T-mobile MyTouch 3G users rejoice! With a simple download from the Marketplace, you’ll now be able to enjoy Visual Voicemail just like all of those AT&T iPhone users do. Once you’ve downloaded and installed the file, all you have to do is run the app and after a few minutes of configuring it goes to work displaying all the voicemail in your mailbox. Take a look at the shots below for the full U.I.

The weather is getting warm, so you know what that means – more pretty and portable speakers are going to start popping up. iLuv, has announced that the iSP100 Mini Portable Stereo Speaker for iPod, iPhone 3G, 2G and MP3 Players is now available in pink, purple, silver and black. There is nothing really new here except the spring-like colors, but we’ll give you the lowdown again on the iSP100′s specs. Trying to not sound like some cheap tinny external speaker, the iSP100 features jAura Acoustic Speaker technology with 720° surround sound 4W Speakers, and a 3.5mm jack for unlimited connectivity. The palm size speaker comes with a carrying case for protection and storage and only requires three AAA batteries for it to work. The iLuv iSP100 Mini Portable retails for $34.99, expect to see them on a beach blanket near you.

I guess those who make plush toys are really not thinking about the dogs anymore but the humans who are buying them. I mean how else would you explain headphones and radio shaped plush toys. I am impressed with the details of both the Snoop Dogg Pets Plus Headphones and Snoop Dogg Pets Plus Boom-box but honestly do we need our pets to chew on everything that looks real…

The Mr Man Computer Case from Paul Frank is the perfect compliment to your Julius iPhone case. The Neoprene/saber laptop bag with plaid printed vinyl has two front pockets, the famous embroidered Paul Frank logo, and waterproof zippers. It’s the perfect case for all those netbooks out there as it fits 12″ laptops best and retails for a not too bad $48.

Urban McHughly from Urban Tool is not your average looking iPhone case. In fact it is shaped like a doll that has an iPhone for a body. Urban McHughly has LED Swarovski eyes that light up when you receive a phone call. It also has additional decorative Swarovski crystals because nothing says an iPhone case like more Swarovski crystals. The hands of Urban McHughly can even be used to clean the iPhone case. Talk about a multipurpose iPhone case that actually gives back a little! There are no other details from Urban Tool on Urban McHughly’s release except that it is coming soon.

Pantech C820 Matrix Pro

Hardware:
The Pantech Matrix Pro’s hardware is solid and feels sturdy. The Matrix Pro sports a metallic finish and curvy top and bottom. Unfortunately the Matrix Pro’s screen tends to attract fingerprints and smudges, so you might want to keep a wipe handy. Overall, it is not the most attractive phone in the world, but definitely pleasant looking, especially considering that many phones which manage to fit in two keypads end up being pretty fuggly.

The Pantech Matrix Pro is on the small size for a smart phone, width and height wise (4.17 x 2.0 x 0.85 inches) – so it will fit in your pocket easily. However, it will also bulge out of your pocket a bit because the inclusion of two keypads end up making it pretty thick. Though the Matrix Pro weighs 5.3 ounces, which isn’t all that much, for some reason the handset also feels a bit hefty in your hand. It’s also got a 2.4” screen with a 240×320 resolution. The screen is clear and pretty bright, and is pretty much on par with other similar Windows Mobile smartphones.

The keyboard on the Matrix Pro feels good to type on and key presses feel slightly stiff but comfortable. The keyboard surface area is smaller though then lets say the T-mobile G1, and is made up of just 3 rows, and as a result it is a bit more cramped. However I still found it comfortable to use. The numeric dial pad is made up of totally flat keys, sort of RAZR style, but they are also comfortable to dial with. The sides of the phone sport dedicated volume controls, a camera button and a record button. Its front face holds dial and end keys as well as a circular navigation key that looks like it’s ready to be a scroll wheel, but it’s unfortunately not one.

In the box you get a sync cable, software CD, charger, 3.5mm headphone adapter, a case and a manual.

Interface / Home screen:
One of the strongest aspects of Windows Mobile 6.1 over its predecessors are the slick updates to the home screen layout which includes a new slide panel layout that now lets you easily access things like recent calls, get access to your voicemail, text messages, mms, email, appointments, AT&T services (xpress mail, instant messenger, media net, media mail) and settings (profile wireless manager, ringtones, background image and task manager) without leaving the home screen. You can now also scroll through, and play music from your Windows Media playlist. The slide panel home screen can even show off the album art associated with the track you’re playing. While this new home screen option is very welcome, the rest of the Windows Mobile 6.1 interface is starting to look old.

Overall, navigating through the OS didn’t feel sluggish and overall the phone had good pep, though there were pretty minor delays, like a second or so delay when switching between landscape / QWERTY and portrait views. The handset comes ships with just 256MB of ROM and 128 megs of RAM, but it sports an SDHC slot for up to 32GB expandable memory.

For those of you looking for a touch screen, the Matrix Pro does not have one, however between both keypads you don’t feel like you’re missing one. Also, the OS is designed well for phones without touchscreens. That said, we do wish that the circular navigation button on the front face doubled as a scroll wheel.

Call Quality:
Call Quality was very good on the Matrix Pro, testing in New York City, I could hear callers clearly and vice versa. I generally had full bars as well, but then again I only have gotten a chance to test in an area which is known to have good coverage. The speakerphone worked ok, but often callers on the other end said they had some difficulty hearing me when talking to them on speakerphone. Also the speakerphone does not get quite loud enough for noisier environments. Overall, the phone’s battery can manage to last a few days with light use and even over a day with moderate use. In contrast, most smartphone I’ve worked with tank out after a day of even moderate use.

Software:
The Matrix Pro comes with plenty of software including an instant messaging app that gives you access to AIM, Yahoo and MSN messenger, a weather app, a PDF program, a Java VM app for running other Java based apps, a mobile banking app as well as AT&T’s optional specialized services like Xpress Mail and MobiTV, and AT&T’s Navigator application which takes advantage of the built-in GPS. Office Mobile is also included which contains Excel, OneNote, Powerpoint and Word Mobile. Oddly, there are some apps, like the Mobile Banking app which have icons in the menu system but aren’t actually installed on the device yet until you manually download them. The handset also comes with a great selection of games, including Guitar Hero 3 Mobile, Brain Challenge, Bubble Breaker, Jewel Quest II, Midnight Pool, Ms. Pac Man, Scrabble, Solitaire, and Tetris. Unfortunately many of these like Ms. Pac-man and Guitar Hero 3 are just demos, which is a bummer.

Internet:
The Matrix Pro does not have Wi-Fi abilities, instead you have to rely on only 3G for surfing the net speedily. The Matrix Pro comes preloaded with Internet Explorer, of course. Using DSLReports’ Mobile speed test, the Matrix Pro came up with a 120kbit/sec result. Surfing the net with AT&T’s 3G network in NYC felt pretty fast, even when using bloated Internet Explorer. However, I would highly recommend downloading the free Skyfire browser which is a lot faster than I.E. and also emulates the closest desktop surfing experience possible on a Windows Mobile smartphone. Skyfire also renders web pages better than Internet Explorer and overall takes better advantage of AT&T’s 3G network. In order to understand just how much faster Skyfire is, check out the loading time comparisons below.

Internet Explorer:
1:05 for ChipChick.com
8 Seconds for m.cnn.com

Skyfire:
23 Seconds for ChipChick.com
5 Seconds for m.cnn.com

E-mail:
Windows Mobile of course integrates with Microsoft Exchange beautifully and does a good job of playing nicely with imap and pop3 accounts. However, the Matrix Pro also comes with support for AT&T’s Xpress mail which is a $4.99 a month push email service that lets you get your mail as soon as the email server receives a new one. It’s compatible with most personal email accounts including Yahoo! Mail, AOL, Windows Live Hotmail (MSN, Hotmail and Live), Comcast, EarthLink, and others. Xpress Mail also saves the devices from running scheduled sync if there is no mail and it enables you to to sync contacts and schedules with your phone.

Multimedia:
A trial of MobiTV is included. MobiTV offers the ability to stream TV popular TV shows to your handset. I was able to watch streaming episodes of Lost without a hitch. Granted the screen isn’t big enough for watching video for serious lengths of time, but it was awesome being able to watch some TV while waiting for the train. Other notable preinstalled multimedia apps include Pandora for free music listening, a trial for XM radio Mobile and for MobiVJ which provides access to music videos, and there is also access to AT&T’s music shop.

As for audio and video playback, the device comes with the standard Windows Media Player which lets you access your music by artist, album, and genre. Album art and star ratings can also be viewed while listening to tracks. Unfortunately the Matrix Pro comes uses a proprietary headphone jack. The T-mobile G1 is guilty of the same offense. We can’t understand why companies would bother making a multimedia handset with anything but a 3.5mm jack. However, to their credit, at-least Pantech does ship the Matrix Pro with a 3.5mm adapter.

Camera:
The Matrix Pro sports a 2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom. Both the camera and video recording/camcorder function give you a nice amount of options such different choices for white balance settings including Auto, daylight, cloudy, and fluorescent. You also have options for special effects: Normal, gray, sepia, and negative, and a self timer. The video recording is nothing to write home about with just  a 176×144 resolution. But it’s a nice feature to have regardless. The camera photos also were just mediocre and like most other average camera phones, photos taken in the daylight came out much better. And unfortunately, the camera sorely lacks a flash.

Conclusion:
I have to be honest and admit that until now, I hadn’t paid all that much attention to Pantech’s handsets. But after spending time with the Pantech Matrix Pro, I have come away pleasantly surprised at what a solid phone it is overall. For those looking for the best of both worlds as far keypads, an affordable price tag, and a solid feature set for a business phone with decent multimedia capabilities, the Matrix Pro doesn’t disappoint. The Pantech Matrix Pro C820 retails for $179.99 with a 2 year contract from AT&T. Alternatively you can pick one up from Amazon for just $99 with a 2 year contract.

The Good:
Dual keypad form factor is very cool, great messaging and email abilities, good overall performance, fast internet browsing and multimedia streaming, good call quality, solid feature set.

Bad:
No Wi-Fi, lacks dedicated 3.5mm jack for audio, Windows Mobile isn’t the hot shot OS that it used to be, camera lacks flash and its photos are mediocre.

Read on below for a full description of Archive.

Black vegan leather laptop carrier with 100% recycled gray faux suede lining, tone on tone stitching, antique silver hardware, and MATT & NAT logo bar. The Archive features top double zip closure, 2 external zipper pockets on front and 1 external zipper pocket on back. Interior includes zip, cell phone and PDA pockets, 3 pen holders and protective laptop sleeve. Comes with detachable, adjustable shoulder strap

Regulations: Matt & Nat and ChipChick.com are not responsible for any lost packages or incorrect shipping addresses. The prize is not redeemable in cash and must be accepted as awarded. Approximate value of prizes may vary. By claiming the prize, the winner authorizes the use, without additional compensation of his or her name and/or likeness and/or voice/photograph and municipality of residence for promotion and/or advertising purposes in any manner and in any medium (including without limitation over the internet and picture data storage).

Design:
The Lubix NC1 Bluetooth headset is designed to not only be wearable as a necklace but also be customizable to your taste. Lubix offers consumers a chance to create a skin for their pair of Lubix NC1 headphones and you can choose from predetermined designs or you can create one yourself.  The skin itself is of good quality since the folks behind Skinit are behind it, so we were more than pleased. The pair we tested actually had two skins included which was a nice touch.

The Lubix NC1 headset may look a bit out there since the earphone pieces are a bit on the large size. However, they are designed this way because of all the jog button controls that are located on the left earphone. The headset is held in place together magnetically in a form that resembles a pendant. The two pieces easily pull apart when you are ready to use them. Once you are done using your phone for the moment, then just bring the two parts together and they will seal closed magnetically.  The necklace cable is comfortable to wear and you can adjust the choker for neckband length. Included in the package is a manual, large/small eartips, USB adapter, and USB cable.

Setup:
Like any typical Bluetooth headset, the first thing that needs to be done is for the device to be paired. There are no batteries that need to be inserted but the device does need to be charged. Once the charging was completed, the next logical step is obviously to pair the device with your cellphone. I was using the new Blackberry 8900 Curve and turned on the Bluetooth feature to begin searching for Bluetooth devices in the area. Immediately I switched on the headset and held in the Talk/3D Sound button on the Lubix NC1 and the blue LED started to flash to indicate the pairing had begun. The Lubix NC1 was picked up immediately and I paired both devices. Now both the audio and phone calls would be heard and received by the device.

Features:

A key selling point of the Lubix Bluetooth headset is the stereo quality with 3D sound effects. I was impressed with the sound quality overall considering this is not a dedicated pair of headphones. The sound was of decent quality and when you switched on the 3D sound effects it only enhanced the aural experience. The different options consist of lowering the noise in the background of the song, delivering music that gives the impression of a live performance, or enhancing the vocals. With each effect you could hear a difference, which again I did appreciate for a bluetooth headset. Changing the volume can be done from the NC1′s earpiece’s jog button. Since the controls are on the left earbud of the NC1, it will take sometime to train yourself for as to which button does what, if you do it blindly. But if you just take the piece out of your ear for a moment the task can be completed easily.

Using the Lubix NC1 as a headset, I was able to hear callers on the other side of the headset just fine. However, when I was in a noisy environment, people on the other end of the call said that they did have problems hearing me because of surrounding noise, and as a result I would have to speak up a bit. Hopefully the next version of the NC1 will include noise cancellation tech in it.

The only real disappointment I had with the Lubix NC1 was that the buds were just too big for my ear canal. I switched to the smaller buds that were included and even squishing and pushing made no difference. They still kept falling out of my ears. If I stood still they stayed in my ears but as soon as I walked they popped right out of my ears. Of course I could just have an abnormal small size canal so this might only be an isolated problem with me. Many folks out there may not have the same issue.

Conclusion:
The Lubix Bluetooth Stereo Headset accomplishes what it set out to do. Be a decent handsfree device as well as a fashionable pair of stereo headphones. The fact you can customize (if you so choose) the NC1 with SkinIt skins and wear it as a necklace is a nice touch that makes it stand out from the very crowded Bluetooth crowd. Except with my own personal issue with the eartips – I think anyone who purchases the Lubix NC1 will be happy and pleased with a uniquely stylish and customizable product and the fact it can do two features well. The Lubix Stereo Bluetooth Headset SkinIt Bundle retails for $60 and the headset itself is available in blue, black or white. The Lubix Stereo Bluetooth Headset without the SkinIt option retails for $54.

The Good: Customization via skins is cool, fashionable pendant design, good stereo sound quality, easy setup.

The Bad: Eartips were a bit big for me, lack of noise cancellation

Indeed – There are so many job classifieds web sites out there, who has the time to sift through all of them daily? Not only does Indeed let you search through popular job posting sites, it also offers free daily alerts based on your keyword and location. So every time a job posting for an “executive blogger” comes up, you’ll be notified right in your mail box of that days related job postings.

Fatwallet – If you’re going to buy something online, whether it be business cards at VistaPrint or a new Macbook from the apple Store (granted, if you are able to afford to buy anything at all), then you might as well make back some money on your purchase. Fatwallet offers money back from most of the popular online retailers. Cash back rates vary from one e-tailer to another, with most just a few percent – but you’d be surprised how much money that ends up accumulating over time. And either way – it’s extra money in your wallet. Since being a member in 2005, I’ve made almost $600 is cash back payments. FatWallet also has a strong user forum where people posts great coupons and steals. Other notable (and very addictive) sites for great bargains that we recommend is BensBargains.net, TechBargains.com and SlickDeals.net.

Emurse – Emurse is a free resume builder which provides all the tools you could possibly need to present a professional and powerful online resume. You get a customized web address for your resume that offers visitors the ability to save your resume as a Word Doc, PDF, text file, HTML file or you can offer potential employers the option to subscribe to it via an RSS feed. Emurse also offers instant notifications when potential employers view your resume.

Media Convert – Whether you need a screenshot of a web site or you need to convert a Word document in to a PDF, don’t fret if you don’t have the money to shell out for the necessary software. This site will take care of all of these things for you for free. Media Convert offers an assortment of useful services such as converting a Powerpoint presentation in to a video, generating image thumbnails, and combining multiple video files in to one – as well as many, many more useful stuff.

Hulu – In case you’ve missed the commercial with Alec Baldwin playing an alien, then allow us to introduce you to Hulu. Hulu offers free streaming episodes of popular TV shows as well as some movies. We’re talking big time network shows like the Family Guy, Battlestar Galactica, and Saturday Night Live – you know, the good stuff.

Mint – Mint is an all in one finance service which is aimed at helping you manage your money and manage your debt. The site helps you figure out your taxes, keep track of your transactions, and stay in control of your budget. The service will even send you emails and SMS alerts when there has been a change in your finances.

txtdrop – Practically every wireless provider has recently raised their text messaging rates. And lets face it – all those texts add up on your bill. Save some money easily by using this web site to send messages. The site also offers a Mac OS X Widget, Vista Gadget, and an iPhone optimized version of the site. However, if you’re an iPhone or iPod touch user, we recommend trying out the Pinger Textfree app which lets you send and receive text messages for free.

Weebly – Perhaps you’re looking to become your own entrepreneur and start your own business or maybe you already have your own business but don’t have the collateral available to hire a web designer and make your own web site. If that is the case, check out Weebly which is one of the best and easiest to use web-based web site creators. What especially sets them apart is that they also offer free domain hosting, so your site will have a professional .com address as opposed to some ugly yourcompany.freehosting.com. Of course, you will have to pay for the domain name, but those are usually just $10 a pop at GoDaddy.

If anyone has any other great recession helpful web sites that they would like to recommend, please let us know!

Update 06/11/10: Pinger just removed Textfree Lite from the iTunes App Store because Textfree Unlimited is now free. Also, for a limited time you can now get a free texting number.

Sometimes something comes around that isn’t necessarily techie but is still pretty damn cool, that you just have to write about it.  No this is not some latest addition to the Hello Kitty line… it’s an Albino dolphin that is the color pink. This extremely rare dolphin was found around Lake Calcasieu, an inland saltwater estuary, north of the Gulf of Mexico by a boat captain.  The dolphin is indeed pink from head to tail with reddish eyes.  He had been seen at least 50 times in the same areas since originally spotted. It is truly a site to behold.

The Sonos Multi-Room Music Digital Player system is for people who love music. Not just like music – LOVE music. It is meant to fill your home with it no matter where you go. In the living room, kitchen, bedroom, or den. Just about anywhere you might be at a given moment – you can have access to your entire media library.  The Sonos gives you the freedom to stream not only your media files but internet radio or local radio channels.

Setup:
When we first received the Sonos we almost passed out by how many boxes there where. Not that I’m put off by the quantity of boxes, but I certainly had in the back of mind that this was not going to be easy to setup. However I was wrong! The unpacking took me longer than actually setting the Sonos up. We got a chance to review the Sonos Speaker Bundle 150 as well as some extras which comprised of the Wireless Controller, Zoneplayer 120, Zoneplayer 90, 2 Sonos Loudspeakers, Sonos Zonebridge, and a cradle for the controller. Like I said – that is a lot of boxes. Once unpacked it may seem a bit overwhelming as to where you should put all these pieces. The first thing I did was decide where I would put the Zoneplayer 120 along with the speakers. Granted I don’t live in a huge luxurious home so it took some finagling to decide where I would put and keep the speakers since the Zoneplayer 120 does need to be connected to a router or modem via ethernet. So that was a bit tricky. Luckily, all the components of the system have a streamlined design that any Mac owner would appreciate. They blend into your home without looking like an eyesore. The ethernet cables also have a flat design to make it easy to blend on to walls for decent wire maintenance. Another nice feature is that both the Zoneplayer 90 and Sonos Zonebridge are both wireless so they can be placed anywhere in your home so that you can really complete that experience of having a fully amplified musical abode.

Installation:
After placing the Zoneplayers were I wanted to them to be, the next logical step was to install the software. I have an iMac and the installation was done in 10 minutes. You follow the onscreen prompts and the devices are picked up around your home. You’ll have to repeat the steps to have the computer recognize the other Zoneplayers scattered about but with just the press of a button on each player the software picks it up and installs it. You can label each player for the area its in. Lets say the Zoneplayer 90 is in the living room – so you can label it living room etc… this will allow you to control that device when you are in the room or not by giving it a name associated with its location. Once the devices were picked up it was time to import my MP3s….that is where I hit a snag. Everything was going too perfectly! I repeatedly kept coming across the same error over and over about how my files couldn’t be imported followed by the file name. After spending some time on the Sonos Support forum I downloaded the newest version of the software and tried again….Still no luck. So again…I headed over to the forum and it seemed to be only a problem with those who have Mac computers and not so much with a PC. After additional digging, I found a suggestion to change my file sharing settings and modify my file name of the location of where my MP3’s were coming from….it was becoming a big hassle.  Finally, finally after changing just one more permission under the Security Settings and then Firewall settings I was able to access my files. This was after three hours. I was a bit upset that this wasn’t something that was mentioned in the manual or easily accessible on the forums unless you dug through and found it.
However setting up the radio functionality was a lot easier. It took 2 seconds, it asked you where you reside and then a whole list of stations pops up for you to listen to. Of course there is the ability to preset the stations you love. I was finally ready to begin my Sonos experience.

Interface:
The Sonos controller is just like it’s other components sleekly designed and easy to use. Everything is very visual and doesn’t require a graduate degree in engineering to figure it out. The right side of the device resembles a iPod scroll wheel to obviously scroll through the menu options or songs available on the system. Its big bright LCD screen makes it easy on the eyes as you scroll through your options.
The first place I wanted to play my music was in the kitchen. Nothing gets you in the mood to make a meal like a little Andre Boccelli. I selected kitchen and the Zoneplayer I set up in there started to play music through some desktop speakers I connected to it. Standing in that room I gave the controller over to my co-editor who was itching to listen to a little Alanis and she started her Zoneplayer in the living room. So at one moment we had different music playing in two different parts of the apartment. In a smaller space than an average home, music from one room can over power the other room. So be careful when you set it up, that you take into account sound absorption so that you don’t irritate another Sonos listener.
When the controller was given back to me I decided I wanted all the rooms to listen to my fave song that just came on and very easily I was able to make that happen by selecting all the Zoneplayers to play the same song. The controls were super easy to navigate and a nice new feature is that you can now control it from your iPhone or iPod Touch via a free Sonos app. So there is no need for me to keep passing the Controller around and around to operate the system. Once the app is downloaded onto your iPhone you can easily do all the same functions. So it’s like having another controller in the room without having to pay extra for it. Again the interface is sleek and extremely easy and with the ability to see all the music and FM stations available on your system to control.

Conclusion:
The Sonos Multi-Room Music Digital Player is perfect for those who have large homes and want the ability to have music playing in random parts of your home that suits your own personal taste. No more telling mom or dad to shut off Frank Sinatra or vice a versa about your loud heavy metal. It’s also perfect for businesses like restaurants and spas that want to give customers a more personal experience as well as save money with unnecessary and costly wiring for other complex systems that do the same thing but on a different scale. I was extremely happy with my time with the Sonos and except for that little snafu with importing my MP3 library, it was overall a great experience. However I would have liked if the Zoneplayers did have a built in speaker so that you had the option to not attach external ones. This takes up space that sometimes you just don’t have, as well as creating more visible wires.
Of course such a luxury music experience doesn’t come cheap, the Sonos BU150 Multiroom Music System bundle typically starts at $999 and up. But sometimes the cost of music is priceless.

The Good: Very user-friendly. Excellent design concept and software interface. Perfect for large homes or businesses looking to add a personal touch. Liked the iPhone app a lot, saves money on having to buy additional controllers.

The Bad: Would have liked to have had a bigger troubleshooting section in the manual for possible Mac problems importing your MP3 library. You have to attach speakers to every Zoneplayer to hear music, would have liked built-in speakers. A bit pricey but you get what you pay for.

FreeVoiceLine.com is a website that will allow you to make calls to anyone in the US and Canada for free! All you need is a computer and an internet connection. First you enter your phone number and then the number of the person you are dialing. The service is completely free and you can talk as long as you want, the only thing you may be subject to is a commercial before the phone call is over. This is just another nail in the landline’s coffin, as everyday the landline phone becomes a little more extinct…