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

 

• 14Jan

  Samsung OmniaPRO B7610 Brings Excellent Business Phone Hardware, Mixed Performance Results

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  Samsung’s naming conventions tend to get very confusing and the new Samsung OmniaPRO B7610 (formerly rumored as the Samsung Louvre) suffers from the same. Like its namesake (the OmniaPRO B7320), the latest business-ready handset also comes with a QWERTY keyboard. Unlike the former’s candybar form-factor, however, this one’s a side-slider with a full touchscreen in the front panel.

  Physically, the B7610 looks like a standard Samsung touchscreen phone, with the side-popping QWERTY actually proving to be a surprise. Oddly enough, the back panel (not seen in the photo) is more visually unique, decked with red, light-reflecting elements. It’s largely built of plastic and feels like it, although the construction does feel sturdy with a good sliding mechanism.

  It sports a 3.5-inch AMOLED screen, which delivers gorgeous displays. The QWERTY keyboard offers ample size and decent travel, but the sensitivity needs some getting used to. Early in our use, many of our keypresses just weren’t registering.

  As a phone, the Omnia PRO B7610 makes for decent call quality. You can have conversations clearly, but not without the occasional interference and muffled sound. The speakerphone, however, is barely usable with very low volume. Battery is rated for over six hours of talk time and it lasted us a good 1.5 days of very heavy use.

  The phone runs Windows Mobile 6.5 and brings an 800MHz processor to make sure it handles the OS capably. Unfortunately, TouchWiz 2.0 (which covers the entire phone) remains sluggish at times. It’s not terrible, but the lags are tough to swallow when you see guys like HTC doing Windows Mobile with acceptable speeds.

  It comes with all the usual Windows Mobile features, from solid messaging support to a bevy of onboard apps. Samsung’s updates to the default WinMo PIM tools are very much welcome (large buttons, bigger menus), along with the inclusion of an onscreen keyboard. As a business phone, it gets the job done handily.

  For web access, the handset comes with both Wi-Fi and 3G, along with Opera Mobile 9.5. It’s as good an experience as you can expect from a Windows Mobile device, although the aforementioned sluggishness does rear its ugly head occasionally. Media playback (both audio and video) is excellent, with native support for DivX, Xvid and H.264. Other notables include a fast GPS and an average-performing 5.0 megapixel camera.

  Overall, the Samsung OmniaPRO B7610 is a solid contender if you’re in the market for a business phone with both a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard, If Windows Mobile is indispensable to your daily work, then your high-end choice will likely have to be either this phone or the HTC Touch Pro2. I tend to fall in favor of the latter, although this is a quality performer all the same.

• 13Jan

  LG Helix: As Basic As A Clamshell Phone Can Get

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  The LG Helix is the first AWS-capable phone ever released by the Korean company. Apart from that, however, there’s not much to set it apart – it’s about as simple as a clamshell handset can get.

  Physically, it’s a traditional flip phone through and through. It’s slim, compact and should easily fit in your pocket, all while sporting a blocky, rectangular design. The Cricket version for the US comes in silver and pink (neither of which are particularly affable); hopefully, they’ll bring in the more attractive orange version too. As clamshells go, it sports two displays – a 1-inch color LCD outside and a 2-inch panel (with 220×176 resolution) inside.

  As a phone, it makes for largely inconsistent call quality – there’s occasional choppiness and crackly audio. Speakerphone was predictably tinny, but usable. Battery life is rated at five hours of talk time, which makes it good for a couple days of regular use.

  There aren’t much here in terms of features (and that’s not an understatement). You get the basics – a 1,000 entry phonebook, standard messaging, some PIM tools, Bluetooth and a WAP browser. As expected, there’s neither 3G nor Wi-Fi. Surprisingly, there’s no music player in sight as well.

  LG threw in a 1.3 megapixel camera, however, with a good amount of editing options. The picture quality was actually very good for such a basic camera, so that’s a silver lining. Rounding out the feature set are a few games (Super Street Fighter and Where’s Waldo) and apps (MyBackup and MyPerks).

  Overall, it’s tough to recommend the LG Helix. While I can understand the lack of features (it’s $119.99 without a contract), the spotty call quality is an absolute deal-breaker. It could be the network or the phone’s fault, though. If Cricket has good presence in your area, it might be worth the purchase.

• 12Jan

  Exchange By TouchDown Completes Android’s MS Exchange Support

  Technology No Comments

  Need better Exchange support for your Android phone? Most of us probably don’t. Those who do, however, will find plenty to love in Nitrodesk’s Exchange by TouchDown.

  Android’s integrated mail and calendar apps are already pretty nifty. Hardcore suits used to working on their Windows Mobile devices, though, will probably find them lacking in some ways. This app fills the gap, providing a fuller range of Exchange services for users that require it.

  TouchDown capably plugs in some of the obvious vacancies left open by Android, such as task syncing and downloading of email attachments, among others. Installation is quick using the Wizard, provided you have access to your Exchange server (a lot of organizations I know still reserve access strictly to WinMo phones, so take note). Once done, it performs all the syncing for emails, calendars, contacts and tasks. You just sit back and relax.

  It comes with a good range of support, allowing you to sync via Exchange 2003, Exchange 2007, ActiveSync and USB to Outlook. There are four widgets on board too, namely Universal, email, calendar and tasks. Would probably prefer a few more, especially since it’s a paid app (that’s not too cheap, I might add).

  Like we said, Exchange By Touchdown will probably be overkill for most users. I’m willing to bet there’s a good market for it, though, as the features it offers does make Android’s Exchange support very well-rounded. You can try it free for five days, but you’ll need to fork up $19.99 to unlock the full version.

• 11Jan

  Crush The Castle For iPhone Lets You Fire A Trebuchet Into A Castle And Watch The Resulting Carnage

  Technology No Comments

  There may not be Flash on the iPhone, but all the best Flash games are finding their way to the platform anyway. That’s exactly the case with Crush The Castle, a seriously addictive Flash title that’s been ported to the handheld.

  Gameplay is as uncomplicated as you can make it: you load up a Medieval trebuchet with projectiles and lay castles to waste using it. The level of destruction depends on your weapons (rocks, firebombs and all sorts of projectiles are available), how much leverage it got before being released (you control the actual firing) and the actual castle’s durability.

  Controls are simple and easy to figure out. You tap once to load a weapon, tap again to launch and tap once more to release it any point in the arc (allowing you to target specific points of the castle). The castles are made of beams and react like it (nice physics work), making their actual collapse more fun to watch than you’d expect. You get props not just for bringing castles down, but killing off their inhabitants too, so there’s some amount of violence (not gory enough to make kids squirm, though) as well (along with a trickle of blood).

  As you go further in the game, you get access to new weapons, new lands to demolish and new challenges (such as fires being introduced into the equation). Some of the castles are painfully difficult to bring down (to the point that I’ve found it impossible to get a Gold Medal even after cheating with a reset), so there’s enough here to keep you glued for a good while.

  Crush The Castle is a great game to own for $1.99, with a free demo version also available if you’d like to try it out first.

• 09Jan

  Motorola Quantico Brings Dependable Phone Capabilities, Durable Make

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  Despite their recent successful forays into smartphones, Motorola remains a regular source of rugged handsets. The latest to come out of the company is the Motorola Quantico, a clamshell boasting compliance with full military specifications.

  Physically, it shares the same form factor as the recently-released Motorola Brute. The resemblance ends there, though, as much of the design is evidently different. Being a rugged phone, looks take a backseat to durability – hard plastic housing, textured rubber sides and back, securely-plugged jacks and a very bulky frame.

  It sports two screens, a 1.6-inch external panel and 2.2-inch display (176×220 resolution) inside. Both are colored. While they obviously won’t dole out the sharpest graphics, both have sufficient brightness and good usability. Both the keypad and navigation array are easy to use, unlike other rugged phones we’ve seen.

  As a phone, it makes for impressive calls – conversations were clear with no discernible distortion. Voices came through sounding natural with plenty of volume. On the other end, users reported the same positive experience. Speakerphone feature worked well, although those we were talking to reported some notable harshness in the sound. Battery life is rated at 5.8 hours, which should be good for up to 2 or 3 days of normal use.

  The Motorola Quantico comes with largely basic features. There’s the standard phone stuff, such as a 1,000-entry phone book, PIM tools, messaging (SMS, MMS, web email), stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion (up to 8GB). More advanced capabilities include a wireless web browser, aGPS and push-to-talk (depending on carriers).

  Music player is decent, with support for a wide variety of file formats and playlists. They also threw in a 1.3 megapixel camera with a good amount of options and surprisingly usable photo quality. Of course, we also tried dropping and dunking it in shallow water a few times – it’s good enough to withstand basic durability tests.

  Overall, the Motorola Quantico doesn’t bring much in terms of looks, but does make up for it with solid rugged capabilities and strong execution of its core features. US Cellular currently has it for $99.95 ( no PTT, though) on a two-year service agreement.

• 07Jan

  SIMFi Embeds WiFi Into The SIM, Turns Your Cellphone Into A Hotspot

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  Some phones can tether their internet connections. Others can’t. Soon, all of them will if you slip the SIMFi into your SIM card slot.

  Created by Sagem Orga and Telefonica, the new breed of SIM card comes with its own embedded WiFi radio and software, allowing you to share your handset’s data connection without anything else. No extra apps to download, no extra plan to pay for, no jailbreaking necessary – just put the SIM card in and connect away.

  How does it work? You just pop the card into a cellphone and turn it on. Onboard “SIM toolkit applets” act as the control software, managing the settings and other administrative tasks. The embedded radio will then create a Wi-Fi hotspot, sharing whatever data connection you have (3G or GPRS) to any device you want to give access to it.

  This means your phone don’t need to support WiFi to allow tethering, giving you internet access for the rest of your portable devices wherever you end up. All those laptops and netbooks with a 3G modem built in? No longer necessary. As an extra benefit, the data connection won’t need to siphon your computer’s battery too.

  Would have been more awesome if the SIM itself integrated a 3G radio, though, so my favorite $40 candybar can finally find use beyond calls and texts. Not sure why they didn’t do that, but maybe the technology’s a bit much to ask?

  With one of the world’s biggest telecoms, Telefonica, involved, you can expect the SIMFi to get a big push. More information should come out of MWC next week, so we’ll know the nitty-gritty of how this works by then.

• 05Jan

  X2 Snowboarding For iPhone Brings Great Graphics, Engaging Tricks And Immersive Gameplay

  Technology No Comments

  Pumped up from the Winter Games? You can snowboard like a heavily-padded athlete on your iPhone too with X2 Snowboarding, the first really good snowboarding title to ever grace the platform.

  First, a disclaimer. I’m not a big fan of snowboarding games. In fact, I’d never been able to tolerate them until a friend turned me onto SSX some years back. While it hasn’t grown on my stable of favorites, I do enjoy a pick-up game every once in a while.

  The graphical presentation of X2 is really noteworthy. While cartoony, the overall look is exceptional, especially when compared to competing titles on the App Store. The instant replay, which allows you to watch scenes from various angles over and over, are a constant source of amusement.

  You get a choice of six characters, each one with a varied skill set that gives you different advantages and disadvantages during play. There are six possible venues (USA, Switzerland, Japan, New Zealand, Canada and Chile) and three types of competitions (Freestyle, Race, and Trick-Race). The slopes are very long, with plenty of variations, making for a challenging romp every time down.

  Controls are a combination of tilt and touch, but are geared quite loosely, which works really well for both the platform and the fast-paced action. The basic buttons control jumping and turbo, while a third one helps you tie tricks together. When you’re up in the air, buttons appear to perform various grabs. You can also tilt the phone to rotate the character during the trick.

  With an excellent soundtrack to top everything off, X2 Snowboarding is one of the most immersive and exciting solo sports games on the iPhone. Very surprising. The price feels a bit steep, though, at $6.99.

• 04Jan

  LG Maxx LG9400 Announced For South Korea, Boasts A 1GHz Snapdragon CPU

  Mobile Phones No Comments

  LG Telecom has just introduced the follow up to the LG Arena. Originally rumored to be the Arena Max LU9400, the touchscreen feature phone has dropped the Arena branding and will simply be known as the LG Maxx LG9400.

  While not a smartphone, the company has seen fit to equip the device with a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8650 CPU (which, by the way, is different from the chip that the Nexus One and the LG eXpo are using, which is a QSD8250). Yes, a high-end processor for a handset that’s not running a full-blown OS. We’re not sure why they did it, but you should expect speedy performance from the top to bottom of the feature set with something this powerful.

  Details of the LG Maxx include a 3.5 inch WVGA touchscreen display, a 5.0 megapixel camera module, a finger-touch mouse control, aGPS, Wi-Fi and mobile TV (T-DMB). It’s running what appears to be an updated version of LG’s S-Class 3D UI. Other features include DivX support, HD video decoding and, presumably, an HDMI out (where else would you watch 720p movies, after all). By the way, the QSD8650 comes in CDMA and GSM flavors, so it should be safe to assume we’re bound to see this outside South Korea as well.

  The LG Maxx LG9400 should be available within the first quarter, although pricing details remain sketchy. It will come out under the fledgling LG Telecoms first (presumably to drive a few new customers to the country’s smallest carrier), before being picked up by both SK Telecom and KT.

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