NewsFactor – As more states consider controls on cell-phone use in vehicles and Congress mulls a nationwide texting-while-driving ban, a study released Friday suggests the bans have not reduced the number of accidents. The Highway Loss Data Institute compared insurance claims in four states that have bans with areas where drivers can talk freely and found no significant difference.

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Cell-Phone Bans Haven’t Reduced Crashes, Study Says
(NewsFactor)

Yeah, you can snag a TV larger than this, but good luck finding a 150-inch set with an OLED panel. In a presumed effort to quietly exert superiority over those “other guys,” Mitsubishi is purportedly planning to unveil a 149-inch OLED TV at ISE 2010, which kicks off in earnest next week — though, we have to say, we sure hope it’s not one of those modular units that we saw at CEATEC. Unfortunately, the native resolution of just 1,088 x 640 is downright boring, but we’re forcing ourselves to focus on the positives here. Essentially, something like this wouldn’t have much use outside the world of digital signage, but man, talk about making an impact on to-be customers. So, Mitsu — when’s the 1080p 4K version coming out?

Update: Ugh — looks as if this will be based around the modular technology we spotted at CEATEC. So much for our hopes and dreams.

Mitsubishi to introduce preposterously large 149-inch OLED TV at ISE 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reuters – A redesigned IBM exhibit called “Smarter Planet” opened on Friday at Walt Disney World near Orlando, bolstering IBM’s 14-month-old campaign to rebrand itself as a company that provides global software solutions as well as its traditional hardware and technical services.

Read more here:
Redesigned IBM exhibit opens at Disney World
(Reuters)

By all appearances, Google’s trying to break Android free of the surly bonds of the manufacturers and carriers that support it, opening its own online store and selling unlocked Nexus Ones to anyone willing to pony up the $529. Problem is, the Nexus One as we know it today is only available in a configuration that supports North American 3G on AWS spectrum, meaning you’ve got to go with the States’ fourth-largest carrier if you want to blaze — you’ve got no other option. That’s not very “open,” is it, Google?

That brings us to an FCC finding today. Take a look at the two labels above; the one on the right comes from the current Nexus One. The label on the left, meanwhile, is physically identical and comes from a new filing for a device with FCC ID NM899110. The old Nexus One has ID NM899100, so this new device is just a single digit off — likely a variant of the existing model. If you look into the RF reports a bit, you’ll immediately notice that the new handset supports 3G on WCDMA Bands I, II, and V, meaning that it’ll work on AT&T (and Rogers, Bell, and Telus for the Canadians in the room) along with most of Europe. Same label style, nearly identical model ID, different bands — we think we know what’s going on here. Google, your move.

[Thanks, wonderbread]

Nexus One for AT&T’s 3G bands likely in the works originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NewsFactor – The iPad won’t make its market debut until March, but Apple CEO Steve Jobs is already jockeying for e-reader leadership. Jobs told The Wall Street Journal that publishers are withholding their e-books from Amazon.com — because they aren’t happy with the digital book-selling giant.

Steve Jobs Says Publishers Not Happy with Amazon
(NewsFactor)