Posts in Handhelds
Shop Amazon from your BlackBerry
Dong Ngo | Apr 13, 2009
(Credit: Amazon)
Believe it or not, the way to help us get out of this recession is to shop as often as you can manage. And Amazon just made it even easier for you to do that, if you have a BlackBerry.
Amazon's iPhone app launched in December, and on Thursday the company released its Amazon App for BlackBerry. Like the iPhone app, this new application can be downloaded for free.
The app takes advantage of the BlackBerry's trackball for a quick and simple way to find, discover, and buy products from Amazon.com, as well as from thousands of other retailers.
Beyond that, according to Director of Amazon Mobile Sam Hall, the app also allows you to access the Amazon Remembers feature, which is an easy way to build an image list of products you want to remember for later or to make price comparisons across multiple merchants.
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BlackBerry Storm 2 with Wi-Fi, new screen?
Tom Krazit | Apr 09, 2009
Research in Motion's next BlackBerry Storm might come with a tweaked touchscreen in hopes of alleviating complaints about the first edition.
Several publications including Unwired View have picked up on an interview given by RIM's Alain Segond von Banchet, channel sales manager for BlackBerry in the Netherlands, in which the executive discusses a BlackBerry Storm 2 in frank terms. Google translations can be sketchy, but feel free to evaluate the original interview published by Tweakers.net.
The Storm 2 may not wind up being the final name for the new device, von Banchet said, but the device will come with a new way of entering data. That jibes with claims made by The Boy Genius Report on Tuesday that the next Storm will use a new screen in order to make typing easier.
The first BlackBerry Storm helped RIM enjoy an excellent quarter, but some reviewers and users were a bit put off by the touchscreen, as well as the lack of Wi-Fi, which will supposedly be addressed with the second iteration of the Storm.
The revamped device might be pretty far away from store shelves, however. KPN, a wireless carrier in the Netherlands, is expected to have the Storm 2 by the end of this year or the beginning of the next, and there's no indication when other carriers might be in line to start selling it on their networks.
Via CNET News
Why the Palm Pre must launch at US$149
David Carnoy | Apr 08, 2009
Ever since Palm trotted out the Pre at CES in January there's been a lot of speculation over what price tag Sprint would slap on its smartphone savior when it finally came out this spring. Initial reports pegged the Pre at US$399. But that high price was quickly downplayed as a nonsubsidized, sans contract version. As we wait for official pricing--an announcement could come any day--the pundits seem to have settled on the US$199 to US$299 range as the likely number. But I'm here to tell you Sprint has to do better. It has to break US$199 and preferably hit US$149.
Obviously, when it comes to the Pre, Sprint's big problem is the iPhone, which is due for another upgrade in June. The base iPhone is currently US$199 and an even cheaper entry-level model may be on the way. At the same time, you've got T-Mobile's US$179 G1 with Android and RIM bringing out sexier, more consumer-friendly BlackBerrys.
Sprint's service plans for the Pre appear to be very similar to those of the iPhone, which means it's highly likely Sprint will release the Pre at US$199 (US$299 would be suicide). Sprint has already announced that individual Pre plans will come in three flavors: You'll pay US$69.99 per month for 450 minutes, US$89.99 per month for 900 minutes, or US$99.99 per month for unlimited talk, with each plan including unlimited data. Meanwhile, the iPhone's base plan currently starts at US$69.99 with 450 minutes and unlimited data. AT&T's 900-minute plan goes for US$89.99. Where you save with Sprint is if you go with the unlimited plan, which currently costs US$30 more with AT&T. (None of these prices includes taxes, of course).
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Google improves Gmail for iPhone, Android
Stephen Shankland | Apr 08, 2009
For their privacy, we have blurred out the faces and license plates in this photo. Google will be doing the same.
Google has released a new Web-based version of Gmail that gives iPhone and Android phone users a more sophisticated version of the online email service, including access to messages that's faster and that works even when offline.
Google demonstrated the Web-based mobile version of Gmail last week and announced its availability Tuesday on the Google Mobile blog. "You'll notice that it's a lot faster when performing actions like opening an email, navigating, or searching. And if the data network drops out on you..., you'll still be able to open recently read messages and to compose over a flaky, or non-existent, network connection," said Google mobile engineer Joanne McKinley.
Although the new features are interesting, and I find them a big step up, what's significant in the bigger picture is that Google has shown just how powerful mobile Web browsers have become, not just for surfing Web pages, but for running Web-based applications. This mobile Gmail application doesn't have to be downloaded through Apple's App Store or Google's Android Market; it works after you point the browser to gmail.com.
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Spb TV: TV on smartphones gets real, subscription-free
Dong Ngo | Apr 08, 2009
Back when I still had the ATT Tilt, I thought it was uncool that I had to pay about US$10 a month to watch TV on the phone via a high-speed Internet connection. This is one of the reasons I moved on to an iPhone 3G.
However, if you haven't given up on Windows Mobile smarthphones yet, hang on, because I have some good news.
Spb Software, a Windows Mobile platform developer that makes online games and services for smartphones, announced Tuesday its new standalone application called Spb TV.
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