World / Mobile Communication
2008 LG National Texting Champion takes home $50,000: omg hez rich!
13.07.2008 22:13
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Culture, MessagingRaising the stakes, are we LG? If you'll recall, the first ever LG National Texting Championship concluded last year by giving the winner some $25,000 to spend on finger strengtheners, backup handsets and ridiculously priced texting packages. This year, the proud victor walked out with double that. 20-year old Nathan Schwartz from Cleveland State swiped the grand prize as he pumped out "Does everybody here know the alphabet? Let's text. Here it goes ... AbcDeFghiJKlmNoPQrStuvWXy & Z! Now I know my A-B-C's, next time won't you text with me?" within a minute with zero mistakes. Apparently Mr. Schwartz utilized an LG enV to key in the winning message, though he did call the iPhone and BlackBerry "superior products." Better cash that LG-signed check fast, buddy -- ever heard of a "stp pymnt?"[Via textually]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
2008 LG National Texting Champion takes home $50,000: omg hez rich!
13.07.2008 22:13
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Culture, MessagingRaising the stakes, are we LG? If you'll recall, the first ever LG National Texting Championship concluded last year by giving the winner some $25,000 to spend on finger strengtheners, backup handsets and ridiculously priced texting packages. This year, the proud victor walked out with double that. 20-year old Nathan Schwartz from Cleveland State swiped the grand prize as he pumped out "Does everybody here know the alphabet? Let's text. Here it goes ... AbcDeFghiJKlmNoPQrStuvWXy & Z! Now I know my A-B-C's, next time won't you text with me?" within a minute with zero mistakes. Apparently Mr. Schwartz utilized an LG enV to key in the winning message, though he did call the iPhone and BlackBerry "superior products." Better cash that LG-signed check fast, buddy -- ever heard of a "stp pymnt?"[Via textually]Read
World
SMS
BlackBerry Thunder first-ever live pics unearthed
13.07.2008 18:12
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, RIM If you're a BlackBerry fan feeling the need for relief from the throngs of iPhone lovers, the cats at CrackBerry may have uncovered a solution to your problem. The RIM aficionados have gotten their hands on the first ever live pictures of the phone-maker's touchscreen device -- the Thunder -- and it's looking pretty darn sweet. Feast your eyes on the above photo (featuring the much-discussed "tactile" keyboard), and hit the read link for another look.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
PSA: working atop cellphone towers is inherently dangerous
13.07.2008 16:20
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Misc Color us flabbergasted, but tower climbing is being deemed "the most dangerous job in America" by Edwin Foulke Jr., head of the Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). A recent look at the industry found that five climbers perished during a 12-day span this spring, bringing the grand total to seven in 2008. Of course, there are already remarks that the recent rush to expand 3G networks could be somehow connected, with Craig Lekutis, president of WirelessEstimator and a former tower industry manager, stating that the "recent spate of accidents must be viewed as an industry-wide cause for concern, both on the carrier and climber levels." In order to help bring awareness to the intrinsic hazards, OSHA is pushing a "Tie or Die!" campaign -- which, honestly, sounds a bit brash on the surface -- but we're all for reminding folks to anchor down that somehow have the ability to forget.[Image courtesy of Verizon Wireless]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Palm's Treo 800w now available online from Sprint
13.07.2008 14:12
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Palm, Sprint, Windows Mobile, EV-DO We're not sure if you check most mobile provider's sites every ten minutes or so (like we do), but if you did, you would have noticed that the latest Palm Windows Mobile device -- the Treo 800w -- is available for purchase at Sprint's online store. The phone, which features a 320 x 320 screen, EV-DO Rev. A, WiFi, and GPS, is currently listing for $249.99 after a $250 instant savings, $100 mail-in rebate, and two-year contract. So if you've been absolutely, positively dying to get your hands on this thing -- now's you chance.[Via Phone Scoop]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Black iPhone 3G vs. white iPhone 3G... fight!
13.07.2008 13:15
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Features, Apple For many people we encountered in line on launch day, the decision had already been steadfastly made: they'd be picking up a black iPhone 3G, and no one would sway them from their path (except maybe -- maybe -- if the black was sold out by the time their number got called). We've got to say, though -- after spending a great deal of quality time with both colors, the white definitely holds a special place in our hearts. It doesn't show smudges as easily, it makes just a little bit bolder of a fashion statement, and it tells passers-by, "yo, I sprung for the 16GB model" since the 8GB is only available in black. Don't get us wrong, the black's just fine, but we figured we'd throw out some food for thought on the subject.Gallery: Black iPhone 3G vs. white iPhone 3G... fight!Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Sprint's fabled SERO plan rides off into the sunset
13.07.2008 11:15
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Sprint A common battle cry in the carrier war heard in recent years has been "yeah, but those plans all suck compared to Sprint SERO." A little too common, in fact -- a significant fraction of subscribers signed up for the incredibly lucrative employee referral packages didn't actually know any Sprint employees -- but at $30 for several hundred voice minutes plus unlimited data and texting, that whole referral thing was an ordeal worth enduring. Well, you can kiss that sweet little deal goodbye, because SERO has been replaced with the more slickly-named "Everything Plus" package which packs basically the same features for $59.99, a healthy bump in price of 100 percent. What's more, would-be buyers now need to know a Sprint staffer's employee ID to sign up, closing a longstanding loophole that required no more than an email address, which is usually a pretty easy bit of information to score. All told, the plans are still decent deals, but still, grandfathered SERO customers have got to be chuckling to themselves right about now.[Via phoneArena]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Storage tank-monitoring modem becomes Verizon's first open network device
13.07.2008 05:14
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Peripherals, Verizon Wireless While we can't imagine there are many bottles of champagne being broken over it, Verizon's much touted open network initiative finally has its first device: a modem that helps monitor the contents of large storage tanks. It is part of SupplyNet Communication's Prophet line of devices, and makes use of Verizon's network and SupplyNet's own TankLink service to send out an urgent text message before the tank runs dry. Not exactly the most exciting device to be sure but, as MocoNews points out, it is just the type of thing that Verizon had in mind with the initiative, which it hopes will help bring in revenue from all sorts of unexpected sources.[Via MocoNews] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
World
Mobile Phones
Samsung's i8510 inspires 8 megapixels of awe
13.07.2008 02:13
engadgetmobile.com
Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, Symbian, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS Yeah, we know pixel count doesn't equal picture quality -- but like it or not, it looks like 8 megapixels are poised to become the new 5 megapixels in the upper echelon of the cameraphone world this year. Samsung's never a company to shy away from a challenge like that, and sure enough, details are emerging on a so-called i8510 smartphone that features S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, FM radio, GPS, WiFi, and a whopping 16GB of internal storage -- not to mention a microSD slot that can take you up to 24GB. Oh, and there's the little matter of that camera, which features an dual LED flash and 120fps video capture at QVGA resolution. Add in DivX and DLNA certification, and we're kind of at a loss to figure out what's missing here. Boundless, unchecked hype, maybe? No word on a release date here just yet.[Via mobil.cz]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mobile Phones
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