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iPhone 3GS. Is it worth it? Is it worth the upgrade? Noah from PhoneDog reviews Apple's newest phone.

iPhone 3GS. Is it worth it? Is it worth the upgrade? Noah from PhoneDog reviews Apple's newest phone.

Despite the announcement today from AT&T, we had knownabout the Nokia Surge 6790 for quite a while (though at the time, it wascodenamed "Mako").  Marketed at younger users with a "social circle," the Surge offers a sliding QWERTYkeyboard, Symbian S60, 2.4-inch screen, 3G, A-GPS, Exchange and personal e-mail support, FM radio, stereo Bluetooth, full HTML web browser, and AT&T Navigator.  It will be available in stores and online at www.att.com/wireless on July 19th for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and two-year service agreement.

Additional features are highlighted in the excerpt from the press release below:

• 2.0 megapixel camera - Customers can capture quality photos with color camera and 4X digital zoom
• AT&T Navigator - AT&T Navigator provides audible turn-by-turn directions, monitors traffic and alerts users when there is a slowdown or incident
• AT&T Mobile Music - Customers can listen and download their favorite music from Napster Mobile, eMusic Mobile, XM Radio and more over the air
• AT&T Video Share - The first-ever service in the U.S. that allows users to share live video over wireless devices while participating in a voice call
• JuiceCaster - Customers can share videos and pictures from their wireless device to the Web's most popular sites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr
  

Despite the different form factor, is anyone thinking about picking one up when it launches on Sunday?

Sometimes, conventional translates into boring - and in a rare move, RIM is breaking that trend by latching onto a "non-standard" device color.  If the titanium and red colors weren't your cup of tea and you were eagerly awaiting something different, Sprint and RIM have officially launched the "inferno" (orange) BlackBerry Curve.  It (along with the other colors) can be had for $49.99 after mail-in rebate and a two-year agreement. 

When they say "inferno," they really mean it - it's certainly a different color for one of the most traditional manufacturers in the industry.  Anyone planning on purchasing one, or has the BlackBerry Tour taken the show for now?

Source: Engadget Mobile

So have you been politely talking on your cell phone this month?  (We hope you are a courteous talker everyday, but with it being National Cell Phone Courtesy Month, our friend Joni Blecher of Lets Talk highlights some proper etiquette cell phone tips below.  

We've all encountered some people with absolutely no cell phone etiquette. In fact, LetsTalk.com has been doing surveys on the topic since 2000. According to Karen Leland's Huffington Post article, Jacqueline Whitmore, author of "Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work" and President of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, Inc., officially founded National Cell Phone Courtesy Month in 2002. Since then, cell phones have become even more a part of everyday life. People seem to be getting better about their cell phone usage or at least views have changed a bit about what is acceptable according to these cumulative results.

At any rate, now seems like a good time to remind people of some simple etiquette rules to keep in mind when using a cell phone. Remember, you may not be aware of your surroundings when you take a call, but depending on your behavior other people will be aware of you.

When in doubt, mute:  Many establishments ask customers to refrain from using cell phones, but no one wants to actually miss a call. Most cell phones have a vibrate feature, set it to that if you're afraid of missing a call and then take or return the call in an appropriate setting.

Choose Ringtones You Won't Regret: Personalized ringtones have become a certifiable hit. Your kids may love your Fred Flinstone "YabbaDabbaDoo!" ringtone, but it might not be a hit in the board room.

Talk, Don't Yell: For some unknown reason, most of us speak louder when we dial. Stop the urge to act like a primitive Neanderthal and scream into your cell phone.

When in Earshot Keep it Short: People around you don't really want to be privy to your personal conversations.

Don't Text and Drive: Talking on a cell phone while driving isn't just dangerous, it's actually illegal in many states.

Excuse Yourself Before Taking the Call: The call may be important to you, but realize you're also important to the person in front or next to you.

Say Please Before They Say Cheese: The proliferation of camera phones means that almost everyone is walking around with a camera in their pocket. People are increasingly more sensitive to this fact, so use the photo feature with discretion.

If it's An Emergency, Take The Call: Occasionally, an emergency is going to arise at an inopportune cell phone time. No matter where you are, if you believe it may be an emergency, do take the call. What do you think?

Any etiquette tips you'd like to add? Leave us a comment.

At long last the new generation of BlackBerry devices comes to Verizon. Tour 9630, a world phone, out of the box.

To key, or not to key: that is the question. Throughout our coverage of newly released and upcoming Android devices, you all have posted a lot of comments. Topics run the gamut from style to battery life, and virtually every aspect in between has received a nod. But there is one subject that draws more comments than all of the others combined: hardware versus virtual keyboards.

Of course, personal taste has a tremendous role in determining what is best for you. However, when comparing the G1 to the myTouch 3G or Hero, there are several other factors to take into account. But first, let's briefly look at taste. Google Experience phones have the black, white and orange virtual keyboard that came with Cupcake, and Sense phones will have HTC's lovely white, black, and green QWERTY. In both cases, customization is possible; perhaps more so with the Google Experience. It's very open, and that kb is just begging to be skinned, replaced, etc., in my opinion. (cont.)


Virtual keyboards are great because you don't have to bother opening and closing your phone. And that also means fewer moving parts--parts that can break or wear. No more creaky, squeaky screen panel. It means a thinner, lighter device, and in some cases, easier typing. But if you asked me what the number one benefit of a virtual keyboard is over a hardware QWERTY, I'd say uniformity. (cont.)


I have used something like 15 to 20 G1s, and at least five of them for more than a couple of hours. What struck me about testing all of those different keyboards was the variation in quality. Now that doesn't necessarily mean the phones came out of the factory in different states, but by the time they reached my hands the experiential difference between phones was like night and day.

I should point out that several of those devices were refurbished; someone had damaged the phones or was unhappy with their condition when received and they decided to return them. Therefore, my observations do not necessarily evidence unusual build quality anomalies. So does this indicate that the G1's keyboard is easily damaged or just that some people are really careless with their phones? I don't know. What I do know is that tiny flaws can have a huge impact on satisfaction when it comes to hand-held keyboards.

The G1 keyboard comes in two flavors: silver and black. The white and bronze G1 come with the silver kb, the black, with black. On the silver model, you'll find blue letters with red symbols. On the black, white letters with blue symbols. Overall, the silver keyboard is far more difficult for me to see. When the back-light comes on, the red symbols practically disappear; in bright light, I can barely see the blue. It's maddening. The black keyboard is perfect in my mind when it comes to the color scheme, but there are other variations to consider. (cont.)

Some keyboards don't sit properly; the keys are pressed up against one or two of the edges of the holes through which they protrude, causing friction and a shoddy look and feel. The back-lighting is sketchy and inconsistent, and this problem seems worse on silver model keyboards. For instance, the bronze G1 I'm using now has a light nearly as bright as the Sun sitting under the number 6, while the rest of the keyboard is dim at best.

These issues were a contributing factor to my G1 exchange cycle, which has been resolved. But as I look around, and handle other G1s, I realize that I'm not the only one noticing inconsistencies. Some people have perfect keyboards like I did, before I bricked my G1 with hacked software. They think the G1 QWERTY is fantastic. Others have never even used what I consider to be a high-quality G1. They take a crappy board for granted. But those who have been around know the difference.

Despite it being the public release of a developer's preview, my number one complaint about the G1 is the poor quality of the keyboard. I love the design. I love the materials--at lease the ones used for the black phone. But what many see as the device's greatest strength is, to me, it's greatest weakness. So aside from the pretty colors, potential for skinning, and all the other superficial stuff that comes along with virtual keyboards, I'd have to say that their single most significant advantage--at least in the case of current Android devices--is uniformity. (cont.)

It may seem a bit odd for me to advertise another website's promotion but the subject of this giveaway is too cool to pass up. androidandme.com is providing a myTouch 3G for one lucky respondent to a survey, which will be published at the site on Monday, July 13th. The topic is Astrid.

Astrid is Google's task management program for Android and has evolved to become the end-all, be-all to-do list for the platform. The app integrates content from Google Calendar and my old favorite, Remember the Milk. It even functions with Locale. RTM support is what finally got me on the Astrid train and I haven't looked back. 

Go to the Android Market and give Astrid a test drive. It's free and extremely powerful. Set tasks with levels of importance, due dates, repeating nags, tags, alarms, and more. I think it's the most customizable, flexible, and feature-rich personal task manager available for Android. Perhaps for any platform. Even if you don't bother with the survey, take the time to acquaint yourself with the software.

Read this page to find information on the contest. Fill out the form found here on 7/13, and you'll be entered to win a myTouch 3g.

[EDIT: You must be a current T-Mobile customer.]

Behind the scenes, out of sight of the high street consumer, phone manufacturers are playing a very competitive game of who’s got the largest … number of Megapixels that is. Companies are quick to announce that they will be producing the ‘next biggest thing’ with more pixels than ever before, only to have another company do them one better in the firecely contested camera wars, and here’s a great example.

Sony Ericsson proudly announced a handset in the process of production, the Satio (originally met as the Idou) in February of this year, sporting amongst other fantastic features a 12 Megapixel camera, set to be the first to appear on a mobile phone. Or so they thought.

Samsung, in assured smugness, has dethroned Sony Ericsson with information that they will have the Pixon 12 up for sale at least 2 months before the expected Q4 release for the Satio. The Samsung Pixon 12 is set to be available for purchase on August 1st, a short 9 months after the original Pixon M8800 was released, in November 2008. The information has leaked just 19 days before the said release date, which leaves practically no hope for Sony Ericsson to react to the news.

In the UK the Pixon 12 will be available exclusively from the 4U group of outlets and online stores for August and September, after which time it will be fair game for all.

Post from Dial-a-Phone, UK's no. 1 for Mobile Phones.