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The 404 435: Where we use our NPR voices

If you're thinking about buying a portable gaming system this holiday season, you should definitely listen to this show before making a decision. After a few weeks of teasing you guys about the new PSP Go, we've got all the details from the man who wrote the CNET review himself and now must defend himself from Sony snipers perched across the office. That's right, Jeff Bakalar breaks down all the reasons why the PSP 3000 is still the best Sony portable gaming device. The Go, on the other hand, didn't fare so well in Jeff's eyes. It costs more than the 3000, has a smaller screen, and an awkwardly placed analog stick, and worst of all: you can't play UMD games or use old PSP accessories! On top of all of that, the games take so long to download that you can probably watch a full length movie while you wait. Save your money and buy the best mobile video game console on the market today...the Apple iPhone.

Speaking of products that sound good on paper but don't actually work in real life, a guy in New York discovered something particularly disturbing about his iPhone: the average iPhone drops 30 percent of all calls. After taking his iPhone into an Apple Genius Bar for multiple dropped calls, the Genius informed him that it was indeed dropping 22 percent of outbound calls, which is actually excellent compared with the 30 percent average in New York. Listen in to hear us groan and moan about AT&T service and why Sprint or Verizon might be in my immediate future.

Finally, we want to give a huge thank you to Debbie from Toronto for sending us the image you see at the top of this blog entry. Deb, a long time listener and special guest of The 404 made a custom hockey jersey and goalie mask for her husband to wear during his Sunday game! Now, Wilson and I are the first to admit our zero interest in hockey, but even we can appreciate the time and effort that must have gone into the cutting and application of the logo onto the uniform. Debbie, you rock, and if there's anything we can do (short of flying up to Canada to thank you personally) to repay your kindness, please don't hesitate to let us know. Everyone else should be carefully taking notes from Deb and sprinting to the nearest phone to leave us a voice-mail. You know the number right? 1-866-404-CNET: GET ON IT!

EPISODE 435 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Survey: Consumers smitten with smartphones

Most new smartphone users are now consumers, a dramatic change from just a few years ago when the gadgets were primarily in the hands of business types, according to a survey released Wednesday by research firm CFI Group.

The survey "CFI Group Smartphone Satisfaction Study 2009" found that smartphone users are no longer just reading e-mail or scheduling appointments but also surfing the Web, streaming video and music, downloading games, and snapping pictures. Smartphones are now seen more by consumers as minicomputers than as cell phones, according to CFI.

Predictably, Apple's iPhone is credited with igniting the … Read more

BOL 1073: Open Android Alliance to fight Google's evil empire

A Google Android mod received a cease and desist for including Google apps in the mod. Seriously? Google may not be a walled garden with a high wall but it's a walled garden nonetheless. And it's pretty sad when your open-source project gets protested for not being open. We also discuss whether the Dell Latitude Z series is for posers. Or us. Or both. Which makes us posers. Own it, people.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1073

Dell Latitude is like Adamo with wireless charger – fancy … Read more

Motorola Cliq gets official pricing and release date

Well, how's that for timing? Just after posting a story about Motorola Cliq presales,T-Mobile dropped the official details on pricing and the availability date for the Cliq. Motorola's first Google Android smartphone will be available online and in T-Mobile stores starting November 2 for $199.99 with a two-year contract and qualifying voice and data plan.

Presales will start on October 19 and run through November 1, and devices will be shipped as orders are received. You can register for updates at T-Mobile's Web site.

Now that the questions of availability and pricing are settled, the … Read more

T-Mobile counts down to Motorola Cliq presales

For those of you waiting for the Motorola Cliq, it looks like you're about 19 days away...from presales. T-Mobile has thrown up a promo page on its Web site, teasing the countdown to presales of the Cliq. Unfortunately, there's still no official word about a specific release date or pricing, but the smartphone is expected for the holiday season.

Dubbed as the first phone with social skills, the Cliq is Moto's first Google Android device and features the company's Motoblur software, which brings a number of social networking features to the Android platform. The Motorola … Read more

Official Gmail push comes to iPhone, Windows Mobile

Updated 5:45 p.m. PDT with more details about e-mail push.

Some of you who have been restlessly awaiting the arrival of Google's official Gmail push solution for mobile phones can relax now. On Tuesday, Google expanded the over-the-air syncing capabilities in its Google Sync service to include Google's e-mail--but only for the iPhone and iPod Touch (version 3.0), and for Windows Mobile phones.

Google Sync began as a beta service to sync Google calendar items and contacts to iPhone, Windows Mobile, and Symbian Series 60 phones. Owners of iPhones, iPod Touches, and Windows Mobile phones … Read more

Waze rolls out crowdsourced traffic data app

Using smart phones as navigation tools is all the rage these days, what with a slew of applications available for the iPhone and Android platforms that utilize those devices' built-in GPS systems in determining users' real-time location.

One such service is from Waze, which in August released its iPhone app after being available on Android for several months. Waze's service is meant to help drivers figure out where they are and how best to get where they're going, all with the help of a large community of other motorists.

Among the information that Waze provides are traffic flow, … Read more

Android 1.6 highlights

Google released the latest Android software development kit this week so that developers could begin to test their applications for the looming Android 1.6 update. End users can expect to see the update as early as next month, but I went ahead and loaded an early version on my phone to preview the latest changes.

Possibly the most notable update is the new quick search box, which includes a redesigned search framework to make finding things on your phone easier than ever before. Users can search through apps, contacts, browser history, music, the Web, and more. The quick search … Read more

Sprint HTC Hero reviewed

Sprint was one of the first carriers to join the Open Handset Alliance when it was founded in November 2007 to promote Google Android. However, unlike T-Mobile, which released the T-Mobile G1 and the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, the carrier wasn't so quick to offer an Android handset to its customers because it simply didn't think the operating system was "good enough"; that is, until now.

Starting on October 11, Sprint will offer its first Android device, the HTC Hero, for $179.99 with a two-year contract and unlimited data plan. We've actually had a few … Read more