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Several Verizon Wireless employees gained unauthorized access to the cell phone account of President-elect Barack Obama, the provider revealed Thursday.

“This week we learned that a number of Verizon Wireless employees have, without authorization, accessed and viewed President-elect Barack Obama’s personal cell phone account,” Verizon said in a Thursday statement.

Verizon said the account has been inactive for several months and was tied to a flip phone, not a smart phone like the BlackBerry. Obama has been pictured several times talking on a Motorola Razr (above), a flip phone that is available through Verizon Wireless.

Obama has also been spotted with the BlackBerry and the Apple iPhone.

“All employees who have accessed the account - whether authorized or not - have been put on immediate leave, with pay,” Verizon said. “As the circumstances of each individual employee’s access to the account are determined, the company will take appropriate actions.”

Employees found to have accessed Obama’s account for legitimate reasons will be reinstated while those who did so without cause will “face appropriate disciplinary action,” Verizon said.

“We apologize to President-elect Obama and will work to keep the trust our customers place in us every day,” the company said.

There has been speculation in the past week about whether Obama will be able to keep his BlackBerry after he is sworn into office. For security reasons, U.S. presidents have traditionally surrendered their electronic devices while in office, and Thursday’s Verizon incident highlights why that type of precaution might still be necessary.

Original post by Chloe Albanesius

With our hands-on review of the new BlackBerry Storm for Verizon now up over at PCMag.com, you had to know it was only a matter of time before we got around to shooting a video of RIM’s new touchscreen smartphone in action.

Our editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff and lead phone analyst Sascha Segan talk about the pros and cons of the new handset, after the jump.

Original post by Brian Heater

I finally got around to renting “The West Wing” on Netflix last week. And because I work where I do, the first thing I noticed was that all the characters were using beepers, antiquated cell phones with antennas, and clunky laptops. But while the staffers were juggling multiple pre-BlackBerry electronic devices, the president had nothing but a cane and witty comebacks for lobbyists.

In the real world, security reasons have prevented the U.S. President from using the latest tech gadgets for day-to-day activities–but given that President-Elect Obama relied so heavily on the Internet during his campaign and is reportedly addicted to his BlackBerry, will he also relinquish his electronic devices come January?

That remains to be seen, but given that all presidential correspondence must be made public under the Presidential Records Act, the New York Times reported that Obama will probably hand over the BlackBerry lest his electronic legacy include LOLCat forwards and grammatically challenged text messages. Perhaps Google can develop a presidential version of its Mail Goggles?

When President Bush was elected in 2000, he sent an e-mail from his AOL account to friends informing them that he would no longer correspond electronically, and Obama will likely follow suit.

Obama staffers did concede, however, that Obama wants a laptop in the Oval Office. If he gets his way, he would be the first American president to have one.

But will it be a Mac or a PC? Michelle Obama told Newsweek in February that she purchased two Macbook laptops for the President-elect and the children so they could use the iChat function to keep in touch while Obama was on the road.

There might be another reason to for to abandon cell phones and laptops and PDAs - technology snobs. Though Obama is known to have his BlackBerry with him at all times, he made headlines after being photographed fiddling with an iPhone, and chastised for using a Motorola Razr. Seems like a lose-lose situation regardless of his choice.

But while Obama might have to give up his gadgets, his administration will not likely shy away from technology. During election season, the campaign raised millions via online donations and allowed supporters to create their own virtual support sites via mybarackobama.com.

After the election, Obama’s team released election night photos on Flickr, launched change.gov to provide updates on the transition, and created a YouTube channel on which Obama will provide video updates about his administration.

On the policy side, Obama has also pledged to increase federal R&ampD spending, make government more open and transparent via the Internet, preserve Net neutrality, and work to provide broadband access to more underserved communities.

Original post by Chloe Albanesius

Today could be dubbed Verizon Day, thanks to the launch of the BlackBerry Storm on that carrier. But the country’s number-4 wireless provider, T-Mobile, is hoping to catch a little glory of its own with the launch of T-Mobile web2go. The service is designed to give users a better Web browsing experience.

The service is available for a majority of T-Mobile handsets. T-Mobileweb2go “allows customers to visit virtually the entire Internet from their mobile phone.” Users can create a personalized home page, search via Yahoo! oneSearch, and browse and purchase ringtones, games, wallpaper and mobile optimized applications via the web2go marketplace.

T-Mobile also used the opportunity to announce a number of new data plans, including:

• All-in-one device pricing starts at $24.99/month for unlimited Web and 400 messages; customers can also choose the premium plan for $34.99/month and receive unlimited Web and unlimited messages.

• For customers with a phone first device, they have their choice of $9.99/month for 50 MB Web access and 200 messages; or $19.99/month for 100 MB Web access and unlimited messages.

Original post by Brian Heater

PC Mag’s own Sascha Segan has devoted the last few days of his life to RIM’s latest handset. The new Blackberry Storm features a large touchscreen that, unlike most of its competitors, actually clicks–no haptic feedback here, the thing actually reacts when you touch it (my own limited time with the device reminded me a bit of the feedback from iRiver’s Clix device).

Segan liked the aforementioned screen, the fast Internet connection, and the high quality GPS and media player that ship with the device.

So, why’d the handset only get three stars? The handset was surprisingly buggy for starters. Also, Segan has little love for the device’s accelerometer and QWERTY keyboard.

Check out the full review at PC Mag. Segan doesn’t mention the iPhone–too much.

Original post by Brian Heater

My BlackBerry Storm review ended up a lot more lukewarm than I would have liked, because of one problem: bugs. RIM′s on top of the situation, though. They told us that the BlackBerry Storm would get an over-the-air software update “within weeks″ to improve several aspects of the device - and I look forward to re-rating the phone when it does.

BlackBerries used to be known for their absolutely bulletproof reliability - they never shipped with bugs. But I think that RIM has now bit off more than they can chew. First with the BlackBerry Bold (if the fiasco where Orange took it off the shelves is to be believed), then with the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, now with this device, they′ve let products out of the gate just a little bit - a few weeks - before they were 100% ready.

I have to believe that’s connected to the forking RIM OS platform. For years, they generally ran all of their devices on one OS and one platform. The Curve, Pearl and 8800 are actually all pretty much the same thing, and their software moved in lockstep. But now RIM has three platforms running in parallel: 4.5, for their older models 4.6, for the Bold and Flip; and 4.7, for the Storm. Do they just not have the staff to QA all of those at once?

Senior Editor Wendy Sheehan pointed out to me that she thinks her iPhone is as buggy as our Storm was - it’s just that the iPhone’s bugs didn’t appear during the initial review period. That may be the case. I very much look forward to updating our review based on the new software build.

Original post by Sascha Segan

Announced with a slew of new phones earlier this month, the DoCoMo PRIME F-01A handset has officially been released in the country. The PRIME F-01A is a Symbian-based phone manufactured by Fujitsu. It’s a waterproof handset (it can stay at a one meter depth underwater for 30 minutes) with a 3.5-inch wide VGA touch screen panel and is compliant to Fujitsu’s FOMA specifications.

The HSDPA phone has a 5.2-megapixel camera with both auto-focus and face detection, VGA video capture at 30 fps, expandable microSD card slot of up to 8GB, and for security purposes; a fingerprint reader. Of course, since this is a keitai we’re talking about, expect the usual Japanese phone features including e-Wallet and 1-Seg TV tuner.

Original post by Mariella Moon

Most of us have been plagued with a blue screen of death, a laptop that refuses to connect to a home wireless network, or a cell phone that just doesn’t feel like making calls.

About 48 percent of technology users have encountered such problems with their devices in the last year, according to a Sunday report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. How do they deal with these technological meltdowns? Most turn to customer support or just tinker with the devices themselves.

Of the more than 2,000 people surveyed last year by Pew, about 38 percent of them said they contacted customer support for help with a bad Internet connection, computer, or cell phone, while 28 percent fixed the problem on their own.

About 15 percent asked friends or family for assistance, 2 percent found help online, and another 15 percent could not fix the problem at all.

What technology caused the most headaches?

Internet connections. About 44 percent of home Internet users reported having their Web connection fail in the last year.

“Broadband may be trickier to fix than dial-up without help from customer support,” according to the report. About 49 percent of broadband customers had to contact customer support when they had a problem, versus 27 percent of dial-up customers.

Also causing problems were computers, with 28 percent of respondents reporting a malfunction in the last year, followed by 21 percent of cell phone users, 2 percent of people with PDA’s like the BlackBerry, and 3 percent of those with MP3 players like the Apple iPod.

People who encountered computer trouble were most likely to fix it themselves, with about 29 percent contacting customer support. Internet and cell phone troubles were not as easy to troubleshoot, with 45 percent and 43 percent of people turning to user support, respectively.

Friends and family were most likely to help with computer and Internet problems, but cell phone problems were not as easily resolved. About 23 percent of people with cell phone issues could not fix the problem at all. About 19 percent of computer issues were unresolved, while only 7 percent of Internet connection issues could not be fixed.

Men were more likely than women to fix their computers themselves, but women were more likely than men to ask friends and family for help, according to Pew.

Original post by Chloe Albanesius

A storm is brewing here in the PC Magazine offices - and it’s not some imported European storm, it’s a good ol’ American storm. We’ll be getting a BlackBerry Storm from Verizon Wireless this week, and I’d like to make sure I’ve got all of your questions covered. Beyond the obvious (how’s that click screen?), what do you want to know? Leave your questions below. I’ll try to answer your questions here, in my review, or on Twitter (where I’m “saschasegan”.)

The Storm will cost $199.99 with a new two-year contract and a $50 mail-in rebate from Verizon Wireless. If you’d like to prep for the Storm’s arrival, you can check out our extensive editorial preview.

Original post by Sascha Segan

No time to print out your boarding pass before going to the airport? Don’t want to wait in line for fellow passengers to figure out the e-ticket kiosks?

American Airlines announced yesterday that it is experimenting with mobile boarding passes, starting now with departing domestic flights from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The program will be extended to Los Angeles International Airport and John Wayne Orange County Airport on Monday.

Customers who want the mobile boarding pass must have an Internet-enabled cell phone and a valid e-mail address. Sign in to American’s Web site, AA.com–either via your cell phone or a computer–and select the cell phone boarding pass option. American will send you an e-mail with a barcode that will serve as your boarding pass when going through security and boarding the plane.

If you′re checking bags, you can have American e-mail you a separate barcode that can be scanned at American’s airport kiosks, counters, or curbside check-in.

At this point, American will only send one boarding pass per phone for non-stop, domestic flights on American or American Eagle.

American is working in conjunction with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on the program, and could expand it to additional cities in the coming months if successful.

Original post by Chloe Albanesius

How appropriate: a BlackBerry Storm giveaway, in a storm!

If you live or work in NYC, you’ve got till 7 PM today to get over to Times Square (on 46th and Broadway) for a chance to win a BlackBerry Storm. But be prepared to get soaked and to wait for upwards of an hour. Here’s how it works:

• Contestants are locked in a wind tunnel booth with flying tickets redeemable for prizes .

• Contestants have 30 seconds to grab as many tickets as possible.
• Make it out with 7 black tickets = you get a BlackBerry Storm in the mail.
• Make it out with 6 red tickets = you win a Jabra Bluetooth headset.
• Make it out with none of the above, and you bring decades of shame to your family name.

If you just want some hands-on time with the smartphone, you can head over there too. After the jump, check out a video of the action and pictures of contestants in action!

Original post by Gearlog

It’s official: The BlackBerry Storm 9530 will start selling at Verizon Wireless stores and online for $199.99 on Nov. 21. That $199.99 price includes a $50 mail-in rebate and new, two-year customer agreement, so it’s really $249.99 up front, or a lot more if you′re not eligible for a new two-year.

We’ll have a review, yes we will. For now you can content yourself with our extensive editorial preview based on spending a cozy hour with the device. You can also check out the official Verizon Wireless Storm site.

Original post by Sascha Segan

It’s finally here. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, a much-awaited Windows Mobile phone, is launching in the US the day after Thanksgiving - but only through Sony’s own sonystyle.com store, and for $799.99.

We’ve been following the Xperia since it was first announced in February (article, video tour). It’s even more customized than HTC’s Windows Mobile phones, with its own SDK so developers can write the ‘panels′ that make up the Xperia’s unique, nine-paned interface. Future models might not even run Windows Mobile, we learned a few months ago.

The current Xperia has a 3-inch, 800×480 touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and a slide-out keyboard. It runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and works on T-Mobile’s EDGE network and AT&ampT’s and foreign 3G networks. Find out more at the device’s flashy official site.

Original post by Sascha Segan

No. Or maybe sorta. HTC today announced their first GSM/WiMAX phone, a Windows Mobile handheld called the MAX 4G. Swap out the GSM for CDMA - as HTC frequently does with their models - and you could be looking at the first phone to run on Sprint’s new XOHM WiMax network.

The most interesting thing about the MAX 4G isn’t the MAX 4G itself, but how much ballsier Russia’s Yota Mobile WiMAX network is than our timid little Xohm. Sprint is right now focusing on being a very traditional ISP - Internet only, thank you very much, no services that could possibly cannibalize anyone else’s existing voice or entertainment revenues. It’s a disruptive technology used in the least disruptive way possible.

Yota offers a full video-on-demand service, 14 free TV channels, unlimited download of more than 50,000 songs, an e-book catalog, and both a VOIP voice calling service and video calls. Now that’s a disruptive service.

The MAX 4G isn’t a slacker, either. It has a huge 3.8″, 800×480 touch-screen, a 5-megapixel camera, 8GB of built-in flash memory and a 528 Mhz processor. Even with all of that power, it’s supposed to run for almost four hours of VOIP talk time (and more like seven hours with GSM.)

The HTC MAX 4G is coming out in Russia on Nov. 26th. A future US version? We’ll see.

Original post by Sascha Segan

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 launched in Germany today, but the great news for us is that according to RIM, it’s expected to launch in “most other countries, including the United States, during the first quarter of 2009.”

Think of the 8900 as a cross between the Curve and the Bold. It’s got the Curve’s separated keys, which will please a lot of people. But it’s got the Bold’s super-duper, 480𝘨 screen and a new-generation 512 Mhz processor. The 8900 even one-ups the Bold with a 3.2-megapixel camera.

The 8900 runs on quad-band EDGE and Wi-Fi networks with GPS, so I see it coming to the carrier with the biggest 2G GSM position: T-Mobile. It’s launching on T-Mobile Germany right now, so assuming it will pop up on T-Mobile US isn’t a stretch. This could be T-Mobile′s Bold alternative, if RIM doesn’t want to have to support T-Mobile′s oddball 1700 Mhz 3G frequency band.

T-Mobile Germany is selling the Curve for a shocking $6 with a two-year contract (or around $450 without a contract) so I expect it to be very aggressively priced when it comes here to the US.

Find out more at the official BlackBerry Web site.

Original post by Sascha Segan