Can't Check Voice Mail? Read It

Alltel is working with a British company called SpinVox, which has systems that “listen” to voice mail messages. If certain words can’t be discerned, the messages go to technicians.

There's hope for you soon.

Cellular provider Alltel is among a few big phone companies starting to launch new ways to use the time-honored voice mail message. The No. 4 U.S. cellular carrier is starting a system called Voice2TXT that uses voice recognition technology (and some human help) to convert incoming voice mail messages into text that users can read on their phone like a text message - as discreetly as glancing down at the phone.

Alltel's system is the first in the Tampa Bay area to offer such a service, pricing it at $4.99 to $19.99 per month, depending on the number of messages sent. The project is part of a broad effort at phone companies to rethink voice mail systems that largely haven't changed in at least a decade. These new approaches blend voice calls, e-mail, text messages and anything else that can be brought to bear.

Apple took a step in that direction with its "visual voice mail" system on its iPhone, which breaks apart the usual method of listening to voice mail messages one at a time. Instead, visual voice mail systems display a list of messages (and who sent them, through caller ID) and lets the user scroll through them.

Apple so believes in its feature that it has become a big part of Apple's iPhone TV commercials.

The new Alltel system uses a blend of computer and human help to convert voice calls to text. Alltel contracted with a British company called SpinVox, which has systems that "listen" to voice messages in a similar way to computerized voice recognition systems that customer service centers use.

If the system can't discern certain words, the messages go to technicians in South Africa, Ireland and other countries for final polishing. Still, some words show up as blanks in the final text message, and mumbling and ambient noise can stump the system at times. The Alltel system works with English and Spanish.

"There is a value to discretion," said Tony Carter, a spokesman for SpinVox. "Maybe you're in a quiet meeting, and you don't want to stick your phone to your head so everyone thinks you're not paying attention. Or maybe you're in a sports arena that's just too loud to hear your voice mail."

The idea was the brainchild of 30-year-old Christine Domecq, of the Spanish Domecq spirits family, who left a meeting and found herself with 14 voice mail messages, unable to tell whether any were important. She decided the solution was to find a way to scan through messages quickly - not listen to all of them. She and a few telecom entrepreneurs raised $100 million to build the company.

The system isn't limited to just phones. SpinVox this year signed a similar deal that allows users of social networking sites Facebook, Jaiku and Twitter to dictate updates to their profiles by calling a special SpinVox number.

Sometime next year, SpinVox expects to sign deals with land-line phone and cable TV companies that will convert home voice mail messages to text, then send them to cell phones as text messages so office workers can see who called home during the day.

As for privacy concerns, SpinVox acknowledges that its employees need to listen to messages to transcribe them, and it requires them to sign confidentiality agreements. Further, Carter said the employees only hear the beginning of messages, enough to fill the 160 characters in a text message.

Although Alltel is the first major cell phone provider to offer such a feature directly to customers, there are a few add-on software packages that accomplish a similar task.

Encinitas, Calif.-based FreedomVOICE Systems, for example, has a system called TalkText that converts voice messages to text for BlackBerry and Treo smart phones, as well as some desktop computers.

Sprint recently launched its own voice mail advancement called VoiceSMS, which blends voice and e-mail. Callers can scroll through their contacts, select someone to call, then dictate a message. Recipients then see a short text message, telling them they have a message waiting. The only fee to the service is for a text message, and the service also can deliver voice messages to e-mail addresses, which appear as a short audio recording.

Source

Easily transfer contacts to your new cell phone

Talk about a nightmare. Just after you get all excited over the purchase of a new phone, you realize that your contact info is trapped in your dying old phone. HELP! MY CONTACTS ARE TRAPPED IN MY PHONE!
Talk about a nightmare. Just after you get all excited over the purchase of a new phone, you realize that your contact info is trapped in your dying old phone. The only way to rescue them, manually inputting hundreds of contacts using the alphanumeric keypad, no less, can be enough to test even the most patient. You think about how much effort this will require and say to yourself, "Did I really need a new phone?"

Well, of course you did, and you can stop imagining this doomsday scenario.

Note: If both your old and new phones use a SIM card on which you've stored your contact information, you can stop reading right now and sleep soundly; you can just transfer your SIM card to the new phone.

In fact, there are a few different happy endings to this nightmare.
1. Make your carrier work for you
We know, it's a novel concept. But if you purchase a new phone through and your phone doesn't use a SIM card, you can go to one of your carrier's retail outlets and have a customer service agent transfer your contacts from your old phone to your new one. It may cost you, however, depending on your carrier.

2. Use syncing software
If for some reason your provider is unable to transfer your address book to the new phone, don't give in to that syncing feeling. You can purchase cables and data synchronization software that will do the trick. Your carrier or the phone's manufacturer may provide such tools for your handset. Otherwise, several third-party options are available.

FutureDial offers cables ($30 to $35) for a wide range of cell phones, and its SnapSync software ($30) automatically synchronizes contact information between your phone and Outlook or Outlook Express. But in this case, you'll probably need separate cables for both your old and new phones. DataPilot's Universal Kit ($80) and Mobile Action's Handset Manager (around $30), however, include cell phone sync software and connectors to support most popular cell phone brands, including Nokia. Check with the company to be sure your phones are supported. For step-by-step directions on using syncing software, see our Weekend Project.

If you use an Apple Macintosh and a GPRS Bluetooth-enabled phone, Apple's iSync will synchronize your contacts, appointments, and events. iSync is available as a free download from Apple.

3. Use online tools
Verizon Wireless recently introduced a new online service that eliminates the pain of moving your contact information. The Backup Assistant lets you store your address book online, so your contact information is readily available in case you purchase a new phone. This also is a good option in case your cell phone is lost or stolen. Backup Assistant is available at Verizon's Get It Now online store. For $5 a month, Nextel offers an online service that lets you store up to 2,000 contacts with multiple addresses and phone numbers. You can import contact information to the site from Outlook, Excel, or your Nextel phone. Once all the information you need is online, you can transfer contacts to your new phone with ease.

An alternative comes from a start-up company called Vazu. It offers a free tool called Vazu Contacts, which lets you upload contact information from Outlook, Outlook Express, Apple Mail, or Novell Evolution directly to your Nokia or Sony Ericsson mobile phone. You receive contact information as a business card, which you can immediately add to your address book. Currently, Vazu Contacts works only on GSM networks, so AT&T Wireless, Cingular, and T-Mobile customers with supported phones can enjoy the service. The company says it is exploring other networks and phone models.

4. Wireless connectivity
If both your old and new phones have Bluetooth or an infrared port, you may be able to transfer contacts wirelessly. Not all carriers support Bluetooth, however, so be sure to check if yours does. Alternatively, you can transfer files on a memory card.

SOURCE

Verizon Wireless donates phones to domestic violence victims

KINGSTON - Verizon Wireless donated 20 wireless phones to Family Domestic Violence Services today to celebrate the grand opening of the company's new store at 1200 Ulster Ave.

As part of the company's HopeLine program dedicated to combat and raise awareness about domestic violence, the phones will be distributed to victims of domestic violence in the area so they can call for help in an emergency or life-threatening situation. The phones can also help domestic violence survivors find employment, child care arrangements and housing.

Phone donations are accepted at all Verizon Wireless stores nationwide. For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

AT&T's third-quarter profit rises 41.5%

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- AT&T Inc. on Tuesday said third-quarter earnings rose 41.5%, boosted by the acquisition of BellSouth and the addition of 2 million net wireless customers.

The San Antonio-based phone giant got a big lift from the iPhone. Since the mobile device went on sale June 29, 1.1 million customers have activated service with AT&T, the exclusive U.S. partner of Apple Inc.

More than 950,000 have signed up since the start of the third quarter.

AT&T, meanwhile, said net income totaled $3.06 billion, or 50 cents a share, compared with $2.17 billion, or 56 cents a share, a year ago. The company had fewer shares outstanding in the 2006 third quarter.

Much of the increase in earnings stemmed from the company's acquisition of BellSouth in December 2006.

Revenue rose almost 93% to $30.1 billion from $15.6 billion a year earlier, mostly due to wireless growth and the inclusion of BellSouth.

Adjusted for the acquisition, sales rose a much smaller 3.2% to 30.3 billion. AT&T said savings generated by the purchase of BellSouth are expected to surpass its original forecasts and top $3 billion in 2007.

As a result, the company also increased its annual target for "free cash flow after dividends" to a range of $6 billion to $7 billion from its prior estimate of $5 billion to $6 billion. Shares of AT&T a component of the Dow Jones industrial average, rose in early Tuesday trades, up 0.7% to $41.46.

Excluding acquisition-related expenses and other one-time costs, AT&T said it would have earned $4.3 billion, or 71 cents a share, compared with income of $2.4 billion, or 63 cents a share, a year ago.

The adjusted profit met Wall Street's forecast. The carrier was expected to earn 71 cents a share on revenue of $30.12 billion, according to the consensus of analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial.

Wireless revenue jumped 14.4% to $10.9 billion from a year earlier, with operating margin rising to 18% from 14.8% omitted merger-related costs. AT&T ended the third quarter with a nation-leading 65.7 million mobile customers.

The company also added 499,000 high-speed Internet customers to bring its total to 13.8 million, also the No. 1 market position in the U.S., and AT&T ended the quarter with 126,000 customers for its new U-Verse fiber-TV service.

Wireless growth

The large gain in wireless customers indicates the iPhone has given AT&T a big boost in its battle to fend off Verizon Wireless for the No. 1 position in the U.S. mobile market. Most analysts were expecting AT&T to add no more than 1.7 million mobile customers.

While AT&T has activated 1.1 million iPhone accounts, Apple said late Monday that it's sold 1.4 million devices. That means AT&T has as many as 300,000 iPhones in stock to sell ahead of the upcoming holiday season. During the quarter, AT&T said average monthly revenue per user rose 2% to $50.82, the result of higher usage of wireless-data services and Internet access.

Churn, or the percentage of customers who cancel service each month, rose slightly to 1.7% from 1.6% in the prior quarter. Among valuable post-paid subscribers, or those who sign up for annual plans and pay at the end of each month, churn edged up to 1.3% from a company low 1.2% in prior quarter.

AT&T said the higher sequential churn reflected "typical third-quarter seasonality." The company still trails Verizon Wireless, whose overall churn rate is close to 1%.

Verizon also generates more revenue from its wireless business than AT&T does. Verizon Wireless is jointly owned by Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC AT&T believes the iPhone will improve customer loyalty and pull away customers from rivals such as Sprint Nextel Corp. Carriers are trying to differentiate themselves as the competition for customers intensifies.

Since most adult Americans now own mobile phones, subscriber growth will eventually taper off. Revenue expansion is more likely to stem from gains in market share and the introduction of new services such as mobile video.

Wireline business

In AT&T's more traditional phone business, often referred to as the landline or wireline market, results were mixed again. AT&T said revenue in its corporate-services unit fell 0.3% to $4.8 billion, although sales were up 1% from the prior quarter. In the consumer market, more local-phone customers disconnected service to continue a long-term trend. Subscribers switched to cable or Internet-phone service, or dropped wireline service entirely.

To win back customers, AT&T is adding video and other offerings. During the quarter, the carrier gained said it's approaching its goal of adding 10,000 customers each week for its fledging U-Verse service. AT&T plans to ramp up its TV service over the next few years to stem the loss of local-phone customers to cable companies that operate in its territory. Yet many investors and analysts question the company's technological approach and limited spending plan. Verizon is spending much more on an advanced fiber strategy.

Rumors persist that AT&T might buy one of the nation's two major satellite-television operators, EchoStar Communications Inc. or DirecTV. AT&T already sells their satellite services through prior marketing arrangements.

SOURCE

Vonage Sued Again, This Time by AT&T

The Internet phone company Vonage disclosed over the weekend that it had been sued, yet again, by a telecom giant for infringing patents, the Wall Street Journal reported. This time, AT&T says that Vonage is violating a patent which allows users to access an Internet phone system through a standard phone.

The suit was actually filed last Wednesday, but Vonage did not disclose it until issuing a regulatory filing late Friday.

Verizon’s suit against Vonage, which Vonage lost but is now appealing, led to a judge ruling that Vonage can no longer use certain technologies. Earlier this month, Vonage settled another suit, by Sprint, by agreeing to license over 100 Sprint patents for $80 million.

SOURCE

Cool New Cell Phones Released

Verizon customers sent and received 10 billion text messages during the month of July. That's one reason why Verizon is coming out with the text-friendly Voyager."It actually vibrates so you know what you touched is what you actually selected," a Verizon employee saidThe Voyager has a touch-sensitive screen on the outside. When you flip it open, a second screen appears on the inside where you can watch videos and surf the Internet.

Another hot phone for text messengers is called the Tilt from AT&T."The Tilt runs on Microsoft Office," Maurice Contreras of AT&T said. "You can integrate it with your corporate service. It will integrate with your Gmail, your Yahoo email, your personal e-mail addresses."

AT&T also offers the iPhone. More than 1 million have been sold since its summer debut."It's $399 but it's the ultimate phone," Contreras said. "It's the ultimate Internet device, just the ultimate mobile phone."AT&T's Video Share feature allows users to have videoconferences with other AT&T customers."I can be anywhere in the country and you would be able to see me and hear me as long as you had this feature on your AT&T phone," reported NBC 6's Joel Connable.

Sprint's newest Blackberry is perfect for people who need to take their office with them. It has e-mail, maps and a GPS system."I type in my mom's home address and it tells me exactly point-to-point directions," Emicel Ana of Sprint said.One of the smallest phones on the market is Verizon's Juke.It flips open like a switchblade knife and is made for people who like to download music. It also has a built-in 2 gigabyte memory for music.You can also track your kids with Verizon's family locater. A GPS is built in the phone so you always know where they are.

SOURCE

Find your friends on a cell phone: Pelago introduces Whrrl

Whrrl is a new service that allows mobile phone users to chronicle every social activity in their lives -- writing reviews of movies or restaurants or uploading photos from concerts and sporting events. It then plots that information on a map and combines it with similar content from friends, creating a personal mobile city guide. It also provides the real-time locations of people as they wander from place to place in a city, tracking chosen friends as dots on a map.

Whrrl -- not to be confused with a competing service called Whirrl -- is the first offering from Pelago, a Seattle startup that scored $7.4 million from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and Trilogy Equity Partners last year.

Led by Jeff Holden and Darren Erik Vengroff, both of whom previously held high-ranking positions at Amazon.com, Pelago is one of a number of companies trying to tap the emerging arena of location-based services. The idea is that mobile phone users will want to locate friends -- who may be at a nearby restaurant -- or at the very least get a review that a friend wrote of the restaurant from a few weeks ago. The service is also accessible on a PC.

For businesses, the concept holds much promise -- potentially allowing them to target coupons or advertisements to people as they shop in a book store or buy a cup of coffee.

Of course, plotting the location of people on a mobile map in real time opens up dozens of potential privacy issues. That's especially the case since Pelago is targeting teenagers and those in their 20s. Eventually, the company wants to combine the power of GPS phones with a patent-pending technology it dubs "Passive Visitation" to automatically record the locations of users as they move around a city.

Holden, a former senior vice president at Amazon.com, said Whrrl was built so that location information doesn't get into the wrong hands. For example, users can set different privacy levels in order to allow or disallow specific people from seeing the location. They also can "cloak" themselves -- essentially switching off the location feature, Holden said.

Despite the potential privacy bottlenecks, Holden believes that people will find value in disclosing their locations to selected friends or family members.

And, he said, the ability to search for restaurant reviews or other information based on one's location is a compelling idea that hasn't been addressed by other players in the market.

"The real power of this thing is that you can combine social data with factual data that we have gathered," said Holden. "And so you can say: 'I want to see only the places that my foodie friends think are great restaurants and are within a half mile of here, have outdoor seating, and are open now.' That is a trivial query in our product." Such a query would take just four clicks, Vengroff added.

The search functionality allows users to quickly "mine tribal knowledge" from friends, which Holden says is a much more powerful recommendation than reading some anonymous review.

Of course, the concept will only work if people start using it. To attract users, Pelago has entered into a marketing agreement with American Eagle Outfitters in which customers of the retailer will be exposed to the Whrrl service through in-store and Web site promotions.

It also is working to create services so people can add reviews from their mobile devices to social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

Other potential competitors include online city guides such as Yelp and Citysearch, both of which have mobile products, and Loopt, a two-year-old Silicon Valley startup that also allows users to find friends on a map on a mobile phone. Backed with $5 million from Sequoia Capital and New Enterprise Associates, Loopt's service is available on about two dozen Sprint phones for $2.99 per month.

Google also is moving into the arena with the purchase of Jaiku, a company that allows mobile phone users to create a running Web log of events, recommendations and other information. Jaiku describes its mobile product as "a live phonebook that displays the activity streams, availability, and location of your Jaiku contacts right in your phone contact list." Twitter, which also allows people to share small tidbits of information with friends, also is a potential threat.

Holden said he likes the concept of Jaiku and Twitter because they offer an "always-on connection to your network." But he said Whrrl is different because the content has more long-lasting value than the quick posts on Twitter and Jaiku.

"People post something and it is not that interesting like five minutes later, whereas in our world when you post something it is almost always in the context of some thing in the physical world," said Holden, adding that restaurant reviews or concert photos can be recycled for others to use.

Though it is launching today, Whrrl is not available to all mobile phone users. Only subscribers to AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile -- on about eight to 10 phone models -- can download Whrrl. A portion of the service is free, though Pelago plans to charge less than $3 per month for the location-based service. Pelago, which plans to go out for more funding early next year, employs 34 people.

For more on location-based services on mobile devices, check out The New York Times today which reports on offerings from Loopt and Buddy Beacon. It also notes some of the privacy concerns, quoting an analyst who says there "is a Big Brother component" to the services.

SOURCE

Spammers go after cell-phone users, too

It’s hard enough coping with all that spam clogging our computers. Now it’s stalking us on our cell phones.

Spam has gone mobile. Increasingly, consumers answer their cell phones thinking it’s important. Instead, it turns out to be a telemarketer peddling time-share resorts, bogus lotteries or even porn.

While computer e-mail spam is just a pain, unsolicited text messages on your cell phone can be costly — 10 cents or more per message.

The problem is so new that federal agencies still are unsure how bad it is or how to combat it. But they say clearly that with millions of new cell-phone users and literally billions of text messages tapped out monthly, the annoyance is growing.

San Francisco-based Ferris Research, which tracks consumer messaging services, predicts U.S. cell-phone users will get 1.1 billion spam messages in 2007 — up from 800 million last year.

“As more and more people get cell phones, they are dealing with all sorts of products, services and consequences,” said Lisa Hone, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer protection bureau.

Wireless officials say they have learned from the experience of the computer industry and are taking aim at mobile spam. But the problem is that it’s a moving target.

“It is a constant and ever-changing threat,” said Joe Farren, a spokesman for CTIA-The Wireless Association, which represents the wireless industry. “As we develop new filters and firewalls, the spammers seek to develop new strategies as well. So it is an arms race of sorts.”

Illegal operators often use automatic dialers. Spammers sitting at a computer can zap millions of calls addressed to random cell-phone numbers. At the same time, cell-phone numbers are illegally bought and sold on Internet sites that are started up as fast as they are shut down.

In April, Verizon Wireless sued telemarketers it said “inundated” the company with 12,022,411 unsolicited commercial text messages. Verizon said in its lawsuit it was able to block all but 4,618.

Still, the barrage not only hit customers with “unwanted charges,” but also clogged Verizon’s networks, requiring the carrier to “dedicate equipment, software and personnel” to filter out the messages.

Spokeswoman Debra Lewis said the company was “using everything in our arsenal” to stop the spammers.

“We stop most of it, but some still goes through,” Lewis said, adding, “People aren’t expecting it, because a cell phone is a private number.”

Indeed, the expectation of privacy — cell phones are not part of any directory — is a big reason for the explosion in cell phones.

Today, more than 233 million cell phones are in use — more than double the number in 2000. Text messaging is the fastest-growing feature. Since last year, Verizon users more than doubled their text messaging from 12 billion to 28.4 billion.

Among young adults between 18 and 26, the preference for text messaging has made e-mail the equivalent of snail mail. Text messaging is used to play games, vote on TV reality show contestants, register political preferences and check news headlines, weather and movie times.

But it is also used by legitimate businesses to reach subscribers and by first responders to communicate in emergencies, pointed out Sprint spokeswoman Roni Singleton.

“It’s a service and a convenience and in some cases a vital communication tool,” Singleton said. “That is why it is so critical to make this a matter of priority.”

Sprint also sleuths for dishonest marketers and helps find ways for subscribers to block unwanted text senders, she said.

The phenomenon of cell-phone spam was not even contemplated when the federal do-not-call laws passed, and regulatory agencies have had to scramble to protect consumers.

In 2004, the Federal Communications Commission voted to ban all unauthorized text messages to mobile phones and pagers. The FCC also now applies the Telephone Consumer Protection Act — which prohibits autodialed and prerecorded calls to cell phones — to text messages. FCC guidelines now say text-based telemarketing solicitations sent to cell phones are covered by the national do-not-call rule.

While some states also are trying to erect regulatory barriers, experts say some legitimate businesses do not want too many hurdles in the way of legally cashing in on the potentially profitable cell-phone advertising market.

Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL are just a few of the major online companies searching for ways to reach cell-phone users with mobile ads. Using global positioning technology, companies could deliver tantalizing pop-up ads to cell-phone users when they are within blocks of, say, a McDonald’s.

“It’s too lucrative an opportunity,” said Allan Keiter, founder and president of MyRatePlan, an online site that monitors cell-phone carriers.

Pop-up ads would be delivered only with a cell-phone user’s consent. Keiter predicted, however, that consumers could be enticed with the promise of cheaper cell service subsidized by commercials.

“Advertisers are champing at the bit,” he said.

SOURCE

Apple: A sixth of iPhones 'unlocked'

Apple has sold more than a million iPhones, but more than a sixth of them may never get hooked up to AT&T, the gadget's exclusive U.S. cell phone service provider.

About 250,000 of the nearly 1.4 million iPhones that Apple has sold thus far have gone to customers that don't have any intention of signing up for AT&T's service, Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook said Monday on a conference call with analysts and investors. That's a problem not only for AT&T, which doesn't get any monthly service fees from those customers, but for Apple, with which AT&T shares a portion of iPhone service revenue.

Since Apple launched the iPhone in June, hackers have published several strategies on the Internet that allow iPhone users to "unlock" their device from AT&T and link it up with alternate cell phone networks, such as T-Mobile's.

However, some of the iPhone's features - most notably "visual voice mail," which allows users to scan through their messages on their phone and pick and choose which ones to listen to - don't work with the hacks. And Apple's most recent software update on the phone reportedly made some of the unlocked phones unusable.

The number of unlocked iPhones jumped after Apple cut the price on the device last month by $200, Cook said. He did not say how or if Apple would respond to the high rate of unlocked devices.

Cook's comments came out as Apple reported its fiscal fourth quarter earnings. The company posted a profit of $904 million, or $1.01 a share, on sales of $6.22 billion, far exceeding analysts' estimates.

In recent trading on Tuesday, Apple's shares were up $11.52, or 6.6 percent, to $185.88.

SOURCE

LG VX5400 Phone (Verizon Wireless)

Released for Verizon Wireless, the LG VX5400 is a mobile mainstay with a twist. Featuring all the essentials, it's also Bluetooth capable to take advantage of the wonders of wireless. The VGA camera is useful for photos on the fly, and the large color display and keypad is encased in a compact design. The one-touch speakerphone and speaker independent voice command functions round out the package, making mobile more convenient than ever.

FEATURES

• Compact, stylish design with internal antenna and mirror-like external LCD
• Integrated VGA camera with customizable brightness, white balance, shutter sound, color effects, and night mode, and an image editor to zoom, rotate, and crop
• Speaker-Independent Voice Commands to access functions such as Call, Send Msg To, Go To, Check, Lookup, and My Account
• Bluetooth wireless technology supports headset, handsfree, and object push for vCard and vCalendar profiles

SOURCE

Why a gPhone (Google Phone) is a lovely… no, an awful.. no, a lovely idea

At last count, “consumers” was the No. 1 answer to Dana Blankenhorn’s survey question asking who a Google Phone (gPhone) will help the most. Some are speculating that the gPhone will get announced along with some other news that Google is releasing on November 5.

I hate and love the idea of a gPhone. Just the thought conjures up images that are similar in nature to the ones that inspired last week’s post about taking the “inter” out of “Internet” where, among other things, I talked about how the natural evolution of Google Apps will lead to Google to offering its own del.icio.us killer. Google really has no choice and to the extent that the November 5 annoucements are supposedly about a bunch of social tools, maybe we’ll see a social bookmarking service like del.icio.us. For now however, I’ve renewed my interest in del.icio.us thanks to the awesome FireFox plug-in for it.

In many ways, it’s my love affair with del.icio.us and its frictionless Firefox extension that make me hate the idea of a gPhone because the gPhone will never be about frictionless mobile access to del.icio.us. That honor, is of course, reserved for the yPhone (the Yahoo Phone; del.icio.us is a part of Yahoo proper).

Today, mobile access to popular online services is pretty hit or miss. Occasionally, you’ll bump into what Sun’s Jonathan Schwartz referred to as a religious experience (it was Google Maps on a BlackBerry Pearl). But these experiences are few and far between. More recently, cell phone makers looking for a leg up on the competition have programmed a potpourri of default widgets (and sometimes just bookmarks) into their handsets so that users can get better than average access to some of the more popular services on the net (ie: Google’s YouTube, Yahoo’s Flickr, etc.) not to mention nearly seamless access to the carrier’s services (eg: Verizon’s VCast).

Recently, while at the Digital Life Show in NYC, Palm CEO Ed Colligan told me about how accessing your favorite services is often a painful experience and how Palm’s new $99 Centro looks to eliminate some of that pain when it comes to some of the more popular services. For example, Palm has gone the extra mile to make it easy to post that picture you just took with the Centro into Flickr.

But, let’s be honest. When it comes to mobile access to our favorite online services, we are waiting for that same religious experience that Schwartz had when he first experienced Google Maps on his BlackBerry (OK, what we really want is to be able to leave our PC’s behind as much as possible or maybe even to be able to ditch them altogether). The question is, who can deliver it? Apple certain delivered some of that in the iPhone. When connected to a WiFi network, no other handset comes close to the iPhone’s Web browsing experience. Via AT&T’s slower EDGE network? That’s more like the mobile Internet that Apple’s TV ads say the iPhone isn’t about.

The truth is we all want a religious experience with the services we use. What you use and what I use may be different. But no phone on the market delivers a religious experience for the collection of Google services that make good sense to show up on the phone. Google Maps is of course an obvious candidate. Using a Java applet, the Helio Ocean that I have that I’ll be showing off at Mobile Expo marries its GPS system to Google Maps (although the closest it comes to pinpointing my location is pinpointing the Sprint occupied cell tower that the Ocean is connected to). But I would’t call it a religious experience.

As core applications go, Gmail is an obvious candidate but I’m not so sure that the POP3 mail clients found on other phones (Palm devices, Windows Mobile, iPhone, etc.) can be that improved upon. Mobile browsers are known for not dealing with Javascript (embedded in the Gmail UI) very well. But if the gPhone can manage it, one feature of Gmail that I would very much look forward to on a mobile device is GMail’s ability to view attachments as HTML or, even better, as editable and innately shareable Google Docs-based documents. For many business people, that would be a game changer.

“Search” clearly goes without saying (particularly local search which can be found in Google’s existing base of mobile apps under Goog-411). Although I wouldn’t deem it a religious experience, the Live Search team at Microsoft has done a very slick job with the search application it has built for the Windows Mobile operating system. Of all the apps that I use on the Motorola Q that I carry around with me, that’s the one app on the Q that I can honestly say I actually like to use. Provided the phone can record videos and still images, mobile YouTube (up and download) is another obvious candidate as would be a mobile version of Google’s Picasa (already exists, but a gPhone version would be much better) that could sync with both a desktop copy of Picasa as well as Google Picasa’s Web-based photosharing service (called Web Albums). And, no gPhone would be complete without a mobile version of Google Reader.

I could continue to list off Google applications that I wouldn’t mind to find beautifully executed in a gPhone, but I don’t need to go any further to make the point that this sort of complete mobile portfolio of Google’s apps and services doesn’t exist — at least not as a religious experience — in any handset that I know of. As a user of many of those services, I’d relish the idea.

But on the other hand, I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t also say that I hate the idea. Going back to that dangler I left behind (the one where I mention taking the “inter” out of “Internet”), it is precisely this sort of tying of Web services to hardware (ie: Real’s Rhapsody to TiVo, a gPhone to Google’s services, etc.) that will ultimately turn the Internet into a bunch of loosely coupled intranets. Yes, the providers of these solutions will tell you that you can still get there from here (for example, to Yahoo’s del.icio.us from a gPhone). But you won’t want to because the experience simply won’t measure up to the way the phone so frictionlessly integrates with Google. Instead, you’ll make a decision as to where your loyalties lie and, pretty soon you’ll have your gPhone and your friend will have a yPhone and your other friend will have an iPhone, and, well, you get the picture.

Three final points. First, as I think about the idea of a gPhone becoming a reality, I realize how badly someone (Apple? Google? Both?) screwed up on the iPhone. Apple has already taken some heat for not being very developer friendly. But Apple and Google could have absolutely nailed it if the iPhone was the gPhone as well. Think about it. Apple has all the on-line services that Google doesn’t and Google has all the on-line services that Apple doesn’t. Paired up, the igPhone would have been 10 times more formidable than it already is.

Second, since Google hasn’t teamed up with Apple or any other entertainment “provider,” it will be very interesting to see where the gPhone goes from an entertainment perspective. No serious smart phone (particularly one with the built-in ability to play YouTube videos) can come to the market without some sort of music play. The only question is whether or not Google will finally enter that game or, to the extent that the gPhone platform is an open Linux platform as many are reporting it is, will that “feature” be left to third parties. Universal is clearly looking for a major player to help it and the rest of the record industry slow down the Apple juggernaut. How could it not be talking to Google with so many reports of a Google-powered handset coming to the market?

Finally, when Google finally releases a handset, it will be the second company after Apple to have such sizeable clout in certain digital circles that it, instead of the typical cell carriers, will get to call the shots. With most phone manufacturers, the carriers decide what features work on the phones and how. With the iPhone, the iTunes customer base afforded so much leverage to Apple that Jobs had his pick of the carrier litter. Google has similar clout and will equally get to call the shots. If and when this happens, your guess is as good as mine as to how serious a game changer it will be. For example, delivering video to handsets is a big business. YouTube is already a channel that’s being used by movie and television studios. That business could increase 100 or more fold once Google has access to the millions of pockets and pocketbooks it might eventually have access to.

How do you think it will be a game changer?

SOURCE

Sprint to offer Blackberry Pearl 8130 Next Month

High-tech phone battles heating up

It's the attack of the iClones. Or you can call them the jPhones.

No competitor to Apple is likely to replicate what Steve Jobs did with so much panache: combine a wireless telephone, a music player and a Web browser with boundless hype.

But as partners LG and Verizon Wireless prepare to release their answer to the iPhone, they're betting they can provide a more user-friendly product.

The Voyager is one of numerous less-expensive wireless phones with music-playing capability.

Expected to be released in November, the Voyager is part of a new generation of music phones affiliated with the Verizon network. It has many of the features of the iPhone, but offers them differently.

The Voyager plays music, but the device itself only holds 30 songs, compared to the iPhone's 2,000. To expand, the customer can buy a card that expands it up to 4,000 songs.

Sheldon Jones, Verizon's Delaware spokesman, said this will help keep the price down. People can pay for as much music memory as meets their needs, he said. The price of the Voyager has not yet been set. (The iPhone sells for $399, down from its initial price of $599)

One of the Voyager's most striking features is the keyboard. Like the iPhone, it has an on-screen, virtual keypad. But flip it open, and inside there's a miniature QWERTY keyboard. Touch screens can be finicky, and this will provide an easier, more tactile experience, said Jones.

The device uses the 3 gigabyte EV-DO technology to connect to the Internet, faster than the 2 gb EDGE network available on the iPhone.

The Voyager is the next-generation successor to the Chocolate Phone, LG and Verizon's MP3 player with a numerical keypad.

Verizon's other new entries into the music phone market include the youth-oriented Juke by Samsung, a pint-sized music-player/phone that flicks open to reveal a keypad. And there's the Venus, with an upper screen to display video content and a lower screen with a control pad. That will allow people to listen to music and send text messages at the same time.

"For certain audiences, that'll be huge," Jones said.

Sprint released the LG Muziq around the same time the iPhone was released. It has a built-in transmitter that can send music to their car stereo, and does over-the-air downloads. It sells for $99 with a two-year agreement.

"Sprint believes any additional interest in advanced phones that offer applications like music and video is good for the industry as a whole," said Sprint spokeswoman Laura Porter. But once consumers see what features are available, "they'll find Sprint has the pricing, speed and variety they are looking for."

Tim Scannell, president of Shoreline Research in Quincy, Mass., said many of the iPhone competitors will probably be released during the first quarter of 2008, but by then, Apple will already have moved the iPhone several steps ahead, he said.

The fact that the iPhone is now more affordable helps defend it against competitors trying to gain market share on cost, Scannell said.

Verizon has the benefit of a higher-speed network, and may appeal to those not comfortable with a touch-screen keyboard. But the marketplace these days is less than kind to non-iPhone music phones, Scannell said.

"The Voyager is not an iPhone. It's pretty cool, but it's not an iPhone," Scannell said. Verizon is "fighting against that 'you-have-an-iPhone-and-I-don't-have-an-iPhone conundrum,' and that's going to be difficult."

Jones, of Verizon, says a large part of the iPhone's popularity comes from marketing, not a superior product.

"The iPhone had a lot of buzz. Apple does a great job of marketing. But there's one deficit there," Jones said. "Apple does not know the wireless industry. We know the wireless industry."

Mark Siegel, spokesman for AT&T, which partnered with Apple to offer the IPhone, said the iPhone sets a new standard for ease of use and functionality.

"That has spurred our competitors and other device manufacturers to take a fresh look at what they do. You see companies talking about what they are trying to come out with that can compete with the iPhone. That is a good and healthy thing. Innovation breeds innovation," Siegel said.

Kent German, senior editor for the technology Web site CNet, said there are other appealing products on the market that do some of what the iPhone does.

The Sony Ericsson W580 "has a decent music player in it." It has a function where, with a flick of the wrist, the music track changes. "It's a tad gimmicky, but it's kind of cool." He said he also likes the second-generation version of the Chocolate phone.

Speaking of gimmicks, there's the Samsung Upstage, a two-sided device the user flips back and forth between music and the phone. It sells for just $99 with a two-year contract with Sprint.

And the Nokia N95 has a strong media player, a good Internet connection and a camera that's "way better than the iPhone," German said.

"There's not one device right now that is going to offer everything the iPhone offers in a way the iPhone offers it -- the design, integration with Apple, compatibility with iTunes, which is what people really want," German said.

But he said he's still not sold on the iPhone itself.

"The iPhone lacks too much," he said, noting its slower Internet connection speed, its low-tech camera, its inability to send picture messages and failure to use Stereo Bluetooth. "For the music phone to end all music phones, it should have these things."

SOURCE

AT&T looks to improve its local cell service

Kerrville residents who have wireless telephone service with AT&T can look forward to what the company claims are “quality and capacity” enhancements as part of its $1.25 billion investment in its Texas network for 2007, AT&T announced Wednesday.

The enhanced service is the result of new cell sites and improvements to existing cell towers along Interstate 10 and 13 other state highways.

“Customers in the Kerrville area might notice there are expanded places where maybe they didn’t have the best reception before,” said Natasha Collins, an AT&T spokesman.

She said the voice quality of calls also should improve. “If they heard a garbled noise before, they may not now, with the enhanced coverage.”

Collins said customers should be able to send more text messages and photos over the wireless network, but added that these and other enhancements might not be evident right away, as some of the network improvements are scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. She added that not every customer is guaranteed improved voice quality, messaging and photo capabilities. “Some customers might already have great quality in voice service, but if there’s one spot along the highway — if they normally drop a call there — they may not now. But it’s not a blanket guarantee.”

Cingular Wireless customers won’t see any changes on their monthly bills as a result of the enhancements, Collins said, because AT&T budgets money each year for beefing up service to its customers. It’s a “proactive” measure, Collins said.

Kerrville is one of 17 Texas cities targeted for improved wireless service by AT&T, including Boerne and San Antonio. For now, the city is essentially an out-of-network community, with customers billed what some refer to as “roaming charges” each time AT&T has to use competitors’ cell towers to make phone connections in the Kerrville area. Collins didn’t think roaming charges per se were being applied to customers’ bills, but said she would look into the matter.

SOURCE.

Verizon Wireless Expanding Network Coverage

North Dakotans who want to do more on their cell phones than make calls now have a lot more options.

Verizon wireless says it has expanded its high-speed wireless network along the I-94 and I-29 corridor.

What it means is customers with the properly-equipped phones will be able to access all the information they need from their home or office in just seconds.

And that includes multimedia, such as music, video and games.

Verizon says customers will be able to download such files almost ten times faster than those who use a different network.

SOURCE.

An answer to iPhone-Verizon’s Voyager one-ups competition with hardware keyboard

NEW YORK - In time for the holidays, Verizon Wireless is launching a cell phone that looks a lot like the hottest phone this year: Apple Inc.’s iPhone.

Like the iPhone, the LG Voyager features a large touch screen, a camera and extensive multimedia, Web browsing and e-mail capabilities.

It one-ups the iPhone, however, by folding open lengthwise to reveal a QWERTY keyboard and a second, nontouch sensitive screen. The lack of a hardware keyboard has been one of the main complaints about the iPhone.

The Voyager will connect to Verizon Wireless’ latest data network, providing speeds much higher than the AT&T network the iPhone uses. The Voyager also has direct access to Verizon Wireless’ online music store.

The Voyager will not come with a large built-in memory for songs and video, however, offering instead a slot for memory cards up to 8 gigabytes. Nor are its screens as large as the iPhone’s.

It’s an open question whether the Voyager can encroach on the iPhone’s cachet or match its ease of use. Apple has sold more than 1 million units since the phone-cum-iPod hit the market June 29.

In announcing its holiday lineup, Verizon Wireless did not say how much the Voyager or three other new phones will cost. It also didn’t give a specific launch date, saying only that they will be in stores before Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp. took the wraps off its secondgeneration Zune digital music players Tuesday, showing three models that bring the software maker’s offerings more in line with Apple’s market-leading iPod.

One model — available in black — has an 80-gigabyte hard drive and a 3.2-inch screen. It’s slimmer than last year’s Zune, which had a 30-GB hard drive and a smaller screen. Microsoft also will sell a smaller, flash memory-based Zune, similar in shape and size to the iPod Nano, in pink, green, black and red with either 4 GB or 8 GB of storage.

Like the original Zune, the new models include an FM radio tuner and the ability to wirelessly share songs with other Zune owners.

The latest generation sports a new navigation button Microsoft calls the Zune Pad, and uses Wi-Fi to sync music, movies and photos wirelessly and automatically with users’ PCs.

The new Zunes are set to go on sale in mid-November. The 4-GB Zune will cost $149, the 8-GB will sell for $199 and the 80-GB model will cost $249. The prices match those of Apple’s iPod lineup.

SOURCE.

Mobile Notebook: Panasonic And Verizon Wireless Announce Certification Of Toughbook 52 Semi-Rugged Mobile PC Wwith BroadbandAccess Built-In

Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, manufacturer of durable, reliable Panasonic Toughbook mobile computers, and Verizon Wireless recently announced the certification and exclusive availability of the new semi-rugged Toughbook 52 with built-in access to the EV-DO Revision A-based BroadbandAccess service from Verizon Wireless.

Introduced last month, the semi-rugged Toughbook 52 includes the Santa Rosa chipset from Intel and offers all the processing power of a desktop replacement notebook in a form factor engineered from the ground up to withstand the most challenging environments. The widescreen notebook with spill-resistant keyboard and a built-in handle includes, like all Toughbook mobile PCs, a magnesium alloy case, flexible internal connectors, and a shock-mounted hard drive and LCD, all of which contribute to Panasonic’s reputation for producing the industry’s most durable and reliable notebooks.

Panasonic and Verizon Wireless have made high-performance embedded EV-DO solutions available in Toughbook notebooks since mid-2005. Today, every Toughbook notebook computer is certified for use on the Verizon Wireless BroadbandAccess with EV-DO Rev. A service, allowing users to download complex files and email attachments at average speeds of 600 kbps to 1.4 Mbps, and upload files at speeds averaging 500 – 800 kbps.

“Both Verizon Wireless and Panasonic are laser-focused on providing best-in-class wireless computing solutions. Verizon Wireless has built a fast and reliable mobile data network and Panasonic has invested heavily in R&D and testing to ensure that we deliver easy to use embedded wireless solutions that keep the mobile workforce connected to mission-critical data,” said Victoria Obenshain, director, wireless strategy, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. “The result of this joint commitment is that Panasonic now offers a wide range of mobile broadband computing solutions built for use on Verizon Wireless’ data network.”

“Mobility and reliability are intrinsic to today’s business model and the Toughbook 52 provides both,” said Patrick Stokes, vice president-national distribution for Verizon Wireless. “This combination gives business customers the tools they need to stay competitive, engaged and productive. The Verizon Wireless network and the Toughbook 52 are the efficiency tools for today’s business.”

Pricing and Availability

The BroadbandAccess-enabled semi-rugged Toughbook 52 includes the Sierra Wireless embedded MC5725 PCI Express Mini Card and VZAccess Manager software and starts at an estimated street price of $1,899.

All Toughbook notebooks are customizable and available through authorized Panasonic Toughbook resellers nationwide, “buy now” resellers accessible online via www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/purchase.asp and at MicroCenters nationwide or the RCS Experience store in midtown Manhattan (Madison Avenue at 56th Street). Please visit www.panasonic.com/toughbook for more information.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 60.7 million customers. The largest US wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 66,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (VZ) and Vodafone . Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Panasonic Computer Solutions Company
Panasonic Computer Solutions Company empowers the mobile workforce. The company is a unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America, which is the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (MC). Panasonic has delivered reliable, durable mobile solutions through its Toughbook line of notebook computers for fourteen years and has expanded the boundaries of wireless communications technology through a broad portfolio of products, ranging from fully rugged, industrial strength notebook computers and tablet PCs to semi-rugged and business-rugged thin and light and ultraportable notebooks. A core manufacturer, Matsushita and its subsidiaries control the entire process of design, manufacture, quality assurance, service and support. As a result, Panasonic Toughbooks are known for having the lowest failure rates in the industry. Government, industrial, and commercial users—from Fortune 1,000 companies to small businesses—rely on solutions from Panasonic, wherever their work takes them.

SOURCE.

Wi-Fi BlackBerry Duel: T-Mobile's Curve vs. AT&T's BlackBerry 8820

We take these two devices for a wireless spin side by side to see which is the better performer, and which deserves to be crowned the Wi-Fi BlackBerry king.

Round 1 - Design

RIM Blackberry Curve

Enlarge »

RIM BlackBerry 8800

Enlarge »

Both of these phones fall strongly into the modern BlackBerry school of design, with large, QWERTY keyboards beneath the display and a trackball in between for navigation. The design differences are mostly minor, but we're sure hardcore BlackBerry addicts will have their opinions either way. Most significantly, the 8820 is taller and wider, and the two are equally thick. Screen size is identical, and the keyboards seem to be about the same size, though the keys are shaped differently. We prefer T-Mobile's preset interface, with its MyFaves favorites up front and nicer looking home screen, but otherwise the menu structure and applications are about the same.

We like the keyboard on the Curve a bit better. The discrete keys are easier to press in a hurry, as opposed to the strangely angled keys on the 8820. We like the color scheme on the 8820, with its glossy black and silver cues, but otherwise it has no design advantage.

Winner: T-Mobile's BlackBerry Curve

Round 2 - Calling

RIM Blackberry Curve

Enlarge »

RIM BlackBerry 8800

Enlarge »

The BlackBerry 8820 makes phone calls that sound better than those on the BlackBerry Curve. We tested both phones in our quiet office, and a very loud local Starbucks, and heard much more background noise on calls made with the Curve. Perhaps this is due to the "noise cancellation" technology on the 8820, or simply due to the microphone placement on the Curve, which aims the mic away from your face. In any case, calls sound noticeably better on the 8820. Still, this only tells part of the story, as each phone has some special calling features.

The BlackBerry 8820 can use AT&T's push to talk (PTT) network. We don't have any PTT buddies to test the servce, but if this is a feature you or your employer uses, it could be a deciding point. T-Mobile's BlackBerry Curve, on the other hand, uses UMA technology. We've reviewed <"a href=http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/8045.html">T-Mobile's HotSpot @Home service, and we were very impressed with the calling option. In a nutshell, the service combines Wi-Fi VoIP-style calling with traditional cell service. If you make a lot of calls somewhere you also have good Wi-Fi access, this service will probably save you money. In fact, we were very enthusiastic about the HotSpot @Home service in our initial review, but lamented the lack of viable phones. Beyond being a good choice for BlackBerry fans, the Curve is the best choice for anyone who wants to take advantage of the HotSpot @Home service. We feel this is a compelling reason to overlook the phone's middling call quality and declare it our favorite for this category.

Winner: T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve

Round 3 - Web browsing

RIM Blackberry Curve

Enlarge »

RIM BlackBerry 8800

Enlarge »

At first, we were surprised to find the Curve outpacing the 8820 in terms of Web browsing. Pages were loading quicker, but they also looked different, usually less accurate. We found the default settings were different, with JavaScript turned off, and this made the difference. Once the browsers were on equal footing, we noticed no significant difference between the two. Strangely, the two phones render the same fonts differents, even though the font family, screen size and resolution were the same. Neither was better than the other, in terms of looks or speed, and both phones loaded pages fairly quickly. Frankly, our Apple iPhone loads pages quicker under Wi-Fi, and they look much better on the iPhone's browser, but that's a comparison for another day.

Winner: Tie

Round 4 - Multimedia

RIM Blackberry Curve

Enlarge »

RIM BlackBerry 8800

Enlarge »

Both phones make more of a stab at multimedia than their previous, full-QWERTY BlackBerry brethren. First, both phones support a range of audio and video files, can store files on microSD cards, and can play audio through stereo Bluetooth headphones. Neither phone comes with music transfer software that we enjoyed using, though the BlackBerry 8820 features AT&T's music setup, which lets you play PlaysForSure tracks from Napster and Yahoo. Both phones let you use your own music files as ringtones. The differences between the two is really in the hardware.

The Curve features a 2-megapixel camera. Images were unimpressive, but would do fine in a pinch. So, if you need a lens on your phone, the Curve is your only option here. Additionally, the Curve uses a 3.5mm audio connector, which is a standard headphone jack, instead of the smaller 2.5mm connector found on the 8820. This means you can plug your own headphones into the Curve, while the 8820 will require you to buy an adapter, since one is not included. It would seem the Curve is our clear favorite, for these hardware additions, but in fact there is one glaring omission on the Curve.

Of the two phones, only the 8820 has GPS navigation. AT&T provides TeleNav for directions, while the Curve is left without any navigation options. For us, GPS is a big deal, a great find on a smartphone. We appreciate the headphone jack on the Curve, and would like to see a similar jack on, well, every phone we use, but a simple jack can't make up for GPS. Neither can a 2-megapixel camera, when sub-par images will be far less useful to us than GPS navigation.

Winner: AT&T's BlackBerry 8820

Round 5 – Value

RIM Blackberry Curve

Enlarge »

RIM BlackBerry 8800

Enlarge »

To determine value, we tried to choose comparable plans that focused more on e-mail and data, and gave us a good deal on very few minutes. On AT&T, the phone costs $300 after a rebate and contract, which is $50 more than T-Mobile's Curve. For our 8820, we chose a low-end monthly plan with 450 minutes for $40, then added BlackBerry Unlimited, which gave us 10 email addresses and unlimited data for e-mail and Web browsing. The BlackBerry Unlimited service added a whopping $45 to our monthly bill.

For the Curve, the minute plan is smaller at the same price, 300 minutes for $40 instead of 450 minutes. We also added the $10/monthly @Home service. We figure this will save us at least the difference between the two carrier's calling plans, as we'll probably make most of our calls from Wi-Fi spots, and won't dip too deeply into our "whenever" minutes. Besides, on T-Mobile, the BlackBerry Unlimited add-on costs only $20 per month, so even though we're paying an extra $10 for @Home service, we save $25 monthly on BlackBerry data. Figuring in the cost difference for the phones, the T-Mobile plan will save us $410 in the two years we're under contract.

Winner: T-Mobile Curve

And the winner is . . .

RIM Blackberry Curve

Enlarge »

RIM BlackBerry 8800

Enlarge »

It should come as no real surprise to see the Curve come out on top in this duel. Both phones were fairly evenly matched before, as they both represent the current generation of high-end BlackBerry phones. The Curve has more multimedia features, with its better headphone port and camera, though the 8820 has more important features, notably GPS navigation. In terms of Wi-Fi, the two are pretty evenly matched, until you consider UMA. The BlackBerry 8820 may make calls that sound better, but UMA has great potential for convenience and cost savings. Beyond the free minutes, just knowing that good Wi-Fi reception means good cell reception may be the best selling point of all.

Champion: T-Mobile's BlackBerry Curve

SOURCE.

Woman Hit With $891,985 Cell Phone Bill

WEST ALLIS - A woman was shocked earlier this month to receive a Sprint bill simulataneously thanking her for eight years' patronage and charging her almost $900,000.

Nearly two weeks later, she's still shocked at what she calls the "terrible customer service" that hasn't cleared up the problem.

Jennifer Grosshandler says she's made approximately twenty calls to Sprint representatives since receiving her bill. She says Sprint acknowledges the huge bill she received was a mistake, but haven't fixed the problem in her online bill history.

They "informed me that there was a code error entered into my account that never should have been," Grosshandler said, whose standard monthly bill is $44. "They were going to reverse it out, but I sit here two weeks later. My bills still shows the monthly statement at almost $900,000 being due in about five days, and no one from Sprint is returning my calls."

Sprint Chicago Media Representative Dave DeVries did return the call from TODAY'S TMJ4 Reporter Silvia Acevedo.

"I'm sorry to hear this complaint has not been resolved to her satisfaction," DeVries said, promising to submit Grosshandler's complaint to a "dedicated group of customer service" staff.

Grosshandler hopes the error will be corrected before the bill goes to collection agencies.

SOURCE

"I need to make sure that my financial records are clear and that I have something in my files to show that was an error on Sprint's part," Grosshandler said.

Grosshandler says she now plans to take her business elsewhere.

Imagine Renting or Selling Real Estate for $3 Ad Listing Cost

Text4Homes.com presents a low variable cost option to real estate advertising which integrates Internet and mobile technologies. This novel approach highlights tremendous ROI, convenience, immediacy, reach and variety for users.

Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) October 2, 2007 -- Text4Homes.com pioneers an advertising model which utilizes a pay-per-lead strategy for buying, selling, and renting both private and commercial real estate in Canada. By combining the Internet with mobile text messaging, and partnering with all major wireless carriers in Canada, Text4Homes.com creates a cost-effective and instantaneous contact method for buyers, sellers, and renters.

Mass participation created by 'free information usage' drives the concept of this performance-based program. Sellers list all of their properties free of charge. When the buyer is interested in a particular property, the buyer submits their contact information through the site. The seller receives the lead on their cell phone as a text message and is billed a pay-per-contact charge.

All listings and modifications are live on the site the second they are entered into the database. Developed for those that are constantly on the move, I truly believe that Text4Homes.com is a powerful and convenient tool for cost-effective real estate sales and rental transactions.

Unlike traditional real estate sales, the Text4Homes.com method requires that the seller initiate contact with the potential buyer. Other buyer benefits include plenty of search features to help a buyer or renter narrow down their search preferences such as property type, features, and amenities. If the property profile is not currently listed on Text4Homes.com, the buyer can sign up for a free SMS alert which will immediately notify them that a property matching their criteria has just been listed on the website.

"The most attractive feature of the Text4Homes.com program is that it is in real time," says David Dion, President of 2 Rent Inc. and owner of Text4Homes.com. "All listings and modifications are live on the site the second they are entered into the database. Developed for those that are constantly on the move, I truly believe that Text4Homes.com is a powerful and convenient tool for cost-effective real estate sales and rental transactions."

To learn more about Text4Homes.com and its innovative lead-generated program, contact Craig Ingram or visit www.Text4Homes.com.

About 2 Rent Inc.

2 Rent Inc. is a privately held company with a mission to provide the most convenient and cost-effective online advertising platform by combining the power of the internet and the mobile phone. Text4Homes.com is the realization of the company's vision to become the primary market place for real estate advertising and serves to bridge the gap between private sales and real estate professionals.

SOURCE

Cell-phone service for children to end

BURBANK, Calif. - Walt Disney Co. will end its Disney-branded cell-phone service at the end of the year, 18 months after first offering the plan to customers.

Disney could seek a partnership with a wireless carrier to provide mobile-phone service, the company said Thursday.

The Family Center plan was marketed to parents as a means of better controlling children's cell-phone use. The company shuttered a money-losing ESPN-branded mobile service for sports fans in December. Content from ESPN is now offered through a partnership with Verizon Communications Inc.'s wireless unit.

"They learned their lesson with ESPN," said David Bank, an RBC Capital Markets analyst in New York. "I don't think they made the same level of investment or had the same expectations as they did with ESPN."

The Disney-branded service, started in June 2006, has a GPS feature parents can use to locate children and is carried on Sprint Nextel Corp.'s network. Disney said it will reimburse some customers.

SOURCE.

Minnesota sues Sprint Nextel in dispute over customer contracts

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson has filed a lawsuit against Sprint Nextel Corp., accusing the cell phone company of extending customer contracts without consent.

The suit alleges that Reston-based Sprint Nextel violated Minnesota's consumer protection laws by extending consumers' wireless-phone contracts for up to two years without giving adequate disclosure.

In a press release, Swanson's office said it was responding to complaints the state had received.

When customers made small changes -- like adding extra minutes, replacing a phone, responding to solicitations for additional services or receiving courtesy discounts -- they were given unwanted contract extensions. Some consumers were threatened with early termination fees of up to $200 when they tried to cancel the wireless service.

"In a normal transaction, you have two parties coming together and making an agreement about a purchase," Swanson said in a statement. "For these consumers, there was no real meeting of the minds. Rather, the company has tricked consumers into unknowingly extending their contract simply because they made a basic change to their plan."

Swanson is seeking restitution for victims and civil penalties of up to $25,000 per incident.

A Sprint spokesman could not be reached for comment.

SOURCE.