So I’ve been reading quite a bit of mixed messages about the 3G iPhone. Some absolutely love it and won’t use another handset again. Others think their 3G iPhone is under performing due to 3G network issues.

So what have your experiences been like with your 3G iPhone? Good? Bad? Ugly?

The commercials for the digital switch for TV’s have already begun popping up in between our favorite programs. The switch from analog to digital is slated to be completed by February of next year. So just what is going to happen to all those unused airwaves once they become unusable for TV viewing?

Some portion of the TV spectrum has already been sold. Verizon is now the proud owner of the 700mhz band on the spectrum. Google had put in a bid for the frequency, but lost out to Verizon in the end. Google has not given up in the fight for more unused airwaves though.

Google is now lobbying with the FCC, to allow them to use “white space” TV channels for devices. What you might not know about white space TV channels, is that they are some of the most powerful airwaves in commercial use. They are so powerful in fact, that Google is looking to use these airwaves to provide Wi-fi across vast distances in the country. If Google were able to garner permission to use these airwaves for data transmission, it would become one of the most powerful internet providers in the country.

Instead of wanting to start up an ISP, or its’ own network, Google is wanting to provide these Wi-fi airwaves to the masses. They aren’t just doing this out of the kindness of their heart though. Google is in the process of rolling out Android powered smart phones later this year. Android is an open source platform, which is being utilized by many different cell phone carriers. With the white space airwaves providing long distance Wi-fi, the Android powered phones would become more powerful and convenient to use.

There are a couple of hitches in Google’s plan. First, they would have to get the FCC to sign off on their plan, as they are in charge of the white space airwaves at the moment. Second, the FCC isn’t scheduled to release any rules of spectrum use until later this year. Also, if Google were to somehow be able to go through with their plan, there would be interference issues that they would have to tackle. As the spectrum they would be using would be along the same lines as wireless microphones and TV signals.

So it looks like a tough road ahead for Google. But if they were able to somehow implement their plan, then internet browsing would definitely never be the same. Let’s start the chant…Wi-fi For Everyone…Wi-fi For Everyone…

Here in the United States we always take things for granted that alot people around the world don’t have. The PC is just one of the many things on that list, but a start-up company, Jooce, is trying to bring it to people who are without them.

Jooce isn’t going to ship actual computers around the globe, but are taking an “outside the box” approach. For many people where computers aren’t easy to come by, there are public cybercafes where people can walk in and get on the internet. The problem is while it’s fun to browse the internet, they have no options in terms of saving files, or storing emails, or instant messaging. This is where Jooce comes in, they have developed a web-based desktop, that can be accessed from remote PCs and will act as a “lite” version of an Operating System. While Jooce won’t provide all the options that Window’s Vista or Linux has; it will provide some of the comforts and options of an OS that alot people have gone without.

Jooce Founder, Stefan Surzyck speaks on the importance of web-based desktops, “It’s a platform that will make it much easier for the world’s cybernomads to manage their digital lives”

There are some faults to the web-based OS, and alot of them will hit home for cybercafe users. Jooce and other web-based OS’s are bandwidth hogs and require alot of muscle to be able to run efficiently. The problem is alot of cybercafe PCs aren’t the top-of-the-line computers therefore struggle in running the web-based desktop.

Even with its’ problems, Jooce is a very ambitious project and any help bringing the digital world to those less fortunate is a good thing. While it might not be as important as food or water, staying informed and in contact with others around the globe is never a bad thing.

Think this through carefully: if you get your girlfriend or wife a pink phone, will she think it’s cute or get mad at you for pigeonholing her? If you feel the first outcome is more likely, then we submit the Pantech Duo for your consideration. If not, well, move along to the next article and forget this ever happened.

Okay, to return to the phone, Pantech is actually calling the latest version red, but the pictures certainly don’t portray it as the Corvette red we guys tend to imagine. In any case, the phone has a large screen and decent specs.

Crave’s Nicole Lee points out one possible flaw - “[w]e weren’t terribly impressed with the Duo’s slider mechanism and user interface” - but goes on to point out, “it is one of the cheapest smart phones around for $99 with an AT&T contract.”

So if you’re too cheap for an iPhone, not feeling flowers or chocolate, then maybe the Pantech Duo deserves some thought as Valentine’s Day approaches. Good luck, regardless.