Rogers Now Offering ZTE Rock and Samsung Rugby

Two of my favorite rugged-type phones can now be had through Roger Wireless. The ZTE Rock F165 (right) and Samsung Rugby A836 (left) are just my type of phones: built to last!

ZTE Rock F165 Features:

• Durable and awesome design
• Comes with bad-ass antenna
• 2MP camera
• 2GB expandable memory
• With MusicStore, radio and mobile TV services

Samsung Rugby A836 Features:

• Rain, humidity, drop, shock, vibration, dust and unicorn resistant
• Will still function in extreme temperatures
• External speakerphone button
• 1.3MP camera
• 8GB expandable memory

Check out ZTE Rock here and Samsung Rugby here.

N73 + Swollen Batteries = ??

I checked my Nokia N73 Music Edition as soon as I read this news.

Apparently, Nokia admitted that some BP-6M batteries they used in N73 have swollen up. This is a normal occurrence for lithium-ion batteries, but are supposed to happen after it has aged several years. It's good to mention that there's no risk involved, aside from having an enlarged battery that may prove hard to fit into the charger or mobile phone.

No worries though. Head over the nearest Nokia Service Center and they'll give a free replacement after verifying your claims.

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US Cellular Bags Samsung's SCH-r470 TwoStep

The ultra cool Samsung SCH-r470 flip phone is now officially on US Cellular. The SCH-r470, or the TwoStep, boasts several standard features such as a 1.3 megapixel camera, stereo speakers, microSD slot, Bluetooth, and of course, a music player complete with external controls.

The TwoStep comes on red, purple, and orange colors. It supports upto 8 GB microSD with a Talk Time of upto three hours.

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Nokia 5800 XpressMusic European Release Date

Both the UK and North American cellphone consumers can't wait to get their hands on Nokia 5800 XpressMusic. The only difference is UK's going to get their wishes earlier than us.

On January 23, the 5800 Xpress Music will be available in the UK. The first S60 5th Edition device will have a price tag of £249, or roughly $380.

Nokia Comes With Music Service Doing "Okay"

Nokia's recent music service, Comes With Music, is doing just fine according to reports. "Initial sales had been okay, but not earth shattering." according to an unnamed source.

Some would say its because of the economy, while some blame pirating pirates getting their music off the web. The refusal of major UK carriers to Comes With Music-handsets are not helping either.

Do you have a CwM-equipped phone? Do you use the service at all? Me, I get my mp3's for free.

Nokia N96 Firmware Update Now Available

An update to Nokia N96's firmware in now available for the North American public. The said update includes Switch 4.0, improved Bluetooth, and fixed alarm among other things.

What concerns us mp3 phone enthusiasts is that the N96 Music Player no longer hangs when refreshing the libarary if the General Settings Date separator is set to ":". I'm pretty sure that's a big chip off of some people's shoulder. There's nothing I hate more than my phone freezing.

The N96 firmware update can now be had through Nokia Software Updater.

Rentobile: Rent Cellphones

Rentobile offers a pretty straightforward service: rent a cellphone. For a monthly fee ($20 to $50), you can rent a cellphone and use it as long as you want. When you get tired of it, then return it and get another one.

After an hour of doing the math, I find this service pricey. There's a bit of a discount if you opt to be a member, though. I would maybe give it a go if say I would like to try out a phone before buying it.

Motorola AURA Available at Motorola Store

Though not an MP3 phone, the Motorola AURA looks like it has a competent music player. For $2000, it better be.

That's right. This baby will cost you $2000. I can't imagine why in the world this phone could cost that much, until I saw its "luxury" features. It has a cool circular display capable of showing off 16 million colors, it's protected by a 62-carat sapphire crystal, it's stainless steel, and it's textures and patterns are chemically etched.

If you happen to have $2000 lying around, please buy an AURA and drop us a comment and tell us how it fares.

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Pandora for Windows Mobile Devices

One of my favorite internet-based radio services, Pandora, announced recently that it will be available to users of Windows Mobile devices. As of this writing, the only devices supported are HTC XV6900 / Touch and Motorola Q9C.

Pandora is dubbed as a personalized radio station. Type in the name of the artist, title of the song, or just the genre and it will play music that matched you interest. Members can create and save stations for future use.

To get Pandora for your Windows Mobile device, open www.pandora.com on your phone's browser.

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Car Key Cell Phone Jammer

Worried about your kids (or parents?) driving and using their cell phone at the same time? It is very dangerous, as you should know. Well, worry no more as Key2SafeDriving is on its way.

Yup, that's what they're calling it. Key2SafeDriving. Don't sweat it though, as this device may very well save thousands of lives in the future. Key2SafeDriving works by fusing a cellphone jammer into a key fob, thus blocking signals.

Key2SafeDriving is being develpoped by researchers at the University of Utah and is hoping to have it on sale in six months time.

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Skype Lite Made Available to More Phones

I'm a fan of anything that is free, especially if it is something that I can use. That's why I fell in love with Skype the day I discovered it. Recently Skype Lite was made to work on more cell phones including several of my favorites.

Simply visit the Skype website and download Skype Lite onto your phone. Alternative, mobile browsers can visit skype.com/m for the download.

Here's a list of the new devices that can run the latest Skype Lite:

LG

• KE770
• CU515
• CU575 Trax
• CU720 Shine

Nokia

• N96
• N75
• E71
• E62
• 6555
• 6085

Samsung

• A717
• T639
• A737

SonyEricsson

• T700
• T650
• G502
• W902
• W380
• W350
• TM506
• G700
• G900
• K770
• Z750a
• Z525a
• Z310a
• S500

EM35: Another ROKR from Motorola

Just when I thought Motorola is done with their vowel-dropping phones, out comes ROKR EM35.

The EM35 is a slider phone and an mp3 phone, just like its Moto ROKR cousins. It features listening to music while browsing the music store. The FastScroll navigation wheel allows users to easily scroll through menus and music tracks. One thing I like about the RORK EM35 is that it can hold upto 32GB of memory via MicroSD card, which is a whole lotta songs if you ask me. The colors are not too bad either.

The EM35 will be on sale by the end of 2008.

Motorola RAZR3/Ruby Axed

Oh Motorola, you and your silly-named phones! RAZR. KRZR. ROKR. The first few were fun, and quite impressive, but recently it was just all branding. I say more innovation and less letter-dropping. That's why I'm not surprised to hear that Motorola RAZR3 aka Ruby was canceled.

The RAZR2 successor didn't make the cut, apparently. But this might mean good news for Moto fans. Motorola may have finally decided to move on and make better phones rather than rehashing old ones.

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LG Rhythm Now Available at U.S. Cellular

Great news for LG fans as U.S. Cellular just announced the addition of the LG Rhythm in its cell phone roster. It's available in pink and black.

As mentioned in a previous post, the LG Rhythm is looking up to be a very good MP3 phone. I would have to do a thorough review of it in the near future.

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Nokia N96 Bruce Lee Limited Edition

Special Note: Although the Nokia N96 is more of a smartphone than an MP3 phone, I just can't pass this awesome news up :)

I absolutely love Bruce Lee. I have a Bruce Lee shirt, hoodie, a semi-life-sized action figure, and almost all of his movies. That was why I was pumped to hear about the Nokia N96 Bruce Lee limited edition phone.

The package comes with a special handset with Lee's face and autograph found at the back. Open the phone up and you'll be treated to a number of rare photos of our favorite martial arts hero. Bruce Lee accessories (notice the nunchucks) and a doll (I call it action figure) are also included.

The whole shindig costs about $1,286 and can be purchased here.

Nokia N96 Bruce Lee Edition video



View special flash site promo of Nokia N96 Bruce Lee Edition.

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Motorola VE66 Launched

Motorola announced a couple of days ago another 5-megapixel phone, the MOTO VE66. The difference between this camera phone and Motorola's ZN5 is that this has LED flash instead of xenon. I'm not into camera phones that much so you be the judge which would be better.

What interests me is the MP3 playback capability of the MOTO VE66. The phone is equipped with FastScroll™ navigation wheel, which is always a good sign. It helps go through those long lists of songs and artists.

The MOTO VE66 will be released before the year ends. More about this MP3 phone when it becomes available.

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New Technology to Improve Lithium Batteries for Laptops and Cellphones

A new technology that makes lithium batteries, commonly used in cellphones and laptops, 90% more energy efficient was recently developed by South Korean researchers. Led by Cho Jae-phil, the team claims that conventional battery life can last upto eight times more using their new technology.

This is good news for people like me who makes the most out of their phones. My mp3 phone usually lasts about a day and a half before I have to charge it again. This new technology will help solve battery issues especially with MP3 phones.

To get the details of how they done it, go here

Sony Ericsson W705 Announced in Style

Another addition to Sony Ericsson's Walkman™ phone series was added yesterday during the MTV Europe Music Awards, the Sony Ericsson W705. The W705 features includes:

• Walkman™ player
• Clear Stereo & Bass
• Shake control
• SensMe™
• FM radio with RDS
• A 3.2 megapixel camera with 3.2x digital zoom
• Picture blogging
• Video blogging
• Motion gaming
• Google Maps

The W705 Walkman Phone is actually quite similar with W980. It will be available in select markets early next year.

Motorola RAZR2 V9x Now Available at AT&T

The sleek and stylish Motorola RAZR2 V9x was recently added to AT&T's mobile phone lineup. What I like about this phone is it has a stainless steel structure, perfect for my rugged style. Oh, and did I mention it's an MP3 phone? Here's a summary of Motorola RAZR2 V9x features and specs:

Supported Music Formats: MP3 + Real , WAV, WMA
AT&T Mobile Music: Yes
Subscription Music Services: Napster Mobile
Streaming Radio: MobiRadio, XM Radio Mobile
MusicID: Yes
Create Music Playlist: Yes
CrystalTalk™: Yes
Internal Memory: 32 MB
Expandable Memory: 8 GB via microSD

Head here & here for more info.

Alltel LG Rhythm: Another Cool MP3 Phone

Alltel announced a few days ago the latest addition to their phone roster - LG Rhythm. Just by looking at The Rhythm one can tell that it's a hip MP3 phone, most likely targeted at younger cell phone users.

The LG Rhythm has a circular panel that lets the user control the music. It also has radio functions, and a 3.5mm headset jack for headphones. It has Bluetooth 2.0, GPS, and supports microSD memory cards of upto 16GB.

The only downside some people may see is that The Rhythm's camera is just 1.3 megapixel. That's not too bad for me, as long as the music is good :)

Via phonescoop