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I have been reading some rumors around the web regarding Sprint and SK Telecom. Now some time back I heard some rumors about SK Telecom trying to buy Sprint, but the latest rumors shows they may take on more of a partnership role. I know with large companies mergers are a little scary sometimes, but I think this would be really beneficial for Sprint customers.

SK Telecom is the largest mobile provider in South Korea. They have some super awesome technology that we do not have here in the states. I have read they have very fast data speeds in South Korea with some of their towers supporting 14.4 Mbps data speeds. If this does not sound great to you, keep in mind Sprint and Verizon are peaking at about 2 Mbps. Sprint and Verizon have a great and reliable data network, but when you multiple that by 7 you start getting into higher speeds than some cable modems.

Keep an eye out for this one. SK Telecom is know for their cool phones and some pretty awesome partnerships with Samsung. This could be a nice breath of fresh air for Sprint, and even help bring some really unique foreign technology to the U.S.

Anybody that knows me knows I love gadgets and media. For this reason Best Buy is one of the places I have a strong gravitational pull towards. That is usually “the spot” for me to get my movies, video games, ipods, and so on. They have a great variety, but today I read about something else they are doing to make me like them less. They are charging customers in their California stores $9.99 to pair a Bluetooth.

I know everybody is not as technologically inclined as an employee that deals with the product, but I do not like people being taken advantage of, and although it seems confusing pairing a Bluetooth headset it is usually a pretty easy process. You normally have to hold a button on the headset down for a few seconds and type a passcode into your phone. They say that $9.99 fee is for convenience, but 60 seconds of work should be a courtesy for your customers! If you have any questions contact us, we will do our best to help you. Not only that, but when you need help from true wireless experts swing by one of our stores, or check out our online store.

I was reading an article in the NY Times, and it was about a new parking system they want to use in San Francisco. Here is a quick rundown of how it will work; the city will set up small sensors at the parking stations that will be able to differentiate if anybody is parked there or not, that message will transmit to either a cell phone or a street sign about the open spot. In some areas this may not seem like such a big deal, but in New York they estimate up to 45% of the traffic in some areas is generated by people circling streets.

How cool would that be? You are driving and using your TeleNav on your Blackberry and it guides you to the closest parking spot. Now before my TeleNav, I was notorious for getting lost, but even now when I find my destination I do not always know how to get in the parking garage. This really would help so many people out. This is exactly what I love about technology, people are looking at our problems and they are thinking out of the box to fill our need.

We are so excited for the press we are getting with The Smartphone Challenge. Blackberry Cool has a podcast with the President of The Phone Store, Charlie Slaughter, and for those of you who are still not sold on trying out The Smartphone Challenge listen to the podcast. The podcast has a great Q&A session with Charlie Slaughter and it should answer any additional questions you may have. If you have any further questions as always contact us.

We have really tried to put together a great package any small to medium business can take advantage of. We have several partners ranging from Rackspace for your e-mail hosting to Otterbox to physically protect your device. We want to make sure all angles are covered so you are as satisfied as you deserve to be.You ask, “Why should I want one?” The very easy answer to that question is it will save you time and make you more productive. I am not constantly glued to my computer waiting to reply to important e-mails. I can meet with clients and my e-mails come through on my Blackberry.

Every single member of our staff believes in taking care of our customers like nobody else. That goes from the bottom to the very top of our company. You have nothing to lose! Sign up for The Smartphone Challenge, prepare for your devices, get ready for the party, and enjoy the Smartphone.

I got a great tip from our friend Nan from Sales By 5, that Windows LIve Messenger is finally available for Blackberry. I do not know how many of you use any type of Instant Messaging service on your Smartphones, but it is another very helpful way to communicate. Blackberry has their great Blackberry Messenger built in, and most Blackberrys are  highly compatible with G-Talk, Yahoo Messenger, and AIM.

Every single staff member with our company has a Windows Live Messenger address. Not all members have Blackberrys, so we can’t use the Blackberry Messenger to communicate with everybody. With Windows Live Messenger we can communicate perfectly again for free. There are third party applications that provide an all in one messenger, but I would rather get the official one for free! Windows Live Messenger and other Instant Messaging products are great for quick communication, I like to think of it as the “Walkie-Talkie” of the e-mail world. It is less formal and more to the point. You can download MSN Messenger now!!!

We try to stay ahead of the game when it comes to cell phone technology. Of course there is a ton of exciting software that comes out, and really cool hardware as well. Who is really trying to be innovative and do something different though? LG  makes great products, but I think they usually try to push the lines and show us what we want without us having to ask for it.

They have recently come out with the Chocolate which has been a great phone for Verizon, their Fusic and Muziq for Sprint (which have an FM transmitter), and now they have the LG Decoy. What makes the Decoy different is that it has a bluetooth built in. It is not a bluetooth that comes in the same box, it is attached to the back of the phone. What makes it so cool is its simplicity. The phone is a great looking slider and the Bluetooth is a very simple looking nice Bluetooth.

So carriers are helping us with all in one solutions. Many carriers are giving us more memory for our phones with SD cards. Some companies give bundle packs to include a case and a charger. LG is doing something great by giving us a solution for a bluetooth and a phone. With state laws changing in many states requiring a hands free device, LG put together an awesome piece of equipment as an answer to that.

I came into work this morning and I saw some newer and clearer pictures of the Blackberry Thunder. We originally posted this article when there was early whispers and some speculation of this device. Here we are a few weeks later and this new phone is looking awesome. I have heard this will be a Verizon exclusive device using both CDMA and GSM technologies to make it a World Phone.

Now one of the really cool things it is rumored it will have a glass screen. This may not sound like much, but when you see it on a phone it looks extremely classy. It is a really great looking phone and Research In Motion makes a fantastic product. There are other great manufacturers out there, but I would have to say RIM is the most consistent.

Now the pictures that have been leaked are of the Media Player and it looks crazy awesome! It looks to have a very clean interface and the icons remind me of the Blackberry Bold’s icons. Of course it looks like you could turn it sideways to take advantage of the 360×480 widescreen to watch videos. We will have to keep an eye out for this device. We hear iPhone Killer almost daily now with new touchscreen phones becoming a dime a dozen, but RIM does not disappoint and I predict this will be the new Gold Standard for Consumer and Business TouchScreen devices.

Recently, I discovered a new application that has best been described as a “social compass”.  The program is called Loopt.   Imagine your walking down the streets of Manhattan and you suddenly get an alert on your cell phone indicating that you are just blocks away from an old college buddy.  With Loopt, you can keep track of all of your friends visually by updating their current location on your Loopt map and setting alerts.  You can also “ping” your friends, send them a text message or even send an Instant Message through AIM.  Soon, you will also be able to track and follow yourfavorite bands!  With Loopt, you will be able to list your favorite social hot spots so your friends will easily know where you are at on their map.  Like many other social applications, you also have to ability to create and update your profile to ensure that your friends know exactly what is going on in your life.  The difference between Loopt and other social networking applications is that Loopt uses your GPS-enabled cell phone to constantly track you and your friends wherabouts.  So far, I’ve had zero problems running Loopt on my Sprint Curve 8330.  In fact, most of my “friends” currently on Loopt are using Blackberry Pearls and the Blackberry 8830 World Edition phones and they have yet to encounter any issues as well.  All in all, I’ve been extremely impressed with Loopt.  Download your copy today by going to your smartphone’s web browser and typing in www.loopt.com.  Loopt is currently available on over 80 GPS-enabled phones on most major carriers including the iPhone.  Get Loopt today!

I grew up in El Paso, so naturally many of my friends and acquaintances live there. Well like many other people have done, I finally left the nest. I was so concerned to not lose my phone numbers I gave my wife the task of writing down all the numbers I had in my phone and her phone onto one big list. There has to be an easier way right? The good news is there is.

Depending on what phone and carrier you have you have a few options. Some of you that read this know I have a Blackberry with Exchange provided by Rackspace. Even though all my contacts stay in my Outlook, I like to back my data up using Desktop Mananger. This will keep all my contacts, games, ringers, and so on in a safe place. I also have Sprint which offers a wireless contact backup. When you enter a new contact into your phone it will synchronize with an online account you could retrieve later if needed. Verizon offers a version of it called Backup Assistant. ATT also offers their own flavor of the product.

So, I think doing this saves a lot of headaches and a lot of time. Not only that, but you have the peace of mind knowing your numbers will be there when you need them. It does not matter if you are a CEO of a huge business or my grandma this are useful services. So check it out and as always if you have any questions let us know.

Easy question, easy answer; you should use the carrier that is best for you. Now for some people that do not live in big cities like New York and Houston, your choice may have to be based on your coverage area. You could find coverage maps for Sprint, T-Mobile, ATT, Helio, and Verizon on their websites. We want you to sign up with a carrier that provides you with the great coverage you deserve.

Now for those of us that have more than one choice it starts coming down to pricing and features that work for us. When you look at the hour evening calling starts Sprint has the best option at 7:oo P.M. with most plans and gives an option to start at 6:oo P.M. If you are looking to use a lot of data either with your phone or an aircard Sprint and Verizon are my recommendations. They have a fast and reliable broadband network. ATT/Cingular is a good choice for some customers that go to rural areas often due to their wide roaming agreement they have with smaller GSM carriers. I think T-Mobile has the best pricing. Now Helio is a really cool carrier with great applications for MySpace and Youtube built into their phones. They have really awesome phones for the younger market.

So features and pricing is one facet to look at, another is what phones does the carrier have that would be good for you? We have business customers that need their Blackberry, and we have our average customers that just need a phone to make and receive calls. Whether you prefer a touchscreen or a full QWERTY keyboard most carriers can suit your needs. As always before any purchases there are a few things to consider. I personally read a few websites when reviewing phones; they are Gizmodo, Phonescoop, and Engadget Mobile.  When we set customers up we want them to be happy, we want to know your needs and give you the carrier that matches them the closest. So let us know what you are looking for and we will take care of you. Happy shopping!