I rarely use a travel journal, but I have used plenty of notebook-style software over various platforms. When it comes to aesthetics and design, Trip Journal for Android is easily one of the most gorgeous I've seen, managing to strike a perfect balance between presentation and function. The winner of the Travel category in the last Android Developer Challenge, it's a complete solution for recording, tracking and sharing all about your adventures on the road, accomplishing it all very elegantly.

Instead of dumping the thousand or so pictures you took from your last vacation onto a hard drive, the app lets you document the entire experience in a format that's a real eye candy. Interface resembles a leather travel diary, with worn, browning pages where you can paste pictures and add various notes to. It runs very smoothly as well, making it a joy to use when you're on the road.

Obviously, you can imagine just how detailed of a travel journal you can come up with using a software like this. With Trip Journal, you can track your GPS route, add waypoints, get geotagging data and even view your progress on Google Maps. You can add pictures and notes for each place you visit, as well as get statistics on various information, such as the distance you've traveled, speed and altitude. Plus, you can export details of your trips into Google Earth format, as well as share them on Facebook and Picasa.

More than just a travel app, this is one of the best journaling tools I've seen and is currently my favorite on a mobile platform. They have a lite version available if you want to try it, but the full application is priced affordably enough at $2.99.

[iqApps]

Acer has recently gone live with the newest member of their Android-powered line up, the Acer Liquid E. The device set to take the markets soon will be powered by the impressive Android 2.1 OS and will pack a Qualcomm 8250 768 MHz snapdragon processor, one of the most powerful processors available to smart phones on the market today. In all truth, however, the Liquid E is simply an updated form of one of Acer's other recent releases, the Liquid. With similar specs and load outs the only real difference is seen in the form of the operating system it runs, yet even that can mean a huge step up from the previous phone version seen earlier.

The new 2.1 Android, also known as "Eclair", delivers a number of upgrades over the previous 1.6 "Donut" version, affording all users an overall much friendlier phone experience. Still, this does beg the question among many industry analysts why Acer did not simply issue an upgrade to the existing Liquid phone rather than investing more time and money into the complete new design of the Liquid E - a question that is still yet to be answered as of late.

Regardless, the Liquid E still packs an impressive 3.5-inch TFT capacitive touch screen (for ultra-friendly finger and thumb usage). Although it would have been nice to see a bit more than a measly 256k colors, the 480x800 WVGA resolution generally more than makes up for this. The device also sports a great media player to play back a number of different file formats, and with the added functionality of viewing YouTube, this makes entertainment a breeze.

Camera-wise, the Liquid E does sport a fairly decent five-megapixel camera, and along with a wide range of pre-installed as well as downloadable applications it's a breeze to quickly upload any photos you take to social media sites like Facebook and Flickr. Another big plus is that the camera comes with an LED flash (something not seen on all phones these days) as well as decent video capturing at 20fps, a relatively good auto-focus and even geotagging (for those interested in sharing the exact location a picture is shot from at any given moment).

The big bonus for the Liquid E comes in the form of its actual interface, though. Since the Liquid E is running the new Android 2.1 system that means the home screen is actually five screens, all of which are able to be interacted with in a 3-D viewing mode so that users can easily select which screen they want to zoom in on at any given time. Combined with the Snapdragon processor for quality application running this means a smooth, quality experience from the home screen onwards.

All in all, the new version of Android really does soup things up, although potential users might want to hold off to see what Acer's next handset has to offer by way of improved specs before making the leap to the Liquid E as of right this moment.

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Most people are likely to dismiss the Motorola Cliq XT as nothing but a slightly updated version of the original Cliq from last year. While that may be true to an extent, this device actually deserves better recognition as it improves upon its predecessor in many ways. Heck, they could have named it something else and it wouldn't have been such an issue.

Physically, the most noticeable change from the Cliq is the omission of a physical keyboard. While the general look is similar, the new phone is taller and wider, while reclaiming more portability by being lighter and slimmer. It comes with a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen (320 x 480 resolution) that manages excellent colors, but is noticeably less vibrant than higher-end smartphones like the Motorola Droid. The touchscreen comes with both multi-touch (which works on most apps, but not on Google Maps) and Swype (for text input). While it also offers a traditional onscreen keyboard, we did find Swype a much better mode of input once you get used to it.

As a phone, the Cliq XT manages excellent call quality. Everything went through loud and clear on both ends, with rich sound and plenty of volume. The speakerphone performed similarly, with nothing but an occasional, ignorable buzz to break up the near-perfect sound. Battery is rated at 6.5 hours of talk time, which should last for a good two days or more.

The phone pairs both 3G and WiFi, allowing you to have access to fast broadband internet in most situations. Onboard Webkit-based browser performed admirably, loading pages fast and accurately. With pinch-to-zoom and Flash Lite, it allows for a great browsing experience. While the phone uses the same 526Mhz processor as its predecessor, it performed faster in almost every way. It's a sufficiently speedy phone, exhibiting none of the frustrating sluggishness we found on other Motorola phones like the aforementioned Cliq and the Backflip.

Feature set is similar to the Cliq, coming with both Android 1.5 and Motoblur out of the box. As expected, it's got all the usual stuff you can expect from such a combination - Motoblur's social-friendly functions, Google's suite of apps and terrific messaging capabilities, among others. One pleasant surprise is the changes Motorola did to Android's music player, turning out one that not only looks better, but comes with more features too. My favorite additions: running streams from Shoutcast, YouTube and GoTV, as well as the integration with TuneWiki.

The 5.0 megapixel camera module comes with LED flash and autofocus. It only allows for standard editing options, but manages excellent photos. There is a bit of shutter lag, though, so it's not perfect. Other features include quad-band roaming and Bluetooth 2.0.

Overall, the Motorola Cliq XT is easily one of the better mid-range Android phones right now. It's not yet on sale, but is expected to go for around $149.99 with a contract from T-Mobile. At that price, it's easily a better buy than either the Cliq, Backflip or any of the even cheaper Android handsets around.

The new Acer beTouch smart phone is a slim, sleek and slim-line device that is targeting those users looking for a shiny smartphone device that combines user-friendliness along with decent connectivity to mobile Internet and social networking. In fact, Acer's stated aim for the beTouch E400 is to 'open our users' world to the endless possibilities of real mobile Internet', and the device aims to please as it packs both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity allowing for rapid wireless online access and web browsing for fast and easy updating of information and user status on a range of social networking sites.

As for its speed, it certainly helps that the operating system fueling the E400 is Google's latest OS the Android 2.1 Eclair. This is usefully coupled with the Qualcomm 7227 processor running at 600 mega hertz allowing for instant access to web pages with fast loading and also rapid access to media streaming as well as a wide range of web-based applications. The power of the device's processing gives it an excellent battery life as it enhances energy efficiency with its fast running and easy access to information.

The image conscious individual should be more than satisfied with the dimensions of the E400 as well with its slender girth of just 12 millimeters. There is also a full-size 3.2 inch HD HGVA resistive touch screen, displaying color brightly and vividly.

The integral camera isn't of the highest specs at 3.2 megapixels, but it is decent enough and does pack some useful additional features such as integral flash, a digital zoom, white balance and geotagging. This gives you the option of immediately tagging your images with information such as the exact location of where they were snapped, which is great when you link to your social sites and post your pics to keep your friends and family updated. The camera will also record video and you have the ability to instantly post your recordings onto YouTube thanks to the E400's pre-installed YouTube app by touching its icon.

The E400 is also well suited to the business user, coming pre-installed with Native Microsoft Exchange Server Support giving the user immediate navigation to work and business e-mails from any location. The device also comes with the excellent Documents to Go function, another excellent feature for mobile business customers as it allows the easy creating and editing of a range of different file formats including Excel, Word and PowerPoint. In addition, there is a built-in PDF Reader on the E400, making it simple to read any PDF file from wherever the user happens to be.

Other useful functions of the E400 include the GPS-enabled Google Maps, which will help you find your way around cities and/or towns and includes both Street View and Latitude. The excellent media player will play a full range of file formats and there is a built-in 3-millimeter audio input jack allowing you to plug in your choice of headphones. There is even the very useful Acer Synch feature, allowing the user to wirelessly synchronize with their desktop or notebook so they can easily maintain and keep files and contacts up to date, which is great for when you are ultra-busy and need to save time. The E400 goes on sale in April, though prices have yet to be announced.



Palm just announced the release of a new software development kit that they're calling a PDK. It's not an SDK since the folks behind the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi have already released one of those. Instead, the new system stands for a "Plug-in Development Kit," and is designed to extend the functionality that webOS-powered devices can handle.

One of Palm's earlier selling points for webOS was the ease with which developers can put together apps on the platform, being based upon web technologies such as HTML and Javascript. Problem is, that didn't exactly make developing 3D games for their handsets easy. With the depth and variety of games turning out to be a major selling point for Apple's iPhone, that's not a good thing.

So what exactly is a PDK? In Palm's terms, the new mobile development platform allows programmers to run C and C++ code on their phones, practically extending the range of software that can be run on their handsets. That means having the power to produce more compelling games than what simple web technologies would have allowed.

For developers, that means getting an existing game or application onto either the Pre or the Pixi won't require a complete redesign, allowing you to reuse existing code. Sure, it's not as simple as recompiling the exact same library for new hardware, but it will entail both less cost and effort.

[Palm via Mobile Crunch]

At the time it came out, the HTC Hero was, by far, the best Android phone on the block. With the HTC Legend, the manufacturer took everything good about that handset and made it even better.

Physically, it looks a lot like the Hero, down to the trademark chin. The body is cut from a single piece of aluminum (taking a bite out of Apple's aesthetic), making it both more attractive and durable at the same time. Replacing the trackball with a metal-trimmed trackpad also raises the style points up a notch, apart from working just as effectively.

Display is a gorgeous 3.2-inch AMOLED screen, with 320x480 resolution. Colors literally pop out, adding a "wow" factor that you seldom get with the mass of Android phones in the market. At 3mm thinner than the Hero, it's easily one of HTC's more pocketable devices.

As a phone, the HTC Legend manages slightly above average call quality. Voices sound natural with plenty of volume to go, although we did encounter a slight amount of distortion. Speakerphone worked just as well, perhaps lacking just a tad more volume to my liking. Battery life is quite disappointing, though, likely requiring a recharge every day and a half for most common uses.

While the Hero suffered from some form of sluggishness (which they later rectified via firmware), the Legend runs with satisfying speed out of the box. Navigation is smooth, transitions are fast and apps launch quick, putting all 600Mhz of that processor to good use. Web browsing (both over WiFi and HSDPA) is exceptional, with pages rendering almost twice as fast, compared to many Android phones we've seen. Plus, the browser's got multi-touch and some amount of Flash support.

It delivers all the usual Android 2.1 favors, from the nominal music player to the mass of Google apps to extensive messaging capabilities. HTC primps it up with their fancy Sense UI, which adds a lot of value to the device, including features such as being able to add mail to your Outlook folders, an improved mail interface, a very good onscreen keyboard and the MotoBlur-like Friend Stream. The latter, by the way, doesn't work as well as expected. Expect software updates on that end. Camera module is a 5.0 megapixel unit that manages to snap average-looking shots.

Sure, the Motorola Droid and the Nexus One have probably gotten the most press out of today's Android phones. In terms of overall value, though, I'm tempted to side with the HTC Legend, with its great looks, sleek operation and robust feature set.  Price should vary from retailer to retailer, but expect it between $550 to $600 unlocked.

Does your kid have an iPhone?  My nine-year old nephew has one - a hand-me-down from his mom when she got her shiny new 3GS.  While kids will most likely use it to play games, you have to keep in mind that they can also use it to surf the web.

As on the PC, you'd like to keep them off from objectionable areas of the internet.  Problem is, Safari offers zero parental controls on that end.  As such, they're pretty much free to wander about cyberspace unrestricted.

The Mobicip Safe Browser fills this gap, giving you options to block out unsavory websites from being accessed on your kids' iPhones.  Yep, it's an alternative browser that's actually approved by the App Store, because it does offer something that the native Safari client doesn't - a child-safe surfing environment.

Before you can force your kid to use it instead of Safari, you'll have to disable the latter manually: Settings -> General -> Restrictions.  It would have been better if this could be handled right from the app itself, although being a one-time change, it's no biggie.

Its main strength is that it functions and looks nearly like Safari, making the transition from using one to the other seamless, with no required learning curve.  The lack of a facility to import bookmarks is  bit of a letdown, though.

Mobicip itself costs $4.99, which gets you the child-safe browser plus a free account for their filtering service.  Any URL accessed from the app gets filtered through the company's servers, which decides whether to either allow or block it.  Free accounts get three levels of filtering: elementary, middle and high school.

If you want more detailed control of your child's surfing habits, you can also sign up for a Premium account for $9.99 per year.  This gets you plenty of latitude, including the ability to blacklist and whitelist specific pages and categories, download activity reports and manage multiple devices from a single dashboard.

[Mobicip for iPhone]

Sometimes, a unique design may be all you need to sell a new handset.  That could be what they're banking on with the Motorola Backflip, a smartphone with various physical innovations that you might find enticing (or retarded, whichever the case may be).

Physically, the unique flip design definitely makes it a noteworthy device.  While it looks like the Motorola Cliq at first glance, look closer and you'll see the huge differences.  When closed, the keyboard sits in the back of the phone, such that it flips open to the bottom of the horizontal 3.1-inch display.  Sure, it's a novel way to implement a clamshell for a touchscreen device, but the fact that your keys are exposed 100% of the time definitely doesn't inspire confidence.  They also added trackpads behind the display, which are supposed to allow you to navigate the UI without your hands getting in the way.  It works well, although, it's hard to see a real need for it.

As a phone, the Backflip manages average call quality.  It was good on our end, although callers sometimes reported issues on theirs.  We're not sure if it was their phone or ours causing it, however.  The speakerphone was excellent, definitely better than average.  Battery is rated at 6 hours, which should be good for at least two days of normal use.

Positioned as more of an entry-level smartphone, it's equipped with a rather underpowered 528MHz Qualcomm processor.  It only runs Android 1.5 too and performance wasn't the best - there were definite lags even with simpler tasks, such as opening your inbox and scrolling through lists.  As such, it might be a good idea to forget ever upgrading the OS here to a newer version.

It comes with Motoblur and you can read our reviews of other similarly-equipped Motorola phones (Cliq, Devour) to get the skinny on that.  Features are around what you'd expect.  You get the usual Android fare (Google's software suite and read-only QuickOffice), Webkit-based HTML browser (very fast page loads over 3G, by the way), aGPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.

While it continues to use Android's lackluster music player, the Backflip comes with excellent sound quality.  The onboard speakers manage gorgeous sounds, definitely a notch above what you normally get from a phone.  Camera appeared great at 5 megapixels of resolution, but the quality of shots left plenty to be desired.

Overall, the Motorola Backflip is a decent choice for an entry-level Android smartphone.  There are definite performance issues, but it covers the range of features well and it's an excellent music phone.  Price sounds good too - $99 with a two-year contract from AT&T (not sure how much for unlocked versions elsewhere).

Nokia has announced a new phone for T-Mobile USA, the first carrier-supported handset from the manufacturer to come with free voice-guided navigation (via Ovi Maps 3.0) in the States.  Called the Nokia 5230 Nuron, the device will be a full-fledged touchscreen smartphone running Symbian S60.

With the GPS feature as its biggest selling point, the handset will come preloaded with maps of the US, Canada and Mexico, along with easy download access to 180 other maps via the Ovi service and the Lonely Planet guides.  It will also come preinstalled with the Ovi Store app, which gives users access to Nokia's application and content storefront.

The Nokia 5230 Nuron doesn't veer away from its European version, featuring a 3.2-inch touchscreen (with 360 x 640 resolution), a 3.2 megapixel camera, a 3.5mm audio jack, stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion.   It boasts fast HTML browsing via 3G and full messaging support (including IM and corporate mail), apart from the usual niceties offered by Symbian S60.

No official pricing has been given, with availability vaguely stated for "the coming weeks."  According to rumors, though, T-Mobile might be offering the Nuron for as low as $69.99 on contract, which is a huge value, especially with free GPS software and a full smartphone OS in tow.

[Nokia Press Release]

Aspiring guitar players can now get a new free Gibson app on their iPhone.  No, it won't turn your handset into a Les Paul as other apps are inclined to do.  Instead, it just bundles a number of free tools that six-string instrumentalists of all levels may find of value.

It comes with five different sections - tuner, metronome, chords, lessons and Gibson.com.  The tuner is a chromatic software that can track whatever note you're currently playing (which it receives via your iPhone's mic) and indicates whether you're flat, sharp or in tune.  It starts in "All Notes" mode, but gives options to allow for alternate tunings.  Very useful, especially if you've got a bad ear for sound.

The metronome is just a regular metronome app, which allows you to choose a specific BPM rate.   Tapping the screen three times will adjust the tempo according to your speed.   The chord area, on the other hand, gives you access to 30 chord charts, a great resource if you need help figuring out which finger goes where on the fretboard.

Need guitar lessons?  The app comes with very useful ones, drawn off the award-winning Learn and Master series from Legacy Learning Systems.  It comes with a variety of instructions for new licks, riffs and sequences - a definite value for new and struggling players.  Gibson also promises plenty of updates for this section, with more video lessons slated to come.  Finally, Gibson.com is the app's news area, where they list Gibson-related products and special events.

Overall, the free Gibson app is a definite download if you're at all planning to learn the guitar.  Even intermediate and slightly more advanced players might find it of value, too.

[Gibson App]