Q.: Judie,

Hope this note finds you well. I need some gadget advice, if you have the time.  I have a birthday coming up in two weeks, and my wife wants a suggestion from me for a present. I am thinking about a new phone.  I have a Samsung Blackjack for work which runs Mobile 5.0 and I like it a lot.  Works very well with our Outlook Exchange server.  I also have a Motorola RAZR2 for weekends, which I also like, but I’d like a weekend phone that has a little more functionality.

I have looked at the N95, but if I am going to put that kind of dent in my wallet, I wanted to see if you have a favorite fun phone that you like and would recommend for a GSM system (I am AT&T).  Anything that really makes you smile?

Thanks for your time!!

Bill

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Q. Hi Judie,
I’m looking for an expert opinion on smartphones. I’m a Verizon customer, so I am due for my new every 2 free $100 in August.

I have a Palm TX, which I lovingly refer to as my electronic brain, and my cell phone LG8600.  The problem is that my brain often forgets the electronic brain, which is really bad for remembering meetings.  :(  So, I want to get an all in one device.

I’ve been reading reviews and checking out all kinds of info, but I’m so confused between Treos, Blackberries, etc.  What I need is a phone, calendar, to do list (mainly some organization software), contacts, camera, and the occasional internet use.  I don’t need to check my e-mail.  Work has not given me a phone to make me constantly check my e-mail, and until they do, I don’t want them to think I’m going to spend all my free time working. 

With that said, I thought maybe a blackberry would be overkill.  I don’t need the super-duper data package for my phone.  Plus, like most people, I’m all about the speed (RAM needed???), and reception.

I’ve thought about taping my phone to my Palm, but that’s just not the fashion statement I want to make.  Plus, the doublesided tape doesn’t hold very well.

Thanks,
Heather

P.S.

I had another question kind of related to the cell phone question: why is it that GSM seems to get the more advanced phones before CDMA.  I’m not talking about just the iPhone, but it seems that way for most new phones.  I thought it had more to do with the fact that more people use the GSM ‘network’, but is there something different about the tech that makes it more difficult to make CDMA phones.  I’m happy with my Verizon service, but I guess I’m a bit frustrated.

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Putting a case on mobile phones with sliding designs is always tricky, but I happen to think that Proporta’s version, which has just been released for the N95 looks pretty functional. Take a look…

According to the Proporta site, “The Proporta Alu-Crystal Case (Nokia n95), has been designed to add little bulk to the device whilst complimenting rather than hiding the stunning looks of your Nokia n95. Made from a material that combines the durable and scratch resistant polycarbonate plastic with an aircraft grade aluminium, you’ll struggle to find a more lightweight yet protective case.”

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Morning iPhone owners! Check out this article On Electronista about Siemens Nokia speeding up the Edge Data Network for GSM cell phones to 4 times current speeds!

In an unusual break from its emphasis on 3G and 4G cellular data, Nokia Siemens Networks today said it had developed a method to improve the speed of 2G networks. Called EGPRS 2, the subset of the future EDGE Evolution format adds a second carrier to the data path and promises to dramatically improve the practical speed of the connection in both directions.

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I really liked the original N95, but a few things left me with a sour taste in my mouth. For the price, the build quality was absolutely appalling, the battery life was pathetic and it constantly ran out of memory. I reviewed the N95 just under 6mths ago, and in that time they have released a new version titled the N95 8GB. While it shares a similar design and innards to the original, it feels like an entirely new animal.

Note: Due to the server crash, the photos no longer have links to large versions. Right-click them and click “View Image” to see the full 800×600 version.

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My name is Judie and I have never owned a Nokia mobile phone; I’m not exactly sure why I haven’t, it just never happened. It’s not that I haven’t been curious, especially with the release of some of Nokia’s newer models - such as the N81, the N92, N93, and yes - the N95, but I just never took the plunge.

Why is it that I feel like I should be admitting this glaring error of my gadget repertoire in the confines of a 12-step program meeting? Probably because until today I was one of, oh…maybe fifteen people in the world that hadn’t used a Nokia, and it was almost shameful.

Today I received an N95 through the Nokia Blogger Program, and I am looking forward to learning about a new (to me, anyway) platform and delving into a device which is so feature-rich that Jenneth ultimately dubbed it her “JesusPhone.”

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As I am sure you have seen, Jenneth has been extremely impressed by the Nokia N95 smartphone, going as far as to call it her “JesusPhone”. I managed to get my hands on one for a couple of weeks to review, and while I agree with many of her points, I have some reservations.

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The N95 comes quite nicely presented. You don’t even have to take it out of the box to see this gorgeous phone. That large screen dominating the front panel looks fabulous.

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Like Sony Ericsson with the P1i, Nokia hasn’t skimped on the included accessories either. Not that they should on an expensive phone like this, but some manufacturers do. In the box you will fine a 1GB microSD, stereo headset, tiny AC adaptor, AV cable and a leather case.

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First thing this morning, G-A IM’d me with a link to Akihabara News. I looked and saw two new Samsung phones.

He said, “She is pretty, we agree?”

Of course I said, “yes!”

“Oh, you were talking about the phone. ;-)” he replies.

G-A, it’s too early in the morning for me to critique showgirls! But yes, she is pretty, too. Ha!

According to his post about the new Samsungs, “Already partially presented in Hong Kong during the ITU Telecom Show, Samsung will present these two 3G/HSDPA phones at the CES. Each side of the phones has a dedicated use.”

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