Phone New Update: June 2010

LocalPhone Pakistan Call rates Increase and Middle East rates dropped

Well, here is some news from Localphone. As we all know Localphone was running a June Promotion in which it was offering 15% call rate deductions to many countries. However this promotion will come to end tomorrow 30th June !

LocalPhone new rates will be active to Middle East countries and I can see some rate drop. Check the snippet below showing the latest calling rates offering by localphone to middle east countries.

Well there is one more news from Localphone. Localphone and many other voip providers are forced to increase call rates to Pakistan in response to actions taken by the Pakistani Government. Effective from 00:00 GMT on 1st July localphone rate to Pakistan will be $0.109 / £0.076 / €0.089 per minute to both landlines and mobiles.

Due to a rise in the cost of terminating international calls in Pakistan, their suppliers have had to increase the rate they charge, and localphone is forced to do the same. LocalPhone mentions that it will in fact make less profit by offering these calls and that this situation is entirely unavoidable.

Lets see how other voip provider react to this situation and will others also increase their calling rates ? Will we be seeing more costlier voip calls to Pakistan ?

For more information, visit LocalPhone.

Update : Localphone is running a promotional offer. When you sigh up with $1 credit, you will get $2.5 credit. That's additional $1.5 credit as bonus.
$1.5 credit is worth 100 minutes to India. This makes cheapest voip provider to India with effective rate of just 0.6 cents per minute. This offer can be used to call other countries as well. What are you waiting for. Just try Localphone.
(No expiry of credit, good voice quality, and sign up with as low as $1).

Facetime for iPhone4 : Make free video calls

I was looking for some older posts and just realized I have not covered a post on Apple iPhone application Facetime. Well, as you all know iPhone4 was launched sometime back and its most distinguishing feature is Facetime !!

Apple iPhone is one of the most popular phones available in the market and Apple has always been trying to launch some great features. Facetime is just one of such feature. Using this application you can make free video calls from your Apple iPhone4 to other Apple iPhone4 ! These free video calls are made using Wifi. So as long as you are connected to Wifi you can make free video calls using your iPhone4.

But if you have no friends, or simply no friends with an iPhone 4, Apple's got your back if you're looking for a chum to test that curiously intriguing FaceTime feature. Just dial up 1-888-FACETIME. Apple employee will be there in a moment to "show you the basics and a few advanced tips." Help line's only open from 8AM to 8PM CDT.

The best part is that you can make free international video calls directly over wifi using your iPhone4.

Google Voice for everyone : No invite required

Well, Google voice came last year with a bang. Already, there are 1 million people with Google Voice accounts. Initially it started offering its voip service only with invitation. Google acquired the core Google Voice technology in mid-2007 when it bought a company called GrandCentral. At the time, Google closed new sign-ups for the GrandCentral service. Some time back it started offering its voip service to students without invitation.

Now google voice is offering its voip service to everyone without any invitation. Google voice is a web-based platform for managing your communications. It introduced one number to ring all your phones, voicemail that works like email, free calls and text messages to the U.S. and Canada, low-priced international calls and more ! And now google voice goes public, no invitation.

The thing here to notice is Google Voice is still limited to everyone in the U.S. for now and not for everyone internationally. So, all the people in US could use Google voice to make free calls to the U.S. and Canada, to send free text messages.

How To: Check iPhone 3GS New Bootrom or Old Bootrom (iBoot) Version

Courtesy of By Taimur Asad | June 25th, 2010

On Mac OS X

Step 1: Put your iPhone into DFU Mode (not recovery mode)

Connect your iPhone to your computer.
Turn iPhone off.
Start iTunes.
Hold Power and Home buttons together for 10 seconds or so.
Release Power button but keep holding the Home button until your computer recognizes a new USB device.
iTunes will now recognize your iPhone.

Note: Your iPhone screen at this time should be blank (black in color), if not, then you are most likely in Recovery Mode, not DFU mode.

Step 2: Run "System Profiler" and navigate to: Hardware -> USB (menu on left).

Step 3: At the top right under �USB Device Tree� panel click �Apple Mobile Device (DFU Mode)�.

Step 4: Now down under in �Serial Number�, simply go through the string and you�ll find the bootrom version (iBoot) as shown in the screenshots below:

iPhone 3GS � Old Bootrom 359.3

Step 5: If it�s 359.3, you have old bootrom. If it�s 359.3.2 or anything above that, its a new bootrom.

Note: In both the cases above, it doesn�t matter whether your iPhone is an MB model or an MC model. As long as it has 359.3 bootrom, it is iPhone 3GS with old bootrom, and if 359.3.2 or above then it is iPhone 3GS with new bootrom.

Internet Sharing from Macbook Pro to iPad

Today, I tried several experiments to see which works.

Internet <---> Ethernet <---> MBP <---> WiFi (Airport enabled) <---> iPad (THIS WORKS)

Internet <---> iPhone 3GS <---> USB <---> MBP <---> WiFi <---> iPad (WORKS)

Review - My Yoobao iPad Case

I have been searching high and low for the best iPad case.
Finally I decided to get Yoobao V2 from eBay. The seller seems genuine enough.
I have never purchased anything from eBay, but my previous and first experience in getting an STM XS Scout iPad Bag from Amazon encourage me to buy from online again.
The Yoobao iPad Case which I ordered from eBay arrived today (almost 10 days).

UPDATES - REVIEWS

Review: 13 Reasons iLike iPad - How About You?
Review: I Am A Student - Is It Worth To Buy an iPad?
Review: After 1 month using iPad
Review: What is it like after 2 months owning an iPad?
Review: iPad - After More than 100 Days
Review: After 4 months - List of my 11 Pages of iPad Apps
Review: STM Scout XS
Review: Screen Privacy Filter
Review: Yoobao iPad Case
Review: Apple Wireless Keyboard

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

iOS 4.0.1 to solve Antenna Problem or to Stop Jailbreak Solution?

Technically its not easy to fix the antenna problems with a software unless the iPhones are using some sort of smart antenna technology which uses software to "tunes" the signal strength (which I don't think Apple is using) coz they have boasted about the new Antenna body design.

Hardware method is the easiest way and that's why they introduced the iPhone 4 case "bumper". Technically its called "RF absorber". Many designs have used this method to reduce the RF interference. However, I am not sure other "plastic case" design by other manufacturers have same quality as Apple Bumpers or not.

However, I believed the software patch (as mentioned by Apple Insider) 4.0.1 (if released) is not trying to solve the Antenna problem but instead the software patch is trying to close any security holes for Jailbreak solutions. :hehe:

Skype offers Cheap Calls to India

Here is an update from Skype: Skype is now offering cheap calls to India so that you can throw away your international calling card. Hey but hold on, are these calls really cheap ?? or you can get cheaper calls to India.

Skype subscriptions start from $1.79/€1,39/£0.99 per month for 60 minutes of calls to landlines and mobiles in India. Which works out at just 3¢($)/2.3¢(€)/1.7p per minute.

$2.05/€1,59/£1.13 including VAT where applicable
3.45¢($)/2.65¢(€)/1.96p including VAT where applicable

So, basically you are paying 3 cents per minute to make calls to India. Well, when there are so many other voip provider offering much much cheap calls to India, don't know why is Skype calling the rate cheap. We have nymgo offering calls to India at 1.1 cents per minute, Rebtel at 1.8 cents, Indiald at 1-1.5 cents, LocalPhone, betamax, pingo and so many other voip services offering calls to India in range of 1 - 1.5 cents per minute.

I guess for those, who have been using Skype for all long and don't want to shift this is a great deal. There is No hidden fees, and no long term contract needed. Skype is surely a trusted voip provider. Many make their first voip call with Skype :)

[How-To] - Enable Internet Tethering for Celcom

By default you cannot see the "Internet Tethering" feature General --> Network settings.
However, when you enable with the below Celcom settings, you will be able to see the "Internet Tethering" and also the camera icon at the SMS app (for sending MMS pictures).

With this feature, I am able to use my iPhone 3GS iOS 4.0 for Internet Tethering in replacement for the "MyWi" app. However, this solution is incomplete since my iPad WiFi cannot use the Internet Tethering, instead, it requires the WiFi and MyWi.

The moment you insert the APN "celcom3g" for "Internet Tethering", you will get the feature enabled.

UPDATES - REVIEWS

Review: 13 Reasons iLike iPad - How About You?
Review: I Am A Student - Is It Worth To Buy an iPad?
Review: After 1 month using iPad
Review: What is it like after 2 months owning an iPad?
Review: iPad - After More than 100 Days
Review: After 4 months - List of my 11 Pages of iPad Apps
Review: STM Scout XS
Review: Screen Privacy Filter
Review: Yoobao iPad Case
Review: Apple Wireless Keyboard

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

MyWi 3.x Crashed after iOS 4 Jailbreak

The main reason for my Jailbreak is to ensure I can get MyWi for my Internet Tethering needs.

However, after today's Jailbreak of the 3GS, I found out that my purchased/licensed MyWi is unable to be install properly.

I tried the other MyWi versions (No Rock) but keep getting the crash asked for a "Restart". Rebooting the iPhone doesn;t work since it still operate in "Safe Mode".

The only way to exit from the "Safe Mode" is to uninstall MyWi app.

Probably the current MyWi version is not compatible with iOS 4.0.

Just noticed this... Some of the apps are not compatible as yet..

Also, I happened to read this Forum post but its already too late... :-(

Click here --> iOS 4 and MyWi

From Rock Website: http://www.rockyourphone.com
Important Note: You need to have a jailbroken phone to install Rock Your Phone Applications. The information below will help guide you on getting Rock Your Phone onto your iPhone
Rock works best on the latest OS releases from Apple. If you have and iPhone or iPod Touch this means OS version 3.1.2 or 3.1.3 on the iPad the only OS is 3.2:
All users should use the newest jailbreak called Spirit which was released on May 2nd, 2010 to install RockApp on your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.

Review - How to upgrade and Jailbreak a Blackra1n Jailbroken 3GS 3.1.2 to iOS 4.0

Finally, I have Jailbreak my iPhone 3.1.2 which was Jailbroken via Blackra1n to the latest Apple iOS 4.0 and Jailbreak with Pwnage Tool 4.0.1. You may click any of the articles below:

I followed closely this below articles:-

1 - How to Jailbreak Your iPhone 3GS Using PwnageTool (Mac) [4.0]

2 - Jailbreak and Unlock iPhone 3gS to iOS4 (also downgrade to lower firmwares) on Mac

3 - iTunes: Backing up, updating, and restoring your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch software

4 - iOS4 jailbreak pwnagetool - cydia crash

I have to create the custom ipsw twice to get the Cydia working. The first one crashed because I have enabled and downloaded some sources during the Pwnage process.

(Note: Ensure to "uncheck" the "Activate iPhone" because mine is officially unlocked)

In preparation for an iOS 4 Upgrade - Things To Do

If you have the following:-

- iPhone 3GS (Model MC)

- FW 3.1.2 / Baseband: 05.11.07

- Jailbreak with Spirit

- Old Bootroom (S/N: XX932XXXXXX means Week 32 Year 2009) Note: Newer Bootroom is week 40 and above)

However, Dev Team, have commented in their Forum the following statement:-

"iPhone 3GS

Summary: Currently, PwnageTool only works on previously jailbroken 3GS devices with the old bootrom.

If you have a Jailbroken iPhone 3GS with the OLD BOOTROM and you DID NOT use Spirit to jailbreak then you can create the ipsw with PwnageTool 4.0 and restore with your jailbroken recovery mode.
If you have an iPhone 3GS with the NEW BOOTROM this is NOT supported by ~~PwnageTool 4.0~~ PwnageTool 4.01"

Since you have Jailbreak using Spirit and since there is no Spirit Jailbreak for iOS 4 yet, you have to do the following:-

1 - Restore back to 3.1.2 (Ensure SHSH is backup via Cydia)

2 - Jailbreak using Redsn0w. See --> HERE

3 - Jailbreak using Pwnage 4.0.1. See --> HERE

Update:

However, today, I realized I have not Jailbreak using Spirit but using a method called Blackra1n. If this is the case, I might be able to Jailbreak my 3.1.2 iPhone 3GS to iOS 4.

Just in case you have problem ... see this article --> Jailbreak and Unlock iPhone 3gS to iOS4 (also downgrade to lower firmwares) on Mac

[HOW-TO]: Backup and Reinstall Cydia Packages

Someone commented in a Forum ..

"As with any upgrade to the iPhone Firmware, there has never been a way to upgrade any firmware with out losing your jailbreak. Here is my suggestion to you. I use a program called PKGBACKUP. You can buy it on cydia. this program creates a backup list of all your cydia installed packages. Once done you sync your iphone with itunes and that list gets backed up. Then you can re-jailbreak once the jailbreak for iOS 4 comes out. Reinstall PkgBackup. Restore your iphone's backup from itunes. Run PkgBackup and then you can reinstall all your cydia packages. I've used this in past in it has worked flawlessly.!!"

There is an article from Apple website on how to backup, update and restore your iPod and iPhone --> HERE

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Skype Free international calls for a month

Yes you heard it right. Many of you must have received mail from Skype regarding the free calls offer. For those and others as well let me share the news :)

To celebrate a season of football, skype is offering you free calls to qualifying countries for a month. The free calling minutes varies depending on country you make calls to. I really like Skype page for this football free calls promotion.

Some cool random headlines and free calling details about each country. Plus information about Football particular to the destination you click. You must check this promotion page by Skype.

* 60 minutes free calls to landlines in Algeria for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in Argentina for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in Australia for a month
* 400 minutes free calls to landlines in Brazil for a month
* 60 minutes free calls to landlines in Cameroon for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in Chile for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in Denmark for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in France for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in Germany for a month
* 60 minutes free calls to landlines in Ghana for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in Greece for a month
* 60 minutes free calls to landlines and mobiles in Honduras
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in Italy for a month
* 60 minutes free calls to landlines and mobiles in Japan for a month
* 120 minutes free calls to landlines in Mexico for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in the Netherlands for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in New Zealand for a month
* 120 minutes free calls to landlines in Nigeria for a month
* 60 minutes free calls to landlines in Paraguay for a month
* 60 minutes free calls to landlines in Serbia for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in Portugal for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in Slovakia for a month
* 120 minutes free calls to landlines in Slovenia for a month
* 120 minutes free calls to landlines in South Africa for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in South Korea for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in Spain for a month
* 120 minutes free calls to landlines in Switzerland for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines in the UK for a month
* 60 minutes free calls to landlines in Uruguay for a month
* Unlimited free calls to landlines and mobiles in the USA for a month

PS: After the first month, you’ll be charged our normal subscription rate. A fair usage policy applies where we offer unlimited calls. Subscriptions exclude service, special, premium and non-geographic numbers. Terms and conditions apply to individuals countries.

How To Check Which Telco Support Unlock iPhone and Internet Tethering?

This is a good article from Apple that showed which telcos supports the "Official Unlock" and also that supports "Internet Tethering". Click HERE.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Where is the ipsw file located after downloaded via iTunes?

Mac OS X

For iPhone: ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Software Updates

For iPod touch: ~/Library/iTunes/iPod Software Updates

(The tilde "~" represents your Home directory.)

Windows XP

For iPhone: C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

For iPod touch: C:\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPod Software Updates

Windows Vista

For iPhone: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates

For iPod touch: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPod Software Updates

iOS 4 ipsw Download Links

iOS 4 external download links

The update/installation guide can be found here.

Update 1: Ultrasn0w 0.93 has been released, which brings unlock for iOS 4 and all other basebands since iPhone 3.0. Details here.

HTC Evo 4G

HTC Evo 4G is Sprint's premier smartphone and you'll get a great device regardless of our quibbles. We just hope Sprint starts to light up those 4G markets faster, so everyone can take advantage of the 4G capabilities and get their money's worth. HTC Evo 4G will be available June 4 for $199.99 with a two year contract and the aforementioned data plans. Though Sprint requires a $100 mail-in rebate, Best Buy and Radio Shack do not, so you get the $200 price tag instantly. Cut from the same cloth as the HTC HD2, HTC Evo 4G isn't what you'd call a dainty phone.

It measures 4.8 inches tall by 2.6 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick and weighs 6 ounces, so you're dealing with a good chunk of hardware. It's right on the cusp of being too big, but HTC was able to keep HTC Evo 4G relatively thin, making it more manageable. Plus, you might be willing to overlook the large size once you get a glimpse of the smartphone's massive display. Like the HD2, HTC Evo 4G rocks a 4.3 inch capacitive touch screen that's downright mesmerizing. The extra screen real estate makes a huge difference when viewing Web pages and reading text, and HTC Evo 4G supports the pinch to zoom gesture in a number of apps.

The display shows vibrant colors and the sharp WVGA 800x480 pixel resolution makes everything look crisp. There is a built-in light sensor that will automatically adjust the backlight based on the ambient light we were able to read the screen in most environments, but it did wash out a bit in bright sunlight. Another benefit of the large display is a spacious keyboard that rivals the iPhone's in ease of use. Even in portrait mode, we were able to quickly punch out a message with both thumbs (none of that pecking at the keys with one finger) with minimal mistakes.

As you can imagine, the landscape keyboard is even roomier, but most times we found we could get away with just typing in portrait mode. Below the screen, you get four touch sensitive navigation controls : home, menu, back, and search. A long press of the home key will bring up a list of your most recently used apps. There's a volume rocker on the right side, and the top of the device features a power button and 3.5 mm headphone jack. On the bottom, you'll find a Micro-USB port and an HDMI port. Be aware that the latter is a Type D connector, so you'll have to get a compatible cable to hook the phone up to your TV.

Of course, you can watch video and view photos right from the phone, and there's a handy kickstand on back so you can prop the phone up on a desk. Though there will be purists who prefer the standard Android skin, in most cases, we'd choose a device running HTC Sense. Out of all our custom skins for Android (Motoblur, TouchWiz, etc.), Sense is our absolute favorite, as it gives Android a more user friendly interface. In many cases, it improves on the core functions by better integrating the features, which is why we're glad to see that Sprint had the sense (sorry) to go with Sense on HTC Evo 4G.

Just like the Droid Incredible and the HTC Legend, HTC Evo 4G runs the newer version of HTC Sense, which was announced at Mobile World Congress 2010. This includes a revamped mail widget that can take you to a list view of all your e-mail instead of just one message at a time. (This view, however, is only one of several choices.) Once in the mail app, there's a handy tabbed interface at the bottom that lets you view unread messages, attachments, meeting invites, and more with a simple touch.

The Agenda widget also now displays your whole agenda on the screen, and, like the latest HTC devices, you get an animated weather widget right on the home screen that automatically displays the current conditions based on your location. You also get a new Group Contacts widget, which lets you organize your contacts by groups. For example, you can set up one for work colleagues, another for friends, and another for just family whatever you please. The UI looks good, and it's simple to add contacts to a group, though removing them requires a few extra steps.

Sense also makes it easy to access as much information as possible within the contact management system. If any of your contacts have Facebook updates, it will display them right next to their pictures in the contact database. You can also see all your exchanges (text messages, call logs, etc.) with a single person from his or her contact card, and all your contacts are accessible within the phone app.

However, we still had multiple instances of duplicate contacts and had to go back and manually link them together. Another feature, called Friend Stream, provides a single place for all your social networking needs, piping in updates from Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. Unlike Motoblur, it's not server based the phone connects to the sites and pulls information directly from there.

Nokia E73

Nokia E73 Mode's design is quite similar to the E72, not that we have any complaints, since we loved the E72's form factor. Nokia E73 is incredibly sleek at 4.5 inches tall by 2.3 inches wide by 0.4 inch thick, making it easy to slip into a pants pocket and comfortable to hold as a phone and messaging device. It's relatively light at 4.5 ounces but it has a very solid construction and feels like a device worth more than $70. The smartphone's display measures 2.4 inches diagonally and supports 16 million colors with a 320x240 resolution.

The size is on par with the one on BlackBerry Bold 9700, but it's not quite as sharp (the Bold's screen is 480x360) so images and text don't look quite as smooth on Nokia E73 as the Bold. Still, it's clear and vibrant, but tends to wash out slightly in bright sunlight. Like a number of Nokia's latest smartphones, Nokia E73 Mode lets you switch your home screen between two modes: personal and work. You can customize each mode with which apps you want accessible from the home screen, with the idea that you'll have work apps front and center in work mode, and more fun apps, such as the music player and photo gallery, in personal mode, so you can better balance your life.

Whether one can really "turn off" work mode is probably up to the individual, but nice a sentiment by Nokia. As for the general user interface, the Symbian based Nokia E73 runs on the S60 platform so the experience is much like the E72. The UI isn't particularly pretty, looking rather old actually, and requires some extra steps when navigating within an app, but it's fairly intuitive. Below the screen, you get a number of navigation controls, including Talk and End keys, two soft buttons, four shortcuts (home, contacts, calendar, and messages), and a combination optical trackpad or D-pad that Nokia calls the Optical Navi key.

To close an app, you much choose Options and then Exit. Nokia E73 Mode's QWERTY keyboard is, in a word, excellent. The rectangular buttons are a good size and have a nice domed shape, making them easy to press. The numbers share space with the letter keys in the middle of the keyboard. Though Nokia chose to highlight them in black against a dark gray background, they're actually not that hard to see. It's really one of the best physical keyboards we've used in recent memory, as we were able to type messages quickly and with little error. On the left spine, there's a Micro-USB port and a microSD expansion slot, both protected by an attached cover.

Meanwhile, you will find a volume rocker and a voice command button on the right side, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack and power button on top. The camera and flash are, as usual, found on back. Nokia E73 also has a front facing camera, but don't think this is in response to the HTC Evo 4G and iPhone 4. Most Nokia smartphones have had front facing cameras and video conferencing capabilities long before these two phones put it on people's radars. Though the interest hasn't necessarily been there in the past, you can, in fact, make video calls with Nokia E73 with an app, such as Fring, which is available through the Nokia Ovi Store.

Nokia bills the E73 Mode as a mobile to balance work and life, and the smartphone has a pretty well rounded feature set, though we'd say it skews a little more to mobile professionals than consumers, particularly with the messaging capabilities. The smartphone offers Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support (e-mail, contacts, calendar, and tasks) as well as IBM Lotus Notes and comes with a mobile VPN client if you need to tap into your company's intranet. The Nokia Messaging app can also handle as many as 10 personal accounts, including POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP, and comes with push deliver, an attachment viewer, search, filters, and HTML support. In addition to e-mail, T-Mobile bundles the E73 with a handful of instant messaging clients and social networking apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace.

Samsung Restore SPH-m570

While it may claim similar eco-friendly properties as Samsung Reclaim does, Samsung Restore SPH-m570 looks a bit more like the Rant. It has a number keypad on the front, but it slides sideways to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. Despite its recycled ingredients, Samsung Restore SPH-m570 feels sturdy, and we like its overall oval shape and curved edges. Measuring 4.6 inches long by 2.1 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick, Samsung Restore SPH-m570 is definitely bigger than both the Rant and the Reclaim, but it's still lightweight at 4.32 ounces and easily fits in a pocket or purse.

On the front of the phone is a lovely 2.4 inch QVGA display that supports 262.000 colors and has a 320x240 pixel resolution. We are pleased with the colorful images and the crisp text, and the size of the screen allows for more messages, especially in threaded conversations. You can adjust the brightness and the backlight timer. The menu interface can be arranged in either grid or list view, while the home screen has Sprint's One Click interface along the bottom row (You can read more about One Click in our review of the Samsung Highlight).

As part of the phone's eco-friendly theme, the Restore includes quick links to the Planet Green site in the One Click interface. The navigation array that follows is a bit of departure for Samsung messaging phones. You get the typical two soft keys, the speakerphone key, the back key, and the Send and End and Power keys of course, but instead of a regular toggle, you get a square optical touch sensitive touch pad similar to the one on the Samsung Moment. This makes navigating the menu a lot quicker and smoother, but it takes a bit of practice to not scroll too far from where you want.

Two soft keys are on the left side of the display, for use when the keyboard is open. The number keypad underneath the navigation array is quite roomy, and we like that the keys are separate from each other and are raised above the surface for quick dialing. The volume rocker is on the left spine while the 3.5 mm headset jack and camera key are on the right. The charger jack is on top and the camera lens is on the back. Sitting underneath the camera lens is the self portrait mirror.

Samsung Restore SPH-m570 has a 1,000 entry phone book with room in each entry for six numbers, an e-mail address, an instant messaging handle, a URL, a birthday, a street address, a job title and company name, and notes. You can assign callers to groups, pair them with a photo for caller ID, plus one of 20 polyphonic ring tones and melodies. As an option, you can use Sprint's wireless backup service to store your contacts on Sprint's servers.

It has essential features such as a vibrate mode and a speakerphone, plus the usual PIM tools like an alarm clock, a calendar, a calculator, a tip calculator, a world clock, a memo pad, and a voice memo recorder. You will also find stereo Bluetooth, voice command features, USB mass storage, instant messaging, and text and multimedia messaging. The latter supports threaded messaging so you'll be able to see your back and forth texts as a conversation. Along with Samsung Restore SPH-m570's pro-environment message, it also comes with an eco calculator that will measure your carbon usage, similar to the one on the LG Remarq.

As with most Sprint messaging phones, Samsung Restore SPH-m570 comes with social networking applications like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. Since it has GPS, it also offers Sprint Navigation and Family Locator services. Other applications included in the phone include Google services like maps, search, YouTube, and a ScanLife bar-code scanner. Along with the eco-calculator, the Restore also has "green" apps like Green Glossary and Green Guide that offer tips on how to live a more eco-friendly life. You can also do simple multitasking and send certain apps to the background.

Free Calls to USA from iPhone

Voip has been very popular in USA from past many years. If you are paying for making calls to USA then their is lot of scope to save your money. A lot of voip providers offer free voip calls to USA. You can make free pc to phone calls to USA, free calls to USA using SIP.

iPhone is getting more popular each day, with a lot of people using it all over the globe. So, making free voip calls straight from your iPhone (using Wifi/internet) sounds great. Offcourse you can make free calls using SIP, but today we will discuss another iPhone application which enables you to make free calls to USA straight from your iPhone.

WhistlePhone : Free Phone calls to Anyone in the USA !

Free calls to anyone in the US comes with every Whistle account.
Use Whistle on your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and utilize your 3G or Wifi connection to use Whistle anywhere you go.
Stop giving out multiple phone numbers. With Whistle Follow Me, you can tie all your phone numbers to your Whistle number and never miss a call.
Pay as you go International calling comes with every account. - This enables you to make voip calls to other countries as well using voip in your iphone.

Well these free calls are ad supported. You will see/hear short Ads which sponsors for the free calls you make. Download the whistlephone application direct from the apple store. Creating and making free calls is a very easy procedure !

Free International Calls from CallMyWorld.Com

Another entry into the voip world, and its about callmyworld.com !! The latest buzz in the international calling market is the arrival of CallMyWorld.Com offering you a multitude of international calling options at really affordable rates.

Today I received a mail from callmyworld officials only explaining more about their voip service. Well it the service looks good to me. The calling rates are competitive and they say that they will further reduce it down. Callmyworld also promised to keep the call quality good.

India 0.0166 $/min
Pakistan 0.09 $/min
Bangladesh 0.06 $/min
United Arab Emirates 0.22 $/min
Singapore 0.0166 $/min
China 0.0166 $/min
Mexico 0.0166 $/min
UK 0.0166 $/min

Now comes the best part about this voip provider. Callmyworld is offering every new user who sign up for a free account - $1 credit to test their service. Sign up for a free account with $1 International talk time credit and start talking!

International Calls from your PC or Mobile
With WhizCall PC Client you can make cheap international calls using your PC and Internet connection, or even an iPhone, Nokia, or other modern mobile without any download or installation. They have a tutorial on their website, calling procedure is simple !

International Incoming Numbers
Get your International Incoming Numbers in over 20 countries across the globe. These appear just like normal land line numbers except you can forward them to your existing land line or mobile anywhere in the world!

Overall a good service, and a must try as you are getting free voip credit to make free voip calls. Visit Callmyworld.

Review: What is it like after 2 months owning an iPad?

Since its official release date on April 3, 2010 (WiFi version), the iPad had received numerous reviews - both good and bad. Many Forums received repeated questions such as should I buy the iPad or not, Macbook Air or iPad, iPad 3G or WiFi, etc.

Many early adopters just cannot wait to own an iPad because Apple release the official iPad only in certain selected countries. Singapore will get their sometime in July 2010 but nowhere in the time frame mentioned about Malaysia.

Personally, I managed to purchase the iPad when I was in Taiwan and ggot it after 2 weeks of its official release. Malaysians also can buy their iPad at some shops especially at Low Yat Plaza or even in some of the Net Forums like Low Yat Net. But the cost is still way too high as compared to the price which was released in USA. Its the price that early adopters need to pay - premium. The advantage is that these users have early experience of using an iPad. It certainly attracts other users in envy.

In my earlier posts (After 1 month), I have indicated how I am going to use the iPad in my daily life. That was quite sometime ago. Okay - what is like after 2 months of using that "awesome" device?

Honestly, not all the things which I wished earlier became true in my daily usage. It needs discipline to make the iPad as your daily companion. So - what are my common applications which I used daily? They are:-

1 - Safari Browser - I used this quite a lot to browse the Net for more information. The ease of browsing is the key factor and I used this almost 80% of my usage time.
2 - Facebook client - Although iPad doesn't have a native application yet, it is still my favorite social networking client. Since I have Jailbreak the iPad, I can "force" the FB client to be like a "native iPad" app (unlike the 2x feature).
3 - Twitter Client - another past time of mine.
4 - ToDo - This app helps to manage my daily Things To Do. Excellent utility to remind me of TTD.
5 - BlogPress - excellent way to update my Blog.

Although I have purchased apps like Goodreader, DocsToGo, iAnnotate PDF, My Library etc. I still don't find the time to use them to the fullest.

The question remained - Are you a Consumer or Creator of contents? For most people, iPad are meant for people who consumed information a LOT more than creating contents. A laptop/notebook/desktop like the Macbook are great in creating contents e.g. word processing, powerpoint, spreadsheet, photo or movie editing etc.

Looking at the usage above, I am still a "Consumer" of information... :-)

UPDATES:

Other Reviews:

Review: After 1 month using iPad
Review: What is it like after 2 months owning an iPad?
Review: iPad - After More than 100 Days
Review: 13 Reasons iLike iPad - How About You?
Review: I Am A Student - Is It Worth To Buy an iPad?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

TuneTalk offers free calls (Malaysia) on 18th June

TuneTalk, the cheapest mobile prepaid service in Malaysia is offering free calls on 18th June 2010 as a celebration for 1 million customers. Thought to just share this information with all our Malaysian readers so that they can make full use of the offer.

A great way to make free unlimited calls to Malaysia for whole one day. The offers begins on 18th June and will be valid for 24 hours. So make full use of the offer and make unlimited free calls in Malaysia. I just googled to know more about TuneTalk and found that service is not very old, but good part is that its rates are very cheap and is growing very rapidly. They are even planing to offer 1 millionth customer 2 days London trips which worth RM30,000.

The rate which Tunetalk offers is 16 sen per minute. I guess this is one of the cheapest calling price in Malaysia.

For more info, visit tunetalk.com !

Yoobao iPad Case V 2.0 - Brown

Just bought an iPad case from eBay.

I have been reading too much on the Net just to get a suitable iPad case which have safety flap that secures the iPad from slipping out. Send an email to the seller (ebesthoo168) at eBay enquiring few things.

Got the below answer from him (ebesthoo168):-

we confirm that:
1. the brown case with that big glap, not the 2 straps!!

2. the color is light is b rown ,not BLACK!

3. if ship by Registered Air Mail(by fault,we only select it),it will take 10-21 days to reach you! total psyment(include the ship fee) is $49.98!

4. if you need very fast, please select fastpost(EMS/DHL),but its ship fee is very expensive,please contact us before you bid upon!!

Update (June 18, 2010): Item shipped on June 17, 2010.
Update (July 23, 2010): It was tested till today regarding the effects of Magnetic Flaps and it was found "None". Everything is okay.