scattered technology news

Comparison Chart: iPhone vs. Droid 0

After my insanely in-depth Droid Review, everyone still kept asking the same question: “How does it compare to the iPhone?” Although reading my Skatter Tech review would answer that and even share a few thoughts about what this means for the smartphone industry, I thought a visual comparison wouldn’t hurt. So after some Bill Shrink inspiration, I came up with a Comparison Chart that covers a bit more about the technical differences between the two phones. And here it is, enjoy: Read More

Verizon: HTC ERIS & BlackBerry Curve 0

It’s November 6th and Verizon’s major launch of the Droid, which we reviewed earlier this week, is finally on sale! Although it might not be a well-kept secret, the HTC ERIS is also available in stores today. It’s quite similar to the Sprint HTC Hero, which we also reviewed a week ago. It runs on the Android OS, unfortunately not v2.0 like the Droid, but is available for a more affordable price of $99. That’s after a $100 rebate and a new 2-year contract, of course. For some quick specs, it’s got a 5 megapixel camera, an included 8GB microSD card, WiFi, 3.5mm headphone jack, GPS, and a Browser with Flash support.

On another note, Verizon Wireless also announced the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530. Unlike the clickable touch-screen the Storm2 features (see our review), it has traditional form factor with a physical QWERTY keyboard. Unlike older BlackBerry phones, this one does away with the trackball, replacing it with a touch-sensitive trackpad. And for some quick specs for this phone, it’s packed with WiFi, 3G, GPS, 2 megapixel camera, and mainly a lot of business/enterprise features. The Curve 9530 will be available on November 20th for $99 after a $100 rebate and signing a 2-year contract.

We will be getting a hold of both of these phones in the coming days and will be publishing full reviews shortly after. In the meantime, to be the first to read our reviews, subscribe to our RSS Feed, sign up for Email Subscriptions, or find us on Facebook or Twitter!

Powermat Wireless Chargers (Review) 0

Cables, cables, cables. Everyone hates them. With more gadgets in our everyday lives, cables have become a large mess. Today, we arrive at the Powermat. It is a simple accessory that lets you charge all your gadgets wirelessly. Although the technology behind it, electromagnetic induction, has been around since the early 1800s, it has only reached consumer electronics recently. Simple household electronics such as the Philips Sonicare toothbrush, have used this wireless charging technology for sometime. With the Powermat, we can now charge just about any gadget: iPods, Blackberry, and Nintendo DSi.

Using Powermat is quite easy. There’s only one cable needed to power the Powermat itself. Gadgets can be placed on any of the three magnetic charging spots on the device. It plays a futuristic sound and display an LED indicator to verify that it’s charging. If you begin to get annoyed with the sounds once the “coolness-factor” fades, there are buttons on the back to adjust the volume and indicator brightness level as well. An additional powered USB port has been conveniently added to the back to charge legacy devices that don’t yet have support for the Powermat.

Here’s when it gets tricky. The devices you own just don’t charge on their own if you place them on the Powermat. You’ll first need to place them in special Powermat sleeves. There are a number of receivers offered, however we were provided with three: iPod Touch Sleeve, Nintendo DSi Sleeve, and iPod Dock. Their website reveals sleeves for other devices including popular models of the RIM Blackberry. The Powermat representative we spoke with stated that many more accessories for popular gadgets are on their way. Read More

Motorola Droid – Verizon (Review) 6

Last week we unboxed the upcoming Motorola Droid for Verizon Wireless and now it is my privilege to give you a full review. I am too fascinated by new technology to ignore the new wave of smart phones – it’s just that I’ve regretted going in that direction in the past. Even the ever-popular Apple iPhone, the king of the smart phone, has failed to meet my expectations in the past. My first generation iPhone lacked basic features like MMS, a removable battery, and video recording. The recent stream of so-called “iPhone-Killers” created by competitors such as HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung have tried to improve on Apple’s shortcomings. Unfortunately, they have failed produce a superior product and experience Apple’s success.

If there is anything you should take from that last paragraph, it should be that I am hypercritical when it comes to reviewing smart phones because I have yet to experience the recipe for a so-called “iPhone-Killer”. So when I say that the Motorola Droid is my new favorite phone, you can take me seriously. Yes, yes, all of the smart phones in this generation do just about everything short of cooking for you. But the Droid just does it better with Motorola’s feature-packed hardware, Android’s new open source operating system, and Verizon’s high quality network. I’ll explain.

The Hardware
This phone is built like a tank. It weighs about an ounce more than the iPhone, but the extra weight just makes the Droid feel like it’s expensive and has a lot to offer rather than just a heavy burden. I was initially concerned about the sliding mechanism for the keyboard, which is often the first to break on phones with a similar form factor. However, this isn’t the case. The Droid is far from flimsy. Although the phone doesn’t sit flush on a flat surface; the shape of the back elevates the phone just enough so that it doesn’t vibrate off of a table or let the camera get scratched. The lip below the screen didn’t seem to serve any purpose, but I soon realized that it houses the microphone and helps the user to tell the speaker from the microphone.

I only have a few small complaints. My first complaint is with the external buttons. Don’t get me wrong, all three power, volume, and camera keys work fine, but they sit loosely in the frame, which feels as though it takes away from the quality of the build. My second complaint is with the battery compartment cover. It slides off rather easily. It even came off once when I pulled it out of a tight pocket in my backpack. I suppose that’s better than not being able to take it off at all, but it’s something to keep in mind if you like your jeans extra tight.
Read More

November 2009 Game Releases 0

This November will be an exciting month for gamers, especially those who have a PS3 or Xbox 360. Highly anticipated games on all three consoles release this month, including Assassin’s Creed II, CoD4: Modern Warfare 2, and New Super Mario Bros. So get out your cash, and get ready to buy these games!

Blue Microphones Snowball (Review) 0

Although most laptops now feature built in web cameras and microphones, they often produce mediocre results. Those components might be great for video chat, but not for producing semi-professional content. For the audio portion, a new market has introduced USB-based microphones, that produce surprisingly good recordings. The California-based company, Blue Microphones (Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics), produces many high quality retro-looking audio products. The one I’m taking a look at today is the Snowball. It’s quite affordable, easy to setup, and produces great results.

Hardware: 5/5 stars
Blue Microphones includes all the essentials to get started with podcasting or recording audio. The box includes the baseball-shaped microphone, a tripod stand, and a USB cable. The tripod extends upwards, rotates a complete 360 degrees, and even allows tilting the head back and fort. Rubber tips on the legs of the tripod are a neat addition as they offer a strong grip and reduce vibrations. The unit also has a standard threaded connector, so it can attached onto any standard microphone stand. There’s a red LED indicator on the front and the USB port resides right below the mode setting switch on the back. The unit stands sturdy and has a unique retro look that catches glances. Read More

Top 5 Movie Downloads Of The Week 1

Last week I brought you guys a quick post about the most legally downloaded MP3s of the week and today here’s a list of the 5 most digitally downloaded movies of the week. The data has been collected from online download and rental services such as iTunes and Amazon On Demand. So enjoy:

I’ll be switching off each week between the Top MP3s Post and this one, so check back next week!

Verizon Wireless MiFi 2200 (Review) 0

Although just about everyone has internet access at home, people still enjoy the freedom remaining connected while on the go. Even with WiFi hotspots around every corner, many still prefer to use 3G network for their own personal network. USB modems have been a popular solution, but they have limitations. Most require installation of drivers and leave a device sticking out of the side of your laptop. Although most new laptops offer configurations with broadband cards built in, those are even more limited since only that device will be able to utilize the network. Fortunately the MiFi 2200 came to the rescue earlier this year, introducing a personal 3G-powered WiFi hotspot.

Novatel MiFi 2200 Specifications:

• Network: Verizon Wireless CDMA
• Wi-Fi Mode: 802.11b/g
• Security: VPN & WEP/WPA/WPA2
• Size / Weight: 3.5″ x 2.3″ x 0.4″ / 2.05 oz
• Connector: microUSB
• Battery Life: 4 hours use / 40 hours standby

Hardware: 5/5 stars
The MiFi 2220, developed by Novatel, is about the width and height of a business card. It’s 3.5 inches wide, 2.3 inches tall, and just 0.4 inches thick to be exact. While weighing just about 2 ounces, it packs both a CDMA and WiFi antennas inside. There’s a power button on the top that lights up green when it’s on. A microUSB connector, for charging the device, resides besides another green LED indicator that displays WiFi activity. On the bottom, there’s a sliding back door that reveals a battery pack. Other than that there’s not much else to say. It’s light weight and compact enough to take with you.

Read More

Do You Still Set Your Clocks? 0

This year’s Daylight Savings ends on tomorrow on November 1st, 2009 for those who live in countries that observe it. At 2AM clocks will need to be turned back an hour. And to remember which way the clock gets turned when, just remember the phrase “Spring Forward, Fall Back.”

However it’s 2009 and we live in a digital world. I realized I haven’t had to manually set a clock back or ahead for at least a year or two now. Everything I use from my computers to mobile phones all get their time from a centralized source. They all adjust themselves automatically. Even cheap standalone alarm clocks that are available that cost under $15 now sync up with the atomic clock in Colorado.

So my question to guys: “Do you still have clocks that need to be adjusted?”
Let us know by voting in our Twitter Poll and by leaving a comment below!

.

Sprint HTC Hero (Review) 3

As a long time Sprint user, I had been deciding on a new phone to upgrade to. I’ve had the Motorola Q for over a year and although it might have been a decent device at the time, both the hardware and the Windows Mobile OS are truly outdated. After a long debate between the Palm Pre and the HTC Hero, I decided to go with the Android powered device. The future of Windows Mobile looks shady and there’s a reason why. After just a minute of use, I was in awe about the ease, speed, and power of the Android OS. With HTC’s excellent hardware and Sprint’s network with affordable data plans, the HTC Hero has been amazing. There’s a lot this phone offers to help organize and centralize all the data in your life.

The Hardware: 5/5 stars
Although the HTC Hero shares similar elements of style from it’s European predecessor, this model has a new and revised body. The distinctive bottom lip (Jay Leno chin?) that characterized the original Hero has been replaced with a more traditional rounded edge. I never spent much time handling the chin-ed version, but I’m satisfied with the comfort the new HTC Hero offers. There’s a large illuminated trackball centered below the display. A send and end button are on the far left and right of the bottom portion, respectively. A Menu and Home key are on the left of the trackball while the search and back key are on the right. The mini USB port is on the bottom, the camera is centered on the top portion of the back side, and the headphone jack is on the top of the phone. The trackball was quite responsive and the inclusion of physical keys for answer and ending calls suited my taste. The phone isn’t the most fancy device on the market by any means, but it’s smoke gray coat with gun-metal accents look elegant. The phone’s also has a great grip to it and feels durable enough to survive a few small drops.

Read More