Samsung's 4G LTE Droid Charge Hitting Verizon on April 28th

A new device has just been announced by Verizon Wireless and Samsung. The newly announced Droid Charge by Samsung will become available on April 28th in your local Verizon store or on Verizon's website.

The Droid Charge is yet another installment in the Droid family, this time coming with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display. According to Samsung, this display should set a new standard for brightness, clarity and outdoor visibility, but don't they all say that? The Droid Charge also comes with a rear facing, 8-megapixel camera with LED flash as well as a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera. The Droid Charge also has a 1 GHz application processor and HTML 5 Web browser which maximizes high-speed 4G LTE connectivity.

Some additional features of the Droid Charge include 4G LTE, Android 2.2, which also supports Google Mobile Services like Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Search and Google Maps, Adobe Flash Player, Mobile Hotspot capability, Samsung Media Hub, virtual QWERTY keyboard with Swype and tons more.

As I mentioned earlier, the Droid Charge will be available on April 28th with a $299.99 price tag, as long as you sign a new two year agreement. You can also get unlimited 4G LTE data plans from Verizon for $29.99 a month and for a limited time you can get Mobile Hotspot for no additional charge.

If you don't want to buy one, you can always take part in this new program from Samsung. Starting today, April 21st, anyone over the age of 18 is able to participate in an exclusive Droid Charge Scavenger Hunt. All you have to do is follow the online clues to find hidden locations in 16 different cities in order to win a free Droid Charge from Samsung. Head on over to http://twitter.com/droidlanding to get all the details.

Source: Engadget - Samsung's LTE-enabled Droid Charge coming to Verizon on April 28th for $300 on contract

Security Camera Solutions

One-Year Contract Option Dropped By Verizon

According to a report released Friday, April 8, Verizon Wireless has made the decision to end its one-year contract option which customers previously had been able to sign up for in place of their more popular two-year agreements. The report, which was released by PhoneScoop, stated that the one year-contract option will be terminated on April 17. The site went on to quote a Verizon Wireless executive saying, “Keep in mind, a majority of our customers select a two-year contract when buying our devices, so we are responding to what our customers want. They still have options available, such as two-year contracts, month-to-month and prepaid plans.” So far, Verizon representatives have not responded to any requests for comment on the claims that PhoneScoop is making. This may not be a big deal to many people, because if you were like me, I didn’t even know that Verizon offered anything like a one-year or month-to-month plan. On their Web site there is not mention of any plan besides the usual two-year agreement. In comparison to other major U.S. mobile carriers, Sprint does not have a one-year plan available on its Web site, but if customers go into a Sprint store, they will have the option of selecting a one-year plan. It’s interesting that Verizon reps claim that they are “responding to what our customers want,” because how can customers know whether or not they might want a one-year plan if they don’t even know that such an option exists? I think that Verizon has been a little shady about it, but honestly, it doesn’t even matter anymore since in a week the option will be completely obsolete. For those of you looking for a one-year contract, I guess you’ll have to start looking somewhere other than Verizon now.

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Asus Releases Source Code for Upcoming Transformer

Well now, it appears that Asus has already released the source code (no relation to the movie) for the up and coming, though yet to be released, Asus Transformer Tablet/Laptop. Asus actually released a new website completely dedicated to the Transformer and now things look to be getting even better. Just in case you didn't know or you were curious, the Asus EEE Pad Transformer is pretty much a top of the line Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet with a lot of very nice specifications attached to it.

Some of these specs include a 10-inch IPS display, the usual Tegra 2 dual-core processor and everything else you would expect to see in a respectable tablet these days. However, where this device is different is in its ability to plug into a keyboard-like device and "transforming" it (see what I did there?) into a full-fledged tablet and laptop, just like the Atrix from Motorola.

The tablet by itself recently popped its head up at Best Buy for $400, keyboard thingy not included. This is a really good price. While it isn't as good as the Xoom, which has 32GB of storage as opposed to the 16GB on the Transformer, it may be something to tease your eyes away from the iPad 2. The sad news is that the Transformer is not even on store shelves yet, well, not for us here in America at least, which makes this release of the source code seem a little premature.

However, a lot of people are praising Asus for doing this and think that other companies should take notice of this early source code release. Overall, this looks like a pretty cool device and definitely looks like it is worth the price you will be paying for it. Plus, who doesn't like things that transform and give you two separate devices for the price of one?

Source: Android Community - Asus Transformer Source Code Released Already, Shows HTC How It's Done

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Playstation Phone Released

On Friday, April 1 the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, which is also known as the Playstation Phone, launched in several different countries in Europe and Asia. There are also plans to launch the phone in six additional countries within the next two weeks.

The Xperia is an Android-based device and is currently on sale in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Russia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In the next week or so it will also be available in Spain, France, Finland, Singapore, India and Portugal. The Xperia Play will unfortunately not be available in the United States until sometime later this spring. It will be launched on Verizon Wireless’ network.

According to the Inquirer, there were reports that some “freight issues” might delay the launch of the device in the UK. The paper stated that Orange and Carphone Warehouse will have the device available, but Vodafone has delayed the launch of the Xperia Play and O2 says they are still testing the device. The Inquirer stated that they will be on sale in the U.K., SIM-free for £479.99.

With the launch of the Play comes 60 different games from providers including Sony Computer Entertainment, Gameloft, Electronic Arts and Glu Mobile. There will be several free games that will come pre-installed on the device that will include "Asphalt 6" and the PS One classic "Crash Bandicoot." There will be five PlayStation original games that will be available at the launch including "Cool Boarders 2," "Destruction Derby," "Jumping Jack Flash," "MediEvil" and "Syphon Filter," and in France "Syphon Filter" will come pre-installed. There will also be other titles available including "Assassins Creed Altair's Chronicles HD," "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell," "Need for Speed," "Galaxy on Fire 2," and more. All games will be available to download via the Xperia Play launcher, which is an app that can be activated by merely sliding open the game pad.

Not only is the Xperia Play great for gaming but it also features a 4-inch screen, a 5-megapixel camera, 1-GHz CPU, 8GB of space (that can be expanded to 32GB), and it will be powered by Snapdragon and run on Google Gingerbread. As Bert Nordberg, the president of Sony Ericsson, said, it is the "first mobile device to deliver an immersive gaming experience."

Interested in all of the games that will be available during the first week of the device's release? Here is the complete list:

Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior from Digital Legends (pre-installed)
FIFA 2010 from EA Mobile (pre-installed)
Sims 3 from EA Mobile (pre-installed)
Star Battalion from Gameloft (pre-installed)
Tetris from EA mobile (pre-installed)
Asphalt 6 from Gameloft (free to download)
Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave from Trendy Entertainment
Galaxy on Fire 2 from Fishlabs
Assassins Creed from Gameloft
Need for Speed SHIFT from EA
Mobile Worms from EA
Mobile Nova 2 from Gameloft
Modern Combat Black Pegasus from Gameloft
Guns n Glory from Handygames
Reckless Racing from Polarbit
Real Football 2011 from Gameloft
Gun Bros from Glu
Mobile Racer Luma from Arcade/Unity
Cordy from SilverTree Media
Aporkalypse from Handygames
Brothers in Arms Global Front from Gameloft
Guerrilla Bob from Angry Mob Games/Unity
Let's Golf 2 from Gameloft
Zenonia 2 from Gamevil
Cyberlords from Handygames
Guitar Hero™ Warriors of Rock Mobile from Glu Mobile
Age of Zombies from Halfbrick Studios
Spectral Souls from HyperDevBox Japan
Splinter Cell Conviction from Gameloft
Air Attack from Art in Games/Unity
Armageddon Squadron from Polarbit
Uno from Gameloft
InfeCCt from Handygames
Spiderman total Mayhem from Gameloft
Millionaire City from Digital Chocolate
Avatar from Gameloft
Raging Thunder 2 from Polarbit
Homerun Battle 3D from Com2us Games
Aftermath XHD from Jakyl
I Must Run from GameLion
Baseball Superstars 2011 from Gamevil
Ground Effect Pro from Jakyl
ZeNonia from Gamevil
Super KO Boxing 2 from Glu Mobile
Farm Story from Team Lava
Wave Blazer from Polarbit
Soccer Superstars from Gamevil
Battle Bears from Skyvu
Tower Blocks New York from Digital Chocolate
Super Dynamite Fishing from Handygames
Iron Sight from Polarbit
Toonwarz from Polarbit
Restaurant Story from Team Lava
Escape from AMA
Raving Babies from AMA
Bakery Story from Team Lava
Denki Blocks! Deluxe from Jakyl
Rollercoaster Rush from Digital Chocolate

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Is Verizon Really Stealing THAT Many of AT&T’s Customers?

When Verizon Wireless announced that it would be adding the Apple iPhone to its smartphone lineup, analysts predicted that the amount of AT&T iPhone customer base that switched over to Verizon could add up to as many as 50 percent. So has this really happened?

As of now, the figures concerning the iPhone user switch rate from AT&T to Verizon have not yet been released; however, early speculations seem to be saying that about 14 percent of Verizon iPhone preorders were AT&T iPhone owners who were switching over.

Although that sounds like a pretty hefty amount of customers for mere preorders, it really doesn’t seem to be bothering AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets President and CEO Ralph de la Vega. Earlier this month de la Vega said that AT&T’s mobile customer losses were within the company’s expectations.

According to reports from Mobclix, two out of every three AT&T iPhone customers who switched to Verizon’s iPhone paid the termination fee that is required by AT&T. These fees include: $325 for AT&T’s smartphone, minus $10 for every month that a user has been on the company’s two-year contract. This can be quite a chunk of change, and in addition to that users still have to go and buy a new iPhone from Verizon.

Mobclix is also saying that 14 percent of iPhone 4 users are now calling Verizon Wireless their home. Out of all the iPhone users in the world, Verizon’s customer base makes up about 4 percent. All of this information from Mobclix is being pulled from the company’s Mobclix Exchange, which is Mobclix huge advertising marketplace that goes ahead and matches different developers with any interested advertisers in a bidding atmosphere. Mobclix did some research to see why AT&T iPhone customers were switching over to Verizon.

What they found just confirms everything that every other survey about AT&T iPhones vs. Verizon iPhones has discovered. The top reason for the switch was reception quality. In the survey of 600 different Verizon iPhone users, Mobclix found that the second and third most popular reason that customers were deserting AT&T was because of “personal hot spots” and “reputation.” The personal hot spot that AT&T users were missing is a feature that allows the iPhone to serve as an Internet host for up to five devices connected via Wi-Fi, or one single device connected via Bluetooth or USB.

Although this was an initial concern, just recently AT&T released its iOS 4.3 update for iPhones that allows AT&T iPhone users to have the same personal hot spot abilities. Mobclix also went on to research where there were the highest areas of Verizon iPhone usage. They found that Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Chicago and Seattle where the cities with the most usage…big surprise.

I guess we’ll just have to see if Mobclix is accurate when the final official numbers come in. No matter, Verizon really seems to have made a dent in iPhone users that I assume will only increase from here on out.

Projector Rentals Are Great for Business Meetings

Most business class projectors will do a good job displaying your PowerPoint presentation. If you have a small presentation group, a 2000 lumen LCD projector will be able to produce a nice and clear picture. For larger audiences you should consider a 5000 lumen LCD projector.

Top 10 Touch Screen Smartphones

It’s taken a little while, but finally, touch screen interface has become a pretty mainstream thing. In the past it would have been difficult to comprise a list of the top 10 touch screen phones, but with all of the options available to-date, it now isn't an issue at all.

The whole touch screen phenomena began back in 2007 with the release of the original Apple iPhone. I can still remember all of the hype. People pre-ordered their iPhones months in advance. At the time, I couldn’t justify the price tag, but with the beautiful 3.5-inch Multi Touch screen with pinch and zoom features, a sleek, gorgeous design, finger-friendly interface and an incredible Web experience, I understood why so many people were counting down the days until the iPhone’s release.

The iPhone displayed all of the potential that the mobile carrier market could tap into concerning keyboard-free phones. After the iPhone was released, every major mobile phone manufacturer decided to take a chance on designing their own versions of touch screen smartphones. Some were obviously very successful, but others…not so much. There are some smartphones that have users begging to have a physical keyboard back, but there are others who have users saying they’ll never go back to a keyboard again. There are some smartphones that offer the best of both worlds, by having a touch screen and a slide out keyboard, but the top 10 touch screen phones listed below are strictly touch screen with no keyboard. If you’re willing to sacrifice physical keys and go completely touch, then here are some phones to consider.

AT&T

Apple iPhone 4
The original touch screen smartphone is still going strong four years later. The iPhone 4 is sleek, gorgeous and offers so many different features. It has an incredibly fast processor, tons of apps, one of the best media experiences and a great camera. On AT&T it does have some reception issues and limited FaceTime video calling, but overall it is an awesome phone.

HTC Inspire 4G
Touch screen smartphones can be pretty expensive most of the time, but the Inspire is a very inexpensive exception. It is extremely powerful and features a vast amount of built-in apps and features. There are some issues with the Inspire’s “4G” speeds though. It just seems a little underwhelming.

Motorola Atrix 4G
The Atrix is an incredibly fast and powerful phone. It has a beautiful screen and incredible design. Different optional docks can even easily turn the Atrix into a desktop or laptop PC; however, despite these cool features, the smartphone can be a little buggy and the laptop dock for the Atrix is way overpriced.

Sprint

HTC EVO 4G
The EVO was the first WiMAX phone and is perfect for someone who is always on the Internet. It features excellent Web browsers with some Flash. It also has as great touch screen, two different cameras and Wi-Fi hotspot mode. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the best voice quality and the 4G coverage is pretty limited, but other than that it is a fantastic phone.

LG Optimus S
The Optimus S has tons of great features including Android 2.2, very valuable Sprint ID interface enhancements, mobile hotspot and really good battery life. The issues with this phone are that it doesn’t have the best screen resolution, CPU or camera, and the screen is just a bit small. Overall, the Optimus is a pretty good budget Android phone.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile myTouch 4G
The myTouch is incredibly well constructed and has incredible features including: the latest processor, Wi-Fi calling, hotspot mode and voice commands. The only issues with this smartphone are that it has some problems with bloatware and the fact that not everyone may like the UI skin.

Samsung Galaxy S 4G
The Galaxy S is absolutely gorgeous. It also is really fast with 4G HSPA+ data speeds, excellent music and video and a great battery life. The only real issue with this smartphone is that its TV app is a little buggy, but otherwise it’s a fantastic phone.

Verizon Wireless

HTC Thunderbolt
Verizon has been heavily promoting the Thunderbolt, and why not? This smartphone has lightning fast Internet speeds, a gorgeous design, simply elegant interface and lots of storage. The phone is incredible besides the fact that it is a little on the heavy side, occasional bugs and a pretty poor battery life when users are surfing or streaming on 4G.

Motorola Droid X
Droids hit the market as the iPhone’s competition, and they have done a pretty good job of stepping up to the plate. The Droid X features an incredibly fast processor, Wi-Fi hotspot mode, Bluetooth voice dialing, fantastic reception and noise cancellation. For some the Droid is just a little too big and bulky. There also is no way to turn off Blur and it won’t play HD content over an HDMI cable. These really aren’t huge issues though. The Droid X is the most powerful Android smartphone aside from the HTC Droid Incredible.

Apple iPhone 4
So, a short time ago, Verizon broke the barriers and began offering the Apple iPhone 4 right alongside AT&T. Verizon’s version has all of the same incredible features that AT&T’s iPhone offers, except for the lack of 4G on Verizon’s phone. Overall, it functions just as well as AT&T’s iPhone, so I guess it just depends on which service carrier you prefer and whether or not you really want 4G.

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AT&T Plans on Giving Android Users Access to the New Amazon Appstore

So Amazon.com, the popular online retailer, has just launched their newest service, the Amazon Appstore. The Amazon Appstore is a mobile app marketplace similar to the Android Marketplace and the Apple App Store but completely run by Amazon.com. One interesting thing Amazon is doing to attempt to draw customers away from Apple and Android is offering a free app every day that you would normally have to pay for.

The first app they released for free was a new installment in the Angry Birds series known as Angry Birds Rio, which models itself after the upcoming animated movie Rio. Well Rovio, developers of the Angry Birds series, just announced on their Facebook page a few hours ago that "AT&T is also working on enabling purchases from the Amazon Appstore soon."

If this is true, then it would mark a very big move on AT&T's part considering the fact that they have been rock solid in their resolve to keep apps from outside the Android Market off of their branded Android devices. This has been viewed as frustrating and illogical by a lot of AT&T customers. However, AT&T has confirmed to Engadget that they are, in fact, getting access to the Amazon Appstore.

"We're working to give our Android customers access to third party application stores. This requires updates to our systems and finalizing arrangements with Amazon. We will share more info with our customers in the near future," AT&T stated.

However, with any good news usually comes bad and that holds true here. The bad news is that AT&T isn't having any discussions with Amazon about this at all. This may indicate that they are planning on making an exception to their Android marketplace policy for the Amazon Appstore as opposed to enabling sideloading on all of their Android devices.

This could possibly involve some firmware updates which drop the Amazon Appstore in ROM. However, that seems like a lot of work, especially with all the red tape that is involved in pushing just a single update for a single mobile device on a major carrier. Keep checking back here as we will have all the info as it plays out.

Source: Engadget - AT&T planning on access to Amazon Appstore, sideloading still an open question

Projector Rentals
Are Great for Business Meetings

Most business class projectors will do a good job displaying your PowerPoint presentation. If you have a small presentation group, a 2000 lumen LCD projector will be able to produce a nice and clear picture. For larger audiences you should consider a 5000 lumen LCD projector.