SmrtCase announced the availability of its new case design, the SmrtCase Glide. The case is slim, comes in colors, and protects the phone… So what makes this case different? It comfortably carries two cards (credit cards, id cards, etc) and allows for easy access with a “thumb-glide”. The SmrtCase Glide is currently available for the iPhone 3G/S and the BlackBerry Tour but will releasing cases for the BlackBerry Bold 2 and BlackBerry Curve this Spring. SmrtCase sent us a few cases to try out and review. Check out our thoughts!

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Quiet Storm

Ok. Let’s face it. You hated the original BlackBerry Storm and now you should have never purchased it. At the time we were all in shock that RIM hopped on the bandwagon and decided to come out with their very own touchscreen BlackBerry with hopes to become the first “iPhone killer”. Tons of propaganda was distributed. Commercial spots on national T.V. Bloggers all over the net were going crazy trying to get the latest scoop on it. It goes on and on. Reality check now. We’re human, we all make mistakes right? How many of you with the first Storm suffered from constant crashes, memory leaks, no service and misspelled words? The answer to that question should be many and if it’s not, then you’re one of the lucky ones. As always, RIM sees a way out of the situation they are in and try to improve on what needs to be done; do you think they’ve succeeded this time? The Storm2 is out and now you are currently trying to make a decision based on your feelings on the first generation Storm. Do you think that you will encounter the same issues as with the previous Storm or how about a better user experience? Hit the jump after the break to find out.

Specifications

Size (LxWxD)	112.5 mm x 62 mm x 13.9 mm
Weight (battery included)	160 g / 5.65 oz
Memory	256 MB Flash memory, 2GB eMMC
Expandable Memory	MicroSD located under battery door cover (up to 16 GB)
Battery	1400 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic Lithium cell
Battery Life	CDMA: 11.2 days standby, 5.5 hours of talk time GSM: 12.7 days standby, 5 hours of talk time UMTS: 11.7 days standby, 6 hours of talk time
Display	High-resolution 480 X 360 pixel color display 3.25″ (diagonally measured) Transmissive TFT LCD Supports over 65,000 colors Dynamic hardware brightness control
Camera	3.2 MP camera, flash, auto focus, image stabilization, 2X digital zoom
GPS	Integrated GPS with A-GPS
Wi-Fi	802.11 b/g enabled
Media Player	BlackBerry Media Player Video format support: MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.264, WMV Audio format support: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus
Headset	3.5mm stereo headset capable
Network	Quad-Band: 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/ EDGE networks Single-Band: 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA networks Dual-Band: 800/1900 MHz CDMA/EVDO Rev A network

Comparing the specs and features list of the BlackBerry Storm2 to the BlackBerry Storm on a line by line basis does not actually reveal that many changes, yet the changes that have been made are significant. According to Research in Motion:

BlackBerry Storm2 refinements include:

• Enhanced SurePress Technology (SurePress is all electronic in Storm 2 – there are no mechanical moving parts)
• Internet browsing enhancements (i.e. faster page loading)
• Overall device performance (i.e. rotation speed, etc…) is enhanced
• JavaScript is now On by default
• Wi-FI 802.11 b/g
• 256 MB Flash Memory (Storm 1 had 128MB)
• 2GB Onboard Media Memory (Storm 1 had 1GB)
• Sleeker Design (tinted chrome ring, etc.)
• Integrated touch navigation keys
• BlackBerry Handheld Software v5.0

User Interface Enhancements on Storm2 include:

• Inertial Scrolling w/Snap Back
• Enhanced SMS UI – notifications, emoticons, threaded chats
• Enhanced SurePress input
• Probability-based entry with advanced auto-correct
• Multi-touch for ALT and SHIFT
• Key rollover for faster typing
• Optimized pressure for comfortable text entry
• Fine Cursor Control (for text editing)
• Improved sensitivity and accuracy
• Multi-touch text selection enhancements (for copy/paste)
• Updated spin boxes
  o Clock, calendar, date/time, etc…
• Phone enhancements
  o Face detection
• Actionable touch buttons (Send in Messaging, Save in Calendar/Contacts, etc)

Hardware

The BlackBerry Storm2 is…..no different from the Storm, but with a few minor changes. You still get the same 3.2 inch, 360×480 capacitive display (which by the way is gorgeous. RIM you sure do know how to make colors “POP”.), same form factor, and same exact size as the previous Storm. On the left side of the phone you have your newly constructed convienience key as well as the microUSB charging port. On the right there is the 3.5mm headphone jack, volume rocker and camera button. On the front side of the device is that gorgeous screen and nothing but the screen. This is where I think RIM failed at. They could’ve squeezed an extra inch or two on there. I’m guessing they were trying to go for the theater effect with the black lines surrounding the outer part of the screen. You also no longer have the gaps between the screen and the edge of the phone where you would see a light coming from the bottom and also allowed for dust to easily get in it. On the bottom of the screen you have the call/answer, BlackBerry, back and end “buttons”. The buttons are actually implemented inside of the screen itself, as with the previous Storm they were just regular buttons. Although the buttons are implemented inside the screen, they are not like the ones found on the Motorola DROID, you actually need to click on the screen to press them. At the top you have the mute and power buttons which are hardly noticeable. To the backside of the device, we have the new backdoor without the hooks at the corners. Opening and closing the backdoor feels a lot better now and you don’t have to constantly check to see if one of your hooks came off. It is a snap on/lift off combination that works and feels solid.

Screen

One of the best screens on a BlackBerry to date and still a bit awkward. Pressing the screen still feels like there’s a big button and they should just get rid of the concept. Hey RIM, follow Apple, they seem to be doing something right. What they should implement is the option to have the screen not click for those users who don’t like it. The screen is still great in some aspects though. The colors are just bright and vivid while the darks are well, dark. Pictures and videos are presented on the screen very nicely. Both the BlackBerry Storm and Storm2 have the same specifications, but the Storm2’s display seems to be more attractive. Putting the BlackBerry Storm2 beside a BlackBerry Storm, you can see that when powered off the Storm2’s display is much darker. Even when side by side, powered on watching the same music videos, the Storm2’s display is brighter, with darker blacks and whiter whites. It really is impressive.

Keyboard/Enhanced SurePress

The real ice breaker here. RIM was taking a beating, and I mean a fierce beating with comments from consumers and fellow bloggers saying the first generation of SurePress technology was horrible or getting mixed feelings. The concept is great, you’re actually clicking the screen to confirm what you are pressing and that is a little bit more better than having Haptic feedback. They also won an award at the MWC (Mobile World Congress) back in February last year, so they must be doing something right. I want to know what I’m pressing all the time, and sometimes those little vibrations aren’t as strong so you make mistakes. Don’t get me wrong, there are misspelled words sometimes, no one types perfect and the Storm2 is no exception to the latter. The Storm2 uses a different type of technology for multitouch on the screen called Piezo technology. What is Piezo technology you ask? Piezo (which is short for piezoelectricity) is the ability of some materials to generate an electric field or electric potential in response to applied mechanical stress. The word is derived from the Greek piezo or piezein, which means to squeeze or press. To sum it all up, it pretty much works with the electricity your fingers generate to produce what you are typing.

Now for the actual typing. Typing on the Storm2 feels a whole lot better than typing on the first one. Since the ability to multitouch is available, typing isn’t as hard as it was previously. Yes, it isn’t the same as typing on an actual BlackBerry keyboard, which they craft so well, but it gets the job done. You won’t be banging out texts and emails as fast like you would on a Bold, but it’ll become second nature as usual and you’ll be clicking away at a normal or faster than normal pace once you get the hang of it. I love BlackBerry keyboards. Hence, it’s the reason I purchase a BlackBerry for. Now the Storm2’s typing quality isn’t like the Bold per say, but I can tell you it is better than typing on a Curve 8300 if you felt like those keys were too small. With a little bit of practice, you should be able to type with your eyes closed. Overall, even after all that info up top about the screen and the new technology it uses, typing on this is a pain. This is something RIM really needs to look over and re-do their strategy and with a little bit more time (and one more Storm), it’ll probably become a hit. Third times the charm right?

OS 5.0

Which version are we on now? Oh yeah that’s right, 5.0. The Storm2 is installed with BlackBerry OS 5.0 right out of the box and to be honest, it really isn’t all that of an update. When you start the device up, you are now greeted with the new BlackBerry loading screen. No longer do you have to see the hourglass spin around for approximately 7 minutes. It’s plain and simple. The screen is all black with BlackBerry right in the middle of the screen as well as a loading bar to the south of it. Start-up doesn’t take that long now due to the RAM (256MB) that is being equipped with the newer BlackBerries. Its almost half the time as loading from OS 4.7 which is a big improvement. After the Storm2 performs all of its necessary security checks and finishes loading, you are greeted with the home screen to your ‘berry. Clicking the screen in brings you to the full menu of all the apps available on your Storm. The first thing you notice after clicking in the screen is the little animation transitioning you from one screen to another. It looks as if you are warped into the next screen and thanks to 5.0, you see that in every transition. Opening the menus are snappy and fluid with no lag at all. Scrolling up and down also shows 5.0’s smoothness especially in the contacts section. Applications are also snappy while opening them. Are you getting the picture here? These are 2009 BlackBerries we talking about here, 256MB RAM, 600 MHz processors, 3.2 MP Cameras, 1GB (2GB in this case) built in storage. RIM is doing it big here and they are continuing the trend into 2010.  These are all great but that is just a pinch of what RIM is offering in OS 5.0, here are the rest of the improvements :

All BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) devices running OS 5.0 will get an updated Web browser with more accurate AJAX rendering, faster JavaScript processing, and BlackBerry Widget support—including Google Gears and SQLite for BlackBerry Widgets. Those devices will also get threaded SMS chats.

Companies running BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0—originally released back in May—will see several additional improvements on BlackBerry OS 5.0-equipped devices. They include follow-up flags for e-mail messages; e-mail folder management; the ability to view, edit, save, or e-mail documents from remote file shares; calendar appointment forwards and attachment viewing; and wireless contact sync for multiple folders, distribution lists, and Public/Shared folder contacts.

The touch screen-equipped BlackBerry Storm 9530 and Storm2 9550 get inertial scrolling and bounce-back; improved typing accuracy (even with the older 9530 screen, though obviously not the actuator-related improvements on the newer device); improved auto-correct; cute spinning UI boxes for setting dates and times; and more attractive buttons and other UI animations.

Finally, anyone working on apps for BlackBerry handsets will likely be thrilled with the latest BlackBerry Java Application Development Tools. The new v5.0 Beta 3 release adds new APIs that will let programmers create apps that hook into address book contacts, create more sophisticated push applications, hook into the GPS radio to grab the user’s current location, and more robust user interface and menu customization.

There are other things RIM improved on in 5.0 such as threaded SMS (which was a highly anticipated upgrade BlackBerry users were anxiously patiently waiting for), better web browser although it still isn’t in the same league as the iPhone’s WebKit based browser but we should see vast improvement to the browser with the purchase of Torch Mobile and BBM 5.0 which includes contact backup with whichever email address is synced to your BlackBerry. RIM has been at work for a while on this OS and they’ve shed their blood, sweat and tears into making this release of 5.0 worthwhile. Kudos RIM.

Conclusion

With all of the choices to choose from, it seems that RIM is going for three things at one time: 1. Power User|Crackberry Addict 2. Multimedia User 3. First Time Users. Which category does the Storm2 fit into? Number two obviously. Power users will take a look at the Storm2 and all of its beauty, but will go for the more suitable Bold instead. It is not to disrespect the Storm2, but people still don’t feel as if the Storm2 belongs in that category. Yes it is true that multimedia devices are making its ways into corporate offices (iPhone), but how many corporate buildings and offices are allowing devices with cameras to enter the area? Still not a lot. The BlackBerry Storm2 is one of RIM’s best devices to date and there shouldn’t be any second thoughts about purchasing this one like there was the first one. This time around RIM listened to the regular consumer who doesn’t want to carry around two devices for their personal preferences. They’ve installed a very stable upgrade to their aging OS as well as equipping it with a bright and extremely vivid screen for video purposes with great speakers. The aim for having the number one device sold in the world does belong to RIM with the Curve 8300 being their sole leader in sales and the iPhone right behind it in second place, but it looks like they’re aiming to get the top spot with all their phones. Til we meet again next November?

Gadgeteers rejoice. HTC has released the first Windows Mobile 6.5 device thru Verizon Wireless, the HTC Imagio. The Imagio to some looks like a US version of the Touch HD, which was not released in the states. Time and time again we are left out of what people on the other side of the world are able to purchase and frequently wait for an announcement from a manufacturer to just shut us down. That looks to feel like those announcements are almost over. Since the bid for the 700 MHz spectrum has taken place, carriers are now more open to carry these handsets that are being released in other countries. Look at T-Mobile, in March they’re getting ready to launch the much anticipated, nerds dream phone, Windows Mobile Phone HTC Touch HD2. Verizon’s take in this is pretty simple, they didn’t get to launch the HD2, but they’re now trying to win over customers by getting more fashionably pretty handsets that get the job done; and make no mistake, while the Imagio screams buy me with that speaker grill/bezzel that makes it look oh so pretty, its as professional than any other PDA the rest of the carriers offer. Will the Imagio shine in places where other Windows Phones don’t? Find out after the jump for more information.

Hardware
What you see is what you get. The Imagio is one of the most beautiful Windows Phone devices made to date. The grill surrounding the front casing of the phone adds a little more than glamor into the picture. It comes with a 3.6-inch WVGA resistive touchscreen, Wi-Fi, GPS, a 5MP camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD storage expansion (unfortunately it doesn’t include a card) and proximity sensor. It’s also the first smartphone with V-CAST Mobile TV, which is a Flo-TV based live streaming TV service that looks and feels a bit like digital cable, but made for a phone. It also has a valuable kickstand for picture and video viewing pleasure. When using the phone out in public, people thought I was using an iPhone 3GS because of its slick rounding edges and quarter glossy battery cover. From far it does look like an iPhone but its not. The build of the phone is very solid and feels very comfortable in your hands. The Imagio’s design features are very minimalistic. The volume keys are on the right, as well as the camera button, a row of buttons rests just beneath the screen, and the miniUSB charging port and 3.5mm jack are at the bottom end of the phone. Having the volume keys on the right side is different from most HTC phones, but sometimes change is good. When you use the kickstand to watch videos, having the volume keys on the right side makes them accessible due to the horizontal screen orientation. The button row contains your Answer, Multimedia, Start, Back, and End buttons. The end button doubles as a power on/off button.

Under the Hood

The Imagio features a Qualcomm 7600 series, 528MHz processor along with 288MB of RAM for all of your power user needs. The processor is pretty much the same that has been in the last few previous HTC devices, but with the bump in RAM at 288MB, it has a nice amount of extra speed to it so it doesn’t slow down as much as prior models did. With that being said, opening programs and switching between each of them is a breeze. There was little to no lag at all while having 10+ programs opened at the same time so that goes to show how Microsoft can stick it to Apple in one way. Under the back cover is the removable battery that is 1500mAh battery that should last you a whole day without charging it in the middle with moderate usage. I got through almost two whole days with emails, texting, web browsing and phone calls. Pretty good to know that I can rely on this if I need something to get me through a whole day or two. Underneath the battery you’ll find the sim card slot for international capabilities as well as the microSD slot and reset button. Usually the reset button on HTC devices is on the bottom, I wonder why they decided to place this one under the back cover. The Imagio is also equiped with bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The odd thing about the Wi-Fi is that you can turn it on/off in the settings window of WM 6.5 but in the TouchFLO Communications Manager, it is set to automatically turn on.

Media Device or Smartphone?

Windows Mobile isn’t usually known for their screen resolutions in all of their handsets (Touch HD & HD2 are the exceptions) or for music quality. Now replacing your iPod Touch or other personal PMP player is taking it to the extreme, but watching videos and listening to music on the Imagio is quite a pleasure. The sound of music is pretty much on par with an iPod and while video quality isn’t the best on this screen, a simple conversion using some type of program makes the viewing on this screen a delight to look at. The usual video codecs are on site such as .wmv, H.263, H.264. I also installed a DivX player and had no problem viewing a .divx and .xvid movie file. With that being said, I’m fondled on how come HTC didn’t implement their very own media player like they did with the Hero.

Call Quality
The call quality on the Imagio is great. Callers said I sounded loud and clear without any distortion. I had service pretty much everywhere I went and didn’t suffer from any dropped calls. Even in places where my Storm2 didn’t receive any bars the Imagio had one or two bars of 1X just so a call can come through. While listening to who I was speaking with, I noticed there was a slight hissing sound like their was with the LG Dare. Now I’m not sure if that was just my device doing that or if its an issue altogether, I’ll update the info on that when I find out more details. The speakerphone sounded loud and clear, even on its highest level. There was no distortion and the callers didn’t sound choppy when speaking. It would have been nice for HTC to implement the speaker button on the back of the Imagio just like on the TP2, but you can’t get everything right?

Windows Marketplace

I know what you’re thinking, “Not another marketplace”. Truth is, yes its another one. Since Apple has come out with theirs, it is almost in everyone’s utmost passion to develop a marketplace to have customers purchase software and games to stay interested with either their devices or the platform they are currently using. The Windows Marketplace is pretty new to the game and developers are creating applications for the platform. Now with that being said, applications should be a cinch to create for this platform since it has been out for almost a decade, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Developers are pretty much focused on the iPhone about 75% of the time and the closest app store is the Android one. How many apps are there available in the App Store now, somewhat close to 150,000? That is completely massive. Windows has some catching up to do. Besides that, the Marketplace is actually quite nice to look at though. When you enter the Marketplace, you have a search bar placed at the top as well as featured applications available for download. Directly under that you have a few categories to make finding your application a breeze. It’s broken down as follows: Showcase, Most Popular, What’s New, Categories and My Applications. The Showcase section is for the premium applications available for purchase. Most Popular, well, speaks for itself as well as What’s New, Categories and My Applications. Categories is broken down by categories (don’t need rocket science to figure that out ehh) such as business center, games, entertainment, and lifestyle. I like the overall style of the Marketplace, it’s nicely developed and categorized. Hopefully in the near future they have a bigger selection in applications, it’s still new so only time will tell.

Email/Messaging

The HTC Imagio supports SMS, MMS and email. SMS and MMS share an inbox and a message editor and thanks to TouchFLO, you can enjoy scrolling in the inboxes and through longer messages. The Message tab offers a great interface for managing messages. With the nice interface and touch-optimization it’s highly unlikely you will ever switch back to the standard Windows SMS inbox. The email inbox is also available as a homescreen tab with an eye-catching view. The email editor will hold no surprises for experienced WinMo users as it has not changed at all. Setting up your email is easy as it is on most of the latest mid or high range phones. You type your email and password and all the other steps are configured automatically. HTC has equipped the device with a set of home-grown thumbable virtual keyboards. It’s a commendable feature since the default Windows Mobile keyboards are fit for stylus use only. The first keyboard is a regular 9-key multi-tap keypad, the second one is a brand new full QWERTY and the third one is a regular Windows Mobile QWERTY optimized for use with a stylus. The new QWERTY differs from the previous one in button placement and a five-row design that gives you all four navigation arrows in the final row. In landscape mode you get the typical three-row full QWERTY with nav-keys on the right. In applications where screen auto-rotation is enabled, you also get larger landscape versions of those keyboards. The keys are big enough, the gaps between the letters takes away the chances to hit two letters in the same time and the button’s places are very well placed.

Web Browsing

With EVDO Rev. A and Wi-Fi in the mix, web browsing and data consumption shouldn’t be a problem. Where I am currently located, the EVDO Rev. A speeds are currently blazing fast like the Millennium Falcon going into warp speed and I have no problems with connecting at all. So downloading images, emails, songs and applications should be as fast right? Correct. Here is why. The Imagio comes with Opera 9.5 and Internet Explorer 6 right out of the box and they are both good browsers in their own ways. Opera as you all know, uses a compression technology unlike no other to render fully blown web-pages on mobile devices and for that reason, it is the default browser on the Imagio. The Opera browser is extensively touch-optimized and draws inspiration from the iPhone’s Safari. The browser has matured since its introduction in the Touch HD and has been updated time after time to perform with no bugs and that is a sure pleasure. The Imagio offers automatic screen rotation inside the web browser and Opera 9.5 offers a landscape QWERTY, but in the presence of the hardware one this option won’t be necessary. It also comes with a handy download manager which keeps track on the files you are currently downloading and downloaded previously. So after all of the mobile Safari comparison, do you understand why I said it’s blazing fast previously? One word, Opera.

Battery Life

It’ll do. Just kidding. Through two weeks of using the Imagio, battery life was above average. With constant emails, texting, web browsing, tweeting and listening to music, the Imagio lasted me throughout the whole day. HTC has given us a very good 1500 mAh battery to back up this Multimedia monster or however which way you plan on using it. If the Imagio didn’t have the Sense UI in this, I doubt it would last half a day since Sense does consume massive data for its programs. I connected the Imagio on a land line call and let it go until its last breathe to test out the battery life on a call. The results surpassed the specs sheet HTC has given us, 5.3 hours to the 5 hours already given. So a little extra juice is always a benefit to know that you can go a whole day or so with this device.

Conclusion

The HTC Imagio from Verizon Wireless is a fine handset. The stylish and sleek looks may have people think you are using an iPhone until they see the front and notice it isn’t. Would I purchase one for my personal usage? That answer is no. It is not a bad phone don’t get me wrong. I’m just never satisfied with just one phone for a certain amount of time. Would I purchase this phone for my wife? Yes. Something that can get her through the day and let her be able to see a few emails here and there with massive texting on a responsive screen; she’ll definitely jump on it. It’s also the kind of phone that females would consider “cute” mainly because its sleek, slim and pocketable. You can’t sell a phone now that is bulky because people want to put their devices in their skinny jeans all of a sudden and it seems that HTC and Verizon continues to go that route (with the exception of the Touch Pro2). Overall, this is a great phone. It gets the job done when it needs to and is reliable at times when needed. It earns my stamp of approval. Will you give it the same?

Nokia is well-known for its widely popular phones such as the Nokia E71, N95, and N97. Nokia recently released the N900 smartphone that brings along tons of features and impressive specifications. We’ve been following all the news and rumors on this phone and, needless to say, we are excited about getting one. The phone was introduced into the United States on November 11, 2009 and is not yet available to purchase directly from any major carriers here. The N900 used the Maemo 5 Linux operating system, unlike its predecessors which ran Symbian. This was a unique review for us because we haven’t had much experience with Maemo, so we had to learn the OS from scratch. Typically when we review a device, we have at least played around with the OS. Therefore, we are excited to bring you the Nokia N900 review.

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Duracell released a couple portable chargers for your cellular phone or portable devices early July of 2009 and we’ve been lucky enough to receive one of their Instant USB Charger’s.

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Palm released the Pre Plus on the Verizon Wireless network today. Customers can now go online or into stores and purchase the new phone. A few weeks ago we did a hands-on post when we got to play around with the phone at CES, but now we have one in our possession and we decided to unbox it for you. Check out the full video after the jump.

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Earlier this week we reviewed the iFrogz MyFrogz custom iPhone case, now we are bringing you the EarPollution Timbre earbuds review. We at Smartphone Nation love music and often use our phones as music players on the go. Therefore, we like using earphones that also have a built-in microphone for answering phone calls. The iFrogz Timbre earphones with a microphone satisfy those needs.

These earphones have a natural wood chamber that serves a few purposes. Most importantly, the wood chamber helps with the superb sound that you get from these earbuds. Secondly, it just looks so damn classic. We think that the black cord iFrogz uses complements the wood chamber style. When holding the earbuds the wood chamber looks like high quality wood and the earbuds also seem to be made with quality in mind. As you move down the cord, you see a microphone that allows you to pick up a call and talk without taking the earbuds out.

While the look of the earbuds are important, the most critical component is the sound quality that they produce. We used the Timbre earbuds on the long plane ride home from CES and were pretty surprised with them. The earbuds blocked out the majority of sounds that would be heard on an airplane including the sound of the plane and people talking around us. When evaluating the sound quality, we found that it really brought out the sounds of the music. We compared them to the earbuds that come with the iPhone iPhone and found that the Timbre ones sounded noticeably better.

We gave the attached microphone a try on our BlackBerry Bold 9700. After a few calls we found that the quality was high. When the other side was talking, it came in clear and really blocked out all ambient noise. The people we talked to said that it was clear and sounded fine.

As a conclusion, the iFrogz EarPollution Timbre earbuds are a great value. At $49.99, these earbuds really perform with great music quality and have a microphone that delivers clear voice quality. When using the earbuds in a noisy environment, they effectively block out the majority of the noise.

The Timbres can be purchased at the iFrogz website.

iFrogz is well-known for their iPhone cases that come in different colors. Previously, there were a few color styles, however iFrogz has introduced the MyFrogz custom iPhone cases at CES. With the MyFrogz cases, consumers can choose hundreds of unique case options to satisfy their preferences. These unique options include new colors and finish options too the existing Luxe cases that are available. Users can design their custom case by using the free MyFrogz iPhone app or visit www.MyFrogz.com. The MyFrogz custom cases are shipped within 24 hours at no extra cost.

We were given the opportunity to customize our own MyFrogz case and we’re pleased with the results. To create a case you can go to an AT&T store and pick up a customization code. From there you can create it on www.MyFrogz.com or by downloading the MyFrogz iPhone app.

We used the iPhone app and decided that we wanted our iPhone to be “Cherry Red” and “Thick Black” because it looks nice. The iPhone app was extremely simple and easy to use. Then you can make the order right from the app.

When we got our case we were told that the case ships within 24 hours after the order, which is fantastic for a custom case. Personally when we want to order accessories we expect to get it as fast as possible and hate waiting. iFrogz has made the wait as short as possible for us and boy do we love that.

The packaging that the case came in was also impressive. Since the MyFrogz is all about personalizing the case for you, the company puts your name on the packaging. This makes it feel personal and that it was made specially for you, which it was.

Once we opened up the packaging, we were impressed with the feel of the case. iFrogz described it as a “velvety ’soft touch’ feel”, and we couldn’t put it any better ourselves. The feel is great on the hands and helps when gripping the phone. The colors of the case are vibrant and metallic, which makes the iPhone really stand out. We have found that some cases leave minor scratched on the iPhone when put in and taken out of the case. However, the MyFrogz case has a velvet-type material on the inside that eliminates those type of scratches.

Getting the case on the iPhone is simple. Just put the top piece on and then slide the bottom piece on, then they snap together. Taking the case off is as easy as pushing in the locking part of the case and pulling the top off.

Once on the iPhone, the case fits snugly and does not make the iPhone bulky. The MyFrogz case is very slim so when in the pocket it is not taking up too much more room than it would take up without a case. There are spaces for all the buttons and they are easy to press when the iPhone is on.

Overall we are very satisfied with the case. We could definitely see ourselves rocking this with us all the time. We also wanted to bring up the Customer Satisfaction Guarantee for the MyFrogz cases. This allows customers who decided that they don’t like their color choices to exchange it for another custom selection within 10 days of it being delivered.

The MyFrogz custom iPhone case will run you $39.99 and is the perfect option for people who want to choose the colors of their case and need quality.

Pixi Dust?

The Palm Pixi is the next experience from Palm, which is offered exclusively from Sprint for the time being. It is a follow up to the original Palm Pre for those who thought the Pre was just too thick and wasn’t pocketable. The Pixi isn’t a successor to the Pre though as some people might think. It’s just another option as mentioned above. The Pixi is in a candybar form factor that has a full QWERTY kerboard (which is very comfortable for its size) and a cramped screen on top of the keyboard which is also a capacitive touch display. The Pixi also runs Palm’s new webOS and doesn’t rear off from its predecessor. The “Cards” system runs multiple applications in the background at the same time, keeping you both in sync and in touch with your everyday activities.

Hardware

The Palm Pixi reminds me of the Treo Centro. They are just about the same size. Small, pocketable and useable; you can’t complain about those three right there. The Pixi feels really, really comforable in your hands. Almost as comfortable as a BlackBerry Bold or iPhone. It is perfectly designed and shows off what a small phone should look like. The keyboard is very clackity and is arranged in four rows that gave me a hard time to type on (could be because of my hands…). The keys are tiny and have a decent rise to them so that you know what you are typing on.

Palm has a form factor that uses minimal design. The front of the phone is just as you see it: flat piece of plastic, screen, and full QWERTY keyboard. On the  top of the screen it has those two main things needed in a phone now, an ambient light sensor and proximity sensor. The left side and bottom of the phone are left blank. The right side of the phone has the volume rocker and Palm’s signature ringer/vibrate switch. Also on the right side lies the microUSB charging port underneath a flap which has a magnet attached to it so it stays locked and secured. On the top, you have your most wanted 3.5 mm headset jack and power button. The power button doubles as a screen lock because the keyboard doesn’t have that shortcut like a BlackBerry.

On the back there is a 2 megapixel camera and a flash right slab in the middle. To the left and right of the camera and flash, there are two speaker grills. There is also a tiny hole where you can attach a piece of string, dog tag, or whatever so your phone will stay close to you like a female with a Louis Vuitton purse. I know what you’re thinking, is the Pixi compatible with the Touchstone charger? The answer is no, it’s not. It could be because Palm wanted to save some type of money (they are pretty much losing a lot of it right), or they felt the Pixi didn’t deserve one. Ask them, I didn’t make it.

Keyboard, Keyboard, Keyboard

I’m going to be the first one to tell you this keyboard is actually better than the Pre’s keyboard. Sounds funny, I know, but it really is. I wasn’t expecting some type of fireworks when I first laid eyes on this tiny puppy, but playing around with both handsets together you could tell the difference. The Pre’s keyboard feels more fake if you ask me. The Pixi’s, is far better in terms of comfortability. If you’ve typed on a Palm Centro, you should feel right at home, bangin emails and texts in no time. No really, you should. Palm has always had a knack for making quality keyboards and the Pixi’s size doesn’t seem to have held the company back from doing it again. Now mind you, this isn’t a BlackBerry Bold keyboard, but you have to show appreciation to those who earn it, and Palm you have mine.  To sum it all up, it’s small. Eventually as all other keyboards are, it becomes second nature to type on this phone. People like myself will though have a problem typing (HINT: huge hands).

webOS

Mobile OSX, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and webOS. Save the best for last right. I feel that webOS is a highly profitable OS for Palm. It is a blend of Mobile OSX and Android to me. You have that feeling of openness and reliability in your hands. Isn’t that something we long for anyway in a device? webOS is all about connecting and that’s exactly what it does, keeps you connected. webOS hasn’t changed at all for the Pixi and it probably won’t change for a long time coming. The concept of the “Cards” system is by far the best multitasking tool on a SmartPhone to date. Text messages, e-mails, and Facebook notifications all appear on the bottom of the screen without having you losing focus on what you are already doing. It just pops up and goes right back down. Palm has done a really good job on this OS concept and hopefully they finesse it even more. Another great feature of webOS is Palm’s very own backup system which is free for everyone with a Palm Pixi or Pre device, Synergy. Synergy is just like MobileMe for the iPhone or Mac OSX, and Google’s syncing feature on the Android platform (if you don’t have an Android device but you do have a Nokia (E or N Series; Mail for Exchange is required), BlackBerry or Windows Phone, Google has there own applications or instructions for setup on their website. It is available to use for free as well. Sweet isn’t it.) Sync your phone with Yahoo!, Google, Microsoft Exchange, Facebook, or back up to your Palm profile account. Or set up accounts with all four! Good stuff isn’t it. Think about  it, how many times have you lost your phone or all of your contacts while switching to another device? Sucks doesn’t it. You have to input all the numbers in one by one and it gets pretty tedious after the tenth one, trust me I’ve done that before. All in all, Synergy is a great way to have backups on everything you need to be connected on. I give Palm kudos on this one.

Call Quality

Call quality on the Pixi is quite good in my testing so far – clear and loud without much distortion at maximum volume. Overall the Pixi seems to pick up Sprint signal as well as any other Sprint phone I’ve tried used. I would say this phone is right on par with it’s older, bigger brother, the Palm Pre and as well as the Hero. All three phones have great reception even when you’re in an area where Sprint usually doesn’t pick up any signal, like your basement.

The speakerphone, on the other hand, isn’t anything to get enthused about. It’s loud enough for me and sounds like a cell phone’s speaker. It’s slightly quieter than the Pre’s speaker,less distorted sound, but gets the job done.

Battery Life

In real-world tests, the battery life on the Pixi was good, but not great. We can’t knock the phone too much, as it did seem to perform better than the Pre. My feeling is that battery life on devices like the Pixi and Pre, those always-on, always connected devices, is a nut that hasn’t been fully cracked. I was able to drain out a day’s use on the Pixi, but it was tight, and if we really went for it, a dinner time recharge was in order. I think, along with the Pre, that we’ll see some bigger after market batteries for the Pixi, but for now, you’ll want to keep your charger on hand and hope that a wall socket is nearby.

Conclusion

Do I think you should drop your Pre for the Pixi? No. Do I think this phone is placed at the right price range for a SmartPhone of this type of calliber? Yes, absolutely. Go ahead and become a part of the 100 other people who purchased this device. They love it. You should too. Its small, pocketable, reliable and fun to use. Now if you don’t want to purchase this because you are biased and love your current carrier (cough Verizon), you can wait outside to purchase one on January 25th for the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus. The Pixi Plus will have Wi-Fi on it as this one doesn’t. Cool right?

Rogers released the new Nokia N86 not too long and after using it for quite a while, I’ve found this to be one of the best camera phones around. This device would run you for a pricey $300-$500 retail at a Nokia store but Rogers has somehow drop that price-tag to $99.99 with a 3 year. Read the full story