Blackberry Z10 Bursting Into the Samsung vs iPhone Debate

Time to consider a new mobile phone upgrade.  The fierce debate between Samsung Galaxy III and iPhone 4 (I went with the iPhone 4 because reviews haven't been too hot on the iPhone 5) caused me to really think about my next choice of phone.  So I decided to do a side by side comparison of the two phones.  All was going great until a couple of weeks ago when the new buzz was about Blackberry's Z10.  The Blackberry Z10 or RIM is set to be officially launched at the end of January 2013.  Information leaks are giving us a small glimpse into some of its features.  A few of the highlights are things like 70,000 apps and 20 million songs available for download at launch!  The screen has a 356 dpi resolution and a Qualcomm S4 processor.

Business Insider's Steve Kovach gives us a more in-depth peek at the new Blackberry Z10.  I think one of the coolest new features is the time-shifting camera that gives you the ability to change the faces of someone if they blink.  TechnoBuffalo demonstrates some of the features of the new Blackberry phone at CES 2013.

I thought I was pretty sure about my upgrade choice, but now the decision just got a little more complicated.  After January 30, the real comparison shopping can begin, but the cost will have to be factored in.  It would be nice if the Z10 was in the same general ballpark as the iPhone 4 and the Samsung Galaxy III.

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Sprint: First 4G Phone Coming June 4th

The wait is over. If you've been itching to get your hands on a 4G phone, you only have a few more weeks to start saving $199. Sprint Nextel announced today that it would be selling the most high-speed mobile phone ever on June 4th of this year. The company has a lost a number of customers over the years to rivals like AT&T and Verizon and hopes the new technology will be just the boost it needs to change that.

The EVO, as mentioned, will be the first phone in the United States that supports fourth-generation high-speed data speeds, and experts say it's going to give the iPhone a little competition. The 4G iPhone is expected to come out this summer, but much later than Sprint's new phone. Vodafone Group is expected to offer a 4G phone in 2011.

The appeal of the phone is definitely the faster internet access. In addition, these phones will have large screens and two cameras. Unfortunately, 4G coverage isn't exactly widespread throughout the country. Areas such as New York won't even get 4G until after the summer. Clearwire Corp, Sprints venture that is building the WiMax-based network, says it will only cover about 40 million people in the United States for now and expects to triple that by the end of the year. The current U.S. population is around 300 million. Sprint will also be charging a $10 monthly fee for EVO users, regardless of whether or not they're running in a 3G or 4G market.

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse calls the difference between 3G and 4G "night an day," and says even without the 4G capability, the EVO stands alone as being an exceptional phone. He said the phone will be the highest-spec phone on the markets for customers using 3G as well. The company also says that users will be able to make the most of the two cameras, which will support the first mobile two-way video conferencing service. According to Sprint, they have a long list of customers, waiting to buy the buy the phone.

Matt Carter, the head of Sprint's 4G business told Reuters that he believes the phone will appeal to consumers for a number of reasons and mentioned it would definitely be great for social networkers. He also mentioned that Sprint will release a second WiMax phone later this year and that Sprint is in talks with companies like Samsung and General Electric to consider putting WiMax connections in a number of consumer devices such as e-Readers, cameras, washing machines, and even medical equipment. Carter said Sprint is trying not to think like a "traditional carrier."

Sprint will also be launching a new prepaid service that will be aimed at older phone users who shop at Wal-mart. They're calling it a "no nonsense" mobile phone service for those whfo aren't really worried about having the latest trends. Upon making these announcements yesterday, Sprint's stock climbed, a good sign for the company who has been struggling for quite some time.

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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.

Flip MinoHd

The Flip MinoHD is the latest product from Pure Digital Technologies which is an upstart company that has turned the camcorder market around with the digital camcorders. It is a simple concept with a tiny handheld video camera reduced in size. It is as compact as an iPod, has no tapes and needs no Fire Wire. There is a USB jack on the top that connects on a Mac desktop with standard MPEG-4 video files ready to use.

It is designed to be simple sleek and easy to use. The power button is on the side and the small, high resolution screen on the back lights up. The red record button is on the back. In only 4 seconds after getting it out you can be recording HD video. It is black with a chrome band across the front, circling the lens, and continuing along the rear edge.

The MinoHD holds 60 minutes of 720p video into its 4 GB of flash memory. It has a 2x digital zoom but digital zoom shows enlargement artifacts and loses detail. The microphone is omnidirectional and picks up speech from ambient noise very well. The audio is recorded in mono and encoded in 64 kb/sec AAC.

The battery is not removable and recharges via USB just like an iPod. With the screen only being 1.5 inches it is still very bright and clear. The MinoHD is used for convenience and are easy, fast, fun and you can easily record video without all the hassle of using a tape.