First Look- zzzPhone April 29, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, First Look/Reviews , add a commentHere is something that is completely new for us here at TeenTechBlog, a first look and “hands on” review of a product. The device we have here is a whole new cell phone concept out of China called the zzzPhone. What the zzzPhone does that separates it from all the other cell phones from manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Samsung, and Apple , is that the zzzPhone allows for the buyer to choose the features the buyer would like in their cell phone. An example of some of the features available to be customized are the camera (standard is 2 megapixels, but could go up to 5 or 7, and there is also an option to get rid of the camera all together and save $11). There are also many other features to choose from and we will be getting to them in the coming days with a review of this model and the smartphone Windows Mobile version (also touchscreen with a 2 megapixel camera, but also ships with the latest and greatest version of Windows Mobile… 6.1!). In the meantime here are a few pictures of both phones with more coming with the review and interview with a fellow teenager Jesse Nowlin who just so happens to be working in this company (and also hooked us up with the phones).
Click on the more link for some pictures- smartphone is the one with the full keyboard.
Future of Cell Phone Shopping? April 18, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, Computers , add a comment
ATT and Microsoft have released today in a few select ATT stores a whole new way to shop for a cell phone. This new way is through a Microsoft product called Microsoft Surface. What it basically is, is a huge multi-touchscreen table computer, that in this case, would make your shopping for a new cell phone easier (seeing features of a phone, comparing multiple phones, shopping for accessories, etc.). Right now it is only released in 5 ATT stores in New York (2 stores), San Antonio, Atlanta, and San Fransisco (though more will be in other ATT stores soon). If you want some more info including store locations (for those of you who want to see this in person and/or are getting a new phone), photos of the new giant computer table in action, or video of that giant computer table in action see some of the links below. (Also by the way if your thinking that you want to get one of these as your next computer you may wanna start saving up for 2 reasons: 1. This will cost a whole lot of $$$ when it is released to the general public, and 2. It wont be released to the general public till 2011- or so they say).
Links:
Video courtesy of Gizmodo.com- Here
Store Info courtesy of Boygeniusreport.com- Here
Photos (including one above) courtesy of Engadget.com- Here
Top 5 Cell Phones- T-Mobile April 14, 2008
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones , 1 comment so farHere are the top 5 regular cell phones to get if your getting a new cell phone for T-Mobile, in the “free with contract” to $250 price range. Ratings provided from the Editor reviews at www.cnet.com . Pricing information is provided from the T-Mobile website www.tmobile.com.
1. Nokia Xpress: Music 5300. The Nokia Xpress: Music 5300 is a nice slider phone with some nice features. Those features include 1.3 megapixel Camera with ability to record video, available in multiple colors, Mp3 Player with external rubber controls, and a memory card slot. Another great thing about this phone is its price. It’s price as listed on T-Mobile.com is only $29..99 with a 2 year contract.
The Xpress 5300 is $29.99 for both of the available colors (black and lilac- think purpleish) with a 2 year contract, received an 8.3 out of 10 rating from the editors at Cnet.com.
Nokia Xpress: Music 5300 (in black)
Virtual Desktops- Mac April 10, 2008
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Computers , add a commentOf all the prominent features that came on the 10.5 Leopard update, the one I like and use the most is Spaces, a virtual desktop application. (There exist several of these for Windows as well, which accomplish the same thing.) Virtual desktops are designed for multitaskers, like myself, and find that I use Spaces more then any other application. In fact, I will have probably used it several times in the writing of the post. So, what is the point of these programs? As the name implies, these allow your to create a number of virtual desktops, each with its own application or applications running in it. This allows a seriously useful distribution and uncluttering of windows which I happen to love, as it allows me to just keep one thing in each space, access the desktop easily without sifting through 15 windows, and allow me to not have to keep track of what applications I have hidden or minimized. Below you can see what my desktops are without spaces and with it:
What really is next-gen gaming? April 7, 2008
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Video Games , add a commentSomething I’ve been thinking about lately is (if you didn’t get this from the title) what truly is next-gen gaming. Now I’ve been playing video games for a while, my first game ever (that I remember) was watching my older brother play NiGHTS on the Sega Genesis, which was groundbreaking in having a joystiq and 3-D gameplay. And then, I remember it being flashly, cool, and pixilated. My next encounter was the N64, which I recall as being very cool and accurate, especially in some games. Yes, you read that sentence right, the N64. Why? Because it was next-gen, back then, and no-one knew better, especially not myself. What was the next “next-gen”? The Dreamcast. I can still remember the Sunday I got it, and played Sonic Adventure, and was blown away. I still to this day have my brain lie to me about how good that game was, because I remember it as being an incredibly realistic, and just an awesome experience. Youtube videos of the game prove me today otherwise correct. Again, this was because this was “next-gen” then. Next was the PS2, which also, has the initial blown away factor, but playing one today is no big deal, as its no longer “next-gen”. When the Gamecube and XBOX launched a year later, I remember not being amazed by grapihcs, as I had adjusted to the graphics of last gen consoles. Finally, i go back a year and a half, to the XBOX 360 launch. This console generation promised (at least on 360/PS3 part), graphical capabilities on par with real life. And, when that XBOX was first turned on, I was simply amazed at how good it looked. The PS3 I found a year later was a bit nicer then the XBOX, but nothing major. (The Wii for the most part, went next-gen in a totally different way, which I’ll hopefully address later. ) I guess the thought I’m trying to leave you all with is that what makes a next-gen gaming is a term that evolves as the technology does, and what we call -next-gen now could be and very probably will be rendered old by the next consoles, and that tech ages really really fast. Hope you all enjoyed my childhood forays into technology, and if you like this sort of thing sound off in the comments, and I’ll try to do this more often.