i Phone BUY

Moto's Clutch comes to Nextel.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)

The Motorola Clutch i465 is migrating up the corporate ladder from Boost Mobile to Nextel. The nifty iDEN phone with the full QWERTY keyboard will go on sale this summer for $39.99 with a two-year service agreement …

Arimaz's MyDeskFriend is a robot penguin that talks

(Credit: Arimaz)

We admit we’re suckers for cute robots around here, especially ones that are connected to the Internet in some way (remember the Nabaztag?). So I was especially excited to find that Arimaz’s MyDeskFriend is not only …

New shortcuts show up below the clock.

(Credit: Handy Forum)

We’ve seen the latest iteration of HTC’s TouchFlo 3D on the Touch Diamond2 and Pro 2 smartphones. It comes with quite a number of improvements over the last version of HTC’s custom interface. Some of them include …

Apple and other big phone makers have struck a deal with the European Commission to start selling phones with universal cell phone chargers starting next year.

Side by side view of a micro-USB connector and a regular USB connector.

(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Under the agreement, manufacturers would start using micro-USB connections for phone chargers used for smartphones. Apple joins other big cell phone makers including LG, Motorola, Nokia, Research In Motion, Samsung and Sony Ericsson in agreeing to the new standard. Chipset makers, such as NEC, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments have also agreed to the deal.

In February the GSMA, a trade association for mobile carriers using GSM technology, said it had brokered a deal with handset makers to get the micro-USB technology into cell phone chargers by 2012. And the CTIA, the U.S. wireless trade association, backed the standard in April of this year.

The initiative has many advantages. For one it makes it much easier for consumers who no longer have to worry about losing their one and only cell phone charger. It also cuts down on waste since people can reuse their cell phone chargers when they get a new phone. Even though some cell phone manufacturers were reluctant to give up their proprietary cell phone chargers for fear that it would make it easier for customers to switch to new phones from competitors, eventually standardizing on one technology will help these manufacturers reduce costs.

…

Originally posted at News - Wireless

Slider handsets are a dime a dozen these days, but that doesn’t mean they can’t deliver the goods. The LG LX370 is one such example. It’s a simple midtier phone from Sprint, with a sleek slider design we’ve seen before, and yet it’s not at …

Motorola’s latest attempt at a messaging phone is the Motorola
Rival, which is exclusive to Verizon Wireless. It has a sideways-sliding design similar to the LG Neon, and also like the Neon, has a display that acts as a touch screen only for the phone dialer. We’re not …

(Credit: Sprint)

Attention, iPhone users: We’ve found a way (via Pre Thinking and Sprint’s Facebook page) that you can save up to $1,200 over two years on your service plans! All you have to do is buy a Palm Pre and sign up for service with Sprint.
…

The Sense interface on the new HTC Hero.

(Credit: Crave UK)

HTC unveiled its Hero at an event two days back, and the highlight of the launch, without a doubt, was not so much the physical features of the smartphone but its custom Android interface.

According to Pocket-lint, CEO Peter …

TravelTracker Pro keeps tabs on your entire trip, including real-time flight status.

I’m winging my way to San Francisco in a couple weeks, so I’ve been rounding up apps that’ll make my trip easier and more enjoyable.

Obviously I’ll stock up on e-books and movies for the flight (Wondershare’s DVD Ripper Platinum is proving a great choice for copying my DVDs to my iPhone), and I’ve already got old standbys like Urbanspoon and Yelp for finding local grub and businesses.

But there’s more to a trip than just food and in-flight movies. Here’s a list of the iPhone apps I’ve decided to pack:

• HazelMail Postcards Sure, you can always e-mail photos of your trip, but doesn’t grandma deserve a good old-fashioned postcard? HazelMail turns any iPhone snapshot into the real deal, then mails it (along with your custom wish-you-were-here message) to any address. First one’s free; after that, each card costs $1.50 (or get 12 for $12).
• TravelTracker Pro A bit more robust than competitors SplashTravel and Travel Assistant, TravelTracker Pro helps you keep tabs on every aspect of your trip: flights, car/hotel reservations, weather, and even currency exchange rates. Plus, it integrates with the excellent TripIt service to automatically import/update your travel plans, and provides live flight tracking via FlightStats. Only gripe: It’s a little pricey at $12.99.
• GadgetTrak A stolen iPhone could put a major damper on your trip. Free app GadgetTrak aims to help you get it back, and while it’s not quite as effective as MobileMe, it can’t hurt to install it before leaving.

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Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

Sphere: Related Content

Arimaz's MyDeskFriend is a robot penguin that talks

(Credit: Arimaz)

We admit we’re suckers for cute robots around here, especially ones that are connected to the Internet in some way (Remember the Nabaztag?). So I was especially excited to find that Arimaz’s MyDeskFriend is not only …

New shortcuts show up below the clock.

(Credit: Handy Forum)

We’ve seen the latest iteration of HTC’s TouchFlo 3D on the Touch Diamond2 and Pro 2 smartphones. It comes with quite a number of improvements over the last version of HTC’s custom interface. Some of them include …

Apple and other big phone makers have struck a deal with the European Commission to start selling phones with universal cell phone chargers starting next year.

Side by side view of a micro-USB connector and a regular USB connector.

(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Under the agreement, manufacturers would start using micro-USB connections for phone chargers used for smartphones. Apple joins other big cell phone makers including LG, Motorola, Nokia, Research In Motion, Samsung and Sony Ericsson in agreeing to the new standard. Chipset makers, such as NEC, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments have also agreed to the deal.

In February the GSMA, a trade association for mobile carriers using GSM technology, said it had brokered a deal with handset makers to get the micro-USB technology into cell phone chargers by 2012. And the CTIA, the U.S. wireless trade association, backed the standard in April of this year.

The initiative has many advantages. For one it makes it much easier for consumers who no longer have to worry about losing their one and only cell phone charger. It also cuts down on waste since people can reuse their cell phone chargers when they get a new phone. Even though some cell phone manufacturers were reluctant to give up their proprietary cell phone chargers for fear that it would make it easier for customers to switch to new phones from competitors, eventually standardizing on one technology will help these manufacturers reduce costs.

…

Originally posted at News - Wireless

Slider handsets are a dime a dozen these days, but that doesn’t mean they can’t deliver the goods. The LG LX370 is one such example. It’s a simple midtier phone from Sprint, with a sleek slider design we’ve seen before, and yet it’s not at …