Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness: Worth the $1,000 Price Tag?

Ok so what type of features would warrant you to drop $1,000 on a cell phone? Well if you purchased the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness then you must be all about being able to make a call, and basically just that. The Pureness doesn't have the hottest new gizmos and features that you would expect a new age phone to have like a camera, high resolution display, or even a premium feel and no 3G either. The UI on the Pureness is probably the simplest incarnation possible of Sony Ericsson's platform. The phone does have an FM radio though with attached headset and a basic music player and browser.

Right about now you may be wondering what, if anything, does the Pureness have that is cool or interesting? How about a transparent liquid crystal LCD screen? That's right, the Pureness is the world's first mobile phone to feature a screen like this. Sony's goal behind this phone is to strip it of all "unnecessary functions" and takes it back to the essential needs of talk, text and time. Oh, the phone also comes with 24 hour concierge service. Apparently the service will provide its members support for any and all lifestyle requests in cities all across the globe. Sony Ericsson also boasts that their service is the first truly localized global concierge service in the world.

"We are very proud to be launching such a beautifully designed phone with premium retail partners Sony VIP Shopping Service and Saks Fifth Avenue and we're looking forward to delivering many more exciting new phone concepts from our Xperia brand." according to head of PR for Sony Ericsson North America Stacy Doster. President of Saks Direct Denise Incandela goes on to say "We love to offer our customers beautiful, high-quality products and Sony Ericsson's Xperia Pureness phone embodies the sophisticated type of technology our fashion customer appreciates. We're excited to be the exclusive retailer launching the phone in the US." Aha! So the truth is out, this is a fancy rich person's phone!

Whether or not this is a "rich person's phone" or not is neither here nor there. If you have around $1,000 to drop on a cell phone and you actually prefer a more simplistic design then the Xperia Pureness is definitely the phone for you. I just don't see it being one of 2010's hot sellers. You can buy the Pureness now from Saks.com or the Sony VIP Shopping Service.

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LG eXpo

The new LG eXpo for AT&T is the newest handheld mobile device from LG and it is definitely one of the company's best. First of all the phone itself looks pretty good with a resemblance to to the Tilt2 and Touch Pro2. The phone has a semi-thick shell which feels solid as well as a metal battery cover which is definitely an improvement from the plastic-heavy and cheap Incite.

The eXpo has a full QWERTY keyboard that is better than most phone's keyboards but still not the very best out there. The boards keys are clicky and wide and the spacebar seems to have the perfect position. The numeric keypad is in the traditional square formation yet it is completely flat and reports of a "crushing plastic" sound being heard when certain keys are pressed is a little sketchy. But only review units have been tested so who knows about the final product.

One of the coolest features is the fingerprint scanner which doubles as an optical trackpad. While good, the trackpad isn't as good as the trackball or trackpad seen on the latest BlackBerry. On the top of the device is a power/lock button as well as a micro-USB slot hidden under a plastic flap. One innovative thing about the port is that is also doubles as the phones headphone jack although it does lack the 3.5mm standard connector.

The 3.2-inch screen looks really good but is slightly small. To operate some features you are probably going to need a stylus or a fingernail. The on-screen keyboard, however, is easily used and looks just as good if not better than HTC's. eXpo's on-screen keyboard also XT9 integrated and is just as good as the actual phone's keyboard.

The core of this device is home to the 1GHz Snapdragon Processor. While you would expect it to be amazing in the device, it doesn't blow you away. This isn't to say that the Snapdragon Processor is bad, it just isn't on the same page as the Windows Mobile 6.5 OS used by the eXpo. It seems that the device does not take advantage of the Snapdragon's capabilities. Web browsing on the device is good, but not good enough to make it stand out above the rest.

Compared to LG's latest device, the Incite, the eXpo is hands down a better device all around. The eXpo has practically every feature and more that a 2009-spec phone in the business market could want or need. Overall this is an excellent phone for the businessman out there that needs a solid mobile device.

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First Look at the Google Phone

Well it seems Google isn't going to be satisfied until it has something in every aspect of your life. Its most recent attempt to slowly take you over comes in the form of the Google Phone, otherwise known as the Nexus One. Information on the Nexus One is scarce and scattered already but we do have a few details on it as of now.

The Google phone will have an updated OS which features some new 3D elements added to the application tray. In addition to that there are also a ton of new homescreens. However, with the lock screen/mute seems to be exactly the same as that on the Android 2.0.1. A new grid icon has been added to the bottom of the screen. The grid icon, when pressed, pops up a webOS card-style preview of every single homescreen which brings up some very interesting possibilities.

The Google Phone has been confirmed as the Nexus One on the system info page and there even seems to be a new software update for the device. The Nexus One is running on T-Mobile, that much is clear. It will also use WiFi so there are some more answers to the slew of questions about this device. The Nexus One is loaded, to nobody's great surprise, with Google Navigation as well as the totally new Google Goggles.

The Nexus One was spotted trying to sneak through the FCC earlier today under the name "NEXUSONE" and model number PB99100 built by HTC. Thanks to this little bit of filing, we have some more details on the device. Thanks to the filing we can confirm that the Nexus One will have microSD expansion, 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. But that isn't even the best part. Looking at the radios the Nexus One will have quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE with UMTS/HSUPA. A little too technical for you? This just means that the Nexus One is a 3G device capable of not only 2Mbps up but also 7.2Mbps down.

Looking deeper at some more FCC posts about the Nexus One, we can see that from the bands listed (I, IV and VIII) that the Nexus One is definitely a T-Mobile device in the US with applicability on some European networks. AT&T looks more doubtful with each report especially considering the test lab incorrectly listed 815-880MHz frequencies as part of band VIII. According to the FCC reports, WCDMA Band IV was the only one tested in the Part 22H/24E/27 Report. This makes it possible that the device is going to be HSPA 900/1700/2100 plus quadband EDGE.

This new Nexus One could very well disrupt the niche we have created for devices like this if released under certain circumstances. If it is released unlocked like its rumored to be at a reasonable price as it is hoped and with the jaw dropping user experience as it was tweeted then it may very well do just that. Look for more on the Google Phone, or Nexus One, as it arrives.

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AT&T's New Pantech Impact

As of now, AT&T’s phone with the very best features could quite possibly be the Pantech Impact. It has an impressive array of specs including: a horizontal flip that features haptic-feedback-enhanced, invisible number keys, a hidden QWERTY keyboard, and an extra LCD display inside. This could be the phone that you have been looking for.

The Impact has a very strong, sturdy feel about it. It measures 4.2 x 2.0 x 0.7 inches and weighs 4.5 ounces. It is available in two different colors: metallic blue with a black faceplate and internal keyboard or a faded pink with a black faceplate and white keyboard. Overall, the Impact is very nicely put together with its high-quality plastic. The hidden LED keypad is a cool feature. It will appear when you hit the hold button on the side of the phone. It may be a little difficult to get used to, but you can easily catch on and the effect is awesome.

Once you open up the Impact, there is a bright 2.6-inch screen with 240 x 400 pixel resolution. On both sides of the screen, there are stereo speakers that produce fantastic sound quality. The QWERTY keyboard has large, flat, square keys that make texting a breeze. The voice quality of the phone is quite clear, but the low volume of the earpiece can make talking to people in windy conditions a little difficult. The speakerphone is moderately loud but sounds slightly tinny. With Bluetooth, everything is crystal clear and with the perfect amount of volume. Another quick fact to note is the fact that the Impact is a quad-band EDGE and dual-band HSDPA phone. This means that it can work overseas, although the 3G speed is restricted strictly to the U.S. and Canada.

Web browsers look incredibly sharp on the Impact and load quite quickly. Navigation is made easy by the five-way control pad. The browsing experience is very impressive for a midrange feature phone. You can connect to Yahoo, AOL, AIM, Gmail, and Windows Live through AT&T’s Mobile Email offer, but it will cost you an extra $5. Also featured on the Impact is the TeleNav-powered AT&T GPS Navigator that includes the ability to utilize voice-enabled, turn-by-turn directions. There are 80MB of internal storage on the Impact, but in case you need even more room, there is a bottom-mounted microSD card slot that will work with up to a 32GB card.

Other features on the Impact include a 2-megapixel auto-focus camera. Although it lacks an LED flash, it does have video recording capabilities. The photos that the phone took were sharp, but they lacked bright colors. The videos were a bit grainy, but otherwise quite smooth at 320 x 240 pixel resolution and 13 frames per second.

The Pantech Impact is a welcome arrival to AT&T’s line up of phones. With the multitude of features including: the invisible number keys, extra LCD display, quick and easy Web browsing, and plenty of internal storage, you can’t beat the $99 price tag of this feature phone.

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ZiiLABS Zii Trinity Smartphone Announced

ZiiLABS promised and ZiiLABS delivered with the announcement of their first smartphone development platform entitled the Zii Trinity. The Zii Trinity is based off of Zii:ABS StemCell ZMS-05 processor with added quadband GMS and triband WCDMA/HSDPA. ZiiLABS is a subsidiary of Creative and has brought a lot of punch to this new smartphone.


The Trinity comes packed with a ton of features that are sure to make it top on the list of smartphones. The Zii Trinity comes with 1080p full HD which is also supported together with accelerated OpenGL ES 3D graphics. The Trinity runs a 3.1-inch 800x480 OLED capacitive touchscreen with 3.5G support.

Along with all of this the Trinity also manages to add in WiFi b/g, a GOS system, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR and even a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus. Aside from the 5 megapixel camera there is also a VGA camera on the front of the device for video calls and a microSD card slot.

The Trinity includes a micro USB 2.0, mini HDMI and composite video output. A 1,130mAh battery pack is included with the Trinity and the device will run Creative's own Plaszma OS or even Google's Android platform. Users will be able to fully customize a Zii-optimized Android install or the Plaszma interface.

The one unfortunate factor in the Zii Trinity is that it will not be available to the general public through a mobile phone store. It will be available through a Zii Development Kit 3G Phone Edition. This kit includes schematics, Gerbers, mechanical drawings, Board Support Package, middleware and OS. There is no word on pricing as of yet but I will update you as information arises.

For now, this new smartphone looks to be pretty impressive and is packed with some amazing features. Definitely be on the lookout for this device in the near future.

Sony Ericsson's Saito Sales Suspended

The two biggest mobile phone retailers in the UK, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U, have suspended sales of Sony Ericsson's leading Saito phone after an unusually high number of customers returned their mobile devices to the stores with complaints of software glitches. One of the biggest problems consumers had was the fact that the device would power itself down when people tried to access certain applications. This specific issue deals with a software problem which doesn't allow it to be fixed with an over-the-air-patch. According to Sony Ericsson, a "fairly low" number of phones have been returned in comparison to the amount of phones sold.

Senior Marketing Manager of Sony Ericsson Richard Dorman expects the company to have all the problems fixed by Christmas. He went on to say that despite the number of returned devices, the company will not suspend their high-profile marketing campaign that features people using the device's 12 megapixel camera to take pictures on spacehoppers. This decision by the two independent retailers to cease sales of the phone is a serious blow to to Sony Ericsson, especially with the holiday season and Black Friday coming up.

"This is the last thing Sony Ericsson needs right now. It's a disaster." said CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood. Wood also made a point to say that the company, which is Japanese-Swedish based, has struggled with quality issues in the past and that software problems are becoming more common for mobile phone makers that are under immense pressure to produce complex handsets in an effort to remain competitive. However, the Saito isn't the only mobile to suffer from problems after launch. The original BlackBerry Storm and the Nokia N97 both suffered from some problems at launch as well.

These software glitches come as sad news for the company mainly because the Saito had been selling well due to a large customer attraction to the device's high quality camera. "Sales of the product have been very strong and we expect them to remain strong once the problem has been fixed." stated Dorman who went on to say that the phone will still be available from it's mobile phone partners Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile. Both Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U agreed to offer customers exchanging their faulty Saito a new phone. A speaker for Carphone Warehouse stated, "From time to time we experience issues with new handsets, and their software, which may result in a customer experience that is below our usually high standards." Both Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U say they will work closely with Sony Ericsson to do all they can to fix the problems and restock the handset as soon as possible.

Over the last year and a half, Sony Ericsson has struggled. They have since reported a 199 million EUR loss in the third quarter and its market share has dwindled to around 5%. In addition to this, 2,000 job cuts have been reported on top of 2,000 job losses from last year. With the launch of the X10 next year, Sony Ericsson hopes to return to profitability. The X10 will be Sony Ericsson's first handset based on Google's Android operating system.

Cell Phone Radiation Concerns

There are many people that have expressed their concern for cell phone radiation, and there has actually been quite a bit of debate over it. Honestly, the thought of my cell phone emitting some sort of radiation has never once crossed my mind until I was reading about why some people feel that their could be some danger with constant cell phone usage.

It is known fact that cell phones do emit a tiny amount of radiation with their cellular radios turned on. Even with hundreds of cell phone calls, the amount of radiation is well within the human limits of tolerance. The thing with radiation though is that it has a cumulative effect over time. There is a theoretical possibility that a small number of people who constantly use a cell phone over a long period of time are more at risk to develop certain kinds of neck and brain cancer, but as of now nothing has been proven.

There have been a few studies done this past year that have raised some questions and caused some concerns. A new analysis of 23 unconnected epidemiological studies were unable to find any indication of a connection between cell phones and tumor development. Unfortunately when those studies were looked at more closely, eight of the cases discovered that there was a 10 to 30 percent increased risk of tumors next to those who do not use cell phones, and the increased risk was directly proportionate to the amount of use.

The Environmental Working Group, who released an online guide to cell phone radiation in September, stated that they believed that with the current standard of cell phones there is an increased risk of a long term user (which they define as someone who has used a cell phone for over 10 years) developing a brain tumor from the radiation of the cell phone.

Most everyone believes that more research is needed before any kind of final statement is made about the consequences of the radiation. There have been numerous independent studies that have failed to link cancer to cell phone usage, but since no study will be able to come out and say that cell phone use is 100 percent safe, there will always be worry in the back of some people’s minds.

So the easiest way to avoid any possible harm from the radiation or maybe just to put your mind at ease is to use your cell phone hands free. If the cell phone is not up to your ear, than you avoid all possible risks from the radiation emissions. This is easy enough to do with the use of speaker phone and Bluetooth. Hopefully you aren’t too paranoid about the small radiation possibilities, but if they have worried you, I hope that you now understand that there is no proof of cell phone radiation causing any forms of cancer. Soon there should be more research on this topic that will hopefully put all these accusations to rest.

A Health and Environment iPhone App

So once again we have another quite interesting iPhone app that is just being released. The San Francisco based company GoodGuide has just developed the first iPhone app that will allow you to scan a bar code and receive information on health, environmental, and social responsibility ratings of the products and their companies.

GoodGuide has shown to be a very helpful resource in the past when performing such tasks as shopping for toys. Their website will relay the levels of lead, mercury, and chlorine that can be found in different toys.

Now with the new developments that GoodGuide has made, you don’t have to remember to be super organized and do all of your research online before you start your shopping. Now all you need is to have your iPhone on you. You can simply scan the bar code and with this new application you can find out all the information that you might need from GoodGuide.

Now it will be so much easier to compare items side by side and see which one is better for your body and for the environment. I find this new application quite fascinating. It makes me want to borrow someone’s iPhone simply to scan a product and see the app at work. The other great part of this is that the app is free. So what more could you ask for? There is now an app that will help you find products that benefit you and the environment and the service is completely free.

Palm Pre Drops to $80 on Amazon

The Palm Pre from Sprint was a pretty big success when it was first released not too long ago and now what was already a great mobile device just got even better thanks to Amazon.com. In what marks either a slowing of Palm Pre sales or just an extremely generous price cut from Amazon, you can now get the Palm Pre off of Amazon's website for just $79.99. But the good news doesn't stop there. Not only do you get the Palm Pre for just $80, but that price also includes free activation for you Pre right out of the box. The only thing is that this comes with a two-year service agreement from Sprint.

In addition to the cut back Palm Pre, Amazon is also offering the Palm Pixie for a mere $24.99 also with free activation. Compare these prices to Sprint's prices of $149.99 for the Palm Pre and $99.99 for the Palm Pixie and you got yourself a pretty sweet deal from Amazon. Two days ago, Palm did ship an update to the Palm Pre's webOS (1.3.1). This was created with the Palm's hack in trying to get iTunes sync working and it also fixed some bugs in the system and added a few new features.

The Palm Pre is a great device but is nowhere near the iPhone killer it was made out to be. The Pre has faced stiff competition from Apple's iPhone as well as the BlackBerry 9700 and even the hyped up Droid. With companies like Apple, Android and Research in Motion racing up the charts as fast as they are, thanks in large part to Nokia and Windows Mobile, the piece of the smartphone market that Palm Pre occupies is growing thin. However, maybe this new price drop from Amazon can help put some new life in the Palm Pre.

Verizon Wireless Doubles Early Termination Fee

According to reports from Engaget Verizon Wireless has doubled its early termination fee from $175 to $350. It's applied to anyone who has purchased a phone on the "Advanced Device List" after November 14th, 2009.

On bright side, for each month you complete of your contract, $10 is deducted from the $350 total. Unfortunately, even if you complete 23 of the 24 months of a contract, you're still sitting with $120 early termination fee. But that's still better than paying the $350 fee.

Its clear that Verizon is trying to keep its customers and their contracts. The low prices on phones offered to new customers isn't enough to keep them, so Verizon probably felt this is the best way to make sure they're getting their money's worth.

I'm not sure that this will keep anyone from second guessing choosing Verizon as their provider, but if you're looking to get a subsidized price on a Verizon phone just for the sake of reselling it on e-bay, you might want to think again.

Walmart Giving Away $100 Gift Card with BlackBerry Purchase: One Week Only!

Walmart has come up with this crazy idea to help shoppers actually save money over this holiday shopping season. The company has promised that it will deliver a deal a week this holiday season to help people keep more cash in their pockets. And in keeping with their promise, Walmart has decided that every customer who purchases a BlackBerry device at Walmart Wireless and signs up for a two-year contract will receive a $100 Walmart gift card.

According to Greg Hall, Vice President of Media Services with Walmart, "We know customers are very focused on value, and we have promised each week to deliver new savings to help them stretch their dollars this holiday season." He goes on to say that, "With our expansion of Walmart Wireless products over the last year, we look forward to providing an exciting offer on our BlackBerry assortment and give cellular customers an extra boost on holiday needs."

Walmart offers BlackBerry devices on all four major carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. Smart phones continue to be one of the most selling cellular devices on the market. Walmart has a total of 7 BlackBerry devices on sale: The AT&T Curve 8310, AT&T Bold 9000, Sprint Curve 8330 (Red and Titanium colors), T-Mobile 8520 (Black, White and Frost colors), T-Mobile Pearl 8120 (emerald color), Verizon Storm and the Verizon Storm II.

Walmart also offers this special deal to online customers as well. If you prefer to buy your BlackBerry online at Walmart's website then you will receive a $100 Walmart.com eGift Card. With the tough economic times we are in right now, seeing a company as profitable as Walmart doing what they can to save shoppers money is a definitely cool. The sale starts this Saturday, November 14th at 8 a.m. and runs until next Saturday, November 20th so you better get moving if you want one of those niffty $100 gift cards.

Verizon's HTC Droid Eris

So as much hype as there has been about the new Verizon Wireless Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris, sales have started out relatively slow. Friday was when the phones officially went on sale across the country. There were very short lines or no lines at all outside Verizon stores on Friday morning. Reports claimed that if there were any lines outside one of the many stores, they really only consisted of about 15-20 people.

A Verizon spokesmen said that the lack of lines outside the stores was not a concern at all. He said that what Verizon really wants is not a line but a steady stream of people coming throughout the day and the following few weeks to examine the new phones.

Some people claimed that they liked the look and the feel of the HTC Droid Eris better than the Motorola Droid. Compared to the Motorola Droid, the Eris is basically just a slimmed-down, lighter, less powerful Droid phone. It is based off the HTC Hero that Sprint has, but it has been reworked.

The Eris measures 4.45 x 2.19 x .51 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.23 ounces. The front of the phone features a 3.2 inch touch screen. Below the screen is a navigation trackball and several physical buttons. The Eris does not feature an actual physical keyboard but instead has two virtual keyboards.

Although the Eris and the Motorola Droid share a name and 12,000 Android applications, they are very different phones. The Motorola Droid runs Android 2.0, while the Eris runs Android 1.5 with HTC’s Sense extensions. The differences that these bring up include various things. With the Eris’s Web browsers you use mutitouch pinch-to-zoom, while with the Motorola Droid you double tap to zoom. The Droid Eris has seven home screen panels and some very useful widgets, and the Motorola Droid has only three panels and a lot less interesting widgets. The virtual keyboard is much more accurate and easy to use than the keyboard on the Motorola Droid. You can keep going and going on all the various differences between the two phones, but none of them are really huge. Most of them involve personal preferences.

The Eris handles messaging well. It supports Microsoft Exchange, Google, and POP3/IMAP e-mail. Unfortunately for some, it does not support Yahoo mail. There is an SMS/MMS application for text and picture messaging, but regarding instant messaging there is nothing included but Google Talk. Fortunately, you are able to download a free IM application from the Android Market.

The music player on the Eris is quite decent. It supports tracks in WMA, AAC, and MP3formats. The video player on the phone though definitely has some issues. The playback of most videos is fuzzy and disappointing. The 5-megapixel camera is also very frustrating with the soft images that it captures. If you looking for a good video recorder and camera, the Motorola Droid is definitely the better phone for you.

So to pick between the Motorola Droid and the Droid Eris, you really just need to consider what it is that you want in a phone. Your decision should be purely based on preferences. They are both great phones from Verizon and are both going to serve you well. I hope you are able to figure out which phone suits you best and then go on to thoroughly enjoy your new Droid smartphone.

Touch-Screen Phone Usage Soars

According to market research firm ComScore, touch-screen cell phone usage is on the rise and continues to grow at a rapid rate. Between August 2008 and August 2009, touch-screen mobile-phone usage grew by over 159%. The number of touch-screen mobile-phone owners also doubled. In August 2008, just 9.2 million people were using touch-screen phones, but by August 2009, over 23.8 million people were using the phones.

The overwhelmingly rising numbers aren't limited to just touch-screens; it appears as if smartphone usages in general is growing throughout the United States. From August 2008 to August 2009, the number of smartphone users grew by 63%. In August 2008, there were about 20.7 million people using smartphones compared to over 33.7 in August 2009.

So what was the most popular phone? Not surprisingly, it was the iPhone, of course. With 32.9% of the touch-screen market using an iPhone, it was the top device for users ages 13 and older. With 8.7% was the LG Dare came in at a distant second. Other ranking touch-screen phones included the LG Voyager (7.8%), BlackBerry Storm (7%), and the Palm Treo (6.5%).

Another interesting tidbit ComScore found was that touch-screen users tend to be younger than standard cell phone users. Over half (51.4%) of smartphone users are under the age of 35, with a whopping 57.7% of touch-screen users being in the same age range. About 20.6% of touch-screen users are between the ages of 18 and 24, while only 5% of touch-screen users are over 65.

A Mood-Based App for Your iPhone

How many iPhone apps can they come up with? Well here’s a new one! As if status updates weren’t enough to inform your friend how depressed, ecstatic, infuriated, or bored you were, you can now let them know exactly what you are in the mood for.

Moodspin is a social-networking add-on that has just been endorsed by the iPhone App Store. Currently you are only able to use Moodspin through Twitter, but through it you are given the capabilities to broadcast exactly how you feel to everyone that follows you.

To make Moodspin even better, it is not just text that appears when you set your mood but a mood-related emoticon is added to your photo. This allows people to see how you feel no matter what it is that you just tweeted about.

So the big question about this app would be…is it useful at all? Honestly, not really, but it doesn’t have to be useful for you to enjoy it. It is interesting how Moodspin will track your moods. Every time that you update your mood status it will be charted on a timeline. This can show others what you have been up to throughout the day if you wish to display such information. You can easily compare and contrast your mood graph with your friends or everyone else on Moodspin.

Moodspin is relatively easy to use on your iPhone. You simply select your in mood in three taps and it instantly becomes a personalized Twitter update. It also will tack on a URL that can lead others to your Moodspin profile so they can view your moods in the past 24 hours.

Supposedly sometime this month Moodspin will update to also allow Facebook users to access their service. This way you can include your mood right along side your status.

So no this isn’t the most incredible app for your iPhone, but for those that obsess over social-networking sites this could be an app that can add some flair to your constant tweets and updates.

Scan Your Business Cards On The Go

If you have a huge amount of business cards sitting on your desk, or in your wallet waiting to be entered into your contacts list on your iPhone, you're not alone. Well a new app for your iPhone will take all the hassle out of entering business card information The Business Card Reader for iPhone/iPod Touch makes the process simple and virtually pain-free.

The app, available on iTunes for $5.99, and scans/"reads" your business card information from a picture you take of the business card you want to enter. It uses ABBYY’s text recognition technology to read the business card image and enters it directly into a new contact in your address book. It will read names, phone numbers, fax numbers, and email addresses. Before finalizing, you can check to verify that all the information is correct and hit save and its done.

The Business Card Reader will also read in a few different languages including: English, French, Italian, German and Spanish business cards. Another great feature is that it has a built-in browser and its possible to make LinkedIn search of a contact you've just scanned, all without leaving the program.

For a quick and easy way to enter all your business contacts into your iPhone, this app is a great choice to get the job done.

The New Android-Powered Motorola CLIQ

Motorola has finally released its first Android-powered smartphone, the CLIQ. It provides everything you could possibly want or need in a phone. From photo-sharing sites to Web-based e-mail to TeleNav-powered voice-enabled turn-by-turn directions, the Motorola CLIQ has it all.

First lets discuss the most noticeable details, the CLIQ’s appearance and design. Honestly, the phone is a bit bulky, measuring 4.5 x 2.3 x 0.6 inches and weighing in at 5.7 ounces. It features a glass front, surrounded by black plastic and a darkened chrome accent around the smooth sides. The touch response on the brightly lit, 3.1-inch, 320 x 480-pixel touch screen is quite impressive. Although it’s screen is slightly smaller than the T-Mobile G1 and the myTouch 3G, the CLIQ’s impressive touch response definitely makes it stand out. The four-row QWERTY keyboard is accurate, quiet, and extremely comfortable to use, making texting and e-mailing a breeze. Overall, if you can handle the CLIQ’s bulk, you’ll have no other complaints about the appearance or design.

Now one side of the CLIQ that lots of people are going to love is its outstanding ability to integrate messaging and social networking. It is really the most customizable Android phone currently available on the market. Motorola offers their MotoBlur service that has the ability to integrate and incorporate all of your online communications in one spot. Whether it’s Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Gmail, or Yahoo Mail, MotoBlur bring together all the updates, contacts, and information into one easy location. There are five home screen panels on the CLIQ that handle your personal status updates, text messages and e-mails, your contacts recently uploaded photos and status updates, all events and changed contact information, and so much more. Now how much more ease with your social networking could you want from your phone?

The specs on the CLIQ were fairly impressive as well. It features a 528 Mhz Qualcomm MSM7201A processor with 256MB of RAM and 256MB of internal storage. It could be a little bit faster, but for most situations this handles things just fine. The smartphone features TeleNav-powered voice-enabled turn-by-turn directions, GoogleMaps with Street View, and Google Latitude for locating your friends. The CLIQ also includes impressive video recording and playback and a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus.

Considering all the facts, if you are a social networking addict or just a person looking for a fast reliable smartphone, the Motorola CLIQ could definitely be the answer for you.

inPulse Smartwatch for BlackBerry Smartphones

Its a watch and may be one of the coolest BlackBerry accessories around. Its not a BlackBerry on your wrist, rather its a watch which connects to your BlackBerry via Bluetooth to alert you to emails, SMS messages, and calls. This watch isn't made by RIM (the makers of BlackBerry) and its not designed to operate like a phone, but it is handy for when you're walking down the street and don't hear or can't reach your phone, you can get an update right to your wrist.

When you get an incoming phone call, the watch lets you know who's calling. So you can decide if you want to answer without even picking up your phone. It also has a vibrate option on the watch so even if you're busy or can't hear your phone, you won't miss your call.

If you're waiting for an email or SMS message, your BlackBerry will automatically push the messages to your inPulse watch, so even if you're in a meeting you won't have to keep picking up your phone to check to see if you've received what you're waiting for.





Some specs:
* 1.3" full color organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) display
* Bluetooth® v2.0+EDR
* 150 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery
* Glass lens and full metal body
* 22mm interchangeable wrist band
* Vibrating motor
* Micro-USB port (for charging)
* Over-the-air firmware updates
* Dimensions: 51mm height x 38mm width x 12mm depth

According to the inPulse website here are a few more need-to-know facts about the inPulse:

*inPulse has a rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery inside. Under normal use, i.e. paired with a BlackBerry, receiving and displaying 20-30 updates per day, the battery should last approximately 4 days. Since inPulse is highly configurable, the battery life will vary from user to user

*inPulse charges via a built-in micro-USB jack. If you have a fairly new BlackBerry smartphone (such as a BlackBerry Storm, Tour, 8520, 8900 or Bold 9700) then inPulse can be charged using the same charger as your BlackBerry. A micro-USB cable is also included. Charging is also very quick and usually takes less than 30 minutes.


While you cannot actually send messages or make calls with the device, it still seems like a fairly handy device to have. It will be available February 2010 and will retail for $149, you can pre-order at the inPulse site. It works with every BlackBerry with the OS 4.3 and above. It may not be a necessary gadget, but it is pretty cool for those on the go.

Verizon's Droid, the first real threat to the iPhone?

There's been a lot of buzz this week because over the weekend Verizon starting airing commercials about its newest phone, Droid. The commercials are specifically targeting the iPhone and what the iPhone doesn't do. For the first time, there seems to be a real contender to knock iPhone out of the #1 position.



The official release date for Droid hasn't been released, all we know at this point in that it will be sometime in November and exclusively with Verizon. The guys over at Boy Genius Report have gotten their hands on one and as of right now, are the only glimpse the world has at the newest smartphone to hit the market.

What kind of features can we expect to see? According to the guys at BGR:

*Its running Android 2.0 (more about the Android OS)

*Its thin, a bit thicker than the iPhone

*Touchscreen along with a full keyboard

*Has a full slide out QWERTY keyboard, not spring-loaded

*Its fastest Android phone they've ever used

According to the commercial, droiddoes.com and some leaked information floating around the web some more features include:

*5-megapixel camera with flash, autofocus and video recorder

*fully customizable

*3.7-inch capacitive display (854 by 480 pixels resolution)

*GPS

*Wi-Fi

*256MB of RAM and 512MB of internal memory (with support for microSD memory cards up to 16MB)


It won't be known until it hits the market whether or not it will be the real deal and cut into iPhones market. Specifically with the apps, but the buzz around the blogosphere is that the Droid is the real deal and a true competitor in the smartphone market.

Review of the Blackberry Storm 2

People are finally getting their hands on the much-talked about, highly anticipated Blackberry Storm 2 and the reviews are flooding in. As a matter of fact, people were talking about it before the original storm was even released to customers. So, does it stand up to the hype? Let's take a look.

According to Crackberry.com, the Storm 2 is definitely an improvement over the first model, with lots of additions and an overall better performance, but it doesn't make the first one obsolete. In other words, if you're already a Storm owner, and you don't have any major issues with your phone, you are probably better off sticking to what you know. On the other hand, the addition of Wi-Fi could make or break your decision.

But Wi-Fi isn't the only improvement over the original model. There are also any number of other improvements worth mentioning, including: enhanced SurePress Technology, overall device performance, JavaScript is now on by default, 256 MB of Memory (compared to 128 MB), 2GB of onboard media memory (compared to 1GB), a sleeker design with tinted chrome ring, integrated touch navigation keys, Blackberry Handheld Software version 5.0, and internet browsing enhancements such as fast page loading.

Below, you'll find a list of expanded Blackberry Storm 2 Specifications:

• Size - 112.5 mm x 62 mm x 13.9 mm
• Weight - 5.65 ounces
• Memory - 256 MB Flash memory 2GB eMMC
• Expandable Memory - MicroSD located under battery door cover (up to 16GB)
• Battery - 1400 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic Lithium cell
• Battery Life - 5-6 hours of talk time
• Display - High-resolution 480 X 360 pixel color display 3.25 inch
• Camera - 3.2 MP camera, flash, auto focus, image stabilization, 2X digital zoom
• GPS - Integrated GPS with A-GPS
• Wi-Fi - 802.11 b/g enabled
• Media Player - BlackBerry Media Player
• Video Format Support - MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2Simple Profile, H.264, WMV
• Audio Format Support - MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA,WMA ProPlus
• Headset - 3.5mm stereo headset capable
• Network - QuadBand: 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks; Single-Band: 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA networks; Dual-Band: 800/1900 MHz CDMA/EVDO Rev A network

For a more expanded, in-depth review of the Blackberry Storm 2, visit Crackberry.com.

LG GD910 Watch Phone

I’m sure that James Bond and LG would be best friends if he could see what LG is cranking out now. The new LG GD910 Watchphone, is a touch screen watch, that allows you to make calls, text message, listen to music, send pictures, and tell time! When I saw this I was amazed. The tech world has been waiting for something like this to come out. We are seeing more and more of these “sci-fi” gadgets coming out recently. The GD910 is a touch screen phone that is Bluetooth enabled. It has a small camera on the top right hand corner that will allow you to take pictures and also will allow you to video chat with other people who own the watch. Also has a voice recognition system, which allows you to control most of the phones main functions like dialing, and reading messages easier. Texting will be done the same way as you do on a T9 keypad. The screen is 1.43 inches diagonally, which made me skeptical about dialing the phone, but then I saw a video of the phone being used and it seems to be very responsive, and easy to use. The phone is going to be available late this year, only in Europe. There are no plans for LG to release the phone in the US, just yet.

I am really excited to see how this watch is going to perform in everyday use. Even though I am not a “watch wearing” kind of person, its still going to be very interesting to see how this is going to set the standards for new mobile products. I was very surprised when I found out that LG was going to be the manufacturer for the phone. I was expecting someone like Apple, or maybe Samsung to be the ones to come out with the idea. I knew that something like this was eventually going to happen, I just didn’t know when. And I am very surprised that it came this early. Now we will probably be seeing some on screen advertisement with James Bond and LG.

Microsoft's New Courier Tablet

Whatever concept you had of what was cool in the tech world just got pushed to another level thanks to a new tablet from Microsoft codenamed Courier. This new double-screen tablet works as a day planner only way cooler.

Speculations about whether or not you will be able to run down to your local tech store and pick this thing up is still unsure considering this is only one of many different tablet prototypes currently in development from Microsoft. However, with the Apple tablet rumors being thrown around and the similarity Courier has to the upcoming E-reader/netbook from Asus, the tablet concept seems to be gaining more and more interest from consumers.

Courier appears like it could completely revolutionize personal business devices. There aren't a lot of details about what Courier can do. What is known is that, unlike Apple's tablet, it comes in a book shape with two 7inch screens with a built in camera and Wi-Fi. Information input is varied going between multi-touch gestures like pinching and flicking to using a stylus for handwriting and drawing.

It is unsure how Courier will handle things like e-mail or if it comes equipped with a microphone or webcam for things like video conferences or VoIP. But Courier does look like an outstanding replacement to the traditional pen and paper way of planning. Courier appears to fuse the best of paper planning with the two pages and large writing space with the best of a computer's planning capabilities to manipulate and index data.

What may come as a surprise to some is that the Courier tablet is almost a complete opposite to what people expect from Apple's tablet. People expect the Apple tablet to be an expanded iPod Touch having a 9 to 10 inch multi-touch display, iSight camera, microphone, Wi-Fi and 3G capability and run with either another version of Mac OS X or the iPod OS.

People and analysts have been talking about the Apple tablet for over a year now and yet there is still no information leak that even compares to the size of the Courier leak telling us what the device is going to be able to do. All info in this post have come from different rumors floating around and not hard evidence. This could mean that Apple's product doesn't even exist. However, if it doesn't it, one will exist shortly now that Microsoft has thrown their hat in the ring and given some decent details about Courier.

One question many people will be asking Apple is "Why is this device even necessary? Why is it a better option than a laptop/smartphone combo?" Apple's tablet doesn't appear like it can replace either device and doesn't appear to be the same as a netbook either. So by now you may be asking yourself "What the heck is this Apple Tablet thing?" Well the answer is that it is an entertainment device used to watch video, surf the web and play games.

Courier, alternately, can be recognized almost instantly as a device that would be useful to someone. It takes your average, everyday two page paper planner and digitizes it for the first time ever. Courier takes advantage of data mash-ups by allowing you to flick your contacts on a map and find their location. You can also take notes easily with the reasonable screen size and you also have web access right at your fingertips. It also appears that Courier will have nothing to do with the Windows Mobile or Windows 7 Operating Systems. Instead it will have a completely new operating system designed specifically for the Courier.

But these details do not mean that the tablet market is going to be completely dominated by Courier or that Apple's tablet can not catch up. It simply means that the two devices are completely different. If you are looking into Courier then you are more likely looking for a smartly designed day planner which will more than likely be able to do things like play videos and other entertainment apps similar to a smartphone. If you want something more geared towards having fun then you are going to want to look more into Apple's tablet. Apple's tablet looks to have more entertainment value and a weaker enterprise value. These factors, business and fun, are going to be the deciding factors in which one you decide to buy when, and if, either one of these tablets comes out.

ASUS Launches Standalone Videophone

Today, ASUS announces the launch of its Skype certified, touchscreen videophone which allows for unlimited video calling over the internet. The ASUS Videophone Touch AiGuru SV1T is the first to feature a high-resolution, 7 inch touchscreen which speeds up character input and makes for an easier calling experience. The phone features a built-in webcam, speaker, microphone, and Wi-fi capabilities and allows users to make unlimited free calls to any Skype users without needing a computer.

The touchscreen is icon-based and easy to use, making it simple for anyone to make or receive Skype-to-Skype calls. Simply connect to a broadband connection - either wirelessly or via an Ethernet cable, sign-in with your Skype account and start calling! Calls are free and unlimited. It also allows users to participate in conference calls from anywhere, which is a great solution for small business.

Skype's director of business development and product management for consumer electronics, Manrique Brenes, had this to say about the device, "Skype goes beyond traditional voice calling and brings people closer through rich, real-time video communication. The device's touchscreen makes video calling an even easier and more accessible way for people to communicate. It offers the benefits of Skype video calling and exceptional audio quality—allowing friends, families, and small businesses to share their worlds face-to-face without being tied to a computer."

iPhone on Other Networks Within a Year?

Everyone who owns an iPhone knows that having the phone means being stuck with AT&T as your carrier. As a matter of fact, many iPhone owners, while thrilled with their actual phone, often list having to use AT&T as one of their main issues. But in a new report, Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Gene Munster takes on the issue and even suggests that by summer 2010, Apple will add new carriers in the United States.

The report, a note to investors, took on fourteen "unanswered questions." In it, Munster talked about how Apple went from a single carrier to a multi-carrier model in France, suggesting it had a direct relationship with an increase in market shares,

"For various reasons the company moved from an exclusive relationship with French wireless carrier Orange to a multi-carrier model. In France, the company now enjoys dramatically higher market share (in the 40 percent range vs. about 15 percent in ROW) than in countries with exclusive carrier agreements (such as AT&T in the U.S. where the iPhone has market share in the mid-teens). We believe Apple is seeing the increased unit sell-through more than offset the slightly (- 10 percent) deteriorated economics per unit involved in non-exclusive agreements."

There have been many rumors about where Apple will turn, should it abandon its exclusivity with AT&T. Verizon president Denny Strigle has been speaking favorably of the iPhone and rumor has it Verizon is working to launch a new 4G network by early 2010. AT&T is also supposedly trying to negotiate with Apple, hoping the company will keep them as the exclusive iPhone carrier until 2011.

In the report, Munster also mentioned how unhappy Apple is with video and the iTunes store and suggests the company will eventually offer a monthly subscription of about $30-40 that allows users to have unlimited access to cable and network television content.

New Sharp PC-Z1

Sharp has launched a new PDA: the PC-Z1. Tech experts say it's very similar to Sharp's now defunct Zaurus. The PC-Z1 is a five inch, 1024 x600 TFT LCD touchscreen NetWalker smartbook. It features an 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 CPU built around the ARM Cortex-A8 architecture, 4GB of on-board flash storage (and is compatible with miscroSDHC expansion for an extra 16GB), 512MB of memory, 802.11b/g Wifi, 2x USB, and QWERTY keyboard going 68 percent of full-size. The PC-Z1 also has a quick three-second quick launch and a non-removable 10-hour battery.

Reviews haven't been all positive. There is no 3G data and some say that the "not a laptop but not a smartphone" category will make it a hard sell. The device will debut in Japan on September 25 for what equals to about $479 American dollars and there is no word when it will be available in the United States.

D3o for iPhone Protection

When I bought my iPhone, I was so afraid that I was going to break it by dropping it. So I also paid around $40 for a cheap plastic third party case, thinking that it would offer at least the slightest protection for my new handheld baby. A couple months later, I dropped my iPhone and the screen cracked, along with the case I bought to protect the phone. The bottom right corner of the phone looks like it got ran over by a car, and the crack goes all the way to the middle of my phone. Those days are over. Tech21 has released a new sleek protective case called the iBand for the iPhone and iTouch that is made from a material called d3o. D3o is a non-Newtonian substance, which means the squishy soft case will become rock solid when impact is applied, protecting the contents inside.

Normally, d3o is found in protective gear and apparel for biking, motorcycles, and other high impact protection wear. Tech21 is one of the first companies to bring the d3o material to the “tech world”. The iBand fits around the rim of the iPhone, protecting it from even face down landings. In the demonstration video from Tech21, they drop am iTouch with the iBand on it, from a two-story balcony and the phone survives a face-down landing! This is a great new product for clumsy people like me, because I drop my iPhone on almost a daily basis, and I know if it can survive a drop from 20 feet, I know it can survive from me dropping it getting out of my car because it was sitting on my lap. I have my iPhone 3GS on the way, and this will probably be the best investment I am going to make for only $25, considering I will be protecting a $700 piece of equipment.

iPhone MMS Fail Prompts Lawsuit

A new lawsuit has been filed in a Louisiana court against Apple and AT&T, under the Unfair Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit was filed because both companies are being accused of falsely advertising the function of MultiMedia Messaging Service (MMS) for the iPhone 3GS, and the iPhone 3.0 OS update. There has already been an iPhone 3.0.1 Beta 3 release, but still no MMS. The lawsuit is expected to represent at least 10,000 customers. AT&T claims in the fine print that “MMS support from AT&T is coming by late summer.” But fall is almost here, and I don’t think that there will be another update anytime soon, just because it’s been over 2 years since the 1st generation iPhone was released, and there has been rumors of MMS since the original release.

I do think that AT&T is working with Apple to create a MMS plan update, but I doubt that it’s going to come anytime soon. I think that this lawsuit was totally necessary, because Apple and AT&T both falsely advertised something that was highly anticipated since they started advertising the iPhone 3GS. I personally own an iPhone, and I am very upset that AT&T doesn't support MMS. So I am very interested about how this case is going to turn out. Hopefully this will help AT&T speed up the process of releasing the update.

The HTC Snap

The HTC Snap is one of the new phones in Microsoft’s line of business-oriented, low-cost, Windows Mobile smartphones, and although it has a quick and easy performance, it doesn’t really do much to stand out among the multitudes of new smartphones that have been released this year.

For starters, the Snap’s design is not too much to talk about. It’s made out a slab of black plastic that has a somewhat cheap feel, and measures 4.5 x 2.5 x 0.5 inches (HWD). It features a 2.4-inch LCD screen with the usual 320 x 240 resolution and an LED backlight. The QWERTY keyboard isn’t too bad with its curved four rows of raised keys, although they do make a very distinct click when pressed.

Concerning calls and reception, the Snap does pretty well. The quality of calls is good with the well-balanced pitch in the earpiece and wind rejection for the mic. The Snap has great reception with an EV-DO signal, and the speakerphone also does great and has plenty of volume.

When it comes to e-mail on the Snap, the phone can utilize Microsoft’s Direct Push E-mail and syncs with Microsoft Outlook and Exchange Server. A cool feature that can be considered very helpful with searching through e-mails would be HTC’s Inner Circle feature. This allows the user to select a contact from their address book and consolidate all the e-mails from that contact all into one spot. The Snap cannot create Microsoft Word and Excel documents but it can view and edit them, and it cannot edit Powerpoint presentations but can display them.

Internet Explorer Mobile 6 is what the Snap uses for its web browsing. It includes zoom support and a mouse cursors. If users of the Snap purchase Sprint’s Simply Everything plan they are able to access TeleNav-powered Sprint Navigation, live Sprint TV, and Sprint’s NASCAR and NFL Mobile Live portal.

The camera on the Snap is certainly not anything to really talk about. It’s not awful, but it’s definitely not special. It features a common 2-megapixel sensor, which means that most of the pictures you take will be too soft and not have enough contrast. The smartphone has no flash and no autofocus to assist with the blurriness or contrast, so pictures are really just about average.

Sprint is offering the HTC Snap for $149.99 (with a two-year service contract and mail-in rebates.) This phone isn’t bad, but it’s most certainly not a fantastic option when you consider all the other smartphones available for about the same price. If your looking for a great, reliable smartphone that caters to all your business needs, I personally would say that you should look in a different direction.

T-Mobile myTouch 3G Available Today August 5 2009

The highly anticipated T-Mobile myTouch 3G with Google is now available at T-Mobile retail stores as well as partner locations an online. T-Mobile is going all out to promote the new myTouch by having aerial skydivers, each dressed as a unique individual to reflect the individuality of the myTouch customer, parachute out of a plane in synchronized formations over San Francisco.

According to Chief Marketing Officer Denny Marie Post, "myTouch 3G can be personalized to wholly reflect your individuality, pride and passion, making it 100% you. We'll help this come to life from the get-go at our retail stores, where unique sample personas will be displayed to illustrate some of the many customization options. Also, our skilled myTouch 3G Retail champions will learn about our customer's interests and needs to make sure they're suited to make their myTouch unlike any other."

The myTouch 3G has a sleek and lightweight look and feel to it. In addition to that, there is a number of different accessories and pre-designed shell patterns that you can add to your myTouch which also lets you individualize accessories as well. And if you want to take it even further you can even personally design your own shell. This is accomplished by uploading a personal photo, graphic design, or by selecting shapes, logos, shapes or icons. The list of accessories is very large and includes things like gel skins and device cases to wrist straps and covers. If you go online you can find 5 different accessory packs this month. These packs vary from a music pack that includes speakers and a bonus promotional card for Amazon MP3 downloads to a fitness pack which comes with a fitness belt and arm band. even the inside of the myTouch is customizable by allowing you to customize the entire theme with all new wallpapers, icons and widgets all of which can be added directly to your myTouch from the home screen. Android market has thousands of different apps which give you further customization options.

T-Mobile has also launched a brand new application called AppPack. AppPack gives you a sample of some of the better apps out there. For the launch today, the AppPack has these free applications:

Sherpa - Learns your likes and dislikes through user feedback and behavior. Then it prioritizes recommended retailers, restaurants and attractions.

imeem Mobile - streams customized music based on your tastes. Recommends new songs, artists and albums based on your favorite songs.

WorldTour - Puts live webcams from around the world on your home screen.

Phonebook - An upgraded and more personalized phonebook for Android.

Movies by Flixster - Movie reviews with a little something extra. Through Facebook integration you can find friends who want to see the same movie or read reviews from your friends who have already seen it.

There are also 3 T-Mobile apps: T-Mobile My Account, T-Mobile Visual Voicemail and T-Mobile Mobile Backup.

There are also many other popular phone features on the myTouch like ones that come from T-Mobile's partnership with Google. You can get one touch access to things like Google Search by voice, Google Maps with Street View, Picasa and YouTube.

Designed by HTC, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G will be available at all T-Mobile retail stores nationwide. The myTouch is going to run you $200 with the signing of a two-year contract. Don' live next to a T-Mobile store? Don't worry, you can also get your myTouch online at www.T-MobilemyTouch.com. The myTouch is only available in 3 different colors: black, white and merlot.

Navigon Offers Money Saving GPS Application

I recently wrote a blog review about the iPhone 3g S and I mentioned many of the pros and cons. In todays economy it is important to do your homework with technology to make sure that you are not only getting a good deal and are aware of the services attatched; for example the GPS application on the iPhone 3g and 3gs. AT&T offers it’s own navigation software subscription at 9.99 a month but until Aug 15th Navigon is offering their new GPS application for $69.99.

Navigon taking advantage of the waiting time for TomTom to keep their promise to deliver a GPS application for the new iPhones Navigon beat them to the punch with a 1.29GB. Mobile navigator program contains comprehensive NAVTEQ maps of North America and it loads from the phone and not online, and even though it does take up a chunk of your phone’s storage it is a money saver because there are no reoccurring charges.

Navigon's app includes Reality View Pro, Lane Assistant Pro, Speed Assistant and Day & Night Mode. You can establish a Home address, setup favorite addresses, access nearby POIs and get from point A to point B via voice guided, turn-by-turn directions. The app can also utilize the iPhone's accelerometer, switching from horizontal to vertical mode as soon as you flip the phone. Multitouch zooming also works.

Navicon’s app works really well but every new technology has its pros and cons so we have mentioned the good… now its time for the bad. I would have to say the biggest con would have to be there are no real-time traffic updates. Other things to mention are you do need to have your car charger because the program does run the battery down rather quickly. Also, without the support of some background applications every phone call you receive will take your nav offline and exits you from your route.

Top 8 Business Smartphones for Under $100

It has recently become surprisingly easy to find an incredibly helpful and functional smartphone that will cater to all your business needs for a very reasonable price. You no longer have to pan out anymore than $100 to have an amazing phone with every feature you could possibly imagine. Here's a quick rundown of the smartphones, sorted by provider, that are considered the best possible options available for under $100.

Sprint

BlackBerry Curve 8330
$49.99 (with two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate)
Yeah this BlackBerry isn't RIM's newest smartphone, with the release of the Curve 8900, but that doesn't take away from all the great features of the Curve 8330. With the built-in GPS, push e-mail, and fantastic voice quality this BlackBerry just can't be beat for the price tag.

T-Mobile

BlackBerry Curve 8320
$74.99 (with two-year contract)
This smartphone has a wonderful mixture of features and power, and the newly lowered price just tops it all off. Another appealing aspect to consider with this phone is T-Mobile's unlimited Wi-Fi calling capabilities that they offer for a mere $9.99/month.

T-Mobile Dash
$49.99 (with two-year contract)
Now the Dash is certainly considered old and compared to a lot of other smartphones it can thought slow at times, but to posses a phone with the ability to run Windows Mobile 6 and offers all normal Microsoft-related features for such a low price gives reason to look past the sluggishness.

AT&T

Nokia E71x
$99.99 (with two-year contract and $50 mail-in rebate)
The E71x is an awesome looking phone. The design is perfect. Add to its attractiveness a powerful Web browser, built-in Office document editing, and Microsoft Exchange support and you have one heck of a phone.

Apple iPhone 3G
$99.99 (with two-year contract)
This smartphone features fantastic Microsoft Exchange connectivity that allows you to sync calendars, contacts, and e-mails with your corporate server. Also with all the amazing applications offered with the iPhone 3G this certainly is hard phone to pass up.

Samsung Jack SGH-i637
$99.99 (with two-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate)
The Jack is a slick chic phone that instantly catches your eye. Beyond looks, it also features an impressive mix of 3G and Wi-Fi radio, great voice quality, and Windows Mobile messaging. The Jack is a great smartphone for consumers who don't like the iPhone to look into.

Verizon Wireless

Blackberry Curve 8330
$49.99 (with two year contract)
This BlackBerry is also offered by Sprint as I mentioned above. With Verizon however, this smartphone does not include an IM client or mobile TV support, but you also don't have to deal with the $100 mail-in rebate that you would have if you went with Sprint as your provider. So really it just depends on what application you want for your phone.

HTC Ozone
$49.99 (with two-year contract)
The Ozone has plenty of attractive application and features. The highlights would include its CDMA and GSM compatibility and its Windows Mobile abilities. Package it with Verizon's dependable network and your business needs are sure to be met.

The Blackberry Bold 9000

The BlackBerry Bold 9000 is one of Research in Motion's latest 3G smartphones to hit the market. The Bold sports a sleek design, very sharp display, and high speed connectivity but is lacking other areas such as call quality and its camera's image quality. Although the phone presents a very enticing offer it's drawbacks may prevent you from justifying the high price tag. Here's what we have to say about the Blackberry Bold 9000.

The BlackBerry Bold is easily one of the most stylish BlackBerries yet and comes with a removable black leather cover which gives the phone a sophisticated look and is very comfortable to hold. The cover can also be customized with an optional blue, brown, green, gray or red to give it a more personalized feel. The Bold is also roughly the same size as the BlackBerry Curve 8300 with dimensions of 4.5 inches by 2.6 inches by .55 inches and weighs about equal to an iPhone at 4.8 ounces. The phone has curved corners and a glossy face but unfortunately lacks a touch screen that have become so ingrained in the world of smart phones.

The bold does come with a full QWERTY keyboard and various corporate e-mail and infrastructure characteristics that BlackBerry is known for. The keyboard itself is has been revamped in the Bold model with sculpted keys to minimize finger slippage and enhance usability. The Bold also has a superior battery life and provides over 7 hours and 50 minutes of talk time, which is longer than any other 3G phone I've seen. The BlackBerry operating system was revamped as well giving the interface in version 4.6 a looking cleaner and more attractive look. The new OS features background wallpapers and a customizable application view known as the Ribbon.

The phone itself also has an excellent display. Images and video look absolutely spectacular on the Bold's 480 X 320 VGA display which supports over 65,000 colors, twice as many as the BlackBerry Curve. In terms of performance, the BlackBerry Bold's display matches that of the iPhone's resolution and has great video playback with little to no pixelation or blurring. However the camera on the phone has much to be desired. The 2 megapixel camera has some advanced features including digital zoom and flash but many users report the flash being to bright causing indoor pictures to look grainy or overexposed. The camera also has very few megapixels for such an expensive phone and seems to be lacking on some features such as a self timer, which is non-existant.

The BlackBerry Bold has also had some reports on poor call quality. On several occasions calls made to other mobile devices consistently suffered from a background hiss and many times the voices on the other line sounded far away, as if they were talking to their phone from 5 feet away. People who have received calls from the BlackBerry Bold also reported hearing a lot of background noise and somewhat of a distortion in the voice.

The BlackBerry Bold undoubtedly delivers high-speed browsing and strong messaging capabilities and a definite step up in functionality and form from existing BlackBerry models, but some faults hinder its potential to compete with other well-known smartphones such as the iPhone and the T-mobile G1. With such a high price tag it will be hard to grab a consumers attention.

Verizon's Waterproof Flip Phone

How many more incredible features can be engineered for a cell phone? I’m not sure, but Verizon Wireless’ newest development has most certainly caught my eye. They have just recently released what has to be their best new camera phone, and it just happens to be waterproof. How absolutely awesome is that? For a person that texts even when they’re in the shower or at the pool, the release of the Verizon’s Casio Exilim C721 was fantastic news!

The Exilim is pretty good-looking for a flip phone. It’s a little big, measuring 4 x 2 x .08 inches and weighing 4.5 ounces, but the features make up for the slight bulk. When flipped open, you can examine the 2.3-inch screen that features 320 x 240-pixel display and swivels a full 180 degrees.

The Exilim is truly water resistant and meets all required military standards for shock and vibration. The phone can be dropped three feet deep into water and can be dropped safely from a height of about four feet above the water. Although with the swivel screen it is not a super tough phone, the Exilim really is completely water proof.

Verizon’s Exilim is the only U.S. carrier-model phone to feature a camera with optical zoom. The optical zoom works flawlessly and can even be utilized in video mode. The phone also has a LED flash that is considerably brighter than most other camera phones. So the fact that this phone can also take pictures underwater is just the icing on the cake.

The Exilim also features the ability to sync music with Rhapsody and connect to Verizon’s V Cast Video provider. It supports Verizon’s VZ Navigator GPS program and can be used as a modem on Verizon’s EV-DO Rev A network.

This phone starts a $279.99 with a Verizon contract. Although this fact makes the Exilim Verizon’s most expensive non-smartphone, with all the cool features it definitely makes it worth it. The amazing camera and the incredible fact that the phone is impervious to water makes the higher price tag seem justified to me.

Overheating iPhones

In response to the reports of iPhones overheating, whether these reports are true or not, Apple has disclosed that the iPhone 3G and 3G S have been equipped with a temperature warning screen.

Although these reports are most likely small in number, Apple still wishes to appease their consumers. It has been reported that some iPhones were so overheated that they changed from their original white color to a pinkish tone.

As a precaution, Apple has issued a warning that to most average iPhone customers should be pretty obvious. Users are advised to make sure there iPhone is not in an environment that exceeds 113 degrees Fahrenheit, including their car. Apple also warns consumers that applications such as playing music or utilizing the GPS systems feature in direct sunlight could increase the possibilities of overheating.

Using the iPhone in an environment where the temperature is over 95 degrees Fahrenheit can trigger the phone’s temperature warning. Apple warns that in this condition of high or low temperature problems, the iPhone’s battery life may be temporarily shortened or the device could possibly temporarily quit functioning properly.

On the flip side, Apple also stated that the iPhone 3G or 3G S should not be kept anywhere where the temperature could drop below -4 degrees Fahrenheit and should not be utilized in a temperature below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

If the iPhone is exposed to either of these extreme conditions, the temperature warning screen will most likely appear and the iPhone could experience a variety of problems. The phone could stop charging, the display may be dim, or you could experience problems with a weak signal.

With extreme heat this summer in various areas of the country, iPhone owners should take precautions so that nothing happens to their phone. Apple says that if you do experience an overheating problem, you should let your iPhone cool down before utilizing it again. So the moral of the story is to simply be smart. Don’t abandon your iPhone in any extreme temperature situations and you and your phone will be just fine.

Samsung's New Jack SGH-i637

The BlackJack II has been changed and perfected to produce Samsung’s new Jack SGH-i637. With the many useful updates and the reasonable price, the Jack certainly looks like an interesting new phone to consider.

The Jack has a very similar look to the Blackberry Bold or the Blackberry Curve 8900. It features a metallic charcoal gray paint and thick chrome band around the edges. The Jack measures 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs only 3.6 ounces.

It includes a roomy, four-rowed QWERTY keyboard with the perfect amount of click and resistance. The Jack also has a 2.4-inch , 320 x 240 pixel LCD screen. Although the it does not have a touch-screen, the five-way control pad is touch-sensitive.

The Jack has a 528-Mhz processor, 256MB ROM, 175MB RAM, and 141MB RAM free for programs. It also features a built-in GPS chip that is capable of supporting AT&T’s TeleNav-powered Navigator. The music player on the Jack supports WMA, MP3, and AAC files, and the smartphone includes a 3.2-megapixel camera.

For just $99.99 (plus a two-year service contract), the Samsung Jack can be yours. It’s a great value for the fantastic features it includes. No, its not the iPhone3G S or Nokia E71x, but those phones will cost you a lot more. The Jack is a smart, practical, reasonable smartphone that can take care of most average people’s needs.

T-Mobile's Soon to Be Released Smartphone

T-Mobile will announce their latest smartphone, the Google Android device called the myTouch, on Monday. This will be the second T-Mobile smartphone to utilize Android, Google’s open-source mobile operating system. T-Mobile introduced the G1, which was the world’s first Google Android phone, last fall, but believes that the new myTouch will appeal to a wider variety of consumers.

This summer there has already been a flood of new and improved smartphones. Sprint Nextel’s network released Palm’s long awaited Pre, Nokia introduced their new touch-screen N97, and Apple presented their faster, superior iPhone 3G S. So how does T-Mobile plan on making the myTouch stand out among all the other smartphones? The answer is the personalization of the myTouch.

It is said that there will be no two myTouch phones that are alike. Consumers will be given the opportunity to completely customize their myTouch device with a variety of Android applications. T-Mobile representatives will even be available to assist customers with the set up of their new smartphones before they leave the store.

An example of how the different Android application will make the myTouch more personal can be found in an application called Sherpa. Sherpa uses GPS to assist smartphone users in finding restaurants, movie theaters, and other points of interest wherever they are. What is so cool about this application is that it will remember where you have been previously and will make recommendations based on your past searches. Sherpa will also give you a list of special events currently going on in the area and tell you how far away you are from them. This application will only be available through T-Mobile. The myTouch also includes unique Google applications such as easy upload to Picasa and YouTube. Other areas where consumers will be able to personalize their myTouch include the ability to add music, a personalized calendar, widgets, photos, and shortcuts to Web links.

The myTouch is produced by HTC and basically has the same hardware design as the Google Ion (HTC Magic). The Google Ion is thinner than the G1 and smaller than the iPhone. It has a 3.2-inch touch screen that offers 320 x 480 pixels of resolution. There is no physical keyboard on the Google Ion, and it features 3G and WiFi network support.

The myTouch will come in a variety of new assorted colors. It will come standard with 512 Megabytes of internal memory and allow support of microSD for external storage. The myTouch will come with a 4GB microSD card, but consumers will be able to add more storage if they want to.

T-Mobile is calling the myTouch their premier Android smartphone. T-Mobile customers will be able to get the new phone starting July 8, while non-customers will not be able to purchase the phone until early August. The phone is set to run around $199 with a two-year T-Mobile service contract.

T-Mobile is expecting great things with the Google Android myTouch, and considering all the facts, I can see why. The myTouch sounds like a chic new smartphone with about everything possible to offer. The price is certainly reasonable for what you are getting, and if you don’t mind having T-Mobile as your service provider, then you’re set. I think this will certainly be an interesting phone to watch. We’ll see if the myTouch can truly stand out from among the abundance of new smartphones on the market today.

Apple Appeases iPhone 3G S Customers Experiencing Activation Issues

So it seems that some customers that have just recently bought their newly released iPhone 3G S are still currently experiencing delays concerning the activation of their new smartphone, but Apple isn’t looking to have disgruntled customers and has found a way to make it up to the iPhone consumers.

These issues that that those who purchased the iPhone 3G S have experienced started the moment the iPhone was introduced to the public on Friday. Customers affected by this activation problem were notified by Apple, via e-mail on Sunday, that they might experience further delay for up to 48 hours due to the issues with the system and the high amount of iPhone activations.

Apple hopes to appease these customers by offering a $30 iTunes store credit. The email that they sent out stated:

Dear Apple Customer,

Thank you for your recent Apple Store order. We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience caused by the delay in your iPhone activation.

We are still resolving the issue that was encountered while activating your iPhone with AT&T. Unfortunately, due to system issues and continued high activation volumes, this could take us up to an additional 48 hours to complete.

On Monday, you'll receive an email from Apple with an iTunes Store credit in the amount of $30. We hope you will enjoy this gift and accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this delay has caused.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Sincerely,

Apple Online Store Team

Similar problems were experienced with the launch of the iPhone last July. When customers tried to accomplish the required in-store activation procedure, AT&T activation servers overloaded and eventually completely crashed. Apple was forced to abandon the in-store activation process and allow customers to activate their new iPhones at home on their own.

Hopefully these issues with the iPhone 3G S will be solved quickly and for all their trouble customers will receive their much deserved $30 to spend at iTunes for their patient waiting.

Palm Pre Developer Mode Cheat Code

That's right, you heard correctly, there is actually a cheat code for your Palm Pre that lets you go into an app called "Developer Mode Enabler". Activating the cheat is simple. All you need to do is go to the launcher screen of your Palm Pre and type in the phrase "upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart". Uh, more clearly it is "up up down down left right left right b a start". Gamers out there will recognize this string of words as the famous Contra/Konami code.

This code appears to have been found from the leaked ROM that came out earlier. This app connects your Pre to a machine running Palm's Mojo SDK for webOS. This lets you go into the Palm Pre and mess around with the code. By doing this you to create your very own apps for the smartphone.

It is going to be interesting to see all the different things people are going to do with this new feature. The Konami code strikes again, this time on a very unlikely place, but a wonderful place at that. The code has just grown in fame even more.

Click here for a video on the Palm Pre Developer Mode Cheat.

The Blackberry Curve 8300 Series

The NPD Group, leaders in market research of the wireless industry, say that Verizon Wireless’ BlackBerry Curve has been able to move past Apple’s iPhone with their aggressive “buy-one-get-one” promotion. The Curve Series has grown to become the best-selling smartphones in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2009. So what is so great about these phones? Well let me tell you…

Let’s start with the design. The BlackBerry Curve 8300 Series show off sleek features, clean lines, and soft, smooth edges. They are one of the smallest phones in the BlackBerry line to feature a full QWERTY keyboard. The Curve 8300 Series also have large, high-resolution screens for surfing the net, viewing pictures, playing games, or watching video clips all in bright vibrant colors.

The cameras featured on all BlackBerry Curve 8300 Series smartphones allow you the freedom to capture any moment and share it instantly with friends and family. The camera includes: digital zoom, built-in flash, and a self-portrait mirror. On most of the 8300 Series phones, you also have the option of video recording those special moments as well. You can then share them instantly or enjoy viewing them in your phone’s high resolution display. Also, all Curve smartphones come with a USB cable for easy transfer of your pictures and video from your phone to your computer.

To satisfy all your music needs, BlackBerry phones allow you to easily sync all your desktop iTunes and Windows Media Player music files right to your smartphone. To permit the storage of as many songs as you want, the Curve allows you to use a microSD card for expandable media storage.

The BlackBerry Curve 8300 Series also features GPS capabilities, e-mail, easy text messaging, voice notes, conference calling, Bluetooth capabilities, fast on-the-go internet access, and so much more. The Curve 8300 Series really has a lot to offer and with the “buy-one-get-one” deal that Verizon is running on the Curve 8330, if you’re looking for a new phone this is definitely one to consider.

The LG enV Touch

Verizon Wireless has just introduced the new LG enV Touch. This phone has a perfect balance of features to satisfy all your messaging and entertainment needs. With it’s sleek appearance and amazing functionality, the enV Touch is certainly a phone to look closer at.

The sleek enV Touch features a large 3-inch external touch screen with exceptional LCD display. The touch screen can be utilized for all your messaging needs. Incase you would rather physically type out things instead of merely touching letters on a screen, you can easily whip out the QWERTY keyboard . This combination of touch screen and keyboard allows satisfaction for any users of the enV Touch.

The LG enV Touch in practical in all aspects and caters to all your possible needs. It allows for full internet access including tabbed browsing, Inline Flash support, full page view, and navigation/zoom functions to assist in the reading of small text. It fulfills all messaging needs with its text to speech feature, mobile IM and e-mail, visual voicemail, and social networking messaging.

To add to all the other fantastic qualities, the enV Touch also has phenomenal multimedia features. It has an enhanced music player with easy search functions and Dolby Music Sound. It has Rhapsody capabilities and includes VCAST song ID that allows you identify and download songs all in one simple step as you hear them and VCAST video that allows you to see the latest sports, weather, entertainment, and news clips all on your phone. The enV Touch also features a 3.2 mega pixel camera and camcorder with autofocus, LED flash, and intelligent shot technology.

The LG enV Touch is truly a masterpiece that should be considered if you’re looking for a new phone. With Verizon as the service provider, you really can’t lose with this phone. At a reasonable price of $149.99, the enV Touch is certainly one to look further into.

3G BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 Now On Verizon

It's been leaked, it's been rumored, and it's been delayed, but now it's official; the 3G BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 will now be available on Verizon starting June 19th. The Pearl Flip is Wi-Fi enabled and will run on an OS 4.6.0 and is powered by a 324MHz processor. The flip also comes with an external display and a vertical QVGA internal display.

The Pearl Flip will also offer a 2 megapixel camera with flash and video recording and a SureType QWERTY keyboard. In addition to that the Flip will have a microSD/SDHC slot and will also have VZ Navigator support. On top of all of this, there are also a ton of other features.

The Pearl Flip supports the BlackBerry App World. This provides fast access to all the apps developed for BlackBerry Pearl flip 8230 in a multitude of categories like games, entertainment, social networking, and sharing things like productivity, utilities, travel, music and video. There is also a built-in GPS with preloaded BlackBerry maps with additional support for location based apps and services. The Flip also has an advanced media player for support with pictures, videos, and music for BlackBerry Media Sync. This makes it easy to sync up iTunes digital music collections from Windows Media Player. The Flip also has Stereo Bluetooth support (A2DP/AVRCP) and 3.5mm stereo headset jack.

The only downside, if you see it that way, is that the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230 is going to run you $129.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate plus a two-year agreement. But this is a cool smartphone, and people are going to be happy it is finally coming to Verizon. The Verizon model will come in a silver finish.