Gadgets Blog » Cell Phones

An iPhone for $99?  Are you kidding me?   That’s a little bit of awesome.

So the basic 3G (8 gigs) version is now priced for easier mass consumption at $99.  A mid-range model with 16 gigs is available for $199, and the same $299 we paid for the first version will now get you the 32-gig bigger, better, faster, stronger edition.   Nice.

The new iPhone 3G S is said to be (up to) 3.6 times faster than the 3G, which hopefully would solve that frustrating little detail of delayed page loading while navigating that causes a driver to miss a crucial turn.  That’s only happened a few times so I’m not that bitter, but faster can only be better in this case.

And, the Apple dears have listened to the crowd and added cut-copy-paste functions for apps, as well as a shakable “undo” tool to ctrl-z your last action — Etch-A-Sketch comes to mind.

The 3G S also features a video camera (shoot, edit and share from the palm of your hand), voice control for your music or placing a call, and GPS maps with compass that reorients itself to match your direction automatically.   Speaking of, that landscape keyboard option will also be very nice indeed.

I, for one, was excited about the Pre but now my fickle consumer attention span is once again diverted… Palm what?  Feels like it’s my birthday and I don’t know which present to open first!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for iPhone accessories.

Source: CNN.com, Apple.com

Aw… I loved my Palm Pilot.  It helped me keep track of notes and schedules, kept a thesaurus, important papers, presentations, contact lists and so many other nifty items that helped me through college.  It was power packed with everything I needed.  And the Treo was even better.

Enter the Palm Pre with both touchscreen and keyboard, officials (Palm and the Los Angeles Times) just this morning confirmed the Palm Pre would be available at stores like Best Buy, RadioShack, Wal-Mart, Sprint stores and online June 6.

Your cost? $199.99 (after a mail-in rebate) and two-year service agreement… of course.

The Touchstone-compatible, webOS-based phone allows the user to run more than one app at once and “continuously updates multiple applications in real time.”

From the Los Angeles Times: “Pre consolidates your important information – professional, social and personal – into one revolutionary device using an operating system that redefines the experience of living and working wirelessly,” Sprint said in the release this morning.

I’m kind of excited!

I mean, up to now it was all about the iPhone.  But I could be converted… I guess it depends on the availability of apps and the actual usability.

So, anyone want to send me one to test out?  Sprint?  Palm?  C’mon!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for Palm Pilots.

Image Source:  whatleydude at Flickr

Yes, You have come to the right place!  This is the Smarter Gadgets Blog and not the Smarter Fashion Blog.  But don’t these sunglasses look really hot?  With the release of these fashion forward sunglasses, Trispecs has completely changed the way we think of our basic Blue tooth headsets.

Who does not want to protect their eyes with a pair of cool designer glasses in summer?  But how do you pair it up with your head set for cell phones and MP3 players?  Thanks to Trispecs we don’t need to discard one for the other.  We can have all the three actions happening at the same time!  How?  It has STEP labs patented noise elimination technology akin to that used for US Defense projects built right into the sunglasses along with stereo and call controls.  The STEP software uses advanced algorithms to separate the voice on the phone from unwanted background noises like the wind, traffic etc and eliminates them to provide unprecedented voice clarity and also stereo sound from your portable music player.  All this without any cumbersome and ugly looking wires!  The buttons for controlling the volume, voice dial and music controls including Play/Pause, Fwd and Back are hidden strategically behind the glass frame.  The device is switched on and off by retractable ear buds that can be hidden behind the ear when not in use.  The lenses are made of spherical polycarbonate with high-impact resistance and UV protection to 400 nm and are RX compatible.  It comes in cool shades of black, white, silver, blue, red and gold and can be purchased from TriSpecs Store for $199.99 to $224.99.

With most of the iPhone apps being free or about $1 (with some being a surprising $5.99… I’m looking at you, Myst!), it’s hard not to load up on as many bits of entertainment as your pocket will allow.  Just like the commercial says, there’s an app for just about everything I can think of…except on-the-spot background checking and print scanning, but I’m sure they’re working on it as we speak.  Here are a few of our favorites:

1. Air Hockey:  Classic gaming entertainment and competition at the tip of your finger.  Some of these matches can get just as heated as the real thing.  Be careful though, if you get too excited the app is easily pause “by accident” and has trouble keeping up with your fingertip, or at least those were the excuses I kept hearing from my opponent.

2. Stay In Tune Chromatic Tuner:  More accurate than my ear, which isn’t saying much, but very useful in a bind.  There are some free tuners available but for the price, this one’s a decent tuner.  Says it works on a variety of other instruments but I haven’t yet had the need to tune a banjo or violin.  I suppose I could someday.

3. Arctic Shuffle:  Reminds me of Lemmings… aw, remember when?  Lots of levels and, hello, exploding penguins.  It’s a strategy arcade style game where the player aims their penguin at the target while avoiding and navigating obstacles.  Some of these angles can get pretty daunting but it’s a good time.  Also available in a “Lite” version.

4. Facebook:  Because we have to keep up with each of life’s moment’s play-by-play even when we’re on the go.   This shortcut brings your account right up and instantly connects you to your virtual social network.  Chat, upload and view photos, and above all, update your status. Ahhh…

5. Tweetie:  Again, keeping yourself in the loop is vital.  Manage your Twitter profile; post new, repost, and reply to tweets; view your timeline, replies, and direct messages; follow/un-follow, block/unblock users, and of course upload pictures and update your Twitter location.

6. iPolitics:  For people who want to follow U.S. politics, especially in this history making year of promise and change, this app pulls headlines from reputable TV stations, newspapers, blogs, magazines, etc.  It lends balance to the dozens of other dirty joke and pick-up line apps you’ve downloaded.  Now you can show there’s some substance to your character as well.

7. Big Quotes:  Over 1,200 quotes from over 600 authors like Hemingway, Einstein, Aristotle, Newton, Confucius, Kennedy and Edison, easily accessible by author, category or keyword.  Once you’ve found the perfect phrase to borrow, save your faves with the favorites feature for quick reference later.

8. iWalk:  For all of us who like instantaneous visual self-approval, this app keeps count of your steps, how long you walked, how far you walked and calculates calorie burn.  It’s strangely comforting to know that the number of steps from the couch to the fridge is 12 and if I do that a few more times I’d work off the caloric equivalent of one potato chip.

9. Evernote:  Yeah, those mental “note to self: buy blah-blah” or “remember to blah-blah” never work for me.  What can I say?  I forget.  This lets you photograph, write or speak your note and records it for safe keeping and later review.  Helps you remember things from the mundane grocery list to that awesome idea for an award-winning screenplay.  You can even take note of your parking spot, level and row for easy reference.   I still remember the fruitless 30-minute search for my friend’s car on the third level, only to find he was on the fourth. *wah-wah*  Saves yourself some time and trouble.

10. Pandora Radio:  Just like the computer version, enter your favorite band’s name and Pandora streams them and auto-suggests others like them.   Uses the web account you’ve already created and plays your stations.  This one’s vital for any music lover.

We could easily go on…

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for iPhone accessories.

Image Source:  newtech.aurum3.com

Whether you’re looking for a great PDA device or a cell phone that can do it all, this Palm deal and coupon will work for it all.

Right now at Palm, they’re having a great deal where you instantly save $100 off any purchase of $299 or more. There are no rules and the discount is applied for you during checkout.

Here are some items that may be of interest:

• Palm Treo Pro: Was $549.99 now $449.99
• Palm T|X Handheld: Was $299.99 now $199.99

This Palm deal expires March 1st.

To check out more deals and discounts for Palm, click here.

To go to Palm, click here.

Some people have strange ways of coping with death.

Some people may bury flowers with the deceased, maybe even some clothing or a photo. But for Marian Seltzer, she took that extra step. She decided to buried a cell phone, fully charged, with her late husband. Three years later, she’s still paying for his cell phone bill and even has his number etched on his gravestone so that those passing bye can give him a jingle.

There are a few things I want to know: 1) How that battery hasn’t made a grave of it’s own by now 2) Who picks up when you call? 3) Bet the deceased didn’t think he’d still get nagging calls from his wife after he died.

Source.

Came across this story on Gizmodo and just had to post, so this is what real spy equipment looks like? Not so suave and hi-tech is it? Looks not unlike a janky toy cellphone circa 1988. I suppose that is the point, to appear discrete and insignificant. Well my Italian spies, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

“Italian police officers recently seized a tiny gun that’s disguised as a cellphone. It can hold four bullets and is powerful enough to kill somebody. It looks pretty good, phone-wise, if pretty outdated. It’s stuff like this that makes me having to pour my water out at airport security seem even more idiotic. If I had one of these things, I could put it in the basket as I went through the metal detector, but you’re not letting me bring in a bottle of water? Screw you, TSA.”

Hahahahaha! Whoever wrote that post is hilarious. I appreciate that in a blogger. - Michelle

Finally, we have a release date for the Blackberry Storm.

On November 21st, you’ll finally be able to get your hands on the Blackberry Storm, and at a very reasonable price. After you sign away your life for 2-years to Verizon and mail-in the $50 rebate, you’ll be able to pick up this touchscreen phone for $199. Not bad.

Some of the features on the Storm include:

• The SurePress Touch Screen
• Global Capabilities
• Full HTML Browser
• Multimedia capabilities and much more.

To read up more on the Blackberry Storm, click here.

Nokia recently launched their new touch screen phone, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. It’s clear that they have used the iPhone as a model. However there are some interesting news compared to the iPhone. For example there is a handwriting feature that reads your handwriting, which means that you can write shorter messages directly on the screen.

The big advantage compared to the iPhone is that it is able to record video. Unlike the iPhone, you will also be able to send MMS and have video conversations. Nokia also claims it will be cheaper than the iPhone, 279 euro, but that might change before it reaches the stores.

It seems like a great phone but taking market shares from iPhone is hard. It will be interesting to see how well it will do.

On Smarter: Nokia Cell Phones

Source.

Photo Source.

Oh, to have the power in the palm of your hand.

We’ve all been around those loud, obnoxious cell phone talkers. They’re on the bus, in the movies, standing in line at the store. Is it really necessary to scream so loud about absolutely nothing? Apparently if you scream louder into your cell phone, your message has a better chance of being understood.

Well now we have something to shut those people up. Introducing the Portable Universal Cell Phone Jammer. This baby can scramble any cell phone signals in all directions for up to 32 feet. Although the battery life is only good for 1.5 hours, it’s worth it.

“Oh, what’s that Annoying Man in the coffee line?” Bzzzz.

Let’s see that little Verizon guy help you now!

Source: OhGizmo!