Gadget Blog for the Mobile World

Microsoft can’t have total world domination.  Microsoft Windows is their main niche.  Apple can’t dominate the entire market either, even though the iPhone and iPod does put them an inch close to that world domination.  Fortunately we live in a free market that encourages competitors and the iPod shouldn’t be our only pricy choice for music, pictures, and such.  Microsoft has quite the competing device that rivals not only the performance of the iPod but also the price.  Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s iPod is the Zune.  Here’s the gist of what’s been said about the Zune. (…Read Some More…)

It sickens me when I remember the price tag of laptops just 7 years ago and how I had spend over 2K for a laptop that can’t even keep up with the notebooks that sell for less than $500 these days.  Hewlett-Packard made an announcement of the release there new Mini netbooks for students and professionals that like to stay mobile while connected.  There line of HP Mini 5101 is top notch and stylish, durable, and functional.  For the price of $499 there are some specialties that may make this netbook worth the price. (…Read Some More…)

If you are a Verizon loyalist and have been enviously reading a bunch of news about all these Androids being release, there is good news.  You should probably wait on that upgrade until Verizon Wireless comes out with a Motoroloa smartphone based on Google’s Android OS.  That’s right, Motoroloa is joining with Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile to release an Android based smartphone. (…Read Some More…)

Interesting research was reported by Design Research Lab pointing out that cell phone makers don’t take the women population into account quite enough.  They point out that current trend of manufacturers to focus on stereotypical preferences rather than “in functionality and service” and totally turns a blind eye on menu structure or interaction patterns. (…Read Some More…)

Porn is a bit too easy to access online by minors.  Sure, I was a teenager once but porn magazines were something we couldn’t get so easily – and it was probably better off that way.  Now, online, it’s a matter of clicking on a few links and typing in an address.  MobileCrunch is taking a poll about the issue of Apple allowing bare breasts on the apps.  This brings up interesting discussion since Apple hasn’t been too loose when it came to the sort of apps allowed.  Some bring mention of the access children will have while others bring up the Freedom of Speech argument.  We’ll ask too: What’s the limit on YOUR cell phone?  Apple is a private company and does have the right to block certain types of content but should they?  Check out their poll.

Modern Warfare 2 will now be available on mobile platforms that support Android, Blackberry, BREW, J2ME and Windows Mobile.  This makes the backseat car ride or the long wait at the dentist a lot more worth the while.  This is when screen resolution is important here folks.

The mobile availability of Modern Warfare 2 will be courtesy of Glu Mobile with their partnership with Activision Publishing.  They also announced the release of 4 other  titles:  Crash Mutant, Guitar Hero 5, Blur, and Tony Hawk Ride.  Wonderful news.

Levano officially upgraded their ThinkPad T400 to the ThinkPad T400s slim notebook.  They went pretty darn slim with this upgrade measuring a mere 0.83 inches in thickness and 14 inch display.  The weight is less than 4 pounds with a choice of 9.5mm slim DVD burner or Blu-ray player, Display Port, WWAN and WiMAXX, and 128GB SSD. It has a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SP9400 processor and an Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics card.  The RAM is 2GB and also sports a 2MP webcam, multi-touch pad, ExpressCard slot, a 6-cell battery, and Windows Vista Business OS.   There’s a %15 off coupon with LogicBUY and, though I’d like to be one, this site isn’t an affiliate.  It’s some news I came across.

The current price as this post is written is $1,359.15 with the discount at LogicBUY or $1870 orginally.

I really have to look into becomming an affiliate with those guys.

Now this is odd.  According to a recent survey conducted by NPD about 60% of netbook owners they asked say they never even take their portable machine out of the house.  This is quite the surprise since, well, they’re made and marketed for portability.  Of course the numbers could be a bit off since the bottom of NPD’s press release reveals the methodology of this survey.  ”Nearly 600 adults from NPD’s online panel who were identified as netbook owners completed this survey between April 27 and May 4, 2009.”  This isn’t very scientific but does reveal an interesting problem for netbook marketers.

There are blogs that give advice as to whether or not to buy the N97 or to look the other way.  As far as performance is concerned, it’s actually a toss up and a matter of preference.  Now the next issue is durability.  Phones are destined to be abused and not by a simple drop on the floor.  A drop in the toilet, cow meneuer, septic tank, and perhaps even your cereal.  The folks at N97Geeks.com have done consumers the favor of testing the versatility of the N97 by doing a series of “Stress Tests” like scratches and drops. (…Read Some More…)

Acer really seems to help keep the prices in the computer market at a reasonably low level.  This helps those of us with a bit lower means to have access to mobile computing.  Acer’s Blue Gemstone line are available from 479.99 to 749.99 with  surround systems from Dolby Home Theater, one-touch Acer Backup Manager, and 16×9 LED-backlit displays available in all models.  Read (…Read Some More…)

The folks at Cnet got what few in the states can’t get until August and that’s a hands-0n look and feel of T-Mobile’s second Android.  It’s called MyTouch 3G and it’s better than the first, as we should expect.  Here’s the gist on what Cnet felt about the phone.  Read (…Read Some More…)

For months there has been hyped up talk about what Nokia’s N97 will bring to the mobile world.  With its release now old news there’s been plenty of time for it to be toyed, played, and tinkered with.  The folks at the Nokia Phone Blog had a chance to play with it – the phone that is – for a few hours and they seem to be mixed with opinion.  Note how the author never says he caved in and bought the thing.  (Makes you wonder if they secretly own BlackBerrys.) Read (…Read Some More…)

In the competitive world of laptops Acer does quite well providing notebooks and minis with comparative quality and a lower price tag.  Looks like they couldn’t do the same in the mobile phone market with their Tempo M900 smart-phone.  As Engadget Mobile points out, they have to compete with HTC Touch Pro2 or at least provide a cheaper version of the phone.  Apparently they don’t want to be known as the K-Mart (and I shop there) of the tech industry but EM is right, you can’t just enter the market with success without innovation or an incredible deal.  $600, unlocked, for an HTC Touch Pro knock off is neither of those.

I do like the Qwerty slider thing going on though.  Note to Acer…make it less expensive for us who don’t mind the generics!

Crackberry fans of the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition will be pleased to know of the unveiling its successor, the BlackBerry Tour 9630.  If you’re tied, by contract, to either Verizon or Sprint you will also be pleased to know that both providers will be carrying the phone.  More spectacular news is that it will be provided to CDMA carriers like the before mentioned along with Bell, Alltel, Telus, and perhaps any other provider that carried the 8330 World Edition.

Those lucky bastards at CrackBerry had the chance to personally review the pre-release version of the phone back in march.  From the gist of it, it’s a worthy successor.