Yep, it's here. Now we can get back to our regular lives. I will post reviews in the near future when i have a few free moments to locate them. For those of you looking for one at your local store, happy hunting!

As AT&T rushes to get ready for the single biggest day ever for the company a mere 5 days away, it causes one to pause and ponder the question: When will it all be finally OVER?

Seriously. We've had over 6 months to build up all this hype for the iPhone, and yet we as a consumer base don't know that much more about the phone than what we learned when Steve Jobs announced it in January. So we've had 6 months of speculation, rumors, and obsessive fans.

I frankly am ready to just be done with it. Sure, I like the concept of the iPhone. I think it will be a nice gadget and a good quality phone. iBut i don't ibelieve it's iworth all the ihype. I don't think the first iPhone will sell as well as everyone thinks. I believe a lot of people will go into AT&T stores out of curiousity and will want to play with it. However, very few people will be willing to not only shell out $500-600 for the phone, but pay an early contract termination fee of $200 and commit to 2 years with AT&T. That's a LOT of obligation just to get a phone!

So the phone will come out, the hype will die down, reviews will be made, consumers will choose to buy and/or return it, and the fate of iPhone will have been sealed in the coming weeks. And then, once it does, we can look forward to the next iPhone to come out. And the cycle begins again.

The wafer-thin A727 has now hit the stores. This is a bar-style 3G phone with Video Share, 1.3 MP camera, expandable memory, quad-band, speakerphone, and Bluetooth 2.0. It's going for $120 after rebate and 2 year contract.

Cnet First Take

Previously, on prepaid: the options....
I talked about some of the independant prepaid companies, Virgin Mobile and Tracfone. This time around I will mention each of the Big 3 and their prepaid options.

Verizon:
InPulse - the PAYG plan offers Unlimited IN Network calling, Unlimited Night Calling, and 10 cents/min to everyone else; you get these perks at the cost of a 99 cent per day access charge.
EasyPay - Verizon's PYP plan offers two different rates, 350 minutes for $50 and 700 for $70; each rate offers Unlimited IN calling and 3000 nights/weekend minutes.

AT&T GoPhone:
PAYG - two choices. Similar to Verizon, you can get Unlimited calling within the network and 10 cents/min to everyone else at a cost of $1 daily access charge. You only get charged the dollar on those days you use the phone. Or, you can opt for a flat rate of 25 cents/min, no extra perks. The PAYG plans recently added text packages, and also offers rollover balance (when you refill your account, your previous balance will carry over with the refill).

PYP - AT&T offers four different packages, the perks increasing along with the price. 29.99/month gets you 200 minutes total; 39.99/month gives 300 minutes anytime and 1000 nights/weekends; 49.99/month delivers 400 minutes anytime and unlimited nights/weekends; and finally, 69.99/month promises 650 minutes anytime, unlimited nights/weekends, and unlimited mobile to mobile. Each package offers rollover. If you run out of minutes, you can add more before the end of the month.

T-Mobile:
It looks like T-Mo offers PAYG. The perks come with the Gold Rewards; once you buy a $100 refill card you become a Gold Rewards customer, where no matter what kind of refill card you get from then on you receive 15% more minutes and your minutes won't expire for a year. No text packages, but they cost 10 cents to send and 5 cents to receive; sidekick packages are also available for a dollar a day.

If you have family and/or friends who use Verizon or AT&T, it's probably best to get a PAYG plan with those services simply because they offer unlimited mobile to mobile, which can help save you a lot of money on extra minutes.

Crazy new article just came out from the other side of the Atlantic. Seems that some scientists are finding a way to "beam" electricity wirelessly...in other words, soon you could have your phone charged just by sitting there in your house! No more trying to figure out where you misplaced your wall charger.

Check out the article.

Due to unknown circumstances, the Mobile Backup program has been delayed until "later this year". So no word on what happened or when exactly we can expect it, but word is mid to late summer.

The big blue globe has a way of jumping onto the bandwagon, especially when it's the last of the big 4 to do so. Shortly after the launch of Verizon's family unlimited messaging, the light bulb has turned on over AT&T's head. As of June 17 AT&T will offer unlimited messaging for family plans nationwide for $29.99/month. This is a much anticipated event, as many families are large texters and shelling out 19.99 per person. Get ready to save some cash!

Do you need an inexpensive phone for emergencies but don't want to sign up for 2 years with one of the big wireless companies? There is an alternative in prepaid plans. Almost every wireless company has a prepaid option, not to mention a few extra places are exclusively prepaid.

So your decision has been narrowed down to prepaid. Now what? You still have a plethora of pleasing prepaid phone possibilities! Let's break down each prepaid service and what they offer.

When choosing a prepaid plan, you can choose from either Pay as You Go (PAYG) or Monthly plans. PAYG acts like the phone cards of old; buy a card with a certain number of minutes on it, and when that balance gets low simply buy another card. Monthly plans act similar to the rate plans you get under contract, except you are not under any obligation or commitment.

First, the exclusives:

Tracfone - GSM Prepaid carrier offers both PAYG and Monthly Plans. You can buy cards of minutes, get a certain amount of minutes for a whole year, you can even get signed up for prepaid family plans.
The least expensive phone on Tracfone is 9.99. 30 day return policy.
Notes: minutes roll over each month as long as you consistently add minutes at least once each 2 months.
Get a FREE Motorola camera phone when you purchase a double minute prepaid card on Tracfone


Virgin Mobile - Works off of Sprint's network. PAYG: Go with a flat rate or discounted minutes for 6.99/mth. Monthly plans: there are several plans to choose from; starts as low as 14.99/mth for 100 minutes, and goes up to 99.99/mth for 1000 minutes and free nights/weekends starting at 7. (Note - unlike most prepaid services that cut your usage off at your limit, you are allowed to go over your minutes with Virgin Mobile.) Messaging: when you get a package the messages are a penny each, so a 9.99/mth package gets you 1000 messages. Additional are 5 cents each.
The least expensive phone on Virgin is 19.99. 30 day return policy.

To be continued...

The Samsung A717 was released recently through AT&T and there is an interesting amount of excitement that has been brewing about this device. Engadget is already calling it the new Sync (okay, they're just saying they've pushed the Sync out of their minds completely), even though they're sold side by side and we don't see the Syncs disappearing anytime soon. Obviously one major difference is the price; why get a phone with almost all of the same features and a tiny front LCD for $149, when in some markets you can get the Sync for $24.99 with new contract?

So, let's find out how the A717 fares. First, the main features: This phone will soon be featuring Video Share; has a 2 MP adjustable camera, A2DP stereo bluetooth, microSD, HSDPA, and is slightly thinner than the Sync.

As for reviews, those will follow in the near future. I haven't found any yet! Though this phone has already been released, nobody seems very eager to review it. I'm not sure if that's a good sign....

Another interesting article on Crave..."Though the commercials didn't tell us much more than what we already know, they do let us get a look at the device in action. Here's what we saw:"

Read

Does your phone have bluetooth but your computer doesn't? Then you need to check out this USB dongle. This dongle will enable you to transfer your photos from your phone for free without hassle. (Disclaimer: make sure your phone has the file-transfer profile for bluetooth enabled.)

Bluetooth USB Dongle This USB Bluetooth Adapter works for short-range wireless data connectivity between PC computers and Bluetooth enabled devices. (eg. cellular phone, LAN, Printer and PDA). Specifications: Full speed USB v1.1 Interface. Frequency Band: 2.4 GHz. 5Vdc from USB port. Wireless communication within 30 feet(10 Meter). Easy to access and transfer files. Support Windows 98SE, NT, ME, 2000, XP.

This headset is a good quality, small and lightweight bluetooth option. With a foldable boom (making it super easy to turn on and off), this bluetooth also offers noise cancellation, thus making this headset a good idea.

Cnet
MobileTechReview (4.5/5)
HowardChui (3.5/5)


Get the H700 on Amazon

Cnet recently updated a popular article of theirs on how to make a decision when buying a cell phone. I feel this is a good overview because many customers really don't understand what is out there in the cell phone world. After all, the technology seems to change every single day, and it is quite hard to keep up with it unless you're actively involved in it.

Check out the article if you're currently thinking about what kind of phone to buy.

This has got to be the smallest Bluetooth I've ever seen. The Motorola Mini is so small it doesn't even poke out of your ear. As a bluetooth user, people already think i'm talking to myself even though I have a decent-sized earpiece hanging out on my ear...but with something like this, people will totally think i'm NUTS!

The design of the H9 makes it easier to hear conversations because it completely blocks the opening to the ear canal. Same thing with cancelling out background noise for the person you're talking to; since the device is tucked into your ear, it's harder to pick up extra background noise. One concern I have is that since there's no boom, it may be harder to even pick up your voice. Not sure yet.

Lordpercy
Motorola Official Site

It's still brand new, so there aren't many reviews out there. But at least this gives an idea of what this device is like.

Buy the Mini on Amazon!

This will be the first in a series of Bluetooth reviews. There's TONS of Bluetooths out there...and sometimes it can be hard to find information about some of them. So I will attempt to educate you.

The Aliph Jawbone is one of the most talked about Bluetooth earpieces at the moment. The draw on this headset is its military-grade noise cancellation. Aliph claims that it cancels out ALL background noise (with its Noise Shield technology) for the person you're talking to. Does it live up to the hype? Is it worth the hefty price tag? Let's find out.


Cnet (Editor's Choice: 8.6/10)
PC Mag (4.5/5)
InfoSyncWorld

Buy the Jawbone:
Check out the Jawbone on Amazon!

I found an interesting article about an odd little way to record a phone call conversation on your Windows-based PDA or smartphone; now, it's not exactly the way you imagine, but it does work. Check it out on coolsmartphone.com.

If you desperately need to record a phone call, I suppose it would do the trick!

Yes, you heard me: it's official. The big secretive phone will be making its debut on June 29th. So the Apple reps who were telling us the last week of June were correct; but now it's just nice knowing when exactly it's going to come out!

To watch the 3 new commercials that announce this date, click here.

What do the next couple years or so have in store for the mobile phone industry? Here are a few articles from Cnet that help clear the picture so we can get an idea of what to expect. Should we be happy or scared? You decide.

Cnet starts off by saying: "If you want a glimpse of what you'll be doing with your cell phone in two or three years, you don't need a time machine. You simply need to travel to Japan or South Korea." Article

"The cell phone used to be mainly about making phone calls, but those days are long gone." - 10 things your phone will do in 10 years Article

Like I said, i'm not sure whether to be excited or scared. When it comes to being able to track others down simply by the GPS unit in their phone, or using our phone as a wallet, it scares me a bit. The GPS part because there are times that I simply don't like people knowing where I am at all times. I like to have my alone time. The wallet part because if your phone gets stolen, not only will they have access to your minutes, but your personal contact information and your bank account. Yikes! Those phones in the future had better get some pretty nice security features.

Another phone coming down the pipeline is the Nokia 6085. This one will replace the 6102i in the stores sometime soon, but no official word on when. This phone, in addition to featuring the same stuff as the 6102i, will also throw in expandable memory, A2DP, and gets rid of the antenna.

Official Nokia Site
PhoneScoop

As of June 4, AT&T will have a brand new upgrade policy which is reminiscent of Verizon's "New Every Two" program. Now, instead of having to wait 21 months into your contract simply to get the same ol' discount you got when you first signed up with the company, you might just qualify for some larger discounts - as incentive to stick around with the blue globe.

Essentially, the type of discount you receive will depend on how much you're spending with the company. For example, if the primary line on your account spends more than $100/month, you will receive a $100 additional discount off the already discounted price. If you do it with 3 months left on the contract, you can receive a $50 add'l discount.

Additional lines for 9.99 may not get as good a discount, but AT&T will still offer to waive the $18 upgrade fee if you choose to renew at the end of your contract.

You ever lose your phone or drop it in water and find yourself not only without a phone but also without all of the phone numbers you had saved? AT&T has come up with its solution to the dilemma: Mobile Backup. For $1.99/month, you'll be able to have all of your contact information backed up via your online account; that way, if you lose your phone and get a new one, you can download all of your precious information directly into the new phone. At first it will only be available for certain devices, but this is definitely a great step in the right direction.

For more info, check out the official AT&T Mobile Backup site here.

LG's got some new stuff coming. One of the first to come in AT&T's new supercharged lineup is the CU575 aka Gator, a 3G HSDPA device with video share. That's about all we know at this point. Apparently it's supposed to be coming out sometime this month, but I'll keep you updated!

Check out this picture of the CU575, provided by engadget.