Mobile Notes, Verizon, T-Mobile, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, more

by Joe P on May 8, 2008

I’ve got a number of things to share today, including a new feature that can help you if you’re taken downtown by the po-po. Not that you’d do anything that would get you into trouble with The Man. Just sayin’ is all.

Verizon released VZ Navigator 4. The biggest upgrade is comprehensive traffic information. It can find congestion and accidents, and even route you alternately, so you don’t have to pull the ol’ “Gas, brake, honk…gas, brake, honk…honk, honk, punch…gas, gas, gas.”
In case you did haul off on someone in traffic and they call the po-lice, you can now call cell phones collect from jail. Which is all the better, because you know you’d far rather call your buddy Chuck at the bar rather than phoning home to the wife.
Going on a blind date? You might want to try Popularity Dialer, a service that lets you schedule a prerecorded incoming call. It talks to you, too, and gives you time to respond, so you don’t even have to fake a conversation (which, really, most people are terrible at). You can use it to impress your date, or as an excuse to skee-daddle.
I love photos of new, super-cool phones. Today, we’re seeing the Sony Ericsson Paris. It’s a sider with a half-QWERTY keyboard. I’m not too familiar with the rest of the specs, other than the 5 megapixel camera. Say, is that a touchscreen?
T-Mobile broke the 30 million barrier! They wrapped up their addition of SunCom in the first quarter, which is what gave them the spike. Churn was down, too, which is only a good thing for the nation’s No. 4 wireless carrier. That is, in terms of number of subscribers. I think it’s safe to say that they’re better than Sprint, though.
The woman is drooling over the Samsung Glyde, which has finally been announced for Verizon. It’ll cost you $250 after your rebates and the signing of a two-year contract. Look for it in retail channels next week.