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This a really a tale of two different phones.

The first is the new T-Mobile HD2.  

It is an absolutely spectacular piece of hardware.

It’s made by HTC the producers of the Google Nexus One, the DROID Incredible and dozens of other top-line smartphones.

It sports a magnificent 4.3-inch (480×800 pixels) touch-sensitive screen. 

That huge screen is simply the best display on any smartphone offered for sale in this country.

The HD2 also has:

• A speedy, 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
• A 5-megapixel digital camera with dual flash.
• HTC’s Touch home screen system.
• The Barnes & Noble eBook reader software.
• Movies on Demand from Blockbuster.
• Guitar Hero
• Works on GSM/EDGE/HDPA world bands
• Bluetooth, Wi-fi and GPS
• Estimated talk time of more than 6 hours per battery charge.
• A 16GB microSD card and lots, lots more.

The other phone I’m discussing here is actually the same phone – the new T-Mobile HD2. Only this time I want to talk about the software inside.

This HD2 runs on the soon-to-be-outdated Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.

In the scheme of life that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Windows Mobile 6.5 is greatly improved over older versions of the OS. And, even in updated form it’s way behind when you compare it to other modern-day operating systems like Google’s Android, Apple’s iPhone, Nokia’s Maemo and Palm’s WebOS.

What makes all of this worse is that Microsoft has announced their next OS, Windows Phone 7, coming later this year.  And we’ve been told that the HD2 is not upgradable. This is not a good thing for potential HD2 buyers.

I’m sure there will be similar, new hardware running on “7” but at this point why would you spend a few hundred on a non-upgradable “6.5” phone when new handsets, loaded with a gazillion new features are coming soon?  That just doesn’t make much sense.

On the other hand, the HD2 is a fantastic smartphone in its own right. Everyone – and I mean everyone – who has seen this phone falls in love with the design. The huge screen and the precision feel of all the controls makes this phone a winner.  And if you buy one you’ll surely be able to get lots of great use and loads of enjoyment out of it. It is truly a beautiful piece of equipment and there’s even a chance that someone will figure out how to run Windows Phone 7 on them.

I guessing that the word is out and that sales, so far, have been well above expectations. T-Mobile is reportedly having trouble keeping HD2s in stock. When they did, they were charging $200 with a 2-year contract.

Overall, T-Mobile’s HD2 is an amazing piece of hardware with soon-to-be outdated software.

Bottom line: Would you buy one?

Here is something you don’t think about every day: fuses.

I’m not talking about the circuit breakers in your home’s electrical panel. Those are important too. But what I want to tell you about today are the little fuses that go inside your home entertainment equipment.

Back in the day, those little fuses – a thin wire inside a small glass tube with metal end caps – always seemed to blow at the wrong time (when you wanted to use your gear). Then, you went out to a local electronics store (usually with the blown fuse in hand so you knew what to ask for) and bought a small, lime green, slide-open container with 4 or 5 Littlefuses. That was (and is still) a brand name.

Maybe, they cost you a dime or a quarter apiece. (I’m going back a few years). If you replaced the fuse and it quickly blew again you knew it was time to call the repairman. If it worked, you were all set.

But now, we’re well into the 21^st century. Home phones have been replaced by cell phones. Cathode-ray tube TVs are now flat-screen TVs. Some cars are now powered by electricity. And engineers are now making 21^st century premium fuses as well.

I have been testing these new high-tech fuses in a number of items ranging from my stereo (amps, pre-amps, tuners, speakers, CD and DVD players and high-def TV sets) and want to tell you that there is a BIG difference when you use these little buggers.

I’ve tried Isoclean fuses from the Far East as well as two types of Hi-fi Tuning fuses from Germany. They come in many different power ratings, physical sizes (5mm-by-20mm and 6mm-by-31.8mm) and are exact replacements for the fuses which originally came installed in your equipment.

The Isoclean fuses have gold-plated metal caps and specially-strengthened, shock-resistant glass in the middle.  Each one is hand-tested to make sure they’re operating at their peak. There’s a little arrow on the glass which informs you of which direction the electricity should be flowing. (Rather than checking this with specialized equipment you can listen/watch for a week then reverse the fuses’ direction. One direction will sound/look better than the other.  That’s the correct direction.)

The Hi-fi Tuning devices are built slightly differently. These fuses have a ceramic enclosure in between the two metal caps. The caps are gold-plated silver. There are also new versions without gold plating. They call them their SilverStar model. These fuses are also directional and work at their best when you mind which way they’re installed.

The difference these fuses make are mind-boggling. In almost every case, use of these fuses improved every piece of gear into which they were installed. Differences include cleaner treble – lower-reaching bass, brighter colors and overall less audio and video noise. You really have to see and hear the difference to appreciate just how good they are.

Of all the testing we’ve done – and believe me there’s had been months worth – my favorites are the Hi-fi Tuning SilverStars. To my ears, and eyes, they absolutely sound the cleanest and make the colors pop the most on my 37-in LCD TV.

I know it’s hard to believe that something so small and relatively inexpensive can make such a difference. But it can – and it does.

A friend and fellow hi-fi enthusiast/columnist says changing any older fuse with any new fuse will make a difference. I tried that too. Those 25-cent fuses now cost upwards of $1 each in Radio Shack. One component at a time I substituted a new – cheaper, standard fuse for the older one. He’s right. It does make a difference for the better. But, I’m here to tell you that when you then substitute that new fuse with one of these premium fuses the further improvement is startling.

I’m guessing that replacing the old fuse with a new, inexpensive one reduces the stress on that hard-working, little wire inside. Add a vibration-damping glass or ceramic tube, superior parts and craftsmanship and you start to understand why these premium fuses can make such a big difference.

Of course, like everything else in this life, premium items come with a high price tag. Same for these fuses. Figure these fuses will cost you $39-$49 each for any of the the gold-plated models from either manufacturer and $49-$59 each for the SilverStars.

I know that’s a startling amount of money for something so small. But the improvement is not inconsequential. Especially if your equipment requires more than one fuse to be changed. And, there aren’t many other $40-$60 “tweaks” you can make to your stereo or home theater that will reward you with such a big improvement.

Just try one. Once you experience the change for yourself you’ll want more.

I’m not quite sure what all the fuss was about.

First there was the Google Nexus One from T-Mobile.

Then there was supposed to be a Nexus One coming on Verizon.

Instead, now we know about an AT&T version as well as a Sprint Nexus One.

So what happened to Verizon’s copy?  I’ll tell you what happened – Verizon went straight to HTC (the maker of Nexus Ones and many other Androids) and asked for something better.  What they got was the HTC Incredible.

The Incredible is a 3G smartphone (CDMA/EV-DO) running the latest, greatest Google’s Android operating system: version 2.1. It has a 3.7-inch (WVGA – 300 by 480 pixels) AMOLED screen, runs on a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 8GB of storage plus a slot for miniSD cards, it does Wi-fi, Bluetooth and GPS. So far it sounds like I’m describing the Nexus One. Despite the Incredible being more squared-off around the edges even the physical dimensions are similar.

But then add an 8 megapixel camera/camcorder and HTC’s Sense screen interface and you start to realize that Verizon has ordered up a phone that is designed to one-up the competition. Verizon also specified the black color to match the Incredible’s older brother the Droid.

There is nothing to surprise any Android phone user. There are 5 sliding home screens, a pop-up view of all installed programs as well as a big, on-screen button to get to the phone. It’s an Android phone and if you’ve used one you’ll be able to figure out another quite quickly.

Unlike the Droid with its slide-out QWERTY keyboard, the Incredible has only an on-screen keyboard.  Keys are properly spaced and you can type very, very quickly with just a little practice.  I do, though, that both phones would also come with

Verizon has added some new software of their own including CityID (displays city and state of an incoming call), Desk Clock (to use your Incredible as an alarm clock), Footprints (famous landmarks and GPS directions to find them), an FM Radio (through headphones), Friend Stream (a social networking app), Peep (obviously, so you can tweet), Quickoffice (to open/read documents on your miniSD card) Stocks, Weather and more. Basically, it’s loaded.

After charging it up and playing with it for awhile, I gotta tell you – this is one very slick smartphone. Fit and finish are superb (even better than my Nexus One tester). Everything works smoothly, quickly. And exactly as promised I wish I could say that about any other devices on the market.

Set-up was a breeze. I clicked on the Gmail icon, added log-in information, and sixty second later all of my mail, my calendar/appointments and contact lists were all installed on the new device. Ready to go in a minute. Can’t beat that.

So, what’s wrong with the phone? Nothing that I can see so far. The only oddity at all is the back/battery compartment cover. On nearly every other phone on the planet the back cover is smooth. On the Incredible the back cover is rippled. It reminds me of a raised-relief map: weird ridges and shapes. It just looks strange. Thankfully, it feels fine in your hand and since it’s colored Droid Black, it doesn’t jump out at you right away.

The HTC Incredible officially goes on sale on April 29^th for $199.99 when you agree to a two-year service commitment. Actually, that was the same price that Verizon’s Droid started at last fall. I’m guessing that the original Droid’s price is about to be reduced a bit beginning on the 29^th.

The HTC Incredible instantly becomes the Android phone to own.  That’s right now.  Let’s see what comes next (including the 4G device from Sprint).  Plus Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 devices.  And, of course, the next iPhone.

Cablevision (onwers of AMC, IFC, Sundance channels plus Madison Square Garden) and Time-Warner (owners of CNN, TCM, HBO plus DC Comics) and Comcast (Owners of E!, The Golf Channel and soon: NBC-Universal) have all agreed to give a little something back to their subscribers.

If you currently pay for high-speed Internet services from any one of these companies you now have access through their respective hotspots throughout the city and the surrounding areas.  That means you can log-in to any Optimun Online, Road Runner and Xfinity mobile system you encounter.

But, don’t think they’re doing this out of the goodness of their corporate hearts.  As you’ll read in the press release below the idea here is to form a united front against telephone companies (that means Verizon) so that cable providers can do wirelessly what telcos now bring into homes with a fiber-optic cable – television and  Internet services  (and that means FiOS). 

In other words, if the wireless company wants to install wires — then the wired company will blanket the area wirelessly.

And you thought they were just being nice…

Cablevision, Comcast and Time Warner Cable Internet Customers Can Now Roam Free Across Three WiFi Networks

Agreement Between Major Cable Providers Extends Reach And Value Of Distinct New York-Area WiFi Deployments By Allowing Customers Free Access To All Three Networks

Free Cable WiFi Emerging As Valuable Enhancement For Customers As Demands For Mobile Data Increase

NEW YORK, April 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC), Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) today announced an agreement to allow their high-speed Internet customers to roam freely across the companies’ respective WiFi networks at no additional charge, greatly expanding the reach and value of cable WiFi in the New York metropolitan area. Whether in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park, areas of the Jersey Shore or in the Hamptons, high-speed Internet customers served by any of the companies can enjoy fast and free wireless Internet access on a full range of WiFi-enabled devices, including the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and laptop computer.

The companies have deployed thousands of WiFi access points across the market, providing fast and free wireless Internet connections as a complement to broadband service as demand for mobile data continues to increase. Each access point today displays authentication options for all three WiFi services – Optimum WiFi, Time Warner Cable WiFi and Xfinity WiFi – allowing customers to use their own provider’s sign-on process to get online.

“Cable providers interconnecting WiFi services so customers can roam freely across networks is an extremely meaningful and transformative development,” said John Bickham, Cablevision’s president of cable and communications. “This agreement – the first of its kind and, we believe, the first of many – combines the reach and the value of our respective WiFi deployments and delivers fast and free wireless Internet access that stretches across the market, at a time when consumer demand for mobile data is exploding.”

“Our customers are purchasing devices that have WiFi built into them and increasingly want wireless broadband access anytime, anywhere,” said Cathy Avgiris, SVP and GM of Communications and Data Services at Comcast. “With this partnership, we’re excited to offer a great in-home and on-the-go Internet experience. As a result, our Xfinity Internet and High-Speed 2go customers can now connect and enjoy their devices in more locations in the tri-state area.”

“This unique partnership is a win-win for our one million Road Runner customers in the NYC metro area, adding another dimension of value and convenience,” said Howard Szarfarc, Executive Vice President of Time Warner Cable’s NYC region.

The importance of WiFi as a fast and reliable way to access the Internet is becoming increasingly clear as WiFi-enabled devices continue to proliferate, most recently Apple’s iPad. Apple announced earlier this month that it had already sold 85 million iPhone and iPod touch devices and 450,000 iPads, all enabled with WiFi.

“With WiFi connectivity forecast to be embedded in more than one billion mobile computer, phone and consumer electronics devices by 2012, this interconnection and free roaming agreement among the three leading cable operators in the New York metropolitan area represents a major breakthrough for cable broadband customers, extending wireless broadband connectivity from the home and business to thousands of WiFi access points throughout the region,” said Berge Ayvazian, telecom industry analyst from Heavy Reading. “This historic agreement clearly makes the tri-state area the national leader in WiFi, an increasingly important distinction.”

I have to get this off my chest: WHAT A DUMB NAME!

OK.  Now I feel better.

Microsoft has announced a new brand of cell phones.  They’re not “smartphones”.  And they’re not dumb, by any means.  But, they are somewhat smarter than what the industry calls “feature phones”.  Let’s call these new KIN phones “smart-feature phones.  (I told you the name was really dumb.)

Kin is a re-working of T-Mobile’s wildly successful Sidekick line of feature phones for a new carrier, Verizon.  Sharp made many Sidekick models over the years and also makes the two new KIN phones.

Like Sidekicks, KIN are made for a youthful audience.  All the promotional materials show beautiful young people living their beautiful lives – the under-25 crowd who use their devices to text each other, post on Twitter and Facebook/Social Networking sites to basically chronicle their lives on a cell phone.

Oh, BTW, the phones are capable of making voice calls but the Microsoft people really didn’t make a big deal about that “feature”.  Why should they? Youngsters barely make voice calls (except to speak with their parents – usually when they need something – like money).

KIN are two separate designs: KIN ONE is a small, square-ish little thing with a slide-down QWERTY keyboard.  Many at today’s unveiling commented that it looked a whole lot like a Palm Pre.  KIN TWO has a larger, rectangular screen with a slide-down QWERTY keyboard.  The One is said to be a “one-handed” texting design.  The Two is supposedly a “two-handed” texting design.

There are many other differences.  The One comes with 4 GB of built-in storage, a 4 GB camera and a mono speaker.  The Two has 8GB of built-in memory, an 8GB camera and stereo speakers.  There are no memory card slots in either design.

Both phones run on a new operating system that is somewhat based on the Zune HD series of media players.  There might be some hint of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 OS – but I’d say both development paths separated a while ago.  Microsoft people in attendance at the New York City session were very careful to note that these phones are not Windows Phone 7 phones.

All photos and videos are stored in Microsoft’s “cloud”.  You also have access to that cloud on your PC via a some new software called KIN Studio.  In the previews it looked a lot like Zune PC software but did let you handle every that’s on your KIN on your PC as well.

The really clever idea that Microsoft has included in this design is KIN Spot.  It’s actually a spot – a white dot on the bottom of the phones’ screen that allows you to “drop” things in for processing.  For instance, if you want to send a photo on your phone to a contact listed on your phone you would drag and drop the phone onto the spot – then do the same with the contact.  A good idea.  Let’s see how well it works in the final version of the phones.

On the other hand, what you see is what you get.  What comes inside a KIN is all there is.  There is no app store to download stuff.  This is a closed system. Journalists in attendance heard there is no Adobe Flash involved but were somewhat surprised that there is no calendar function or any games to keep users occupied.  (Actually, they said there’s a lot to keep users occupied without adding games).

We do know that both KIN should be available sometime in May on Verizon’s EV-DO/3G network.  But we don’t know how much they’ll cost – or how much the monthly service will set you back.  There are some rumors that prices will be in the $99 (for the One) -to- $149 (for the Two) range.  Vodaphone will be selling GSM (world phone) version of KINS this fall.

KINS have some big shoes to fill if they’re going to complete/replace Sidekicks.  I suggest lower prices might help. Expect a full review when we get our hands on a production phone or two.

Headphones are very personal.  Whether you choose a pair because of their looks, their performance or their cost it’s something that you have to decide for yourself.

That’s why there are so many different designs – ranging from the crappy-sounding, free, white ear buds that come with iPods to the super-duper deluxe Stax electrostatic headphones which, with separate, special tube amplifiers can run upwards of $10,000!

Knowing that, imagine my surprise when I came across a number of online blogs and British forum users writing about some “amazing headphones” being produced in China.

They’re made by a company called Superlux and they’re designated Model HD681.  That bears a strange numerical resemblance to a bunch of very famous, top-of-the-line designs from industry leader Sennheiser.

But there is a huge difference between Sennheisers and Superluxes: the Sennheisers in question retail for a few hundred dollars.  Over-excited Superlux owners were boasting that they were buying their HD681s for the equivalent of $25 U.S.

I read all I could.  It seems that these super-inexpensive headphones were all the rage on the Net. And why not? Less than $30 or so delivered in England – and according to the rabid users they sounded really good. Even better when some minor surgery was performed (swapping out wires for better quality stuff, changing the red plastic trim to black plastic trim, etc.)

I did some more checking and found that Superlux was producing an entire line of affordable headphones (in addition to large number of microphones and speakers) and had a U.S. Distributor: the Avlex Corporation.  Some email and phone calls later I had two pair of try – the HD681 and a slightly more expensive model the HD668B (I know – it has a lower model number but it really does cost more).

I’ve been autioning these headphones for months now – allowing them to break-in and sound their best.  Even though sound memories are fleeting – I can say for sure that these headphones do sound different/better now (according to my copious listening notes) than they did when they first arrived.

The 681s are a good-sounding set of ‘phones. Don’t be fooled by the cheap-looking plastic and cardboard outer packaging. They are real headphones with an 8-foot cord (coming from the left side) ending in a miniature jack. There’s also an adapter for 1/4-inch jacks and a nice pouch to carry everything (except for that packaging).

Sound-wise they are much better than the free things you get with an iPod but not as good as the multi-buck Stax.  Or the Sennheisers.  They are pretty clear and musical.  Good bass.  Perfect for listening to low bit-rate (128K), compressed music files.  They are also very, very comfortable to wear for long listening sessions.

The HD668Bs are noticeably more refined. They are slightly lighter in weight, come with both a 3-foot and also a 10-foot cord and are packaged more like a high-quality hi-fi product. Oh, and they also sound great.

That refinement means the solid bass of the 681s is still present (maybe even a touch more so) and it is matched with a flatter midrange and extended treble. Higher resolution files – as well as vinyl, CDs and (yes) good FM are a joy. In short, the 668B’s sound like a much more expensive set of headphones.

The only caveat I can pass along is that the 668Bs are a tight fit for me. Big head jokes aside, these really are slightly too small for me and might be for you too. They still sound great though.

Notice I’ve left the prices for last. That’s because in the months since Superlux’s stealth introduction in Europe people have discovered the quality and prices have begun to rise accordingly The U.S.. distributor has done a good job keeping these as very affordable products.

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the HD681 is $49.95. The HD668B lists for $59.95. Both are recommended.

The Avlex Website mentions a number of other Superlux models – the HD660, HD 440 and HD330 Professional headphones. They could all be winners too.

Copyright Apple 2010

The now-infamous line “You can put lipstick on a pig… but it’s still a pig” might be apropos in some situations – especially when describing Apple’s new iPad:

My take is: You can add a few flourishes to an oversized iPhone/iPod touch and call it a “revolutionary” computing device – but it’s still an overgrown PDA. (For the record, the Apple Newton was an overgrown PDA more than a decade ago).

Not that that’s necessarily bad. It’s just that in the past tablets have historically garnered a lot of interest at first – until the buying public realized the shortcomings and/or decided they really preferred laptop models instead.

So, after playing with a few iPads over the course of the past few days I can honestly say that it seems to be a nice product – actually one of the most accessible tablets ever created – but also one that could have somewhat limited long-term appeal.

Aside from those people who must own anything with the name Apple on it – if you have an iPhone/iPod touch (or any other modern-day smartphone) and a MacBook (or any modern-day laptop computer) you really don’t need an iPad.

GOOD STUFF:
In my testing, the iPad is pretty fast for a PDA. And Apple should be commended for porting their iPhone OS to a larger format machine.

The design is beautiful – it’s a slab to behold. On the other hand, I would have preferred less of a black border around the screen (to make it look like an iPhone).

The new “apps” made for the larger format screen are terrific. The ones I played with took good advantage of the larger screen.

The screen changes from vertical to horizontal viewing instantly. Very well done on Apple’s part.

Reports of up-to 10 hour battery life per charge is fantastic. I’m expecting that is really more like 6-7 hours in real-life constant use.  This is not surprising though. There are a number of power-sipping netbooks that store 10-hours or real-life usability.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD STUFF:
iPad is kinda heavy in your hand.  It looks deceptively lighter in weight than it turns out to be in real life.  It therefore requires two hands for many users.  Still, it’s only 1-1/2 pounds compared to small netbooks which start at 2-1/2-to-3 pounds.

The on-screen keyboards are pretty good considering. Because iPads are so flat I wouldn’t want to write the next great American novel on one.  Strictly for short e-mails and the like.  External Bluetooth keyboards are available now – but that sorta defeats the purpose.

Holding the iPad for long periods (like watching a TV show) gets fatiguing.  Long movies would be more so.  I’m expecting all sorts of third-party devices that will hold your iPad in a proper viewing angle will be available immediately. You can position netbook and laptop screens without third-party add-ons.

There is no built-in camera.  That means no video phone services.

The battery is not user replaceable.

There is no method of internal memory expansion.  Wouldn’t it have been easy for Apple to produce a smaller number of models with SD card slots?  I know it would have been cheaper for potential iPad buyers.

The iPad does not support Flash.  It does support HTML5 which, in the future, might be a replacement.  But for now, Flash is it and the iPad can’t process the Websites that use it.

The book reader, while looking great has, what to me is an annoying animation every time you turn the page.  They might consider holding down that visual effect for the first page you turn – and maybe the beginning of a chapter.  A similar effect on Amazon’s Kindle is less obtrusive.

Apple is charging way too much, period.  Too much for the devices and too much for the apps it can run.  Yes, it will run many of the iPhone apps you already may have – but they open in an iPhone-sized box on your iPad screen.  Double the size of that box and what you get are somewhat blurry apps.  Upgrading some of the apps you know and love with iPad-formatted begin costing you dearly.  Going down the list, I find that I would be spending more than $100 per month on stuff I’d like to use on the iPad.

That’s in addition to the cost of the iPad itself.  $500 for the base model is too much.  Hopefully the price will start to come down soon (just like the first iPhone did after a few weeks.)  Since 3G versions can connect to AT&T’s 3G network only when you need them to (instead of all the time) Apple can’t defray some of the cost of the hardware into your AT&T service contract.  That means the top-of-the-line 3G iPad will set you back more than $800. For a PDA.   That’s absurd.

One friend uses their new iPad as a part-time toy.  They have a MacBook Pro, a new Dell Windows laptop, an Asus netbook, an iPhone and now an iPad. The iPad is being used the way it should – as something extra. Something personal. Something digital. An assistant of sorts. You know – a personal digital assistant.

iPad?  iPDA?  The letter are just in a different order!

In a direct comparison with one of the new breed of small laptops, like Lenovo’s ThinkPad X100e, the differences are quite obvious.  The iPad has much better battery life, is lighter in weight and has the Apple name on the back. 

On the other hand, the tiny X100e is a real Windows 7 computer with a fast processor, a real QWERTY keyboard (with the famous, red ThinkPad nipple/pointer system), up to 4GB of RAM, a camera and a larger screen. It also runs all the programs available on a Windows computer.

The X100e starts at $450 while a well-beefed-up version goes for $550.  They’re both right in Apple iPad’s price range.  I’m planning a head-to-head comparison follow-up very soon.