cell phones reviews, news about different brands, unlocked, accessories

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:03:13 +0000

In light of today’s economic downturn and the plan by many consumers to reduce their cell phone upgrades and service plan costs, now may be as ripe a time as any to understand and assure your cell phone security.

Airwide Solutions, which builds mobile messaging and wireless Internet systems, this week issued a helpful list of questions to ask yourself and your carrier so you can take advantage of the security mechanisms likely already in place for you.

1) “What kind of spam filtering options does my carrier offer?”

2) “How much do I need to worry about viruses and other types of spyware coming onto my phone through multimedia messages?”

3) “What if my cell phone is compromised (i.e. stolen or lost)? What can be done to ensure all data is secure but wiped from the phone?”

4) “Are there controls or limits on when and how messaging can be used (i.e. while driving)?”

5) “How can I protect myself against scams that ask for personal information?”

6) “Are there any user-control settings I’m not aware of that I should be? Can I control what messages I receive on my phone and I just don’t know it?”

You can learn more about mobile security on my article on the topic.

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Crazy Soft releases Zeus Quest game for multiple smartphone platforms

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:29:35 +0000

Greece-based Crazy Soft has released a new game called for multiple smartphone platforms — including Symbian S60 and UIQ, Windows Mobile, Palm OS and BlackBerry. The adventure game sports cartoon-ish graphics we’ve seen in early PC adventure games from Sierra and Lucas Arts.

As for the storyline, it finds you controlling Zeus who comes back to Earth to save it. Although everything is happening at the classical ancient Greek period (1000-300bc), you can switch ages through a time machine.

Along the way which sees you crossing many islands like Santorini, Delos, Mykonos, Milos, Karpathos and Crete - you’ll solve riddles, play mini games, and interact with ancient Greek mythology characters.

It’s sounds like tons of fun, especially for younger players who will also learn something about Greek mythology… Here’s a link with more information, and from here you can grab the $2 off coupon.

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Microsoft Throws Down in Front of Apple Store in UK

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:28:28 +0000

It looks like the ad/marketing battle between Microsoft and Apple isn’t going to get any better, any time soon. In the latest move, this time from Microsoft… The Redmond, Washington based company has set up what appears to be a booth outside the Apple store at Bullring, Birmingham in the UK.

Now, it isn’t simply just an informational booth… No, no, no! The booth actually lets you walk in, and record your own ‘I’m a PC’ video! What’s more, rumor has it that the booth will be staffed with Microsoft peeps in the coming days to help turn people off the Apple store and bring them back to the dark, er, Microsoft side.

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EA Coming to the Android Market

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:27:05 +0000

Gamers that are packing a T-Mobile G1 will be pleased with this news. It looks like EA is busy getting ready to launch some of their more popular (and classic) games for Android. Titles such as Monopoly, Tetris and Bejeweled should all be available via the Android Market. The games are classics indeed, and worth a thumbs up at the very least.

Adam Sussman, the Vice President of EA Mobile commented:

“Android is another exciting new platform to offer customers great games with enhancements like touch and tilt capabilities.”

Fair enough Adam. With the classic games noted above to hit the Android Market, there’s no doubt that this will be the first round of games to hit Android from EA. Look for more games from them in the near future.

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HTC Touch Pro Coming to Bell November 14th for $399.95

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:26:00 +0000

Latest word on the street is that the HTC Touch Pro is coming to Bell on November 14th. Early price plans for the device include a 3-year plan for $399.95, 2-year for $449.95 and 1-year for $549.95. You should also be able to pick it up on a no contract option for $599.95.

The HTC Touch Pro is a full QWERTY slider that features 3G, a very large touchscreen display, MicroSD, and it even comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office.

Bell is going nuts with device releases this holiday season. Look for the LG Voyager, Samsung Cleo, HTC Diamond, BlackBerry Storm and now the HTC Touch Pro all coming soon. Rediculous! If you’re planning to pick up a new device make sure you do your homework first. Lots of options and choices… sometimes it can be hard to find the perfect device that fits your lifestyle just right.

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T-Mobile inadvertently dropping T-Mobile G1 data plans?

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:16:46 +0000

In an effort to publicize their still green-behind-the-ears 3G network (using the company’s own 1700Mhz AWS spectrum), T-Mobile offered all its loyal T-Mobile customers a free 3G network data trial when they pre-ordered a T-Mobile G1. The trial offer was meant to give T-Mobile G1 customers a first-hand experience on the carrier’s new 3G data network, in hopes that customers would sign on for unlimited 3G data plans upon the trial’s expiry.

Well, that trial period is now over and some T-Mobile G1 customers are reporting that they’ve lost their 3G data connection. T-Mobile was expected to automatically enroll subscribers in unlimited 3G data service at the end of the 3G data network trial. Unfortunately, some users are reporting that T-Mobile failed to port them over to a 3G data plan. Instead, those users woke up to zero data service.

For those of you left without access to T-Mobile data network, a quick call in to T-Mobile customer service will likely fix the issue right quick.

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Sprint announces prorated ETF - Sprint gets lenient on Early Termination Fees

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:15:33 +0000

Sprint is just about the last US wireless carrier to offer their customers an arguably much deserved break on their ETF. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have all rolled out prorating policies that has them reducing the Early Termination Fee based on how much time is left on a wireless contract, so it was only a matter of time before Sprint followed suit.

We’ve been expecting Sprint to prorate their ETF before the end of the year, but we really didn’t expect the announcement so soon. Following on the carrier’s announcement that they were working on overhauling their billing system to account for a reduced ETF, Sprint has gone official with their prorating policy.

As of November 2, Sprint will start chopping away at their $200 Early Termination Fee after the 6th month of wireless service. After month six, Sprint plans to forgive $10 for every month of service. Sprint’s prorating policy leaves customers with just a $100 ETF after 15 months of service - one of the lowest prorated ETFs in the industry. And, there are even provisions to drop the ETF down to a meager $50 should the customer terminate the contract before term.

So, if you’re planning to get yourself a new Sprint handset, you might want to hold off for at least another day. The prorated ETF policy only applies to wireless contracts initiated, renewed, or upgraded on or after November 2, 2008.

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Nokia E71 - day 2: Three things I don’t like about it

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:14:23 +0000

OK, I admit I’m lazy today. The air pressure is super-low and I’m not feeling well. I won’t go to the gym today as I previously said I will. Instead I’m going to ramble about some things I don’t like about the Nokia E71. These are all minor things, but they do stand in my way to call it the perfect smartphone. Don’t get me wrong - the Nokia E71 is the best Symbian S60 smartphone ever made, or at least that’s my take. The E90 Communicator may have a bigger screen, but can you imagine carrying it around in in your pocket? I don’t think so.

Anyway, here are three things I don’t like about the E71:

Headset jack - there are actually two things I don’t like about it. First of all, it’s a 2.5mm instead of 3.5mm — the 3.5mm headphones are much cheaper. Let’s say that’s not a problem - you can buy an adapter for few bucks and use any standard 3.5mm headphones. However, why on Earth is the headphone jack located on the side of the device is beyond me. You can argue there were no room on the top of the phone, but I don’t buy that. It’s a must to have a headphone jack on the top of the phone. It’s way more convenient that way.
Where’s TV Out? - I do understand the E71 is not an NSeries device, but I do want the TV out nonetheless. While I’m on the subject, I must add I hate the whole notion of product differentiation. It may drive companies profits up, but it’s bad for the high-end users who (like me) want a single all-in-one device.
Ctrl/Chr share the same key - we saw this will be fixed in the upcoming E63 model. Both keys are very important and each of them deserves a separate key. Sure, that would require smaller space key, but I can live with that.
In addition, I could also add I would love to see an Infra-Red port located at the top. It’s not a big deal, but with an application like irRemote for S60, I could turn the E71 into a universal remote control. Having an IrDA port at the top certainly helps in that sense.

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LG CU920 Shine: A $50 Slider Phone, Compact Mirror or Both?

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:13:01 +0000

Have you ever used your cell phone as a flashlight? If so, don’t be shy about admitting it. I do it all the time.

Now what about using your cell phone for cosmetic purposes as a compact mirror? While that’s not practical for yours truly, the mirror-polished faceplate of the LG CU920 Shine slider phone for AT&T actually does shine in such a way that you could.

Also, it’s a 3G phone for high-speed data transfer (unlike its Asian and European counterpart). Perhaps even better yet, the LG CU920 Shine multimedia slider is also a budget cell phone that can be yours for only 50 bucks.

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Casio 830CA 5.2MP Camera Phone

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:11:51 +0000

Casio has recently introduced its 830CA 5.2MP camera phone that features face detection and auto focus functions, which will be available in Japan market in the end of November via SoftBank. Available in white, black, orange and gray, the handset features a 3-inch display with 240 x 427 resolution and supports HSDPA, 1-Seg and global roaming service

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