Phones posts - Crave - CNET

Posted by Phones posts - Crave - CNET in Thursday, March 11th 2010

Topics: Uncategorized

Gadget Galleries

Great green gizmos

Green-gadgets design contest yields an eco-conscious nav device, an easier way to recharge batteries, and more.

Sun shines on solar yacht

Solar-powered catamaran, toting 38,000 solar cells, is headed for a round-the-world tour.

Nintendo DSi gets bigger

Nintendo has announced a supersize version of the DSi, the DSi XL (or LL in Japan).

iPad accessories out now

View a selection of the many accessories you can buy for Apple's iPad right this minute.

Up close with Apple's iPad

A closer look at Apple's newly unveiled tablet device, which is a cross between an iPod Touch and a MacBook.

Most awaited gear of 2010

Which gadgets will be hot in the coming year? Here's our list of the tech products we're most eager to get our hands on.

Close up with Palm Pre Plus

CNET takes a hands-on look at the new Palm Pre Plus smartphone for Verizon Wireless.

5 Detroit auto show greats

Automakers at the 2010 Detroit auto show came out of crisis mode and looked to a future of reinvention.

CES welcomes Lady Gaga

She joins Monster Cable CEO Noel Lee, Dr. Dre, and Interscope Chairman Jimmy Iovine to promote the Beats by Dr. Dre headphones.

Asus' EeeKeyboard PC

The inventive minds at Asus have packed the guts from a Netbook/Nettop Atom-based PC into a wireless keyboard.

Wackiest robots from 2009

Look back at some robotic tributes to the spirit of innovation, dedication, and silliness. No surprise that most are from Japan.

Top messaging phones of '09

CNET's top picks include the LG enV Touch, Samsung Rogue, and Helio Ocean 2.

Crave makes a wish list

We compile a holiday list and check it more than twice (we're a bunch of compulsive writer-editor types; what do you want?).

New-PC survival kit

It makes sense to have a checklist of apps, especially free ones, that should be installed on any new PC.

Fun with GPS devices

We show you a few ways to have fun with your GPS device between trips from point A to point B.

Gift guide for space jockeys

Looking for a perfect present for the space fiend in your life? Look no further.

Robolamps light up our life

Artist Robert Matysiak has come up with cute, quirky "Robolamps" made from plumbling supplies and colored lightbulbs.

Chumby gets leaner, cheaper

Take a closer look at the second generation of the small, Internet-connected widget host/Internet radio/alarm clock.

Modern Warfare 2 arrives

Game promises even more of the same thrilling storyline and captivating online multiplayer experience as its predecessor.

Nikes for the geek set

Humans have a nasty habit of producing garbage, but Gabriel Dishaw, a junk-metal genius, turns trash into artwork.

Courier's interface in-depth

A document published by Gizmodo explains Microsoft Courier's interface, gestures, and features more in-depth than ever before.

Meet Barnes & Noble's Nook

Take a look at the new Nook, billed as the first Android-powered e-book reader.

Apple media player headset?

An Apple patent filing reveals designs for a wireless headset with integrated memory and music playback.

Snuggle up with a space quilt

Artist Jimmy McBride designs quilts with astronomy and sci-fi-movie themes. Perfect for the cold geek.

Peek at Nokia Booklet 3G

CNET checks out Nokia's Windows 7 Netbook at the CTIA Fall 2009 show.

USB drives from automakers

We've collected some of the wilder USB drive media kits we've received over the years.

From online ad to art

Illustrator Sophie Blackall has created whimsical drawings from online "Missed Connections" posts.

Curious robot contraptions

Artist Will Wagenaar scours yard sales and flea markets for discarded objects that he transforms into playful art.

IFA through the years

Historic photos from the German electronics show take us on a tour of tech trends.

Nissan GT-R can fight fires

What happens when you mix a fire engine with a 193 mph supercar co-designed by the makers of Gran Turismo?

Rubik's cubers compete

Puzzlers from around the world descend upon Stanford University for 18 mind-boggling events.

Kicking off game season

See Madden and other highly anticipated platform-agnostic games.

Eyeing Zune HD browser

Take a closer look at the mobile Web browser offered on Microsoft's Zune HD portable media player.

Twitter on your TV

The Twitter widget for Yahoo TV Widgets offers a well-designed, fully featured client that lets you post tweets from your TV.

Sony Walkman turns 30

CNET looks back at the last three decades of Sony Walkmans and the pop music that went with them.

Best 10 digital DJ rigs

CNET's Donald Bell rounds up his favorite digital DJ systems, including controllers and interfaces from Numark, Serato, Vestax, and Pioneer.

Saying hi to HTC's Hero

We take a close look at HTC's Hero, the company's third handset to sport the Google Android operating system.

iPhone 3G S and OS 3.0

CNET rounds up Apple's photos of the iPhone 3G S. Also, revisit iPhone OS 3.0 with screenshots from our iPhone 3G.

Giant Gundam after dark

Bandai has built a giant robot in Tokyo to mark the 30th anniversary of the "Mobile Suit Gundam" anime series.

Cracking open the Palm Pre

Tech Republic pries open the latest smartphone to create buzz and sees how it--and its insides--stack up against the iPhone.

Microsoft shakes up gaming

A recap of the motion-sensor system, games, and social-networking features Microsoft is bringing to the Xbox 360.

E3's wackiest moments

Getting ready to hit L.A. for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, we were inspired to peek back at photos taken at E3s past.

Meet the Amazon Kindle DX

Similar to the Kindle 2, the DX model's larger 9.7-inch screen is designed to better accommodate newspaper and magazine reading.

2011: The year of the electric car

Mass production of e-cars is coming faster than we would have thought. Nissan is out in front, but Mitsubishi and Ford aren't far behind.

Moto Labs' multitouch display

Updated sensing-screen concept uses--you guessed it--multitouch technology.

Part insect, part timepiece

Artist customizes real insect specimens with antique watch parts and other technological components.

All-in-one Nettops

Less expensive all-in-one desktop PCs with Atom processors are one of the few ways to buy Windows XP on a desktop these days.

Cracking open the Dell Adamo

TechRepublic disassembles the upscale, ultrathin laptop and even compares it with Apple's rival MacBook Air.

Give your iPhone a make-under

Embarrassed to be seen in public with your trendy iPhone? A zweiPhone sticker can make it look like an old clunker instead.

Raising CB2, the child robot

Japanese researchers are working on a bot that can mimic real kids' behavior to teach lessons about early development.

Yahoo Messenger for iPhone

Yahoo Messenger gets its own free app just for iPhones and iPod Touches. Take a look at the core features.

The inner life of gadgets

Artist Satre Stuelke uses a CT scan machine to offer a penetrating take on objects from the iPhone and iPod to a vacuum tube and a wind-up rabbit.

Controlling bots with thoughts

Honda has come up with a system that lets humans control a bot through thought alone. But don't start telepathing your Scooba yet.

Rube Goldberg showdown

Penn State held a contest for Rube Goldberg devices, which do a simple task in a complex way. The winner had a Super Mario theme.

Hands-on with the Dell Adamo

We've managed to get our hands on a preproduction version of one of the most buzzed-about new laptops of 2009.

iPhone 3.0 new features

Apple rolled out a host of new features with the iPhone OS 3.0. Check them out in our slideshow.

Step-by-step to geek chic

Former "Project Runway" contestant Diana Eng shares ideas for twinkling shoes, a music-filled hoodie, and more.

Fitness gadgets of the future

At health expo in San Francisco, "exergaming" makes a play, and a vibrating gadget moves your muscles for you.

Terrafugia's flying car flies

The Transition "roadable aircraft" makes its debut flight over upstate New York. It's still just a proof of concept, though, and another prototype is yet to come.

Inside Dell's design labs

The design staff has ballooned as the maker of PCs and servers aims to create a new look. Crave got a tour of two design labs at company headquarters.

Top five Swarovski disasters

Here's a look at the five crystal-clad abominations that have stood out most over the last few years. There are others, of course.

Favorite iPhone photo apps

Apple's App Store is loaded with really cool tools to make the most of the little camera that couldn't.

Gadgets that broke our hearts

See which gadgets have broken Crave contributors' hearts--or at least made us question our undying love.

To Timbuktu, in a flying car

A bio-fueled flying vehicle called the Parajet Skycar is journeying from England to Mali via France, Spain, Morocco, and the Western Sahara.

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Pinching and zooming on the Nexus One

Posted by Kent German in Thursday, February 4th 2010

Topics: Uncategorized

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We cheated a little, but we couldn't wait until Google flipped the switch to deliver this week's software update to our Nexus One. We just had to have that mutlitouch, so we grabbed the update online and loaded it on our phone. It involves a few steps (Android Forums has an easy guide), but we were all set after about five minutes.

Indeed, the addition of multitouch fixes one of the Nexus One's biggest flaws. We gave it a spin and were impressed by just how well it worked. Like on the iPhone and the Droid Eris, we could zoom in on a Web page or Google map by spreading our fingers or by double tapping. And to zoom out, we pinched our fingers together. The motion was smooth and we experienced no lag time or jerky effects. Now we just need that feature on all Google Android phones.

Beyond multitouch the update added the Google Goggles feature, which suggests Web pages based on photographs you take of an object or text with the Nexus One's camera. It is relatively effective, though it is not without its limitations. After photographing a National Geographic cover, we got a number of relevant suggestions, though most were in Japanese. Also, when we took a photo of the Australian flag, it suggested only links for the United Kingdom flag. That's close enough, we guess.

Google also promised that the update will fix the widespread 3G issues with the Nexus One. We haven't had any problems on that front, so we're not noticing an improvement so far. In the Google Maps feature, you'll also get a night mode, search suggestions, and syncing of your favorite places between your phone and your computer.

And while you're reading about the Nexus One, why not check out our Prizefight between it and the iPhone 3GS?

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Verizon fills Android gap with entry-level Devour

Posted by Scott Webster in Thursday, February 4th 2010

Topics: Uncategorized

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Motorola Devour

(Credit: Verizon Wireless)

Though we always want to be amazed with new phone releases, occasionally a cell phone manufacturer will unveil a device that feels lackluster. At first glance, the new Motorola Devour appears to be that type of phone, but upon closer inspection, it promises to hold its own in Verizon Wireless' lineup. Rather than releasing a successor to the popular Droid, the Devour aims lower as an entry-level device.

A few things about the Devour distinguish it from other Google Android handsets. Though it's Verizon's third Android device, it's the carrier's first handset to feature MotoBlur, which currently is available on T-Mobile's Moto Cliq. The Droid runs the stock Android 2.0 interface, while the Droid Eris has HTC's Sense.

The Droid and Devour have similar design elements--both are rectangular with slide up QWERTY keyboards--but there are subtle differences between the two. For example, the Droid's camera is 5-megapixel and has autofocus and a flash. The Devours camera, by comparison, is 3-megapixel; however, it does not have a flash and it has a fixed focus lens. Both phones offer video capture; however, the Droid records at the considerably better 720x480-pixel resolution.

For memory, the Devour comes with an 8GB microSD card while the Droid offers a 16GB card. For navigation, the Devour has a touch-sensitive navigation pad below the display, but the directional key on the Droid is tucked away with the keyboard.

For reasons unknown, this Devour is not being marketed under the Droid series for Verizon. Yet, CNET's Buzz Out Loud podcast suggested Wednesday that dropping the Droid moniker might be due to licensing fees associated with the trademark. It also could be to avoid potential confusion between the two handsets. According to Business Insider, Verizon is "fine tuning" their long-term strategy for the Droid line.

Though the Devour is less powerful than the Droid, I believe it will still find an audience. For people graduating from basic handsets to smartphones, it will make a great transition device. MotoBlur's universal in-box, the Happenings widget, and social network integration will give users more connection than they are used to having. With more than 20,000 applications available for download, the phone is fun, practical, and unique.

Currently, the Devour is loaded with Android 1.6. Yet, I expect to see it pick up the same update headed to T-Mobile's Cliq before long. Although Verizon has not announced a price, a rumored $99 to $149 price point coupled with Verizon's customer base, could do well to keep Android's market share moving in the right direction.

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App Genie: 27 apps for 99 cents

Posted by Rick Broida in Thursday, February 4th 2010

Topics: Uncategorized

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App Genie can literally take the place of 27 standalone apps.

In the grand tradition of the Ginsu Knife, App Genie is 27, 27, 27 apps in one! Even if you find only a handful of them useful, you're definitely getting your 99 cents' worth.

App Genie's one-screen interface displays 20 attractive icons, which unfortunately are arranged randomly rather than alphabetically. Thus, finding what you're after (like, say, the tip calculator) is more difficult than it should be.

A few of these apps (like Tool Case) have various sub-apps, bringing the total number of tools to 26. After running App Genie a couple times, you'll see a notification asking you to e-mail a recommendation to a friend. Doing so unlocks a 27th tool (a flashlight, which gets added to the aforementioned Tool Case).

App Genie's other assets include currency and unit converters, a GPS-powered Where Am I? app, a price-comparing bar-code scanner, and an "amazing facts" reader.

Device Stats shows graphs of your device's memory usage, while Battery Level reveals how much standby, talk, Internet, and other time is available based on the remaining battery power.

App Genie can also translate typed words and phrases between dozens of languages, turn typed words and phrases into speech, reveal encyclopedic facts about the countries of the world, and store a simple checklist.

And so on and so on. Not all the apps are gems (what exactly is the point of a camera tool that snaps a photo when you shake your iPhone?), but there's more than enough good stuff here to justify 99 cents.

What's more, App Genie can take the place of many standalone apps, thus reducing some icon clutter on your home screens. If only the developers would let me reorganize (or at least alphabetize) the tools, I'd have no more wishes for this Genie.

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Samsung reveals the entry-level Mayon

Posted by Nicole Lee in Thursday, February 4th 2010

Topics: Uncategorized

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Samsung Mayon

(Credit: Samsung)

The Samsung T139 Mayon was revealed Wednesday on Samsung's Web site, but we have not yet heard of a formal announcement. The entry-level clamshell phone will have a VGA camera, space for 300 phone book entries, Bluetooth, A-GPS, a speakerphone, and surprisingly, an HTML browser. No word on pricing or availability, but this information will be coming to T-Mobile sometime soon.

(Via Phone Scoop)

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Moto to disrobe for Super Bowl