Electronics & Computers Deals here!This is the 411, my Q&A column answering all your questions about cell phones and cell phone accessories. I receive plenty of questions about these subjects via e-mail, so I figured many of you might have the same questions, too. At times, I might solicit answers from readers if I'm stumped. Send your questions and comments to me at nicole.lee@cnet.com. If you prefer to remain anonymous, let me know in the e-mail.
First off, thanks for your recent piece comparing the smartphone voice and data plans. Very helpful! My question pertains to smartphone flash drives. Most of the current smartphones allow the user to add storage via a flash drive, usually a microSD or SD card. When I read the review about the smartphones, I often see some kind of statement regarding flash memory that seems to indicate that their is a maximum amount of storage that a device will accept.
For example, the review of the HTC Tilt 2 says, "The Tilt2 has up to 32GB of expandable memory while offering 512MB ROM/288MB RAM." So my question is: is the maximum amount of flash drive space that a device will accept limited by the device itself (e.g., hardware/software limitations) or is it limited by the amount of flash card storage that is currently available in the market (referring back to the Tilt2, the device will accept a 64GB card when it becomes available)? -- John, via e-mail
HTC TouchPro2
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)As far as I know, the expandable memory limit is indeed limited by the device itself. So even if a 64 or 128GB card becomes available, you will not be able to use those cards in the phone. Perhaps the firmware of the phone might be upgraded to handle the new cards, but I'm not sure if that is possible.
Nicole, I'm a 56-year-old with big hands and bad eyes, so a lot of this smartphone technology is wasted on me. My office wants me to get a HTC Touch Pro2 (bigger screen and keyboard), but I'd prefer to use my Verizon cell phone as a Wi-Fi device to access my company's Web site and my e-mail account through the Web through my laptop. What would you recommend for me? -- Paul, via e-mail
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LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 in hand
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)Perhaps the biggest letdown of the LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 from Verizon Wireless is that it's not the LG Chocolate BL40. After getting teased for months by the sexy shots of the LG BL40, we thought there might be a chance we would see it stateside. Alas, the LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 looks nothing like its European cousin. In fact, the touch-screen interface reminds us a lot of previous LG touch screen handsets, like the LG enV Touch for example. The geometric shapes on the back of the phone and the bloblike buttons underneath the display are about the only things that are unique about the phone's design.
Still, that doesn't mean the Touch VX8575 is a terrible phone. Continuing the Chocolate tradition of strong music features, the Chocolate Touch VX8575 has a great music player with Dolby Music equalizer settings (both manual and preset modes), an FM radio, and an integrated song ID feature. There's also a really fun "Join the Band" feature that gives you either a virtual drum kit or a scrolling 88-key keyboard to play along with your tunes. The drum kit even has a cowbell, which we found amusing.
That, and it has a nice 3.2-megapixel camera, EV-DO Rev. 0, V Cast video access, stereo Bluetooth, and a 3.5mm headset jack. We weren't big fans of the full HTML browser--you have to keep going back to a URL-entry page to enter URLs, for example--but it's otherwise a decent touch-screen music phone from Verizon Wireless. The LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 is $79.99 with a two-year service agreement with Verizon Wireless.
The Droid doesn't do everything.
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)One of the latest misconception to make its way around the blogspehere was that the Motorola Milestone features multitouch functionality whereas its Droid counterpart does not. As it turns out, Verizon's first Google Android smartphone does offer multitouch, just not in the same capacity. What's the difference and, more importantly, who made the decision to water down this feature for the Droid?
Made popular by the iPhone, pinching and pulling has become the preferred method for zooming in on a smart phone. While Verizon's Droid handset is built using the same Android 2.0 OS as the Milestone, users are left using a less-accurate double-tap.
The Milestone has multitouch built directly into the Android framework while the Droid relies on APIs that come with the 2.0 SDK. That means that it's up to app developers to implement the features.
For reasons unknown, however, Google hasn't integrated the capability into apps such as Google Maps. Though it could be added into future updates of select titles, the question remains: Who decided to leave basic multitouch off of Droid?
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(Credit:
Sprint)
Verizon Wireless isn't the only one showing some BlackBerry love today. Following Verizon's announcement that it will bring the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8530 to its lineup on November 20, Sprint released a statement saying that it, too, will offer the Curve 8530.
Like the other models, the Curve 8530 includes features such a Wi-Fi, an optical trackpad, GPS, a 2-megapixel camera, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, among other things. In addition, it will support the Sprint Music Store and Sprint TV.
Pricing and release date were not announced at this time, but interested customers can preregister for the device on Sprint's Web site. Sprint will offer the Curve 8530 in black, red, and royal purple.
(Credit:
MobileBurn)
Aside from the bevy of new Verizon phones announced Thursday morning, the latest Casio G'zOne was also shown off at the 2009 Verizon holiday event in New York.
The Casio G'zOne Brigade is the latest in Casio's line of rugged handsets, and this one comes with a full QWERTY keyboard, so it also makes the grade as the company's first rugged messaging phone. Like all the other Casio G'zOne handsets, the Brigade is MIL-STD-810F-certified to withstand the elements--water, dust, shock, vibration, and more.
It also features a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus, a document viewer for Microsoft Office files, a text-to-speech feature, a speakerphone, EV-DO, and Verizon's suite of services that includes VZ Navigator, V Cast Video, and V Cast Music with Rhapsody. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but we'll keep you posted.
Samsung Mythic
(Credit: Samsung)The same day T-Mobile formally released the Nokia 3711, AT&T countered with two announcements of its own. The Samsung Mythic and Flight will land in the carrier's stores on Sunday, November 8.
Like the 3711, we first saw the Mythic and the Flight at last month's CTIA show in San Diego. Both offer touch screens and AT&T's new mobile browser, but they take different approaches to design.
Samsung Flight
(Credit: Samsung)The Mythic has a 3.3-inch touch screen, a thin profile, and minimal physical controls. Features include a speakerphone, an HTML browser, 3G, a virtual QWERTY keyboard, Samsung's TouchWiz interface, a speakerphone, GPS with AT&T Navigator, Bluetooth, a memory card slot, a 3.2-megapixel camera, messaging and e-mail, support for AT&T Mobile Music and AT&T Mobile TV, and a personal organizer. It will sell for $199 with service.
The Flight is a slider handset with a physical QWERTY keyboard. You can get it in red or silver. Inside you'll find a personal organizer, a 2-megapixel camera, a speakerphone, messaging and e-mail, Bluetooth, a memory card slot, GPS with AT&T Navigator, support for AT&T Mobile Music and AT&T Mobile TV, and 3G. The Flight is $99 with service.
HTC Droid Eris
(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)When it rains it pours. On Thursday, Verizon Wireless opened the floodgates and unleashed a handful of cell phones and smartphones that should make their way into your hands just in time for the holiday shopping season. It looks like there's a little something for everyone, so let us know which you are most excited about in our comments section.
Here is a roundup of all of today's news:
Verizon's Droid Eris offers Android for less
Verizon introduces BlackBerry Curve 8530
LG Chocolate Touch is now official
Samsung's Convoy goes rugged
Verizon offers prepaid wireless for laptops
Samsung Convoy
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)Verizon isn't just about smartphones today. The country's largest carrier also unveiled the Samsung Convoy. Clad in a tough shell with rubber sidings, the Convoy is certified to meet the usual military specifications for vibration, humidity, temperature extreme, dust, shock, solar radiation, and altitude. On the front flap of the charcoal gray flip phone you'll find a speaker, camera lens, external display, and the dedicated music controls.
Feature are solidly midrange. You get Bluetooth, a 2-megapixel camera, messaging, a personal organizer, support for Verizon's push-to-talk network, a speakerphone, messaging, and GPS with access to VZ Navigator. Verizon is also promising "extended battery life," but we don't yet know exactly what that will be.
The Convoy will be available November 15 for $49.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate.
LG Chocolate Touch
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)We've been waiting for months for Verizon to finally unveil the latest in the line of LG Chocolate phones, and it's here at last. The LG Chocolate Touch VX8575 is officially available today, making it the first touch-screen version of the Chocolate phone lineup. As we suspected, it's very different from the LG BL40 and looks a lot more like the other LG touch-screen handsets we've seen, like the LG Dare for example.
The Chocolate Touch continues the Chocolate tradition of music-specialized phones, with music features like the Dolby Mobile equalizer, an FM radio, integrated song ID, stereo Bluetooth, and even a unique "Join the Band" feature that lets you play around with a full drum kit and a scrolling 88-key keyboard. Other features include quick access to social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, EV-DO Rev. 0, a full HTML browser, and a 3.2-megapixel camera with settings like intelligent shot (for improved quality) and panorama shot (for three guided sequential shots).
The phone is available now for $79.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate and a new two-year agreement. The rebate will be in the form of a debit card.
BlackBerry Curve 8530
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)A new BlackBerry has joined the Verizon Wireless family: the BlackBerry Curve 8530. The 8530 looks a fair bit sleeker than its predecessor, the Curve 8330, thanks to the touch-sensitive track pad and the slanted full QWERTY keyboard. We're also happy to finally see Wi-Fi capability, which was sadly lacking in the previous Curve. It also has 256MB flash memory, a 528MHz next-generation processor, EV-DO, GPS with support for geotagging pictures, a 2.0-megapixel camera and camcorder, a music player with dedicated media keys, a 3.5mm headset jack, BlackBerry's App World application store, and, of course, plenty of e-mail and messaging features. If you're not satisfied with the onboard memory, you also have the option of adding up to 16GB of microSD/SDHC card storage.
The BlackBerry Curve 8530 will be available starting November 20 for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a new two-year agreement.
Bonnie Cha reviews the
latest smart phones, PDAs, and GPS devices, helping CNET readers get
their hands on the latest mobile electronics. 
Kent German is CNET's
cell phone editor and has been following the wireless industry for
seven years. He's embarrassed to admit he can name almost any cell
phone he sees on the street. 
Nicole Lee reviews cell
phones and their accessories for CNET, thus satisfying her love for all
things small, shiny, and digital.
