T-Mobile dressed Samsung Memoir caught!

The Samsung Memoir is one of the few phones to sport an 8MP shooter!  usually those kinds of Megapixels don’t make it state side.  However, the U.S. is finally starting to get some camera phone love.  If you are a mobile photographer and the idea of toting 8MP on your phone excites you beyond belief, calm down.  You don’t have too much longer to wait as the cited release date is February 25th.  See, not that far off now is it?  With so many megapixels interested persons will obviously have to pay a little extra for the privilege.  Pricing starts at $300 with a two-year contract after a $50 rebate.  A couple goodies besides the MP count is the fact that the Memoir will be carrying a xenon flash and 16x digital zoom!  Granted digital zoom is worthless if quality matters to you, but if you just have to get that split second close up, you should be covered.  Besides these rather exciting features, you can expect 3G, GPS, and a full HTML browser.  Get your wallets ready!

Source: Electronista

iPhone software release: 2.2.1

Sorry to say folks but don’t get too excited. The 2.2.1 software release focuses on Mobile Safari stability and other minor performance tweaks. No copy/paste, Bluetooth file transfer, or anything else remotely close to anything that users have been clamoring for. But if having the newest numbers is an absolute must for you, connect to iTunes and hit the update software button.  Notice anything exciting that Apple neglected to mention?  Let us know!

Source: Apple Insider

Mobile payments being held up by highschool drama

So you want to lighting your purse?  Or wallet?  Well if you’re in one of the few countries that allows you to use  your cellphone as a credit/debit card you’re good to go.  Simply swipe your phone over a scanner and it gets routed to a particular card number.  Now, here in the U.S. we’ll have to wait just a little longer.  Like usual, the little girls running the big corporations involved including manufacturers, cellular carriers, financial institutions, and retailers just can’t agree on how to split all of the money.  I have a crazy idea.  Really, it’s so far out there.  Here it is: If there are 4 parties involves in a transaction, split into 25% slices, 5 parties 20% slices.  It really isn’t rocket science.  Whatever the case, hopefully they stop their highschool drama and get moving so we don’t drop another few spots on the worlds “techiest countries” list.  There is hope however…

Verizon still on track for 2010 LTE rollout

In the current economic times, cellular technologies aren’t usually on in the forefront of very many peoples’ minds. Thankfully, Verizon knows what their priorities are and is doing their best to keep LTE’s 2010 launch date a reality. On a company earnings call today, Verizon’s COO Denny Strigl said that he’s hopefull that they can hit the current projected release date. If you’ve been living in a cave the last few months, or honestly don’t know what LTE is, (it’s ok, I won’t judge you), LTE is a faster, newer generation of cellular technology. It will allow you to browser the web, download songs, and send files faster than every before. Clearwire and Sprint (WiMax), the competitor to LTE will start to see their early bird advantage shrinking as the LTE rollout get closer. Currently, only 2 cities have had WiMax deployed with the third, Chicago, being delayed. The WiMax build out has been going on since 2006…though they aren’t exactly moving very quickly. I will cut them a little slack, the parties involved have been involved in varoius patent and monetary disputes. Almost sounds like a bunch of high school girls doesn’t it?

Source: Alley Insider

Sony PS3 finally getting a price cut?

Sony isn’t always the most giving to their customers.  Take for example the PS3.  It didn’t sell very well over the holiday season, (though that didn’t stop Sony’s CEO from declaring the PS3 the most successful console of the year).  Sony has stubbornly refused to drop the price of the PS3 stating that they feel the price is more than generous.  Ok, guys.  More than generous has come and been long gone.  If you want to start making money in this economy you’re going to have to take a small hit early on in dropping the price in order to get more people to let go of their bennies.  Got it.  Good.   Between the $60 off deal Dell had a couple weeks ago coupled with the $50 gift card add-on with any PS3 purchase at Walmart and now a $50 discount on Amazon all point to a Sony led price cut.  Nothing official has yet been announced but the evidence sure is piling up.  Could we pretty please get a few dollars off Sony?  Would that be too much to ask?

Source: Alley Insider

When 1TB just wont do….

Western Digital is uping the capacity ceiling in the hard drive market by releasing their latest and greatest 2TB Caviar Green hard drive.  It’s noted as being the first hard drive in the industry to reach the 2TB milestone.  *clap*  Don’t worry, the high storage doesn’t come with that high of a price.  Priced at $299, it seems like a fairly reasonable amount to pay for such a plethora of storage for all of your little 1′s and 0′s.  If you are of the type who live on spec sheets, head on over to HotHardware and see the 2TB Green Caviar hold its own against the Samsung Spinpoint F1 and the  SeagateBarracuda 7200.11.

Source: Engadget, Hot Hardware

DTV Transition officially moved to June 12

Apparently, 2 years isn’t enough time for the technologically handicaped government and the U.S. citizens to get their digital ducks in a row as the DTV transition has officially been pushed back until June 12th!  Great job guys, you did a real bang up job.  The reason for the delay?  People are still confused and the Big G didn’t allocate enough money for set top boxes.  Right, changing an event as big as this that has had the date broadcasted for only the last two years won’t confuse people at all.  Ridiculous.  Just when I think this country is starting to make a turn around and head out of the digital dark age, they manage to surprise me.  Besides normal citizens like me who are disappointed the government dropped the ball again, Cellular Providers are equally disgusted.  Because of the delay, carriers must now wait to work on rolling out next generation 4G technology on the currently used 700MHz spectrum.  What are you thoughts, justified or inexcusable?

Source:Electronista, Kabb *pic*