Crave

(Credit: Nokia)

For this week's installment of the weekly Crave giveaway, we're offering up Nokia's new stylish Netbook, the Booklet 3G, which has just hit stores (thanks, Nokia for providing the unit for Crave readers).

CNET's Dan Ackerman reviewed the Booklet recently, and while he wished it was equipped with the faster version of the Atom processor, he said it was one of the most upscale-looking and well-built Netbooks we've tested and the battery life is great.

He also noted how the AT&T mobile broadband service connects automatically, and the process was "wonderfully transparent, especially compared with the software setup and manual log-ins required by other mobile broadband laptops." (Read the full review here.)

Normally, Nokia's Booklet would cost you about $599 (with a service plan from AT&T, it would cost $299), but you have the chance to get it gratis.

So, how do you try to win this Nokia Booklet 3G? (Note: no wireless service is included.) Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.

• Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
• Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
• Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
• The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Nokia Booklet 3G Netbook (without wireless service). Approximate retail value is $599.99.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Monday, November 23, at noon EST.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 12 PM ET on November 23, 2009. See official rules for details.

Good luck.

You can control the iPhone's music playback within the Gokivo GPS app.

(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)

You have two main options when it comes to GPS apps for the iPhone: apps with offline maps and apps with online maps. Examples of apps with offline maps are the Navigon, the iGo My Way, TomTom, or the recently added Magellan RoadMate.

These apps are excellent for frequent users as they don't require a live data connection to work. All the maps are included with the app and downloaded to the phone. However, they tend to require gigabytes of storage space and take a long time to install. If you plan on going on a long road trip, they are good fits.

If you are a casual user, however, it's better to use an online GPS application. These applications are just a few megabytes in size and therefore take a few seconds to download to the phone via a 3G connection. This means you can immediately get one the moment you suddenly need turn-by-turn directions.

The first online GPS app for the iPhone is the AT&T Navigator, which works pretty well. Unfortunately, it's only available to AT&T customers and is rather expensive ($10 per month) for what it offers. The good news is, you now have other and more flexible choices.

Acer Aspire One

(Credit: AT&T)

AT&T is hoping for happy holidays with the launch of two new Netbooks offering Windows 7 and mobile broadband.

The company announced Monday its new Netbook lineup--the Samsung Go and Acer Aspire One--both with built-in access to its 3G network. Available later this month in stores and online, both portables will cost gift buyers $199 after a mail-in rebate and two-year data plan contract.

The required DataConnect plan will offer 200MB of data for a new lower price of $35 per month, or 5GB for $60 per month, said AT&T. The plan will let consumers hop online via AT&T's 3G mobile network or any of the company's 20,000 Wi-Fi hot spots across the U.S.

"Demand for Netbooks remains strong among consumers, small business customers, and those who desire constant access to the Internet while on the go," said David Haight, vice president of product development for AT&T emerging devices, in a statement. "Paired with the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T Wi-Fi service, and now the value and ease of use of Windows 7, these devices will make very attractive and affordable gifts this holiday season."

Samsung Go

(Credit: CNET)

Weighing less than three pounds, the Samsung Go is equipped with a 10-inch screen, 160GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM, and a 1.3 megapixel Webcam. A bit skinnier at 2.2 pounds, the Acer Aspire One also includes a 10-inch screen, 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and built-in Webcam.

Both Netbooks also come with AT&T's Communication Manager software, which tries to help Internet users better manage their connections by automatically tapping into AT&T hot spots.

The Samsung and Acer machines have one potential limitation, however. Like most Netbooks, they come with Windows 7 Starter Edition, a stripped down version of Windows 7 that lacks certain key features of its beefier brethren.

(Credit: Flickr/IanPhilipMiller)

It's hard to believe that anyone would want to unsubscribe from The 404 Podcast, but we're here to say that the unspeakable act comes with a $250 termination fee, which actually ain't that bad considering Verizon recently doubled its early termination fees from $175 to $350. Verizon attempts to justify it by reducing the fee by $10 as each month of your contract passes, but we're not entirely convinced you're saving money. Case in point: if you buy a Droid with a two-year contract on Verizon but want to jump ship after a year, the penalty is still a rip-off at $230, which is already $80 more than what I paid to terminate my fee when I switched to AT&T for the iPhone three years ago. With a Verizon iPhone around the corner, we're hoping to finally have a way to escape AT&T's frustratingly spotty 3G service. Sing it with me..."We want prenup, we want prenup, YEAHHH."

If you just couldn't wait for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to come out and modded your Xbox 360 to play a pirated version of the game, you might want to check the status of your Gamertag because you might be one of the 1 million players that Microsoft banned earlier this week. This week's release of the popular Call of Duty sequel caused a spike in players altering their consoles to play a bootleg version of the game, but many are unaware that Xbox 360s all contain "digital right management technologies designed to detect pirated software," says a report in InformationWeek. Unfortunately, once a Gamertag is banned, the person responsible is banished for life and must purchase a brand new console in order to reregister and play again. There's no doubt that Modern Warfare 2 is an amazing game, but it's worth it to keep your Xbox 360 clean and shell out the dough for the legit game. Piracy doesn't pay!

Comment with "Exit Strategy NYC" to win a free download!

(Credit: Exit Strategy NYC)

Finally, all our New York listeners should pay special attention to our next segment, because this new iPhone app could literally shave minutes off your commute time. I joke you not, any time saved on the subway is a blessing, so we're all very excited about Exit Strategy NYC, a mapping application that downloads an entire map of the city to your iPhone, so it works underground. It displays zoomable, scrollable, and interactive maps of the subway system as well, and even shows you which specific car to board so you'll exit exactly at the street level stairs.

The app is available on the iPhone App Store for $4.99, and it's well worth the purchase if you live in New York or plan to travel in the area. You can also download it for the BlackBerry, Android, and Amazon Kindle. The good folks at Exit Strategy were generous enough to give our listeners a handful of codes to download the app for free! All you have to do is comment on this blog with the words "EXIT STRATEGY" and you'll be automatically entered into the random lottery. We'll choose five winners over the weekend and send out the codes on Tuesday, so leave a comment now!

Also, don't forget that Tony Hawk will be on the show Monday to chat with us and do an in-studio demo of his latest video game, Tony Hawk Ride, so be sure to send in any questions to the404[at]cnet{dot}com and pick a few to ask. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Your mileage may vary, but you should be able to sell your iPhone 3G for the same price as a refurbished 3GS.

So it has come to this: My iPhone 3G is a year old and out of warranty. Its battery ain't what it used to be. And, heavens, does it seem slow sometimes.

Needless to say, I've been eyeballing a 3GS for some time, but I still don't qualify for a price break on an upgrade--not until April, 2010, according to AT&T.

So if I want to replace my 16GB 3G with a 32GB 3GS, it'll cost me $499. It'll be a warm January day in Michigan before I spend that kind of money on a phone.

Ah, but there's another option. I can get a refurbished 32GB 3GS for $349 (provided I sign on for another two years with AT&T, of course). That's a little more reasonable, and here's the kicker: Guess what a used iPhone 3G will fetch on eBay these days?

You guessed it: right around $350. (Sometimes even more.) That amazes me right down to my sneakers, but I guess people are willing to pay handsomely for an iPhone that's free and clear of AT&T and ready for jailbreaking.

So--and this is what I'm telling my wife--I'd be crazy not to do this. After all, I do write about the iPhone for a living. I should have the latest model, right? Right? Honey, put down the rolling pin!

I'm kidding--I do most of the baking in this house. But I'm not kidding when I say I can't see any downside to making this move. Even if my old crank-start 3G brought in only $300 on eBay, I consider $50 a perfectly reasonable upgrade expenditure.

Obviously your mileage may vary, like if you're moving from an original iPhone or looking at a 3GS with 16GB instead of 32GB. Heck, you might be able to come out ahead on the transaction.

Thoughts? Discuss.

Mobile phone maker Nokia is jumping into the Netbook pool with its recently announced Booklet 3G laptop (as seen in the video). We've just gotten our hands on the final version of the system, and here are our initial impressions.

The Booklet 3G is easily one of the most upscale-looking Netbooks we've seen. It feels solid and well-built in your hands, without being too heavy. The screen hinge in particular feels pleasingly tight, while the slightly too thick keyboard tray has zero flex even when pressing down firmly on the keyboard.

Unlike the gently tapered sides of many other Netbooks, designed to create the illusion of slimness, the Booklet has sharp, angled edges. True to the name, there is a booklike squareness to it. The inside is devoid of quick launch or shortcut keys, and even the power button is relegated to the right side edge, next to a tiny hatch covering SD and SIM card slots.

Unfortunately, the keyboard itself is cramped, with tiny keys that are hard to hit accurately. Considering the strides other Netbooks have made with creating very usable keyboards, it was a letdown. The touch pad is large and easy to use, even though we had to crank up the pointer speed in the Windows 7 options.

The 10.1-inch display has the higher 1,366x768-pixel resolution found on many high-end Netbooks, and a single sheet of glass covers the screen and much of the screen bezel, but there's still a separate outer lip, so it's not quite what we call edge-to-edge.

The AT&T mobile broadband service connected automatically, and the process was wonderfully transparent, especially compared with the software setup and manual log-ins required by other mobile broadband laptops. The option to manually join a local Wi-Fi network is also available. Our review unit lacked the final versions of the Nokia and Ovi networking and connectivity software, but we did fine with Windows 7's built-in versions.

Despite an excellent design and well-integrated mobile broadband, the Booklet 3G hits a rough patch as as an actual Netbook. Using the slower Z530 version of Intel's Atom CPU (instead of the more common N270 or N280 versions) means that performance was generally sluggish, especially with only 1GB of RAM.

Opening windows and navigating around the Windows 7 environment led to some stuttering and slowdown. Even something as simple as running multiple Web browser windows and a Microsoft Office doc at the same time slowed the system in our anecdotal hands-on testing.

With a two-year AT&T contract, the Booklet3G costs $299, and its excellent design and build quality puts it miles ahead of other $299 Netbooks. But keep in mind that you're then tied to a monthly fee--usually around $60--for data. The Booklet is also available sans contract for $599, but that's both largely pointless and way overpriced.

We will conduct our usual battery of benchmark tests and report back with a full review next week.

Hands-on with the Nokia Booklet 3G

We've been waiting a long time for the Google Android Motorola Sholes to clear the Federal Communications Commission, so you can imagine our disappointment when we saw just the GSM version of the handset get certification this week. It's the CDMA model for Verizon that we want, so we'll just have to hold out a little longer. The FCC also gave the nod to Acer's first crop of smartphones and the Nokia Booklet 3G. We know that the latter isn't a smartphone, but we threw it in anyway.

Because the FCC has to certify every phone sold in the United States, not to mention test its SAR rating, the agency's online database offers a lot of sneak peeks to those who dig. And to save you the trouble, Crave has combed through the database for you. Here are a selection of filings from the past week on new and upcoming cell phones. Click through to read the full report.

Acer E100
Acer E101
HTC PB81100
LG G420G
LG GM750h
LG GW620
Motorola Sholes
Nokia Booklet 3G
NTT DoCoMo P-01B
RIM BlackBerry RCP51UW
Samsung GT-M8910U
Samsung GT-S5233T
Samsung GT-S5560
Samsung SCH-i920
Samsung SGH-A886
Sharp 941SH
Sharp SH-01B
Sharp SH-02B

If there's a single device that's almost as universally adored as the iPhone, it's the Novatel MiFi 2200.

This ingenious gadget puts a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot in your pocket, delivering 3G broadband to up to five nearby devices.

Normally the card costs $99.99, but right now Wirefly is offering the MiFi 2200 for free with a 2-year Verizon contract. Shipping is free, too, though you will have to pay a $35 activation fee.

You'll also have to pay monthly service charges, but, hey, that's the price of doing mobile-broadband business. Verizon charges $39.99/month for 250MB of data (joke) or $59.99 for 5GB.

Steep, I know, but if you need a solution like this, it's aces. To learn more, read my complete review of the MiFi 2200, then read CNET's review (which, surprisingly, is even more price-hostile than mine). You can also check out the above video review.

If you've been eyeballing a MiFi, now's the time to pounce. It's a truly phenomenal little gadget; one I can enthusiastically recommend.

We've been hearing about the Nokia Booklet for the past couple of months now (August, September). But the Scandinavian manufacturer that's known for its cell phones has finally filled in the blanks and given us the U.S. details on what the Booklet 3G is all about.

While we had previously heard that Nokia's Windows 7 Netbook would cost as much as $600, it turns out that subsidizing will help out significantly. The Windows 7 Netbook is set to arrive on October 22 for $299 with a two-year AT&T wireless contract, which will run $60 a month. Also, the Booklet 3G will be available exclusively at Best Buy through the holidays. The Booklet 3G's unsubsidized price will indeed be $599, which is crazy high.

So...you walk into Best Buy and see a Nokia Booklet 3G for $299 and a 32GB iPhone 3GS for $299, both with two-year service agreements. Which would you buy?

Nokia Booklet 3G

Specs and more details after the break. ... Read more