Cell Phone Accessories

Everyone’s talking about NetShare, a new application that just hit the App Store but was subsequently pulled very shortly after. It created a Wi-Fi hotspot on the iPhone, allowing your computer or other devices to use that oh-so-precious 3G connect without AT&T’s approval. But, I’d like to put you on to what possibly could be the best iPhone application ever. That’s right. It’s called Teleport. It’s fairly new, but you know BG can’t resist trying all the VNC applications! It’s priced currently at $24.95, and while that might be a little steep, it offers the absolute best VNC experience on the iPhone. Scratch that. It offers the best VNC experience on any mobile device, ever. Even better than GotoMyPC’s Windows Mobile client which was a little sexy. The fantastic part about Teleport is that it’s a monster even on an EDGE connection. It optimizes the displayed images accurately, not making you wait for the whole screen to load when you’re zoomed into a particular section, and so on. It will even show you any VNC-capable computers on your network when you’re over Wi-Fi. We’ve been playing around with this thing straight for hours, and so far, we haven’t experienced any crashes (unlike, ahem, Mocha), and we’re honestly thrilled. Anyone else give this thing a go? And yes, it does work with PCs as well, provided you use a VNC server like RealVNC or something. Setup a little DynDns.org action if you don’t have a static IP address (suckers), and you’re good to go. Just never try and access http://www.boygeniussecretcomputer.com:5900 with a password of “blogking” ok? Promise?

Read [App Store link]

Share This

Section: Originals, Features

This is where we call out by names the actions and companies that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin crack.  Technology is an odd realm where PR speak doesn’t hold a lot of water if the 1s and 0s don’t line up.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Here is what caught my eye this week:

iPhone 3G stock - Apple seems to be going to the Nintendo Wii’s model of avoiding any price deterioration: keep the darn thing out of stock.  Almost 3 weeks after launch and finding a phone is harder than finding Waldo.  Heck, there is even still lines in most stores to pick one up.  This doesn’t seem to be settling down; and it is looking like a huge customer grab for AT&T.  Amazing, either demand is just huge or Apple is playing with the supply figures and screwing with everyone’s lunch hour.  Either way, crack is involved.

Phone market - Yes, making a phone is very hip right now.  Want proof?  Check out this offering from Casio (disappointment: it is not a watch phone).  Yes, we think phone computing is going to explode and be the personal computer of the future.  No, we don’t think it is a good idea to drag ever single brand into the phone arena.  Casio, you make hot camera’s, watches and calculators, but lets keep out of the phone bizz, kay?

Not that I am just picking on Casio, Garmin‘s stock got a taste yesterday of a phone delay and the missing revenue from Q4.  I have strong reservations on how far Garmin can get into the phone world with Nuvifone.  The idea is nifty, but just how many folks will commit is a figure that worries me. 

Vista.  Oh Microsoft.  In a battle to turn around public sentiment on Vista, so far down the line, your “fight back” ads are interesting.  They show us you can’t control PR, bloggers, or even the common man from spouting off in favor of anything else.  Sure when you get as big as you are, it gets tougher to find allies.  But you are Microsoft.  Rebrand, repackage.  You want to make the Vista negative experience go away?  Take your marketing dollars and actually launch something called Mojave.  It sounds cool, I’d buy it - you know if it didn’t have Vista’s issues… Crackheads.

GPS stand alone companies.  If there is any doubt that Google wants more than a piece of the action in mapping/navigation, take a look at this.  The Google Mobile team has always worked to pump up advances and transit directions is the next stop.  I’ve been whining about the path I see Google on headed right to voice-prompt navigation. 

Why?  Easy.  It is an advertising smorgasbord (funny word, smorgasbord - try saying it without doing an impersonation of the chef from Muppets).  Google loves to connect advertisers to free services and this one is screaming for it.  Companies like Garmin and TomTom need to start emphasizing the things Google can’t do; and those seem to be dwindling fast.

And finally, why do blogs like to pick on each other so much?  Take the BGR vs Crackberry war.  Fun stuff.  “I’ve had the Bold for 19 months,” “oh yeah, well I’ve got a video of the Thunder, and it rocks,” “No, Thunder is half baked and everyone hates it, and your blog.” While I think it is great to have some competitiveness, there is plenty of room for most bloggers.  Besides, who cares about Blackberry anyhow?  Crackheads.  Ok, fine, a lot of folks care.  But they are crackheads too.  You all need a support group.

See something that made you say, “hmmmm” (just like Arsenio Hall)?  Let us know in the comments.

Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Total privacy may be a thing of the past -- at least, that is Google's assertion in a heated fight over personal privacy rights. Let me get you up to speed: A Pittsburgh couple is suing Google over its...

Section: Video, HDTV

Samsung released some new additions to their Series 6 lineup of LCD HDTVs. Last week, the company went official with the release of their 2008 Holiday Showcase. Now, counting the latest three models, plus their previously announced Series 9, Series 8 and Series 7 units, Samsung has a total of twelve new HDTV offerings for the holiday season.

Samsung’s Series 6 consists of the 52-inch LN52A630, 46-inch LN46A630, and 40-inch LN40A630. These models have a Touch of Color bezel design, 1080p panel, 120Hz technology, three HDMI 1.3 ports, and a USB socket used for uploading photos. The Series 6 lineup is meant to cater to the price-conscious, while delivering to expectations on picture performance, and style. It is predicted that the models will be priced at $2,699.99, $2,099.99, and $1,699.99 respectively, and be available sometime next month.

Via [Yahoo! News]

Full Story » | Written by Elisabeth Young for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Heck, what better way to express your love for gadgets and all things tech than to write for BGR? You’ll even get paid, too! We’re currently looking for 2 writers that can contribute daily. If you think you’ve got what it takes, hit us up! While professional writing experience is not required, it would help if you’ve had a taste of blogging and are active in the tech and mobile communities. If you’re interested in joining Boy Genius Report, please provide the following info to us as best as you can. Here’s what we need:

• 4 original sample posts. Please don’t send us stuff you’ve wrote already.
• You’re top 5 favorite phones, devices, gadgets, etc.
• A short bio about you.
• Why you think you’re a good fit for BGR.
• How much time you can commit to writing per week, and also where you’re located.

Please send the following to jobs at boygeniusreport dot com, and we’ll take a look at them!

Share This

It's well-known that "The Great Firewall of China" is the world's largest Internet access control and censorship system on the planet, regularly blocking Chinese Internet users' access to sites and information the Chinese government believes to be in some way harmful to its citizenry. Although Beijing's host contract for the 2008 summer Olympic Games stipulates media covering the games would be allowed unfettered Internet access, China in May indicated it would not be offering unrestricted Internet access to anyone at the games, including foreign media. And sure enough: now that forieng media are turning up to cover the games, they're

Read | Permalink | Email This | Linking Blogs | More Images | World News

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Mobile

We first saw the UTStarcom TXT8010 hit the FCC back in mid-April using the codename of Elvis, since then it seemed to have disappeared, that is until now. The TXT8010 has resurfaced with Verizon and is now known as the Blitz.

The handset details are coming courtesy of a leaked Verizon Wireless Equipment Guide and what that means is we have some nice clean images, but lots of details are still missing.

The Blitz is a slider style phone that offers a full (albeit small looking) QWERTY keyboard, 1.3-megapixel webcam, stereo Bluetooth and a microSD card slot. It looks like the Blitz is headed for the prepaid market, and its expected to be launched at Wal-Mart on August 8 and Best Buy on September 28. No mention of pricing, however it does not look like a handset that is going to break the bank.

Via [Engadget Mobile]

Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---