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jet

The Jet shows Samsung's innovative side

Last month we got a sneak preview of the new Samsung Omnia 2 and Samsung Jet. Though only the Omnia 2 is set to come to a U.S. carrier (Verizon Wireless), it was the Jet that arrived on my desk first for a review. As a touch-screen phone with a focus on multimedia, the Jet largely resembles comparable Samsung phones, but it offers a few unique design elements like a hexagonal menu button and an attractive design on its rear face.

Most of the standard features like the music player, 5-megapixel camera, and personal organizer are nothing new, but … Read more

Madden 10 in real time, and it's slow: Scott and Jeff face off

In just a few weeks, John Madden will unleash his annual iteration of a yearly purchase obsession for NFL fans worldwide. For some, this matters little. For die-hard fans like Scott, though, it's an addiction that must be tempered with some sense of restraint. While Jeff enjoys Madden but prefers NHL, Scott has a year-long addiction to endless New York Jets franchise seasons that borders on complete OCD.

In previous years, we had gotten a chance to play Madden a little earlier on. This year, however, our enthusiasm (or at least Scott's) had to wait until EA's Holiday Showcase this week in New York City, where Madden 10 lay waiting, along with a sofa. We had a promise to each other: Jeff would take on Scott for half of Madden, and Scott would try to keep up with Jeff in NHL 10 afterward.

How did it play? This is our story.… Read more

Digital postcards and an online flight sim: iPhone apps of the week

Of all the great enhancements, fixes, and goodies in iPhone OS 3.0 (video overview here), I quickly realized there was one glaring omission. With the useful addition of a Voice Memos app, an old problem reared its ugly head. The update put the Voice Memos app icon on the home page, pushing whatever lone app icon that sat in the lower right of the homepage onto its own screen on the next page. This meant that in order to maximize my use of page space (I have a lot of apps!), I now had to rearrange my apps on … Read more

Samsung announces Jet smartphone with 800MHz processor

At an event in Manhattan Monday, Samsung unveiled its new Jet smartphone, which features a fast 800MHz processor and Samsung's proprietary OS that includes its Dolphin Web browser. Alas, the Jet won't be flying into the U.S. anytime soon, though its designation as a UTMS phone leaves AT&T as its most probable destination if it does hit these shores. All that said, it is available for the rest of the world later this year.

Unlike the Omnia 2, which was also announced at the event, Samsung did have the Jet on hand for reporters to play with. Several remarked that the touch screen seemed quite responsive despite being resisitive. But there was some disappointment that the phone didn't seem even zippier with that 800MHz processor (until now, smartphone processors have tended to top out at 600MHz). However, Samsung reps said the software wasn't final and was still being tweaked. (It was also impossible to test the Dolphin browser because there was no network connection).

All in all, the look and feel of the Jet was appealing. It's smaller than the iPhone and is more on par with the size of the Palm Pre. However, we're just not sure how appealing a proprietary OS is at this point when you have an open OS like Android sitting out there.

Here are the Jet's specs: … Read more

Airline sites crash more than average (Which is worst?)

I can't remember the last time I talked to a human being at an airline.

To get anywhere, you go online, you get some instantly concocted price that may be entirely different from that offered on other sites. Then you check whether the flight you'd like to choose might necessitate you getting on to one of the slightly creepy MD-83s with the engine at the back and only two seats on one side.

You might think that the airlines' own Web sites would be amongst the most reliable in the commercial world. They have to be, right?

Well, … Read more