In any event, you'll soon be able to get your TouchFLO 3D, Windows Mobile 6.1, 4GB of storage, 3.2 MP camera, Opera browser, EV-DO Rev. A and WiFi groove on, CDMA-style.  Woo-hoo!

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A. I've only had a little bit of hands-on time with Omnia but it definitely looks great.  Omnia's a Windows Mobile device, so it should be somewhat similar to the HTC Touch Diamond in that you've got Windows Mobile 6 running underneath with a nicer layer of user interface on top.  On the one hand that's too bad because I'm really NOT a fan of WinMo and, as the saying goes, "You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig" (i.e. Adding a pretty interface onto Windows Mobile doesn't change the code base running underneath).  On the other hand, lots of people rely on WinMo to connect to their work Email and Outlook accounts, and there are tons of WinMo apps out there for installation.

Beyond that, the device itself looks really good.  Great specs, good form factor, lots of connectivity options.  Just today Samsung told me I should have a review sample by the end of this week, so look for a longer video and more coverage on PhoneDog.

Cheers,
Noah

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Thanks.  In the meantime I built a whitebox machine that runs twice as fast as an iMac for about 1/3 the cost.  Only issue is I've wasted way too much time trying to get OS X running on it instead of just diving into Windows.  Maybe I should just install XP (Vista?) on the thing, sell my MacBook, and pick up a Lenovo IdeaPad for the road.  I'd probably wind up with a few hundred bucks to spare, actually.  But I digress ... back to phones ...

I thought MobileMe looked pretty cool when it was announced, but I was quickly schooled by a few friends in the unreliable ways of the .Mac service it was replacing.  Michael Arrington has a worthy spearing of the whole debacle over on TechCrunch that's worth a read if you're interested in such things (or just annoyed that your iPhone 3G drops calls, browses at EDGE-like speeds, and has developed a crack in its shiny plastic backside).

"The point here is that Mac used to be known for rock-solid reliability and that is what kept their loyal users happy when Apple almost went under. Now, with Macs showing up everywhere, Apple is starting to show the problems that inevitably come with a large scale operation (just like Microsoft.)"

Here's how...

1. Register as a Phonedog user, click here
2. Email us a written or video Tip and Trick to phonedog@gmail.com

What you can win?

If we feature your Tip or Trick on the Phonedog.com homepage as a new blog post you'll then receive...

1. Credit for the Tip and Trick on the Phonedog homepage and in other areas of the site.
2. An eBay giftcard for $25.
3. A entry into our monthly Tip & Trick phone giveaway.  We expect to feature 60-90 tips each month, so your chance of winning would be 1:90; excellent odds!  We even expect to give away an Apple iPhone.

For more information, visit our Tips and tricks page.

How does it feel to win Cindy...?

"Hi Tom, What exciting news!  Perfect timing for the great news on winning the phone, I've had a very hard and stressful 10 days and just found time to check my email.  Needed that smile....thanks so much!

I can tell you three things here:

1. The only way Verizon is going to release the current Voyager in a new color and a "New Voyager" is if that new Voyager is very different from the original.  Think EnV2 vs EnV and then some.  While VZW certainly doesn't shy away from loading their lineup with a ton of handsets at any given time, it really wouldn't make sense to confuse consumers by adding a new color to their flagship model only to trump it with a slightly revamped version of the same phone. 
2. Whatever happens, we'll get the new Voyager(s) and tell you all about them pronto.  Promise.
3. Voyager debuted at CTIA Wireless last September.  I'd bet money (if such a thing were legal where I live) that LG and Verizon hit San Francisco next month with something shiny and new in tow to show off at this year's show.
   

For reference, the 800w measures up something like this:

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro
• 2.4" 320 x 320 touchscreen
• 333 MHz processor
• 2.0 MP camera
• 3G support

Nobody's got any info on when Treo Pro might be released or who might be picking it up.  So I'm just gonna throw this out there (as I've been doing a lot lately): CTIA Wireless is in three weeks.  Maybe we'll find something out then?

If one thing bothers me more than not having an iPhone, it's the lackluster replies I sometimes receive to my texts. I could type out a message maxing out the SMS limit (160 characters x 7 pages), and still get just an "Oh" for a response. What's with that?! At least punch out a full sentence - throw me a bone here! I realize sometimes people don't have time to provide a real honest reply, but that's certainly not always the case.

Shaky relationships are a prime example of when one might experience texting woes. I've seen people break up, get back together, and do pretty much everything else boys n' girls do, through texting. Usually one person is texting their heart out, while the other lazily lays there and lets the other do all the dirty work. This shouldn't be happening folks, you've got to give an eye for an eye. If your girlfriend types out the story of her life to you, you'd better give her a little more than "That sucks".

An analyst at IBB Consulting who says he's handled Dream personally also mentioned that despite reports of a possible September pre-sale and October launch, we shouldn't expect to be dreaming until Thanksgiving time.  He also had this to say about the presence of Google ads on Dream:

The phone will come with Google's advertising software pre-installed. Customers who opt in to receive mobile ads from Google may be offered to buy the phone for a lower price, and may also pay lower monthly service fees. The Google platform will serve ads based on your interests and location, provided by the phone.

Whenever it launches and whatever it's loaded up with, Dream should cast the spotlight on T-Mobile USA for at least a little while - and just in time for the Holiday shopping rush, too.  Best get to primping, T-Mo ... it's almost time for your closeup.

We could see this before the end of the year.  We could see a full-on Samsung touchscreen explosion, too, given the already launched Instinct and unlocked GSM Omnia that's just begging for a US carrier release.  Samsung aside, though, Q4 '08 could be a great one for T-Mobile ... Tocco ... Dream ... maybe even a Sony Ericsson 3G phone or two in there, as well?  Look out for the little guy, VZW and AT&T ...

So how do you get yourself said updates?  Fire up your Instinct and launch an app.  If an update is available for said program, you'll be notified when you run that program; it's a piecemeal delivery system here, not a giant file that gets pushed out to you as soon as you connect your handset to the Sprint network.  Also, the blog post mentions that vendors could choose to stagger the number of updates they push out at any given time in order to avoid overwhelming Sprint's network or their own servers.  So your friend might get the Browser update now but you might not get it until later today or tomorrow or what have you.  Patience and persistance, my friends!

Picture Mail
    •    Reduce system busy errors for large picturemails
    •    Reduction of "408" timeout errors when sending large picturemails
 
Browser
    •    Optimized vending machine shopping experience
    •    More robust and user friendly access to Yahoo, Hotmail, Best Buy, YouTube
    •    Remove feature that sent browser back one page with camera button
 
Sprint TV/Radio
    •    Optimizations to resolutions for streaming video playback
    •    Reductions of pausing. freezing and "flashing" during streaming video playback
    •    Greatly increased start up and channel change speed
 
Sprint Navigation
    •    Session will no longer run in background, preserving battery life
 
Sprint E-Mail
    •    Ability to save email address from favorites menu
 
Sprint Music Store
    •    Eliminates skips when listening via Bluetooth headset
    •    Eliminates periodic timeouts for Websync of music
    •    Eliminates changing of tracks when turning on screen from sleep mode
    •    Eliminates periodic failure of skip button
    •    Eliminates play/pause stopping after 30 - 35 minutes of music play
 
Push Info Services/Pocket Express
    •    Increased ability to play video clips
    •    Content for movie listing displays correctly
    •    Eliminates periodic error for movie details/review
 
Visual Voicemail/Mobil Sync
    •    Handle and present voicemail notification when out of data service
    •    Eliminates "choppy" playback when dragging progress bar
    •    Contact picture/image now shown correctly in playback form

Oh, and that T-Mobile device I keep mentioning?  Totally hot ;-)  No physical QWERTY board, but still hot.

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Verizon Wireless: LG Voyager, LG Dare, Samsung Glyde, LG Decoy

We will continuously add the Q9m's to the list giving 3 more of you the chance to walk away with this great Verizon Wireless phone. 

A. Over the Air downloading means that you can purchase and download songs and video directly to the phone using your cellular connection.  Apple limits iPhones to only being able to purchase songs from iTunes via WiFi, while Instinct is capable of purchasing songs from the Sprint Music Store over EV-DO (cellular connection).  So the practical implication is that if you want to shop for music on your phone, you'll have to be connected to WiFi in order to do it from an iPhone.  Thanks for the message 

Cheers,

Noah 

UPDATE:  The leak is for Sprint's iDEN lineup only.  That's why it's all Direct Connect stuff (duh, Noah).  Of course there are more non-iDEN Sprint phones a-comin'...

When's CTIA San Francisco?  Oh yeah, that big media event is slated for the night of September 10, or just under one month from today.  Victor? Raphael?  Are you ready?