It is a widely known fact that the market for cell phones has expanded greatly in the past few years, and new technology has allowed handsets to be used for much more than just phones. A large portion of cell phone users now use their devices for more advanced functions such as video streaming, and web browsing.
Due to the fact that well over half of the US population are cell phone users, internet companies are attempting to capitalize on mobile web markets, by developing specialized software and services for cell phone users.
Several major search engines, including Google, MSN, and Yahoo are also trying to grab their share of the mobile intenet market. They are attempting to improve their mobile search services, by introducing features such as SMS search queries.
Although web browsing will almost certainly never be the same on cell phones as it is on computers (due to screen size limitations), internet companies are making definite attempts to make the whole experience more user friendly. How well they succeed may well be the deciding factor in just how popular mobile browsing will become in the long term. Only if cellular browsing becomes increasingly usable and hassle free will it become a truly widespread and accepted way to access the internet.
(Originally published by TeleClick.ca)
Civil Forfeiture and the Standard of Proof
Unlike criminal proceedings, where an accused person must be presumed innocent until proven guilty and only punished once their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, civil forfeiture proceedings operate on the balance of probabilities, meaning that the state must merely demonstrate that an individual has probably done something illegal in order to obtain forfeiture of their property.
The Right to Counsel in Canada
Section 10(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms preserves the right of a detained individual to contact counsel immediately upon arrest or detention, and simultaneously imposes a duty upon police to immediately inform individuals that they have this right.
The Right to a Speedy Trial in Canada
Section 11(b) of the Charter protects Canadians’ right to a speedy trial, stating that “any person charged with an offence has the right… to be tried within a reasonable time.”
