- French rock star Johnny Hallyday’s latest single, “La Loi du Silence,” is being made exclusively available on Orange mobile phones for one week, according to Orange. Hallyday has been called the French equivalent of Elvis Presley, though the French’s fascination with Jerry Lewis should be taken into consideration with that comment.
- Diamond-encrusted cellular phones apparently are in high demand. Nokia Corp.’s luxury phone unit Vertu said it is struggling to keep up with demand for its high-priced phones. The company’s marketing director recently told Reuters sales have more than doubled this year and that it expects to see a further boost in sales when it releases a new phone model next month.
- Some airplanes may soon get overhead `no cell phone’ signs designed to allow crew members to control cell-phone use during flight. The concept coincides with the expected launch of technology next year from OnAir that will allow cellular phones to be used during flight. Airlines have expressed concern about the potential for cellular phone conversations to become annoying to other passengers and may look for ways to police cell phone use on airplanes. In addition to using signs to warn passengers not to use their cell phones during certain times, crew members also will be able to remotely switch off phones or disable their voice function during designated quiet times, said the company.