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Introducing the PowerMat- The First Universal Charger? And A List of PowerMat Devices
Oct 31st
But First–It’s That Time of Year Again…
It’s The Holidays
Whatever your holiday may be, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah and so on, it is just about the time to start your holiday shopping. I think that because almost everyone in the world has a Smartphone, Smartphone accessories would be a great place to start looking for the perfect gifts.
So from now until the middle of December, I will be throwing in some “Best Accessories” lists for a different Smartphone with every list. It will include what it is and how much it costs. Maybe I’ll even tell you where to find them.
Any Comments From the Peanut Gallery?
One thing though, there are so very many of them, I may not be able to get to them all. So if any of you out there have a unrequited need for me to include a phone that I haven’t already, leave a comment and let me know, and I will do my best to throw up a list for it. If not, them I will go on my merry little way and list the accessories for the most popular smartphones.
The Number one accessory Great for Any Phone-The POWERMAT
And anything with Bluetooth, any cell or smartphone, digital cameras and readers, hand-held games, MP3 Players, portable GPS, and possible even more things. If it is wireless, you might be able to charge it on the PowerMat!
That’s right. Reviewed by Network World in their October 19th Print Magazine, is a little tiny article on the PowerMat and now it’s starting to pop-up all over the Internet. And boy does this thing rock.
The Obvious Question-What’s the Deal?
Well, first of all it can charge up to 3 devices at the same time. And it also has a USB plug in the back to charge a fourth if needed. It is out of the way, recessed and apparently hard to reach. But who needs more than three trays anyway? Almost anyone I say. That is the first problem with the PowerMat. It should be larger with all the devices people own and need to charge these days, that should have been thought of from the start.
The places you set the devices down on the mat are called plates. Each plate has a LED light to let you know the device is charging properly. The lights can be customized to vary in intensity or turned off completely. It also has what they call “Audio Confirmation” and it uses a beep when the device is firmly seated in place and another, different sounding beep when the device is removed. But for those people who don’t like the sounds the audio can be turned off too. It also has a magnetic receiver to hold the device firmly in place so it charges properly.
For each device, you will need a special receiver so the mat will know how much power and how long to charge the device for. The RFID tags do this job and the PowerMat already have one for the iPhone, BlackBerry and Nintendo DS. There is a general adapter as well. A test done by Theinquirer.net used an iPod Nano4G and an HTC Magic and reports that …”
Charging both at the same time on the Powermat, the Nano was fully charged in around minutes and the Magic was done in about two hours, pretty much the exact same amount of time as charging them with dedicated chargers.
Here is a list of all available devices by the PowerMat-
Home & Office Mat
Portable Mat
Powercube
Dock for iPod and iPhone
iPhone Case
iPod Touch Case
BlackBerry Bold Battery Door
BlackBerry Curve 8300 Battery Door
BlackBerry Curve 8900 Battery Door
BlackBerry Pearl Battery Door
Nintendo DS Lite Back Panel
Nintendo DSi Back Panel
And the Verdict Is?
So Lets see if I got this right… The PowerMat will charge almost any wireless device all in one place. Meaning no looking for cords, or tripping on numerous plugged in cords as the only cord needing to be plugged in is that of the PowerMat itself. And it makes the Greenies happy by its automatic shut off and saving energy. That sounds like a winner to me. And there are so many different devices to choose from you are sure to find something to but the person who has everything…
And here’s the kicker… There just might be some more bands of the PowerMat on the way. Sony apparently has one in the works as I type. Maybe it will be finished for the holidays. I think it is bout time there is something like this on the market.
It can be bought online @ the PowerMat website or at any Best Buy and Target Stores. As for the price? The prices are oddly the same in wither store… between $29.99-$39.99 for the smaller receivers and devices and $99.99 for the home Mat and the Office Mat. I can see paying the prices for the smaller items, but $100 for the PowerMat itself? I would rather wait for a sale. Keep an eye out for Black Friday sales.. The prices are sure to go down a bit then(and you can put them on layaway too).
For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
Check back tomorrow for a list of the best accessories for the Palm Pre Smartphones. If any if our readers have any suggestions as what to review, or something you think needs to be talked about, feel free to leave a comment and I will see what I can do. Til then, happy phoning!
Nokia Admits Mistake By Not Pushing In the US Market-(Finally)Launching New Smartphone In the US
Oct 30th
Teaming up with AT&T To Do It
What’s the Deal?
For the first time in about 3 years, Nokia is going to make a push for the American market once again. They are looking to release a Symbian based phone and is teaming up with AT&T to use their SnapDragon processor. Apparently what is happening is that Qualcomm, the chip’s maker, recently joined the Symbian Foundation and will therefore back the Nokia-AT&T deal.
Why All of A Sudden?
Well, since it’s highest market share in March of 2002 of 35%, the Finnish company has been steadily going down the tubes. Last year it was down to a mere 10%. The last figure available is from June of this year and is showing Nokia’s market share in the US at only 7%, a total drop of 28% in 7 years. And it apparently it hit them hard. That’s what they get, though, for ignoring the US market. So now they are trying to make up for it by releasing this new phone.
And What About the New Phone?
Well, there are no actual details about the phone except for the SnapDragon processor. There is still no release date as of yet either.
Ehat is real interesting about all this is in the recent past, Nokia and Qualcomm were bickering over a patent issue. Apparently, The argument was over ownership of a patent to a CDMA chip. But later they finally put the issue to bed.
And The Verdict Is?
The deal itself is still in the works and the last details are being ironed out. Personally, though, I think it’s great that they are using Symbian again. With the N900 getting pushed back over and over again, it makes you wonder why they ever used Maemo in the first place.
And they should never have ignored the Americans. That was a big mistake. In the 7 years that they forgot about the US, they could have made a killing. With all the new Smartphone Technology that is out there and the Nokia branded phones being some of the best, it is going to take a long time to play catch up. Rest assured that as soon as more details and secs are available, I will get right on it and bring you the latest.
For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
Check back tomorrow for more of the latest in the mobile phone industry. If any if our readers have any suggestions as what to review, or something you think needs to be talked about, feel free to leave a comment and I will see what I can do. Til then, happy phoning!
Sony Ericsson Finally Graces India With Its Presence-With 3 New (Really Awesome) Smartphones
Oct 29th
What’s the Deal?
Well, 3 new phones are released in India by Sony Ericsson. They are the Satio, Aino and Yari. And, they have to be the greatest smartphones available. Not because of the OS, but because of the specific features on each phone. According to Anil Sethi, president of Sony Ericsson Mobile India, these phones will “…set the trend for the new age smartphones.,” and she also said “…Once the 3G spectrum allocation happens, we can roll out more features with better network.” So does that mean that the Indian people can’t use them yet? No, it doesn’t. It just means that they have limited service and features.
What DO They Have Then?
Well, they each have their own respective features. The Satio is the greatest for photography with its 12.1 megapixel camera. It also has a 3.5″ screen with 16:9 wide screen format. What kind of OS does it have? Who cares? It’s got a 12 megapixel camera!
And the Aino has almost just as great of a camera at 8 megapixel. And the feature of thsi phone that stands it apart from the other two is that is cn access information stored on a PS3 from anywhere, as long as there is Wi-Fi service available. It has remote play access to all media as well.
The Yari is the last of the bunch with only a 5 megapixel camera. But it’s feature that sets it apart is that is can play games without touching the screen by allowing the moves to be made in front of it. Interesting… I wonder how they do it…
What’s The Verdict?
It has been a long time coming for India and they definitely deserve these phones. And I think that India should stop putting off the allocation and get on with the extra features already. I mean, they already have so many awesome features, but think about it… More to come. What else can there be? X-Ray vision? Money printer? Damn… A 12 Megapixel camera… Oh well, The Holidays are coming anyway.
For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
Check back tomorrow for more of the latest in the mobile phone industry. If any if our readers have any suggestions as what to review, or something you think needs to be talked about, feel free to leave a comment and I will see what I can do. Til then, happy phoning!
Andriod 2.0 is Official-HTC About to Challenge the Motorola Droid?
Oct 28th
Apparently It’s Not The Only One…
What’s the Deal?
Today it was officially announced that the Android 2.0 OS for smartphones is available to developers and will be featured in the up and coming Verizon Motorola Droid smartphone. this phone has its official release date as November 6th and has a price tag of about $200 after the usual rebate-contract deals.
HTC Getting In the Game?
Apparently there will be another release on November 6th. The HTC Eris with the Android 1.5 OS, although it has not been officially announced, will be rolled out the same day as the Motorola Droid with the 2.0 Android OS. But HTC has other plans as well. With the release of the HTC HD2, or Leo as it was codenamed, on November 11 2009, with the Windows Mobile 6.5 technology, they have apparently been trying to play catch up to Motorola Droid. The dual release on the 6th helps, but it’s no Droid phone.
Enter the HTC Codename “Passion”
That’s right. Apparently HTC has had another Android 2.0 smartphone in the works for Verizon all this time. It will be the follow-up to the HTC HD2. As of now, nothing much is known of the Passion, but there are plenty of rumors flying around…
One thing is for certain though, if it IS the follow up or sister release of the HD2, then it is sure to have the great new Sense UI and capacitive touchscreen with WVGA resolution as well.
But lets just await the “official” announcement, shall we?
And The Verdict Is…
Go Droid 2.0! Before there is even an update to the Android 1.5-it still has had no update to 1.6- and it is still struggling to make it big in the Smartphone market. Not too many companies have been picking it up. At least not just yet. But maybe things will change with the release of the Android 2.0 Eclair. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…
For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
Check back tomorrow for more of the latest in the mobile phone industry. If any if our readers have any suggestions as what to review, or something you think needs to be talked about, feel free to leave a comment and I will see what I can do. Til then, happy phoning!
The Pixi Being Released November 15th-At $99
Oct 27th
But There’s A Catch Right?
Well Silly Of Course There Is
With all the smartphone fanatics all in a tizzy ever since the announcement of the coming Palm Pre cousin, the Palm Pixi in early September, speculation has been the name of the Palm game. Well, now we can all sit down and take a breather. Sprint and Palm announced today that the Pixi is finally officially going to be released on November 15th. But at the price of $99 there is bound to be a catch. And of course there is. It’s the “2 Year Contract-After Rebate Deal.” I ask everyone, “Is anyone else getting tired of having to be locked into a two year contract with Sprint (or anyone else for thatmatter) just to get a decent price?” I mean come on, doesn’t it get old after a while? Anyway, enough of my rant…
So What’s Under the Hood?
Well, it’s not about what it’s got, this time it’s probably going to be known for what it doesn’t have. So let me start there first. For starters, it doesn’t have WiFi. Really? No WiFi? Ok.. I guess we can manage. Well, it’s got a smaller camera then the Pre’s 3 megapixel. Which is actually kinda small in itself considering other 5 megapixel cameras out there. The Pixi only has a 2 megapixel camera, with the resolution at only 320×400, there’s not much that can be said about that.
And the Pixi loses 80 pixels in screen size too. Where the Palm has a half decent screen at 3.4, the Pixi only has a 2.63″ screen. I guess it had to make room for the non-sliding keyboard. That’s right, it’s an unprotected keyboard. But the upside to that is that the buttons are placed a little differently and because they are raised up a bit more, it makes for a bit more accuracy when it comes to texting and email. But we all really want to know is what kind of power doe it have? Well, I am going to have a problem answering that. Apparently when Sprint and Palm were asked that exact question about what kind of processor speed, Ram and app running capabilities, they pretty much declined to comment. So it makes me wonder, will the Pixi live up to the iPhone killer standards of the Palm Pre? I really don’t think so.
But What Does It Have?
Well, it does have the famous Web Os running the browser. Oh, and it still has all the other good stuff, like GPS and Bluetooth. And there is a new Facebook application too. The Pixi is a bit lighter and smaller than the Pre, so it makes it easy to handle too. But that’s about all it has, aside form the rubberized backing to make the texting and email a little easier to hold on to. And that would be the end of the list.
So What’s The Verdict?
Well, if you are still in high school, or if for whatever other reason your first priority might be texting and email, this phone is a keeper. But if you live in the real world, get the Pre. It seems to be a better deal anyway and comes with all the features and power the Pixi doesn’t seem to have. And it’s a whole $20 cheaper at Wal-Mart.
For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
Check back tomorrow for more of the latest in the mobile phone industry. If any if our readers have any suggestions as what to review, or something you think needs to be talked about, feel free to leave a comment and I will see what I can do. Til then, happy phoning!
The Fabled HTC Leo Fianlly Being Released!
Oct 26th
In Spain and With a New Name
that’s right, I said in Spain. On November 11th 2009, the HTC Leo, or HD2 as it’s officially been branded, is being released first in Spain by the carrier known as Vodaphone and then later in the UK by T-Mobile. It is also rumored that after December it will release everywhere else in Europe. And I was just thinking to myself that I haven’t written a post on the HTC in a while… Go figure!
What Makes it So Special?
To start with its one of the many smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.5. But it is not using the standard WinMo UI… It is using HTC’s own Sense interface. According to the HTC official site, it is the first WinMo phone to use the Sense interface. And with the Sense feature, it makes the phone intuitive. Wherever you are, it tunes in to your location and automatically sets the time, gets the weather and more. Apparently it does some other real cool things too. Like when you get a phone call and pick it up to answer it, it knows that and automatically turns the volume down… And it has this realy awesome feature that allows you to call a person you are reading email form. Right from the email. No more going back and forth between apps, email and contacts. You can do everything all at once.
What Are the Real Features
It also has all of the standard smartphone features including, a 5 megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, an impressive 4.3″ touchscreen WVGA capacitive display with 800×480 resolution, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor-that is some real power-1Gb of total memory, and Bluetooth 2.1. Now that is what I call a line up…
So What’s the Verdict?
Well, I think this is an excellent phone. the only problem? The price. At about 489 Euors, or $735 USD, it makes for a very expensive phone. And there is so far, no word on contract pricing. And the fact that it doesn’t have a slide out keyboard as well as the touchscreen will make this phone not the greatest choice for people who aren’t the greatest at emailing and texting. You will need to be pretty accurate to work the touchscreen keypad. But other than that, I say GO FOR IT!! It really is a beautiful phone, and to be honest, I cant wait for someone, anyone, to release the HTC HD2 here in teh USA. I’ve been looking for a new phone, and I think this might be the one… Unless I can get my hands on a Droid first…
For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
Check back tomorrow for more of the latest in the mobile phone industry. If any if our readers have any suggestions as what to review, or something you think needs to be talked about, feel free to leave a comment and I will see what I can do. Til then, happy phoning!
It’s Not New & Not a Smartphone But…
Oct 26th
It’s So Nice It’s Worth Mentioning Here…
What a phone. I was in the local pharmacy today picking up my medication (I happen to be one of the few in the US battling the Swine Flu-lucky me) when my husband saw a hell of a phone while standing in line and he called me over to look at it. I just had to ask what it was. It was a pretty silver and black flip phone. No keyboard to slide out, no touchscreen, but a regular flip phone. I’m sure you remember what those are? Well, anyway, I just had to see what it was. So I asked. And I didn’t get the gentleman’s name but I wish I had. He opened my eyes to a great phone that I had never heard of before.
So What Kind of Phone Was It?
The Casio G’zOne Boulder. That’s what. Wow, I will say again, what a phone! So when I got home, I looked it up and the specs are amazing for just an “ordinary” flip pone. It has a 1.2 megapixel camera with flash, which for a flip, is more than decent. Most flip phones are much smaller…a 2.0 screen, the usual Bluetooth, GPS navigation, Mobile Web 2.0 and push to talk feature. I love the walkies-talkies (can’t do that on a smartphone).
But the thing that caught my eye with this phone is the way its built. It is extra protected. It is coated in silicone rubber, so if you drop it, all it does is bounce. It won’t break, crack, and it is even water resistant. The guy that owned it told me that he has dropped it a few times-and it still looked brand new! The site actually tells you that is you drop it in the water and it stops working, it’s on their dime to replace it. It can stay submerged in water for up to 30 minutes (with the ports closed) and will still work. They are that confident about it. And with all that extra protection, it still looks good.
Why Was the Military Involved?
The military got involved with this phone because Casio wanted to prover how tough and rugged the phone was. i mean, you wouldn’t believe the tests they put this phone through. There si a testing procedure called MIL-STD-81OF that the military uses to test their equipment against certain standards. They put the G’zOne phones, including the Boulder, through these tests. And they survived with amazing results. Like Casio said on the site, “If the Military couldn’t hurt it, do you really think you can?”
And the Verdict Is?
I love this phone. And I think that anyone who remembers what a flip phone is all about will love this phone too. Sure it’s not the latest and greatest Smartphone on the market, but sometimes it doen’t have to be. This phone exudes style, toughness and sensibility. Sometimes it’s not about the material things in life. Sometimes maybe we need to go back to the basics once in awhile. If you ever think about doing just that, this is the phone to so it with.
For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
Check back tomorrow for more of the latest in the mobile phone industry. If any if our readers have any suggestions as what to review, or something you think needs to be talked about, feel free to leave a comment and I will see what I can do. Til then, happy phoning!
The Long Awaited Nokia N900 Delayed Yet Again-Why?
Oct 23rd
In My Previous Post “Is Symbian A Dead End, Or Just A Fork In the Road,?“…
…I had talked about the Nokia N900 and how it was foregoing the Symbian platform for the newer Maemo OS. I wrote:
Now, back in May of this year a mole form Nokia leaked to the press that Nokia might just be looking to replace their mobile operating system from Symbian to Maemo with the release of the Smartphone successor to the N97, called the N900. All this time since Nokia and Symbian developed the S60 platform, Nokia has firmly stood behind it with their feet firmly planted in cement. Now it’s been confirmed that they are using Maemo instead.
And also went on to say that no one was sure why Nokia decided to switch to Maemo, but we were all supposed to find out by the end of this month (October). But now,the head of Maemo Marketing, Peter Schneider, states that the long awaited Smartphone will …”start shipping at the end of November.”
What’s the Deal With That?
Well, apparently Nokia should have stuck with the older, but working perfectly operating system, based on Symbian. This is because Maemo marketers released about 300 of the Nokia N900’s to test users and, it is being speculated, the feedback was much worse than they had hoped for. Although Peter Schneider didn’t officially state that this is the reason for the delay of the official release, but it sure looks that way. Even all of the sites, like Amazon UK, that were allowing pre-orders on the phone have pulled the orders.
Why Is the Nokia N900 So Important That We Can’t Wait For IT?
The Nokia N900 actually seems to be the type of phone that is worth the wait. it comes packed with many awesome features and, of course, it has the Maemo OS. Don’t get me wrong, I know I have my preferences, and I have bashed Maemo in preference to Symbian in the past, but it really isn’t a bad little OS at all. After all, it is based on Linux’s open source OS for desktops and I love Linux ( typing this on my own right now). So Maemo, mixed with the cool features of the phone itself, is what makes the Nokia N900 worth squirming for. The N900 comes with a Carl Zeis camera, HSPA, Wi-Fi b/g, a 3.5″ 800×480 touchscreen and a slide out QWERTY keyboard. This smartphone is more like a mobile computer than a phone.
And The Verdict Is?
I think the problem is with the integration of the new OS than anything else. It has a sturdy and reliable hardware package that is sure to beat out the competition, so the only thing that could be the problem is the software. So we are all just going to have to wait until November 17th like everyone else. It’s a bummer, I know, and this is the second time that its been delayed, but it will be worth it, I promise.
For more great articles, user ratings and reviews like these, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org.
And check back tomorrow for the latest in the fight between Nokia and Apple. Hey… I wonder if that has anything to do with the phone being delayed…Hmmm I wonder?
Finally the Moment Is Here…The Samsung Moment That Is
Oct 22nd
Coming Soon To A Sprint Dealer Near You…
That’s right. Another new phone from Sprint and Samsung, called the Moment and is the replacement for the Instinct Q. And it is just as bold and beautiful as the Intrepid, if not even more. It is a nice little slider style smartphone due in stores November 1st for a nice (not so) little price of $179 and that is with the $100 instant savings and after the mail-in rebate, according to the Sprint website.
Why Another Smartphone So Soon?
Why are Sprint and Samsung both releasing two new phones back to back? Officially, I don’t know. But in my opinion it was probably a good idea. The Intrepid is loaded with Windows Mobile 6.5, the first ever Sprint phone with Windows Mobile OS. So I believe that they weren’t sure how that would go over, so they are releasing another phone to make up for it. The Moment is packing the Android OS. The Android OS has a proven track record and the customers all seem to like it, so I think that since the customers are being given a choice between two new phones, they might just choose the Moment over the Intrepid. And I think that with all the bad press WinMo is getting lately, Moment will probably take the flag in this race.
So What Does Is the Moment Packing Under the Hood?
The Moment is sporting an 800mhz processor, 3.2 megapixel camera, optical trackpad, and a 3.2″ AMOLED display. And, so as far as I know, its QWERTY keyboard is a little better than CLIQ’s, making texting snappy and accurate. The only downfalls this phone seems to have is what it doesn’t have. And that would be intelligent social media integration. What a bummer. With the amazing popularity of social networks today, it might just be enough to cause a problem for the Moment…(pun intended). But maybe the restrictive touchscreen (making it more accurate) will make up for it, although I doubt it.
So What’s The Verdict?
Well, I think that if you haven’t yet sprung for Samsung’s Intrepid, than good for you. Go for the Moment instead. It seems to be a better phone all around, and isn’t that what having a smartphone is all about? Mine is bigger than yours mentality seems to really be taking over in the world of mobile phones, and the Moment seems to be bigger than the Intrepid, and definitely worth it.
For more great articles and user based ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org.
Please check back tomorrow for more of the latest updates in the mobile industry
Sprint Finally Jumps On the Windows Mobile Bandwagon…
Oct 21st
…With the Brand New Samsung Intrepid
What’s the Deal?
A week after Windows released their newest mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5, Sprint released their very first ever Windows based phone. On October 11th, the world was introduced to the brand new Samsung Intrepid, or the Ace II, featuring the Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional Mobile OS.
But It’s Just Another WinMo Phone, Right?
Apparently, according to the Sprint website, wrong. They are claiming that this particular phone will set it apart from the rest. It’s being touted as a smartphone with unique new capabilities, such as the new app called Tellmet. What this application does is allow the user to do anything hands free. But wait, that’s not really anything new. Well, this really is new, sort of. This app affords the user not only voice activated dialing, but texting and searching as well. That’s right, never have to wear out the thumbs again. But, then again, on this phone thumbs don’t matter anyway as it comes with a full QWERTY keyboard.
And This is a “Professional Business Class” Smartphone
Meaning that it has everything the business person could ever want in a smartphone. For example, the Intrepid “…combines a robust mobile office experience with all the must have Microsoft Office Mobile-capabilities like corporate email and the ability to view attachments and manage your calendar,” along with the Window Mobile email system and Microsoft’s ActiveSync feature.
Some other main features include the usual Bluetooth capabilities, a multimedia with microSD slot for up to 32GB of off board storage and built in Wi-Fi, a 3.5 megapixel camera and camcorder, and 2.5″ Touchscreen with 320×240 resolution.
So What’s The Verdict?
Well, as Smartphones go, it is pretty much the same as any other on the market. Except of course for that voice activating texting feature. I honestly wonder why this feature isn’t built into any other phone. It should at least be offered as an option anyway. I do wonder why Samsung hasdecided to go with Windows Mobile 6.5. They were doing just fine until now without Windows Mobile and also have another new phone complete with Android, called the Moment. So Why all of a sudden the switch? I just hope that Microsoft doesn’t do to Samsung what it has done to T-Mobile in the recent past… More Sidekick-ish nightmares anyone?
For more articles, user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org.
Check back tomorrow for a review on Samsung’s other new phone, the Moment
