photo credit: Green Cell Phone Manufacturers

RIM BlackBerry scored the worst in GoodGuide’s list of green cell phone manufacturers. According to an article by Wendy Koch, USA Today, BlackBerry only earned a 3.3 rating, mostly for the company’s environmental record. Nokia took top honors, with Samsung coming in second. Apple’s iPhone also scored in the lower half of the manufacturers, again not because the material in the iPhone is toxic, but because Apple itself has problems with its “ethical policies and performance.” Nokia scored as the top green manufacturer. 26 of 30 of the top cell phones scored were made by Nokia, each scoring 7.7 or 7.6 out of a possible 10 points. Nokia C6 scored best overall. This is pretty impressive.

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photo credit: Mobile App Investigation

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey are investigating mobile app companies. The Wall Street Journal reported that popular applications on the iPhone and Android mobile phones, including Pandora, transmit information about the phones, their users and their locations to outsiders, including advertising networks. Have you ever wondered how the ads on your mobile apps seem to know exactly what to target? Here’s the clue. The app companies are sharing your information.

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photo credit: Carbon Nanotubes

A team of scientists at the University of Illinois has possibly discovered a way to make cell phone batteries that don’t need charging for months at a time. The team believes their method will enable mobile phone and laptop batteries to last up to 100 times longer. According to Stephen Adams, The Telegraph, it focuses on changing the way a device’s digital memory works, as this consumes much of the charge. Feng Xiong, a graduate student on the team who was lead author on a paper, to be published in the journal Science, explained: “The energy consumption is essentially scaled with the volume of the memory bit. By using nanoscale contacts, we are able to achieve much smaller power consumption.”

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photo credit: Solar Charging Screens

Solar powered cell phones are not new. UMEOX Mobile, a Chinese manufacturer, featured their solar charged “Apollo” Smartphone at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona earlier this year. Samsung has 3 models of solar-powered cell phones. There are a variety of solar-powered cell phone chargers on the market. But the newest innovation is the thin, transparent film that turns your phone’s screen into a solar charger.

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photo credit: Japanese Factories at Risk

A devastating earthquake and tsunami earlier this month in Japan caused shortages of electronic components. It will also result in increased prices. Currently, Apple has to find alternative manufacturers for components of their new iPad2. While Apple may be able to find substitute manufacturers, those same manufacturers realize they have Apple in a desperate situation, and are charging more for those parts. In addition to Apple finding itself in a bind, consumer electronics as a whole are finding shortages of components. And of course, the old “supply and demand” axiom is pushing prices up.

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photo credit: iPhone 5

The new iPhone from Apple is due out sometime this summer. Rumors are flying about just what the new iPhone will include. First of all, will it be called the iPhone 5? For simplicity, that’s what I will call it. Notable sites like PC World Report, iPhonereleasedate.org, and the UK’s The Independent are reporting “reliable rumors” (if there are such things.) Speculation about what will and won’t be included in the new iPhone differs, but most agree there will be a new case design. The back will be made from aluminum rather than glass, and the phone itself will be thinner. It is rumored that the screen will be shatterproof and scratch resistant. Other rumors include an HD audio system and a better “all the time” GPS mode.

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photo credit: Verizon iPhone vs. AT&T iPhone

Which iPhone is faster—Verizon or AT&T? According to an article by Peter Svensson, (AP Technology) posted on TechBits, “the Verizon iPhone loads Web pages just as fast as AT&T’s version of the phone, even though Verizon’s network has lower data speeds, phone testing firm, Metrico Wireless reported.” However, Metrico Wireless said that data downloads on the Verizon iPhone turned out to be half as fast as those on AT&T’s network, but unless you are downloading data, most users didn’t notice much difference in web browsing. Metrico tested the Verizon iPhone’s performance with 4,000 calls and 10,000 Web page downloads in New York, Seattle, Washington, Baltimore, Chicago and Dallas, Rich McNally, Metrico Wireless’ VP of Information Products said.

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photo credit: PlugShare App

So, you have an electric car? Do you ever worry about finding your next charging station before running out of juice? There’s an app for that. PlugShare for the iPhone allows electric car drivers to locate the closest charging stations. Now you can rest easy that you will be able to travel the highways without worrying about being stranded with no power.

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photo credit: Bluetooth Mobile Headset

With hands-free driving laws in 9 states, Bluetooth enabled headsets are becoming a necessity. As more states come on board with hands-free driving laws, it is inevitable that more Bluetooth mobile headsets will be manufactured and sold. There are also a plethora of mobile headsets already being sold. How can you navigate the market and find the best Bluetooth for you? Only you can choose what works for you. Several notable sites, like CNET and PCMagazine, have recently put together a review of the top rated Bluetooth mobile headsets. I have compiled their lists to give you a best of best list to check before you purchase a new Bluetooth mobile headset.

There are really 4 categories of Bluetooth headsets. For comparisons, we have to relate apples to apples. The 4 categories are: mono Bluetooth headsets, stereo Bluetooth headsets, speakerphone Bluetooth devices (usually clipped to your car visor), and then those most compatible with the iPhone (naturally not all Bluetooth headsets are compatible with Apple devices.)

Mono Bluetooth Headsets

PCMagazine lists its top 6 mono Bluetooth headsets with pricing and comments. In order of their ratings, below is their list:
Aliph Jawbone Era – $129 – 4 ½ stars.
Aliph Jawbone Icon – $99 – 4 stars.
BlueAnt Q2 – $129 – 4 stars.
Plantronics Discovery 975 – $129 – 4stars.
Plantronics Voyager Pro+ – $99 – 4 stars.
Sound ID 510 – $129 – 4 stars.

CNET’s list for mono Bluetooth headsets is almost exactly like PCMagazine’s list. The exception is the Motorola Finiti ($99). CNET’s initial review gave it 4 stars, but it has dropped the rating to 2 1/2 stars due to disconnection problems.

Stereo Bluetooth Headsets

PCMagazine lists 2 in its favorite review for stereo Bluetooth headsets. CNET didn’t offer a review of stereo Bluetooth headsets.
Motorola MotoROKR S9-HD – $129 – 3 1/2 stars.
Samsung Modus HM3500 – $59 – 3 1/2 stars.

HubSpot has also given a good review of stereo Bluetooth headsets. Their favorite list includes:
Sony Ericsson HBH Bluetooth Headset – $149 – 4 1/2 stars.
Motorola MOTOROKR S305 – $39 – 4 stars.
Plantronics Backbeat – $69 – 3 1/2 stars.
Nokia BH-905i Bluetooth Headset – $188 – 4 1/2 stars.

Top Bluetooth Speakerphones

PCMagazine only rates one Bluetooth speakerphone.
BlueAnt S4 – $99 – 4 stars. The BlueAnt S4 is an excellent-sounding, voice-enabled, hands-free speakerphone that’s a must buy for anyone sick of wearing a Bluetooth headset in the car.

Top iPhone Bluetooth Headsets

Only HubSpot gave us a list of headsets especially good for the iPhone. Briefly, here is their list:
Plantronics Discovery 975 – $59 – 5 stars.
Plantronics Voyager 510 – $117 – 5 stars.
Plantronics Voyager Pro – $42 – 5 stars.
Plantronics Discovery 95 – $149 – 4 1/2 stars.
Aliph Jawbone Icon – $59 – 4 1/2 stars.
Jawbone III – $49 – 4 1/2 stars.

How do you choose a Bluetooth headset? PCMagazine lists 9 criteria for choosing just the right headset for your tastes. The 9 things to consider are: call quality, noise cancellation, battery life, comfort, style, range, mono v.s stereo sound, bonus features (texting via the headset), and price. No matter which one you choose, getting a Bluetooth headset is a great idea. I love using my Bluetooth any time I use my Droid X Smartphone, not just when I drive. I don’t like having to hold my phone crook’d in my neck to make calls. I personally use what I consider to be a great headset. It’s the NoiseHush N500—light weight and great sound. It comes in a variety of colors. You can get it for only $25 at batteries4less. The best thing about getting at batteries4less is that they offer a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee (in case you don’t like it or it doesn’t work well with your cell phone), and a 1 Year Warranty.

Support for CellPlaza.org is provided by batteries4less.com, the leading online retailer of camera replacement batteries, cell phone batteries, chargers, Motorola RAZR v3 Battery, mobile accessories and cordless phone batteries.

photo credit: Grey Market iPhone 64GB

An iPhone 64GB prototype has surfaced in the ‘grey’ market in Hong Kong. According to an article by Sara Yin, PCMagazine.com, the rumor was first announced on Chinese-language blog Unwire.hk and later ‘confirmed’ by MIC Gadget. The 64GB model appears to be unlocked and running iOS 4.1. MIC Gadget’s photos of the model found are much like the iPhone 4 model that Gizmodo found last spring in a bar. The model shows lots of XX’s on its case. The model number states ‘XXXXX’, FCC ID number is ‘BCG- XXXXXX,’ and printed capacity is ‘XXGB.’

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