The new Jitterbug J cell phone (http://tinyurl.com/qgn7v5) is the perfect gift for your technophobic dad.
Over the past several months, Peek has tried a number of sales tactics to move its disappointing e-mail gadget, including a lifetime subscription offer and a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Now the company is selling turquoise units–I know, your favorite color–for just $19.99 on Amazon.com, according to Ubergizmo.
Nokia Begins Selling N97 Smartphone
Posted in: nokia, Smart Devices, smartphone, Today's Chili, touchThe GreenHeart initiative includes setting targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions by Sony Ericsson’s supply chain and reducing the overall carbon-dioxide footprint of Sony Ericsson products through various means.
For instance, they’re eliminating paper manuals on their “green” phones, reducing the size of their packaging, using recycled plastics, and using low-power chargers. By 2011, they will volunteer to take back and recycle their used phones wherever they’re sold. They’re also reducing the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing their phones.
The two new phones are the first fruits of the GreenHeart plan. The Naite, which will come in a model that will work with AT&T’s 3G network here in the US, is a mid-range, candybar-style feature phone. It has a 2-megapixel camera, media player, Web browser, Microsoft Exchange e-mail support, Bluetooth, and an FM radio. According to a Sony Ericsson chat transcript, the phone will cost around 159 euros ($222) before subsidy.
GreenHeart’s flagship product, the C901, will not be released in the US, though a Sony Ericsson Web page hints at a “C901a” which could be the US model. That phone has a 5-megapixel camera with xenon flash along with all of the Naite’s other features.
You can check out the full specs for both phones on Sony Ericsson’s Web site.
Sony Ericsson’s announcement follows green initiatives by other mobile phone makers, including Samsung (who call theirs “Blue Earth“) and Motorola (who released the first GreenTech Approved phone, the W233, earlier this year.)
Verizon Wireless Launches BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230
Posted in: BlackBerry, Smart Devices, Today's Chili, Verizon WirelessNot to be left out of the Palm Pre day hysteria, Verizon Wireless launched a smart phone today. It’s no Pre, though. The BlackBerry Flip 8230 has been out on Alltel for a while, and it’s first cousin to a phone that’s been on T-Mobile for several months.
The 8230 is a BlackBerry Pearl remixed into a (very long) flip phone, with two color LCD displays, a 2-megapixel camera, GPS and Verizon’s 3G EVDO Internet connection. It supports all the latest BlackBerry features, including App World and Media Sync, RIM’s somewhat clunky but effective iTunes syncing solution. You enter text using a Pearl-style hybrid keyboard, with two letters on most keys.
The Flip 8230 will cost $129.99 with a two-year contract and $70 mail-in rebate (so you’ll be paying $199.99 at the point of purchase.) It goes on sale June 19.
Mossberg Confirms, New iPhone Coming Next Week
Posted in: iPhone, palm pre, Smart Devices, Today's ChiliReading Walt Mossberg’s review of the Palm Pre is amusing, because Mossberg obviously has the next iPhone and can’t talk about it. Read between the lines: he’s straining to compare the Pre to the un-announced iPhone on his desk. He wants to do it so badly. But he can’t, because that would steal Apple’s thunder.
When you’re suffering from a case of NDA-itis that badly, it’s no surprise when things slip out around the edges. In this case, Mossberg confirmed that Apple will indeed release an iPhone next week. And did I mention that he probably has it?
“I’d note that the new iPhone to be unveiled next week will have lots of added features that could alter those calculations,” he writes.
Wording is important here. He couches many of his other iPhone predictions in “I expect” or “rumor” language: “I expect to see an iPhone with up to 32 gigabytes of memory, video recording, a higher-resolution camera, a compass, and greater operating speed. Plus, there are persistent rumors that Apple will announce at least one iPhone at a drastically lower price than $199.”
But the first sentence is declarative, definitive: that new iPhone is to be unveiled next week. Not “expected to” or “rumored to.” We’ll be there, on Monday morning at 10 AM PT, and we’ll be liveblogging.
The Palm Pre is a great device, but the battery needs a little help. Like with the iPhone, you shouldn’t expect this phone to last more than a day or two on a charge. Palm gave us these useful tips for making the Pre’s battery last longer. We tried them, and they made a big difference.
Log out of IM, especially AIM. There’s a bug in the AIM client that sucks up battery way too quickly (Palm’s fixing it) and the Google Talk presence alerts also use battery, though less than AIM. Remember, you can’t just throw the IM program’s card away; you have to click on “Sign Out” in the IM applications.
Turn on Wi-Fi. Sounds unintuitive, right? Well, the Pre doesn’t have the greatest Sprint reception of anything we’ve ever tested, and it actually has a relatively power-efficient Wi-Fi radio. When the Pre’s Wi-Fi is running, it uses Wi-Fi rather than 3G to make Internet connections. So connecting via Wi-Fi saves battery rather than wasting it.
Change your e-mail settings. By tapping on the upper left corner of the screen in the e-mail program, you can pop down a menu that lets you change e-mail preferences. For accounts where you get relatively little mail, set them to push. But for accounts where you get an e-mail every five minutes or more often, set them to check every 15 minutes. That will save battery.
With these battery tips, you’ll definitely get more than a day’s use out of each charge on the Palm Pre.
Palm Pre: The Device, The Software, The Network Reviewed
Posted in: palm pre, Smart Devices, Today's ChiliThe full review of the Palm Pre explains why this is the year’s hottest smart phone.
The Palm Touchstone inductive charging accessory not only is a fun way to give your Pre some juice, it makes a great stand for music or video playback.
MotionApps Classic PalmOS emulator is the first must-have app for the Pre. It only works with some PalmOS applications for now, but it opens up a huge world of third-party apps for the Pre.
The new Apple update to iTunes doesn’t break the Pre’s almost miraculous iTunes syncing.
Here’s our 22-image slideshow of the Palm Pre in action.
Sprint’s 3G network is actually better than AT&T’s nationwide, though it doesn’t match up to Verizon Wireless’s. The carrier says they’re working on improving customer service, too.