Your phone bill can be a credit card -- but with some risks

Editor's note: Amy Gahran writes about mobile tech for CNN.com. She is a San Francisco Bay Area writer and media consultant whose blog, Contentious.com, explores how people communicate in the online age.

(CNN) -- Could your phone bill act like your credit card -- and should it?
Wireless carriers have begun offering that very option, expanding beyond already existing donations-via-text-message programs. But the consumer advocacy group Consumers Union is voicing serious concerns about the practice.
This month T-Mobile is rolling out its plan to let its customers buy digital content and services (such as games, magazines and more) through their mobile Web browser and charging them on their phone bill.
T-Mobile has offered this service, called direct carrier billing, since 2009 for apps purchased through Google's Android Market. But by expanding it to browser-based purchases, it's now becoming available to T-Mobile users on any type of Web-enabled mobile device -- potentially even feature phones.

Click to keep reading: http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/08/10/direct.carrier.billing.gahran/index.html?hpt=te_bn4

Track your every calorie and footstep

With a bit of hardware, your iPhone can become your personal sleep coach.
Users wear Lark's lightweight wristband throughout the night. It gathers intel on how long it takes you to fall asleep, how many times you wake up, and other details about how soundly you're sleeping. The data is sent to Lark's iPhone app for your perusal. The wristband also serves as a silent alarm clock.
To develop the technology behind the service, Lark founder Julia Hu worked with a Harvard sleep expert and a professional sleep coach who helps NBA and Olympic athletes optimize their rest. The wristband and sleep tracker sells for $130. An extra $60 gets you the Lark Pro package, which includes a "Sleep Coach" app.

Click to keep reading:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/technology/1108/gallery.body_hacking/?iid=HP_River

Congress gathering debt-crisis feedback via Facebook

As members of Congress navigate the shifting political sands of the debt-ceiling crisis, many of them are turning to a digital platform more associated with sharing personal updates and funny videos about cats: Facebook.
In recent days, lawmakers have swarmed the popular social network to post videos outlining their positions, conduct opinion polls, reach new constituents and ask for feedback.
"Over the past week, our team has seen a marked increase in the number of members of Congress speaking directly to constituents through their official Facebook pages," said Andrew Noyes, manager of public policy communications for Facebook.
The number of posts including video or radio snippets also has increased over the past week as lawmakers seek to engage their followers in new ways, Noyes added. As more members speak in front of C-SPAN's cameras, he said, "we fully expect to see the pace of these postings pick up."

Click to continue reading: http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/07/29/congress.debt.facebook/index.html?hpt=te_bn6