The Truth About Metro PCS
I’ll tell you what. Metro PCS is about one of the best carriers I have dealt with within the last few years in my area. I live in Philadelphia and Metro PCS has become real big in the last year here, offering some of the best phones and unbeatable plans on the market.

Think about it. I am sure they have better plans now, but when I got my phone, one of the candy bar style Kyocera phones-not a smartphone-for free!-a year ago, I paid $4 USD in taxes and walked away with an unlimited plan with a month free. The plan was for $40 dollars a month for unlimited Talk ad Text. Plus taxes, of course. So my total monthly bill comes to about $48 and change. That’s it. there can be no better plan than that. Even the Data plans are unlimited and cost about $60-70 a month. Why on Earth would I want to switch?

Now On To The Good Stuff-Samsung Code-by Metro PCS
One of the newer, not talked about great phones by Samsung is called the Code. It is of the Smartphone influence and has all the great features any other smartphone has. So why was it not talked about by all? Because it’s a part of a company that is not considered a traditional carrier. Metro PCS is a month to month and therefore doesn’t count when it comes to comparing plans. I think it should. Metro Does offer Smartphones, so why shouldn’t it?

The Samsung Code by Metro PCS

And the Verdict Is?
Well, it may not be there greatest phone, but it is the best that Metro Has to offer. But you know what? I dare you to find a company tat will give you a free phone with NO CONTRACT and only pay $50 a month for an unlimited plan! it will never happen anywhere else. SO for all those out there who wish they had a smartphone but can’t afford the big boys, this is the one for you. PC Mag says it is the best on the market, for a cut rate plan that is. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain guys, it is a great phone for the money and you know it!

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The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Youserbase.org’s executive staff, and Youserbase.org as such hold no liability of any damages arising from any opinions expressed by the author.

What’s the Deal With The Omnia II?
The Omnia II originally released in Canada with Bell, the official wireless provider for the up and coming 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, last month. But now, Verizon has decided to scoop it up for an official US release and a hopeful date of December 2nd. The handsets will be available everywhere, online and in stores.

What’s Under the Hood of the Omnia II?
To start, it sports the largest of the MVGA AMOLED touchscreens, at 3.7″ and the video quality is said to be of DVD standards at 480p. The camera is 5 megapixel and the handset also sports most of the usual culprits like Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, a-GPS, accelerators, and can run apps such as Office and Excel. As for internal memory, it has built in 8GB and an microSD slot for expandable storage up to 32GB. It was rumored the Omnia II would be running the WinMo 6.1, but that’s been tabled since the release of 6.5, and the Omnia II will be running the WinMo 6.5 Professional platform and it also has TouchWiz 2.0. As usual, there is a 2 year contract and a $100 mail-in rebate making the price(after rebate and contract) $199.99Bell’s Omnia has an extra built right into it. Because it is an official sponsor of the Winter Games 2010, it includes WOW, or Winter Olympics Works, a communication and news system geared solely towards the Olympics, at no extra charge.

What’s the Deal With the Incognito?
Sprint has decided to pick up Kyocera’s Incognito, just in time for the holiday’s and will be launching it officially on November 30, online only. In-Outlet sales are expected to begin on December 6th. This cute little clamshell of a phone has a 2.6″ OLED display with 320×240 resolution, a 2 megapixel camera, and the revealing full QWERTY keypad is haptic, letting you know when you have pressed a button correctly, and it glows, for emailing and messaging in dark or badly lit areas. The phone is 3G ready running on a EVDO network and comes complete with the major social networking site applications built in and ready to go. New service for this phone will cost just $50 after a $50 mail in rebate ad, of course, the required 2 year contract.

And The Verdict Is
I personally can’t wait for the Omnia II to hit. It’s about time the US gets another really good phone released here that is actually worth the price (and is not an iPhone). As for teh Kyocera, I think the incognito, with a price like that should have been picked up by Metro PCS, or Cricket maybe…

But then again, you don’t really hear about Kyocera as being a great phone BECAUSE it is linked with those carriers. No one wants to talk about them because they are not high end. I just wish these dealers would give up the contract thing, I mean are the phones really worth that much with out a contract? I don’t think so. As they are being released within a few days from each other I think the Omnia II will win this race out. It is a Smartphone, after all and Kyocera doesn’t really get too much attention because this particular model is a clamshell, not a Smartphone like the Omnia II.

What do you all think? Comment and let us know and why…

For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Youserbase.org’s executive staff, and Youserbase.org as such hold no liability of any damages arising from any opinions expressed by the author.

What’s Sony Ericsson’s Satio All About?
This is a beautiful Smartphone. And I figure because it is the highest rated Smartphone on Youserbase.org, I simply must write about the best accessories for it this week.

But First-A Look At What’s Under the Hood
Like I said above, this is a beautiful phone and the original review was posted back in August of this year. It is one of the few that have a 12.1 megapixel camera that takes pictures so well that they look almost professional. Then it has the usual 3G and WiFi capabilities and BlueTooth. It does have it’s downfalls, though. The touchscreen is (arrrggghhh) resistive, so it requires some major touching and if you aren’t careful them your finger could get sore. But it IS 3.5″ with a ratio of 16:9 with 640×360 resolution, so it looks pretty and you can see what you are doing. It only has 128MB Internal memory but Sony kind of makes up for it by including an 8G MicroSD and the option to add up to 32GB. it also lacks a 3.5mm jack, so um.. guess you won’t be ignoring anyone on the sly anytime soon.. And now, on with the list!

Car Accessory Pack
Comes with a holder, which attaches with a suction cup mount and has a flexible neck so you can adjust it to have it within reach but still out of your way. It also comes with a battery car charger, an official Sony Ericsson CLA-60 and it actually helps hold the Satio in place and it can charge while it’s being held.

BlueTooth Car Kit
By Venturi, this mini FM transmitter and BlueTooth technology combines brings you all your calls through your car speakers. Plug it into the car charger and go. It also has on teh receiver, caller ID and song information too.

Invisible SHIELD
A clear plastic film that covers both the front and the back, without being a full case. It takes longer to install than usual screen protectors, but then again, this isn’t a normal screen protector, is it? This is great because you are apt to take your phone everywhere with you get into situations where it might get scratched, or maybe your kids get a hold of it and smudge the pretty little thing up. Not anymore with the Sony Ericsson Satio InvisibleSHIELD.

BlueTooth Headphones
The HBH-IS800 BlueTooth Headphones for Satio look small and feel small, but the battery power they pack is unbelievable! And the features are great too. You can answer and end calls and pause and play your music. All on the Headphones themselves.

ITC-60-Plug N’ Play
Well, for those who want to take advantage of the 12 megapixel camera the Satio is famous for, the Plug N’ Play connects the Satio to your TV or stereo to look at pics or listen to music.

CPP 100 Power Pack
This Power Pack for the Satio plugs right into its side with no cables or wires tripping you up or getting in the way. It gives instant power when and where you need it. it also has a handy LED light so you can monitor the battery life.

And the Verdict Is?
To be honest with you, these items are all great. But I would hold off until teh Platinum or Executive Accessories Packs are available. They will have so many great accessories all in one and they will save you so much money, rather then if you bought the, piece by piece. Here’s a taste of what will be in the Platinum, pack:

• Desk Stand with cable clips
• Car holder with the suction mount
• The Flexible Neck
• Carrying Pouch- Felt, padded and carries horizontially
• Car Charger
• Laser Screen Protector
• The USB Mini Bluetooth Dongle
• USB Card Reader
• spare battery

The Executive Pack won’t have quite as many accessories included, but it will be worth it as well. Either one you choose, you are saving money and gaining the convenience of having everything together in one place.

Enjoy the Sony Ericsson Satio and all its accessories in all their glory, it is probably one of the best ones out there, aside for the Droid, that is…

For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Youserbase.org’s executive staff, and Youserbase.org as such hold no liability of any damages arising from any opinions expressed by the author.

What’s the Deal With Apple?

According to the New York Times, Apple filed for a patent for a type of advertisement that completely takes over whatever device you are using. This type of ad will completely lock up your screen until you click on the ad itself, or pass a test and if you don’t, the ads become more aggressive and harder until they are permanently stuck on your screen commanding your attention. And even then it might not let you see the page you are on, and it works on anything that has a screen.

You can’t really tell me that Apple is so hard pressed for money that they have to resort to slimy techniques to get ad revenue, can you? They won the suit against PsyStar and are probably going to rake it in on that one, not to mention the fact they are still on top of the Smartphone world when it comes to popularity AND sales.

What on Earth would they need to resort to the low down advertising of the likes of spammers? And Steve Jobs’ name was number one on the patent application itself, and that’s only happened 4 times in the history of Apple. No wonder Bill Gates made a statement recently about Apple being “..a force in doing good things.” They are alike. A force of Evil that must be stopped.

What’s the Deal With Nokia?
You have got to love Wall Street. Apparently there is some hype (again) about Nokia wanting to take over Palm. And because of the rumors, Palm shares have jumped a bit over 5% at closing. This has been heard from Wall Street before, but will they do it this time?

The jury is out on this one. Nokia has some pretty good reasons to buy Palm, like the taking over of control of the Web OS that everyone loves so much. And a takeover of Palm might get them out of the US hole thy dug themselves… But will they really do this? If history shows anything, probably not. It’s most likely just a ploy to get shares up at Palm and Nokia both before the coming holiday season. News like this would definitely move quite a few units, true or not.

What’s the Deal With Sony Ericsson?
Another New release, that’s what. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.

Meet the Xperia X10

This beauty is a much awaited new addition that will be the first Android OS based phone to have an 8 MP camera with touchfocus, and 5 faces finder with the photos to be displayed on a 480×854 WVGA TFT Touchscreen. It will also have ActiveSync, TimeScape, where you can have all your social media apps in one place, and Turbo 3G. The internal memory is 1GB and a powerful 1Ghz SnapDragon processor. The external memory is in the form of a SanDisk Micro SD card of 8GB and can use ones up to 16GB.

Wow. Go Sony… IMHO I think this is one of the nicer smartphones to come from Sony in a while…

What’s the Deal With Samsung?
Samsung has just released, today in Europe, the Samsung i5700 Galaxy Spica. It is the first Android OS(Cupcake 1,5) based phone to offer support for DivX video with the help of an 800 Mhz processor and, according to Mobile Burn.com, it is a

“…quad-band GSM/EDGE phone that also supports 3.2Mbps HSDPA data speeds on the 900 and 2100MHz UMTS bands. It features a 3.2-inch Half-VGA (320 x 480 pixel) TFT capacitive touchscreen display and also sports a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus.”

The phone is also HTMl browser capable with GPS Bluetooth 2.1 and WiFi capable.

And the Verdict Is?
My, my, my… Apple just doesn’t give up do they? First all the petty rejections of the iPhone apps, then court cases and now advertisements lower than those an Affilliate Marketer would use? No offense to those who read this, please, I’m just trying to make a point. Apple needs to get a grip and give up on the ad thing. They get enough sales, and they are on top of the world.

It’s bad enough I got stuck with one of those ads on EWeek.com last night. Now Apple, for whom I actually had more respect than Microsoft, is going to try to use them, or at least sell them to someone else contributing to the loss of respect for them and loss of our browsing freedom… I sincerely hope this goes all over the net in protest.

As for Nokia taking over Palm… Never gonna happen. They have said it before and it never happened. I think it’s just said or hinted at to make shares go uo so they can make some money, since they haven’t done anything here and lost most of their market share a long time ago..

both new releases are great. Sony’s is absolutely beautiful and I can’t wait till it hits shelves. Samsung did the right thing hitting Europe with it today. I’m not sure it would have gone over too well in the US…

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 opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Youserbase.org’s executive staff, and Youserbase.org as such hold no liability of any damages arising from any opinions expressed by the author.

What’s the Deal?
Today marks history. The dropping of Symbian from the Samsung Empire in the coming year is a bold move that has Samsung operators and developers up in the clouds. The OS, called Bada which is Korean for “ocean”, will not be an OS per se, but it will get a free ride atop of Samsung’s proprietary software. The new addition will be officially announced in December and the SDK will also be available, at the same time, to developers who may want it. Hosoo Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of Media Solution Center at Samsung Electronics says in a prepared statement to the press-

“Bada will be Samsung’s landmark, iconic new platform that brings an unprecedented opportunity for operators, developers and Samsung mobile phone users around the world.”

Why does Samsung think the world needs another Mobile OS?
“But Mommy,“ Samsung whines childishly, “Every one else has one, I want one too!”
That’s why, according to PC World. Because everyone else has their own and they have enough money to do it with. They also say that the OS will get little or no developer support and it won’t be worth the try.

So What’s the Verdict?
I say good for Samsung! I think it’s about time they get in on the act. Being as they are in the top 5 of the Smartphone club, they should have their own OS. It’s fitting, I think. And maybe it will even offer up enough competition to bring down prices of the others. Don’t get me wrong, I love Symbian and am all for the Open Source thing, but Samsung , I think, will have a chance with this. Now…If we could only get Symbian to manufacture their own actual handsets…

For more great articles and user ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Youserbase.org’s executive staff, and Youserbase.org as such holds no liability of any damages arising from any opinions expressed by the author.

The Intel Anti-trust Thing
Intel has already either been investigated, or has settled, anti-trust suits in South Korea, Japan and the European Union. Now, I am sorry to have to say, Intel must deal with New York State’s (US) Attorney General, Andrew S. Cuomo. And let me tell you something, being that I am originally from NY, I know how nasty the government can be there. Intel does not want to mess with them, so I hope they settle quickly, or at least show that they didn’t do what NY is alleging they did.

But, with the evidence that has surfaced, I think they would be better off settling, to be honest. First, there is a quote In PCMag.com saying-

Kevin Rollins, had said that Dell had “made no plans to begin using” AMD chips. “Finally, something positive,” commented one Intel executive. On the contrary, Intel CEO Paul Otellini returned: “The best friend money can buy.”

So what’s an Intel to do?
Well, just wait and see. There is so much other evidence on Intel that it is almost impossible to think they aren’t guilty. The suit, even though it is targeted at Intel, also includes IBM, HP, and Dell, for various reasons. Including payoffs to not produce AMD based server processors, artificial caps of 5% of the market share at OEM and for rebates… Among other things… Come on Intel… Did you really think you were gonna get away with it forever?

New Samsung Releases-Mythic and Flight
These two new AT&T releases by Samsung are available starting November 8 and two totally different handsets. The Mythic is trying to give life to the AT&T Mobile TV services and has AT&T Mobile Music, AT&T Navigator, 3.3 display, 3.2 mp Camera, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth and AT&T’s famous TouchWiz.

The Flight, on the other hand, only has a 2 megapixel camera, no 3G and a smaller touchscreen, but it does come with the AT&T Navigator and Music. They are selling at dramatically prices too, the Mythic @$199.99 and The Flight @$99.99, for obvious reasons. Both with contract and rebates.

iPhone Developer Jailed?
Yup.. And apparently it’s not the fist time this has happened in the iPhone world. the arrested is called Storm8 and is a game developer for the iPhone. he is of the World War, Mobster and Vampire Live fame. Allegedly, he was stealing the phone numbers of the people who purchased his games and was using them to his own benefit, without permission. A Big Privacy NO-NO! The last time this happened, a Swiss developer was arrested for the same thing. But he went a little further. The developer, Mogo is the name, was using the numbers to harass the customers into buying more games. So what’s going to happen to Storm8? Not sure just yet, but the Swiss Developer is being sued… Will keep you posted on the outcome.

And The Verdict Is?
Wow, is pretty much all I can say right now. All the big players being investigated for an anti-trust conspiracy? That is gonna hurt when IF they lose.

As for the 2 new phones? It’s great news, as obviously iPhone is getting into trouble in just about every area… and the developer getting jailed? Come on now, we are all grown ups here. Do we really need to steal? Is the business that bad that they have to resort to those kind of actions just to make a buck? Really? Like I said, good thing AT&T released those phones…

What’s the Deal?
Apparently there is a new (or not so new, depending on how you look at it) device that allows a person to talk to compose email and text, as well as listen to incoming messages-All while you drive. This can be done anytime, on any network and any phone. Cell phones are Smartphones-it doesn’t make a difference, they are all compatible. The BlackBerry, iPhone-all of them, Nokia’s Motorola’s, WinMo phones, you name it and it will work.

Can It Do Anything Else?
Really? You want it do do more? Ok, you win… Here goes–The Voice on the go application can also go through your contacts and place a call from the list, check and update your calendar, send Tweets and update your Facebook profile. Wow..That is real cool. Do you know why? Where other apps claim to be all voice activated, this one really is. With others you have to press a button to be able to activate it. With Voice on the Go, it is completely voice activated. Making it a lot more safer to drive. And with the Txt L8R campaign up and running, this is just in time.

What’s the Verdict?
If you own a mobile phone and drive with it, you need this app. Not onl will you be using one of the coolest applications around, you are making the road much safer by being more aware of your surroundings. And it only costs 5.99 a month-A small price to pay for your life and its safety, don’t you think? I sure do.

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!

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.

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Please check back tomorrow for more of the latest updates in the mobile industry

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

Wow. Microsoft has managed to do it again. Hype us all up for what is supposed to be the greatest release of a mobile OS yet, Windows Mobile 6.5. And then finally after all this time waiting, hoping and saying to ourselves, “Could this really be it? Is this really going to be the best one yet?” Just to find out the truth once again… That Microsoft has produced another dud.

A Little Microsoft History
But then again, did we really expect anything else? I mean look at their recent history. Windows XP and XP Professional, the desktop OS’s which were the greatest released since the worst OS in history (Windows ME [cringing while typing]). Then supposedly Vista was supposed to be better. “Better, faster and more powerful…” Microsoft promised. But what did they deliver? another bad imitation of the ME OS.

What’s Inside the New Mobile OS?

Well, for starters, it has added Titanium, an on screen menu. But, because of custom branding of the main screen by the phone makers themselves Titanium is almost worthless. Then there is the start button at the top left of the screen, required on all screens and the bizarre way the apps menu is set up. There is apparently no way to change it. The only thing you can do with the apps is to “move to top” and nothing else. Not very engaging if you ask me. There is no way to get rid of the ones you want and no way to tell where you are in the menu. What is the point of a menu if you can’t navigate properly? Especially for those who go crazy buying all the apps they can, you will never be able to find the one you want without getting “lost”. There aren’t too many other changes, as most are just on the surface with not much under the hood itself. According to Gizmodo.com, it’s almost like a revamp of Windows Mobile 6.1 and noting else. Almost like when a person dyes their hair or changes a makeup look.

History Repeats Itself

And now with the release of the Mobile OS 6.5, the bad reputation is repeating… And getting worse. And the worst thing about this is that any phone that is utilizing this mobile OS is going to suffer for it. Take the HTC, LG and Samsung smartphones for example. These mobile phones have a reputation of being some of the best phones on the market. But now because some of their models are running Windows Mobile OS 6.5, they are going to take the hit.

And The Verdict Is?
Guilty. Guilty of just plain laziness to deliver what the customer wants. The customers wanted something better. Now they are going to have to wait for the release of Windows Mobile OS 7.0 and, with MS’s reputation holding steady, that is probably going to take a while (and probably going to be as bad). I am predicting that because of the recent reviews stating that the OS is a disappointment, sales will either drop of take a while to catch up to the competition. All because Microsoft had to rush to get the updated OS out there without putting any real effort into it.

For more ratings and reviews, please visit the home page @ Youserbase.org
And check back tomorrow for my take on the QWERTY vs. DVORAK controversy