Just another WordPress weblog

Reports were making their way around the Internets yesterday that a mobile phone explosion had killed a South Korean man. Police assumed this was the case, since they had found his mobile phone battery melted in his shirt pocket. However, doctors reveal that this is not the case. The real cause of death: “accidental vehicular homicide.”
Read the rest of Mobile phone did not kill South Korean…

We spout off from time to time about the restrictive practice of locking phones. But instead of using our words, again, we’ll let PC Magazine writer Jamie Lendino do the talking this time, since he nails it:

The wireless carriers have too much power. They bait consumers with low-priced, subsidized phones, and then ensnare them in restrictive two-year agreements, threatening costly penalties for anyone who wants to leave the party early. And if you do pay the fee and break your contract, your phone turns into a shiny doorstop. Carriers also often lock down their handsets preventing you from adding third-party applications.

Read the rest of Top 10 unlocked phones…

There’s tons of streaming content out there, from small clips a la YouTube to full episodes of television shows to sports broadcasts. But what we haven’t seen are movies. Blockbuster, though, is looking to change that. They’re in talks with all the major carriers in the U.S. in regard to partnering for this streaming movie service.
Read the rest of Blockbuster movies on your mobile?…

Hey, we found a deal for y’all. Verizon’s “iPhone killer” (or whatever they’re calling it nowadays) has been released, and it’s creating a ton of buzz. A few friends of ours work at a Verizon store, and not only did they not get any of the initial shipment, but they were told that no Verizon stores had the devices for Black Friday (anyone want to debunk that?). Amazon has it, though, and cheaper than any retailer you’re going to find: $199. Of course, there are a few terms and conditions to abide by.
Read the rest of Get $200 off Verizon’s LG Voyager at Amazon…

What a soap opera this has been. First, the government bans the import of certain Broadcom chips, which were held under patent. Then, under pressure from major telecoms not named Verizon, the ruling was halted. Verizon had previously cut a deal with Broadcom to use the chips, which likely played a role in the judge’s ruling, which came down over two months ago.
Read the rest of Broadcom asking for a new ban on patented chips…

If you were one of the many that bought a defective Sidekick Slider, you can rest assured that T-Mobile is on the case. They have said that Motorola has identified the problem as problematic battery contacts, are are working to fix the problem in all future handsets. for now, you have three options from T-Mobile.
Read the rest of Three options for faulty Sidekicks…

We were thrilled with the recent announcement of the Open Handset Alliance, a partnership between Google and a number of mobile phone carriers and handset and chip makers that will bring along an open-source mobile software platform. No, it’s not a Gphone, but as Google execs say, it’ll be like having 1,000 Gphones. Notably absent from the Alliance are the nation’s two top carriers: AT&T and Verizon (”hint: both companies are doing just fine with their current business models,” says EPICENTER). Well, it appears that AT&T is coming forward a bit more with its reason for reluctance.
Read the rest of AT&T explains its Open Handset Alliance position…

About a month ago, AT&T announced a partnership with Napster, the digital music service. Now they’re ready to roll out a phone that will support it. The SLM by Samsung is ready to go, and should be available on — guess when — Black Friday.
Read the rest of AT&T rolls out Napster phone…

If you were to buy a Sidekick Slide, the new Motorola-manufactured offering from T-Mobile, you’d expect it to, you know, slide. Right? You wouldn’t expect it, for instance, to power off when you use the slide mechanism. Would you? No, we thought not. Well, T-Mobile and Motorola have confirmed that this is in fact a problem, and as a result are suspending sales of the devices. Note that this has nothing to do with the other two new Sidekick models, the iD and LX, which are manufactured by Sharp.
Read the rest of Motorola Sidekick sales suspended…

Combining mobile phones with other portable devices has been all the rave lately. Specifically, MP3 players and phones have been hot, with most new models of phones being at least capable of playing the files. The new Mini Boombox GSM Cell Phone goes a bit further, actually pumping your MP3s through built-in speakers, rather than through a headphone jack. It could be nice for small gatherings, though we have no idea how loud and clear it can get.
Read the rest of Pump out the jams on your mobile…