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All holiday shopping estimates are pointing to smartphones as the device of choice, and like any manufacturer, HTC wants to get in on the action.  The company is offering a $100 check (via mail) to anyone that purchases an eligible HTC smartphone from Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile.

• Purchase the smartphone.  The Tilt, Touch Pro2, Imagio, and Ozone are all eligible handsets.
• Once purchased, enter the promotional code at the carrier-specific website:
  • Verizon: Here
  • AT&T: Here
  • T-Mobile: Here
• Print out the shipping label (HTC provides free shipping)
• Once HTC receives the device, they'll mail you the check for $100.

The promotion runs November 27th through December 31st, and submissions must be entered by January 31st.  Sure, you don't get the cash right away, but you'll be $100 richer in the long run.  What's more, the device itself doesn't have to be over $100 - if the device is $50, then you pocket $50 after all is said and done.  Let the shopping begin!

Via: IntoMobile

Quite regularly, I'm asked a question considered by many in this world to be relatively straightforward: "what cell phone do you use?"  Despite the simplicity of the statement, responding is hard.  This week, I carried the Bold and iPhone.  Last week, I carried the Bold and Hero.  The week before that, I carried the Bold and Storm2.  In early October, I carried the Bold and Tour.  You get the idea.  It changes on a regular basis (and when I say "regular," I'm referring to a weekly basis).

Sure, I'm a BlackBerry addict through and through (and as such, my first choice will always be a BlackBerry), but there are a bevy of devices that I sport, or have used on a regular basis at some point in my wireless career.  It's worth noting that this is my list, so naturally, it's biased and based on what I carry (or have carried) on a regular basis.

Coming soon: Aaron's Top Five Phones for the Holiday 2009 season

1. BlackBerry Bold 9700 - AT&T ($199.99 after $100 mail-in rebate) and T-Mobile ($199 on Even More plan)

Prior to the Bold 9700, everything I liked about BlackBerry devices was scattered across various units.  I preferred the battery life from the Curve 8900, keyboard from the Bold 9000, the trackpad from the Curve 8520, and general appearance of the Tour 9630.  The Bold 9700, available as of last week on T-Mobile and yesterday on AT&T, takes all of the features above and places them into the perfect BlackBerry form factor.  Gorgeous screen, OS 5.0, Wi-Fi, 3.2-megapixel camera, roomy keyboard, trackpad in place of the trackball, and absolutely incredible battery life all characterize the Bold 9700.  With so many great features, I'm not sure how RIM will one-up this device when the time comes (unless the revision has a better web browser).



2. Apple iPhone 3GS - AT&T (Starting at $199.99)

This phone will always be near the top of my list.  Hands down, the experience is always a good one.  With anything popular comes a contingent of people that hate it, and the iPhone has both.  The good camera (3.2-megapixels), large screen, absolutely phenomenal web browser, and an App Store that's bursting at the gills make it a near-perfect device for consumers and various business types.  Combine with iPod integration, and it's a joy to use.  It's the one device that literally makes your life easier in almost every way.


3. Palm Pre - Sprint ($149.99 after $100 mail-in rebate)

Though it's not my favorite in regards to build quality (not a huge fan of the plastic body), webOS has an incredible amount of potential.  The key of 2009 is social media and networking, and Synergy does a fantastic job when it comes to integration of both.  Battery life was a little shaky at launch earlier in the year, and Palm's App Catalog isn't nearly as expanded as its competitors, but the improvements make it a worthwhile device.


4. Motorola Droid - Verizon Wireless ($199.99 after $100 mail-in rebate)

Rocking Android v2.0, a physical QWERTY keyboard, gorgeous 3.7-inch screen, good web browser, and a 5.0-megapixel camera, the Droid is Verizon's answer to the Apple iPhone.  Backed by a huge advertising campaign (part of which has gotten Verizon into some legal hot water), the Droid is the flagship of the Android line (the Droid Eris/Hero isn't too far behind, in my book).  The battery life is less than desirable, and the design is a love or hate thing.  Still, you can't deny that the device is powerful and worthy to be in the belt during those long airport visits at Christmastime.



5. BlackBerry Storm2 - Verizon Wireless ($179.99 after $100 mail-in rebate)

Considering the level to which I prefer RIM, admitting that I strongly disliked the original Storm is serious.  It was a two part issue for me - part of the problem centered around poor OS builds (which, in fairness, have been rectified since the launch of OS 5.0.0.328 for the unit), and the other part centered around build quality issues.  Thanks to electronic actuators in place of a physical button underneath the screen, gesture input is significantly improved, and the screen feels like it can withstand the elements a bit better than the original.

Close, but no cigar:

• HTC Touch Pro2 (all carriers): If there were a sixth place, it would be on the list.
• HTC Droid Eris/HTC Hero: Sense UI.  Enough said.
• Samsung Moment: A bit bulky, but powerful.

After a week on the nation's fourth largest wireless carrier, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is able to call AT&T's retail store shelves home.  Cosmetically, few things have changed from the T-Mobile version with the exception of a new logo (obviously), different 3G bands, and a different OS build.  The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is available to customers for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and new two-year customer agreement.

BlackBerry users, who's biting?  If you're on the fence, check out my first impressions, unboxing, and review - and be sure to share your experiences in the comments section below!

Mobile phones are fast becoming the communication tool of choice, with more than half of the world’s population owning at least one. Considering so many people use a mobile everyday, you would think that we had finally got mobile phone etiquette down to a tee… I think not, here are my top peeves when it comes to bad phone habits…

Private Details For Everyone!

Many of you will have encountered this, you may have even done it yourself, but grabbing the top spot are those people who enjoy having a “private” conversation with an entire café, or anyone unfortunate enough to be within earshot. There is nothing I like less than listening to stranger’s personal problems, ok so it may brighten a dull day when hearing about Nellie’s unfortunate incident with Billy and a candle, but really some things are best kept to yourself, or if you feel the need to divulge to your best friend, do it in person.

No Need to Shout.

Where ever you go, there are always those who enjoy sharing their conversations with the rest of the world. Similar to the private offenders the shouters let everyone know what they think, but this time it’s down to their lack of volume control. Men are the worst culprits, ok so you have a big booming voice, but that’s no excuse to broadcast your phone call. Remember, you don’t have to yell to be heard and if you’re concerned, whoever’s on the other end of the phone has a volume button as well!

The Waiting Game.

No-one likes to be second best, especially not to a piece of plastic. If you’re meeting up with someone it’s ok to pass the time playing on your mobile, but when they arrive, don’t make them wait for you to finish, there’s nothing worse than hovering around waiting for someone to get off their phone. Similarly, if you get a call mid-way through a conversation, never break face-to-face chat for a phone call, if it’s important they will ring you back. If you have to take it, excuse yourself, get the main points and re-schedule the call. Remember your time isn’t any more important than anyone else’s if you hang on the phone too long, the other person may well leave. (more…)

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

We all knew that it would get worse than Rick Astley, it was just a matter of time.  We haven’t had to wait long either, as a new iPhone worm has been discovered in the Netherlands and it does exactly what nefarious software is supposed to do, cause all sort of horrible problems.  As before, the worm infects jailbroken iPhones which run SSH, but only if the owner has not changed the root password.

Once up and running, with a preference for being connected to a Wi-Fi network, the sneaky worm changes the root password for you, but without having the courtesy of telling you what it is, before it gets to work by collecting bank authorisation details sent by SMS - a common practice in Europe - and spoofing an ING Direct webpage to fool you into entering sensitive information.  The potential is there for all this to be sent back to the worm’s homebase, further adding to your pain.

But before we all panic and shut out iPhone’s in the refrigerator, this worm doesn’t seem to have spread outside of the Netherlands and can only be ‘caught’ by jailbroken phones with SSH still using the default password.  It seems hard to believe that even after the considerable attention the first worm received that there are still users like this, but clearly there are.

However, if you’re the paranoid type or would rather be safe than sorry, avoiding this iPhone worm is simple - either don’t jailbreak or at least learn something about securing your phone before you do!

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

The lottery is a lot of fun for some people. For barely any cash at all you can buy a moment of hope that your life could change for the better. But for some people, the appeal of the lottery becomes a serious problem. People with gambling problems may become addicted to the instant gratification of playing the lottery. There are scratch lottery games, PowerBall-style lottery competitions and even video lottery in some places. And if you really have a problem with the lottery then your mobile phone can be a big danger to you.

Here’s a look at ten different ways to feed your lottery addiction with your mobile phone:

1.     Send a text to enter the lottery. It is possible to enter a variety of different types of lotteries via text message. For example, you can create an account with the UK National Lottery and that account allows you to enter games via text message. Another example is a system in South Africa where SMS banking and ATM access have combined to create a cell-phone-based option for playing the lottery there. There are also quite a few game shows that have corresponding lottery games that allow you to enter by sending a text message to a specific phone number for entry.

2.     Get your lottery results by text message. There are many different applications and services available which allow you to get your lottery results by text message. For example, you can get your UK National Lottery via text every week. The service is available to people on all major UK phone networks and costs 25p per text message to use.

3.     Get your lottery results via Twitter. SMS messages are an old-fashioned way to receive the most up-to-date lottery results. Modern people are using Twitter for just about everything. This includes checking the latest lottery results when checking your Twitter stream. You can follow the results for your local lottery, check Twitter by mobile phone and always know immediately whether or not you were a winner. (more…)

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