Software and games

This is one of those products that really makes us wonder if some companies have too many employees--a situation that inevitably leads to solutions in search of a problem. Nokia may be suffering this workforce malady if its latest brainchild is any indication: a mobile phone that warns of approaching lightning. Yes, you read that right.

We thought we'd dispensed with this misguided idea in an item a month ago that cited (and mocked appropriately) a "personal lightning detector." But nay, apparently one of the largest phone makers in the world thinks this is a valuable feature, … Read more

We have to admit that ever since Verizonintroduced its V Cast Mobile TV, all other cell phone videos services have looked positively ancient by comparison. But if you live outside of a V Cast Mobile TV city, or if you don't even have Verizon as your carrier, you'll have to stick with the tried-and-true 3G streaming video. And in an effort to keep things interesting, Sprint last week announced a new partnership with ABC Mobile. As part of the deal, Sprint will be the first carrier to offer on-demand full-length episodes of such ABC shows as Grey's … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--At an event here Tuesday night, Pandora Media unveiled an updated Web site and new partnerships that would make its streaming Internet radio service more mobile.

Pandora, the third-largest Internet radio service, with nearly 7 million registered users, according to founder Tim Westergren, said it teamed with Sprint to sell its music recommendation service over the company's cell phones. Pandora will cost $2.99 per month after a free 30-day trial on select Sprint phones.

It also struck a deal with digital-media player maker Sonos to stream music into the home wirelessly for $36 a year. And down … Read more

Sure, smart phone users need productivity and work programs, but according to Handango's Yardstick (the company's quarterly sales report of software for smart phones and PDAs,) they also want entertainment applications, games, and even dieting software.

Business software was the most popular category (17 percent of sales), but entertainment apps (13 percent), and games (12 percent) weren't far behind. In fact, the BlackBerry best-seller list had three ringtone, one instant messenger, and one poker game applications.

An Outlook syncing program, PocketMirror Standard, topped the Palm OS list, and synchronization applications did well across the board, as expected. … Read more

In case you missed the announcement, Sony is bringing its phenomenal God of War series to mobile phones with an original adventure, God of War: Betrayal.

The Playstation 2 games were tremendous hits because of amazing graphics, over-the-top gore, and the utterly satisfying combat engine. Can those really translate to a mobile phone?

From the looks of things, it can. The graphics obviously can't be the same, but Betrayal looks like a pretty, Super Nintendo-style, side scroller. And don't think Kratos will ease up on his enemies just because he's on a cell phone; there's blood-splattering … Read more

Today, AT&T/Cingular announced a rebranded and upgraded version of the Cingular 8525 called ... wait for it ... the AT&T 8525. Aside from the new name, the 8525 brings push-to-talk capabilities and support for the carrier's Mobile Music and Cellular Video streaming service (aka Cingular Musicand Cingular Video). This is, of course, in addition to the 8525's already powerful feature set of push e-mail, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, HSDPA support, and a 2-megapixel camera. The AT&T 8525 will be available starting May 14 for $399.99.

And hey, Cingular 8525 owners, don't get … Read more

Free shipping makes this a sweet deal for a 1 GB MicroSD flash memory card, key for holding all those tunes (and videos) on your cell phone.

What: Kingston 1 GB micro SD flash memory card How much: $9.99 Shipping: Free Where: Meritline.com (via Fat Wallet) When: Through unknown date Click here for CNET's product overview.

What do a creepy old lady and a six-foot lobster have in common? Both were subjects of prize-winning films at the second annual Cellflix Film Festival at Ithaca College, a nationwide competition of 30-second films shot with cell phones.

Zack Wilson won the $5,000 grand prize for his piece, "Assisted Living," about a wise old lady whose sense of humor shows a young nurse the importance of enjoying life. Wilson reportedly spent about 90 minutes shooting and 10 hours editing.

The video is sweet and funny, but I don't think it should have won the grand … Read more

Rumor has it that T-Mobile is prepping the nationwide launch of a Wi-Fi service that would let customers use the technology to make voice calls with their cell phones. HotSpot at Home, which is currently in trials in Seattle, would expand on the carrier's current Wi-Fi network of 8,000 Internet access hot spots. T-Mobile declined to comment on the rumors, which probably means that America's fourth-largest carrier has something up its sleeve.

According to reports, when a caller approaches a hot spot while on the phone, his or her call will transfer automatically to Wi-Fi from the … Read more