Spike Lee's next big project: movie by cell phones

Lee wants to create a full-fledged movie using scenes shot entirely with mobile phone footage. People from across the world will be able to shoot video and submit it for inclusion in the final product.
"You are seeing first hand the democratization of film. Aspiring filmmakers no longer have to go to film school to make great work. With a simple mobile phone, almost anyone can now become a filmmaker," said Lee in a statement.
Although he has produced and directed a number of successful mainstream movies, Lee has also created some off-the-beaten path and sometimes controversial films including the 2006 Katrina documentary "How the Levees Broke."
The movie, produced by Nokia Creations, a company created alongside Spike Lee's partnership, will reportedly consits of three acts. Information about each act will be posted online, and users will be able to film their interpretation of the posting. Selected entries will then be used in the movie.
The only catch is everything must be recorded with a cell phone camera (but that doesn't mean you can't still film your scene in HD). Users can also enter text, photos and music submissions for inclusion in the movie.
"Help us push the boundaries of creativity and co-create a film using your mobile phone," said Lee in a video on the newly created Nokia Productions website.
Submissions for act one are open to the public now, with the description, "Humanity is our central theme. Think about its meaning and how music tells our story."

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hotel,motel,holiday inn; Cell phone keys?

STOCKHOLM – Visitors to a Stockholm hotel will be able to use mobile phones instead of keys to unlock the doors to their rooms.
Assa Abloy AB, the world's largest maker of door locks, has launched a pilot in which Clarion Hotel Stockholm will lend customers mobile phones with close-range radio chips, much like devices used for contact-less payments at gas stations.
Repeat visitors during a four-month trial will be able to check in through their phones before arrival and have their phones activated as "keys." They will then be able to skip the registration desk and unlock the door by holding the phone next to it.
The short-range radio technology, known as Near Field Communication, is expected to be built into smart phones in the coming years. It is also envisioned for ticketing and card payments. Assa Abloy says it wanted to test the system before expanding it to other hotels, commercial buildings and homes.
Greger Johansson, a telecommunications analyst at research firm Redeye, said NFC is a hot technology in the mobile phone market. But he said few models have incorporated it so far and it will take "several years" before it becomes widely used.
"It's not just a matter of incorporating the technology into the phones," he said. "You need someone who can read it too. There are quite a few players involved so it will take a while until it works well."
The head of Assa Abloy's mobile keys division, Daniel Berg, acknowledged that participants in the trial may find it cumbersome to have an extra mobile phone.
But once people have the technology in their own phones, he said, it will save them time at check-in and improve security because the access credentials in a lost phone can be revoked remotely.
He said the phone technology works with existing radio-enabled locks, so hotels can continue giving key cards to visitors who don't have the new technology in their phones.

Full article : http://WWW.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101102/ap_on_hi_te/eu_tec_techbit_mobile_phone_keys

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