phone

Motorola Backflip, Android phone comes to AT&T

Miscellaneous / By /

Well the iPhone honeymoon at AT&T may be over, what with Android handsets coming to the network. The first one is here, the Motorola Backflip and like its name, it has a hinged design that lets the keyboard float below the screen or even to rotate all the way around.

Here are the big points:

  • 3G
  • 3.1″ touchscreen
  • full QWERTY keyboard
  • GPS
  • WiFi
  • 5 Megapixel camera
  • micro-SD card slot
  • up to 6hrs of talk time, 13.5 days of standby time

You can get the phone with a service plan for next to nothing, or buy it outright for $350 at places like Amazon.

Buy now!
Price: $349.99 (without contract)
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

nio Bluetooth security system prevents your phone from ‘walking away’

5 Comments / Gizmo of the Day, Phones, Portable / By /

UK company, TenBu, has a solution for alerting you if your prized possessions go ‘wandering’ off – the nio Bluetooth security system.

nio is a small fob (or tag) that you tie via Bluetooth to your phone. So if your phone and nio end up being apart at some predetermined distance, a loud audible alarm will go off on the nio tag.

The distance threshold depends on the security setting – low, medium or high. The higher the security, the lower the distance. 25m is the maximum range.

nio currently operates on most Blackberry, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and other popular mobile handsets, including Windows Mobile devices. A full list of compatible devices can be found at http://bluenio.com/compatibility. Android and Palm support should show up later this year.

The accompanying software that runs on your phone can manage up to 5 nio tags, so you can buy additional tags and place them in spots like your briefcase, handbag, etc. Here’s a video explaining how the nio system works:

The nio tags are a bit pricey, but hopefully, other competitors will spring up to drive down the cost on such a necessary service.

Buy now!
More info from the manufacturer
Price: $77.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

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As suggested in the article the device will work with most mobile phone suppliers like blackberry pearl available from www.phones4u.co.uk.

Bheestie bag dries out your wet electronics

Gizmo of the Day, Phones / By /

bheestie dry out bagDrop your cell phone in a pool, got water splashed on it, or worse yet, did it fall in the toilet?! Well here is some inexpensive help without having to buy a new phone – the Bheestie electronic dry out bag.

Bheestie, which means ‘servant who draws and carries water’ is simple bag that contains beads that are super moisture absorbers. Once your phone or other piece of electronics gets wet, place it in the bag for 24-72 hours (depending on how wet it got).

The Bheestie bag will last about a year, depending on how heavily you use it. If you are prone to moist accidents, then you should snag a Bheestie bag right away, because you’ve got to start drying our your equipment immediately after it gets wet. If it sits for a while, the damage may be irreversible.

Buy now!

More info from the manufacturer
Price: $20.00
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

CES 2010: ZOMM Announces Bluetooth Leash/Alarm for Your Cell Phone

Gizmo of the Day, Phones, Portable / By /

zomm bluetooth leash alarm for cell phoneIn what is probably a growing field (example: take a look at nio), ZOMM, just announced their forthcoming Bluetooth leash with alarm for your mobile/cell phone. This personal security device that you keep in your pocket or attach to your keychain that will sound an alarm if you walk away from your phone.

ZOMM also functions as a speakerphone so you don’t even need to get to your phone. It has LED lights for visual notifications, a microphone for two-way communications and a speaker for audible alerts including full speakerphone functionality.

Update: A variety of ZOMM devices are now available starting around $50.

Google Releases Nexus One Android Phone – What You Need to Know

1 Comment / Gizmo of the Day, News, Phones, Portable / By /

If you follow any sort of news, you’ll know that Google announced their Nexus One phone running their Android-supported mobile OS. What’s really unique and new here is that Google is selling the handset directly, and not the carrier.

Here’s what you need to know about the phone: …

Google Releases Nexus One Android Phone – What You Need to KnowRead More »

There may be a Google data-only phone in early 2010

News, Phones / By /

Michael Arrington of TechCrunch is reporting that a Google Phone is imminent, possibly in early 2010. However, it may be a data-only VoIP ‘phone’ but what would be cool is if Google issues Google Voice phone numbers to those phones.

About the only bad piece of news here is that it may end up initially only on AT&T with other GSM carriers being maybes.

The hardware would in all likelihood be produced by some other hardware vendor but only have Google branding.

DriveSafe.ly’s app for your phone reads your text message out aloud

1 Comment / Gizmo of the Day, Phones / By /

It has been proven repeatedly that using a cell phone to talk or text is just as bad as having had a few drinks. With that in mind, not to mention that many states have either outlawed the practice or are about to, new handsfree technology is needed to help drivers to respond without taking their eyes off the road.

DriveSafe.ly is one such company providing an application to read text messages out aloud and send an automatic response saying that you will respond later. You can get the DriveSafe.ly application for your Blackberry or Android phone with versions for iPhone and Windows Mobile on the way. You can get either a free ad-supported version or a premium version for a flat lifetime price or on a monthly subscription basis.

PS> If you’re a Federal employee, then you should also know that President Obama has banned federal employees from text messaging when they are behind the wheel of government vehicles and from texting in their own cars if they use government-issued phones or are on official business.

Buy now!

More info from the manufacturer
Price: $13.95 1-time cost or $3.95/mo
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Super Universal Car Mount

Gizmo of the Day, GPS, Phones, Portable / By /

Super Universal Car Mount

The Super Universal Car Mount is a neat idea for those of you who like to have pretty much all your gadgets rigged up in the car – mobile phone, Sat Nav and your MP3 player. The candle-style arrangement allows you to hold up to three of your favorite gadgets and comes with leads to connect all of these up (presumably to your car): iPhones, iPods, Zunes, MP3, GPS, Game consoles (a worrying idea!), PDAs, Phones and more! Pretty cool gizmo; just make sure it doesn’t obscure all of your windscreen!

Buy now!

Price: $29.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

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