Cellphones

Cellphone users know that when they sign a contract with a mobile phone company, they're locked into that network for the duration of the deal. What they may not know is that their phone is digitally locked to that network forever. And as of this week, they may no longer have the legal right to unlock it, even after the contract has expired. It's just the latest example of how companies have stretched copyright law to deter competition and innovation, not protect the creators of copyrighted works.

For the past 21/2 years, Bill Miller of Malibu Kitchen has had a hard-and-fast rule at his upscale deli: If you're on your cellphone when you reach the head of the line, he won't serve you. In fact, he's posted a prominent sign at the counter: "You decide which is more important. Ordering food or talking on the cellphone. You won't be waited on until the phone is off and put away. " That, he says, has earned him a reputation as the "Deli Nazi. " Eva, a 42-seat eatery on Beverly Boulevard, made headlines last summer when it decided on a softer approach to curbing cellular use - offering its customers a 5% discount off their meal for turning in their phones at the door.

WASHINGTON - Bugged by motorists jabbering away on the phone while driving? Perhaps you should look into the car mirror. Though most drivers say cellphone-using motorists pose a danger, more than two-thirds admit to having talked on a hand-held or hands-free phone from behind the wheel at least once within the previous month,  according to a survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Nearly a third said they had done so regularly. The survey shows a “do as I say, not as I do" attitude that underscores the need to better educate motorists on the risks of distracted driving, “especially given that most Americans believe this problem is becoming worse," the foundation said.

AT&T said it has agreed to purchase licenses to high-speed cellular spectrum in 18 states, including California, from Verizon Wireless for $1.9 billion. The spectrum, in the 700 MHz B band, covers 42 million people, and would allow AT&T to expand 4G LTE services "to meet demand for mobile Internet services on a wide array of smartphones, tablets and other devices," the company said. Big carriers have been switching to 4G LTE technology to provide higher-speed data connections for mobile devices.  10 tech companies to watch in 2013 As part of the deal, AT&T said it will also give Verizon licenses to 10 MHz Advanced Wireless Services spectrum in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Fresno and Portland.

If you ever wanted to get completely away from talking on your cellphone, the place to go was North Korea. "It was like there was an invisible wall surrounding the country," said Gareth Johnson, managing director of Young Pioneer Tours, which has been taking tour groups to North Korea since 2008. "You crossed the border into North Korea and your cellphone just died -- you got absolutely no signal," said Johnson, speaking from the tour company's office in Xian, China. But the fanatically strict North Korean policy against cellphone use by outsiders has begun to crack.

A pregnant woman who was pulled over for talking on her cellphone - and then hurled to the ground and hogtied by CHP officers on the shoulder of the busy Harbor Freeway - has been paid $250,000 in damages. The 30-year-old woman was charged with resisting arrest and driving with a suspended license, but the charges were dropped after a judge was shown a video of the incident, captured on a camera mounted on the dashboard of a California Highway Patrol cruiser. "The conduct here is outrageous.

SAN LUIS OBISPO - Jake Devincenzi was thrilled to get his hands on Google's new Nexus 4 smartphone. He admired its sleek black case and large touch screen - and he couldn't wait to tear it apart. In a small room cluttered with discarded computer parts, Devincenzi picked up a blue plastic stylus and eased the tool into a seam on the side of the phone as three co-workers watched. Minutes later, a pop. The tear-down had begun. "We're in," he said, and grinned. Each time Devincenzi plucked a part from the Nexus 4, he took a high-resolution photo and posted it online.

For the first time in 14 years, Nokia will not be the No. 1 cellphone brand in the world. Samsung is set to claim the top spot in the mobile handset market, accounting for 29% of worldwide cellphone shipments this year, according to market research firm IHS. That's up from 24% last year. Nokia, meanwhile, will see its market share this year drop to 24% from 30% in 2011. This year will mark the first time Samsung will occupy the top position on a yearly basis. The South Korean's rise was helped by strong sales of its smartphones, IHS said.

If a pilot says the plane will crash if I use my Kindle during takeoff or landing, I'll turn the thing off but quick. But is there really a danger? Maybe not. The head of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, says the Federal Aviation Administration should allow for greater use of electronic gadgets during flights. The FAA plans to have a working group look at the issue, although it won't include cellphones in the mix. "This review comes at a time of tremendous innovation, as mobile devices are increasingly interwoven in our daily lives," Genachowski wrote in a letter to Michael Huerta, the FAA's acting administrator.