No removable battery. Less space than an SD card. Lame.

In all seriousness, it does look like a very nice phone. And Samsung has gotten better about pre-loading less bloatware on their more recent releases. We'll have to see how the general public receives it though.

It reminds me of those computer applications you can install that will block you from launching certain programs or accessing certain websites unless you punch in a complicated code, designed to help remind you that you've got real work to do and can't afford to slack off on the Internet. I can at least somewhat understand why someone would install one of those programs for themselves on their computer. Needing something like that to keep you from using your phone while driving is just asinine.

Someone else had that same wish and decided to build it out, and out came Project Unity. It's fairly impractical, but I like watching the design process video.

The faster you drive, the more gas you burn.

Personally I feel naked without my watch. It's nothing fancy, just something my parents gifted to me from Kohl's 10 years ago for around $50 I believe, but it's held up well and functions the same today as it did 10 years ago. Pulling out my smartphone and fumbling to find the button just to check the time feels clumsy to my mind. I'm a very time-oriented person so I like having that information available as easily as a quick downward flick of my eyes. Well, that and I can wear it in the shower so I can determine the exact moment that I MUST turn off the water before I'll be late to work, heh.

At the same time I fully understand why people would abandon watches in favor of cell phones. I hardly ever use my dedicated GPS unit anymore because my phone is "good enough" at fulfilling those needs. In the case of telling the time and date, I still prefer to have the dedicated device for its simplicity and long-lasting battery life. To each his own, eh?

Hey, just wanted to say thanks for linking to the Omate. I've actually never heard of it before, and it seems really intriguing (I've spent the past hour reading the wiki and browsing the forums). I think I'll hold off for a month to see if it does manage to become Google Play certified, but it's definitely on my radar now.

The one common complaint I see about it is the screen resolution only being 240x240 versus the 320x320 of the Galaxy Gear. Admittedly most Android apps aren't scalable down to that small of a resolution, but I want to point out that you can do some amazing stuff with that resolution if given the chance. Using classic videogames for my analogy, the Game Boy Advance only had a 240x160 resolution, the NES was 256x240, the SNES is usually 256x224... you get the idea. A lot can be done with that space if used wisely.

Replying to clear my karma rating. Put "flamebait" on the wrong reply by mistake.

You said it yourself, the phone came out 5 years ago. The latest software that runs on it is the version that came out nearly 3 years ago (4.2.1, released November 2010). You're delirious if you think that's worth anything as trade-in.

I imagine that some sort of store-credit type thing would work better for this type of scenario. For instance, while credit cards give you a real-time accepted/denied decision, it still takes days for the transaction to fully process on the back-end. I imagine that Starbucks is a lot more certain that transactions will go through when paid with one of their pre-paid store cards.

It's a bit more inconvenient, I will admit. But it makes commonplace Bitcoin transactions a lot more realistic. And the concept isn't unheard of, actually. When the Bitcoin protocol adapted to make microtransactions unfeasible (as that was never truly the goal of Bitcoin, and microtransactions spam up the blockchain a lot) it basically broke all of the "daily bitcoin faucet" type websites that could no longer be profitable. In response, a third-party website popped up that stores records of your "free daily bitcoin" microtransactions, and outputs an actual Bitcoin payment once it's reached the threshold that makes it profitable again. I think I explained that poorly, for which you must forgive me. It's early on Monday morning after all.

Long story short, while this is a setback, I don't view this exploit as a game-changer, not with the momentum that Bitcoin has behind it right now.

"You might be wondering why the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service doesn't have a compelling Android footprint." This... this is a thing people spend their time wondering about? What a pointless thing to start an article with. Guess the editors are running out of good ways to spark another iPhone vs Android debate.

Ya know it's the weirdest thing. I work for a third-party cell phone kiosk that sells for 3 different carriers, two of which have the new Blackberry phones. Two weeks ago Blackberry brought us all out to a local pub/arcade place for some food and games and to give us a presentation on how to sell the Z10 and the Q10. I feel that I learned a lot, and I feel much more equipped to sell the phones properly now, despite the knowledge that they are essentially lobbying us to try to get us to recommend them more than normal. Really though, the Z10 and Q10 are actually a lot better than I originally gave them credit for, and I could actually now see myself using it (although somewhat begrudgingly, as I still consider it a downgrade from my S3).

But that training was 2 weeks ago. Not 6 months ago when the phones launched. Hell, on one carrier we've already designated it the status of "sell it until we run out, but we're not getting any more in." The phrase "too little, too late" comes to mind often, regarding both the phones themselves and the training.

Blackberry just leaves too sour a taste in too many people's mouths, people who really wanted to be loyal BB users but kept getting burned over and over again with crappy products. They've finally made a decent smartphone, but they don't have enough fanboys left to support it.

Agreed, it's embarrassing that my free flip phone from 2006 can do more with Bluetooth than an iPhone can.

The inability to send contacts via Bluetooth is especially maddening, as I work in a cell phone kiosk that doesn't have one of those $10,000 machines to transfer contacts so when upgrading customers' phones, I typically use Bluetooth or a memory card to transfer contacts, neither of which are options on the iPhone.

Seriously, try Swiftkey. It was a lifesaver after I switched from iOS to Android. It's not a different form of input like Swype, just another QWERTY keyboard that has bigger buttons and better autocorrect / word prediction.

That comment shows a complete lack of understanding of what Bitcoin is. What you just said is as vague as saying that "The guy running the Internet better watch his back!"

Regardless, the only reason I know about LibertyReserve is because of Bitcoin. LR used to be one of the few ways to reliably buy Bitcoins, but it looked way too shady for me so I found other ways.

Another benefit, in addition to needing to deposit less cash at the end of the day, is merely the customer service aspect. The store has already paid for access to the checking account, so it doesn't cost any more to charge $45 instead of $25 for instance (debit fees are per-transaction, not by percentage like credit card fees are). It's convenient for the customer who doesn't have to make a separate trip to an ATM, and makes them more willing to come back to the store for future purchases.