* Look What’s Coming to Sprint…4G, Baby!
It is said to be “America’s first 3G / 4G Android phone with Google, the HTC EVO, “A Sprint Exclusive”, will have wireless speeds that will mirror most peoples DLS or cable modem connections. Sprint is the first 4G national carrier. The HTC EVO 4G features will include a 4.3 in. screen, 2 cameras (including an 8.0 mp), wi-fi, HDMI connection, a 1GH Snapdragon processor & a-lot MORE!
* Looking for A New Device?
* WES 2010 Is Right Around the Corner!
The Wireless Electronics Symposium is going to be here before we know it! Scheduled for April 27th – 29th, in Orlando, Florida, is a “Can’t Miss” for those who work in the “BlackBerry World”. Registration opened in January, if you haven’t done so yet, you can do so HERE! For more info on the training & tracks, just head on over to the WES 2010 Track Overview.
* Take A Look @ The Powermat!
One of the many “Huge Hits” at CES was the Powermat! With all of the alternate charging methods floating around, the Powermat definitly comands attention. In case you haven’t heard of the Powermat, I’ll give you a quick run down. The Powermat is the penicale of wirless charging. Once you have outfitted your favorite device with one of the Powermat recievers, you are good to go. You just drop your device on to the Powermat & it does the rest.
Let’s take a closer look at the Powermat. There are two Powermats to choose from. You have the “Powermat Home & Office Mat”, & the “Powermat Portable Mat”.. ( both can be purchased @ Powermat.com for $99.99.) You have two options to choose from when it comes to getting your device ready to use with the Powermat. You will either have to get the correct reciever for your device or you can use the Powercube, which comes with 8 Powertips & claims to be able to charge nearly every mobile device. On the “Products Page” @ Powermat.com, there is a drop down menu that allows you to choose the device / devices that you want to charge, then tells you exactly what you will need to charge those devices…(pretty cool..huh). You can chagre almost anything , from a laptop to a BlackBerry ( of course..lol).
You can charge up to 3 Powermat enabled devices on both the home mat & the portable mat, which is impressive. Most portable options give you less for your money, in my opinion, so that was a huge plus! We are gonna dive into some of the technical aspects of the Powermat so let’s get started. I will try to translate some of it in to “Non Geek Speak”..lol.
So, how does all of this Extremly Cool Technology work? Let’s find out! Once the reciever has been attached to the device, some pretty neat stuff takes place. We’ll start with “Magnetic Allignment”. A magnetic attraction between ever reciever & the access point on the mat assures that the allignment is precise & that the most efficient charge will occur. This is said to be one of the keys that allows the Powermat to charge your device as fast or faster than the devices original power adapter. The next peice of tech that makes the Powermat feat possible is the “RFID Handshake”. Now this is extremely cool, especially if you are interested in conseving energy, ( which all of us should be ).
Each Powermat charging adapter contains an RFID chip that communicates with the Powermat through what is known as the “RFID Handshake”. This allows communication between the mat & the reciever to deliver an exact amount of power for the proper length of time so that the transfer of power is safe and efficient, and No Energy Is Ever Wasted!
Back to some of the basics of the Powermat. Each access point has a corresponding indicator light that lets you know the charging is indeed happening. These indicator lights can be adjusted & even be turned off is you like, ( but why would you like that?!). The Powermat aslo has an “Auto Shut-Off”. When a full charge is acheived, power to that device is shut off to save energy. Another feature of the Powermat is the “Full Charge Check”. Once your device has reached a full charge and the Auto Shut-off has taken place to save energy, the Powermat system will monitor the battery level of your device. If any battery power is used, the Powermat will initiate once again, restoring your device to a full charge.
The only thing about this product that doesn’t exactly thrill me, is the fact that in order just drop your device on the mat for charging, you have to have the recivers physically attached to your devices. In most cases ( like on a BlackBerry), this is done by replacing your factory battery cover, with a Powermat battery cover that will run you around 30 bucks, but it’s a small price to pay for the convienence, if you ask me.
If you are interested in picking up one of these slick chargers for yourself, you can also grab them at the BlackBerryStuff Store for a couple of bucks less.
* A Little SNL Fun @ Apple’s Expense !
* Sprint-Nextel Acquires Virgin Mobile USA~11/24/09!
It has been floating around the “Mobile Rumor Mill” for a while now, & it looks like the acquisition was completed today. Sprint – Nextel has acquired Virgin Mobile USA, but what does this mean to customers of either company, if anything? Sprint has been trying to make their way into the “Pre-Paid Area”, for some time now. They have had a decent start & the acquisition of Virgin Mobile USA should help to bolster their attempts.
As for Sprint Customers, they should really see no changes. Sprint is claiming that the transaction will be a seamless one, so Good Luck to all !
“With continued growth in the U.S. prepaid segment, Sprint is further positioning itself as a leader,” said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. “With Boost’s continued success and the iconic Virgin Mobile brand under one umbrella, Sprint will offer customers value and flexibility with great devices running on a dependable network with great coverage. Customers using Sprint’s Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile USA’s products and services will continue to enjoy the benefits of their current phones, service plans and features and do not need to take any action.”
* The Palm Pixi Available Nov. 15th!
Palm’s latest work of art is said to have the release date of 11/15/09! This is Palm’s first smartphone release since the release of the Palm Pre’ & their new OS, Web OS, which was suppose t be Palm’s answer to Apple’s iPhone. The Palm Pixi will be sold exclusively @ Sprint, as least for now, which should not be too much of a surprise as the Pre’ was a Sprint exclusive also.
The Pixi will sport Palm’s latest operating system, Web OS, and this is the 2nd device to be released with this OS. The Pixi is a straight “candy bar” style smartphone with a full keyboard. Looking at the pictures of the new device, it basically looks like the Pre, without the slide-out keyboard.
Now, one of the coolest things about Palm’s new Pixi is that there is an “Artist Sereies”. The pic above shows one of the available options, there are 5 different themes to choose from, all from different artists, and they all look pretty cool.
When Palm first launched the Pre, there were some bugs to be fixed with the new OS, as with any new OS release, so here’s hoping that they have worked out the bugs with the release of the Pixi. If you have been waiting for the next release to try out the new OS, you’ll get your chance on 11/15/09! Sprint will be offering the Palm Pixi for only $99.99, with a 2-year contract, of course. It has been priced to move, that’s for sure. I think that this will confirm all of the rumors that have been floating around the “mobile world”, that smartphones will have to have lower prices in order for the manufacturers to stay in the game.
* Possible Mobile Device Security Threat!
Mobile Device Security, has been a “hot button issue” lately. With the vast majority of the world running their businesses, financial & personal lives, right from their mobile devices, we all know that it is just a matter of time before some thief, figures out a way to have into our mobile lives.
In an article from CNet.com, it states that “security researcher’s have discovered a way to seal cryptographic keys that are used to encrypt communications and authenticate users on mobile devices by measuring the amount of electricity consumed ot the radio frequency emissions.”
Let’s face it, security is a huge issue to all of us, especially those of us who couldn’t fenction without our precious BlackBerry Devices , and yeah, we know who we are. As recent as 3 months ago, security researchers had stated that mobile security threats were going to be a distant concern. I think that that may have under estimated the Mobile Hackers, once again. Be sure to read the article @ Cnet.com. It’s eye opening, the ways that someone could gain access to your mobile device without your phone number or even laying a finger on your device.
* Sprint’s New Samsung Reclaim!
Now, for not being a BlackBerry, this phone is Awesome, & for those of us that are “Eco Friendly”, it’s even better! I have not been able to turn all of the cell phone users in my house on to BlackBerry yet, so today, we had a Samsung Reclaim delivered to our home & this little thing is packed with features.
It has a slide-out keyboard, which is great for typing, but it also allows you to access every other feature without sliding the phone open, which is pretty handy. The Reclaim comes in green or blue. It has a nice sized screen for media , (I’m a Sprint TV junkie), so that is an important feature. The Reclaim gives you email access, & allows instant access to the first 25 messages in your inbox without having to log in to the account (once you have set it up), it also has all of the basics, ( ie: texting, im, email , & picture mail).
The camera on the Reclaim is nice also. It has a 2.0 MP camera that also offers video. The pictures that I took turned out surprisingly Great! It also comes pre-loaded with Sprint Navigation, Sprint Music Store, MySpace & Facebook access, Sprint Movies & Radio. One of the coolest things is the” Touch of Green” section. It gives you instant access to tips, guides, and more, that can help you learn how to be ~More Green~ ! The packaging for the phone fell right in line with its green spirit. All recycled, no shiny box, catalogs, or instruction booklets, it was all made from recycled materials..( pretty cool ).
* If you are looking for a phone that is packed with features & you are not quite sure that you are ready to make the jump to BlackBerry, this is the phone for you.
Sprint Samsung M560 Mobile Phone – Earth Green
* AT&T’s New “Quickfire Cellular Phone” ! 
AT&T, is no slouch in the cell phone industry & they have no plans to be left behind in the latest craze of “Messaging Phones”. The New At&t Quickfire cellular phone, is here to prove it. The Quickfire boasts an interactive touchscreen with a QWERTY slide-out keyboard, which is where the “quick messaging” part comes in. The Quickfire comes in 3 colors, ( lime, orange, & silver) & is a pretty sharp little device.
Multimedia is not lost on this device, it supports MP3, MIDI, AAC, AAC+, & AMR. It also supports Napster ( subscription music service), Music ID, & Streaming radio. The 1.3 MP camera w/ 4x zoom, also has live video capture & playback. It also has mobile email & messaging with the standards ( AOL, Yahoo, & Windows Messenger), & allows image , video & sound clips with ease.
The Quickfire also has a host of productivity tools, & internet access, so it isn’t just a “Kids Phone”. The Quickfire carries some pretty impressive specs. It has 29.3 MB of memory & is expandable up to 8GB. The Quickfire also has a 2.8″ touchscreen with predictive text & backlit keys.
If for some Crazy reason, using a BlackBerry is not your thing… Take a look at At&T’s Quickfire… you might be surprised at what it has to offer.
* Big Brother Palm Pre is Watching You!… ( how creepy is that ? ! )
Tracking devices is nothing new, these days, however… It takes on a way different meaning if they are tracking you Without Your Knowledge! 
This bit of info caught my attention, because Sprint is my carrier. I have used the “Family Tracking Service”, in the past to keep track of the kids, but one of the key points to this service is that , 1. I knew about it. & 2. I could turn off or discontinue the service whenever I wanted.
The habits that Palm is tracking with their new Palm Pre 
Now, I can understand 3 out of the 4, If they have permission & you as the consumer, are notified. It’s the Physical Location tracking that has me bugged. Why are they tracking the users physical location & what pertinent data could they possibly gather from tracking your location? !
PAY ATTENTION TO THE CONTRACT YOU ARE SIGNING WITH YOUR CARRIER!
It turns out that when you agreed to use the device, you also agreed to not only let Palm track your data, you agreed to Palm, and its subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, suppliers, and agents collect, access, store, process, transmit & use your registration data, device & account information, content & technical data.
If that bit of info bugs you, read your contract… I would really like to know why they are tracking the users location & I also plan to do a bit more research on the issue.
