TechBytes: OnStar on Google Phones
In TechBytes, phones take credit, YouTube's unlisted videos, cells in homes.
May 13, 2010— -- General Motors and Google have apparently talked about linking phones and cars. GM wants to tie its OnStar driver information service into phones running Google's Android operating system, according to the Wall Street Journal. The deal would likely involve a way for people to use OnStar features when they're not in the car. For example, someone with an electric car could keep track of the battery's charge.
Some new technology allows anyone to turn a cell phone into a credit-card reader. It's called Square, which launched this week. It's a tiny plastic device that plugs into the headphone jack on smartphones, iPads and iPod touches, and allows you to take a payment by credit card. The New York Times' Nick Bilton said it's easy to use.
"What's interesting about Square is it allows anyone to take a credit card so they can become their own merchant," he said. "For example, a friend of mine this weekend actually used a Square during a garage sale. So you could imagine selling a bike on Craigslist or even settling a bill with a friend using a credit card."
The Square gadget is free and available at Squareup.com.
YouTube has a new privacy setting for people who want to share videos with family and friends, but not the rest of the world. The "unlisted " option ensures that your video won't show up in YouTube's search results, public pages or on user profiles. Instead, you'll get a link to the video when you upload it, and only people who have that link will be able to watch the video.
A new report found that one in four households has a cell phone but no traditional landline. The trend is led by young people and people with lower incomes looking to save money. Perhaps more interesting, 15 percent of households have a traditional phone but no cell. That's about half the rate from four years ago.
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