iPhone Alternatives

Apple’s iPhone may be the most anticipated device in the history of the wireless industry, but let’s be honest, not everyone is going to ditch their current wireless carrier just to buy the pricy iPhone when it drops this Friday. There are plenty of phones already available that rival the Apple device. Here’s just a small taste of the competition.

First up, meet the T-Mobile Wing. This phone has a touch screen just like the iPhone plus a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard. It also features the latest Windows 6 software so it keeps you connected with email and the web. It also has a digital camera, music and video playback, T-Mobile’s Fave 5 and of course Bluetooth. The cost for this baby is $299.99.

Sprint is stepp’n it up with two new phones.
First we have the $100 Upstage. This is a two in one duel-faced device. It’s a phone on one side and an MP3 player on the other. The Upstage also has a built in digital and video camera, plus you can watch TV, movies, and listen to Internet radio, with the ability to access the Sprint Music Store wirelessly. I like the carrying case/battery pack you get with the phone.

The Mogul is also new from Sprint and will be available in July for $399. This phone is very similar to T-Mobile’s Wing. It also comes with the latest Windows Mobile 6 software. You control the phone by using the toggle key, touch screen or the Qwerty keypad that slides out from side. You’ll find a digital and video camera phone as well as all the other goodies you would expect including access to the Sprint music store.

Finally, look for Verizon to launch several new phones by the end of the summer.
I expect there will be a few new smartphones out by Verizon and perhaps a version 2 of their current Chocolate phone.

Currently though, Verizon has a pretty cool new feature available on all VCast phones. It’s Verizon’s Song ID application. Now when you hear a song, but aren’t sure of the name or the artist, just hold your phone up to it. Your phone will listen and then it’ll identify the song and let you buy it wirelessly.

The bottom line, the competition has never been hotter in the wireless industry and you can expect it to continue to heat up as more feature-rich phones become available.

The Best Photo Sharing Sites

Now that summer is officially here you’ll probably be taking plenty of digital pictures at picnics, barbecues and on vacation. You’ll also need to get those digital pictures printed.

These days you can choose from dozens of photo sharing sites, but which one is right for you? Well, below you’ll find my top picks. These free photo sharing sites will make sharing and printing your digital pictures a breeze.

My personal favorite is Shutterfly.com. This photo sharing site offers unlimited storage and is the home to my digital picture library.

What I like about Shutterfly is that the public can’t view your photos. Only the people you invite can. The site also lets you crop, retouch, add borders, change colors, and change the size of your pictures, plus you can order all your prints online and they are delivered right to your door a couple days later. Shutterfly also offers lots of photo gifts like calendars, photo books, even jewelry.

Then there’s KodakGallery.com. This photo site is very similar to Shutterfly, offering you the same editing tools and lots of gift ideas. But on this site you don’t have the option to share photos with the public. I like the fact that you can pick up prints an hour after ordering online at a CVS drugstore near you.

And finally SnapFish.com offers more than 80 personalized photo products, like calendars, mousepads, dog leashes and teddy bears. You’ll also find all the usual editing and cropping tools here.

And if you’re looking for that perfect gift, make sure to check out WiderImage.com. This site is a Pittsburgh based company that makes poster collages from your digital pictures. It’s a great idea for the stack of graduation or vacation pictures you might have.

The printing prices range on each site depending on the amount of pictures and sizes you order.

Soap Box Derby

First let me begin by saying that I’m sorry. I seemed to have fallen of the blogging earth the past several weeks or so. I honestly don’t know what happens. I love blogging, but I take a couple days off and those couple days turn into a couple weeks, and then it’s a month or so, ooops.

Anyway, I have plenty of stuff to catch you up on.

Here are some pictures from this past weekend.

I participated in the Greater Pittsburgh Soap Box Derby!
Here I am in my speedy blue car Sunday morning.

The Soap Box Derby is an amateur racing program designed to have parents and their kids work together as a team to build a racing car. And let me tell you there were some pretty impressive cars. This was the 25th year of the race. It’s held in Mckeesport every year on Father’s Day. This is the hill we had to go down.

And me in my goofy helmet.The cars go 20-30 miles an hour down this hill.
I didn’t end up winning, but I didn’t end up crashing either. Last year Demetrius was in the race and didn’t even make it halfway down the hill before crashing! I only wish I had a picture of that!

This is Brew and Chuck Freyer, 2 guys who helped put the whole thing together!

The winners of the day were:
In the stock division – Christina Bowman
Superstock — Derrick Jerome
Master — Lindsay Vasko

I want to thank John Wagner for inviting me to be a racer and Kelly Stanczak for sending me the pictures!