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This is the 411, my Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

First off, thanks for your recent piece comparing the smartphone voice and data plans. Very helpful! My question pertains to smartphone flash drives. Most of the current smartphones allow the user to add storage via a flash drive, usually a microSD or SD card. When I read the review about the smartphones, I often see some kind of statement regarding flash memory that seems to indicate that their is a maximum amount of storage that a device will accept.

For example, the review of the HTC Tilt 2 says, "The Tilt2 has up to 32GB of expandable memory while offering 512MB ROM/288MB RAM." So my question is: is the maximum amount of flash drive space that a device will accept limited by the device itself (e.g., hardware/software limitations) or is it limited by the amount of flash card storage that is currently available in the market (referring back to the Tilt2, the device will accept a 64GB card when it becomes available)? -- John, via e-mail

HTC TouchPro2

(Credit: Verizon Wireless)

As far as I know, the expandable memory limit is indeed limited by the device itself. So even if a 64 or 128GB card becomes available, you will not be able to use those cards in the phone. Perhaps the firmware of the phone might be upgraded to handle the new cards, but I'm not sure if that is possible.

Nicole, I'm a 56-year-old with big hands and bad eyes, so a lot of this smartphone technology is wasted on me. My office wants me to get a HTC Touch Pro2 (bigger screen and keyboard), but I'd prefer to use my Verizon cell phone as a Wi-Fi device to access my company's Web site and my e-mail account through the Web through my laptop. What would you recommend for me? -- Paul, via e-mail

This is the 411, my Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.

The Nokia N86 has Wi-Fi, an 8-megapixel camera, and 30 fps video recording, but is only available unlocked.

(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

I'm looking into purchasing a new phone and possibly upgrading to a smart phone with AT&T. The hitch is that I can't afford a data plan yet. I would like a smart phone with Wi-Fi so that I can take advantage of the capabilities and processing power of a smart phone, but just not web enabled everywhere I go. In reality, most places I imagine needing wireless data, there is an open WiFi network nearby, so 3G connectivity and dealing with expensive data plans isn't totally necessary either. I would also like this phone to have a decent camera (3 to 5 megapixels) and 30 fps video recording. I would also like the ability to view full HTML web pages with zoom capabilities (multi-touch). So what are my best options without buying an unlocked phone? -- Mike, via e-mail.

Unfortunately, you can't get a smartphone without a data plan unless you're purchasing an unlocked phone. This is the same with pretty much all U.S. carriers, and it's regardless of whether the phone has Wi-Fi or not. As for smartphones with Wi-Fi and a 3-5-megapixel camera with 30 fps video recording, I can only think of unlocked models, like the Samsung Omnia 2, the Nokia N97, and the Nokia N86. You could look into getting an iPod Touch or something similar if you just want to use Wi-Fi, but of course you won't get the camera in that case. Readers, let me know if you can think of other solutions.

I have been investigating cell phone options and I am stumped. I am currently a Verizon Wireless customer (no contract) and I need a new phone. I would like to get a phone with email and web access. My husband has an iPhone. We have a Mac laptop at home and subscribe to Mobile Me. An iPhone might seem to be a no-brainer, but I am not sure. My main concern is the network. I have never had service problems with Verizon and the coverage is great, and I hear there are many service issues with the iPhone especially in big cities (we live in Chicago). Do you anticipate improvements to AT&T's 3G network that would make it comparable to Verizon's? Also, how big a deal is it to buy a phone without wi-fi (which most of Verizon's phones lack)? -- Dana, via e-mail.

Since you're concerned about the iPhone coverage in your area, I'm assuming your husband has reported a lack of AT&T coverage. This is, as you might have heard, not uncommon in metropolitan cities like Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. This is not a universal issue by any means--we've heard reports of good coverage as well--but your mileage may vary depending on where you live and work. If your primary concern is voice and data coverage, then a Verizon phone would probably work better for you. You can certainly find a way to get a Windows Mobile or BlackBerry smartphone to work with a Mac (usually via third-party software), and if you can wait for the Motorola Droid, Android phones can sync with a Mac as well. You probably won't be able to use iTunes to sync music or podcasts though (Let us know if we're wrong on this). As for the lack of Wi-Fi, it's not a huge issue as long as you're not downloading big files. You do have to watch out that you don't hit Verizon's monthly data cap of 5GB though.

Could you please help me out? I do appreciate your time!! I am thinking of either getting the Hero or the Touch Pro 2 from Sprint. I will use the phone mainly for messaging,web browsing and utilizing NFL live whenever possible and maybe a word document every now and then but not too often. I like that the Hero has a smaller foot print but wonder if the keyboard on the TP2 is worth the extra size or not? Does the virtual keyboard work very well? Do you like the Qwerty on the TP2 better? If you were to choose one, which one would you choose? Could you please give me your opinion and help me out. I really do appreciate your time. -- Bruce, via e-mail.

It comes down to whether or not you would be comfortable with a virtual keyboard. For me, I'm fine with a virtual keyboard, and the virtual keyboard on the HTC Hero is actually quite usable. Still, it's not quite as easy and intuitive to use as a physical keyboard like the one on the HTC Touch Pro 2. If you think you'll only use the keyboard once in a while, then the Hero might be a better bet. Another thing to consider is that the HTC Hero runs on the Android platform, while the HTC Touch Pro 2 uses Windows Mobile. It sounds to me like you won't be using the Office apps that often, which again makes me think you might be better off with the Hero. Still, I would suggest trying out both phones in your local Sprint shop before you make the final decision.

AT&T will begin providing unlimited voice and text for $60 a month as part of its GoPhone prepaid service, the company announced Friday. Other prepaid plans from Boost Mobile and MetroPCS, for example, are around $50 a month or less, but the $60 a month plan still sounds pretty good.

The plan also includes unlimited texting to Canada, Mexico, and a hundred other countries. AT&T will start offering the service on October 12.

(Via PhoneScoop)

Lexar's JumpDrive Safe S3000 FIPS keeps your data safe in case of theft or loss.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Thumbdrives offer arguably one of the most convenient ways to carry data around. However, because they are so small, they have been frequent culprits of data breaches. Enter the JumpDrive from Lexar.

The company announced Thursday its new JumpDrive Safe S3000 FIPS, which it claims is the world's first smart-card-based FITS 140-2 Level 3 validated flash drive.

Lengthy name aside, this is the most secure and easy-to-use thumbdrive I've ever gotten my hands on.

(FIPS 140-2, by the way, stands for Federal Information Processing Standard and is a U.S. government computer security standard used to accredit cryptographic modules. Level 3 of this standard is the second highest level of data security, which prevents the intruder from gaining access and requires a physical security mechanism to protect the data inside.)

Physically, the new JumpDrive looks very much like most standard thumbdrives on the market with a detachable lid that reveals the USB head. However, it is noticeably heavier due to its thick metal housing and a presumably sophisticated mix of high-security components inside. Its lid also has a thick layer of rubber insulation to keep the moisture out. According to Lexar, the drive exceeds military waterproof standards.

Lexar said the JumpDrive Safe S3000 FIPS is certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and features hardware encryption and is the first of its kind to have atemper-resistant smart card to manage all security critical computations. The drive uses the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256-bit technology and utilizes an onboard hardware cryptographic controller to encrypt and decrypt data.

From the user's perspective, however, the drive is almost as easy to use as any thumbdrive. I tried it with a few computers and it worked very well.

Though unlocked phones offer you the freedom of switching carriers on a whim, they can require a bit of tinkering before you can roam around the world. In most cases, you'll have to program the phone with the necessary multimedia settings to browse the Internet and send an e-mail or multimedia message.

The settings are available from your carrier, but if you prefer not to talk to a person, there are options available online. Sony Ericsson offers a very handy tool on its Web site that lets you configure your phone in a just a few minutes. After entering your handset model number, carrier, and phone number, Sony Ericsson will send you a text message with the appropriate settings. It then takes just the additional step of installing the settings on your device. To find the tool, look for the "Support" section on Sony Ericsson's Web site.

Nokia had a similar tool on its site, but it seems to have passed into oblivion. The only replacement information that I could find was a rather unhelpful list of instructions for downloading the settings directly onto your phone. If you've found a more helpful tool on Nokia's Web site, please let me know.

As an alternative, I found a site called ConfigureMyPhone that promises to deliver settings for your mobile browser, messaging, e-mail, and Java. It supports carriers in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The tool is intuitive and will be familiar to users of Sony Ericsson's service, though each setting delivered to your phone costs $2.50 each.

Have you found other third-party sites for getting your multimedia settings? Let me know in the comments.

(Credit: EMC)

Owners of Time Machine-enabled Macs need not apply. But for the rest--especially small businesses that want a centralized backup solution, then EMC has something for you.

The company announced Tuesday the availability of its Retrospect 8.1 backup software for the Mac platform, which, unlike the previous version 8.0, now also supports the the legacy PowerPC Macs. This is good news for businesses that still have the older Mac computers.

According to EMC, on average, users of Retrospect 8.1 on Intel-based Macs can expect local backup performance to increase from 10 percent to 15 percent over version 8.0, and from 30 percent to 35 percent over version 6.1.

Performance on PowerPC systems, on the other hand, varies depending on the power and speed of the processor. If the machine runs on a G5 processor, for example, performance can be up to 15 percent better than version 6.1.

Other than that, version 8.1 also has a better user interface, including nicer-looking icons, improved workflow, and better responses to the user's inputs.

The new Retrospect 8.1 continues to have other features that were included in version 8.0, including:

• A customizable user interface with remote management capabilities
• The ability to perform multiple, simultaneous backup, restore, and copy operations
• Support for disk-to-disk-to-disk (D2D2D) and disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) backups
• Certified AES-256 encryption of backup data
• Support for multiple network interfaces and the ability to wake sleeping computers for backup

Other than Macs, Retrospect 8 also supports Windows Server 2003/2008 and Windows XP/Vista clients, in both physical and virtual environments, including those running within VMware Fusion and Parallels.

The new software is available now. The cheapest three-user license costs $129 and the most expensive unlimited license costs $1,669. Owners of Retrospect 8.0 can upgrade to this 8.1 version at a significantly discounted price.

Somehow we make it past the wild Tesla coil in the room to bring you an awesome (if not kind of late) show! Today we show you how to self-destruct your private data, discuss how 3D is totally lame, and why we think Jon Stewart should run for president.

(Credit: The Sisyphus Files)

Sorry for starting late today, live listeners! I think today's show made up for the tardiness, and it all starts with Little Big Planet celebrating one million user-created levels. Since the game's popular release, a level is created every 21 seconds or so, on average, which means that if you were to play all of the levels it would take 5 years to finish them all, and that's only if you're playing 24 hours a day. Wild!

I'm also very excited (big surprise!) about the rerelease of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, dubbed TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled. Who can forget that classic side-scrolling beat-em-up? I logged so many hours at the local nickel arcade next to my house just sitting there with my friends feeding nickels into that machine. Those were always my favorites kinds of games, and there used to be so many titles, too, including Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Simpsons, and Sunset Riders! Ahh, the old days when you actually had to go to an arcade to play a video game...

We also complain about the recent upsurge of all things 3D and how even YouTube is jumping on the bandwagon, offering users the capability to display their 3D videos in multiple formats. Later on in the second half, we analyze Jon Stewart's role as America's Most Trusted Newscaster, according to an online poll by Time Magazine. Should we be scared that America is relying on a comedian to report the daily news? We're not questioning Stewart's credibility here--he's clearly a smart man--but we're wondering how Comedy Central will leverage such a powerful figure.

OK, I have to bring up the Wikipedia page one more time and then I'll shut up: after a brief recess following yesterday's announcement, the page is now in Wiki-limbo. We need users and 404-supportive Wikipedians to populate the page with more details about the show, the hosts, references, guests, etc...since we can't do it ourselves (no, really, we can't), feel free to insert our appearance on "Fox Strategy Room" as well as other blogs on the Internet that mention The 404, even if it's your own! Anything helps, but please remember not to edit the redirection page; only edit the content at the existing address. Thanks, everyone!

Toshiba adds snazzy new colors to HDD line

(Credit: Toshiba)

Toshiba's newest additions to their line of external portable hard drives come in 500GB($150) and 320GB($120) capacities with an array of new color choices including green and blue, but the most notable feature is all the enhanced backup software you get in the package.

The hard drive comes with backup solutions for both Mac and Windows OS. Windows users get the benefit of NTI's BackupNow EZ software for one-touch data backups and even grants the user the ability to create a boot disc or even boot directly off the drive itself. In addition, the software also offers personalized recommendations on the best way to protect and store sensitive data.

Mac users, on the other hand, get NTI's Shadow 4 file-based backup software and can schedule incremental backups in a "set it and forget it" environment. This new line of external HDDs also work with Apple's Time Machine right out of the box, giving these users a healthy amount of extra storage.

For those worried about data security on-the-go, Toshiba covers its bases with an extra password-protected, 256-bit encryption.

Both drives are available now on the Toshiba Web site.

The Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition in Ruby Red is a looker.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

I'm very proud to announce CNET's most recent Editors' Choice product, the Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition. Iomega has always registered excellent marks in our throughput and cost-per-gigabyte ratings, but this particular HDD uniquely combines three different ways to connect the drive to a computer: USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800.

The drive comes in three versions: a 500GB in ruby red, a 320GB in a cobalt blue, and a 250GB in alpine white. All of the drives come formatted to work with Macs out of the box, but you can easily format the drive back to Fat32 using the Mac Disk Utility to make it work with Windows.

In addition, all of Iomega's drives come with Iomega's "Drop Guard" feature that protects the drive from up to a 52-inch drop. We don't recommend testing that claim, but you should watch the video above for a little impromptu test.

Also, be sure to check out our full review of the Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition for speed test results and a more detailed analysis.