Body Design: 4/5 stars
Keeping with the environmental theme, the Samsung Reclaim is available to customers in two colors: “Ocean Blue” and “Earth Green”. Although the colors are quite bright and standout, it has a nice glossy feel and texture. Plus, it stands out and is a nice change from the standard black and silver trimmed phones that most phones have today. The Reclaim has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, which is great for texting. Although they keys were somewhat narrow and cramped, it should be fine after some getting used to. There are dedicated left/right soft keys and send/end buttons. A speakerphone key, okay, and back key are also included. The large size and color almost reminded me of Fisher Price toys, but they are solid and comfortable. There’s also a volume rocker and a camera shutter key on the side. I was also truly surprised to see a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, which even some smartphones launched earlier this year didn’t offer. There’s also a standard microSD card expansion and an micro USB port concealed under a plastic cover. Other than that, sliding out the keyboard reveals a 2 megapixel camera on the back. The device is fairly compact to fit into just about any pocket.

Display and Interface: 4/5 stars
The Samsung Reclaim sports a 2.6-inch QVGA 320×240 pixel display. Although the colors and graphics aren’t stunning, it’s appropriate for a phone in this price range. The phone uses Sprint’s fairly new “One Click” user interface. Everything is controlled by the directional pad and text entry with the slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The UI is well polished, fairly responsive, and even has an “eco-friendly theme” incorporated. It’s fast to navigate, easy to use, and you’ll find the usual array of address book, calendar, world/alarm clock, calculator, memo, and stopwatch programs. Furthermore, there is even a chat client (AIM, Live, Yahoo), Facebook, MySpace, and a Mobile Email client. Although the Web Browser isn’t anything to get excited about, staying informed and even updating Twitter statuses is painless.

Camera: 3/5 stars
I didn’t expect too much out of the Reclaim’s camera when I picked it up. The quality is mediocre, images lacked color and were a bit blurred even with a steady hand. I did like the dedicated capture key on the side, which was convenient. The max capture resolution is 1600 x 1200 pixels. Fortunately, the user interface was quite impressive. It has plenty of options including self-timers, brightness setting, custom tones, night shot, and a few other fun features. The phone surprisingly also offered the ability to share images by uploading Facebook or Flickr as well as MMS. The Reclaim can also capture videos, however quality isn’t any better than taking photos. A newer iteration could use a few improvements.

Music Playback & Sync: 3.5/5 stars
The multimedia features were quite impressive for a phone in this price range. With a standard headphone jack and microSD expansion, this can easily be turned into a fairly decent MP3 player. Although the included card was unfortunately only 512MB, picking up a 8GB microSD is just $20. The phone supports playback of most major formats (MP3, AAC, & WMA) including support for Amazon MP3 and iTunes Plus Tracks. Transferring media over is quite simple with a micro USB cable, which I wish Sprint had included with the packaging. The Samsung Reclaim also has access to Sprint’s Music Store. It’s also compatible with Stereo Bluetooth Headsets such as the Jabra Halo.

Phone Calls + Texting: 4/5 stars
The most important feature of any phone is making calls. The Samsung Reclaim fell a bit short compared to other devices with slightly worse signal strength. Despite that it didn’t lack on quality for the most part. The person on the other end could hear me just fine. The speaker phone was a bit choppy at times. The phone battery can last through about 6 hours worth of calls with a full charge. When not in use, it should last at least 2-3 days on standby. Plus, with a full QWERTY keyboard messaging others is quite a snap. It was quick to send text messages and even using the instant messaging features.

Environmental Benefits: 5/5 stars
If I wasn’t told this was a recycled phone, I wouldn’t have known. The build quality is pretty impressive and it’s actually better than many other phones in this price range. If there’s a way to get people to “Go Green,” this is one of those. While most eco-friendly devices are over priced or lack on features, the Samsung Reclaim doesn’t linger on either. Sprint has taken the initiative to cut down on technology wastes in the next several ears. Along with Samsung, they managed to manufacture a device from bio-plastic, making the phone 80% recyclable. Even the packaging is entirely recycled materials and the printed ink is from soy-based materials. Although cell phone chargers don’t consume much power, Samsung even emphasized on the Energy Star approved AC Adapter. The phone is also pre-loaded with a number of links to Guides to living a healthy eco-friendly lifestyle. Sprint also donates a few dollars of the proceeds made with each sale to programs that help benefit the environment.

Bottom Line:
While most people are caught up in the smartphone trend, devices and initiatives such as these are often overlooked. Non-smartphones such as this Samsung Reclaim still account for the vast majority of mobile phone market share. The price is probably the best part. It’s available for just $49 with a new two-year contract. It’s probably even free if you are eligible for an upgrade. This phone has just about all the features an expensive top of the line device had just a year or two ago. I wouldn’t recommend this phone for Business or tech savvy customers, however it’s beyond excellent for students, those on a budget, or those looking for an environmentally friendly device. The Reclaim doesn’t sacrifice any important features. I would definitely love to see Sprint push this initiative further and apply it to even the smartphones that are becoming increasingly popular. If you are looking for a new device to make calls, text, and even to listen to music, definitely take a look at Sprint’s Samsung Reclaim.

Deal: Samsung Reclaim for FREE
Links: Sprint.com – Samsung Reclaim

Wicked Lasers Nexus Specifications:

• Output Power: 95mW
• Beam Diameter: 1.6mm
• Laser Lifetime: over 5,000 hours
• Power Consumption: 500mA
• Battery Supply: 2 x AAA (1.5V)
• Battery Life: 90 minutes
• Body: Black Polished Brass
• Wavelength: 532nm
• Size: 13mm x 144mm

The Nexus 95mW is bright enough that the target is clearly visible even in bright daylight. The actual beam isn’t so visible during the day, but is clearly visible when indoors. At night this laser pretty much resembles a Star Wars light saber. The beam doesn’t seem to ever end if you shine it into the sky at night. This is excellent for pointing planets or stars. It’s power might not be the best for all situations, for example a PowerPoint presentation. The laser will probably be much brighter than your projector and will most likely blind the audience. At night the Nexus can literally light up an entire room.

The laser pointer is actually quite compact, it’s roughly the size of an average pen. Wicked Lasers also includes a neat little hard carrying case to protect the device. The Nexus runs off 2 standard AAA batteries. The laser’s true performance will probably be best experienced in the first 15-20 minutes of use since it’s powerful diode rapidly drains battery life. Wicked Lasers also recommends avoiding continuously using the laser for over two minutes without allowing it to cool. If it overheats, it may damage the laser diode. As for the fun stuff, you’ll be able to light matches after a few seconds. It can easily burn through garbage bags, however you’ll need to be within a couple of inches for it to work. The same goes for balloons. Unfortunately the Nexus won’t do much to anything if you are more than a foot away.

For a quick comparison of how powerful the 95mW Nexus is compared to the 5mW Core, I snapped an image of both of them pointed a couple inches away from each other. If you’re having a hard time making out the image, the small circle on the left is from the 5mW laser and the big one is from the 95mW.

Overall I was quite impressed with the Nexus, it was by far the most powerful laser my friends or I had seen. The only downside to all of this might just be the price tag. The Nexus 95mW retails for about $400 on Wicked Lasers’s website. You probably won’t be purchasing this just for the hell of it unless you fell like spending some cash, but if you do become an owner, you won’t be disappointed. Wicked Lasers also sells 300mW, but as expected that’s going to cost a whole lot more. If you are worried about making a purchase, keep in mind that Wicked Lasers includes a 3 month warranty which should cover defects.

Links: WickedLasers.com | Executive Series (Green Lasers)
Related: Laser Community Forums

Notice: The Wicked Lasers Nexus a pretty fun little gizmo to mess around with, but if you haven’t guessed yet, this is definitely not a toy! This laser can badly sting your skin in a couple of seconds of exposure, which means that even a second of exposure to the eye may cause some serious damage. So it may not be a good idea to allow children to handle or even use around others unaware of the danger. So beware and be cautious when handling it. No one wants to be responsible for permanently blinding someone.

We recently got a hold of the “CORE” green laser pointer from the folks over at Wicked Lasers and we’re quite impressed. It was probably the brightest laser pointer I had seen. According to Wicked Lasers, this model should be visible over 10,000 feet away (during a clear night). Green lasers are naturally over 50x brighter than red lasers since the human eye is more sensitive to it. The Core model outputs the green laser at 5mW (milliwatts), which is the maximum allowed under U.S. regulations. (100% Legal!)

As I mentioned, this was the closest thing I had seen to a true “laser beam”. When I tested it outdoors at night, a good portion of the beam was clearly visible due to moisture in the air. We compared it to another red laser of the same milliwatt output and close to nothing was visible. Although this is one of the least powerful green laser produced by Wicked Lasers, it is still quite dangerous. It is important to be cautious since direct exposure from close distances can permanently damage the eye. You will also find safety warnings on standard red laser pointers found in most office supply and electronic stores, but these aren’t nearly as dangerous or powerful.

If for some reason 5mW isn’t enough for you, Wicked Lasers sells green lasers with outputs reaching up to 300mW. (Once again ours was just 5mW) We wouldn’t recommend playing around with anything higher than the Core. If you purchase one handle it cautiously, don’t give it to children, or people unaware of its potential. If you want a better idea of how powerful these can get, the following are some examples of what each milliwatt range they can do: (So yes, they can burn and melt stuff!)

• 15-35mW: beam visible at night, in smoke, and in foggy areas.
• 55-75mW: 15 mile range, beam visible in lighted areas, melt trash bags, and stings skin
• 95-125mW: 50 mile range, pop air balloons, light matches, and melt plastic/rubber
• 200-300mW: 100 mile range, Tesla technology, and can even lights cigars

Getting back to the Core model, it runs on two standard AAA batteries for up to 90 minutes. The lifespan of the laser itself is expected to be somewhere around 5,000 hours of use. The one small drawback we noticed was the fact that using this pointer for over 3 minutes continuously could cause the insides to overheat therefore sacrificing the laser diode’s lifespan. Either way 3 minutes is a pretty long time to be pointing at something, plus it’s a great improvement over older lasers which were even shorter.

Red lasers are the most widely available, however green laser pointers are becoming much more common and cheaper. Just for a rough idea, just about 10 years ago a red laser would have cost nearly $100. As for the CORE by Wicked Lasers, it is available online for just $35. Wicked Lasers even provides a 12 month warranty with the unit and throw in a hard case, so there’s not much to worry about. Having a green laser for presentations can make things more interesting. If you wish to purchase other higher end models, prices reach over $500.

Links: Wicked Lasers CORE | WickedLasers.com
Related: TechLasers.com (Wicked Lasers Affiliate)

http://skattertech.com/media/2007/10/wicked-lasers-video.flv

Microsoft announced two new Zune players today in addition to new software, social features, and marketplace store. Both new Zunes will sport features such as a new touch-pad technology labeled “Zune Pad” and wireless music sync with network computers. The first model is available only in black, holds 80GB of media on a standard hard-drive, has a 3.2-inch screen, is 1/3 thinner than the original, and comes with “premium” headphones. The second announced Zune is flash-based, available in 4GB & 8GB capacities, has a 1.8-inch display and is offered in pink, green, black, and red. In addition to supporting playback of music, photos, and videos both Zunes have a built-in FM Tuner.

The most notable feature by far is the Wireless Sync, which allows owners with wireless networks to setup automated sync with their computer. With this feature, the Zune can keep up to date with the latest downloaded podcasts or any new media added to the computer. Songs can also be shared between Zunes wirelessly and can be kept without time restrictions. Since the new devices are also compatible with Windows Media Center, any recorded show can be transfered seamlessly to a Zune. The unit now supports MP4 and H.264 formats in addition to WMV.

The upcoming upgrade to the Marketplace will include a directory to thousands of podcasts, millions of DRM-Free songs, a new layout, social networking features, and plenty more. The new Zune Pass, costing $15/month, will offer access to unlimited amounts of music downloads. The best part of the new announcement may just be the fact that Microsoft will continue to completely support the original Zune by releasing a firmware upgrade which will include all the the features the new Zune has. As for the new models they will be in November costing $250 for the 80GB model, $200 for 8GB, and $150 for 4GB.

Links: Zune.net (Offical Site)
Pre-Order: View All Zunes

UPDATE: Microsoft has just confirmed that the Zune will be available on November 13th!