The text to speech functionality allows it to read out text messages, and also will announce the names of your callers, if supported. The TalkyOne provides such features as noise reduction, and echo cancellation, as well as DSP. Battery life is approximately 180 hours of standby time, and 15 hours of continuous talk time.

TheTalkyOne comes with an attachment, supported by velcro, if you want to attach it to your car’s dash, as well as a clip for attaching to your sun visor.

Pairing is extremely easy. Entering a single code, and boom, your able to use the device to answer and receive calls. I would definitely recommend TheTalkyOne who anyone who wants some style in their life, and a really high-end Bluetooth speakerphone.

It gives its standard specifications for today’s pocket camcorders. 4GB of internal memory, 2 inch display, a LiOn battery (which is charged via USB connection).

It has really good features such as digital image stabilization and HDMI out. After doing several tests in regards to still images, they were best taken in a bright environment.

I haven’t had much of a chance to review other competitors, such as the Flip Video MinoHD, but as a first impression, and considering the price, the MyVideo HD by Memorex is a good buy.

Picking at the design, yes it feels like a toy, to be honest. Its light, it isn’t heavy at all. I really wish they would not use a plastic based enclosure, but more like a shiny polished metal. Menus are very clear, and easy to navigate. There is a large red button in the middle that starts recording. The design, feels cheap.

Another peeve is the need to have to insert the LiOn battery into the unit before charging it. There is no external battery charger, so really, what’s the point of a removable battery? The unit is $130, the LiOn batteries can get expensive. If the battery was to die, I’d most likely go out and purchase a whole new unit.

Overall, I mean, it’s fantastic for the price. It isn’t really something you can fall in love with, but different people have different tastes. It is an amazing gift to fill up stockings at Christmas. Overall, I am going to give the Memorex MyVideo HD a rating of 4/5. It can do better on the build quality.

Credit Card Payment Option

With the new BlackBerry App World, customers are able to purchase applications using major credit cards, including Visa and MasterCard. Carrier billing may also be supported by certain carriers.

Easier Application Discovery

BlackBerry App World adds new tabbed sections for various applications lists. Users can horizontally swipe or scroll to quickly view the Top 25 Free Apps, Top 25 Paid Apps and Top 25 Themes, as well as the Newest Apps and Recently Updated Apps.

QR barcode scanning

Is now supported, allowing users to scan a QR code associated with an application from anywhere – the web, print ads, brochures, etc. BlackBerry App World will quickly find the related application, and automatically open and download its page.

BlackBerry ID

BlackBerry ID provides customers with a device-independent user identification (ID) for BlackBerry App World. It enables credit card payments and allows customers to seamlessly transfer their personal library of free and purchased apps when they switch to a new BlackBerry smartphone.

The UI changes and overall performance enhancements that BlackBerry App World 2.0 brings should make it a great update. One of the most notable changes however though, is that BlackBerry App World as of today will allow developers to set pricing on their apps starting at $0.99. The upgrade is set to be rolled out today, so be on the lookout for an update notification so that you may get the most up to date release when it becomes available. In case anyone was counting as well, BlackBerry App World now has paid apps in 58 countries.

Source: CrackBerry

We have been drooling all over the Ooma news since CES 2010, and wanted to get our hands on one asap. It’s monthly pricing, low-cost hardware, made it all worth while. Ooma compared to Vonage, and other VoIP providers, at this kind of cost, is an absolute miracle.

Ooma Telo comes with several calling features, many at no charge. These no call features are caller ID, call waiting, and E911. Also included is a 60-day free trial of Ooma Premier, which is worth every penny. Ooma Premier is a bundle of calling features, such as forwarding voicemail, blacklists, three way conferencing, and much more. One thing, that I wish would be included in the standard version is the DND or Do Not Disturb, but Ooma needs to make its money somehow, and if you want this awesome feature, you have to get premier.

Ooma Telo is available at many retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart, it currently retails for $249.99. I suggest buying it directly from Ooma itself (ooma.com), as they offer many amazing promotions, such as a free Ooma Handset, or free number porting with purchase of premier.

Now, the Ooma Telo itself is amazing. Its light, starts up quickly, no issues regarding freezing, etc.. You are able to distribute the Ooma signal, to all your phone jacks in your house, but note, this requires cutting wires in your demarcation point, basically disconnecting yourself from the outside world (your old telephone company). If you don’t know what you are doing, then don’t do it, and hire a contractor. Worst thing you want to do, is cut the wrong wires, and have to pay more to get it fixed, then it would have cost in the first place.

Call quality, clarity, was amazing and clear, even when I was running simultaneous downloads on multiple computers. No issues with the Ooma Telo itself. Setup was quick and easy.

Whenever I test a service, I always review the customer support side of things. This is one aspect I was very displeased of. The customer support representatives were rude, didn’t know the product they are representing, and hold time was inappropriate. The issues were never resolved. What I was testing, was I added my own Google Voice number, to Google Voice extentions, or GVE. From there, I added it to my blacklist. However, what I couldn’t understand, is if the number is in the blacklist, why is it overriding the blacklist, and still ringing. Customer support wasn’t able to answer this, and their answer was, you cant block your own number, and they were giving me the attitude of, “what are you stupid.” Yes, a lot of customers won’t know what they are talking about. I wanted to see if they are going to help me, or just treat me like I’m stupid. Second issue was regarding caller ID, when I created my second line, I stated as my call ID name to be “meeeeee.” I had no idea, that this information couldn’t be changed. I requested customer support to change this for me weeks ago, they still haven’t done so. I would like that it shows, the name of the site on my second line, TrustedNerd.com. Their response, “we can only do first name, last name.” I know this is false, cause I was able to put in “meeee”, and it worked successfully.

Ooma Handset has a whole wack of bugs that I have discovered. The handsets like to freeze, often. I received a second handset, and I am seeing slight improvement, but the issues still occur. What I have found is when paging your Bluetooth device from your handset, when trying to disconnect, the Ooma Telo reboots itself. Also, many times after a call, I don’t get a dialtone, and I have to reboot the handset itself. When receiving contacts via Sync, your handset will freeze while it gets the new contacts and puts them into the Handset.

Bluetooth also had its share of issues. Quality is horrible; a lot of static was discovered when communicating via a Bluetooth headset. In our trials we used the BlueAnt Q1. You also cannot terminate a call from the Bluetooth device itself. In order to terminate a call while using the Bluetooth headset, you must go to a handset, press you call button, join line 1, and press the red button. Many of times, even this failed on the first attempt.

We also tested calling numbers from the Bluetooth headset itself, through voice commands. The Q1 is capable of calling Goog-411 by saying “call goog 411.” It worked several times, but it doesn’t work each time.
An annoying feature, is the low battery beeping. It’s high pitched, and can drive you crazy. It took me ages to figure out where that noise was coming from in the middle of the night. It would be beneficial to instead have a flashing RED led (where the voicemail notification led is), that indicates battery is low. As well, a possibility to disable that annoying audio notification.

The Ooma Mobile application for iPhone is interesting.. It has a really beautiful user interface, but, on my iPod Touch 2nd generation, I couldn’t at all, hear the party I’m calling. The ability to have this synchronize with your Ooma phonebook would be a killer feature.

Regarding support once again, I contacted Ooma support in regards to a billing issue calling a number in Canada, for less than a second. The mobile application “apparently” kept it open for 8 minutes, reducing my prepaid balance. I am not impressed with Ooma support, this is what I think can really shy away customers, when you start to offshore your support staff.

As an initial first-impression rating, I am going to give Ooma a 4.5 /5. It was a hard review, there were so many things to test, support needs a big boost in order to increase the rating to a 5/5. The handset needs its upgrades, the Bluetooth needs to be fixed, and the Ooma Mobile application needs to be re-tested on iPod devices.
A post review will be done in a few months. Keep tuned.

Today, we are going to review the Speck CandyShell for iPod Touch 2G. First thing I noticed, the case fits VERY tight around the device. The cut-outs were perfect, no issues here.

What I do wish though, is that there would be more plastic, around the dock connector. As well, a nice add-on to increase the dock connector’s height would be really nice, in case you are connecting your iPod Touch, to a device such as a clock radio, or a RedEye.

Features of the Speck CandyShell for iPod Touch 2G are as follows:

-Lightweight, flexible one-piece design combines the insulation of a skin with the durability and sleekness of a hard shell
– Glossy outer hard shell slips in and out of pockets easily and protects from scratches
– Colorful, contrasting rubberized interior offers extra shock absorption from drops
– Includes cleaning cloth and removable screen protector film for extra scratch resistance
– Openings to all ports & controls

The rubberized buttons for power and volume control worked really well. No issues with that. Standard audio connectors fit perfectly into the headphone jack when the case is on.

The Speck CandyShell doesn’t look cheap at all. It for sure, doesn’t reduce the beauty of the device. CandyShell also comes in many different colors.

Because the CandyShell case doesn’t have a front enclosure, your screen is prone to scratches, therefore, I do suggest getting the ShieldView Screen Protector. Easy to apply, plastic, and protects your screen from scratches.

Overall, I was quite impressed with the Speck Candyshell. No breaking or cracking occurred when applying/removing the case, or even when dropping it on hard surfaces. Of course, the device as well did not encounter any damage. Because the CandyShell has passed all tests, I will give Speck CandyShell a 5/5 rating.

For more information visit http://www.speckproducts.com

It’s super compact, about the size of a deck of playing cards, and is the ideal charging solution for travelers, as its portable. It allows users to utilize and charge multiple electronic devices while traveling. A perfect addition to your CES kit I’d say. It currently retails for $29.95.

The unique thing about Outlets to Go Laptop is that it does have 3 AC outlets. However, for those devices that also can be charged via USB, such as an iPod/iPhone, Bluetooth Headset, etc… it encompasses two USB charging ports as well! For added convenience, the plug is retractable.

It’s neat, stylish, and charging time was impressive. Another thing that I really liked is the Outlets to Go Laptop charger doesn’t get super warm, like my other chargers I use for other devices. The compact design means that the product can fit easily in a purse, or carry-on baggage. The blue LED light is not intrusive as well, so its night-time friendly. Other chargers can often have a very bright LED light, not allowing you to use it in a bedroom situation.
However, when traveling in countries with varying voltage standards, the Outlets to Go USB Worldwide should always be used with dual voltage electronics.

Overall, I was EXTREMELY impressed with a fairly simplistic product. Its price is fantastic, and almost the same as an Apple iPod/iPhone charger. Therefore, if you are looking for a charging accessory, the Outlets To Go Laptop by Monster is the way to go. Overall, I am going to give Outlets to Go Laptop, a 5/5 rating.
For more information, visit http://www.monstercable.com

At the same time, he noted that Internet Explorer 8 is already the safest browser on the web today. Of course, as was the case with Windows, Turner did not mention IE’s rivals specifically. Still, it’s nothing short of evident what Microsoft COO meant.

“IE9 is going to be not only the most safest and secure browser in the market, which IE8 is today, it will be the fastest browser in the market. You saw some demos of that on day one. It’s a smoking hot browser product,” Turner said.

Microsoft offered the first Platform Preview of Internet Explorer 9 in March 2010, and since then served two additional testing releases, about 8 weeks apart. IE9 Platform Preview 3 is now available for download, still a build aimed at developers, an aspect which will only change as Microsoft will release the first Beta of the browser

“And more than ever, there’s a better web on Windows. And whether it’s applications you’re building on IE8 or the applications that are being contemplated for IE9, just a tremendous opportunity. IE8 is the fastest-growing web browser in history, and it has now become the most popular web browser on the planet. So, a lot of opportunity to build a better web on Windows,” noted Tami Reller, Corporate Vice President and CFO, Windows & Windows Live.

Source : Softpedia

The conference will be just about the iPhone 4 and starts on July 16 at 10am PDT.

iOS 4.1 Beta was released today, and as tests were done, it was presumed that all this beta did, was improve the graphics of the signal bars on the iPhone 4 and earlier supported models.

Tonido is free software that will turn your desktop into a personal server, and allows you to interact with your files, through built-in applications. It doesn’t matter what OS you are on (Mac, Linux, Windows, Chrome OS, etc.), you just install the software, and there you go.

However, there is also a device that Tonido has created, called the TonidoPlug. Same thing as Tonido, but on this small, environmentally friendly plug. It looks like one of those big, speaker AC adapters, when you pull it out of the box, but with a white shiny finish. It of course, comes with its own RAM, CPU, and it’s powered by Ubuntu. Think of it, as a NAS inside a box. Very simple, small, and easy to set up. All you do is plug it in, Power, LAN, and USB. Once that’s done, let it boot for a few seconds (3o seconds or so). Then, go to http://www.tonidoplug.com/ip/. Your TonidoPlug will now be detected.

From there, you then create a new profile, establish passwords, and all of that. It’s very easy. A nice, clean interface is presented. No need to memorize Linux commands to get it all set up. It does all the work for you; just click some buttons (with instructions).

The applications that were inside TonidoPlug made me wow. Jukebox, Photos, Search, Thots, Workspace, Plug Admin, Torrent, Explorer, are some of them.

There, however, are a few peeves that I really didn’t like much with TonidoPlug, it can be easily fixed with a software update, hopefully Tonido listens.

These are:

Sharing files with an external user, where’s the copy to clipboard link, it’s just simple Javascript.

For the Photos application, one thing I would find useful is a simple “upload photos” link, the link is buried inside of “Share my photos” then click Add new share. But even by doing this, there is still no upload applet. Would be neat to have an upload applet, to upload photos. Maybe even to export these photos to Flickr, Facebook, etc. Currently I see no ability to do so.

Also, my biggest peeve:

Will not let you login to TonidoPlug admin if your router is set to an IP range of 5.5.5.1 only acceptable ranges are:

10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255

172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255

192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255

So therefore, I had to change mine to 10.10.10.1, which was kind of annoying.

It also, does not recognize new IP address changes automatically; the device must be rebooted to recognize a new IP.

Overall, I was impressed with the speed, and of course the price of TonidoPlug. I am going to give the TonidoPlug a 4 / 5 rating, as these small things could be thought of, and the IP range bug, could be fixed.

For more information, comment, or visit http://www.tonidoplug.com/

DOWNLOAD LINK AVAILABLE: http://g.live.com/1rebeta4_webd/en/wlsetup-webd.exe

Update: Custom link installer also available: http://g.live.com/1rebeta4_webc/en/wlsetup-webc.exe

Many changes have been made, one that will hurt a lot of users, but it’s for the good of things. XP users, you are stuck with Wave 3, aka, the old version. There is no compatibility with XP with 2011 Beta, and future versions. You must have Vista, or Windows 7. Honestly, if you are still on XP, it’s time to upgrade!

As you might have already noticed, Hotmail and web services are/have been upgraded. If you still don’t see the new Hotmail, don’t worry, you will have it in the upcoming weeks/months.

Now, in regards to the new Essentials, one thing that is really popular, for everyone, is the new Messenger!

The new Messenger comes with several amazing features, such as:
Tabbed conversations
Integration of Bing results
High-definition video chat
Video message
Badges
Games

One of the most amazing new features, is the Social interaction, the ability to connect to other social networks.

We will be updating this article as the day comes by, and more features are discovered.

Keep posted!