Verizon iPhone Review

Travel helped shape young star’s fashion sense

admin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:30:50 +0000

Out of the closet By: Marinel R. Cruz Philippine Daily Inquirer YOUNG ACTRESS Gwen Zamora says travel helped shape her fashion sense.Gwen, or Gwenalle Tasha Mae Pallera Agnese, was born in Australia to a French father and a Filipino-Vietnamese mother. she moved to the Philippines when she was 6.When she turned 14, the family left for Singapore and stayed there for a year. then they lived in Thailand for two years.Gwen went to Beijing to work as a teacher’s assistant/drama teacher for six months, before heading back to Australia. there she stayed for eight months.She’s based in Manila now.“When I was younger, my mom would send me to France every summer,” she told Living Stars during a visit to her Makati condo. “When I came home, I’d look totally different—from wearing baggy pants, for instance, I’d be in skinny jeans and ballerina shoes.”She’s a “mood dresser,” Gwen confessed. “Sometimes I look super girly, but I can also dress up as a rocker or a hippie.”Her cousin Anna, who helps shop for the actress, said Gwen prefers the “rugged look” most of the time: “When she was younger, she would braid rubber bands and use them as bracelets. she likes black shirts. at age 13, she cut her hair and dyed it black. these days, I can say I’m quite successful in infusing color into her.”Gwen added: “In first year high school, I started shaving my legs and wearing short shorts. there was a time when I had ‘emo’ bangs—and saw the world through one eye. But I still had good grades and my teachers loved me.”ClothesI have so many shorts, but the tattered pink pair is what I wear again and again.I’m into lacy tops, like the light-green piece from Top Shop. the fabric is see-through but it doesn’t look too revealing.I like my MC Hammer pants, too, which I wear to tapings or out-of-town shows because they’re so comfy.The leather jacket is from Zara—it’s so cool. I bought a lot of leather jackets in Thailand, but left most them in Australia.I wore the fleece jacket in China because it gets really cold there. It’s thick but not bulky.The pair of denim pants is one of the first editions from Cheap Mondays. it used to be super black, now it’s gray. I remember when I bought it: the shop was in the middle of nowhere in Paris and had fake rats dangling all over. Everyone said the best pants were sold there.ShoesI love flats. I wear high-heels only for events. Mario D’ Boro provides most of them for me, but I also like Aldo, nine West and Schu. Comfort is key. when I try on shoes, I make sure I’m able to walk, jump and hop.I love boots, too. I have about six pairs. the combat boots are from Zara, the only place where you can find nice boots. I also like to wear gladiator sandals because they’re comfy and versatile.I have loafers because I’m French (we all need loafers). This pair from Vans is perfect when I attend workshops or go to tapings for (the GMA 7 gag show) “Bubble Gang.”BagsMy bags are mostly hand-me-downs from my sister Thea, although I also bought a few with my own money, like the Louis Vuitton. I’m very particular about the materials. Most of my bags are very old but they’re still in good condition. a bag is really an investment. Buy bags even if they are slightly expensive, because they will last you a long time.AccessoriesMy watches are like most of my bags—they’re from my sister. I’ve bought only a few pieces for myself. Most are big and boyish, like the Armani, Kenneth Cole, Philip Stein, Technomarine, Aldo and Panerai. It’s really best to get those that don’t need batteries.The hairbrush from Acca Kappa is the only one I use. I don’t brush my hair a lot—just once a day, and about five strokes… and only while it’s wet. my hair is wavy. If I comb it often, it has a tendency to become too dry and frizzy.I use accessories depending on what I’m wearing. for example, if I’m in a simple dress, I go for flashy bangles or earrings. I also blend them with my make-up. Call me OC (obsessive compulsive), but they have to go with my scent, too.My cousin Anna shops for me. for instance, she bought the bracelets from Bangkok and the colorful head bands. a friend got me earrings from H&M in the United States. I can go extreme with earrings—I want them big, although sometimes I use only simple pearl studs.CosmeticsI use Smashbox for my eyes. Instead of buying small palettes, I got the big one so I saved a lot of money. for powder, I use the Bomb because my skin is easily irritated. the one I have is antishine. I have another for contouring. my bronzer is by Sheer Cover, an Australian brand.I have really long eyelashes. If I don’t curl them I look sleepy. I still curl even if I don’t put make-up on. for mascara, I use Maybelline.I don’t really wear lipstick because I look matapang with it. If I have to, I use a nude shade by Chanel that my mom bought for me.I have very dark eyebrows so I also have a brow set from Beagle.ScentsI prefer floral or boyish scents, like Diesel’s Summer Edition. I also use Tous Touch by Tous because its citrus-y. But my favorite is Marc Jacobs’ Daisy. I’ve finished four bottles already. I wear scents depending on my outfit for the day. If my dress is girly, I wear something sweet. If I’m outfitted like a rocker chic, I use the musky type.GadgetsI like playing Sims on my Wii (game console), especially during tapings for “Spooky Nights (Snow White Lady and the Seven Ghosts).” it makes waiting on the set bearable.I use my MacBook a lot. I got it when I took film and media studies in Australia, and it has been very useful. I still keep my first iPod. my parents gave it to me when we were living in Singapore, after I got good grades and graduated with honors. I got my iPad for myself. I use it during tapings for games, tracking down my calendar… everything.I have two BlackBerry phones. It’s user-friendly and has BBM (BlackBerry Messenger). I have a lot of friends abroad who are into BBM, too. even my dad and sister are using BBM.I bought an Olympus underwater camera from my cousin. I like taking pictures but I see no point in investing in an expensive camera. the Olympus is good enough for taking funky pictures.BooksThe book “21st Century Art Assertionism” was a gift from friends when I worked as a teacher’s assistant/drama teacher in China.“Chambers Film Factfinder” (by Camila Rockwood) is a dictionary about film. It’s very useful because I like reading about directors and terminologies.I stole Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist” from my cousin. I want to read it because friends kept telling me it’s the best book that Coelho has written.You gotta have “Cranial.” when I have friends over, we really get into this game. my dad barges into my room sometimes, wondering why we’re all screaming.An advice to girls my age: Don’t wear too much make-up. it takes away your natural beauty. You don’t need to spend that much, either. there are good brands that are inexpensive.PaintingsI started painting in 2000. the ones I have here in Manila are old ones. I have nicer and newer pieces in Thailand. they are probably as big as the wall in my bedroom, and they each have a story. I intend to paint again. the problem is time and space. I like them big. I like to be able to walk on my paintings.I first tried painting when I was 9. I copied it from a picture book. the strokes are nice but I made a mistake with the lines, sobrang magulo. my painting of a lotus was copied from an old menu of Philippine Airlines. Tags: Celebrities , Entertainment , Fashion , gwen zamora , Movies

Travel helped shape young star’s fashion sense

Global Syndication Partners

admin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:28:36 +0000

The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging … now that’s positivenergy™.Product: Etymotic hf3 Headset and EarphonesPrice: $179What It’s good for: Blocking out the outside world while listening to your tunes. Plus, there’s a built-in microphone for making and receiving phone calls.Who It’s good for: Audiophiles who want a pair of noise-isolating earbuds that can also double as a headset for use with a smartphone.Limitations: While the headphones work with any device, the accompanying app (more on that below) is only available for iPhone, iPad or iPod. The microphone isn’t the best; getting the perfect seal can take some time.Bottom Line: You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better value for high-quality in-ear headphones for use with a smartphone.Etymotic might not be a household name, but in the audio world, these guys have serious clout. The company was founded in 1983 with the goal of “improving the lives of those with hearing loss,” while also protecting hearing. The company released its first insert-earphones in 1984, and it released the ER-4, its first noise-isolating in-ear earphones, in 1991. Nearly 20 years later, the ER-4 is still in production (the latest version is the ER-4PT) and beloved by many.The hf3 headset and earphone is essentially a lower-cost version of the ER-4P. Etymotic claims the performance quality between the two models is nearly identical, but the ER-4s have replaceable drivers and are held to a more stringent performance rating.While I don’t consider myself a “real” audiophile (I just sometimes play one on the Internet), I do have a bit of an earphone fetish. I had a pair of ER-4P earphones about five years ago and loved them dearly. When they got misplaced, I spent a significant amount of time investigating less-expensive substitutes but never managed to find anything close to what I had in the ER-4s.For the past two years, my day-to-day earphones have been a pair of Klipsch S4i earbuds. As luck would have it, the ends started tearing up just as I started this review. my big question going in was, “are the hf3′s worth paying twice the price?”For me, the answer is a resounding “yes.” The Klipsch earphones are great — and I definitely recommend them (especially if you can get a great deal) — but the difference in audio fidelity as well as the overall build of the buds is just better with the Etymotic hf3 headset.The key to in-ear earphones, especially those that promise noise-isolation, is a good seal. Without a good seal, you don’t have anything. Etymotic has good instructions for how to to insert the earphones on its website (it even has a video), but getting the right seal can be a challenge.I like the three-flange eartips, but the hf3 earphones also come with glider and foam eartips for users who prefer that fit. You can also use Shure eartips with the hf3 earphones, if you have a comfort preference.For users who really want the best fit, Etymotic encourages users to get custom-molded earbuds for the hf3 headphones. To do this, you’ll need to visit an audiologist who will take a wax molding of your ear canal and translate that into the silicon that attaches to your earphones. By some standards, this is a bit pricey, at $100 or so, but in the realm of custom-fit, in-ear earphones, it’s actually not that bad.Once inserted correctly, the earphones definitely do their job when it comes to noise isolation. I recently moved to new York City and the hf3 earphones definitely block out the sounds of the subway, ambient street noise and even office chatter. Etymotic isn’t known for being a bass-heavy earphone — look elsewhere if that’s what you’re after. What you do get is very, very accurate, crisp sound with lots of focus on the highs. I find that music sounds as it was meant to be heard.One note about noise isolation — as great as it is to get the full impact of your audio, it can also be a very real safety risk. for that reason, Etymotic has started bundling a new version of Essency’s fantastic iPhone app Awareness [iTunes link] with the earbuds. just register your headphones and you’ll get a code to unlock all the features of the app.The app is ingenious because it uses the microphone on the earphones to listen for ambient noise. if noise reaches above a certain level, that sound is pumped through the earphones. The net result is that users get a noise-isolated experience without being completely shut-off from the world.Speaking of the microphone — the one weak spot on the hf3 headphones is the built-in mic. Callers said I sounded fine, but quiet, and the fidelity of the microphone isn’t exceptional. on the brighter side, the built-in remote control/volume control switch works brilliantly with the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and iPod nano. I like the placement of the remote control/microphone as well.For my money, I haven’t come across a better in-ear headset/earphone combination. for consumers who value a good audio experience and want a pair of earphones that will outlast the $30 cheapies, give them a listen. Series Supported by Energizer®The Gadget of the Day Series is supported by the Energizer® Inductive Charger, which brings you the next generation of charging with Qi technology. Qi is the new universal standard for wireless charging. Energizer® has always been designed with performance and responsibility in mind … now that’s positivenergy™.

Global Syndication Partners

Barnes & Noble Nook review (2011)

admin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:26:00 +0000

the new Nook from Barnes & Noble has this funny little trick: I keep on reading on it. In fact, despite my best efforts otherwise, I’m often reading the very book I planned on reading, or the book that I was reading moments before I tried to escape into some OS Wonderland that simply doesn’t exist here. Sometimes I wonder what else is going on in the world — but I’d have to set down the Nook and pick up another device to find out, so I just read the book instead. It’s kind of like… reading a book.For Barnes & Noble, the new Nook is a perfect compromise between the unintuitive dual-screen original Nook and the super ambitious Nook Color — which is really more like a tablet computer than a reader. E Ink keeps the device cheap, both on price and on battery life ($139 / two months), and everybody loves a touchscreen. the question is: in a bid for simplicity, has Barnes & Noble kept the best parts around, or thrown out the baby with the complicated bath water? Let’s dive in and find out.In many ways, the Nook is almost a post-digital device. When you open the box you just pull out the Nook and start dealing with content — no need to worry about the USB cord or charger just yet, tucked away in a second compartment. after the Nook is powered on the first time you might never need to power cycle it again. WiFi works automatically at any Starbucks or Barnes & Noble. There aren’t any “web addresses” to type in or “apps” to install. I’ve never forced anything to quit, and I’m not sure how I would anyway.Technically the new Nook is a touchscreen E Ink ebook reader. it communicates with the Barnes & Noble ecosystem, and also works as a simple mass storage device for sideloading ePub or Adobe Digital Edition titles you might have lying around. even more technically, the device is running Google’s Android operating system — though there isn’t a single hint to that fact in the actual UI or operation of the reader, but more on that later. the actual object is made out of a soft touch plastic, both front and back, with a large indentation in the rear to give you something to hold onto. at its thickest the Nook is certainly thicker than the Kindle 3 (0.47-inches vs 0.34-inches), but both devices are super light (the Nook wins at 7.5-ounces, the Kindle 3 is a hefty 8.5), and I actually greatly prefer holding the Nook. the thickness means less of a “pinch” is required to hold onto it, it just rests in the hand. you can turn pages by swiping anywhere on the screen, tapping on the edge of the screen, or pushing one of the four rubber ridges on the sides of the device — which can be customized to your preference. Between the shape and all this flexibility, arm and hand fatigue is basically a non-issue, which should be great news for anyone used to reading on something like the iPad or even the Nook Color.The 800 x 600 E Ink screen is sunken below the bezel a couple millimeters, no doubt to make room for the infrared touchscreen technology. It’s actually the same tech that’s used by last year’s Sony PRS-650 (and the just-announced Kobo Touch), and since it doesn’t involve an additional layer of anything over top of the screen (the IR is embedded in the sides) it doesn’t have any impact on readability, unlike older generations of touchscreen ereaders. Happily, I found the tech to be perfectly responsive, including some pretty snappy QWERTY keyboard operation.As for the actual E Ink, it’s the same 6-inch “Pearl” screen used on the Kindle 3, and the contrast and responsiveness is just as good. B&N has one trick up its sleeve, however. When turning pages on a book, the Nook does a semi-refresh that swaps out the text without doing a full-on “flash” of the screen. the downside is a minor amount of ghosting — which you can’t really see unless you’re looking for it — but the upside is that page turns are much less jarring. every 6th page turn still flashes to black to kill the ghosts, but if you’re really looking for something analog and trippy you can start turning pages rapidly — it kind of looks like a fast forwarding VCR on a snowy CRT. Basically, the days of ebook readers taking their own sweet time to turn the page is over. and won’t be missed.While this little hack is great, it’s important to keep in mind that this isn’t a generational leap. There are still some major problems with E Ink. Compared to a paperbook (even a yellowing one) the contrast between text and background isn’t nearly as strong. Real ink has an advantage of being on top of the page, while E Ink still feels like you’re seeing it through a slight filter. it helps to have a direct light when reading E Ink, while real ink can be read comfortably under most ambient light conditions. Finally, real ink and recent phones (like the Atrix and iPhone 4) have the supreme advantage of resolution over E Ink. Text rendered on a 800 x 600 6-inch screen simply looks blurry compared to a pixel dense phone display or a “retro” printed page. also, more specifically, I feel like the font rendering on the Nook is slightly inferior to that of the Kindle, the result being even more pixelated words than strictly necessary with this technology.A quick note on battery life: Barnes & Noble rates the device at two months of “average” use, which is about half an hour a day. If you’re really serious about running the battery down, it will supposedly take you 150 hours at a pace of one page turn per minute. I haven’t had nearly enough time with the device to put a serious dent in the battery life, but even if you’re reading 3 or 4 hours a day on average you shouldn’t need to charge the thing more often than once every couple of weeks. I doubt it will be a problem until after the apocalypse.What a difference a E Ink touchscreen makes. UI-wise there’s almost no point in comparing the new Nook to the original, or even the Nook Color. after seeing how easy it should be to page through books, jump to pages, change my font size, jump into another book, and preview or purchase a new title, I’m almost embarrassed for Amazon. the Kindle 3′s abstraction of the UI onto hardware buttons and endless menus seems positively last century in comparison. even typing on the Nook is faster and easier than it is on the Kindle’s hardware keyboard. I’ll attempt to explain the touch UI further, but I’ll probably just sound stupid. Basically, things are where you expect them to be, and they’re really responsive when you tap them. There’s only one main hardware button which brings up the “main menu” of home, library, shop, etc., and tapping on the screen while inside a book brings up commands relevant to book reading (go to page, change the text styling, share). That’s about it. the fact that any of these things are hard to do on devices like the Kindle or Nook Color really evades me, but when it comes to pure “even a grandma could do it” simplicity, the new Nook is the hands down winner. Of course, Barnes & Noble doesn’t just achieve ease of use through the touchscreen. the fact that the new Nook is really only trying to do one thing is a big benefit. I wish I had an email client and an RSS reader and a web browser here, (and I look forward to a hacked version of this device running something more like stock Android), but it’s hard to argue with the straightforward results of a device dedicated only to reading.That’s not to say there aren’t shortcomings in the software. For starters, Barnes & Noble is trying to make reading “social.” the functionality to share passages over Twitter or Facebook or email seems straightforward enough, though I had trouble importing my Google contacts, but I’m not buying into the Nook Friends “social network” at all. the bottom third of the home screen is dedicated to recommendations from your friend group, but the trouble is I don’t personally know a single person who uses a Nook product, so I don’t have anybody to hook up with. I can understand B&N’s enthusiasm, but their efforts would be better spent helping me figure out what my real friends are actually reading (through partnering with a service like Goodreads, who has an app for the Nook Color), instead of my theoretical friends who would all be B&N customers in some fantasy land.My other big problem is with the way the Nook ecosystem handles sync. As small and portable as the Nook is, I won’t always have it with me, so it’s very important to sync well with a mobile app. this is something Amazon just destroys at, with everything always staying synced automagically, but B&N hasn’t quite figured it out. For Nook you have to manually push the sync button from inside the library. you normally don’t even need to go into the library, since your recent titles are all on the home screen, so really you’re going to the library for the express purpose of syncing. and if you forget to sync before you start reading a title, you’re totally out of luck — if you push sync, you’ll just upload your most recent activity in the book. Cue frustration.The new Nook enters a highly competitive market, but it’s still a world ripe for new and better ideas — we’re still waiting on the perfect reader. I don’t think the Nook is the one, but it offers up some nice improvements over the standard formula. Perfect simplicity of operation, endless battery life, speedy page turns, and a retail juggernaut for backup. If you’ve already bought into the Kindle ecosystem (as many have), you might be better served just waiting for the inevitable Kindle response, but for someone just getting into the ebooks game, this Nook is a pretty great start. I personally do most of my reading on my phone. It’s always with me, the screen resolution is killer, and it can run any and all book stores (Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Google, iBooks) without a problem. While the new Nook was a pleasant surprise, and certainly a better experience in sunlight, I don’t think it’s enough to make me stray. Similarly, the E Ink quality really isn’t much of an improvement over reading on an LCD, so I don’t see much reason for iPad or Nook Color owners to feel regret.What’s funny is that during the course of my testing I ended up picking up one of those old fashioned paper books I had lying around for comparison purposes. it was a paperback copy of Woody Allen’s side Effects printed in the 80s that I bought off some sidewalk vendor for a dollar or two last summer. Before I knew it I had blazed through an entire short story, and was trying to keep myself from starting another. I told myself, “Remember your review, Paul!” so I pulled out the Nook and tried to buy a digital copy. Sadly, they only had Woody Allen’s more recent anthology, Mere Anarchy. I read part of the available excerpt, but it didn’t really excite me. another win for nostalgia, I suppose.

Barnes & Noble Nook review (2011)

Review: Element Case’s Formula and Ion iPhone 4 Cases Get the Job Done

admin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:25:48 +0000

I’ve never really understood the reluctance many people have to spend a bit of money on a good case for their iPhones. I realize nobody likes to spend more money than necessary, but is it really reasonable to get upset when the $20 case you bought for your $200 or $300 iPhone 4 isn’t enough to protect it when it falls out of your pocket? to my mind, it’s worth spending a bit more to get more confidence in the protection offered.Which brings us to Element Case. We’ve written about Element Case a number of times on GeekDad before, but they’ve just come out with two new cases for the iPhone 4, and they’re good enough to be worth another article. They’re not cheap, as nothing from Element Case is, but you get what you pay for.The Formula 4 and Ion 4 are both made primarily from high-impact materials, including carbon fiber backings that look cool and absorb shock really well. the chief physical difference between the two, accounting for the $10 price differential, is that the Ion is made out of flexible material and the Formula isn’t. This is made clear by the fact that to put the Formula case on your phone requires separating the two parts of the case, putting the phone in the bigger piece, then snapping the smaller piece back on; whereas the Ion case is of the more “traditional” put-one-end-in-then-stretch-it variety. both seem to offer excellent protection — I can’t afford to risk breaking my iPhone by dropping it to see how good the cases are, but I did try putting breakable pieces of plastic in the cases and hitting the cases with a hammer, and both the plastic and the cases survived without any noticeable dent, crack, or blemish. So there’s that.Both cases feel good in your hand and are grippable enough that they’re highly unlikely to slip while you’re holding them. They’re both very lightweight — I can tell there’s a bit more weight in my pocket with the cases than without, but not nearly enough to be bothersome. and, presumably because these cases aren’t metallic, I haven’t gotten any signal interference or GPS weirdness as I would occasionally get with the metal Element Cases (the GPS would mostly be right, but sometimes it would be up to about a half-mile off).Between the two, I like the Formula case a little better just because of its feel in my hand, but I highly recommend both — the Ion, despite being cheaper, is actually a bit more shock-resistant, according to the website. the Formula 4 case retails for $59.95, and the Ion 4 for $49.95. both cases will fit either AT&T or Verizon iPhone 4s. both are available only in black, at least for the moment.

Review: Element Case’s Formula and Ion iPhone 4 Cases Get the Job Done

Review: HTC Trophy

admin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:25:06 +0000

Well, here it is. Windows Phone 7 on Verizon! For many of you out there, this phone is your very first taste of Microsoft’s mobile platform reborn. It’s a completely different beast that has a ton of potential. With that said, WP7 and the HTC Trophy are quite a match. but is the duo good enough to warrant passing up on any of the currently available high-end Android devices or the Verizon iPhone? Hop inside for the full review…The SpecsProcessor: 1 GHzDisplay: 3.8 480 x 800 (WVGA)RAM/ROM: 576 MB/512 MBInternal Storage: 8 GBCamera: 8-megapixel w/ auto-focus, flash, and 720p video recordingWireless: Bluetooth 2.1 | WiFi b/g/n | GPSBattery: 1300 mAhHardware & DisplayStarting at the top of the device we’ve got the power button and 3.5mm audio port which gives way to the shutter button (for the camera) on the far bottom on the right side. The bottom to of the Trophy is a wasteland of soft touch plastic while the left side houses the volume up/down buttons. ‘round back you’ll find the Trophy’s 8-megapixel life capturing device complete with LED flash.On paper the Trophy doesn’t look too terribly impressive. but that’s ok because it’s the software that makes WP7. With that said, we have to point out that even though the 3.8 display only packs 480 x 800 resolution, it looks crisp and extremely clear — far better than just about any competing Android device with the same resolution. whatever Microsoft and HTC did here works. really. Even though the Trophy hardware is rather thin, the rounded edges and soft touch rubber more than make up for the diminutive size. still, we wish HTC would have added a couple more mm back into the phone and stuffed a larger battery in there.Camera and VideoAs the specs elude to, the 5-megapixel shooter and 720p video recording performed well and looked extra snazzy on the Trophy’s display. at times the camera would have trouble focusing on close-up shots while photos with a lot of dynamic range ended up being washed out and harsh. but such problems aren’t limited to the Trophy, but instead mobile phone cameras in general. The video captured with the Trophy was overall decent. We’ve seen better and we’ve seen worse. SoftwareIf you haven’t been able to experience Windows Phone 7 yet we highly suggest you do so. It is quite possibly the perfect “anti-iOS” method for navigating a phone. where Apple is all about the eye candy and extreme attention to detail, Microsoft took a very simplistic, no frills stance with Windows Phone. It’s not better and it’s not worse. It’s just different. As we hinted at above, the mid-range hardware pushes WP7 pixels around much faster and more seamlessly than Android counterparts. Transitions between the home screen and apps (and vice versa) was always snappy with very little, if any noticeable slow downs or lag. Setting up a rarely-used Windows Live account as well as several Gmail accounts was also uneventful. Similar to how Apple integrated the iPod into the iPhone, Microsoft has essentially taken the software guts of the Zune and stuffed them into every WP7 device. as a music player, we prefer the Zune interface as it lets you quickly scroll left/right between menus and up/down for items in any given menu. Audio quality was up there with the iPhone in our non-scientific approach — clear, crisp, and fat-bottomed when paired with the right cans. We’ll come right out and say that we love the WP7 onscreen keyboard. In fact, we’d rate it a very close tie for first place with the iOS keyboard. we were able to fly through words just as fast as we can on our iPhone 4, and a good clip faster than the LG Revolution in house using LG’s own fantastic keyboard. For people worried about the transition from physical to digital, this is one platform you definitely want to check out.The Photos app operates similarly to the Zune app navigation-wise and is pretty basic. The People app is pretty cool in that it syncs with your Facebook and allows you to see quick blurbs about status updates and such without having to launch a dedicated app. Finally, being an HTC device you’d expect to see some heavy software customization, right? Well, not so fast. Microsoft took a much firmer stance with Windows Phone 7 than they did with Windows Mobile in a move that shares some characteristics with Apple’s locked down environment. Microsoft now prevents manufacturers and carriers from skinning the WP7 interface in an effort to keep things consistant for all users across the various pieces of hardware. we think this is a very good idea as Android’s “diversity” is nice to write on press releases and news articles, but often translates to crappy performance, bloatware, and an overall pile of garbage in the real world. With that said, HTC does have the “HTC Hub” which is essentially a Sense-UI app pack that is launched rather than all encompassing. In there you’ll find the clocks, weather widgets, and links to download more HTC content. In our eyes, having all the Android skins repurposed as “app packs” would do Android a world of good. (Google, take note.)Almost There… AppsWe could very easily see ourselves using WP7 as a daily driver — if only there were more apps. a lot of simple tasks such as checking in with Foursquare and multi-account IM chats were all but impossible. (**IM+ should be hitting WP7 soon making for a much happier ending.) where we can spend hours on iOS and almost the same amount of time on Android we found ourselves growing bored after 30-40 minutes. Though such a reaction is far better than what we initially experienced on the PlayBook as it lacks just about every useful app/service you can imagine — save for Facebook.We have no doubt in our minds that WP7 will continue catching on. but how fast is anyone’s guess. Palm/HP are are in the same boat — small time newcomers looking to make a name for themselves. while both platforms certainly have some potential and features that Android and/or iOS don’t share, it takes consistency amongst other things to come out ahead. Call Quality And Battery LifeAs far as call quality goes, it’s more of the same. That is, running on Verizon’s network in the (Midwest) was problem-free. Call quality was loud and clear with callers reporting back that I sounded equally impressive. Battery life is something that mobile phones fail at all too often. It’s quite unfortunate really, as the tasks they beg us to perform on them require increasing amounts of go-go juice. With that said, we found the Trophy to do rather well when off the plug — up there with our iPhone 4. of course, one could also say if you’re following Microsoft’s mantra of “getting back to life” and spending less time on your phone then it should run longer. whatever the case, just know that you won’t have to babysit outlets like your standard smartphone.ConclusionIs the HTC Trophy worth your time? It’s certainly much better than the first generation of WP7 devices from late last year. With that said, the hardware itself is pretty awesome despite the meager specs and the software is efficient in the sense that it doesn’t take a miniature super computer to run somewhat smoothly. For this we give Microsoft props. but what gets us the most is the lack of apps (once again). It ruins a potentially awesome experience. However, if you can look past some of these shortcomings and/or don’t mind waiting for Microsoft to issue new updates and features, we feel the Trophy is just as good as any.On a larger scale, we much prefer the semi-closed nature of WP7 to Android’s all-you-can-eat buffet and Apple’s ultra restrictive ecosystems. It seems Microsoft has found a relatively happy medium that promotes ideas and creativity (like iOS) and also limiting fragmentation and malware potential (Android). In the meantime you need to get out to your local cellular provider and give the major platforms a try. because as much as we tell you about these phones, it pales in comparison to what some good ‘ol fashion hands-on time can do. Get out there.Gallery

Review: HTC Trophy

What verizon phone to get? ?

admin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:38:22 +0000

I have an LG voyager right now and have had it for about a year now. I am on a premium family plan so I think that limits me from some of the smart phones such as the Storm, Omnia and htc touch pro. I have read a lot of reviews on all the phones out now. As I think I am limited to certain phones since I am on a premium family plan I was thinking about the LG dare as a couple of my friends just got it and I do like it but I am unsure if I will or not because I do txt a lot, and personally the voyager touch screen is not good at all compared to a iphone or itouch so I did not know if the dare touch screen is any better then the voyagers or not. also i heard the htc touch was pretty much screwed up by verizon and I also read poor reviews about the omnia. Also if any new phones are coming out for verizon let me know and pretty much I would just like your opinion.You can get the higher end phones but you probably have to get an add on which will be an additional fee. probably 15 to 20 bucks a month. it would just be an add on to your phone not every phone on the family planI have the lg dare and i think its a great phone some people have problems with texting with it but i guess its because they have big hands i have no problem. I would say out of the phones you named the dare is probably best although i'm not familiar with the samsung omnia but out of the others if you cant get the storm cuz it costs too much go with dare you cant lose with it i suggest a unlimited data plan with it if you dont already have one.

What verizon phone to get? ?

LinkedIn App for Android Goes Open Beta

admin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:34:57 +0000

An official client for the LinkedIn professional social network has been a long time coming, but it looks like the third-party stopgaps will soon be relieved of duty. LinkedIn for Android is now available in an open beta if you sign up for the group. All of the core functions are there, like viewing updates from your professional contacts, browsing profiles, handling invitations, and searching for particular people.If you’ve never signed up, LinkedIn is a social network specifically for professional identities; you can show your work history, ask for recommendations, and try to get references to connect with folks outside of your usual sphere. LinkedIn exists pretty separately from Facebook, though there’s definitely a lot of overlapping users. Only Android 2.1 devices and up are supported for the new mobile client, and since it’s in beta and not in the Market yet, you’ll need to be able to install non-market apps. if you’re packing a BlackBerry, you can find it in App World, or for iPhone, hit up the widget below.[via AndroidCentral]

Unlocked iphone compatible with any phone service?

admin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:32:40 +0000

I recently bought an unlocked 3GS iphone with a Vodafone phone plan in Italy. in August I am going to be returing home to the USA and i am wondering if I will be able to use my phone with a new AT&T plan? will I be able to take out the sim card that I have now and start over with a new phone plan? any suggestions or knowledge regarding this would be great!!! thank you!!!!!If you have a unlock iphone, you can only use it with either A T&T or T-Mobile. both of these cell phone carriers use GSM and requires a sim card for your cell phone.

Unlocked iphone compatible with any phone service?

Second Report: HTC Thunderbolt Outselling Verizon iPhone 4 – Droid Life: A Droid Community Blog

admin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:31:32 +0000

One thing that has always irritated the hell out of me, was the ridiculous amount of sales comparisons that seem to be made between the current iPhone and whichever new Android device has just landed on the market. Why? Well, you have to remember that the iPhone and the sales of its 2 or 3 different versions get grouped together to form one giant number. You never hear that the 16GB model sold 40K units while the 32GB hit 100K. It’s always, “Verizon sold 2 million iPhones.”But when Verizon starts selling a DROIDX, DROID2 and Thunderbolt, we seem to break them all out as individual devices, which will of course lead to lesser numbers. After all, there are how many different Android handsets and on how many different carriers? And this is the reason we scoff off at most of these comparisons, because the real numbers should and have always been between Android activations and iPhones sold. And we all know who’s dominating that race.With that said, when you do actually hear of a single Android device putting our Apple counterpart to shame, it’s worth a quick mention because it’s quite the feat. According to a second report from another research firm (ITG), the HTC Thunderbolt has been outselling Verizon’s iPhone as consumers are looking for something “new” and of course fast. Hello LTE.*Note – obviously we need to spell this out for the Apple fans who can’t seem to grasp how any of this works. The Thunderbolt has not outsold the iPhone in total sales, and how could it have? It’s been out a month less. The point is, that since the Thunderbolt was released, it has been outselling the iPhone. Rocket science, I know.Via: NY PostCheers Brian!

Second Report: HTC Thunderbolt Outselling Verizon iPhone 4 – Droid Life: A Droid Community Blog

Should I buy the new Verizon Droid?

admin — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:26:51 +0000

I hate the iPhone and AT&T… I've been a Verizon customer for a few years and I'm extremely interested in their new Droid coming out tomorrow, especially since it's supposed to defeat the iPhone in so many ways… however, I've never seen the Droid and only know this info through reviews. Let me know what you think… I may go buy this thing tomorrow!Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. the Droid will never defeat the iPhone. Verizon is just pissed because they were tired of waiting for Apple to release the iPhone for their customers. So, they chose another one to try to compete with the iPhone. "Everything iDon't; Android does…" my butt.I say get it. i've never been a big droid fan myself but by just looking at the phone and all that it's capable of i'd say it is probably one of the best droids out there.don't buy it until you actually use one. and don't hate iPhones, they are the pioneers of touchscreen smartphonesYes the phone looks really cool I would try it out but I am on a contract with AT&T.

Should I buy the new Verizon Droid?