Do blog while you’re asleep?  Have you ever taken your laptop to the bathroom?  Or are you the type that starts to sweat when you haven’t checked your email in 2 hours?  If you answered yes to any of these, you may be a tech addict.

In Seattle, blogger and part-time marketing manager Ariel Stallings claim that she experiences black-outs similar to getting drunk after surfing the net for hours.  She tries to remember what she has been doing for the past hours but couldn’t no matter how hard she tried.  Taking the plunge, she decides to unplug by turning off her cellphone, computer, and television for one whole day.  She experiences some emotional withdrawal symptoms but did make it through the day.  Henceforth, she decides to regularly unplug for 52 days in a year to take care of her addiction.

Dr. Dave Greenfield, who runs the Center for Internet Behavior in Connecticut, said h was not taken seriously when he first warned about compulsive Internet use in his 1999 book “Virtual Addiction.”  Various studies estimate that 1 to 10 percent of the U.S. population uses technology in a way that negatively impacts their lives, relationships, health or jobs.

Tags: Ariel Stallings,cellphone,computer,tech addict
Categories: Technology & Internet
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By now, you may have realized that I’m a mobile phone junkie. I think they are one of the coolest gadgets ever made. As I was browsing through the net, I found the upcoming walkman phone from Sony Ericsson and started to drool again. Whew! Just looking at the pic makes me sweat.

The W980i is only 3.5 ounces with a clamshell design. You can listen to music with the top cover down and control it with the interface on top. It’s an Ipod and mobile phone in one. Who needs an Ipod when you can have this. Unlike Sony Ericsson’s other walkman phones, it has Shake Control which allows you to change songs with just a gesture of your hands (similar controls found on the Wii). It has a 3.2 megapixel camera, video recording, HSDPA connectivity and video conferencing aside from the usual features available in the the latest cellphones in the market. It has a standby time of 300 hours, talk time of 9 hours, and music playback of 16 hours.

But let’s get down to its sound abilities since this is what makes it different from the hundreds of other phones out there. Its clear stereo audio allows you to listen to music to sound like the original recording. Mega bass provides distortion-free sound even at higher volumes. It also comes with the Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-77 which will also give you clear music experience that sounds true to the original recording. Its built-in FM transmitter will allow you to send whatever’s playing on your cellphone to other devices with a built-in FM radio receiver. The 8 GB memory can store up to 8,000 songs in your library. Cool huh?

I haven’t bought myself a new mobile phone for the past 2 years. I’ve been waiting for the right one to come along. I thought I found it with the Nokia N95. But bad reviews from friends prevented me from getting my own. I think this may be the sweetheart I am looking for. . .

Tags: cellphone,FM transmitter,HSDPA,Ipod,mobile phone,Nokia N95,Shake control,Sony Ericsson W980i,walkman phone
Categories: Gadgets & Games
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Nokia’s new multimedia cellphone boasts of a GPS, a high-speed internet connection, and a 5 megapixel camera. It is said to be a cheaper version of the Nokia N95, except that it is smaller and has a longer battery life.

The N82 utilizes HSPDA technology which allow users to surf the net almost as fast as a normal computer. It can also be used in many parts of the world being a quad-band cellphone. It has a built-in Assisted GPS (AGPS) together with Nokia Maps. Aside from bluetooth technology, it also has WiFi connectivity like the N95. And of course, it has all the regular features of a Nokia cellphone like MMS, SMS, a music player, accepts a microSD card of up to 2GB, video, and games.

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Tags: AGPS,bluetooth,cellphone,microSD card,mobile phone,Nokia Maps,Nokia N82,PDAs,USB port,WiFi
Categories: Gadgets & Games, Technology & Internet
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China came out with a number of dual active sim mobile phones in 2007 to meet the growing demands of people carrying 2 or more cellphones. Attempts to get this market niche was made several years ago with gadgets that will allow sim switching on any cellphone. This initial attempt, however, proved unsuccessful since it requires switching the cellphone off to make the other sim active — meaning both lines are not simultaneously active. Now, technology has found a way to make two lines active in one cellphone. The problem with the China phones is that these come in cheap designs or substandard parts.

In November 2007, Samsung released the SGH-D880, the first dual sim standby cellphone manufactured by a reputable mobile phone manufacturer. However, it is not surprising that very little advertising and promotion was given to the SGH-D880. Mobile carriers will definitely not support any dual active sim mobile phone in the market since it will encourage subscription to another carrier. The rationale behind carrying a dual sim phone is to be able to take advantage of all bonuses or incentives provided by two different mobile carriers. It is also a must for those who travel in other countries who prefer to get a prepaid sim from the country they are in to save on phone bills. On the other hand, others prefer to separate their business calls with personal calls.

The Samsung Duos D880 does not carry lightweight features either. Like current mobile phones in the market, it has a 3 megapixel camera, 240×320 resolution at 262,000 colors, SMS & MMS messaging, internal memory of 46 MB, external memory slot of up to 2 GB, music player, video recorder/player, an FM radio, and bluetooth technology.

It is a slider-type cellphone which provide more space for the TFT-LCD 2.3″ screen. The Samsung D880 is a combination of black, gray, and mirror finish while the sides are a brownish chrome. The only setback I see is its 18.9 mm thickness. However, this is a small price to pay for a dual sim active phone which needs a lot more parts inside compared to single-line phones. Though a little bulky, it is still possible to fit inside pockets.

Overall, the SGH-D880 is the best alternative to other China dual sim mobile phones in the market. If you want style and quality with the dual sim technology, this is your best choice.

Tags: cellphone,China phones,dual active sim,dual sim standby,dual sim technology,mobile phone,Samsung Duos,SGH-D880
Categories: Gadgets & Games
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