The Droid Charge smartphone from Samsung has been eagerly awaited by many power users.  It’s the second smartphone that supports Verizons 4G LTE network.  The faster network capability and Android 2.2 give Web browsing a performance boost and help the performance of popular apps like Facebook and Google Maps.  The Droid Charge can serve as a mobile WiFi hotspot for other devices.  It supports Microsoft Exchange for e-mail and also includes a GMail app.   

The 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus touch screen display provides enhanced graphics and the battery life is longer than the battery of the competing HTC ThunderBold and other HTC smartphones.

See a video review of the Droid Charge in this YouTube video and read a review on CNET.

We always like to let people know when we’ve spotted a winning gadget.  Two years ago we wrote about Chumby, the “computer in a beanbag” which provided a 3.5″ screen and a custom Internet feed.  It was a quick way to check websites like Facebook without turning on a computer.  The latest version of this little gadget is Chumby8, which is actually the third version to be released.   The beanbag is gone and this new Chumby comes with and 8″ touch screen display and more than 1500 familiar apps including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Pandora.   Probably it’s most useful app is an alarm clock that can wake you up music or any other scheduled app.  You can also insert a flash drive or SD card and play music or view photos from the device. 

The Chumby8 is no replacement for a tablet or smartphone, but it you’re looking for a digital photo frame or alarm clock with all the bells and whistles, check out Chumby8.  The price is about $200, which is the same as the original Chumby.

Read a complete Chumby8 review on CNET and visit the Chumby website for more information.

As the IFA tech tradeshow winds down in Berlin, one of the clear standouts at the show was the Samsung Galaxy Tab, an Android tablet phone. The Galaxy Tab is a 7-inch tablet that is positioned to compete with the iPad.

For a side-by-side comparison of the Galaxy Tab and the iPad, check out the comparison chart at PCWorld. To summarize the differences — the Galaxy Tab is smaller and lighter and supports up to 32GB of expandable storage. In addition, while the iPad is without a built-in camera, the Galaxy Tab has both front and rear-facing cameras. And of course the Galaxy Tab has smartphone capabilities.