gadget news and reviews

Palm Pre Plus – Verizon Wireless (Review) 6

Thanks to  the folks over at Verizon Wireless, Skatter Tech received a review unit of the Palm Pre Plus about a week ago and I’ve been putting it to the test since. It’s an upgrade to last year’s Palm Pre, which is still offered on Sprint’s network. It’s Palm’s third webOS device and just it sports just about all exciting features: Synergy, multi-tasking, a full QWERTY keyboard, and a gesture area. As a bonus, it features the ability to create a “WiFi Hotspot” utilizing Verizon’s 3G network, much like the MiFi we reviewed recently. With some new features, a new network, a hardware upgrade, and a slight cosmetic makeover, let’s see how it compares to other smartphones on the market. Read More

RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 (Review) 1

Research in Motion’s cell phones have been the business standard ever since email was introduced to the mobile market. An enormous BlackBerry clipped to your belt was a symbol for the technologically capable businessman (and woman) long before the notorious Bluetooth headset. More players have joined the smartphone game, but RIM still remains king of the business market and has successfully entered the consumer market. The BlackBerry Curve 8530 is RIM’s most recent entry for consumers and it’s available through Verizon Wireless.

BlackBerry Curve 8530 Specifications:

• Provider: Verizon Wireless
• Operating System: BlackBErry v5.0
• Display: 2.5-inch 320×240 pixel TFT LCD
• Camera: 2.0 megapixel camera
• Music: MP3, WMA, AAC/AAC+
• Video: MPEG4, WMV, H.263, H.264
• Memory: 256MB internal + microSD expansion
• Dimensions: 4.29H x 2.36W x .55D inches
• Battery: 270 mins talk time | 252 hours stand-by
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.1+ | WiFi b/g

Read More

In Photos: Palm Pre Plus & Pixi Plus +

About two weeks ago at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Verizon Wireless and Palm announced a new partnership and the launch of the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus. Our review units just came in, courtesy of Verizon Wireless, and these are looking great. There’s one big difference between the ‘Plus’ and the regular version that we reviewed for Sprint last year: it sports a built-in hotspot feature. With just one-click, customers can enable a local WiFi hotspot for up to five devices. And of course, it that will run off Verizon Wireless’s 3G network. Both the phones still sport the existing popular features such as the webOS, Palm Synergy, App Catalog, QWERTY keybaords, WiFi b/g, GPS, Email, MMS, Sensors (Proximity, Light, Accelerometer), replaceable batteries, and much more.

The Pre Plus also comes with some extra goodies over its predecessor. It now comes with a touch-stone enabled rear cover. You won’t need to spend extra cash if you decided to buy a Touchstone Dock. The phone now has 16GB of internal storage versus the 8GB available on its older sibling still running on the Sprint network. The phone also has double the RAM, meaning more multitasking. The hardware gesture key is now embedded into the casing and is no longer visible, but functions just the same. The Pixi Plus also has some improvements in addition to the new hotspot feature. Yes, if you didn’t guess already, that means the Pixi now has WiFi. It’s also compatible with a variety of designer rear plates that are all compatible with the Touchstone Dock. Read More

Sprint Overdrive (Preview) +

During the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Dominic Raad and I attended Sprint’s Hottest Spot 4G event. Although we arrived late since Microsoft’s Press Conference lasted longer than expected due to a power failure, we still made it to the event. Steve Ballmer made it to the stage and presented to the audience at Sprint’s event immediately after his own keynote even though we didn’t make it there on time. Sprint’s CEO, Dan Hesse, hosted the event and Best Buy’s CEO, Brain Dunn, joined him on stage as well. The topic was of course their new 4G offerings and a the new Overdrive personal WiFi hotspot, much like Verizon’s MiFi. Read More

Palm Pixi – Sprint (Review) 2

I recently received the the Palm Pixi, the younger sibling of the Palm Pre, courtesy of Sprint. It’s Palm’s second webOS device and just like the Pre, the Pixi supports Synergy, multi-tasking, has a full QWERTY keyboard, and the gesture area. However it is still is a notch down from the Pre. Most notably, it doesn’t have WiFi, rather running solely of Sprint’s 3G network. While it may not be a powerhouse compared to other Smartphones, the Pixi looks good, is affordable, and compact.

Palm Pixi Specifications:

• Provider: Sprint
• Operating System: Palm webOS
• Display: 2.63-inch 320×400 multi-touch
• Camera: 2.0 Megapixel Camera + Flash
• Music: MP3, WAV, AAC/AAC+
• Video: MPEG4, H.263, H.264
• Memory: 8GB internal
• Dimensions: 4.37L x 2.17W x .43D inches
• Battery: 5 hours talk time | 350 hours stand-by
• Other: Bluetooth 2.1+ | 3.5 mm Audio Jack

The Body: 4/5 stars
The Pixi weighs only a few ounces, looks thin and sleek. The body has a soft feel and offers a good grip. It’s probably one of the better looking phones I’ve come across. There’s a volume rocker, a switch to silence your phone, and a microUSB port on the right side. Accessing the charging/data USB port was a bit of a nuisance. There’s only a tiny sliver of space between the flap and the body of the phone. Even if I did manage to get it open, it immediately snaps back due to stiffness and the magnetic piece. After about a week of struggling with this, the magnet actually just fell out, now the flap doesn’t even close properly. I think it’s Palm’s plan to get us to buy their Wireless Touchstone charger. The back of the phone is essentially a rear “face-plate.” Palm offers various artistic designs. There’s no microSD expansion and the only thing under the rear cover is the replaceable battery pack. The 2 megapixel camera, flash, and speakers are on the upper rear portion of the back side. The power button and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack are on the top. The front face of the phone sports the QWERTY keyboard, a gesture area, and a 2.6 inch display from bottom to top. Overall, it’s a great design and Palm has truly reinvented themselves with a new generation of hardware. I hope to see more device following this cue. Read More

Holiday Gift Guide: Smartphones 1

This year has been all about Smartphones. Every major cell provider has one whether it’s running on the iPhone OS, BlackBerry OS, Google Android, Palm webOS, or Windows Mobile. While availability is no longer an issue, picking the right one for you is the difficult part. Since most of you out there usually wish to stay with your current provider, here’s what’s best for each provider:

Verizon Wireless: Motorola Droid

The Motorola Droid is probably the most powerful phone offered through a domestic cell phone carrier. While there may be a few critics, the majority of reviews are favorable about the Droid and tout it as superior to the famous iPhone. While I could go on about the features it sports, here’s a few for starters: Touch Screen, QWERTY Keyboard, WiFi, GPS Navigation, Camera, and plenty more. While that’s my number one choice, if you’re looking for another good alternative on the Verizon Wireless network, check out the HTC Droid Eris. It’s lighter, looks friendlier, and costs a fraction. The Eris will be receiving the Android 2.0 update that the Motorola Droid uses early next year.

Buy: Motorola Droid $150 | HTC Droid Eris $10
Links: Motorola Droid Review | HTC Droid Eris Review

Read More

Google Goggles: Augmented Reality 3

While taking a second look at the Motorola Droid, I stumbled upon one of the most interesting projects I’ve ever seen from Google Labs: Goggles. This application, available through the Android Market, allows searching Google using your Smartphone’s camera. (Android 1.6+) Simply take a picture of a book, DVD, video game, business card, logo, or similar objects. Google Goggles will process the image and bring up results based on the contents. Let’s say you are buying DVD’s and you want to see if you can find a better deal online. Whip out your Android phone and take a picture of the cover. Goggles will bring up the search results, plus the option to compare prices between other stores with Google Shopping.

DVD’s, Books, and Games
Google Goggles picked up results for Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii), Caddyshack (DVD), and The Color Purple by Alice Walker (Book) with ease.

Read More

Samsung Moment – Sprint (Review) 15

Earlier this quarter we had quite a show of Android based phones. Our previous reviews for the Sprint HTC Hero, Verizon Motorola Droid, and Verizon HTC Eris have definitely drawn in a lot of interest towards Google devices. The Samsung Moment is the latest addition to the growing trend. This smart phone sports Android OS (v1.5) with both a touch-screen display and a physical slide-out keyboard. There was plenty to like, but read on to find out if Samsung did the Android right.

The Hardware – 4/5 stars
I was quite interested with the Samsung Moment since I first noticed the large display and the physical slide-out keyboard when it was announced. Initially it does appear to be bulky, but once you get handle it for a bit, it’s not too bad. It’s actually not that bulky and relatively light weight too (5.67 oz.) The Moment is coated with a metallic chrome finish that complements the black trim well. Sliding the phone’s keyboard out feels solid, however it is a bit flimsy when slid-out. The two different pieces wiggle slightly. I’m not sure if it was just my unit, but other slide out devices such as the Motorola Droid didn’t have this issue. On the front face you’ll find a physical Call and End button. There’s also the Home, Menu, and Back keys right above a touch pad. It’s a well appreciated alternative to the trackball found on BlackBerry and HTC devices. The optical joystick registers your finger’s touch just like a regular touch pad. I found it worked well and at times more preferable to use than the touch screen. There is a dedicated button on the right side of the phone that brings up voice recognition as well as the camera. On the left side there’s a volume rocker. I was glad to see a standard 3.5mm headphone jack at the top and a flash included with the camera on back. Overall, the phone is definitely a bit larger than other smart phones, but won’t make much of a difference when carrying it around.

Read More

Quick Look: Android 2.0.1 on Motorola Droid 6

Last month, I had the pleasure of reviewing the Motorola Droid for Verizon Wireless.  I became so attached to it that I had a little separation anxiety when I sent it back.  Christmas came early for me this year; Verizon gave me the opportunity to check out the Droid’s improved Android OS 2.0.1. The over-the-air update is available for free even if it wasn’t available when you first purchased it.

Faster and More Responsive
Android 2.0 was by no means slow. The update did make some noticeable improvements on speed and stability. Programs open, close, and switch quicker than before.

New “Unlock” Screen
The most obvious change when you first open the Droid is in the “unlock” screen. Though the principle is the same, the interface uses drag-able “tabs” rather than the “wheel” used in 2.0.

Read More

In Photos: Nokia N900 +

About two weeks ago I published a quick blurb about the Nokia N900 beginning to ship in the United States. While the phone isn’t available directly through any major domestic Cell Phone Carrier such as Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint, it’s still making plenty of buzz. The N900 sports many features that definitely are by far more advance than the Apple iPhone 3GS and the Motorola Droid. Thanks to Meric Ozturk, I was lucky enough to get a hold of a unit long enough to snap a few product shots.

While the Nokia N900 will be a major hit across Europe and Asia, there’s little chance that it will be able to compete with smart phones in the United States. Despite that, Nokia still has a large fan base across the country and many tech enthusiasts would love to pick one of these up. While I still haven’t heard back from Nokia for a review unit, call me if you’re reading this, you guys can enjoy this high resolution photo gallery. If you want to pick one up, it’s already available for pre-order through Amazon.com. You can also get the N900 through Dell.com for a little cheaper ($440) if you use Bing.com for 20% Cashback.

Links: Nokia USA N900