The key point here is that while Android 2.0 Gingerbread is now a little dated, it is also very stable, efficient and rarely crashes. The good news is that early reports do include a high level of stability. This is mostly down to the fact that ice cream sandwich has now had a few months to be fine tuned, but it was a highly efficient OS to begin with.

While Android 4.0 is now more stable, many Samsung Galaxy S2 owners might not be looking to make the switch straight away.  The new OS doesn’t really bring that many new features to the table, which leaves more casual users wondering whether the update will be worth the potential issues. For the most part the new android OS improves the look and usability of the phone rather than the features (although little additions  like ‘face unlock’ are pretty sweet).

Personally, the new features (while minor) are well worth the update in my opinion.

The Nokia PureView 41MP smart phone beats the resolution of most high end cameras, and most of it’s internal specs put current smart phones to shame, but despite these features, Nokia will not be releasing their flagship phone to the United States.

All is not lost though.  Nokia have mentioned that while the Nokia PureView wont be arriving any time soon, photography lovers will be pleased to hear that the 41 megapixel sensor will be released in the near future, albeit on the Windows OS.

If you don’t want to wait, the Nokia 808 PureView will be released in nearly every other country, so there is a possibility that you will be able to import this high end smart phone from abroad

Lets start with the basics, but first i need to point out that this is the Samsung Galaxy S2 Epic 4G touch version of the phone, found on the Sprint network.  You may find that some other models of this phone vary slightly.

Samsung Galaxy S2

The Samsung Galaxy S2 is a big phone.  Despite being big, it still manages to be surprisingly thin, and incredibly lightweight. The Samsung Galaxy S2 is in fact so lightweight, that the ‘flimsy’ feel to it is one of the largest complaints of this phone.  Don’t be deterred by this though, the Galaxy S2 is far from flimsy, it has  a high quality plastic case, and the tough Gorilla Glass. In drop tests the Galaxy S2 actually protects the phone much more effectively than the iPhone 4S. The overall size of the phone is 5.11 x 2.74 x 0.38 inches wighing in at 4.6 ounces.

What really makes the Samsung Galaxy S2 is it’s large clear super AMOLED plus 4.52 inch screen that is bright, clear and low power consumption. it has an 800×480 resolution, which is a little low compared to the competition, but not noticeably so. From personal use, the screen of the Galaxy S2 is very clear, sharp and bright, it stays visible even during daylight and quite easily blows past smart phone screens out of the water.

Inside the Galaxy S2 things get even better. A 1.2 ghz dual core, 1 gig of ram, and 16GB of built in internal storage make this phone a powerful device by itself, but compare it to the competition (including the iPhone 4S) and you can see just how far ahead of its class the Samsung Galaxy S2 really is!

The battery can last well over eight hours talk time and 10.5 days standby, and is a lithium ion 1899mAh beast that will help power this phone.  From personal usage, which includes heavy data use, I tend to need to charge this phone on a daily basis, but this does include everything from watching movies on the go via 4G, to checking my emails and playing games.

Feature wise the Samsung Galaxy S2 comes with everything you would expect, including Siri like voice usage, apps, flash compatibility, web browser, GPS navigation and all the applications you can download.  One thing worth mentioning is that although the Samsung Galaxy S2 has 16GB of internal memory, only 2GB is available for your ‘system’.  The system file is also where many app files are stored, this means that if you install a large number of apps, you may find yourself limited when it comes to installs.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 uses Gingerbread 2.3 (maybe upgraded to ice cream sandwich)  which is a beautifully crafted OS.  My favorite feature of this operating system is the ability to add ‘widgets’ straight on to my dashboard screens. This means for the information I need on a regular basis, I don’t even have to load apps anymore, the information is right there where I need it.

One thing that will capture any budding photographers attention is the 8 Megapixel camera, any budding YouTuber will also fall in love with the front facing camera, which while not high-res, is great for taking videos of yourself talking.  You can also use this camera to do live video chat, and with the 4G network this works incredibly well.

Yes, one of the big benefits of the Samsung Galaxy S2 is it’s true 4G connectivity.  You need to have a 4G network for this to really work, some carriers have what amounts to “3G plus”, which is actually quite a bit slower.

This smart phone has more than just a 4G connection. It also works with 3G, WiFi, WiMax, Bluetooth and of course GPS. This wide range of connectivity means that it is actually pretty hard not to get a data connection.

All in all the Samsung Galaxy S2 is absolutely everything you could want in a phone, it is large but thin, tough but light, fast and powerful.  If you are looking for an iPhone 4S alternative, this is it.

Don’t forget to buy a Samsung Galaxy S2 case though!

As of yet we have received no details as to the innards of the latest test version of apples upcoming iPhone replacement, nevertheless we will keep a close eye on the preceedings for you to make sure you know the latest about the Apple iPhone 4G!

First lets cover the basics, this phone is similair to many stand alone personal internet devices, but this device contains both a sliding screen and a full QUERTY keyboard.

This phone, while having the telecommunications functionality also has a GPS function which is used by the device not only for route finding but also to automatically update all your social website accounts with your location and to tag images you take with were they were taken!

The home page itself has links to several social networking sites, but it is fully customizable for anyone who would like different websites at the click of a finger.

Under the hood of this beautiful device we have more surprises than you could shake a rabid chincilla at.  For starters the device has 32GB of storage BUILT IN! with flash upgrade capacity of an extra 16GB.  It has a media player built in, and WiFi for at home browsing and file transfers.  On top of this it is fully 3G compatable for ont eh move browsing and downloading.

The camera on this device is a top notch 5 megapixel godsend which is surprisingly good in low light and normal situations. It has the good ol’ Carl Zeiss lens so you are guaranteed a high quality shot!

While this phone has broken the trend of touch screen, better for texting but worse for web browsing, I do predict it will be a massive success on it’s release in Europe in the beginning of 2009.  For 550 euros though the N97 is a little pricy for many people!

This iPhone 3G utility is showing incredible power, as you can create lists, swipe off notes you have finished with and send htem on to others who need the information, in the future I would not be surprised if this is modified to allow for voice commands as well!

This is however one of my top iPhone software applications, its usability and usefulness have made this tiny little applicaion indespensible to me on a day to day basis!

Of all the tools so far Jott is by far the best iPhone application, for both work and personal life have allowed me to quickly say what I need to do rather than type in and organise, a nifty little prioritisation feature makes sure that I never forget the things most important and I am hoping soon they will insert calendar functionality!

But of course the best thing about this piece of iPhone 3G software is that its 100% Free to download!

You can get the Jott Dictaphone tool for the iPhone 3G Here for Free!

The LG Viewty is one of the best looking phones around right now, with it’s 5-megapixel camera; HSDPA (3.5G); ability to upload videos straight to YouTube and photo editing ability it’s bound to attract a fanbase, however it’s dissapointing to note that it does not have wi-fi capabilities.

Here’s some reviews on the net:

Review by mobilementalism.com

Review by dialaphone.co.uk

Review by CNET

Full Review

Here’s a video of the phone commercial:

more..

LG has released VX10000 or simplt known as Voyager in hopes that it would be the “iPhone killer”.

The Voyage trumps the iPhone by offering faster wireless Web access. But in a nod to the Apple device it has a large touch screen and full Web browser, as well as a two megapixel camera. Not only that, you also get a QWERTY keyboard which is revealed the moment you flip it open as well as a secondary display for email, text messaging, and games. Other features include a microSDHC memory card slot, 3G connectivity, and support for V CAST TV for live digital TV.

Full review at Engadget

If you want your factory settings restored press:*#7780#
Want to get rid of the operator logo (very annoying), try:*#67705646#
To track down the address of your Bluetooth device press:*#2820#
See what the SIM clock status is: *#746085685#
To unlock Super M. Bison: go to Bison in Arcade mode, hold Start and press A.
Locate your phone’s unique International Mobile Equipment Identity: *#06#
Double check the call waiting status of your phone: *#43#
Try to reset phone timers and game scores: *#73#
View private number (little suspicious of this): *#30#
To show software version: *#0000#
To activate the Half Rate Codex and double capacity for voice traffic:*#4720#
In order to deactivate it:*#4720*
Activate Enhanced Full Rate Codec for maximized sound quality: *3370#

more codes…

Everybody knows that the iPhone can make phone calls, play movies & music, surf the web, and a lot more. But, Will It Blend? That is the question.

Find out the answer here.

The madness over Apple’s latest gadget continues as the iPhone is released to the public, there was long lines on almost all the places where the iPhone was on sale.

Apple has set a target of selling 10 million units worldwide by 2008 and i think that’s not a hard target to reach.

more

The Haier Elegance measuring 9.1 x 3.5 x 1.8cm (3.6 inches long) has been declared as the world’s smallest music phone, the phone also packs in MP3 player (128MB, expandable by 1GB via Micro SD), FM tuner, Stereo Bluetooth, OLED display and Tri-Band GSM. You get three hours of talktime, but a pretty decent 11 hours MP3 playback.

It’s a little bit on the expensive side of the scale with a price tag of $330

source

In an article on its Web site, Forbes attributed part of Slim’s “amazing run” to a 15 percent increase in the stock price of Carso Global Telecom, part of a larger rally in Mexican stocks. Slim’s America Movil cell phone company also soared on news of a possible acquisition of Telecom Italia.

more

It may sound futuristic, but Powercast’s platform uses nothing more complex than a radio–and is cheap enough for just about any company to incorporate into a product. A transmitter plugs into the wall, and a dime-size receiver (the real innovation, costing about $5 to make) can be embedded into any low-voltage device. The receiver turns radio waves into DC electricity, recharging the device’s battery at a distance of up to 3 feet.

SOURCE

The SIEMENS GIGASET C460 is a generally good VoIP phone to purchase, you don’t even need a PC to start making internet phone calls. If you like flexibility, then you’ll love how easy it is to switch between internet and fixed-line calls. Just press a button. It’s that easy, especially thanks to plug-and-play convenience.

You can use the phone with free VoIP services like Skype and Gizmo.

Some of the Key features of this phone:

Dual Mode: VoIP and fixed line calls on one handset
* Supports the common SIP VoIP protocol
* Handset with high quality colour display
* Register up to 6 GAP-compatible handsets
* Transfer calls between DECT handsets
* Handsfree speakerphone built into handset
* Call conferencing
* Send and receive SMS messages from handset
* UK Caller ID display
* Configuration on supplied handset or built-in web server
* Headset Connection
* Alarm Clock
* Illuminated Keypad
* Polyphonic Ringtones
* Audible Caller Display
* Intercom

MORE

A lot of people are gearing up to purchase the iPhone and I might just be one of them, theiPhone accessories are already rolling out and among them are the Bluetooth headset and wired headset. The new iPhone Bluetooth headset will work with other mobile phones in addition to the iPhone. It is expected the Apple will release additional iPhone accessories, but no word on whether they will be available at launch.

Most people are anticipating the iminent release of Apple’s iPhone, however i am not “most” people and will definitely settle for this brand new sexy looking glossy Samsung Ultra Smart F700.

The Ultra Smart is a part of Samsung’s Ultra portfolio which boasts a full touch screen as well as QWERTY key pad. It reflects the recent trend in telecommunications industry of touch screen user interface and, for users who are not yet familiar with a touch-screen-only user interface, it also implements a QWERTY key pad and VibeTonz technology which allows them to feel the buttons accompanied by responsive vibrations. A “Drag and drop” method of touch screen was adopted for easier menu navigation along with music play list control for an expanded multimedia experience. Volume, play lists, brightness of screens as well as other menu control can be controlled utilizing the touch screen.

Kinda reminds me of that MP3 player used in Fergie’s and The Pussycat Dolls music video (Samsung YP-K5), and did i mentioned that it has a 5 megapixel camera?

More

New York State Sen Carl Kruger says three pedestrians in his Brooklyn district have been killed since September upon stepping into traffic while distracted by an electronic device. In one case bystanders screamed “watch out” to no avail.

Kruger says he will introduce legislation on Wednesday to ban the use of gadgets such as Blackberry devices and video games while crossing the street.

“Government has an obligation to protect its citizenry,” Kruger said in a telephone interview from Albany, the state capital.

I think it’s a good move, sure people like listening and playing with their digital devices but if it can cost them their lives than it’s just not worth it.

Skype of course is the leading VoIP solution of choice.

The article is pretty neat and i found some of the things there pretty interesting, as for me i only ever use Skype to send SMS & video chat via Festoon plugin.

Here’s what you’ll find in the article:

Call Forwarding

Combining Real-Time Document and Voice Collaboration

and much more, read the full article here.

These USB powered babies are produced by Futiro and costs from $55 for the FutiroTerra and go up to $75 for the FutiroLuna.

futiroluna

The Luna raises the bar in VoIP phone design. With a full telephone keypad, the Luna effortlessly integrates with Skype and its hands-free feature enables you to use your keyboard while you talk.

Classic design with a range of additional features. A must-have for your desk!

via Everything USB

Mobile phones are getting better all the time. Not necessarily cheaper, as the mobile handset manufacturers are trying to make you pay pretty much the same price for the latest mobile phones by adding more features, making it look better etc., However, if you are not fussed about the latest handset, you can still get some really good deals on slightly older models or not so popular models. If you shop around for the best mobile phone deal, it is even possible to get the handset of your dreams by choosing the right deal. The most important thing when you choose your next phone is to compare mobile phone deals by using a comparison site and then buy, rather than buying a phone in an impulse.

One thing which you have to do at the outset is to have an idea of the amount of talk time you need. Decide if you really need off-peak minutes or not. If you are a heavy phone user, it is probably worthwhile going on a monthly contract. Monthly contract phone deals also offer you free or heavily discounted mobile phone handsets. You are also likely to get a latest one. If you are a light user, you will end up paying a price for the handset, but could save money on monthly line rentals if you go for a pay as you go deal. Getting a SIM free mobile phone is always expensive, but it is worthwhile considering it if you want the flexibility of using it on any mobile network of your choice. What is worth bearing in mind is that even handsets which are locked with networks can easily be unlocked without much costs involved.

Most people who are crazy after a particular phone end up paying extra if they do not shop around. You may also want to consider reading mobile phone reviews written by other customers who have used a particular handset. If you ever get tempted to buy a mobile phone insurance with your handset, it is worth bearing in mind that most of these so called insurance policies are not worth their money and you have to make sure you read the small print carefully.

Happy mobile phone hunting!

What Is Open Moko?

OpenMoko is an open source mobile communications movement on a mission to create a platform that empowers people to customize their phone, much like a computer, in any way they see fit. It is a platform that focuses on innovation, usability, reliability, and quality.

OpenMoko’s heart lies deep into the components and resources of the Open Source and Free Software Movements. Moko is short for Mobile Kommunikations. ‘K’ is a tribute to all hackers around the world that build software that drives innovation into the platform. Open means that developers around the world can evolve the platform in anyway they like.

For more details via the press release -click here.

The iPhone is finally here!

It’s pack with features and comes in either 4GB or 8GB and runs on OSX.

Sweet, glorious specs of the 11.6 millimeter device (that’s frickin’ thin, by the way) include a 3.5-inch wide touchscreen display with multi-touch support and a proximity sensor to turn off the sensor when it’s close to your face, 2 megapixel cam, 4GB or 8 GB of storage, Bluetooth with EDR and A2DP, WiFi that automatically engages when in range, and quadband GSM radio with EDGE.

More pics, specs and such at Engadget

Digital Love – Daft Punk

Last night I had a dream about you
In this dream I’m dancing right beside you
And it looked like everyone was having fun
The kind of feeling I’ve waited so long

Don’t stop come a little closer
As we jam the rhythm gets stronger
There’s nothing wrong with just a little little fun
We were dancing all night long

The time is right to put my arms around you
You’re feeling right
You wrap your arms around too
But suddenly I feel the shining sun
Before I knew it this dream was all gone

Ooh I don’t know what to do
About this dream and you
I wish this dream comes true

Ooh I don’t know what to do
About this dream and you
We’ll make this dream come true

Why don’t you play the game?
Why don’t you play the game?

What better to kick start the new year than to get your hands on a free Verizon wireless phone from Wirefly.com.

Yes you read that right the phone(s) comes free when you susbcribe to a new Verizon Wireless account at Wirefly.com.If you don’t already know by now, Wirefly is the internet’s #1 store for Verizon Wireless phones and plans and it’s absolutely safe to conduct business via their site as they are hacker safe and verified by VeriSign the dominant certificate authority on the Internet at the present time. 91

Among the phones that you could get for free with a subscription to a new Verizon Wireless account are :

Cherry Red LG Chocolate

Features:

Motorola RAZR -Pink

Features:

Besides the two features phones you can also get your hands on phones like the KRZR (Motorola), LG VX8600, Samsung A890, LG Chocolate and many many more.

So what are you waiting for? visit Wirefly.com today and get your free Verizon wireless phone(s).

A rather intresting news concerning Apple’s forray into the phone market with it’s iPhone is that the company plans to sell the phone ‘unlocked’ which simply means that you are required to insert a GSM subscriber identity (SIM) card, the good thing about this move is that it now opens up most of the world as the target market instead of just the US.

If Apple decided to be tied down by the likes of Cingular or T-Mobile than there will not be marketing for the iPhone abroad, Apple could potentialy stand to make alot of money if they decided to go with Cingular or T-Mobile but they have decided to leave it ‘unlocked’.

On another note the iPhones are expected to be released within the first six months of next year as Apple has assigned the task of completing 12 million units of the iPhones to Taipei based Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.

This is cool news indeed, i’m looking foward to owning an iPhone sometime in the future

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