Cell Phone Tricks

Rusty sent me this email yesterday and I was amazed, I didn't try any, so it's kinda silly, but the idea is really cool.
Check out number two, that's crazy.

5 Things Perhaps You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do

For all the folks with cell phones. (This should be printed and kept in your car, purse, and wallet. Good information to have with you.)

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST
Emergency

The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find Yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an Emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to Establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.

SECOND
Have you locked your keys in the car?

Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys In the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot From your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!'

THIRD
Hidden Battery Power

Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell phone next time.

FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?

To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following Digits on your phone:*#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.

If your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

FIFTH
Free Directory Service for Cells

Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial:(800)FREE411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.

Vodka Phone

I found out how they can tell if your cell phone has water damage. There is usually a tab somewhere like in this phone that turns pink when it gets wet.
I don't know that he should have, but a guy at the Sprint store told me and showed me where the tab was kind of hidden on my own phone which was wet giveaway that it was wet at one point.
Water damage invalidates my warranty and moves me onto the second step for repair which makes it eligible for an insurance claim against the phone with a $50.00 deductible.
I am going to have to argue that this time it was not "water damage" but that it was "vodka damage. It's different.

I swear by it's truth, but I need a more durable "Tonka Toy" version cell phone. Lisa told me that years ago, and I need someone to get right on that. *wink*

...and that I could have made a new cocktail with the vodka I poured out of my cell phone that was sitting on the bar before someone asked me, "Is that your cell phone sitting the puddle of vodka in your kitchen?" Wasting that much alcohol is just abuse.

I have heard of "Vodafone" in Europe, but "Vodkafone?" No. ...maybe in Russia.

I read online that putting your phone in rice will help it dry out. I heard that if you use a hair dryer on it, it can fix it back to it's normal glory. I thought, "What about putting it in the oven?" No wait, let's go with the first thing first. *wink*

What to do if it's YOUR phone that you find soaking in a puddle of cheap liquor? Here's a few links:
http://www.wikihow.com/Save-a-Wet-Cell-Phone
http://lifehacker.com/software/cell-phones/save-your-wet-cell-phone-211623.php
http://dailyknowhow.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/save-a-wet-cell-phone/
http://www.baltimoresun.com/technology/bal-phone1027,0,3866492.story
I dropped one phone in the toilet when I was talking on it pissing once at my friends house right in the middle of a conversation. ...that talk really went into the crapper. No really.

Believe it or not, about two days later, most functions have come back to my phone. The touch screen is much harder to touch, some of the text messages I received before I had to soft reset the phone are not there now, and there are a few other things, but frankly, I am fucking amazed how that it works at all.

Psychiatric Hotline

Awhile back I received a text message from Howard that read, "call this number deing so this is my friend cell 16503881117 asap" I didn't know what the hell it meant, but I assumed something was wrong with his phone and he was using someone else's.
Nope, nothing was wrong with his phone, but let me tell you, something is wrong with his head. *wink*

Call the number when you get a second, it's pretty funny.
Here is what it says when you call,

Hello. Welcome to the Psychiatric Hotline.
If you are obsessive-compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly.
If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2.
If you have multiple personalities, please press 3, 4, 5, and 6.
If you are paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call.
If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.
If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press. No one will answer.
If you are anxious, just start pressing numbers at random.
If you are phobic, don't press anything.
If you are anal retentive, please hold.

It's a practical joke, you can play on your friends too.
However, I would suggest that you send something like, "Shit, my phone is jacked up. Call me on this number 650-388-1117 please. I have a quick question to ask you." or something like "My phone is going dead, but I want to talk to you when you can. Call me at 650-388-1117." (...that is 125 characters and most text messages allow you 160.)

Cute.

Ask Cha-Cha

My friend Welcome Matt told me about this fabulous new site called www.chacha.com that is used on your mobile device. (Your cell phone silly.)

One of us at lunch asked a question that none of us knew and he said, "Ask Cha-Cha." I sure did and let me tell you, the site is fierce.

It's like having a friend who is waiting online to answer just about anything.
You can ask anything anytime.

I asked Cha-Cha, "Where can I find Red Bull Cola near me?" and Cha-Cha texted back an address of a gas station on Santa Monica. (I have not been there yet.)
I asked, "Where is the closest haunted site near me?" and Cha-Cha texted back about a "Fright Fair in Woodland Hills"
...to test it, I asked, "What's the easiest recipe for frosting?" and "Who owns Wendy's restaurant?" and respectively received text messages that said, "2 tablespoons light cream, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, or 1 teaspoon lemon juice or rum, 1 cup confectioners sugar stir in liquid sugar" and "Cedar Enterprises, based outside Columbus, owns Wendy's restaurants across the country. Thanks for using Cha-Cha!"

I think there is some filters on it though because it did avoid some adult questions I asked about some adult companies.

It's staffed by humans who have to past an online search test to become a "guide", so I don't know how they keep it free, but man, I am glad they do.
Since it is free, I have to wonder how it's funded.
Wait, I can ask it anything, so I asked, "How is Cha-Cha funded?" The reply was, "Cha-Cha is funded by Bezos Expeditions, the personal investment firm of Jeff Bezos; Morton Meyerson, the former President and Vice MORE?" Check out a webpage they directed me to at http://partners.chacha.com/?p=98.
Now I see how they target people with ads on this website that is not the first one consumers see.
Whoa, it's still utterly amazing.

It's free, try it yourself from your phone.
Text 242-242 your question now.
Gawsh, technology is amazing.

I think I will be texting Cha-Cha from bathrooms all over the country now when I need to know something.

City Stuff, 411 on the 1-1'

I was looking over my water bill and I saw this insert with the "Drought Busters" and I read the rule that reads "YOU CANNOT SERVE WATER TO CUSTOMERS IN EATING ESTABLISHMENTS, UNLESS REQUESTED."
Man, it's that bad?
I looked online and found the same thing online HERE.
I thought, what's the penalty?
I found THIS on KNBC's website.
Man can you imagine someone in jail talking to a former restaurant's owner? "What are you in for?" to which he replies, "Serving water."
YIKE!

I am glad I read that pamphlet too because now I know about 3-1-1.

http://www.lacity.org/call311/

You probably know about 9-1-1 for emergency services, and if you don't, go back under your rock. If you don't know about 911, you are ignant and need to don't deserve a phone anyway as Shirley Q. Liquor might say.
I have seen some of these similar services in other cities like Chicago and New York.
I didn't know Los Angeles had a City Services. It's a toll free call that you can find out non-emergency information and phone numbers.
You can use it for things like potholes in front of your house, elected officials phone numbers, water leaks, etc.
4-1-1 is usually your provider's information, like the "Yellow Pages" and there is a charge for that. (I know Sprint's just went up and is stupid expensive.)

Of course, this made me wonder about the other 1-1's. I looked up the other 1-1's and what they might be and if I could get one.
I learned about the N11 codes or the North American Numbering Plan.
Of course, this applies to wired phones or landlines and not so much cell phone. SOME of the numbers work on cell phones.
The website of the official organization is www.nanpa.com.

N11 CODE	DESCRIPTION
211	Community Information and Referral Services
311	Non-Emergency Police and Other Governmental Services
411	Local Directory Assistance
511	Traffic and Transportation Information (US); Provision of Weather and Traveller Information Services (Canada)
611	Repair Service
711	Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS)
811	Access to One Call Services to Protect Pipeline and Utilities from Excavation Damage (US); Non-Urgent Health Teletriage Services (Canada)
911	Emergency

Having all of these makes 10,000 other phone numbers available for use in the US. Fierce.

Google 411 (1-800-GOOG-411)

Say goodbye to your cell phone carriers expensive 411 charges. No more $1.25, $1.75 or more charges for a friggin' number I need in a pinch.

Now you can make a free call to 1-800-GOOG-411 and not only get the number you need, you can get it sent to you as a text message, you can get a map sent to you on your phone, and you can be connected.

Find out more at http://www.google.com/goog411.

Site of the Moment - www.popularitydialer.com

You are headed to a date, it's your first time meeting him. What if it sucks and you want a quick way out?
...that's only one situation when this free service would come in handy.

Check out www.popularitydialer.com and set yourself up for a call that sounds so real, you could have it on speakerphone.
Of course, before I go reporting links as cool, I checked it out and tested it with the " return to the office call." FIRECE! It sounded like a boss and showed up as a New York call even. SUPER! I love it.

The site even has a disclaimer that reads, "*Disclaimer - PopularityDialer.com is a service meant for alleviating awkward social situations and creating confidence in its users. Please do not abuse it. For more info, see our usage policy." How cool is that? Go ahead. ...that make my day.

Here's a sampling of the calls and what to expect.

1)The original popularity call (male voice)
2)The popularity call II (female voice)
3)The affirmation call
4)The boss call
5)The cousin in need call all

Name that Tune

...from the www.LifeHacker.com website, I found this cool information on a list of cell phone tricks. (...and no I don't mean a list of the boys who spent over, I mean the other "tricks.") *wink*
I don't know how many times I hear a hot song on the radio and want to know who sings it or what the name of the song is, now I have a few solutions to that problem.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, for my next magical illusion, I will use this ordinary cell phone to identify the song now playing on this ordinary radio. Watch closely as I dial these 10 magic numbers--866-411-SONG--and hold the phone near the speaker for the next 15 seconds. 411-SONG requires no special equipment, just a phone capable of receiving SMS messages. All you do is dial the number and follow the instructions. After the service identifies the tune, you'll receive a text message containing the relevant info--and a 99-cent charge on your monthly bill. If you frequently find yourself trying to "name that tune," 411-SONG also offers a $3.99/month plan for unlimited song IDs.

I tried this one and the is no charge for the first ID. It's the first one that free.
It sure worked like a charm and was correct.
You need to decide if you want the .99 charge for the next one, sometimes, I know I think it's worth it. Just bet someone you are with a dollar you can find out in two minutes or less and you can MAKE money on it. *wink*