The dreaded incident of losing your cell phone has graced many of us – forcing us to cancel our plan and purchase a new phone. Maverick Mobile Solutions, an Indian company that creates mobile applications, has come up with an ‘ET Phone Home’ method of protecting your cell phone.

Should your phone be lost or stolen, Mavericks application - called Maverick Secure Mobile – encrypts your data and sends you a text message with the location of the phone. It also plays a loud siren sound to agonize the punk that stole your phone.

Now, I am sure many of you are wondering, how is it possible for your lost cell phone send you a text message if you don’t have a phone? Upon installing the Maverick software on your cell phone, you provide the company with a second cell phone number (your friend, girlfriend, spouse etc). The software is completely hidden on the phone, ensuring the thief will not be able to tell you have installed it. If the thief replaces your SIM card, the phone encrypts all of your data (phone book, pictures, and texts) and sends it to your second phone number.

The features do not end here – how about playing tricks on the thief? You can send text message commands that allow you to view what the thief is doing with your phone (such as who he has called or text messaged). One feature, called SpyCall, allows you to listen in on the thief’s calls without them knowing. You can even make the phone play an excruciating siren sound on command. After annoying them to the point they have realize they have stolen the wrong phone, you can send them a text with your name and location (as well as a reward should you feel generous) for returning the phone.

The software is still currently in its beta phase; however Maverick does have a deal with Nokia to begin implementing it in their phones.

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A new and very different BlackBerry is on the way; one which discards the classic view of a business executive typing out emails and announcements.

RIM now brings you, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220.

The Flip uses SureType technology to create the typical BlackBerry style keyboard. Instead of 26 buttons, the Flip assigns multiple letters to each key, similar to that of the Pearl. The keypad also has row dividers, such as the ones used in the Bold, in order to make typing more accurate. A predictive spelling checker also ensures you’re not typing gibberish.

The Flip can also download email messages and connect to instant messaging services. It comes equipped with a 2-megapixel camera and can also play music and videos. It includes a 256MB microSD card, but can be upgraded to 16GB. An external microphone and speaker allow you to make phone calls without opening the phone. Last but not least, the device has RIM’s classic scroll ball.

The phone will be offered by T-Mobile this fall; however a price has yet to be released.

I really like the look of this new BlackBerry; however, the Bold still has my heart.

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More bad news has broken out for us guys (and ladies who require us guys) regarding technology having an adverse effect on men’s sperm count.

Just as we are not supposed to place notebook PC’s on our laps, we probably should not be putting cell phones in the pockets of our pants for the same reason. According to some researchers from the Cleveland Clinic, cell phones damage your sperm and risk your chances of reproduction.

When we place cell phones in our pockets, they are within very close proximity of our reproductive parts (for most men at least). Radiation that is emitted from cell phones may have adverse effects on these parts. Director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ashok Agarwal, states “We believe that these devices are used because we consider them very safe, but it could cause harmful effects due to the proximity of the phones and the exposure that they are causing to the gonads.”

A study was conducted taking samples of semen from 32 men, placing a phone within a few inches of half of the samples. Results are as follows:

Overall, researchers found an increase in oxidative stress such as a significant increase in free radicals and oxidants and a decrease in antioxidants. Agarwal says that equals a decrease in sperm’s quality, including motility and viability. Evidence of oxidative stress can appear under other conditions, including exposure to certain environmental pollutants or infections in the urinary genital tract.

“On average, there was an 85 percent increase in the amount of free radicals for all the subjects in the study. Free radicals have been linked to a variety of diseases in humans including cancer,” said Agarwal. Free radicals have been linked to decreased sperm quality in previous studies.

Since the sperm was tested outside of the body, it is difficult to say whether we receive the same results when we have a cell phone in our pocket. Let’s just hope the little bit of skin in between our legs is a suitable shield for blocking out those radio waves. 

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The much anticipated Google Android phone will be introduced by T-Mobile on September 23 at a news conference in New York.

HTC will be manufacturing the phone, and is expected to be available in October. Pricing, release date, plans, and software details are expected to be discussed by Google and T-Mobile executives at the mentioned news conference.

The phone is aimed to be competition for high end smart phones such as the Blackberry and iPhone. The HTC will not be the only Android phone – other manufacturers are expected to follow suit in the coming months.

Keep your eyes out next week for further information.

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In flight Wi-Fi is officially coming to Canada.

Air Canada will be offering on board internet on some flights to the US (West Coast), starting in spring. Air Canada will charge $12.95 per passenger for the in-flight Wi-Fi service.

The internet service is being provided by US based Aircell, which also includes American and Delta airlines as customers. Aircell’s GoGo service utilizes a network of cell towers based on the ground in the United States. Flights over Canada will not be able to use GoGo until the towers are expanded; which will occur once it has regulatory approval.

“We can say with confidence that it’s our full intent to rollout this service across the North American (Air Canada) fleet, and as the Aircell air-to-ground network grows internationally as well,” says Air Canada’s vice president of Marketing, Charles McKee.

The 92-tower network in the US took 6 months to build, and will most likely take less than that to build in Canada.

The technology that’s installed in a plane will weigh about 18 kilograms and could be put on a small table, versus satellite technology which would use a large antenna about the size of a surfboard on top of the plane. Satellite technology is also a lot more expensive, which is why Boeing disabled their high speed internet service.

For more information on this topic check out this article.