Section: Communications, Accessories, Cellphones, Computers, Security  The European Union Consumer Commission has announced a crack down on sites pushing free ringtone scams and that often target kids and teens. The crackdown covered all 27 EU countries plus Iceland and Norway and resulted 9 Italian companies being slammed with nearly $3 million in fines. Of the 301 websites targeted, 54 were put out of business and more than 150 were made to change their advertising. The commission said it instigated the crackdown after being flooded with complaints by consumers.
The sites often featured cartoon characters and urged visitors to provide their cell phone numbers to get a free ringtone. What they failed to reveal, or buried in fine print, was that once they had the number the owner would be signed up for a subscription and charged a monthly fee for further ringtones. These scams are often seen here in the US, both on the web and on TV. The ads offer free ringtones (or wallpapers, horoscopes, games, etc). All you have to do is type in your cell phone number or send a text message. Then you get hit with all kinds of charges. Some services charge $5.99 a month and other a whopping $29.99 a month. Getting the subscription dropped can be extremely difficult to impossible and your cell provider is often unable to do much. Mobile phones are a way of life for most of us, and we seldom go anywhere without them. Scammers know this. SMS spam is a particular problem because those not on an unlimited plan must pay for each message. While it has not yet become a huge problem here, giving up your cell number to websites and in response to TV ads can open you up to a flood of it. It's important to guard your cell phone number as you would any other piece of personal info. Don't give it out to just anyone, and stick to legit sites like iTunes for ringtones and wallpapers or download some software and make your own. Free offers often come with a steep price! Read [PC Magazine] Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks  The wait for the Amazon Kindle to come to Canada is now over. Effective immediately, the Kindle can be ordered, and delivered to Canada for a price of $259 US. Of course, this does come with a few catches, the books, newspapers and magazines are all priced in US dollars. Additionally, the blogs and “experimental web browser” are not available. But on the flip side, the Kindle does come with “over 300,000 English-language books.” Canadian Kindle users can also choose from a selection of International newspapers and magazines including the National Post and “all of Canwest’s major daily newspapers.” Finally, for those interested in ordering a Kindle, just visit the US Amazon website.
Read [Canada.com] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, ebooks Those who are still sporting the older PRS-500 ebook reader now have a few options to consider courtesy of Sony. To begin with, Sony has offered a firmware update for the device. The update will give users ePub support and is available as for free. Of course the catch here is that you will need to send in your reader in order to get that update. And getting worse, that process could take up to 14 days. But that aside, Sony is also offering a trade-in program for those looking to upgrade to a newer model. According to the details, with a PRS-500 Reader trade-in, Sony will give you $50 off of a Reader Pocket Edition or $75 off of a Reader Touch Edition. Normally I would say that as long as your older model is working, it may be worth just holding onto, as opposed to spending the additional money. However in this case, it seems the ePub update is almost a necessity because Sony has announced plans to migrate to the ePub format before the end of the year. Which in other words, that will make your PRS-500 a little more outdated. Basically, its either update or upgrade. Read [Sony Style] Via [jkOnTheRun] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Smartphones, Computers, Mobile Computers, Netbooks, Wireless While phone freaks are all up in arms about Dell’s decision to launch the Mini 3 touchscreen smartphone in China and Brazil before even mentioning when it will come home to the US, an Android-powered tablet, called Streak, looks to be headed to AT&T next year according to the Commercial Times. Geek.com says not only will one tablet hit the US carrier next year but the company is hard at work on multiple screen sizes as well. This news comes on the back of CNN Money discussing the rumored Apple tablet as if it were coming and we should hold back some cash for when it does come. Unfortunately, Commercial Times doesn’t hold a good track record. Earlier this year, the paper predicted an Apple tablet would be shown off in Q3. That, of course, didn’t happen. The Dell shown here raises some big questions. Would an internet tablet of similar size to the iPod touch sell with an always-on connection? If so, wouldn’t AT&T tap Apple to get the iPod on the network? A knee-jerk response would say no, AT&T doesn’t want to detract from iPhone sales, right? Well, if that is case, going with #2 Android tablet would circumvent cannibalized iPhone sales but then they are stuck pedaling products the compete with the market leader. $30 a month for data sounds like a lot for the iPod touch crowd. Especially if they are already paying for a cell phone and broadband at home. What do you think? Let us know in the comments. Read:[Geek.com] and [DigiTimes] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Gadgets / Other, Peripherals, Storage Flash drives are pretty common, and lots of them seem to have a gimmick or two in order to attract sales. And that seems to be the case with the Wink USB Drive which comes courtesy of Active Media. To begin with, their banner ad (which can be seen above) is a little questionable with the Sarah Palin image. Personally I am not sure why anyone would choose to use her to sell a flash drive. But that aside, Active Media are also claiming that these drives are “the tiniest pico USB drive on the planet.” Now I am not sure if that claim is entirely accurate, but it is hard to deny that they are tiny. They measure in at 1.2 x 0.5 x 0.1-inches. Of course, for many people tiny just means easier to lose. But with that, if you are looking for a small USB flash drive, you can now pick up the Wink USB Drive which is available in 2, 4, 8 and 16GB storage options. Additionally the Wink USB Drive is waterproof and shock resistant and ships with a keychain and keyring. Price wise these drives are listed on Amazon for as low as $7.95 (2GB) and as high as $37.95 (16GB). But, if you are looking for something with a little more flair you can always check out (also from Active Media) the 16GB polar bear, rubber penguin or Statue of Liberty shaped USB drives that are selling for $42.95, $42.95 and $35.95 respectively. Product [Active Media Products] Via [jkOnTheRun] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile 
It looks like the price of the Palm Pre has just been lowered for those north of the border in Canada. Wireless reseller WirelessWave has recently lowered the Pre to just $49.95. Of course, that does come with the standard three-year commitment with Bell. But it is hard to argue with a $50 Pre, not to mention that price almost makes that $30 Walmart Pixi seem like a rip-off. Anyway, for those in Canada willing to sign a three-year commitment with Bell—head on over to WirelessWave and pick up your nicely priced Pre.
[via mobilesyrup] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Gadgets / Other, Household  If you have a family member who has hearing loss, then you know the frustration on your end in trying to hold a conversation on the phone. I have to imagine it is even more frustrating for the one with hearing loss to not be able to hear kids and grandkids as the years pile on. Radio Shack is here to help with the Clarity D613 Dect phone that not only increases volume but increases clarity making voices crisp.
The D613 is senior-proof: not only does it up the volume but features large buttons and text screen. The buttons themselves are soft and easy to push for those with arthritic hands. A answering machine is also built into the phone, but I have doubts if that will get figured out (at least, not by my grandparents). Carsten Trads, president of Clarity says, "for someone with hearing loss, a simple conversation is one of the best gifts possible. With affordability in mind, we created our new DECT phone for people like your parent, grandparent, sister, uncle or friend who are missing out on these conversations. We all love a good holiday sweater, but we want people to know there are life changing products like this available too." Radio Shack has many phones from Clarity, some with positive reviews, some not. This new D613 with DECT should be a winner but no reviews are listed yet. All the usual phone functions are there: call waiting caller ID, call screening, call transfer and mute call functions,speakerphone, a 30 name and number phonebook and nine speed dial options. Also included is support for three menu languages (English, French and Spanish). Product page: [Radio Shack] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile 
For those of us who are not following the Sidekick as intently anymore, the fact that they have been unavailable may not have been anything to even think twice about. But that said, there are some pretty loyal Sidekick users and this news should be welcomed news for them—T-Mobile has resumed sales of the Sidekick. And to put a little icing on that cake, the return has also come with lower prices. Effective immediately, those willing to take the plunge with the Sidekick can pick up the Sidekick or the Sidekick LX for $49.99 or $149.99 respectively. All things considered though, I would imaging that the data is pretty safe at this point. But the data and that past issue aside, there are so many other great options now available for $149.99 and under that almost make the Sidekick seem a poor choice. But hey, like I already mentioned, Sidekick users are a loyal bunch. Read [T-Mobile] and [T-Mobile] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Mobile New MVNO (mobile virtual network operators) are rare these days. There was a time when there were many MVNOs, but not any more, let alone new ones launching. Even rarer among those MVNOs are GSM networks. Most use CDMA like Verizon and Sprint, with the exception of the newest one, Simple Mobile. Simple Mobile launched today with a promise to use just about any GSM phone you have and want to use. There are six phones available from Simple Mobile, including the BlackBerry Pearl Flip, and the network has been tested with 140 other phones including a myriad other BlackBerries, Nokia, HTC, Samsung and Motorola phones among others. Coverage extends to most major US cities and surrounding areas. The coverage map looks vaguely similar to T-Mobile’s (minus roaming areas), though that could be coincidence. With plans starting at $40 for unlimited voice, Simple Mobile looks to be a reasonable choice for some. Adding SMS brings the monthly payment to $45. Data can only be bought with 20MB or 40MB caps, making it essentially pointless at $50 and $55, respectively. Other than the data issues, there’s little reason to choose Simple Mobile over any other MVNO if you live in an area with coverage. There’s no payment for a phone if you happen to have a GSM phone lying around, or can find a cheap one, and unless you need data it has everything you need for $45 or less. The plans come out to roughly the same as MetroPCS which requires the purchase of a new CDMA phone. If nothing else, Simple Mobile is a great option for students who need cheap phone plans with voice and SMS. Read [Electronista] Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 
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