Some people call it information overload. I, on the other hand, can't get enough of it. What are we talking about? The growing amount of data and information all around us. I want to be able to keep up with the news and keep track of important goings-on.

Of course, as long as I am near a TV or computer, I can rely on ABC-7 and 7online.com to keep me in the loop. But if I am out-and-about, then I used to be out of luck. Now there's a way to reach information junkies likes me -- a brand-new service called LocalAlert. It uses the one "data screen" that's always with me, my cellphone.

Here's how it works. You sign up on LocalAlert.com and you get one year's worth of service for $14.95 (that's the annual, not monthly price). Then, whenever there's news that the company considers important, you get a short text message sent to your cellphone.

While some of it is national breaking news, what makes this service so useful is that it concentrates on local news. And I mean local. Water main breaks, traffic tie-ups, public transportation snafus, fires and such. Not very intellectual stuff, but news you can really use. Learn which part of town to stay out of, for example. They use police scanners and similar sources to find out what's happening in the city.

You get between two and five messages a day, depending on the day. There's a free two-week trial you can take -- if you don't like it, you don't pay. Right now it's only available in the New York City area, but they are planning to offer a similar service in other cities.

Many people in the U.S., of course, don't use their phones for text messaging (unlike Europe or Asia, where cellphone text messaging is a major communication source). Check with your carrier to turn your text messaging on. Most companies offer it for free, while some others charge a fee for text messages (this is in addition to the LocalAlert charge).

Resource:
LocalAlert.com: http://www.localalert.com

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