The Gadget 411 – Gadget Reviews & Tech News

Thanks to Verizon Wireless we got our hands on the NEW Samsung Rogue. (check out the Press Release)

• To start this review out I loved the User Interface. Samsung has gave its users the ability to add widgets of all types to the home screen.

• Another thing  I liked about this phone, is the Camera Quality. Samsung built this one with 3 megapixels with flash. Also, So you’ll never run out of camera space they let you add up to 16gb on an external MicroSD card.

Internet browsing on this phone was excellent , With the added Tabbed browsing feature. Text messages are threaded when you text which allows you to easily to recall back to a old text message with out having to search for it in millions of texts.

• Another thing i liked on this phone is the 3.5mm Headphone jack, you can just plug some standard headphones in and GO!

Something that i thought Samsung could have changed on the Rogue is all the buttons around the whole phone a total of 6 i found useless except for the camera button.

Would i recommend this phone? Well its up to you , This phone is designed for frequent texters , so if that you then yeah. But for a business guy such as my self Im going to have to say no.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Overall? Great Phone. Check it out on Verizon website

Popularity: 25% [?]

Twitter users on Thursday will, for the first time, be able to make voice calls directly to each other through the microblogging service.

A new third-party offering from Jajah known as Jajah@call is expected to go into beta Thursday morning that will allow Twitter users to initiate a two-way voice chat with other users by typing “@call @username”–where “username” is someone’s Twitter ID–into any Twitter client. During the beta period, the company said, the calls will be limited to two minutes, but the company will evaluate that length during beta. However, it sees the two minute period–after which the call will end–as “the verbal equivalent of a tweet.”

According to Jajah, an Internet communications provider with tens of millions of users, the service will allow a user to place a call to any other user, so long as the second person follows the first on Twitter and both have Jajah accounts. The service is free to use and is expected to work on any Twitter-enabled device, from PCs to smart phones.

One important element of the service is that users can keep their phone numbers private, yet be able to have voice chats with just about anyone on Twitter. To be sure, since the calls are initiated by one person, the recipient may well not be online, or may choose to ignore the call if they don’t want to talk.

There are currently several applications that allow users to create voice-to-text Twitter posts–known as tweets–but it does not appear that anyone has yet made it possible to initiate voice communications directly between Twitter users.

Coming on the heels of the announcement earlier this week that Facebook users will now be able to communicate with each other via voice–using a third-party application from Vivox–it’s clear that there is a strong interest, among service providers, at least, in taking leading social networks beyond strictly text communications. Whether large numbers of users choose to get on board is unknown at this point, of course. And given that neither the Facebook nor the Twitter voice services are being provided by the social networks themselves means that some users will choose not to get involved for fear of privacy, stability or other concerns.

Still, if these third-party services end up being successful, it would be natural to expect that Facebook and Twitter may decide they need to step up and directly embed such technologies into their offerings. And there is a precedent for such a move. After Vivox began offering Second Life users a third-party voice solution, the virtual world’s publisher, Linden Lab, decided it needed to take advantage of the technology. Today, thanks to a formal partnership, Vivox’s voice service is formally integrated into Second Life.

And while it may be some time before such a thing happens with either Facebook or Twitter, or any other major social network, one would have to think that it’s only a matter of time.

Via our friends over @ CNET

Popularity: 8% [?]

PRESS RELEASE: (Pictures below)

Samsung Rogue (Reviewed Here! ) <– Check out the review

The Samsung Rogue is a sleek messaging phone with a full touch display that provides an optimized messaging experience with a horizontal slide-out, four-row QWERTY keyboard, threaded messaging and one-touch access to popular social networking widgets, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and Photobucket. The Samsung Rogue also features innovative speech capabilities powered by Nuance that allow customers to launch and control a variety of applications and services with simple voice commands as well as dictate text messages.

The Samsung Rogue will serve as the flagship phone for the company’s new data pricing option available to customers beginning today. The new data pricing gives Verizon Wireless customers more freedom to select how much data and the type of data they want to use. Samsung Rogue customers who want to check e-mail; surf the Web; and download applications, games or ringtones will be able to select either a 25 MB for $9.99 monthly access option or a 75 MB for $19.99 monthly access option to couple with their Nationwide plan.

Customers who want to watch full-length TV shows plus news, sports, weather and live entertainment video clips can also add Verizon Wireless’ new V CAST Video on Demand plan that gives customers access to unlimited basic video clips, ESPN MVP and unlimited megabytes for their V CAST Video usage for $10.00 monthly. The new V CAST Video on Demand plan replaces the $15.00 V CAST VPak. These changes will not impact existing customers.

Following are additional key features and specifications for the Samsung Rogue.

· Available in bronze/black color

· 3.1-inch ultra-brilliant touch screen

o Widescreen WVGA AMOLED (Wide Video Graphics Array Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) responsive touch screen results in one of the brightest and clearest displays on a mobile phone in the United States

o Slide out horizontally to reveal a four-row QWERTY keypad

· Full HTML Web browsing capabilities with one-touch access to social networking sites via shortcut widgets

· Full messaging suite including SMS, MMS, Mobile IM, Mobile Email and Corporate Email

· 3.0 megapixel camera with flash and video capture and on-device editing capabilities

· Supports Verizon Wireless services including V CAST Music with Rhapsody, V CAST Video, and Visual Voice Mail

· Media Center-capable – downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services, such as VZ NavigatorSM and Chaperone®, and more

· Pre-loaded games including “NEED FOR SPEED™ Undercover,” “Resident Evil: Degeneration,” and “Tetris® and Dice”

· microSD™ card slot with support for up to 16 GB (card purchased separately)

· File Viewer can view Microsoft® Word, Microsoft® Excel®, Microsoft® PowerPoint® and Adobe® PDF documents stored on a memory card

Samsung Intensity

The Samsung Intensity is a feature-packed phone that offers customers a convenient way to stay connected to family, friends, and anyone else their thumbs can get a hold of through its full line of advanced messaging capabilities such as Mobile IM; text, picture and voice messaging with threaded messaging feature; Mobile Email; and the Mobile Web browser.

Following are additional key features and specifications for the Samsung Intensity.

· Available in a Charcoal Grey color in all sales channels and available in Flamingo Red online only at www.verizonwireless.com

· 2.1-inch display with horizontal slide-out four-row QWERTY keypad with dedicated Messaging key and Favorites key for easily texting and calling friends and family

· Mobile Web browser for Internet access

· Music player

· Full messaging capabilities including Mobile IM; Mobile Email; Chat; and text, picture, and voice messaging

· 1.3 megapixel camera with Night Shot, Self Timer, Multishot and Shutter Sound selection

· Compatible with PC client for V CAST Music with Rhapsody (over-the-air downloads are not supported on the Samsung Intensity)

· Voice commands such as Voice Dial, Menu Readout, Digital Dial Readout, TXT Message Readout, Call Announcement, My Verizon, and Help

· Media Center-capable – downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services, such as VZ NavigatorSM, and more

· microSD™ card slot with support for up to 16 GB (card purchased separately)

Price and availability:

· The Samsung Rogue is available today for $99.99 after a $100.00 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement, and the Samsung Intensity in Charcoal Grey is available today for $29.99 after a $50.00 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. The Samsung Intensity in Flamingo Red is available beginning today exclusively online at no charge with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate as a debit card that can be used anywhere debit cards are accepted.

· Customers can purchase the Samsung Rogue and Samsung Intensity in Charcoal Grey beginning today at Verizon Wireless Communications Stores or online at www.verizonwireless.com. For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Check out more Samsung phone deals at the Phones4u website, where you can get the right phone for you at the right price.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Popularity: 34% [?]

Get ready for more Google in your life. A slew of household gadgets based on the company’s Android operating system will debut within the next five months, a new report says, including several high-tech remote controls for your home.

The news comes by way of touchscreen-driven device-maker Touch Revolution — the same folks who introduced the Android-based NIMble Concept Desk Phone at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The NIMble phone, featuring a 7-inch touch-sensitive screen, attempts to put the power of a smartphone into tabletop form, allowing you to access contacts, calendars, and e-mail through a user-friendly interface.

The new devices, as described to Forbes , will follow the same basic model: bringing the functionality of your mobile phone into your (presumably non-mobile) home. A Touch Revolution marketing exec tells Forbes several “well-known companies” will be using its touch technology to create the gadgets, and they’ll all be hitting store shelves before the end of the year.

Here’s what’s said to be on tap:

• Home Control Gadgets

The home control gadgets — or super-sweet remotes, in non-geek speak — will serve as powerful command centers for your entire house. According to Forbes, the devices will be able to handle everything from switching on lights to locking doors and adjusting the A/C. They’ll have screens anywhere from 4.3 to 10 inches and will be Web-connected through your home wireless network.

• Media Control Devices

The old remote will feel as outdated as a 5.25-inch floppy compared with the media control devices on the way. The gadgets will enable you to control all your media devices from one tablet, letting you adjust the sound, program the DVR, or even browse through TV listings right from the built-in screen. And, no surprise, you’ll be able to surf the Web from these clickers, too. Unfortunately, all the impressive additions won’t make the remotes any less likely to disappear between the couch cushions.

• Home Smartphones

Like the aforementioned NIMble phone — which, by the way, is rumored to become available for about $300 in September — the upcoming Android home smartphones will do far more than just help you communicate. The cordless devices will give you phone access, of course, but they’ll also connect to wireless networks to allow for VoIP connections and online data retrieval. Plus, they’ll be able to run Android applications, so you could use them as photo frames or possibly even game consoles.

(T-Mobile is said to be working on a similar line of Android-based home phones, although details on those devices have thus far remained fairly scarce.)

Android Home Device Details

Touch Revolution tells Forbes the new Android devices will come in a variety of shapes — some with bases for tabletop use, others with flat shapes built more for holding or wall-embedding. Touch Revolution is handling the touchscreen and Android side of the deal, while the other companies are creating the hardware and managing the branding. The gadgets, according to the Forbes interview, will be available in the United States, as well as in other unspecified countries.

On the whole, Android is expected to see enormous growth over the coming months. One research firm goes so far as to predict a 900-percent increase in Android adoption this year — and that’s accounting only for smartphone sales. Add in these new home gizmos and the host of other Android devices currently under development, and the platform certainly appears to be one worth watching.

Popularity: 16% [?]

From Samsung Website
flip qwerty keyboard
If you’re into serious messaging, you need a full QWERTY keyboard. With the Comeback™, you get all that, and more. When closed, you have a traditional numerical keypad. When flipped open, you have a QWERTY and a faster, easier way to text.

full html web browser
Take the internet with you. The Comeback’s full web browser lets you surf your favorites, check email, check your social network pages, download files and more. And since you get to see it all in landscape view, the Web will look better than ever.
ENERGY STAR®
Energy Star Logo
Powered by an ENERGY STAR® qualified adaptor for a better environment.
music player
It’s not all about messaging. Sometimes, it’s about tunes. Well, the Comeback has you covered there, too. And you can hold a lot of music, too; the microSD™ slot supports cards up to 16GB.
2.0 megapixel camera and camcorder
There’s a full 2.0 megapixel camera in the Comeback™. So you’ll be able to take great pictures anytime, anywhere. There’s even a 2.5x digital zoom. And with the camcorder, you can take great moving pictures, too.
bluetooth
Stereo Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
With a Bluetooth headset you can go hands-free and wireless. Now it’s easier than ever to carry on conversations without putting your job (or your life) on hold.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Popularity: 54% [?]

Together with the rebrand of Windows Mobile smartphone to Windows Phone, Microsoft has offcially announced its My Phone data backup service and Windows Marketplace for application store. The new marketplace that will provide direct-to-phone mobile applications and can be accessed from both the phone and the Web. Featuring a revamped home screen, the new Windows Mobile 6.5 home screen keeps people up-to-date on important information by providing a dashboard-like experience to items such as new e-mails, texts, missed calls and calendar appointments. It also includes an improved touch-screen interface, making it easy to take action with a finger, and an updated version of the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser.

Read the full story

Popularity: 6% [?]

Blackberry OS 5.0 Features leaked…

Some of the features are:

Flag messages and set reminder times.
View personal contact subfolders and edit contacts.
View and use contacts that are in public folders and copy them to your local contact list.
A file browser to access shared network locations to open, add, or save documents.
Forward meeting invitations and calendar entries.
Ability to add, delete, move, or rename personal folders.
Ability to view personal distribution lists in Outlook contacts.

Popularity: 10% [?]