GAMES AND GADGETS

By: Philip Silva

For those of you who didn't get in line for an iPhone but wants to avoid the envy, pcworld.com has an article on how to dress up your cell phone to avoid any iPhone envy. Some of the applications would cost you around $30 or less but you don't have to worry about shelling out $500-$600.

iPhone's Visual Voicemail

iPhone's Visual Voicemail lets you choose which voicemail you will listen to by listing it without the need to hear the voicemail first. If you want to have visual voicemail on your cell phone, callwave, according to the pcworld article, is a free service that sends copies of your voicemail messages to your e-mail. The caller's name and the message length is displayed in the subject line so you can select which voicemail you will listen to. The software creates a contact list on your PC and notifies you of new messages through SMS message on your mobile phone.

GotVoice is a web-based service that grabs your voicemail messages, records them as MP3 and then sends it to your email address. GotVoice will work with any phone be it your mobile phone, home phone and even your work phone. The service is free but expect to see advertisement. They have a premium account which will cost you $10.

iPhone's syncing capability with iTunes and your PC

The PocketTunes 4.0 can let your phone connect to internet radio stations plus lets you download music from popular subscription services like Yahoo Music, Napster To Go, and Rhapsody To Go. The application will cost you $38 and is compatible with Palm Treo phones.

For your Windows Mobile smart phone, you can download the M music player which lets you access songs on your PC and lets you receive Internet Radio broadcasts. The service will set you back $5 per month or $50 per year.

For phones that support Java, for $10 per month, the MobiTV application lets you stream live TV on your phone as well as receive radio broadcasts.

iPhone's 4 to 8 GB memory capacity

The iPhone's memory is restricted to either 4 or 8 GB capacity. Most phones nowadays have an expansion slot that supports memory cards, SD cards, microSD and miniSD. The highest capacity for multimedia cards is at 4GB but according to pcworld, that capacity can double.

iPhone supports Google Maps

Pcworld reports that Google Maps has a mobile version for any cell phones that are capable of connecting to the internet. And if your mobile phone has GPS capabilities, you can one up the iPhone since it can only view static maps, according to pcworld, major carriers offer GPS mapping and traffic updates.

For other tips and applications that would make you forget about the iPhone and stay loyal to your old phone, visit the pcworld article below.

SOURCE:

Michael S. Lasky, iPhone versus Your Phone: Tips to Avoid iPhone Envy. PC World.