Tis’ the season to be pairing, fa la la la la, la la la la.  Or something.  Actually it’s not even Halloween yet, so why am I Christmas caroling?  Because it IS the season to be pairing up, companies do it, products do it, heck, everyone is joining hands and partnering up, why shouldn’t AT&T and Napster follow suit?

That’s right, AT&T just announced that Napster’s entire 5 million song catalog will be available to to all AT&T Mobile customers.  Yep, you heard right, 5 million songs, at your fingertips.  Currently, AT&T is partnered through eMusic and this will just further extend the offerings.  According to the article I just read, “This will allow AT&T to compete with Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel in the music download arena. AT&T currently allows Napster subscribers to transfer music form their personal computer to their cell phone via a cable or storage card. Both companies hope to improve sales of music by allowing data to be directly downloaded to mobile phones over a WiFi network.”

Apparently songs are going to range from $1.99 each to $7.49 for 5 a month.  With Apple selling songs for $.99, it’ll be curious to see if AT&T has to eventually lower the prices for Napster’s goods.   Oh, note to self, and blunder here:  This Napster service does not work with the iPhone, despite the fact that AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone.  Blunder.

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We’re all thrilled with the new X54 product launch! Now that they have gone into production, the response has been overwhelming.

Thanks for all the questions. Yes, we will answer each one personally or here on the blog, to make sure you get the information you’re looking for.

First of all - YES! BOTH versions of the X54 are for sale right now at TigerDirect.

The MoGo Mouse X54 is a two-in-one four-button with scroll mouse and media remote. At the switch of a button, it changes from a mouse with scroll to a remote control for your iTunes or other multimedia player. If, like me, you use your MP3 collection on your laptop as a stereo on the road, this allows you to mute, fast forward, etc. from across the room.

The MoGo Mouse X54 Pro also has the dual capabilities. In addition to being a fully capable mouse with scroll, at the switch of a button it becomes a robust, wireless presentation tool. It controls your slides, escapes you out, and it also has a laser pointer to highlight important elements.

Both charge in the ExpressCard slot of a laptop, which has become the new standard. I know adapters are available but the engineers at MoGo’s company, Newton Peripherals, do not recommend that they be used or that you store your X54 in a standard slot.

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Last May, I wrote about the growing trend in other parts of the world to use your cell phone as a kind of mobile payment device (like the unlamented ‘Speedpass’).

Well, ‘Other Parts of the World’? Just became your house, if you’re a Verizon customer.

ComputerWorld is reporting that Verizon and boPay are partnering to let customers use their cell phone as a credit card. According to the article;  “Users access their mobile money with an Obopay prepaid MasterCard, which can be used at any ATM or retail outlet that accepts credit cards. Users also can check their account balances, collect money owed from other mobile users and view transaction histories.”

Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg says;  “We used to say you needed three things when you leave your house: your cell phone, car keys and wallet. Soon, you’ll only need your cell phone.”

According to ComputerWorld, Seidenberg did not detail any upcoming automobile-ignition capability for Verizon cell phones.

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First ESPN Mobile, now Pandora Music Box available ON your phone? Man, how are we going to get anything done, Ever?  That’s right friends, Pandora, the wildly popular “new music” finder online, is now officially available on 5 Sprint Phones already.

According to reports, the online music service will be available already on the the FUSIC by LG, the A900 and A920 by Samsung, and the 7500 and 8400 by Sanyo; consider Pandora’s box officially opened.  What’s cool about Pandora is it allows you to have a completely customized, albeit randomized, music experience right on your phone…no PC necessary.  What’s also cool is, it allows you to be introduced to new bands you’ve never heard of that Pandora believes you might just like.

Not to toot our own horns, but again, pairing a service like this with the MoGo Headset is just plain genius.  The ability to listen to all new music without having any pesky wires dangling out of your ears is, in a word, priceless.   Plus, this way you can leave the phone in your pocket or backpack, have the headset in your ear and be rocking out without anyone being the wiser to it.  Not bad amigos, not bad at all.

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You know when you’re walking around downtown, or on a subway, or in the grocery store and the person next to you starts talking to you, but when you respond you find out they really weren’t talking to you at all, but to someone on their headset? Yeah, I’ve always wanted to be one of those people, only cooler than those people. That day, my friends, is here.

Makers of the MoGo Mouse just released the world’s thinnest, ultra-light Bluetooth headset, and man oh man is it cool. My favorite part about the whole thing, in true MoGo Mouse fashion, you can charge it by clipping it to a cell phone, or, yes, sliding it into your laptop. Get this, you can now talk, gossip, jabber, yak and spill all those beans for up to 6 hours of talk time on a single charge. People of the world, prepare to look like you’re talking to yourself all over the city!

The ability to stay mobile is paramount in the world today and in that quest to be mobile, what good is it if all the “mobile” products you’re carrying are heavy, require tons of cables and power strips and adapters to work, and actually make you dread being that Road Warrior you know you want to be? No good friends, no good at all. This new product is so cool, it even won an award.  Veteran industry observer Andrew Seybold, presented Newton Peripherals with his “Most Imaginative Product” award last night and even went on to say, “The Headset is unique in both design and concept.  It will store conveniently on the back of a cell phone, ready to be used at a moment’s notice. Newton Peripherals’ approach to simplifying the use and storage of phone headsets is novel, and deserving of recognition.”  Here is the official press release of this sweet new product…live it, love it: Read the rest of this entry »

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