Samsung Phone Offers Wireless Broadband, But It Has Drawbacks
The new Samsung i730 surfs the Web and sends and receives email at broadband speeds, but Walt says the short battery life and two-handed navigation can be aggravating.
Personal Technology
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Info Appliance Offers Nice Touches, but It’s Costly, Has Limitations
Walt says the Pepper Pad, a new info appliance, mostly did what was promised, but it isn’t quite as easy and intuitive to use as its makers claim. And, at $799, it costs more than some laptops.
Verizon’s Fios Service Moves U.S. Internet Beyond a Snail’s Pace
Walt tests Verizon’s new Fios high-speed Internet service, which delivers far faster connections than other services now on the U.S. market for only a slightly higher monthly fee.
Wi-Fi Camera Offers Email, Quality Photos, But Still Needs Work
Kodak’s EasyShare-one camera can wirelessly email the photos it takes, and upload them to a Web site, all by itself. Walt finds much to admire, but complains that the wireless features didn’t always function properly.
Cingular Joins Rivals With Fast, Reliable Wireless Broadband
Cingular rolled out its new wireless broadband service called BroadbandConnect last month. In his tests, Walt Mossberg found it very fast and reliable.
ESPN Cellphone Has Great Sports Content But Many Trade-Offs
ESPN Mobile’s elaborate package of sports news and information is excellent, but for some, it may not be worth the trade-offs in price, hassle and Web restrictions.
Not Yet the Holy Grail: Nokia’s Tiny Computer Is Crisp, but So Slow
Nokia’s new tiny computer performs its main function, Web browsing, better than other pocket devices. But it falls down badly on many other tasks.
Novatel Laptop Cards Can Access Internet, But Services Vary
Novatel has come out with a couple of new ExpressCard versions for Cingular and Verizon cellular broadband networks. I recommend both new cards. But the two high-speed networks are very different.
Before Going to Buy High-Tech Devices, Learn the New Terms
Walt Mossberg offers a quick glossary of techno terms shoppers may encounter when looking for a computer, television, digital camera or cellphone this holiday season. (Video)
Dash and Treo 680 Have Bargain Prices, If You Can Compromise
Palm’s Treo is being challenged by new rivals that are thinner, lighter and less expensive. So it is striking back with a cheaper model of its own. Walt tests the Treo 680 and T-Mobile’s Dash and finds that neither is as good as it could be. (Video)
BlackJack Beats Out Palm 750, but iPhone May Well Top Both
The Samsung BlackJack smart phone has a slimmer design and longer battery life than the Treo 750. But if you can afford $499, you might want to wait for the Apple iPhone, Walt says.
Vista: Worthy, Largely Unexciting
Vista is the best version of Windows that Microsoft has produced, Walt Mossberg says. But while navigation has been improved, the successor to XP isn’t a breakthrough in ease of use.
This Time, Samsung Has Made a Tiny PC That’s Practical to Use
Walt Mossberg tests Samsung’s Q1 Ultra, and says the tiny PC addresses the biggest weaknesses of an earlier model and throws in other improvements such as a built-in keyboard. (Video)
Hate Voice Mail? New Services Turn Recordings Into Text
New services using voice-recognition technology aim to eliminate checking voice messages by transcribing them into text. To see how efficient they are at transcription, Sarmad Ali tested two such applications.
Ahead of the iPhone, Other Makers Offer Some Quality Devices
Walt Mossberg tries out two new smart phones ahead of the iPhone’s highly anticipated release. One is the latest attempt by BlackBerry’s maker to appeal to consumers. The other is a high-resolution camera phone by Nokia. (Video)
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