Americans who are poor increasingly use mobile phones as their primary way to go online.

At a Judas Priest show last week in Rosemont, Illinois, singer Rob Halford became annoyed with an audience member's reported use of the flash on his phone. So he went metal on it. And no, he isn't sorry.

The facts are we love our fans and you can film us all you like and watch our show on your phone rather than in the flesh - however if you physically interfere with the Metal God's performance you now know what will happen........Photo credit: Ralph Notaro pic.twitter.com/V8BGcb3eOK

— Judas Priest (@judaspriest) May 31, 2019

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An increase in armed muggings have caused a spike in sales of dummy smartphones that on first glance look real. (You can buy one from Amazon for around $20.) Apparently they were first sold as display items to electronic stores wanting to protect their real inventory from smash-and-grabs. From the Associated Press:

Axel says he sells three or four dummy phones a week out of his stall in a downtown electronics marketplace, next door to a colonial college building that dates to 1767.

Axel, who asked his full name not be used for fear police would accuse him of selling fake merchandise, said all of his customers know they are buying fakes.

“It’s useful for robberies, the large number of muggings happening in Mexico City,” said Axel. “They say ‘hand over your cellphone, give me everything’, and people know now they have to hand over the phone quick, in a matter of seconds, so they hand over these phones and often the thieves don’t realize it.”

But Axel admits the victim would be in trouble if a thief caught them handing over a “dummy” phone.

“Obviously there are problems, because if the criminals search it or find out ... there is going to be a problem.”

Because of that, some try a different strategy, spending a little more to buy a cheap but real second phone.

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After trying lots of different phone mounts for cars, the type I've settled on attaches to an air vent and has a magnet on it. You have to stick a thin metal plate on the back of your phone, but it's unobtrusive. Your phone won't slide off. This mount is by far the most convenient kind. Amazon has a sale again today on air vent magnetic phone mounts. This 2-pack costs $(removed) with free one-day shipping. Read the rest

I've been using Aukey's Flush Fit Dual Port USB adapter since early 2016. Once you push it into the car's "cigarette lighter" hole, it's close to a flush fit. It could be a chore to pull it out, but I've never had a reason to. It's regularly $9 but if you use the Amazon code AUKECAR7 it costs $7. Read the rest

I have the earlier model of the Kmashi 20,000mAh portable USB charger. It's the one I take with me on trips lasting more than a couple of days. It can keep my iPhone fully charged for days without having to plug into an AC outlet. It's $(removed) but if you use code GEBLIOJ7 on Amazon you can get it for $(removed) Read the rest

This magnetic phone mount is $(removed) on Amazon when you use code MHE52LAQ. It's usually $(removed), but occasionally the price drops to $(removed)

I started using a magnetic phone mount for my car over a year ago, and I think it is the best way to secure my phone to the dashboard. I've tried lots of other kinds of mounts, and this is the most convenient. The only downside is that you have to apply a thin metal plate to the back of your phone or phone case so it will stick to the the magnet on the mount. But the plate is very thin and it's not a bother.

The magnetic mount attaches to an air vent on your car. This could be another downside, but since I live in Los Angeles, I'm almost always running the air conditioning so it keeps my phone from overheating when the sun is on it. That makes the air vent mount an upside for me. (With other mounts, the phone would get so hot that the safety shutdown would sometimes activate to prevent damage to the phone.) Read the rest

Yes, it's a gimmick, and we've all seen it before on speakers, clocks, etc., but levitation is still magical to behold. The OvRcharge combines magnetic levitation with induction charging for your mobile device. It's available for pre-order via Kickstarter.

To achieve altitude and be able to charge wirelessly, phone requires a special case. that consists of two main parts, electricity receiver from the base and a Magnet to hold its position mid air. so we design ultra thin case to not only protects your investment but to go some levels and also powers it up all at same time. This case has a magnet that will help it to levitate & it also has induction receiver for charging without cables.

OVRcharge (Kickstarter)

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"Famous Cellphone Ringtones Played On The Piano (Tony Ann Arrangement)."

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This is the best price I've seen on a 20000mAh USB portable charger. It's $(removed), but if you use the promotion code Y4DFT2KK at checkout you can buy it for $(removed) (at least it was $(removed) the last time I checked.) I bring a 20000mAh charger when I travel and it keeps my iPhone 6 Plus fully charged for a few days with heavy use. Read the rest

Plenty of games have cell phones in them, but the best is when we're made to think about our relationships to those devices and what we use them for.

For the next 8 hours, Amazon is selling the Motorola Moto G (2nd generation) for $(removed), which is $(removed) off its regular price. It's got good battery life and a 5-inch HD display. It's only 8gb, so if you buy one, get a 32GB microSD card for about $(removed)

Motorola Moto G (2nd generation) Unlocked - 8GB White ($(removed)) on Amazon Read the rest

The Elfoid mobile phone was designed at Japan's Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR).

The cellphone-sized package is covered in soft urethane gel which, according to chief robot designer Hiroshi Ishiguro and his research team at ATR, “provides a feeling of ease."

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The mobile market in India is flooded with new phones: three a day last year. Local provider Micromax has a gamble to claim a slice of that. Read the rest

In 2013 I paid $80 for a 6000mAh USB charging unit. Here's a 10000mAh charger for $13. Read the rest

Derek Khanna of Slate reports that the White House is pushing to keep cellphone unlocking illegal, and making the legal act of jailbreaking a crime punishable by imprisonment.

Last week, WikiLeaks made public a portion of a treaty that the White House has been secretly negotiating with other nations and 600 special interest lobbyists. The draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Treaty, which is on intellectual property, shows that HealthCare.gov isn’t the only tech topic on which the Obama administration has some serious explaining to do.

The leaked treaty draft shows that while the White House was championing restoring free market principles to phones, the U.S. proposed that the TPP lock in the process that allowed the Librarian of Congress to rule this technology as illegal through international law. This would make many potential reforms impossible. But the TPP draft doesn’t stop there. It would ban numerous other technologies that have beneficial uses. In particular, the legislation would ensure that jailbreaking -- which is installing a different operating system on your phone, tablet, or e-reader—is illegal.

This treaty has long been shrouded in unprecedented secrecy. Congressional staff, press and general public weren’t allowed to read it; in many cases, even members of Congress were kept in the dark. Meanwhile, special interests were given full access. Now we know why: The White House didn’t want the public to know what was being negotiated in their name.

Obama’s Secret Attempt to Ban Cellphone Unlocking, While Claiming to Support It Read the rest

You've no doubt heard the horror stories from people who've brought their smartphones with them to another country and were surprised with a roaming bill for thousands of dollars.

I have recurring dreams of it happening to me. When I travel overseas, I bring along a paperclip to remove my SIM card from my iPhone when I'm on the plane so that when I land in another country I don't get charged AT&T's exorbitant international roaming fees. Call me paranoid, but I have read reports that people get hit with roaming charges even after they turn the roaming setting "off" on their phones. By removing the SIM card (which is easy) I'm ensured that I won't get an unexpected fee.

On my last few trips abroad, I've purchased data SIM cards ahead of time. I've had great experiences with B-Mobile for Japan and HolidayPhone for Italy. I had a terribly frustrating experience with RebelFone (Here's my post about b-mobile and RebelFone).

So I read with interest about a new company called KnowRoaming, which sells a little sticker that you can apply to your phone's existing SIM card. The company says you can save up to 85% off of your voice and data in 220 countries. It sounds cool -- I would never have to buy another third-party Sim card again. But then I got to the bottom of the page and checked out the fees. Read the rest