Tech Reviewer Jeff Schultz takes a quick look at the HTC Radar 4G
Looking for an easy to use smarphone, and willing to try something other than Android or iOS? The HTC Radar 4G might just be the phone for you! The Radar 4G is a solid phone built on the Windows Phone7 operating system, and the first Windows Phone capable of using SIMPLE Mobile’s HSPA+ network.
The Radar 4G has bright and colorful 3.8 inch (480x640) display, housed in an aluminum chassis with white accent panels. A very capable 5 megapixel camera is found on the backside of the phone, and a front facing VGA resolution camera is found above the display. Under the hood, the Radar 4G has a 1Ghz Qualcomm processor and 512MB RAM, as well as 8GB of internal memory.
The Radar 4G was my first experience with a Windows Phone7 device. The operating system is a completely different from Android or iOS, but is easy to navigate. The look of Windows Phone7’s Metro interface consists of very font-centric panels that slide away to reveal more options or pages. The main home screen is a customizable grouping of tiles that are conveniently updating to keep you informed of any new emails, tweets, or Facebook updates. The Radar 4g also has the Xbox Live app to keep you connected with your Xbox Live friends.
I don’t find the Windows Phone7 OS to be as robust or powerful as Android or iOS, and it also has far fewer apps and games available to install. But, if aren’t already invested into those OS’s and you are looking for a starter smartphone this would be a great option for you.
Editor's Note: The HTC Radar 4G can be purchased from a SIMPLE Mobile affiliate or your favorite online store for an average of $350
Shazam is one of my favorite apps. It is available on iOS and Android. I am really bad at remembering artists or the names of their songs. Whenever I hear a song I like or can't remember who sings it, I always Shazam it! What is also really cool about this app is that you can look up information about the bands. So I can see all the lyrics (I LOVE reading lyrics by the way) and see when they are touring and if they will be stopping close by. It also gives you the option to purchase the song or album. Another cool thing about it is that it keeps track of all the songs that you tag and you can hear clips of them later on and post it to your Facebook or Twitter account in case you feel your friends need to know about the song you just heard! I personally think my choice in music is pretty interesting to my friends so I almost always post what I tag. I don't usually use the discover feature, but it is cool to see what is hot on the USA charts, and you can also search for songs or artists. As you can see, I get really excited when I talk a bout this app haha! What are some of your favorite music apps?
Photo Credit: Michael Fraley
When asked about the iPhone user's experience with 3G signal, T-Mobile stated that, "While upgrading coverage inside the West side of the Moscone Center, T-Mobile has also deployed 4G HSPA+ service in the 1900Mhz band to test the live network on a small scale." It also noted that the timing with WWDC was coincidental.
Coincidental or not, this has generated much buzz surrounding the approaching conversion of 3G services to 1900Mhz on the TMO network. SIMPLE Mobile & T-Mobile have a large number of dedicated iPhone users who anxiously await being able to use their device of choice at 3G speeds on their favorite network provider.
Sources: 9to5Mac T-Mo News
Image by Aslan Media
The world of social is a rough & tumble current of daily change. It’s quite easy to find myself nearly out of the loop and a few days or weeks behind on what’s going on in the social world. Fortunately for you, this week, I’m on top of it!
Social Gaming – With E3 (entertainment/gaming expo) happening in LA this week, you can expect to hear plenty of buzz on the next steps in social gaming but not just from your computer, but also from your mobile device. Currently Facebook and Google+ flash games dominate social gaming and allow you compete online with your friends for bragging rights. Mobile gaming has yet to gain much steam but appears to be headed in the right direction as EA recently announced at E3 two new games, Sim City Social and Madden NFL Social, which will be free to play and available on Facebook, smartphones, and tablets. As a recovering hardcore gamer I’ll be interested to see how social gaming not only changes the way we play games but interact with our friends.
Kids on Facebook? – Under parental supervision, Facebook is preparing to open up membership for children under 13. This option will allow these children
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I not so recently noticed that BlackBerry users are becoming scarce. More and more of my friends are replacing them with IPhones or various Android powered devices. I have never owned a BlackBerry because I cannot stand the sound of QWERTY keyboards. The little clicking nose from pressing the buttons, even when the sound is on silent, really upsets me. The sound is equivalent to someone running his or her nails on a chalkboard to me. Anyway, I ended up asking a few of my friends what possessed them to buy one in the first place? They really like the BBM feature. Some of my friends talk to their families over seas and it makes communicating a lot cheaper for them, which is nice. Another good friend said it has really great battery life. That is a really good reason to buy any phone in my book. It is really awful when your phone dies at night and you are walking downtown china town… it gets a little sketch. I guess a downfall to BlackBerry is in the apps department. Which is one thing I cannot live without! I need them to keep myself in check haha. So, I don’t think it is just in my little circle of friends who are ditching their BlackBerrys…why are you?
Last night I was doing some bedtime reading and came across a few articles talking about the Smartphone/tablet revolution. More than one site was under the impression that laptops are going to become obsolete…Dun, dun, dunnn!! That is when I stopped and thought about when the last time I used my laptop was and I couldn’t remember!! My laptop is collecting dust. Sometimes I don’t even remember where I put it! I specifically looked for it after that and it took me like 10 minutes to realize it was under my bed hanging out with the other thing I forget about, like cough drops, a mini can of red spray paint and the glasses I need to wear but never do. This is all thanks to my tablet and Smartphone. I use to carry my laptop around with me on the weekends and go to coffee shops and chill out, but now that I have a tablet I take that instead because it is so much lighter. I also pretty much only use my phone to look things up, even when I am home I check my Facebook on my phone. It’s more convenient because I can also text my friends while I Facebook stalk them…sometimes I am creepy. Anyway, after thinking about it I think it’s only a matter of time before it hits the stage of portable CD players. What do you guys think?
I was browsing on the web the other day and I came across Google Wallet. For those of you like me, who have never heard of it, it’s an online wallet that stores your payment information on the web and on your mobile device. It is currently only available for Android NFC phones like the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus S. Which sucks because I want it!!! Anyone can use the online version, but I am a little bit bitter that I can’t currently use it on my IPhone. What I like about the Google Wallet is that it is extremely secure and easy to use. The wallet has 2 different pass codes and it never shows your credit card number on the screen. Plus, users no longer have to use plastic cards; they can just tap their phones on the kiosk and be done with it. Right now in store purchases can only be made where MasterCard PayPass is accepted. Which isn’t a whole lot. In my city there was only a handful of places like 7 Eleven, Chevron, and random coffee shops. I still think it is a cool idea though. I would like to tap and go at a coffee shop! That is 30 seconds of my life that I could be doing something else… like blogging? !?!
I can sit down at my laptop for literally hours on end looking at super cute things I wish I owned! Who's with me on that? That is probably what got me into Pinterest. What is cool about this app for iPhone (sorry Androidians, no Pinterest love for you yet) is that I can take just about any picture and save it, then show it to all of my friends. I have one for all the pretty things I want in my place, and one for all the hottest fashions…I'm not a slave to fashion or anything like that, but I definitely heart it! I only have two boards because I feel that if I have more I will spread my self too thin and then they wont look as cool all the time. Haha! I really pride myself on the cool images I find and I have to keep it up to date! I might be a little over the top, but Pinterest is just that cool. It's kind of like cell phones, or TV; you don’t know how you used to live without it! I would be really sad if Pinterest disappeared from my life. Okay, Android fans, you'll be happy to know that Springpad for Android is quite like Pinterest. But I digress… I really enjoy seeing my friend’s styles. I have known some of my Pinterest friends for years and no idea that they were into cooking, or that they wish they had a country themed house. It’s really interesting to take a step back and look at what all of your friends like- you might just learn something new about them!
Photo Credit: Beth Meyer
This week the cellular world gathers in New Orleans for the mother of all wireless shows, CTIA. SIMPLE Mobile has returned as well with a booth and the reinforcement of the message that the SIM Revolution continues.
Many announcements by industry heavyweights are usually made during CTIA and this year is no exception. Verizon announced the Android 4.0, HTC Incredible 4G; AT&T announced the Windows Phone running, Samsung Focus 2 and, most relevant to SIMPLE Mobile and its customers; T-Mobile announced it’s 4G networks plans for the year and beyond.
Here’s the breakdown on the 4G goodness for the T-Mobile network.
- As of May 7th Little Rock, AR; Hattiesburg, MS; Springfield, MO; & Madison, WI now have 4G HSPA+ coverage
- Also available May 7th, Fayetteville & Little Rock, AR; Lake Charles, LA; Springfield, MO have had their 4G speeds upgraded to HSPA+ 42, which is perfect timing for the HTC One S launch, a 42mbps capable phone
- The pick of Ericsson & Nokia Siemens as technology partners for launching the next evolution of 4G, LTE in 75% of the top 25 markets starting later this year & into next.
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Unlocked GSM phones are the best things since sliced bread in my book. If you aren’t sure what an unlocked GSM phone is, then you’re in luck because I am going to tell you bit about it right now! So GSM stands for Global Systems for Mobile, which is a cellular network. An unlocked GSM phone allows the network to access different service providers that use SIM cards. If you guys still aren’t really sure what it is, then check out "What is an Unlocked GSM Phone?" I think everyone should have the freedom to use their phone wherever they want. I think Cartman from the TV show South Park said it the best, “whateva, whateva, I do what I want!!!” That is really how I feel about it…haha. Anyway, like I said in my last post I recently went overseas and because I have a GSM phone, I was able to buy prepaid talk, text and web and not be charge crazy roaming fees! Not to mention, being without a phone in a random country just sounds like a bad idea especially when you have zero sense of direction. Other than that fact, it was cool that I still could be connected to my friends through Facebook, so it was kind of like they were all taking the trip with me. I posted all of my amazing pictures in real time, and everyone was able to see exactly how pretty other parts of the world really are. Then on my way back home I just popped out the foreign SIM card and put mine back in, good as new.