PIMPIN’ ain’t easy, especially when it comes to cellphones.
There are plenty of services that will impress your friends and turn your mobile into a portable jukebox or sale-finder. But not every phone company offers every application.
So we’ve tested six of the latest mobile wonders to see if they’re worth getting you to change phone providers. We’ve rated the applications on a scale of five bars, from total hang-up to pimpilicious.
All of the services are exclusive to the mobile service noted, except for Google’s Grand Central, which works on all phones and phone services, including landlines.
Pandora on Sprint
* What: Type in your favorite artist, and it provides a radio-station-like stream of tunes based on that musician’s sound and style. Bookmark a song and find it later at Pandora.com.
* Why it’s cool: Users create stations and walk around with a personalized deejay.
* Why it’s not: If you’re listening to music, incoming calls go directly to voice mail. You can skip through only six songs at a time (but you can switch stations and start over).
* Cost: An additional $3 per month with a Power Vision Plan, which starts at $15 per month, on Sprint Power Vision phones.
* Upshot: A bit pricey, but it’s an easy way to sample new music.
5 of 5 bars
FOR CONNECTION JUNKIES
AT&T Video Share
* What: One-way, live video streaming while users talk via speakerphone.
* Why it’s cool: Lets users send live images while they shop, watch a concert or do whatever, as the two parties talk on speakerphones. Videos are also e-mailable.
* Why it’s not: Only works between Video Share phones, which start at $50 with contract and rebates. It also works through AT&T’s G3 line, and sometimes there’s a delay. It can be hard to clearly hear one another through the speakers.
* Cost: $5 per month for 25 minutes; $10 per month for 60 minutes.
* Upshot: For the most part, it’s cool fun, but users all need a Video Share phone to participate.
3 of 5 bars
FOR MULTIPHONE CHATTERBUGS
Grand Central
grandcentral.com
* What: Using a single Grand Central-supplied personalized number (users pick the area code), consolidate all of your phone numbers and voice mails into one Web-controlled account. Users choose which of their phones – whether it’s home, cell, office or all three – will ring when their Grand Central number is called. Users also get a central digital voice mailbox for listening to messages on any phone or online. One can also listen in on voice-mail messages as they are being left, switch a call to another phone mid-call, block spam callers and dial from a contact list stored on the Web.
* Why it’s cool: With cutting-edge consolidation, it offers “one number for life.”
* Why it’s not: You have to resign yourself to yet another phone number.
* Upshot: Just purchased by Google, it’s invite-only and in beta for now.
* Cost: Free during beta-testing, with a plan to continue to offer it for free, and then add some paid features at “affordable prices.”
5 of 5 bars
FOR SHOPAHOLICS
Slifter on Sprint
* What: Users enter a keyword, product name, model name or UPS code to find local stores that sell the desired product.
* Why it’s cool: The service uses GPS technology or ZIP codes to target neighborhoods and has a database of more that 85 million products at more than 30,000 retail stores across the country.
* Why it’s not: It’s stong for searching for electronics (like a Nikon camera, left) and toys but not much else. The search kept referring a Midtown ZIP code to The Bronx and even to a Rockland County mall for products like Levi’s jeans, Fieldcrest sheets, or a Waring blender – things we know are readily available in Manhattan.
* Cost: $2 per month
* Upshot: Has super potential, but not ready for N.Y.C. primetime.
1 of 5 bars
FOR NAME-THAT-TUNE LOVERS
Verizon Wireless V Cast Song ID
* What: Don’t know what song that muzak is? Hold the phone up to a speaker for 10 seconds to get the song, artist and album identified, then you can download the song, ring tone or ring-back tone.
* Why it’s cool: Pretty deep catalog of more than
4 million songs – able to identify hits by AC/DC and Amy Winehouse, as well as less mainstream songs, such as one from the latest Sinéad O’Connor.
* Why it’s not: Not sure why it could ID Ringo Starr’s “You’re 16,” but not “The No-No Song.” Also, ambient noise in a restaurant, deli or H&M can interfere with the song-catching technology.
* Cost: The service is free, but users can buy songs at $2. Need a V Cast music-enabled phone, which most new phones are.
* Upshot: Users needs to be really close to the source of music, so it’s questionable how well it would work in a club, but it’s a fun way for Verizon to entice people to buy music and is great for pop radio-listening drivers.
3 of 5 bars
FOR IM ADDICTS
Jive Talk for iPhone
iPhone.beejive.com
* What: Already available to BlackBerry users, Jive Talk lets iPhone users connect to all their instant messaging buddies at once through the Safari Web browser.
* Why it’s cool: Because it lets you IM all of your pals on any IM service (Gmail, ICQ, Jabber, AIM, etc.)
* Why it’s not: Still in beta, it sometimes takes a few seconds to load.
* Cost: Free
* Upshot: Since the iPhone lets you use both SMS and e-mail, IMing seems a tad redundant, but the simultaneous connection to all IM services is cool.
4 of 5 bars
