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You know, I wasn’t expecting all that much when I initially purchased the $99 HP Touchpad. Yes, I’m one of the “lucky ones” that got in on the deal right when HP slashed their prices. But anyway, after playing around with the new tablet, I have to say that I like it a lot. Sure WebOS is doomed and developers won’t be creating many more new apps for a dead platform. But just look at what you get for $99 – a sharp 9.7-inch screen, intuitive user interface, integrated WiFi which gives you access to facebook, youtube, email etc. All the essentials are there.

As recommended by other users, I did have to do some tweaks to improve performance which included the big OTA update and installing preware which allows you to grab some helpful “homebrew” patches. I did notice a vast improvement in speed and response after doing these tweaks so be sure to do them if you haven’t done so already.

I’m currently keeping an eye out for one more. I’d like to get the kids one of their own. yeah, I know, touchpads are pretty much no where to be found at this point. HP recently stated that they’ll manufacture a limited run of the touchpad to help fullfill orders but they weren’t that specific on exactly how many or when. Rumor has it that this last batch will amount to approximately 100,000 additional touchpads and will be available around November. That won’t be enough to match demand so look for a massive feeding frenzy when that last batch gets released.

anyway here’s my list of must-have touchpad apps: AngryBirds HD (of course), Angry Birds Rio HD, Interface Lift HD, Box.net, Kindle, quickoffice HD, USA Today, NPR reader, AccuWeather, Slice it! HD and preware.

and now to find a decent “folio style” case for my touchpad. again, the HP brand case is out of stock. geez. They sure ain’t making it easy…

Here’s a quick little tidbit for all you HTC Droid Eris users out there. I’ve been having problems getting the phone to recognize our home router (a linksys WRT160N). I initially thought that the wifi component of my phone went bad or something. We have several other wireless devices that connect with our router just fine including the Nintendo Wii, our blu-ray player and two other laptops. So, I didn’t think the router was an issue. But turns out there’s a little security setting on the router that prevented the HTC Eris from recognizing the wireless signal. I can’t really explain the reason why but changing the security encryption from “TKIP or AES” to just “AES” fixed the problem.
I believe the router default setting is “TKIP or AES” so you will have to manually change this setting if you run into this issue. Again, my wireless router is a wireless-N device with security WPA2 activated and SSID on.

anyway, thought I’d post this just in case someone else out there is pulling their hair out over this matter.

Sprint/Nextel customers have been hearing rumors these past few months that the company might give up on their iDEN network. And with all the resources and attention on the CDMA side of Sprint (which includes Boost Mobile) lately, it all appeared to be true. Well, late December, Sprint posted a press release reassuring customers that iDEN will live on, at least until 2013. As an iDEN customer myself, I’m glad to hear this but I’m still unsure how this will all play out in the coming years. Even though I like the push-to-talk feature as well as the call quality on iDEN, data speeds are lacking to say the least. And with multimedia and internet connections playing an important role in the wireless world, iDEN’s got a tough road ahead in trying to keep up with that end of things. Even I’m unsure if I’ll continue much longer hanging on to my trusty ol’ iDEN Boost Mobile phone.

Here’s the Sprint/Nextel press release:

Sprint Extends iDEN® Network Infrastructure Supply Agreement with Motorola Solutions for Three Additional Years
Extension agreement, including maintenance support, reinforces Sprint’s commitment to iDEN customers through 2013
Two new iDEN handsets announced for availability in the first quarter; Additional devices planned for 2011

KEY FACTS
- Under the extended Infrastructure Supply Agreement, Motorola Solutions will continue to support the Sprint iDEN network for three years – from Jan. 1, 2011, through Dec. 31, 2013.
- Motorola Solutions will continue to provide world-class support for software, hardware and systems on the existing Sprint iDEN network.
- Customers will benefit from the same level of high performance services, including industry-leading PTT, mobile telephony, messaging and Internet access.
- Motorola Solutions has more than 17 years of experience supporting the Sprint iDEN network.

Well, it’s official. Virgin Mobile will have their very own Android smartphone by the first week of October. The new phone is the Samsung Intercept which is already available on the Sprint Network. It’s not a groundbreaking phone by any means but to have an android phone on a no-contract/prepaid plan is a pretty big deal. It still remains to be seen if the phone will be “crippled” or locked down in any way or if VM will be charging an extra monthly fee for this phone as they do for the Blackberry. But still, if you can get this on the $25 a month beyond talk plan (which included unlimited text and web), it’s definitely worth considering. Look for it at your local Target stores beginning October 3rd for $230.

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Motorola made the announcement back in March that they’d be releasing the first Android powered smartphone available for the iDEN network. The initial announcement was for the phone to be released through Sprint/Nextel which disappointed a whole lot of Boost Mobile iDEN users. Well, Boost iDEN folks, you’re in luck!! It appears that Sprint/Nextel won’t have exclusive dibs on the Motorola i1 after all. There’s word that Boost will be releasing its own version of the i1 this summer. No official word yet on a release date for the Boost version but there’s already a page set up for the phone on the Best Buy website which is a pretty good sign that it’s indeed for real. The bad news is that the Boost version of the phone will cost $350 since there’s no contract with the carrier. Plus, you can’t use the pay-as-you-go plan with this phone, only the $50 unlimited plan. But for those wanting a smartphone on the iDEN network, this is the only choice (for now at least).

Motorola i1 features: Android 1.5 OS, Opera Mini 5 browser, 5.0 MP camera, built-in Wi-Fi, bluetooth, 3.1″ HVGA touch screen, microSD memory card, nationwide walkie-talkie, 210 minutes talk time, 100 hours in standby mode.

I’m still curious to hear about web access on this phone. Since iDEN wasn’t built for high speed data throughput, surfing the web might be a bit on the SLOW side. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see once the phone hits the streets.

It looks like Sprint/Nextel is about to shake things up again in the prepaid wireless market. Last year, Sprint/Nextel caused a huge stir in the industry by introducing a $50 unlimited plan on their Boost Network. And now it’s time for Virgin Mobile to shine. Virgin Mobile is Sprint’s other prepaid/no-contracts brand and for a while there, it looked like the brand was going to flounder in the wake of Boost Mobile’s popularity. But the recent unveiling of Virgin Mobile’s “Beyond Talk” plans changes everything.

The huge buzz is centered around the low price point of the $25 a month plan. The $25 plan includes unlimited messaging, email, data and web. The plan also includes 300 minutes of voice calls per month. This is currently the lowest price in the industry for unlimited data & text. With the high demand of 3G mobile web service, this deal is a game changer. Especially when you take into account that there’s no long term contracts and no extra hidden fees.

For those that want a Blackberry, don’t fret. VM’s got you covered as well. The blackberry plan adds $10 on top of the Beyond Talk plans so at the lowest tier service, you can get by with just $35 a month for voice/data.

I’m personally itching to get in on this deal. I’m currently on Boost Mobile (iDEN) which isn’t built for high speed data. Plus I’m a bit tired of the old-school Motorola phones on Boost. I need to get with the times and get me a newfangled data-driven handset. The new LG Rumor Touch looks perfect for my needs.

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iDEN cell phone users rejoice! The first Android smartphone on the iDEN network will be out sometime this summer. Motorola recently announced that the i1 will released through Sprint/Nextel and that Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” host, Mike Rowe will be the spokesperson for the new phone. Besides the sleek touchscreen design and the Android powered apps, the phone meets 810F military specifications for ruggedness, hence the choice of Mr. Dirty Jobs Rowe. So, apparently, the marketing campaign will be geared toward construction workers, builders, and such. And I guess that makes sense since the push-to-talk feature is a favorite among that particular demographic. Other phone features include: 5-megapixel camera, Opera mini 5 browser, WIFI, microSD and a 3.1 inch touchscreen.

So essentially, the i1 is a super tough phone that runs on Android OS 1.5. I’m not sure why Motorola chose the older version of the OS but hopefully users will have the capability to upgrade to 2.1. The big limitation for iDEN users is that the network was never designed for high speed data. So, mobile web connections will be very slow on the iDEN i1. But still, I’m glad to see a sleek smartphone available for the aging network. No longer will iDEN subscribers have to be embarrassed by their old-school Motorola clamshells, heh. (yes, I still use an old Motorola i880 on my Boost mobile account). Now, if only Boost Mobile members can have their own version of the i1. Either that or simply be able to purchase the Nextel phone outright and use it on Boost (..but I can’t imagine the cost of the new phone WITHOUT a contract. OUCH!).
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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

Over the past year, Boost Mobile had a hugely successful ad campaign with their $50 monthly unlimited plan. Millions of savvy cell users flocked over to Boost where there are no long-term contracts and no hidden fees. It’s simply $50 bucks for unlimited calling, texting and web access with no additional fees and even tax is included. The hurdle that Boost was facing with all these additional customers was the strain put on the old Nextel iDEN network. The iDEN technology was never designed for multimedia and high speed internet access let alone the incredible demand from all the new customers wanting unlimited access. Well this month Boost unveiled a new line of phones utilizing Sprint’s CDMA network. Boost seems to realize the limitations of the iDEN network and is now offering an option for those users that want Boost’s unlimited plan WITH the power of Sprint’s 3G web access.

SANYO Incognito is one of the new phones available now through Boost. The Incognito™ SCP6760 features a full QWERTY keyboard, a 2MP camera, video/music capabilities, bluetooth and GPS. The phone is the perfect choice for those wanting to take advantage of the speed of the 3G network but not wanting to pay a premium for it. I’m glad to see Boost expanding their line of phones beyond those iDEN based Motorolas. I like the iDEN band for their ability to get their signal through thick office building walls better than other networks but I was never impressed by those cumbersome Motorola phones. With the new Sanyo Incognito™, you lose the iDEN signal advantage but you end up gaining a whole lot more with access to the 3G network.

The Boost version of the Incognito™ is priced at $129.99 which may seem more expensive than what it’s priced for with other providers but you have to remember that Boost doesn’t lock you into a two-year contract. And because there isn’t a contract, there isn’t much of a discount on the phones. But in my opinion, I’d rather pay for the phone upfront than get chained to a wireless phone company for two LONG years. Get smart and say so long to contract-based phone companies. Get Boost Unlimited today!

Boost Mobile Sanyo Incognito™ (SCP-6760) specs:
network: CDMA
main display: 320 x 240 pixels, 65536 colors, TFT
memory: microSD
size: 4.20 x 2.20 x 0.70 inches
other features:
Full QWERTY keyboard
2MP camera with VGA camcorder and digital zoom
Multimedia (picture & video), text & instant messaging
Stereo Bluetooth(R) capable
GPS enabled
Speakerphone with voice-activated dialing
600-entry phone book
Alarm clock, calendar, calculator, to-do list and voice-memo recorder

I’m so glad I didn’t purchase one of those Flip HD video cameras over the holidays. I was really itching to get one of those little pocket sized cameras but none of ‘em were waterproof. The Kodak ZX1 was “water-resistant” but I wanted one that I could take along to the pool and stuff. Well, Kodak announced today that they’ll be releasing a brand new HD WATERPROOF video camera called PlaySport in March 2010. The Playsport looks to be an updated version of their popular Zi8 camera but can be taken down to 10 feet (3 m) under water. Kodak also claims that the camera is built to withstand some minor drops to the ground which is definitely a plus for me since I’m a bit on the clumsy side. The PlaySport records at full 1080p and also can take 5 MP still photos. The press release doesn’t really state what format the camera records in but if it’s like the previous kodak models, I believe its .MOV which is a bit of a bummer since MOV files don’t work with windows media player (without installing some additional codecs).

Anyway, unless Flip Video (or another competitor) comes out with their own pocket-sized waterproof video camera, this Kodak model is definitely the one to get.

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