Gadgets

The has changed the way people are purchasing laptops.  Smaller devices had been tried which spawned the entire UMPC market but it wasn't the perfect combination of features. A combination of lower processing power, cheap price and small size was the final solution to a formula.  But the time has come to push the netbook genre to the next level and Apple could be in the position to do it.  They have the added benefit of a market that is willing to pay a bit more for additional functionality and they also have the technology to bridge the gap between a mobile device and a full mobile Mac.

Our friends at Sprint are trying everything they can think of to hold on to what customers that they have.  If you remember Sprint bought Nextel and the main feature that kept people coming back to Nextel were the ruggedized cell phones and the push to talk walkie talkie features that were offered on many of the phones.  Now we have Sprint trying to incorporate those same features into the Blackberry Curve 8350i.  But is a construction worker looking for a push to talk blackberry? Hard to say. 

The prospect of Apple putting out an iPhone Nano or an iPod touch Nano is going to get all of the Geeks as well as the mainstream consumers all hot and bothered.  I know it got me salivating pretty soon.  Before the Nano I wasn't an apple believer.  I never like the cumbersome size of the iPod and was never really turned onto the prospect of using iTunes for all of my music.  Once the first pictures of the Nano were release I was amazed about how small and thin it was but with the Apple interface still able to maintain so much interface functionality.  If that gives us any foresight into the way that Apple is going to produce the iPhone Nano or the iPod Nano then you can expect to see me on the waiting line.

It has been confirmed that RadioShack is indeed selling the Acer Aspire One for $99. Which is a fantastic deal, but just like any offer that seems too good to be true there is a small caveat to the deal is that you have to sign up for a data contract through AT&T to get the low $99 dollar price. So basically they are offering the same sort of subsidized contract that they would offer when selling a brand-new Blackberry. Now at first you might think that this is a groundbreaking sale but in actuality it makes a lot of sense. A brand-new Blackberry will cost you approximately $500 without a contract. That's right over $500 for just a Blackberry phone. The lower cost that you are used to seeing it because you are forced to sign a two-year contract with the mobile provider. This is basically the same deal.

The Jitterbug cellphone created by Samsung is a great gift idea for your favorite senior.  The phone can really provide your grandmother with a sense of freedom and without the embarrassment of carrying a medical alert device. The Jitterbug is not going to wow you with any high-tech features but it will provide a simple design that even the most technology ignorant grandmother can easily handle. If wanted the Jitterbug cell phone can even handle text messages. The Jitterbug comes in two different choices of phone.

If you want a budget GPS system for your car than the Garmin nuvi 200 is definitely a decent buy and you do get your moneys worth out of the device. You get an affordable device with a name that you can trust like Garmin and you still receive the same basic quality provided by the Garmin GPS turn by turn instructions software. Don't expect to get many of the same bells and whistles that you may find in some of the higher models but if you are looking for a reliable way to get from point A to point B the Garmin nuvi 200 is worth the price.

Just released this morning there is anothe Android phone on the Market. The Kogan Agora Pro comes from Australia and attepts to provide a phone much different from the TMobile G1 which was just released this year  The first android phone received alot of criticizom for not having the most advanced hardware components. Which in many ways was true. But what do you expect from the first itiration of anything. With the Kogan Agora Pro the form factor has returned a more Mototola Q vibe.

T-Mobile knows how to properly rebrand manufacturers hardware in ways that make the original product more compelling. The T-Mobile Shadow II Cellphone is a continuation of that entire process. T-Mobile has gone out of its way to make improvements to the standard Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system. Obviously the core guts of the Shadow II are still Windows mobile but some of the basic changes to the interface can really make you feel like the device was designed for T-Mobile and not just a phone that was repackaged and then sold as quickly as it came in.

Okay Ematic came up with a bit of an odd gadget combination of people in the market for some cheaper electronics. Basically they merged a video and audio player with the camera. Sure the device has some hot colors for many of the specs for the Ematic 4GB Video MP3 Player are not exactly super impressive. But when you take into account the price of the device you realize that you are getting a bit of a bargain.

When it comes to using the iPhone to take graphical notes your finger really just doesn't cut it. To make some truly nice notes as well as sketches during the meetings you really need a stylus. Unfortunately those are one of the things that never came with your iPhone. So fortunately a new product has come out that allows you to use a stylus on your iPhone and then also doubles as a stand for when you are viewing movies on the phone.

One thing that Apple has let fall by the wayside or a set of good OEM in the ear headphones. Currently Apple products only ship with the standard Apple ear bud headphones that said on the outside of your canal. The fact remains that a lot of people find that the Apple earbuds are either uncomfortable or do not allow for enough sound isolation. One thing that quickly takes care of the poem for the people are headphones that fit inside of your canal with a rubber. Apple promised these headphones back in October but unfortunately they have one major flaw.

Alot of people purchase the Samsung Behold and Omnia for the hope of getting a great internet phone that will allow them to experience the true depth of the mobile internet.  Unfortunaetly many people are having problem with viewing websites on the devices as well as using some of the Java-based applications. One of the biggest Java-based applications that doesn't seem to be be compatible with the Samsung Behold and Omnia is the Gmail Java-based application.

Nokia has faced an increased amount of competition in the cell phone market but has continued to rely on their lower end models to maintain their market dominance. With the Nokia N97 Smart phone and camera phone Nokia is attempting to make headway back into the premium smartphone market that has been dominated by Apple's iPhone and Blackberry. Nokia has manufacturing and engineering capability to produce quite a device. And with the Nokia N97 they are hoping to put all of that knowledge into a single and do it all cell phone device.

One thing is for sure Samsung knows how to bring a multitude of product to market and quickly. The Samsung P3 Media Player is an upgrade to the already popular Samsung P2 line but with a number of new features that truly add to the experience of the device for those already familiar with the line. the new media player that has haptic screen, which gives back a vibrational feedback when portions of the screen are touched.