cellphones

Looking for a parking space is about to get much easier, at least for San Franciscans. Later this year they will be able to use cell phones to access a live online map of where spaces are free in the city, thanks to a huge network of sensors.The devices include a magnetometer that picks up the change in the magnetic field caused by a parked cars. False positives are possible, so there's also an array of other sensors within each device to monitor parking spaces. There are no details yet on exactly what those sensors are.The network is impressively easy to set up.

UPDATED Thursday 1500: The BBC now says it has issued a fix for the iPlayer hack mentioned below, but the post still stands as a cautionary tale...

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Such is the desperation of the BBC to grab a pinch of Apple fairy dust that the corporation has hurriedly released a version of its TV-streaming iPlayer that gives away its programmes without copy protection.

Should Blackberries and other potentially addictive devices come with a health warning? It's an idea floated by UK researchers studying technology addiction.

Social networking online is grabbing all of the headlines. But huge numbers of people have been using cellphones to socialise electronically for much longer. Surely the mobile platform is a better one for social networking.

Computer scientist Vassilis Kostakos certainly thinks so. He recently told me about some FaceBook plugins he is developing that can connect people you meet in real life with their online profiles. It uses software installed on your phone to look for nearby devices using Bluetooth.