Cell Phone Reviews & Cell Phone Ratings:
Not Just About The Best Cell Phones

What Is FindMe?

FindMe is a new location sharing application from the folks at Electric Pocket. The idea behind FindMe is really simple: let friends stay connected with a smartphone and Facebook without using GPS data.

What Does FindMe Do?

So how does this differ from a standard location sharing program? For starters, the system does not depend on GPS coordinates. That means you don’t have to worry about Big Brother (or anybody else) knowing exactly where you are within +/- 2 meters and maybe waking up in a dried up well with a bottle of skin lotion. Mmm, skin lotion.

The FindMe system only shares as much location data as you feel comfortable revealing on Facebook. Here’s how it works: Pop in your favorite bar, coffee shop, or other hang-out into the FindMe system on your smartphone and then post the location on your Facebook account. FindMe uses the information gathered from nearby cell phone towers to figure out if you are in or near one of your tagged locations. If you are, the FindMe app on your Facebook account displays your current location.

If you haven’t defined a location on Facebook, your position will be displayed as “Unknown,” although you can re-name this: out to lunch, in shock therapy, etc. If you really, really don’t want people in your Facebook network to know where you are, the FindMe application has a “Go Dark” feature that disables location updates. When you go dark, only your last known location is displayed. Very handy for a day of dodging work at the local microbrewery.

What Does FindMe Work With?

Currently, FindMe is available for all BlackBerry Smartphones with trackballs, including 81xx series (Pearl), 83xx series (Curve) and the 88xx series, plus all GSM Windows Mobile phones.

Where Can I Get FindMe?

Check out the FindMe at Electric Pocket’s website.

Check it out. I just got my hands on a sweet little package called the Nokia N82. So here we go with a quick Nokia N82 review. You can either watch the Nokia N82 video review or just read what I’ve got to say about it here.

This phone is a multi-media powerhouse. It comes with not one but TWO camera’s. One in the back that is a 5 megapixel featuring Carl Zeiss optics, auto focus and integrated Xenon flash. One in the front for self portraits and video calls.

The Nokia N82 comes with Bluetooth, supports Java and is Wi-Fi enabled. Heck it even has GPS on it too just in case you are bushwacking somewhere remote and find yourself lost. And when you’re in the city, no problem - download city maps from over 100 countries!

A Nokia N82 review would not be complete without mentioning that the one thing that actually surprised me is that Nokia actually included the Audio/Video TV cable in the box. That’s right, you can shoot your videos, snap your photos, add some sound tracks to them and plug this bad boy into your television set to show your firends all of your media on a large format screen. Suh-weet!

Also it’s worth mentioning that you can drop a 2GB microSD memory card into the phone to store all of your multi-media files.

The phone has a 2.4″ LCD display that supports up to 16 million colours and a wide viewing angle too. For Audio out the N82 has an integrated stereo speaker and 3D sound effects.

It’s true, dynamite DOES come wrapped in small packages!

Here’s the specs on the Nokia N82 unlocked Quadband GSM 5 megapixel cell phone:

So what do you think about the Nokia N82? Drop us some comments about this post using the comment submission form.

Okay, I don’t know about other users of a mobile phone, but I have been waiting for a way to bookmark and optimize content on mobile devices for awhile. Think its impossible? PhoneFavs, a new mobile web portal from MobileInfocenter, is the first social bookmarking system to deliver mobile-friendly performance, and you can get it free.

PhoneFavs gives you a simple way to store and share your bookmarks, no matter if you’re on a desktop or texting away in a hotel lobby. Sure, there are a number of social bookmarking systems out there, but so far, none of them has been optimized from the ground up for use with mobile devices.

Using PhoneFavs is pretty straightforward. Find a cool site on your desktop and mark it using the PhoneFavs toolbar buttons. You can also add tags, titles and other social bookmarking markers if needed. Once you sync your mobile with your computer, you have the bookmark-tags and all-to go. And, yes, you can mark stuff on your mobile and sync it to your desktop, too.

Users of a mobile phone will also like the mobile optimization features of the bookmarks. On your mobile device, the PhoneFavs bookmark opens up a webpage that is automatically stripped-down for easy display. No plug-ins needed. The PhoneFavs site also has links to most of the major mobile web portals, including Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

Best of all, the PhoneFavs social bookmarking system is free for use on your mobile. Give it a try.

MySpace, Facebook, Pandora. Between these and the couple of professional social sites, blogspots, PayPal, and the half a dozen or so gaming and music sites that I have active accounts with, I have a good-sized chunk of username and password data scattered around my office, mostly scribbled on the backs of receipts. Not very convenient and definitely not very secure.

Made by the guys at SplashData, SplashID 4 is password management software that turns the PDA of your choice into a portable safe of confidential information. Beyond that, The SplashID 4 password manager also helps you choose passwords for better security, defeat phishing and in general, be safer on the Internet.

The security for the portable password manager is darn good. 256-bit Blowfish encryption keeps data safe and cozy without bogging down a handheld. I can protect just about any type of information with the password management software: usernames and passwords, bank account info, even prescription information. The password manager makes finding the right password pretty simple, too. Splash ID 4 has a Lookup feature that delivers the info as you type.

The SplashID 4 PDA password manager has a sharp set of high resolution icons, so finding what you need is very easy. One new feature for this version of the portable password manager is Web Auto Fill, which prevents keyword loggers from getting username and password information. Other new stuff for the PDA password manager include secure file sharing with other SplashID 4 users, synchronization options with other SplashID databases and a password strength meter to help you beef up your Internet security.

If you want to see what else the SplashID 4 password manager for Pocket PC can do, check out the 30-day free trial at SplashData.

Here’s a new cell phone for Verizon Wireless, the Samsung Gleam U700. This phone is a clamshell that offers a built-in 2.0-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, VZ Navigator Location Based Services and VCAST (Video and Music).

The Gleam U700 is metallic bronze and black and houses a cool silver keypad. This cell phone also has a 262 thousand color display that is 176 x 220 pixels and a whole host of other nifty features too. You’ll find a full list of the Samsung Gleam U700 cell phone specifications here.

A Quite Useful Cell Phone When You Consider These Features

• Integrated 2.0-megapixel resolution camera with Night Shot to help capture the picture in low light, and camcorder to capture life’s more active moments
• VCAST Video service to download and view video on this multimedia capable phone, and VCAST Music capable to download and play music, ringtones and more
• Dynamic new living wallpaper options that changes with the time of day
• Supports the following Bluetooth profiles fore handsfree functionality: mono headset, stereo headset, handsfree, serial port, dial-up networking, object push for vCard only, phonebook access, basic image (for pictures only) and basic print (for pictures only)

With modern lines and a thin profile, the Samsung Gleam U700 will draw looks each time you pull it out of your pocket.

You can buy one of the Samsung Gleam U700 cell phones with a Verizon Wireless plan here.

Motorola recently unveiled the MOTOPURE H12 Universal Bluetooth Headset. So what’s so special about another Bluetooth earpiece for your cell phone? Aren’t there several great headsets on the market today? Indeed there are quite a few options to choose from right now. However the MOTOPURE H12 has a little something extra that most headsets lack.

The MOTOPURE H12 helps users to better hear and be heard in very noisy environments. This headset accomplishes that with audio-enhancing technology from Motorola called CrystalTalk for headsets.

This new Bluetooth headset for cell phones features superb noise cancellation technology wrapped up in a discreet and convenient package that has a somewhat iconic look.

CrystalTalk has been available before now in a few select Motorola cell phones but this is a first for Motorola headsets.

How Does The MOTOPURE H12 Cellular Phone Headset Work?

So how does the MOTOPURE H12 with CrystalTalk work to cancel unwanted noise? Well to start with, it’s always on to enhance the audio experience without any sort of user intervention. It uses duel microphones to separate the user’s voice from background noise and enhances the user’s voice by channelling pure, clear and natural sounding audio to the caller.

So the technology works great, but is it comfortable to wear?

Nobody we know would want to pick up a cell phone headset if it’s quite uncomfortable to use. Thankfully Motorola has taken comfort into consideration. The MOTOPURE H12 is quite comfortable to wear and use thanks to its TrueComfort ear bud design. Motorola has put considerable resources into an ergonomic measurement study of the human ear. According to Motorola this research included two years of digital assessments. The result is a fit that is optimized around shape, not just size.

Additional in-demand features round out a completely new experience:

• Using TrueComfort design, the three ear cushion options, combined with a smaller-than-standard eight millimetre external speaker, deliver an outstanding fit.
• The flexible lightweight ear hook securely holds the headset in place to prevent it from flapping or falling. The headset also can be worn on either ear, and even comfortably with eyewear.
• A mix of materials that projects a petite silhouette, including perforated alloy bezel and diamond-cut metal, high gloss accents and a soft touch side housing.
• The headset comes complete with a suite of accessories to integrate the H12 into the consumer’s dynamic day including a matching desktop charger, charging case and shirt clip.
• The headset has a talk time of up to 5.5 hours with consistent, constant noise reduction and a wireless range of up to 10 meters.