Is this the Samsung Glyde 2? July 6, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Cell Phones, Rumors , add a comment
A rumored pic of the Samsung Glyde 2 (pic from HowardForums, click on pic for bigger version), next to it is a pic of AT&T’s already released Samsung Impression for comparison purposes (you gotta admit, they look a lot like)
We all know the first Samsung Glyde for Verizon had its ups and downs (looked really cool, but originally the touchscreen stunk, and was so bad that they had to actually recall all the phones to fix it….), but now pix are popping up of a new Samsung Glyde 2, and boy does this look to not just fix everything possibly wrong in the first one, but actually do even more!
Right now all we got are a couple of pix (like the one you see above), but the phone itself to me looks like a sleeker, Verizon version of AT&T’s very good Samsung Impression (which I have actually seen in person and played with for a couple of minutes– the screen and keyboard on it are AMAZING!), and that is definitely a very good thing.
As I said, we don’t know much yet specs wise but we can safely assume this will be touchscreen (my guess on screen size is somewhere near the Impression’s 3 inches– though that is just my guess, and seeing as this is a rumor, isn’t confirmed anywhere), possibly an AMOLED screen like the Impression (again, just a guess, but could very well be as Samsung has been very big on this tech lately. Oh, and in simple terms– this means an AMAZING screen that is up there with the iPhone and Pre’s), Verizon 3G and Samsung’s TouchWiz interface (both of which we can tell from the pix. And the TouchWiz interface is basically a bunch of cool widgets you can place on your homescreen, it’s definitely nice to have and sure beats Verizon’s standard UI on the homescreen). There also looks to be some sensors like a light sensor by the Verizon logo, which also is a nice touch (though what exactly are the sensors we don’t yet know), and the keyboard looks to be easier to use than the very hard keyed keyboard on the first Glyde.
We’ll of course keep you updated on this, but even if the specs are close to what we guessing, then this is looking like another winner for you Verizon users out there.
And we now gotta ask, if your looking for a new phone for Verizon over the next couple of months, what ya gonna get– this (basing on the rumored specs and assuming it gets released soon– like in the next couple of months), the BlackBerry Tour, the enV Touch or the enV3? Or are you gonna look for something different entirely? We’re all ears so sound off in the comments.
When Gadgets and Social Networks Collide– Meet gdgt July 2, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Misc. , add a comment
We got something here today we think a lot of you will love. It’s a brand new site by Ryan Block and Peter Rojas (the guys who made the big tech blogs Engadget and Gizmodo– they also are our mentors here and have helped get us off the ground, just a little side note) called gdgt (pronounced either g-d-g-t, like saying each letter, or just “gadget”). As we said in the title, it’s a site that mixes both gadget news and social networking. It’s really cool, kinda like a Facebook/Twitter for gadgets.
It also really let’s you focus on the gadgets you own, and in your profile, you actually can make a list of the gadgets you want, have, or had– and clicking on one of the gadgets in your list takes you to that gadgets page, where theres a whole bunch of information like a basic overview, tips, tricks and hacks for said gadget (do at your own risk!), and even reviews. Speaking of reviews, you also can post your own reviews on the gadgets (though you can’t just write “this iPod is awesome!”, the reviews need to be at least 200 words), and you can also edit information on gadgets on the site if you find them inaccurate, and you can even add another gadget to the site if you find the one your looking for missing (kinda adding a Wikipedia like element to the site).
There are also a lot of discussions on the site, so if your having trouble with something, there may be a good bet you’ll find an answer to it there– and if you know the answer to someones problem, you can add in a comment to help them out. Those are just a few of the new things at gdgt, you can see a whole video walk through of the site here.
It really is cool and you can check it out for yourselves here. Oh, and friend me and Chaim!
DigitalPersona's Personal Fingerprint Reader – Review July 2, 2009
Posted by Chaim Gartenberg in : Computers, First Look/Reviews , add a comment
DigitalPersona’s Personal Fingerprint Reader (And yes, it does glow with a cool blue light when you use it).
Alright, after that mouthful of a title, here’s the post. Recently, I had the chance to try out DigitalPersona’s Personal Fingerprint Reader, and in short, it’s pretty awesome. Personally, I think fingerprint reading tech is one of the coolest things out there, and this is no exception.
Instead of on some laptops, where there is a little strip that is a slide reader where you slide your finger, this is a full fledged finger print pad, and the difference is noticeable – throughout all my time testing, I never ran into one misread, which is impressive. Accuracy is also good – the reader was able to recognize my prints, but rejected my twin brother’s, which says a lot of how accurate it is. There are several features built into the software that it comes with, that all work pretty seamlessly with Windows (sorry, no Mac support)– logging into Windows, protecting folders, and Internet logins are some of the specific areas where the program works. Logging in is simple– you set up the password, and when the reader is plugged in, when you log in, it’ll give you the option to just scan a finger, and presto – it logs in. Websites work similarly– when you visit a site with a login box on it (like say your email or a site like Twitter or Facebook), a fingerprint icon will appear in the corner of the browser, asking you if you’d like to register an account. It all works simply and efficiently, just as you’d expect. File encryption also works in the same way– select a file, encrypt it, and it can only be accessed by your finger alone.
However, it is a little pricey – costing $90. A cheaper version of the software and reader is available, although I have not tested it, and is instead being a swipe style reader (similar to those found on laptops), and does not include the file encryption software.
Overall, the Personal Fingerprint reader is a cool, interesting way to use fingerprint technology on the web and on your PC. If it’s something you’ve just wanted to try, it might be a little expensive, but for those who like fingerprint security, this is an excellent implementation of it. We are going to give it a very good rating of 4 out of 5, losing points only for the somewhat high price.
We give the Personal Fingerprint Reader a Very Good 4 out of 5
You can order the Personal Fingerprint Reader from DigitalPersona’s site here.
Firefox 3.5 Out– All the Info You Need and First Take July 1, 2009
Posted by Eli Blumenthal in : Computers , add a comment
So, you like using Firefox 3 as your browser of choice over other options such as Safari 4, Opera 9, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer 8? Hey, that’s not a bad thing at all and Firefox 3 is my proud browser of choice (I like it a WHOLE lot better than IE8, Safari 4 and Chrome– and I never really got into Opera). I really love its simplicity and speed, and today Mozilla, the guys behind Firefox, today have officially released the next version of Firefox 3– nicely named Firefox 3.5.
For all the info on what’s new in 3.5 and for a little first take, hit the more link.