Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

We had a chance to play with Sprint’s new Motrola Q at CES this year, but haven’t had one in our possession until now.  The phone is very similar to its Verizon counterpart, but takes on a sprint theme and charcoal-gray casing.  It also comes loaded with Sprint’s On Demand service which includes live Sprint TV and more.  [More about Sprint’s Moto Q here] The Q is $199 with a 2 year contract, and $449 with no contract at all.  Without further adieu, click on for more photos.

Yup, I know the Zune has basically already come and gone but I was doing a little spring end-of-the-year cleaning and wanted to put these up. Overall the player was cool. I definitely like the scroll function on my nano more and wish the text would scroll across, as opposed to staying static (so you can’t read what the entire song title is as you search through). My other complaint was that after using the Zune for three weeks in NYC (on the street, subway, and trains to Conn) I have yet to run into a “social interaction” - the reason I bought the Zune in the first place. I know I could go on about the Zune but I’d rather you just enjoy the quick peep show and when the time is right, we can blog more about Microsoft’s DAP.

Funny how things work out sometimes. I have been trying to figure out if Motorola copied the LG Chocolate phone with the heat sensitive buttons on the KRZR, but LG has seemed to knock-off much of the 8600’s design from the RAZR. And then what happens...both handsets arrive at Gadgetell HQ’s the same day. Read on for a more in depth look (in pictures and words) at two of the hottest flip phones currently available, by competing manufacturers, at Verizon Wireless.

Product: Motorola KRZR K1m for Verizon
Price: $199.99 (with a 2 year contract and $50 mail in rebate)
Rating: 7.5/10
Pros: Stereo Bluetooth, sleek design, not the RAZR, EVDO and hence fast downloads, mini-USB charger and port, heat sensitive exterior music buttons.
Cons: Too small a screen for video, as expected cellphone speaker phone music quality, miniSD placement, attracts fingerprints, Verizon’s standard GUI interface.
Overall: The KRZR is a great alternative to the Moto RAZR. It offers on-par music functionality and high speeds in a sexy but expensive package (as compared to other models).

Product: LG VX8600 for Verizon
Price: $129.99 (with a 2 year contract and $50 mail in rebate)
Rating: 8/10
Pros: Stereo Bluetooth, GPS, EVDO and hence fast downloads, heat sensitive exterior music buttons.
Cons: As expected cellphone speaker phone music quality, attracts fingerprints, Verizon’s improved—yet boring GUI interface.
Overall: The LG VX8600 is a great handset option for those of you looking for music on your phone. It is slim, fast, and has a good speaker and picture quality (though on 1.3 megapixels). But be weary of a keypad that you love or hate.

We’ve gotten some good ole’ hands on time with Philips’ new 6.5” Digital photo display (7FF1AW) and are itchin’ to show you some snapshot goodness.  The display is a handy addition to any wall unit, shelf, or table - as long as it’s not in the line of the TV.  You wouldn’t want this thing distracting you from an episode of 24, would you?  The device accepts both SD (Secure Digital) and Compact Flash memory cards in all sizes, and will even store up to 50 of your photos internally.  It will also connect directly up to your camera or computer for some file transfer action.  Check out some more sweet shots of the Philips display after the break.

Read [Philips]

This week, we were lucky enough to make it over to the brand spankin’ new Dell store located at NorthPark Center in Dallas, TX to snap some pictures for you.  If you missed the news a little over a month ago, Dell announced that they would begin opening up flagship stores around the country to try and keep up with Apple.  So far they have announced that they would first open two locations in Dallas and the Palisades Center in West Nyack, NY (which both have Apple Store locations).  Check out more images of the Dallas NorthPark location after the break.

Note: We apologize for the poor picture quality, the images were taken on a Treo.

[Thanks Doc!]

Now that we have our hands on both a Verizon and Sprint Treo 700p we figured we might as well try to get our hands on some accessories and take our turn with some of the great Palm/Access programs. Up first is the Vaja i-Volution T7 case for the Treo 700--w or p.

Upon opening the box the smell of rich leather engulfed my office. The case is designed with the highest craftsmanship and quality in mind, they certainly pay attention to detail. The case has a hard structure protecting the body of the Treo but unfortunately leaves the screen unguarded. The case also has a very strong belt-clip and built in rivet. The best part is that these cases are completely customizable...check out the options at Vaja.

See the rest of the peep show.

We got our hands on the Sprint 700p and are ready to hook you up with some shots.  Our first impressions were good, but you’re going to have to find out our true feelings in our review (coming soon).  Am I still talking?  Click on to check out the Peep Show at its best!