Solar Panel Vests Keep Africans’ Cell Phones Charged On the Go

Having your cell phone running out of battery in the middle of the day is frustrating, especially you have to rely on mobile communication at your workplace. Luckily, we can use a portable charger, a battery pack or sometimes connect the handset to a PC via a USB cable to easily juice it up again. But for bicycle riders in Kenya, finding a power source may not be that easy. For that reason, Kenyan inventor Dominic Wanjihia is suggesting bicycle riders to wear a flexible solar panel vest to solve this problem.

"Boda-boda" riders are cyclists in Kenya who offer bicycle rides to people wishing to travel between immigration offices along the borders of African countries. As they have to work outdoors from early morning to late evening, cell phones are very important to them for receiving booking calls from customers. By wearing this special solar vest installed with flexible solar cells on the back, the cyclists can make sure their handset is always charged so that they can be reached by customers anytime.

The solar vest is connected to a tiny storage battery to collect sunlight, which in turn could be used to provide continuous electricity to a cell phone. When they are off the bike, they can mount the vest on a window or a porch to keep charging their handsets, as long as there is sunlight. This means that power is generated for an average of 12 hours a day, from sunrise to sunset.

Not only can boda-boda riders take advantage of this technology, people who spend long hours outdoors, such as farmers, fishermen, campers, outdoor workers, hawkers and even tourists, will also be benefited. By harnessing the solar energy, not to mention it provides an environmental-friendly way to power up cell phones, constraints such as lack of know-how and cost of installing hard solar panels to the bikes can also be overcome.

Tags: Portable Solar Charger For Cell Phone, Car Charger, Cellular Charger, Cell Phone Batteries, Data Cables, External Mini Battery Pack For Apple iPhone – Black

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Turn Heads and Stay Connected with the Nokia 7705 Twist

The Nokia 7705 Twist for Verizon Wireless is a fun handset with a unique swivel design. Targeted at the stylish youth, it boasts a full QWERTY keyboard for quick text messaging, and also features a number of multimedia options like an XHTML browser, VCAST Music with Rhapsody, Bluetooth support and integrated A-GPS.

The gimmick of the Twist is no doubt the Contact Light Ring, which serves as the phone’s pivot point and lights up in different colors when you receive incoming calls, texts and voicemail messages. On the front, there is a 2.4-inch 262k-color display with a 320x240-pixel resolution, which supports the nature-inspired Habitat mode. When this mode is activated, your contacts will be presented in chronological order on the screen, allowing you to organize your calls and messages easily.

Swivel to open the phone you will find a full QWERTY keypad that comes with several dedicated buttons for quick access to features such as the camera, web browsing, messaging, speakerphone and more. The Twist shows a compact square factor as it measures 2.71" high by 2.71" wide by 0.59" deep and weighs 3.44 ounces, making it perfect to be slipped into your pocket.

With features focused on messaging, the new phone supports threaded text and multimedia messaging, instant messaging as well as email. It offers POP3 access for email accounts like Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL, while Verizon’s RemoSych allows consumers to manage their emails, calendars and contacts in real-time.

As a 3G handset, the Twist supports the full range of Verizon’s 3G services, which include VZ Navigator for turn-by-turn directions, V Cast Video for streaming video content, and VCAST Music with Rhapsody for downloading music. It is integrated with a decent 3.2-megapixel camera that supports flash, 4x digital zoom, auto-focus and video recording. After taking photos and videos, you can use the "Post to Blogs" function to share them with friends on blogs or social networking sites. Additionally, there are features like a built-in music player, stereo Bluetooth, a 2.5mm headset jack, a micro-USB port, 119MB internal memory and external memory support of microSD cards up to 16GB.

Combining a square form factor with a swivel design, the Nokia 7705 Twist shows an innovative and neat look that catches everyone’s eyes. Although it is not an enhanced multimedia phone, the younger Verizon customers will still be attracted by its uniqueness and messaging features.

Tags: Nokia Twist (7705) Accessories, Up To 16GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Kit, Nokia Twist 7705 Handsfrees, Lithium Battery For Nokia 7705 Twist, Car Charger For Nokia Twist 7705

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Intensifying Android Competition Poses Threat to HTC’s Outlook

Competition in the Android-powered smartphone market is intensifying, as more and more international manufacturers have joined the battle to scramble for profits. Due to this reason, the business outlook of HTC, the Taiwan-based handset maker who takes the lead in the Android market, may not be looking very good for the fourth quarter of 2009.

One year ago, when everyone was unsure about the profitability of Google’s Android mobile operating system, HTC was the only one who saw the potential. It introduced the first Android-based smartphone, the HTC Dream (also known as T-Mobile G1) and later the HTC Magic (also called T-Mobile myTouch 3G), which both gained great popularity and earned the open mobile platform with good reputation. Android has quickly emerged as one of the better systems with a strong application store.

Following HTC, in the last few months, a number of manufacturers have decided to take the plunge and announced for their Android-based phones. For instance, back in June, Samsung has released the Samsung i7500 in Europe as its debut Android smartphone.

More recently, Motorola has been trying to steal the spotlight by unveiling its first Android-powered handset, Motorola Cliq, which will be available in the fourth quarter in the US. Similarly, LG announced that its debut Google handset, LG GW620, would come out in the same quarter in selected European markets. Last but not the least, Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 is due for release in December this year as well.

Facing such keen competition, analysts believe HTC may still count on wireless carrier Verizon as well as Google to help sustain its revenue for the rest of the year. It is expected that Verizon will work with HTC to launch its first smartphone running Android, the HTC Desire. Meanwhile, HTC and Google are rolling out the next-generation Google handset, the Passion, in the coming quarter. As before, HTC will also continue to work closely with T-Mobile in the US and Europe to secure its market share.

It is still unsure whether HTC could retain its leading position in the Android business, but fans of Google’s mobile platform will be delighted to see the new availability of Android smartphones made by different manufacturers one by one.

Tags: HTC Accessories, T-Mobile myTouch 3G (HTC Magic) Accessories, T-Mobile G1 (Google Phone) Accessories, Motorola Accessories, LG Accessories, Samsung Accessories, Sony Ericsson Accessories

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AT&T Brings HSPA 7.2 to Six Cities This Year

AT&T has recently announced its plans for High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology, the next generation of 3G, which will double the data download speed from 3.6Mps to 7.2Mbps. The technology will be first deployed in six cites by the end of 2009.

According to AT&T, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami will be the first six cities to take advantage of the speed boost. The carrier said its HSPA 7.2 would reach about 90 percent of its existing 3G network coverage by the end of 2011. The network upgrade will support a theoretical maximum download speed of 7.2 megabits per second, but actual speeds experienced by customers will be less.

Currently, the iPhone 3GS is the only AT&T’s smartphone that is compatible with HSPA 7.2, meaning owners of the original iPhone or the iPhone 3G will not feel the difference in speed. However, the carrier promised to bring other devices, which will be benefited by the technology later this year, including five new HSPA 7.2-ready smartphones and two new LaptopConnect cards that serve as USB dongles for getting laptops online.

Along with HSPA 7.2, AT&T also has other enhancement plans, which include upgrading its backhaul capacity, adding 2,000 new cell phone towers and rolling out the 850-MHz 3G spectrum. All told, the carrier is investing $17 to $18 billion in total in its network this year to improve calling quality, data speed and overall coverage.

Other than AT&T, other carriers have also been working on network improvement to prepare for launching the next-generation 4G networks. T-Mobile USA said its HSPA+ 3G speeds would boost significantly and reach the 21Mbps range at some points in 2010, overtaking AT&T’s expected 7.2Mbps. Verizon Wireless, on the other hand, is also planning to introduce a new technology to offer average speeds of 12Mbps.

With all these network enhancements going on, US wireless customers who are unsatisfied with their carriers can expect better mobile performance in the coming years.

Tags: AT&T Cell Phone Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G Accessories, Apple iPhone Accessories, Verizon Wireless Accessories, Sprint Cell Phone Accessories

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Samsung Messager II SCH-r560 – the All-in-one Messaging Handset

The Samsung Messager II SCH-r560 released by both MetroPCS and Cricket Wireless is a slider phone geared towards the heavy-texting crowd. It comes to replace the original Samsung Messager which was released just about half year ago, by bringing some upgraded features such as a 2.0-megapixel camera, 3G support, EV-DO data connectivity and more.

Same as its predecessor, the Messager II boasts a dual-keyboard slider design, measuring 4.49" high by 1.9" wide by 0.7" thick and weighing 4.3 ounces. It features a traditional numeric keypad on the front for T9 text entry, plus a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard for writing sentences. The 2.2-inch display supporting 262 colors and 240x320 pixels will change to landscape mode when you slide out the keyboard, although the Messager II does not have an accelerometer.

To meet the needs of texting fans, the new phone offers a set of messaging options, including SMS and MMS text messaging, instant messaging with Mobile IM, as well as email with mail@metro. With the WAP Web browser and MetroWeb, users can download additional content such as ringtones and games. GPS-based social apps like MetroNavigator and Loopt are also on-board as well for basic satellite navigation.

As for its multimedia functions, you will find a standard music player that supports album art and lyrics. Music lovers will certainly appreciate the 3.5mm headset jack and Bluetooth with A2DP stereo support. Besides, the 2.0-megapixel camera comes with digital zoom, adjustable brightness and night mode, and allows video recording. All music, audio and video files can be saved on the 40MB of internal memory and a microSD memory card of up to 8GB.

Other useful features of the Messager II include a micro-USB port, a 500-entry phone book, a speakerphone, voice commands and voice dialing. You can also access to some other applications, such as Pocket Express, MetroBackup and premium directory assistance.

With a more attractive design and some improved messaging and multimedia features, the Samsung Messager II SCH-r560 is a solid addition to the array of messaging phones available to MetroPCS and Cricket customers.

Tags: Samsung Messager II (SCH-r560) Accessories, Up To 8GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Kit, Samsung SCH-r560 / Messager II Cases, Lithium Battery For Samsung Messager II r560, Retractable Car Charger For Samsung Messager II r560

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Verizon Wireless Escapade – the Basic World Phone for Globe-trotting

Manufactured by PCD, the Verizon Wireless Escapade is a clamshell handset designed for Verizon customers who need to travel around the world occasionally. On top of the compatibility of both CDMA and GSM networks, the phone is also equipped with several functional features, such as a 2.0-megapixel camera, Bluetooth support, GPS and a mobile web browser, to satisfy your basic communication needs.

As a dual-mode CDMA/GSM phone, the Escapade allows users to place voice calls in more than 220 destinations worldwide. You can use Verizon’s CDMA network for making local calls when you are in the U.S., or use the pre-installed Vodafone SIM card on any GSM network when you are traveling abroad. However, you cannot use the SIM card within the nation, as Verizon does not have roaming agreements with AT&T or T-Mobile USA.

The Escapade sports a number of messaging features for you to stay in the social circle on the go. Not only does it support text, picture and voice messaging with T9 predictive text, it also offers mobile instant messengers from AIM, Windows Live and Yahoo. For emailing, you can either receive them via mobile Web e-mail, or via Verizon’s mobile email service that works with services like Yahoo, Hotmail and AOL.

Additionally, the handset comes with Verizon’s VZ Navigator for audible GPS-guided directions to more than 15 million points of interest in the country. Using the wireless web browser, you will find a wide range of wallpaper, graphics, ring tones, alert tones and games for purchase and download to personalize your phone.

The world phone has a flip form factor, measuring 3.9" long by 1.9" wide and 0.9" thick and weighing 3.4 ounces, which is rather lightweight and compact. On the front, there is a 1.1-inch 65,000-color CSTN external display, while the 2-inch TFT internal display shows 262,000 colors and 176x229-pixel resolutions. It has a bilingual interface supporting English and Spanish.

Other useful features you will find include Bluetooth support, a 500-entry phone book, a 2.5mm headset jack, a proprietary charger/data port, 53MB internal memory, plus a 2.0-megapixel camera with zoom and video recording capabilities. On the downside, it lacks a memory card slot and a music player.

The Verizon Escapade does not boast many advanced features like most of the smartphones on the market. But for casual travelers who want a simple camera phone for easy and convenient international communications, the Verizon Escapade can absolutely serve the purpose.

Tags: Verizon Escapade Accessories, Bluetooth Headset, Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Kit, Verizon Escapade Handsfrees, Travel Charger For Verizon Escapade, 2.5mm Jack FM Transmitter, 2 Ways 12 Volt Outlet Cigarette Lighter Adapter

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Protect your iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S with the Perfect Back Cover

Owning an expensive and high-end smartphone like Apple iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S, you surely don’t want the back of your device covered with scratches and dirt after using it for just one week. Therefore, it is important that you choose a suitable back cover to protect your precious smartphone and keep it looking brand new all the time.

There are various types of back covers specially designed for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S available on the market. Made of durable materials, these protective covers have opening for all the iPhone’s important features like microphone, dock connector and SIM card tray, giving you full access to the ports and buttons without removing the cases. Not only can they keep the glossy backs and corners of your smartphones away from dirt, scratches, dents and other damages, their lightweight design also adds no burden to you. On top of that, it is very easy to snap it on or remove it from the back of your iPhone, meaning you can change to different covers anytime you like.

There are four main kinds of back covers to suit your style:

Bendable Plastic Back Cover
The bendable plastic back cover is made of quality bendable plastic, which gives it extra elasticity and durability. You won’t even notice when it is snapped on your iPhone because of its ultra-thin profile and lightweight characteristic. Currently, there are three color options – clear, clear pink and clear blue. Take a look at the video to see how it works! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B99pKftEPj0)

Clear HEX Collection Back Cover
The clear HEX collection back cover has an ultra-clear and shiny surface with a unique hexagon pattern, which adds a sleek and eye-catching look to your iPhone. Made of Hydrcocarbon Polymer material, the cover provides the maximum protection to your smartphone with its shock absorbable, anti-bump and tear-resistant abilities. It also gives your phone a firm and snug grip. Take a look at the video to see how it works! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfebviPBrB8)

Hard Plastic Back Cover
With a pearl-like glossy surface, the hard plastic back cover lets you say goodbye to fingerprints and pen marks. The sturdy and easy-to-match case is now available in black, white and blue for your selection. Take a look at the video to see how it works! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUW2CVE3VoE)

Chrome Back Cover
Made of chrome, its inner surface is fluorescent green, while the outer surface has a polished finish that can be used as a mirror to give shiny reflections. Other than openings for access to all ports and buttons, the chrome back cover also has an additional hole to show the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone. You may choose from five vivid colors: deep red, blue, light blue, black and silver. Take a look at the video to see how it works! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ6wtbm13jU)

Tags: Apple iPhone 3G Back Covers, Clear Back, Clear HEX Collection Back, Black Back Cover, Deep Red Chrome Back Cover, Silver Chrome Back Cover, iPhone Accessories

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Come Green with Samsung Reclaim SPH-m560

Released by Sprint, the Samsung Reclaim SPH-m560 is more than an environmental-friendly phone that is made from recyclable materials. It integrates the green concept into its functionality by delivering a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3G data network support, stereo Bluetooth and access to green applications, making it an attractive and well-balanced mid-range handset.

True to its green image, the Reclaim is made from 80 percent recyclable bio-plastic materials, whereas its packaging is made from 70 percent recycled materials and printed with soy-based inks. To help saving energy, it also comes with an energy efficient charger that has a notification light to alert you when it has finished charging.

Weighing 3.5 ounces and measuring 3.9" by 2.37" by 0.59", the slider has a 2.6-inch 320x240-pixel display showing 262k colors. With Sprint’s One Click interface, you can personalize the shortcut bar on the bottom of the display for one-touch access to any features. Besides, the phone also offers access to content like Green Guide and Green Glossary that provides information and tips to make your life more eco-friendly.

The Reclaim helps you stay connected with several messaging options. Other than instant messaging client supporting Yahoo, Windows Live and AIM, users can also send text messages and multimedia messages. With Sprint Mobile Email, you will get access to your favorite home email services including Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail and AOL. It also supports POP3 e-mail syncing. Using the WAP 2.0 Web browser, popular social networks like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube are all at your fingertips.

For entertainment features, the Reclaim is preloaded with Sprint TV, Sprint Radio and Sprint Movies. It comes with a music player supporting MP3, AAC, AAC+ and WMA file formats, and is equipped with a standard 3.5-mm headset jack and full stereo Bluetooth support. You can download music from the Sprint Music Store to your phone and also to your PC. In addition, there is an integrated 2-megapixel camera with 3X digital zoom that can record video, but lacks a flash. All these music and picture files can be stored in the 105MB internal memory and a microSD card of up to 16GB. Google search, Google maps and GPS-enabled Sprint Navigation are on-board as well.

While environmentalists will surely appreciate the Samsung Reclaim’s green design, consumers looking for a unique and compact device offering a set of messaging and functional features will also find it a quite good pick.

Tags: Samsung Reclaim (SPH-m560) Accessories, Up To 16GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Lithium Battery For Samsung Reclaim SPH-m560, Car Charger For Samsung Reclaim m560, Retractable Travel Charger For Reclaim m560, Phone Holders

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Smartphones to Outstrip PCs in Global Sales by 2011

The smartphone market is growing in such a rapid pace that an analyst predicts two years from now, smartphone will outstrip PCs in global sales. By the end of 2011, the shipments of both are set to reach nearly 400 million a year, according to Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) analyst Mike Abramsky.

The figures from market research firm Gartner shows that 286.1 million units of cell phones were sold worldwide in the second quarter of 2009, down by 6.1 percent compared to the same quarter last year. Nevertheless, smartphones continue to stand out as the fastest-growing segment in the handset industry, reaching 40 million units in sales and revealing a 27 percent year-over-year increase.

As most people expected, analysts are optimistic about the future of Apple’s iPhone and Research In Motion’s Blackberry. While Gartner sees the iPhone to experience significant growth and share gains ahead in both domestic and international markets, RBC is also bullish about RIM’s popular smartphones and believes it will continue to possess sustainable advantages. However, RBC is not very positive about the world handset leader, Nokia’s current situation.

As opposed to smartphones, shipments of desktop PCs continue to slide, having already been surpassed by laptop sales in the third quarter of 2008. This continues to push PC manufacturers, like Apple, Microsoft, Dell and Acer, to join the handset arena to scramble for profits. While Asus has launched a Windows Mobile phone named Nuvifone M20 in Taiwan earlier in July, Dell will also release a smartphone in China in October. Similarly, Acer is planning to roll out three smartphones running the new Windows mobile 6.5 operating system this month.
"Given the higher margins, smartphones offer the biggest opportunity for manufacturers. It is the fastest-growing market segment and the most resistant to declining average selling prices," Gartner’s Research Director Carolina Milanesi commented.

Considering this trend, consumers will be able to enjoy an even wider variety of choices in smartphones packed with features that are comparable to desktop PCs.

Tags: iPhone Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, Nokia Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, BlackBerry Tour 9630 Accessories, Nokia Surge (6790) Accessories

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LG UX280 Wine – the Classy and User-friendly Phone from US Cellular

Joining US Cellular’s flip phone lineup, the LG Wine, also known as LG UX 280, is an entry-level handset with a spacious keypad and a sleek appearance. Although the LG Wine does not possess many advanced features, its easy-to-use interface makes it a decent affordable phone suitable for everyone to perform basic phone functions.

The Wine is a digital dual-band handset operating on 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS and 800 MHz CDMA. Measured 3.89" long by 1.93" wide by 0.66" thick and weighed only 3.32 ounces, it has a stylish flip form factor, which comes in red and silver for selection. Other than the roomy and tactile keypad for easy texting, the phone also includes four dedicated shortcut keys underneath the internal display for instant access to messages, alarm clock, images folder and US Cellular’s EasyEdge online store.

The 2.2" TFT interior display of 240 x 320 pixels generates 262k colors. Measuring 1.3 inches, the exterior display shows you the incoming call IDs and doubles as a self-portrait viewfinder for the camera lens. The Wine also boasts a built-in 1.3-megapixel camera with flash and 10x zoom, but no video recording ability. The 48MB internal memory and the microSD card slot with 2GB maximum memory expansion shall be enough for storing pictures. However, it does not come with a music player.

The Wine supports basic messaging features including text and picture messaging and sports with a full HTML mobile web browser. You can personalize your phone with different wallpapers, themes, tones and banners. More are available from the EasyEdge store. On top of that, you will find other useful features like a full duplex speakerphone, a calculator, a 1,000-entry phone book, a mini-USB port, vibrate mode, voice command, GPS support, as well as Bluetooth wireless technology.

Integrating a large keypad, shortcut keys, GPS, Bluetooth support and the EasyEdge online store, the LG Wine UX280 is undoubtedly a low-cost phone with an attractive outlook. Its built-in user-friendly features will surely spare you from fiddling too much with the user manual.

Tags: LG Wine UX280 Accessories, Bluetooth Headset, Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Kit, LG Handsfrees, LG UX280 Wine Cases, Holster For LG Wine UX280, Car Charger For LG Wine UX280

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Helio Ocean 2 – the 3G Social Networking Powerhouse

Manufactured by Pantech, the Helio Ocean 2 retains the best of the original Ocean and brings us a number of exciting enhanced features. Comes equipped with a wide display, an optical sensor touch pad, a tabbed browser and more, it is a feature-rich handset that pleases Ocean fans and tech-savvy youths.

Same as its predecessor, the Ocean 2 has a fun dual-slide design, which reveals a 12-button numeric keypad when slid vertically, and shows a full QWERTY keyboard when slid horizontally. Its 2.6" OVGA display, supporting 262,000 colors and 240x320-pixel resolution, will change orientation between portrait and landscape modes automatically. Measuring 4.65" long by 2.28" wide by 0.81" thick and weighing 5.89 ounces, it is rather large and hefty, but its oval shape makes it feel good holding in hand.

To simplify web browsing, the 3G dual slider sports with a touch-sensitive navigational pad, which allows you to scroll pages or move the cursor by swiping the pad with your finger. The tabbed full HTML browser includes a new feature called Helio Connect, offering one-click access to the popular social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Flickr. A text-only mode is also supported for the browser to load page content faster.

The messaging ability of the Ocean 2 is another highlight of the device. Other SMS and MMS messaging, it supports Ultimate Inbox instant messaging using Yahoo, AIM, Windows Live and even Google Talk. On top of that, users can enjoy plenty of email options, including Yahoo, AOL, MSN Hotmail, Gmail, Helio Mail, EarthLink Mail, plus access to your personal POP3 or IMAP email accounts. It also comes with Microsoft Exchange Active Sync support for corporate email, contacts and calendar entries.

In addition, GPS function is on-board to provide different location-based features. You will find Google Map for turn-by-turn directions, traffic information and more. There is also a GPS-based search with voice recognition named TellMe, a friend finder called Buddy Beacon, and the Garmin Mobile GPS application for moving turn-by-turn directions.

The Ocean 2 delivers great multimedia features as well. With a built-in music player, you can play audio files in WMA, MP3 and ACC formats. You can also buy and download music and videos from the Helio Music store. Its 2-megapixel camera does not have auto-focus or a flash, but after taking a photo, you can easily upload it to sharing websites using HelioUp and add tags or descriptions to the photo. The handset boasts 512MB internal memory and allows storage expansion up to 4GB via its microSD card slot. Music lovers will also love the included 3.5mm headset and stereo Bluetooth support.

Packed with features offering user-friendly web navigation, integrated text messaging and great multimedia experience, the Helio Ocean 2 is definitely a fun and powerful device that challenges both feature phones and smartphones in the market.

Tags: Helio Ocean 2 Accessories, Bluetooth Headset, Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Kit, Clear Snap-On Cover For Helio Ocean 2, Lithium Battery For Helio Ocean 2, Car Charger For Helio Ocean 2, Helio Ocean 2 Audio Accessories

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AT&T to Bring MMS support to iPhone on September 25

Cheer up iPhone users! It seems that the carrier finally hear your gripes. AT&T announced that the long-overdue Multimedia Messaging Service would soon arrive on Apple’s two latest smartphones: iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

The popular iPhone has lacked the ability to send picture and video messages since the launch of the original model back in 2007. Users have to rely on email to attach picture and video files. But after months of preparation, AT&T, the exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S., is bringing the long-waited service to iPhone 3G and 3GS starting from September 25. Customers will have to download and install a software update to enable the function. However, this feature does not apply to the original iPhone because it lacks the required radio.

You might want to hear AT&T’s reasons for the delay of this basic cell phone function, which can be found on every other smartphones. In AT&T’s words, the feature required it to work on its network MMS architecture to carry the expected volume of MMS traffic and ensure an excellent experience.

In the face of iPhone owners’ complaints about its poor service network, the carrier explains that they are "riding the leading edge of smartphone growth", which "resulted in an explosion of traffic over the AT&T network". The company also said wireless use on its network has boomed 350 percent year-over-year for the past two years mainly because of iPhone. This rapid growth is expected to continue in the near future.

Nevertheless, some analysts are still unsatisfied with the carrier’s excuse. To many consumers and business professionals, the iPhone serves as a mini-computer that plays a vital role in their lives by providing email, applications, social networking and other features, which all require intensive network usage. AT&T should have anticipated the effect brought by the iPhone to its network and started working on upgrading it a long time ago.

As for owners of iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, whether they accept AT&T’s explanation or not, most of them would be thrilled to get the new MMS feature soon. To maximize its capability, you might also want to equip your smartphone with suitable accessories, such as Bluetooth headset, touch shield protective cover, external mini battery pack, desktop dock, wired remote control, 6-in-1 USB charging cable and mini speaker.

Tags: Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G Accessories, Apple iPhone Accessories, AT&T Cell Phone Accessories, Bluetooth Headset, Original Apple iPhone Stereo Headset, Stylus With Clip For Apple iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS

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GPS-enabled Smartphones to Rise at the Expense of Personal Navigators

Two years ago, it might be hard for people to believe GPS-equipped smartphones would replace Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) in the worldwide navigation market. But now, it seems that this will no longer be a fantasy, as research firm iSuppli predicts that by 2014, the number of smartphones with built-in GPS functionality will finally surpass the number of standalone navigation devices.

For the moment, PNDs still lead the navigation industry with 114 million units predicted to be in use by the end of the year, while GPS smartphones will account for 57.8 million units. Nevertheless, according to iSuppli, there might be no room for PNDs anymore in five years: by 2014, the worldwide usage of navigation-enabled smartphones will surge to 305 million units, significantly overtaking the 128 millions of standalone navigators.

"The days of supremacy for the PND in the global navigation market are coming to an end," commented iSuppli.

The rise of smartphones as navigators are boosted by their ever-improving designs, which include better user interface, larger displays, higher internal flash memory, longer battery life, faster processors and built-in connectivity. All these features make them more suitable for use with navigation applications developed by third parties. On the other hand, the increasing availability of high-profile applications from TomTom and Navigon also helps to make smartphone more in line with standalone navigation devices. iSuppli says by 2011, virtually all smartphones will be equipped with GPS functionality.

As a matter of course, there are already many hot smartphones with turn-by-turn GPS navigation on the market, such as iPhone 3GS, Palm Pre, Palm Treo 800w, BlackBerry Tour 9360 and T-Mobile myTouch 3G. Of these, the iPhone takes the lead by offering a total of eight navigation applications for iPhone users. iSuppli expects that the number of people using the iPhone alone for navigation will reach 28 million in 2012, up from 2 million in 2009.

Following this trend of development, smartphones will sport with features that make them comparable to mid-range PNDs. This means in the near future, all you need for travelling around is a handset armed with satellite mapping instead of a personal navigation device.

Tags: GlobalSat BT-359 Bluetooth GPS Receiver, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, BlackBerry Tour 9630 Accessories, Palm Pre Accessories, Palm Treo 800w Accessories, T-Mobile myTouch 3G (HTC Magic) Accessories

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Samsung Gravity 2 SGH-T469 – Ideal for Budget-minded Messaging Youth

Exclusive to T-Mobile, the Samsung Gravity 2 SGH-T469 is an updated version of the popular Samsung Gravity released in 2008. Sporting a slimmer profile and a number of improved features over its predecessor, such as 3G support and GPS, the Gravity 2 is a messaging-oriented QWERTY handset geared towards the young generations.

To satisfy heavy texters, the Gravity 2 includes a full suite of messaging capabilities. On top of normal text and multimedia messages, the phone supports instant messaging on AOL, Yahoo and Windows Live. Besides, you can send an audio postcard, which is an MMS with an audio attachment, to a friend. Email clients supports a variety of providers like AOL, Yahoo and Gmail. Together with the full horizontal slide-out QWERTY keypad with raised keys, quick text messaging is always at your fingertips.

Internet surfing is well powered by the full HTML NetFront browser and high-speed 3G connectivity. It supports JavaScript and Flash Lite for streaming YouTube videos. T-Mobile’s Web2go service offers a personalized home page and one-click access to your favorite websites. Additionally, there is a useful ".com/www" key on the keypad that lets you to enter web addresses easily.

As mentioned above, the candy-bar phone sports a thinner design compared to its predecessor, measuring 4.49" high by 2.05" wide by 0.59" deep and weighing 4.4 ounces. It may not have the sleekest design, but its sliding mechanism works perfectly smooth. Another improvement is the larger LCD screen, which is 2.3 inches diagonally and has support for 262k colors with a 240x320-pixel resolution.

Multimedia features include a basic music player for playing MP3, AAC and ACC+ files, and a 2.0-megapixel camera with 2.5x digital zoom and video recording capabilities. The new Gravity also supports A-GPS with the Telenav turn-by-turn direction software powered by T-Mobile. Although the handset does not have Wi-Fi, it does come equipped with stereo Bluetooth, RSS reader, a 1,000-entry phone book, 40MB internal memory, and support for microSD and SDHC memory cards up to 16GB.

The Samsung Gravity 2 is not particularly a high-end device, but with a handier QWERTY keyboard, various messaging options, GPS and 3G support at an inexpensive price, it would be a great deal for T-Mobile customers who love text messaging.

Tags: Samsung Gravity 2 (SGH-t469) Accessories, Up To 16GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Kit, Samsung Gravity 2 (SGH-t469) Handsfrees, Lithium Battery For Samsung Gravity 2 SGH-t469, Car Charger For Samsung Gravity 2 t469

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Windows Mobile 6.5 Smartphones Arriving this Fall

Customers who have been looking forward to an upgrade on Windows Mobile will soon be satisfied: Microsoft has announced that handsets running the new Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system will be available worldwide starting on October 6 this year.

According to Microsoft, the updated Windows Mobile 6.5 "will deliver new customer experiences through an improved, easy-to-use user interface, better browsing capabilities and access to valuable services". The company hopes that the upgrade will lure more consumers and improve the competitive edge of its operating system in the face of rivals, such as iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Android handsets.

In addition to the existing integration of Microsoft Office, Outlook and Exchange server, the new system will offer new features to surpass its current Windows Mobile 6.1 system, which can be found on the HTC Touch Pro 2 and the Samsung Blackjack II. It will bring an enhanced version of Internet Explorer that comes equipped with a new engine and Adobe Flash Lite for improved multimedia web applications. Besides, there will be a new touch-friendly user interface that allows users to customize the phone with themes, personal backgrounds and widgets.

To match with Apple’s popular App Store, Microsoft will release the Windows Marketplace app store as well. Although the company declined to reveal how many programs have been submitted so far, access to third-party applications such as Facebook, Netflix and Zagat are guaranteed.

Another highly expected feature is a free service called My Phone, which not only can let you synchronize contacts, calendar, text messages, photos and other data to the Internet, but also help you find the location of your lost phone. Users can send a message to the phone to make it ring even it is set to vibrate, and even remotely wipe all data in the phone.

Microsoft said the coming Windows phones will be manufactured by Samsung, LG, HTC, HP and Toshiba, and available through carriers like AT&T, Verizon and Sprint in North America. AT&T said it will offer Windows Mobile 6.5 phone users using data plans access to its network of Wi-Fi hot spots without additional charge.

Will Microsoft be able to catch up with its competitors and regain its lost territory in the cell phone market with the flagship operating system? We will have to wait until this fall to find out.

Tags: HTC Touch Pro2 Accessories, Samsung BlackJack II / SGH-i617 Accessories, iPhone Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, Palm Pre Accessories, AT&T Cell Phone Accessories, Verizon Wireless Accessories

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Show your Style with the Pocket-sized Messaging Phone: Samsung Gloss SCH-u440

Launched by US Cellular, the Samsung Gloss SCH-u440 is a budget clamshell phone designed for fashion-forward messaging lovers. Although the Gloss does not boast many high-end features, it has a compact form factor and a QWERTY keyboard made for straightforward text messaging.

Measuring 2.55" high by 2.94" wide by 0.82" deep and weighing 3.55 ounces, the Gloss is definitely one of the smallest messaging handsets, which fits perfectly in your pocket or purse, just like a lady’s powder compact. Other than a full QWERTY keyboard for quick texting, the flip phone has a 2.2" 262k-color TFT internal display with 220x176 resolution, plus a smaller exterior one. It comes in pink and charcoal for your selection.

The Gloss offers the EasyEdge service, US Cellular’s suite of wireless data application services through which users can access hundreds of useful applications, such as Your Navigator with voice-guided turn-by-turn directions, news and weather applications, games and more. You will also find an enhanced Caller ID feature called City ID, which can show the city and state of incoming calls, plus Tone Room, a ringtone download service with daily updated music for personalizing your handset.

Other than supporting text and multimedia messaging, its mobile email is compatible with Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, AOL Mail and AIM Mail. Users can access IMAP or POP email accounts. For music enjoyment, you can use the built-in music player to play audio files, such as WMA, MP3, AAC, M4A, MIDI, WAV, MP4 and 3GP formats. Furthermore, it includes 55MB internal memory and MicroSD card support up to 16GB for storing photos, music and videos. You will also find some enhanced features like stereo Bluetooth support, a 1.3-megapixel camera, USB mass storage mode, voice dialing, three-way calling, speakerphone and a 500-entry address book.

Incorporated with useful features like two displays, a QWERTY keyboard, stereo Bluetooth and a music player, the Samsung Gloss u440 is suitable for budget-minded customers who want a slim and sleek handset intended for text messaging.

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iSuppli: OLED Screens for Cell Phones to Rise Eightfold

The market for OLED displays used in cell phones are set to surge in the coming years, driven by the recent launch of a number of smartphones using this technology, said iSuppli Corp.

OLED, the abbreviation for organic light emitting diode, is recognized as an emerging technology in the handset industry. iSuppli forecasts that global shipments of OLED displays as main screens of mobile devices will see an impressive eightfold increase, increasing drastically from 22.2 million units in 2009 to 178 million units in 2015.

Compared to conventional LCD screens, the OLEDs offer much better image quality with higher contrast, shorter response time and wider viewing angles. They are more environmentally sustainable as well, as they consume less power for longer battery life, without compromising picture quality. Additionally, OLEDs contain fewer sub-components and have no mercury or other heavy metal, which make them easier to recycle.

All these characteristics make them perfect to be used in smartphones designed for browsing the Internet and streaming videos. For instance, the newly released Samsung Omnia II i8000, boasting a 3.7-inch AM-OLED display with 480x800 resolution, is one of the new OLED handsets equipped with large OLED primary displays. Other examples include Samsung Impression and Nokia N85.

In addition to smartphones, OLED displays are also incorporated in feature phones, such as the Nokia N86 and 6600 Fold, as 2.2-inch to 2.6-inch QVGA main displays. Some MP3 players, flat-panel TVs and digital TVs on the market have applied the OLED technology as well.

As for the price, according to iSuppli, the 2.6-inch OLED of the N85 costs $7.05, which is only 8 percent more expensive than an equivalent LCD display ($6.50). This small price difference certainly adds an additional catalyst to the potential growth of OLED screens.

However, despite the rapid potential growth, iSuppli predicts that OLED displays will still only account for a small proportion in the overall handset displays in the coming years. Limited by the small number of suppliers and factories manufacturing OLED screens, such screens will make up 6 percent of total handset display shipments in 2013, up from 2 percent in 2009.

Tags: Samsung Impression (SGH-a877) Accessories, Samsung SGH-a877 Impression LCD Protective Film For Cellular Phone, LCD Protective Film For Cellular Phone, LCD Protective Film For Samsung Omnia i900 and i910, Clear Touch Shield Protective Cover For iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S

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Dentists Find Patients Texting During Treatment a Problem

Text messaging has become so pervasive nowadays. It is not only a distraction to drivers in vehicle, but also a temptation to patients on dental chair. In a recent survey, an overwhelming majority of dentists said their patients are sending text messages regularly while receiving dental care.

The survey was conducted over two weeks in July among 200 dentists on the Chicago Dental Society’s Facebook Fan Page. Results show that more than 4 out of 5 of the dental doctors have encountered in-chair texters. Among them, 46 percent said this activity is disruptive and hinders them from providing the best care to patients.

Although almost one-third of the dentists has an explicit policy posted in the clinic to request patients to turn off their phones, most simply ignore it. "Many times the patient sits up during treatment to answer a call or text," said one of the dentists. Another respondent also said she was surprised when a member of the clergy kept answering his phone during treatment, even though he admitted the calls were not urgent.

Interestingly, teenagers are less disruptive compared with adult patients, not because they do not text in chair, but because they have already mastered typing to an extent that they don’t even have to look down at their messaging phone keyboards at all. "Most of my younger patients are very polite about using their cell phones in the chair. The kids never answer their phone while getting treatment." said Dr. Cissy Furusho, a pediatric dentist in Chicago.

While some dentists urge patients to stop texting on dental chair as they consider the habit as a breach of etiquette, some also think that it can be a barrier to the communication between dentists and patients. "It's more difficult to communicate with a patient about recommendations," one respondent wrote.

That is why the Chicago Dental Society encourages people to respect their dental doctors regarding the use of cell phone. Of course, the best way is to turn off your cell phone beforehand to avoid any interruption to the dental care, no matter which iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia, Samsung, LG or HTC handset you are using.

Stop testing your dentists’ patience, dental patients!

Tags: Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, BlackBerry Curve (Curve 8520) Accessories, Nokia Surge Accessories, HTC Touch Pro2 Accessories, Samsung Solstice (SGH-a887) Accessories, LG Xenon (GR500) Accessories

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Samsung MyShot II SCH-R460 – an Affordable User-friendly Flip Phone

The Samsung MyShot II, available through Cricket Wireless, is the next generation of the Samsung MyShot launched in 2008. Although there are not many great differences between the two flip phones, the MyShot II still offers a sleeker design and popular features like stereo Bluetooth, customizable home screen and Mobile Web.

As the first Cricket phone sporting MyHomeScreen, the MyShot II allows users to personalize the home screen with widgets for one-touch quick access to their favorite features, such as Internet content, camera and music player. You can also customize the phone by downloading ringtones and wallpapers from the web browser. The handset boasts two displays: the 1-inch exterior display showing 65,000 colors and 96x96 pixels can be used as a viewfinder for the camera lens, whereas the 2.1-inch interior display supports 262,000 colors and 220x176-pixel resolutions.

The MyShot II will also satisfy those who want to stay connected on the go with its support for SMS, EMS and MSS messaging options. The Mobile Web lets you browse useful Internet content like news, weather, sports and social networking, and shop for downloads. In addition, it comes with multimedia features such as a 1.3-megapixel camera with night mode and digital zoom, but no flash. There is also a built-in music player with playlists, equalizer, and repeat and shuffle modes, which can play files of MP3, AAC and WMA formats.

Sharing the same clamshell form factor with its predecessor, the new MyShot II measures 3.7" high by 1.8" wide by 0.7" deep and weighs 3.4 ounces, which is slightly taller and heavier, but fits perfectly in your hand. Furthermore, there are other features like a speakerphone, voice-activated dialing, voice commands, a 500-entry phonebook, stereo Bluetooth, a micro-USB charger port and a 2.5mm headset jack for more advanced users. User-accessible memory is only about 48MB, but you can expand the storage capacity with a micro SD memory card up to 8GB.

Overall, the flip phone has many easy-to-use features combined in a stylish design. If you are looking for a budget handset packed with all-round functionality, you might want to give the Samsung MyShot II a shot.

Tags: Samsung MyShot II (SCH-r460) Accessories, Up To 8GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Kit, Samsung MyShot II (SCH-r460) Handsfrees, Samsung SCH-r460 / MyShot II Cases, Travel Charger For Samsung MyShot II r460

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Overall U.S. Wireless Carriers Improve in Call Quality, Led by Verizon

U.S. wireless carriers have been improving their call quality in general over the past six months, with fewer dropped calls, static and interference, and failed connection, according to a new study by the research firm J.D. Power and Associates.

The 2009 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study, conducted from January to June in 2009 among 25,512 cellular subscribers, analyzed the performance of major wireless carriers based on problem areas such as voice distortion, interference and failed call connection. Results show that the overall wireless service of the industry is getting better, with dropped calls decreased from 5 to 4 out of 100 calls, failed initial connections fell from 4 to 3, and static calls declined from 3 to 2.

Among the numerous service providers, Verizon Wireless ranked top in four out of six regions, offering the best cellular call quality in general. The carrier was doing particularly well in minimizing dropped calls, failed initial connections, and delayed or failed text and voice messages. Verizon was also in tie with Alltel and T-Mobile in the West region, while in the North Central region, US Cellular took the lead. On the contrary, AT&T and Sprint lagged behind other rivals in general despite their nationwide connection coverage.

According to J.D. Power and Associates, the overall improvement in performance could be attributed to the continuous upgrade in the existing network infrastructure. However, following the boom of smartphones like iPhone 3GS, Nokia N97, Palm Pre, HTC Touch Pro 2 and BlackBerry Curve 8520, customers continue to increase their demand in data use for texting, emailing and mobile web surfing. To satisfy this growing demand, the carriers have been busy enhancing their performance by upgrading their wireless networks.

For instance, Verizon is said to be preparing the launch of its 4G LTE network next year. Sprint has teamed up with Clearwire to launch 4G service in 10 cities, and more will be covered in 2010. AT&T has also begun its new 3G band for better high-speed coverage starting with Atlanta. As a result, it seems reasonable for customers to expect ever-improving call quality in the future.

Tags: Verizon Wireless Accessories, T-Mobile Accessories, Alltel Accessories, Sprint Cell Phone Accessories, iPhone Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories

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Most Americans Favor Ban on Texting while Driving

Considering how many people rely on their cell phones in everyday life, the results of a survey that asked Americans if they would support ban on texting while driving might be surprising. It turned out that the overwhelming majority would support legislation on restricting cell phone usage while in vehicle.

Conducted in August with 1,008 American adults, the survey from Nationwide Insurance reveals that 80 percent of the respondents are in favor of a bill that forbids drivers to send text messages while driving. Meanwhile, two-third (67%) of them said they would support a ban on voice calls, and more than half (57%) favor a law against all cell phone use, including making calls with handsfree devices.

Unexpectedly, older people are not the only supportive age group of the legislation. Three fourths of members of Generations X (aged 33 to 44) and Generation Y (aged 21-32), who are more likely to use the text messaging and emailing features, also show strong support for the restrictions.

The results indicate that more and more people have come to realize how dangerous the practice could be. Not only is there an increasing number of road accidents associated with texting, many studies and research also found that the practice could be lethal. Back in 2008, Nationwide's survey revealed that 45 percent of respondents had been hit or nearly hit by another driver using a cell phone. In a study released last month by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, it was found that people who texted while driving increased the crash risk by 23 times.

In the light of the high risk of texting while driving, 18 states and the District of Columbia have passed rules against texting for all drivers, and more states are considering following in the footsteps. In the recent months, the debate about banning the activity across all US states has also intensified. If a nationwide legislation is introduced, American drivers who want to stay connected with others while driving will have to make sure they have a handsfree device.

When it comes to handsfree communication, there is a wide range of devices for consumers to choose from, such as handsfrees, Bluetooth headsets, Bluetooth car speakerphones and car kits. Bluetooth headsets such as Jabra BT4051, Plantronics Explorer 220 and LG HBM-760 could be the best choices, as they come equipped with voice activated dialing function for you to place a call simply by speaking the caller’s name. With these handsfree devices, road accidents related to driving distraction are more likely to reduce.

Tags: Cellular Handsfree, Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Kit, Bluetooth Speakerphone Car Kit, Jabra BT4051 Bluetooth Headset, Original Plantronics Explorer 220 Bluetooth Headset, LG HBM-760 Bluetooth Headset

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Flip Open a New World with BlackBerry 8220 Pearl Flip

Released for T-Mobile, the Blackberry 8220 Pearl Flip is Research In Motion’s first handset with a popular clamshell form factor. While offering a full suite of messaging options just like other BlackBerry devices, the Pearl Flip also impresses us with a sleek appearance, a SureType keyboard and a high-resolution front screen.

Needless to say, the main feature of the Pearl Flip is its flip design with chrome-finished frame. The handset measures 3.9" high by 1.9" wide by 0.7" deep and weighs 3.6 ounces, which may be quite big, but relatively lightweight. The Pearl Flip sports a 1.6" exterior display with 65,536 colors and 128x160-pixel resolution for screening calls and previewing messages, while the interior display measures 2.25" and supports 65,536 colors at a 240x320 resolution.

The Pearl Flip continues BlackBerry’s excellent communication features. For email options, it supports push email from POP, IMAP, Exchange (via HTTP), Outlook, and Notes/Domino servers. It also has a spell-check function to help you look for mistakes in emails and memos. Besides, it comes preloaded with six Instant Messaging clients, which are BlackBerry Messenger, AOL, Google Talk, ICQ, Yahoo, and Windows Live. SMS and MMS messaging are supported as well. To make typing and navigation easy, it uses a pearl-like trackball navigation system and a SureType keyboard with two letters assigned to one button.

Running BlackBerry OS 4.6, the Pearl Flip sports an attachment viewer that opens Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect, PDF, JPEG and more. In addition, with the preloaded DataViz Documents To Go, users can edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files as well.

As for multimedia features, the Pearl Flip comes equipped with a media player with audio and video playback in various formats, including MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, and MIDI music files, and MPEG4, WMV, and H.263 video clips. Using the BlackBerry Media Sync application, you can synchronize your iTune library with your smartphone. It also sports a 2.0-megapixel camera with built-in flash, 5X digital zoom and video recording capabilities. Furthermore, the full HTML web browser supports streaming video such as YouTube clips.

Other than flash memory of 128MB, the smartphone includes a microSD/SDHC card slot for memory expansion up to 16GB. Users will also find a micro USB port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth 2.0 supporting mono and stereo headsets, handsfree and more. One more thing to note is that although the handset has Wi-Fi for making and receiving calls via wireless networks, there is no 3G support.

To sum up, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 is fully packed with great email, multimedia and Internet surfing features. Integrating the good functionality in a nice design, it is imaginable that the Pearl Flip 8220 will appeal to a majority of the flip phone fans.

Tags: BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 Accessories, Up To 16GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Original BlackBerry Stereo Headset HDW-14322-001, BlackBerry Flip 8220 Cases, Travel Charger For BlackBerry Flip, Original BlackBerry Battery C-M2 For Pearl 8220

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Samsung Epix i907 – the Business-savvy Smartphone

The Samsung Epix, also known as the i907, is a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional smartphone launched for AT&T. Regarded as an evolution of the ever-popular Samsung BlackJack II, it offers advanced features like high-speed data connectivity, a optical mouse and built-in Wi-Fi, making it a great messaging phone for professionals.

As a Windows Mobile handset, the Epix comes with the full Microsoft Office Mobile Suite, which allows users to edit Word and Excel documents and to view PowerPoint presentations. You will also find mobile versions of One Note, Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, as well as Outlook for syncing contacts, calendar, tasks and notes between the phone and your PC.

The Epix sports a wide range of email options. It provides Microsoft Direct Push for immediate email delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook. There is also support for AT&T Xpress Mail, Good Mobile Messaging, and POP3 and IMAP email accounts. As for Instant Messaging, the handset is preloaded with AIM, Yahoo Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. Text and multimedia messaging are on board as well.

As mentioned before, the Epix ships with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile for playing audio and video formats, such as WMV, MP3, AAC, WAV and MPEG-4 files. Backed by AT&T’s 3G HSDPA network, you can also stream music via AT&T Music and access Cellular Video for clips via streaming video. The Epix also features AT&T Video Share for face-to-face two-way communication. With stereo Bluetooth support, users can listen to music on Bluetooth headphones and enjoy handsfree communication.

Compared with the Samsung BlackJack II, the Epix is thicker by measuring 4.6" high by 2.4" wide by 0.5" deep and weighing 4.4 ounces, but it surpasses the BlackJack II with its 2.5" touchscreen display, which has 65,000 colors and a 320 x 320 resolution. You can either use your finger or the included stylus to tap the screen. The phone also boasts a full QWERTY keyboard and an optical mouse pad.

Users will also like other advanced features like a 2-megapixel camera with 4X digital zoom and video recording, speakerphone, voice dialing and commands, integrated GPS working with AT&T Navigator, plus third-party web browsers NetFront and Opera Mobile 9.5. It comes with 256MB internal ROM, while the microSD expansion slot can accept up to 32GB cards. But same as the BlackJack II, the Epix uses Samsung’s proprietary jack to replace a standard 3.5mm jack.

With enhanced capability and usability all packed into a sophisticated design, the Samsung Epix i907 is a high-end smartphone that can bring you better mobile business management and offer you quick access to everyday working world.

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Will iPhone Go to Multiple U.S. Carriers in 2010?

Currently, Apple’s iPhone is only available through AT&T to American consumers. However, the situation is likely to change within a year, as analysts predict that Apple will be ready to end its exclusive iPhone deal with AT&T and follow a multi-carrier strategy in the United States beginning in 2010.

In its latest notes to investors, Research firm Piper Jaffray suggests iPhone might be available for carriers other than AT&T in the U.S., most likely following the launch of a new product in the summer of 2010. In fact, Apple has already embarked on this approach in France, where it decided to end its exclusive deal with wireless carrier Orange. The strategy is proved to be beneficial, as the company now enjoys 40 percent market share in France. By comparison, in countries with exclusive carrier agreements, like the U.S., the share of iPhone is only limited to the mid-teens.

Apple and AT&T are discussing the agreement at the moment and it is generally believed that the carrier would want to keep the iPhone exclusive through 2011. But Piper Jaffray also notes that for consumers, the bond with AT&T may be a deal breaker, since some of them are not satisfied with AT&T’s service and network. For Apple, it could be better to follow in Research in Motion’s footsteps to broader its distribution. With its BlackBerry available on multiple carriers, including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint, Research In Motion indeed has a higher market share than Apple does.

As for the possible carriers of iPhone, Verizon appears to be the leading candidate. Backed in April, USA Today reported that Apple was negotiating with Verizon about making a new model designed for Verizon. Meanwhile, the carrier has been updating its data network to a faster 4G network called Long-Term Evolution (LTE), which is rumored to be ready next year. This means Apple could either reengineer the iPhone to support Verizon’s existing network or design a new one to work with LTE.

If this is really the case, iPhone lovers will soon have more choices when selecting the carrier that suits them best.

Tags: iPhone Accessories, AT&T Cell Phone Accessories, Verizon Wireless Accessories, T-Mobile Accessories, Sprint Cell Phone Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories

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No More Annoying Pre-recorded Calls to Your Cell Phone?

Thanks to the new rule recently passed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans are finally free from pre-recorded calls from telemarketers, as these annoying "robocalls" are now proclaimed illegal.

Automated telemarketing solicitations, known as robocalls, are calls made by businesses to cell phone users for touting products and services. As the rule has become effective from September 1, businesses are now forbidden to push products on consumers via these robocalls. According to the FTC, companies have to obtain written permission from a customer to make such calls, or they will face penalties of up to $16,000 per call.

Still, this does not mean that pre-recorded solicitations will disappear completely, because the rule comes with a list of exceptions. Charities, politicians, public service announcements, banks, insurers, telephone carriers, surveys and debt collectors are excluded from the ban. In addition, purely informational pre-recorded calls that are not trying to sell goods and services do not fall under the jurisdiction as well. For instance, automated calls about flight changes from airlines to travelers, or appointment reminder calls from dentists to patients are both acceptable.

Consumers who still receive unauthorized calls can file complaints by visiting the FTC’s official web site or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP. "If consumers think they're being harassed by robocallers, they need to let us know, and we will go after them," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. He also said the ban should cover most pre-recorded commercial calls, but live calls made by representatives are still permitted, unless the consumer has signed up for the National Do Not Call Registry.

Following the enactment of the rule, telemarketers now have to find other ways to reach their customers. Other than robocalls and live calls, mobile marketing through SMS messages presents substantial potential, as it can reach a large number of users at the same time and can add advertising revenue to the telephone companies. Besides, text messaging has become pervasive as a wide range of messaging-centric handsets are available in the market, including new models like HTC Touch Pro 2, LG Rumor 2, Samsung A887 Solstice and Nokia Surge. Thus, text messages will probably replace voice calls as the major medium of mobile marketing in the future.

Tags: HTC Touch Pro2 Accessories, LG Rumor2 LX265 Accessories, Samsung Solstice (SGH-a887) Accessories, Nokia Surge Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, Motorola Karma QA1

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HTC T-Mobile G1 – the First-ever Google Phone

Manufactured by HTC, the T-Mobile G1 is the first handset running Google’s open-source Android operating system. It brings much excitement to consumers with its large capacitive touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi capability and ability to access to various mobile Web applications from Android Market.

The G1 boasts a 3.2-inch TFT LCD touch-sensitive screen with 320 x 480 resolutions and 65K colors. Typing and navigation are effortless using its slide-out 5-row QWERTY keyboard and trackball. Measuring 4.6 inches tall by 2.1 inches wide by 0.6 inch deep and weighing 5.6 ounces, the G1 is not a compact handset, but has a solid design and is comfortable to hold in hand.

The G1’s most appealing highlight is no doubt the third-party applications which users can find and download from the Android Market. Other than access to mobile Web applications like Google Maps Street View, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk and YouTube, you can also download useful applications like ShopSavvy, Ecorio and BreadBrumbz. The G1 uses Webkit as the basis for its full HTML browser with Java support. With Wi-Fi and T-Mobile’s 3G network connection, downloading applications and surfing the Internet are quick and smooth.

A wide range of messaging options is provided by the G1 as well. Other than Gmail, it can be set up to receive emails from up to five POP3 and IMAP email accounts. For instant messaging, it supports AIM, Google Talk, Window Live and Yahoo Messenger. It also offers threaded text and multimedia messaging. Additionally, by downloading TouchDown, an email application for Android Market, users can access Exchange Server email, contacts and calendars on the G1.

As an Android phone, the G1 is preloaded with Google Maps for GPS navigation with standard map, satellite and traffic views. It also sports Google Maps Street View for you to explore cities at the street-level as if you were right there on the corner. Furthermore, you can use the compass mode that gives you a 360-degree view of the street simply by moving the phone around. TeleNav Navigator is available for download to get real-time audible turn-by-turn directions.

Music lovers will like the loaded Amazon MP3 store as they can search and download more than six million songs directly from the store to the device. The music player supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, OGG and RM audio formats. As for photo taking, the phone integrates a 3.0-megapixel camera with zoom, auto-focus and photo-sharing capabilities. It has 128MB of built-in memory, plus a microSD memory card slot that supports up to 8GB. For connectivity, the phone supports Bluetooth 2.0 headset and handsfree profiles, and comes with a mini-USB port for connecting to a PC.

By bringing the Andriod operating system, the first capacitive screen and the first trackball to HTC’s lineup, the T-Mobile G1 proves itself as a powerful smartphone and paves the way for the boom of Google’s Android phones.

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Chargers Lead the U.S. Cell Phone Accessory Market

Following the trend of pursuing high-end handsets and smartphones packed with rich multimedia features, people are now spending more on accessories to keep their phones powered and spruced up. In the United States alone, typical cell phone owners spend about US$60 on accessories throughout the whole life of a handset, found research company ABI Research.

The survey, conducted in July 2009, reveals that among the 1000 adult consumers questioned, cell phone chargers, including car chargers and travel chargers, were the most popular accessories. This maybe a little surprising, since what comes to our mind first when speaking of accessories are probably Bluetooth headsets or silicon skin cases instead of chargers.

Nevertheless, the purchasing patterns of cell phone chargers are likely to change over the next couple of years, as GSMA plans to introduce a Micro USB universal charger compatible with future new cell phones of major mobile operators and manufacturers.

Ranking second were carrying and protective cases, which are available in a great variety of forms like snap-on covers, silicon skin cases, leather cases, as well as belt clips and holsters. Following closely were batteries and memory cards. Other frequently purchased add-on items are handsfree headsets, car kits and decorative add-ons.

ABI Research also found that the popularity of these handset accessories varies with different age groups. Compared to consumers over 40, younger buyers (under 40) were more likely to buy batteries, data cables and protective cases when they purchased a new phone. ABI’s analyst Michael Morgan said that the popularity of the latter two implies that media-centric handsets and smartphones with higher prices are more common among young consumers.

As for the locations people buy their accessories, the survey shows that about half of all accessories were purchased in retail stores operated by the major mobile providers, whereas other retail stores and online shops are important in making up the sales as well.

The global cell phone accessory market will worth about US$63 billion by the end of 2009 and the growth is expected to continue with the influx of more premium handsets.

Tags: Car Charger, AC / travel Charger, Leather Case, Silicon Skin Case, Cell Phone Battery, Memory Card, Cellular Handsfree

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Wi-Fi now a Smartphone Must-have Feature

Nowadays, the use of Wi-Fi on cell phones is becoming pervasive and consumers are demanding the technology to be a standard feature of smartphones. According to ABI Research, Wi-Fi enabled handset shipments are set to double in the next two years.

In a recent press release, ABI Research confirmed its earlier prediction for rapid growth of Wi-Fi handsets in the coming years. The company believes shipments of these dual-mode cell phones will reach 144 million units by the end of 2009, with forecasts for 2011 at just over 300 million units. Meanwhile, ABI’s market data also shows that Wi-Fi chipset shipments used in smartphones will total over 100 million this year.

"Wi-Fi's penetration into handsets has more momentum than the bad economy," said analyst Michael Morgan in the ABI release. "It has become a must-have item much as Bluetooth did earlier."

In fact, the Wi-Fi technology has quickly become one of the hottest features across nearly all smartphones, not just high-end models. Based on the data released by Ovum Research, 77 smartphone models were released in the second quarter of 2009. Of these, 49 models are equipped with Wi-Fi ability, making up a majority of all new handsets in the quarter.

Undoubtedly, the popularity of Wi-Fi can be largely attributed to Apple’s iPhone, which has led people to use Wi-Fi to an unprecedented extent. However, other than iPhone, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry devices, including the Pearl 8120, 8820 and Storm 9530, as well as the Nokia N95 and the Palm Pre, are also popular with consumers using Wi-Fi via their cell phones. Together, they represent the fastest growing segment in the handset market.

In the meantime, mobile operators are also starting to realize the merits Wi-Fi can bring to them. At first they feared that the technology would cause a drop in revenue, but now they have noticed its advantages too. For instance, to AT&T, Wi-Fi shares a load off AT&T’s cellular network and increase its available network capacity. As for wireless carriers who do not own any landline assets, like T-Mobile, Wi-Fi can extend their reach to in-home service that they could not reach before.

With support from consumers, handset makers and carriers, it is very likely that an increasing number of smartphones will embrace the Wi-Fi feature in the near future. If unfortunately, your handset is not Wi-Fi-equipped, a Wi-Fi USB adapter will be very useful for wireless connection while you are on the go.

Tags: 2-in-1 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Dongle USB Adapter, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, BlackBerry Pearl 8120 Accessories, BlackBerry 8820 Accessories, BlackBerry Storm 9530 Accessories, Nokia N95 Accessories, Palm Pre Accessories

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Samsung Finesse SCH-R810 – the Finest Multimedia Touch Phone on MetroPCS

As a touchscreen multimedia-focused phone, the Samsung Finesse SCH-R810 is one of the greatest media stars in MetroPCS’s lineup. Its large touchscreen display, TouchWiz interface, built-in social networking applications and other decent multimedia features make it an easy-to-use and entertaining smartphone.

Measuring 4.5" high by 2.3" wide by 0.5" deep and weighing 3.6 ounces, the thin and stylish Finesse is dominated by a 3.2" LCD touch sensitive screen of 262,144 colors and 240 x 400 pixels. It features the Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface, which allows you to customize your home screen with widgets by dragging and dropping. The touchscreen interface also has vibration feedback with adjustable vibration intensity. Users can choose to use the virtual landscape QWERTY keyboard, the virtual portrait keypad for T9 entry, or a handwriting recognition tool, which are all convenient for text entry.

Taking advantage of the large display and 3G data speeds, the Finesse comes with the Access Netfront 2.4 Web browser, which allows access to popular social networking websites like MySpace, Facebook and more. Messaging options include text, picture and video message and email, while the Instant Messaging program supports basic AIM and Microsoft Live Messaging features. It also comes loaded with GPS with support of Metro Navigator that provides maps and audible turn-by-turn driving directions.

Compatible with MP3, MIDI, AAC, AAC+, MP3 and MMF file formats, the built-in music player sports playlists, shuffle and repeat modes, and an equalizer. Users will also find other features, such as 2-megapixel camera with digital zoom and night shot, stereo Bluetooth headset support, voice dialing and commands, USB mass storage and a proprietary Samsung jack. The Finesse has 150MB of internal memory and supports microSD cards of capacities up to 16GB for storing pictures, music and video files. It does not sport an accelerometer or Wi-Fi.

The phone offers complete access to the Internet, email and social networking applications with a user-friendly touchscreen interface. True to its name, the Samsung Finesse SCH-r810 is a decent handset with finesse for MetroPCS’s supporters.

Tags: Samsung Finesse / SCH-r810 Accessories, Up To 16GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Kit, Clear Silicon Skin Case For Samsung Finesse r810, Car Charger For Samsung Finesse r810, Stylus For Samsung Touch-Screen Phone

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Is BlackBerry Turning Business Users to Workaholics?

The ability to access corporate email and mobile web via smartphones is a useful feature to business professionals who are expected to be available when out of the office. However, their work-life balance has been significantly affected by the steady shift to mobile email access, according to a recent study by employment law firm Peninsula.

Peninsula conducted the survey with 600 white-collar workers who use a BlackBerry handset as their work mobiles. It reveals that these employees tend to work at home on a regular basis mainly replying to urgent emails. The results show that they are spending an average of 15 extra hours a week on work compared to their non-BlackBerry counterparts, underlining the growing problem of employees working long hours.

Designed as business-centric smartphones, BlackBerry devices such as BlackBerry Bold 9000, Storm 9530 and Tour 9630, allow users to check their corporate email accounts real time. With the push-delivery technology, the smartphone will instantly alert the user when messages are sent to any of the personal and business-based email addresses. And of course, not only BlackBerry, many other smartphones like iPhone and Palm Pre are also capable of this email functionality.

On one hand, this can help workers prepare for work by reading their emails in advance, and also allow them to reply to urgent correspondence when they are out of office. Nevertheless, it also means employees are always at the beck and call of the office at the expense of their personal life, which may in turn cause unhealthy work-life balance and low productivity during office hours.

Peninsula concluded that employers should encourage staff not to work at home unless necessary to avoid burnout. Even if they choose to use these devices, employers should limit the extent to which they do so. Also, employees who are required to work after hours should be compensated accordingly when it comes to salary negotiations. Meanwhile, smartphone users are responsible for maintaining their work-life balance, instead of letting the device dictate all their time.

Tags: BlackBerry Accessories, BlackBerry Tour 9630 Accessories, BlackBerry Storm 9530 Accessories, BlackBerry Bold (9000) Accessories, BlackBerry Curve (Curve 8520) Accessories, iPhone Accessories, Palm Pre Accessories

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Tune in to Mobile Music with the Right Accessories

Despite the surge in digital music consumption at the expense of traditional physical CDs, cell phone users in the U.S. seem not to be very interested in listening to music on their handsets, according to a recent study by Forrester Research.

The report "The Future of Music On Cell Phones" reveals that although demand for mobile music has doubled in the past year, the range of the U.S. user base is still disappointing: only 10 percent of American adults use their handsets to listen to music at least once a month. By contrast, 27 percent of British subscribers and 70 percent of Chinese adults play tunes on their phones every month.

Based on the report, handset manufacturers and wireless carriers have to take the blame for the lack of interest in mobile music among the Americans. Not only do consumers find the carriers’ music plans too expensive, they are also unsatisfied with the limited selection provided by the carrier-branded stores. Furthermore, music-capable phones were not user-friendly and well equipped enough. For instance, many handsets still lack a 3.5mm jack, which is the standard audio jack for music headphones. Users may find it troublesome to carry an extra audio adapter around and choose to tune out mobile music.

Forrester Research expects the gap between availability and consumption of mobile music to narrow in the next few years. However, the speed will be slow, as 60 percent of U.S. cell phone owners said that they would not be buying music through their handsets anytime soon.

While the adoption of mobile music still has a long way to go, as one of the few mobile music lovers, what you can do to maximize the joy of listening to mobile music is to find some nice accessories for your phone.

To begin with, a high-quality stereo headset and a universal 2.5mm to 3.5mm headset adapter are those basic add-on items you may need, whereas a Bluetooth stereo headset is preferred for wireless music enjoyment. Besides, a USB data cable is required if you want to transfer music files from your PC directly. And needless to say, to make sure there is enough space to store your favorite music on your phone, you need a memory card for memory storage expansion.

With the right audio accessories, you will be able to fully utilize the music playback function of your cell phone and even replace your dedicated music player with it.

Tags: Cellular Handsfree, Bluetooth Stereo Headset, 3.5mm Stereo Headset For Apple iPhone, BlackBerry, Cell Phone, Data Cables, Memory Card, Universal 2.5mm to 3.5mm Headset Adapter

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Sidekick LX 2009 – the All-in-one Communication Device from T-Mobile

The Sidekick LX 2009 unveiled by T-Mobile is the latest version of the original LX introduced back in 2007. Packed with enhanced and updated features like a high-resolution screen, a slimmer design, 3G data support, GPS navigation and a suite of social networking options, the new LX is pretty much in line with the Sidekick’s youthful and message-savvy target market.

One of the main highlights of the LX 2009 is its large 3.2" WVGA swiveling screen with sharp 854x480-pixel resolutions. Together with the D-pad and the trackball, high-speed web surfing is made easy and convenient. Messaging fans will also appreciate the full QWERTY keyboard with large and well-spaced keys. With dimensions of 5.20" tall by 2.40" wide by 0.64" thick and a weight of 5.82 ounces, it presents a slightly larger, but thinner and sleeker version of its predecessor.

Comes equipped with a host of 3G-enabled social networking applications such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Photobucket and YouTube, the dual-band handset allows users to network and interact with friends and family while on the go. These applications have mobile-friendly navigation with push notifications for updates and messages. The handset also supports SMS, picture message and email, as well as Instant Messaging clients like Windows Live, Yahoo and AIM. Furthermore, users can download Microsoft Exchange application from the Sidekick LX’s Catalog to get real-time push email, attachment viewing and full sync capabilities.

Another noteworthy addition to the new Sidekick is the built-in GPS integrated with Microsoft’s Live Search, which not only provides turn-by-turn navigation, but also allows you to search for local businesses. Using the Assisted Directions, you will be able to enjoy an optimized and integrated local search and mapping experience. It supports T-Mobile's 3G network in the U.S., as well as most 3G networks in Europe for frequently travelling business professionals.

The multimedia features of the new Sidekick are top-notch as well. It comes with an improved 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus, LED flash, geo-tagging and video recording abilities. Music lovers will be thrilled to find a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth 2.0 support for headsets or stereo headphones, and a music player with streaming audio and streaming RTSP video. Additionally, the handset sports a standard mini-USB jack for charging and a microSD memory card slot for memory expansion up to 16GB.

If you are a fan of T-Mobile Sidekick series, the Sidekick LX 2009 will not let you down, as it offers more advanced functionality and significantly upgraded hardware compared to the original one.

Tags: Sidekick Accessories, Up To 16GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Sidekick LX (2009) Cases, Clear Snap-On Cover For Sidekick LX (2009), Car Charger For Sidekick LX, USB Data Cable For Sidekick LX

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Smudge Proof and Reflection Resistant Touchscreens Coming to Smartphones?

If you are a user of touchscreen smartphones or other touchscreen devices, you may wonder why some screens are always easily blurred with fingerprints and become less visible under sunlight. A group of scientists from the American Chemical Society may have found the answer now.

Since the appearance of a consumer product is as important as its functionality, coatings that are resistant to smudge, scratch and reflection have become a standard feature on all high-end touchscreen handsets. These coatings are effective but their structures and mechanisms are hard to understand. That is why Steven R. Carlo, Ph.D., and colleagues developed a test that is capable of assessing the performance of smudge and reflection resistant coatings on the touchscreen displays.

By running the test, the scientists can have a better understanding of the chemistry of the coatings and work on improving their formulations and performance. These modifications can offer better resistance to fingerprints, anti-reflection properties or enhance physical resistance, according to Carlo.

The basic material of anti-smudge coatings is called perfluoro alkyl ehter, a derivative of Teflon with added chemicals that strengthens its repellent effects. Anti-reflective materials use alternating layers of silica and aluminum to bend and diffuse light to reduce glare. By applying the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique, the scientists discovered that in general, the greater the number of layers are used in a coating, the greater the anti-reflective properties. The team also found that more silica and aluminum layers would bring better glare reduction. In times ahead, the test will probably bring us touchscreens with higher clarity, toughness and brightness.

In the meantime, to keep your phone in good condition, you still need a number of cell phone accessories. For example, a LCD protective film is the most crucial item for a touchscreen display, as it can protect the screen from dust, scratches and stains, and are resistant to reflection and UV light. Other than the display, the phone body should also be taken care of with a silicon skin case, a snap-on cover, a leather pouch case or other protective cases, so that your phone will always be free from damages and look new.

With these add-ons, you will surely be able to get the most of your handset.

Tags: LCD Protective Film For Cellular Phone, Clear Touch Shield Protective Cover For iPhone 3G and iPhone 3G S, Cellular Case, Silicon Skin Case, Snap-on Covers, Black Hartmann Universal Cell Phone Leather Pouch

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Samsung Rant SPH-M540 – An Entry-level Messaging Phone

The Samsung Rant SPH-M540 is one of the entry-level messaging handsets released by Sprint to target at text messaging fans. Other than a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard, the Samsung Rant also brings various great features such as a customizable user interface, access to Sprint TV and Sprint Music Store, as well as 3G data speed.

Undoubtedly, users will not be disappointed by its messaging options, as the Rant not only supports text, voice, picture and video messages, but also Instant Messaging through Yahoo, AOL or MSN Instant Messenger with any Sprint Messaging add-on plan feature. You can access your personal email including AOL, Yahoo, Windows Live, Gmail, Hotmail, Sprint mail and more. Together with its horizontal slide-out QWERTY keyboard, texting and emailing are made fast and convenient.

Thanks to Sprint, the Rant sports a special Sprint’s screen-navigation interface called One Click, which allows users to personalize their home screens for convenient access to their favorite applications. You can select up to 14 shortcuts, such as texting interface, Web access, e-mail, Sprint Navigation and Sprint TV.

Another highlight of the Rant is its ability to access Sprint Navigation, Sprint Music Store and Sprint TV for live and on-demand content. While users can watch live television shows on Sprint TV, they can also download songs wirelessly from Sprint Music Store and then enjoy them on the built-in MP3 player. The phone is compatible with both 2.5mm jack wired headsets and Bluetooth wireless headsets and stereo headphones, which maximize the joy of listening to music.

Measuring 4.45" tall by 2.05" wide by 0.7" deep and weighing 4.81 ounces, the Rant may be a bit hefty but feels sturdy in hand. It sports a 3.1" LCD display with 176 x 200-pixel resolution and 262,000 colors, as well as a 2.0-megapixel camera with 4X digital zoom and video camcorder. Although it only comes with 24MB internal memory, the handset supports MicroSD memory cards of up to 16GB. Additional features include speaker-independent voice recognition, a mobile Web browser, PC syncing and a 1,200-number phone book. GPS is also on board with support for Sprint Navigation and Sprint Family Locator.

With a customizable interface, multiple messaging options and useful multimedia features, the Samsung Rant SPH-M540 is a decent device ready for text messaging and emailing all day long.

Tags: Samsung Rant m540 Accessories, Up To 16GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Samsung Rant / m540 Handsfrees, Samsung SPH-m540 / Rant Cases, Holster For Samsung Rant m540, Car Charger For Samsung Rant m540

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Touchscreen Taking over Smartphone Design; Keypad Losing Ground

According to the market research company Canalys, touchscreens have become the dominant interface of cell phones, while the number of handsets equipped with traditional keypads has dropped significantly over the past year.

The research by Canalys focused on analyzing the primary input methods of cell phones. The results show that touchscreen devices are taking off a big way with growth of 283%, accounting for over 15 million of the 38.1 million handsets sold during the second quarter of 2009, compared with just 3.9 million of the 33.6 million units sold in 2008 Q2.

Meanwhile, keyboard-centric handsets have increased by 29%, accounting for 10.7 million shipments (24.7% of total shipments) in the quarter. Sales of keypad devices, on the contrary, has dropped from 21.4 million units in Q2 2008 to 12.3 million units this year, losing about 42% to both touchscreen and keyboard.

The main driving force behind the surge of touchscreen interface, according to Canalys, is Apple’s successful iPhone series, which fully utilizes the cutting edges of touchscreen in a wide range of features, such as virtual keyboard, Internet surfing and numerous applications. On the other hand, the growth of keyboard-based phones can be attributed to Research In Motion’s BlackBerry devices, as well as the popularity of messaging and social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, which require fast and accurate typing. These reasons also explain why keypad handsets are the big losers, as they are neither designed for inputting lots of text nor web browsing.

In fact, as the main smartphone interface, touchscreens can be divided into two types: resistive screens and capacitive screens. Resistive display works with a stylus for precise control. It can be found on handsets like HTC Touch Pro2 and Samsung A887 Solstice. There are many kinds of styluses for these handsets: a Bluetooth Stylus Pen with the functions of Bluetooth headset and stylus, a 4-in-1 PDA Stylus Pen that also works as a pen, a Finger Stylus that lets you use your finger to tap the screen, or simply a Universal Retractable Stylus Pen.

On the other hand, capacitive touchscreen phones like iPhone and T-Mobile myTouch 3G interact with the electric signals in our fingertips, meaning you will have to tap the screen with your finger, or use a specially designed stylus.

As smartphones continue to boom in the cell phone industry, touchscreens and keyboards are probably going to appear in a large proportion of the upcoming handsets. In order to stand out from the crowd, handset makers will have to focus on optimizing the interface design to make sure it is user-friendly and comfortable to use.

Tags: iPhone Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, BlackBerry Tour 9630 Accessories, Palm Pre Accessories, HTC Touch Pro2 Accessories, Touch Stylus Pen For Apple iPhone, 4-in-1 PDA Stylus Pen

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Balance your Life with Verizon’s HTC Ozone

Based upon Sprint’s HTC Snap, the HTC Ozone is a QWERTY smartphone launched by Verizon to appeal to messaging-savvy users. Running on the Windows Mobile 6.1 operation system, the Ozone is packed with high-end features like Verizon’s 3G CDMA network, global GSM roaming capabilities, GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity.

As a Windows mobile 6.1 device, the Ozone comes equipped with Microsoft Office Mobile, which provides users the ability to view and edit Excel and Word documents. It also sports Microsoft Direct Push Technology for up-to-date email delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars, tasks and contacts through Microsoft Exchange Server.

Other than emailing from Web-based messaging providers such as Yahoo and Hotmail, users can also chat with friends on AIM, Windows Live or Yahoo instant messengers. Besides, text, picture and video messages are supported, which work perfectly with the ergonomically designed QWERTY keyboard.

The Ozone boasts two features that the Snap lacked: dual-mode for CDMA and GSM network support and Wi-Fi connectivity, which make it a global device for travelling around the world. It also comes with Internet Explorer Mobile an RSS Hub and Adobe Reader for web browsing. In addition, GPS is on board with support of Verizon’s VZ Navigator to get maps, turn-by-turn audio directions, points of interest search and more.

As for multimedia playback, the handset is equipped with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile to play video files like MPEG-4 and AVI, as well as music files such as WAV, MP3, MP4, MIDI and WMA. Unfortunately, the phone only comes with a Mini-USB port instead of a standard headphone jack.

Sharing a similar form factor with the Snap, the Ozone measures 4.5" high by 2.5" wide by 0.5" thick and weighs just 3.7 ounces. The 2.4" QVGA screen supports 54,000 colors and 320 x 240 pixel resolutions. Other than the 256MB of built-in memory, the handset has a microUSB slot that accommodates microSD cards up to 16GB. In addition, users will find a 2-megapixel auto-focus camera and camcorder, ActiveSync, Remote Desktop Mobile, stereo Bluetooth, visual voicemail and voice command operation.

Sporting a sophisticated design and combined features of messaging, Internet, document management and world roaming, the HTC Ozone is a suitable pick for both business professionals and first-time smartphone users.

Tags: HTC Ozone Accessories, Up To 16GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Stereo Handsfree For HTC Ozone, HTC Ozone Cases, Car Charger For HTC Ozone, HTC Snap Accessories

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Nokia Remains Global Smartphone Leader; RIM and Apple are on the Rise

As the growth of smartphones continues to outshine other handheld devices, Nokia maintains its leading position in terms of global smartphone shipments, while both Apple and Research In Motion trail behind with increasing market shares.

Analyst firm Canalys released its research results of the global smartphone market for the second quarter of 2009, which reveal that Finnish manufacturer Nokia is still the world leader with a 44.3 percent share of the worldwide market. The company shows a 10.4 percent year-on-year lift by selling 16.9 million units in the quarter. It is particularly strong in the key markets of India and China, enforcing its lead in Asia with a 59.7 percent share.

However, it is not the time for Nokia to be relieved as its major rivals are catching up rapidly. In Q2 2009, Apple has sold 5.2 million iPhone devices. Although it only accounted for 13.7% of the smartphone market in the quarter, the company has seen a tremendous year-on-year growth rate of 626.9 percent. Moreover, the new iPhone 3GS launched in June is going to reinforce its position in the third quarter. Analysts attribute Apple’s gaining share to the superior design, functionality and application availability of its iPhone models, which have won much popularity among the customers.

Another big grower, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, has shipped 8 million handsets in Q2 2009, which give it a 41.6 percent growth and a 20.9 percent global market share. RIM proves itself as a great threat as it leads the U.S. market in Q2 2009 with a 52% market share, and is recently named by Fortune Magazine the fastest growing company in the world in 2009. The strength of the company is believed to be its wide product portfolio, including its 2.5G models, that appeals to a wide range of customers at different price points.

Nokia, Apple and RIM have all achieved success by developing their own operating systems and delivering distinct devices and interfaces. It is hard to tell which one will be the industry leader in the end yet, but one thing is certain: competition will continue to intensify in times ahead.

Tags: iPhone Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, BlackBerry Storm 9530 Accessories, Nokia Accessories, Nokia Surge Accessories

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Feature Phone Sales Decreased as Smartphones Boomed

Despite the fact that feature phones dominate the cell phone market, smartphone sales continued to show massive growth in their share in the second quarter of 2009, outstripping the growth of other handsets.

According to NPD Group’s Mobile Phone Track information, led by Apple iPhone 3G and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Curve, sales of new smartphones accounted for 28 percent of all devices purchased in the U.S., presenting a surge of 47 percent in share compared to the same quarter in 2008. Meanwhile, the sales of feature phones, led by LG enV2 and Samsung Rant, still made up the majority (i.e. 72 percent) of new handset sales, but their share has fallen by 5 percent compared to last year.

The feature phone may still be by far the most popular type of mobile device among Americans. However, considering the share of feature phones has dropped while overall handset sales volume in the nation has grown 14 percent in Q2 2009, feature phones are in fact not doing as good as expected.

Why are customers shifting from feature phones to smartphones despite the ties to pricey data plans? NPD Group believes it is mostly because of the rich Internet access capabilities and attractive device pricing. Smartphones, running their own operating systems and mimicking the functions of PCs, offer a greater variety of applications and a better Web experience to users than feature phones. When it comes to the price, the gap between smartphones and feature phones are also narrowing due to the subsidies offered by their carriers.

Although feature phones are taking on more different characteristics of physical appearance and user interfaces than smartphones, they are still generally lagging behind in terms of their applications and web browsing features. To remain competitive in the market, handset makers will have to work a lot harder to find a way out.

So will the feature phone remains the king or will the throne be taken by the smartphone? We will have to wait and see which side consumers choose to pick.

Tags: Apple iPhone 3G Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, BlackBerry Curve 8300 Accessories, BlackBerry 8310 Accessories, LG enV2 (VX9100) Accessories, Samsung Rant m540 Accessories

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Use your BlackBerry or iPhone to control Your Home Security System

Smartphones never stop amusing us with their all-round functionality. Now, there is another new feature users can enjoy using their BlackBerry or iPhone – remotely controlling home alarm system and monitoring your home from anywhere.

Platinum Protection, a home security company, has announced that it is now offering a security application for BlackBerry and iPhone devices. By installing the application, users can access functions of their home security system directly on the smartphones. Not only you can remotely arm or disarm the system, you can also view both live and recorded video of your properties from your cell phone. Additionally, the application offers you the ability to adjust and tilt of the camera installed in your home for the best angle.

For instance, in the event of a break-in, the alarm will automatically go off and the camera will record a video clip of the intruder. The homeowner will receive a text messaging notification immediately, then they can view the saved video clip on their smartphone seconds after the break-in occurred. You can even find out which door, window or cabinet is opened by the intruder.

"Our goal is to provide peace of mind," said Chance Allred, partner, Platinum Protection.

Available for free, the application works in conjunction with Platinum’s web based Platinum Interactive service. Using this online interface, customers can:

1. Keep track of homes and vacation properties;
2. View system history up to 60 days;
3. Watch children and pets in real time;
4. Set the system to alert the homeowner and the appropriate authorities in case of an intruder, fire, flood, power outages or other events;
5. Control the type of text message and email notifications users want to receive; and
6. Set up notifications for medicine cabinets for elderly family members.

The application is currently available for download here. With this feature, BlackBerry and iPhone users can get a complete security solution for their home and properties.

Tags: iPhone Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, BlackBerry Tour 9630 Accessories, BlackBerry Storm 9530 Accessories, BlackBerry Bold 9000 Accessories

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Spread the Latest Gossip with LG Rumor 2 LX265

Unveiled by Sprint, the LG Rumor 2 LX265 is a texting-centric handset, boasting a QWERTY slide-out keyboard for easy text messaging and social networking. As an updated version of the original Rumor, the Rumor 2 offers a sleeker design, a 2-inch QVGA display with higher resolution and A2DP wireless stereo Bluetooth.

Designed for messaging, in addition to the nine-digit keypad, the Rumor 2 comes with a four-row QWERTY keyboard with raised tactile keys. The added row of number keys is handy when dialing, texting and navigating menus. Besides, the handset sports a full set of messaging services, including text, picture and voice messaging, as well as instant messaging such as AIM, MSN and Yahoo. With the e-mail application Sprint Mobile eMail, you can access POP3 accounts through providers, including AOL, AIM, Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail. Social networking fans can enjoy access to popular social networking communities like Facebook and Xanga.

GPS navigation is on board with support for Sprint Navigation, which provides voice and on-screen turn-by-turn driving directions and more than 10 million business listings. The phone also comes with other applications like Loopt, Nascar Spring Mobile, NFL Mobile, and Social Zone. But for users who want fast web browsing, they may be disappointed with the lack of Sprint EV-DO 3G support.

The Rumor 2’s built-in music player supports MP3, MIDI, WAV, AMR and OCP files, and offers repeat and shuffle modes. Using Spring Music Manager, it is easy for you to load music between the phone and your PC via the mini-USB port. It also comes equipped with a 2.5mm audio jack and Bluetooth wireless technology with stereo profile support for headset, handsfree and more.
Compared to the original Rumor, the Rumor 2 is slightly bigger (4.41" tall by 2.05" wide by 0.67" deep) and heavier (4.23 ounces). The 2" QVGA display supports 262,144 colors and 240 x 320 pixels, and rotates when you open the slider. Like the original Rumor, the new handset has a 1.3-megapixel camera with 2X digital zoom. Internal memory storage is only 22MB, but the microSD memory card slots support memory expansion up to 16GB.

As an affordable messaging device, the LG Rumor 2 LX265 has easy-to-use features and a stylish design, which make it a pretty good choice for budget-minded texting fans.

Tags: LG Rumor2 LX265 Accessories, Up to 16GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Kit, LG Handsfrees, LG Rumor2 LX265 Cases, Lithium Battery For LG Rumor2

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Motorola Hint QA30 – the Social Messaging Slider

The Motorola Hint QA30 is a CDMA slider phone designed for messaging and multimedia purposes. Packed with rich features like a full QWERTY keypad, threaded messaging and 3G connection, the Hint allows users to keep in touch with their social circles.

Messaging is fast and easy using the Hint’s 4-row slide-out QWERTY keyboard and iTAP predictive text entry. The handset supports SMS, EMS, MMS, and Instant Messaging, including AOL, Yahoo and Windows Live. Text messaging and instant messaging are threaded to let you have the flow of the conversation right at your fingertips. POP3 and IMAP email are supported as well using a web-based UI.

In addition, the handset comes pre-loaded with one-touch SMS access to useful information, such as sports news, weather, stock prices, maps and directions. Web browsing is made comfortably by scrolling, zooming in and out, and utilizing data caching, bookmarks, cookies and history. Its 3G support also offers users high connection speed to the Internet.

As for multimedia features, the Hint sports an integrated music player with dedicated one-touch music keys for easy playback control and browsing of song files. Offering playlists, shuffle and repeat modes and a basic equalizer, it can play music files in MP3, AAC, AAC+, WAV and WMA formats. Playback digital video supports MPEG-4 format. For those who want to enjoy music privately, the phone also comes equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack and stereo Bluetooth 2.0. The built-in 2.0-megamixel camera has digital zoom and video recording capabilities.

Measuring 3.32" tall by 2.43" wide by 0.6" thick and weighing 4.13 ounces, the Hint shows a square form factor with a sturdy feel in hand. The 2.5-inch landscape oriented QVGA display supports full color and 320 x 240 pixels, ensuring maximum multimedia enjoyment. The Hint includes 128MB internal memory for daily tasks, while its card slot will accommodate microSD cards up to 8GB for storing photos, music and video. Other features to note are USB mass storage, GPS navigation, voice dialing and commands, a voice recorder, a speakerphone and a 700-entry phone book.

Boasting a variety of useful features, the Motorola Hint QA30 is a versatile and stylish handset, which is specially designed for people who enjoy texting and listening to their love music.

Tags: Motorola Hint QA30 Accessories, 8GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Motorola Hint QA30 Cases, Clear Snap-On Cover For Motorola Hint QA30, Car Charger For Motorola Hint QA30, USB Data Cable For Motorola Karma QA1, Evoke QA4, Hint QA30

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HTC Focuses on Mid-range Handsets, the Mega and Click are Coming Soon

HTC will be focusing their development budgets on mid-range smartphones for the rest of this year, due to the keen competition from other high-end smartphones on the market.

According to HTC’s CEO Peter Chou, shipments of mid-tier smartphones would account for 50 to 60 percent of the Taiwan-based manufacturer’s total handset shipments in the second half of 2009. Such models are expected to carry a retail price tag in the range of US$300, which include the two upcoming smartphones to be unveiled toward the end of the third quarter: the Window Mobile 6.5 powered HTC Mega, and the HTC Click running on Google’s Android operating system.

Both handsets are expected to help the handset maker in the fourth quarter, as analysts predict its revenue will gain by 11 percent, while shipments will increase by 19 percent for the next three months if things go as planned.

On the other hand, HTC revealed that the company’s second Android-powered smartphone, the HTC Magic, has sold more than 1 million units since its launched in late April 2009. Another highly anticipated model, the Windows Mobile powered T-Mobile Touch Pro2, has also recently joined the market in the U.S. Meanwhile, the HTC Hero, the first Android handset that sports a browser equipped with flash, is just launched in Taiwan on August 11. It is reported a CDMA model of the Hero could be coming to the U.S. Sprint later this year as well.

Unfortunately, not all the news is good. HTC’s revenues and shipments for the second half of this year are forecast to decline by more than 20 percent from the first six months. Although the sale of the Magic has met HTC’s expectation, demand for the manufacturer’s high-end smartphones are still weakened by the economic recession and strong rivals like Apple’s iPhone and Palm’s Pre, which explains why HTC decided to switch their focus to the cheaper mid-range handsets.

For customers who are big fans of HTC, they may have to wait for a while to see HTC apply their magic on another top-of-the-line smartphone.

Tags: HTC Accessories, HTC Touch Pro2 Accessories, T-Mobile myTouch 3G (HTC Magic) Accessories, T-Mobile Shadow (2nd generation) / HTC Shadow II Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, Palm Pre Accessories

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Wear Your Solar-powered Leaf Phone on the Go

With all those high-end devices packed with various advanced features appearing on the cell phone market, it seems many people have forgotten the basic functions of a phone and more importantly, they have overlooked the impact of these high-end phones on environment. This new wearable solar-charged leaf phone may remind us what we have neglected.

Designed by Seungkyn Woo and Junyi Heo, this high-tech gadget inspired by photosynthesis is named the Leaf phone. The Leaf incorporates a layer of flexible solar cells located in its front panel, which allows the phone to charge by solar energy while you are wearing it outdoors. With magnets on its two ends, the Leaf can be bent to wrap around your wrist and form a fashionable wristwatch for portability. In addition, it comes with a solar-powered cradle, which you can plug the phone into for recharging. Alternatively, you may also recharge it using electricity during night time or on a gloomy day.

The Leaf keeps everything basic and simple by just offering users to make phone calls, send and receive messages. It is not equipped with a lot of fancy features such as surfing the Internet, playing games, downloading music and checking e-mails, but it is an ecologically green phone that can help save energy. The designers said they hope that the gadget can "remind people that they can contribute to energy efficiency".

The Leaf phone is only a concept for now, but it presents a perfect blend of eco-friendly ideas, fashion and innovative technology – a flexible bracelet phone that harnesses the solar power without polluting the environment. If this solar charged wrist phone really comes to the market, it may become another hot handset following Apple’s iPhone.

Tags: Portable Solar Charger For Cell Phone, Cellular Charger, Car Charger, Cell Phone Battery, iPhone Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories

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T-Mobile HTC Touch Pro2 – Made for Business Communication

The HTC Touch Pro2, successor to the Touch Pro, is released by T-Mobile as the company’s flagship Windows Mobile smartphone. Equipped with advanced features like an extra-large touchscreen, a full QWERTY keyboard, Windows Mobile 6.1 and Straight Talk technology, the Touch Pro2 is a powerful smartphone aiming at business users.

One of the highlights of the handset is its new Straight Talk technology, which delivers high-fidelity voice through a loudspeaker and a noise-canceling microphone. By flipping the phone over, you can activate the speakerphone and turn any room into a conference room. The conference manager also gives you better call management while on a call, as you can hold private conversations with the participants or switch back to the main call.

Running on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the Touch Pro2 offers the full Office Mobile suite, allowing business users to edit Word and Excel documents and view PowerPoint presentations. It supports text and multimedia messaging, Instant Messaging (AIM, Windows Live, Yahoo, Gtalk and MySpack IM) and is preloaded with popular e-mail clients, including AOL, Gmail, Yahoo and Windows Live. With Microsoft’s Direct Push Technology, the Touch Pro2 offers real-time e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook calendar, tasks and contacts via Exchange Server.

As for GPS navigation, other than using Telenav for turn-by-turn directions, QuickGPS is also installed on the phone to shorten the time on finding your location. The preloaded Google Maps also help provide you with text-based turn-by-turn directions, traffic information and business searches. Other features like Wi-Fi, support for T-Mobile 3G network, the Opera Mobile browser, Internet Explorer 6 mobile browser, Bluetooth 2.0, a built-in accelerometer and voice commands are onboard as well.

Although multimedia is not the focus, the Touch Pro2 ships with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile player, supporting a wide range of music and video files such as AAC, MP3, WMA, WAV, WMV, MP4 and AVI formats. There are also a dedicated YouTube application and a streaming media application. Nevertheless, it lacks a standard 3.5mm jack and only comes with 255MB RAM and 512MB ROM. The microSD slot supports memory expansion up to 16GB.

Measuring 4.57" tall by 2.33" wide by 0.68" deep and weighing 6.6 ounces, the Touch Pro2 is thinner but heavier than its predecessor. It integrates a 3.6" WVGA touchscreen display with 65,000 colors and 480 x 800 resolution, which works well with HTC’s improved TouchFLO 3D interface. In addition, it sports a slide-out QWERTY keyboard with raised keys, a 3.2-megapixel camera with auto-focus and video recording, plus a mini-USB port.

Showing great enhancement over its predecessor, the HTC Touch Pro2 is one of the most powerful smartphones in T-Mobile’s lineup for business professionals.

Tags: HTC Touch Pro2 Accessories, 8GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, Stereo Handsfree For HTC Touch Pro 2, Car Charger For HTC Touch Pro 2, USB Data Cable For HTC Touch Pro 2, Universal Retractable Stylus Pen

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Check Deposit via iPhone Adds a New Dimension to Mobile Banking

The role of mobile banking in smartphones continues to grow, as an iPhone application that allows Apple iPhone users to deposit checks by photographing them with iPhone’s camera is recently released.

The new Deposit@Mobile application was introduced by USAA, a privately held financial services and insurance company, for iPhone users to download. By taking images of both sides of a check, customers can send the images via their iPhone to the bank deposit-taking system as any other check would.

After using the application, customers do not have to mail the checks back to the bank since deposits from the smartphone are handled entirely electronically. Customers are also recommended to void the checks. To reduce the potential for fraud and theft, USAA currently only allows its customers who are eligible for credit and have insurance through USAA to use the service, accounting for about 60 percent of the bank’s customers.

Only three days after the application is launched, it has been installed 150,000 times already and $1.5 million in checks have been deposited. USAA is currently working on a BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Google version, while other banks are predicted to follow USAA to offer some types of mobile deposit capability.

In fact, other than this new feature, there are other services and applications on mobile banking. For instance, last September, Sprint Nextel introduced its MyMoneyManager application to let users check bank balances and pay bills wirelessly. In May 2009, before the launch of this check deposit update, USAA has released an iPhone application that allows members to check their bank balances, transfer money, find nearby ATMs and make other inquiries using their iPhone.

Currently, more than 15 million people in the U.S. use mobile banking each month, found a recent study from comScore. Driven by the 3G wireless technology and the popularity of smartphones like iPhone, the number is expected to grow consistently in the near future. It seems very likely that cell phones are becoming a bigger part in the way people do commerce and interact with financial institutions.

Tags: Apple iPhone Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, Sprint Cell Phone Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, Palm Pre Accessories

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Samsung Saga i770 – the Global Smartphone from Verizon

Bringing another world smartphone to Verizon’s lineup, the Samsung Saga i770 can be used not just in the U.S., but also overseas. Other than its world-roaming capabilities, the Saga is also equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and more functional features.

As a dual-mode phone, the Samsung Saga automatically switches between CDMA and quad-band GSM networks, offering users seamless international roaming when traveling in Europe, Asia and other places. The Saga runs on Verizon’s EV-DO Rev A network and has integrated Wi-Fi for fast data transfer rates. Like the Samsung Omnia, it also comes with the Opera Mobile browser in addition to the Internet Explorer Mobile.

To keep your life well organized, the Saga is packed with standard personal information management (PIM) tools, such as calendar, contacts and a task list. As a Window Mobile phone, it boasts Office Mobile packed with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for you to use while on the go. By navigating the VZAppZone, a Verizon Wireless App store, users can access to the IM+ instant messaging app preloaded with clients, including AOL, MSN, Yahoo, Gtalk and MySpace. The handset also allows access to your POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts.

As for multimedia features, the Saga comes with the Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, which lets users play music and video, as well as streaming over the Internet. The player supports AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-4, WMV and other file formats. Other noteworthy features include a speakerphone, three-way calls, voice dialing and commands, text and multimedia messaging, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, as well as GPS/A-GPS navigation capabilities. There are a 2.5mm audio jack and a proprietary jack for audio, charging and USB transfer.

The Saga’s 2.55-inch 65K TFT LCD touchscreen has a resolution of 320 x 320, while the 2.0-megapixel camera supports NightShot mode, digital zoom and video capture. It shows a sleek and slim form factor by measuring 4.8" tall by 2.4" wide by 0.5" deep and weighing 4.6 ounces. Comes with 128MB internal memory, the device also has a microSD slot to support memory expansion up to 16GB.

Overall, the Samsung Saga i770 is a functional device offering solid performance and nice features, which make it a great world phone for business users who need to travel overseas frequently.

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Nokia to Bring Microsoft Office Mobile to its Smartphones

Nokia and Microsoft have recently signed an agreement to bring Microsoft Office Mobile and other Microsoft business software to Nokia’s Symbian based smartphones.

Starting from as early as 2010, Nokia, the world’s top handset maker, will equip its smartphones with Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile and other Office applications, which allow users to access Word, PowerPoint, Excel and One Note online. With this new integration, enterprise instant messaging, conference calling and desktop sharing will become easier for business professionals. In addition, users can enjoy mobile access to Intranet and extranet portals built on Microsoft SharePoint Server.

The new applications will first appear on the Nokia E-series handsets, then followed by more S60 smartphones in the future. This is the first time Microsoft agrees to make a version of Office Mobile for handheld devices running on an operation system other than Windows Mobile platform. In fact, there is already a version of Office Mobile designed for handsets running on its operation system, such as T-Mobile HTC Dash 3G, T-Mobile HTC Touch Pro2 and AT&T Samsung Jack.

It is believed that their agreement is spurred not only by the business-centric smartphone, namely Research In Motion’s BlackBerry, but also by emerging threats like Apple’s iPhone, Palm’s Pre and handsets running on Google’s Android. Both companies were not doing quite well amid the keen competition. Although Nokia is able to maintain its leadership position, it has recently reported a drop in earnings and its new N97 smartphone met little enthusiasm in the face of Apple’s iPhone 3G S. Meanwhile, Windows Mobile has also lost market share this year. Thus, the deal is in fact crucial to give both Nokia and Microsoft more leverage to challenge their rivals.

Undoubtedly, end-users will be the ones who benefit most from this new announcement. If everything works out as planned, we will be able to enjoy using Microsoft programs on Nokia’s smartphones very soon.

Tags: Nokia Accessories, iPhone Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, T-Mobile Dash 3G Accessories, HTC Touch Pro2 Accessories, Samsung Jack (SGH-i637) Accessories

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Overall Wireless Carrier Customer Service Improving

The overall performance of U.S. wireless carriers on customer service saw significant improvement, as customers are now spending less timing on hold with customer service hot lines and more problems are being solved on the first contact, according to a study from J.D. Power and Associates.

The study, conducted on a semi-annual basis, is based on responses from more than 12,000 subscribers who contacted their carrier’s customer care departments by phone, in retail stores or online during the first half of 2009. The results show that customers now spend less time on hold and have more time explaining their issues to a customer service representative. As a result, they enjoy a higher average successful rate of getting what they want.

According to the study, average hold times were shortened by more than one minute to 5.55 minutes, compared with 6.58 minutes six month ago. While overall customer service performance of all carriers has improved 12 points to 735 points on a 1,000-point scale, the rates of first-contact problem resolution have also raised to 76 percent, up from 66 percent in last study.

Among numerous wireless service providers, Verizon Wireless, Alltel and T-Mobile tied for the top spot in overall customer care performance, each scoring 747 points. AT&T and Sprint were both below the industry average, receiving 730 points and 704 points respectively.

What are the cutting edges of the three highest-performing carriers? The research shows that Verizon is good at identifying problems. The customer service representatives are able to identify problems quickly and resolve them efficiently; Alltel’s strengths are its good-quality retail store representatives and its automated response systems (ARS); and T-Mobile does well in transferring customers from its ARS to a live representative. While they have different strengths, they all have strong representatives who demonstrate high level of courtesy, concern and relevant knowledge to satisfy customers’ needs.

So for those carriers who are lagging behind, this study provides a pretty good hint on sustaining and improving their customer satisfaction, or their subscribers may lose faith in the carrier’s service.

Tags: Verizon Wireless Accessories, Alltel Accessories, T-Mobile Accessories, AT&T Cell Phone Accessories, Sprint Cell Phone Accessories, iPhone Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories

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LG VX8360 – the Compact Music-centric Handset

The LG VX8360, the successor to the old VX8360 model, was launched by Verizon Wireless as a "Bluetooth music phone" built for mobile entertainment lovers. Although the VX8360 may look like any other clamshells, it is packed with advanced features, such as stereo Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, VCAST Music and high-speed EVDO data transmission, which make it one of the better mid-range handsets out there.

Targeting at music lovers, the VX8360 is equipped with a MP3 player with external music keys, music-only audio mode and dual speakers for stereo sound. It comes with VCAST Music with Rhapsody, a song downloading service, for users to download music and video clips. To save these files, apart from the 44MB of internal memory, you can also add extra storage to the phone with a microSD memory card up to 8GB. But unfortunately, it only comes with a 2.5mm audio jack instead of a 3.5mm one.

The VX8360’s messaging features are also appealing to messaging addicts. It supports video, picture, voice and text messages, as well as its mobile Instant Messaging via AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger. Besides, you can send and receive emails from your MSN, Hotmail or AOL account. Using Wi-Fi and Dashboard with Mobile Web 2.0, a wireless Internet service, the handset allows you accessing to the Internet on a wireless Web browser while on the go.

Like many other new cell phones, the VX8360 sports A-GPS that is compatible with VZ Navigator providing color maps and spoken turn-by-turn directions. There is another location-based service called Chaperone provided by Verizon, which helps parents keep track of their kids. Other noteworthy features include a 1.3-megapixel camera and camcorder, USB Mass Storage mode, stereo Bluetooth support, voice command capabilities and a 1000-contact phone book.

The VX8360 has two screens, a 2-inch TFT internal display with 262K colors and 240 x 320 pixels, and a 1.17-inch TFT external one supporting 65K colors and 96 x 96 pixels. Measuring 3.64" high by1.91" wide by 0.78" thick and weighing in at 3.35 ounces, the handset has a compact design which is pocket-friendly.

As an update to its predecessor, the LG VX8360 is a pretty decent mid-tier handset, which shows a good combination of style and multimedia functionality.

Tags: LG Accessories, LG VX8360 Accessories, Up To 8GB microSD Memory Card, Bluetooth Headset, LG Handsfrees, LG VX8360 Cases, Car Charger For LG VX8360

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Cell Phone Market Continues to Polarize

The world of cell phone shows a tendency of polarizing into two extreme groupings – high-end smartphones for developed regions and entry-level handsets for emerging markets, found Juniper Research.

According to a new study from Juniper Research, as low-cost cell phones and premium smartphones continue to grow, the market for mid-range handsets is shrinking and vendors of such devices are suffering.

By the end of 2014, low-range handsets and high-range smartphones will together account for nearly 79 percent of new cell phones, exceeding 1 billion units. Shipments of entry-level devices are expected to grow by 22 percent to more than 700 million units over these years, while sales volumes of high-end smartphones will increase by 13 percent to reach almost 360 million units worldwide. Mid-range handsets, being squeezed in the middle, will experience drastic fall in demand by more than 41 percent over the period.

Apple, Research in Motion and Nokia, who are active and competitive participants in the smartphone business, will probably benefit most from these trends. As more and more consumers emphasize easy Internet accessibility and mobile computing ability on handsets, the future for smartphones looks bright for the coming years. Nevertheless, those vendors who target at the mid-range market, such as Motorola and Sony Ericsson, are facing great challenges to retain their market share and stand out in the crowd.

Meanwhile, the segment of low-cost phones targeting at developing markets, such as India, Africa and Middle East, is no doubt the one with the largest growth potential. Juniper Research estimated by 2014, these cell phones would make up over 50% of all devices sold all over the world each year. Apparently, the key to tap into these emerging markets lies in reducing the cost of handsets to cater to low-income users. Nokia, the Finnish company, may be a bit ahead of other vendors in this field. Last year, it introduced a range of affordable devices and services such as Mail on Ovi and Nokia Life Tools, which make the Internet available in the developing regions.

Following this trend of development, it seems very likely that the cell phone market will undergo shifts of power in the coming years. Operators and vendors better prepare themselves to encounter these upcoming changes.

Tags: iPhone Accessories, Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, BlackBerry Accessories, BlackBerry Tour 9630 Accessories, Nokia Accessories, Motorola Accessories, Sony Ericsson Accessories

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Smartphone Growth Driving Sales of NAND Flash Memory

Apple’s successful iPhone series contributes to both the boom of smartphone shipments and the expected growth in NAND flash memory for cell phones, according to the research company iSuppli Corp. It is predicted that the global sales of NAND-type chips for use in mobile handsets would rise by nearly six-fold from 2008 to 2013.

The study from iSuppli shows that the smartphone market is expanding much faster than the overall handset segment. In 2013, smartphones will account for 26.4 percent of total cell phone shipments, twice as much over the 13.1 percent in 2008. Following the surge in sales of smartphones, the demand for NAND flash memory is set to boom as well, and iSuppli analyst Michael Wang believes this growth could be attributed to Apple’s iPhone.

"NAND flash makers can thank Apple Inc. for starting this trend, with its iPhone models injecting new life into the memory market," Yang commented.

Ever since the launch of the iPhone base model, Apple has been enjoying great success in the smartphone market, putting other handset makers on high alert. To compete against iPhone, they joined the battle by introducing a new generation of "iPhone killers", including the RIM’s BlackBerry Storm, the Palm Pre, and the Android-powered T-Mobile G1, which further drive the sales of smartphones and thus, increase the demand for NAND chips.

Along with spurring the growth of smartphone market, Apple is also continuously increasing the amount of NAND in the iPhone lineup, which set an example for other manufacturers to follow. While the original iPhone comes with only 4GB of NAND, the latest iPhone 3GS is upgraded to 16GB and 32GB. Although the Storm, the Pre and the G1 all with 8GB storage may not match iPhone in terms of flash memory capacity, some handset makers have already caught up with Apple: the newly unveiled Nokia N97 boasts 32GB of NAND flash memory. iSuppli said NAND densities in smartphone would continue to increase, as the average amount of NAND flash shipped worldwide is expected to rise to 5.8GB per handset in 2013, up from less than 1GB last year.

"Soaring sales of smartphones, combined with the increasing density of NAND flash in each handset, is causing sales of the memory in this area to boom," said Wang. It is estimated that global revenue from sales of NAND chips for cell phones would reach $932.5 million in 2013, compared to $166.5 million in 2008.

Tags: Apple iPhone 3G S Accessories, Apple iPhone Accessories, BlackBerry Storm 9530 Accessories, Palm Pre Accessories, T-Mobile G1 (Google Phone) Accessories, Nokia Accessories, Memory Card

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