Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS)/Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

[JASII]

I am trying to come up to speed a little bit more on the Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS)/Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) for cellular phones. I checked earlier this year and found out that my Garminfone on T-Mobile is not currently Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) compatible. As a result, I signed up for both Amber Alerts and the iNWS Android application. My questions are:

-Is T-Mobile, or other carriers for that matter, working on adding CMAS compatability to existing devices or are they likely to just focus on having that on new devices?

-As a practical matter, even though I don't have CMAS on my phone, what am I going to miss out on by just having Amber Alerts and iNWS? If I understand these correctly, if I am in my "home" area I should get Amber Alerts and iNWS alerts, is the big difference with CMAS phones is that the alerts will be received for whatever area you are located in?

 

[rdale]

#1) Dunno

#2) If you turn off weather, you'll also be turning off any messages your local EM might send someday (hazmat, shelter, road closure, etc.)

 

[SCPD]

i know that att update software added cmas to my galaxy sII, and yes the cmas is for the county warning area you are in from my understanding.

 

[bravo14]

On my Net10 has the CMAS it went off the other day 2 times thought my phone was dying found out it was the alert saying some warnings in the area. Atleast I don't have to download a app for the phone.

 

[cinsu]

So far CMAS isn't available just by downloading an app and the messages are handled the same way as phone calls and SMS but in a different format. I think I attached a screenshot of one I received the other day.

 

[szron]

I got an AMBER Alert once.

I shows up as an notification. No way to pull up previous ones though :/

Edit: Turns out there's a way to pull up previous ones
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/22/8y7areqy.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/22/u4ahamyb.jpg