PhoneTalk

Use your cell phone to rent a car and we're not talking about making a phone call

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 (permalink)

Renting a car before you head out on a trip is one thing, but doing it once you're on the road is typically not the easiest task. When you travel, things come up - that's just the nature of being on the road. Even though you can access a web site from your cell phone to rent a car it can be a painful process; not to mention the amount of data you use to download pages or extra costs involved in calling 411 to get a phone number. Enterprise car rental has just launched a mobile site, Enterprise.mobi (enter that on your cell phone web browser), and it truly is a site designed for mobile phones where you can do just the basics (rent a car, modify/cancel reservation, etc.). Regardless of how you rent a car, I'm happy to see cell phone apps that are truly mobile and that aren't limited to a particular platform. In my book, anything that gets you back to your scheduled travel is a good thing.

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Sneak Peek at Google Maps Navigation

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Thursday, October 29, 2009 (permalink)

Google unveiled Google Maps Navigation, a free turn-by-turn GPS app for Android 2 smartphones - currently that's Verizon's Motorola Droid. It has many of the features found in navigation apps for cell phones plus quite a few additions such as street view -so you can see the street you're turning on (I know landmarks always help me when following directions), satellite view, and the ability to add stops (such as ATMs or gas stations) along the way finding the closes spot along your route. To see it in action watch the Google video below:

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Survey Says: FaceBook a hot cell phone destination

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Monday, October 19, 2009 (permalink)

We asked our blog readers, "Which social networking sites do you access on your cell phone most frequently?" The most popular site by far was FaceBook garnering 59% of the votes. This makes sense to me since out of the options listed it had a mobile application early on and is easily found on many cell phones or can be downloaded. Twitter, however, seems like it should be a popular cell phone app; while it can be found on some phones, if the handset you're using doesn't have a decent web browser it's not the easiest site to manage. Twitter seems like a natural to me especially since leaving a tweet tops out at the same character count as a text message. If anyone has discovered any great mobile twitter apps, let us know. It's a popular topic on twitter. In the meantime, here's a recap of the survey results:

FaceBook 59%

None 20%

Twitter 13%

Other 6%

MySpace 2%

That’s the latest poll results; please participate in the new poll posted on the right.

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Survey Says: Using a cell phone in a bathroom isn't as bad as you might think

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Monday, August 10, 2009 (permalink)

July was Cell Phone Courtesy month and we asked readers "In which of the following places, if any, do you feel it is generally acceptable to speak on your cell phone?" The most interesting result was 19 percent of those surveyed think it's acceptable to talk in a bathroom. That was the second highest rating, with the supermarket being the top answer. Also of note is that less and less people think it's acceptable to use a cell phone at a restaurant (5 percent) or while in a car with other passengers also in the car (12%). However, the fact that people do not think it's acceptable to talk on the phone in a movie or theater hasn't changed much. In previous LetsTalk surveys on cell phone etiquette, talking on a phone in the movies or in a theater is at the bottom of the list of acceptable places. Does this mean those funny trailers about using a phone or talking loudly during a movie are working? Maybe.

Here’s a recap of the survey results:

In the supermarket 29%

In the bathroom 19%

On public transportation 18%

While having a conversation with someone who is texting 15%

In the car with other passengers also in the car 12%

In a restaurant 5%

At the movies or in a theater 1%

That’s this month’s results; please participate in the new poll about using social media sites on your cell phone, posted on the right.

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Be Aware: July is National Cell Phone Courtesy Month

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Wednesday, July 08, 2009 (permalink)

We've all encountered some people with absolutely no cell phone etiquette. In fact, LetsTalk.com has been doing surveys on the topic since 2000. According to this Huffington Post article, Jacqueline Whitmore, author of "Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work" and President of The Protocol School of Palm Beach, Inc., officially founded National Cell Phone Courtesy Month in 2002. Since then, cell phones have become even more a part of everyday life. People seem to be getting better about their cell phone usage or at least views have changed a bit about what is acceptable according to these cumulative results.

At any rate, now seems like a good time to remind people of some simple etiquette rules to keep in mind when using a cell phone. Remember, you may not be aware of your surroundings when you take a call, but depending on your behavior other people will be aware of you.

When in doubt, mute

Many establishments ask customers to refrain from using cell phones, but no one wants to actually miss a call. Most cell phones have a vibrate feature, set it to that if you're afraid of missing a call and then take or return the call in an appropriate setting.

Choose Ringtones You Won't Regret

Personalized ringtones have become a certifiable hit. Your kids may love your Fred Flinstone “YabbaDabbaDoo!” ringtone, but it might not be a hit in the board room.

Talk, Don't Yell

For some unknown reason, most of us speak louder when we dial. Stop the urge to act like a primitive Neanderthal and scream into your cell phone.

When in Earshot Keep it Short

People around you don't really want to be privy to your personal conversations.

Don't Text and Drive

Talking on a cell phone while driving isn't just dangerous, it's actually illegal in many states.

Excuse Yourself Before Taking the Call

The call may be important to you, but realize you're also important to the person in front or next to you.

Say Please Before They Say Cheese

The proliferation of camera phones (Read more)

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Win a free trip to Nokia World

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Thursday, June 25, 2009 (permalink)

First of all, yes, there is such a place as Nokia World. Since Nokia is a company all about mobility, it makes sense that Nokia World is a moving location. This year it will be located in Stuttgart, Germany. It's essentially a place for people passionate about mobility to talk about it, try out new things, and more.

So how do you get free tickets to Nokia World? Simple. Just enter Nokia’s Calling All Innovators competition, a program where mobile and web app developers submit apps and ideas for use on Nokia devices. If you've got an idea or app for Internet Innovation, Flash, Emerging Markets and Mobile Necessities, or Apps on Maps for Nokia products, check out the competition before June 30th - that's the last day to submit.

If you're a finalist, you'll find out on August 17th and get a free trip to Nokia World in September.

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Who knew a texting habit could land you $50,000

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Friday, June 19, 2009 (permalink)

LG Electronics hosted a national texting championship and the finals were this week in New York. The winner, according to this CNN article, was a 15-year old girl from Iowa who sends about 500 messages a day. It's a good thing she's on an unlimited messaging plan and I'm thinking that maybe some of her texts come in the form of an IM conversation, since each IM sent counts as a text message. The competition judged speed, accuracy, and well, skill - one test was based on texting blind folded. The prize for her texting prowess? $50,000.

You think you could win a texting competition?

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First Impressions: LG enV Touch

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 (permalink)

I took the LG enV Touch with me on a recent roadtrip to see how the cell phone performs. First off, the enV Touch looks an awful lot like the LG Voyager only its thinner, has a better display, improved camera with faster shutter, and it won't weigh you down. The enV Touch is definitely an impressive cell phone and those looking for easy access to social media sites such as FaceBook, YouTube, and Twitter should definitely consider this new cell phone for Verizon. The cell phone comes preloaded with one-touch access to FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter and PhotoBucket. You can also easily check web-based e-mail from the Verizon Home page. Additionally, the LG enV Touch has an accelerometor and it's easy to switch from landscape to portrait mode in just about any application. You can even type something out on the internal QWERTY keyboard, close the phone and switch to the numeric or QWERTY keyboard on the screen. Better yet, use the internal keyboard to type and the external touch screen to navigate through Web sites. Another plus for those who are big fans of web surfing is the Zoom capability. You can zoom in and out on any page just by using a scroll bar to set the desired view. All of this makes surfing the web infinitely easier.

Also, on board is VZ Navigator with traffic updates. Not only can this service ($9.99 extra a month) navigate you pretty smoothly to your destination, it also can let you know when traffic is approaching so you can take an alternate route. However, re-calculating a new route is less than intuitive. Still, I like the feature and if you're prone to get lost or abhor traffic it's well worth it.

In short, if you've had a LG Voyager and liked it. The LG enV Touch is an ideal upgrade - fixing some of the shortcomings of the LG Voyager and adding enough extras that you'll find something you didn't know you wanted.

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First look: Samsung Instinct S30

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Tuesday, June 09, 2009 (permalink)

We take a quick tour of the next generation Instinct, the Samsung Instinct S30. But how much has really changed in the new model? Find out by watching the video below:

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First Impressions: LG enV3

by Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter
Friday, June 05, 2009 (permalink)

I've been playing with a LG enV3 for Verizon Wireless for the past few days and here are some of my initial first impressions. At first glance, the LG enV3 is immediately more visually appealing than the LG enV2. Perhaps that's because of the layout of the the keys when the cell phone is closed and the larger external display. Now, there's a four-way navi-key for easier navigation instead of the ability to only move up and down as was the case on the previous model. There are other upgrades as well including a 3-megapixel camera (instead of a 2-megapixel camera), a more stylistic internal QWERTY keyboard, crisper display, and some features found on newer Verizon Wireless cell phones such as a tutorial on customization.

Overall, the newer version of the enV3 is a bit sleeker, has an impressive display and is a decent choice for those looking for a messaging cell phone that won't weigh them down.

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