LG has been producing top of the line products for quite a while now and their cell phones are no exception. LG cell phones are high on style and features. You owe it to yourself to check out LG cell phones.
Color displays are nice but remember that they drain your phone’s battery rather quickly. The lightweight LG VX4400 cell phone comes with an external LCD with a choice of 7 backlight colors to make your phone more personal. The compact and lightweight clamshell LG VX3160 cell phone is another offering from LG that will get the job done with style.
A Good Deal to Get the Ring Tones Ringing
Whatever phone you choose, either an LG phone or some other brand, a good cell phone plan is essential. You can get online and type “cell phone plan comparisons” into your search engine and you will get several links to comparison charts of different cell phone carriers. The comparison will show you the costs of phones and different levels of service from each carrier. You can also search by phones - for instance type in “LG cell phone” and you will find phones from different vendors or cell carriers that provide the phone you want. Verizon, Sprint and Cingular provide LG phones to their customers. Verizon offers an LG phone free with the purchase of a specific cellular plan. A variety of ring tones to choose from, seems to be an option desired by many cellular consumers.
There are so many companies today vying for your cell phone business that most offer a variety of special deals on phones, plans and accessories such as hand free car kits (which are required by law in some states, N.Y. being one). You can also get long life batteries, desktop battery chargers, colorful face plates, crystal keypads, cradle style holders, USB data cable kits, car chargers and antenna boosters. Depending on the plan you choose, some of these accessories are free or discounted when you purchase particular cell phone calling plans.
Choosing a Cell Phone
Considering the innumerable varieties of cell phones in the market, it is quite a challenging task to choose the best one. However, the basic criterion of selecting the best cell phone is to be absolutely clear about what your needs are. The best cellular phone is the one that is absolutely right for you. And, of course, you can only have the best cellular phone when you pay for what you want.
Tons of offers are also available. There are free cellular telephone offers, prepaid cellular, digital, mobile, web enabled and many more. No one can tell you which cell phone is best for you because every one has different needs when it comes to their cellular telephone. Some people want absolutely basic features while others want a lot of totally fantastic features. Some need a cellular telephone for e-mail, faxing and surfing the Internet. Many people want it to be top of the line while others prefer simplicity.
The process of purchaseing a cell phone is so confusing. There are simply so many different handsets, networks, deals and call costs to consider that purchaseing the right phone for your usage and budget can be very difficult.
Here are a few tips to help you choose the best cell phone. First of all, decide how much you want to spend and be clear on the features you need. Remember that the more the features, the higher the cost.
Purchase a battery with a decent battery life and judge the mobile phone by the talk time it gives. The bare minimum should be 2 hours of maximum talk-time plus 90 hours of maximum standby time.
Shop and compare for pricing and service. These days, quality phones are very cheap. There is a proliferation of cell phone makers including Nokia, Motorola, Ericson, Siemens, Samsung, Sony, etc. More importantly, cellular plans have come down enormously in overall price with some caveats.
Some standard features include caller ID, phone book with fast dial, call waiting, voice mail and auto-answering. Some also have other added features like your first incoming minute free. The high-end cell phones will have voice-a ctivated dialing, SMS, 2-way paging, games, scheduling calendars, digital organizer and all the standard features. The main thing is to see what fits into your life style best and also to be sure when and if the features expire.
While making a cell phone and service plan decision, remember that everybody's needs are different. So what's good for your friend may not be the best choice for you. Your best bet would be to search online for websites with good cell phone comparisons in order to get a quality cell phone offer.
To make sure that your cell phone comparisons are complete look at Nokia cell phones, Ericsson cell phones, Sprint cell phones, Motorola cell phones and Samsung cell phones. Research the different free cell phone offers, prepaid cell phones and service plans from brand names like AT
Tons of offers are also available. There are free cellular telephone offers, prepaid cellular, digital, mobile, web enabled and many more. No one can tell you which cell phone is best for you because every one has different needs when it comes to their cellular telephone. Some people want absolutely basic features while others want a lot of totally fantastic features. Some need a cellular telephone for e-mail, faxing and surfing the Internet. Many people want it to be top of the line while others prefer simplicity.
The process of purchaseing a cell phone is so confusing. There are simply so many different handsets, networks, deals and call costs to consider that purchaseing the right phone for your usage and budget can be very difficult.
Here are a few tips to help you choose the best cell phone. First of all, decide how much you want to spend and be clear on the features you need. Remember that the more the features, the higher the cost.
Purchase a battery with a decent battery life and judge the mobile phone by the talk time it gives. The bare minimum should be 2 hours of maximum talk-time plus 90 hours of maximum standby time.
Shop and compare for pricing and service. These days, quality phones are very cheap. There is a proliferation of cell phone makers including Nokia, Motorola, Ericson, Siemens, Samsung, Sony, etc. More importantly, cellular plans have come down enormously in overall price with some caveats.
Some standard features include caller ID, phone book with fast dial, call waiting, voice mail and auto-answering. Some also have other added features like your first incoming minute free. The high-end cell phones will have voice-a ctivated dialing, SMS, 2-way paging, games, scheduling calendars, digital organizer and all the standard features. The main thing is to see what fits into your life style best and also to be sure when and if the features expire.
While making a cell phone and service plan decision, remember that everybody's needs are different. So what's good for your friend may not be the best choice for you. Your best bet would be to search online for websites with good cell phone comparisons in order to get a quality cell phone offer.
To make sure that your cell phone comparisons are complete look at Nokia cell phones, Ericsson cell phones, Sprint cell phones, Motorola cell phones and Samsung cell phones. Research the different free cell phone offers, prepaid cell phones and service plans from brand names like AT
Personal Tracking Devices In Cell Phones?
Cell phones have come a long way – regardless of whether you’re a business person or stay-at-home mom, having a cell phone with you is no longer a privilege – it’s a NECESSITY. In this modern technology age, the cell phone has progressed from being just your average communication device. The cell phone is now also a personal organizer, diary, calculator, timer, alarm clock, emailing device, faxing equipment, news reporter, etc.
In times of emergency, a cell phone can and will definitely prove to be a life-saver and 14-year-old Kelly Emerson can attest to that. Getting lost in a jungle is no fun for the teen. But thanks to her careful and wary mom, Kelly took a cell phone with her and when she got lost in the jungle, the cell phone she had with her saved her life. Within 3 hours, they found her hanging to her cell phone and praying. Wet, crying, hungry – but safe!
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently suggested that communication companies work harder to incorporate a location pinpointing device and technology on cell phones so that call receivers can check the location of the caller in times of emergency. For people like Kelly Emerson, the cell phone saved her life – but with an advancement of technology, the caller or owner of the cell phone may not even need to be awake or conscious in order for others to detect their location. Well, there are pros and cons to that kind of technology, and currently, this recommendation has come under fire and is under a lot of debate today. People are not keen on turning their cell phones into personal tracking devices because of very obvious reasons – it’s a form of intrusion into their personal lives. And instead of saving lives, cell phones with this ability may even become a threat. Let’s say, a murderous husband is trying to track down a runaway wife and is able to detect her location via her cell phone.
While individuals are quite confused about this new cell phone technology, large corporations are more than happy to welcome this new cell phone technological advancement. Imagine…with this personal tracking device installed into their customers’ cell phones, companies can locate the customers via their cell phones. If the customer is within the vicinity of their outlet, they can instantly send messages or make calls to that customer!
However, telecommunication companies are stumped on whether this new cell phone feature should be incorporated into future cell phones. Like the Internet, privacy is a huge problem. Personal information is big in the data-mining business, but so is privacy.
We’ll just have to see how far cell phone companies are willing to go to make their bucks!
In times of emergency, a cell phone can and will definitely prove to be a life-saver and 14-year-old Kelly Emerson can attest to that. Getting lost in a jungle is no fun for the teen. But thanks to her careful and wary mom, Kelly took a cell phone with her and when she got lost in the jungle, the cell phone she had with her saved her life. Within 3 hours, they found her hanging to her cell phone and praying. Wet, crying, hungry – but safe!
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently suggested that communication companies work harder to incorporate a location pinpointing device and technology on cell phones so that call receivers can check the location of the caller in times of emergency. For people like Kelly Emerson, the cell phone saved her life – but with an advancement of technology, the caller or owner of the cell phone may not even need to be awake or conscious in order for others to detect their location. Well, there are pros and cons to that kind of technology, and currently, this recommendation has come under fire and is under a lot of debate today. People are not keen on turning their cell phones into personal tracking devices because of very obvious reasons – it’s a form of intrusion into their personal lives. And instead of saving lives, cell phones with this ability may even become a threat. Let’s say, a murderous husband is trying to track down a runaway wife and is able to detect her location via her cell phone.
While individuals are quite confused about this new cell phone technology, large corporations are more than happy to welcome this new cell phone technological advancement. Imagine…with this personal tracking device installed into their customers’ cell phones, companies can locate the customers via their cell phones. If the customer is within the vicinity of their outlet, they can instantly send messages or make calls to that customer!
However, telecommunication companies are stumped on whether this new cell phone feature should be incorporated into future cell phones. Like the Internet, privacy is a huge problem. Personal information is big in the data-mining business, but so is privacy.
We’ll just have to see how far cell phone companies are willing to go to make their bucks!
Finding The Right Cell Phone
Ten years ago, cell phones were just beginning to appear. Today, it seems every person on the street has one. However, not all cell phones are equal. How do you find the best one?
Ask yourself what qualities are important to you. First, the physical aspects. Do you prefer flat cell phones or those with a flip? Are slim cell phones more attractive, or does size really matter?
Cell phones seem to come in all shapes and sizes, and color can also be a determining factor. Have you seen the changeable covers? Who knew cell phones would become such a fashion statement?
A critical factor to consider is ring tones. Some cell phones come with standard rings that could drive anyone crazy. Others have downloadable tones, letting you show off your taste and personality. If you've ever been on a crowded train where six cell phones started ringing at once, you know how important it is to have the pleasant ring tone. No one wants to draw negative attention.
Cell phones have all sorts of new features, and they keep improving. Some cell phones allow you to take pictures. Other cell phones give you internet access on the road. And like most technology, there are new improvements made on a weekly basis. Remember that you'll be paying for these features; make sure you'll use them before you spend the money.
Manufacturers of cell phones have done extensive research to find out what is important to you, the purchaseer. The carrier, though, is also important to consider. What good are cell phones, after all, if you can't get service? Find out who in your area has the widest service and the best rate plan.
Most of us have become spoiled by our cell phones. It's hard to remember the days when no one could reach you until you got home from class or from work. Cell phones have opened up our lines of communication considerably. (Sometimes it's questionable whether that's a good thing….) The fact is, it looks like cell phones are here to stay. Is it possible anymore to escape? Of course! The best thing about cell phones is that you can use them when you need them, but sometimes the best cell phones are the ones that are turned off.
Ask yourself what qualities are important to you. First, the physical aspects. Do you prefer flat cell phones or those with a flip? Are slim cell phones more attractive, or does size really matter?
Cell phones seem to come in all shapes and sizes, and color can also be a determining factor. Have you seen the changeable covers? Who knew cell phones would become such a fashion statement?
A critical factor to consider is ring tones. Some cell phones come with standard rings that could drive anyone crazy. Others have downloadable tones, letting you show off your taste and personality. If you've ever been on a crowded train where six cell phones started ringing at once, you know how important it is to have the pleasant ring tone. No one wants to draw negative attention.
Cell phones have all sorts of new features, and they keep improving. Some cell phones allow you to take pictures. Other cell phones give you internet access on the road. And like most technology, there are new improvements made on a weekly basis. Remember that you'll be paying for these features; make sure you'll use them before you spend the money.
Manufacturers of cell phones have done extensive research to find out what is important to you, the purchaseer. The carrier, though, is also important to consider. What good are cell phones, after all, if you can't get service? Find out who in your area has the widest service and the best rate plan.
Most of us have become spoiled by our cell phones. It's hard to remember the days when no one could reach you until you got home from class or from work. Cell phones have opened up our lines of communication considerably. (Sometimes it's questionable whether that's a good thing….) The fact is, it looks like cell phones are here to stay. Is it possible anymore to escape? Of course! The best thing about cell phones is that you can use them when you need them, but sometimes the best cell phones are the ones that are turned off.
Take on the Satio
Sony Ericsson has finally launched the Satio, the phone it showed off back in February under the guise of Idou, packing the best of all its brands into one phone. But can the sheer range of gadgetry and a new OS be enough to lure customers back to the brand?Not content with being leaders in cameraphone and multimedia technology, Sony Ericsson has decided to put the two Walkman and Cybershot brands together in the new Satio. This means an industry-leading camera, a full range of multimedia playback options and it's based on Symbian S60 5th edition to boot.
The overall feel of the handset is odd. Thanks to the sheer range of camera-related gadgetry on board the rear of the phone has a massive camera section bolted to the back, which makes it a little chunky.
But weirdly the phone didn't feel heavy at all – in fact we thought the battery needed to be put in, it was so light, but the power pack was snugly under the cover, so this is pretty impressive.
The Satio feels OK in the hand – it's not snug, but the 3.5-inch touchscreen (although sadly resistive rather than capacitive) is well positioned, and most of the functions are within a thumb's reach.
The front of the phone is very minimal – it's got a call, hang up and menu key, and that's about it. We would have quite liked to see a cancel/back button too, but that obviously wasn't on Sony Ericsson's agenda with the new Symbian OS it's packing.
There is a front facing video camera on there too for all that video calling fun everyone has these days, but it's down the sides of the phone where the button frenzy really begins.
On the left-hand side is the slider for unlocking the phone (which is in just about the right place for most hands), the standard Sony Ericsson port for USB connection, charging and headphone connection (boo!). Below that lives the microSD slot, which is covered by a nice hinged flap.
Over on the right side of the phone we get the camera controls, with the zoom buttons doubling as the volume up/down keys, despite having the 'proper' zoom icons on.
Below this is the photograph playback key, allowing quick access to your snaps in both camera mode and standby. There's also a video/camera swap hard key as well, which we're trying to work out if it has another function in other applications. It appears not to.
And below that is the stylishly hewn shutter for the camera. This side of the phone is well put together, laid out in the right manner and given the Satio's penchant for touch operation, a welcome addition.
On the back we've already mentioned the massive camera section, and while the cover might be massive it still has a really pleasing action to it, uncovering the decent lens underneath.
It's not the most wieldy of phones, we'll admit, but given the sheer amount of technology under the hood we're happy to say this is pretty much the best job Sony Ericsson could have done.
In the box
The Satio is being tipped as a multimedia device, and to that end the box is filled with audio and visual goodies. We've already pointed out how very, very disappointed we are there's no 3.5mm headphone jack on the Satio, but Sony Ericsson has tried to temper that problem with a variety of headphone options in the box.
The connector also comes with a music controller, which works pretty well for both media and as a hands free unit. The bundled buds are of a slightly better quality than the usual pin-thick ones Sony Ericsson puts in the box, but we quickly changed these to some better options.
However, if you do want to use them, there's a variety of ear buds to fit your ears, which we liked.
Video-wise, Sony Ericsson wants you to see the Satio as more of a multimedia hub, and to that end has popped a video out cable in the box (and a pretty rugged, rubberised one at that). It connects using the standard port on the side, and allows you to pump whatever you want to the TV from the phone.
Beyond that, there's a charger, a USB cable and a stylus – you might as well have this if you're using a resistive screen, and handwriting recognition works better with it.
And there's no installation CD in the box – Sony Ericsson has placed that on the phone in the bundled 8GB microSD card. We like this idea a lot, as it just simplifies the process, so well done to SE.
The awsome Droid
It's this simple: If you don't buy an iPhone, buy a Droid.
It's the best phone on Verizon, and with Android 2.0, the second best smartphone you can buy, period. It's flawed, deeply in some ways. But it's the second best phone around, on the best network around.
Droid is a champion of possibilities: for Motorola, for Verizon, for Android 2.0. It exists to show you what each of them can really do. You can kind of think of it like a Super G1, laying out what it means to be an Android 2.0 phone, with powerful new processors and delicious new displays with sky-high resolutions. If Droid is merely the first in a new wave, we have a lot to be excited about.
The Shiny New OS
The main attraction for Droid is Android 2.0, the remarkably updated mobile OS from Google. It's so important, it gets its own review. After all, you will start to see it on other phones soon. It's what makes Droid so great—new navigation app, new contacts/social network syncing, better email management, better browser—but also why Droid still falls short of the iPhone, particularly when it comes to managing music and video. If there's something you don't see here, chances are we discussed it in the earlier piece—if you care about the phone, you're gonna want to read the full software review too.
Design and Build
It didn't hit me until last weekend why Droid's design struck such an emotional chord with me. Was it the functionalist, industrial masculinity, expressed perfectly through glass and metal and unapologetic angles, in a powerful phone that's remarkably streamlined? It's all of that, yes. But it's also the fact that aesthetic is rendered black and gold metal accents, which is why it taps into something deep and profoundly affective from my childhood:
It's practically cheating. I can't not love the design of this phone.
Oh, That Screen
Droid's 3.7-inch, 854x480 display with an eye-popping pixel density of 267ppi, is the kind of screen you ache for. An analogy: Do you remember how amazing you thought Nintendo 64 games looked, ten years ago? Have you looked at them lately? Do you remember the sinking feeling you got, realizing just how ugly they are now? That's how'll you'll feel looking at every other phone with the now-standard 480x320 screens we thought were so gorgeous a couple of years ago. They're lo-fi and lifeless by comparison.
It's the clarity of the text that captivates. It's true, there've been Windows phones with excellent screens that have the same resolution as Droid, but the font rendering has always been too weak to take advantage of them. Reading ebooks on an iPhone has always given me a headache (so I don't), but with Droid's pixel density, I could read on it for hours. It's that good. The color's fantastic, too, though not Zune HD OLED level.
Touch response is mostly effective. When there are misfires, like getting no response when you flick your finger to pull out the app menu, it's hard to tell if it's the phone or the software—at least until more Android 2.0 phones are out there. But no serious complaints.
Keyboard and Strange Buttons
The keyboard is okay. I liked it a lot more on Day 1 than I do today, and that's because I never got any faster. The problem is that the key landscape is too flat and homogenous—a necessary sacrifice for Droid's remarkable skinniness—so there's simply no way to feel out precisely what key your thumb's on, meaning I never broke out of having to stare at the keyboard while typing. I found the actual layout to be excellent. Overall, the keyboard works, but you'll probably never fly on it. I'm faster on the landscape touch keyboard, personally.
The d-pad's not as dandy as a trackball for getting around, but for navigating around text, it's better than I expected—despite its puniness, I never pressed the wrong button.
But I hate the four soft touch buttons on the front of the phone. For one, there are no dedicated phone or end call buttons, so if you accidentally call somebody at 4am, you have to figure out how to end the call exclusively via the software interface. For two, the lack of feedback is annoying, especially if you're holding down the search button trying to activate voice search and it's not coming up. Did you miss the button? Are you pressing it wrong? Who knows? If Android's going to rely hard on these four buttons, the way iPhone relies on the home button, they need to be actual physical objects.
This Camera Sucks
The camera is complete garbage. It takes 10 years to start up, 2 to focus, and another 4 to actually take the goddamn picture. And there's no distinct visual feedback to let you know a photo's been snapped. And the photos suck. That pumpkin shot, in decent lighting, is as good as it gets. Like I said in the Android 2.0 review, I don't know if it's the hardware or the software, but it's inexcusably bad. (Update: Here's a couple of more shots from the camera. You can compare the indoors one with the much better Sprint Hero sample shot seen here, since they were taken in the same place.)
Video's not terrible, though, beyond the fussy format even VLC doesn't even like playing:
Performance
Droid's brain is a potent ARM Cortex A8 TI OMAP 3430—it's basically the same as the chips inside of the Palm Pre and iPhone 3GS. Like I said in the Android 2.0 review, while it runs apps and multitasks with gusto, basic things like menus and the desktop stutter way too often. It's like driving a Ferrari with a door that groans loudly every time you open it.
Battery Life
With moderate to heavy usage—browsing, some navigation, push Gmail, moderate app usage, with the occasional app running in the background—I managed to make it through a full 8-12 hour day before recharging, each day for about a week, though some days were closer than others. Your mileage will vary, depending on how many apps you've got running in the background and how much you hit GPS, but my experience was that it was entirely acceptable for a modern smartphone.
Nuts, Bolts and Stability
Verizon's network is top notch, and being able to actually use the internet on my phone with impunity in New York is revelatory. In both New York and Seattle testing, reception has been excellent, though around Pittsburgh, it was spottier than expected. Voice quality was pretty excellent whenever we didn't use Google Voice.
While definitely stable enough to use as an everyday phone, we did run into a few bugs: GPS accuracy was wildly off-target on more than one occasion, pinpointing our location hundreds of miles away, and the only way to fix it was to reboot the phone (I assume that's a software issue, not a hardware one). We also had one complete crash after finishing a phone call that required a reboot. And more apps stopped responding more often than we were used to on previous versions of Android, requiring a force close.
It's the best phone on Verizon, and with Android 2.0, the second best smartphone you can buy, period. It's flawed, deeply in some ways. But it's the second best phone around, on the best network around.
Droid is a champion of possibilities: for Motorola, for Verizon, for Android 2.0. It exists to show you what each of them can really do. You can kind of think of it like a Super G1, laying out what it means to be an Android 2.0 phone, with powerful new processors and delicious new displays with sky-high resolutions. If Droid is merely the first in a new wave, we have a lot to be excited about.
The Shiny New OS
The main attraction for Droid is Android 2.0, the remarkably updated mobile OS from Google. It's so important, it gets its own review. After all, you will start to see it on other phones soon. It's what makes Droid so great—new navigation app, new contacts/social network syncing, better email management, better browser—but also why Droid still falls short of the iPhone, particularly when it comes to managing music and video. If there's something you don't see here, chances are we discussed it in the earlier piece—if you care about the phone, you're gonna want to read the full software review too.
Design and Build
It didn't hit me until last weekend why Droid's design struck such an emotional chord with me. Was it the functionalist, industrial masculinity, expressed perfectly through glass and metal and unapologetic angles, in a powerful phone that's remarkably streamlined? It's all of that, yes. But it's also the fact that aesthetic is rendered black and gold metal accents, which is why it taps into something deep and profoundly affective from my childhood:
It's practically cheating. I can't not love the design of this phone.
Oh, That Screen
Droid's 3.7-inch, 854x480 display with an eye-popping pixel density of 267ppi, is the kind of screen you ache for. An analogy: Do you remember how amazing you thought Nintendo 64 games looked, ten years ago? Have you looked at them lately? Do you remember the sinking feeling you got, realizing just how ugly they are now? That's how'll you'll feel looking at every other phone with the now-standard 480x320 screens we thought were so gorgeous a couple of years ago. They're lo-fi and lifeless by comparison.
It's the clarity of the text that captivates. It's true, there've been Windows phones with excellent screens that have the same resolution as Droid, but the font rendering has always been too weak to take advantage of them. Reading ebooks on an iPhone has always given me a headache (so I don't), but with Droid's pixel density, I could read on it for hours. It's that good. The color's fantastic, too, though not Zune HD OLED level.
Touch response is mostly effective. When there are misfires, like getting no response when you flick your finger to pull out the app menu, it's hard to tell if it's the phone or the software—at least until more Android 2.0 phones are out there. But no serious complaints.
Keyboard and Strange Buttons
The keyboard is okay. I liked it a lot more on Day 1 than I do today, and that's because I never got any faster. The problem is that the key landscape is too flat and homogenous—a necessary sacrifice for Droid's remarkable skinniness—so there's simply no way to feel out precisely what key your thumb's on, meaning I never broke out of having to stare at the keyboard while typing. I found the actual layout to be excellent. Overall, the keyboard works, but you'll probably never fly on it. I'm faster on the landscape touch keyboard, personally.
The d-pad's not as dandy as a trackball for getting around, but for navigating around text, it's better than I expected—despite its puniness, I never pressed the wrong button.
But I hate the four soft touch buttons on the front of the phone. For one, there are no dedicated phone or end call buttons, so if you accidentally call somebody at 4am, you have to figure out how to end the call exclusively via the software interface. For two, the lack of feedback is annoying, especially if you're holding down the search button trying to activate voice search and it's not coming up. Did you miss the button? Are you pressing it wrong? Who knows? If Android's going to rely hard on these four buttons, the way iPhone relies on the home button, they need to be actual physical objects.
This Camera Sucks
The camera is complete garbage. It takes 10 years to start up, 2 to focus, and another 4 to actually take the goddamn picture. And there's no distinct visual feedback to let you know a photo's been snapped. And the photos suck. That pumpkin shot, in decent lighting, is as good as it gets. Like I said in the Android 2.0 review, I don't know if it's the hardware or the software, but it's inexcusably bad. (Update: Here's a couple of more shots from the camera. You can compare the indoors one with the much better Sprint Hero sample shot seen here, since they were taken in the same place.)
Video's not terrible, though, beyond the fussy format even VLC doesn't even like playing:
Performance
Droid's brain is a potent ARM Cortex A8 TI OMAP 3430—it's basically the same as the chips inside of the Palm Pre and iPhone 3GS. Like I said in the Android 2.0 review, while it runs apps and multitasks with gusto, basic things like menus and the desktop stutter way too often. It's like driving a Ferrari with a door that groans loudly every time you open it.
Battery Life
With moderate to heavy usage—browsing, some navigation, push Gmail, moderate app usage, with the occasional app running in the background—I managed to make it through a full 8-12 hour day before recharging, each day for about a week, though some days were closer than others. Your mileage will vary, depending on how many apps you've got running in the background and how much you hit GPS, but my experience was that it was entirely acceptable for a modern smartphone.
Nuts, Bolts and Stability
Verizon's network is top notch, and being able to actually use the internet on my phone with impunity in New York is revelatory. In both New York and Seattle testing, reception has been excellent, though around Pittsburgh, it was spottier than expected. Voice quality was pretty excellent whenever we didn't use Google Voice.
While definitely stable enough to use as an everyday phone, we did run into a few bugs: GPS accuracy was wildly off-target on more than one occasion, pinpointing our location hundreds of miles away, and the only way to fix it was to reboot the phone (I assume that's a software issue, not a hardware one). We also had one complete crash after finishing a phone call that required a reboot. And more apps stopped responding more often than we were used to on previous versions of Android, requiring a force close.
Unlocking and jailbreaking the iPhone
Good to know
Needless to say that the iPhone was the pinnacle for the hi tech fans out there, I mean when the first pics and vids leaked any geek would drool to get its hands on it, including me, of course.Of course, since then two and a half years past by and the iPhone is still a comparison to many new top brnd phones.
In the following I will save you some time, explaining what to do with your brand new iPhone and how to use it to its full potential and keeping your pocket untouched at the same time.
As you know we have three generations of iPhones out, so far:
The fisrt generation, also known as iPhone 2G:
The second generation, also known as iPhone 3G:
The third generation, also known as iPhone 3GS:
What you will need
Firmwares
The biggest fuss now with all the software updates is not the firmware itself but the baseband firmware which is also changed, this happens to block the attempts of unlocking the baseband which gives you the free chioce for a decent operator.
Currently the newest firmware is 3.1.2 but to get it unlocked you will need to flash an earlier version for the baseband which is 04.26.08 not 5.11.7 which comes in the original 3.1.2 firmware.
In order to flash your own chioce of firmware into an iPhone you will need to hook it up with iTunes and press the button "Restore" whilst keeping the key SHIFT on your keyboard pressed, you will then be promted by iTunes to browse whichever firmware you like.
To save you some time check out the following links:
Jailbreak
Jailbreaking basicly gives you more control over your device and saves you some headaches, it gives you the chance to try out some wondefull apps that otherwise you wouldn't know they existed. There is an app out there for just about anything you can thik of... (yes, crap counter too :P)
How to jailbreak your device, well there have been lots of programs for PCs and MACs, but the newest and by far the best option for you is "BlackRa1n", developed by geohot. All you have to do is go to http://blackra1n.com/, download the app, plug in your iPhone and run BlackRa1n, then click "Make it ra1n" and come back in two minutes.
As soon as your iPhone boots up go to the last page and you should see the icon that says "blackra1n", touch it and you should see this:
Select Cydia or Rock then touch Install.
I recomend to use a wi-fi for the following steps as they are data consuming.
Free apps
Once you have installed Cydia, open it, choose the Graphical Interface and accept and install whatever updates is asking you to install, Cydia should restart, open it again, wait for it to load, then go Manage >> Sources and click "Add" and write the following: Http://cydia.hackulo.us and add it. You will get a warning, just ignore it, then you should install form this source "app sync for 3.1" and "Installous", by doing this you will be able to sync apps with iTunes. You can even download a cracked app, double click the *.ipa file and it will be automatically imported to iTunes and synced into your iPhone.
Unlocking
Currently the working unlock for the 3G and 3Gs is a soft unlock that can be found in Cydia, and it's free, just search for "Ultrasn0w"
For the latest news in unlocking your iPhone feel free to visit the Dev Team Blog http://blog.iphone-dev.org/
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