Talk, Text or Twitter? What's Your Preference?

It was 20 years ago that the first text or "SMS" was sent. It has come a long way since then and is the preferred method of telephone communication for many.

On Dec. 3, 1992, a 22-year-old British engineer, Neil Papworth, sent the first-ever SMS -- Short Messaging Service -- according to ABC News Radio. Little did he know that his invention would change the world of communication - and the written English language - OMG Who'd hv thought, LOL. Papworth's message, sent from his computer to a friend’s Orbitel 901 mobile phone read, “Merry Christmas.”

 That one little SMS became known as a text and to date billions of them have been sent aound the world. Twenty years later, however, ABC News Radio reports that texting, or SMS, usage is declining worldwide and is likely to continue to do as more people buy smartphones and Twitter continues to grow in popularity, even for one on one conversations. …

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Want to Stop Texting and Driving? There's an App and Device for That

New technology has been introduced to help curb distracted drivers from texting and driving. Check out these apps and gadgets that can help make you a less distracted driver.

Texting and driving is a choice. It's a dangerous choice, but nonetheless, it's a choice drivers make every time they get behind the wheel. It's ironic that there are technologies that were created to block us from our own leaps in communication technology. However, with texting and driving being called a "national epidemic" by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, nonprofit groups to automakers, communications giants and concerned parents have created technologies that will make the roads a safer place. Here's a look at some of the applications, gadgets and in-vehicle technologies that have been invented to cut down on distracted driving. Motorola Text-To-Speech Bluetooth Headset When paired with the application MotoSpeak, the Motorola …

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POLL: Should Movie Theaters Allow Texting During Films?

Chain executives consider teen-friendly policy at some theaters – eventually.

“Watch the screen” seems like an unneeded instruction for moviegoers. But which screen? The topic of texting in theaters sparked lively debate last week at CinemaCon, an industry gathering in Las Vegas. “Several prominent industry figures seemed to endorse the idea that ... it might be time to relax prohibitions against texting in theaters,” the Los Angeles Times reports. Teens are “accustomed to controlling their existence,” notes the head of IMAX Filmed Entertainment, Greg Foster. Cell bans make some “feel a little handcuffed,” he added. Entertainment columnist Patrick Goldstein of the Times, calling himself “a purist” on this issue, worries that “Americans almost never resist technological change." He expects chains eventually will …

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Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Ban on Emails, Texts During Meetings Too Broad

'Government is challenging enough without productivity-killing rules enacted out of fear,' Royal Oak City Commissioner Jim Rasor says.

This letter was sent to Royal Oak Patch by Royal Oak City Commissioner Jim Rasor in regard to his objection to a recent commission decision to prohibit city officials from electronic communications with each other or a member of the public during meetings: I want to clarify my position for the readers. I don't want City Commissioners to violate the Open Meeting Act or any other law by texting or emailing during City Commission meetings, or at any other time.  However, there are times where I need to quickly answer a constituent email, write an email, communicate with other units of government, or to staff, or respond to a business or personal issue, and this rule prohibits this entirely. That was my opposition to the rule ... it is so …

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Mike Ripinski

3:42 pm on Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Right on Jim. If we can't trust our elected officials to use the technology in a prudent manner, then we should not have elected them is the first place. Yes it is 2011 but some of your fellow commissioners act like we live in Salem Mass. in the 17th century. They are afraid of what they don't understand.   more ›