Need help making decisions? Try Hunch.com!

"The site Hunch.com is designed to help you make decisions. Ask it a question -- "What kind of shoes should I buy?" -- and it will ask you a few questions about yourself, then come up with an answer. That answer, of course, isn't always a stroke of genius, and nobody should rely solely on Hunch's advice for big, life-altering decisions. However, the site can be fun when it comes to trivial matters."

To read more on this, click here.

Would all phones be unlocked soon?

"President Barack Obama's choice to head the Federal Communications Commission plans to review the exclusive arrangements between wireless carriers and cell phone makers.


The issue of exclusive agreements among some of the biggest companies like Apple Inc's iPhone and service provider AT&T Inc is at the center of some lawmakers' concerns about whether such practices hinder competition and innovation."

"...The path to innovation is paved by openness, and unlocking devices is a good start, said Ben Scott, policy director at Free Press, a consumer watchdog."

To read the full article, click here.

My personal comment on this: God bless America! Cheers to unlocking of all cell phones!

What's in a Nokia 5530 XpressMusic?

The EDGE Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, like the aforementioned 5800, comes with a touchscreen display with tactile feedback sporting Contacts Bar (allowing quick access to people you keep in contact the most) as well as 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and microSD card slot (a 4GB microSD card being bundled with the phone).

Nokia 5530 XpressMusic Specifications:

• Dimensions: 104 x 49 x 13 mm

• Weight: 107 g

• Display: 2.9 inch widescreen (640 x 360 pixels) with up to 16 million colors

• Camera: 3.2 megapixels with autofocus and LED flash

• Video capture: widescreen 640x 360 px up to 30 frames-per-second

• Memory: Up to 70Mb phone memory with 4GB in-box MicroSD card, supports up to 16GB MicroSD memory

• Connectivity: High speed MicroUSB connector, 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, Bluetooth 2.0

• Data connectivity: GPRS/EDGE, WLAN (IEEE 802.11 b/g)

• Talk time: Up to 4.9 hours

• Standby time: Up to 14 days

• Music playback: Up to 27 hours

• Video playback: Up to 7.3 hours

Nokia 5530 XpressMusic Key Features:

• Touch-screen responsiveness gives tactile feedback and the fastest, most intuitive access to all the phone, web and multimedia features crammed inside - including music, video, gaming, social networking and messaging.

• Contacts carousel - one-touch access to 20 favorite contacts, each displaying their most recent emails, calls or social media updates and a thumbnail pic chosen by you.

• Media Bar pops-up to give quick access to instant messaging like Windows Live Messenger, on-board videos or YouTube, access to other sharing sites like Ovi Share, Flickr, Facebook, MySpace, VOX - or just to browse the web.

• Music features include a world-class quality music player for excellent audio quality, FM radio, stereo speakers with surround sound, dedicated full touch music keys, 4GB built-in storage expandable to 16GB for up to 12,000 songs with album art.

• Listen to music - plug in the superb Nokia Stereo Headset WH-205 that comes in the box, and features a great tangle-free lead, or plug your choice of headphones into the standard 3.5mm headphone jack, or listen over Bluetooth stereo audio.

• Synchronize and manage music with Nokia Music Store, upload and download tracks via WLAN, Bluetooth or MicroUSB. Manage playlists on the go, or via PC with Nokia Ovi Suite

• 2.9-inch brilliant widescreen with up 16 million colors brings videos, album art, photos and phone menus vividly to life.

• Accelerometer automatically switches between landscape and portrait format whether you want use the phone, browse the web, watch a video or play games.

• 3.2 megapixel camera with flash and autofocus for snapping good quality photos and videos.

To read more on this, click here.

What's in a Samsung Omnia II?

 

Samsung Omnia II Specs:

• Network: HSDPA 7.2 Mbps/HSUPA 5.76Mbps; EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900MHz; UMTS 900/1900/2100MHz

• 65K WVGA AMOLED Display (3.7-inch, 480 x 800--largest AMOLED display yet in a phone)

•  Advanced R-type Touch Screen

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (upgradeable to WM 6.5)

• 5-megapixel CMOS camera with autofocus and face-detection, plus geotagging and a photo editor 

• Video recording at 30fps@720x480, plus video editor (trim video, audio dubbing, live dubbing, add subtitle)

• Audio supported: MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WMDRM, OMA DRM 2.1, plus FM radio

• Video supported: DivX, XviD, H.263, H.264, WMV9, MPEG4

• A-GPS with Navigation (3D Map)/LBS

• TouchWiz 2.0 UI with Mobile Widget/3D Media Gate

• Multitask manager/3D Interactive Games

• Bluetooth Stereo Headset (A2DP)

• WiFi

• 2GB/8GB/16GB of internal memory (3 different models)

• microSDHC expansion slot (up to 32GB)

• Up to 10 hours (3G) talk time

• Up to 430 hours (3G) standby time

• Dimensions: 4.65 x 2.36 x 0.47 inches (HWD)

Source

Meet Samsung's newest smartphones: OmniaPRO B7610--- OmniaPRO B7320 --- Omnia II --- OmniaLITE B7300

 

"Samsung has released details on the new line of Omnia phones it will show off at the CommunicAsia show in Singapore, including new OmniaPRO models that feature the standard candy bar form factor and the slide-out QWERTY design. The OmniaII has a large AMOLED screen, and the OmniaLITE sports Samsung's own TouchWiz 2.0 interface."

 The OmniaPRO comes in two form factors: a standard keypad/screen arrangement on the B7320 and a touchscreen design with slide-out QWERTY keypad on the 7610.

OmniaII

The OmniaII's features include video recording/playback capabilities and a 7.7-inch active matrix OLED display.

Samsung will likely market the OmniaPRO line first in Asia.

 To read more on this, click here.

 

Who wants a free antivirus from Microsoft?

 

Microsoft is poised to 

start giving away security software.

 

The company is reportedly trialling free anti-virus software internally and said the beta version would be released "soon".

Called Morro, the software will tackle viruses but lack the broader range of utilities, such as parental locks, found in paid-for security suites.

Morro will be Microsoft's second venture in the highly competitive security market.

Microsoft's first attempt revolved around the Windows Live OneCare service that did not succeed in turning many customers away from rivals such as Symantec and McAfee.

Microsoft plans to discontinue Live OneCare once the Morro software is ready.

No specific date has been given for when Morro will be released, but in the past Microsoft has said it would be out by the end of 2009 at the latest.

To read more on this, click here.

Facebook customized URLs

"Beginning at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Saturday morning, Facebook will allow registration for customized URLs (example: facebook.com/YourNameHere), instead of the usual long list of numbers that show up as a Web address for a profile. The world's largest social media network began sending out notices for the process on Wednesday, including a link for registered trademark brand owners to place their names on a restricted list, in the hope of avoiding the cybersquatting phenomenon that has long plagued the Internet domain name process."

The advantages are obvious: an easier way for users to track down their friends -- or their favorite companies -- on Facebook. It also gives those companies a shot at ranking higher on a Google.

However, given complaints from its members regarding past terms-of-service changes, is Facebook ready to get into the domain name business? Can it truly protect trademark owners from seeing their intellectual property pilfered by those who would grab a username, only to sell it back to its legitimate owner? Can Facebook's servers handle what may turn out to be a midnight crush?

To read more on this, click here.