phones

Ringtone roundup: Ding ding!

Who's responsible for the No. 1 ringtone in the land this week? We don't know. Billboard.com doesn't know, and they create the ringtone chart. Are you responsible? Please own up.

"NYSE Bell" by Unknown is the most-downloaded ringtone in America. We're assuming it's the sound of the New York Stock Exchange bell ringing, but there's really no way of knowing.

Locked in at No. 2 is a tune everybody knows: the "Super Mario Brothers Theme" by Koji Kondo.

And what else could follow a ringtone written by a Japanese … Read more

Due to the iPhone's lack of MMS support, you can't send pictures from your iPhone directly to Flickr. Even if you tried to e-mail your iPhone pics, they'd be stuck at the 640x480 resolution. Oh well. At least with the iPhlickr app, you can browse through your Flickr account easily. Similar to Flickr's own mobile portal, you can view your own photos and your contacts' photos, plus search for more within a very nice and simple user interface.

iPhone link: http://www.chandlerkent.com/iphlickr/

Apple exchanging some iPhones?

Apple forums are buzzing with reports from several iPhone users that their shiny new gadgets are suffering from poor call volume and dismal battery life. Indeed, CNET's own photo production manager said his iPhone, which he purchased last Friday, was plagued with such issues. Though we felt the call volume on our review iPhone was somewhat low, we haven't experienced any battery issues. In fact, we've experienced impressive battery life times in our CNET Labs tests.

So we want to know, is this happening to you? Are you experiencing dismal battery life and unacceptable call volume? We'… Read more

iPhone app: iZoho

Zoho, a collection of Web-based office tools, has recently rolled out an iPhone-friendly suite of applications. Called iZoho, it provides access to Zoho Writer, Zoho Sheet, and Zoho Show. The iPhone also supports Word docs and Excel spreadsheets, but the iZoho application lets you edit certain documents like the Zoho Notebook.

iPhone link: http://mini.zoho.com/

Web site link: http://www.zoho.com

Crave UK: Which UK carrier has the best shot at the iPhone?

We know it's coming to the UK, and we know what it does, but we still don't know which UK network will have the enormous honor of hosting the iPhone. Of course, that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning out stories, but what's the likelihood of any of these rumors being true?

Rumor 1: O2 According to the BBC, O2 has 'reportedly' won the deal to sell the iPhone in the UK. It's not unlikely that O2, which is owned by Spanish giant Telefonica, put in a good bid, but questions remain as to … Read more

HTC gems unearthed? Rumors pick up on HTC Omni and HTC Cavalier

What's this? A non-iPhone news item? Yes, believe it. And if the rumors are true, then we've got some really craveworthy gadgets here. First up is the HTC Omni (rendering pictured right). The supposed upgrade to the HTC Universal (which sadly never landed here in the States) and related to the HTC Advantage, the Omni is said to have a 4-inch, 800x480-pixel WVGA display and VGA and TV outputs. In addition, the Windows Mobile 6 device is equipped with GPS, UMTS/HSDPA, Bluetooth, a 400MHz Samsung SC244X processor, 128MB of RAM, and a full QWERTY keyboard. Again, … Read more

The iPhone may also be used as a mallet.

To beat you over the head with a completely unrelated point.

On the previous post, clever commenter kcedit found this pearl of TheStreet.com wisdom from Brett Arends:

The True Cost of an iPhone? Try $17,670. (there's no cached version yet).

Wow! Did the Macalope miss some kind of fine print in the contract?

Well, no. Turns out what Arends is talking about is opportunity cost. Instead of taking the $2,039 cost of the iPhone and two years of contract with AT&T, you could invest it in a bunch of penny stocks and hope that … Read more

iPhone app: Accuweather.com

Sure, the iPhone already has a built-in weather widget, but that didn't stop the weather experts over at Accuweather.com from developing their own iPhone-friendly Web app. The Accuweather.com iPhone app is a little more detailed than the one on the iPhone, complete with a map and a 15-day forecast. You can also monitor the weather of three different cities.

iPhone link: http://apple.accuweather.com/widget/iphone1/iphone.html

Web site link: http://www.accuweather.com

Sprint goes global with RIM BlackBerry 8830 World Edition

Dangit! I just got back from Italy, and I totally could have used this while I was over there. Though first announced back in April, Sprint has finally released its version of the RIM BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smart phone. Like Verizon's model, the BlackBerry 8830 for Sprint offers dual-mode functionality so you can make calls and receive e-mail around the world; plus, it adds unlocked SIM capabilities, which means you can use SIM cards from other countries. The 8830 switches automatically between CDMA (for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico) and GSM networks to offer seamless international roaming. … Read more

Man reportedly dies from phone battery blast

A Chinese man has died after a cell phone battery exploded in his chest pocket, according to the Associated Press and other news sources.

Xiao Jinpeng, a welder, reportedly died while working at the Yingpan Iron Ore Dressing Plant in Gansu. A county official told the Xinhua News Agency that the welder had a Motorola phone in his pocket. Colleagues quoted by the agency said the phone was apparently exposed to high temperatures. Xiao suffered broken ribs, and rib fragments pierced his heart, according to reports.

A Beijing spokesman for Motorola, however, is quoted by the Associated Press as saying … Read more