We've all seen the ads. Every carrier and their mother insist's that in some way, their network, coverage and speed rates are better than anyone else's. Personally, we're tired of the vague statements these shiny new commercials keep telling us with their unclear coverage maps dotted with vagaries.
Leave it to the modern smartphone to solve the issue of service misinformation. It's finally time to have carriers put their money where their mouths are, with the help of an iPhone app they're probably not too thrilled about: Carrier Compare.
The concept of Carrier Compare is simple: Press start, and the app will analyze your network's Signal Strength, Response and Speed Times, ... more
Since the first release of the Nexus-series of phones and following Google's acquisition of Motorola Mobility, it seemed obvious that both patents and hardware have been becoming more of a focus for the search giant.
Considering that the company's biggest and clearest rival is Apple, this really comes as no surprise, but what about tablets?
If anything, it's quite obvious that the high-end market is already dominated by the iPad (and our iPad Accessories), but hot sales of the Kindle Fire have proven that budget is beautiful too.
They say if you're seeking to innovate, then you should look back and be inspired by the past. It seems the people at Pebble have taken that saying to the next level with their newest ready-to-roll product: The Pebble E-Ink Smartwatch.
Designed to work with Android and iPhone devices, the E-Ink Smartwatch pairs with your phone via Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR to deliver text messages (Android only) and other notifications, show incoming call details, control your phone's music player, and track your jogging/biking progress via apps through the phone's GPS. All this data is delivered on a glare-proof E-ink display with options to create or download your own apps included.
With an available SDK and support for simple If This Then That functionalities, customization of the device looks extremly promising to us.
Currently this sleek little device is available only on
We've seen a lot of opinions lately coming from prominent blogs asking phonemakers to stop with the low budget smartphones, and the only response we could come up for it was: Why?
Of course we need to put things in context: When writers are complaining about budget Android smartphones, they're right about some things: Budget phones leave a lot to be desired. They're made with aged technology and hardware that can be more than 2 years old, stifling the progress and frenzy we saw during the HTC vs. Samsung vs. Apple innovation wars between 2010 - 2011.
Cheap, budget Android phones seem like gimmicky attempts when you compare them to the newest, shiniest toys. And it feels like companies are just trying to make up for the loss in Feature Phone revenue, while having the public be satisfied with the same stats across the board. It can mean stagnation, where companies m ... more
With not too shabby sales of Amazon's first tablet, leaks from the online retail giant are showing the company is preparing itself for the release of the next Kindle Fire. The newest iteration of their break-through tablet is set to be bigger and better, with an eye-popping 10-inch screen and impressive state-of-the-art features showcasing that a new budget-friendly rival is arriving against the The New iPad, and it's a tough contender.
But in the end, the details are currently still sparse.
Consumer surveys have revealed a number of ways in which the next Kindle Fire could be improved, including increased battery life, a camera, and a physical volume button. If Amazon pays attention to consumer's wants and implement these into their next release, they could most certainly gain ground in the tablet marketplace. Just these small changes can change the landscape and expand the market for t ... more
The concept and demand of the mobile phone market is changing more rapidly than before: A recent study has revealed that consumers prefer smartphones and mobile devices with screen sizes of around 4.5 inches, whittling down the market to only a few notable devices from Samsung's Galaxy range of phones, specifically the Galaxy Note with its whopping 5.3 inch screen and the Galaxy S II series.
Larger screen sizes are emerging within the marketplace as speedier network connections become available and customers are increasingly using their smartphones to act as their primary web & media browsing device, sharing platform and social networking dashboard.
Paul Brown the director of "Strategy Analytics User Experience Practice" stated that, "Almost 90 percent of existing smartphone owners surveyed chose a prototype smartphon ... more
The New iPad 3 was released to stores on Friday March 16th, and as expected, there were huge lines of consumers waiting to get their hands on Apple's latest innovation. The massive crowds hinting at strong sales for the newest device in the iPad, line, making another successful launch by Apple given the impressive features. on their newest tablet.
A cutting-edge retina display, pixel-perfect performance, 4G LTE capabilities, and superb battery life are just some of the iPad 3's revolutionary features.
The influx of pre-orders saw Apple delaying their shipments, to ensure that demand could be met, and sales records would be broken yet again.
Prices for the iPad 2 were dropped, making the tablet more affordable for schools and those in the education sector, a marketplace that Apple has been planning to break into.
In a move to compete with the success of Google Maps, Apple has revealed news on its acquisition of C3 Technologies known for its forays into 3D mapping. C3 Technologies was added to Apple's 3D mapping portfolio along with their purchase of Poly9 last year, putting speculation to rest as to who actually bought C3 within the industry.
Now eyes are on Apple as to how the company will use 3D mapping technologies as current
At the recent London Nokia World conference, the company unveiled the new Lumia Nokia smartphones that are said to pack a punch despite their low-cost marketing. Unlike the powerhouses touted by the likes of Samsung, Motorola, and Apple, a couple of the new Nokia smartphones are beautifully crafted devices that come shipped with the equally aesthetically pleasing Windows Phone 'Mango' operating system.
While four of the six unveiled Nokia smartphones are meant for worldwide emerging markets like the Middle East and parts of Asia, two of them come packed with features essential ... more
Next Generation 911 has been in the works under the FCC, Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation in an attempt to make 911 emergency calls more efficient than the current iteration. However, health policy analyst John S. Wilson feels that Siri and other voice services could usher in Next Generation 911 with emergency calls that encompass almost everything except the rescue itself.
Emergency calls made to 911 at present can only be done via phone call and emergency operators and respo ... more
The last couple years have been rough and tumble for Nokia: slumping sales, cancelled projects, and constantly swapping decision-makers had put them in the spotlight as... not-so-stable.
To keep afloat, the European phone maker has been stirring quite a bit of controversy in its recent restructuring decisions, especially with a change in focus from Maemo to Microsoft's Windows Phone OS, but it seems that nothing can stop them. Nokia is all-in, and they proved it this Monday in London, with a sky-lighting, heavy-handed promotion of their newest smartphone: The Nokia Lumia 800
Featuring popular Electro DJ Deadmaus, the video showcases cutting-edge projection technology, switching a normal office building into a richly-dynamic canvas.
T-Mobile launched a mobile version of its Internet calling app 'Bobsled' which will allow free calling options on iOS and Android devices alike. Being the only major US wireless carrier that is not offering any of Apple's devices, T-Mobile makes a bold move by offering its mobile app allowing users to make phone calls, leave voicemail messages, and send messages for free.
Bobsled works on the iPhone, iPad, and any Android-based smartphone or tablet. Cross-compatibility, in addition to using Facebook credentials for service allows a relatively seamless free calling experience for customers. Anyone using Bobsled will be able to make a free phone call to anyone in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico even if calling from outside of these regions. People receiving the calls initiated by T-Mobile's downloadable app can do so via phone or computer with t ... more
In addition to carrying Apple's now top-of-the-line smartphone, anyone opting for a Sprint iPhone 4S will be pleased to hear that unlimited data packages are available, as opposed to data plans offered by AT&T and Verizon Wireless.
According to AllThingsD, a Sprint spokesperson says they will be offering unlimited plans that start at $69.99 a month, with 450 voice minutes and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling. Unlimited voice minutes and data, if one wishes, would then be $99.99 a month. However, Sprint in 'reading between the fine-print' fashion, also tacks on a $10 surcharge for all smartphones.
The top-tier wireless carrier hopes to bolster its fourth place position as AT&T and Verizon recently d ... more
As RIM struggles to rectify one of its most disruptive BlackBerry outages, the company may see more losses as Apple's iPhone 4S becomes available to customers looking to switch.
Not only that, older iPhone models with reduced prices and Google's upcoming Android 'Ice Cream Sandwich' update may tempt those increasingly dissatisfied with RIM's services to try out other company's offerings in light of the BlackBerry outages. Matt Thornton, an analyst at Avian Securities LLC in Boston said that the Blackberry outa ... more
Coupled with the highly-anticipated release of its latest iPhone (and all subsequent iPhone 4S accessories), Apple iCloud is bringing the ease of file syncing and backup to iOS users.
Compared to its previous iterations through iTools, .Mac, and MobileMe, Apple iCloud is a free service for all iOS users allowing synchronization of calendars, contacts, and documents synced on all devices you may have. Not only does it allow cross-syncing through Macs, iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches, but even allows functionality via PCs for those of us with feet on both sides of the PC/Mac divide.
Anything purchased via App Store on said devices are automatically backed up into your five gigabytes ... more
AT&T and Verizon are butting heads on a new battleground in the form of business phone services, each scrambling to establish a perfect enterprise solution using employees existing devices or company-wide roll outs.
As made popular by virtualization technologies, 'dual-persona' systems are being touted by companies such as VMware to offer business phone services to the office setting. Such technologies allow IT administrators roll out business-related software and apps to phones used by employees without getting in the way of everyday use of said phones.
As more and more people obtain smartphones that are capable of surpassing work done by lower-end desktop setups, enterprises may cut corners by implementing company-wide software using vir ... more
Smartphones are here to stay with almost half of American cell phone users taking advantage of Internet access and apps that improve quality of life quite significantly. If used with care, a smartphone is a multitool with almost no comparison to the average consumer, as its power and mobility are called upon daily.
However, there is a technological divide as seen with the other half of cell phone users using feature phones. In contrast to smartphones, feature phones are 'dumb' and increasingly obsolete. Those who opt for feature phones, with incomes insufficient towards adopting smartphone technologies, often lack basic Internet access to enjoy the same functionality that a smartphone user would have. Those buying low-end smartphones have to deal with outdated operating systems and non-optimized apps, often times with l ... more
Looking for a reasonable 4G wireless plan with no annual contract committments? Walmart and T-Mobile have joined forces to offer unlimited 4G data plans at $30 per month with added perks to keep you in the loop with your wireless device.
Using T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network, Walmart customers can benefit from 5GB of data, unlimited text, and 100 minutes of talk free with no annual contract to keep you chained to one carrier. According to the Walmart press release, the plan will be sold at more than 2200 Walmarts and online via Walmart.com and T-Mobile.com later this month.
AT&T's Smart Wi-Fi is a breath of fresh air for those who have a distaste for carrier-provided apps. Available for free on the Android Market, Smart Wi-Fi allows you to locate and connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots not easily found by standard wireless searching apps. The app allows you to manage Wi-Fi connections often used and even allows your phone to switch to Wi-Fi automatically to save cellular data usage (and some change on your phone bill).
As highlighted in AT&T's press release, Smart Wi-Fi takes wireless management to the next level as it is able to switch from cellular to Wi-Fi connections automatically. The app displays nearby hotspots with a 'Missed Opportunities' list display ... more
Taking mobile gaming to a whole new level, LEGO has developed an iPhone app that integrates physical bricks into virtual fun.
LEGO's 'Life of George' is not only an app available for iPhone and iPod Touch (with possible plans for Android devices in the future) as it includes 144 LEGO bricks and a Playmat. The game follows George and his brand of adventures and hobbies. Playing through George's storyline allows you to experience levels that prompt you to mimic shapes in-game with the provided Playmat and bricks.
The app and physical components to 'Life of George' work together like actors in front of green screens. LEGO uses 'brick recognition' technology developed by EyeCue detected anything placed on the Playmat and transmit it to the iPhone or iPod Touc ... more
Many with an iPhone 4 or relatively new smartphone released within a years time are wondering whether or not its worth the switch to the latest iPhone 4S model unveiled by Apple. As with all new releases, this year's presentation was the same formula of companies trying to one-up each others' features and specifications, in order to grab any new customer that they might not have had in their grasp, but Apple is 'different' (for early adopters, you can get ready with our line of iPhone 4S Accessories)
.
The Cupertino company takes it a bit further within their marketing ecosystem, and poses this question to its own customers every time a new device is released: should I upgrade my perfectly functional ... more
Analysts at Citigroup released a report suggesting that the current wireless spectrum is sufficient for demand. The problem, is that current wireless operators that control large amounts of unused spectrum, are lacking the funds to build networks to use the spectrum available. Top-tier operators however, are using their spectrum holdings for existing services.
This comes in light due to lobbying on behalf of the FCC and CTIA, who have identified the need for additional wireless spectrums be made available for auction to keep up with demand for wireless data.
Citgroup's writers for the report, Jason Bazinet and Michael Rollins, believe that the US does not face a spectrum shortage. "Too much spectrum is ... more
The National Security Agency is looking to use smartphones to access their network of classified data from mobile devices, but are having problems developing a truly secure device.
As with any new technological advancement that the government must keep up with, there are challenges that have to be addressed in a way that keeps current systems running in a secure and accessible manner. Such challenges are met by people such as NSA's mobility mission manager, Troy Lange, who is currently working on a way to get smartphones into the hands of every governmental employee for increased efficiency.
Smartphones in the civilian sector offer obvious benefits towards increased efficiency. Lange and others in charge of closing the technological gap within our gov ... more
Phone calls from a fake lover have never been high on my list of methods to escaping awkward situations, but over 1400 people on Facebook and Twitter alone have admitted to using the services of FakeGirlfriend.co to do just that. Before you get that adult filter ready, let me tell you something about this obscure product.
FakeGirlfriend is not an 'adult' website per se, but a service that allows you to summon a fake girlfriend with a phone call or text. Developers of this Twilio-based app propose the following for whatever situation you may find yourself needing a false significant other:
"Are you tired of being embarrassed by the fact that you ... more
Cellular contracts have become something dreaded like signing away one's soul. Is it worth the two-year commitment, with fees tacked on like a game of pin the tail on the donkey? Or is it worth it to pay the full cost of the cellphone upfront, no strings attached?
Anders Bylund reports via Daily Finance on the pros and cons regarding cellular contracts. Seemingly a lose-lose situation for consumers, Mr. Bylund breaks down the numbers and analyzes the whether to sign away or to immediately swipe $600 or so from your bank account.
Smartphones(Verizon's iPhone 4 16GB was given as the example) are usually discounted by carriers at $199 with agreement to the their two year contracts. This is in contrast to a $649 p ... more
Prior to this week, Nvidia touted its latest Tegra 3 mobile processor codenamed 'Kal-El' as the latest quad-core powerhouse to launch the world of smartphones and tablets into new dimensions. However, Nvidia released a document addressing their new technology as "a multi-core CPU architecture for low power and high performance." This means four cores for central processing and a dedicated fifth core that takes over during periods of low battery consumption.
Hopefully that was not too much technobabble as further description of Kal-El's specs suggests a revolution in increased processing speeds versus power-consumption issues
Though the modern cell phone allows technology beyond the wildest dreams of rotary phones, text messaging continues to be a mainstay of mobile communication.
Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project released survey results on phone call or text messaging preferences, finding that the average number of texts or calls made by US adult cell phone users has remained the same since their 2010 survey results.
"Text messaging users send or receive an average of 41.5 messages on a typical day, with the median user sending or receiving 10 texts daily – both figures are largely unchanged from what we reported in 2010. Similarly, cell owners make or receive an average of 12 calls on their cells per day, ... more
It may be a while before smartphones will be able to hold a charge for longer than 24 hours; however, a professor and student team at University of Michigan have found a way to significantly increase battery life.
Science Daily interviewed inventors Kang Shin, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and doctoral student Xinyu Zhang. Their technology, named E-MiLi (Energy-Minimizing Idle Listening), solves the excess battery drain caused by active sending and receiving of data over a Wi-Fi network.
"My phone isn't sending or receiving anything right now, but it's listening to see if data is coming in so I can receive it right away. This idle listening often consumes as much power as active ... more
Cheap and casual Mobile gaming, especially on smartphones and tablets, continues to surge in popularity as the cost of apps and software development remains low. And with the availability of smartphones, it's no surprise that proprietary handhelds such as Nintendo's 3DS or Sony's PlayStation Portable are losing their once-coveted markets.
Wireless Emporium recently reported on the growth of mobile gaming due to the developers affinity for the low investment and high returns, as well as an overall push by companies such as GameStop to bolster revenue from mobile gaming sales. The average cost of an iOS or Android game is no more than a dollar or two on average compared to the h ... more
Many apps and features on smartphones use GPS to report on your exact whereabouts: Whether you're "checking in" or looking for that late night meal, location-based services are being incorporated with practically every social medium.
But how many people actually use it?
As part of their Internet and American Life Project, Pew Research has released statistics suggesting that a less-than-expected 28% of all American adults use GPS or location-based services for recommendations or directions. 7% of all adults set up their social media services to automatically report on their location whenever they post on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or otherwise, and a mere 4% of all adults use 'geosocial services' such as FourSquare to report on their own curren ... more
Starting from their humble handheld roots to their modern elaborate incarnations, mobile games have been a mainstay in gaming for decades. With the ever-increasing power of cellular networks, mobile operating systems and devices, a new market has emerged as one of opportunity for big and small developers alike: The Cell Phone App Store.
Gamestop has recently announced two bits of news on its latest strategy to maintain relevance within the video game industry: Starting with a trade-in program for Apple iOS devices, while also planning to sell those same iOS devices, brand new. More than a testament to Apple's app store boom and the proliferation of iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch ... more
Last year, Nielsen analysts released a survey that showed 'smartphones to overtake feature phones in U.S. by 2011', ultimately predicting an end to your favorite candy bar or flip phone to the hand of their bigger, faster, and smarter competitors.
Their findings a year ago?
"The percentage of people who use their phone for only voice communications drops from 14% among new feature phone owners to 3% of smartphone owners. The use of the built-in camera and video capability jumps by almost 20% for both categories, due to the generally better quality and user friendliness of the features. Smartphones also often have a better speaker which translates into more frequent usage from about half of feature phone owners to about two-thirds of smartphone owners. Not surprisingly the use of Wi-Fi increases 10-fold from 5% for feat ... more
Microsoft is on the move again with Mango, its latest iteration of the Windows Phone 7 operating system, boasting technologies and updates that may give the iOS and Android competition a run for its money.
Bloomberg released an article regarding Microsoft's bold moves stating "its Windows Phone operating system may capture more than 20 percent of the smartphone market over the next two to three years with the help of hardware manufacturers and increased marketing efforts."
Microsoft has made several press releases and marketing moves over the past few months backing a similar claim. Mango's initial releases are to be through HTC handsets, dubbed 'Titan' and 'Radar' set to go on ... more
Kno's Textbooks was originally a digital textbook that found its more fortunate way via iPad app. It is a free-to-download app that serves as a Library of Alexandria to not only published, digital copies of textbooks used in current college courses, but also as a rich multimedia experience that has never been seen before in the realm of print and text.
Kno's Textbooks is a perfect back to school tool mainly for the fact ... more
Social networking, as of late, has been heralded as the blessing and/or bane of the youth, allowing one to gain hosts of friends with some strategic clicks of the keypad or taps of the touch screen. But what about adult usage of social networking sites?
Sure, professionals connect through sites such as LinkedIn to bolster their portfolios and widen their circles in a digital sense. Sites like Classmates.com aim to reconnect you with your high school sweet thing which makes it totally marketable to However, Facebook, Myspace, Google+ and online dating sites such as OKCupid and PlentyofFish are the cool kids on the block and everyone who is anyone drops in to contribute their bits of digital ego.
Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and co-author of the Pew Research Center's findings on adult usage of social networking. "T ... more
Cell phones are indeed a godsend to those entwined with their web of contacts and connections, and when emergencies arise, the cell phone becomes the lifeline when they work. Preparedness for emergency situations can be quite an amazing feat, but with the extra juice a spare cell phone battery can provide in a pinch, it may be the difference between fifty dollars or "priceless." Emergencies happen at any moment and being prepared is better than not. Recent natural disasters have claimed their unfortunate toll of land, life, and resources and with changing times come a change in the way we must prepare for such events.
Does everyone remember the era of the SUV? Big, bold and beefy, these triple-B machines were masters of the road, taking over precious interstate space, and blocking the view of punier cars left and right.
Sure they were packed-full of great features, but nothing in them were new, they just had... more: More speakers, bigger wheels, larger seats, wider spaces and shinier knobs and consoles.
Have we reached the same with phones? Every maker heralds a new product, but it seems they're all just movie sequals (look at the naming: Droid 2, Galaxy S II, etc.), and the phones themselves barely bring anything new to the table, they just have minor tweaks and maybe an extra something or other. Even the seemingly future-based iPhone feels to be the same way.
What are we doing here?
New innovations mean nothing in the phone world anymore, instead ... more
Not too long ago, every phone seemed to have its own basic, nameless OS. Simple in design, our phones managed to do little more than call, text and play that occasional puzzle game.
Thank goodness for progress.
Now with the era of Smartphones, we've seen two main players rise above the rest with one honorable mention: iOS for the iPhone, Android and little old Windows Phone 7 working hard to play catch-up.
Outside of the Big Three, systems like webOS, Samsung's Bada and Nokia's Symbian have become no more than modern throwbacks, falling to the wayside and becoming more obsolete with the release of every new phone.
Such is the fate of the tech world. I mean, do you remember the pager?
In the end, the competition just turned out to be too big - or so we thought.
Despite all the turmoil in the markets today, and the daunting size of Google, Apple ... more
If you watch television for even a few minutes a day you will inevitably see a commercial from one of the major cell phone companies pushing their super fast 4G network. It is a four sided ongoing battle with one clear winner…marketing departments.
A recent survey done by Retrevo has revealed that a shocking number of smartphone users in the U.S. have no freaking clue what 4G really is. iPhone owners are by far the most in the dark.
The survey asked one simple question: Do you plan on buying a 4G phone in the next year? That fairly straightforward question produced some shocking results.
35% of iPhone users said there was no need to buy a new 4G phone because they already had one. Apparently iPhone users aren't aware that the number 4 in the iPhone 4 stands for the 4th generation iPhone and has nothing at all to do with the ... more
Every now and again, Pew research comes out with some pretty interesting surveys. Today they released their most recent survey on cell phone use in the United States. The numbers are rather revealing.
First off, the survey says that 83% of adults in the US own a cell phone. For me, that seems like a pretty small number to be honest. You have to figure there weren't any inmates involved in the survey, and they seem to have no trouble getting cell phones anyway. I can understand if someone over 80 doesn't have a cell phone. But I can't imagine octogenarians make up 17% of the population. So who are these people who don't own a cell phone? It's a mystery too deep for me to try and solve in this blog.
There is no device on earth that conjures more rumor mongering and rampant speculation than the Apple iPhone. The latest rumors suggest that we could be getting the iPhone 5 in September. Not too long before that, we were hearing that there will be no iPhone 5 this year, rather an upgraded version of the iPhone 4 called the 4S.
But those aren't the only rumors. Apple executives themselves suggested that the Cupertino based company was looking into the prepaid market and budget phones.
Digesting all these rumors and trying to translate them, some are now speculating that we will see two different new iPhones this year.
So let's examine the possibilities. First off, we aren't even going to entertain the idea that there will only be one iPhone, because speculation is fun.
... more
Not too long ago we wrote up a blog on the best antivirus apps for the various mobile platforms. Unsurprisingly, Android has the most options as their open source policy has opened the door for several malware attacks in the app store.
Also unsurprisingly, Apple had no antivirus applications available to their users. The belief has always been that Apple is invulnerable to viruses and cyber attacks.
That belief has been turned on its head. Apple has acknowledged that there is indeed a hole in their iOS software that allows hackers to steal personal information from people's phones. This could include anything from a user's location via GPS, passwords and mobile banking accounts, to simply intercepting e-mail, phone calls and text messages.
While it's true that we sell cell phone accessories here, it's safe to say that everyone here is a bit of a gadget junkie. It's interesting how we've got from massive phones, to super small phones and now we're heading back in the other direction. While smartphones aren't likely to get much smaller simply because of the display sizes, what manufacturers stuff inside them could be getting a lot cooler.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new type of radio antenna about the size of a quarter. The antenna is the biggest component in your phone, followed closely by the battery. By massively shrinking down the size of the antenna, it opens up the possibilities to stuff more cool stuff inside.
The new antennas are 10 times smaller than current antennas being used in cell phones. With that extra space, improvements on current features or new features all together could be implemented.
Gartner is one of the leading research firms in the world, so when they make projections about a given industry, people tend to listen. Today, Gartner released their forecast for the video game industry and it is pretty rosy. They project a 10% growth in sales this year, and predict the industry will grow by nearly 50% in the next four years.
While the picture painted is colorful, it isn't necessarily good news for traditional video game manufacturers like Nintendo and Sony. That new growth will primarily be driven by mobile and social gaming platforms.
A couple months back, the iPhone earned a Guinness World Record as the fastest selling portable gaming device in history. The fact that Guinness recognizes the iPhone as a gaming device speaks volumes to how things are changing.
It's Friday, and before we head off to enjoy our 3 day weekend, we thought we'd leave you guys with a roundup of the week's biggest mobile stories. We have everything from a potential shake up at RIM to the potential of an Apple device free US marketplace. What? Check out the roundup to peep the details.
Windows Phone Marketplace Reaches 25,000 Apps
This might not seem like a big deal on the surface, especially considering the fact that Apple and Android boast hundreds of thousands of apps, but this really is news. It's no secret at this point that apps are the dominant force in determining what mobile OS will be popular amongst the masses. And developers are going to focus on what makes them the most money. So the fact that the pace at which new apps are coming to the WP7 platform has nearly tr ... more
A new app has found its way to the Android Market and Apple's App Store. It is a background check app called….wait for it…Background Check. F for creativity there. It is from a company called Been Verified, and it had previously been in the Android market but got pulled due to privacy concerns. Maybe Apple isn't as concerned with privacy these days.
Guys around the world are letting out a collective groan as women will quickly be able to find out pretty much everything about them before the bartender finishes making the mojito they bought for her. The app can find out everything from property ownership records to criminal records, social media profiles, relatives and even what you ate for dinner last Thursday.
People will get 1 free background check per month. Each subsequent background check is a buck. You can even buy bulk background checks for a discount. That option would be for overly paranoid girls, or girls who make really really poor decisions ... more
I think it's pretty safe to say that things are pretty messed up over in China in general. But when it comes the Apple, the country seems to have more than just a few screws loose. The iPhone is easily the hottest phone in China, and people are willing to do just about anything to get one.
Recently, a teenage girl took to the Chinese version of Twitter, offering up her virginity for an iPhone 4. Thankfully, it doesn't seem as though she had any takers. Most respondents offered her moral encouragement, discouraging her from going through with her proposal. Others, whose moral compasses aren't exactly in tune with magnetic north, suggested that she hold out for the iPhone 5.
What's sad is that this isn't even the craziest stunt pulled by a Chinese teen in an attempt to get their hands on an Apple device. Not too long ago we blogged about a teen who
We posed a question to our Facebook community earlier today, asking how old people were when they got their first cell phone. Aside from making me feel a bit like a member of the Geritol generation, it actually opened my eyes a bit.
I was shocked at how young some people were when they picked up their first phone. The youngest was 8. That would be the second grade. I can't think of a single reason why an 8 year old would ever need a cell phone, but again, maybe that's just me showing how out of touch I am with today's world? I'm only in my early 30's.
There have been numerous reports of teachers and professors encouraging students to interact with lectures via Twitter, rather than raise their hands to answer questions. The right app can definitely be an educational tool. Apps can help pare ... more
It's Friday, which serves as a cruel reminder that Melissa Black's viral video has been removed from YouTube. It's also a day where we will go ahead and recap the biggest stories to hit the cellular world here in the US. So without any further delay, here are the biggest headlines from this week.
Cell phone bills might start to shrink.
The FCC is apparently a little perturbed by all the hidden fees that seem to creep into our wireless bill each month. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is spearheading the charge. The issue revolves around cramming, a practice used by telecom companies to hide confusing, or in some cases fees for services never rendered, in billing statements. The FCC is also looking into ways to help prevent bill shock, a problem that will probably see a sharp increase beginning next month ... more
I'm not much of a gamer. While I do fire up the PlayStation from time to time to play a little FIFA, I don't go so far as to hop online and talk smak to a 8-year-old in Germany while I'm doing it. But the above image has me a little fired up (no pun intended).
First off, it is indeed a real item, and it is currently available for pre-order for $32. It will officially be available for retail on July 7th, which also happens to be my birthday…hint hint.
It is meant as a cell phone accessory to accompany the Aliens Attack iPhone App. What's really cool is that the pulling the trigger actually activates to capacitive buttons that interact with the touch screen so you can play the game.
This thing is beyond cool, and is one of many iPhone specific gaming accessories to make their way to the market.
Touch screens on mobile devices aren't nearly as fascinating today as they were 4 years ago. They've pretty much become ubiquitous in our daily lives. So for me to sit here and say that there is some major news breaking today regarding touch screens would be a pretty bold claim. But it is a claim that I intend to fully back up.
I'll start with the biggest news of all. Today, Apple was granted a patent that they filed three years ago regarding how a user navigates a capacitive touch screen. Capacitive touch screens comprise pretty much every touch screen in every mobile device on the market right now.
The patent covers multi-touch functionality and is written with enough broad language so that it can be interpreted to cover virtually any mobile device from phones to tablets to mp3 players.
This is very good news for Apple and very bad news for everyone else. Should apple choose to flex their muscle (and there is no reason to think that they ... more
Everyone knows JellyBelly. They make jelly beans in virtually every flavor imaginable. Personally, I think their slogan should be "Feeling Lucky?!" - as the thought of a popcorn flavored jelly bean still makes me want to vomit a little in my mouth right now. Don't get me wrong, most of the flavors are absolutely delightful. But if you're not careful, you need to wash your mouth out with acid to get the taste out.
That being said, I'm not 100% sure why anyone would want their phone to smell like jelly beans all day. That would just make me mad that I didn't have any actual jellybeans. But the folks over at JellyBelly have come out with a line of cell phone cases that do just that. In total, 53 different flavors are available in silicone case form.
Science is awesome. At least that is what my 8th grade chemistry teacher tried to tell me. While there is no empirical proof that I've found to back up that hypothesis, according to experts, science is responsible for things like cell phones.
I know, hard to believe, but apparently it's true. And as if science hadn't done enough already, a bunch of guys in white coats have developed something called nanogenerators that could revolutionize the way we power up small electronic devices.
Without getting into too much technical jargon, they are self-powered chips that could replace batteries in the near future. They can use anything from the blowing wind to a person's heartbeat to gather up electric charge. They then hold that charge in a capacitor until it is ready to be used.
To look at it from an everyday perspective, imagine putting a Bluetooth headset in your ear. ... more
Reports of malware invading the Android market seem to be getting more and more commonplace. With that in mind, we decided it would be prudent to let you all know about the best antivirus apps on the major OS platforms.
It is important to note that as of right now, there are no antivirus apps available in the Apple App Store. Apple is extremely vigilant regarding apps that they allow in their marketplace. And seeing how there aren't any credible threats to Macs online, they feel that they are perfectly safe without any protection. Given the popularity of iOS and the iPhone specifically, it seems as though its only a matter of time before some hacker targets the iPhone if they haven't already.
Microsoft has also yet to release any antivirus apps for its platform, which is both surprising and not at the same time. WP7 is severely lagging behind other platforms in terms of apps, so it isn't too surprising that developers have yet to dedicate much time to this ... more
Somewhere in New York City, some guy is likely already camped out on the sidewalk waiting for the iPhone 5 to hit Apple stores. Hopefully that guy is ready for the long haul, as it may be a year before the iPhone 5 is released. That hasn't stopped rumors for flying around regarding the newest iPhone. Here are some of the biggest ones.
The iPhone 5 will be 4G – This would seem logical considering the glut of 4G Android phones hitting the market. There have even been ads running in the Middle East claiming 4G speeds for the next iPhone. The problem is, Apple themselves have suggested that the next iPhone will still plod along at the same old 3G speeds; which shouldn't really deter Apple fanatics from swooping these up in droves.
The iPhone 5 will with have a curved edge to edge display – This one is probably true. Not that lo ... more
If you are anything like me, listening to music during the day is a huge part of getting through the work day with sanity intact. If you happen to work at a place that is cool with you listening to music but has a relatively extensive list of blocked websites on your work computer, your phone is really your only option.
There are several apps that you can choose from. But for streaming music, Pandora and Slacker are the two apps that are the most popular. But which one is better? I personally use both extensively, and will try and give a completely unbiased side by side comparison so you can decide which is best for you.
What does it cost?
The good news is both have a free option.
... more
It's Monday and if you're anything like me, you spent a good portion of your Friday and Saturday nights hopping from one bar to the next trying to figure out where the spot to be was. It really is an inexact science trying to find a bar with that perfect combination of not too crowded but not dead with a good ratio of potential "targets."
That is, until science got involved.
A new app called SceneTap is set to hit the App Store and Android Market in the next month or so. The startup company behind the app will be rolling it out in 50 bars in the Chicago area. What they've done is install cameras in the 50 participating bars. The app then takes the images from those cameras, and using facial recognition technology figures out how many people are at the bar, the male to female ration, and even tries to guess the average ag ... more
These days, the only phones we are exposed to through mainstream media outlets are the super fast, incredibly capable smartphones of the future. Its sometimes hard to remember that smartphones still make up far less than 50% of the total number of smartphones in circulation here in the US. That number is growing each and every quarter, and in a recent speaking engagement, Sprint VP of product development Farid Adib, suggested that the number is growing at a much faster clip on his network.
Hess claims that more than half of all Sprint phones being sold are smartphones. Of that figure, 70% are running Android. The other 30% are running Blackberry. Sprint has yet to be able to cash in on the Apple craze due to their exclusivity with AT&T, and more recently Verizon.
However, if rumors prove to be true, that will all change by the end of the year. It is sounding more and more li ... more
This morning Apple finally capitulated to pressure from Capitol Hill and has removed several DUI checkpoint apps from their App Store. The move came after pressure from Senator Harry Reid a few months ago. The Senate Majority leader requested the RIM, Google and Apple all remove apps that promote drinking and driving from their various app marketplaces.
RIM immediate removed all offending apps. Google declined the request and still has DUI checkpoint apps in the Android Market.
Apple initially claimed that the offending apps didn't violate any of their guidelines; hence they had no recourse to remove the apps. Apple closed that loophole by amending their guidelines. Section 22.8 states that any DUI checkpoint apps that publish information not released by law enforcement agencies are in violation.
Law Enforcement agencies have long made D ... more
Most people are familiar with Jawbone. They make high end Bluetooth headsets with some of the best noise cancelation technology out there. I actually had a co-worker that rode a Harley to work every morning and would use a Jawbone on his commute, and you could never tell that we was on a Bluetooth, much less cruising down the freeway at 70 mph on a motorcycle.
Not too long ago, Jawbone expanded their product line, introducing a device called the Jambox. It is a wireless, portable Bluetooth speaker that pumps out sound at a whopping 85 decibels. That puts it somewhere between a motorcycle and a rock concert.
Today Jawbone is introducing a new product called the Jamchain. It is exactly what it sounds like. It is a cheap plastic chain that attaches to the Jambox so you can wear it around your neck like Run DMC.
Here is the promotional video they put together for ... more
I think by now most people have heard the story of the woman who was thrown off of an Amtrak train for refusing to get off of her cell phone in a quiet car where other passengers were trying to sleep. The woman apparently was on the phone for 16 straight hours, which seems impossible unless someone was narrating the entire Harry Potter series of movies to her over the phone.
That being said, cell phone etiquette has more or less gone out the window. And it isn't just teenagers that are to blame either. Here is a video of the White House press secretary taking away a journalists cell phone because it went off in the middle of a press conference.
Here is a list of the top 5 places to keep your phone on silent and in your pocket.
5 – In line at the grocery store: I'll admit that I've used my phone while roam ... more
We try not to shamelessly sell products here on the Wireless Emporium blog. That isn't why we created it. Frankly, we try to listen to the market and blog about current topics. As smartpones continue to grow in popularity, one thing that consumers are complaining about the most is battery life. We know, we asked on our Facebook page.
There are several iPhone cases out there that boast an external battery pack. Most add a significant amount of bulk to phones. A company called PhoneSuit has come out with an option that is only 17mm thick but also boasts a 2100 mah battery pack that can add up to double the battery life to the iPhone 4. Not too shabby.
For those not rocking an iPhone 4, a startup company cal ... more
If you're like me, or any other smarthpone owner out there, you invariably have wanted to throw your phone through a brick wall because it was taking forever (translated into longer than a nano-second) to open a video or run an app. And by the time the apps starts to run, you're battery is dead.
Sluggish phones and poor battery life tend to be the marketing talking points for most every new phone that hits the market these days. It's also the main reason why consumers return their phones or claim that they are defective.
At least one executive at a major phone manufacturer is saying ‘Don't blame us.'
Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola, claims that about 70% of Motorola smartphones that get returned as defective are actually perfectly fine, and are experiencing problems because of poorly written apps that are draining power and trying up valuable processing speed.
Considering most cell phone users aren't savvy enough to notice which apps are sucking pow ... more
I think at some point in time everyone has said something to the effect of "I would give my left arm for (fill in the blank)." It's obviously just an expression to indicate just how much you want something.
In China, the phrase apparently goes something along the lines of "I would give one of my kidneys for (fill in the blank)." But over there, they take it seriously.
A 17-year-old student in China sold his kidney to black market organ dealers and used the money to go out and buy the iPad 2. If the iPad 2 runs you a kidney, I'd be curious to find out what body part an iPad 2 cover would cost you?
When the boy showed up at home with a new iPad and laptop his mom got suspicious and got the story out of her so ... more
In one of the more unusual patent filings we've come across from Apple, the one they recently filed for non-exploding cell phone batteries has to be one of the strangest. You'd think that would be something that was a given and wouldn't need a patent, but hey, its Apple.
This is news to me, but apparently if Apple's batteries are exposed to extreme heat, they have a tendency to generate a gas build up and explode: Which is bad news for anyone who doesn't want things exploding next to their face.
Thankfully a group of researchers are working on a natural way to charge cell phones. They are studying a microbe that expels electricity though "wires" that stick out from their cells. The microbes live in oxygen free environments, making them a viable candidate to live out their lives inside of a cell phone.
The kit basically consisted of a few cell phone accessories like replacement backs and a few screws, and instructions on how to swap out the parts.
Well, Apple got wind of it after a short while, and hired a private investigator to intimidate the kid into shutting down his website, claiming he was trafficking stolen property.
The kid decided he wasn't going to be intimidated and kept the website, pocketing a b ... more
Two of the most powerful and most impressive Verizon phones currently available are both from HTC. The Thunderbolt and the Droid Incredible 2 have racking up huge sales figures. They also have been chewing up battery life and spitting it out like the beasts they are.
Giant displays and superfast processors make these devices prime candidates for streaming videos and music, both of which are huge power suckers.
Distracted driving is a hot button issue that we've blogged about here before on the Wireless Emporium blog. While we don't want to beat a dead horse, all the distracted driving laws might be preventing Charles Darwin from doing his job.
Reports coming out of England are saying that a man was busted for holding one phone to his ear while talking and using his other hand to send a text message. I'm imagining that a knee was used for the steering wheel. While I wish no harm on anyone, perhaps waking up in a ditch with a tree in the passenger seat, the steering wheel in the glove compartment and the back tire on the windshield is the only way that some people will actually invest in a Bluetooth headset.
Not to say that Bluetooth headsets are the ultimate answer. Some studies even suggest that using a Bluetooth device isn't any less distr ... more
It's no secret that Nokia isn't exactly dominating the cell phone market like they used to. Their Symbian OS pales in comparison to Android and Apple OS. And when it comes to feature phones, they barely register as a blip on the radar on the four major carriers.
They do have a deal with Microsoft to start producing Windows Phone 7 devices, but those aren't expected to come out until closer to the Holidays. In the interim, you can buy this gold plated phone.
Yes, that is actually 18-carat gold with a genuine leather back. And it will only cost you a little north of $1,100. I'm not exactly sure if that is the way to bounce back in the US market.
To be fair, this phone is being marketed mainly in Europe. More specifically, to Russia, where being a pretentious douche with a gold plated cell phone is apparently how you get taken seriously according t ... more
When it comes to a mobile phone operating system, popularity really boils down to one thing. Forget the size of the display or the speed of the processor inside. An intuitive user interface really doesn't amount to squat either.
Nope. None of that matter a bit. It all boils down to whether or not a mobile OS has Angry Birds or not. Yes, I'm being completely serious.
Angry Birds is the measuring stick for the greater picture, apps. Because when push comes to shove, every phone does exactly the same thing from a hardware perspective. You can get a great camera on an Android phone that matches competitively with the iPhone. A Nokia Symbian based phone is going to send text messages and take calls, just like an HP phone running Web OS. And Blackberry can still check your e-mail.
But when push comes to shove, what separates the contenders from the pretenders is how many apps you can download and play with. The numbers back it up. Apple just r ... more
There is a lot of news floating around about the screens on the iPhone 5, and a potential patent that could be a real game changer when it comes to LED displays in general.
First off, rumors are floating around that the iPhone 5 will have a curved glass display. It wouldn't be the first time an Apple device used a curved screen. The iPod nano has used similar technology in their displays before.
Bolstering the rumors is the fact that Apple has purchased several hundred glass cutting machines specifically designed to cut curved glass displays.
Needless to say, it seems pretty safe to say that this rumor is likely to be true.
What is far more interesting however is a recent patent filed by Apple regarding screens. The patent refers to a privacy screen that would only be viewable when the user is looking at their display straight on.
Leave it to the Germans to rain on everyone's parade. According to a study out of the University of Ulm, 99% of all Android smartphones are vulnerable to password theft.
The vulnerability stems from a weakness in the Android source code for versions 2.3.3 and earlier. For those into clever desert names, that would be one of the latest updates to the Gingerbread version. The hole in security has been noticed and a patch has been worked up, but that patch is only good on phones running version 2.3.4 or running Android 3.0 (aka Honeycomb).
Needless to say, those versions of the Android OS are running on an extremely limited number of Android devices.
Smartphone security is actually becoming more of a hot button issue these days. More and more people are using their phones to do everything from updating their Facebook status to doing their banking. As such, they are juicy targets for hackers.
It isn't the first time this has happened, and it definitely won't be the last, but it appears as though a rogue image of a cell phone accessory has revealed the design of a yet to be released phone. The phone in question is Apple's iPhone 5, and the accessory doing the talking is an iPhone case.
If ever there was a phone to generate some buzz, it would be this one. Most insiders are expecting the iPhone 5 to come out sometime around September. However, if these rumors, are to be believed, there will be no iPhone 5. Instead, we'll be getting an upgraded iPhone 4 that will land with T-Mobile and Sprint.
If you are to believe the rumors, then the leaked image of the iPhone 5 is easy to dismiss. However, the site that leaked the images has a bit of a history ... more
Oh. It is a folded up tablet in your pocket. But how is that possible?
Bendable and foldable OLED displays are nothing new. We've seen examples of the technology at numerous tech conventions and expos. But the one prevailing flaw with these types of displays is that after folding them, you inevitably would get a crease in your display, much like if you fold a piece of paper in half. That crease leads to a less than desirable viewing experience.
But Samsung has come up with a solution to this problem and has placed it in a tablet. By design, this would make tablets far more portable. Depending on the size, you could slip a tablet into your pocket or purse.
Granted the bulk of something like that would make this a bit uncomfortable. But the fact that this is even possible is pretty amazing.
If you want to read more about how the technology is possible you can follow this
Summer is pretty much right around the corner. People are starting to emerge from their hibernation caves and start enjoying the nice weather. So as you start to grease that bike chain and pump up your tires a company called Ozaki has developed a cell phone case that attaches to your handlebars and amplifies the sound from your dedicated music player of choice. It's called the iCarry, and it is specifically designed for the iPhone and iPod (sorry Android folks).
It's actually a great idea and it's infinitely safer. I can't speak for anyone else, but music certainly makes my workout go a lot faster and not seem like a workout. But riding around with earphones plugging your ear holes is a great way to not hear oncoming traffic.
The amplifier isn't really anything new. We've seen plenty of speaker c ... more
Apple enthusiasts have long debated with PC enthusiasts over the pros and cons of each. And while Google, and by extension Android, aren't PC, they certainly have captured that audience. One of the biggest cons that continually gets slapped on Apple is cost. Whether it's fair or not, Apple is considered to be "elitist".
The iPhone has been yoked with that same label, and Android fans can point the numerous devices at various price points that fit virtually any budget. By contrast, when a new iPhone comes out, it is typically prices at the high end of the cell phone spectrum (not that that has stopped people from buying it in droves despite the economy).
But when the Verizon iPhone 4 came out, AT&T did something it hadn't done before. In an attempt to attract more customers, and fight an exodus to Verizon, the carrier offered the previous iPhone 3GS at $49.99.
The move worked, as the discounted iPhones flew off the shelves. Which b ... more
Scientists are a clever and creative bunch. That's kind of a prerequisite for being a scientist though. All the creativity and brain smarts can lead to some pretty crazy cool inventions, especially when it comes to the world of cell phones.
A group of scientists in Korea have invented a cell phone battery that charges using the sound waves from your voice. That's right, simply using your phone for what it was designed to be used for will keep your battery juiced up.
As far as the technology is concerned, the battery uses two pieces of zinc oxide placed between electrodes. The zinc oxide reacts to sound waves, creating an electrical current, which charges the batter.
Now the next trick is to figure out how to get people to actually use their cell phones to talk to people rather than just text and surf the internet.
I'm also curious as to whether or not the volu ... more
In the race to sport the biggest screens on the thinnest phones, one Canadian research group has beaten everyone to the punch. And no, we aren't talking about Research in Motion.
What you see above is a working prototype of a paper thin phone, aptly named the "PaperPhone". It's about as thick as a laminated name badge. It uses e-Ink, similar to what is used in E-Readers like the Kindle. Sensors can detect various bends and flicks on the screen to interpret what the user is trying to do. Curl the page to make a phone call, or use a pen to write notes.
The working phone runs on the Android operating system and requires no hand assembly. It is essentially printed, meaning that manufacturing costs would be minimal and the phone would retail for much less than today's high end smartphones.
There are times when we need to really just sit back and appreciate the cell phones that we carry around. Not just because they allow us to text our friends the mundane details of our lives, or update our Facebook pages, or even read the news. We need to be thankful that we live in a country that even allows us to own a cell phone.
In North Korea, the government is seizing cell phones from citizens. They fear that cell phones will be used as a tool to organize protest rallies. And in a country where news is highly regulated by the government, the thought of a smartphone accessing outside information that might conflict with government sanctioned news is a terrifying prospect for the powers that be.
Considering how cell phones have been a key tool in organizing uprisings throughout the Middle East, Kim Jong Il and his cronies should be scared. North Korea has their own cellular network, but it is heavily monitored by the government to prevent outside infor ... more
Raise your hand if you like backseat drivers. To anyone who raised their hand, you have some real self esteem issues, and this new iPhone app from State Farm is right up your alley.
They are calling it State Farm Driver Feedback. It uses the various sensors in your phone, specifically the accelerometer and GPS capabilities. The app can sense how fast you drive, how hard you corner, and how hard you brake. The app will then score your driving. No bonus points for successfully drifting through a crowded crosswalk ala Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift.
The folks at State Farm think people will look at their score and make a game out of it by trying to drive safer and in turn beat their score. Beating your score is akin to pulling a Morgan Freeman from Driving Miss Daisy every time you get behind the wheel rather than pulling a Jason Statham from the T ... more
Not that long ago we wrote a blog about a designer that was making high end suits specifically designed with a giant pocket to carry around an iPad. We scoffed. We mocked. We laughed that this sort of fashion could ever catch on.
We were wrong. We were oh so horribly, shamefully, woefully wrong. Apparently your pants are now an iPad accessory, provided you buy your clothes based on the recommendations of the Tactical Pants Blog. Yes. That is a real blog. No. We're not kidding. It really is a real blog.
Tactical Pants reviewed several pairs of pants with enormously oversized pockets to test which ones were best for sauntering around with a tablet in them. Their conclusion: the best pair of iPad pants is made by a company called Warrior Wear Pants called Blackhawks. In addition to their ginormous back pocket, there is a second cargo pocket also big enough to carry an iPad. But t ... more
I would never recommend going on a first date and calling your date a fatter. And never mention to your girlfriend/wife that it looks like she's put on a few pounds unless you are hoping to spend a month sleeping on the couch.
However when a phone starts to pack it on, it's important to point out the extra bulk. That's exactly what we are dealing with when it comes to the iPhone 4. With the phone now out and in the hands of happy customers for the past 24 hours or so, it has come to light that the Moby iPhone is a full 2mm thicker than its black counterpart.
While that may not seem like much, it is enough to drive 3rd party iPhone accessories manufacturers crazy. That extra 2mm is going to make quite a few snap on and slider iPhone 4 cases too snug to fit on the white version.
I bought my phone right before Halloween. At the time, the Vibrant was the flagship phone at T-Mobile, and one of the better phones available on any network. About a week later, the myTouch 4G came out and out-speced my phone by some distance. Six months later, and several new phone releases later, my phone is more or less a dinosaur. I can only imagine what my phone will seem like in 18 months when I'm eligible for an upgrade. And I'm not the only person who feels that way. Apparently 62% of cell phone customers either feel that their cell phone is obsolete or will be obsolete before their contract expires.
New cell phones are coming out at breakneck speeds. To clarify, new Android phones are coming out at breakneck speeds, each with small performance tweaks that cause almost instant buyer's remorse ... more
When it comes to tech, there really isn't anything more polarizing that the debate between Apple and PC. One side of the debate argues that you can get equivalent computing power for half the price. The other side touts security, citing the thousands upon thousands of viruses and malware programs designed specifically to attack the other.
That debate has extended to the mobile world as well, with Google's Android OS taking on the roll of PC and Apple staying Apple. The arguments are slightly similar as to why one is better than the other, but it would appear as though Google is going to have to start dealing with the fact that malware is starting to attack Android phones with increasing frequency.
Kaspersky Labs, the computer antivirus software giant, has identified 70 different malware programs written specifically to attack the Android platform. ... more
If you're a Star Wars fan and also happen to be a bit of an Apple fanatic, you may want to sit down before you see what I'm about to show you. And if you are already sitting down, you may want to strap yourself in so as not to injure yourself should you pass out and fall out of your chair.
That's right folks. What you are looking at is an iPhone decal skin designed to make Steve Jobs look like Han Solo frozen in carbonite. For those of you not into Star Wars, you just wouldn't understand how cheesetacularly awesome this is.
For those looking for a bit more functionality rather than kitsch in their cell phone accessories, you might want to consider this concept iPhone case from Leica. It's an iPhone case that actually tu ... more
For all the Ahab-centric Apple enthusiasts that have been anxiously searching for their white whale (AKA the White iPhone 4) your search will come to an end on Wednesday. Hopefully the white iPhone 4 won't kill you like Moby Dick killed Captain Ahab.
According to leaked documents from the Best Buy inventory system the phone is finally coming after months and months of delays. This is good news for Apple, as the release of the iPhone 5 has likely been pushed back to September rather than the usual June release date. This should give Apple a "new" product to lean on for a few extra months.
The delays have been attributed to manufacturing difficulties. Apple co-Founder Steve Wozniak shed a little more light on the subject, suggesting that the white paint allowed too much light in when taking a picture, creating poor photo qual ... more
If you always feel like somebody's watching you, then you have a lot in common with Rockwell, and with good reason if you own a smartphone. That someone watching you is named Steve Jobs and he is fascinated at how many trips to Starbucks you are taking each and every day.
It was recently revealed that devices equipped with iOS 4 have been using the GPS feature on your phone to keep a log of everywhere you've been. The data can go back months and months, and is stored in a "consolidated.db" file. The translation to that basically goes a little something like this. Every time you sync your phone with a computer, the stop by stop tracking your phone has been doing of your whereabouts is backed up on that computer.
The same group that figured out that Apple devices were tracking people's movements have also found a similar feature in Android. They have determined that this data is being collected intentionally.
My sister would love this if it managed to permeate to her local farmers market. And I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would love to see the proliferation of Square's cute little cell phone accessory that turns any iPhone into a credit card readers.
Square has been around for awhile. But now it has made its way into Apple stores across the country. And at just $9.95, it's hard to imagine any small merchant not wanting to take advantage of the ability to take credit cards with a very portable device.
The device plugs into the 3.5 mm audio jack, just like a hands free headset would. And with a subscription to Square's service, even the 7-year-old down the street with her own lemonade stand can take your credit card a ... more
Winter is winding down, but there are still plenty of areas of the country that are bitterly cold. And if you spend your Spring and Summers in the southern hemisphere, then this is the update for you. It has to do with touch screens, gloves, and how to turn any pair of gloves into a touch screen friendly pair of gloves. We know this update is a little bit past due, but we just came across this trick and thought we'd share.
First off, for those that don't know, wearing a pair of gloves more or less makes your touch screen useless. So for people living in colder climates, they are often faced with the tough decision between frostbite or tweeting about how cold they are waiting for the bus. It's tragic. But Lifehacker has been kind enough to share a little secret with us.
Just put a little CPU thermal compound on the fingers ... more
The iPad 2 is a phenomenal device. There's no need to pretend otherwise. However, if there was a shortcoming, it is that it is nearly impossible to type on the touch screen keyboard with anything that even approaches speed or efficiency.
Several Bluetooth keyboards have come out, but those are only a marginal step up. For individuals who actually care about being efficient while performing business or educational tasks rather than just being the "cool" guy with the iPad, Logitech has come up with a solution.
It is an iPad 2 case with a built in keyboard, which is nothing special. However, this keyboard looks and feels like a regular laptop keyboard. ... more
There are a handful of things that help me get through my day at the office. Coffee, a steady stream of snacks and some sort of music player blasting through my headphones. And if you're anything like me, your phone is typically the source of said music. A good cell phone stand can come in handy when you're cycling through your favorite tunes or videos.
That's where 3feet comes in. It's a patent pending device with three different mounting positions designed to work with every model smartphone and tablet on the market. It is even compatible to work with any cell phone charger, even ones that have the charging port on the bottom of the phone.
3feet's cell phone stands are made in the good ole US of A from extremely durable plastic that will long outlive the life of your phone. There are a handful ... more
I may never have business cards made out of herringbone printed with ink sourced from the blood of aliens that crashed at Area 51 like American Psycho lead character Patrick Bateman, but at least I can have a phone that looks like his but is way cooler.
While it succeeds in making you look like Zack Morris the next time you order a pizza from Mrs. Bliss' English class, it does have a few drawbacks. Once you've popped your phone into it, only the touch screen is accessible. No ports or volume control button functionality with this guy.
But really, if anyone is buying this expecting funct ... more
For most, a cell phone faceplate is just a means to protect their phone from every day damage. Sure, you might get a pink or purple one to add a little flair, but very rarely can you call your phone's first line of defense art. That's were Izozzi comes in.
Izozzi has managed to collaborate with a team of pop artists and graphic artist to create a full line of iPhone cases unlike anything available on the market. Designs range from dark Alice in Wonderland like scenes to tribal like designs and patterns.
'Simply put - we're in this because we love it. We love the art, the creative process behind it, and artists that have the stamina and balls to dare make a living at it,' says John Petzinger, founder of Izozzi. 'We ... more
We've written a few blogs in the past about how smarthphones, with a few clever cell phone accessories and a well designed app, are revolutionizing medical diagnostics. We've already seen an iPhone app that can diagnose cancer. And now we have an app that can diagnose malaria by simply taking a picture of a blood sample.
This prototype for this device is a Samsung Focus and it uses a microscopic lens that attaches to the phone's camera. Once a picture of a blood sample has been taken, it processes the photo and looks for the malaria parasites. It can then determine the number of parasites present and even isolate them in the picture by drawing a box around them.
Instead of bringing the patient to a lab, this will allow doctors to bring the lab to the patients, helping to prevent outbreaks of the disease. This has a drastic effect on diagnostic costs, which is a huge factor considering that the areas most affec ... more
It's not like Bluetooth headsets are intensely cumbersome devices. I've never seen someone with an ear that hangs halfway down their neck because of the weight of their hands free headset. That still doesn't mean that this carbon fiber headset from Bluetrek isn't cool as heck.
It weighs a whopping .25 ounces and is the world's first carbon fiber Bluetooth device. The carbon fiber construction should make this particular Bluetooth darn near indestructible despite its petite size. It also boasts 4 hours of talk time and 5 days of standby time.
Maybe the most impressive spec though is the price tag. It will only cost $70, which is pretty reasonable for a high end Bluetooth device. Bluetrek is claiming nois ... more
I'm not an outdoorsy person. I can't even remember the last time I went camping. But there are plenty of people out there reading this that are cut from the 'Survivorman' mold. But just in case being dropped from a helicopter into the middle of the Amazon jungle with nothing but a toothpick and shoelace is too extreme for you Ralph Lauren has come up with a happy medium.
What you see below is a solar powered backback that can act as a cell phone charger for when you're out in the woods and not next to an electrical outlet. According the Ralph's peeps, the backpack can charge up your cell phone battery in about 3 hours.
Being green comes at a price though. The solar powered backpack will set y ... more
We have another Kickstarter creation for everyone to take a gander at. It's called the GoPano, and it is a 360° video camera attachment for the iPhone 4. My first reaction when I saw this was, ‘Why would I ever need a cell phone accessory to take panoramic videos of anything ever.' And then I really started to think about it.
Imagine the cool videos you can capture at a party or get together. Or how about taking it to a sporting event and not only capturing the winning touchdown or goal, but also simultaneously capturing the crowd reaction. All this can be captured and then when you are re-watching the video, all you need to do is swipe your finger across the screen to view the different vantage points. You literally would be taking multiple videos of the exact same moment in time from one device.
How cool is that?
Cool enough that people have donated nearly $63,000 to make this a reality, blowin ... more
While Leonardo DiCaprio tried his hardest to make conflict diamonds sexy, the fact remains that civil wars in central Africa are largely funded by the sale of minerals. And it isn't just limited to blood diamonds. Several minerals used in the manufacturing of small electronics, like cell phones, are also produced in these conflict regions.
Next year, the federal government is forcing US companies to list where they get their materials and identify any purchases which might be linked to armed conflicts in Africa.
Some of the more commonly used materials that can be found in these regions are tin, tungsten, tantalum and titanium. The Democratic Republic of Congo produces nearly 14% of the world's tantalum supply and 5% of the world's tin supply.
In reaction to the impending federal regulation, Apple and Intel have already agreed to stop purchasing materials that can be linked back to conflict regions. While it's unclear why they may have been kn ... more
While there isn't any definitive proof that cell phones cause health problems, it sure hasn't stopped the AMA from looking for that smoking gun. What we do know is that cell phones emit radiation. And radiation is bad for you.
But how bad is it? The AMA did a recent study where they had people hold one phone up to one ear that was on, and a second one up to their other ear that was turned off. The side of the brain where the phone was on saw an increased build up of glucose. Studies have suggested that glucose can develop into cancer cells.
Again, this isn't definitive proof, but it does beg an interesting question regarding potential cell phone accessories for hypochondriacs. For example, a lead cell phone helmet. Or maybe a cell phone case with a built in Geiger counter. ... more
Let's face facts. Not all phones are created equal. Take my sister's phone for example. She hasn't upgraded her phone in close to 6 years, despite the fact that at this point, she would have been eligible for 3 separate upgrades in that time period. Not only does her phone not have any internet capabilities of any kind, it doesn't even have the capability to hook up to a Bluetooth headset.
But if a company called Gemalto has its way, her stupid phone will be equal to my super cool 4G smartphone in one area of new technology –NFC.
For those not familiar with NFC, it stands for Near Field Communications, and will allow us to pay for goods and services by simply swiping our phones over a receiver of some sort. The technology is already starting to seep into everyday life, and should be ubiquitous by 2012.
That's where Gemalto comes in. They are a SIM card manufactu ... more
What if instead of needing a cell phone charger to keep your phone powered up you could eliminate the cell phone battery altogether and use the wind, or even your heartbeat to keep your phone powered up?
According to people a lot smarter than me, that is going to be entirely possible within the next 5 years. Researchers have developed a new technology called nanogenerators (really teeny tiny generators) that can generate electricity from very small movements – like a heartbeat.
The technology can already produce enough energy to power a LCD screen or send out a radio signal but not both at the same time. But those same researchers are confident that they will be able to augment the power of these nanogenerators fairly easily, and expect the technology to find its way to store shelves within the next 5 years.
Cell phone manufacturers are facing a very real shortage of cell phone batteries in the wake of the Japanese earthquake and ensuing tsunami. While this is clearly a footnote in the grand scheme of things, the importance of Japan has globally in the electronics market can't be ignored.
A Japanese company called the Kureha Corp. produces a polymer used in lithium ion batteries. In fact, they control a 70% market share of this polymer. Their manufacturing plant hasn't been open since the earthquake, and officials don't have a timetable for when they expect to get things back online.
Apparently Apple has been the first major manufacturer hit by the Kureha shutdown, as they have traced their recent device shortages to a lack of iPhone batteries. But the longer that the plant remains out of commission, the more likel ... more
I'm not sure why anyone would want an old timey pocket watch embedded in the alligator leather cell phone case designed specifically for their iPhone (which has a clock already). But just in case you do, De Bethune, who makes watches way more expensive than anything I could ever afford, has made the perfect iPhone case for you.
Pricing and availability haven't been released to the public. But judging by how garish and completely unnecessary this item is, it has to be several thousand dollars. And why not?
'Even though its use is questionable, the hand-guilloché dial with flame-blued steel hands definitely is an aesthetically enhancement while the used mechanical DB 1024 calibre with up to 6 days of p ... more
As bad as distracted driving has gotten, there are several apps out there for our phones that are actually designed to help prevent accidents. T-Mobile has an app called DriveSmart that can detect when the phone is in a moving vehicle and block all incoming calls and texts. Sprint also just recently unveiled a similar app called Drive First which will be preinstalled on all new Android devices.
The apps are perfect though. They can't tell if the phone belongs to a passenger or the driver, so they will shut off everyone's phone. And in the case of Sprint, they are charging $2 a month for the service, which might be enough to get people to pass on activating it.
I would also contend that the various speed trap alert apps promote safe driving. I can personally attest to the fact that if I know that a particular area is crawling with cops with radar guns, I tend to drive a lot more cautiously in those stretches of road.
A few months ago we recorded a video where we dropped a Blackberry off the roof of our warehouse in various cell phone cases to test just how much protection you actually get when you wrap your phone in one of these items. The results were actually quite impressive.
We'd never even think of doing the same test with an iPhone 4. Even with an iPhone case, the glass backing that has been known to crack extremely easily, just didn't inspire a lot of confidence.
We may have underestimated the strength of a good case. If this story is to be believed a Staff Seargent in the Air Force dropped his iPhone out of a plane while scouting parachute jump sites. The i ... more
We all know that you can stream Netflix to your iPhone or iPod. But watching a movie on a 3.5' screen isn't exactly replicating the movie going experience. If only there was some sort of iPhone accessory that would charge your iPhone and stream Netflix on a larger screen.
Well how about that. This is the Chinon Avi Stylix. It is an iPod/iPhone docking station with a 7' LCD screen, speakers and a remote control. It also comes with a micro SD card slot and a USB port.
If I were bidding on this on the Price is Right, I would so overbid. This bad boy is only $99, which when you compare it to other docking stations that don't have 7' LCD screens that allow you to stream Netflix, is a total bargain.
... more
It is well documented that world regulatory commissions want a bit more standardization in the cellular world. Their biggest target is cell phone chargers. More specifically, they want the port which cell phone manufacturers use to plug in those chargers to be standardized.
Apple is probably the most distinctly different 'offender' using a proprietary 30 pin port for their charging needs. But that is all going to change, really soon.
Micro USB is the standard that has been chosen for cell phone chargers and that standard will be adopted by January of 2012 according to Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. The question is, will the iPhone 5 be the last Apple phone to use the 30 pin port, or the first to make the switch to Micro USB? We'll find out in June.
Another company, LG, already uses micro USB ports to charge their phones. But they have just introduced a new inductive wireless char ... more
For those not tapped into the cellular world, a major shakeup happened over the weekend. AT&T is buying T-Mobile. Sprint was rumored to be the potential buyer, so the AT&T move really is coming out of nowhere.
First the details. AT&T is purchasing T-Mobile for $39 billion. Of that $25 billion is in cash and the rest will be paid in AT&T stock. The deal still needs to get FCC approval, and Sprint is already claiming that this deal violates anti-trust laws. It is expected that it will take at least a year for this deal to be finalized. In the interim, T-Mobile customers won't be affected in any way shape or form. T-Mobile will still operate as an independent company.
Once the deal does go through, and it almost inevitably will, expect a lot of changes, almost none for the best.
First off, by eliminating one of the 4 major national carriers, you will eliminate nearly 25% of the new handsets hitting the market. Less selection is never good. ... more
Not long after the iPad came out, Sprint started selling iPad cases. It seemed like a strange decision to sell iPad accessories considering Sprint didn't actually sell the iPad. It turned out it was as pretty brilliant piece of piggyback marketing.
At the time, Sprint was rolling out a mobile hotspot device called the Overdrive, and they were using the popularity of the iPad to push it. Wouldn't you know it, the iPad cases they were selling came with the Overdrive, including a special compartment designed specifically for the hotspot device.
Now that the iPad 2 is out, Sprint coincidently is releasing an upgraded mobile hotspot called the Overdrive Pro. Available next month, the Overdrive Pro will cost $50 after rebates with a two year contracts. Rate plans will run you an additional $5 ... more
Some people say the Pope has a direct line to God, and now thanks to AT&T, God has a direct line to your cell phone.
It's no big secret that AT&T has some of the worst call quality and data connection speeds in the country. So in a move to add more cell sites in areas with bad coverage without actually building more cell sites, AT&T is partnering with churches to retrofit church steeples into cell towers.
So far only two churches have signed on, both in Baltimore. Should the experiment work out it could be rolled out in other markets as well.
So the next time you're sitting in church and you think you are hearing voices in the rafters, it's probably just some sort of crossed wires that is causing you to overhear the guy down the street ordering a pizza.
... more
If you aren't already familiar with the fine products offered by Cobra you are either an extremely safe driver or you have racked up thousands of dollars in unnecessary speeding tickets. Cobra specializes in radar detectors and recently started using mobile technology to expand its product line.
Since the end of 2010, iPhone users have been able to download an app called iRadar and buy a cell phone accessory that is actually a radar detector. In addition to identifying speed traps, the app utilizes your phone's GPS to find those annoying red light cameras. Eventually, you'll also be able to share speed trap locations with other iRadar users through the app.
Cobra will be coming out with a similar set up for Android phones next month, so all you lead foots should be keeping an eye out in the Android Market.
While we don't advocate unsafe driving, perhaps being aware of a speed trap is more of an ... more
I recently read a blog about how people's phones are going to make wallets extinct. The only thing they could figure out was how to cart around your ID and cash. They make cell phone cases for that.
The truth is Near Field Communication (NFC) is going to pretty much make credit cards an unnecessary thing. For those not familiar with NFC, basically your phone can send out a signal to a receiver. In order for the communication to occur the signal sender and signal receiver need to be very close. Like 3cm close. Hence the Near in NFC.
The next generation of smartphones are going to be equipped with NFC. The technology is already gaining traction in Asia, where people can swipe their cell phones at Subway turnstiles. You'll be able to pay for groceries, gas, magic sets, and other essentials with your phone.
... more
About a year ago we got reports that people who used their iPhone as their alarm overslept for work because their alarms didn't adjust for daylight savings. Then we heard the same reports when the clocks were moved again. Alarms were going off at random times. And today, we again are hearing the same stories about people being late for work because the iPhone can't figure out daylight savings.
You would think that people who use their iPhones as an alarm clock would have figured out the glitch by now and have a backup plan. Or perhaps they figured that to folks over at Apple, who clearly are aware of the bug would have sorting things out inside of a calendar year.
It's not just that the iPhone failed to set their clocks forward an hour. They actually set their clocks backwards an hour, putting the Apple Army two hours behind the rest of the world.
Based on Kim Kardashian's single, I sound like Luther Vandross. But if I wanted to sound like Kim Kardashian I could thank to this new iPhone app from 1K Multimedia. Yay.
With a simple free download and a cell phone accessory – any mic with a 3.5 mm jack – you can autotune yourself to a Frampton like parallel universe.
I have a hard time imagining that any grown adult or serious singer would actually find this to be in any way shape or form useful, or entertaining for more than 20 minutes at a time. But then again, somebody out there voted for Sanjaya and somebody bought Heidi Montag's single. Or maybe Spencer Pratt bought them all?
I'm not narcissistic enough to think that recording my day – which consists of sitting in front of a computer screen writing blogs, followed by a healthy dose of Arizona Basketball and reruns of Futurama with the occasional foray to the gym – is something that anyone would want to watch in a time lapse video.
However, there is an outside chance that someone out there actually has a more interesting life than mine. And for those people, there is a new app called LifeLapse. The app is still in the testing phase, and they are taking applications from people wanting to test it out. If your daily routine consists of a recliner, Maury Povich, Judge Judy and a crippling decision between Cheetos and Doritos, you're likely not going to get picked.
But if you are one of the lucky ones, the developers of LifeLapse will send you a cell phone pouch that you wear around your neck that allows you to log yo ... more
How great would it be if that traveling taco truck that parks out in front of your office took credit cards. Or the hotdog concessions guy at the ballpark. Or the organic vegetable guy at the farmer's market. Thanks to two companies, and a handy dandy cell phone accessory, they all can.
With a simple little dongle that plugs into the 3.5 mm jack on your smartphone and an app, you can take credit card payments through your phone. All you need to do is swipe the card through the dongle and you're set.
The problem is, the two companies are in a cut throat battle for market share and one company (VeriFone) figured out how to hack the other company's (Square) software to steal credit card information and published the hack in a letter to consumers.
The move was a malicious effort to inform cr ... more
For those not in the know, Kickstarter.com is a website dedicated to helping small businesses, inventors and entrepreneurs raise funding for various projects they are working on. We've featured more than one such cell phone accessory right here in this blog.
Above is a picture of an iPad accessory that has managed to raisemore than $100k through Kickstarter. Considering the inventors goals was to raise $10k, I'd say there is a bit of a demand for this particular item. In total, nearly 3,000 people pledged money, and the PadPivot will go into production this spring.
The inventor is also claiming that the PadPivot will be compatible with numerous tablets and e-readers, and we don't see why it wouldn't be based on the very simple and straight ... more
Rumors are swirling that the iPhone 5 will come with an aluminum back – and the town's people rejoiced. Perhaps Apple thinks that an aluminum back is more aesthetically pleasing than the glass backing on the iPhone 4. Or perhaps they are tired of hearing how the glass backing on the iPhone 4 holds up to a grain of sand about as well as I can hold up to a right cross from Mike Tyson.
It's true, it was reported and confirmed that something as small as a grain of sand could crack the back of the iPhone 4 if it got trapped between the casing and certain slider cell phone cases. That crack eventually would cause the phone to shatter. Ironic that Apple accessories designed to protect the phone were contributing to its destruction.
< ... more
Cell phones come in all different shapes and sizes. Now, thanks to a manufacturer in Japan, they come in a shape that will not only creep you out, but will creep out everyone within eyeshot of you.
Yes, that doll is actually a cell phone. And when you break down what part of the body you have to talk into and the fact that it looks as though the doll is licking your ear when you hold it to your head, well it's disturbing to say the least.
But to take the creep factor to even greater levels, the Elphoid (that's what it's called), apparently feels like real human skin and tickles you when it rings. That's one way to save people from their phones.
Not creeped out enough yet? The doll also moves around when you're talking on it to 'impersonate' the person on the other end of the line. It does kind of make you wonder how phone sex would work on one ... more
Smartphones still make up the minority of cell phones in use in the United States. The fact that there are still so many cell phone users out there using feature phones demonstrates just how big of an untapped market there is for Google (Android), RIM (Blackberry), Apple and Microsoft (WP7).
As you can see by the graph above, Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the US, and has achieved that status despite being the youngest player in the game. Of the Android army, HTC phones are the most popular a surprising figure considering the popularity of the Motorola Droid line of phones on Verizon, the nation's biggest carrier.
Apple is a close second, and should see a bit of a surge through the first half of the year as Verizon just launched ... more
The iPad 2 was officially unveiled today by King Jobs and that sound you heard was third party iPad accessories manufacturers jumping for joy and screaming like little girls. Third party manufacturers have made boatloads of money on the back of the original iPad, and there is no reason to believe that they won't be raking in the moolah with the second generation device either.
Apple is looking to make a few bucks on accessories themselves, as they introduced a full line of iPad covers in every color of the rainbow, with a snazzy magnetic closure. The covers are only designed to protect the screen and flip around and serve as a kickstand for the iPad 2 when not covering the screen.
You know that iPad exclusive newspaper launched by Rupert Murdoch? It's called the daily and it just launched not that long ago.
Rumors are swirling that Apple isn't going to be getting exclusive rights to it for very long. By as early as this Spring, an Android version of the Daily will supposedly be released.
At the official launch event, Murdoch said that they planned on getting an Android version out eventually, but also said that they didn't expect it to launch until closer to the end of 2012.
So far the Daily has reported better than expected downloads of their app. They also have been running a free trial period, so it will be interesting to see how many of those people re-up for a subscription when they actually have to pay for it.
... more
It's not going to be too long before 3D glasses become a popular cell phone accessory. LG is already launching a phone with a 3D display sometime in the near future and experts are predicting that smartphones will soon come equipped with 3D projectors. Pretty soon we'll all be able to send Obi Wan Kenobi distress messages.
The 3D projection actually wouldn't be used for video messaging, which is a surprise. Rather, it would project an interface that the user could interact with to control various applications like the camera, texting, web surfing, etc.
The technology is being developed by a company in California called MasterImage. They already displayed the tech at the Mobile World Congress, so it isn't that far off from becoming a reality.
... more
That phrase was made famous by Verizon's advertising campaign a short time back. However, that isn't what you want to be saying to the 911 operator on the other end of the line when you're trapped in a blizzard. Unfortunately for Verizon customers, that is exactly what happened as nearly 10,000 911 calls were dropped in the Washington DC/Maryland area last month.
The most disturbing problem was the Verizon was completely oblivious to the problem until Montgomery County police called them to inform them of the dropped calls. The problem was fixed very quickly, but the FCC still isn't very happy. The Feds are insisting that Verizon do a check on their entire system to look for similar functionality problems to avoid disaster in the future.
AT&T has yet to release a statement blaming the iPhone and saying ‘I told you so,' while T-Mobile's next commercial will have a model in a pink dress talking to a half naked hipster (i ... more
Unfortunately for the ladies, that is indeed a telephoto lens in your pocket. And it goes on your new iPhone 4. Yup, possibly one of the coolest, if not most cumbersome cell phone accessories we've seen in a long time is this telephoto lens attachment from Photojojo.
In order to make it work, you need to buy an accompanying cell phone case to make this guy work. But is it worth it you ask?
That all depends on if you are a serious photo junkie, a private investigator or a peeping tom. The lens does offer up an impressive 8X zoom on top of what the iPhone already offers. It also comes with a mini collapsible tri-pod. And it' ... more
Today Belkin announced that they will be making a series of iPhone cases exclusively for the Verizon iPhone 4. For those of you who recognize the name Belkin and can't quite put your finger on things, they are best known for their wireless routers. You probably have one in your house.
That information would lead one to believe that perhaps these cases would serve as some sort of Wi-Fi hotspot. Don't get your hopes up on that one, as these seem to be every day run of the mill cases.
The cases are named the Grip Groove, Grip Vue and the ProFit Armband. The case pictured below is the Grip Vue
Maybe that personal Wi-Fi case is coming a little later down the road. I can't imagine it would be too hard for Belkin to develop something along those lines. According to the Bel ... more
The Playstation phone is coming soon, and it may be hitting multiple carriers here in the US. It will officially be called the Sony Ericsson XPeria Play, and carriers around the globe are starting to confirm that they are getting it. Here in the US, no one carrier has yet confirmed that they will carry the phone. But it is definitely coming to the US.
Early screen captures of the phone showed screen captures of the phone asking for a SIM card, indicating that it would be a GSM phone. For the US, that would indicate either AT&T or T-Mobile. However, according to a side by side comparison of the Xperia Play and iPhone 4 done by Wirefly.com, Verizon is the listed carrier.
It would stand to reason that multiple carriers will offer this phone. That is the case in England, and will most likely be the case here in the US as well. This might be the only real challenger to the iPhone in terms of total sales, as this phone is expected to be huge amongst gamers.
... more
It wasn't too long ago that the Pope gave facebook the thumbs up. What I didn't realize is that he did it via a Tweet, while checking in at the Vatican on FourSquare. It would appear as though the Catholic Church is embracing technology as they have such approved a confession app for the iPhone.
If absolution now comes in a handy cell phone app, I wonder what other cell phone accessories the Catholic Church will be approving down the road? Maybe a special Bluetooth headset that offers a direct link to God? I've met at least one guy on a city bus that was convinced he already had one of those.
To be fair, for the iPhone app to get you into Heaven, you have to consult a priest before everything is official. No word on if you can just text message the priest or not though. Although I don't see why not?
The secret is out. The Verizon iPhone 4 is going to be massively popular. Presale of the phone launched online last Thursday, practically overloaded Verizon's servers, and sold out within a few hours. That pop sound you heard was third party cell phone accessories manufacturers opening champagne bottles to celebrate.
The champagne is definitely going to keep on flowing too. According to one survey done by uSamp, nearly 50% of Verizon's current Blackberry and Android users said they were likely to switch to the iPhone. The same survey found that approximately 25% of current AT&T iPhone customers will switch to Verizon. Those are massive numbers.
In the interest of full disclosure, the sample size of the survey was extremely small (700 people). It leads one to believe that uSamp just went down to their local mall f ... more
Charles Manson was caught with a cell phone last month for the second time. Being the criminal mastermind that he is, I'm shocked that prison officials found it at all. He was hiding it under his mattress. Inmates getting their hands on cell phones is becoming a huge problem for prison officials. They use them to organize criminal activities while behind bars.
With the proliferation of cell phones in jails, you have to figure that cell phone accessories like batteries and cell phone chargers are getting smuggle in as well. It paints a disturbing, if not comical picture of exactly how these items are making it behind the concrete walls of prisons around the country.
The problem has gotten so out of hand that at least one Senator is trying to get legislation passed that wil ... more
I guess not all people are aware that you can buy cell phone accessories online and save a grip of money versus buying them in a store. Those people are willing to go to some pretty creative lengths to build their own accessories. I'm talking prison inmate creative, which is the highest level of creativity next to MacGyver status.
A clever gentleman somewhere out in cyberspace decided that he didn't want to spend $15 on a cell phone car mount for his car, so he built one himself out of office supplies. You can see the finished product below, and here's a link for anyone interested in replicating his work.
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Its common knowledge that the instant you drive your new car off of the lot, it depreciates in value by several thousand dollars. That's just the way things are. That really shouldn't be the case with cell phones, but it seems that these days, the second you take your new phone out of the box it is already obsolete. Android has allowed phone technology to advance to the place it is today, but it is also why the shelf life of your phone is the shortest in the history of the cellular world.
I'll use myself as an example. I got my Samsung Vibrant back in October. It was still just a couple of months old, and was by all accounts one of the best phone available on any carrier in the US. Three months later, it is being sold for free by T-Mobile on a 2 year contract in large part because the next generation Vibrant is expected to arrive in the next couple of months, running at 4G speeds with a few upgraded specs. By the time I'm eligible for an upgrade, my Vibrant will be ... more
Without a doubt, one of the coolest cell phone accessories on the iPhone 4 is the camera. The thing produces some stunning photos. As it turns out, that same camera is indirectly the reason why the White iPhone 4 has been delayed by more than 6 months.
According to Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, the white paint used in initial production was translucent enough to allow the light from the flash to leak to the light sensor, causing photos to look as though they had been shot through plastic wrap.
That's a fairly good reason to delay a phone's release, although you would figure that the engineers at Apple would have realized this would be a problem given the fact that the back of the iPhone is made of glass.
By now pretty much everyone is aware of the distracted driving laws that are being passed all over the country. In a nutshell, you are required to use a Bluetooth headset or a handsfree device if you want to use your cell phone while driving.
Well one lawmaker in New York, State Senator Karl Kruger, would like to extend those laws to pedestrians crossing the street. He wants there to be a $100 fine levied against people who are listening to an MP3 player or talking on the phone while crossing the street. I understand the thought process behind this. Just last week we blogged about a woman who walked right into a mall fountain because she was texting a friend and not paying attention to where she was going. Here's the video again because it is just that awesome.
Last week rumors started spreading about the white iPhone 4 finally arriving. Now the Moby Dick of cell phones is popping up in AT&T's inventory system lending quite a bit of credence to the rumors. Whether or not this actually compels anyone to sign a new contract with AT&T rather than jump ship to Verizon remains in question.
But just in case you decide to sign up for AT&T's service and then immediately regret that decision and wish you were a Verizon customer, Verizon has some good news. You will be able to trade in your AT&T iPhone for cold hard cash that can be used towards purchasing a Verizon iPhone 4. A 16 GB iPhone 4 is worth $212, which might actually cover your early termination fee with AT&T depending on how far into your contract you are.
It doesn't seem as though Verizon will be getting the white iPhone 4. Big Red's customers will have to make due with a cell phone case? A clever individual in the Ukraine figured out a way to wrap their phone in crocodile skin without paying a penny. Unfortunately the phone is also wrapped in crocodile muscle, crocodile bone, crocodile stomach, and crocodile stomach acid.
Some moron decided that they weren't happy with the pictures they were getting at a local aquarium in the Ukraine, so they stuck their arm through the fencing to get a foot closer, and dropped their Nokia phone in the enclosure. Curious, a crocodile ate the phone. When employees at the aquarium were informed of the incident, they were skeptical, so they called the phone. And it rang - from inside the crocodiles stomach.
We all know that Nokia makes some pretty durable phones, but the crocodile digestion test is probably something they skip over back at the lab in Finlan ... more
James Bond has long been able to drive his car using a remote control on his cell phone. Now you too can be like James Bond thanks to Nokia's Asian division. They have created an app for the Nokia C7 that controls can control a BMW 1 Series car via your cell phone. (Skip ahead to the 1:25 point if you want to jump straight to the remote control car part of the video.)
Nokia claims that the above video uses no special effects at all. Finally there is a reason to buy a Nokia phone. Only problem is the phone isn't available in the US unless you pick it up online somewhere as an unlocked cell phone.
Obviously there are several reasons beyond remote control of your act ... more
If you haven't seen this video by now you are either Amish or….well, you're probably Amish. And if you're Amish, how are you reading this blog?
The thing is, I'm sure this happens nearly every single day, at malls all over the country. In fact, I think I'm probably going to start hanging out at my local mall with my phone poised and ready to record some text engrossed teenager taking an unplanned snorkeling lesson.
My guess is that the Megareader app was designed by someone who suffered the same fate as the girl in the video. ... more
Why people get so geeked up about a White iPhone is still beyond the scope of my understanding, however they do – to extreme levels actually. Technically you can get a white iPhone4 faceplate and accomplish the same visual effect. And while I realize that it's not the same thing, the idea of waiting months upon months for a phone color variant that may or may not ever come to fruition seems nothing short of whacky.
The white iPhone 4 has been rumored for a long time. Each time those rumors proved to be cruel jokes. People got so impatient that a high school senior managed to buy a bunch of white iPhone 4 components direct from Foxconn in China and started selling conversion kits online. Amongst his customers was Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. The Woz got in before Apple forced the kid to shut down his website, threatening to charge him with possession of s ... more
There have literally been hundreds of startup companies that have made millions of dollars off of the iPhone. These companies primarily make cell phone accessories specifically designed for the iPhone. Things like cell phone cases and screen protectors can be found in dozens of different colors and styles. Even major designer labels like Ed Hardy and Body Glove have gotten in on the action. And it's not just every day accessories either. Everything from iPhone baby monitors to iPhone heart monitors to iPhone meat thermometers have found their way onto the market.
With Verizon set to launch a CDMA version of the World's most popular smartphone, these third party manufacturers are licking their lips at the millions of new customers that are suddenly opening up to ... more
If you happen to live anywhere in the US where winter is accompanied by below freezing temperatures, don't use your iPhone 4 outside. Apparently a woman in Norway had her phone completely shatter when she pulled it out to make a phone call. When she took it into her local Apple store they told her tough noogies, the iPhone 4 wasn't built to withstand sub freezing temperatures. They also claim that the phone isn't designed to withstand temperatures above 95 degrees.
Pretty much, if you don't live in San Diego, CA, your phone runs the risk of being destroyed by nature. We already have read how a single grain of sand caught between the glass backing of the iPhone 4 and certain slider iPhone cases can cause the device to shatter. But this is just plain ridiculous.
I'll admit that when I'm cruising along in my car and Tu Pac comes on the radio, I crank up the volume as loud as my car stereo will allow. I never thought that would result in the SWAT team being sent out to intervene. Of course, I'm also not married to the most paranoid nut job on planet earth.
Unfortunately for one school administrator in Illinois, he IS married to the most paranoid nut job on planet earth. On his way to a school board meeting, said administer was busting some rap on the radio when he accidentally but dialed his wife. The wife, hearing 'gangster like lyrics' jumped to the ridiculously moronic conclusion that her husband had been taken hostage in his office and called the police.
I'm not sure exactly what the woman said to police, but they believed her and dispatched three helicopters and a SWAT team to the school. Needless to say that when a team of SWAT officers wielding automatic weapons kicked in the doors of the school board meetin ... more
There hasn't exactly been a lot of positive press surrounding Windows Phone 7. There commercials are kinda cool I guess. So there's that. But slow sales, leading to a loss of market share a couple months after launch, have put the exclamation point on hardware issues and a general lack of available handsets.
First there was the whole, ‘Whoops, customers weren't supposed to be able to remove the memory cards in our micro SD slots' fiasco. I suppose they should have made that clear to the manufacturers. Then of course there was the HTC HD7 death grip issue. Another major complaint was the complete lack of a CDMA version for Verizon or Sprint. While that last issue is going to resolve itself, it won't happen for another 6 months – right around the same time the iPhone 5 is probably going to come out for Verizon. Talk about lousy timing.
When I think of France I picture a bunch of guys wearing 'Where's Waldo' like shirts with cigarettes on long sticks. I've never been to France, but I'm assuming that this is an accurate portrayal. If you are riding in the subway in Paris, and see Waldo heading your way, put your phone away. Cell phone theft on Paris subways has skyrocketed, especially that of the iPhone, thanks to the black market where a high end smartphone can fetch upwards of $400. If you have a bottle opening iPhone case on your phone that price can jump to $410.
Thieves are essentially looking for passengers with their noses buried in their phones, snatching them out of the hands and then making a run for it. While that is a fairly unsophisticated crime, it is surprisingly evil genius when compared to the efforts of an iPhone thief in Idaho.
If you're anything like me, you complain all the time about your cell phone battery always running out and how you're constantly charging it. It kinda comes with the territory when we use our phones to do literally everything, from checking our e-mail to checking on our infant baby's in their crib. Yes, there is an iPhone baby monitor out there.
So the CES show officially kicked off to the public today. Naturally this is where the coolest gadgets, including phones and tablets, are going to be revealed to the world. And with cool phones often comes an array of cool cell phone accessories to go with them. Of course there are also several head scratchers that make their way onto shelves. We figured we'd have a little fun here at the CellPhoneAccents blog and show you a bit from both worlds. Might as well start out with the ridiculous.
This plastic piece of insanity is called the Vine, and I think the picture speaks for itself. Our question is who exactly would use a cell phone holster like this? Perhaps if you're Italian like myself and speak with your hands a lot this would make ... more
There are more than 300,000 apps in the Apple app store. Naturally some of those apps are going to be instructional in nature. If you happen to be a habitual smoker, and are fed up for paying for fancy packaging from big tobacco, you can know download this app, and learn to roll your own.
A few co-workers of mine have informed me that this app will be used for substances other than tobacco. I'm investigating that claim and will have a follow up blog released as soon as I discover what exactly it is that they are talking about.
It's actually shocking that this app made it through Apple's censor machine in the first place, and it would be even more surprising if it stays up on the app store for very long once parents find out about it. But just in case you manage to download it and learn a thing or two, there is an apropos
You know those annoying pop up ads that appear on your phone when you are running your favorite apps? You know the ones I'm talking about. Well what if those pop up ads started talking smak about your phone or your cellular carrier? Now they can, and they do.
It has already been confirmed that RIM (Blackberry) and Nokia are launching mobile adds that use a bit of code to determine what phone you are using. If that phone happens to not be made by them, the ad lets you know just how much your phone sucks when compared to theirs. Conceivably every phone manufacturer can and will be using this form of mobile attack ad moving forward, though it's hard to imagine what sort of trash Nokia is talking.
Apple can brag about the bazillion cell phone accessories and apps specifically designed for their phones. Android can brag about how their not Canadian. Blackberry can brag about how they are still the biggest dog on ... more
Raise your hand if you love Shazam. Now raise your hand if you thought I was talking about the Shaquille O'Neal blockbuster called 'Kazaam'.
For those who don't know, Shazam is a music discovery app. Long story short, if you hear a song on the radio and would like to know who sings it or what it is called, you open up Shazam, and it listens to the song and tells you everything you ever wanted to know about said song. It's a great service, but it isn't free.
That's where SoundHound comes into play. It too is a music discover app, and as of this week, you get unlimited song IDs on Android and iPhone devices. Granted, if you are thrifty, you have to make some sacrifices. SoundHound will make their money off of advertisements, and in the event you like a song so much you decide to download it, they get a cut of that too.
I already have pretty muc ... more
If you judge a phone based on the apps available, and let's face it, apps are really what make a smartphone a smartphone, then Windows Phone 7 and Palm kinda blow. Everyone knows that Apple is the current king, with over 300,000 apps available. But Android is closing that gap at breakneck speeds, surpassing the 200,000 mark earlier this week.
By contrast, Windows Phone 7 surpassed 5,000 apps this week. Granted, it's only been a few months since Microsoft re-launched (for the third time) a series of phones on the world. But still, when you compare WP7 to Android and Apple, there really isn't a whole lot of incentive to go out and buy a Windows phone unless you really really really like Microsoft.
As grim as the WP7 numbers are, they are moving at warp speed when compared to Palm. Their WebOS also just recently passed the 5,000 app mark. The difference is that it has taken then more than a year to hit that mark. Palm is rumored to be launching two new p ... more
The iPhone is great and all, but it can't get me a beer when I'm sitting on the couch watching the game, so whatever.
Aww crap! I'm actually pretty sure this is how the real life Terminator plot will play itself out. First the machines will get us wasted, and then they will systematically eradicate us from the planet when we're too drunk to fight back.
Of all the iPhone apps and iPhone accessories to build on your free time, the robotic fridge equipped with an ... more
There really is an app for everything. But one of the coolest apps has to be the 'Find My Phone' app. In the event that you misplace your phone, you can track it via GPS to pinpoint its location and retrieve it. In the days preceding GPS, my phone once fell out of my pocket in a cab. When I realized the phone was missing, I called it, and thankfully the guy who got in the cab after me found it and actually answered it. He was staying in town on a business trip, left my phone at the concierge desk at his hotel and I was phoneless for less than 12 hours in total. That's my coolest, 'I lost my phone and then this happened' story. And it sucks compared to this.
You see, this isn't a story about how a guy lost his phone in a cab and used a cell phone app to find it. No, this is a story about a man whose car was stolen with his phone inside and he used GPS tracking to lead the cops on a high speed chase. The scene went down on Christmas day in Texas. A guy had his car ... more
According to experts, we are slowly climbing out of that pesky recession. Granted most of the experts are also rich, so what do they know really? I'll believe that we are out of the recession when I can afford this particular app.
While I'm saving up for that app, I will dedicate my life to hunting down the developer and punching him in the face.
Aside from ridiculous apps, mobile phones are quickly trying to devise ways to make us all live outside of our means again. But they are doing it in a sneaky way. For about a year now T-Mobile has allowed their subscribers the ability to pay for mobile apps purchases by charging the item to their phone bill rather than their credit card. From a pure convenience factor, it's a nice idea. But it is also a really really easy way ... more
I once broke up with a girl because when I showed up to her house to take her out for dinner she insisted that we bring her little Chihuahua with us. As if that wasn't bad enough, she had dressed it up in people clothes. I didn't break up with her on the spot, but that incident ate away at me for about a week before I broke the news that things just weren't working for me. True story. She's most likely on a waiting list for this particular cell phone cover.
I suppose I shouldn't judge people based on their choice of cell phone accessories, but if I was on a first date with a girl and she pulled out her phone to take a call and there was a denim skirt on it, that first date would most likely be our last date (unless that d ... more
According to T-Mobile, they recently hired a third party research firm to figure out which of the major carriers has the fastest network. For some reason T-Mobile isn't releasing the name of the research firm, but apparently the result came back stating the T-Mobile was the fastest in the top 100 markets in the US. Despite the shady nature of this particular boast, let's assume that it's true. Even with that honor, T-Mobile is still sorely lacking in one area they are the only national carrier without a dedicated mobile MiFi device.
That apparently is about to change. A device code named 'Lil Wayne' has been leaked by T-mo News, and is supposed to be T-Mobile's first MiFi device. It is expected to hit shelves in early 2011. For those not familiar with a MiFi device, it is essentially a portable wireless router that when turned on, acts as a mobile hotspot. Multiple WiFi enabled devices can link to a MiFi device and enjoy a high speed internet connection.
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You've got to love it when a big research firm spends loads of cash to come up with a statistical study on information that was painfully obvious to begin with. About a month ago Pew Research released a study stating, in a nutshell, that rich people were more likely to own an iPad than poor people. Shocking as it may seem that people living just above the poverty line don't have an extra $700 lying around to purchase an iPad what is even more shocking is that someone got paid to conduct that research study.
Not to be outdone, Nielsen (the TV ratings people) have just released a study that says that young people are more likely to own a smartphone than old people. I suppose carriers and advertisers like to know this information for absolutely certain. It makes some sense. But considering my Uncle still can't figure out how to hook his television into his stereo leads me to the not so surprising disc ... more
When push comes to shove, one of the biggest selling points of smartphones is the apps that come with them. You can hardly get through a day without reading a story about a certain new app, how many apps are downloaded per day from Apple vs. Android, or how the number of apps available on one particular operating system is either a selling point or a reason to avoid a certain phone. The simple fact is that a lot of the apps are redundant, so having 300,000 apps isn't really that impressive when so many of them do the exact same thing. The only thing they didn't have was an app to keep your cat entertained, because we all have iPads for the strict purpose of occupying our cats.
According to analyst firm Nomura, AT&T losing their exclusivity agreement for the iPhone next year (when Verizon will start carrying the device) may lead to increased revenues. Let me be very clear that even this expert analytics team says this would be a short effect. Essentially, the idea is that AT&T will bring in a butt load of cash in early termination fees as people jump ship from the lowest rated carrier in the country. They may also save a few bucks on subsidy fees that they currently pay to Apple, as they would be selling fewer iPhones. This logic is kind of like the euphoria that drowning victims experience right before suffocating to death. In other words, it's not sustainable revenue.
Strictly from an accounting standpoint, this could end up having an immediate positive effect on revenues. But as each quarter passes that AT&T isn't collecting a monthly subscription fee from their customers that have abandoned ship, they'll be losing revenue. Also, with a ... more
If you jump into your wayback machine you might recall that we blogged about the US Army testing out how smartphones could be used to make better soldiers. Initially the plan was to give select groups of soldiers smartphones during boot camp to test their effectiveness there. Now the plan is to get these smartphones out into the field. The Army is looking at iPhones and Android devices and would like to see a smartphone in the pocket of every single soldier. Oh, and the Army will pick up the bill for everything. That's one heck of a friends and family plan.
The hope is that the smartphones will help the soldiers thanks to their ability to display maps, translate languages, and improve communications. I can see the Verizon commercials already. 'Can you hear me now' will take on a new meaning when the Verizon guy is standing in an active minefield near Fallujah. Smartphones will also be useful for collecting biometric data like fingerprints of enemies while in the fi ... more
In the wonderful world of stuff I don't use anymore because of technology, my cordless phone ranks right up at the very top of the list. In fact, I haven't had a landline for six or seven years now. In an interesting twist of irony, sitting at the top of the list of stuff that is inexplicably taking up space in my closet for no reason is my cordless telephone.
Well thanks to Cobra, I might have a reason to dust the old cordless phone off again. Cobra is best known for their line of fuzz busting radar detectors, but is now using their powers for stuff other than helping you avoid tickets. They have invented a Bluetooth device that connects to a landline phone, and can funnel you cell phone calls to a landline. Oh, did I mention that you don't actually have to be paying for a landline phone service for this device to work? Did I also mention that you can connect multiple landline phones to t ... more
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not exactly Bill Nye the science guy. Sorry Dr. Clapper, I suppose I should have paid more attention in Chemistry class. But who knew that science could be used to make gadgets better? Scientists have discovered a type of plant virus that can be used to improve lithium battery life up to ten times. That means your cell phone battery that you have to charge twice a day could last up to a week.
The virus is the Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV), and it affects more than 100 different plant species. The cells of the virus are the perfect shape for battery electrode construction and scientists have already figured out how to coat the virus' cells with conductive material. The TMV virus is capable of bonding to metal and increase the surface area of the battery's electrodes. Long story short, more surface area means more charge that the battery can hold. In this case, up ... more
Jawbone is known as a leader in Bluetooth headsets. Their focus is of course on hands free cell phone use, so it should come as no surprise that they have come out with an iPhone application that is a hands free voice messaging system called THOUGHTS. This really isn't anything that revolutionary. My cousin sends me text messages with a voice recording from his phone all the time, and his phone predates the moon landing.
Where the Jawbone app differs is that if the person you are sending your voice message to doesn't have the app downloaded to their phone, it translates the voice into a standard text message. It's a unique feature, and the fact that THOUGHTS is free it makes it a worthwhile app to add to the pantheon. No word yet if Jawbone plans on releasing an Android or Blackberry version of the app just yet.
Sticking with Bluetooth, Plantronics has come out with a pretty si ... more
Yesterday we told you about an app tailor made to help you hide certain contacts from nosy girlfriends and boyfriends. Today comes an app that does the exact opposite. Not only does it not hide your contacts, it shares them with anyone sitting the same room as you that has the same app downloaded to their phone.
Called the 'My name is E' app for now, we expect this to quickly be named the 'How to be a creepy stalker without even trying' app. Whatever happened to asking someone for their number, and pressing dial? That way you have their number saved to your phone and they have yours. You can enter their name later. This way, a stalker doesn't even have to do any real leg work to get the phone number of the person they are obsessing about. They just have to follow them to their local Starbucks, turn on the app, pretend to order a cup of coffee, and should the stalkee also have the same app downloaded – bam – you're listening to someone breath heavily into the phone a ... more
I remember when the app store for Apple first came out. The tagline was 'there's an app for that.' There literally was an app for almost everything – except for an app to help you cheat on your significant other. Well Apple users, you're still out of luck when it comes to cheating apps, but Android users can feel free to cheat away as much as possible.
Now the need for a privacy screen protector is all but moot thanks to Loky. This app allows you to keep a separate contact list away from your regular contacts list. It also will redirect text messages, videos and pictures sent from this secret contact list to the app instead of your phones regular messaging app. And of course, everything is password protected. But it doesn't stop there people. This app comes with a great feature – shake to close. If you are pouring over those sext messages while sitting in your ... more
Perhaps it was consumer demand that is driving Apple's hardware manufacturers. Or perhaps it is the fact that a high school senior in New York bought a bunch of white iPhone 4 accessories, figured out how to assemble them, and has made a small fortune selling them that is driving Apple. Whatever the case may be, the white iPhone 4 is coming this Spring.
We've heard all of this before from Apple. Their excuses thus far as to what the white iPhone 4 hasn't come out have been that manufacturing the devices has been a bit more difficult that they had anticipated. But then a 17-year-old kid managed to buy parts direct from Foxcon in China, and sold them online along with a kit on how to assemble the parts to make your own white iPhone. That didn't last too long as Apple is threatening to charge him with selling stolen property if he keeps on doing business.
Have you ever been playing Angry Birds in the middle of your Quantum Physics 101 lecture when your cell phone battery died, forcing you to actually listen to what your professor was saying? Who hasn't really? Thankfully there are teams of engineers and scientists out there working around the clock on coming up with ways to combat this sort of tragic scenario through various cell phone accessories. And lo, we may have found a couple of breakthroughs.
Thanks the wonderful people at PhoneSuit, and their Primo Power Core, there is pretty much zero excuse to ever run out of power on your phone again. That is unless you're stranded in the desert for multiple days, at which point the ability to update your Facebook status from your phone just becomes redundant anyway.
For individuals not trapped in a Man vs. Wild scenario, the Primo Power Cor ... more
Attention everyone with lead feet. This is for you. We have not been to shy about promoting Bluetooth headsets as a means to avoid costly fines and tickets while driving. Well, there is a new cell phone accessory that can help cut down on the money you send to your local municipality's court system. You can begin rejoicing……now.
Cobra has come out with the iRadar. It's another in a long line of iPhone accessories designed t stick it to the man. The device pairs with your iPhone via Bluetooth and serves as a radar detector to avoid speed traps. Not only will it scope out radar wielding cops, it also can tell you where red light cameras are to avoid running a red light tickets, and a cloaking device so you can illegally park in red zones without anyone being able to see your car. That last one might not be true.
... more
On the same day that Acer confirmed that it is considering releasing a liquid metal handset in the US, the Taiwanese electronics giant confirmed that they are developing a Windows Phone 7 handset. As far as the liquid metal device is concerned, we're talking about a GSM device, which mean AT&T or T-Mobile are the potential destination carriers. This phone has already hit in France and is expecting to make its way across the English Chanel relatively soon. As far as specs are concerned, the Acer Liquid metal isn't going to be anything breakthrough. It's the curved stainless steel back that is the selling point on this phone. It really is nice to look at. The iPhone needs a chrome faceplate to look this good.
Bluetooth headset that you bought specifically for use in your car so you can avoid tickets and be a responsible driver may be rendered useless if the man gets his way. The government is seriously considering mandating that all car manufacturers install software into new cars that blocks certain cell phone features when certain speeds are reached. The government is also looking into mandating that Sandra Bullock drive all of those cars and that Keanu Reeves is the voice for all turn by turn direction devices.
The intentions of the government are certainly in the right place. According to statistics, distracted driving accounted for more than 5,000 fatalities and 500,000 injuries in 2009. The same studies show that the results of distracted driving are comparable to drunk driving. It is definitely a cause for a ... more
There is no denying that Samsung's Super AM OLED displays are indeed super. Unfortunately, there has been a shortage of the screens, which has limited the number of phones and manufacturers that have been able to take advantage of the technology. That shortage is set to turn into a surplus by next year as Samsung has announced that another production facility is set to be online soon. In addition to Samsung, several competitors have also started ramping up development and production of their OLED displays, which is nothing but good news for consumers. As availability of the components increase, theoretically prices should decrease accordingly, and the saving should be passed on to us.
Considering the display has become the single most important phone accessory since the advent of the smartphone, this is good news. And while the latest and greatest in display technology looks to be in a healthy position, companies like M ... more
This just in from the United States Department of Wasting Money on Studies of the Stupidly Obvious: People from higher incomes are more likely to have access to cell phones and tablets. You don't say? They're trying to tell me that rich people are more likely to be able to afford an $800 iPad.
O.K. So the USDWMSSO doesn't actually exist. But the study is real. It was done by Pew Research, and I really hope that the spent a ton of money to learn this information. In other related studies, Pew has discovered that the rich are more likely to own diamond encrusted faceplates, blind people are 75% less likely to be accurate texters and my grandmother still doesn't understand what a text message is. Why Pew would care about my grandmother's understanding of mobile technology is beyond me. Apparently they are a very big research firm with a lot of time on their hands.
... more
Yesterday I stopped by Best Buy to pick up some groceries. What? They sell sodas, candy and chocolate covered pretzels. Don't judge. Anyway, on my way in the store and there are already about a half dozen people outside who have pitched tents in anticipation of black Friday. This was Tuesday night, which means these people are going to be camped out on the sidewalk for three freaking days and nights just to be first in line. Don't they have jobs?
There is a point. Best Buy has already set up their store for optimum impulse purchases. Their phone accessories have been moved out of the mobile department and are strategically located right on the most heavily trafficked aisles. It's amusing to me the lengths that people will go to save a few bucks. I can understand saving a hundred bucks on a TV, but those impulse buys are always cheaper online.
When push comes to shove, anything cellular is better to g ... more
Do you remember that kid in high school that was a total jerk but everyone pretended to like him because his parents were always out of town and he always threw a lot of parties? According to a recent survey done by ChangeWave, AT&T is the jerk in this analogy and the iPhone is the party. You see, according to their study, 33% of the smartphone owners they surveyed said that they would buy the iPhone if it were offered by someone other than AT&T. On top of that, a completely different study conducted by Deloitte found that 50% of current iPhone owners would dump AT&T like a bad habit if the iPhone were offered on another carrier.
Considering Verizon is getting the iPhone by Spring of 2011, AT&T should be concerned. And if Apple is listening, they should really think about getting an iPhone into T-Mobile and Sprint stores. Heck, T-Mobile is not so overtly courting Apple as we speak. They are already selling
Prepare to be underwhelmed. Last week we revealed a couple of really sweet Black Friday sales that will be hitting Verizon and AT&T this coming weekend. We spent the past couple of days eagerly anticipating what T-Mobile or Sprint might have in store for us, considering both Verizon and AT&T are having penny smartphone sales. T-Mobile does have a Black Friday sale, but it really doesn't live up to what we've recently come to expect from The Big T (I just made that up. Maybe it will stick.)
From November 26th through January 18th, if you buy a myTouch 4G or a Samsung Galaxy Tab at regular price you can get another phone free. Sounds alright, but lest really break this down. Two of the phones, the LG Optimus T and the T-Mobile Comet are already free on a two year contract. So that reduces the number of 'free' phones down to just six. The two cell phone accessories like this solar powered phone charger. The deal only runs through the weekend.
Amazon and Verizon aren't the only players getting into the penny for a phone game. AT&T will be having a 24 hour .01¢ sale for all refurbished phones on Saturday the 26th. OK, so that's not nearly as impressive as a brand n ... more
We spend a lot of time discussing different operating systems and phones and carriers here on the WE blog. Clearly, one of the most talked about topics in the cellular world right now is Widows Phone 7. Between their devices and their operating systems, there is a lot to talk about. Microsoft of touting their new phones as the phone to rescue us from our phone. Their OS is supposedly geared to get people in and out of their favorite apps quicker, allowing them to pick their heads up and see the world around them.
Quite frankly, all the reviews that we've seen on the OS seem to back this claim up. Hardware is another story all together. For those not familiar with Microsoft, they tend to be pretty good with software, no so great with hardware. The X-Box red ring of death is probably the most infamous example of this. It would seem as though the hardware foibles have extended into their handsets and the cell phone accessor ... more
LG has enjoyed a pretty good run as of late. The South Korean electronics giant just recently launched a line of entry level Android smartphones around the world dubbed Optimus 1. It's a very similar concept to Samsung's Galaxy S line which has launched around the world with multiple handsets. The difference of course is that the Galaxy S line is top of the line, while the Optimus line from LG is budget friendly.
Three Optimus 1 phones have landed in the US. Sprint's version is called the Optimus S, while T-Mobile's is the Optimus T. Verizon customers officially get the Optimus Vortex tomorrow. Both the T-Mobile and Verizon offerings are free on a 2 year contract, while Sprint's will cost $49.99 with a similar 2 year contract.
In the first 40 days since the line was launched, LG has sold 1 million units worldwide, making them the fastest selling handset in the company's history. That really shouldn't come as a surprise. People like cheap stuff. ... more
So this is news to me, but apparently technology can be used for evil. I thought that was just stuff found in James Bond movies, but no, apparently there actually are bad people out there. Not to single out China, though their food does leave me hungry again after a couple of hours, but some hackers in the Far East really did a number on smartphone users there.
Hackers managed to create a zombie virus that unlocked phones and stole information off of victims' SIM cards. Once the hackers got that information, they relentlessly sent out text messages to that victim's entire contact list containing links to games and other media. Those links were infected as well, so anyone who actually clicked on a link also got their SIM card hacked and the circle continued. In all, over a million smartphones have been infected so far.
What's even worse, people who fell victim to the virus were als ... more
There's an unspoken rule in the world of cell phones. Once you get past your average run of the mill phone that you can pick up at your local Best Buy and delve into the world of 'designer' phones, the more expensive a phone is, the crappier it actually is as a phone. It's only a matter of time before someone starts hawking two jewel encrusted Dixie cups connected by a diamond filament string for $5 million, calling it the ultimate luxury communication device.
You don't believe me. Check out the two newest luxury handsets to grace our inbox. We'll start off with the cheaper model, a Samsung/Armani tag team effort that comes in at just under $1,000.
A grand actually isn't that extravagant when you think about it. An iPhone 4 off contract is going to run you about $700. A 32 GB iPhone 3GS is going to run you close to $900. So based on the theory ... more
They don't make ‘em like they used to. Now that I'm in my 30's I can safely say that. In a few more years I'm going to start yelling at kids to get off my lawn. When it comes to cell phones though, that really is the case. Is there a person reading this that hasn't experienced a phone breaking by dropping it out of their pocket? A three foot fall can be the absolute bane of a $300-$500 gadget, which is why we all put cases and screen protectors on our phones.
Nokia, which has really become more or less irrelevant in the US, used to dominate here based largely in part to the fact that their phones were nearly indestructible, as this very amateur video demonstrates.
If an 800 lb. gorilla sleeps wherever he/she wants, where exactly does gorilla glass rest? Apparently on the display of the new Samsung Galaxy Tablet. We've mentioned gorilla glass here before on the Wireless Emporium blog, but this is the first time we've ever had visual evidence of just how Chuck Norris this stuff really is. For those not in the now, gorilla glass was invented in 1962 by Corning and sat on a shelf for more than 40 years because there was no practical use for the stuff. It is a super strong, super thin glass that is absolutely perfect for portable devices like phone displays, laptops and tablets. You don't believe me? Check out the video (the cool stuff is towards the end if you want to skip ahead).
According to a yearlong study by third party warranty company SquareTrade, the iPhone 4 is the most reliable smartphone on the market – until it breaks. SquareTrade tracked 50,000 different phones over the course of a year, keeping track of statistics like how often people reported accidental breakage of a device, phone malfunctions, as well as things like dropped calls.
After a year of collecting data, it was determined that the iPhone 4 was the most reliable phone you can buy from a hardware perspective, with a malfunction rate of just 2.1%. Apple's flagship phone narrowly edged out the Motorola Droid, which had a malfunction rate of 2.3%.
Before you iPhone users start doing the I Told You So dance, here's another statistic. The iPhone 4 is also the most likely to break, coming in at an astonishing 13.8% accidental breakage rate. It has already been well documented that the iPhon ... more
If you are a wholesome, apple pie eating capitalist, you love some good old fashioned competition. In the world of cell phones, that means better phones and cheaper prices that do more. But for businesses, there pretty much has been just one player, the Blackberry. Well that has all changed recently thanks to Dell and Motorola.
It first started with the announcement of the Motorola Droid Pro, which goes on sale in Verizon stores on November 18th. Still running on the ever popular Android OS, the Droid Pro is a more buttoned up version of Droid X and Droid 2 lines. So what sets the Pro apart from its cousins and a bit closer to its competition? For starters, it has a full Qwerty keyboard, so it passes the ‘does it look like a Blackberry test.' But it also has Quickoffice Mobile, corporate secure e-mail, and worldwide compatibility in over 200 countries. No word yet, but you'll probably be hard pressed to find a neon pink sold out of Windows 7 Phone devices. Demand has been so great, that they are offering disc ... more
So the other day I was just cruising around in my Lamborghini when my phone rang. As you can probably imagine, I got horribly depressed. You see, despite the fact that I have a brand new iPhone 4, so does 14 million other people around the world. I might as well be a peasant. Thankfully that phone call was a friend of mine calling to tell me about the new Lamborghini Spider themed phone. Unfortunately I got sad again when he told me the Lamborghini phone is only available in Hong Kong. Then I got happy again when I remembered I also have a private jet, so off I flew to Hong Kong.
The phone comes with a super tiny 2.2 inch display, a 3 megapixel camera and 4 whole gigabytes of storage.
Sure the phone is a downgrade from my iPhone in every possible way with the exception the Lamborghini insignia, but it does come in a really c ... more
#10 - Motorola DynaTAC 8000X – We figured we’d kick off our list with the phone that kicked off the cellular world. This was the first ever hand held cellular phone, released in 1983, Zack Morris made this phone an icon.
#9 - Nokia 5110 series – Nokia is still the worldwide leader in handsets sold. There was a time when they absolutely dominated the US market too. This line of phones was the first with removable faceplates, allowing for users to customize their phones.
#8 - HTC EVO 4G – This is the first ever 4G phone released. We’d probably rank this phone a lot higher on the list if 4G were more widely available.
You have to appreciate a little creativity and ingenuity when it crosses your path, even when it is the ingenuity of a multibillion dollar corporation. Sprint has somehow managed to cash in on Applemania, most specifically the iPad, despite the fact that they aren’t a lessened carrier for any of Apples gadgets. How did they do this you ask? It’s pretty genius actually.
Sprint sells this little device called the Overdrive, a pocket sized WiFi hotspot that can boost devices like the iPad up to 4G speeds. In order to push sales of this item, Sprint decided to start selling an iPad case packaged with the Overdrive. Its worked like a charm, meaning Sprint is making money off of a device they don’t even sell.
You know what really frosts my chonies? Last week when I climbed to the top of Mount Everest, I pulled out my phone to update my location on Foursquare and I couldn’t connect to the internet. What a jip! The sub zero temperatures also have a tendency to frost your chonies if you aren’t careful. But if frosted undergarments aren't bad enough, I log on to the internet today only to find out that Everest is now wired for the internet.
Apparently someone has set up a 3G station at 17,000 feet, which will allow its signal to reach the peak of the mountain. So while I’m a little upset still, at least I know that next week when I wander on up to the top of Everest I’ll be able to immediately update my Facebook status while posting pictures to my Flicker account. I might even send off a text message to my ex-girlfriend who told me I’d never amount t ... more
That elusive white whale from Moby Dick has crossed over into the cellular world thanks to Apple. The quest for a white iPhone 4 has must have customers feeling a bit like Ahab today, as Apple has pulled the mythical device from their store altogether. The phones release had been pushed back multiple times, most recently to a Spring 2011 release date. The reason behind this was that the phone was increasingly difficult to manufacture. Perhaps the white iPhone was too shatter resistant? Or perhaps it had something to do with them poisoning their factory workers.
For those having severe feelings of depression over this incident, gather around your computer screens. I’m going to ease your worries. You can find white iPhone 4 covers that make your device look white. You can even get a red one and look really cool. I’m not quite sure why people g ... more
So I was sitting at home the other night rocking my Atari 2600, wondering when they will come out with a new video games system. And then this morning I start browsing the internet only to find out that there is going to be a Playstation Phone. Not a whole heck of a lot is known about this phone right now besides the obvious fact that it is going to be made by Sony Ericsson. But based on these photos we get a bit of a better idea of what we’re dealing with here.
This is going to be a slider device, but instead of a full keyboard, the slide out portion is a Playstation controller. The potential for some pretty cool phone accessories to go with this device are endless. How about some sort of cable that connects directly to a PS3, so you have your own portable controller to take with you everywhere you go? Or, as 3D ... more
Gadget geeks like to be the first to know about anything and everything technology related. Cell phones are no exception. And with the pace at which major handset manufacturers are churning out new devices, there’s a lot of info floating around out there. There are some really creative ways that people are getting this info too. Some scour FCC filings for info on potential new phones. Others have inside sources that leak internal documents and memos. And then there are those that see a product listing for Sprint that includes some HTC accessories for a phone that doesn’t even exist yet.
That’s how the still officially unconfirmed HTC Speedy (formerly known as the Knight) now has an unofficial launch date of Jan 6th, 2011 attached to it. It wouldn’t be the first time ... more
Black Friday is about a month away, which means my cousin is already camping out in front of Best Buy to ensure that she gets all of those door busting deals. Odds are she probably isn’t even the first person in line. For those of us who don’t enjoy a good sidewalk campout we can at least look at some of the cool stuff coming out in time for the mass hysteria that is the biggest shopping day of the year, and then rue the fact that we didn’t camp out so we’re going to have to pay twice as much for the same stuff. Cell phone related purchases will take up a large portion of several people’s wish lists this holiday season, so we’re going to take a look at a couple of items today that might just make it into your stocking.
One of the coolest cell phone accessories to make their way into our homes is the Powermat. It’s a wireless charging station for electronic devices, most notably cell phones. In the past, the special covers ... more
U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi. You ugly. Your momma say you ugly. If you’re iPhone sang that little ditty after the ugly meter app analyzed your facial structure we’d really know that science is just a few short days away from colonizing Mars. As it stands, we have to settle for catch phrases based on how hot this app thinks your picture is. We’re still awaiting official word, but we now believe the iPhone covers every single possible human social interaction. Next to the no drunk dialing app, this has to be the most practical bar/party app ever invented.
In a nutshell, you take a picture of someone’s face with your iPhone. The app scans it, and spits out an ugliness score. The higher the score you get, the uglier you are. The app harkens back to the old hotornot.com website where people could upload their photos to a web ... more
I have some great news for anyone who owns stock in Apple – or AT&T for that matter. According to their quarterly report, AT&T sold 5.2 million iPhones this summer. Considering that Apple reported selling about 14 million iPhones in Q4 worldwide, that means over 33% of Apple's phone sales belonged to Big Blue. Here’s the scary part. Apple’s proliferation of the iPhone covers just AT&T right now, but within the next few months will also include the nation’s largest cellular provider, Verizon.
While that is good news for Apple, it might spell impending doom for AT&T. Nearly 70% of their new phone activations this summer were iPhones. Recent surveys have shown that nearly 50% of AT&T’s iPhone users would jump s ... more
Last week we posted a video of a up and coming New York band called Atomic Tom jamming out on the subway, using their iPhones as instruments. It got us to thinking, what are some of the coolest videos/commercials out there? So after some extensive time wasting that our crack team called research time, we came up with a few of our favorites. We bring you a few laughs, some hotties, a vigilante professor, moronic White House reporters, and a well planned prank. Check out Atomic Tom and the rest below.
So I put on my winter coat for the first time this year and guess what I found in the pocket? $27,000. I hadn’t even realized it was missing. Silly me. Figuring I might as well blow it on something extravagant, I decided to buy the new Vertu Constellation Quest phone, which ironically enough costs $27,000. Now I finally have the same phone as all my friends.
What exactly makes this phone so expensive you ask? Well I thought I’d find out for myself, so I headed over to the Vertu homepage to find out. But when I clicked on the specs section for one of their phone models, my browser crashed. Naturally I figured that they had some super technology that realized I was too poor to even look at their phones, let alone buy one, and I got sad. But mamma didn’t raise no quitter, so I reopened my browser and tried again, and it worked. So what sort of extra terrestrial materials is this phone made ... more
When I was a kid my mom used to yell at me that all the video games I was playing were going to rot my brain. Apparently mom didn’t know everything. Numerous reports have come out in recent years saying that video games have been linked to an increase in intelligence scores in kids. Thank you Super Mario Brothers.
Today the new demon technology supposedly sapping America’s youth of their precious developmental years is the iPhone. According to a report, toddlers are becoming increasingly addicted to Apples little 4.83 oz. destroyer of development. My guess is that if scientists are as wrong about this one as they were about video games we’ll see a race of super intelligent pre-teens running the world in about 10 years.
While that may be an extreme, I’m more concerned with seeing a bunch of infants decked out in
Nobody’s perfect right? With the obvious exception being Megan Fox. But for the most part we can all agree that we have flaws. Funny thing is, we demand that our mobile devices be flawless. It’s kind of an unfair position to take considering that electronic devices are still created by people, who we all already agreed are flawed. But it’s an understandable position too. I mean when an iPhone 4 sets you back a couple hundred bucks, it would be nice to know that a grain of sand isn’t going to cause the housing to shatter because of a few iPhone cases slide on rather snap on.
The same can be said for the operating systems themselves. I don’t have a degree in software engineering, but I would imagine it is hard to design a cellular OS that runs flawlessly on hardware designed by multiple manufacturers in multiple countries. The Motorola Droid X is just one of many phones to fall victim to phone case you put on your handset and then placed on a mat. The mat then charged your battery without having to be plugged into the wall. This summer, they came out with special batteries that could be swapped into your phone and charge directly on the mat without the need for the special case.
It’s time to get out the tin foil hats and fire up that printing press. We have some interesting news for you conspiracy theorists out there. OK, so we highly doubt that there is an actual conspiracy, but it is fun to connect the dots. Sometimes the picture ends up looking like the Indian Subcontinent. There is a lot going on over there apparently. In addition to running the call center for my Direct TV account, India also happens to be the second most populace country in the World. That’s a lot of potential cell phone users. Something that every major cell phone manufacturer is aware of and is trying to tap into, or is bending over backwards to hold onto.
Let’s start with Research in Motion (RIM). The Canadian company, which makes the Blackberry, has been desperately trying to come up with a way to allow the Indian government to hack into their encrypted e-mail service. Failure to do so would mean a ban in India, something that RIM is desperate to avoid. It’s on ... more
Word on the street is that some computer software company based in Northern California is trying to get into the cell phone business. They’re called Micro-something. I doubt they’ll last, but bless their hearts, they have somehow managed to announce 10 new handsets from four manufacturers that will be available in more than 30 countries before the end of the year. In what is an already a crowded marketplace, Microsoft is re-entering the fray with what is now the 5th operating system, that already includes Apple’s OS, Android, RIM’s Blackberry OS, and Nokia’s Symbian 3.
If three’s company and four’s a crowd, five must be a raging keg party. At least I think that’s how the phrase goes in Korea. LG and Samsung are responsible for 4 of the new devices. Dell is also putting out a phone called the Venue Pro headed to T-Mobile. But the real player in the Windows 7 launch is H ... more
Motorola is failing to live up to expectations. At least it’s failing to live up to the expectations they set for themselves. A combination of factors has led to disappointing sales numbers for several different models of phones. The Droid X was expected to be a massive hit, and while it has been very well received by consumers, the numbers simply aren’t where Motorola would like them to be. Couple that with a components shortage, and sales have taken an even bigger hit.
There are Droid X accessories to this crime of underachieving. Motorola has also recently launched a pair of midrange smartphones that absolutely tanked. The Backflip and the Devour have been a major flop in all aspects, and the recently released Flipout and Flipside (amazing creativity there) don’t appear to be all that different, so ... more
Perhaps it was the recent revelation that Android has blown past them. Or maybe it was the growing popularity of the Samsung Galaxy S series of phones, which have sold 2 million units in the US in just over 3 months. Perhaps Steve Jobbs flipped a coin and it landed on heads. Whatever the reasons are, Apple is expanding its iPhone line to at least one other carrier, and that carrier is Verizon.
Right now the iPhone covers the US map on the AT&T network and only the AT&T network. It’s been like that since day one. With market share starting to slip, the only logical step was to develop phones for the other carriers and that is exactly what Apple is doing. By adding Verizon to its carriers list, Apple will now be on the two largest networks (by subscribers) in the United States. The rumors have been swirling for a long time now, ... more
If you haven’t been paying attention, and not too many people do, it has been a pretty crazy last half of the year in the cell phone world. Android has rocketed past Blackberry and Apple as the top OS in the US market, the Samsung Galaxy S series of phones have sold 5 million units worldwide (in just over 3 months) and cell phone cases are filling up courts around the world.
Microsoft is suing Motorola for patent infringement. Verizon is being forced to refund customers $90 million in wrongful data overages. Apple has sued Nokia in an English court over patent violations. Nokia has lost three major executives in the past few weeks. And speaking of patents, Apple had a $625 million settlement levied against them in Texas for patent infringement of their own. Who knew tha ... more
The king is dead. Or at least he has a pretty pronounced limp and severe head wound. Apple and Blackberry have dominated the Smartphone category head to head since the launch of the first iPhone. But Android phones have taken over the top spot. A study done by Nielsen’s shows that US consumers have been choosing Android phones at an incredible rate over the past year. In January of last year Blackberry’s OS was on top with a 34% share of new US buyers. The iPhone came in a close second with a 32% share. Android was a distant third at 14%.
Oh how times have changed. Android now captures 32% of new US consumers, while Blackberry has plummeted to 25%. The iPhone covers 26% of the new buyer market. Nokia’s Symbian OS doesn’t even register on the study, which would explain ... more
HTC is quickly emerging as a major player in the handheld market. The Taiwanese company has been around for awhile, but when they launched the first ever Android phone, they announced their arrival in a big way. Prior to that, HTC had almost exclusively worked with Windows mobile devices, but shifted away from that strategy when it saw the opportunities presented by the Android revolution.
Now the company is splitting its focus and is returning to the Windows platform with several models that will operate as new Windows Phone 7 devices. Two of those devices are the Legend and the Desire, which will come in “phantom black” and “brilliant white” respectively. To the untrained eye, they look like one black phone and one white phone. HTC phones have been growing in p ... more
Are you a Mac or a PC? The two Silicone Valley giants have been trading punches for years in the home computing arena, and have carried that fight into the cellular world. As it stands right now, Apple is the undisputed king of the ring right now. But unlike a mano a mano prizefight (home computers), the cellular marketplace might as well be a battle royal.
In addition to Apple’s iPhone and the iOS it runs on, there is the Android Army, Nokia’s ill fated Symbian OS and coming soon to a wireless store near you, Windows phone7. This is hardly Windows’ first foray into the battle; however, the new Windows 7 is supposedly getting a massive upgrade and has lured some of the biggest names in the cell world to their operating system.
N8 shipped out today and looks pretty nice if we do say so ourselves. The N8 is one of two phones that the Finnish giant plans on releasing that are supposed to breathe life into the company’s beleaguered Smartphone division. We ourselves blogged about the recent shake up at the top at Nokia just a couple weeks ago, and wondered if the cell phone manufacturer had fallen too far behind in the Smartphone race to be a major player again.
The N8 certainly doesn’t disappoint in the looks department. If features a full QWERTY keyboard (wonder if Dvorak will make a comeback someday), a 3.2 inch display, a mind boggling 12 megapixel camera that puts the Galaxy S series cameras to shame, and turn my turn navi ... more
In an effort to not get caught with their pants down as the world evolves to a Smartphone universe, the US Army is testing out a new program where it will give several hundred new recruits iPhones and Android devices upon enlistment. The Army also will pay the monthly service plans. The theory is that new recruits will perform better in basic training if they can download training manuals and read them on their Smartphones in their down time.
We’re not so sure if the Army will be providing cell phone accessories like the gadget guard, which boasts military grade materials, to protect the devices, or if there will be special Army issued camouflage iPhone cases handed out with the phones. What we do know is that several apps have already been approved for the program. Amongst them is a ... more
Have you ever been out on the town and after snapping a few hundred pictures of your night out your memory card suddenly filled up? I know! It’s infuriating that you won’t be able to take a picture of the Taco Bell drive through guy handing you your change for the 87 soft tacos and one order of cinnamon crisps you just bought. Well fear not. AT&T is going to start selling 32 gigabyte memory cards at their retail locations for $139.99.
AT&T will also be selling a 16 gig card; however, a 16 GB memory card isn’t really anything new. But 32 gigs is a bit staggering when you start to look at the numbers. Assuming you have a fancy new Smartphone with a 5 megapixel camera like the Samsung Vibrant, you can take 1,831 pictures without filling up your memory card. If you are a music buff, you can store close to 5000 ... more
Hey there Star Wars geeks, err, enthusiasts. Verizon has announced an R2D2 version of the Droid. In addition to co piloting your X-Wing fighter against the Deathstar, this phone comes equipped with all the bells and whistles typically found on the Droid 2, except is has a pretty killer paint job to boot. So if you named your first born Anakin or you have a killer video of you using a lightsaber on YouTube, then this is the Droid you are looking for.
It really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the little guy that invented Droid 2 accessories now has a phone modeled after him that does just about everything a user could ask for. Apparently these little guys have already started to ... more
When Irma Thomas sang that soulful ballad “Time is on My side” she clearly wasn’t referring to HTC. The up and coming player in the cell phone hand set wars is getting set to release a Windows Phone 7, however HTC’s top dog, Peter Chou, has said there simply isn’t enough time to load HTC Sense onto the new handsets.
Considering the popularity of HTC’s user interface has been, it comes as a bit of a surprise that their first Windows Phone 7 won’t have it. Chou did say that they would develop a Windows Phone 7 interface “over time,” but that still will leave a lot of potential customers begging.
Still, the new HTC covers everything you could possibly want a Smartphone to do. Unfortunately, based on the photos that have been leaked, it isn ... more
OK, so maybe these particular iPhone accessories aren’t going to stop an evil genius from destroying the world, but their pretty freaking cool none the less. Imagine this scenario. You’re heading out for a night on the town wearing your favorite zebra print spandex pants. You look great – as always – but you only have one pocket and it isn’t big enough for your wallet and your phone. Now there is an iPhone case designed with a credit card slot, so you can leave your wallet at home and just slide your ID and credit card into your phone and your all set.
But what’s that you say? You aren’t much of a party person and are more studious. Well here is an all too common scenario to th ... more
Word on the street is that Motorola’s Droid 2 is set to get a major upgrade. Don’t worry those of you who have already decked your phone out with all sorts of cell phone accessories, our sources say that they upgrades are internal, not external, so that hot pink Droid 2 leather case you’re rocking on your belt will still fit the new phone.
The primary difference is that the new Droid 2 is going to be a global phone, and its processor is about 20% faster than that of the original Droid 2. It was actually a pretty big day for the Droid line of phones today. The Android 2.2, more commonly known as Froyo (short for frozen yogurt), update for the Droid X officially became available today.
Amongst the new features, Froyo comes with Adobe Flash Player 10.1, automatic app updated, a magic unicorn, enhanced ... more
So it’s a cheesy attempt at ripping off Billy Shakespeare, but things really are taking an unusual turn for the worse at Finnish based cellular manufacturer Nokia lately. Not so long ago Nokia announced that it would be launching two new Smartphones in an attempt to keep pace with other industry leaders like Apple, Motorola and HTC.
Apparently that wasn’t enough to preserve the job of current CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo (current for the next 7 days). Kallasvuo will be replaced by Microsoft’s business division leader, Stephen Elop, next Monday. If Kallasvuo was old King Hamlet, and Elop is Uncle Claudius, then Anssi Vanjoki would be Prince Hamlet.
Vanjoki was recently promoted to head the Smartphone division of Nokia in order to help the flailing company gain som ... more
There was a time when Finnish manufacturer Nokia dominated the cellular world. They all but invented the concept of cell phone accessories when the 6100 series of phones came out with detachable faceplates. But just as LL Cool J once dominated the hip hop charts, times have changed, and in order to stay relevant, adaptation and evolution is a must.
These days, you’re more likely to see Cool James or Ice-T solving crimes on prime time television than you are to see them in a studio laying down tracks. They’ve managed to stay relevant by growing and adapting. Unfortunately for Nokia, in recent years, they have fallen off the pace, conceding their once lofty position in the cellular marketplace to manufacturers like HTC, Samsung, and Motorola. The Finnish giants still lead the way in terms of total production, but have failed to garner much attention lately, losing out to both Sprint is set to launch the Samsung Epic 4G and pre-order sales have been through the roof. There has been quite a bit of buzz around the internet for this phone and for good reason. The Epic 4G runs on the Google Android network and features a slide out QWERTY keyboard, a 4.0 inch AMOLED touch screen display, and can turn into a mobile hot spot for up to 5 Wi-Fi devices. Like the other phones in the Galaxy S series, the Epic 4G will feature the ‘Social Hub” feature, allowing easy access to social networks like Facebook and Twitter. The phone also features a 5.0 megapixel camera, so get your data cables ready to upload photos to your computer so you can print out hi-res photos to share with family and friends. A ... more
Wireless Emporium, Inc. (www.WirelessEmporium.com), a leading online retailer of cell phone accessories and unlocked cell phones, has once again been recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in America by being named to the Inc. 5000 list for an outstanding third consecutive year. This year, Wireless Emporium was ranked #1818, with a three year growth rate of 151%. The company is one of the elite few who have been featured on this list multiple times and enjoys the distinction of continuing its growth in spite of the economic climate.
Many of the other companies who share this achievement have moved on to become national icons, and Wireless Emporium is poised to follow in their footsteps. Tony Lee, Co-Founder reflects on the growing success: 'We are extremely proud to be recognized in the Inc. 5000 for a 3rd consecutive year. This accomplishme ... more
Have you ever been in the middle of a great workout or on that final mile and feel the need to change the song on Pandora or adjust the volume? It sometimes seems like pulling teeth to either pull your iPod off your arm or take it out of your pocket just to make a minor adjustment. Never again do you have to worry about that if you have an iPod or an iPhone.
Timex has just announced the new Iron Man iControl. This watch features a 50 lap memory recall chronograph, Indiglo back lighting, many choices of alarms and timers. Sounds like your standard fitness or sports enthusiasts' watch right? Why do they call it an iControl? This watch can control your standard music controls for an iPod or an iPhone (airplane mode). Listening to music is made even easier now that the volume can be adjusted up or down, Play, Pause, and Track Forward/Reverse. This is accomplished just by attaching a r ... more
It isn't a matter of 'if,' it's a matter of 'when.' If you bring your iPhone with you everywhere you go, you really ought to be investing in some protective gear for it. Not all protection is the same. We'll walk you through some of the options of various cell phone accessories for the iPhone so you can make the right choice to keep your most valuable tool safe.
Cover your corners.
Don't get iPhone cases unless they have extra padding and protection on the corners. Why is this important? The majority of drop tests show that most iPhones end up landing on a corner when dropped. With the extra corner protection, your iPhone is likely to last a lot longer.
Protect the screen.
Unlike the new iPad, the iPhone 3G's screen isn't nearly as scratch resistant. You'll want to get a thin film to put over it ... more
These two mobile devices are both taking their place at the top of the food chain on the Verizon and T-mobile networks. The Google Nexus One and the HTC Droid incredible both have similar hardware, running the 1GHZ Snapdragon processor with the exact same amount of RAM and 480 by 800 pixel screen. They would almost be the same phone if it weren’t for the different networks, cameras, and user interfaces available on them.
We've all seen the ads. Every carrier and their mother insist's that in some way, their network, coverage and speed rates are better than anyone else's. Personally, we're tired of the vague statements these shiny new commercials keep telling us with their unclear coverage maps dotted with vagaries.
AT&T's Smart Wi-Fi is a breath of fresh air for those who have a distaste for carrier-provided apps. Available for free on the Android Market, Smart Wi-Fi allows you to locate and connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots not easily found by standard wireless searching apps. The app allows you to manage Wi-Fi connections often used and even allows your phone to switch to Wi-Fi automatically to save cellular data usage (and some change on your phone bill).
Analysts at Citigroup 
Does everyone remember the era of the SUV? Big, bold and beefy, these triple-B machines were masters of the road, taking over precious interstate space, and blocking the view of punier cars left and right. 
Not too long ago, every phone seemed to have its own basic, nameless OS. Simple in design, our phones managed to do little more than call, text and play that occasional puzzle game.
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<td><a href="/blog/article-14295-apple-sues-ny-teen-that-sold-white-iphone-4-conversion-kits.html" class="articleTitle">Apple Sues NY Teen That Sold White iPhone 4 Conversion Kits</a></td>
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<td class="contents">Does everyone remember the high school kid from New York named Fei Lam that was selling white iPhone 4 conversion kits online? Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was actually one of his customers. Details surrounding how he actually got his hands on the parts are shady at best. The teen said he kind of knew someone who knew someone at Foxconn, and he ordered the parts through that connection.
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<td><a href="/blog/article-14013-government-looking-towards-technology-to-block-in-car-cell-phone-use.html" class="articleTitle">Government Looking Towards Technology to Block In Car Cell Phone Use</a></td>
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Bluetooth headset that you bought specifically for use in your car so you can avoid tickets and be a responsible driver may be rendered useless if the man gets his way. The government is seriously considering mandating that all car manufacturers install software into new cars that 
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