It’s been a whirlwind week for smartphones and tablets. In case you missed the news and reviews, we have a collection of the hottest news of the week. We also have our top picks for notebook news and reviews to give you some afternoon reading.

Smartphone and Tablet News for the week of May 6th

• The Best Android Smartphones – Coming Summer 2011
  A look at the hottest Android smartphones coming this summer.
• The 5 Best Android Smartphones [May, 2011]
  The hottest Android smartphones available right now.
• How My iPad Made Me Hate Paper and Helped Me Save Over $15,000
  Kevin saves a load of money by using his iPad ad ditching paper.
• Kevin Saves the Dough by Going Paperless, I’m Not So Lucky
  Warner still has trouble going paperless, note for lack of trying though.
• RIM Demos Android Apps on BlackBerry PlayBook, Again (Video)
  RIM has posted another video of the tablet showing off its ability to run applications of the Android variety with more details.
• Verizon to Target Female Demographics with HTC Bliss Android Smartphone, Droidette?
  Verizon is rumored to be coming out with an Android phone geared towards women. With a glowing charm accessory.
• HTC EVO 3D Details, Review & Hands-On Video Roundup
  Everything you need to know about the HTC EVO 3D before it launches this summer.
• Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 Tablet PC Slate Launching Today
  Sumocat delivers his thoughts on the Fujitsu Stylistic Q550 slate Tablet PC.
• LG Revolution Details, Review & Hands-On Video Roundup
  What we know so far about the LG Revolution, likely the 3rd 4G LTE device to come to Verizon.
• RIM Announces BlackBerry 7, Says Current BlackBerry Phones Won’t Get It
  RIM also introduced its latest and greatest operating system, BlackBerry 7, which will launch on the new BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 aka BlackBerry Bold Touch at some point this year.
• RIM Announces BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 (BlackBerry Bold Touch)
  RIM introduced the BlackBerry Bold Touch at its BlackBerry World conference. The device, which had been expected for quite some time, will officially be known as the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the BlackBerry Bold 9930
• Finger Nose Stylus for Stall Surfers Might Be Carrying Things a Bit Far
  A strap on nose stylus lets you stall surf and tub surf with ease.
• Prepaid Smartphone Showdown: Virgin Mobile, Metro PCS, Verizon, T-Mobile & More
  A look at the prepaid smartphone options from national carriers like Virgin Mobile, Verizon and T-Mobile as well as smaller carriers like US Cellular, Metro PCS and Boost Mobile

Smartphone and Accessory Reviews for May 2011

• Review: Sprint MiFi 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot (Video)
  Check out our thoughts on the Sprint MiFi 3G/4G hotspot.
• SugarSync Review: Back Up and Sync With Multiple Computers – Better Than Dropbox
  SugarSync stole Kevin away from Dropbox. Find out why he switched.
• Verizon Droid Charge Review (Video)
  The Droid Charge is the newest 4G LTE phone to land on Verizon, check out our review before the Charge arrives in store.
• BooqPad iPad 2 Folio Review: The iPad Case for Note Takers
  The BooqPad + Evernote makes for a great inking experience.
• Casio G’zOne Commando Rugged Android Smartphone Hands On and First Impressions (Video)
  The Casio G’zOne Commando is a rugged Android smartphone that looks intimidating, but loves a good soak.
• Droid Incredible 2 Hands On and First Impressions (Video)
  The Droid Incredible 2 is a slim but powerful 3G smartphone. Check out our first impressions.

Notebook News for the Week of May 6th

MacBook Air Running Windows 7

• Mac Owners Targeted with Fake Antivirus App
  Malware programmers are after Mac Owners with a new fake Antivirus app that tries to get your money and your credit card information.
• USB Modems Preferred 3 to 1 over Personal Hotspots. Why?
  Users prefer USB modems over mobile hotspots. We don’t know why either.
• Is the MacBook Air a Good Windows 7 Notebook?
  A look at how Windows 7 runs as a full time OS on teh MacBook Air. Also, how to set this up for yourself.
• Is Apple dumping Intel for ARM?
  Rumors point to Apple ditching Intel for ARM powered notebooks and desktops. Find out our take.
• Standing Desk Guide: Measurements, Examples and Benefits
  Everything you need to know to get started with a standup desk.
• Two Reasons the Mac OS X Lion Update Will Come On a Disc
  Two reasons why OS X Lion will come on a disk or drive when it arrives this summer.

Notebook Reviews for May 2011

• Samsung RV511 Review: Great Features on a $500 Notebook
  The feature packed RV511 earns high marks for value thanks to looks and a collection of features typical of higher priced notebooks.
• Acer Aspire 7552G-6436 Review [Video]
  Check out this Quad Core Desktop replacement. It’s not perfect, but it might be right for you.
• Ergotron WorkFit S Review: Standing Desk With Hinged Dual LCD Mount (Video)
  Review of our favorite Sit stand desk from Ergotron with a cool new hinged monitor mount.
• ASUS Eee PC 1215B with AMD Fusion Hands On (Video)
  Hands on video of the AMD Fusion powered ASUS Eee PC 1215B

How To Guides for May

• How To Make Windows 7 Look and Act Like Windows XP
  Make Windows 7 look and act like Windows XP if you can’t bear to change. Even if it is for the better.
• 9 Tips for Troubleshooting Internet Explorer 9
  How to handle common Internet Explorer 9 issues.

Weekly Wrapup: Notebook, Tablet and Smartphone News (May 6th) is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

With Mother’s Day coming May 8th we wanted to show you some good gadget gifts that would help mom and help you show her your love. Ranging in price from $3.99 to over $800 we have something sure to fit your budget.

iPhoto Print Books or Calendars – $3.99 to $49.99 or more

Mom’s love pictures of their family and children or grandkids. Apple makes very nice Photo printed products right from iPhoto if you have a Mac. You can get a small 3.5×2.6 soft cover photo book with 20 pages for as little as $3.99 with extra pages costing $.29 each up to 100 total pages. There are other sizes available at a higher price as follows:

• Soft cover medium 8×6 w/20 pages – $9.99 and $.49 for extra pages up to 100
• Soft cover large 11×8.5 w/20 pages – $19.99 and $.69 for extra pages up to 100
• Large hard cover 11×8.5 w/20 pages – $29.99 and $.99 for extra pages up to 100
• Extra-large hard cover 13×10 w/20 pages – $49.99 and $1.49 for extra pages up to 100

They also offer cards for the following prices:

• 5×7 special letterpress cards for $2.99 each
• folded cards for between $1.59-$1.99 depending on the number ordered
• flat cards for between $.99 and $1.49

Finally, they offer a 13×10.4 inch calendar with 12 months for $19.99. Additional months are $1.49 each.

Apple iPhoto Print Calendars

These are all made from within iPhoto and the orders go through Apple and can be shipped directly to you or your mom.

Whirl Mini Laser Mouse w/ Anti-Gravity Comfort Pivot – $49.99

The Whirl Mini Laser Mouse is an ergonomic mouse to help fight carpal tunnel syndrome

We reviewed this little ergonomic mouse and it’s bigger brother. The concept is the mouse is lifted off the surface by a stand that allows the user to tilt the thing at an angle that is more comfortable. Maybe your wife or mom has some carpel tunnel issues or complains about the discomfort of mousing all day. She can use this mouse and according to the company it does relieve stress on the wrists. It also takes some getting used to, so if you get her one of these warn her of the adjustment period. It is a nice size for those with small hands and for tossing in a computer bag.

They have six attractive colors to pick from. The are available at the company’s site or for a slightly discounted price at Amazon. Below is our review video:

SmartShopper Electronic Grocery List Organizer – $79.99

This little magnetic gadget hangs on your fridge and helps the whole family quickly create shopping lists. Just press the the blue Record button in the middle of the device and it turns on waiting for your to say what you want to add to the list. When you are ready to go shopping you print the list. It dispenses grocery receipt style lists organized by category. Below is a list of features the gadget boasts:

• Easy-to-use, hands-free voice operation
• Prints and automatically categorizes your lists
• Category Mgt. allows the user to match their store layout, change and add categories
• Powerful magnet mounts unit to your refigerator or metal cabinet
• Two lists can be individually named and kept simultaneously
• Flags items that you have coupons for
• Allows you to designate quantities
• Centrally located for the whole family to use
• Small enough to fit into your kitchen decor
• Built-in kitchen timer
• Comes pre-programmed with over 2500 items
• Allows you to add your own unique items and brands

And here is their mildly amusing commercial for the SmartShopper.

You can get them direct from the company. The device is $79.99 and with a bundle of three rolls of paper it is $89.99. Replacement rolls can be purchased for 10.99 for a pack of three or $59.99 for 18 rolls. The reviews at Amazon are actually quite good. If you like to get previous generation devices for cheaper Amazon has the old version for $30.

Apple iPod Nano 8GB – $149

If your wife or mom does not carry a smart phone that plays music, then an iPod is the perfect gift. Unless she has an enormous music collection we think the best option is the latest iPod Nano. The 8GB model is enough to carry a bunch of albums, audio books, or audio podcasts. The sound quality is great and the form factor is perfect for a purse or just carrying in her jeans. She can connect it with arm band for when she works out. And if she is a total geek, she can even turn it into a watch. We don’t recommend you suggest that or even get her one of the many bands, unless you want a gag gift to go along with it. Get the Nano and an iTunes gift card or better yet just load up a few of her favorite songs or books so she can listen ouf of the box.

Amazon Kindle eReader – $114-$189

The Amazon Kindle is the eReader that really started the whole eReader craze. Recently they began to offer a deal where you can get a 6″ Kindle for just $114 if you don’t mind seeing some ads. The ads will not be part of the books, but will be in the pages that are shown when the Kindle is in sleep mode. While this is okay if you just can’t afford the others, we recommend the Wi-Fi model without the ads for $139 or the model with built-in free 3G cellular service for $189. Amazon’s 3G service allows the user to download books over the air even when they are not in range of a Wi-Fi network. There is no monthly fee for this free service. The 3G feature is only necessary if you don’t have a Wi-Fi network or really want to buy books or magazines away from home, office, or a hotspot.

We recommend the Wi-Fi only model for $139. It’s not that much more than the ad-supported version. 3G is not really necessary. Get a book or two for mom to read right out of the box. You will need to register it with her Amazon account unless you are willing to buy all of her books. So don’t load it with a book using your own account. You can now gift Amazon eBooks so use her email address and send her the books that way.

For those with money to burn and think mom will want it, there is a large kindle with a 9.7-inch screen for $379.

Silo by iSkin: Slim, Tote and Messenger Bags – $140-$150

iSkin has some very nice bags for carrying around a laptop in style. They work with computers from 13-15 inches, both Mac and PC. There are multiple styles in three basic lines – the Slip, Tote and Messenger. They are designed by either Cako Martlin of Brazil or New York designer Esther Sanchez.

The Tote is designed to help you carry as much as you can in a small size. There are two sections with multiple pockets for smaller objects. The laptop section holds it in place witha  strap. The double handle allows mom to tote it over her shoulder while quickly getting at what’s inside. The padding protects what’s inside. Studs on the bottom elevate it to keep it from getting wet if there is some moisture on a table or the ground.

The Slim has a belt latch that she can pull to ease her computer out of the bag. It is designed to be the smallest of bags and thus holds the computer inside and has a zippered pocket on the outside. There is both a handle and a shoulder strap.

The Messenger is a little less girly. In fact guys will love this one too. It has plenty of interior space, so this is the workhorse of the three. There are pockets on the inside and a big one on the outside. The shoulder strap is padded so she won’t feel the weight of all her mobile gear.

These are all nice bags with varying styles to match her personality.

Nintendo DS and Brain Games – $149.99 plus games

When a couple of our people here at Notebooks.com suggested we add the Nintendo DS to this list, I thought they were crazy. Why would mom want a kids game system? But one of the popular things adults do with a Nintendo DS is play the brain stimulating games like Brain Age and Brain Age 2.

The purpose of Brain Age is to stimulate the mind to help keep it fresh. We adults often let our minds go to mush after we stop our formalized schooling. Just ask any adult who has returned to college after many years away from school. They have a harder time learning. This game is intended to help stimulate the mind with activities and problems like math, drawing and unscrambling of words.

Here is a review from a woman who enjoys her Brain Age 2 game:

Droid Incredible 2 Smart Phone – $199

This is a brand spanking new Android phone just released by Verizon on April 28. It has a 4-inch Super LCD display and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Mom will love the 8MP camera on the back and also a 1.3MP camera on the front for video conferencing via Skype, great for those moms who are far away from the kids or grandkids.

If mom is a mobile geek, she will love the ability to use the device as a mobile hotspot. If she’s a travelling mom she will like that it will work just about anywhere in the world, unlike many of Verizon’s phones.

For moms who need an AT&T alternative, the new white iPhone is always a good choice at $199 for a 16GB model and @$299 for a 32GB version. But remember, before buying an iPhone that there is likely to be a new one coming in the next six months. Some Geek moms like the latest and greatest, so getting her an iPhone now would be a mistake.

Nook Color – $249

We’ve always liked the Nook Color, especially if you are adventurous enough to root the thing and turn it into a a bargain Android tablet that can also be used to read Amazon Kindle books. Now that Barnes and Noble has added an app store, it is a bargain Android tablet without having to hack the thing. Although you can’t load the Amazon Kindle app.

Moms will love the ability to read for hours, play some simple games and surf the Internet on the 7″ eReader/tablet. The much improved email application in the new 1.2 update is also a great way to check for messages and delete the junk while out and about at a local Wi-Fi hotspot or the office. There is no 3G version available, but most people don’t need it or the extra bill that usually comes with mobile broadband for tablets.

If all your mom would like is an eBook reader, then stick with the Kindle. Both models are cheaper than the color and the battery lasts longer. For those who might want more, the Nook Color is the best choice.

Apple iPad 2 – $499-$829

The Apple iPad 2 is the best consumer tablet computer available for the price. Ranging from $499 for a 16GB Wi-Fi only model up to $829 for the 64GB 3G model, few other tablets have been able to match Apple for price. There are other Android tablets on the market, but none has matched the features and apps available for Apple’s tablet. Mom will love it if you splurge for one of these.

Read our exhaustive team review over at Gottabemoble.com. And if your mom already has an iPad 2, that same link has reviews of many of the accessories that Apple released along with the new tablet. There are also app reviews of GarageBand and iMovie on that page. A great gift for an iPad owner would be to gift an app or get some iTunes gift cards. Sam’s Club has a great deal right now on $100 worth of cards for less than $80.

Toshiba Satellite L645 Notebooks – Starting at $515.99, Recommended model $699.99

A low priced notebook that isn’t too big, but also not so small that its only good for light office and Internet tasks is a great gift idea for a working mom. We are recommending the Toshiba Satellite L645 family of notebooks. They are priced right, come in 6 colors, and have decent processors (as long as you don’t choose the S4102 model which starts at $608). We don’t recommend that one because it has a pretty slow processor by comparison. If you are willing to get the top-of-the-line model in this family of notebooks, you would pay about $700 before tax for the S4037. For that you get the following:

• AMD Phenom II Triple Core Processor
• 14″ widescreen display with resolution of 1366×768
• ATI Mobility Radeon 4250 Graphics Card
• 500 GB hard drive
• 4 GB of DDR3 RAM
• DVD combo drive for burning/reading discs

If you don’t think mom needs that much horsepower, then consider the lower end S4040 which is the least expensive of this family of notebooks at $515.99. It only has a dual core processor, 3GB of RAM, a 250 GB hard drive and integrated graphics. It is designed more for the basics while the above S4037 is a more powerful middle of the road computer which can handle a little more demanding work like some creative content creation (basic video and photo editing), some gaming and will be an overall faster machine.

Mother’s Day Tech Gift Guide: Gadgets, Tablets Smartphones and More [2011] is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Despite all of the April Fools jokes running wild on the Internet today, there is a lot of real notebook, tablet and smart phone news worth checking out.

Notebook News For the Week of April 1st:

We kicked off World Backup Day with a collection of deals on services and storage that will help you keep your data safe without spending a fortune. You still have a few hours to enter to win a free 30GB SugarSync account by Tweeting the following.

I’m in to win a @SugarSync 30GB/year account from @Notebooks.com  Find out How & Check Out these Backup Deals -Notebooks.com/go/BackupDay

Dell Latitude E6320 Business Notebook

New Notebooks for March 2011:

• Dell Latitude E6320 Available for Purchase
• Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420s Now For Sale, Tempting Prices and Performance
• MSI CX640 and CR640 with Sandy Bridge and Fast Boot Times
• Lenovo ThinkPad W520 Mobile Workstation W/ Quadro Graphics Up For Sale
• Lenovo ThinkPad T420s Now Available for Purchase w/ Core i5 Sandy Bridge
• MSI GX680 Gaming Notebook Specs, Pics and Details
• MSI X370 to Challenge 9 Series, MacBook Air
• Dell Inspiron M5030 Spanish Laptop Launches w/ Spanish Keyboard (Video)

Notebook News:

• 11″ Showdown: Samsung Series 9 Compared to the MacBook Air
• MSI Resumes Shipping GT680R and GE620R Sandy Bridge Notebooks, Adds Addtl 1 Year Warranty
• Boxcar for Mac Launches, Simplifies and Centralizes Notifications
• EeePad Transformer Notebook/Tablet Coming To Best Buy for $400 (video)
• Lenovo S205 AMD Zacate Notebook Unboxing Video

Tablet and SmartPhone News for the Week of April 1st:

Kyocera Echo

• Verizon Casio Commando Shows Off Rugged Design
• HTC unveiling ‘what’s next’ on April 12th, is it the HTC Pyramid?
• Adobe Shows Off Photoshop for iPad
• Sprint Kyocera Echo and T-Mobile Nokia Astound Get Unboxed (Videos)
• Dell exec claims iPad too expensive for enterprise. Sounds familiar…
• Answering Some Questions on Digital Inking and the iPad
• Microsoft’s Craig Mundie Not Sure Tablets are Here To Stay
• Battery Life Comparison Between the iPad and iPad 2 Yields Some Interesting Results
• Verizon USB551l 4G LTE Modem Arrives March 31st
• Why All This Fretting Over Apple and No New Hardware at WWDC? It’s Not About Hardware Anymore
• LG Said To Be Working On Google Nexus Tablet

Notebook and Accessory Reviews:

• AT&T 3G MicroCell Review: Good Quality But Don’t Pay For It
• Breffo Spiderpodium Review: Versatile Phone Holder Attaches to Anything
• MyDitto Review: Affordable Network Attached Storage That’s Simple To Use
• Victorinox Slim Swiss Army Flash Drive Review (32GB)
• Speck SeeThru Case for MacBook Air Review
• Pad&Quill Cartella Case Review: Turns MacBook Air into MacBook with Class

Popular How To Articles for the Week of April 1st:

• How to Enable TRIM Support for SSDs in OS X 10.6.7 With a Click
• How To Edit Video from a Flip Camera on iPad 2
• How to Play Amazon Cloud Drive Music on iOS
• 10 Great Uses of Preview for Mac OS X
• How to Customize Wallpaper Themes in Windows 7

Weekly Wrap Up: Notebook, Tablet and Smart Phone News for April 1 is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Here is all the important notebook, tablet and smart phone news for the past week. Obviously coverage was dominated by the iPad 2 announcement, but we have a great collection of new videos and other news to share as well.

Notebook News and How To’s from Notebooks.com

ASUS launched a few new gaming notebooks including naked eye 3D in their Republic of Gamers line. HP added Sandy Bridge to the Envy 17 3D which is on sale now.

We looked at our first AMD Fusion powered budget notebook from Gateway and so far are pretty impressed with what the Fusion E 350 processor can do. You can see our hands on with the Gateway NV51B05u for more details.

We also looked at five reasons we are still excited about notebooks, including the keyboard, access to the full web, necessity in the workforce and more.

Bing launched a new tool that understands natural language and makes it easier to search for notebooks in your price range.

We spoke to Phil Libin from Evernote and he let us know That future versions for iOS and Android will support some from of inking with drawing or sketching, but the experience will depend on the hardware.  Phil also told us that Evenrote will be getting smarter, with the possibility of recommendations and dynamic information coming to our memories.

We put Onlive to the test and played Just Cause 2 and Dirt 2 on the MacBook Air, it is loads of fun, but you need a fast Internet connection.

Rounding out the week Kevin rooted his Nook Color and looked at the Quirky PowerCurl, a cord wrapper for your Macbook. We dunked our iPad underwater with the DryCase waterproof iPad case, showed you how to sign PDFs on the iPad and how you can use the iPad to teach, all with video.

Tablet News and Opinions from Gottabemobile.com

We covered the iPad 2 launch, which showed us a new thinner, lighter iPad with 2X the performance and 9X the graphical power. Apple also launched the Apple Smart Cover which may have been inspired by the incase Convertible Magazine jacket for the original iPad, a Japanese bathtub cover or the pickup truck bed covers that are found all over the midwest

Chuong was at the event and was able to go hands on with the iPad 2 and the Smart Cover. You can see our iPad 2 Hands on video below. Chuong also goes hands on with the iPad iMovie app.

In the Editorial category, Xavier asked for wireless iPad display mirroring, speculates that most consumers don’t know what specs are and that they don’t matter. Warner asks if inking is dead and expands on the importance of apps in a tablet’s success.

We also showed you how to sell your iPad to Gazelle for $300, so that you can upgrade for $200. I lucked out and sold my iPad for $375 to Gazelle right after launch which means I rented the iPad from Apple for about $10 a month.

We found out that the WiFI Xoom could hit Walmart for $539, a price that could attract some more users to HoneyComb.

It looks like Microsoft could be out of the tablet game until 2012, at which time they better hit the ground running if they want to catch up with Apple and Android.

The RIM PlayBook is arriving on April 10th and Chuong was able to sit down with RIM recently to find out more about what we can expect from the BlackBerry companion.

The HP TouchPad was taken for a spin, and we get to see what gaming looks like on the webOS tablet.

Finally, it looks like the HTC THunderBolt, Verizon’s 4G smart phone, may launch on March 10th, but who knows. We could see another delay.

Notebook and Tablet News for March 4th is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Officials in California at the Anaheim Union High School District are turning to turning to GPS tracking technology to help curb truancy and boost attendance performance in local schools. Students with 4 or more unexcused absenses per academic year are now assigned a dedicated handheld GPS device and they must check-in at pre-set intervals several times a day in a pilot program that aims to help students attend classes regularly. The total cost of the technology at approximately $8 a day begs the question if assigning students a smartphone–many of which comes with Internet connectivity and GPS access built-in, would be cheaper than the dedicated GPS device that the Anaheim, California school district uses.

Per the check-in program, the local OC Register is describing the process as such:

Each morning on schooldays, they get an automated phone call reminding them that they need to get to school on time.

Then, five times a day, they are required to enter a code that tracks their locations – as they leave for school, when they arrive at school, at lunchtime, when they leave school and at 8 p.m.

The students are also assigned an adult coach who calls them at least three times a week to see how they are doing and help them find effective ways to make sure they get to class on time.

All of the different components of the check-in pilot program can be performed on a smartphone, and often times for cheaper than the $8 per day pilot program. Additionally with smartphones being experimented in various educational settings for integration into lesson plans, smartphones like those running iOS and Android could deliver added values for students when used in the right manner and provide students with first-hand interaction with technology.

With the cheapest smartphone plans at $70 per month plus tax, which includes a minimum amount of voice and data per month, smartphones with GPS and Internet plans can average to about $2.33 per day over a 30-day month. The cost of a smartphone, about $500 for a high-end device (unsubsidized without a contract), would be about $1.37 per day over a 365-day year. That means, the daily average cost of a device with service would be $3.70, which would allow students to check-in with GPS functionality at the pre-set intervals established by the school, and allow school administrators, coaches and teachers to reach students when needed all for under 50% of the cost of the current GPS-only device pilot program.

At $8 a day, the school says that it would be still cheaper than losing $35 for each absent student. However, perhaps as modern mobile technology becomes cheaper and more affordable, people will see its potential beyond its purpose as strictly a communications device, a tool to browse the Web, and a means to connect with apps. Anaheim can implement parental controls on smartphones to block and restrict inappropriate websites, implement smartphones into lesson plans and give students access to technology in the classroom, and reduce truancy while saving money.

After all, with the same opt-in principles of the tracking program officials can leverage smartphone tracking technology, like iOS’s Find My Phone technology to not only locate lost or stolen iPhones, but to actively use check-in to locate students in the event that they don’t check in, rather than passively wait for students to check in. If students don’t check-in with their GPS, officials, with smartphones and geo-locating technology, can opt to actively locate their students with technologies that are able to track smartphones in the even that those devices are lost or stolen, which moves the tracking mechanism from passive to active.

Foursquare-like Check-Ins Allow Schools to Play Big Brother to Truant Students is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Notebooks.com.

Heating up the mobile CPU war with ARM-based chip designs, Intel has shown off its Medfield processor design, which the company hopes to deploy into smartphones, handhelds, and tablets–spaces that ARM has dominated over the years.

Intel says that Medfield offers better performance as the system on a chip utilizes a new 32 nm manufacturing process that combines the Medfield CPU and the chipset into a single die compared to the older generation Moorestown design, which utilizes a separate CPU chip (45 nm) and chipset (65 nm) design. By integrating the chip and the chipset, the Medfield SoC will offer greater performance while reducing power consumption, leading Intel to claim that it is the most efficient mobile chip architecture in the world with the longest usage time in between charging.

The chips will begin to ship to manufacturers by the end of the year.

Via: GSM Arena

Intel Claims Atom-Based Medfield CPU to be Most Efficient is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Notebooks.com.

A third software that Symantec is announcing today–in addition to Norton DNS and Norton Mobile Security–is called Norton Mobile Utilities. Norton Mobile Utilities is a set of tools that will allow Android smartphone owners to manage their mobile usage and track minutes, SMS messages, and data use on their devices to stay within their plan caps. With the end of unlimited plans on AT&T in favor of a metered data pricing plan schedule, Norton Mobile Utilities will help users monitor how many minutes and how much data they have consumed thus far in their billing cycle. The software will also help users manage applications as well.

To use Norton Mobile Utilities, users will need an Android handset running at least Android 2.0 or better. The software is available as a free beta download direct from Android Market.

Norton Mobile Utilities Helps Mobile Users Stay Within Their Plan Caps is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Notebooks.com.

Today, Symantec announces the availability of Norton Mobile Security 1.5 for Android, which is available as a limited-time free beta trial on Android Market. The security suite, which helps users recover their Android smartphone or tablet when lost, control call and SMS block lists, and comes with anti-malware technology, is part of Symantec’s Norton Everywhere initiative. The good news here is rather than play up to user’s fears about the low threat of viruses on a device at this time, Norton Mobile Security actually offers a lot of useful features that will give Android owners a pro-active way to monitor and control the security of their smartphones.

Norton Mobile Security 1.5 offers users some enterprise-grade security, including the ability to remote wipe or lock the handset if it’s misplaced or lost. With a simple text message to the phone to activate geo-location, Norton Mobile Security can send back its location coordinates to the user in the event of loss or theft. According to Symantec, 36% of cell phone owners have experienced loss or theft of their device, and this is a very real risk.

Additionally, the security suite also allows phone owners some protection and detection against websites with anti-malware protection, warning users of bad sites, such as phishing sites, like on the desktop. Moreover, users can set up block lists for unsolicited or unwanted phone calls and SMS text messages.

Smartphone and tablet users of Google’s Android platform can head over to Android Market to download Norton Mobile Security 1.5.

In my conference call with Symantec, the company had hinted that a future version is forthcoming, that would provide additional features and protection. Although the company was not able to reveal what features will be coming, an aspect that Norton should look into is detecting bad apps–in addition to phishing websites, a future version of Mobile Security suite could also detect phishing apps to truly be useful.

The company also says that it expects Norton Mobile Security to be available through select partner as a one-year subscription. For now, though, a free beta trial is available through Android Market. Here are some of the partners that have signed on with Norton:

·         Best Buy Canada Ltd. – Canada’s fastest-growing specialty retailer and e-tailer of consumer electronics plans to offer Norton Mobile Security online, in stores and through their Geek Squad services.

·         Dixons Retail plc – Europe’s leading specialist electrical retailing and services Group, with retail and online brands including Currys, PC World, Elkjop, Kotsovolos, Electro Word, Pixmania and others spanning 28 European countries, plans to offer Norton Mobile Security along with Android phones, tablets and tablet phones.

·         Kingston Digital, Inc. – The Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Co., Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, has selected Norton as the security provider for their USB Flash drives containing Kingston’s urDrive, a free pre-loaded application for organizing, discovering and acquiring content such as games and music. urDrive transforms ‘passive’ USB drives used to store and share data into an ‘active storage’ experience.

·         UOL Inc. S.A. - Brazil’s largest Internet Service and Content Provider with 2.5 million subscribers and more than 4.3 billion page views monthly is already offering Norton mobile solutions to its members.

The company is also looking into deals to pre-load Norton Mobile Security onto smartphones. The move would have to be made with phone-makers. In a hypothetical example, a device-maker such as HTC could potentially pre-load Norton Mobile Security onto its Android smartphones, providing users added value. The downside, however, is that users may not respond favorably. Like the backlash on the desktop market against bloatware and trialware, there is a concern that smartphone users may view Norton Mobile Security suite to be the same on a smartphone. As Norton Mobile Security is a subscription-based program, it will provide no value and will occupy space and computing resources running in the background of a phone after the subscription ends or the user lets the subscription lapse.  In discussing this with Norton, Symanetc says that it hopes the security software provides enough value to users that when pre-loaded by a manufacturer, users would want to use it.

Here are the top 20 cities for phone loss/theft, according to Norton:

1.      Miami – 52%

2.      New York – 49%

3.      Los Angeles – 44%

4.      Phoenix – 41%

5.      Sacramento – 41%

6.      Chicago – 40%

7.      Dallas – 39%

8.      Houston – 37%

9.      Philadelphia – 36%

10.  Tampa – 36%

11.  Cleveland – 36%

12.  Boston – 35%

13.  San Francisco – 35%

14.  Atlanta – 34%

15.  Orlando – 34%

16.  Denver – 34%

17.  Washington DC – 31%

18.  Seattle – 31%

19.  Detroit – 31%

20.  Minneapolis – 29%

Symantec Announces Norton Mobile Security 1.5 for Android is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Notebooks.com.

Whether you’re heading to the Super Bowl or hitting the road for vacation, keeping all of your gadgets safe is a top priority and one that can be done fairly easily with a little bit of prep. Credit.com has just shared 10 Super Bowl Scams and How not to Get Played, which includes good advice for online transactions, carrying your credit cards and keeping your laptop and smartphone safe.

In addition to watching out for fake Super Bowl tickets, be sure you’ve updated your antivirus protection to be prepared for the Super Bowl related spam and scams which may try to install a virus on your computer. We recommend Microsoft Security Essentials or another free antivirus tool from AVG or Avast.

Always important for traveling is to keep your credit cards to a minimum,

“Credit Cards, Debit Cards. Try not to take your entire inventory of debit and credit cards with you. OK. I understand that you absolutely, positively need your Packer or Steelers affinity credit card on your person at all times this weekend, but perhaps you could limit your plastic to that one card plus a debit card to ensure access to the cash required to speed your purchases of  $14 beers, $9 hot dogs and favorite team t-shirts, hats and sweatshirts ($32, $42 and $79.99 respectively)  at the concession stands.”

The same goes for your gadgets. If you can slim down to one or two devices instead of 4 different gadgets do so, and leave the extras at home.

When you get to your destination, be sure to secure your notebook and iPad in the safe. If you’re lucky the safe may even have a power outlet to charge your devices. as Credit.com warms, “Your room is not as impenetrable as the Green Bay or Pittsburgh front line. There are lots of folks who walk through it, clean it, restock it, or simply sneak into it looking to collect their favorite types of souvenirs.”

Also, be sure that you keep your smart phone locked down. With more and more financial information taking place on your phone you should have a password to lock the phone in the event it is lost.

To locate your gadgets if you lose them we recommend checking out some of the following tools.

• Find my iPhone – Free for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
• Lojack for Laptops – Theft recovery for stolen laptops – (Review)
• Prey – Locate your lost laptops and Android phones for free. (Review)

Do you have any travel tips for keeping your stuff safe? If so, share them below.

Tips to Keep You Gadgets and Credit Cards Safe When Traveling (Super Bowl) is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Over at GottaBeMobile, I had reported that Intel may have briefly teased a MeeGo-powered smartphone that uses the company’s Atom-based Medfield processor, and now we’re hearing that Medfield may be appearing in a handset designed by Aava Mobile that will be debuting at Mobile World Congress later this month. The smartphone would be able to power either the MeeGo and Android operating system.

Aava Mobile probably won’t be releasing this smartphone directly to carrier channels or the the public. In the past, Aava had created some reference designs for dual-booting smartphones, but noted that the designs were reference designs for carriers or other manufacturers to implement. Aava Mobile, essentially, would create a solution for others to buy, package, and sell to their own customers.

The relatively thin smartphone is only 8.9 mm thick. As the design is a reference design for the guts and OS that power it, the final consumer-facing version of Aava Mobile’s design may be radically different than what we’re seeing here.

Via: SlashGear

Aava Mobile to Use Intel Medfield CPU to Power Both Android and MeeGo OS is a post by Chuong Nguyen from Notebooks.com.