Mobile

When I think of a cell phone from several years ago, I think of a crappy Nokia brick phone held on to its owner by the equivalent of a pocket protector, a belt clip.

We've come a long way in the last few years, thanks mostly to Apple being very successful at making electronics stylish. With the evolution of notebooks and phones becoming a fashion accessory, so too must the things that contain these ultra-cool pieces. For instance, when I got my new Macbook, I pined over which neoprene case I'd get to complement it. This was a big decision for me, and I finally settled on the pink sleeve from Incase (although now I'm thinking that I need an alternate to this Pepto-Bismolly, very girly sleeve.)  read more »

I went out with a friend for dinner last week, and on learning that her teenage daughter and niece were staying with her, suggested that they should've joined us. The woman said that she'd forbid them to use their cell phones in the restaurant, and in turn, they'd refuse to go, choosing to stay home with their phones instead. I was amazed and astonished at this revelation.

So I wasn't too surprised when I saw an article on the BBC website about a couple of kids (aged 12 and 13) in Spain being institutionalized over addiction to mobile phones. School was suffering, and they were lying to get money for their phones. They'd had the phones for 18 months, and in that space of time, the parents didn't limit their usage until they discovered what a problem the phones had become.  read more »

As if you needed another reason to covet the iPhone, in comes AOL Radio streaming unlimited music to the phone-with-a-thousand-uses. With the download of the AOL Radio App from the soon-to-be-opened App Store, iPhone users can stream the over 200 AOL radio stations. Thanks to a new partnership between CBS and AOL, users will also have access to all 150+ CBS terrestrial radio stations around the country. The application will even determine your location and stream the closest CBS station to you.

Of course, this technology will be ad driven, but it's a small price to pay for the vast variety of genres that this type of service brings. Directly competing with iTunes, it's an interesting issue Apple needs to consider when it comes to what applications can and cannot be created.

Can Apple really limit the technologies of the applications in the App Store without going under fire? There has already been a bit of an outcry over Apple possibly limiting GPS applications. In order for Apple to remain the good guy over companies like Microsoft, it's going to have to allow users to have a lot of freedom in what's built for the iPhone.

There are tons of tacky, ostentatious mobile phones out there, but a limited-edition Nokia 8800 has found the balance between luxury and class. Oslo jeweler Thomas Heyerdahl created this gorgeous modification using 112 diamonds, and only 100 are being produced. But it's not just eye-candy. It has 3G capabilities, a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, and a gig of memory space. They can be found at one of Heyerdahl's three stores or at selected Nokia stores for the equivalent of $6,000.

This is not Heyerdahl's first time adding diamonds to technology. His diamond-encrusted iPod Shuffle has to be just about the most beautiful piece of jewelry I've ever seen. It was auctioned off for charity for about $44,000. Stunning!

Steve Jobs, in his usual beltless garb (why does he think this is a good idea?), introduced the hotly anticipated 3G iPhone, complete with GPS, better battery life, improved audio, a flush headphone jack, thinner edges, and a lower sticker price. When it's released on July 11th, it will be available in a black 8GB model for $199 and a black or white 16GB version for $299 (unfortunately, there's still no avoiding a NEW 2-year contract with AT&T, and I'd love to have the option of only getting a data plan.)

Apple announced other strides that sweeten the deal including a new version of the iPhone operating system, iPhone 2.0, that features automatic push capabilities with Microsft Exchange ActiveSync, application distribution through the App Store, Microsoft Office and iWork document support, bulk deletion of messages, live contact searching, ability to save photos received in emails, parental controls, language support, and a horizontal scientific calculator. Even if you don't get a new iPhone, the upgrade is free, and iPod Touch owners pay $9.99.  read more »

Madonna is about to reinvent herself again, and the Material Girl is going to do it on your mobile phone. Sony Ericsson is planning to sell selected phones pre-installed with Madonna's new album Hard Candy (or at least five tracks from it) as well as Madonna wallpaper and ringtones in 27 countries across South and Central America.

For those on the other side of the Atlantic in places like Denmark, Norway, and Lithuania, you'll be able to buy the Sony Ericsson W890 Walkman phone with a Hard Candy voucher and a remix of the song "4 Minutes."  read more »

I'm still astounded by the compulsions people have towards their cell phones. It's that person that immediately powers on the phone after the plane lands and the person you're attempting to have a conversation with that keeps looking at her Blackberry.

Vlingo, a voice-recognition company for mobile phones, commissioned a study to find out exactly what people are doing with their phones, and if you believe the study, it's pretty scary. 28% of the 4820 people polled text, email, or IM while driving! But take a look at the younger generation. 85% of 13-29 year-olds text, and over 50% have done it while driving!  read more »

It's not even 20 years after the fall of the communist Soviet Union, and people are all about the capitalism.  Granted I love me my things, but a $5000 phone from Christian Dior?  Dior seems to think Russian women want to buy this. Can we say overcompensation?  The peeps over in China are also getting the OTT phone because, well, they're into stuff, too. Designer stuff.