Posts tagged advances
Texting while driving bill advances
Mar 30th
CARSON CITY — People who get caught text messaging or talking on a cell phone while driving would be guilty of a misdemeanor under a bill approved Tuesday by a legislative committee.
The Assembly Committee on Transportation voted 12-3 in favor of Assembly Bill 151, which seeks to prohibit people from using cell phones while behind the wheel, although they would be able to talk on a mobile phone if they used a hands-free device.
The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, would impose a $50 fine for the first offense, $100 for the second offense and $250 for the third offense.
Republican Assembly members Scott Hammond of Las Vegas, and Mark Sherwood and Melissa Woodbury, both of Henderson, voted against the bill.
Atkinson said the bill is important because the law on distracted driving leaves it up to police to determine whether text messaging or talking on a mobile phone is a distraction. Witnesses who testified in an earlier hearing on the bill said text messaging while driving was a greater impairment than alcohol use.
AB151 is one of several bills seeking to limit mobile phone use by drivers and most similar to Senate Bill 140 by Sen. Shirley Breeden, D-Henderson, which was approved March 17 by the Senate Transportation Committee.
Breeden’s bill calls for a $250 fine for anyone who uses a cell phone or texts while driving. A second offense would be a $500 fine. A third offense would result in a $1,000 fine and suspension of driving privileges for at least six months.
Atkinson’s bill originally included texting only and proposed harsher penalties. He amended it at the request of Assemblyman Harvey Munford, D-Las Vegas, who had a bill to restrict talking on hand-held phones while driving.
Atkinson’s bill would allow drivers to talk on the phone while driving if they use a hands-free device. It also would make exceptions for members of law enforcement, emergency responders, and for two-way radio use by people working for regulated utilities.
Both Atkinson’s and Breeden’s bills would need to pass floor votes and be reconciled with each other before going to Gov. Brian Sandoval.
Dale Erquiaga, the governor’s senior policy adviser, said Sandoval would support a texting ban.
Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.
From www.lvrj.com
20 cent per month surcharge on cell phones advances to Senate
Feb 25th
SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns’ cell phone bills could go up $2.40 a year under a legislative proposal that would add a monthly surcharge to fund telecommunication devices for people who are speech and hearing impaired.
The 25-cent fee is now assessed to residential and business telephone numbers. SB209, sponsored by Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, would reduce the surcharge five cents but spread the fee to mobile phones as well. The bill places a cap on the fee at 20 cents per month.
Ron Allen, a member of the Utah Public Service Commission, said as more people have abandoned land lines in favor of cell phones, the revenue stream for the program has dwindled.
“The change in technology has caused a shift in the funding. Cell phones are not (presently) included in this fee,” Allen told the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee earlier this week.
The committee advanced the bill to the full Senate.
The surcharge funds technology that enables people who are hearing impaired, deaf or have difficulty speaking to “participate in society at a very high level,” Allen said.
The fee is “very small. Most of us have family who are hard of hearing or have trouble communicating,” Allen said.
Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said the fee should not be attached to telephone bills. Technology to assist people with hearing and speech disabilities and 911 are vital services and should be paid from the state general fund, Stephenson said.
Jan Ferre, chairwoman of the Legislative Coalition for People with Disabilities, whose son is deaf and uses these technologies, said the coalition supports the bill.
“We understand how it has benefited people over the years,” Ferre said.
Kathy Evans, who uses a caption telephone and an amplified telephone, said the technology enables users to enjoy a great degree of independence such as contacting their bank or making doctor appointments. “It enables a person with hearing loss, simple things you take for granted because you do it so easily,” Evans said.
E-mail: marjorie@desnews.com
From www.deseretnews.com
LG advances in the Smartphone category
Nov 19th
- Launches LG Optimus One powered by Android ™ 2.2, which is latest in Android ™ software version, for Rs.13,500
- Target 80% revenue growth in mobile business by 2011
- Increase production capacity to 15 million units by end of next year
- To target 15~20% market share in the Smartphone category with a volume growth target of 170%
- LG Optimus range to get 10 more devices in the next 6 months
New Delhi, November 18, 2010: With the evolvement of the India handset market, Consumers are rapidly making the transition from just lifestyle, feature phones to Smart phones which offer an ideal platform to maintain the hectic work-life balance. Consumers today are looking for phones that fit their lifestyles and therefore are exploring options in Smartphone category that are packed with business applications, entertainment, connectivity and lifestyle features.
In line with its strategy of focusing on the Smart phones , LG Electronics recently announced new series in Smart Phones ‘Optimus’, and today announced the launch of one of its most innovative smart devices from the series– LG Optimus One in India.
On the occasion, Mr. Moon B Shin, Managing Director, LG Electronics India Pvt ltd said, “Smartphones are poised to drive the growth in the India mobile market in the coming years and LG’s focus on innovation based on thorough consumer research, places us squarely at the forefront of that evolution. 2011 will be aacceleration phase for LG Mobiles, and all are plans, investments are aligned towards taking 12-15% of market share in Smartphone segment. We have set aside 350 crores as marketing investment for 2011.Our focus in Smart phones would deliver the ultimate consumer experience. We are therefore pre embedding loads of applications, making phones ready to use with exposure to world of applications.”
Further he added that we have identified Mobile Phones as a strategic growth engine category. Keeping this in mind we will increase the production capacity from 8 million to 15 million by next year at Pune plant. We also have an ambitious target of 80% revenue growth in mobile business by 2011”.
Mr. Vishal Chopra, Business Group Head, Mobile Communications, LGEIL remarked, “2011 will be an important year for us with respect to Smart Phones. Our focus would be to simplify Smart phones for consumers, give them experience on how applications can improve life. Simultaneously we are looking at expanding the retail presence by 25,000 retails and 500 LG exclusive LG mobile gallery. Next year we plan to launch 55 new models, out of which 40% will be Smartphones and our marketing investments would also be aligned accordingly” At the same time
Announcement of LG Optimus One is another big leap by the company. Spearheading the latest in mobile technology, the Optimus One with Google™ offers unfiltered and genuine smart phone experience. Convenient user interface and diverse multimedia options ensure a mobile environment that makes this device one of the easiest to use on the market.
LG Optimus One with Google ™– Live interestingly
LG Optimus One is the result of extensive consumer research and development that delved into the way users gather information in today’s digital age. An iconic Android-powered smart phone with 2.2 OS version, is the first to consolidate its position in the segment in the Indian smartphone market. With smoother internet browsing, web-page loading, application pop-ups and multi-tasking, the new LG Optimus One is the optimal choice for a versatile smart phone that transforms to become whatever you want through advanced technology and 40 preloaded applications. The phone is packed with 3 MP camera, 2 GB Memory, GPRS, EDGE, Threaded Messages and many more special features. LG Optimus One is available at all retail outlets at Rs 13,500/ only.
LG Optimus 7 – coming soon
Another phone to create waves in the international market is the LG’s Windows® phone 7 device – Optimus 7. A direct result of LG and Microsoft’s close work together in the smartphone market, the LG Optimus 7 series offers the glance and go experience of Windows Phone 7 combined with unique features only available on the LG devices. These compelling applications — the DLNA-based Play To, augmented reality (AR) and Voice-to-Text — are available as Live Tiles on Windows Phone 7 and can be accessed via integrated “Hubs”. The phone allows users to enjoy a new era of entertainment through the introduction of Microsoft’s popular Xbox LIVE® and Zune® services. The advanced 5MP camera offers a host of technological enhancements from LG such as Intelligent Shot, which lets users, take the perfect photo without having to adjust camera settings and Panoramic Mode for stitching together a full 360-degree landscape scene. It has 3.8 inch WVGA LCD and 16GB of internal memory.
