Cell phone data puts suspect near scene of 2016 stabbings

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James “David” Footman, 45, of Greensboro is accused of killing Cathy Littles and severely injuring Vickie Poole on July 4, 2016, at the Summit Station Apartments on Orange Street. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Defense attorney Alec Carpenter told jurors during opening statements earlier this week that Footman originally told police he was in Winston-Salem at the time of the attack. But Footman now admits he was in Greensboro that day, as evidence from the prosecution will show, Carpenter said.

Testimony in the trial Friday revolved around data showing the location of Footman’s cellphone on the day of the stabbings.

Read More from Greensboro News & Record Here

A hurricane wipes out cell phone service. Here comes the 200-pound drone.

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Cell service get clobbered by a hurricane? Fly in a drone.

The rash of devastating storms that knocked out power and phone service to millions in the U.S. last year laid bare how vulnerable those technological lifelines are to extreme weather. Some companies are trying to use one of this decade’s coolest developments — remote-controlled drones — as a temporary fix.

At a small municipal airport not far from the beaches of southern New Jersey last week, Verizon tested a 200-pound unmanned aircraft with a 17-foot wingspan, carrying a “femtocell,” or small flying cell site designed to provide service to an area that has lost coverage.

“Bridges may be out, roads out, things washed away. But flying this cell site might be the very fastest way to deliver very badly needed service to first responders on the ground,” says Christopher Desmond, a principal engineer for Verizon’s network.

The test is the latest in a series of exercises Verizon has been conducting with drones since 2016. Verizon’s intent is to supply a precise “cone of coverage” to the first responders who request communications help in the wake of a disaster, though anyone in that coverage area would also be able to get a signal.

Read More from wtsp.com Here

How to choose a cellular phone (from the newspaper archives – 1986)

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Choosing the cellular phone that is right for you or the person on your gift list boils down to answering two simple questions: 

• How do you plan to use the phone?

• How much money do you want to spend?

If you think you’ll only use the phone while driving, a mobile phone is your best bet. Mobile telephones have been on the market the longest, and most cellular service areas are first set up to operate at the three-watt power level that mobile phones use. When you buy a mobile phone from Cellular One, the company will install it in a convenient spot in your car and attach a special antenna in the back. You’ll get the greatest possible reach of signal, but you’ll have to give up portability.

Read More from PalmBeachPost.com Here

Should driver in crash that killed 2 Mounds View High girls be forced to unlock phone?

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More than a year since an Arden Hills collision killed two teens and severely injured another, investigators think the answer to its cause may be locked in a cellphone.

Since a Maple Grove woman’s SUV collided into the vehicle carrying three Mounds View High School students at an Arden Hills intersection, investigators are seeking access to her phone to determine if she was using it at the time of the crash.

The prosecution and defense in the case are stuck in a dispute over whether there are legal grounds to compel Rachel Kayl, 32, to unlock the device.

Kayl was charged last May in Ramsey County District Court with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide, two counts of second-degree manslaughter and one count of criminal vehicular operation. The State Patrol says her Chevrolet Trailblazer was traveling between 77 and 85 mph before striking the teens’ vehicle.

Read more from the Twin Cities Pioneer Press Here

What is 5G? The next wireless revolution explained

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As smartphones and other digital devices get smarter and more numerous — and as the applications they run generate ever more data — the wireless network that connects them must change to keep pace. That’s why telecommunications giants like Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint are racing to roll out the fifth generation of wireless network technology.

Although some have criticized 5G for its high projected cost, there’s wide agreement that the emerging technology will bring faster, more reliable connections for users. It could also provide the extra bandwidth needed to create what’s being called the “Internet of Things” — a network that links not just phones and computers but also robots, cars, and all manner of sensor-equipped consumer products and infrastructure. 5G could even usher in a new era of “smart cities” in which energy grids, traffic signals, and emergency services are linked to reduce inefficiencies.

Read More from NBCNews Here