TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

AT&T; to Reserve Numbers for New ‘500’ Service: The long-distance company said it will begin taking reservations Tuesday for its “phone number for life” program, a personal phone number that tracks down customers wherever they are. The numbers will be based on a new 500 area code reserved for customers who want one phone number for their homes, offices, cars and boats. Customers will be able to keep their 500 numbers no matter where they move and use them to receive calls on a variety of devices. AT&T; will begin giving out those numbers to consumers next week, though it still needs Federal Communications Commission approval to begin the service, scheduled to start in the fall.