Cache & Carey

Product Review: BlackBerry Storm is one sweet touch-screen phone

When it comes to touch-screen phones, the one thing that always gets to me is typing on it. It's just not the same as real buttons.

But the BlackBerry Storm comes pretty darn close to the real thing. You have to "click" the screen -- yes, actually press down on the screen, and it clicks like pressing a button -- to make a selection. With the Storm, it took me less than a day and I was typing faster and more accurate than when I typed on other touch-screen phones.

But it wasn't perfect. Once in a while it got a little quirky. A couple times it wouldn't respond to my screen "clicks" or it was a little too slow to respond. But it didn't stop me from loving this phone. Read the full review on MiamiHerald.com or watch the video below:

Myxer surpasses 15 million users, hires new CFO and EVP of sales

Deerfield Beach-based Myxer.com has grown beyond 15 million users and has added a new chief financial officer and excutive vice president of sales.

At Myxer, you can download free wallpapers, ringtones, videos and games for your cellphone. You can also upload your own media to jazz up your phone with the sounds and images you like.

In the past 18 months, Myxer's users grew from 1 million to 15 million. Content providers grew from 10,000 to 100,000, and downloadable items grew from 300,000 to 1.7 million. It ranked #4 by Nielsen Mobile for top SMS traffic, after Google, 4Info and American Idol.

Tom Severson has been hired as CFO. He was most recently the CFO of Nicklaus Companies. Roger Pavane has been hired as executive vice president of sales and has worked as chief revenue officer at 1Rage Mobile Media and senior vice president of Liberty Media.

New social network for black professionals

ICABA, a new social network for black professionals, has launched this week. I made a post about it on my new social networking etiquette blog, Poked. It's an invite-only network that is based in South Florida, but will be global in membership.

ICABA, which stands for Identifying Connecting Activating the Black Accomplished, has directories, video profiles, a lifestyle channel, blogs as well as a social networking tool. Read about it on Poked, and while you're there check out our other topics on social networking. Share your two-cents about issues you've encountered when professional life intertwines with social networking communities.

Product Review: Get animated with the Microsoft LifeCam Show

After testing the Microsoft LifeCam Show, I think my dinky webcam is in serious need of an upgrade.

Go to the story in today's MiamiHerald or just watch the video below to see the webcam's video and sound quality, as well as some fun special effects:

It has a 2-megapixel video sensor with a wide-angle lens and takes photos at a 8-megapixel resolution. It has 5x digital zoom, a wide-angle lens, a side button to connect with Windows Live Messenger, and the option to just record audio with the built-in microphone. It works with services like Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger and Skype. Software comes with 79 of those fun video effects you saw me mess with in the video, like facial exaggerations, filters and 3D accessories.

A bit of a downer was that it automatically saves videos in a folder within ''My Pictures'' and there isn't a way to change that. Also, it limits what types of changes you can make to the video settings. You can mess with things like brightness, contrast and saturation, but options to change hue or white balance are grayed out and unclickable, which is a strange quirk. If I can't change certain settings, then don't tease me with unclickable boxes!

If you're in the market for a webcam, remember that you can find similar high-quality webcams in other brands, like Logitech, so shop around. And I do like Logitech's interface a little better when it comes to changing the video settings. But these special effects Microsoft has are really fun, and the camera itself is well designed when it comes to portability and being able to set it up in any environment with the magnet connectors.

But if a high resolution video and a travel-friendly design isn't important to you, then I'd say you should save a few bucks and get a cheaper webcam.

Walt Disney Parks partner with Verizon to make mobile magic

Beginning next year, guests to Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort can access park info on their Verizon phones, turning their cellphones into a Disney tour-guide of sorts. Verizon's multi-year partnership with Disney will allow Verizon users to do the following on their phones:

• Easily locate shows, restaurants and Disney characters anywhere inside the parks
• Get real-time attraction availability information
• Play mobile games
• Receive messages from characters

"With more than 90 percent of families bringing a mobile phone into our parks, our objective was to enhance the magical Disney experience through innovative wireless technology," Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said in a statement. "Imagine receiving up-to-the-minute tips on special park activities with just the touch of a button or receiving a call from Buzz Lightyear welcoming you to the Magic Kingdom."

Verizon's partnership also ties into Epcot's 2009 wireless game called Disney's Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. It puts guests on a scavenger-hunt-type mission throughout Epcot's World Showcase, and participants use Verizon's hand-held "Kimmunicators" to maneuver through the mission.

But for those of your without Verizon, there's no need to be grumpy. Some mobile information, such as dining locations, show times and locations will be available to all guests, regardless of their wireless provider.

Product Review: No love for the iConvert Slide and Negative Scanner

The iConvert Slide and Negative Scanner... it was a product I wanted to love. The idea of scanning 35mm film negatives into digital photos seemed neat. But the software... oh the software was so bad! Watch the video below to see what I mean, or check out the review on MiamiHerald.com.

Product review: Samsung Rugby for AT&T can take a beating

This week I got to beat up on the Samsung Rugby for AT&T. It's a work-centric phone designed for tough and dirty jobs, such as construction work. How tough? Well watch the video below to see. I ran it over with my not-so-glamorous car, and the only thing that happened was that the back got a little scratched from rubbing on the pavement. (Thanks to my lovely roommate Amanda for shooting the video.)

(If you want to see more phone abuse, AT&T put a promotional video on YouTube that has it going through torture tests at a construction site.)

It's a good phone if you need something basic, and the large speaker on the front is convenient when using its Push to Talk feature. It also has AT&T's video share, which lets you send out a streaming video from your camera to another phone with video share capabilities. And it's not all work and no play -- you can access the usual online goodies, like music, video and instant messenger.

But here's a downer: While most phones can wake up from power-save mode by hitting a side button, this one doesn't. So, I couldn't see a missed call or check the time by hitting volume buttons or another side button. The only way to light up the front screen is to open the phone, which is pretty annoying.

Check out the full review in today's Miami Herald or watch my review below:

Verizon boosts cell service in Weston

Verizon Wireless announced today it has installed a new digital cell site along I-75 to enhance wireless service in northwest Weston.

The company said it spent about $250 million to enhance services and coverage in Florida during the past 18 months. Verizon has invested more than $1.8 billion in Florida and $45 billion nationally since the company was formed.

Digital marketing conference ad:tech cancels Miami event

One of the largest digital marketing conferences, ad:tech, has announced it has canceled its Miami event for 2009 "due to current economic conditions." Ad:tech Miami started in 2007 and has a stronger Hispanic focus than it's sister conferences in New York and San Francisco and Chicago. Below is the e-mail I received of the news:

Dear Bridget,
Due to current economic conditions, ad:tech has made the decision to cancel its Miami event in 2009.

ad:tech is proud to have celebrated 2 consecutive years in Miami with events in '07 and '08. However, we will now integrate US Hispanic and Latin-based content into our North American programs in New York, San Francisco and Chicago. We continue to maintain a strong commitment to the US Hispanic-Latin American digital media marketplace and will also explore alternative and complimentary platforms for serving this ever-growing segment of our industry.

We offer our deepest appreciation for the generous support of the attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, media partners, vendors and our esteemed Miami Board of Advisors who worked so diligently to create such a vibrant and well-received event. We look forward to working with all of you in some capacity in 2009 and beyond.

Sincerely,
The ad:tech Management Team