Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

I have used my share of VoIP phones out there, so when Plantronics sent me the newish Calisto Pro Series, I didn’t have too high of expectations.  However I became impressed quickly with the great Bluetooth integration, among other features.  There are three ways you can talk on the phone (or Skype): speakerphone, on the handset, or on the included Bluetooth headset.  This amount of flexibility is a great thing to have when you’re in an office—or even at home—since you have the choice to go anywhere in your house.  So what if you want to sit in your living room, and the Bluetooth signal can’t make it that far?  Don’t worry, the headset is paired with the handset, so just bring the handset with you!

Have I mentioned that the Calisto can also be used as your landline phone?  Well, it sure can.  The device has seemless integration with both Skype (and your computer) and your landline connection.  So if you’re talking long distance to someone across the world, and hang up to make a local call, you don’t even have to switch anything… just hang up, dial the number, and press talk.

Design

Overall, the Calisto’s design is sleek, but not too fancy.  The phone’s handset is a bit bulky, but it’s smaller than most traditional cordless phones, so we won’t dock them there.  The Bluetooth headset is a big flimsy, and I had a hard time with it - but while you’re sitting at your desk, it’s really OK to have a flimsy headset on since you’re not making any sharp movements that will knock it off.

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With any product or service, there’s always going to be room for growth (and complaints).  Below are a few Gmail features I think would make my life, and possibly some others lives easier.

• Ability to Mark ONE Email in a Conversation as Unread
• Colored Stars
• Set Email Importance
• Ability to Add Items to a To-Do List

Read more…

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PS3 sales have picked up the pace in the UK and, for the last four weeks, has outsold the Xbox 360. Sony has also confirmed to Market for Home Computing and Video Games (MCV), a leading British industry journal, that PS3 has gone past the 1 million-sales milestone in the UK and at a rate faster than its antecedent console, the PS2…

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It’s no secret that cell phone batteries typically suck, sometimes not even lasting us until we get home in the evening.  What’s the secret to good battery life?  The general rule of thumb is that if your phone is doing anything, your battery power is being drained.  And if you’re doing something fun on your phone, you can bet your battery meter will be running low shortly.  This means photos, games, and web surfing will all impair your battery’s performance significantly more than regular use.  So what are some steps you can take to maximize your battery life without sacrificing the fun?  Read on for 10 things you can do to increase your phone’s battery life:

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If you already read Gadgetell everyday, why not just subscribe to our RSS feed? 

According to Wikipedia, “RSS is a simple XML-based system that allows users to subscribe to their favorite websites.” But really, that’s even making it sound a whole lot more techie than it actually is.  RSS is a way to allow you to receive content (news, blogs, audio, video) without actually having to visit each site itself.

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Google may be having setbacks with its upcoming Android mobile operating system, but Reuters is reporting chip-maker ARM plans to demo the OS at Mobile World Congress on Monday.  The story sites “a source close to the company”, but both Google and ARM have yet to comment on the claims.  Will we see the first Gphone?  Who knows.  Hey - they could even run the new OS on a computer and we’d still be happy to see it.  Do you think Android sounds ready for the public-eye with its recent delays?  I sure don’t.

If you’re like me, you’re probably struggling to keep up with all of the tech news we pump out each day - let alone gaming and apple news as well.  So what’s hot right now in gaming?  The crew over at our “little brother” Gamertell’s got the skinny for you.  Check out the Gamertell’s top 10 posts from the past 7 days below:

1. Great game deals at Goodwill
2. Darkrai coming to America
3. Beanie Babies 2.0 take on Webkinz
4. Master System, Game Gear games coming to the Wii Virtual Console
5. Important Importables: Best SNES role-playing games
6. Saw IV inspires new Blockdot game Trapped
7. Important Importables: Super Dollfie dolls
8. Rumor: Smash Brothers Brawl demos coming to GameStops
9. Wii Virtual Console update for the week of January 28- Feb. 3, 2008
10. Exclusive Interview: Datarock’s Fredrik Saroea

And if you want more where that came from, go ahead and subscribe to their feed.  You won’t be disappointed.

We can’t say for sure what changes are being made to Apple’s product lines - if any - but the Apple Store is currently showing the classic splash-screen.  According to Gizmodo, the updates are going to be “minor,” and it’s only the U.S. store that’s down.  Will we see a spec boost in the Macbook line - or the Macbook Pro line?  Hopefully the latter since I just told a friend it was safe to buy a Macbook.  Whoops!

More to come as we find out what’s going on.  In the meantime, check out Appletell.

Struggling to keep up with all of the crazy products and new items from the past week?  Have no fear, we’ve got you covered.  Below is a list of the top 10 stories we covered on Gadgetell in the past 7 days.  I know this is a lot at once, so take it slowly.

1. Wicked Lasers announces the fire-starting Torch
2. State of Pennsylvania sues woman for selling on eBay without a license
3. Garmin unveils “nuvifone”: slick navigator/touchscreen phone
4. New Latitude E-Series gets leaked
5. Western Digital announces My Passport Essential portable HDD
6. Verizon’s Pink Pearl 8130 now available
7. Hulu will stream Super Bowl commercials following the game
8. iPhone Serial Killers: attack of the clones?
9. Breaking: AT&T data network outage for Blackberry and Treo
10. Microsoft offers to acquire Yahoo! for $44.6 billion dollars.

You still with us?  OK, now you can move onto the current news.

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