samsung

EQO dials up cheap international mobile calls

If you've got family and friends sprinkled about the globe, you know that the richness of these contacts loses luster if you can't regularly keep in touch. Though there are excellent solutions out there--local-access calling cards, VoIP on the PC, VoIP phones from Vonage or Skype, and local-number services like Talkster (review)--they require your presence at home, new hardware, or wasting precious seconds with mile-long pin numbers or droning ads.

Challenging the herd is EQO (pronounced "echo"), a communication service that offers a simple, fast, and affordable solution for international outreach on your cell phone. Talk time and texting are free between EQO members, and calls are as cheap as 2 cents per minute for everyone else, about the same rate as VoIP-to-phone calling and competitive calling cards. EQO's international texting costs for 10- or 15 cents, depending on the countries of destination and departure.

User experience

The graphically-appealing application is divided into three sections, each delineated by a small icon along a top strip. Scrolling horizontally among them calls up the phone book, message inbox, or instant message interface. EQO imports phone contacts into the phone book, but be careful of your management--deleting an entry from EQO also deletes it from the phone's database.… Read more

Samsung gives DVD player a makeover

How do you transform a plain vanilla DVD player into a fashion statement? First, strip it apart and slap on some bling on it. Second, ditch the boring plastic buttons and go covert with touch-sensitive controls. And if all else fails, there's always the cute and petite approach. The result would be something like the new Samsung DVD-F1080.

This Korean player also upscales DVDs up to 1080p via HDMI and plays back most popular multimedia formats. The slim and portable kit should be available on shelves in the next couple of days, at least in Asia.

(Source: Crave Asia) … Read more

Samsung's tiny trackball mouse

The proliferation of ill-advised combo products has prompted us to adopt a "less is more" philosophy in most cases. And that's even more appropriate for gadgets that seem almost too small to adequately handle even their primary functions--such Samsung's latest mini-mouse.

Its "M30 Duplus Mouse" is "a pocket-size trackballer with a wireless USB connection system, a laser pointer, and remote controller capabilities," according to Everything USB. As we noted more than a year ago, earlier versions already looked too small to be used comfortably, even without such additional features. In the new … Read more

Samsung 14.6-megapixel dSLR joins Pentax in game of leapfrog

OK, so I'm asleep at the wheel. We knew the Samsung GX-20 was forthcoming, but completely missed all the rumors that rendered our embargoed knowledge obsolete. We do know something that I haven't seen elsewhere, though: the price. The body-only version will be $1,399.95--inexplicably $100 more than its identical twin, the Pentax K20D--and will ship in March.

Alltel gets the Scoop with three new phones

Alltel added three cell phones to its growing lineup today. In addition to picking up its a red version of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8130, the nation's fifth-largest carrier also added its take on the LG Rumor (the LG Scoop that we saw at CES) and the new Samsung Muse.

Alltel's Pearl is identical to not only its existing 8130 but also to the Pearls from Verizon Wireless and Sprint. Inside you'll find the full set of BlackBerry features plus a 2-megeapixel camera. Likewise, the Scoop is largely similar to Sprint's Rumor. Features on the messaging-centric … Read more

Windows Mobile 6 upgrade available for Samsung BlackJack

Attention Samsung BlackJack owners, starting today at 2 p.m., PST, you'll finally be able to get upgrade your current device to Windows Mobile 6. The update will be available as a free desktop download from Samsung's Web site and brings such enhancements as the full Microsoft Office Mobile Suite for viewing and editing documents, more robust calendaring, and support for HTML e-mail. You'll also get added capability for AT&T Video Share, the carrier's video-calling service.

You can download the Windows Mobile 6 upgrade here but again, please remember that it won't be … Read more

Samsung SGH-T819 slides out for T-Mobile

There's nothing earth-shattering here but Samsung launched a new cell phone for T-Mobile today. The SGH-T819 sports a thin slider design we've seen many times before, but the SGH-T819 offers a redesigned navigation array and a chocolate brown color. The feature set is fairly standard. Inside you'll find a 1.3-megapixel camera, a digital music player, stereo Bluetooth, text and multimedia messaging, a speakerphone, a 262,000-color display, personal organizer applications, a microSD card slot, instant messaging, polyphonic ringtones, and a vibrate mode. The quadband GSM 850/900/1800/1900 handset is available for $99.99 with … Read more

Firmware fixes on deck for Samsung Blu-ray players

Blu-ray may be coasting to a format war victory over archrival HD DVD, but it's still got some mopping up to do in the meantime--namely, improving player compatibility with some of the more popular movies already available. Samsung has begun rolling out firmware upgrades for all of its players to address issues that have plagued some users when watching Blu-ray versions of such favorites as Ratatouille, Spider-Man 3, Live Free or Die Hard, Blade Runner, and Pirates of the Caribbean 3. According to Samsung, the updates will be available as follows: … Read more

Helio Mysto now available

Helio has just launched the Mysto, a super slim slider that's basically the CDMA version of the Samsung SGH-U600. However, it has a few more things going for it than the U600. For one thing, it has built-in GPS, which lets you use GPS-enabled applications like Google Maps and Helio's own Buddy Beacon that lets your friends locate you and vice versa. Helio also partnered up with Microsoft's Tellme, a local GPS-based search application that will look up directions simply by voice recognition. If you prefer turn-by-turn voice navigation instead, Garmin Mobile is available, too. Another handy … Read more

The Master Chief of vacuum cleaners

Even in the dead of winter, some of us at Crave suffer the worst of allergies--and, when spring rolls around, we'd be better off in a bubble. That's why we're always on the lookout for anti-allergy technologies, even when we're in the car.

Naturally, Samsung's "Silencio" uber-vacuum cleaner got our attention, as Appliancist says it has a "suction power rating" of 360 air watts that exceeds its conventional counterparts. (We also like its name, as well as the blue LED lights.)

The bagless Silencio automatically adjusts the settings of its two-chamber … Read more