapped down by the law, a scandalous Indian chess player was banned for a solid decade in order to "send a message" about how serious they took his act. Umakant Sharma had reportedly logged rating points at an alarming pace in the last 18 months of play, and even qualified for the national championship. But alas, racking up such insane numbers was bound to attract an investigation, and it was discovered that Sharma had been communicating to outside accomplices via a mobile handset and a miniscule Bluetooth earpiece stitched inside a cloth cap, which allowed an external computer to direct his each and every move. While we fully understand the wrongness of such a ploy, we can't deny the humor in envisioning seasoned chess players becoming enraged at their sudden misfortunes, but we'd highly recommend ditching the headgear (and any devious thoughts) before entering a tournament yourself.