This month Verizon customers celebrated the launch of the Chocolate 3. The newest phone in the series comes as a flip instead of a slide, but it did add a few extra top-of-the-line features that blow most other phones out of the water.

One such feature is the inclusion of 1 GB of internal memory. This large amount of space is unique to any US phone that is not called the iPhone. The other feature is a built-in FM transmitter.

What the heck is that?

What FM Transmitters do

When my wife uses our iPod in the car, she carries a FM transmitter with her. Instead of having a direct "line in" to plug our iPod into the stereo, we plug the transmitter into the cigarette lighter and tell it to broadcast the music from the iPod at a frequency that's not taken up by a radio station already.

Let's use 98.5 as an example. Since there are no radio stations already broadcasting at that frequency in our area, we have no chance of interference. Conventional FM transmitters broadcast a few meters, just far enough for your car's antenna to pick up. Thus we can listen to our iPod without worries and without someone else listening to our new radio station. The concept is the same for built-in FM transmitters in mobile phones.

Why Not Have Zunes in our Phones?

How convenient would it be to use our phones as music players also? But few people do because most people have music players already, with tons more memory than our phones. So what's the point of having a music player in the phone then?

Exactly the point. So let's boost the amount of available memory, and make it easy to listen to our music in cars and other convenient places.

The FM transmitter does that. Not only does it assist us in listening to music in more places, it also allows us to talk on the phone and have the speakerphone broadcast into the car stereo for handsfree use.

Worldwide Charm

While a brand new concept for phones in the US, Asia and Europe have already been making plenty of phones with this same feature. For good reason -- it just makes sense!

Consumers are already paying $300+ just for a portable media player such as the Zune or the iPod, and another $100+ for a phone that includes similar capabilities. Why not put the two together?

Many new phones worldwide are coming out with the capability of holding up to 8 GB or more of external memory. So instead of shelling out $300 for a whole new media player, shell out $60 for a 8 GB media card to put in your phone.

In the coming years 8 GB will turn into 16, and 16 will turn into 32. It is inevitable that the chips will just keep expanding in capability to compete with rival companies. And when this happens, I predict portable media players will fade away into the darkness as they get replaced by a tiny chip that can do the same thing.

FM Transmitter = Innovative?

This is where the FM transmitter comes into play. Having it built into the phone itself gives the consumer another incentive to purchase the phone and a media card to put in it. Viola -- the consumer is now carrying one device instead of two!

Since such a basic concept could conceivably change the entire market for mobile phones, I will say yes, the FM transmitter is an innovative concept. Hands-down. The real question is whether or not the consumers feel the same way.

Readers -- let me know your thoughts on this.

Recent Posts:

LG Chocolate 3 Review Roundup
Samsung Innov8 is Phone of the Week
Why is Innovation so Difficult?

The cell phone industry is well-covered and well-liked in the blogosphere. In my travels around the internet world, I have found that the mobile phone business is completely saturated.

This is a difficult thing for me as a new blogger. I have, for the past few months, been wondering how I can fit in. What IS PhoneWisdom.com all about? I love phones, gadgets, and technology in general, and have been involved in them as a full-time career for the past 3 years. I enjoy learning about new technology and sharing my passion with others. This is the main reason why I began this blog in the first place.

So what can I do to make this blog a little different than the rest of the crowd? How can PhoneWisdom stand out? These questions have plagued me for some time now.

The rest of the crowd likes to focus more on the most recent news in the industry. I do freelance writing for Unwired View which is mostly a news site, and it does very well. UV does a good job of broadcasting the news, yet doing it in a unique enough style to draw thousands of daily visitors. It also helps me become a better writer.

But I don't want to do just news; that's what everyone else is doing. It doesn't challenge my mind, doesn't make me want to learn new concepts within the mobile industry, and only helps those who know tons about phones. And quite frankly, these same people are going over to Gizmodo or Engadget for their news fix. I've decided it makes more sense to focus on phone concepts, innovations, and reviews of brand new phones. I want to help those who want to know more about cell phones.

Doing so will help me learn to explain concepts of technology to others better, challenge my mind and knowledge of the subject, and make me become a better writer overall. So yes, there are some selfish motives involved, but I want to make sure that you as a reader will get something out of every article I write.

Over time I may change some things around. I think every blogger evolves over time. But each change I make, I want it to be for the better. And I really want you to stick around with me. Let's find out together what PhoneWisdom IS.

Not the iPhone 3G, just the original iPhone.

I had been waiting for the originals to go down in price as soon as the 3G model became available. I figured that everyone would be scrambling to sell their old model at around the same price as the new one, as to not incur extra costs in the new phone.

This was an incorrect assumption. Even now iPhone 2.5G is selling for $300-400 on eBay. What in the world? Thus, I knew the only real option to get my hands on one was to purchase it from someone selling a 4 GB model. Frankly, that's all I really need at this point, and it's easy enough to change out playlists whenever I need to listen to something new.

Personally I think the old iPhone is just as good. Some love the 3G model, some hate it. But the original has been a proven model that has the same exact firmware as the new one, just without faster internet or GPS.

And really, that's fine for me. The way my schedule is, I'm either at home or work, both of which have fast Wi-Fi connections. Between point A and point B, I commute and don't need internet. As for GPS, I still have Google Maps which triangulates an approximate position for me.

So why would I need to pay a bunch of extra money for the new one? No point -- right now, that is.

I can still download the best games and apps from the App Store. I can still get my corporate email. I can even import SIM contacts now, which I couldn't do on the iPhone before 2.0 came out. Firmware 2.0 has all the goodies I need.

There you go. I got a great deal, and have an awesome phone. And I'm perfectly happy with not having the 3G yet.

I know quite a few of my readers and passers-by don't really care about the iPhone. Too much hype, they say. Big whoop. But I have to say that before 2.0 it was a cool and amazingly innovative phone; after 2.0 it became a much more relevant phone.

The blogosphere was all abuzz with news this past week about the Samsung Innov8 (aka i8510). This little guy had some rather impressive stuff on it -- so impressive, in fact, that it is my phone of the week.

In light of my recent post on innovation in cell phones, I will begin honoring new phones that are doing their best to be in that category. The edgier the phone, the better. Any phone that pushes buttons (not just keypad buttons) or gets people to think will be a phone worth focusing on.

Laptop Mag just did a hands-on review of the device, slated for release in Europe this week, on its blog. They also have a video showing some of the unique features it has.

Here are some specs:

• 8 MP Camera with automatic shutter and video recording (will do slow-mo)
  
• 16 GB internal memory with MicroSDHC port (allowing up to another 16 GB memory)
  
• Quad-band GSM/EDGE with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps 900/2100
• Wi-Fi
  
• Optical sensor, which allows you to move around the menu simply by moving your finger above the pad. No touching necessary
• a-GPS
• FM Radio with RDS
• Accelerometer
  

Many cell phone providers offer insurance to protect that phone you just bought, typically around $5/month per phone. Such insurance amounts to $60/year for each phone you put it on. Is it a good or bad buy? Let's weigh the pros and cons.

Good buy

One thing insurance does well is establish a peace of mind. If you lose your phone, put it in the washer, or drop it just the right way, it's nice to know there is a way to replace the phone with the same exact model for a small deductible.

With the popularity of phone subsidies, most phones are pretty inexpensive when first bought in the store or online. However, if the phone gets lost 2 months later, it costs a lot more to replace it the second time around because there is no subsidy involved. Cell phone providers will only let consumers get new phones at subsidized prices once every 20 months, so make them count. Insurance makes it possible to spend $50 for a phone replacement instead of $300, and they allow up to two claims each year.

No matter if you are clumsy or not, mistakes can always happen in a 2-year span of time. It's always smart to protect your investment.

Insurance for your phone is a good idea, especially for the first year and a half of the contract. After this point wireless providers are more willing to look into giving you another subsidized phone in exchange for renewing your contract. If you plan on leaving that provider at the end of the current contract, definitely keep insurance on all the way to the end.

Bad Buy

When so many other options for buying replacement phones exist, why add an extra $5 to your monthly bill? If something happens to your phone and don't have insurance, it doesn't mean you have no more inexpensive ways to get another one.

Every phone manufacturer provides a one-year warranty on each phone. These warranties cover any manufacturer defects that may occur, as long as there is no physical or liquid damage. Most phone issues usually fall under this category. If it is not covered, however, it's time to look for a replacement.

Phones can still be purchased at full retail, generally $150-200 more than what you initially paid for it with contract. However sometimes mobile providers will offer early upgrades to get a new phone at a lower price.

Many carriers offer alternate phones in situations where yours is rendered useless. For instance, at the time of this writing AT&T Mobility offers a Nokia 2610 for $40 when you go in and tell the rep something happened to your phone. It's a basic phone that does not have a camera or bluetooth, but is a great temporary solution just so you can make important calls while you find a better one. Check with your current mobile provider to find similar alternates.

In a future post I will cover the large range of options available to anyone who loses their phone.

And frankly, as long as you take good care of your phone, the phone will last the whole two years. If you never need the insurance you paid for, that's $120 that could have been saved.

Overall, I think insurance is a great way to protect your investment, especially when you buy a PDA. But if you don't want to spend the extra cash each month, there are other ways to get a new phone.

So...you got an awesome new phone decked out with a MP3 player. Now what?

Just because you have the capability to use your phone as a music player doesn't mean it actually comes with music or the accessories you need to get the best audio experience.

Here are the 6 accessories you may need to turn your new phone into a makeshift Zune or iPod.

3.5 mm headphone adapter

It is a travesty that so many so-called music phones get released with 2.5 mm headphone jacks. Some of these phones do come with a pair or headphones in the box, but they aren't always the most comfortable pair. Sometimes it's just nicer to be able use a pair you've already broken in. Since the universal standard for regular headphone plugs is the 3.5 mm, this just means another accessory you have to buy.

Fortunately most 3.5 mm adapters are pretty inexpensive, running anywhere between $5-10.

Stereo Bluetooth headset

One alternative to purchasing a separate adapter is to go wireless. Most new music-capable phones come equipped with A2DP support. A2DP in English is ability to use stereo bluetooth. This is great if you want to simply buy a wireless headphone set because not only can you listen to your music, you can also answer the phone and use it as a hands-free earpiece.

Memory Chip

Most phones don't have a lot of internal memory. PDAs typically come preloaded with 128 or 256 MB of internal space but that's not reserved just for music -- it's also reserved for applications, pictures, videos, and any documents you may need. Non-PDA phones usually only come with less than 50 MB. That's not a whole lot of space to put music on.

Thus there is a need for external memory cards. Most phones can handle MicroSD cards up to 2 GB in size, and some higher-end models can handle special Micro SDHC cards that currently go up to 8 GB.

A 1 GB card can hold around 150-200 songs at the most; an 8 GB card can hold 1200-1600. It all depends on the file size of each song.

Also, while most phones have MicroSD ports, you may want to check the stats of the phone to make sure you have the right type of card. For instance, Sony Ericsson Walkman phones require a proprietary Sony Memory Stick (Pro Duo or M2).

Memory cards can be found online for pretty cheap; 1-2 GB will cost between $10 and $20, while 8 GB will be around $60-80. Sony Memory Sticks can also be more expensive.

Data Cable/Card Reader

Now that you have a memory card to put your music on, you need a way to transfer the music from your computer to that card. There are few different ways to do this.

The first way is to purchase a data cable that can connect your phone to your computer. When your phone is plugged into your computer it generally shows up as an external hard drive, making it easy for you to click, drag and drop files directly into the phone.

The second way is to purchase a USB card reader. With these, simply insert the memory card into the reader and plug the reader into the computer. Similar to the data cable, this will allow you to click, drag and drop your files into the card itself.

Another method involves having a port for the card directly in the laptop or desktop. Many computers have a media card port that acts as the card reader, and you just insert your card into the computer that way.

Finally, the last method involves transferring files via Bluetooth. Which brings me to the next accessory:

Bluetooth USB Dongle

A common misconception is that Bluetooth is just a headset, and only used for chatting it up as a hands-free device. Actually, Bluetooth is capable of so much more. One such thing it can do is transfer files wirelessly, just as you would with Infrared ports. Many computers don't have Bluetooth, so one idea is to purchase a Bluetooth dongle that, when inserted into a USB port, will act as a Bluetooth port for that computer.

Thus when you have Bluetooth enabled on the computer with the dongle, simply transfer the music over wirelessly.

Data cables, card readers or Bluetooth dongles can range from $20-40.

Software

The last but not least accessory you may need to transfer music is software. I mention that you may need this because not all manufacturers require it with their phones. The phones that do require it will not transfer music unless special software is installed on your computer.

If you plug your phone into the computer and it still won't transfer music, you know this software is required. Sadly the software doesn't usually come included in the phone box, so you will need to find the website of the manufacturer. On the website, locate the specific model number and it should help you find what you need. Fortunately, the software is usually free.

Get to it!

Still awake? Is your head spinning with all the stuff you'll need? It can be a little overwhelming, but you'll definitely be glad you made the effort when you put those headphones on and out comes the beautiful sound of your favorite song....on your phone!

Innovation is a wonderful concept. We as a general society thrive upon it; we are always striving for the latest and greatest thing. Technology as a whole is typically the driving force for almost everything we do, everything we see, and everything we are. It seems rather logical that with the rapidly growing popularity of mobile phones, the technology would keep up.

So why, then, are cell phones so far behind on innovation?

Mobile phone technology is definitely progressing. But not very fast. This doesn't make sense to me because cell phone popularity is growing leaps and bounds. Almost everyone has a cell phone now, and many people have replaced their home phones with a cell phone. I, for one, do not have a home phone. What's the point when both my wife and I have our own personal cell?

As such a popular item, cell phones have become more of a need than a want. With so many people using one, it would only be logical to start using the phone for all our digital needs. Like I said before, this is happening but at a slow pace.

Innovation = Success

Frankly, in the last 3 years the only real innovation has been brought about by the iPhones. Plenty of cool phones have come out, but nothing groundbreaking. Every cell phone manufacturer is trying to come out with an "iPhone killer" but the problem is that almost all of them are copying the iPhone interface to some degree. Some phones will perform better than the iPhone in certain features, but they are the same exact types of features. Nothing new, nothing mind-boggling. Just improving, perhaps, what's already been done.

Before the iPhone, the last big trend-setting phone that came out was the Motorola RAZR V3. This was innovation at its best! Nearly four years later, we take a look at the RAZR and think "wow...that was a piece of junk." But at the time it was the coolest new device to have, and its innovative look and feel is what made it so popular.

This is what's weird to me, though...innovation = popular. The RAZR has sold over 50 million units during its tenure. The iPhone 3G sold a million units during the first weekend alone! Every store selling the iPhone had people camping out for days in order to be the first in line. Doesn't it pay to innovate? Is it THAT hard to come up with a fresh idea that everyone wants to copy?

Status Quo

A large part of the market still doesn't care about the latest and greatest gadget, though. I believe the reason is that with the requirement of 2 year contracts, customers get as basic a phone as possible, get used to it for those 2 years, and then don't want to bother with the hassle of learning a new phone with new cool features. They've adjusted to life without these features on their phones, so they don't know what they're missing out on. They're happy with the status quo.

Why Innovation is Scarce

My belief is that it's too difficult and too draining on resources to come out with innovative stuff. The risk far outweighs the reward in their eyes. It involves years of R&D, several prototypes, surveys and focus groups, and millions of dollars in marketing on a device that may or may not be successful. If people don't like it, the reviews are bad, the device flops, and millions upon millions of dollars have been wasted.

Apple scored on the iPhone because it knew the reward would definitely outweigh the risk. The business is structured in such a way that no matter what, millions of devices will be sold simply because it is made by that company. So Apple was willing to take extra time to come out with a fresh OS with all the cool innovative features to make it even more desirable to those who are not Apple fanboys.

Apple also knew the competition to this device would be severe, thus the iPhone essentially would serve as a launching pad for further innovation. Sadly, we haven't seen any other creative genius come as a result...yet.

Motorola's RAZR came out at a period in time that customers yearned for the thinnest and smallest device, with a cool futuristic look. No prior phone had been as thin as the RAZR. I admit, the first time I saw it in person the "wow" factor definitely made a difference. I immediately wanted one. At the time, everybody felt exactly the same way. It only died down when EVERYONE had one. Every other phone maker came out with thinner phones and tried to corner the market. That's when the RAZR slipped out of the limelight. Motorola put so much into the landmark phone, the frustrations came when it couldn't duplicate its prior success. Now the company is struggling and is looking to spin off the wireless division just to survive.

The key in innovation is finding something everyone wants to copy. It shows that you have truly come up with something unique and serves a huge need in the market.

Will it be another 3 years before we see another truly innovative phone come out? We certainly hope not. Everyone tries, but very few actually succeed. The key is in finding something that serves the interest of the target demographic and presents it in a unique and creative fashion. With enough phone manufacturers out there, it shouldn't be that difficult. It just goes to show that there are a lot more followers than leaders in this industry.

Let me know your thoughts.

Recently Verizon customers were blessed with the debut of the LG Dare -- a Prada-like touchscreen phone. How does it match up with the competition? Is it worth all the Washingtons?

In this review roundup we will explore what several experts are saying about this brand new phone. Let's find out how it measures with quotes and overviews of each reviewer.



PhoneScoop:

"LG's best touch phone yet."
"The music player is the best we've seen from a phone on the Verizon network."
Also: battery life good, sound quality average, browser supports full HTML and is fast.

Gizmodo:

Better browser, motion sensor and software tricks than the Samsung Instinct.
Customizable menus are wonderful
3.2 MP camera is decent but not great
The "touchscreen leaves something to be desired."
"Best attempt at a customizable, user-friendly touchscreen phone"

Cnet:

Overall review: 8.3 out of 10
Call quality excellent, voices loud and clear
Speaker has decent sound, but would rather use stereo headset
Handwriting interface (graffiti) is okay, not great



InfoSyncWorld:

Fast networking, good camera
Big issues with the responsiveness of touch interface
Design was okay
Call quality great
Makes an excellent tethered modem
Can be difficult to use due to touch input issues

The Dare is available for $200 right now with new contract on Verizon. Sounds like a great phone overall!