Most everyone has a smart phone these days, and plenty of people aren't discrete about using them out in the open. But for D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier, every smart phone user is a potential victim, and today she joined Mayor Vince Gray in warning of a citywide uptick in robberies and thefts of phones and other electronic gadgets. more ›

Join the parking revolution, people -- everyone is paying by phone these days. more ›

It's about as predictable as death, taxes and traffic jams -- an emergency hits the District, and within minutes phone networks are so clogged with calls, text messages and data usage that they collapse altogether. more ›

Tired of bugging honorary D.C. Representative Louie Gohmert about how Washington is treated as the federal punching bag? Then this Facebook app -- which, after reminding D.C. residents about their lack of voting rights, connects them to the office of a random one -- might be for you. more ›

Have you ever wondered how Second Life avatars who "don't have one of those fancy phones that have all those apps and things" find out when the next Metro train is coming? By using WMATA's new real time arrival information-by-phone service, duh. Metro rolled out the new service today: you call 202-637-7000, say "next train," then follow the prompts to hear train arrivals at any given station within the next 20 minutes. (At stations with more than one line, callers have to choose one color.) The service is designed to complement WMATA's online and mobile arrival time tools. more ›

As we reported in August, the District is moving closer to ending Comcast's virtual monopoly over cable television service in the city. Today the D.C. Office of Cable Television announced that a franchise agreement negotiated with Verizon for its fiber-optic service has been submitted to the D.C. Council for review. more ›

Don't go storming in to Comcast's service center in Northeast to return your DVRs and modems just yet, but you may be able to free yourself from the cable provider's ubiquitous grip soon enough. more ›

Nice work by the Post's David Nakamura over at D.C. Wire -- he figured out that you can still call an old extension at the Office of Tax and Revenue and hear an outgoing message that begins, "You've reached the office of Harriette Walters." Apparently officials decided to keep the line active with Walters's voice message to see if anyone would leave a message for her that would aid investigators. We just gave it a call ourselves -- 202.442.6762 -- and indeed, there is Walters, sounding officious as she leaves instructions on how to reach her. Give it a call yourself if you've ever been curious what her voice sounds like, but do it fast. Odds are good the city is going to shut it down now that random residents are calling it for kicks. more ›