Cell spam becomes viral

It`s hard enough coping with all that spam clogging computers. Now it`s attacking cellphones, reports Dallas News.

Spam has gone mobile. Increasingly, consumers answer their cellphones thinking it`s important. Instead, it turns out to be a telemarketer peddling time-share resorts, bogus lotteries or even pornography.

San Francisco-based Ferris Research, which tracks consumer messaging services, predicts US cellphone users will get 1.1 billion spam messages in 2007 - up from 800 million last year.

Ball State students and staff will test a new emergency notification system designed to send alerts through text messages, reports NewsLink Indiana.

According to the head of the crisis management team, Kevin Kenyon, about 4 100 students and staff have signed up for emergency alerts out of about 20 000 people. The goal of the messages is to send important information that will get to the Ball State community faster than e-mail and voice messages.

"I think it`s important for students and faculty to be aware there is a possibility of emergencies. They should be prepared and know how to respond," said Kenyon.

Charlton police chief James Pervier says the combination of driving and text messaging amounts to "a recipe for disaster", reports Worcester Telegram.

"The problem with text messaging is that you actually have to type and view the screen," the chief said. "Even if the person can type without looking at the keys, that person still has to look at the screen to read a message."

A Nationwide Mutual Insurance survey earlier this year found more than 73% of people talk on cellphones while driving, 84% drive above the speed limit, and 38% said they had driven some distance without any recollection of doing so.