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Greetings from Milford, CT everyone. I'm on a road trip visiting family and friends here in the New Haven area, and also heading down to New York City for a few days. So the blog entries and videos will be a bit less frequent this week - but don't worry, I'm still working.
I've got the LG Vu with me so I can test out AT&T's Mobile TV service, and I've also got the Samsung t819 so I can check out T-Mobile's new 3G network. Both services are available in NYC but not yet... My new favorite gadget, the EGO CUP from Funkwerk Americas, lets you convert your cup holder into a Bluetooth hands-free car kit with a sleek and inconspicuous design.
While I loved the ergonomic style, I was a little concerned that no one would be able to hear me since every other device I have tested has either been an earpiece or clipped to the visor. I was pleasantly surprised. The EGO CUP is a simple plug-n-play solution with great call quality, especially given the distance in my car... There's a really interesting post over on Boing Boing about the effect that cell phone usage seems to have on the human brain. New research shows that the electromagnetic signals coming out of mobile phones can alter brainwaves and even affect your behavior, boosting alpha waves and potentially causing difficulty in falling asleep after being exposed to the signals.
What's even more interesting is that cell phones apparently emit these signals on frequencies that are far more in tune... Could everyone's favorite MVNO be looking to merge with a less cool but bigger and badder MVNO? Could be.
Multiple media outlets have been reporting that Helio (everyone's fave, if you ask me) and Virgin Mobile USA (actually bigger and badder than Helio) are in talks to join forces. Details are a little bit sketchy right now, but one scenario desribed by The Washington Post has Helio's parent company SK Telecom buying out Virgin Mobile USA and then pouring some cash into the... I've been playing around on Facebook this week, setting up a PhoneDog.com page and generally looking into ways to get the Dog out to more people via social networking. So when I read Engadget editor Ryan Block's recent post throwing his hat into the ring to head up Motorola's mobile phone division I figured what better way to assess his chances than by starting a Facebook group to support him (Facebook account required to view).
I've never met Ryan, and for all I know he kicks... If you read my blog you know I've been waiting on this one awhile now. The first live photos of Sony Ericsson's forthcoming "Paris" smartphone are online, and if you ask me they look good. The proof will be in the pudding - if Paris' touchscreen isn't responsive and easy to use, then it won't matter how good it looks. But I'm really liking the idea of a touchscreen slider with SE's compact QWERTY layout.
Also, it looks like Paris will sport a 5MP camera (with flash, I... One whole day earlier than I expected, Verizon Wireless dropped the Samsung Glyde upon us. This touchscreen and QWERTY-board handset packs a boatload of features into a relatively small Blue body that's a slightly shrunken down take on Sammy's F700 Ultra Smart.
Glyde gives you a 2.8" touchscreen with haptic feedback, side-sliding QWERTY, 2MP camera with auto-focus, flash, and video capture, GPS with VZ Navigator (location based services), and full HTML browser. Wait,... Kevin over at CrackBerry keeps giving us the goods on the forthcoming BlackBerry 9000. If you recall, he got himself a working pre-production unit off of eBay and has been testing and reviewing it over the past week or so. Now he's got video up of the new user interface, and it's got me wondering if a BlackBerry just might be in my future after all. Slick UI, QWERTY goodness, and push Email? Sounds like a winner to me.
Check it out! Wow, Sprint's trying to steal some of that Microsoft-Yahoo! merger thunder, huh? First they hit the headlines as a possible acquisition target for Deutsch Telekom (T-Mobile's parent co.) and now this.
According to the Wall Street Journal (says CrunchGear), the US's #3 mobile carrier is looking to get rid of Nextel after a 2+ year marriage that didn't really do much good for them. Nextel lost almost three and a half million subscribers in '06-'07 and according to CG they're... It's a great day for T-Moble subscribers in New York. The carrier announced that the company has taken the first commercial step in the rollout of its third-generation (3G) wireless network by launching its UMTS/HSDPA network in New York City.
T-Mobile plans to roll out the high-speed data network in major cities throughout the year and be up and running in areas where most subscribers currently use data services by the end of the year.
The 3G network allows much faster download speeds for... A bunch of newspaper ads over the weekend point to the real-soon-like availability of the BlackBerry Curve 8330 on Sprint in not one, but two fabulous colors. While the ads say the CDMA Curve is "Coming Soon," Crackberry.com is taking it a step further in pointing to forum posters who claim Wed May 7th as the release date.
The ads say the 3G, GPS-enabled smartphone will cost you $179 after mail-in rebate, and with contract (two years plus data plan). But hey, you'll get your... As expected, HTC today announced the Touch Diamond, a Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone featuring a seriously overhauled touch-friendly interface and slim 10.7mm profile. The Taiwanese company launched the phone at a press event in London and announced that it will be available on UK carrier Orange in June, with other carriers and regions to follow thereafter. No word was given on availability in the US - HTC traditionally releases unlocked GSM versions of its handsets and also has... So check this out: Apparently some BlackBerry 9000 pre-production samples turned up on eBay, and before RIM could get all of them pulled off, Kevin from CrackBerry.com bought one. And he actually got it in the mail. So awesome.
Being the pillar of the blogosphere that he is, Kevin tested, photographed, and reviewed his secret new toy and posted the results for all to see. Check out Part 1 of his very in-depth look at the next-Gen Blackberry over on CrackBerry. ... The LG Vu went on sale today at AT&T, but apparently is only available in some areas just yet. When I headed to the ATT Wireless site and entered zip codes from here in the Bay Area (Oakland, San Francisco, Berkeley, etc), Vu didn't show up. When I switched to my old Brooklyn, NY Zip, I got the page. Hmm.
So your mileage may vary depending on where you live, but if you're interested you can give it a whirl. Sign a two-year contract and pony up $299 (after... German newspaper Spiegel's online outlet ran a story Saturday about a possible takeover in the offing that would shake up the US cell phone market in a big way. According to Spiegel Online, Deutsche Telekom - the parent company of T-Mobile Europe and T-Mobile USA - is eyeing an acquisition of Sprint, which would effectively mean the merger of the US's #3 and #4 mobile carriers.
Between Sprint Nextel's recent share price drop and the strength of the euro as compared to the dollar, DT... Hiptop3.com seems to have the juice on the forthcoming T-Mobile Sidekick Gekko, also possibly known as "Aspen" and codename: Style2. Looks like Gekko will take the place of the now-defunct Sidekick ID at the low-end of the SK lineup, and will feature some kind of color-changeable front faceplates (hence the moniker) and other customizations.
Gekko may also use the same Sharp LCD display currently found on Sidekick LX, and a feature set to match the LX, or close to it. Odds... I had to take Friday off from rumors and leaks, thanks to a week of being annoyed at the blogosphere for some erroneous reporting on T-Mobile's 3G launch in New York City (of course it's data and not just voice, yeesh) and some annoyingly snarky sports blogs I read. So, you know, I held a blog strike. Well, not really. But I stayed clear for a day.
Of course now I'm right back to rumor mongering ... I mean, reporting ... and the news right now is about HTC. ... Virgin Mobile is expanding their portfolio to offer it's first Samsung device, a sleek looking slider called Slash. Not much information is out about the device yet, but it will feature voice activated calling, SMS, speakerphone, camera, MP3 ring tones, Bluetooth, and a wireless Wen browser.
Pricing and availability haven't been announced yet. Well, that didn't take long.
My big switch away from the iPhone to the Nokia N82 as my daily cell? I think I'm over it. In part I have to blame the post-CTIA deluge of new devices that have come into the PhoneDog office over the past few weeks. With so many new phones to try out, how can I limit myself to just one (I'm happily married, so being polygamous with gadgets is my vice)?
More than that, though, the N82's lack of style and fun got to me. Having a top-notch... LG's Vu was maybe the most impressive new device shown at CTIA a month ago. While Samsung's Instinct grabbed the lion's share of the press (and not altogether undeservedly so), Vu quietly impressed me in a back-room briefing thanks to its responsive touchscreen, snappy menus, and light without feeling cheap candybar body.
Word on the street (well, Web), seems to be that the Vu CU920 has started showing up in AT&T stores a few days early. It's not official, and you... |
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Hot phones - check 'em out!Check out these cool phones. Get full specs, images, pricing, read user and expert reviews, watch videos and much more... Latest cell phone videos- LG Vu Unboxing VideoThis may be the coolest new handset of the year so far. LG's Vu is a touchscreen phone with a 2MP
- Glyde Review Pt 2 VideoHands-on and in depth with the new Samsung Glyde for Verizon. In this part: VCAST, Camera, GPS/VZ
- Glyde Unboxing VideoUnboxing and quick overview of this cool little VCAST messaging phone. Touchscreen and QWERTY. And
- Glyde Video Review Hands-on and in depth with the new Samsung Glyde for Verizon. Touch screen, QWERTY, VCAST ... it's
- LG enV2 Video Cont.Part two of a two-part review of LG's enV2 messaging phone for Verizon. In this part: GPS on
- LG enV2 Video ReviewPart one of a two-part review of LG's enV2 messaging phone for Verizon. In this part: How to text
- Instinct vs iPhone Sprint's going all out marketing the Samsung Instinct against the Apple iPhone. Here's the first
- LG enV2 UnBoxingI unbox and fire up the brand new LG enV2 VCAST messaging phone for Verizon. We got the black
- BB Pearl 8120 ReviewI spent a week with the newest Pearl, the 8120 for T-Mobile. It's got WiFi, HotSpot@Home, and a 2MP
- Unlocked #5 The post-CTIA onslaught has begun! Check out some of the new handsets in the PhoneDog office,
Latest cell phone reviews- Motorola Z9What’s Good: Great voice quality; fast 3G data speeds; good GPS system; mobiTV compatibility;
- Samsung GlydeWhat’s Good: Touchscreen and Full QWERTY Keyboard in Compact Body; Clean Menus and “Croix” User
- Nokia N82What’s Good: Incredible Camera w/Xenon Flash; Full VGA Video Capture; Excellent Web Browser; WiFi;
- BlackBerry RIM Pearl-8120 TitaniumWhat’s Good: Integrated WiFi for Web, Email, and HotSpot@Home UMA Calling; Trackball is easy to
- LG VenusWhat’s Good: Beautiful display; Context-sensitive menus; Extensive feature set; VZ Navigation works
- Nokia N810 SilverWhat’s Good: Stylish, compact design with large touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard; Excellent
- LG Rumor WhiteWhat’s Good: Compact, rugged design with full QWERTY keyboard; Easy to use; Auto-rotating display;
- Samsung MystoWhat’s Good: All kinds of multimedia, Web, and location-based features; Super slim profile; Speedy
- Treo by Palm Centro Onyx RedWhat’s Good: Full-featured, easy to use smartphone for entry-level price; Clear, bright,
- BlackBerry RIM Curve-8320 Pale GoldWhat’s Good: Excellent QWERTY keypad; WiFi for Email/Web and UMA voice calling; Legendary push
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