Chrome to Phone for Android 2.2

Google has released the Chrome to Phone extension for Google Chrome and Android.  This is a neat little application that will allow you to instantly send web pages and maps from your PC to your Android 2.2 Froyo device.  I can't see myself using this very frequently but it is still a nice feature to have.  I'm hoping they will add the ability to send a webpage or map to a friend's phone.  That is something I would use all the time!

Have you installed it?  What do you think?

Netflix and EPIX strike a deal! Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate movies on Xbox 360/PS3 September 1

The Neflix and EPIX deal has become official!  EPIX is an initiative launched by Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate with the goal of providing premium, network friendly content to streaming video providers.  Movies will become available 90 days after their DVD/Bluray release.  What does this mean for you?  Expect to find A grade movie titles on your Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, or whatever Netflix "Watch It Instantly" enabled device you should own.  This news couldn't come sooner!  "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Love Julie Newmar" was starting to get old... who am I trying to kid... that movie will never get old!

Motorola Droid 2 Officially Announced!

Photo Courtesy of Engadget.Com

Verizon has officially announced the release date of the highly anticipated Motrola Droid 2!  Pre-Sale begins tomorrow and expect to find it in stores as soon as Thursday!  The phone will run you $200 (after a $100 mail in rebate) with a 2 year contract.  Those of you who can't live without a physical keyboard, this is the phone for you!  The Android 2.2 upgrade has made major moves to meet corporate IT security standards.  The OS improvements combined with a physical keyboard position the Droid 2 to become a corporate must have phone! 

The Droid 2 features:

• Improved Keyboard (The keys have been repositioned and raised to allow for easier typing)
• 3.7" Diagonal Multi-Touch Display
• 5 Mega Pixel Camera
• 16 GB Memory (8 GB Internal/8 GB External Micro SD/ Ability to add up to 32 GB Micro SD)
• Android 2.2 (Froyo)
• Adobe Flash Player Mobile 10.1 (That's right!  MiniClips games on your phone!)
• DLNA Streaming (Allows High Defintion Video Streaming)
• Mobile Hotspot (Connect up to 5 Wireless devices to your phone for an extra $20 a month)

Blackberry Torch and Blackberry 6 OS Just Not Good Enough

Photo Courtesy of Engadget.com

The Blackberry Torch has finally seen the light of the day.  Blackberry has been producing some pretty unexciting phones over the past couple of years so its nice to see a new form factor.  The Blackberry Torch brings the highly anticipated Blackberry OS 6 (BOS6) along with it.  I have watched a video review of BOS6 Software here on Engadget.com earlier and I must agree with Josh Topolsky; the new OS is an improvement but it is just not good enough.  iOS and Android both provide an unbelievable mobile phone experiences.  Blackberry is falling behind and losing customers to Apple, Motorola, and HTC.  Once upon a time, owning a Blackberry was a source of pride.  The OS was cutting edge and the email functionality could not be topped.  However,  the Exchange Active Sync movement is exploding in the corporate world and gmail dominates the personal email market.  The last bastion of hope for Blackberry lies in the beloved Blackberry Messenger application.  Over time users will grow tired of the lesser functionality and migrate to a more innovative Mobile Phone OS.

If Blackberry plans on surviving the Mobile Phone OS evolution they really need to bring their A game.  I feel that BOS6 is a half-hearted effort to catch up with today's fast paced rate of innovation.  To survive this market, innovation is a necessity and must come in large doses.  "My phone is almost as good as" just will not stand.