Sprint has released its second 4G phone, the Samsung Epic, legitimately establishing that 4G is really starting to catch on. The network is far ahead of other carriers on this front, having released the first 4G handset, another handset to back it up and bringing its 4G network to 36 cities already. With all this time and money Sprint’s putting into WiMAX, and with AT&T and Verizon pouring even more money into LTE networks, it’s safe to say that a predominantly 4G mobile industry is not far away.
The Samsung Epic, part of the Samsung Galaxy line, features a 4” OLED screen, 1 GHz processor and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It also has a front-facing camera for video chat or pictures. This combination provides for a higher-quality experience when it comes to handling multimedia files and processing. It seems Samsung left no stone unturned on this one, setting the bar pretty high for other handset manufacturers currently working on other 4G projects.
Apart from higher quality of service and increased reliability of connection, a 4G network means that Privus Mobile’s Caller ID for smartphones will experience some enhancements as well. While this service currently provides information regarding callers to smartphones on GSM networks while the call is coming in, all smartphones with 4G service will be able to use this feature whether the phone is on a CDMA or GSM network.
Interested in the Samsung Epic 4G? Check out some reviews below. CNET
Privus Mobile, the first company to offer true Caller ID for mobile phones, is about to release their newest update for BlackBerry, Privus Mobile version 4.0. The update, which will be available through BlackBerry App World, Handango or www.privusmobile.mobi, maintains the features available on previous versions such as the reverse caller name look-up application, and adds text identification as well as the audible announcement of names as a call or text message is being received.
The upgrade is a big step for BlackBerry users as the previous versions displayed the name of a caller after the call ended and version 4.0 provides real-time identification as the call is coming in through the new voice announce feature. In addition, the ID is audible, rather than just words on a screen, providing the user with hands-free knowledge of callers without having to look at the phone. This means no digging through purses for phones, safer mobile use while driving and the peace of mind that comes with knowing exactly who is on the other end of a line when you’re receiving a call.
The Privus Pack, which includes all features of the application—Caller ID, Text ID, Voice Cue and Reverse Caller Name Look-up—can be downloaded directly onto your BlackBerry as a 10-day free trial.
At a special event for Android in San Francisco today, Google announced its newest suite of services for Android tailored around voice actions. With it we’ve got your typical voice actions such as “call Megan Fox” and “send message to Megan Fox;” however, after that it starts to get interesting.
With the new action items, you can elaborate on that call or text by dictating the actual message – and if the demo is anything to go by, it actually works. So while this has actually been around for a little while from other app developers, the compatibility and accuracy has always been a little touchy. Here’s to hoping Google’s years of collecting voice recognition samples has come in handy.
Not content with just a typical implementation, Google expanded on the voice functionality quite a bit. In addition to allowing for location-specific phone look-up via voice so you could say “call Megan Fox Los Angeles” to make sure you’re getting the right number (She’s listed, right?), you can also go straight to a website, set alarms and speak locations for directions. Even bigger, Google has implemented online music searching with support for Pandora and Last.fm via voice. Simply say “Find music [Artist Name]” and Google will scour the Internet to find what you’re looking for. When we used it for Lady GaGa, it instantly gave us the option to create a Pandora station.
If it thinks it might have missed a word, it will highlight it in blue and you can go in a fix it through the onscreen or physical keyboard pretty quickly. The suite is available now in the Android Market if you’re running Android 2.2 so feel free to jump on it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the expanded language support we saw for Google Voice Search (Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese) have made it to the voice actions but here’s to hoping for a quick update soon for our Android brethren across the sea.
It seems like voice services are becoming pretty popular lately. And why shouldn’t they? They are a lot safer for hands-free driving and make using a phone far more quick and convenient. If you haven’t heard, even Privus Mobile is getting in on the action with its latest demo for BlackBerry devices that features voice announce for incoming calls regardless of whether they are in your contacts list or not. If you weren’t in the demo group, keep your eyes open. It should be hitting an app store near you soon!
The new BlackBerry 6 operating system has been long-awaited. A steady stream of previews, leaks and reviews have kept mobile junkies intrigued and wondering what new functionality will be introduced. Now that the OS has been officially released and built into a handset for AT&T, what’s going to change for BlackBerry?
