Welcome to another edition of the Prompt newsletter.

Fed up with cold callers bothering you at home? You're not the only one apparently, and a new device has been invented to protect users from unsolicited calls. Also this week, we examine the problem of 'friendship addiction', take a look at the new MINI and stand in awe of Britney Spears' social media offensive.

Plus: with the first Google Android phone finally hitting shelves, we take a close look at what Android offers users and developers.

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Hazel Butters
CEO
Prompt Communications

Introducing your virtual personal assistant...

By Kathryn Cave

We've all been targeted by cold callers at one time or another, but what can we do to stop the problem? Go ex-directory - it doesn't make any difference. Hang up when they call, adopt a comedy accent, pretend to be somebody else - it doesn't stop the phone ringing. Now the solution has arrived in the form of your own virtual personal assistant.

This week, the BBC reported the launch of TrueCall. This device acts as a buffer between the phone and the outside world, by learning to distinguish between welcome and unwelcome callers.

Invented by two British ex-telemarketers, Steve Smith and John Price, the idea arose from the fact that, in order for most cash draining scams to work, cold callers need to connect with someone on the telephone. "TrueCall is designed to give people control of their landlines," said Mr Price. "You can bolt the door and close the curtains but your landline is the weak link in your privacy."

The TrueCall system intercepts all calls. If it recognises them as a 'real' caller, numbers on the so-called star list created by the user, it lets them through as normal.

However, if the caller's number is on a zap list, i.e. telemarketers and other nuisance callers, the device answers all calls from that number with an automated message. The phone will not ring at all.

If the system doesn't recognise the caller's number, or the caller withholds their number, it asks them who they are, puts them on hold and then rings the user's phone. There's no denying it's an interesting idea. And it's the closest most of us will ever get to having a personal assistant in our own home.

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Facebook causes 'friendship addiction'

By Rebecca Cheers

A leading psychologist, who has been studying Facebook, has expressed concerns about a worrying trend. The social networking site is being blamed for 'friendship addiction' and is apparently causing insecurity in those who use it, especially women.

David Smallwood, an addictions expert from the Priory clinic, claims that people who use Facebook become obsessed with acquiring new friends in order to appear more successful and popular. He says that women are more likely to become a 'friendship addict' as they get their self worth from relationships.

Findings last year from Ofcom revealed that, for the first time, females between 25 and 49 years of age were spending more time on the internet than men. This new trend is thought to be due to social networking sites such as Facebook, which has 60 million users and two million joining weekly.

David Smallwood claims that at least 10% of the population were are vulnerable to 'friendship addiction' and that Facebook is unsuitable for people recovering from drug, alcohol or shopping dependencies.

Smallwood said, "The problem with Facebook is it's all about acquisition and this is an addictive process. I see patients who are on Facebook and my response is 'Get yourself off it'."

Not everybody agrees with the claims. Other research has concluded that sites such as Facebook help prevent social isolation.

I don't know about you, but my 221 'close friends' and I don't see what all the fuss is about.

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Google Android is launched, with code published

By James Gerber

The first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1, finally hit shelves this week. In doing so, it fulfilled its promises to the open source community by making its code available for all to download. Developers can find everything, from the Linux kernel, application platform, system library, graphics, browser and more.

Along with the code being available, Android Market is open as well. Similar to Apple's App Store for the iPhone, it will be where people go to download all of the interesting applications that are being developed. On Monday, non-Google developers will be able to upload their applications. Best of all? It's free for now, and will be until next year when paid applications will be allowed on. This will give the developers of those applications time to perfect them, and also give a good amount of exposure for free alternatives.

Unlike Apple, which has a stranglehold over the applications on its iPhone, Google has made its platform free and open. It is looking to attract a large community of developers - it already has, but substantial interest there is still a lot of room for growth.

The G1 apparently comes very close to the iPhone in terms of functionality, even having a few additional features like a full keyboard that flips up from under the screen, a compass and better email. In the long run, Android will allow more functionality to be held in the palm of your hand than any system before. But no matter how amazing it is, you still couldn't pay me to switch to T-Mobile.

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MINI gets 'charged'

By Laurie Santalucia

One of the world's coolest, most recognizable cars just got cooler. BMW-owned MINI recently unveiled the latest addition to its brand: the MINI E. Sporting a greener mentality, the MINI E is the first of the BMW family to go all electric.

The car is branded with yellow power plug symbols, the largest on the roof. MINI has announced its plans to release its first fleet of 500 in the United States, following its 19 November world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Differing from its older brother, the MINI Cooper, the MINI E weighs in at 1,465 kilograms (3.230lbs), and ditches the rear seats to accommodate the battery and lend itself to even weight distribution. The new MINI has a 150mile range engine powered by a rechargeable 35kWh lithium-ion battery and boasts a transmission that can propel its driver from 0-65mph (100kph) in a cool 8.5 seconds.

A result of BMW's greener initiatives, the MINI E is the first product to emerge as a result of the auto group's Number ONE strategy - to "continue the development of innovative concepts of mobility in urban areas."

The first MINI E's are slated to hit the roads of the Greater Los Angeles area and the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan areas. Applications to be a test driver in either of those areas will be accepted in November this year.

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Click me baby one more time

By Ellie Turner

Britney Spears' comeback trail is being cemented with a technology-shaped trowel.

Having cleaned up her act in the last few months, the push for Britney to be crowned Queen of Pop once again is back on. A social networking site, blogs and a YouTube channel have all been created for an online marketing drive.

The words 'Britney' and 'Spears' have consistently been the most searched words in search engines across the world, even beating her 'online celebrity rival' Paris Hilton.

Most pop stars have had MySpace or Facebook pages for a number of years now, but the Britney Spears brand has upped its game, employing a full-time team to run a blog-style website and a social networking site called 'Circus VIP' (her new album is also called Circus). Users will not lack things to do, with 58 applications (and counting) available to you once you have handed over your email address and created a password. The blog posts on the site have already proved to be hugely popular, proving that Ms Spears still has star quality and people still have an interest in her.

Circus VIP also has groups and discussion forums, though Britney herself doesn't seem to have much of a presence on the boards. Lauren K, who posts for Britney Spears, says: "Of course Britney isn't running the site. I was hired by her team to help with her online presence. You can see that I've been transparent about my role as a community manager on the site."

We've witnessed music artists becomeing increasingly savvy in the last couple of years, using the web to interact with fans - from social networking to asking fans to remix tracks and upload them onto the sites. Britney is utilising the fact that she has fans of all ages, and it seems that she is finally growing up, in more ways than one.