Jul 29

iPhone 3G is the Most Recycled Phone

By phonemanandy Interesting Phone Stuff, Phones In The News No Comments »

This month, it was officially noted that the single most Recycled Phone of all time has been Apple’s iPhone 3G. It seems that while consumers weren’t eager to trade in their 3G iPhones for the updated 3GS, they acted in unison in opting for the next significant update: the iPhone 4G.

That’s not to say that there is a dwindling demand for the 3G–far from it. In fact, many people who decided against the Apple iPhone to begin with are now becoming new users by purchasing a refurbished iPhone 3G. Surely, when the next upgrade is released, the same fate will fall upon the iPhone 4G, but for now demand is still significant for both models.

The BlueDot now offers a used cell phone trade-in program where you can sell used cell phones.

Several price-watch companies such as The BlueDot are urging those looking to recycle their old used iPhone to search for the best–and most realistic price. Know that your phone is still in high demand, and if it is in tip-top condition, could fetch a pretty penny.

If you have a used iPhone that you’re looking to trade in for cash, visit our Home Page to get a price quote!

Sources: TopNews UK | ITProPortal

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May 11

Google’s Android in favor of iPhone

By phonemanandy Interesting Phone Stuff, Phones In The News No Comments »

The official results are in, and the first quarter sales figures for 2010 are significantly in favor of Google’s Android smart phone. The war has waged for quite some time between Apple’s iPhone–with apps that pale in comparison to the amount of hype backing it up–and Google’s Android which has dedicated its operating system to various phone models and carriers across the board.

The iPhone, as many of you know, is paired only with AT&T service–and while Apple pushes its weight around the market, it rests firmly in the corner where only AT&T users and Mac Geeks dwell.

AT&T is big–really big. But Verizon is much bigger. You know those “coverage maps” you see in all the ‘Verizon VS AT&T‘ commercials? Those attempt to illustrate a whopping 92.8% of Verizon’s customers enjoying a relatively limitless wireless coverage zone.

iPhone’s biggest claim to fame is the App Store, featuring obscene numbers of user and professionally created applications for just about everything you’d ever want to do–from grocery shopping, to making fart-noises on the bus. The Google Android is gaining speed, however. They’re up to a healthy 50,000 applications and counting–and I believe they’ve even hosted their own fart-noise apps, so…good news there!

Because of Verizon’s dominant network, they have become a huge sponsor of Google’s Android–providing them with lots of advertising and marketing funds.

The last–and probably most important–factor that pushes the Android ahead is the pricing. Where the average price for a smart phone in 2010 is around $599 (retail price), the top-tier iPhones can be as pricey as $999 (used iphones for less than $200 and cheap droid phones). Because Google has the freedom to pick and choose its carriers and hosts models in varying price ranges, they have the potential to dominate every market.

The Android’s sales have outfoxed the iPhone, but not by much. With the first quarter percentages for the Android being 28%, and the iPhone’s being 21%, it is still a close race…but it is still only a race for 2nd place.

It should be no surprise that Reasearch in Motion’s Blackberry is still king of the smart phones with a first quarter sales rate of 36 percent. Across the board, new and refurbished Blackberrys make a huge impact on smart phone sales. They are efficient, inexpensive, and part of the largest networks in the country.

So, for now, Blackberry watches as Google and Apple duke it out–but there’s a lot more time left in 2010–and something tells me that the iPad won’t be the last tech gadget people are talking about this year.

Sources: Yahoo! Finance | ARS Technica | Android Community | Boy Genius Report

–Alex

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Apr 20

Smart Phone Etiquette

By phonemanandy Cell Phone How To's, Cell Phone Tutorials, Interesting Phone Stuff 1 Comment »

We’ve all been quite attached to Cell Phones for a while now. It’s time for us to learn some of the rules–or commandments–of phone etiquette. Phones have changed. People have changed. It’s high time for the two to be in sync with one another to a degree at which we can all be comfortable.

You should all know the key rules by now:

Speak quietly in public, avoid extremely personal conversations, avoid a call while in mid-conversation with another human being–and if you must take the call, let them know before you pull the phone out of your pocket. Avoid texting when you’re talking with someone face-to-face as well.

Put your phone’s ringer on silent when in a theater or restaurant. Or better yet, just turn it OFF. Accessing your phone in a dark theater makes everyone else cringe.

Here are some more recent etiquette ideas to think about when customizing your social networking existence:

Some phones and software allow you to control the picture that appears on other devices when you call.

Avoid embarrassing profile pictures through Facebook, Blackberry, AIM, or Twitter.

Don’t look up answers to debates or questions on Google. We’re all guilty of this, but some people find it both annoying and pretentious. Companies like KGB and Cha-Cha offer a fun way to ask anonymous questions that may produce interesting results. Try them instead.

Only use call screening for business. Close friends and family shouldn’t have to go through a Google Voice or business filter to get to you on your cell phone. It’s inconsiderate, and they may disown you.

Don’t play the blame game with dropped calls. Chances are it’s either nobody’s fault, or it could be yours. Blaming the other person for a dropped call is ridiculous–so stop it.

Lastly, compensate for delay. We live in a world of instant gratification now, but with some advancements in technology come minor inconveniences that we have to live with for the time being. Many new and refurbished smart phones have a slight (or perhaps significant) delay that may cause some awkward moments during conversations. Always pause for a moment to give the other person time to receive your voice or text before beginning to speak again. Believe me, it can work wonders–and bring an end to frustrating overlapping conversations.

Following these simple steps will not only bring you into a peaceful and civilized 21st Century of technology, but also make you a much better person for it.

–Alex G. (The Blue Dot)

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Mar 15

The Blue Dot Now Sponsoring Drink Up Buttercup

By Chris Samaras Phones In The News No Comments »

Picture 1Just in time for their upcoming tour, The Blue Dot is now sponsoring Philly’s hottest band, Drink Up Buttercup.  The boys in DUB head out this week for a countrywide tour and we’re looking forward to their mobile updates, which will be sent from their refurbished iPhone.

DUB’s tour, which includes several shows with Indy favorites We Are Scientists, will take them to the South By South West festival in Austin, Texas where the band is eager to showcase their first full-length album. The album, Born and Thrown on a Hook, drops from Yep Rock Records on March 23rd and is available for pre-order at Drink Up’s website.  There you can also find links to their Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter pages where you can sign up to receive their mobile updates from the road.

2010 looks to be a huge year for Drink Up, and we’re proud to be a part of their success. Here’s a video from a studio session they did on their last tour. Enjoy.

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Oct 07

How To Fix a JVM 102 Error for Blackberry

By Chris Samaras Cell Phone How To's 2 Comments »

phoneInstallErrorHere at The Blue Dot, we often have customers contact us for assistance because they are getting a “JVM 102 Error” on their Blackberry cell phone. First of all, it is important to note that all cell phones, like all electronics, are prone to malfunctions so if you have important data on your device, you should be sure to frequently back it up on your computer. That being said, the JVM error means that a .code file on your phone is corrupt, so your device will not load the file. You can do a hard reset on the device, which will totally wipe the phone clean so that you can start over but if you do not want to lose everything on your device, you can follow the instructions below (I am pretty sure you can only do this on a PC).

  • Download the JL Cmder
  • Connect your device to your PC via USB cable
  • Run JL_Cmder and select option 2, which is the event log
  • Go to the bottom of the log and look for “JVM Error 102.” The line before it will tell you exactly what file is causing the error. Here is an example of what it will look like. The text in pink shows the corrupted file. Save the file name because it will be needed later but do not include the numbers in parenthesis.
  • Go to Start > Run, and type “cmd” then press Enter
  • Change directory to the JL_Cmder installation folder. EXAMPLE: type: cd “C:\Program Files\JL_Cmder\” and press enter
  • Type the following command to remove the offending file:

javaloader.exe -u erase -f FILENAME
(FILENAME is the name of the .cod file. NOTE – do not include the numbers in parenthesis after the file name)

  • Disconnect your phone from your PC and restart it.
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