Sony Ericsson, the fourth largest handset maker revealed its new X10 mobile phone this morning, its first attempt to run on Google Inc’s android operating system . It has now formally enlisted in the ever increasing group of vendors that have come out with smart phones running on Google’s OS this past year. Well at least you will have more options if you are a part of the anti-iPhone movement!

The X10 will have a 4-inch-wide touch screen, music player, high-speed web access, Google Maps, a touch-screen interface and will use Qualcomm Inc’s Snapdragon processor. It also comes with an 8.1 megapixel camera that supports geo-tagging, face/smile detection, image stabilization, auto-focus and flash. The facial recognition software will be able to recognize up to five faces in a single picture, automatically connecting that photo with a user’s “social phone book” comprising of calls and messages sent to and from that person. Sony’s strategy takes a fresh turn from entertainment and mega pixel rich units to full scale social media. A new “user experience platform” enables people to organize their contact information, social networks and personal media through an “open, human and intuitive user experience”. It has a “social phone book” that threads conversations by person, and a one click access to all your interactions with contacts whether the medium of interface was by text or email, or on Facebook.

Sony says the interface will be overlaid on the existing Google Android foundations and will be the first mobile phone to “truly humanize the way people interact with their phones”. Where have we heard that before? Sony has added two unique applications of its own that it calls Timescape and Mediascape. Timescape is a messaging application that lets users access all of their communications in one place including Twitter posts ,Facebook updates, phone calls and SMS messages. Mediascape is a media management application that lets users arrange their music, video and web content like YouTube and Sony Ericsson’s PlayNow apps store. Of course one can download all the additional apps and software you want to from the Android Market. It will go on sale in selected markets at the start of 2010.

For more specifics, visit sonyericsson.com.

It’s an accepted fact by now that iPhone killers come and go, but so far none have quite managed to dethrone the crowned prince. But Droid managed to set the press on fire yesterday as news and reviews poured in for this Motorola-Verizon-Google Smartphone. Many gadget lovers believe that this might just be the one tenacious contender to finish the job that others failed to accomplish!

Let’s start with the basics. Said to be the slimmest phone on the market with a full, slide-out QWERTY keypad , it is poised for release on Nov. 6th for $199 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate. It makes it at 4.6 by 2.4 by 0.5 inches, a negligible few hundredths of an inch thicker than the iPhone. If you are looking for a lightweight phone, you might be disappointed that it is on the heavier side at six ounces. But there are going to be some pay-offs for the physical keyboard and the big display which is lacking in the iPhone and sought after by many.

Droid’s 3.7-inch touch screen is about two-tenths of an inch bigger than the iPhone’s display and provides an advantage while web browsing. What’s got everyone’s curiosity piqued is the fact that it is the first phone to run on latest version 2.0 of Android, Google’s open source operating system. That comes with a few extra perks such as full-on push support for Microsoft Exchange and Google Gmail. If you are a Facebook addict, the phone will draw contact information from your Facebook pals into your address book via a widget. A click gets you right into their profiles and you never need to miss on any of their status updates when you are on the go. Other preloaded widgets include YouTube, a corporate calendar, and “Power Control” where you can turn on/off your wireless connections, adjust brightness etc. (The iphone does not support widgets.) A You Tube app lets you comment on clips, favorite them, or share videos via e-mail and Facebook.

Google Maps with new GPS-aided turn-by-turn navigation makes it’s debut with Android 2.0 and Droid. The navigation system provides free, voice-activated service with satellite view, traffic, ATMs, and restaurants, Google latitude, turn-by-turn directions etc. Thanks to Android’s voice-recognition technology, you can say where you want to be directed to if you find typing cumbersome.

The Droid’s 5-megapixel camera comes with a dual LED flash and auto-focus/image stabilization capabilities and the consensus is that the DVD-quality video recording is comparable to that of iPhone’s. You can then upload your shots directly to Facebook and Picasa with geotags. The iPhone is still king when it comes to cooler and more numerous apps for download, not to mention the popular access to movie rentals and iTunes store. (Droid does let you download songs via the Amazon MP3 store). But it is only a matter of time before Droid’s open android platform, more malleable to customization to get the development community going for a more creative apps palette.

Other features include Wi-Fi; USB mass storage; Bluetooth 2.0; a 3.5mm headphone jack; 440×854 pixels resolution, a vibrate mode, text ;multimedia messaging, a calculator, and an alarm clock .

Now the million dollar question is if Droid will manage to knock Apple off its pedestal. Judging by past record of wannabes, I wouldn’t hold my breadth on that one. But judging from all the excitement in the media, Droid promises a stiff fight ahead.

The new BlackBerry Bold 9700 boasts High Resolution Display, TrackPad Navigation, Expandable Memory and Speedy Network Connections. With up to 6 hours of talk time and 38 hours of music playback, this is a mobile device prepared for the long haul. Go ahead–be bold!

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 was announced yesterday and will be made available in stores in early November. We don’t know exact pricing or dates yet, but one things certain: don’t go buying an old BlackBerry with the new one on the way!

South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung Electronics has launched Samsung Blue Earth, an eco-friendly mobile phone with full touch display and sophisticated multimedia appeal. It promises all the state of the art features while working hard to reduce the carbon footprint and saving the Earth. All this while sporting a good-looking face! Sounds like an ideal Miss World contestant, doesn’t it? The pretty, pebble shaped beauty is sure to make a green lover’s heart sing. It functions on very low power and is made of post consumer material extracted from water bottles, which helps lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions. It is devoid of harmful substances like Brominated Flame Retardants, Polyvinylchloride and Phthalate usually found in other gadgets. The Blue Earth has a fully functional solar panel on its back, which can be used to generate power for the phone to operate. It comes with a 5 star energy efficient charger to boot. A responsible “Eco mode” leaves you with the option of setting screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth to an energy-efficient mode with just a single, slick click. That’s not all! An “Eco Walk” function calculates the precise carbon dioxide reduction that you made happen by taking a walk instead of driving. It will even tell you how many trees you saved by walking. No kidding! If that’s not an incentive for your morning walk, I don’t know what is!

Now that they’ve managed to do all that, It is a given that it will come packaged to you in recycled paper and printed with soy ink.

Other features include:

• Display: 16M WQVGA TFT LCD (3.0”)Capacitive Touch Screen
• Camera: 3.2 Megapixel CMOS, Face Detection / Smile Shot / Photo EditorAudio: Audio Format Support (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA) /WMDRM, OMA DRM
• Find Music (Music Recognition) / Music Equalizer; Stereo FM Radio with RDS; Bluetooth Stereo Headset (A2DP)Video: Video Format Support (H.263, WMV, MPEG4)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth®v 2.1 / USB 2.0 HS / Wi-FiMemory: Internal Memory : 130MBExternal Memory : microSDHC™ (up to 16GB)Dimension: 108 x 53.6 x 14.2 mmWeight: 119 g
• Battery: 1080 mAh

This environmentally conscious device will be on sale in Europe this October. I can’t wait for it to hit the stores in United States. This definitely sounds like my kind of phone!

Cliq boasts of a social facilitator that Motorola calls “Motoblur” that lets your friends, pics, emails, messages and Facebook, MySpace and Twitter happenings, get all synchronized in one place with continuous updates and back-ups. Motorola promises that there will be no need for logins or apps to open even though complete data security is assured. More Motoblur capabilities include:

• The ability to see a caller’s name, number, status and profile picture Syncs personal and work contacts and connected social networks photo sharing with MySpace, Photobucket, Picasa, Facebook

• Customizable home screen (status, messaging, RSS widgets) Facebook, MySpace and Twitter direct messaging

The phone will offer 3G/HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, a full HTML Web browser, 6 hours of active battery use, POP3/IMAP and Microsoft Exchange support.

Find more details on Cliq here.

 photo courtesy: engadget.com

Pixi on the other hand is a teeny tiny version of the original Palm phone the Pre, coming at just 0.43″ thin. It still manages to have a full keyboard, a capacitive touchscreen, GPS, a 2-megapixel camera and accelerometer, though it sheds a wifi and thankfully a whole lot of lot of weight. You will still be able to download applications & music and indulge in extensive messaging and social networking. This time around Palm has included LinkedIn and Yahoo to the synergy contacts, Yahoo to the messaging application, and an official Facebook application. For all those relentless fashionistas out there, Palm presents what it calls “Artist Series“, which consists of limited edition back covers in fashion colors and designs that you can find here. Read more about the Pixi here on Palm’s site.

Both phones will go on sale during the holiday season, Cliq on T-Mobile and Pixi from Sprint . While the exact price point is unknown for both at this point of time, there is wild speculation that Pixi would even go for as low as $99 as the Palm Pre itself has fallen to $149.99 in with contract.

Fast forward about 12-18 months, after charging and recharging, sometimes admittedly at half-life because you can’t run the risk of it going dead while you’re running about. Eventually, that battery gets tired and your usage time doesn’t seem to last quite as long as it used to.

Do you need a whole new phone? Well, maybe, but not necessarily. If you’re on a budget, replacing your cell phone’s battery might be a better option than throwing down another $100-$300, depending. Check out the replacement batteries Smarter features.

For Nextel users, the Nextel I85 (1000 mAh) replacement battery for $26.99 could help you out. It’s quality tested, OEM compatible, and works with Nextel I60, I85, I90, I95 models. Get from Accessory Geeks and use code ORDER032008 to get 5% off plus free shipping on any order.

For Motorola 120c, 120e, 120t, 120x cellular phone users, the Motorola SNN5571 replacement battery (from $25.90) could be the one. Use code EB8 to save 10% off, plus score free shipping on your purchase when using coupon code EB8 during checkout at eBatts.com.

Got an LG, Samsung, Sanyo, Nokia, or Sony Ericsson?  We’ve got those, too.

Get these replacement cell phone batteries and more cell phone accessory deals at Smarter.com.

The Hero is not a total clone and is not without its share of “Why should I get it?”s. It is the first U.S. device to have Sense, which offers seven home screens and a broad degree of customization. The phone also possesses HTC Footprints that lets users create digital postcards with photos, an audio clip and GPS coordinates. Other impressive firsts are a 3.5-millimeter headset jack and Microsoft Outlook integration with e-mail, contacts and calendar while MyTouch has e-mail only. Not to worry, the HTC device also comes with the usual bells and whistles that we have come to expect from our over delivering phones. It has  a 5-megapixel camera with video recoding, Bluetooth with a stereo profile, an accelerometer, visual voice mail, Sprint TV, a microSD card slot, NFL Mobile Live and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile, a speakerphone, personal organizer options, messaging and e-mail, a music player, Wi-Fi, and integrated GPS. The Hero will provide access to all applications in the Android developer market and offers built-in Google mobile services such as Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube.

Hero will be on sale starting October 11. You can preregister right now at Sprint.com. It would cost you $179 with a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year Simply Everything Plan. The plan starts at $69.99 for 450 anytime minutes plus unlimited nights and weekends, data, messaging and e-mail.

Shop through a variety of cell phones at Smarter.com.

Keep an eye out for T-Mobile’s second generation myTouch 3G phones to storm the stores today for $199.99 and a two year contract. It features a 3.2, highly responsive touch screen display with a virtual keyboard, a 3.2 megapixel camera, 4GB MicroSD memory card for music player, with enhanced video capabilities design by HTC Corporation and Google’s open source Android software.

In this day of sexy electronics, myTouch 3G’s sleek, glossy appearance is a welcome improvement over T-Mobile’s previous G1 version. It also provides a fast web browser, a decent battery life and comes inside a handy zippered travel case equipped to carry all of its accessories as well as the device. Nice! Measuring 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.6 inches and weighing 4.1 ounces, it is smaller than G1 and that’s a good thing ‘cause who wants a bulging pocket? The smartphone is available in black, white, and a deep merlot.

The Android Unlimited Web data plan costs $25 per month excluding text messages. An Android Unlimited Web + Unlimited Messaging plan would cost you $35 a month. All in all, I say not a bad deal at all coming from a partnership between two great companies, T-Mobile and Google! For more information please visit T-MobilemyTouch.com.

Shop for more affordable cell phones at Smarter.com.

There’s something about a text message that seems, well, trustworthy.  It’s familiar, like the texter already knows me.   And let’s face it, if your bank calls to report suspicious activity on your account, you want to find out about it – never suspecting you might then be allowing said suspicious activity to occur!

In a not very new phishing type scam, criminal parties are sending text messages to bank customer cell phones pretending to be their banks.  When customers call in, they’re asked to enter account numbers and passwords, which are then recorded and accessed to withdraw funds.  Once funds are transferred overseas, the banks and credit unions are taking the hit for the loss.

I realize when I get an email from the prime minister of some country or other telling me I’ve won the national lottery, it’s “probably” a scam.

I’m also pretty good about checking the URL before entering my account name or password if I’ve been suddenly forwarded from a page I was loading.

As far as cell phones go, if I don’t recognize the number calling or it displays as “unavailable” or “restricted,” I will not be answering it.

But, the reason this scam is so easily convincing is because the scammers have thought enough ahead to target smaller, regional banks and use localized 800-numbers.  Reports say this has been going on for about a year with some success.

Police and security professionals are looking for solutions but the Cisco report says the problem has worsened recently, with the scam hitting Southern California just this month.

So, keep an eye on your texts, and call your bank’s main number if you think anything’s suspicious.

Sources: Cisco, CNET, Computerworld, 419legal.org

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