blog..com

The new Linux powered tablet phone from Nokia has just started to ship here in the U.S. Nokia is said to be replacing the long used Symbian platform with the Maemo 5 OS on future N-Series devices. The n900 will be the Finnish giants first true test for the new Linux powered hand-held.

The n900 will use the Maemo 5 operating system and feature a 3.5-inch touch screen, a full QWERTY, four customizable home screens, and a full Firefox Web browser. Other features such as 32GB of internal storage, 3G Support (T-Mobile 1700), and full flash support round out the device. Look for the n900 to hit shelves in the coming weeks at Nokia flagships stores for $649.99. For those looking around the web, check out Amazon for a $509.99 special pre-order offer. Make sure to hit up the video below to view the n900 in action, enjoy.

The GadgetLab had the chance to test out the new Motorola Droid from Verizon this past week, and the results are extremely positive. From it’s unique styling, fantastic OS, and cool touchscreen, the Droid is sure to make other smart phones very envious. The brilliant design and new Android 2.0 OS are what truly make this device unique. Below are some key points we took away…both the good and the bad.

The Good:

• Voice/Data Quality
• Google Navigation
• Android 2.0
• Multitasking
• Build Quality/ Screen
• Voice Search

The Bad:

• No Bluetooth Transfer
• No Multi Touch
• Flat QWERTY
• Blurry Camera
• Battery Life

The positive qualities in this device massively out weigh the bad. The GadgetLab agrees that this is by far the best smart phone Verizon have ever produced. We are still not 100% sure Verizon has an “iPhone Killer” with the new Droid; but they do have one very good looking, powerful, media centric, multitasking monster phone. Check out the complete review below…Enjoy!

This morning we announced our partnership with EarthEra. Check out press release here- http://tinyurl.com/yznfjrd. This is a pilot program and we’re deciding how best to work with EarthEra to reduce our carbon impact across Gazelle.

The Android OS has finally made it’s way to the Verizon network for the first time. With the release of the highly anticipated Motorola Droid and the sleek HTC Eris, these so called “Droids” are sure to become Verizon’s hot movers this holiday season. Let’s take a brief look at some of the features on these 2 new droid devices…

HTC Eris:

• 528MHz Qualcomm Processor
• 320×480 Screen, 3.2in Display
• 5MP Camera
• Android 1.5 OS
• 8GB MicroSD
• WiFi/GPS/Bluetooth/3G
• Battery Li-on 1300mAh 5.2hrs talk/408hrs sb

Motorola Droid

• Arm Cortex A8 Processor 550MHz
• 480×854 Screen, 3.7in Display
• 5MP Camera
• QWERTY Keyboard with trackpad
• Google Voice Search
• Google Maps with Voice Guided Directions
• Android 2.0 OS
• 16GB MicroSD
• WiFi/GPS/Bluetooth/3G
• Battery Li-on 1300mAh 5.2hrs talk/408hrs sb

To check out the full features and specs of the Droid check out Verizon’s futuristic looking site here. The Motorola Droid and HTC Eris are both available now through Verizon’s web store and at Verizon locations nation wide. Pricing for the Moto Droid will be $199 after a 2 year agreement and only $99 for the HTC Eris. If you are thinking about making the jump over  to Android now is the perfect time with these two weapons. Expect a full video review from the GadgetLab on these new Android devices coming soon.

PlayStation 3 users can finally rejoice as Netflix will introduce streaming video for the PS3 system.  The system will require a boot disc in order to function but should see a complete integrated system later next year. Users can log onto to their Netflix account and request the new PS3 disc starting now, as the disc should be shipping out tomorrow November 6th.

Sony Ericsson climbs back into the smart phone ring with the release of the new Satio phone. Being one of only two 12MP phones on the market the Satio really tries to blow away the competition in the mobile imaging department. Let’s take a look at what the Gadgetlab likes and dislikes on this epic device.

The Good:

• Super fast ARM Cortex-A8 600 MHz CPU
• 12MP Camera with massive options and features
• 16m Color 640 x 360 display
• WiFi
• Symbian OS S60 5th
• GPS

The Bad:

• No 3.5 stereo jack
• Weak Xenon flash
• Resistive touchscreen (not capacitive)

Overall it’s is a fantastic device, nearly perfect. The one big set back is the $900 price tag. If you got the cash to drop on this baby I highly recommend it. If you looking to save some cash on it make sure to trade in your gps, digital camera, and old phone to Gazelle as the Satio is a true all-in-one machine. Check out the full video review below…Enjoy!

The new Motorola Android powered Droid Smart Phone will land at Verizon on November 6th. The new Droid is said to compete with the likes of the iPhone and potentially save a struggling Motorola. The Droid is equipped with a 3.7 inch 16:9 touch screen with a full QWERTY keypad. The device also features a 5MP camera and is able to capture videos in DVD quality at a speed of 24fps. The Droid will use a 550MHz processor to power the new Android 2.0 device and sport a 1,400mAh lithium ion battery offering 6.4 hours of talk time. One of the most promising features on the Droid is the Google powered FREE voice guided navigation. Here are a list of the other applications that come pre-loaded on the Droid: Gmail, Youtube, Facebook, Google Talk, Amazon MP3 Store, Android Market, and visual voice mail.

Verizon and Motorola are also including a GPS mount for the phone and an Alarm Clock style base charger. The phone will be available for $199 after a $50 MIR from Verizon. Rumors have it Best Buy will offer it for $199 as well but with out a mail in rebate. No matter which you choose either option will require a 2 year service agreement.

For a 360 Degree view of the device hit up the video below.

Sony Ericsson and T-Mobile have announced the new fashion inspired Equinox flip phone. The Equinox has what Sony calls pulsating light effects. These effects allow the user to assign special light effects to five of their favorite contacts. The light effects come in amber, sapphire, beryl, diamond, and amethyst colors. Looking past it’s good looks the phone will be a 3G capable device and will also feature a 3.2MP camera. This stunning flip will also be quite multimedia friendly as it sports an integrated media player with FM radio. A-GPS location with Telenav and stereo Bluetooth round out the specs. The Equinox will be exclusively available from T-Mobile starting on the 28th of October.

One of the most popular phones is now available in the GSM variant for the first time in the US. The successful Palm Pre smart phone (which featured for Sprint) is now unlocked and available from Expansys USA. The good news is that Pre fans who are on a GSM carrier can now get their hands on the sleek device. Now for the bad news… Besides Costing $715 dollars this version (which is German) has no US 3G support. The phone also features the German QWERZ keypad instead of the traditional QWERTY keypad. Seems like those GSM users are better off switching to Sprint to pick it up for $80 (after 2 year) with full 3G coverage and the standard keyboard. For all those hardcore Pre fans who can deal with these setbacks the phone is available here.

Sure you can set off fireworks in October, but they’re certainly a lot more fun in July. I guess that’s kinda how I feel about the Mac-PC conversation.  It will be interesting to see what happens during the holidays, but it would have been outright fun to stand back and watch a “back to school” fight for market share… but alas…. It’s October so here we go.

Even with the new Windows 7 OS, the big advantage for PC-makers this holiday season will remain its low price point. This season, retail sales are expected to again drop slightly (see Business Week article), and even with sleekly designed iMacs, Apple really does not have a Macbook that fits into the holiday shopping budget of most families. Meanwhile, Netbooks are coming out in the $300’s. With many used laptop garnering $150+ in trade in through services like ours, Netbooks will become an affordable holiday gift for many families.

Still Apple enters the holidays with many advantages. PC makers can and will roll out new models, but Apple will remain the most coveted product on the block. Apple’s four-month-old Snow Leopard OS has better security than W7. There’s that lingering Vista debacle… and while W7 is improved, it’s taking a lot of slack for being difficult to upgrade (you have to back up your files, then reformat your PC, and then reinstalling all of your old programs, assuming you still have the CDs).

Microsoft’s answer?

“For the vast majority of people that get Windows 7, most will move to new hardware,” says Parri Munsell, Microsoft’s director for consumer product management.

Point? It doesn’t need to be easy to install because nobody is going to install it. Could that actually be true? Can PC makers expect that the vast majority of consumers who want W7 will go out and purchase a new computer?

I think so. Netbooks with flashy new features including touch screens will make up ground against Macs cool factor, and as I said considering lower price point for most PC laptops, they’ll win hands down. Windows 7 is looking like an enhanced OS that will inspire consumers to upgrade and I think even start to heal the wounds created by Vista. When Vista launched fewer than 20% of Windows users upgraded. I think this time around Microsoft can expect 50% or higher. Note: This fact does not give MS forgiveness for not stealing the “keep it simple” page from Apple’s playbook. Yes, the majority will not install the OS themselves…. But what about the minority that will?

Gazelle is a great barometer for how product introductions will fair in the market. Consider the new iPhone for example. When it came out, many people looked to trade in their used ones either immediately before or after the launch of the 3GS so they could get maximum value for their phone. We literally got flooded with thousands of phones within weeks of launch. So far laptops and desktops are showing similar pick up. Looking back 45 days, we’ve seen a 30%+ jump in computer trade-ins compared to the previous 45 days. And so far this week, PCs make up 4 of the top 5 products being traded in on gazelle.com.

The Mac-PC battle continues. And coming off Apple record profits, this holiday season promises to be interesting.