Yesterday, PhoneGuard launched a new application suite in the Android Market that offers “Personal Security” and “Text Responsibly” platforms for mobile phones. The PhoneGuard app suite supplies totally free and paid apps that are designed to not only preserve teens secure whilst driving, but can be utilized by corporations alike. By disabling all keyboard functions when traveling over 10mph, PhoneGuard will make positive drivers focus on the road instead of their cellphone.
With their new slogan, “It’s your life. Drive it”, the Business’s item tactic will evolve around three separate and distinct product offerings targeted at teens, parents, and enterprise buyers. “The team is excited to bring the PhoneGuard application suite to marketplace and provide personal security and responsible texting possibilities to multiple audiences,” said Keith St. Clair, PhoneGuard Chairman of the Board and CEO. “The capabilities are robust and appealing to families, teens and corporations, all of whom are focused on staying secure on the road.”
Features, details, press release, and download links right after the break.
Looks as if T-Mobile will be quietly launching a new Unlimited Even More Plus Plan for their customers on April 13th. The plan will include unlimited Talk, Text and Data. Not too shabby if you’re one of those types who doesn’t mind paying full price for their handsets.
Of course, as is the case with T-Mobile, data is really only “unlimited” until you hit that 2 GB ceiling. From there you will be throttled into oblivion for the rest of your billing cycle.
I will definitely be letting my loved ones who are happy with T-Mobile know about this new offer.
We’ve seen plenty of HTC Thunderbolt cases showing up over the past week, despite the fact that a rumored February 14th release date seems to be giving way to an a second rumored February 24th release date. While the first group of cases we saw landed at Best Buy, if I’m not mistaken this is the first group to be found at a Verizon retail store.
The bunch features three different cases: a “high gloss” silicone cover, a snap-on hard cover, and a combo hard case with gel cover all with kickstand cutouts. Interestingly, the hard cover alone and the hard cover/gel combo both cost $24.99, while the gel cover by itself goes for $19.99. We would love to sprinkle in some “well the cases are at Verizon, maybe it will show up sooner than the 24th” speculation, but with the way this release date keeps fluctuating we don’t want to add to the fire. At least we know that when it does show up casing options will be ample.
We’re but a few days away from Mobile World Congress 2011 where we’ll finally be able to put some smart phone rumors to bed. One handset which has seen its fair share of speculation is the Galaxy S2 from Samsung. Heading into the annual event, we’re hearing what may be the last batch of specs, from two separate sources. Hit the break to see what both PocketNow and MobileFun are tossing around.
PocketNow is pointing at few Expansys details for not only the Galaxy S2, but additional Android smart phones. As for the Samsung device, these are “nothing more than speculatively populated” specs, but they do match up well with previous whispers. These guys are saying to look for a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 512MB RAM, 16GB internal storage, 8-megapixel camera, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Rounding out the hardware would be support for NFC, HDMI out, HSPA+, Bluetooth, and GPS. Looking at the processor, we’re somewhat surprised to see a Qualcomm’s 8260 1.2GHz processor with Adreno 205 3D instead of their own Orion chipset.
MobileFun lists mostly similar specifications for the Galaxy S2, but does have a few discrepancies. In this case, we have the dual-core 1.2GHz Samsung Orion processor running things with 1GM RAM. Aside from a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, everything else remains pretty consistent. Android 2.3, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC support, and an “ultra sharp 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen sound about right.
Look for all this to come to a head next week as Samsung unveils the real deal. We’ll be anxiously awaiting and look forward to sharing the news with you guys!
T-Mobile has wasted no time in its continuation of products that attack the iphone, whether on AT&T or on Verizon. In a very recent commercial, T-Mobile, the #4 carrier in the US takes on Verizon, the #1 carrier as it has recently added the Apple iPhone 4 to its arsenal. The commercial focuses on the fact that neither of the carriers offer 4G radios in the device, therefore never achieving 4G speeds and thus not being true 4G. It’s difficult for me to use the words “true 4G” and not chuckle as I write this. In any event, it’s apparent that T-Mobile is definitely trying to get across that it’s not playing games when it comes to 4G. T-Mobile is looking to expand their HSPA+ network by bringing customers somewhere in the vicinity of 42 mb/s by years end. AT&T is still only offering HSPA+ technology (14.4 mb/s) at this time and although Verizon does offer an LTE network and several devices that are compatible with it, the iPhone 4 is not one of them. Enjoy the video, and don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below.
I have no idea how I have missed this application for so long. Even at the lowest level of brightness on my Samsung Vibrant, if I am laying in the dark, I nearly blind myself turning on the screen to do something.
Developer, haxor industry, put an app out back in November called Screen Filter. What it does is help you filter out the brightness of your screen. I have only tested the application for a few hours so far. It does exactly what it was designed to do though. The controls are easy to use and adjusting your filter is easy with a slider control. I am not sure if it will help with battery life or not, howeverI will test it through out the day and find out. There is one known issue with the app right now and it is related to the Nexus S. They are working out the kinks for that right now.
Click or Scan the QRCode below to find out more information about the Screen Filter application.
I’ll be the first to admit: I’m a Carcassonne addict. I’m a big fan of the board game but didn’t really get hooked on the game until Carcassonne for the iPhone dropped in June of 2010. Since then, I’ve been playing nonstop. Back in June when TheCodingMonkies released the iPhone app, they also announced that a universal version was coming that would bring native iPad support. In my June review, I glowed about the perfection of the iPhone port of one of my favorite table-top games. I’m happy to say that the iPad update makes it even better.
But first, a refresher. Carcassonne is a tile-based board game where each player takes turns drawing a tile at random in an attempt to build and complete roads, cities and farms to score points. Because it’s turn-based, it’s a great game to pick up and play for a few minutes. Even better is the internet-based play against friends. Using push notifications, you will be alerted when it’s your turn in the game.
One of the best aspects of the port is the use of the game art found in the table-top version, and one of the best reasons why the iPad version is so welcome. Having the larger screen showcases the artwork beautifully.
In addition to the artwork, some of the user interface mechanics have been improved also using the larger screen. Most notably, after placing a tile, the screen zooms in allow you to see the surrounding tiles so you can more easily identify the best place to drop a meeple. on the iPhone, the tile just covers the game board making it easy to make mistakes.
Performance is fast and smooth on the iPad’s speedy hardware. Whether playing against the computer, doing pass and play with a friend or network play over the internet or over bluetooth, there are a variety of ways of getting your fix. Additionally, network games can be started on the iPhone or iPad and finished on the other device – nice if you find that it’s your turn and using the iPad isn’t the most convenient option.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to play Carcassonne on the iPhone or iPad yet, now is a great time to get started. It is quite simply one of the most polished games on the platform and sets a high bar for other app developers translating table-top games.
Wired: A fantastic port to the iPad. Great graphics with a polished UI.
In light of recent situations with Tony Parker, MBLware, the makers of BlackBook 3 have decided we needed to have a contest to give away 50 copies of their app. For those of you out there unaware of what the BlackBook 3 does.
BlackBook 3, will keep your private information such as your contacts, calls, and messages away from prying eyes with BlackBook’s hidden contact list. Sensitive contacts and messages stay completely hidden on your phone.
Something that Tony Parker, Tiger Woods and many other celebs out there could make use of apparently. That said, if Tiger or Tony wants to hit MBLWare or us up for a free copy we’ll gladly to accommodate the situation, although it seems they may have waited too long. For all you CrackBerry readers out there though, you’ll need to enter the contest as per normal. Just leave a comment here, on this post and we’ll pick 50 of you all to win a free copy of BlackBook 3 on the house. Just in case you can’t wait, BlackBook 3 is available now for only $1.99.
Skyfire, the 3rd party web browser that began their alpha and beta testing for BlackBerry only to abandon it a little while later, is once again considering bringing their services back to the BlackBerry Platform. While it’s not exactly an actual confirmation that they will start up testing again, the fact it got mentioned is something to consider.
We do expect to bring Skyfire 2.0 to additional platforms, and have begun discussions with some carriers and OEMs to decide which will be our next OS. Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 and Nokia’s MeeGo platform are both shaping up as platforms with a lot of potential and the recent launch of the new Blackberry OS 6 with a WebKit browser core makes for interesting potential for a future release of Skyfire 2.0. We value feedback from our users, so please let us know what platform you would like to see Skyfire on next and just as importantly let your wireless carrier know that you want Skyfire!
Rather funny that Skyfire now wants to rethink their time and effort investment for BlackBerry. It’s pretty much coming at a time that could end up being one of transition for BlackBerry and Research In Motion. If in fact QNX OS ends up making its way to BlackBerry smartphones one has to even wonder if Skyfire would be relevant. They’re version 2.0 offering brings full support for html5, offline browsing, javascript, WebKit, and full-screen video. All of which could be built right into the QNX OS and ultimately the browser anyways. Fool me once Skyfire, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Besides, Skyfire would need some server upgrades first before taking on an influx of BlackBerry users as we see it.
As parents, we have an unspoken obligation to record our children’s lives. Sporting events, school musicals and holidays are never complete without a digital camera or camcorder. Although the optics and abilities of smartphone cameras continue to improve, they still come up short compared to a dedicated device. And while “close enough” might be good enough for a lot of things, I know I’ll feel guilty one day when my kids look at pictures of themselves in crummy cell phone resolution.
With this self-burdened guilt in mind, I had a chance to play with a Kodak Playsport video camera recently. The Playsport enters a new competitive area of the market, competing with the Flip Camera and various handheld cameras (like Canon’s PowerShot and Sony’s Cyber-shot) that shoot video as well as still images. Like the Flip, the Playsport is a very affordable camera, retails at just $149 (currently $114 at Amazon) and is available in a variety of colors.
But what sets the Playsport apart is that, unlike the others, it is capable of shooting at 1080p. And what’s really unique is that the camera is waterproof up to 10 feet underwater. The camera is made to withstand a kid’s lifestyle – it is wrapped in impact rubber and claims it can survive falls without damage. It also has electronic image stabilization. The big, two-inch screen has plenty of contrast and an anti-glare shield so you can watch videos more easily outdoors. The Lithium-Ion battery is replaceable and 128 MB internal memory can be expanded up to 32 GB with SD/SDHC cards. There are lots of other features, but let’s look at how it handled in real life.
At 2.3 x 4.4. x 0.8 inches, the Playsport is about the size of an iPhone.
When I first pulled the camera out at a party, a lot of people confused it for a phone because its size is very similar to an iPhone. In low light conditions it did an OK job, comparable to other video cameras in similar conditions. Where the camera really excelled was in normal lighting conditions. The pictures it delivered were impressive, delivering pictures as good as a much more expensive video camera that I own.
The Playsport is advertised as being waterproof to 10 feet underwater, so I just had to put that to the test. My neighbor has a large saltwater aquarium, so we rigged the camera to a stick and submerged it. (There’s a quick procedure to follow before putting the camera underwater — and the camera’s smart enough to revert to normal mode after shutting the camera down.) The results were fantastic, as can be seen in the video below.
Still image taken with the Kodak Playsport.
One of the chief complaints among Playsport owners is that battery life is short, with some people saying a battery only lasted them 15 – 30 minutes. I didn’t have that problem, but a lot of people mention it. Also, the Playsport records in H.264 .MOV, which may not be every person’s first choice.
The only disappointment were the still photos I took. While the camera delivers up to 5MP 16:9 photos, I didn’t feel like they looked as good as the video. But overall, the Playsport is a really great video camera at a very good price. If you are considering a video camera for the holidays – or beyond – put the Playsport on your short list.
Disclosure: Kodak lent GeekDad a camera for review purposes.
Now here is a sort of bizarre though still very troubling security flaw surfacing for the Motorola Droid 2: With the phone in its locked state and resting at the passcode entry screen, holding the search softkey (or keyboard key) for four seconds and then following with a voice command will still respond by proceeding to complete the action requested. The phone will not respond with any sort of prompt indicating that it is listening for Voice Actions, but lo and behold asking the phone to ring a number will indeed pull up the dialer and place the call.
The issue cannot be replicated in other devices carrying Android 2.2, so it seems to be relegated to specifically the Droid 2 and its specific iteration of MotoBlur. Check out the following video to see the exploit in action.
[UPDATE]: DroidLife is reporting that the Motorola Droid X is also susceptible to the same issue. Looks like no Android 2.2 device with the latest iteration of [not] MotoBlur is safe from lockscreen voice dialing.
After Android has found a home on smartphones, televisions, and even home appliances, you may be wondering, “Where will we see the OS next?” I might just have an answer for you. Planes. That’s right, Thales and Panasonic are both planning on implementing Android in the next iteration of their in-flight touchscreen entertainment devices. Now let’s just hope Android isn’t piloting our flights any time soon. If that happens I’m assuming we’ll see an alternate history where Android is the operating system of choice for the T-1000.
Google’s foray in the phone operating system industry is booming. The growth of Android, along with the abundance of “DROID” advertising has helped launch itself into the forefront of consumers who seek an alternative to the white walled garden, and of AT&T. While Android’s speed of development has been great, there is definitely one area that can be improved upon still: Media. I’m not just talking Android’s lackluster default media player (at least we have alternatives), but the way you obtain, organize, and manage your music and videos. Now, I don’t believe Android NEEDS an iTunes equivalent, I’m quite contempt with manually transferring my media, but it would make some things easier.
The fact that Google is looking to launch Google Music with their next update, code-named Gingerbread – aka, Android 3.0 , gives us a good indication that they wants to be your to go to gadget for tunes. On top of that, Google TV is making great strides with it’s partnership with Logitech, showing off a Harmony Remote app for Android.
While not many details are known to us yet, the fact that Google is looking to launch Google Music, and Google TV, means even tighter integration to Android. So stop playing Angry Birds beta for just a second and take a stroll with me to the possible future….
Manage and organization of your media with the database powers of Google’s search
One stop access to downloading music, tv, & movies
Google TV integration for transferring TV shows & Movies to your phone or tablet
Wireless/Wifi Syncing of new media content
What other possibilities can you imagine? Let us know in the comments.
I admit, every time AppBrain rolls out a new feature I think they can’t possibly make finding apps any better, and then then they add some feature to prove me wrong and say “Wow!” all over again. In addition to overhauling the UI, AppBrain has integrated anonymous aggregated user statistics into search options to add even more ways to find that particular app that makes your life better.
For instance, you can now look for apps from the tools category that are popular among the youngest users of AppBrain, and find a Drivers Ed app. Or find out that there’s three Hello Kitty themes in the top 10 popular themes among women.
We also made it much easier to find apps that are interesting to people from a specific country. I was happy to now easily find the “Albert Heijn” application from the list of apps most used in the Netherlands, where I’m from. The 15 countries we currently provide most-used lists for are the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Australia, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Hong Kong, Brazil, France, Canada, Spain, and Portugal. Other countries unfortunately don’t have enough users on AppBrain to provide a ranking, but we will add more countries as soon as more people join!
If you’re never visited AppBrain before, it’s definitely worth checking out. In addition to tons of search options, every app has a QR code for easy scanning, or you can sync your phone with AppBrain for even easier downloads right to your phone.
Over on their blog, Evernote has practically admitted to not putting as much effort into the Android arm of their phone apps. The good news is that’s changing.
Evernote must have seen the rising demand of Android phones because they’ve doubled the size of their Android development team. Not only that, but in their first update in a long while, they’ve added these features that are Android-only:
Evernote widget
The Evernote widget is a great springboard into the app itself, giving you quick access to pictures, notes, and audio notes. The widget also gives you a quick search bar for all of your Evernote data.
Quick Share
Similarly to how you can send a particular item as a text message or an email, Evernote is giving you the option of sending it directly to your Evernote account. This is going to be great for quickly cataloging websites, pictures, etc. that you may come across in your online browsing. I see this really coming in handy around the holidays when you’re looking for the perfect gift online.
Beyond these Android specific additions, Evernote has also added pinch to zoom support, as well as several bug fixes and general updates. It’s great to see developers such as Evernote finally capitalizing on what Google’s operating system has to offer.
As part of my ZDNet writing I have been playing with a LOT of new phones running different operating systems. I bought and returned the Samsung Vibrant just this week, primarily because I already have an EVO 4G that satisfies my Android desires and I wanted to save up my upgrade subsidy credit for something coming later to T-Mobile. So with the EVO 4G my main, and only, device on Sprint, what am I using day-to-day with T-Mobile? The Nokia E73 Mode (check out my Guide) is actually my preferred smartphone. I tried using the Nokia N900 and find it does work well, but the E73 Mode is just so dang compact with great battery life, excellent messaging capabilities, and good application support that I keep going back to this device.
Even though the applications for S60 are not as plentiful as those on the iPhone and Android, I honestly find I stick to 10 or less on every platform on a regular basis. With the E73 Mode I primarily use Nokia Messaging, Gravity (for Twitter, Facebook, and Google Reader), Nokia Podcasting, Olive Tree Bible, Google Maps, and the web browser. The only thing I truly find frustrating is the lack of threaded SMS on the E73 Mode. There are a ton of other occasional apps I use on Android, but they are not essential and mainly just used for fun and to burn some time. It is interesting to note that I spend more time talking with people and finding other things to do rather than sticking my face into the screen when I am using a device like the E73 Mode or the new Windows Phone 7 operating system that have fewer apps for individual tasks.
I personally find the keyboard on the E73 Mode to be fantastic and will be following up this post shortly with a Tips & Tricks article listing many of the keyboard shortcuts that I use all the time on the Mode. It may not be the newest Nokia smartphone, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be one of the most useful to many of us. BTW, did you see T-Mobile dropped the price to just $49.99 with a 2-year contract? Wow, that is one great deal!
The days of forgetting where you took a photo are over. The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX5V, and several other cameras we tested recently, has built-in GPS receivers to geo-tag your shots so you can show jealous friends your globetrotting exploits and never lose track of what side of an international border you were on.
Though it works exceptionally well, the Sony HX5V doesn’t exactly flaunt its GPS chops. In fact, if it weren’t for the picture of a satellite on the side of the camera, you might not even know this slick little pocket shooter had a GPS receiver inside its black metallic body. The camera’s GPS feature itself is similarly stealth: You have to dig through menus just to turn it on and it can take up to a minute to lock in on a signal. This is kind of annoying.
Once we switched on sat-tracking, though, the 10.2-megapixel HX5V geotagged our shots with sniper-like accuracy during a five-borough photo tour in New York City. Reception is charted in bars on the camera’s large 3-inch LCD screen so it’s easy to tell how strong the GPS signal is. Unfortunately, New York’s skyscrapers (and even the comparatively squat Madison Square Garden) knocked out the reception, so our photos of the Empire State Building were left untagged. (Not a biggie though. Most people know it’s in NYC.)
Along with GPS, the HX5V has a few more tech tricks up its sleeve. When we got lost in Brooklyn during our photo tour, the camera’s digital compass on the LCD led us north toward our final stop in Queens. Image quality was also near the best of four other GPS-enabled cameras we tried, thanks to several helpful features like the multishot high dynamic range (HDR) mode, which combined highlight and shadow detail of two late-afternoon shots of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge into one evenly balanced photo.
WIRED GPS automatically sets the camera’s clock depending on the time zone you’re traveling in. Intelligent Sweep Panorama captures wide or tall subject matter — think Grand Canyon or the Sears Tower — just by pressing the shutter and sweeping the camera in front of you. Records full 1080p HD video in popular AVCHD format with stereo sound.
TIRED GPS signal quickly surrendered to buildings or even overhanging trees. Doesn’t display nearby place names or points of interest during playback. Confusing menu system makes adjusting GPS setting a chore.
One of the biggest things that is keeping most people from getting an iPhone (besides Android of course) is the fact that the iPhone is tied to AT&T. Many people have asked “When is Verizon getting the iPhone?”
But does Verizon really need the iPhone? Sure putting what is arguably the world’s most recognized phone on the US’s biggest cell carrier would obviously be a win for Verizon, but they (Verizon) may decide that they don’t need the iPhone.
Tomorrow, Verizon launches the Droid X, which maybe the iPhone’s best competitor yet, with it’s huge 4.3″ touchscreen, 1GHz OMAP processor and 8MP camera. An analyst for Sanford C Bernstein & Company was quoted saying “Verizon is back in the game, even without the iPhone.”
What’s ironic about all of this is that back when Google wanted to force federal government to require carries to make their networks more open to a wide range of devices, Verizon flipped it’s lid and vowed not to support the Android OS. This lasted until they saw the threat posed by the iPhone, so they got together with Google and Motorola and the result of that threesome was the much beloved and still widely used, Motorola Droid.
Verizon has since released six Android phones, which no doubt has helped boost Android’s marketshare in the US to 13%, behind Apple’s 24% and RIM’s 42%. Some additional factors that Verizon doesn’t need the iPhone are apps.
“Google and Verizon may have agreed to share the revenue produced by Android app sales, something that Apple does not do. Verizon would feel uncomfortable ceding those things to Apple.” said Philip Cusick, analyst at Macquarie Research Equities.
Regardless, Apple’s contract with AT&T is rumored to end in 2012 anyway. But with the Droid X no doubt to be a huge success (if they can keep them in stock) then I wouldn’t be surprised to Verizon just stick with Android.
At least that’s what I thought was going to happen within the first 5 seconds of this video. Google’s gone ahead and released the App Inventor, a DIY app creation tool that literally requires you to possess just a little grain of knowledge on how to put pieces of a puzzle together. The drag-and-drop, menu-driven interface ensures you’ll never have to take one look at code.
How useful this tool will be? We can’t say. I’d like to imagine that you can create more robust apps when you have your hand deep within the code (and the demo app that they created didn’t do the world’s greatest job in convincing me). We’re also afraid for what might inevitably happen to the Android market: 100,000+ apps won’t sound as hot when you’ve got a bunch of meow apps getting in your way of finding some true gems.
If you want to learn more about and try out App Inventor, be sure to make your way to the App Inventor labs page now.
Last year, Dave Banks reviewed Starmap Pro for the iPhone. It is one of the best and most comprehensive astronomy apps on the platform. As a backyard astronomer myself, I used Starmap heavily as a companion to locate objects and find detailed information about what I was looking at. After purchasing an iPad at launch, one of the apps I most eagerly anticipated was an update to Starmap bringing this best-in-class functionality to its huge screen and fast processor. Now that it’s here, I’m happy to say that Starmap HD was worth the wait.
Because the base functionality is nearly identical, I won’t spend much time talking about what the app can do and instead recommend you check out Dave’s review from last year. A quick glance at Starmap’s features page shows a minor update to the number of stars in its catalog and a feature called ‘Visibility along the year.’
But this is not to say that Starmap HD is just a simple port of the application to make use of the larger screen for drawing star charts. Much of the UI has been rewritten making information more accessible. For example, the information screen about stellar objects is laid out much nicer, displaying an object browser on the left and using the remaining space to display a picture, time visibility chart, altitude, and additional information about the object. There’s a link to Wikipedia about the object, displaying in a browser inside the application, and the ability to increase the size of the image to full screen to make just learning about objects during the day fun.
As expected, the compass works for using the device as an augmented reality portal, meaning that you can fire up Starmap HD outside, hold it up to the sky, and the app will orient the display to where you’re viewing. On the iPhone, the feature is neat, but on the iPad I’d say the feature is useful; it’s much easier to read information when using the larger screen.
The development of Starmap has gone through several revisions and customer gripes along the way. Most notably, when Starmap was launched a Pro version was also announced, but without an upgrade path, customers who purchased Starmap had to shell out again for the Pro version. Recognizing that many of Starmap’s customers may already have the app for the iPhone and given that Starmap HD is not a universal app, you can purchase Starmap HD for only $1 during it’s launch.
If you’re a backyard astronomer or casual enthusiast about the stars above, Starmap HD offers plenty of features and information to be an ideal companion for either.
T-Mobile USA is the first carrier in the US to start to model their available plans after the European market and this makes sense given that they have global owners. With T-Mobile you can choose Even More (fairly standard) or Even More Plus (no annual contract and lower monthly rates) plans. The T-Mobile Nokia E73 Mode will be priced at $69.99 with a compatible Even More plan. Today, we learned that the full, unsubsidized price with the Even More Plus plan will be $299.99 or payable as $15/month over 20 months. I was hoping it would be priced like the Nuron with the same subsidized price, but understand the E73 Mode offers much more value and device than the Nuron so the higher price makes a little sense. However, as a reader points out, over 4x the subsidized price is a bit out of hand. About 3x the price ($199.99) seems to be a much more reasonable cost.
Now before you go away shaking your head at the $300 price of the E73 Mode that is modeled after a one year old device (the E72), let’s take a look at the full unsubsidized price of some other popular smartphones for a fair comparison:
T-Mobile HTC HD2: $449.99
T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700: $449.99
T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide: $429.99
iPhone 3GS (16GB): $599
iPhone 3GS (32GB): $699
Sprint HTC EVO 4G: $449.99
Verizon Motorola DROID: $559.99
Verizon BB Storm2: $539.99
Verizon HTC DROID Incredible: $529.99
As you can see the full, unsubsidized price of $299.99 for the Nokia E73 Mode may actually be a good price when you compare apples to apples. Then again, let’s take a look at some of the unsubsidized and SIM unlocked prices of Nokia smartphones available through Nokia USA that can even be found cheaper on Amazon and Newegg at times. All of the ones listed above are available at those prices with no contract, but the phones are still LOCKED to their respective carriers. When you buy a Nokia smartphone outside of a carrier you can use it on AT&T or T-Mobile or anywhere in the world with a SIM card and supported network.
Nokia N900: $479
Nokia X6 16GB: $349
Nokia N97 mini: $479
Nokia E73: $379
Nokia 5800 XM: $259.99
Nokia E71: $250 (on Amazon)
As I said, when you compare prices the Nokia devices are a great deal. Then again, people in the US rarely pay the full, unsubsidized price and we expect to pay the low subsidized price. In the case of the Nokia E73 Mode that is again only $69.99, which is a major STEAL IMHO.
T-Mobile USA is the first carrier in the US to start to model their available plans after the European market and this makes sense given that they have global owners. With T-Mobile you can choose Even More (fairly standard) or Even More Plus (no annual contract and lower monthly rates) plans. The T-Mobile Nokia E73 Mode will be priced at $69.99 with a compatible Even More plan. Today, we learned that the full, unsubsidized price with the Even More Plus plan will be $299.99 or payable as $15/month over 20 months. I was hoping it would be priced like the Nuron with the same subsidized price, but understand the E73 Mode offers much more value and device than the Nuron so the higher price makes sense.
Now before you go away shaking your head at the $300 price of the E73 Mode that is modeled after a one year old device (the E72), let’s take a look at the full unsubsidized price of some other popular smartphones for a fair comparison:
T-Mobile HTC HD2: $449.99
T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9700: $449.99
T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide: $429.99
iPhone 3GS (16GB): $599
iPhone 3GS (32GB): $699
Sprint HTC EVO 4G: $449.99
Verizon Motorola DROID: $559.99
Verizon BB Storm2: $539.99
Verizon HTC DROID Incredible: $529.99
As you can see the full, unsubsidized price of $299.99 for the Nokia E73 Mode is actually quite a good price when you compare apples to apples. Then again, let’s take a look at some of the unsubsidized and SIM unlocked prices of Nokia smartphones available through Nokia USA that can even be found cheaper on Amazon and Newegg at times. All of the ones listed above are available at those prices with no contract, but the phones are still LOCKED to their respective carriers. When you buy a Nokia smartphone outside of a carrier you can use it on AT&T or T-Mobile or anywhere in the world with a SIM card and supported network.
Nokia N900: $479
Nokia X6 16GB: $349
Nokia N97 mini: $479
Nokia E73: $379
Nokia 5800 XM: $259.99
Nokia E71: $250 (on Amazon)
As I said, when you compare prices the Nokia devices are a great deal. Then again, people in the US rarely pay the full, unsubsidized price and we expect to pay the low subsidized price. In the case of the Nokia E73 Mode that is again only $69.99, which is a major STEAL IMHO.
The Even More Plus pricing for the Nokia E73 Mode is $15/month for 20 months (Full price is $299.99).
Google’s foray in the phone operating system industry is booming. The growth of Android, along with the abundance of “DROID” advertising has helped launch itself into the forefront of consumers who seek an alternative to the white walled garden, and of AT&T. While Android’s speed of development has been great, there is definitely one area that can be improved upon still: Media. I’m not just talking Android’s lackluster default media player (at least we have alternatives), but the way you obtain, organize, and manage your music and videos. Now, I don’t believe Android NEEDS an 
As part of my ZDNet writing I have been playing with a LOT of new phones running different operating systems. I bought and returned the Samsung Vibrant just this week, primarily because I already have an EVO 4G that satisfies my Android desires and I wanted to save up my upgrade subsidy credit for something coming later to T-Mobile. So with the EVO 4G my main, and only, device on Sprint, what am I using day-to-day with T-Mobile? The Nokia E73 Mode (check out 
But this is not to say that 
T-Mobile USA is the first carrier in the US to start to model their available plans after the European market and this makes sense given that they have global owners. With T-Mobile you can choose Even More (fairly standard) or Even More Plus (no annual contract and lower monthly rates) plans. The T-Mobile Nokia E73 Mode will be priced at $69.99 with a compatible Even More plan. Today, we learned that the full, unsubsidized price with the Even More Plus plan will be $299.99 or payable as $15/month over 20 months. I was hoping it would be priced like the Nuron with the same subsidized price, but understand the E73 Mode offers much more value and device than the Nuron so the higher price makes a little sense. However, as a reader points out, over 4x the subsidized price is a bit out of hand. About 3x the price ($199.99) seems to be a much more reasonable cost.
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