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The HTC Imagio provides a dilemma for Verizon Wireless.

On one hand it’s a modern-day smartphone which runs on the latest version of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system (version 6.5).

On the other hand it’s a modern-day smartphone which runs on the latest version of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system (version 6.5).

For a cellular provider that desperately wants to be able to sell an iPhone – and probably one of those new Palm Pres/Pixis – and is already selling two terrific Google/Android-based smartphones – the idea of marketing a handset which runs on Windows Mobile 6.5 is seems somewhat quaint.

Don’t get me wrong, Windows Mobile is a good cell phone OS – it’s just not up to the current competition. In a world of iPhones, Androids, Palms and even Nokia running on the Maemo OS – Microsoft-based smartphones seems somewhat lost in the mix.

HTC makes good phones. Many of the terrific Android phones to reach market so far are produced by HTC. The Imagio is no exception.

For those keeping track, Imagio is a world phone which runs on Verizon’s nearly bulletproof CDMA/EV-DO network here in the U.S. as well as on worldwide GSM/GPRS/EDGE?WCDMA/HSDPA/HSUPA /PCS frequencies. It comes with a 3.6-inch (diagonal), 480 by 800 pixels, TFT LCD touchscreen and a virtual QWERTY keyboard.

The Imagio measures 4.65 by 2.43 by 0.55 inches and weighs 5.2 ounces. It has HTC’s Touch Flo 3D navigation screen system. That means even though Windows Mobile (or any other operating system is running underneath) what you get to use is all an HTC design. In many ways it’s easier to master than Microsoft’s.

Inside is a Qualcomm MSM7600 processor running at 528MHz. There’s 288MB of RAM and 512MB of flash memory and a microSD memory card slot. You’ll also find GPS, Wi-fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth (2.1) an auto-focus, 5 megapixel camera, Windows Mobile Office suite and an Opera Web browser.

There is especially rapid access to YouTube and Facebook. There is also a slew of Verizon titles as well, including VCast Navigator, VCast Music (with Rhapsody), VCast Mobile TV, VCast Video and lots more.

In my tests, the Imagio was a pretty good smartphone. While it provides average speeds when it comes to data, voice quality during phones calls was terrific. HTC’s Touch Flo front-end was easy to master , and overall the phone was fun to use. The 1500 mAh rechargeable battery is rated as providing more than 5 hours of talk and 324 hours of standby per charge. In real life, a full day’s use is possible on a fully charged battery pack.

Currently, HTC’s Imagio sells for $200 on Verizon’s Website. That’s $299.99 with a two-year contract – minus a $100 online discount.

The problem is – at that $200 price point there are a whole lot of modern smartphones which most people would rather have – like an iPhone, an Android phone, a Palm, etc. And some of the most desirable new designs should be coming down in price right before and/or right after the holiday shopping season.

Plus, Microsoft is expected to announce a major update to their mobile operating system – maybe as early as January at the Consumer Electronics Show – or around Valentine’s Day at the 3GSM/Global World Congress show in Barcelona. Either way, Windows Mobile 7 is likely to be an improvement over 6.5 – and that could make Imagio something of relic before its time.

Nokia’s new N900 smartphone is more than it seems. Not only is it a very modern handset but it also allows you to look to the not-so-distant future to predict what’s next.

Unlike previous attempts at an iPhone killer the world’s leading cell phone manufacturer borrowed heavily from their terrific mini-tablet computers of the recent past – then added some cellular phone features – and begat this new device.

The biggest improvement in the Nokia smartphone design is the software – it runs on Nokia’s next-generation, open source operating system called Maemo 5 Linux – a big step forward from the n97’s and all previous Nokia phones which used the tried-and-true Symbian OS.

The N900 has a great-looking 3.5-inch (diagonal) touchscreen. It’s the first Nokia to run on a Texas Instrument’s OMAP 3 processor. The device also supports Adobe Flash (something I’d like to see on every new smartphone.

Physically, the N900 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard – which makes the handset thick but lightweight. It comes with 32GB of built-in memory, a microSD memory card slot, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, microUSB (charging/connecting) port, TV out jack (for PAL and NTSC connections to larger screens), GPS, their own Ovi Maps, Microsoft Outlook mail support, built-in stereo speakers (which sound great) and an auto-focus, 5 megapixel camera with Zeiss lens and dual flash.

The N900 is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE device which works on most of the overseas 2.5 and 3G frequencies. Here in the United States it also works on T-Mobile’s 3G network – unusual because most GSM phones also include the 3G band that AT&T uses here).
So, even though the phone hasn’t been announced by any US carrier – T Mobile is obviously the most likely contender.

Nokia has their own application store too called the Ovi Store – where Nokia fans can downloads apps and other goodies. So far the number of available downloads is small compared to Apple’s App Store or Google’s Android Market – but the numbers are growing worldwide.

I found that the N900 takes a bit of set-up to get it just the way you want it. Almost everything on the N900 is user configurable. There are five user-adjustable home screens to add program icons and shortcuts of your choice anywhere you want them.
I like the way those screens slide continuously – not stopping in one direction or the other. Not sure why other manufacturers don’t do the same thing.

The N900 ‘s cell phone audio was clear – video superb. Actually, streaming video playback was among the best I’ve seen to date. The audio portion of streaming videos was loud and clear. Connections were fast and solid – video quality was top-rate. Nokia handset fans are going to love it.

And, unlike previous Symbian-based smartphones, the N900 will connect to your selected Wi-fi network when it comes into range. Older designs made you manually connect when and if you needed to do so.

A fully charged battery was good for a day of normal use.

So far the only way to buy a N900 is directly from Nokia online. An unlocked N900 sells for $569 on Nokia’s Website. I’ve also seen it for less than $500 on other sites. When and if a carrier like T-Mobile begins selling it – expect the selling to become a lot more competitive with iPhones, Palm and Android models.

The N900 shows the direction that future Nokia smartphones will take. With the improvements that Nokia has hinted with the next version of their Maemo operating system (version 6) phones like the N900 should be competitive with all other comers.

The Roku folks are at it again.

Just a few days ago they announced a super Roku HD-XR ($130) and a standard-definition Roku SD ($80) in addition to the $100 Roku HD device that we’ve grown to love.

But, this family of clever boxes is only as good as the content they can serve-up so Roku is now getting into the content game.

Roku’s Channel Store went live today. Following a quick and painless software upgrade (just press a button on the remote and the Roku does the rest) and you can now choose from ten, free new programming offerings for your Roku box.

Pandora (offering personalized music streams), Facebook Photos (your pix as well as your friends’), Revision3 (online shows such as Diggnation and Tekzilla), Mediafly (personalized, online content), TWiT.TV (interesting netcasts to choose from), blip.tv (original Web shows), Flickr (publish and browse your photos online), FrameChannel (photos plus more than 1,000 content channels), Motionbox (your videos online) and MobileTribe (your favorite social networks) all now available on the Roku player.

All of that is in addition to Roku’s (currently) three premium channels: Netflix, Amazon Video-on-Demand and MLB.com (much better to watch during the baseball season).

That’s a big leap from 3 pay-to-view channels to thirteen channels overall. And that’s not all. According to Roku there are more channels on the way:

“These first 10 channels are just the beginning for Roku. Many other developers are working on Roku Channels now, and Roku expects additional developers to adopt the Roku platform over time. New channels will appear in the Roku Channel Store automatically as they become available.”

The other interesting fact to note is that by creating their Channel Store, Roku becomes the first open platform designed specifically for your television.

Roku’s founder and CEO, Anthony Wood, believes that content producers and distributors, whether single person shops or billion-dollar corporations, can deliver their content directly to consumers without having to go exclusively through cable operators, satellite networks or TV affiliates.

The best part of it all is that installing the new Content Store on your Roku box is easy. The new firmware will be delivered as an automatic, free upgrade to all existing Roku customers over the next two weeks.

New customers will automatically be upgraded when they first install their Roku player. To browse/use the new service customers will be prompted to create an online Roku account. Existing customers who do not want to wait for the automatic update can do so manually ASAP.

Yesterday three channels. Today thirteen. I wonder what the Roku Content Store will look like a year from now!

Yet another Android phone to consider. This is the second Samsung model to hit the market. It’s made especially for T-Mobile and it’s their 4th Android smartphone.

Samsung calls this one Behold II. I’m guessing the two is part of the name not only because it’s the second version of the original – but because of its two very special features – the AMOLED screen – and the Samsung TouchWiz user interface.

The Behold II is a candy-bar shaped handset – that means it has touchscreen and an on-screen QWERTY keyboard. It measures 4.6 by 2.2 by 0.5 inches and weighs 4.2 ounces.

Inside is a full-blown Android smartphone with all the bells and whistles you would expect including Google Search, Maps, Talk, Gmail, YouTube,- full SMS, MMS, IM support – GPS, stereo Bluetooth, visual voicemail, a 5-megapixel camera and lots more.

The Behold II is a world phone – that operates on T-Mobile’s GSM/GPRS/EDGE/3G networks here and GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HDPA networks mostly everywhere else on the planet. It has a world map silk-screened on the back in case you didn’t realize it’s a world phone.

The Behold II differs from the older Behold I in a number of important ways. It has Wi-fi inside (something sorely lacking from the older design) and it runs on Android instead of an odd, proprietary Samsung operating system. It comes with a paltry 2GB microSD memory card (and accepts up to 16 GB cards). That’s a whole lot better than the measly 1GB card on the older model. That’s especially true considering what they’re charging for the phone. More about that in a minute.

Now, to the screen. It’s a 3.2inch, 320 by 480 pixels, AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-emitting Diode) touch-screen. What the screen lacks in brute size (compared to the Droid, and some of the newest phones about to reach the marketplace) it makes up for in good looks. Simply put, the AMOLED screen is beautiful, has great viewing angles and it works well as a touchscreen. Samsung even includes a little bit of haptic feedback (the phone actually jiggles) when you press the screen.

Then there’s the special TouchWiz interface (check out the photo above). Behold II looks and acts like any other Google home screen at most times. Until you get to the cube-shaped menu. In that 6-sided cube are easy to find and open links to some popular applications such as YouTube, Amazon’s MP3 store, the music playback app, the photo app, the video app, and a blank space (at least on my test phone).

TouchWiz also has its own dedicated hardware button with a little cube on it. That makes it easy to avoid the entire thing.

I’d like to see Samsung change the location of the lock/unlock screen button from the right side of the device to the front. It’s really annoying to have to try to find the darn thing (it’s not marked particularly well). Why don’t you switch positions with the TouchWiz key?

As for price, the Behold II is on the high-end of Android affordability. T-Mobile is asking $230 for the Behold II with a two-year contract (etc.).

$230? I think it’s going to be a very hard sell at that price. That’s too bad, because the new Behold II is a pretty good Android phone if sold at a comparable price.

Palm has chosen a very clever name for their new smartphone. The moniker”Pixi” is very close to the word pixie which the dictionary says means “small, elfin, pert, or mischievous”.

Palm’s Pixi is actually none of the above. It’s not really super-tiny/small or elfin (it’s longer than its “big” brother the Pre). Pert? It’s not really “boldly forward in behavior”. And mischievous? Not at all.

So, what is Palm’s Pixi? A terrific, modern-day smartphone that Sprint is selling for just under a hundred bucks.

This is what you need to know. Both the Pixi and its older brother the Pre run on Palm’s WebOS (1.3.1 is the latest version). Both use Sprint’s 3G EV-DO network. Both have 8GB of built-in memory, built-in GPS, a microUSB port, Bluetooth 2.1+ and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Both handle Microsoft Outlook Push email and integrated IM, SMS and MMS messaging.

As for the differences, the Pixi is candy-bar shaped with its QWERTY keyboard right under the screen. The Pre has a slightly larger screen (3-inches diagonal versus 2.8-inch) and a slide-out keyboard. The Pixi has a 2 megapixel camera; the Pre’s is 3MP. Pre does Wi-fi (802.11b/g). The Pixi does not.

Pixi’s battery is a high capacity, user-replaceable, 1500 mAh rechargeable slab that is said last you as much as five hours of talk and up to 350 hours of standby time. The Pre is rated 5/300.

Pixi measures 2.2 by 4.4 by 0.4 inches and weighs 3.26 ounces. That means Pixi is longer than a closed Pre. Slide open the Pre’s keyboard and it’s then longer than the Pixi. Pre is slightly wider too. That’s probably because of the slide mechanism. The Pixi is slimmer than the Pre. In real world use it just about disappears in your pocket.

If you don’t compare the two phones side-by-side, the Pixi appears as a small sliver of a smartphone. It’s only when they’re next to each other that you realize the Pixi is slim but isn’t all that small.

The Pixi and the Pre both use the same operating system. Navigating a WebOS device takes a minute or two to learn but once you do getting around becomes second nature. Nearly everything you need to do is handled by a flick of the finger either up/down or side-to-side.

Both seem to work at similar speeds. Opening new programs or sliding from one app to the other is very close to a tie. The Pre’s Wi-fi connectivity gives it a slight speed edge especially in questionable signal reception areas but my test Pixi nearly always says it sending and receiving on Sprint’s 3G “EV” network.

I find that typing on the Pixi a lot easier than typing on the Pre. Even though both hardware keyboards are similar, I prefer the Pixi’s keys (all in a straight line). Also, Pixi’s keyboard doesn’t have a raised plastic bottom edge to get in the way.

On the other hand, the Pixi’s screen is smaller than the Pre’s. Although they’re outwardly close in size, off by a quarter inch or so diagonally, that little difference translates into a big deal for small smartphones. Personally, I found the Pixi’s standard typeface a little bit small for my eyes while browsing the Web. Of course using the WebOS two-spread-finger zoom motion allows you to easily resize everything on the screen.

Bottom line? The best feature of the Pixi is what they’re charging for it. Cell phones priced under the magic $100 mark almost always sell better than more expensive models. Palm, under the previous régime, understood that fact. When they priced their terrific little Centro phone under $100 they sold millions of them. And that move allowed the company to remain in business long enough to lure new inventors and create the Pre and Pixi.

At the $99.99 price point (after a rebate and with a two-year service agreement) the Pixi is a terrific bargain.

Even better, Wal-Mart has announced that after rebates and such they will be selling the Palm Pixi at the Black Friday price of $30.

At that price it’s virtually a no-brainer.

The Moment was the first for Samsung – the second for Sprint – and the fifth Android-based smartphone, overall, to reach our test bench.

The Samsung M900 “Moment” is the world’s number two cell phone manufacturer’s first foray into ever-expanding world of Android phones. The Moment is a nice device but our early test handset seemed to have some teething problems.

Let me explain.

The Moment is a slide-out QWERTY keyboard design like the T-Mobile G-1 and CLIQ as well as Verizon’s Motorola Droid. It runs on version 1.5 of Google’s Android operating system.

The Moment’s 3.2-inch AMOLED color screen is great. AMOLED stands for Active-Matrix, Organic Light Emitting Diode and since OLEDs don’t require backlighting they can be made very, very thin and lightweight. Size-wise, the Moment’s screen seems somewhat small compared to some other Android, Apple and Windows Mobile handsets – but it’s really wonderful to look at.

The Moment’s other really big feature is a fast processor. It boasts slightly more oomph than most the other Androids on the market because of its 800MHz ARM11 chip (although that’s now the same one being used in Motorola’s Droid).

Strange though, I found that in actual use the faster chip didn’t help the Moment work any faster or better than other Android phones. As a matter of fact, I found the Moment, at times, had problems getting out of its own way. Some programs (never the same one) seemed to hang when asked to complete a task. In general, screen refreshes on the test Moment seemed to be a drop slower than other Androids.

On the other hand, there are features to like including a 3.2 megapixel camera, 802.11 Wi-Fi connectivity, stereo Bluetooth and icons to make easy work of getting to Sprint’s TV services, YouTube, NFL Football and lots more.

Then again, being a Google/Android phone I expected the Moment to excel at dealing with Gmail and any other Google program. And for the most part, it did just fine. But we did run into difficulties initially setting-up our test phone to send and receive Google mail.

For some reason, whether it was repeated mistyping on my part (always possible) – or just a reluctance of the hardware and software to work together – it took me half a dozen tries to get the phone to accept my e-mail account credentials.

Another tester I know encountered the exact same problem – only he stopped trying after a day. I tried on his phone and couldn’t get it to connect to his e-mail either. I am happy to report that once it accepted my credentials I have had no other problems whatsoever.

Once properly set, in actual “street-level” testing the Moment has been flawless. Calls on the Sprint network have been solid. Thankfully, we were never annoyed by iPhone-like dropouts in use in the New York City Metropolitan area. And, data speeds obtained were fast – fast enough to watch very fluid videos on the Sprint TV service.

Sprint is selling the Samsung Moment for $179 when you sign-up for a two-year service contract. That’s the same price they’re charging for the far superior HTC Hero phone.

And, Verizon’s version of the HTC Hero – called the Droid Eris sells for $99. Expect all these prices to begin to drop as newer Android phones are introduced.

The third-annual New York Statewide Best Bagger Championship is now one for the history books.

This is not a last-minute, run-of-the-mill contest. It’s part of a year-long, nationwide program in which the best-of-the-best grocery baggers in the country compete for great prizes and the title of North America’s Best Bagger.

The winner gets to go to the national finals in Las Vegas next February.

There were real rules to follow as well as judges from both sides to observe and assign scores. The contestants had the same items to pack including eggs, bread, paper, canned goods and more (two dozen or so in all). They were judged on “speed, bag-building technique, weight distribution between bags, style, attitude and appearance (of the loaded bags and the items inside).

This year D’Agostino Supermarket employees from “downstate” bagged-off against Price Chopper employees from “upstate”.

For the past two years, Price Chopper employees had defeated their New York City competitors and went on to the finals in Las Vegas. This year the D’Ag baggers were determined to win.

I can report that the competition was fierce.

After a number of well-fought, face-to-face heats the results were tallied and the state champion was crowned:

So now, 37-year old Arcola Pointer, a D’Agostino employee at their Columbus Avenue and West 91st Street store, will represent the Empire State in the finals.

Officially, a champion supermarket bagger (not a consumer) from each state is eligible to enter the finals at the National Grocers Association Annual Convention, to be held in 2010 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.

We’ll let you know how Arcola does in the nationwide event.

On a cell phone or smartphone – it might seem like 3G is 3G. Fast – but not as fast as your Internet connection at home.

While the technology press has been focusing on the imminent roll-out of 4G networks there has also been a lot of work being done to improve the speed of 3G wireless data connections.

T-Mobile, the last of the “Big Four” U.S. cellular carriers to unfurl their fast data system is already boosting speeds big time.

In the past few days, T-M has been busy turning on their version of the super-speedy, 7.2Mbps, HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) network in a limited number of markets – including New York City and Chicago.

This morning I decided to see how fast my 3G connection could go on my 3G Motorola CLIQ Android-OS smartphone.

From my mobile test laboratory in Northern Manhattan (where I receive better cellular signals from across the Hudson in New Jersey) I set the phone’s mobile browser to MobileSpeedTest.com - pressed a few buttons – sat back and waited for the results.

Not bad.

According to the results I’m getting more than double the speed of a standard DSL home connection via T-Mobile’s HSPA network. Plus, I’m pretty sure that if I tried this in Midtown Manhattan I would get even faster speeds.

Speaking of faster speeds, T-Mobile is currently threatening to do its own 3G much better next year. They’re reportedly busy testing their next-generation HSPA+ system in Philadelphia. It is supposedly capable of downloads approaching 21Mbps.

For the record, both AT&T and Verizon are also busy working, behind the scenes, to upgrade their current 3G networks. Both companies are going with the forthcoming LTE (Long Term Evolution) 4G data network standard.

All of this may sound somewhat confusing – but what this really means is that wireless data connections are getting faster and better.

And if the carriers can control themselves and keep their monthly data charges in check – the bottom line will be that more and more of our lives will soon be lived and controlled on faster and better wireless devices.

It looks like HTC has outdone themselves.

The Taiwanese cell phone manufacturer has just announced the soon-to-be availability of their HD2 smartphone.

It’s for sale today in Europe and the Far East beginning today. It is reportedly coming to the United States via a “major carrier” in early 2010.

What’s so special about this phone? Let’s see. The HD2 will ship with a monster, super-sized, 4.3-inch (diagonal), WVGA, capacitive touch screen and will have Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.5 running on a super-speedy 1.0 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Who knows? Maybe, by the time it reaches the our shores it will be running Windows Mobile 7. The timing for that might be perfect.

Best of all, the phone will use HTC’s Sense – what is being touted as a “user experience focused on making the phone more simple and natural to use and by enabling people to personalize their mobile experience in their own unique way.” Sense is the nifty user interface that comes with the Google/Android-based Sprint/HTC Hero phone.

Let’s see. 4+ inch screen. Snapdragon interface. Windows Mobile operating system. Sounds a lot like the very similar Toshiba’s TG01 smartphone. That beauty was released months ago in Europe but still hasn’t made it to a carrier here in the United States. The Toshiba has its own user interface on top of the Windows Mobile OS 6.1.

And then there’s the upcoming SonyEricsson Xperia X10 handset with a 4-inch screen, Snapdragon processor running version 1.5 of the Android-OS. It’s also reportedly getting here sometime after the first of the year on some un-announced carrier.

And let’s not forget Verizon’s Motorola Droid phone which goes on sale this Friday. Thin form-factor, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3.7-inch screen and it’s the onloy phone (so far) to run on the newest version (2.0) of Android.

But, back to the HTC HD2. We know it’s arriving here in the next few months (after the busy holiday shopping season) but we don’t know who will be selling it or how much it will cost.

The online rumor mill is guessing that the HD2 will probably be a T-Mobile device. Unless, of course, another carrier wants it first.

Unfortunately, we’ll just have to wait. That’s a shame because it looks like a real winner.

I’m talking about SonyEricsson’s first foray into Android (Google)-based handsets. This morning the Xperia X10 was formally announced. And it’s loaded.

We’re talking about a 4-inch (diagonal) screen. 480 by 854 pixels. That’s even larger than the Verizon/Moto Droid’s screen.

It runs on the super-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

There’s an 8.1 MP auto-focus camera (video and stills). aGPS with Google Maps. Even 3D games.

Like Sprint’/HTC’s Hero phone, the X10 will have a unique home page and called UX. This is how SonyEricsson’s press release describes it:

“The UX platform builds on top of the Open OS and creates a unique Sony Ericsson user experience by combining best-in-class entertainment features with signature applications, unrivalled integration of social media services and a rich graphical user interface. The XPERIA™ X10 is the first mobile phone to truly humanize the way people interact with their phones.”

We’ll see.

One thing to note though- it looks like the X10 will unfortunately be stuck with running Android OS version 1.6 (Donut) rather the Droid’s more modern Android 2.0 – although that may change by the time that the phone is finally released.

It will be available in either black or white – and should be available in the first quarter of 2010. That means expect a big push at CES in January or the 3GSM show In Barcelona in February. Or both.

All things considered, it does look very, very cool:

It appears that the X10 will work both here and abroad. It’s a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE phone (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) as well as a five-band UMTS/HSPA device (900/1700/2100 and 800/1900/2100 MHz).

We’ll know more as soon as we’re able to get our hands on one (hopefully) in the next few weeks.