The Teen First Look: Xbox 360 Kinect and the New Xbox 360 Dashboard
Oct 12th
Yesterday wasn’t all about phones for Microsoft. After the main Windows Phone 7 event, Microsoft showed off its full holiday lineup—including as you’d very much expect, Kinect and all the new Xbox 360 media features announced along side it back in June. Let me just say this right now– Kinect is AMAZING.
The Teen First Look: AT&T’s Windows Phone 7 Launch Phones
Oct 12th
Now that we got the Windows Phone 7 software covered, what about the hardware? Don’t worry, we’ve got you fully covered here too, as Microsoft and AT&T teamed up to show off their three launch devices– the Samsung Focus, HTC Surround and LG Quantum. After spending a few minutes today with each them, I gotta say, they look great.
We’ve got the full breakdown of what you’re gonna want to know about each of them after the break.
The Teen First Look: Windows Phone 7 OS
Oct 11th
As was promised, we finally today got to see what Windows Phone 7 looks and feels like. After spending a good deal of time with it today, color us very impressed. Not only has Microsoft fought back in the smartphone “battle,” but a lot of what they showed off looks like it will give Apple, RIM, Palm and Google a very strong run for your money. Here’s the full breakdown of you’re gonna want to know.
Microsoft Launches Windows Phone 7 Tomorrow– And We’ll Be There Live!
Oct 10th
After months and months of waiting, Microsoft’s highly anticipated re-entry into the jam-packed smartphone market is almost upon us. Tomorrow, Microsoft will finally release all the final details about their new mobile OS: including launch carriers (AT&T is a given considering how they are co-hosting the press conference tomorrow as you can see in the invite above, and T-Mobile is said to be making their own announcements later in the day), phones (which if early leaks are correct, will be absolutely awesome), and even more about the experience of the OS like apps and services such as Zune and Xbox Live.
The event kicks off at 9:30 am tomorrow, so make sure to check back all day for the full teen rundown.
This is T-Mobile’s New myTouch (UPDATE: T-Mobile Officially Confirms)
Oct 3rd
Wow, let’s hope this is true. What you see above is a view of T-Mobile’s brand new myTouch, and wow does this look insane (heck, it even makes the G2 look a little old, and that phone looks sick!)! Just look at these specs:
- 1 GHZ processor– Yes, a full 1 GHZ, not the 800 Mhz of the G2 (this should mean an even faster phone, whether it is opening apps, multitasking etc.).
- 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash– For taking HD pix and videos
- 3G, WiFi and GPS– Including access to T-Mobile’s all new HSPA+ network like the G2, and the ability to make calls over WiFi (something that’s been absent on T-Mobile phones of late, and should be good if you find yourself running over your minutes limit).
- Genius Button like the G2 — For controlling your phone with your voice (like sending an email or text just by speaking into your phone)
- Video Calling!!!!– Yes, this myTouch packs a front camera for video calling (like iPhone 4, Epic 4G, and EVO 4G). How this will work (does it need a special service like Qik, Fring or something like the iPhone’s Facetime to work is still not clear Update: You’ll be able to video chat out of the box using either Qik or Yahoo! Messenger)– but this is still awesome nonetheless.
Also new on this Android running beast are features like myModes (customized homescreens and settings for work and home) and Faves Gallery (one touch shortcuts to your most contacted family and friends), and the new myTouch will also come with an 8 GB memory card in the box along with traditional Android features like the Android Market.
We’re still gaining info as we write this, so we’ll update once we know more. In the meantime, check T-Mobile’s official myTouch page here.
UPDATE: Well, it’s now officially official. The new myTouch packs all that is mentioned above as well as a 3.8 inch screen, Android 2.2 (with Swype built-in as a keyboard choice), and Screen Share– the ability to share your HD videos on a big screen wirelessly with a TV with DLNA (a technology on many recent TVs that allow easy set-up and connections with many devices). We still don’t know an exact price or release date, but T-Mobile says it will be available “in time for the holidays” in either red, white, black or plum. You can also check out T-Mobile’s Coming Soon page here and register to be notified when more is available.
AT&T Announces New BlackBerry Curve 3G and Pearl 3G
Oct 3rd
Looking for a new AT&T BlackBerry but aren’t digging the new Torch? Well, before you buy that Bold 9700 or Curve you may wanna listen up, as AT&T and BlackBerry are planning to add a few more BlackBerrys over the coming weeks that should definitely make any BlackBerry fan excited.
Pearl 3G
Starting October 17th (two weeks from today), AT&T will be launching the all new Pearl 3G (aka the Pearl 9100). The Pearl 3G is the next generation of the popular but old Pearl series. This is great for anyone who is loved the Pearl’s sleek design, but wanted it to be a bit more “modern” specs wise (the last AT&T Pearl was the 8120, and that was way back in 2008). And this new Pearl is definitely a lot more up-to-date, packing all the traditional BlackBerry features like a trackpad, 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, WiFi with support for the latest wireless N networks, GPS (something you couldn’t get together with the older Pearl, you either had to get one with GPS or WiFi), and of course– 3G (another thing sadly missing from the old AT&T Pearl line). You also get the awesome SureType keyboard (like on the original Pearl, which puts two letters on a key to give you a full keyboard while still keeping the sleekness), and other BlackBerry standards like BBM and the App World (there is no word from AT&T however if/when the Pearl will get the new BlackBerry 6 OS).
The Pearl 3G will cost $149.99 with a new 2 year contract and data plan when it launches on in red the 17th.
Curve 3G
Just like T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint, AT&T too will soon launch their own version of the Curve 3G (aka the Curve 9300). Coming “in time for the holidays,” AT&T’s new Curve 3G will feature pretty much identical specs to the other Curve 3Gs’– the great BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard, trackpad, 3G (again, something older Curves on AT&T– even the recent 8520– lacked), WiFi and GPS, and a 2 megapixel camera with video recording.
You also of course get BBM and the App World, and AT&T also announced that the Curve 3G will get BlackBerry 6 OS (and with it, updates like that much better browser), though an official date for when that update will occur hasn’t yet been revealed (all that’s been said was that it would come in “the coming months”). The Curve will cost $99.99 with a new 2 year contract and data plan.
So, any AT&T users looking for a new BlackBerry gonna wait for one of these or are you gonna go with a current Curve, Bold or Torch instead? Let us know in the comments.
More Nintendo 3DS Info Comes Out– Coming to the US in March?
Sep 29th
Ever since Nintendo’s E3 video game press conference, whenever I heard the term “3D,” I immediately began to think about the Nintendo 3DS– 3D video gaming in your pocket without the need for those annoying glasses. There was though one problem the 3DS’s unveiling– we were all left without any price or release date for when would be able to pick up one of these bad boys. Today however, we have finally gotten those answers from a Nintendo event in Japan.
According to the video game site IGN, Nintendo will be releasing the 3DS next year in Japan on February 26th in blue or black colors for about $300 (the official Japan price is 25,000 yen, which converts back to about US $300), with Europe and the US said to be getting it in March (though what the prices are here may be different from the Japan price. Nintendo US also hasn’t yet announced US pricing and availability).
Nintendo also showed off some cool new features of the 3DS like using the front camera to create yourself a Mii, as well as some of the strong graphic capabilities (and I’m not gonna lie, Mario Kart looks pretty sweet!) which you can see in the YouTube video below:
Here’s the thing, with the holiday season almost upon us, are you willing to wait a few months for this or would you rather just go for a new iPod Touch, which while not 3D, does a solid job for on-the-go gaming as well as a whole lot more with all the iOS apps and Facetime (and not to mention comes in cheaper than the Japan price of $300– the iTouch starts at $229 for the 8 GB).
If you’re looking for a new portable game system this holiday season, what’s it gonna be– you gonna go for that iPod Touch or can you wait it out until the 3DS arrives?
The Teen Review: Microsoft Office 2010 (Home and Student Edition)
Sep 28th
A couple of months ago we gave our first thoughts on Microsoft’s latest and greatest version of its Office suite, Office 2010. So, is this new Office worth the upgrade? Read on for our full teen review!
Would You Buy a Facebook Phone?
Sep 19th
File this one under strange but strange enough that it probably could happen. Rumors are swirling around the internet today of Facebook developing their own cell phone. Yes you read that right, not an app like those found on iPhone, Android or BlackBerry– but a full-out phone. This rumor comes courtesy of TechCrunch (who was the first to report the rumors of Google making their own phone, what later became the Nexus One). What this Facebook phone looks like, when it will come out, or even how much it will cost are still unknown, but what is known is that this project is (well, was) super top-secret that was hidden from even Facebook employees.
Though all the talk is of this being a teen marketed phone, which makes sense as we use Facebook more than any other demographic by a long shot. The phone is said to be a full OS focused around Facebook, including deep contact integration (so all your Facebook contacts are automatically synced to your phone. This is something already done by the iPhone app, so we wonder how this would be better), and I’m sure easy access to common Facebook uses like updating your status, uploading and viewing pix, and commenting and liking friends status’.
Now Facebook’s status (pun fully intended) on all this is the as expected “no,” telling the site Mashable “The story, which originated in Techcrunch, is not accurate. Facebook is not building a phone. Our approach has always been to make phones and apps more social… building phones is just not what we do” (emphasis ours).
Here’s what we want to know though– how important is having great Facebook access to you when your picking a new phone? Is it up there with the “must haves” like sleek design, a good camera and great texting? Or would you rather get a phone with a Facebook app (and pretty much every new phone now has some sort of Facebook app)? Me? I’m more than happy with the Facebook iPhone app, and really wouldn’t see why I’d want a Facebook focused phone (I mean, isn’t that kinda of what the now dead Microsoft KIN phones try to do?).
Verizon and Sprint Announce the New BlackBerry Curve 3G
Sep 16th
There’s always something going on between Verizon and Sprint when it comes to launching new BlackBerrys. I mean, whenever one announces they are getting a new one, the other turns around and says they are getting it too. But hey, if you’re a BlackBerry fan on either of the carriers this type of competition ain’t so bad, right? Yeah, we thought so, and in this case it definitely is good with Verizon and Sprint both announcing their plans to release the all new BlackBerry Curve 3G (or BlackBerry Curve 9330 if you want the specific model name) over the coming days and weeks.
What is this new BlackBerry you ask? Think of it as a solid and cheaper, but slightly lower end version of the Bold 9650 or a very nice update to the current Curve 8530 (the most recent Curve that added a trackpad in place of the trackball). Both come with what you’d expect from a BlackBerry– a sleek, thin design with that awesome full QWERTY keyboard and trackpad, 3G, GPS and WiFi (though unlike the Torch, these don’t connect to the latest WiFi N networks), a 2 megapixel camera with video recording (something we wish would’ve been bumped up at least to 3 megapixels from the current Curve’s 2. Oh, and video recording requires a microSD card. Sprint ships their BlackBerry with a 2 GB card in the box, but Verizon needs you to purchase your own separately), and BlackBerry OS 5 with all the features you know and love like App World and BBM.
Both Verizon and Sprint have also announced that their Curve 3Gs will get updates to BlackBerry 6 OS (with Sprint saying their update will be coming in 2011, and Verizon saying “BlackBerry 6 is expected to be available for the BlackBerry Curve 3G, upon network certification, in the coming months.”) In short, we wouldn’t be surprised if both updates don’t come until next year (network certification is the testing process carriers do on phones and software prior to public release, and Verizon is notorious for having a particularly strict testing process that could very easily push this update to who-knows-when).
Verizon’s Curve 3G will be available later today, September 16th, at Verizon’s site (in either gray or red colors) for a very solid $30 on a new 2 year contract with data plan and $100 mail-in rebate. Sprint’s Curve 3G release (also in either gray or purple colors) will be a little over a week away– September 26th, for a slightly higher but also very solid $50 on 2 year contract with data plan and $100 mail-in rebate.
So, anyone looking to upgrade their Verizon or Sprint BlackBerry?
upon network
certification, in the coming months.
