BuyMeGetMe.com

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.

One last thought about last week’s CTIA cell phone industry show in Las Vegas, anywhere you went you were able to run into a new Android phone.

Take Motorola (please).  If you moseyed over to their booth on the show floor you were immediately greeted by their new i1 (that’s a small letter I and the number one) — the world first iDEN Android smartphone.

iDEN means that the phone works on the Sprint Nextel network and allows you to use the infamous Direct Connect wireless voice message system. You know – the one with the “chirp” sound when you press down the push-to-talk button.

The phone itself is a full-fleged Android phone.  It has a 3.1-inch screen, runs on Android OS version 1.5, sports a 5 megapixel camera, comes with a 2GB microSD memory card (and supports the big, new 32GB cards), also has Wi-fi, Bluetooth, Microsoft’s Document Viewer software as well as Swype and T9 on-screen keyboard input.  (Love that Swype!)

iDEN is Motorola’s technology that Nextel (and now Sprint) use.  Most people are familiar with iDEN’s Direct Connect, push-to-talk feature and the famous “chirp” sound the phone makes when you have a two-way “walkie-talkie”-type conversation with another Direct Connect user.

iDEN is neither a 4G or 3G system.  It’s actually much older 2G technology which still has a lot of life left in it. 

To get the most out of this iDEN technology, Motorola features the new Opera Mini 5 Web browser.  It uses fewer phone resources and provides a terrific browsing experience.  It looks very, very speedy in practical use situations during the limited time I had to play with a sample device. 

On the other hand, when you’re i1 is near a Wi-fi network it will work at Wi-fi speeds.  For many users that is just fine.

Morotola and Sprint didn’t actually announce pricing or availability just yet.  All they’ll say is the “i1 will be available in multiple regions around the globe beginning in Q2 2010.” 

Expect to actually see one in the wild toward the beginning of the summer.

Here at the CTIA 2010 in Las Vegas the big announcements have been few and far in-between, so far – but the ones we’ve heard about are pretty big blockbusters.

Take the big-deal announcement about Samsung’s new super-smart Android phone, the Galaxy S (also known as model GT-I9000) with Smart Life.  

Up close, this handset looks like a real contender for the title “Best Smartphone in the World”.

The absolute best feature of the new handset is the amazing 4-inch super-AMOLED color screen.  You have to see it in person to believe it.  Large and sharp, this is one terrific screen. 

The rest of the phone ain’t bad either.   Consider Samsung’s fast, home-grown 1.0 GHz processor inside – and some nightmare of an alphabetical jumble called the mDNLe (mobile Digital Natural Image engine) which is really some clever video technology they’ve borrowed from their LCD and LED TVs.   Samsung claims that it helps create what they call “a perfect environment to record, edit and play HD video, to browse the Internet, and to read your favorite e-books.”

Smart Life is Samsung’s new social media interface which incorporates all the “de riguer” features of the day (Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, etc.)  It looks like a very cool solution to getting all your important information on your home screens.   Samsung thinks this new feature will “shift the way that consumers view smart phones and how they interact with them in their daily lives.”

The phone runs on Android 2.1 operating system.  Actually, on one of the sample phones we got to play with, it said the device ran on Android 2.1 Update 1 – whatever that means.  

The test phone was a GSM-based model which runs on GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA and HSUPA networks.  That would explain why Samsung announced the phone would be released in Europe, North America, Latin America, Australia and Asia very soon.   Our sample was running on T-Mobile’s EDGE network which means, in the United States, if you want 3G you’ll need an AT&T SIM card.

The Galaxy S also features Swype.  It’s a slide-your-finger, on-screen keyboard available on other Samsung devices (and the new T-Mobile, Motorola CLIQ XT) which makes “fast typing” on a smartphone a breeze.  There’s also a 5 megapixel camera, aGPS, 802.11b/g/n Wi-fi, Bluetooth and an 8GB or 16GB microSD memory expansion card will be made available (depending on the carrier).

Overall, the phone looked very promising. Samsung, the number one cell phone manufacturer on the planet, says the Galaxy S will be available “soon”.

I’m guessing that means we’ll hear something about a U.S. cellular carrier distribution deal and possible pricing very soon. Probably by early summer.

Wow!  And that’s putting it mildly.

In a very short period of time we’ve gone from cell phones to feature phones – to early smartphones like Palm Treos, Nokias and BlackBerries – to iPhones, Pres and the first Androids and now, the first super Android smartphone.

In a huge show of force, Sprint has just introduced the first 3G/4G smartphone – the HTC Evo 4G – at this year’s spring CTIA gathering here in Las Vegas. 

In a relatively short demonstration, Sprint gave an inkling of what this super phone can do – and I have to tell you the crowd of jaded journalists and weary analysts seemed very impressed.

And why not?  This phone has some very, very impressive laptop-like specs, such as:

A fast, 1.0 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
Huge, 4.3-inch (diagonal) color screen (largest one yet)
Android OS version 2.1 (which means all the latest Android/Google apps and accessories)
4G (where available) and 3G (where 4G isn’t) data connectivity.
Bluetooth and Wi-fi
Mobile hot-spot capabilities (with up to 8 connections at the same time)
8MP auto-focus camera on the back and a 1.3MP camera on the front.
8GB miniSD expansion card (32GB cards are now available)
HDMI connector to attach your Evo 4G to a big flat-screen monitor

What all this means is that this phone is fast – it runs on fast networks – has a pretty impressive camera and sports the largest screen of any smartphone, so far.

In the demonstrations, we got to see the phone streaming movie trailers over the 4G network and then playing them back on the huge overhead monitors in the hall.  Very impressive video and sound to say the least. And remember, that was video streaming over a cellular data network.  That’s something other companies will take awhile to match.

We didn’t get a lot of time to play with sample devices but I can tell you that the phone felt good in my hand.  The screen looked very good for early units and video playback was very, very impressive.   So was the speed of Web page downloads. Overall, I can’t wait to put an Evo 4G through the paces as soon as they’re made available.

Sprint hasn’t yet decided on a price for the 4G smartphone (or if they have they weren’t letting on at the event).  But, a company spokesperson told me that even though the phone breaks a lot of new ground with all these super features it will definitely be “aggressively priced”.  I’m hoping that means somewhere around $200 with the usual 2-year service contract commitment.

I’m guessing that might also depend on what Apple has up their sleeves concerning this year’s round of update for their iPhone devices.

As for availability, Sprint is saying it should be ready for sale by early summer.  Since summer begins towards the end of June, I’m hoping that means the Evo 4G will become available sometime towards the beginning of that month in time for the “Dads and Grads” gift-giving season. You can pre-register for an Evo 4G now on Sprint’s Website.

Motorola’s new BackFlip smartphone is an odd duck.  Not because it doesn’t perform its tasks in a proper manner but because it’s somewhat backwards.

The BackFlip is another “innovative” Android phone from Motorola – and the first with Google’s operating system to make it to AT&T.

It sports a 3.1-inch screen and a real QWERTY keyboard but both of those features are on the the outside of the handset’s case. The phone flips open so you can type and view the screen at the same time but when flipped closed you can use the standard Android on-screen keyboard leaving the hardware keyboard fully exposed.

After a year or two of banging around in a pocket or purse – or possibly falling off a nightstand – I wonder just how pretty your BackFlip will still look.

Behind the screen – accessible when the phone is flipped open – is a touch-pad controller/mouse of sorts. One finger lets you move from one screen to another. But movements on the back pad is a mirror image of finger movements on the front screen. What that means is – when you slide your finger to the right on the front the screen move to the right. When you slide your finger to the right on the back pad the screens move to the left.

I know it’s called a BackFlip but any new phone design which requires a long explanation about layout and navigation features is odd — to say the least.

The BackFlip features Motorola’s social networking themed home screen apps called MotoBlur. That means the phone runs on a slightly older version of the Android OS (1.5/Cupcake). Because it’s a two-part, flip open design the 15.3-ounce handset feels somewhat bulky/heavy in your hand despite its manageable overall size (2.0 by 4.25 by 0.6 inches).

Once you get past the oddities using the phone is very intuitive and fun. BackFlip There is everything else you would expectincluded in a modern-day, quad-band Android world phone including a 5.0-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth and turn-by-turn GPS directions. There are also a slew of neat software titles like AT&T Maps, AT&T Music, GoogleTalk, Google Maps, MobiTV and lots more.

The BackFlip also seems to hold onto AT&T’s 3G data network signal a whole lot better than some of it’s better known competition (like the rival super smartphone designed by some Cupertino engineers).  And, I haven’t dropped a voice call yet.

Back on the odd side of the equation, even though this is a Google/Android phone the home screen search engine features Yahoo Search. I told you this was an odd design.

AT&T and Motorola boast that the included battery pack offers up to 6-1/2 hours of talk and as much as 13.5 days of standby time per full recharge session. The key words here are “up to”. In real life light-to-moderate use (some voice, some messaging) expect to be able to squeeze a day’s worth of battery life out of your phone.

It looks like the best feature of the phone may be its price. AT&T is selling the Motorola BackFlip for $99.99 with a two-year service contract (a voice contract, $30 per month data contract and any activation charges). According to the AT&T Website that price breaks down to $199.99 minus a $100 online rebate.

Cell phones which sell for less than $100 are what fuels the cell phone industry and could help make this handset a big winner with customers. That should explain the overwhelmingly positive comments about the BackFlip on the AT&T Website

BuyMeGetMe.com is going all modern – and wireless!

The staff here has decided the time is now right to allow all of these pearls of wisdom to fly through the air so it can be read on your spiffy Kindle book reading devices.

Starting right now.

Our perfect prose will now be available for downloading along side of all the other greats pieces of literature available in the world today.

Just for the record, Amazon.com does not allow us to do this out of the goodness of their little hearts. They charge for the privilege.

So, if you’d like to be able to read all of our timely missives miraculously and wirelessly delivered to your Kindle it’s gonna cost you $1.99 per month (a bargain at twice the price!)

And if you don’t have a Kindle (you don’t?) we’ll still allow you to get your fix via the Internet.