Have you ever experienced the sinking feeling at hearing the sound of a phone cracking as it hits the pavement? One solution is to wrap your phone in an OtterBox protective case. They make them for iPods, iPhones, BlackBerries, Nokia, Palm, HP, HTC and now Samsung Instinct S30. The cases are designed to protect your phone from what happens when it meets Mr. Pavement at 5 or 10 mph. The Samsung Instinct S30 case uses a soft silicone inside a hard shell to absorb the shock of sudden impacts from drop. Available now for $34.95 from Otter Box and worth it.

OtterBox Samsung Instinct S30 Commuter Case – $34.95

You can save yourself the annoying in-store waiting time and put your name on the list for automatic delivery of the new Samsung Moment when it becomes available November 2. Shipping via FedEx is free and the price of $149 beats the expected Sprint cost by $30 and there’s no need to file for a stupid $100 rebate that 90% of America forgets about. The Moment is a basic QWERTY phone that will be Sprint’s second Android offering following very closely on the heels of the HTC Hero.

Samsung Moment via Androinica

“…or should that be “Walk your environmental talk”??

Who knows. One thing is for sure– It is one thing to talk about caring for the environment and quite another to actually do something about it. Samsung wants to let people enjoy all of of life’s modern conveniences, such as cell phones, while still acting with environmental sensitivity.

That’s where their new Blue Earth cellphone comes in. It combines many of today’s best features- a 3.2 MP camera, a touch screen, music and video players, an FM radio, Bluetooth, a microSDHC slot and even 3G with some neat tricks that would make the huggiest tree-hugger smile.

First off there is the material. The phone is made from recycled water bottles and packaged in paper printed with soy ink (beats eating Tofu!).

Then there is the power-source for the phone. The charger sips just 0.03 Watts when the phone is in standby AND it sports a big solar-panel on the back.

Now if it just didn’t LOOK like the Prius of cellphones…

Full release…

via Wired.com

Website Phone Arena has gotten their hands on an early version of the Samsung OmniaPRO B7330. This looks like an interesting Windows Mobile 6.5 based phone which could fill the gap left by Palm’s announcement yesterday that they’re leaving the Windows Mobile device market behind. Especially nice to see on this device is the 3.2 megapixel camera. Although the layout of the phone looks like it might be a BlackBerry competitor – Phone Arena wasn’t so sure. Read the full preview-review at the link below.

Samsung OmniaPRO B7330 Preview

photo credit: Victor Svensson

I first touched an iPhone in late July of 2007. I was immediately taken with this revolutionary device, and within a few days had one of my own. Like many I found the iPhone to be revolutionary. I initially got the iPhone, planning to use it as my “recreational” device by using a windows mobile handheld for work. Within a week of getting the iPhone however, it was the only device I was using in my windows mobile handheld was on eBay. Its impact on my computing life was remarkable, and with each new version of the operating system it became less and less a “smart phone” and more and more a handheld computer. When the App Store opened a little over a year ago the mobile space was changed forever.

So enamored of the iPhone was I, that for a year I owned and operated an iPhone application review site. When I left that site to put the entirety of my blogging attention here on Gear Diary, I came on board as one of the resident Apple-dedicated site members (aka “crazy fan-boys”). The overwhelming majority of my posts initially focused on iPhone apps and accessories, as well as Mac news and applications.

Over the past few months I have become increasingly disillusioned with some of the moves that Apple has made. Moreover, I have grown increasingly concerned that Apple’s insistence upon total control over the App Store and the device itself, not to mention their often shoddy treatment of developers may in the long run damage the growth and usability of the platform. Add to that my decision to move to Google Voice, and relying exclusively on the iPhone became increasingly problematic for me. Yes, I own both of the “offending” Google Voice applications that Apple unceremoniously pulled but even they don’t fully integrate with the device due to the core limitations Apple has imposed. Even in the best circumstances Google Voice has to initiate the call, call me back, and then connect.  It’s Obnoxious.

All of this led me on a search for a possible alternative device. Half a dozen devices were purchased and returned in short order, but finally – a week ago – I came upon one that is a keeper. Here’s my journey away from full-fledged iPhone-maniac to gasp… joining the ranks of the Blackberry addicts.
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The relatively new Samsung I7500 can be all yours via Amazon reseller MobileCityOnline for $700. This unlocked Android based phone, nicknamed Galaxy, is unique for the 3.2″ AMOLED screen which promises a brilliant touchscreen experience. There’s also GPS, 5 MP camera, 8 GB memory, Wi-Fi and 7.2 Mbps HSDPA (900 / 2100 / 1700) as well as quad band GSM (850/ 900/1800/1900). The site indicates the phone is shipping now.

Amazon

Do you want your phone to have its own identity?

Then perhaps it needs a Coveroo case.

Coveroo offers over 2,000 designs that it laser engraves onto the back of your cases.  Or choose a color design and it’ll be applied with a special process that makes it both durable and wear resistant.

You can also choose to truly customize your case by having Coveroo apply your own personal logo or picture to your case.

The Coveroo cases are available for most major cell phones including BlackBerry, iPhone, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, Palm, and more!

I recently ordered a couple of Coveroo cases for review.

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My good friend and blogging buddy Mike Temporale has got a really good review of the AT&T Samsung Jack over at Mobile Jaw that you really need to take a look at.  The Samsung Jack was originally thought to be called the Blackjack 3, before it was officially announced and released on AT&T, here in the States.

Says Brother Temporale in his review:

It may not be called BlackJack, but the new Samsung Jack is the third release in the popular BlackJack series of smartphones. The original BlackJack and BlackJack II devices both reached the million plus sales mark.  Can Samsung repeat that success with this new phone? If first impressions are any indication, then the new Jack should easily live up to the reputation of the BlackJack’s before it and reach that million seller mark.

The Jack seems like a decent device; and the improvements in its keyboard and processor may make this something that you’ll want to consider if you’re looking for a new phone.

I saw these on the most recent version of Geek TV and just though they were too cool!

Samsung has announced two new cameras both with dual LCDs, the second being on the front.

The ST225 and ST220 compact camera both have the new front LCDs.

To activate the 1.5″ front LCD, you simply tap, and the camera turns on its self-portrait mode after which smile detection or timer can take over.  Great if you’re snapping a picture of yourself.

Another thoughtful application of ST225’s front LCD is to capture a child’s attention by playing short clips of cartoon animation.

The timer mode will also show a visual countdown so everyone knows exactly how much time until it snaps a photo.

The $350 DualView ST225 has  12.2MP, 27mm wide angle lens, 4.6x optical zoom, 720p H.264 video capture, and 3.5″ touchscreen with 1,152k pixels and haptic effect.

The $300 ST220 is slighter thinner, and sports a smaller 3″ touchscreen with 230k pixels.

You can learn more about both cameras on the Samsung web site.

What good is a sexy new 1080p Blu-ray player if you have no video to watch or have to run right out and buy expensive cables to hook the player to your TV? Well Amazon has solved both those concerns by bundling in two Blu-ray movies as well as a an HDMI cable provide you purchase by August 31, 2009. Your selection of movies is mostly guy stuff (Iron Man, Unforgiven, Dark Night, Green Lantern) though there is one chick flick (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) to keep your special woman happy.

Samsung BD-P1600

Phone Arena is out with their look at the Samsung Galaxy I7500 which is the first Android based phone for Samsung. The 5 megapixel camera may be one of the shining features as the site pronounces the phone mostly mediocre with nothing new within the interface, mediocre call quality and the D-Pad as slightly less usable than the trackball found on the HTC devices. This global GSM phone also works with T-Mobiles 3G and AT&T’s 2G network.

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Tired of staring at a tiny computer monitor on your desktop? Need a second monitor so you can keep your email open in one window while goofing off on Facebook in another? Maybe you’re still using (gasp) a big old fat monitor and not and flat panel like your neighbors. Here’s a chance to keep up with the Joneses next door while also stepping up your monitor quality to a 24 inch full HD 1920 x 1200; 20,000 :1 DCR for only $255.99 after a 20% off coupon redeemable at the Dell Small Business online store. Coupon code is valid through 8/10/09 via GearSponsor Logicbuy.

Samsung 2433BW 24-inch Widescreen LCD – at Logicbuy

The folks over at Phone Arena have posted a review of the new  Samsung Omnia II 8000.  It has a big 480×800 screen (AMOLED), a fast 800MHz processor, 8GB of internal storage, 3G, WiFI, GPS, a 5MP camera, and 256MB of RAM (and a buch of other stuff).  Samsung uses their own customized front-end called TocuhWiz that hides the clumsy Windows Mobile user interface.

Overall, they really seem to like the device.  They indicate that Samsung did well with the user interface and they really like the high-resolution screen.  On the downside, however, they point out – numerous times - that the device was showing a lot of lag – unusual for a device with such a fast processor.  My guess is that Samsung will get fix out at some point, but it may hamper the device for now.   Other reviews I’ve read  also note that the display may be difficult to see when outside.  Note: the review is for the European version of the Omnia II 8000, there isn’t a current US carrier, but Verizon should be getting the device soon.

While we wait, hop over and take a look at the review!

If you’re on a GSM carrier and need a replacement QWERTY phone – here’s a deal that you should look closely at. This Samsung i321 is compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Not all carrier features may be supported. It will not work with CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless, Alltel and Sprint. Still how can you go wrong with an out the door price of $90 for a QWERTY smartphone. Under the hood there’s Windows Mobile 5.0 software. Add Bluetooth Wireless Technology, a 1.3 megapixel camera, a full QWERTY keyboard and a host of other fun and functional features, you have a world class communications supertool. The main feature here is that the phone’s unlocked so you can buy it without a contract for use on nearly any GSM based carrier.

Samsung i321

It’s no mystery that we at Gear Diary are big fans of OtterBox.  Like most gadget junkies we want to keep our devices looking as pristine as possible.  Or maybe we’re just too hard on our gear.

In either case, we like the OtterBox Defender series because it wraps your device in three layers of protection providing a safe barrier from the outside elements.

OtterBox has announced the release of two new cases.

The new Defender series for the Blackberry Curve 8900 and the Defender series for the Samsung OMNIA.

Both offer the same triple protection, and they are available from the OtterBox web site.