Patti Lupone Recreates Phone-Snatch

Lupone talked to the New York Times:

"This woman — a very pretty young woman — was sitting with her boyfriend or husband. We could see her text. She was so uninterested. She showed her husband what she was texting. We talked about it at intermission. When we went out for the second act I was very close to her, and she was still texting. I watched her and thought, “What am I going to do?” At the very end of that scene, we all exit. What I normally do is shake the hand of the people in the front row. I just walked over to her, shook her hand and took her phone. I walked offstage and handed it to the stage manager, who gave it to the house manager. I don’t know why they buy the ticket or come to the theater if they can’t let go of the phone. It’s controlling them. They can’t turn it off and can’t stop looking at it. They are truly inconsiderate, self-absorbed people who have no public manners whatsoever. I don’t know what to do anymore. I was hired as an actor, not a policeman of the audience. It’s getting worse. I’m hired to tell a story, and it takes a lot of effort and work to do that convincingly. It’s a handful of people who destroy that experience for everyone. It’s heartbreaking. Theater is not a social event."

Do Not Mess With Ms. Lupone

Broadway World reports:

According to Broadway World's astute message board posters, the trouble began at the show's matinee performance, which Auggie 27 described as 'Cell Phone Hell.' The post reads: "The SECOND ACT of the "Shows for Days" matinee today was besieged with cell phone ringing, first one long unanswered call that threatened to ring for the rest of the performance, and then two or more which resulted in someone leaping up and answering in the semi-opened door. At the same time, a hearing aid apparently went haywire, and buzzed into the ether for the remainder." Ms. LuPone kept her cool throughout the performance, but rightfully reached her limit during the evening performance when she noticed the texting attendee. Lincoln Center has confirmed to Broadway World that the incident did in fact occur.

Broadway World also notes that last week an audience member tried to charge his phone in a fake onstage electrical socket during a performance of Hand To God.

FRC Promotes Right Wing Phone Service

Via press release from the FRC:

Family Research Council Action has fought for more than 30 years to protect your values of Faith, Family, and Freedom. Did you know that the money you spend each month on your cell phone bill could help support our fight for these core principles? You probably are unaware of it, but today all of the major phone companies are actively supporting the liberal causes and candidates that threaten to ruin our country. Collectively they have spent almost $100 million to help elect more than 10,000 liberals to offices at the local, state, and national level. We are proud to share with you an alternative to the liberal agenda of the major phone companies. Eos Mobile was founded by conservatives, for conservatives and with the goal of supporting conservative groups and candidates. With Eos Mobile you get: A better value for your money with plans starting at $9.95/month and that are typically 10-15% lower than your liberal provider. Peace of mind knowing you are supporting the efforts of Family Research Council Action with 3% of each bill going to support our shared values.

See more here.

TRAILER: Brother Orange

Buzzfeed reporter Matt Stopera, whom I've met a couple times, had his cell phone stolen in an East Village bar in January 2014. What followed is probably the craziest and most amazing story about social media that you'll read this year. You might want to hit the link before watching the trailer as the many photos there set up the coming documentary beautifully.

The Belfie Stick

From the website: "Finally, back side selfies! With our bendable stick, you can position your back side without the need of a mirror and shoot the exact angle you are looking for. Bend in ways you never thought possible with our patent-pending design!"

Regular selfie sticks, of course, have been around for a decade. Yesterday the Guardian profiled the man who filed the first patent application in 2005. An excerpt:

Wayne Fromm was on holiday in Florence in 2002, with his daughter Sage, when they ran into the classic tourist’s problem. They wanted a photograph of themselves on the Ponte Vecchio, but it was crowded, there was nowhere to rest the camera and they felt awkward about asking somebody else to take their picture. Being an inventor, mostly of toys, Fromm was not going to ignore the problem. “We were just alternating pictures,” he tells me from Las Vegas, where he’s been attending this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. “So when we came back to Toronto I started thinking about how I could create something.” It would take Fromm a long time to perfect a telescopic pole and grip that you could travel with, but which would hold a camera far enough away without slipping, breaking or being too heavy. “I spent a couple of years looking at umbrellas, taking them apart,” he says. “I was studying magnetic pickup tools. I was studying anything that had extendable segments and a rod. I just kept meeting one impasse after another.” Finally, in 2005, he filed patents – later granted – for a device he called the Quik Pod (as in “quick tripod”).

(Tipped by JMG reader Thom)

Amazon Unveils Its First Cell Phone

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos today unveiled his company's first cell phone, the Fire Phone. First-look reviewers are (mostly) impressed. Via The Verve:

The Fire Phone has a 4.7-inch HD display, aluminum buttons, a Qualcomm processor, Adreno 330 graphics, and 2GB of RAM. Bezos talked a lot about the phone's build, from the injection-molded connectors to the chamfered edges. There's a set of stereo speakers that Bezos promised are better than your average phone, and a set of headphones he swears that won't tangle. (That last bit sounds impossible, but we'll have to wait and see.) There's also a 13-megapixel camera, an f/2.0 lens, and optical image stabilization. Bezos compared the Fire Phone to the iPhone 5S and the Samsung Galaxy S5, saying that no matter the situation the Fire Phone will take better shots. There's a quick-access shutter button on the side, and unlimited cloud storage for your photos. That's where Amazon has an advantage, really, its ability to do cloud storage cheaply and well.

More details from Engadget:

Amazon's first ever phone has a 4.7-inch Gorilla Glass display with a HD resolution screen (we're assuming it's 720p). That makes it the same size as the Moto X, which was also supposed to be a phone for the masses. It also has a rubberized frame with aluminium buttons, a quad-core 2.2GHz processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM. As for the camera, there's a 13-megapixel rear-facing one equipped with a f/2.0 lens and optical image stabilization. The phone's display will have 590 nits of brightness, dynamic image contrast and a "circular polarizer," though we're not entirely clear on what that means yet. There's also a dedicated camera key and luckily for all you amateur photogs, it'll come with unlimited cloud storage for photos as well. It's available from AT&T for $199 if you want the 32GB version, or $299 if you prefer the 64GB. If you'd rather go off-contract instead, you can get phone directly from Amazon for $649 for 32GB and $749 for 64GB.

The phone has already appeared on the Amazon site, but the product links aren't live at this writing. The shipping date is listed as July 25th.

Volkswagen: Eyes On The Road

Via AutoBlog:

Distracted driving continues to be a scourge to road safety around the world. In the US, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ran a graphic commercial in April appealing to young people about the dangers of texting and driving. In Hong Kong, Volkswagen helped with a technologically savvy way to make people understand the peril. For the innovative ad to work, a movie theater was equipped with a location-based broadcaster that could send a mass text to everyone in the room at once. At the same time, a special short film aired before the feature. In case you don't see where this is going, we aren't going to spoil the outcome.

There's A Christian Boycott App

In a press release sent out on Friday, hate group leader Tony Perkins reminded his followers about the Conservative Shopper App, which ranks dozens of companies on a scale of 1-5 based on whether they have publicly endorsed same-sex marriage, have contributed to Planned Parenthood, have pro-environment policies, and if they ban customers from bringing guns into their stores. Companies lose up to a full point for each of those items. Embiggen the above image and  you'll see that among the lowest scoring companies are Starbucks, Macy's, Allstate, and Best Buy. Perkins' reminder came because the app has now added charities to its rankings. You'll be shocked to learn that the Family Research Council is the only non-profit to have earned the full five points. Hit the links and peruse the rankings.

Open Thread Thursday

Tell us about the most useful apps on your phone.

Olive Grindr & TGI Friendster

"Not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Applebee's International, Inc., or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates." Here's the site.  The app IS available at the iTunes store.

Headline Of The Day

Details.

Phone Makers Give Nod To "Kill Switch"

After years of pleas from law enforcement, a coalition of the largest mobile handset makers in the world have agreed to install kill switches on devices manufactured after July 2015. The kill switch feature will allow the phone's owner to wipe all data and disable the phone. 

Apple, Google, Samsung and Microsoft, along with the five biggest cellular carriers in the United States, are among those that have signed on to a voluntary program announced Tuesday by the industry's largest trade group. All smartphones manufactured for sale in the United States after July 2015 must have the technology, according to the program from CTIA-The Wireless Association. Advocates say the feature would deter thieves from taking mobile devices by rendering phones useless while allowing people to protect personal information if their phone is lost or stolen. Its proponents include law enforcement officials concerned about the rising problem of smartphone theft. HTC, Motorola, Nokia are among the other smartphone makers who have signed up, along with carriers AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and U.S. Cellular.

After another rash of iPhone snatching on the NYC subway, the NYPD recently deployed undercover cops who pose as careless commuters in order to flush out "Apple pickers."

Feds Launch "Don't Text & Drive" PSA

AdWeek comments on the below intense PSA issued this week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

The most memorable safe-driving PSAs tend to be made overseas—in Britain, Mexico, Australia. But the U.S. adds a powerful new entry to the mix with this brutal spot from The Tombras Group for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Ushering in National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the spot is so riveting, you should stop reading now and watch it, then share it with your friends and family. It's OK, we'll wait. Welcome back. Aimed at teens, it's incredibly straightforward, simulating an everyday scene cut short by a distracted driver. The theme is "U drive. U text. U pay," with the hashtag #justdrive. The police officer's dialogue is perhaps a bit confusing—he almost doesn't need to be there.

Open Thread Thursday

Tell us about your mobile devices. Raves and complaints.

Worst Selfie Ever

Details.

Video Game: Ultimate Gay Fighter

"The only colors in this rainbow are black and blue." Coming to all cell phone platforms in January. The press release is here.

(Tipped by JMG reader TJ)

Frank Bruni Found Courtney Love's iPhone

Lots more at New York Magazine.

Texas Theater Bans Madonna For Texting

Details.

New Hat Fever In NYC

Mashable reports:

Apple's flagship store in New York City always attracts a big crowd on launch days, but the line for the new iPhones this year hit a new record. There were 1,417 people in line for the launch at the flagship store as of 8 a.m. ET Friday, according to Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, who has surveyed Apple store lines every year since the original iPhone launched in 2007. That is the longest the line ever at the flagship store for an iPhone launch — beating the line for the iPhone 4 — and it marks an 83% increase from the number of people who waited in line there for the iPhone 5.

CBS even had their helicopter hovering overhead.

One Million Moms Vs Motorola