photo credit: iPhone Stick-on Keyboard

4i Concepts’s 4iThumbs2 is a stick on keyboard for the iPhone. The concept behind the stick on keyboard, available in both portrait and landscape mode for $13-$25 with bumper, is to get users comfortable with the virtual keyboard. According to an article by Doug Rule, Mobiledia, “4i Concepts’s 4iThumbs2 is an invisible, removable plastic film that sits over the face of an iPhone, with ridges between keys to help ensure a finger hits the intended key, not any of its neighbors. The film is held in place by a bumper, and can be easily removed and stored on the back of the phone when not in use.”

“As the only tactile ridged screen for the iPhone, 4iThumbs2 is sort of like training wheels for new iPhone users, making their transition to a touch screen comfortable and easy,” said Jerry Rosengarten, founder of 4i Concepts.

Have you sent embarrassing text messages because of typos? There is actually a website dedicated to the laughable and embarrassing mistakes. It’s called “Damn You Auto Correct.” It features mistakes like “Your Mum and I are going to divorce next month,” instead of “Your Mum and I are going to Disney next month.” The founder of the site, Jillian Madison, has actually been offered a book deal due out this month, according to an article by Brian McCullough, Mobiledia. Perhaps this new keyboard will help that situation.

iPhone users seem to be more susceptible to texting errors than other Smartphone texters. According to the article on Mobiledia, apparently this is due to the fact that iPhone requires specific input to decline an auto suggestion, and many users are in too much of a hurry and just press “send” without checking. Not only can this be embarrassing but can be potentially career damaging, depending on who you are texting.

What about the Android users? So far there are no plans for a similar keyboard for the Droids. Perhaps this is because they vary in screen size. Regardless, Google has given the Android users several tools to help with their clumsy fingers. I think my personal favorite is Swype. It allows you to slide your finger along from letter to letter in a continuous motion and have the Swype app auto suggest words. Another tool Google offers on the Android is speech to text so you can dictate your testing. It works fairly well, and is of course editable.

Got any embarrassing text mistakes you want to share? Are you an iPhone user or use another Smartphone? The bottom line is that you should proofread your texts before sending. Yes, a keyboard trainer would help, but you still need to check your words.

Support for CellPlaza.org is provided by batteries4less.com, the leading online retailer of camera replacement batteries, cell phone batteries, chargers, mobile accessories and cordless phone batteries. Buy a LG Vu cu920 Battery online at batteries4less.

photo credit: Asus Eee Pad

Asus demonstrated its 7-inch Android Memo tablet, including phone accessory, at the CeBit in Hanover, Germany last week. After CES, which takes place in Las Vegas in January every year, CeBIT is the next big tradeshow that showcases the latest digital innovations. Asus showcased its small 7″ tablet with the Android OS 2.2, but assured everyone that it would be shipping with the Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS as soon as April 2011. Pricing is reported to come in around $499-$699, depending on the options you choose.

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Confession App

Are you a Catholic needing to go to confession? There’s an app for that. Seriously though, it’s not actually an app to substitute for confession. (The Catholic Church is very clear on this issue.) It is an app for the iPhone that helps you figure out how you’ve sinned (as if you didn’t know) and formulate a confession. It’s called Confession: A Roman Catholic App, and was created by Little iApps with the help of two Catholic priests ($1.99). And it has been given the blessing of Bishop Kevin C. Rhodes of the Diocese of Fort Wayne - South Bend, Indiana.

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Motorola Xoom - Now or Later?

The Motorola Xoom became available February 24th. With its 10.1 inch screen and 1280 by 800 resolution display, it is perfect for displaying pictures and presentations. The Xoom’s Honeycomb OS runs Nvidia’s Tegra 2 platform, with a dual-core 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 32GB of on-board user memory (plus an SD card slot). What’s not to love? Why not rush out and buy it now?

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Android Nook Color

Want a new Android Tablet for $249? The Nook Color actually runs on the Android mobile operating system. Of course out of the box it isn’t an Android tablet, but with some tweeking, you can root the Nook Color to be an Android tablet. According to an article posted by Anya Vinclauv, Gather Technology, “Once rooted, the Nook Color has access to the Android 3.0 Honeycomb port, and the ability to run apps from Android Market. The market was locked out upon purchase of the device from Barnes & Noble.”

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: iPad 2 Event

The much touted iPad 2 is rumored to be revealed today in San Francisco at 1:00 pm. Special invitations for the event were sent out with a sneaky-looking iPad peeking out from behind the date. Rumors are flying about just what the new features will be. According to Catharine Smith, The Huffington Post, MacLife offers a sobering prediction: “While many may be disappointed if Apple doesn’t ’shock and awe’ with the next iPad, the reality is that the company’s tablet is leading the market by such a wide margin at this point, Cupertino can still afford to coast a little bit — at least until September, when the rumor mill claims we’ll likely see a more spectacular iPad 2 with the bells and whistles that make us all swoon.”

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Is Your Teen Sexting?

Is your teen sexting? Sexting is the practice of sending naughty pictures via text message or email. There is apparently an epidemic of sexting going on with teens today. (And for those who feel like they are still teens… LOL) But all kidding aside, it is a major problem among teens today. Many teens today have their own cell phones, and it is considered a violation of their privacy to monitor their texting and calls. (When I was young it was like having your mother read your diary…) And while you may not want to step on your teen’s privacy issues, did you know that in some states the parents can be punished for the sexting that their teen does?

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Casio Bluetooth Wristwatch

Ever had to dig in your bag to silence your ringing cell phone? Now you can just tap your wristwatch twice and it will silence your phone. According to Martyn Williams, IDG News, Casio has developed a prototype system that can mute a phone with a couple of taps to a wristwatch. The wristwatch works with Bluetooth Low Power technology (BLE-technology) and an app that enables it to link with your cell phone. The watch is scheduled to be out to consumers by the end of the year.

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: 911 Oral Histories

None of us will ever forget the tragedy of September 11, 2001. We are coming up on 10 years since it devastated New York, and really the whole world. A new app, Broadcastr, seeks to make audio clips available as an oral history of the terrible event. Debuting this month, this app will make those stories available on both the Internet and Smartphones.

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: PGA Allows Cell Phones

The PGA has long banned fans having cell phones at Tour events. Finally, after significant pressure, Andy Pazder, the PGA Tour’s Chief of Operations, announced the policy change Tuesday after allowing cell phone use at five previous tournaments as part of an experiment to enhance fans’ overall experiences, according to Reuters. The PGA’s new rules allow the mobile devices with the some restrictions. The volume must be on silent, you can only make calls in designated areas, you may only take still photos during practice rounds, and there is to be no video recording at all.

The Tour will formally introduce the new policy at the Honda Classic in March. After several months of testing, the powers-that-be decided fans could bring and use their mobile phones at Tour events. Of course there will be stiff penalties like being kicked out of the tournament if you are caught taking photos or don’t have your phone on silent mode.

“We understand that mobile devices are an important part of everyday life,” said Andy Pazder. “We concluded, after the five test tournaments, that allowing mobile devices on-site at Tour events was a tremendous fan enhancement, allowing them to stay connected to business and family.”

There are more benefits than just being able to make calls. With web browsing capable cell phones, you can also pull up PGATour.com and check the leader boards for the latest scores and statistics. According to Yahoo Sports, there are also some interesting stories about the old days when cell phones were banned at the Tour Events. Fans would use their cell phones up to the last minute before entering the event, and then toss them into a bush with a lot of other last minute users’ phones. When they came to retrieve their phone, they would use someone else’s phone to call their cell phone and pick up the one ringing. I bet that was pretty funny to watch.

Are you a golfing fan? Do you think the PGA should let fans bring their cell phones into events? Do you think fans can be trusted to only use cell phones in designated places and have the phones on silent mode? How many of us hear cell phones go off in movie theaters when it is clearly posted and even announced that cell phone usage is prohibited? Perhaps being threatened with expulsion from such a costly event, like the PGA Tour, is a good deterrent. After all, confiscating your cell phone probably constitutes some sort of personal freedom violation.