Get more from your BlackBerry with these handy tips
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
World’s first diesel-electric hybrid: Peugeot 3008 HYbrid 4
WORLD’S FIRST DIESEL-ELECTRIC HYBRID: PEUGEOT 3008 HYBRID 4
With the launch of the 3008 HYbrid 4, Peugeot becomes the first automaker to sell a full production diesel-electric hybrid vehicle.
The 3008 HYbrid 4 is powered by a 2.0-liter 163 horsepower HDi diesel, combined with a 27 constant, 37 peak horsepower electric motor, making it a powerful, yet efficient crossover. The CUV is capable of 74.4 miles per gallon highway on the European cycle, and emits just 99 grams of CO2 per kilometer. The 3008 HYbrid 4 also features Peugeot’s latest generation of Start-Stop technology, for even greater fuel economy savings.
The power is distributed via a six-speed electronically-controlled manual transmission, which the automaker says allows for greatly improved fuel economy over both traditional automatic and manual transmissions. The driver has the option of choosing the gear change mode at any time – manual or automatic – with either the gear lever or via controls behind the steering wheel
Driving modes
Adding to its list of impressive green qualities, the 3008 HYbrid 4 also offers a pure electric driving mode, ZEV (Zero emission vehicle), as well as four-wheel drive, Auto and Sport modes.
Peugeot says the ZEV Mode is intended to give drivers the ability to travel silently and without emitting any emissions while traveling around town.
The Four-Wheel Drive mode instructs both power trains to operate together with the rear wheels driven by the electric motor and the front wheels by the HDi diesel engine. At low speed it allows “all-terrain” capabilities equivalent to those of an SUV.
With Auto Mode the entire system is automatically controlled, including operation of the HDi diesel engine and the electric motor. This mode helps to provide an optimal blend for both fuel consumption and dynamic performance.
The Sport Mode opts for quicker gear changes at higher engine speeds than normal mode. This mode combines the diesel engine with the electric motor for more dynamic performance, optimally distributed and transmitted to the road by the four-wheel drive.
Inside the cabin
Peugeot says that with the interior of the 3008 they were aiming for a high-end look and feel, but a layout that should remind the driver of an aircraft cockpit. The cabin features an expansive fascia panel, ergonomically placed controls and an ergonomically-minded center console that helps to clearly separate the territory of the “pilot” from the passengers.
Style is provided from unique materials and color choices, and this is true in particular of the new and specific Guérande & Tramontane two-tone leather finish which subtly combines bright pale grey on the seat cushions with a black finish on the sides of the seats.
The gear lever with its modern and elegant design is a key feature of the HYbrid4 technology. It enhances the technological ambiance in the same way as the seven-inch color display which provides information on the flow of energy. A specific steering wheel bearing the signature HYbrid4 adds a touch of exclusivity to the car.
The Essential List of Android Apps
The Android Market isn't always an easy place to get around. Our first edition of the Lifehacker Pack for Android rounds up essential Android apps and our personal favorites for productivity, multimedia, internet life, and just plain usefulness.
Full article here: http://lifehacker.com/
Rubber Made from Chewed Gum Could Replace Plastic
From: http://www.treehugger.com/
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California
Image via The Gumdrop Bin
It's not news that chewing gum is the scourge of city sidewalks. Nor that it takes a lot of money and energy to clear gum off walkways, shortening the lifespan of the surfaces at the same time. Designer Anna Bullus read the statistics of the gum problem in London -- that the government spends £150 million annually to clean up gum, over 30,000 pieces of which end up stuck to Oxford street alone each day -- and she decided there must be a better way to deal with the problem. So, she headed to the laboratory and came up with a way to transform chewed gum into a useful rubber that can be made into anything from toys to boots. But she's starting out by making chewed gum into discrete but identifiable waste bins for used gum.
The Gumdrop Bin by Anna Bullus is potentially a perfect solution to the problem of chewed gum. She cites that over 3.5 billion pieces of gum are discarded every year, too many of which end up on sidewalks, but by posting small repositories like the Gumdrop, they can be collected and transformed into something new.
The Guardian writes that Bullus "spent eight months working in a lab, trying to turn old gum into a new material...From getting it to make a foam, Bullus was able to make a used-gum pellet; then, adding ingredients (these remain secret), she extracted a polymer that she calls BRGP (Bullus Recycled Gum Polymer). This is the substance she uses to make the pink bubble bins now dotted around Orpington College, where they're being trialled as gum-specific litter bins. When the bins are full, both bin and innards are recycled into new BRGP, which in turn become more bins and possibly other products, too."
There are a few inherent problems, such as keeping the Gumdrop bins empty of anything except gum, when and who collects the gum from the bins, and getting people to use them instead of spitting out their gum wherever they feel like. Getting people to notice, and understand what the pink orbs are for is a big part of the challenge. But if it becomes a useful service, then it could save cities millions in clean up efforts, and save citizens hours of cleaning shoes.
Speaking of shoes, that's exactly what Bullus hopes to make out of chewed-gum-turned-rubber: "The amazing thing is you can use it for any plastic product," says Bullus. "I'd love to do some Wellington boots, for example. Gum boots, in fact."
Chewed gum as a substitute for plastics, at least on a small scale? We'll take it.
So far the repositories are popping up around London and even in a Six Flags in New Jersey. We'll watch and see if, and how, the idea takes off.
Phish Fall Tour 2010: The Tour Dates and a Look at Each of the Venues
From: http://www.glidemagazine.com/
After two scintillating legs of summer touring, Phish has just announced the schedule for Fall Tour 2010. The 15-show tour starts with a headlining set at Austin City Limits and brings them to a number of venues they haven’t played before including the new 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, CO; the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, ME; the Utica Memorial Auditorium in Utica, NY; the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH and Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Phish also visits three venues they have played before – the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, SC (11/18/1995 & 10/27/1996), the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI (12/29/1994, 12/12/1995, 04/04/1998, 04/05/1998 & 12/13/1999) and the Mullins Center in Amherst, MA (04/16/1994, 11/03/1994, 12/04/1995 & 12/05/1995). The tour ends with a three-night stand at Boardwalk Hall that includes a three-set Halloween performance in which the band will don a musical costume by covering another group’s album.
In a first, the group will give ticket buyers free MP3 copies of the shows they attend after it happens at LivePhish.com. The band’s MusicToday site will be updated momentarily for online ticket requests with the request period ending on Friday, September 3rd at Noon. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Sept. 10 and 11.
October 8: Austin City Limits – Austin, TX
October 10 – 12: 1st Bank Center – Broomfield, CO
October 15 – 16: North Charleston Coliseum – N. Charleston, SC
October 19: Augusta Civic Center – Augusta, ME
October 20: Utica Memorial Auditorium – Utica, NY
October 22: Dunkin Donuts Center – Providence, RI
October 23 – 24: Mullins Center – Amherst, MA
October 26: Verizon Wireless Arena – Manchester, NH
October 29 – 31: Boardwalk Hall – Atlantic City, NJ
READ ON for a look at the venues Phish will play…
Capacity: 6,500
Synopsis: AEG’s new venue outside of Boulder, the 1st Bank Center opened with a Furthur show on March 5. The small arena has held concerts, sporting events and family shows since opening.
Capacity: 14,000
Synopsis: The North Charleston Coliseum opened in 1993 and is part of complex that also holds a smaller theatre and a convention center. Therefore, there are tons of hotels and restaurants located near the arena in a setup that is similar to Hampton. The local airport is extremely close as well making the need for a rental car not essential.
Capacity: 6,777
Synopsis: This city-owned venue was built in 1973 and holds more conventions and gun shows than rock shows these days. Over its history, the small arena has held concerts by the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, Guns ‘N Roses and the Allman Brothers Band. Augusta is located about two hours into Maine up I-95 from the New Hampshire border.
Capacity: 5,700
Synopsis: The smallest venue on the tour, the Utica Memorial Auditorium opened in 1960 and was the model for the current Madison Square Garden. The Aud’s other claim to fame is that parts of the movie Slap Shot were filmed there. While Phish has never played The Aud, Trey Anastasio performed at the venue on November 11, 2005 in a show that was hyped with a “Countdown to Utica” clock on his website. Both Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman sat in with Big Red that night.
Capacity: 14,500
Synopsis: Fans that haven’t visited this venue – which was known as the Providence Civic Center at the time – since the last Phish show there in 1999 will hardly recognize the place. First opened in 1972, the mid-sized arena underwent an $80 million renovation in 2005 that included a significantly expanded lobby and concourse, an enclosed pedestrian bridge from the Convention Center, a new LCD video scoreboard, new restaurant, 20 luxury suites, 4 new bathrooms, and all new seats with cupholders in the arena bowl. Both the Providence Bruins (AHL hockey) and Providence Friars (NCAA basketball) call “The Dunk” home.
Capacity: 10,600
Synopsis: Phish performed at the Mullins Center four times between April ‘94 and December ‘95 but haven’t been back since. The venue, located on the campus of UMASS-Amherst, opened in 1993 and hosts the UMASS basketball and hockey teams, numerous concerts, family shows, theater shows, and commencements each year.
Capacity: 10,050
Synopsis: “The Verizon” first opened in 2001 and hosts the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL. The venue has seen its share of concerts from the likes of Van Halen, Justin Timberlake, Styx and Bob Dylan as well as many preseason Bruins and Celtics games. Manchester, located approximately one hour from Boston, is the biggest city in Northern New England (ME, VT and NH).
Boardwalk Hall
Capacity: 14,770
Synopsis: The largest and oldest venue on the tour, Boardwalk Hall opened in 1926 and was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1987. Starting in 1926 the Hall held the Miss America contest each year until 2004. Back in 2001 the venue underwent a $90-million restoration that upped the capacity and focused on preserving elements of the site’s original design. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Police, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Madonna are among the impressive list of artists who have performed at Boardwalk Hall.
I Wonder Where This Walkway Leads To...
Wisteria Follows Cherry Blossoms
“How graceful is the wisteria as its branches bend down covered
with whorls of delicately colored petals!”
from The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon (966-1017)
(translated and edited by Ivan Morris, Penguin Classics)
“Fatigued, time to beg
for night lodging
Blooming Wisteria”
Basho (1644-1694)
“Wisteria in bloom
Voices of pilgrims
Voices of birds”
Issa ( 1763-1828)
Byoudoin Temple in Uji, Kyoto, is a conversion of the glorious villa owned by the Fujiwara Clan. The Amidado, commonly known as Hoo-oo-do (Fenghuang in Chinese or Phoenix in English, the mythical bird revered and meant to protect Buddha) Hall was built in 1053. It is a real wonder how the beautiful Heian Period building survived wars and fires throughout history. I was lucky enough to see wisteria in full bloom when I visited this past April.
I also visited Kisshoji Temple decorated with a famous local (Kitakyushu) wisteria garden, founded by the Reverend Chinzei as his ancestral Katsuki Clan Botai temple.
Wisteria in Japanese is Fuji. The Chinese characters for the flower Fuji is not the one used for Mt. Fuji. Instead, the character is the one used in the Fujiwara Clan. Yes, that's right. The family crest of Fujiwara uses wisteria as its symbol. The dominant Fujiwara names split and spread as descendents with such derivative names as Ito, Kato, Kondo, Goto, Sato, ..., etc.
Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything says Caspar Wister gained a certain unexpected immortality when the botanist Thomas Nuttall named a delightful climbing shrub after him (1818). Belonging to the pea family, wisteria vines entwine around any available support, usually a trellis.
Now, I’d like to offer a bit of intro to the Kabuki Play “Fuji Musume" for blog readers overseas. It is a visual climax of a Kabuki show, in which the dancer performing the role of a wisteria maiden. She changes her Kimonos four times and dances against the gorgeous backdrop of clusters of mauve and purple wisteria flowers, as well as giant trunk of green pine tree. Pine stands for man, wisteria for woman. Accompanied by Nagauta chanting “Wisteria whorls colored delicately purple and extended longer”, the dancer expresses feelings and emotions related to love in the manner of the Edo period by holding a wisteria twig with her coquettish and adorable gestures, twirling around the pine tree. Eventually, sadness and despair take over the maiden. Heartbroken and drunk on Sake, she does a most beautifully frenzied and tortured dance of unrequited love.
with whorls of delicately colored petals!”
from The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon (966-1017)
(translated and edited by Ivan Morris, Penguin Classics)
“Fatigued, time to beg
for night lodging
Blooming Wisteria”
Basho (1644-1694)
“Wisteria in bloom
Voices of pilgrims
Voices of birds”
Issa ( 1763-1828)
Byoudoin Temple in Uji, Kyoto, is a conversion of the glorious villa owned by the Fujiwara Clan. The Amidado, commonly known as Hoo-oo-do (Fenghuang in Chinese or Phoenix in English, the mythical bird revered and meant to protect Buddha) Hall was built in 1053. It is a real wonder how the beautiful Heian Period building survived wars and fires throughout history. I was lucky enough to see wisteria in full bloom when I visited this past April.
I also visited Kisshoji Temple decorated with a famous local (Kitakyushu) wisteria garden, founded by the Reverend Chinzei as his ancestral Katsuki Clan Botai temple.Wisteria in Japanese is Fuji. The Chinese characters for the flower Fuji is not the one used for Mt. Fuji. Instead, the character is the one used in the Fujiwara Clan. Yes, that's right. The family crest of Fujiwara uses wisteria as its symbol. The dominant Fujiwara names split and spread as descendents with such derivative names as Ito, Kato, Kondo, Goto, Sato, ..., etc.
Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything says Caspar Wister gained a certain unexpected immortality when the botanist Thomas Nuttall named a delightful climbing shrub after him (1818). Belonging to the pea family, wisteria vines entwine around any available support, usually a trellis.Now, I’d like to offer a bit of intro to the Kabuki Play “Fuji Musume" for blog readers overseas. It is a visual climax of a Kabuki show, in which the dancer performing the role of a wisteria maiden. She changes her Kimonos four times and dances against the gorgeous backdrop of clusters of mauve and purple wisteria flowers, as well as giant trunk of green pine tree. Pine stands for man, wisteria for woman. Accompanied by Nagauta chanting “Wisteria whorls colored delicately purple and extended longer”, the dancer expresses feelings and emotions related to love in the manner of the Edo period by holding a wisteria twig with her coquettish and adorable gestures, twirling around the pine tree. Eventually, sadness and despair take over the maiden. Heartbroken and drunk on Sake, she does a most beautifully frenzied and tortured dance of unrequited love.
25 essential BlackBerry tips and tricks
Tweaks, speedups, shortcuts and extra features for your BlackBerry - and they're all free
You probably bought a BlackBerry for the keyboard and fantastic battery life but there's more to it than that.
You can just pick a BlackBerry up and start using it, because all you need to do is press the Menu key to get the main options on every screen - but the BlackBerry OS hides a huge number of clever tricks and shortcuts that make it faster and simpler to get things done.
There are some tips you won't need often - like pressing Alt, Del and the right-hand Caps key at the same time to reboot instead of just restarting; others you'll use all the time, like pressing the red 'hang up' key to get back to the home screen and clicking the spanner icon on the home screen to open Options. Here are our top 25 Blackberry tips.
1. Use the keyboard less
BlackBerry has always had a QWERTY keyboard and you can type everything out in full - but you can save time with the built-in shortcuts. Press space twice at the end of a sentence to get the full stop and an automatic capital on the next word.
Don't bother with apostrophes in words like I'm and isn't (type im and the BlackBerry will correct it for you); there are other handy abbreviations like 'wel' to get 'we'll' and 'il' to get 'I'll' and you can add your own with Options > AutoText.
AUTOTEXT: Speed up typing by creating your own abbreviations and corrections
2. Quick capitals
You don't need Shift - press and hold a letter key to type the upper case letter.
3. Skip Symbol
If you're typing an email address into a field that expects an email address, don't bother looking for how to type the @; just hit space and BlackBerry with put the @ in for you. Press space when you need the . in the middle of the email address and it will fill that in, too. Do the same for URLs in the browser; pressing space fills in the periods faster than typing them by hand.
4. Fast select
There's a Select command on the menu for choosing what to copy and paste - but you can make a selection just by holding down the Shift key as you scroll the trackball.
5. Keyboard shortcuts
Save on scrolling by using 't' to get to the top of any email message, web page or other long screen and 'b' to get to the bottom. There are specific shortcuts for all the built-in apps like using the Mute button to pause videos or music or skipping to the next or previous track by pressing and holding the volume up and down keys (which also zoom in and out in the camera - although many apps use I and O to zoom); there's a list in the Help tool.
SAVE TIME: Put the keyboard to work with shortcuts in every built-in app
6. Choose dialling or shortcuts
Under Options > Phone Options > General Options you can set Dial From Home Screen to Yes or No; if you set it to Yes you can start typing a name to dial the number on the home screen, if you set it to No you can type the first letter of apps on the home screen to open them (M for Mail, B for browser, C to compose email - and oddly N for Messenger, L for Calendar and U for Calculator).
7. Web columns
Press Z in the web browser to reflow the page into a column the size of the BlackBerry screen so it's easier to read; press Z again to go back to a normal page view you can scroll around.
EASY READING: Switch between seeing the original layout and a version of the page reformatted as one long BlackBerry-sized column
8. Turn on JavaScript
To save memory and make pages load faster, the BlackBerry browser usually has JavaScript turned off by default; use Options > Browser Configuration > Support JavaScript to turn it back on and make more pages load correctly.
9. Which browser?
There are three different browsers on the BlackBerry; a WAP browser for viewing content from your mobile network, the BlackBerry HTML browser (and a hotspot browser that prioritises the Wi-Fi connection). If you have problems accessing or loading Web pages, choose Options > Browser Configuration and set Browser to BlackBerry Browser and make sure Options > General Properties > Default Browser is also set to BlackBerry Browser.
10. Don't get mobile Web sites
You can also try changing Browser Identification from BlackBerry to Firefox or IE to force the full versions of specific pages to load instead of the cut-down mobile versions - but they might be slow or not load fully.
BROWSER SWAP: The BBC web site always loads the mobile version on BlackBerry; if you want to see the full site, have your BlackBerry pretend to run Firefox or IE
11. Fast search
You can search for contacts, messages and inside files and web pages - press S to search in contacts and messages and F to search in other apps.
12. Colour-code messages
If you get both work and personal email on your BlackBerry, you can change the colour of either set of messages. Choose Options > Security Options >Information> Message Outline Colours and either Enterprise Messages or Other Messages.
COLOUR-CODED: Show work and personal messages in different colours
13. Menu multi-tasking
BlackBerry has had multitasking for years but it's subtly done; apps stay running so you can switch back to them (unless you run out of memory when they're closed automatically). To get back to another app, press and hold the Menu button to get the task switcher.
14. Lock with mute
Some BlackBerrys have both a lock and a mute button on the top edge, others - like the original Bold - only have a mute button. You can always lock the screen by scrolling down to the Lock icon but it's faster to just press and hold mute until the screen locks (do the same to unlock it).
15. Real convenience
There are two 'convenience keys' - one on each side of the BlackBerry; you've probably found one of them by knocking it and hearing that irritating 'say a command' message. If you never use voice command, choose Options > Screen/Keyboard to change the buttons to something more useful - starting the camera, opening the music player or launching your favourite app.
QUICK START: Put two apps or commands you use all the time at your fingertips
16. Tweak your trackball
Use Options > Screen/Keyboard and scroll to the bottom of the page to choose the horizontal and vertical sensitivity (how far it moves across the screen when you move it) and whether you hear a click as it rolls.
17. Turn off speakerphone
The slightly confusing way to put a call on speakerphone is to use Menu > Activate Speakerphone; the even more confusing way to turn it off is Menu > Activate Handset - or you can use the $ key to turn it on and off. (And the $ key produces the $ sign in email, use Options > Screen/Keyboard > Currency key to set it to £ instead).
18. Say a command
Voice command does more than voice dialling; if you want to check your signal and battery strength you can wade through the Options menu or you can hit the voice command button and say 'status' or 'check battery' and 'check signal strength'.
19. Say it again
Voice recognition works quite well, but you can train it by reading a list of numbers and words; choose Options > Voice Dialing> Adapt Voice.
VOICE TRAINING: Choose Adapt Voice and your BlackBerry will ask you to read a list of sample names and numbers
20. Hidden Help
The hidden 'Help Me!' screen shows the signal strength, battery level, device PIN, free space, space in use, IMEI, OS version, how long the BlackBerry has been on and some other info that can be useful for troubleshooting. View it by pressing Alt + Caps + H.
MORE INFO: The Help Me! Screen collects key information together
21. Archive, don't uninstall
Only the very latest BlackBerry models have anything like enough memory for all the apps you want. When you run out of space, pick the ones you use least and archive them to your microSD card (this only works with apps from App World). Select the app in the My World sections of App World and choose Menu > Archive; archived apps have a green arrow on their icons and you can click them to reinstall - but you may have to restart to archive or restore an app.
ARCHIVE APPS: You can't run apps from the SD card but you can archive them to save space
22. Save power overnight
BlackBerry is very frugal on battery life and you can make it last even longer by having yours turn itself off overnight and back on in the morning. Choose Options > Auto On/Off; you can have different on and off times for weekdays and weekends.
23. Master Control Program
Use the free third-party tool MCP (http://mcpfx.com) for tweaking your BlackBerry, doing a factory reset in an emergency - or just installing updates more easily than with the sprawling and inefficient BlackBerry Desktop software.
TWEAK BLACKBERRY: Install a new OS or tweak the modules on your BlackBerry with the excellent Master Control Program
24. Install any app
If you want to run an app that doesn't have an installer - including alternative email clients like Astrasync and NotifySync which RIM won't sign for installation - connect your BlackBerry by USB, switch to mass storage mode so it shows up on your PC as a drive and copy the JAR file to the root folder. On your BlackBerry use the Media app to open the folder and select the JAR file to install it.
25. Save money on texts
If you're sending a message to another BlackBerry user, BlackBerry Messenger is free -but you need to know their BlackBerry PIN.The easiest way to get someone in your contact list is to invite them.
Read more: http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/25-essential-blackberry-tips-and-tricks-711231#ixzz0xXQOgWDV
Here kitteh kitteh......Genuine psychopath caught on camera
This video is disturbing. Mirrored from: http://www.youtube.com/user/atalbot01 if you can identify this person please let them know. Their original message:
"this footage is taken outside the Sacred Heart School in Coventry... We dont know who this woman is... But he anyone knows, please let of know so we can report her.... Thanks"
These are the kinds of people who run city council meetings. And that's how this relates to libertarianism. BOOM!
[Update: just so you know the cat is fine. It was found 15 hours later apparently unharmed by the ordeal. Here is a picture:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/0...
Video has gone viral and The Sun newspaper has run a story on their website so it's just a matter of time before this lady is identified, I'm sure]
Pee-wee Goes to Sturgis
Pee-wee Herman embarks on a new big adventure at 70th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. Along the way, he gets a tattoo, meets some new biker friends and hitches a ride with a Renegade.
Samsung Galaxy S Phones Compared: Spec Showdown
We put all four phones from Samsung’s Galaxy S series side-by-side to see which comes out on top when they’re compared spec by spec.
Samsung launched the Galaxy S series of smartphones as four slightly tweaked models across the four major carriers: Vibrant (T-Mobile); Captivate (AT&T); Fascinate (Verizon); Epic 4g (Sprint). While this makes it very confusing for shoppers, it also offers lots of options, if you’re not locked into any one carrier. Looking at the Galaxy S line, but having trouble pinpointing the differences between the phones? We have you covered. Despite the common bloodline, all four models offer distinct features that set them apart from each other. We’ve laid out our impressions and the specifications side by side, so you can see which phone wins out in this Samsung civil war.
Samsung Captivate
If you’re an active social networker and video watcher, the Captivate probably makes a better choice than the iPhone 4, especially if you’re concerned with iPhone’s antenna issues. If you’re more concerned with speedy Web surfing, image and video capture, and video chatting, the iPhone 4 is the only choice. All other things being as equal as they can be (including the $199 price tag), the iPhone 4 is still the AT&T superphone champion, with performance superior in head-to-head comparisons with similar functions on the Captivate. But the margins are narrow enough not to make Captivate an uncomfortable non-Apple choice.
Samsung Epic 4G
Even if you don’t or won’t have 4G service, the Epic is a flexible, light, fun and easy-to-use superphone. The Epic might be a value match for the EVO, thanks to its super-bright super AMOLED screen, slide-out keyboard and pre-installed 16GB microSD card, and even taking into account its minor operational annoyances and comparative specification failings in camera MP and hotspot connectivity. But given you can buy a 16GB microsSD card for around $25, the Epic isn’t worth an extra $50 unless you absolutely need a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. So far, the Epic is one of the best phones on the market today.
Samsung Vibrant
T-Mobile’s best all-around Android phone
has been the Motorola Cliq XT. It has the same 5-megapixel camera as the Vibrant, only with a flash. But it’s slower for surfing and loading apps than the Vibrant, it has just a HVGA video recorder, a smaller QWERTY, less memory, and a screen nearly an inch smaller. But it’s also $70 less than the Vibrant. If you can afford it (and don’t take many indoor pictures), the Vibrant is definitely worth the extra dough.
The Samsung Fascinate is set to be released in early fall, check back for impressions.
Spec comparison
| |  | | |
Samsung Captivate | Samsung Epic 4G | Samsung Fascinate | Samsung Vibrant | |
Carrier | AT&T | Sprint | Verizon | T-Mobile |
Price (with 2 year contract) | $199.99 | $249.99 | TBA | $199.99 |
Display Size | 4-inch AMOLED Display | 4-inch AMOLED Display | 4-inch AMOLED Display | 4-inch AMOLED Display |
Display Resolution | 480 x 800 | 480×800 | 480 x 800 | 480 x 800 |
Processor | 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird Application Processor | 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird Application Processor | 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird Application Processor | 1 GHz Samsung Hummingbird Application Processor |
Operating System | Android 2.1 | Android 2.1 | Android 2.1 | Android 2.1 |
Keyboard | Virtual | QWERTY | Virtual | Virtual |
Camera | 5 megapixels | 5 megapixels | 5 megapixels | 5 megapixels |
Included Storage | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
Expandable (Max) Storage | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB |
Battery (Talk Time) | 350 minutes | 360 minutes | TBA | 390 minutes |
Battery (Standby) | 340 hours | 216 hours | TBA | 450 hours |
Weight | 128 grams | 155 grams | TBA | 117 grams |
Height | 106.2 mm | 124.4 mm | TBA | 122.4 mm |
Width | 63.5 mm | 63.5 mm | TBA | 64.5 mm |
Depth | 9.9 mm | 15.2 mm | TBA | 9.9 mm |
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