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May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting
May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review February 29, 2008 / 23 Adar, 5768

A centro for GSM users

By Mark Kellner

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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | The Palm Centro, first introduced about four months ago in a then-exclusive deal with Sprint, is branching out in life. Now, you can get one at your local AT&T store, again for $99.99, with a two-year contract. When your reviewer first examined the Centro three months ago, I speculated that a GSM-based unit would be of interest. Now it's possible to test that theory, since AT&T's wireless network is based on the Global Standard for Mobile, or GSM, used worldwide by many carriers. A GSM phone should function as easily in Sweden as it does in Springfield.


As with the Sprint version, there's some extra multimedia available, which gives the phone something in the way of competition with Apple's wildly successful iPhone. The Centro's screen is smaller than the iPhone's, 320-by-320 pixels versus 320-by-480 for the iPhone. But it's not unreadable or unusable for video. You don't get the same experience as the iPhone, which can switch from portrait to landscape mode automatically, something unnecessary in the Centro's square display, I guess. However, it's good enough for many applications, such as the mobile TV service AT&T offers for an extra $9.99 per month.


Like the other version, the Centro offers a 1.3 megapixel camera, something I believe is essential for a mobile phone these days. That's about one-third less resolution than the iPhone, but it's sufficient for many purposes; if the subject is in sufficient focus, for example, a newspaper should be able to use a 1.3 megapixel camera's photo in print.


Multimedia and photos are nice touches, but the main purpose of any phone, of course, must be for voice and, increasingly, data calls. On these points the Centro scores quite well.


The AT&T network is getting better all the time; in and around Washington, D.C., I've had few problems making or receiving calls. A highlight came in the Ft. McHenry Tunnel under Baltimore Harbor, which, apparently, is wired for cellular service. Thee Centro performed there admirably.


Data is, as mentioned, a growing element of cell phone usage. Here, the Centro and AT&T do not disappoint. Using Palm's Blazer Web browser, I could retrieve most Web pages easily, as well as access my e-mail using Web portals. For an additional $9.99 per month - a price AT&T seems to like - one can also utilize a GPS navigation feature that includes turn-by-turn voice directions. I would imagine this being particularly interesting to those who travel frequently in the U.S. and don't want to schlep, or rent, a GPS device for their cars.


There are three stand-alone e-mail options for the Centro, including AT&T's own e-mail software, XpressMail, Good Mobile Messaging, and the Palm VersaMail e-mail client. My personal preference has been to use the Palm software, but all three seem good options alongside Web-based e-mail.


Those who are Palm devotees will find the usual array of Palm software, including that for contacts and calendar management. These elements can sync with Windows and Mac computers, a not-unimportant asset for the mobile worker. After all, what good is being a road warrior if you can't easily take your information with you?


And how is typing on the small, QWERTY-esque keyboard of the Centro? Not bad at all, thanks for asking. It's not as thumb-friendly as your average Research In Motion BlackBerry, but it's not bad, and the notion of using a separate key to invoke the numeric keypad, the only way to type numbers, quickly becomes second nature.


In terms of price, performance and portability, then, the Centro from Palm is a winning product. Many users already know its interface, and the price — $349 without a new contract, $99.99 with a two-year pact -- is reasonable. I liked the Centro before, and now am more enthusiastic since is arrival on the GSM platform, which makes it a world phone.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.

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