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Nothing beats being somewhere and seeing beautiful horse drawn carriages.  Takes you back.  Makes you think of the day when all there were were horses and wagons and wait a minute...is that guy on a cell phone?  Yep, turns out both horse drawn carriage drivers were on their cell phones.  Wonder if they were talking to each other. The set up this year at The Promenade at Chenal was really not that great. First off it was so windy. Everything had to be really anchored down. Standing behind my booth was very chilly. Secondly, they placed us down at the end of the center with another vendor. All the activities (horse drawn carriages, tree lighting, choirs, Santa & Mrs. Claus) was in the center of the area. At least the general manager came by and apologized for our placement. I think the initial thinking was if they placed vendors at the ends it would keep people walking around...not so much. The manager told me next year would be different and we would be smack in the middle of things. I will have to think long and hard over whether or not this show is worth doing again. But hey, at least it ended in a BANG:

Source: The Twisted Purl

Users were greeted with a free hot cup of coffee. Surrounding apartments in the area also are reaping the benefits of free Internet access.

In this WiFi zone passerbyers can even borrow laptops on a “first come, first serve,” basis according to the press release. The wireless Internet is also accessible to those on phones by clicking the “get started” button that leads to Internet set-up instructions.

The duration of this promotion is unknown, especially after free WiFi in central park ended in 2008 unannounced, two years after it was instated and seemingly with no replacement.

For now New York and its tourists are enjoying free Internet in the plaza due to Yahoo. Yahoo rival, Google is providing free WiFi connections in 47 airports through January 15.

Source: The Red Hot

Consumer Reports is out with its latest annual report on cell phones and cell phone service. Surprise: you love your cell phone but your cell phone service? Not so much.

According to the survey of 50,000 readers of Consumer Reports, only 54 percent were completely or very satisfied with their cell phone service and two thirds had at least one major complaint.

The top network was again Verizon Wireless, which was the top rated carrier in the 26 cities surveyed with an overall score of 75. T-Mobile was second with a score of 70, followed by Sprint-Nextel (67) and AT&T (66).

In San Francisco, Verizon scored a 74, followed by T-Mobile (73), Sprint (69) and AT&T (59).

On the handset side, the most popular smart phone by a good margin was the iPhone 3GS. The iPhone 3GS got a score of 74, ahead of the iPhone 3G (71) and the HTC Touch Pro 2 (71). Tied for third with a score of 70 were the HTC Imagio, the Samsung Omnia, the MyTouch 3G, and the Nokia N97.

The iPhone's hold on its users is significant. Ninety-eight percent of its users said they were satisfied and would buy the phone again. By comparison, 79 percent of other phone owners said they would buy the same device.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Microsoft may launch Zune-like phone

Brisbane Times“We think Microsoft is partnering with a few ODM manufactures to create the Zune-like phone, which includes 720p HD video and at least a 5 mega pixel camera Microsoft "PInk" phones headed for Verizon WirelessNew Windows phones won't run current appsWimMo 7 phones set for cross-platform gaming - -all 139 news articles »

Android Pushes and Competitors Push Back

Geeky gadgetsManufacturers have been promising 20+ new Android phones this year, as well as a number of other Android devices including eReaders, Tablets and PMPs. Motorola's Backflip and Devour show promise as entry-level smart phonesMotorola Devour isn't up to A-level smart phonesThoughts on the Motorola Devour: Good try, but no need to taste this oneall 57 news articles »

Q: My contract is finally up and I'm not sure the specific Verizon phones that I can get, anybody know? I am looking for a phone Skinny Nice flip, but I would like to see all my options.

A(!): I'd go with the Alias 2 if you want text or the Motorola MOTO W775. However, you have lots of options, see the phone yourself!

A: You can get any phone you want. The price will vary depending on what phone you want and if you have money out of your plan or a discount.

A: I'd go with the Alias 2 if you want text or the Motorola MOTO W775. However, you have lots of options, see the phone yourself!

Q: IM looking for a new phone since I hate the phone i have now (phone net10 prepaid) and I want a new one. I need to be a QWERTY phone with unlimited SMS since I text a lot, but it costs 100 per month. does anyone know any phones like that?

A(!): If you want to stay pre-paid, go with the intensity of Samsung Verizon rumor or 2 from Virgin Mobile ... they are both .... awesome rumor 2 is better!

A: Find the T-Mobile G1 or Cliq Motorola.

A: