Your phone likely has a water sensor in in it to help manufacturers and resellers prove if it’s been exposed to too much moisture to qualify for warranty service or replacement. Except in rare circumstances, a phone that’s a dunking or spill victim is ineligible for complimentary warranty repair. Knowing where this sensor is can help a user determine if they are likely to get warranty service or replacement if their phone is damaged or non-functioning. It might also help you know what to specifically protect if you are in a rainstorm.

Tested.com has a list of popular cell phones and shows where each of the handsets’ water sensors are located. For example on Apple iPhone’s and iPod Touches you will find the sensor either in the headphone jack (see image) or in the dock connector. There is a small white spot that will turn red if exposed to moisture. This can be problematic as the phone itself may not be submerged but water could get into just that location causing the sensor to turn from white to red and indicating exposure to water. There is even a lawsuit over this as some Apple customers claim their phones were not submerged in water but the sensor’s color changed. I personally experienced this with an iPod Touch that stopped working. The hard drive failed. But since the water sensor was a light shade of pink, Apple would not replace it though it was still under warranty.

Other manufacturer handsets covered in the story are the HTC EVO, T-Mobile G1, Blackbery’s various models, the Palm Pre, Motorola Droid, and the Samsung Galaxy.

How To Find Your Mobile Phone’s Water Sensor is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Apple’s co-founder, Steve Wozniak, recommended that iPhone 4 users carry a second Verizon phone as a back-up. This statement came prior to Apple’s press conference today, which provided a possible solution for the antenna issue.

Steve Wozniak, who is currently no longer a part of Apple, started the company with current CEO, Steve Jobs. Though not really involved with Apple’s business affairs, Wozniak has made appearances at Apple Retailers, waiting in line for the newest Apple device. The iPhone 4 launch was no different. Though he could probably obtain the latest Apple device by other means, Wozniak waits in line for the experience and the fact that, “tradition is tradition”.

Wozniak tested the iPhone 4 antenna issue himself, noticing the same symptoms that many other users reported.

“The first time I tried I was able to duplicate the problem. My wife was driving me to the airport and as soon as I got a short distance from my home, and no longer on wifi, I tried it by accessing a web page (using Safari on my iPhone 4) and observing the progress bar.”

“As the bar started to proceed I lightly (‘lightly’) touched a couple of fingers to the trouble area and the progress bar froze. When I lifted my fingers the progress bar continued it’s rapid progress. Putting my finger[s] back down halted the progress bar again. Lifting my fingers another time allowed the web page to finish loading.”

Steve Wozniak offers a few suggestions on how to deal with this issue. He recommends that, “if you can afford it,  carry a second Verizon phone for backup.” The other option is to carry a Verizon MiFi, using Skype for iPhone to make calls. His ideal solution is to buy a Verizon Palm Pre, which has the MiFi functionality built-in.

Of course, at the Apple press conference earlier today, Apple announced the solution to the antenna issue. They are providing a free case or a full refund to all iPhone 4 customers. However, if you want to bask in iPhone 4′s case-less beauty, follow Steve Wozniak’s advice. Get a Verizon backup phone.

Find the full interview with Steve Wozniak, here.

Via MobileCrunch

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Recommends Using Verizon Phone as iPhone 4 Backup is a post by Carter Sprunger from Notebooks.com.

Summer is here! With summer you will likely be going on the road and taking your gadgets with you. We want to give you some suggestions for Summer Time Travel Tech.

Previously we showed you some good notebook computers to take along with you giving you some tips for what to look for in a summer notebook. Then we focused on what should you look for in a great summer camera.

Now we are focusing on technology to help you occupy the time while flying or riding to your destination. We’ll look at gadgets that entertain and are more mobile than a notebook PC.

In this installment we focus on entertainment toys that might also help you get online or even do a little work while on the road. The focus is not on a do-it-all device, but we will be looking at a device that lets you check email and get online to check email and social networks in addition to fulfilling the primary role of entertaining you. You might even be able to get a bit of work done while you’re at it.

We’ll look at several categories of devices that fit these needs; portable gaming devices and smartphones. At the end of each category we will summarize how well it handles our three primary tasks. In part two we will look at netbooks and tablets.

Portable Gaming Device

One of the most popular gaming devices is the Sony PSP, or Portable PlayStation. There are really two kinds of PSPs now, the older system which is technically called the PSP-3000 and a newer smaller PSPGo.

The PSP 3000 is larger and plays games on small cartridges that look like mini CDs in a case called UMDs or Universal Media Discs. The retail price for a PSP is about $170. The games retail at $40 but can often be purchased for less.

The PSPGo is the newer version of Sony’s PSP system. It is smaller and the games are not stored on UMD but downloaded from an online store. It is more expensive at around $250 retail.

Both PSP systems have the ability to play movies and music. You can browse the web, although the browser in them is pretty rudimentary. You can check email and twitter online. But like the name of the category this is a gaming device so it shines at playing games. If your primary goal is to play games and you just want to be able to do the other things on occasion, then this is your best bet. If you need to ever get any productivity work done, don’t bother.

PSP and PSPGo Handles gaming well; can go online but not a great solution; no real productivity support

The next portable gaming option is the Nintendo’s DS. Like the PSP the Nintendo DS is primarily a gaming system, although there is a limited ability to get online with some models. That said, you won’t be able to do any productivity taskson this device; the focus is on gaming.

The different Nintendo DS models range in price from $130 to $190 at most retailers and games are usually around $30 when first released. One of the drawbacks of the DS systems is having to keep track of a stylus.

Nintendo DS Systems Handles gaming well; some can go online but not a great solution; no real productivity support

A third portable gaming device is the Apple iPod Touch or iPad. Since the Touch is so much like the iPhone, we will deal with it in the Smart Phone category. And the iPad will be part of our tablets category. Just suffice it to say that all of the iOS devices are good for some gaming.

Smart Phones

Smart phones are very popular for productivity and gaming. The primary categories are Blackberry, Android, Palm and of course iOS devices.

Our own Android expert Josh Smith said one of the Android platform’s strengths is in the area of GPS, which Josh feels is actually better than a dedicated GPS solution. The ability to Google any business near you by name or type and get their with free turn by turn directions make this an appealing tool for summer travel. Smith added that an app like Yelp for finding dining and entertainment rounds add to the usefullness of an Android device on the road.

Google Android devices don’t have built in Google Docs support but you can download free or paid office apps from the Android market to handle short edits or document collaboration while you are on the road or sitting on the beach.

In the past, gaming may not have been as big a category with Android. But in its short life it has picked up according to Smith. He said, “… with great games like Flight Director and Home Run Battle 3D you can stay entertained on the road.” One caveat though. Smith warned, “Beware, gaming will drain your battery life; but unlike some phones you can toss in an extra battery and keep going.”

When it comes to BlackBerry devices, unless you are looking for a device that is great at messaging and not a whole lot else, you should keep going. While there is a Blackberry App store, even Pogue agrees that the BlackBerry is not an app phone. For gaming, keep going.

Palm is a device in flux. You should wait until things settle with HP buying the company before investing in a Palm device. And with Windows Mobile waning in popularity and soon being replaced by Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7, it’s not a  device to be throwing any money at either. Don’t even bother with the KIN, which Microsoft discontinued after just 6 weeks either.

But if you must choose a Windows Mobile or Palm phone, there is a collection of apps that you can buy for both platforms including all of the categories we’ve been talking about. Games, productivity, and getting online with both is very doable.

Finally, there is the iOS devices. The iPhone 4 is a little hard to find, especially if you are hitting the road soon. If you can wait a month you will have more options as the White iPhone will be available and hopefully Apple will have fixed the reception problems.

The iPhone is a great gaming device. There are a some new games that really take advantage of the higher resolution screen of the iPhone 4. The gyroscope in the new iPhone makes the games that require you to actually move the phone really fun.

I downloaded a game I heard really took advantage of this and was not disappointed. It is called Eliminate: Gun Range. You aim your gun by moving the phone ever so slightly hitting targets for points in a timed game. It is amazing how sensitive it is. The game is fun but a little hard to master. The point is that this app shows what a game can be on the new hardware.

As for productivity, there are a a lot of apps for creating documents and now you can finally pair a Bluetooth keyboard with the phone for editing. With literally over 100,000 apps to choose from, even if only 10 percent are worth anything that’s 10,000 apps.

Getting online with the iPhone is easy, so long as you are travelling in an area that has good coverage. Sadly, this is one area the iPhone either excels or fails varying wildly depending on your location.In some areas the 3G coverage is fast and very good, but in others it is nonexistent. The iPhone 4 reception issues are real and should be taken into consideration.

If you were not at all invested in one platform, then it might be that an Android Phone would be your best option right now. Either way, smartphones are a great solution for gaming, getting online, and doing some work while away from home. Add GPS solutions to the mix and they are a plus for a travel tech tool box.

Smartphones – Handles gaming well; can go online if you have a good signal; handles productivity well; add GPS which they do well

Conclusion

At the halfway point in our look at portable gaming devices, one thing is sure. There are a ton of options for playing games. The question is, do you want to play hard-core games or more casual games? If you want the second, I personally would pick a smart phone over a Nintendo DS or PSP because of the flexibility. Smartphones do so much more than just play games which makes them a perfect fit for many casual gamers. Not only do they make and receive phone calls and text messages; in the case of the HTC Incredible or the iPhone 4, they take great pictures and video too. You will want a good camera for your trip, but if you leave it in the hotel or your vehicle, at least you will have a really good camera phone.

On the other hand, if productivity and online tools are just something you might need very rarely and you want great games, go with the PSP or Nintendo DS.

In part two we will look at the netbook and tablets as options in this category of summer travel tech.

Summer Travel Tech: Entertainment Devices Part One is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

HP and Palm announced an agreement for the number one PC maker to buy the struggling smart phone company for $5.70 per share, making the total deal worth $1.2 Billlion, pending approval by investors and regulators. Assuming there are no hurdles from either group it will be finalized during HP’s third fiscal quarter. That pushes HP branded hardware running WebOS into the second half of the year at the earliest and most likely next year.

The announcement was made this afternoon during a surprise webcast that was publicized and hosted with almost no advanced warning. There has been a lot of speculation in recent weeks about who would finally step in and rescue Palm’s sinking ship. Many rumors focused on HTC, Lenovo, and Dell as potential buyers. Numerous media outlets and tech blogs also predicted Cisco, Google, RIM, Intel, Motorola or Microsoft would be the buyer. But HP surprised them all.

Palm has fallen on hard times. Sales of the Palm Pre and other smartphone models have not lived up to expectations and its stock price plummeeted for many reasons. Most people agree that it is primarily due to the failure of their WebOS based products to garner any excitement from consumers despite a lot of fanfare from the tech press. During the first weekend after its release, the Palm Pre sold less than a third of the number of iPhones sold when Apple introduced its first phone. Some think this was due to poor marketing. This was all but admitted when Palm fired the team that came up with the creepy commercials that did little to actually show off the interesting features of the new Palm OS. I remember marveling that the device could multitask while my iPhone could not. Poor sales have left Palm floundering for a buyer and HP rode in on its white horse.

In the acquisition announcement, HP stated that the smartphone industry is strong with growth potential. HP has had a limited sway in the sector despite being an early player, along with Palm, in PDAs. HP did not make a significant shift to smartphones. Recent HP iPAQ phones have not been picked up by wireless carriers. But with the acquisition of Palm, HP executive believe the company can play a significant role in the smartphone market.

In acquiring Palm, HP dramatically accelerates the assets needed to deliver compelling connected mobile experiences. Palm’s world-class technology, coupled with HP’s scale and financial strength, will accelerate our strategy within the connected mobile device market. (Todd Bradley, Executive Vice Present, Personal Systems Group, HP)

The two things that HP seems to value, based on the announcement today, is the WebOS and the team of engineers who created it. When asked about the team, they said they will continue to function as a division of HP with Palm’s Jon Rubenstein leading it.

HP will support this with international influence and the one very important thing Palm did not have – cash. Words like investment and financial strength were used more than once during the call. HP plans to increase investment in R&D moving forward.

We strongly believe that HP’s scale, global reach and financial strength, coupled with the world-class technology from Palm, will be a winning combination for our customers, partners, shareholders and our employees. (Bradly)

During the Q&A it was asked where Palm’s OS would fit. Bradly mentioned consumer oriented smart phones like the Pre and Pixi. He also talked about tablets and slates, where HP has already had a strong presence in the past and is looking to reinvigorate with their own forthcoming slate. He said they see WebOS devices reaching not just into consumer markets but education and healthcare as well.

One thing HP would probably rather not have to take on but will is the red ink Palm brings with it.  However, HP’s Jim Burns downplayed that when he said the impact of the operating loss of Palm “will be mild.”

However, HP is going to “double down on WebOS” said Brian Humphries, HP’s Senior VP of Strategy and Corporate Development in an interview with Techcrunch. That is a big gamble on an OS that few were willing to buy. But HP is not just buying a mobile OS. HP gets a lot of technology tied up in hundreds of patents. Also in the interview with Techcrunch, Humphries said that current deals with carriers “are over and that HP will strike new ones…” after things are finalized.

So what makes HP think they can do what the Palm execs couldn’t sell WebOS devices? For one thing, HP has partnerships with most of the world’s major carriers on the backend supplying the underpinnings of their networks with HP servers. They hope to leverage this clout to bring WebOS devices to the market. They also have a history in the tablet and even netbook segment of the PC market. They have had some success already. Most agree that it was not the software or the hardware that doomed Palm, but the leadership and timing. And being the number one PC manufacturer gives them much more breathing room that the struggling Palm had. They have time to let the Palm geniuses do their magic and to allow HP’s marketing partnerships to push the fruits of their labor to market.

One negative, according to many observes, is Jon Rubenstein. He will apparently be at the healm of Palm even under HP. How much authority will he have in a new HP owned Palm? If he was not able to make the decision to bring success before, what will be different now that HP is signing his checks?

One thing is already becoming clear. Palm investors like it. Palm’s stock price was down .43 percent today. But that was before the announcement. In after-hours trading post conference call the price has risen by nearly 26 percent. The Palm-HP announcement did not come till after the market was closed. HP’s price has dropped less than a percentage point in the same time frame.

While this might be a negative for competitors in the phone, tablet, and netbook sectors, it means more competition which is always a good thing for the consumer. My first two PDAs were a Palm Pilot and an HP Jornada PocketPC. So today’s news has me a little nostalgic. I am sure HP hopes to get some of that early magic back as well.

HP Buys Palm for $1.2 Billion is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

With all the buzz leading up to the Palm Pre launch, you would think that the Pre would kill off all other smartphones. The other phones are still alive I am happy to report for the sake of my trusty BlackBerry Bold. The Pre officially launched and I finally got the chance to get my hands on it.

It didn’t disappoint as it has some key distinguishing features like a GUI optimized for real multitasking. Palm calls these Cards” probably based on their size, shape, and manner of closing- and they are very useful. It’s a challenge to describe in print so I shot some videos to show off the Palm Pre’s capabilities.

One of the key purchase criteria for a smartphone is size. Consumers consider whether they will carry in their pocket, purse, or for the real geek, in the front shirt pocket. In the video below I compare the Palm Pre size to the T-Mobile G1, the BlackBerry Storm, BlackBerry Bold, and the Apple iTouch.

Tired of scrambling for that mini-USB, micro-USB or proprietary power cable? Palm obviously listened to consumers when they developed the optional Touchstone Charging Kit.” It uses magnetic induction technology so that there are no cables to plug in when you need power. Just set the Pre on the Touchstone, and it starts charging. The Touchstone and back of the Pre click together magnetically and aside from being incredibly useful, is a lot of fun! Both the Pre back cover and the base of the charger are rubberized too which provides a soft landing. Check out the video below that shows this.

Pat Moorhead is VP of Advanced Marketing at AMD. You can follow him on twitter at @PatrickMoorhead

Palm Pre Review (videos) is a post by Pat Moorhead from Notebooks.com.

Apple once again has taken the blogosphere by storm with their latest iteration of the iPhone and its software. The Palm Pre was released just this Saturday and the blogs were ablaze with chatter (until today) with all things Pre. Earlier this month, Google’s Android development team released the much anticipated cupcake update (Firmware 1.5). With all the news coming at breakneck speed, it’s difficult to stay abreast of all the developments and all the details. Below is an attempt to highlight the hardware differences between four devices, the iPhone 3G, the new iPhone 3GS, the Palm Pre, and the HTC G1 in a concise table. As you can see, the hardware is very closely matched.

Apple iPhone 3G vs. iPhone 3GS vs. Palm Pre vs. HTC G1 is a post by Truc from Notebooks.com.

The Palm Pre will launch on June 6. There has been a lot of discusion about when the Pre would launch on Sprint’s network, but we believe the date is official after spotting Sprint a ad that features a countdown timer to June 6. The advertisements will likely point to Sprint’s Now Network Pre landing page.

The ad features a countdown timer that’s identical to the counters in Sprint’s nationwide “Now Network” advertisements and web site.

The New York Times reported yesterday that the Palm Pre would launch the first week of June.

We expect an official announcement from Sprint and Palm soon.

Palm Pre to Launch June 6 (confirmed?) is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.