T-Mobile took to its Facebook page today to announce the upcoming availaibility of the BlackBerry Curve 3G. As you can probably gather from the name, this is a BlackBerry Curve that has 3G built into it. T-Mobile says to expect the phone to drop on September 8th for an affordable $79.99 on contract.

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Last week was an exciting week for us as we took a trip from Boston to Tampa. Instead of taking a plane down, we decided to do it the old fashion way with four wheels and eventually moved to the Amtrak auto-train. The two in party, including me, wondered what we would do to occupy ourselves over the three day trip. We figured what better way would there be to review a mobile hotspot than a long trip down the east coast. So we decided to get a Clear Spot 4G+ Mobile Hotspot and test it extensively over the period of a trip, with the majority of use during the three day trip.

Now you may be wondering, what is a Clear Spot 4G+ Mobile Hotspot? It is a small device that makes a Wi-Fi hotspot allowing up to five different devices to connect to it at one time. Using a mobile broadband connection, the Clear Spot 4G+ Mobile Hotspot allows users to access the internet anywhere there is 3G or 4G coverage. The default setting is 4G Preferred, meaning it will use 4G if there is coverage and 3G if there is no 4G. The switch between 4G and 3G is pretty seamless making it painless for the user.

A 4G connection allows for mobile internet speeds 4x as fast as 3G speeds. However, 4G coverage is still lacking for most markets. Clear uses WiMAX technology for its 4G network that has average speeds of 3 to 6 Mbps and can go as high a 10 Mbps. Power users will be happy to hear that Clear allows for unlimited data over the 4G network, while it still has a 5GB cap on its 3G network.

The Clear 4G coverage is definitely spotty, but this early into the start of the 4G boom we wouldn’t expect it to be rolled out in rural areas just yet. Clear claims to have 49 markets covered with 4G speeds, but we think that it may be more as we got 4G coverage in Natick, MA when it said there was absolutely no 4G coverage in MA. The company says that it plans to expand 4G coverage into Tampa, Orlando, and Daytona, FL by the end of this summer (which is rapidly coming to an end). By the end of 2010, Clear says it will have New York City, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, Miami, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh covered.

When we first got the device, made by Sierra Wireless, we were super excited to get it up and running. The first day we were able to catch 4G in Natick, MA. When connected to 4G the speeds were so fast that we were able to stream Netflix using Xbox Live in HD. We did not have the same luck with 3G. We experienced an activation error when trying to get the 3G working. We first used the online tech support chat. After one hour of talking to a “L1 Tech”, they told us that they have “very small training” and have higher tech agents that I can speak with if I called tech support via phone. So we called up tech support with using the support number and got the problem solved fast. Otherwise, setting up the device was as simple as turning it on and connecting your devices to it using the Wi-Fi network.

Our plan for the trip was to begin in Boston driving down to Virginia and catching the Amtrak auto-train from Virginia to Tampa, FL. Driving from Boston to Virginia took about 9 hours with traffic, so you could imagine how convenient the Clear Spot 4G+ Mobile Hotspot for whoever was in the passenger seat. During the car ride we used a Wi-Fi only iPad for entertainment and connected it to the Mobile Hotspot. The majority of our ride down we were using the 3G network which loaded web pages decently fast. There were a few instances, like in the Philadelphia and the Baltimore area, where we were able to catch 4G. However, we were greeted with a Sprint web page that asked us to test drive 4G for a charge of $9.99 for a 24 hour pass; we did not purchase a pass.

In Virginia we made the switch to the Amtrak auto-train that would bring us (and our car) to Florida. We knew from previous trips that the path used by the auto-train often has spotty coverage, so we knew that we wouldn’t have coverage the entire way down. We found that we got 3G coverage a lot of the time, but occasionally would pass by areas where there was absolutely no signal. When comparing the 3G coverage on Clear to the 3G coverage on our AT&T iPhone, we found that Clear was connected much more frequently than the iPhone.

The device itself is 3.15″ x 3.15″ so it isn’t too small like some of the broadband cards, but it still can fit in your pocket if you have the right jeans. Weighing in at 4.5 oz, the Clear Spot 4G+ Mobile Hotspot isn’t too heavy to bring around to different places of your choice. The device is black and glossy the whole way around. On the front of the device there is the power button and a screen that will display information like your battery status, network  name and password, and signal strength. The top bumped has a volume toggle that allows you to turn sound on or off. The bottom side has the microUSB charging port and a microSD card slot. We did notice that the device seemed to get very hot when there was a device connected to it. We aren’t talking like a little warm, we wouldn’t want this thing sitting on our lap because it gets so hot.

Clear lists the battery life to be about three hours on the Clear Spot 4G+. During our extensive testing, we found that the battery did realistically last about three hours. We found a car charger useful during long trips in the car.

Controlling the Clear Spot 4G+ is simple using the in-browser control panel. When connected to the mobile hotspot, you can get to the control panel by typing “clearspot” into the URL bar. The control panel will allow you to make changes and view information such as changing the network  name, password, 3G/4G preferences, battery options, and data transfer stats. We really like the control panel and how simple it is to use.

All in all, we really do love this device. The seemless switching over between 4G and 3G make the Clear Spot 4G+ Mobile Hotspot useful in the majority of the United States. Setting up the device is very simple with the control panel and the screen right on the device. When connected to 4G, we were impressed with the speeds we were getting. Clear is rapidly expanding the 4G coverage so most densely populated areas should have it in the next few years. The device itself costs $224.99 or it can be leased for $5.99 a month (two-year contract only). The monthly service charge on this device will run you $55 a month, which is still less than most of the major carriers in the States.

Check out the Clear Spot 4G+ Mobile Hotspot

Samsung is getting ready to unleash their beast. The highly anticipated Galaxy Slab Tab is finally becoming official and being announced on September 2nd at the IFA event in Berlin, Germany. This beauty of a device is aiming for the top spot in the tablet market with the iPad hot in it’s sights. Samsung is bringing to the table a nice 7” display that measures 1024x600 pixel resolution, 3.2MP camera, QVGA front camera, GPS, 3G support, 802.11N WiFi, 4000 mAh battery, 16 GB of internal storage, and video calling. I’m also guessing they’re bringing that amazingly stunning SuperAMOLED display protected by gorilla glass to this as well since it is part of the Galaxy familia. The teaser trailer over on Samsung’s site shows this tablet is quite the marvel to look at. I would say this looks almost as good as the iPad itself. The thinness of the iPad makes it a tad bit sexier. The trailer also reveals the Tab will be running Samsung’s TouchWiz 3.0 atop of Android version 2.2, Froyo. Since the device is part of the Galaxy series, expect for this piece of hardware to be extremely fast with that 1Ghz Hummingbird processor and at least 512MB of RAM, which is more than enough to power this monstrosity. With that kind of power under the hood, I think it’s going to be safe to say Apple is going to get a run for their money on this one, that is until we see what decides to come out on Black Friday…

Introduction

Is it worth it sometimes to take fashion over business or pleasure? Well, that’s exactly what you’ll be thinking once giving this device a test drive. We’ve had here for a while the Nokia E72 in our labs for a while now and we’ve been diving into it for about a month to finally give you this review. At first when you notice the E72, you automatically think it’s the younger sibling Nokia came out with last year, the E71. In fact, the phone looks pretty much identical to its younger brother/sister (however you want to call it) and to be honest I would take either if I was a business man. This device pretty much follows everything in its younger sibling’s footsteps, except for the minor changes under the hood. Slim, sleek and stylish was their aim once again and they hit this out of the park. Is it enough to get Nokia out of the dark, hit the jump for this review of the Nokia E72.

Hardware/Design

Let’s face it, this phone looks just like a BlackBerry Bold 9700 right? No? Oh, I knew that. As I mentioned before, this phone looks exactly like it’s younger sibling the E71 (which in my opinion is the sexiest device ever made in white, sorry iPhone) and continues its stride as one sexy handset. The form factor might have someone mistake this for a BlackBerry real quick, but the stainless steel battery cover would give it away in an instant. With smooth rounded edges, this device slides very easily into your pocket (skateboard skinny jeans too) and the leather case that is included is not necessary. Holding the phone to text and place calls feels very comfortable with little to no struggle to hold it since its very thin. This device is almost like a tool of art. You can really tell that Nokia wanted to separate themselves from the regular consumer devices they create, hi-end, mid-ranged and basic, to have their business portfolio looking extravagant. This phone was not meant to be purchased by a regular person, not even a gadget-freak, it was made for business and maybe even formal wear. If a BlackBerry ties hand in hand with a business suit, then the E72 might go with a tuxedo, it looks that good. When you want to talk about hi-end business, this is what you look at. Sorry RIM, your BOLD series isn’t cutting it when it is put next to one of these. The only setback I have for this design is the camera. It has a bit of a bump in the back for its placement. Hey Nokia, if RIM can make a device with a smooth backside, so can you.

When you’re looking at the phone, you notice the front is just flushed with the screen, d-pad with shortcut keys and a QWERTY keyboard. The keys under the screen have a nice brushed metal feel to them and it makes the menu, send, end and back keys on a BlackBerry look extremely outdated. The optical trackpad is a little awkward at first. It isn’t as smooth as the trackpad RIM implanted on their newer BlackBerry models, but it does its job. I’d prefer the D-Pad that is surrounding it for everyday use, much more acceptable. There are four shortcut keys placed there as well. You have home, calendar, contacts and the one touch mailbox key which makes getting to your messages even easier. On the left side of the phone you have the charging/usb port covered in a nice plastic material that camouflages nicely with the device, covering the port so dust wouldn’t get trapped. You also have the hot swappable microSD slot as well directly under the charging port covered with that plastic as well. On the right side you have the volume up and down buttons as well as a convenience key in the center of them both that is set to PTT as default. Unfortunately you cannot use the PTT the E72 offers because there isn’t another GSM company in the States that offers the one they use. AT&T uses PTT but on a different technology. Sorry NextelSprint turned GSM clients. The good thing is you can change the option to whatever your desire is for that key. I used it for locking the device when I was done with it for that moment. I’m very prone to making phone calls on mistake so I use that option a lot when given the option no matter what device. The back of the device houses the 5.0 MPX camera and that glossy, stainless steel finished door. If it wasn’t for the etch-a-sketch lines, you can use the backdoor as a mirror. Last but not least, the infamous 3.5 mm headset jack that people secretly want on every device.

Keyboard

After using this as my everyday phone for almost a month, I’m still not used to the new layout of this keyboard. The E71 was a little more easier to type on. The noticeable difference here is the reduced spacebar key. It’s almost half the size as my E71’s keyboard. Look below:

Now you could tell for yourself why I would have trouble typing on this. Nokia tried to cram too much into that little but already perfect space from its previous model. It’s not perfect like the BOLD 9000 or 9700 (whichever you prefer), but its one of the better keyboards out there compared to the other competition. Other than that, as usual it is usually up to the user on how they type and manage the keyboard. Myself for instance, I was banging out only 45 WPM on this device, that is a huge difference from the 75 I put up on my Tour 9630 when I decide to use it. But hey, we all have weaknesses right? Tactile feedback is there as well. The buttons are shaped very nicely and well rounded. The slight bump in the keys makes a big difference as well because it makes you get a feel for the keys a bit more. Bumps are always good right? Overall the keyboard is one of the best out there on the market right now so you shouldn’t have any issues typing on this.

Screen

There’s a 320×240 screen on the E72 and it looks very sharp. It’s not as bright as a BOLD 9700, but it’s very clear and easy on the eyes. Screen real estate isn’t a problem at all as we find it more pleasurable to use than the previous E71. Pictures and video look very detailed and clean. There’s a decent amount of contrast when looking at media, and you’ll especially appreciate the screen during some heavy web browsing. Viewing in the dark is also a pleasure and there is no need for squinting while viewing images or documents on the phone.

OS

Oh Symbian, Symbian, Symbian, when will it ever change? With Symbian’s latest OS, Symbian 9.3 OS with the Series60 3rd Edition FP2 user interface, there’s little to no change at all. Here is a complete rundown of what Symbian 9.3 has to offer:

Symbian OS v9.3 includes:
Improved phone performance
•    Shorter start-up times for phones and key applications
•    Improved memory management resulting in more responsive applications and phone features ensuring smartphones work as quickly with better quality features as mid-range phones
Reduced development and ownership cost, and time to market
•    New development tools
◦    Symbian OS awareness for the Eclipse/CDT IDE framework and Nokia’s Carbide.c++ Development Tools for Symbian OS v9.3 phones
◦    Configuration tools to easily create and customize Symbian OS variants
◦    The Symbian Verification Suite to support compatibility and phone integration for creating Symbian OS variants, reducing time taken to customize phones for operators targeting different market segments
◦    A fully searchable on-line edition of the Symbian OS Library including a significant amount of new content
•    Backwards compatibility from v9.1, easy migration for phone vendors, technology and third party software providers
•    Reference design for Symbian OS v9.3 with Freescale and Nokia S60
•    Hindi and Vietnamese language support for improved market coverage
Support for new hardware
•    Native support for WiFi
•    USB 2.0 on-the-go, allowing faster device connectivity
Support for key operator services and requirements
•    Firmware over the air (FOTA) provisioning, FOTA allows network operators to provide OTA software upgrades or fixes lowering cost of ownership
•    HSDPA support
•    Introduction of IPSec for UMA service (Voice over IP)
•    Improved 3GPP R5 support
•    Native support for Push To Talk
•    Java JSR 248 support

To sum it all up, it features improved memory management, faster boot up time, native support for wifi, native support for USB on-the-go, a reference design for Freescale with S60, HSDPA support and a whole lot of other things. Navigating the OS is really not for the average consumer. It takes getting some used to. Now Nokia fanatics will actually be used to this because they’re already used to the Symbian platform, so they shouldn’t have any issues making the transition whether it’d be from S40 or prior S60 devices. There is no need to fear though, Nokia did the best they can to make the OS as simple as they could for someone who has never owned such a device, and by the looks of it, they pretty much hit it out of the ballpark. The menus are quite easy to navigate through and getting to applications is just two clicks away. You also have the option of setting shortcuts to the programs you use the most on your home-screen, which is six; and then you also have shortcuts to any text messages, voicemails, or e-mails as well to the bottom of the shortcuts. You can change the shortcuts as much as you want, Nokia didn’t want you to think that they were locked there forever (no pun intended iOS 1). Besides all the technical stuff posted above, the OS pretty sleek and quick. Symbian doesn’t require a lot of RAM to move through the menus, so 128MB of RAM is just enough to breeze through. Don’t get confused of the 256MB that’s in there as well, that is just the on board storage space. One great benefit to Symbian that has yet to be seen in other OSes besides Windows Mobile Phone, is the method of storing apps to the memory card (which has yet to be seen on an Android device but that should change with the release of Gingerbread 3.0 and of course the iPhone, well because, the lack of a slot in general) which is great because you don’t have to use up all of the tiny memory the phone already has. The phone ships with a 4GB microSD card but it is upgradable to 16GB, so choose which card you’d like in it. Overall, the OS is snappy in its own kind of way, but it isn’t as easy as using an iPhone or a BlackBerry, and that might drive consumers away other than the outdated look this has. Hmmmmm sounds familiar, right?

e-Mail/Messaging

Nokia takes pride in it’s business devices, let alone their flagship line for them, the E-Series itself. Business is all about connectivity and how are you going to get something over to the next person. The E72 takes that into consideration and offers right off the back the pre-installed Nokia Messaging application. What this does is connect you to which ever e-mails you currently have such as Ovi Mail, IBM Lotus Notes Traveller, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live Hotmail etc. Nokia’s Mail for Exchange service is also included in the handset for those who are on an Enterprise server. Using the Nokia Messaging application is just a breeze. To use it, first you have to register a name with Nokia’s server to get the free service and from there you choose which service you want to setup. All it takes is plugging your user name and password and voila! You’re email is setup with no hassles. Now those of you using custom servers, IMAP, POP3 servers would have to plug in your settings manually via the instructions of your provider. Mail for Exchange is almost the same, but have your IT guy at the office set it up for you. Now for those of you using GMail’s exchange server like I am, it does not sync your emails to the device because it is currently not supported. You can sync your calenders and contacts though so that saves you some hassle. I’ll update this when a fix has come out for the email syncing on the device. e-Mail coming into the phone is ‘pushed’ to your device in real-time and notifications are given to you right on the homescreen. From there you can either view it that instant or choose to view later. It doesn’t get easier than that. e-Mail + E72 = Easy Life.

Phone

If it is one thing Nokia knows how to do, that is making great antennas. Phone calls on this device was more than crystal clear. Places where my DROID and 9630 didn’t receive service or had fringe bars, the E72 picked up signal like a champ. I didn’t have any “deathgrip” issues, I was able to hold my phone however I wanted in all types of places. Whatever Apple is doing, they’re doing it wrong and shouting out Nokia by probably using a defective N97 mini is completely uncalled for. Apple should try looking up to these guys for inventing the way a radio should be installed/made on a cell phone. Anyway, phone calls = crystal clear like the guys in red were behind me the whole time (Verizon).. Get it. Verizon. Haha. Forget it lol.

Camera

The Nokia E72 means business even when it comes to imaging. While 5 megapixels are no longer high-end, it’s more than enough for casual use, even for prints. The camera captures photos up to 2592 x 1944 pixels resolution and sports autofocus and an LED flash, which can be used as a video light too. The image quality of the Nokia E72 is among the best 5MP snappers on a business handset I’ve seen (I’ll have to wait for the Torch 9800 to see how that one shoots). Now this isn’t going to replace say a Nikon DSLR type camera or even a Sony Ericsson Cyber-Shot branded cell phone with xenon flash (C902), but it’ll get the job done for quick to shoot photos. The quality is well worth printing for those damn-I-wish-I-had-my-digital-camera-moments people beat themselves for. Look at the examples below.

Battery Life

If you thought the battery life on the E71 was outstanding, then you won’t be disappointed with the E72’s either. The E72 ships with a standard Li-Po 1500 mAh (BP-4L) battery, the same exact battery as the E71. Nokia managed to squeeze an extra 2 more hours of talk time on this device, making it from 10.5 hours of 2G talk time to 12.5. This is most likely due to the upgrade from v9.1 to v9.3, since v9.3 has the better memory management, it handles more usage time. Here’s the official comparison between the two siblings for battery life:

While testing the phone for actual calling, I managed to get 13.1 hours on 2G and 7 even on 3G, bypassing the official specs that Nokia has given us. Standby time is well, just amazing. I managed to get 22 days of battery life without using the phone for anything. No exchange. No personal Gmail. No data. NOTHING. This phone is just too good on battery, it’s way better than the BOLD 9700 when it comes to this. Battery life is just outstanding.

Conclusion

Now its time to decide which phone to get if you are a business user. If it was me, I’d put my money on the E72 hands down just because of the battery life and the extra multimedia functions it has. BlackBerry users have had to wait almost forever to get a 5 MPX camera on their handsets. More positives are the slim and sleek style factor as well as amazing quality build. Just the looks alone might make you want to think twice on a BlackBerry as no one in the industry right now is doing anything to match this powerhouse of a business phone. Great reception, amazing battery life, make-you-look-back-three-times-because-this-phone-is-sexy style, and did I mention it’s pocketable? Yeah, I think my decision is made. This is a sure winner and a great alternative to a BlackBerry. The only reason it isn’t my phone of choice is because the area where I was reviewing the unit from I moved and where I’m located at now there isn’t really good reception for both AT&T and T-Mobile. So how many of you are going to Amazon right now to purchase one unlocked? I would.

Rogers has partnered exclusively with the 2010 FIFA World Cup to offer live streaming to Rogers Apple iPad customers. The application can be downloaded on the App Store and will allow you to stream all the remaining 2010 FIFA World Cup games on your iPad.

As a bonus offer, the application will be free to download and also streaming will be free and unlimited. That means that any data generated while using the application will not be deducted from your monthly bucket. To get the application, search Rogers LIVE 2010 FIFA World Cup to download today. How’s that for our Canadian iPad lovers?

Thanks again Miranda!

While it might not be a surprise. Rogers has finally decided to go official and release the Acer Liquid E and BlackBerry Pearl 9100. You might have seen dummy devices in stores already. The BlackBerry Pearl 9100 will run you for $49.99 on a 3 year voice+data plan and comes with one choice of color. A mixed black and red which I must say is quite nice. The Acer Liquid E will go for $49.99 on a 3 year voice+data and is available in Black. Both devices have 3G

Skype has released an updated version of its popular iPhone app that allows for Skype calls to be made over the 3G network. Previously, users would need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network in order to make a Skype call. The catch? The app is only going allow free 3G calls to be made until 2011, after that there will be a subscription based service that will allow users to continue the service.

Download Skype from iTunes

As much as Rogers tried to be the only carrier to provide the iPad data plans, they didn’t succeed. Bell has announced that they will also provide iPad data plans. Prices start at $15 for 250mb or $35 for 5gb. Exactly the same as Rogers. You will also have access to all of Bell’s WiFi Hotspots throughout Canada including Starbucks… etc. So Rogers or Bell? It’s all up to you.

Press Release

The big 3 is no more… or at least soon. Today, Mobilicity officially announced that they will be providing services in Toronto and later on Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa. Mobilicity will offer 6 different plans starting from $15 which include Unlimited Text, Unlimted Mobilicity to Mobilicity talk, and Caller ID to $65 with Unlimited Everything including Data. 6 different phones are also being released including the famous BlackBerry Bold 9700. Mobilicity will be running on AWS bands, similar to WIND Mobile’s bands. So unfortunately, if you have any Rogers, Bell, or Telus 3G HSPA phones. It won’t work.

Unfortunately, like WIND mobile. Their services are still limited, so roaming on other carriers will occur and cost you $0.20 cents a minute when doing so. If you travel a lot, this wouldn’t be the best carrier to go with as of now. We’ll have to wait for them to offer services to other cities “later this year”.

[Source via: BGR]

OtterBox. The name has nothing to do with how amazing these cases are, and if you do follow smartphone accessories you’ll know that the OtterBox brand has a really good reputation when it comes to protection. This is the Trojan brand of all smartphone cases, and you know Trojan’s got good reputation too.

So we were lucky enough to get our hands on this beautiful OtterBox Defender Series iPhone 3G/3GS case and what do we have to say about this? Well, one word says it all. Wow… So watch this little short test video we’ve done for you readers:

Amazing eh? I could end my review right here. But let’s get down to details. The Defender Series case will include 3 layer protection. 1st later is the plastic layer that covers the whole phone, this includes the headset which is covered with a filter to prevent dirt entering while still allowing sound. The camera hole as well as the Apple logo and the LCD screen have been cut out and replaced with what OtterBox calls a “fully interactive membrane” which simply means your screen will still be a touchscreen.

Now after that layer is a rubberized silicone layer. Putting this on protects against shock and cracking the OtterBox’s plastic casing as well as the iPhone too. This goes over the plastic casing which now covers up the Home button, volume rocker, sleep/power button, headphone jack, charging port and vibrate switch.

Now as you could see in the video. The “fully interactive membrane” aka the plastic see through screen sticks to your iPhone’s LCD screen making a what people call watermark. Some have found this annoying, especially me. Now I’ve read many ways to solve by using baby powder, another screen protector and whatnot. How I solved this was taking a tissie paper and messing around with the iPhone screen so that it leaves some dust. This stops the LCD from sticking to the see through plastic casing. It’s either living with a bit of dust or having big air bubbles/watermarks, your choice.

So who would I suggest this case for? Well mostly people who work in construction and need heavy duty phones but don’t want to switch to those iDEN Telus Mike phones or Sprint/Nextel phones. Why I suggest it for them? Well because it’s thick. I’m not going to lie, it adds a lot of bulk, and someone that doesn’t need the thickness, you probably wouldn’t want that much bulk. So in conclusion. This case is one of the best in the market, no doubt. It’ll protect your phone from scratches, bumps, and drops. At a price tag of $49.95, it’s another small investment that could save your iPhone’s life.

Purchase the OtterBox Defender Series for iPhone 3G/3GS