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15MayVerizon's first netbook, the HP Mini 1151NR, hits stores May 17th for $199 on contract. Noah gets one home and out of the box a few days early.
Tags: blog, cell phone news, discussion, mobile
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15May
As I mentioned the other day, I know I am excited to find out when the Palm Pre is going to be real for ALL of us to get. An announcement is expected for next week. But in the mean time, Sprint put up a new Palm Pre product page for us to droll over. They are even giving you a change to enter to win!
So be sure to check it out, tweet about it, keep the buzz alive!
Tags: blog, cell phone news, discussion, mobile
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15May
I just got in a Samsung Alias 2 for Verizon Wireless. The big idea behind the Samsung Alias 2 is the metamorphic keypad - it's called an E-Ink keypad, which literally changes what appears on the keys depending on the function that is being used. It's an interesting concept, though admittedly takes a little patience when getting familiar with it. That said, in many ways it's a much cleaner keypad. At first glance, the 42 white squares on the keypad reminded me a bit of something you might see used in the movie Tron, but the phone itself looks like a standard flip phone with an interesting hinge. Like its predecessor, the Alias this cell phone is a multifunction device trying to meet the needs of two different uses: open it standard flip style and it's a typical cell phone; open it sideways so that the screen is in landscape mode and it becomes a functional texting/e-mail device with a full QWERTY keyboard. The nifty feature here is that depending on what application you're in when you flip open the screen horizontally the ink on the keys change to fit that application - thus E-Ink.
The other interesting change is the user interface, it's got a fun feel to it along the lines of the LG Dare. It looks a lot like you're looking at bookshelves and when you press the Menu key there are more shelves that have correlating images of the applications. Once you access one of those applications, you're taken into the typical Verizon menus. Additionally, the Samsung Alias 2 is a music phone with correlating keys on the front display that you can use to play, rewind and fast forward through songs in your library. Music sounds pretty good through the cell phone's speaker. There's also a 2-megapixel camera.
First impressions: This is an interesting cell phone and there are enough changes here that sets it apart from the original Alias.
Tags: blog, cell phone news, discussion, mobile
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15MayIt's been a great month for BlackBerry fans, and the joy continues with this yesterday evening's leak of BlackBerry Storm 2 pictures. Sporting a sleek new design that looks oddly familiar to the upcoming Curve 8520 and "Onyx" in some areas, the bottom buttons appear to be touch-sensitive, and the screen no longer pushes in, but operates like a regular touchscreen device. These were sent in by what Crackberry refers to as a "super trusty source," so I'd venture to say that the pictures you see below are as close to the final form as it gets!
Tags: blog, cell phone news, discussion, mobile
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15MayI should preface this by saying that GDocs is still in beta. The version I tested was 0.3.2. So maybe this is more a of a preview than a review. Whatever the case, GDocs is beginning to address the business person's number one complaint with Android - compatibility with their work environment. Considering how many companies are utilizing cloud solutions - like Google Docs - I think this app indicates a bit of progress in a significant arena. If nothing else, it's a step in the right direction.
GDocs currently allows editing of text documents and viewing of spreadsheets. As seen in the images below, you can view a document remotely, or download it for editing. Once edited, the document is automatically synchronized with the one on the server. That is, of course, as long as you have write access. If not, you can save a modified version on your device, or upload the changed version as a new document.
The application has performed flawlessly for me, but the functions are pretty limited. Keep in mind that people are working on other Android workplace solutions. The software will come. The software will come.
The green bar indicates that the file has been downloaded and is ready for editing.
Here I have updated a text document available to a group.
Full view of a spreadsheet, with a zoom window.
Close view of a spreadsheet.
Tags: blog, cell phone news, discussion, mobile
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15MayCiting independent market research, AT&T announced its customer base now boasts twice as many smartphone users as any other U.S. mobile operator, reporting that close to 32% of its postpaid subscribers now use an integrated device. According to AT&T, more new and existing customers activated integrated devices in Q1 than the carrier added in new postpaid subscribers. AT&T credits the smartphone user growth to its 3G network and nearly 20,000 U.S. WiFi hotspots.
“AT&T made a big push to be the mobile broadband and smartphone leader many years ago and it’s clearly paying off in a big way for us and our customers,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We’ve taken integrated devices mainstream and nearly a third of our postpaid customers use one. Our industry-leading 3G and Wi-Fi networks make mobile data accessible to everyone—from road warriors with advanced smartphones to texting teens with quick messaging phones. We offer something for everyone.”
This is an impressive statistic as smartphone users outspend non-smartphone users considerably and are generally more profitable as well.Tags: blog, cell phone news, discussion, mobile
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15May
Let’s see what else has been going on in the mobile phone world this week, in our weekly round up of stories you may have missed:
1. Vodafone Passport Cuts Roaming Charges - Completely!
From the 1st of June, anybody on the Vodafone network who select their Passport service will be charged for any roaming calls or messages at the standard rate, exactly as if they were in the UK! Although this promotion is currently set to last for three months, it does let you use any free minutes your plan entitles you to, but doesn’t include data - so don’t try to download any video!
2. BlackBerry Storm 2 Pictured!
We already know it’s coming and now, we have a good idea of what it will look like too. The answer is, pretty similar to the first Storm as these Engadget shots show. Doesn’t matter to us, we loved the look of the original!3. Sony Ericsson Planning Something Exciting?
An ‘under construction’ page has appeared on the Sony Ericsson website with the words ‘waiting for something good’ on it. With no timer or a hint of a date, this could be anything and may appear at anytime, but we’re secretly hoping it’s some Idou news. Or, it could be a wag commenting on this story…
4. Mobile Internet Users Love Social Networking.
Research carried out by ‘user experience consultancy’ Webcredible has indicated that 55% of mobile owners who use their phone for Internet activities use it for social networking and email. What makes this especially interesting is the same survey in 2007 had just (more…)
Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.
Tags: blog, cell phone news, discussion, mobile
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15May
HTC are hot stuff at selling slick, smooth phones - but so are their rivals. The eternal battle to make your product different in an industry where everyone makes the same thing leads to some strange strategies, and now HTC have filed a patent that’s half-phone, half-Wii.
The new text-input method will allow users to tilt their phone as they thumb the buttons, so each letter is a combination of key and angle. It all sounds a bit gimmicktastic - we’re not sure you want to look like you’re fending off invisible assailants as you send your SMSs. The implementation is sure to end up smoother, but it’ll have to be impressively intuitive to make moving the whole handset easier than predictive text, or just tapping “A” twice for B.
We’ll be quite happy to be impressed, though. Here’s hoping HTC have a handset h-inspiration. (Sorry.)
Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.
Tags: blog, cell phone news, discussion, mobile
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15May
It’s been called the GC900, the LG Viewty II, the LG Viewty Smart and an all-encompassing combination of all three, but the one thing everyone agrees on is the latest big-megapixel touchscreen camera phone from LG is looking mighty impressive, regardless of what you want to call it! For a while, we have been expecting a June launch for the phone, but it now looks likely the Viewty Smart will be released as soon as the 27th May!The VIEWTY SMART, a closer look
LG have left behind the boxy design of the original Viewty and have chosen a more modern, sculpted look for the GC900 Viewty Smart, a look complimented by the brushed metal-style rear panel and svelte 12.4mm thickness of the chassis - it’s a really fine looking mobile! The 3″ touchscreen is a capacitive item and the operating system uses LG’s S-Class interface, which is both attractive and usable. (more…)
Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.
Tags: blog, cell phone news, discussion, mobile
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15May
A recent report about the environmental impact of consumer electronics has a lot of people worried about what’s going to happen to our earth as the worldwide demand for gadgets grows. A drastic increase in energy consumption is leading to a variety of different global problems the most frightening of which is global warming. Although increased use of mobile phones around the world is contributing to energy use, this industry is one part of consumer electronics that tends to be greener than the rest. As businesses and consumers work to reduce the amount of damage being done, they may want to turn to the mobile phone industry to get some ideas on how to stay green while allowing for this growth.The Frightening Report on Global Gadget Use
The report that has people worried about this issue right now is a report that was completed by the International Energy Agency. Some of the key points made in that report include:
• Fifteen percent of all household energy use is taken up by consumer electronics including laptops, televisions and mobile phones.
• Individual consumer electronics don’t take up much electricity on their own. However, the rapid growth of their use is causing them to often end up using more electricity than larger household appliances in today’s home. We’re approaching the use of 1 billion personal computers, 2 billion televisions and 3.5 billion mobile phones around the world today.
• Rapid adoption of new gadgets around the world has led to predictions that this amount will triple by 2030.
• This increase would require a corresponding increase of 280 GW of generating capacity required between now and then. It would also mean the expenditure of over $200 billion by household consumers for their increased utility bills.What Can Be Done to Reduce the Problem
The report suggests that the threats caused by (more…)
Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.
Tags: blog, cell phone news, discussion, mobile
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