Verizon Wireless participates in National Cell Phone Recycling Week

It's National Cell Phone Recycling Week.  Verizon Wireless is contributing with drop boxes in stores throughout the United States, free printable mailing labels, and an eco-friendly trade-in program.

The Verizon Wireless Trade-In Program lets users determine if their wireless phones and tablets have value, and if so, they receive a Verizon Wireless gift card for trading it in.

Verizon Wireless offers several options for recycling.  HopeLine from Verizon collects devices and accessories at the company's 2,000 Communications Stores nationwide, or by mail, to help victims of domestic violence.  The collected phones are refurbished or recycled.

Verizon Wireless, through the HopeLine program, provides wireless phones and airtime to victims of domestic violence and cash grants to local shelters and nonprofit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention, awareness and advocacy.

Since 2001, HopeLine has collected more than 8 million phones, has properly disposed of 1.7 million no-longer-used wireless phones, and has kept more than 210 tons of electronic waste and batteries out of landfills.

PCTV unveils Broadway 2T Wireless Streaming Device

At the Gadget Show in Birmingham PCTV, a division of Hauppauge Digital, has launched its Broadway 2T, a wireless TV streaming device.

The Broadway 2T might look like a broadband router at first, but it is actually a device for streaming Freeview TV and personal content to your desktop PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The device is available at this week's Gadget Show for £159.99 and thereafter will cost £229.

The small box has dual DVB-T receivers and uses both WiFi and 3G so you can access content via LAN or the Internet via an existing router. You can in theory watch live TV or pre-recorded content on your device anywhere in the world, provided you have a WiFi or 3G connection. The Broadway 2T supports the Windows and Mac OS X operating systems along with Apple's IOS on Ipads and Iphones.

Support for devices running Google's Android operating system will come in the next couple of months with possible support for Windows Phone 7 devices afterwards. You can also connect the device to a set-top box or external hard drive for playback.

Unlike rival services, PCTV's device has no strings attached or hidden costs such as paying for the associated app for your phone or tablet because the system uses the existing web browser. Firmware updates will also be free of charge.

PCTV says that an audio and video input turn your Ipad or Iphone into a remote surveillance solution by connecting an analogue camera. You can apparently control your home content and perform tasks such as scheduling a recording.

D-Link intros Wireless-N Night Vision Camera

On Monday, D-Link introduced its Mydlink-enabled Wireless-N Day/Night Network Camera (model DCS-932L). According to the company, with a built-in CPU and Web server the DCS-932L provides a complete monitoring system for homes and small offices, at resolutions of up to 640x480 pixels.

D-Link states that the new camera is easy to install and has an intuitive Web-based interface. Consumers can integrate it into an existing network and view the streaming video from a PC, notebook, or mobile device such as an iPhone or Android-based smartphone.

The DCS-932L camera supports built-in Wireless-N and Wi-Fi Protected Setup, which makes hooking it up to an existing wireless network an easy job. It offers Motion JPEG and 20-frames-per-second streaming, as well as new infrared illumination technology for night viewing.

According to D-Link, the infrared technology used in the camera allows you to monitor a home or small office for up to 16 feet away from the camera. The DCS-932L Wireless-N IP camera is now available for $150.

Ford Focus Electric will connect with AT&T

Being a new breed of vehicles in the Ford stables, the Focus electric, the first passenger electric vehicle to be launched by the American manufacturer, needs more than the capability to use electricity to impress possible buyers. On a segment where the competition is increasing by the week, the Focus needs more high-tech features and gadgets.

Ford has chosen communications giant AT&T as the provider of wireless connectivity for the Focus electric. The service will be provided by AT&T through the MyFord Mobile smartphone app and will be used to allow Focus electric owners to send and receive data, voice commands and control of vehicle settings.

The main features of the app provided by Ford to support the wireless feature of the Focus electric are listed below:

• Locate charging stations and get the destination sent to the vehicle
• Know if the vehicle can reach a specific charge station from its current location with the current charge level
• Journey planning with multiple stops, and determine the likelihood that the car has adequate charge for the full journey
• Alerts if the vehicle isn't charging when it's scheduled to, or if charging stops unexpectedly due to a power outage, plug removal or other event
• Receive alerts during recharge when the vehicle has reached a particular preset charge level or has the ability to reach a particular destination
• Engage remote vehicle preconditioning, using grid power to heat or cool the vehicle interior
• Remotely lock/unlock doors
• GPS system.

"Connecting consumers directly to their electric vehicles in this new and innovative way is going to drive innovative and exciting levels of interaction," said Glenn Lurie, president of emerging devices, resale and partnerships, AT&T.

HTC's ThunderBolt to be Launched on March 17th

HTC's ThunderBolt, the first Smartphone to function on Verizon Wireless LTE network, will launch this Thursday, according to a document from Verizon received by the online retailer Wirefly.

This device features a 4.3-inch touch screen, Android 2.2, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 768MB of RAM, 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and 720p video capture, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, 8GB of built-in storage, microSD slot for 32GB of additional storage.

Wirefly.com has announced that it will begin accepting pre-orders for the HTC Thunderbolt LTE 4G Smartphone for Verizon Wireless starting at 3 a.m. EDT / midnight PDT (Tuesday) morning. The device is set to start shipping on March 17, 2011 - and Wirefly says that it will offer the Android powered Thunderbolt for a "special" price.

RIM plans two additional BlackBerry 4G PlayBook Models

Research in Motion plans to release two more BlackBerry Playbook tablets in the second half of 2011, one with LTE and one with HSPA+ networking technology, the company declared at the Mobile World Congress.

RIM already had announced a Wi-Fi only tablet and one using the WiMax wireless networking technology. LTE and HSPA+, though, are much more broadly accepted in the mobile market, if not necessarily widely installed.

In the ever-hotter tablet market, the competition presently is largely between incumbent power Apple and a number of Android-based challengers such as the Motorola Xoom and the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.4. RIM hopes its BlackBerry models will find a foothold as well.

The biggest hurdle many of these products need to overcome today is shipping, but after that comes sales partnerships with carriers and retailers, application development with programmers.

"We are now building on the BlackBerry PlayBook's many advantages with support for additional 4G networks that will allow enhanced business opportunities for carriers and developers and unparalleled mobile experiences for users," said RIM Co-Chief Executive Mike Lazaridis in a statement.

Sony Ericcson reveals Playstation phone

Sony Ericsson publicized in Barcelona its hotly-awaited PlayStation phone, the Xperia Play, which is the company’s counter to a raft of sophisticated game-playing smartphones offered by rivals.

Just hours before the Mobile World Congress trade expo opened in the Spanish city, the Xperia Play was put on show. It is optimized for gaming and instead of the usual pullout keyboard offers a set of thumb-driven, PlayStation-style controls.

Sony Ericsson announced that the gadget would go on sale worldwide from next month. In the United States, Verizon is to lead the rollout. No details were given related to the European launch. The company is to offer with it many of the classic games played on the PlayStation and PSP (PlayStation Portable).

The company said more than 20 games design companies including Gameloft and Electronic Arts were currently devising new games for the Play and they would be sold via the Playstation Suite platform.

It added that the games would also run on other makers’ Android phones. The PSP and its rival, the Nintendo DS, once reigned supreme as the distraction of choice for children and teens, but have faced rising competition in the past year from smartphones with high-resolution displays that offer similar fun.