***LG says don’t text and drive***
Forget about drinking and driving! Do you text and drive? Or are you a hopeless Facebook addict who is unable to go five minutes without checking status updates? Well, the first step is admitting you have a problem. The second step: taking a virtual cruise in LG’s “Don’t Text and Drive” simulator, which evaluates your poor driving skills while under the hypnotic influence of a gently pulsing iPhone or Blackberry. And remember, friends don’t let friends drive and text!
***Huawei shatters LTE speed record***
The long, winding buffet lines might move slowly in Vegas during CTIA, but Huwaei still managed to successfully shatter the world’s fastest LTE-advanced downlink speed of 1.2 Gb/s. Huawei president Karen Yu expressed satisfaction with the City of Sin wireless drag race, saying the record speeds – more than 40 times faster than existing commercial 3G networks – will undoubtedly “revolutionize” the mobile broadband experience.
***EVO 4G smartphone arrives at CTIA 2010***
Sprint and HTC have finally unveiled their long-awaited EVO 4G smartphone after months of loud speculation and mercilessly noisy tweets. Formerly nicknamed “Supersonic,” the spiffy device features a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreen and runs HTC’s updated Sense user interface on an Android 2.1-based mobile OS. The next-gen EVO also boasts an 8-megapixel HD camera, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, HDMI output and “kickstand” for easy video viewing.
***Blueant debuts Bluetooth headset for hipster bikers***
Blueant has debuted a Bluetooth headset for ironically dressed hipster bikers, granola-eating bicyclists and balding yuppie convertible owners. Yes indeed, the T1 headset is proudly shielded against the vagaries of nature with its Wind Armour technology which eliminates microphone noise wind up to 22mph. The $80 Bluetooth headset also offers protection against dust, debris and excess moisture.
***Yahoo tempts hungry Foodies with ‘Sketch-a-Search’ iPhone app***
Are you a self-described foodie? Do you savor foie-gras, snack on chanterelle mushrooms and eat pomegranate chicken dishes lightly spiced with just a dash of saffron? Well, then Yahoo’s ‘Sketch-a-Search’ iPhone app could be your new best friend, well, after Julia Childs, of course! This free app allows you to search for local restaurants simply by drawing a circle, line or any shape on a map. You can also click to read snobby reviews, drool over food porn, find directions or make reservations at the new coolest place ever! Bon appetit!
***AT&T warns of bandwidth crunch***
Ah, yes. It isn’t like we haven’t noticed the sometimes painfully slow speed of AT&T’s 3G network while downloading Velvet Underground MP3’s and streaming Misfits videos on YouTube. Clearly, folks, there is a problem with wireless bandwidth. And AT&T’s Ralph de la Vega acknowledged as much during his CTIA keynote speech. Vega said he applauded the FCC’s initiative to free up more frequency spectrum, but warned it wouldn’t be enough. Vega also explained that carriers – including AT&T – would have to quickly move to next generation networks which are more capable of handling bumper-to-bumper wireless traffic.
***Dude, have you seen my Android phone?***
Are you hoping to accidentally “misplace” your Android smartphone in the hopes of replacing it with a shiny iPhone or sleek Blackberry? Well, you may be forced to postpone those subconscious and devious plans, because iTag has just launched a free application to track down lost or stolen Android phones. This handy app remotely rings Android smartphones (even if its ringer is turned off), automatically detects if someone has inserted a different SIM card and allows you to remotely lock the phone, delete and backup data.
***Crackberry addicts to get native Twitter fix***
Rejoice all ye Crackberry addicts! Research in Motion (RIM) has confirmed that it will be introducing a native Twitter application for Blackberry smartphones on March 31. Yes, now you can happily Tweet from the comfort of your Blackberry without having to load any third-party apps or view a non-Crackberry friendly Twitter interface.
***Mobile recycling initiative launched at CTIA***
The newly formed eRecyclingCorps launched an admirable green initiative at CTIA to help carriers buy back or recycle used handsets from consumers. The company also released some fairly disturbing statistics, noting that out of the 4 billion wireless subscribers in the world, only 1 percent responsibly recycle their handsets. Another survey conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reportedly found that 130 million cellular phones in the US are “retired” annually, creating a whopping 65,000 tons of smelly electronic garbage.
***20 million LTE subscriptions by 2012?***
Strategy Analytics has looked into its swirling crystal ball and predicted the US will boast approximately 20 million LTE subscriptions by end of 2012. Susan Welsh de Grimaldo, Director of Mobile Broadband Opportunities at Strategy Analytics, also dubbed the US the “leading battleground” for 4G.
“Early winners will include Verizon Wireless, Alcatel Lucent, Ericsson, Apple, Sony, and Google. With broad commitments to LTE and WiMAX service launches, US operators will speed up the competition and create one of the most influential markets for new mobile broadband services and devices.”
