when anonymous callers try to contact you, you can use an app that locates calls by cell phone numbers in reverse - use it when you are not sure who the number belongs to

 

• 28Jan

  Motorola Droid Specs Temporarily Spill Out From Official Website

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  Verizon Wireless has been teasing customers with the Droid all through the week, as part of the build-up to the smartphone’s Oct. 28 unveiling. Leave it to Motorola to ruin all the fun.

  Earlier today, the Motorola website put up their dedicated section for the Droid, listing the handset’s full details and specifications. While it’s prudent to prepare a mini-site a week before a device’s release, you’re also supposed to keep it behind the firewall – a precaution the company didn’t take. As a result, we now have the full dirt on the heavily-hyped Android smartphone.

  Running on Verizon’s network, the handset will come with CDMA 1X 800/1900 and EVDO rev. A connectivity. Disappointing expectant customers a bit, it’s running a 550 MHz CPU, a slight letdown from the originally rumored 600 MHz processor (it’s supposed to be using the same one on the iPhone 3GS). Motorola will be shipping with the latest Android version (2.0 Eclair).

  Main features include a 3.7-inch touchscreen (16:9 aspect ratio, 480 x 854 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera (with dual LED flash and 24fps captures), a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard, aGPS, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, a Webkit-based browser with HTML5 compatibility and Flash 10 support (by 2010). It will come pre-loaded with a 16GB microSD card, with support for up to 32GB units.

  Phone dimensions are quite impressive at 2.4 x 4.6 x 0.5 inches, making it only slightly thicker than the iPhone, despite packing a full QWERTY keyboard. Like most Android releases, it will come pre-installed with the entire range of Google’s apps, along with Amazon’s MP3 Store and contact list integration with Gmail, Facebook and Exchange. It doesn’t appear to be coming with the Motorola Blur, though (likely Verizon’s choice).

• 26Jan

  NBA League Pass Mobile Streams Live Games On Android, iPhone And Blackberry

  Technology No Comments

  Both the MLB and the NFL have entrenched themselves into mobile phones by way of various apps and services. With the 2010 NBA season having just commenced, pro basketball fans are getting in on the action too.

  The National Basketball Association has released the NBA League Pass Mobile, a downloadable app available to all iPhone and Android users that somehow mirrors what’s being offered with the league’s NBA’s League Pass TV package. It’s also coming to Blackberry users before the end of the year.

  What does it do? The app lets users watch up to 40 live games weekly directly on their mobile phones. Not all games will be available depending on your location, though, as local TV blackout rules will continue to be enforced (damn GPS on cellphones, right?). You can also watch the games on demand up to two days late, along with game alerts and live statistics.

  Sounds awesome? Yep. Priced pretty steep, though, costing $39.99 for the duration of the season. If the price is a little too rich for your tastes, you can opt for Game Time Lite (available on all three platforms above), a free download that lets you read scores, stats, standings and team schedules. For a little more content, you can pay $9.99 for the full version, which offers some games on demand, highlights, live alerts and real-time updates via Twitter feed.

  Too cheap for all that? Me too. I just wait till I get home and open up NBA.com on my browser. Works every time.

• 24Jan

  Sony Ericsson Aino Innovates On Features, Doesn’t Exactly Succeed

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  The Sony Ericsson Aino is an ambitious phone that tries to add new capabilities other handsets usually don’t come with. It bears some very noticeable flaws, but its brave attempt at providing innovative features help it stand out from the pack.

  While not exactly the PSP Phone everyone was hoping for, the handset does have a special relationship with the PS3. You can’t use it to control games as earlier rumored, but you can turn the console ON and OFF from your phone. Streaming video and audio over cable works like a charm. You can also do it over 3G and Wi-Fi using the Remote Play feature although it’s not that easy to configure (let’s just say you’ll do a lot of trial and error – mostly error).

  Physically, the Aino is a beautiful phone with a very attractive design. The interface modes are also quite unique to the handset, mixing both touchscreen and non-touchscreen interfaces, depending on whether the keyboard is slid out or not. Like many Sony Ericsson handsets, the touch implementation is not that good, especially if you’re used to better touch controls, such as those on the iPhone and Samsung’s handsets.

  As a phone, it manages average quality voice calls, with natural-sounding voices and little distortion. Speakerphone is also better than average. Battery life rating isn’t stated, but it should be good for around two days of normal use.

  The Aino is a feature-rich device, easily evidenced by reading through the specs list. Quite simply, it has everything you can ask for in a feature phone and more. Notables include a good number of useful apps (both pre-installed and downloadable from Sony Ericsson’s app store), a decent (albeit, not full HTML) web browser, both 3G and Wi-Fi access, an onboard GPS and a very good music player. For the latter, do note that the phone doesn’t have a 3.5 mm jack, but it does come with a wireless adapter. There’s also a pretty powerful 8.1 megapixel camera with a huge amount of editing options, although quality of stills is largely average.

  Overall, the Sony Ericsson Aino is an ambitious feature phone with some innovative talents. It doesn’t always work as advertised, but is a good try nonetheless. It could use a bit of a price reduction, though.

• 23Jan

  Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition Announced, Comes With DVB-H Programming, 3G

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  Nokia just announced a new handset that boasts DVB-H mobile broadcast TV among its list of entertainment features. Called the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition, the new phone offers a bevy of multimedia and social features, along with the ability to watch television programs on the go.

  According to the company, the new device offers one-click access to live broadcasts, with capable reception quality aided by the bundled headset that doubles as an antenna to spruce up signal pickup. It also comes with Nokia’s Electronic Program Guide, which allows you to build personal channel listings and customized TV viewing.

  Apart from the DVB-H capabilities, the Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition features a 2.4-inch QVGA display, a 3.2 megapixel camera module and 3G support. It comes with preloaded apps for numerous services, including YouTube, Facebook and MySpace, as well as Nokia’s own messaging client that can work with a wide variety of IM services. Ovi Store support is also integrated, so you can download more content directly from Nokia’s storefront.

  Touted as an entertainment handset, the phone comes with dedicated music controls, along with support for the company’s largely unsuccessful Comes With Music Service. Nokia claims a battery life of up to six hours for uninterrupted TV viewing.

  The Nokia 5330 Mobile TV Edition is slated for introduction in over 20 countries within the coming months, angling for a piece of the worldwide mobile TV audience, which they expect to reach well into 300 million users by 2012. Price is listed at €155 ($232) plus VAT, although exact release dates haven’t been provided.

• 22Jan

  Nokia 6350 Brings Excellent Communication Features, Slips Off On The Multimedia

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  While geared towards basic users, the Nokia 6350 brings along a good set of extra features to go with its attractive clamshell design. It’s not the kind of phone that’s designed to impress, but you’ll have all your standard communication needs met with a few bonuses thrown in.

  Physically, it looks just a tad better than your average flip phone, featuring slim lines, smooth corners and a nice material on both cover sides. It doesn’t open all the way through. Instead, it creates an arc that allows the screen to slightly incline, which is an overall better way of using the device. Nokia claims the model is free from harmful materials and is 80% recyclable.

  It features a small, full-color 1.36-inch screen outside and a 2-inch LCD inside. Both panels manage brilliant colors with plenty of details. The keyboard is well-spaced and the navigation array is spacious, making it very easy to use.

  As a phone, the 6350 manages very good calls, with clear, loud and uninterrupted sound. The full-duplex speakerphone also performs admirably. Overall phone speed is quite snappy and is paired with a fast 3G connection. Battery life is rated at 4.2 hours of talk time.

  Running S40, it comes with all the basic handset capabilities, including a 1,000-contact address book, Bluetooth 2.1 and full messaging support (SMS, MMS, IM and web-based email). It can also operate in AT&T’s PTT network. The 2.0 megapixel camera offers a good range of editing options but the photo quality just leave much to be desired.

  The phone’s 3G was fast, making for quick downloads of music and files. Streaming video loaded well, but playback quality was another matter altogether. Suffice to say, it will make do as a music phone, but could be pushing it too far for video. It comes with a good number of Java apps pre-installed, including MobiTV, Juice Caster (for IM) and YellowPages Mobile.

  Overall, the Nokia 6350 is an excellent phone for basic communications as well as downloading. As a multimedia device, though, both the camera performance and video playback just aren’t up to par. At the low price it’s selling for, however, it sounds like a good deal all the same.

• 21Jan

  Ace Combat Xi Skies of Incursion For iPhone Brings Phenomenal Flight Controls, Depressing Lack Of Content

  Technology No Comments

  Ace Combat Xi Skies of Incursion is the latest in the long line of Namco’s flight action series. With numerous sequels over a variety of platforms, it’s one of the longest-running and most engaging games in the category.

  This iPhone version brings the full excitement of simulated flight combat right in your pocket. The planes all look and fly great, the background imagery is highly realistic and the controls are downright faultless. On technical criteria alone, this title trumps pretty much every game like it in the App Store.

  Skies of Incursion’s flight system is excellent, making the mechanics of flying a plane on the handheld device largely intuitive. It offers two ways to play – a first-person, in-cockpit view or a third-person chase view. Both work very nicely, although I find myself preferring the latter’s less-disorienting perspective.

  So, it’s a 5 out of 5, right? Well, not exactly. Two problems mark it that, somehow, really dampen the fun. First is the difficulty level. While it’s about as challenging as in-air fighting should be, the time limits are way too strict. More often than not, you’ll find the timer cutting you off just as soon as you’re peaking in a level. As a result, you end up having to repeat them a lot, until you eventually rattle through enemies as fast as the game requires.

  Second, and most importantly, it only comes with a stingy five levels and five planes – the rest is DLC. There are no boss levels or special missions too, so flying while blasting through enemies over five different scenarios are all you get. If you want more jets (there are an extra five available) or more levels to extend the fun, you’ll have to fork out extra cash.

  While Ace Combat Xi Skies of Incursion is a great game, being used as little more than an excuse for DLC just ends up as an exercise in frustration. If you’re willing to pay (and pay and pay) for what looks like a truly addictive flight game, then it should be right up your alley. Otherwise, there are enough distractions on the App Store to spend that $4.99 on that can last you a little more than a full hour of playing.

• 20Jan

  Sony Ericsson Announces Two New Greenheart Phones, The Hazel Slider And The Elm

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  Sony Ericsson recently announced two new phones in their eco-friendly GreenHeart line, the Sony Ericsson Elm and the Sony Ericsson Hazel. Like the rest of their similarly-branded models, both handsets are geared towards minimizing Co2 emissions and environmental footprints.

  Green credentials for both devices include the use of recycled plastics for theirbody, in-phone digital manuals, freedom from hazardous chemicals, waterborne paint, minimized packaging and a low-consumption bundled charger. Onboard apps include the Walk Mate eco (an onboard pedometer that helps measure the environmental benefits you effect by walking) and a green calculator (for measuring your overall Co2 emissions).

  Despite ably living up to the brand’s green credentials, both the slider Hazel and candybar Elm come with a well-rounded set of features. Specs are largely the same and the two, in fact, look similar, save for the form factor and screen size (2.6 inches for the Hazel and 2.2 inches for the Elm). Each handset comes with a 5.0 megapixel camera, aGPS, a good amount of social networking and location-based apps, Sony Ericsson’s various music-based niceties (PlayNow, TrackID), pre-installed NetFront web browser, dual band HSPA and microSD card support.

  Along with the phones, Sony Ericsson also announced their very first accessory in the GreenHeart line – the VH700 Bluetooth headset. As expected, it’s minimally-packaged and uses recycled materials, apart from sporting dual mics and micro-USB charging. According to the company, they intend to make all of their accessories GreenHeart-compliant by 2011.

• 19Jan

  Acer Liquid Brings Android Bare, Still Works Great

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  Acer’s first smartphone running Android is finally here, a refreshing change of pace from the company’s previous releases, which are all based around Windows Mobile. Billed as the Acer Liquid, could it be the handset that finally sets up Acer as a serious competitor in the market?

  Physically, it’s a mixed bag. The fun design, while not sleek, looks moderately attractive. It makes no attempt at covering up the cheap-looking plastic shell, although it does feel good when you hold it in your hand. Highlighting the front face is a large 3.5-inch screen (800 x 480 resolution), with a series of touch-sensitive buttons under it. The display is both bright and relatively sharp, but other Android handsets have used better.

  As a phone, the Liquid manages satisfactory calls, with clear sound and natural voices. Speakerphone is a bit on the poor end, however. The device runs on a 768MHz Snapdragon processor, which makes for impressive performance, able to navigate between menus quickly and launch new apps while others stay running in the background. Battery is rated at 5 hours of talk time. Since this handset comes with little bells and whistles, it will probably last you a good two days of regular use.

  Acer did practically nothing to spruce up the Android interface. Considering they’re going up against a league of HTCs and Motorolas that boast exceptional UIs, however, it’s a bit of a disappointment. Not that it’s all bad. It won’t match the usability gains that HTC, for instance, endowed their handsets with, but Android is good enough on its own. Plus, the lack of compatibility issues with a custom UI means upgrading to newer builds might prove easier in the long run. For customization purposes, they did throw in a few nice widgets.

  It comes with all the usual Android fare, such as Gmail, Maps and everything in between. They also added a few modifications in the background, such as being able to merge the address book with your Facebook contacts.

  Feature set is pretty standard: HSDPA, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, GPS and a 5.0 megapixel camera. The download speeds are excellent, making for quick browsing and nearly-seamless YouTube streaming. Image quality for the camera module is only average, though, with very few editing options.

  Despite the lack of much customization, the Acer Liquid actually sounds like a good deal for an Android phone, especially at the selling price of between $550 to $600 unlocked (depending on where you buy). Yes, Android is good enough to stand on its own (even without Sense UI or MotoBlur) and it does so very well here.

• 16Jan

  Bing for iPhone: Nice Alternative To Google Mobile App, Not As Good Though

  Technology No Comments

  Microsoft’s decision engine (I know, we find that a pretty useless label too), Bing, has made its way as an app on the iPhone. Say what you will about the Richmond company and its overhauled search engine, but this is a proper tool that makes for a competent alternative to the Google Mobile App for iPhone.

  As a search app, it makes for a complete experience. Laden with a stylish layout (it comes with the signature “image of the day”), it throws in all the features you’d expect to find – maps, voice recognition, search suggestions, location-based capabilities and more.

  Navigation is painless, consisting of a grid of buttons taking you to the various sections, where you can look up images, movie listings, maps, directions, businesses and news. All the needed options are easily accessible too, from a button that hides the grid to one that clears search history, among others. One thing I’d like to see is a bigger Home key – the one they use is way too small. Heck, why not make that big, fat Bing logo clickable?

  All the different search features do the job rather well. In fact, I found it (gasp) better to use than Google Mobile App in some instances. The maps is especially good for finding businesses, with a seemingly robust database behind it. Do note that this is the first release and, as such, lacks a few capabilities found on Bing apps in other smartphone platforms. Expect them to come in future updates, though.

  How good is Bing for iPhone compared to the Google Mobile App? It actually does a great job, as long as you don’t expect it to match the latter point-by-point. If you prefer Bing’s “decision engine” to Google’s though, this is a solid replacement that you can get accustomed to.

• 15Jan

  FlickTunes For iPhone Let You Control Your Music Without Looking

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  I‘ve always wondered if there was a simpler, no-look way to use the iPhone’s music player. Turns out there is and it’s been out for a while now. FlickTunes is a free App Store download from SoGeeky Software that purports to let you control the music on your handset blindly.

  Why would you want to do that? Personally, I wanted the functionality so I didn’t have to take out my iPhone from my belt mount. FlickTunes’ pitch, however, is for easier control of your music while you’re driving – which actually makes it sound a heck of a lot more significant.

  As a way to control your music while behind the whee;, I can attest to its usefulness. You swipe left to skip to the next song, swipe right to go back one, swipe up to play and swipe down to pause – all easy-to-memorize movements that does afford you some latitude. Swiping can be done anywhere on the touch surface. Other available functions (using two-finger swipes) include advancing and reversing tracks by 30 seconds, and changing the volume.

  It also displays track and artist information in large, bold fonts (along with the album cover), so you can immediately see it with a quick glance. During a stop, you can also tap on the lower right corner to see detailed iTunes information about the song playing.

  FlickTunes does the “swipe” control beautifully (after a brief phase of getting used to). If there’s anything I’d like to see added, it’s the ability to save playlists – the last thing I want to do is to pick out my on-the-road songs every time I drive to work (which is how they expect you to use the app). Since it’s free, though, I’m not sure if I’m really that justified in complaining. You know what, screw it, please have that in the next update because it’s going to make this good app even better.

« Previous Entries