We all remember seeing pictures of Paris Hilton at a club texting on her pink, bedazzled T-Mobile Sidekick phone. Well just as Paris Hilton has changed (her hair is longer), so has the T-Mobile Sidekick.

I got my hands on a T-Mobile Sidekick 4G, and I must say, it’s a pretty cool phone. It’s a texter’s dream. The sliding screen slides up to reveal a full keyboard, which is so much easier than texting on a touch screen (although you have that option as well). It also has Google Speak, so if you hate texting, you can just say what you want to text, and the phone will do the rest for you. It probably won’t pick up on your group of friends’ slang (“omg he’s sooooo adorbs”), but it will pick up on normal words (“I’m so drunk”).

The phone is an Android phone, so you have access to all Android apps. I’ve been playing Fruit Ninja Free in all of my classes to pass time. There’s basically an app for anything you want. You can get radio, Google Maps, Skype and a lot more.

Read More »

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Facebook…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Jog.FM, Fellow Up and Swap.com) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

Ok, I’m going to come right out and admit that this week’s post isn’t a website, despite the fact that this column is called “Web Spy.” But recently, I found out about an cool mobile app and I have to share it!

LiveProfile is an awesome messaging app for your smartphone. It’s faster and better than texting, because it shows you exactly when a message is delivered, read, and when a response is being typed. It also lets you share photos, videos,  add status updates, and update to Facebook or Twitter.

You’ll love LiveProfile if you’re already a fan of BBM, but what’s great about it is that it brings that same quick messaging to all the major smartphone platforms — Blackberry, iPhone and Android! What’s even cooler is that LiveProfile lets you connect with other LiveProfile users, no matter what type of phone they have!

Be still my iPhone addicted heart. Read More »

Another year has almost come to an end…and what a year it’s been! But instead of recapping the last twelve months by clicking through tagged photos on Facebook or scrolling through oodles of Twitter updates, let us look back at the technology that make it all possible.

Hint: I’m talking about some of the very same technology that we all freaked out about when it first came out.

Smartphone vs. Smartphone: Google entered the smartphone market when they launched their Android all the way back in January. But that didn’t scare Apple away from launching their new iPhone in June (though its reception favored left-handed talkers and called for ton of free “bumper” cases from Steve Jobs). Then came the Blackberry Torch in August and the Windows 7 phone in October. It seems that Smartphones are no longer a luxury item, but a necessity. You were cool if you had one in 2009, but if you don’t have one by 2011, you and your T9Word texting on that black-and-white screen better start saving up.

Foursquare: The schoolyard ballgame is now a new type of social media? Okay, so the “game” started back in 2009, but our favorite businesses and restaurants didn’t start playing until this year. And even though it’s pretty creepy to let complete strangers know where you are and where you’ve been and what you’re doing at any moment, it’s pretty awesome that you can “check in” for discounts. By the end of this holiday (shopping) season, I will be Mayor of my local mall…and my bank account be mayor of “broke.”

Read More »

The following is a guest post by our (nerdy yet totally helpful) friends at Hack College. Check ‘em out for all your techy needs. They’re like the nerdy boyfriend you never had but always needed.

Not everyone has a smartphone.

It’s true! Though they are excellent devices, and can even be productivity-boosters for the savvy student, they are expensive–and parents are unlikely to see the need for a smartphone to be as urgent as you see it.

Those of us who have yet to join the ranks of Androids and the iGeneration are not totally without hope, though. Even the dumbest of phones, so long as it can text, can be used as more than a pricey doorstop:

Google Calendar - Though most readers are probably aware that you can both create and be informed of GCal events via text message, dumbphone users have an added advantage: since there’s not a constant barrage of incoming messages from installed apps, the 15-minute warning the Google Gods text you about an upcoming meeting is much more likely to be seen.

GOOG-411 – Google’s directory service will give you location-specific business listings, connect you to them, and give you their address. Very helpful if you’re stuck somewhere and need to find the closest taxi service in a hurry–just be patient with the sometimes-confused voice recognition software. Read More »

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, TFLN…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Regretsy, Clicker, and Homeslyce) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

How familiar does this scenario sound to you? You’re driving in your car or walking to class when you suddenly get a great idea or remember you have to do something…but by the time you get a chance to write it down, you’ve already forgotten it.  Or maybe you simply forgot to write down an assignment right when it was assigned…and then forget to turn it in. Or your roommate asked you to pick up some emergency toilet paper… and now everyone has to drip dry.

Thank god I’m here.

Meet reQall, an online service that helps you remember important ideas, dates, tasks, etc., at the exact moment they pop into your head so there’s no time to forget them. (Don’t worry, reQall isn’t some weird microchip installed in your brain.)

It’s ridiculously easy to use: just sign up for an account (you can choose between the “standard” free account and the paid “Pro” account) to get started, and then you can start adding events and reminders.  OK, so that seems pretty similar to having a planner, but it’s so. much. better. Read More »

Move over Crackberry. Step aside, iPhone. There’s a new boy in town and he aims to be bigger and better than his predecessors. (Note: and, no, John McCain didn’t invent this one, either.)

Rumors have been circling for awhile now that Google would be creating a phone, and in just a few days we will finally get to see it. It is called the Dream, which is quite a name to live up to. The information about this badboy is being kept under major lock and key, but many people (read: techy geeks) are sure that this phone will give Apple a run for its money.

If you are really nerdy, like me, you can watch the demo video to see what The Dream has to offer. But if you don’t want to waste 7 minutes, I can sum it up for you:

It looks and acts a lot like the iPhone: touchscreen, internet, Google maps…

I don’t know much about technology, or programming or phones (beyond texting), but I am not sure this Google phone is so revolutionary. I guess I’ll just have to wait until September 23rd to see. For now, I’m holding tight to my iPhone.