cramming

A beginner's guide to telecom jargon

The mobile world moves at a breakneck pace, and it's difficult to keep up--even without the technical jargon most industry insiders throw around. And they do love to toss those terms about.

Whether it's the difference between CDMA and GSM, the importance of backhaul to the speed of your connection, or what metering means, it's easy to have information blow over your head when reading about this field.

So for some light Saturday reading, we thought it would be nice to explain what exactly telecom experts are talking about when they use these terms they assume everyone … Read more

FCC cracks down on unauthorized phone charges

The Federal Communications Commission approved a proposal today to give consumers the ability to better identify and complain about unauthorized charges on their phone bill.

The actions are part of the FCC's move to crack down on an illegal practice called "cramming," in which third parties will sneak in charges on phone bills for services that consumers haven't asked for and often don't know about.

"It's a serious and continuing problem for wireline customers, and an emerging problem for wireless customers as well," Chairman Julius Genachowski said on Tuesday during an FCC … Read more

FCC to fight 'mystery fees' on phone bills

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission announced plans today to battle the appearance of "mystery fees" on consumers' phone bills, a practice known as "cramming."

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement he would soon send his fellow commissioners proposed rules that are "focused on harnessing technology and transparency to empower consumers with the information they need to make smart decisions and to make the market work."

The addition of unauthorized fees--typically $1.99 to $19.99 a month--to consumers' bills affects 15 million to 20 million U.S. households a year, … Read more

Premium text messages prompt complaints, lawsuits

People are finding charges on their mobile phone bills that they say weren't authorized, including mystery text services that appear out of nowhere and charge for content that people believed was free.

I was the victim of a scam recently in which $9.99 was charged to my cellular account for so-called "inspiration" text messages for which I definitely did not sign up. The phone, a BlackBerry on Sprint, is a second phone kept around for emergencies only and had not been used for about a month before the text messages were noticed.

I halted the service … Read more

First Look video: Cram for iPhone and iPod touch

The iPhone and iPod touch offer plenty of distractions for students just killing time between classes or on a commute. But there are infinitely more games to lure you than there are study materials to help you pass that test.

Cram ($10) is one application that may be worth the investment for students looking to create endless study guides for themselves and friends.

See how it works in the First Look video above. If you like it (or even if you don't), tell us why in the comments. Even better, rate the app here.

Cram for tests on your iPhone

Add "study guide" to the long list of tricks you can do with your iPhone. Cram ($9.99) is a solid application that lets you create and import tests on any topic. You'll be able to take scored multiple choice quizzes or go into study mode, in which Cram provides you with a series of digital flash cards. Cram will flash the question and you decide with a click when the answer appears.

Cram is fairly simple to use, but there is a correct order for getting started. For instance, you had best register for Cram online … Read more