They call it the Storm, but it is anything but disastrous.  The new Storm phone by Blackberry is the first touch screen Blackberry.  Verizon Wireless is the first network to carry this phone and is currently advertising buy one Blackberry get one free! I liked the sound of this so much that I went out and bought myself the new Storm and got one for my mother too!  I was skeptical at first since I had heard that this phone was “slow” but all I can see is clear skies ahead.  This new Blackberry allows you to perform all the normal Blackberry phone functions.  Its biggest perk though is the touch screen makes for an easier time using your phone and less of a hassle with small keys. 

The Storm is my first Blackberry phone and I have to admit that life is so much easier with it.  On my previous phone I could not check my email, go on the web, or Blackberry Message people. On the Storm I can do all of these things and a lot more.  The Storm has a very distinct feature that other touch screen phones do not have. When you touch a certain part of the screen it lights up blue showing where you are touching.  To actually choose something, you can press down on the screen and “click it” to perform an action on your phone.  This allows you to click what you actually want to click, and not just any random key.  Another amazing characteristic of this phone is that it can be used horizontally or vertically and automatically changes for you when you turn your phone.  This feature comes in hand because when I turn it horizontally, I get a full keyboard to type on, and when I turn it vertically, I can use a compact keyboard that has two letters per key.  At first I had trouble typing on this screen, but luckily the phone has a typing wizard that teaches you how to type on it and in a matter of hours I was having no problems using the touch screen.  The Storm allows you to enjoy having a phone without worrying about unreliability or a dim screen.

I would strongly recommend the Storm phone to anyone looking for a dependable Blackberry that is easy and fun to use.  I am able to transfer tons of documents, music, and pictures to my phone through my USB cord and Bluetooth.  This has been very helpful because I have not had the burden of lugging my laptop around as much because everything I need is on my Storm.  What a relief!  The Storm may have the name of catastrophe, but it has proven to be a ray of light in a plethora of disasterous phones.

• To get your own Blackberry Storm via Amazon.com Click Here
• To review special pricing on the Blackberry Storm Click Here

Cell phones began as briefcase-sized units, then large plastic bricks, then finally they became pocket-sized.  All of this happened in barely 10 years, a pretty amazing technological leap if you think about it.  However, with this increased portability there has been an inverse relationship with durability.  Modern phones are not exactly built to last, and a user has to worry about dropping their phone.  I say, why does this have to be the case?  Why can’t phones still be a little beefier while still being portable?

There have been more durable phones before, mostly offered by Sprint and Nextel, being aimed at working men and women.  However, these phones tend to be long on durability and short on features.  Want a camera? Tough luck.

Casio, long known as a maker of fine digital wristwatches and calculators, has stepped up to the proverbial plate with their new G’zOne (pronounced Geez-one).  Bizarre pronunciation aside, this phone will likely please a lot of people.  It is specifically marketed to the extreme sports crowd, with an insert in the box displaying the phone’s use at an Alaskan surfing competition, a long snowy hike, a desert race, and a punk rock concert in Manhattan.  The phone claims to be resistant to sunlight, impact, dust, and water (resistant to about one meter in depth for up to 30 minutes).

My abilities to truly test this phone were somewhat limited, as I didn’t want to break the only test model we had.  However, I was able to make phone calls from my swimming pool.  While this does not on its own make the G’zOne a revolutionary phone, it is an effective demonstration of some of the phone’s abilities.  Seriously, when was the last time you took your cell phone swimming?  Disappointingly, this is where I encountered the phone’s only shortcoming: the screen is very difficult to see in bright sunlight.  My everyday cellphone, which is by no means a very nice one, does fine in any lighting.  Yet somehow, this dedicated “outdoorsy” phone has a screen with very little contrast and poor brightness.

Unlike most durable phones, the G’zOne is packed with all the features one would expect: GPS, push-to-talk, Bluetooth, speakerphone, music capabilities, and a handy LED lantern (a feature lacking on most phones).  In addition, the phone’s dimensions are only slightly larger than a conventional flip-phone.

All in all, the G’zOne is a useful product for the outdoorsman or the worker whose job finds him or her in inconvenient environments.  Add to that a full list of features and a convenient size, and you’ve got a winner.  This phone is designed to be useful to a large number of people, well beyond the “Extreme sports” niche that it seems to be marketing to.

• To learn more and get your own Casio G’zOne Click Here
• To review special pricing on the Casio G’zOne accessories Click Here

July 1st is fast catching up with all of us here in California. After 38 other states in the country, California is also going to implement a ban on mobile phone usage while driving – forcing a lot of us to abandon the single-handed steering maneuvers while talking on the phone.

The only way to continue yapping in the car is to use headsets. Last week, I finally decided to buy a bluetooth headset before it is too late and I get a ticket.

Trust me I have tried using these pesky things more than a couple of times in the last few years.  But one of two things happened – either the headset was discharged just when I plugged it into my ear to receive a call, or I would take it home to charge and forget to get it back to the car. The last time I owned a headset was before it got crushed under a truck’s tires (I was crossing the road with a bunch of shopping bags and the headset in my hands, dropped the headset and heard a silent crunch as it got squashed to bits under a passing truck…sigh)

Scanning aisle after aisle looking at tons of tiny headsets, I was so sure that I was going to lose whatever I bought and would be back here in a week’s time – looking for another one.

And then I saw the Yada! It is amazing how the most basic design can be the perfect solution to all our headset troubles. The straight, simple lines, accessible push-click button are both functional and sophisticated.

The Yada bluetooth headset has a simple, easy-to-figure-out design. It connects easily to any bluetooth enabled phone in two simple steps – turn on the bluetooth on both the phone and headset and enter the passkey on your phone. Voila!

The Yada can connect to up to eight bluetooth devices – so everyone in your family can use the it if need be, and you can also hook it up to your multiple phones, including VOIP phones.

The best bit about the Yada is that it has a charging dock that mounts to your dashboard or air vent and plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car – so the headset is always charged. And I don’t have to take it out of my car, so it is always there when I need it. Now that solves all my troubles.

The charging dock also has an attached dock for my phone. It is a universal phone holder (I wish it could charge my phone too but sadly it can’t) it has two expandable arms that can secure any phone, so they don’t end up on the car floor.

An amazing feature of the Yada is its auto-power, auto-answer and auto-end functions. As soon as you sit in the car and start it, it automatically detects your phone’s bluetooth signal and connects to it. And it automatically powers off it it does not detect bluetooth signals from your phone for over an hour.

The auto-answer function allows you to just lift the the headset and place it into your ear to answer a call. And when you are done, just place it back into its dock to end the call. Alternatively, you can place it in your ear – it is quite small and sits snugly – and push a multi-function button on its surface to answer or cancel calls.

Aah, the days of bending double and squinting under the car seat looking for my phone and headset are over. The Yada is just what I needed for my everyday driving needs – it’s sure an amazing tech product!

• You can get this product via Amazon by Clicking Here