Etc.

Maybe John McCain should take up singing
More than 78 million text messages were sent to vote for the winner of this year’s American Idol show, shattering the previous record of 64.5 million, according to AT&T. The carrier has been providing text-message voting since season two of the popular Fox singing talent show. American Idol and AT&T added new text-messaging components to the show this year, as contestants received song assignments via text message while shooting hometown segments for the show (on their Apple iPhones, of course). AT&T said the American Idol phenomenon is adding to text messaging usage among consumers. In a recent poll, the carrier found more than half of respondents said they send more text messages during the American Idol season than at other times during the year and nearly half discuss the show with others via text messaging. Twenty-two percent of respondents said they first learned how to send a text message to cast a vote for an American Idol contestant.
————————————-
Allergic to Wi-Fi?
Forget about ubiquitous wireless coverage. A group in Santa Fe, N.M., wants wireless out. The group claims they are allergic to wireless Internet signals and say they want Wi-Fi banned from public buildings. The electro-sensitive citizens say public Wi-Fi deployments are a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. City officials are looking into the complaint, but City Councilor Ron Trujillo notes the area is already saturated with wireless signals. “It’s not 1962, it’s 2008,” Trujillo told local news station KOB-TV. “Santa Fe needs to embrace this technology. It’s not going away.”
————————————-
Sonic’s got game
Sega Mobile’s Sonic the Hedgehog has surpassed 8 million downloads worldwide on the mobile platform. More than 3 million of those downloads occurred on the Verizon Wireless platform. Sega said the game sells more than 100,000 units per month even though it was launched two years ago.