Pantech pg 6200 review

It's a nice phone, the pictures come up very nice especially when you see them in a computer screen. As for the video, it can get more blurry than, for example, a Sony Ericsson K790 (maybe I'm being unfair here, since the SE is meant for pictures and videos).

The functions available for the phone are nice too, if you don't want anything too fancy. I used to have a Sony Ericsson K700i and it has more options available (such as FM radio, easier Java installing etc.)

All in all, it's a nice phone with a sleek design. It's very practical for my particular needs, since I only needed a good camera phone (other functions are pretty useless for me since I use a PDA for contacts, calendar, tasks, MP3, etc)

Motorola V8 RAZR 2

It's not quite the production model that you'll be seeing in stores, but the lucky ducks at Mobileburn have been fondling a prototype Motorola RAZR 2 for a little while and overall, they like it. Also known as the Motorola V8 (as well as V9 and V9m), the RAZR 2, as you probably suspect, is the true successor to the slim flip phone that had everyone abuzz many moons ago. This is after years of releasing SLVRs, upgraded RAZRs, RAZR MAXXs, and KRZRs.

The external touchscreen is easily the most attractive feature on the RAZR2, given that it's just as large and in charge as the main display housed within. The buttons have all received a "usability upgrade" as well, except the camera button is still "fairly loose." The user interface has been completely revamped, offering consumers more customization, flexibility, and speed. All in all, the RAZR 2 is like the RAZR of old, only better.

Samsung PS3 Cell Phone

I'm going to go ahead and take this with a huge bucket of salt. There are just far too many things going on with the Samsung Amycoll PS3 No.1 cell phone to make me even think for a moment that it's for real. For starters, I don't think that a huge company like Samsung would take the copyright infringement risk of creating a phone not only called the PS3, but also one with gaming buttons identical to the PSP (triangle, square, circle and X).

But that's not where the strangeness ends. Next, Samsung has a line of phones that fall under the Anycall banner, not Amycoll. And if you check out the original post at Phone Daily, you'll also find a sticker on the back with a Windows logo, but it says that it's "design for PS3." Just a typo? I think not. Going further, you also find that this handset is "Made in Koera." C'mon, the least they could do was spell Korea right... right?

If you're still interested in this gaming phone after all this shady-ness, it's got a large QVGA color screen, dual cameras, microSD expansion, built-in games, call background reduction, and an "incredible music player panel."

iPhone ratings

A recent Strategy Analytics’ Wireless Device Labs study found that 90% Of Cell Phone Owners Rate iPhone Over Theirs. I have to find a small amount of fault in their methodology, though. The study participants' reactions were based on a video they watched of the iPhone, and not actually using the iPhone itself. Would the results be the same with hardware on the table?

According to the study, the video was developed by Apple and highlighted the iPhone's features. Is it really a big surprise that a slick, polished demo would make the iPhone look as good as possible? Whether or not the video was biased in Apple's favor, Apple is partly famous for making things easy, for simplifying the user experience and making things dummy proof.

Ah, innovative user experience. There we go. If the Apple user interface is as good as it looks, then I think standard cell phone UIs might be in trouble. Have you ever wanted to chuck your cell phone out the window because you were so frustrated with how it worked? C'mon, don't be shy. Go ahead and raise your hands. We all know it. Some cell phones are easier to use than other. Meeting the delicate balance of hardware, software, and underlying platform is no easy task.

But if the iPhone is a runaway success--and users rate the UI highly--then perhaps Apple will have raised the bar for others to make better products that provide a better experience for the end user.

Lightning-Detecting Cell Phone

In the spirit of saving lives (because dead cell phone users aren't very profitable), Nokia has applied to patent the use of FM and GSM technology that will detect potential lightning strikes and warn users to head for the nearest tree, er, shelter. If Benjamin Franklin could only see this!

Benny boy, after all, discovered electricity. Even children know the story of Ben, the key and the kite. But Ben also invented lightning rods to protect people from being struck, and killed, by errant bolts of fire (plasma, really) from the sky. Now Nokia is developing a software version of the lightning rod and is going to stick it in cell phones. Great, now we can have our very own, personal lightning rods (lacrosse sticks and golf clubs work well, too.)

The invention involves the use of radio frequency receivers in mobile phones, such as FM radio and GSM (global system for mobile communications), to detect radio waves emitted by lightning. Typical lightning bolts produce frequencies between 10 Hz and 5 GHz. A special software program designed by Nokia analyzes the signals, calculates the distance to the lightning and informs users of imminent strikes.

Here's the patent application itself, for you physicists who are looking for a little more juice on the subject.

Obviously Nokia wouldn't do this if it didn't think there was some market for it. I suppose people who spend a lot of time outside would rank among potential customers for such technology. What about people who like to sit on rooftops?

What I want to know most is, what is Nokia going to call it? What fabulous marketing terminology is come from this? Let's give them a head start, shall we?

Here's your new Nokia phone, complete with: AntiZap Technology. Or Bolt Beware. Or Lightning Zapper. Or Personal Anti-Plasma Protection, also called PAPP.

Blackberry Pearl 8100 PDA Phone

If you're looking for a smartphone that isnt bulky like the 8700, I would get the Pearl. DO NOT get the Cingular Pearl. It is disgusting though it does have the PushToTalk feature. The 1.3 MP camera isn't so bad. I like how you can put in a 2GB microSD card. I just place 1GB of MP3s, 0.5GB of pictures and 0.5GB of apps/games. Now I don't need to carry my iPod Nano around with me. Many upgradable "free" apps. Many accessories for it. All the accessories I have for my Pearl are free because I am a reviewer :) I still get free updated products. I also sell the Pearl battery doors because it seems like many are easily scratched or breaks. I would recommend the BestSkinsEver invisible skin. Same product as ShieldZone but 50% cheaper. As far as case, go with Seidio Rubberized Case (black) and does not attract lint. I am waiting for the BlackBerry Crimson that comes out late Spring. It will have Wi-Fi. -drools-

The Pearl does have a downside and that is sometimes it lags and takes a while to load things which accounts for the hourglass...oh well. Not everything is perfect.

How to convert rigtones for your Sanyo Katana

This is how you get whatever ringtone you want onto your sanyo katana phone.

The katana uses the .qcp format. I don't have or use a cable so I have no idea how to do it with that. But if you have internet, this is how I do it.

Download Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/): Free Audio Editor and Recorder make sure you also download the lame mp3 encoder so you can export your file as an mp3. Load your mp3 or wav file into audacity and select the section of the file you want as your ringtone. Once you have what you want, export it as an mp3. You might have to play with the bit rate settings as you'll need to keep the file under 200k.

After you have your mp3 file go to this page http://www.convert-ringtones.com/ringtone-101.jsp
Convert Ringtones - free online ringtone converter (SMAF MMF, MIDI, SP-MIDI, Nokia, Sagem, Motorola, WAVE, MP3, AMR, IMelody, eMelody) and up near the top left click on the online converter link. Follow the instructions to load your file and pick your phone and it will upload and convert your file to the proper ringtone format. Download the new file to your computer, and then go to this site (http://pcs.cruz-network.net/) to send it to your phone Mobile Phone Uploader you need to know your sms email address. i.e xxxxxxxxxx@txt.bell.ca or you can just put the file in and get the jump code and use your phone to go to the wap site they specify.

That's it. I'm on bell and I've never had a problem using this method yet. The audacity program is also great if the ringtone you found is to quiet, as you can amplify the sound or do pretty much what ever you want to it.

Custom ringtones for the Chocolate

If you want to make mp3 ringtones for the LG VX8500 (Chocolate) is very simple:

First download and install the mp3 editor of your choice. I chose the freeware Audacity from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

If you are going to use Audacity then you will need the plugin for Audacity called Lame that allows you to save your edited mp3 as an mp3 clip. Get Lame here http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~raa110/audacity/lame.html.

Open your favorite mp3 song using Audacity. Edit the song anyway you see fit. Then save the project as an mp3. You can only do this if you have the Lame plugin. I unzipped this into the Audacity directory and then pointed Audacity to the lame enc.dll file when prompted to do so.

Now to get the mp3 clip onto the VX8500 to use it as a ringtone. I downloaded and installed Bitpim. Get Bitpim here http://www.bitpim.org/#download

Plug the USB cable that comes in the Music Essential Kit in to the data port on your phone and open Bitpim. At first Bitpim will detect your phone as "Other CDMA phone" Go into the "edit settings" and change phone type to LG-VX8300. Apparently the VX8300 is similar enough to the VX8500 that Bitpim allows you to access your ringers, pictures that you take with 1.3megapixel phone.

Now you can drag and drop the mp3 clip that you created into the ringers section of Bitpim then click "send to phone" and your done.

You just created and uploaded a ringtone for free and you can do this all day long without being charge one dime from VZW.

VCAST Song ID from Verizon

If you're like us and are forever scribbling sticky notes or text notes on your handset when you hear a song you like -- provided you actually get the title from the radio announcer -- Verizon now has you covered with VCAST Song ID. This free download (yeah, free!) for supported VCAST handsets lets you identify a song by clicking a button, holding it up to the speaker, and then viola! The software will automatically tell you the name of the song, the artist, and even the album name. Of course, this is where the cost bit comes in, if you wish, you are then able to download the track to your handset over the air, or, of course, armed with this free info you can zip home and fire up whatever P2P software makes you happy.

Updating Sony Ericsson firmware

1. Go to www.sonyericsson.com
2. Go to the support section and choose your handset from the left hand side of the page
3. Download the Sony Ericsson Update service software
4. Install and run the program and follow instructions from there. (make sure you have installed your PC Suite software first)

Motorola ROKR Z6

It's out and here, the next gen ROKR music cell phone. What's so different this time around? The ROKR obviously offers full MP3 player capabilities, Linux/Java music phone with Windows MediaTM technologies, including WMA Windows Media DRM 10, and media transfer protocol (MTP). plug and play with any Windows Media Player 10 or 11. With fast PC direct connectivity via High Speed USB 2.0, the Z6 lets you access music you want simply and seamlessly.

A touch-screen and slider edition are some of the major design additions. Other features include:

* One-touch access to your library and pauses music as calls come through.
* A touch of the 4-way navigation wheel gives immediate access to content.
* High Speed USB 2.0 to side-load songs in 2-3 seconds, almost five times faster than a competitive music phone: that's a 500 song library in 15 minutes, instead of 2 hours.
* Windows Media Player on the PC supports playlists, album art, search by genre, artist and more. It even answers calls while you transfer. The ROKR Z6 works right out of the box; Windows Media Player automatically recognizes the device.
* Load up to 2GB microSD cards with your music collection; each holds approximately 1,000 songs and 70 hours of music1 2.
* 10 hours of music enjoyment in airplane mode, battery life concerns are history.

Anybody excited about this one? If you're into music this baby is the rival to the Sony Walkman series. I wasn't impressed so much with the last ROKR but this one is a step up from the past candy bar styled phone.

LG SV300 "Wine Phone"

What exactly makes this a "Wine Phone," I’m not sure -- but then again, when you think about it, there isn't anything about the original Chocolate that makes it chocolaty, either. The SV300 looks to be a Korea-only special (for now, anyway) with a 2.2 inch display, media player, and cam of unknown resolution -- pretty unremarkable specs, even by fashion phone standards. Look for it in red (kind of wine-like, I suppose) or black (not so much) this week from Korea's SK Telecom and LG Telecom for $322.

Zenum

Well, well, the once-vaporous Opus Operis from Swiss newcomers Zenum has finally crystallized. The kids over at CNET got their hands dirty with what seems to be a production ready unit -- we kid you not. So what did they have to say about this slim QWERTY running Windows Mobile 6 on a 2.5-inch touch screen with a 2 mega pixel camera, miniSD expansion, and infrared, WiFi, and Bluetooth connectivity? Well, overall they were "quite impressed." Sure, the keyboard is "a little squashed" and the phone is limited to tri-band GSM (No 3G, no EDGE), but CNET decided to cut the small startup a break on their first offering. Don't know 'bout ya'll, but they seem to have lost some of "the sexy" we saw in those early teasers. Especially when considering that it's still 4 months away from product launch.

Nokia N73 Cell Phone

Overall the N73 is a solid phone with plenty of bells and whistles. Battery life is very good and symbian o/s is relatively easy to use.

Nice design powerful operating system long last battery highest tech available 3megapixel camera surround sound speakers

N70 and N73 both have a very similar design but the N73 has a much better camera. It also has 3 speakers (2 top, 1 bottom) which provide exceptional quality.

June 13 for BlackBerry 8300

AT&T customers can rest easy when it comes to getting their Blackberry addiction satisfied as of late. First, it was the Pearl-esque 8800 reaching AT&T customers months before T-Mobile -- and now it's the Blackberry 8300, allegedly hitting on the 13th of next month. It's still unclear whether or not AT&T axed the WiFi or not because the product sheets are show it will be launched with support, however the testers are saying "no way." Oh, might as well 86 the integrated GPS, too, because it won't make this version either. But don't sweat too much -- there's already another version in the works that adds location based services for you map lovin' folks. Keep a lookout for the pricing deets!

Sony ericsson W810i experience

I bought the W810i last November and I'm in love with it! There's so much you can do! I use the mp3 player while I’m at the gym and I've never had any hissing problems with the player.
I bought a gig memory stick for it and upload my favorite tv show (Family Guy) to watch it while I’m on lunch at work. The headset has such great quality. My girlfriend has the same phone and we're always making movies and taking pictures to send to each other.
To be honest - I'm a cell phone murderer - this is my 6th phone in 2 yrs and I drop it all the time. It puts up with a lot of damage!
The talk time is fantastic! I went on vacation this past week and only had to charge it once for about an hour!
We have a TV tuner in our computer and I use my phone to change the channels with Floats Mobile Agent Software and a blue tooth Dongle.
There's so many ways to personalize it too - you can download templates and screen savers to make the phone reflect you. I paid $200 for mine and it was the best investment I could have made.

Nokia 3109 classic

Nokia announced the new Nokia 3109 classic, a mobile phone that offers a productive feature set, long battery life and expandable memory for effective, reliable and distraction free communication. Nokia 3109 classic is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2007 at an estimated retail price of USD 180, excluding taxes.

"The Nokia 3109 classic is a well-balanced package for consumers and companies who appreciate simplicity and value for money. Functional for office use, the Nokia 3109 classic includes email with attachments, and synchronizes calendars and to-do lists with personal computers through its USB connection. The memory of the Nokia 3109 classic is also expandable to 2GB with a microSD memory card.

"We recognize that a sizeable number of people just want a mobile phone to stay in touch on their own terms," said John Barry, Director, Mobile Phones, Nokia. "For these individuals, and for companies who want to support their employees by providing a mobile phone, the Nokia 3109 classic offers strong functionality and adheres to certain corporate privacy and security policies."

The Nokia 3109 classic offers an expansive 2,000 entry phonebook as well as a large keymat and 256k colour display which add to the enhanced usability of the phone. The traditional design and familiar Nokia menu structure make it even more user-friendly. The Nokia 3109 classic is built for durability and reliability with robust construction and a long battery life of up to 4 hours talk time and up to 16 days stand-by time.

The Nokia 3109 classic also features
- Integrated handsfree speaker
- Organizer with calendar, to-do list and notes
- PC suite with USB, Bluetooth connectivity
- Music player
- E-mail client with attachments"

Samsung moving

Samsung has been rolling out more handset models that we can count around here in its apparent quest to permanently overtake Motorola as the world's second-largest handset supplier. Samsung thin flips, sliders and bars are everywhere these days, and so are some of the company's concept handsets. Check out the Samsung Sliq, courtesy of Yanko Design. This Mike Serafin-designed concept with advanced touch interface and an extra wide LCD display is definitely "sliq." Without a physical keypad, the tactile interface here must be pretty darn slick, and the 2 mega pixel cam jetting from the backside features a Schneider-Kreuznach lens to boot. Throw in a card slot, the obligatory MP3 player and a 10mm thickness (sans the cam lens) and we'd still like this phone immensely. The clincher? A set of glowing icons that disappear when not in use to reveal a completely black, futuristic 2001-ish monolithic black piece of, well, something very darn cool.

HEADSET, STEREO HT820 BLUETOOTH

Sound quality was quite good as long as you stayed in one room. The headset is a nice toy for the casual listening of music but I wouldn't recommend it for phone communication. While the headset supports most audio profiles, I found that most cell phones do not support stereo output to a Bluetooth headset as of this writing. I would like to see a less bulky headset but it works well and has very good battery life.

LG Electronics KG800 Chocolate Cell Phone

First of all, the phone is gorgeous looking and has a good heft, much more than you would expect. The touch pads on the main body are easy to learn, but are different than your standard cell phone buttons because there is no tactile "give." The buttons aren't necessarily intuitive, so I had to delve into the instruction manual to figure out what each button did.

Downloading music was a snap from VCast. Loading up your own tunes requires a bit more work. You either need to buy 2.5mm ear buds (standard is 3.5mm) or you have to buy the Verizon adapter ($14.99). In addition, you'll need the Music Essentials kit ($29.99), which is great if you have an IBM clone, but requires quite a bit of work if you use a Mac. If you use an ipod on your IBM clone, you actually have to reburn your songs into either WMA or mPEG format and then upload them into your phone. Memory is a little limited on the phone (68MB) but you can buy a microSD card and load songs onto the VX8500 that way. And contrary to an earlier review, the max size for a microSD is only 1GB at this time -- so don't buy anything bigger because it won't work with this phone. No speaker phone, but not a big deal for me. Bluetooth synced very readily. Overall, cool phone, no regrets. Not a lot of accessories available currently (cases, etc) but more are in the works.

Body Glove Cellsuit with swivel belt clip

This is one of the most important cellular phone accessories you can buy!!

This cover is made from material that absorbs a lot of shock, and protects against scratches to the phone body and face.

Frequently, I drop my phone on pavement and concrete. When that happened in the past, I ended up with ugly gouges on the corners of the phone and scratches on the screen. On occasion, the battery door would open and the battery would fly out!

With the Body Glove cover, your phone will remain damage and scratch free from most drops. It probably won't help if you drop it onto the parking lot from a building. However, it will be 100% effective if you're getting into the car and your phone slips and falls on the pavement.

Highly recommended!

Palm Treo Leather Side Case

It is a nice looking case with high quality leather. The interior pocket for business/credit cards is a nice bonus, if or when you may need use it. The exposed 'unprotected' corners of the case are unnecessary for a Treo 680 since it does not have external stub antenna. But Palm does not make a true side holster style case for the 680. The belt clip is nice and tight so you don't have to worry about it slipping off when you sit down or stand up. It's also a leather clip unlike those plastic "swivel" type clips that tend to scratch up the belts.

Prepaid Plans

Most cellular phone users have cell phone plans with contracts that call for a certain number of minutes per month and use a yearly contract with a penalty for early termination. This concept makes good sense for a lot of consumers that use there phone frequently. There are many people who carry a cellular phone for use only in emergencies or for short calls to home or family. So even the lower priced phone plans are a bit much for them. These people are excellent candidates for prepaid cell phone service.

Most of the major cell phone service providers have new or existing versions of prepaid calling plans. If you feel that one of these plans is right for you, contract several different providers for information and pricing. For example, some service providers charge a flat fee per minute. In some cases the cost per minute goes down, the more minutes you buy.

Nokia N93

Nokia's N93 is the Swiss Army knife of cell phones, a teeming tenement of technologies. A 3.2 MP digital camera and a 30 frame per second (fps) camcorder are a combination available on no other phone besides the N93 (at least, not as this is being written). This phone also has camcorder-like ergonomics with a swivel-up-and-around 2.4-inch LCD screen, WiFi connectivity, an MP3 player with stereo Bluetooth, and lots of included multimedia software that turns the phone into a pocket PC. And as a tri-band EDGE/GSM 900/1800/1900 phone, the N93 is compatible with high-speed EDGE networks all over the world.

Blackberry Pearl Skin Case HDW13021007

I ordered this Blackberry Pearl cover with the assumption that there was a clear plastic cover for the screen/buttons area. This is not the case. The cover perfectly fits the back of the unit where all button cutouts line up perfectly. It does protect the backside of the phone very well, however. It also makes the phone far less slippery to hold, as the rubber material adds a grip effect.

Managing your MiniSD

First and foremost, your computer needs to have a SD memory slot or you need to have a USB SD card reader. USB SD card readers can be purchased just about anywhere, CompUSA or anglomall.com would be my first recommendations. Next, if you have the reader and adapter, and you open My Computer and don't see a new drive appear, then either the reader is not installed properly (some readers require drivers to be loaded prior to using the first time) or your SD memory card is faulty. To check and see if the mini-SD chip is ok, install it in your phone, and then you can go to Settings and Tools, and there should be a Memory selection. If you see Card Memory, then the phone is actually reading the chip.

I have the Krazor K1M with a 1 GB mini-SD memory card. When I first installed the card, I got the Card Memory option, which I did not have before that. I was later loading songs onto my phone and started to get lock-ups due to a communication error between the computer and phone. Eventually, I got fed up with the lock ups, put the SD memory in the computer and completely erased all of the folders and files that were on the card. Reinstalled it in the phone, it re-initialized the memory card, put the folders on it that it required and I have not had a problem with it since.

How to make videos for your i870

Download the software Here:

Step 1: Click add and find a file you want to convert.

Step 2: Set the specifications.
Here is the list of Specifications from Xilisoft's 3gp converter 3.1.
These are the specifications on the right hand side of the window.

General
Duration: Full
Start Time: 00:00:00
File Name: (Name it whatever you want, but keep it short, I believe under 20 characters)

Video
Video Codec: mpeg4 (Default for anything DivX or .avi)
Video Size: 176x144
Bit Rate: 80
Frame Rate: 11
Aspect: Auto
Bitrate Tolerance: 60
Same Quality: False

Audio
Audio Codec: amr_nb
Bitrate: 48
Sample Rate: 8000
Channels: 1(Mono)
Disable Audio: False

Step 3: Check the zoom. Best to just leave it at letterbox, but it may leave the black lines at the top and bottom of the tv show and/or movie when you try to watch it on your phone. Use the zoom to make it fit.

Step 4: Depending on the size of your card, you may want to change the size of the media. 3gp converter offers a split option that will split the movie into 2 or more parts. This is convenient for those of who still only have the 32MB Transflash card that comes with the phone as you could possibly fit a full length movie onto your phone and your card in two pieces. The card when it is empty will hold approximately 40 minutes of video if set up in this way. In order to get as much as possibly onto the card, set the custom split at 28 MB. You may be able to get a little more out of it if neccessary, but it will not allow a 29.6MB movie on the card. 28MB will fit. The i870 has around 25MB of internal memory that could be used to store movies. A 512MB card could probably hold 5-10 full length movies or more. I would suggest getting a bigger card if you are serious about having movies on your i870.

Step 5: Choose your destination folder.

Step 6: Click encode.

Updating your Nokia firmware

This is an official Nokia program and should cause no harm to your phone if you follow this instructions properly.


Note: Some phones mightn't work if they are a network branded version, the program tells you if it can be updated before it does anything

Check here first to see if your phone has available software updates

Update via PC

Follow these step-by-step instructions to update your phone software, also known as firmware, for your Nokia phone.

Step 1/5: Get Started

Before you start, make sure you have met these requirements:

To install and run Nokia Software Updater application:

* PC with 1GHz or higher Pentium-compatible processor
* At least 256 MB of RAM (memory)
* Windows 2000 (SP4 or later) or Windows XP (SP1 or SP2)
* Administration rights on the PC while installing
* Internet connection

To connect your phone to a PC:

* Fully charged, compatible Nokia phone
* Compatible Nokia USB connection cable
* Compatible USB port on your PC



Step 2/5: Back-up data

Personal data such as contacts, photos and messages stored in the phone memory will be deleted during phone software update. It is strongly recommended that you backup this data to your memory card before updating your phone software.

To backup to your memory card:

1. select Tools > Memory from the main menu
2. select Options > Backup phone mem.

To restore info to phone memory:

1. select Tools > Memory from the main menu
2. select Options > Restore from card



Step 3/5: Download Nokia Software Updater

Download the Nokia Software Updater installation file below.

* If you are using Internet Explorer, select Run from the dialog box that appears.
* If you are using Firefox, select Save to disk and click OK.

Click here to download the software

Note: Nokia Software Updater PC software only needs to be downloaded once, after which it can be used each time you check for available firmware updates.



Step 4/5: Install Nokia Software Updater

Click the Nokia Software Updater Setup icon (saved on your desktop or in another specified folder) to open the install wizard, which will guide you through the installation process.

After installing you can update your phone software.



Step 5/5: Check for firmware updates

Connect your phone to your PC via Nokia cable.

The Nokia Software Updater will guide you through the phone software update process.

Repeat Step 5 every time you check for phone software updates.

Nokia/Cisco phone project

The Nokia/Cisco phone project is due for production later this year/next year. It supposedly switches between Wi-Fi and GSM to retain connectivity ie: It normally uses GSM until it hits a Wi-Fi hotspot and then uses VoIP protocol via the wireless environment to make and receive calls - what a potentially huge saving! Bring it on!

One of the main things that they were discussing was that in order for the VOIP protocols to work effectively, i.e. not drop your calls and actually connect when you were in a hot spot, the hotspots would need be have no security protocols and would need to accept random incoming connections which is basically what they are trying to stop at the moment due to obvious security issues :)

But an awesome phone in concept.

Let's hope they come right soon.

On text messaging

Need to send a text message, but you're on your computer?

Check out these links to send it from your pc via the web. Pick the provider of the cell to text.

AT&T Wireless

Sprint

Cingular

T-Mobile

Verizon

Nextel

You can also find free text messaging sites like txtDrop.com - Completely Free Text Messaging and TextShoot.com :: Send your text message. For free. They work better than those ones, because you have not to go to an individual page for each provider, you can just use these sites to send to lots of different carriers.

You don’t even have to know the carrier with TxtDrop.

Palm Treo Leather Side Case

Not a bad case. I'm a bigger fan of form fitted cases. I would like a stronger magnetic closure, but current one is fine. A swivel would be great so I can turn the case vertical, getting it out of the way of the seatbelt buckle. I can't wear the case on my left side b/c the seatbelt may put too much pressure on it, and possibly breaking it. Overall, not a bad case.

Samsung BlackJack i607 PDA Phone

The Samsung BlackJack SGH i607 phone is an impressive PDA/mobile phone; it being the latest mobile phone that Samsung has to offer with Cingular being the first cellular carrier to offer this exclusively. What is promising in the horizon is the Apple iPhone that will be available sometime in June -- a formidable player to contend with the Samsung BlackJack SGH i607. The BlackJack comes with two batteries (a standard and an extended battery). The extended battery can last you for nearly 2 weeks (probably more depending on usage) without needing recharging on average when using nearly most of the multimedia features: mp3, camera, Bluetooth, etc. The QWERTY keyboard is easily intuitive.

The two batteries as mentioned earlier are standard and extended batteries. For those who would prefer the slimmer and lighter aesthetic look and feel may be comfortable with the standard battery and the standard battery cover.

Removing the battery cover of the BlackJack was very difficult to remove. You will need to use significant force to slide the battery cover almost causing thumb to become sore!!! Samsung should look into this matter carefully.

The BlackJack comes with the basic travel adapter, battery charger, and a data cable. It would not be a bad idea for a $500.00 cellular phone for Samsung to throw in a car charger for free. You would think that a high-priced phone would include a car charger.

One of the main drawbacks to the BlackJack is Samsung decision not to include a 3.5mm standard jack. The consumer is forced to utilize headsets with Bluetooth enabled capability if you want to listen to your mp3s in private. On average, the cost of a Bluetooth enabled headset will run you about $70.00 with better sounding headsets costing about $125.00 and more. As to why Samsung decided that a 3.5mm jack was not needed that would allow customers the choice of selecting hundreds of headphones is beyond my comprehension. There is a 25-pin USB/data cable/headset/power jack located on the left side of the BlackJack. Currently, there is no 25-pin conversion to a 3.5mm jack for the BlackJack.

Samsung SGH-d807 Cell Phone

Samsung's PC Studio is not good; it will NOT sync any outlook recurring meetings to the phone. The recurring appointment on PC Studio doesn’t have the flexibility of outlook (like recurring everyday except Monday, etc) Also the subject field is limited to a few characters. I've also tried MobileMaster, demo version, and it doesn't even support calendar for this phone.

I'm not sure if this is Samsung or Cingular's problem but you CANNOT upload games to your phone Except via GPRS. You cannot upload any games using Bluetooth or data cable. Maybe Cingular is trying to get more $$ off bandwidth usage. Another problem with this phone is that the backlight will NOT turn off while you're charging the phone. It increases the charge time and it's annoying if you're charging your phone in your bedroom. Over all this is a nice phone with lots of features if you can live with the little bugs here and there.

Samsung D900 Cell Phone

Only one theme is provided with the phone, which you can not update.

In order to use one of your MP3' s stored on your memory card as a ring tone you need you need to copy it to the phone

Any MP3's you upload will need to have very short file names with no "special" characters i.e. -)(*&^%$£"! your phone will not recognise them.

You can not view any photos on your memory card in "slideshow" mode (again you have to copy them to the phone to do this

The phone came pre installed with a demo of Sonic The Hedgehog - WOW! I thought, but the phone is too slow to run the game! Sonic is often to be seen suspended in mid air.

The phone looks very nice and has a great 3mb camera.

Palm Treo Charging cradle works as expected

Comes with everything you need to use the cradle in the US or abroad.

The 3198WW Palm Treo cradle is a great way to keep the Treo 750 charged and synchronized with Outlook on the main PC. You can put the Treo in it every day at work to insure the calendar, tasks, etc. are up-to-date. An added bonus is the inclusion of a power adapter that can be used world wide which is useful to you if you travel quite a bit. The only complaint is that the connection to Windows XP doesn't always seem to work properly and one often has to undock and redock the Treo to get ActiveSync to kick-in.

Motorola High Performance Car Charger VC700 - SYN0847A / 98603H

The charger regulates the flow of electric voltage to the phone much better than previous versions that I've used, saving battery life and phone electronics. In contrast, the old chargers would virtually fry the batteries/phone and result in a dead, unchargeable battery in 3-5 months. This model is also very cool. The light blue Motorola logo lights up for added cool factor.

Sony Ericsson CLA-60 Cigarette Lighter Adapter

Very secure fit into charging port. Built in light near the charging port makes the phone easy to locate in the dark.

This charger has other nifty features such as the ability to charge two phones at one time. We have three Sony Ericsson W300i phones and I expect to use this feature. If you need a car charger for your W300i, K750i or W800 then I highly recommend this charger. Forget the after market chargers and get the Sony Ericsson CLA-60 which is much better quality.

Motorola 98603 Car Charger Adaptor

I would highly recommend the Motorola 98603 Car Charger Adaptor if you have a Motorola V3 Razr cell phone. Don't buy the cheap off-brands! They don't work well and are not reliable. The Motorola charger is well worth the price! Is a very sturdy charger. It is well made. The connections are secure and yet not difficult to plug. You can just hold it in your hand and "feel" the quality. As for looks, it has a cool round blue light on the front, with the silver Moto symbol inside it. This light assures you the phone is connected and charging. Just a cool little charger in every way! I am well pleased with it.