Orbiting the Altec Lansing iM-237 Ultraportable Speaker

July 4th, 2011

Here’s something funky and handy, the Altec Lansing iM-237 Orbit speaker. This little sucker will neatly attach itself to your mp3 player’s 3.5 mm headphone socket and share your tunes with all around. An optional 2.5 mm adapter will allow the iM-237 to connect up to just about any player including iPods and iPhones, and it’ll crank out music for almost 24 hours with its 3 AAA batteries. It also sports a protective case so it can handle a rough life and the $23 price tag makes the Altec Lansing iM-237 Orbit an attractive prospect.

Altec Lansing iM-237 Orbit Ultraportable Speaker for MP3 Players (Silver)

Price: $29.99

4.3 out of 5 stars (1308 customer reviews)

11 used & new available from $25.99

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RIM Brewing up a Blackberry Storm

July 1st, 2011

Touchscreen smartphones are ‘where it’s at’ in the world of cellphones at the moment and Blackberry have a nice addition to their range, namely the Storm 9530 which is currently available at Amazon unlocked for a mere $155. The Blackberry Storm 9530 features a clickable touchscreen and fast internet browsing.

Blackberry 9530 Storm Unlocked For Any GSM Carrier Worldwide

Price: $99.00

2.6 out of 5 stars (204 customer reviews)

44 used & new available from $43.97

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Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

May 2nd, 2011

Sony have unleashed a sleek and stylish smartphone with the Xperia Arc and if you like slim smartphones then the Xperia Arc could just be what you are looking for. It measures a mere 8.7 mm from front to back and in a novel design twist the back panel of the Xperia Arc actually arcs inwards. But enough of design features here are the spec numbers on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

* 4.2 inch LCD screen
* Android 2.3 Operating System
* 8 megapixel camera
* 125 x 63 x 8.7 mm
* 117 g
* GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900, UMTS 900, 2100 networks
* Data networks – HSDPA 7.2 Mbit/s HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s
* 4.2 inch TFT 480 x 854 pixel multi-touch display
* 6.91 hours talk time
* 430 hours standby time
* Qualcomm MSM8255 1000 MHz processor
* 1280×720 (720p HD) video capture
* Supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV, AMR, OGG audio formats
* Supports MPEG4, H.263, H.264 video formats
* FM Radio
* Supports IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Microsoft Exchange email
* microSD, microSDHC card slot (32 GB max)
* 2.1 Bluetooth, Wi-Fi connectivity
* microUSB 2.0 port
* 3.5 mm headphone socket

The net seems to rave about the Xperia Arc with it receiving glowing reviews on many sites, here are few for you to peruse at your leisure

Trusted Reviews – 9 out of 10
enGadget
CNet – 4 out of 5
TechRadar – 4.5 out of 5
phoneArena – 8.5 out of 10

Pros

* Brilliant screen
* Camera has shutter button
* Wafer-thin, curved case
* Gorgeous wide-screen display
* 8.1-megapixel camera with innovative sensor

Cons

* Doesn’t have a dual-core CPU
* Almost too slim
* Battery life still not great
* Thin, plastic case seems delicate
* No privileged access to PlayStation content or Sony’s music and film catalogues

Overall, Sony seem to have a winner with the Xperia Arc with all the cons either being similar cons on the competition or relatively minor issues. If you’re really keen you can grab an unlocked Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc over at Amazon currently for a bargain price of $375.


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Cowon X7 portable media player – big is beautiful

April 28th, 2011

Cowon seem to be going against the flow with their X7 portable media player. Whilst other manufacturers are trying to squeeze in as much storage as possible into small units, Cowon have not pursued this and their X7 is a massive 6.1 by 3.2 inches, more of a tablet than a media player. We’re not sure this is the right why to go but of course the upside is a large amount of storage with 160 GB available. Here’s a full list of features on the Cowon X7 portable media player

* 4.3 inch TFT LCD, 16 million colors, res. 480×272, ultra portable
* 160GB storage
* JetEffect 3.0 audio engine
* 103 hours music, 10 hours video battery
* Divx video support
* Touch sensitive interface
* Bluetooth, Voice recorder with internal microphone, FM radio, TV-out supporting composite connections and built-in speaker
* 3.2 x 0.4 x 6.1 inches
* 1.3 pounds

The overall impression on the net is that the Cowon X7 is a pretty good media player if you can get past the obvious downsides. Whilst not exactly heavy the X7 is not light either and obviously the phrase pocket-sized is NOT going to appear in the same sentence as the X7. However, it’s large storage and long battery life is ideal for users with large audio collections who are on the road a lot. Most reviewers confirmed close to the mooted 10 hour video time.

Trusted Reviews – 8 out of 10
Engadget
Expert Reviews
AnythingbutiPod
Testfreaks – 9.9 out of 10

Also Amazon customer reviewers give the Cowon X7 media player 4 stars out of 5.


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Battery Life Issues on Your Cell Phone? An Exciting New Research Offers the Answer.

April 14th, 2011

It’s no secret that Smartphones, while indispensable inside the modern life, have a trouble with battery longevity. I’ve found that in most cases, my Android and iPhone will exhaust power at the same time they’ve fallen into sleep mode while unplugged from the wall for approximately a day. This can be a bit frustrating, particularly when I need the phone to work without energy for a set period of time, such as on a road trip when I forgot to pack a car charger and won’t have accessibility to a power source for several days.

Wysips, small startup company in France would like to find a solution to prolong Smartphone battery while dodging the chance of making them any more cumbersome [1]. Expanding the size of the battery pack would certainly sure help, but a Mobile phone should be able to fit without difficulty inside a pocket or inner compartment without taking up excessive space. For this reason, the idea wouldn’t be viable.

Wysips would like to compete with top Western Touch screen phone innovators like HTC by entering their unique and innovative phones into the market. Wysips capitalizes on the life of the battery of their third generation model phones, which works on the solar cell at the top half of the cell phone’s screen to increase battery life. The good part of the whole thing could be that the solar cell is almost completely transparent, generating energy while letting the phone’s user stare directly through it.

What’s important is that the tech utilized to make the nearly-transparent pv strips is similar to the lenticular surface screen technology used to make the Nintendo 3DS plus some of Samsung’s brand new “Naked Eye 3D” panels. Fundamentally, the top side of the screen is overlaid with tiny strips of solar panels that draw in the sun’s energy to give extra energy to the smartphone.

While the solar cells can’t keep the cellphone completely functional, they are able to greatly extend the battery life of the Smartphone itself, which can be something that everyone has been begging for. The cell at the top is only marginally noticeable, showing slightly darker than the lower part of the screen. Wysips doesn’t have any fully-functional prototypes demoing at trade shows, but they got some elementary, case-free demonstrations of the technology.

The solar panels don’t obstruct touchscreen performance at all, that is a must. The solar cell film is truly a part of the screen, so moving a finger on the screen generates a perfect response.

Wysips states that future models can look even better [2], as the solar cell panels will be nearly totally transparent when the technology is ready to be displayed in all its glory.

A hands-on demo of the mobile phone has the slightly-annoying screen glitch where black bars quickly appear across the screen when the cellphone is tilted at particular angles, which is actually relatively common in different kinds of lenticular display screens on cellular phones or otherwise. Wysips says the bug will probably be worked out when a retail version is prepared.

Wysips is in talks with a variety of mobile carriers and phone makers, but the company has not done any news in regards to what company might carry their cell phone first, or which mobile phone developer might attempt to purchase the rights to the patent [3]. Nevertheless, the technology has really taken off, and it’s got tech fans and the general public alike very enthusiastic.

The firm anticipates that they’ll be creating extra few prototypes before things really get moving along in sales. There are no official estimates on when the cell phone will be retail-ready, but I’m really very excited to hear more details.

The author: Hettie T. Monaghan is a cell phones expert and writes iphone solar charger reviews for the 12voltsolarpanels.net website. It’s a non profits site she uses to talk about the latest technology reports about solar chargers for small units and mobiles.

Footnotes:

[1] Wysips Official Site explains in greater detail how the solar smart dataphone charger works

[2] Official Samsung site where it’s published their last tentative (called Blue Earth Phone) as an example of companies investing in this new technology.

[3] Patentlyapple.com writes about the Apple’s patent on solar powered devices.





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Samsung Messager Touch SCH-R630 at US Cellular

April 6th, 2011

US Cellular customers can get their hands on Samsung’s latest made-for-texting slider cellphone the Messager Touch (SCH-R630). The mobile sports a QWERTY keyboard, long battery life and a 2.6 inch 240 x 320 resolution LCD touch screen. There’s a 2 MP camera as well as a memory expansion slot and microUSB port. Here’s a full list of the bells and whistles on the Samsung Messager Touch slider cellphone

* Provider – US Cellular
* 2.6 inch, 240 x 320, 262K color TFT LCD QVGA resistive touch screen
* 2MP Camera
* CDMA network (850)
* 3.5mm jack
* 4.13 x 2.12 x 0.59
* 1000 entry phonebook with 17 ringtones
* microSD slot

The Samsung Messager Touch is not exactly packed to the brim with features but it’s a pretty impressive-looking ‘standard’ cellphone. It may be ideal for anyone heavily into texting and not much else. Otherwise it’s pretty so-so.

Samsung Messager Touch Reviews

PCMag – 3 out of 5
CNet – 3.5 out of 5
phoneArena – 8.2 out of 10

Pros – Large QWERTY keyboard, loud speakerphone, good battery life, good call quality
Cons – Lack of GPS, poor video recording, no quick access to email or browser apps

So there you have it, generally the Samsung Messager Touch received a mediocre review score. What this slider phone is designed for it, appears to do well, but is lacking in other areas.


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HTC Thunderbolt LTE with lightning speed

March 20th, 2011

Verizon Wireless have unleashed the HTC Thunderbolt LTE on the world, this sucker with its 4G technology enables high speed browsing with expected speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps. On the downside, it chews through juice like no other phone. The Thunderbolt LTE sports a 4.3 inch Super LCD screen with capacitive multi-touch and a 480 x 800 resolution. There’s an onscreen QWERTY keyboard, support for Exchange email, and it runs Android 2.2. Here is a full list of the features and specifications fo rthe super-fast HTC Thunderbolt LTE

* Android 2.2 operating system (Froyo)
* ROCK BAND Mobile
* DLNA capabilities
* Full messaging capabilities including SMS text, MMS picture/video and IM instant messaging
* Access to personal and corporate e-mail
* HTML Web browser (WebKit-based)
* Music player compatible with MP3, WMA, and AAC
* Video player compatible with MPEG4, WMV, XviD
* Built-in stereo speakers
* Dolby Mobile + SRS WOW HD surround sound enhancement
* 32 GB pre-loaded microSD memory card with support for other optional cards up to 32 GB.
* 8 GB internal memory
* 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat capabilities.
* 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash plus auto focus, face detection, and geo-tagging.
* HD 720p video capture capabilities (1280 x 720 pixels)
* 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
* 4.3-inch Super LCD display with capacitive multi-touch capabilities
* Onscreen QWERTY keyboard
* Dual microphones and noise canceling technology for clearer calls.
* 3.5mm headphone jack
* Micro USB 2.0 port with mass storage capabilities.
* Speakerphone for hands-free communication.
* Hearing Aid Compatibility: M3 and T3
* 5.78 ounces
* 4.8 x 2.6 x 0.52 inches
* 1400 mAh lithium-ion battery

Here are a few reviews for the HTC Thunderbolt LTE

Reviewer Rating Pros Cons
PCMag 4 out of 5 Incredible Internet speeds. Big, gorgeous screen. Elegant interface. Heavy. Poor battery life when surfing or streaming on 4G. Occasional bugs.
Amazon 4.5 stars out of 5

So the HTC Thunderbolt certainly seems to get a general thumbs up if you’re after lightning fast internet access from your phone.


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