Federal officials announced today that many smartphone users in Washington will receive alerts regarding “national or regional emergencies” — similar to those familiar Emergency Broadcast System television announcements — on their cell phones beginning by the end of the year. According to the New York Times, the service, which will also be installed in New York, will be available to those who have a special chip inside their phones and will pass along messages like “alerts issued by the president, information about public safety threats and Amber Alerts for missing children.”