Internet Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Going Online

FROM EMAIL TO CELL PHONE

The Annoyance:

I want to send a text message to my daughter using my email program. I know that the email address is her phone number, followed by a certain domain, but I can't remember the domain name. We're living in the age of communicationsthere's got to be some way to do this!

The Fix:

Traditionally (namely, until a few months ago), to send someone a text message, you had to know her cell phone carrier's domainand they're seldom obvious. To send email to a Cingular user, for example, the domain is mobile.mycingular.net. But technology soldiers on. Thanks to Teleflip, now all you need to send a message to someone's cell phone is that person's cell phone number. Just send an email to cellphonenumber @teleflip.com, where cellphonenumber is the person's cell phone number. The service is free, although the recipient will probably have to pay to receive the message. For more details, go to http://www.teleflip.com.

GARBLED WEB SITES

The Annoyance:

What's so great about browsing the Web with a cell phone? Almost every site I visit is completely garbled!

The Fix:

Your phone's included browser can only display sites that are built using WML (Wireless Markup Language) and that conform to the WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) standard. If you browse non-WML sites (which, alas, is most of them) with your cell phone browser, you can't view them properly.

To find WML sites, check out these directories: Yahoo! (http://mobile.yahoo.com), Google (http://www.google.com/intl/en_extra/wap.html on your PC or http://wap.google.com on your cell phone browser), and Waptiger (http://www.waptiger.com). For still more, check out the SearchEngineWatch article on WAP and WML search engines at http://searchenginewatch.com/links/article.php/2156391.

BECOME A WIRELESS FROOGLE SHOPPER

The Annoyance:

I'm shopping at the local mall and I see a new gadget that I absolutely must have, but the voices of my ancestors whisper in my ear, "I can get it for you wholesale!" But if I can't get it cheaper, I'd like to buy it now. Why can't I do some quick comparison-shopping using my cell phone?

The Fix:

You can, if you have a WML-capable cell phone. (Virtually any phone that has a web browser is WML-capable.) Go to http://wml.froogle.com on your phone and search the Internet for the lowest prices on the product. You'll be able to use your cell phone's keypad to browse through the results, as shown in Figure 3-7.

For more information about how to use Froogle, see Chapter 10.

BEWARE BLUETOOTH SNARFING ATTACKS

The Annoyance:

Nokia has revealed that some of its Bluetooth cell phones may be vulnerable to hackers, who can get at your address book and calendar information, as well as photos, videos, and audio files stored on the phone. Which phones are vulnerable, and how can I prevent an attack?

The Fix:

You're referring to snarfing, or bluesnarfing. (The term comes from the '60s slang word "snarf," which means "to eat like a pig." Unix users later redefined the word as "to take a large file or document from someone without their permission.") The only Nokia phones vulnerable to the attack, says the company, are older phones models 6310, 6310i, 8910, and 8910i. Of those, the only one sold in the U.S. was the 6310i.

There are several ways Bluetooth phones can be attacked. In one, the victim must accept "pairing" from another Bluetooth phone, which allows for two-way communications between the two phones. So practice safe phone sex and never accept pairing from a stranger. (Or candy, for that matter.) In another kind of attack, you don't even know you've been victimizedyou can be attacked even if your phone is in nonvisible mode, and you assume no one has made a connection to you. Be alert to your digital surroundings. If you're in an area where there is likely to be a large gathering of people with Bluetooth-enabled cell phonesat a trade show, for exampleturn off your phone's Bluetooth features and you'll be safe.