While I can't say this is a first, I can say it's the first time this has happened for me since the Blackberry first came out. I just bought a newer version of the same phone. My first Epic was handed down to my son when his cell became nonfunctional and he wasn't due for an upgrade for another 8 months. Goodbye Samsung Moment....I won't waste my time on the bad review for you. But I digress...the new Samsung Epic Touch is thin and doesn't have a slideout keyboard but that's ok now, I get by just fine with swype and voice command.

I love the 16gb internal memory and the 32gb external SD memory expansion capability and the 8mp camera which takes fabulous pictures--very pleased with that. The front facing 4mp camera is a nice convenience. The external speaker is nice and loud so I can set the phone down to watch video and hear it quite well for watching Netflix videos or pay per view movies on the go. The big screen makes reading emails and documents much more pleasant and the processor speed has been great. All in all, I'm very happy with the phone--again---a second time around. Now that's EPIC! :)

You 'don't do rentals.' Really? AWESOME! Send them to me, I'm happy to take care of them for you! :) These are people who either by choice or by circumstance need a temporary residence. People who are relocating will often do this while getting acclamated to a new area or before they become a first time homebuyer. And in some cases; they don't realize that they may be able to buy a home for less than the cost of rent. Sometimes, it's a very reliable person who doesn't want to be bothered with the responsibility and expense of home ownership or has to spend a lot of time traveling for their occupation.

I think of it as an opportunity to help someone through the process of eventually becoming a homeowner and at some point referring friends and family. I rented a condo for a friend, she referred me to a neighbor whose condo I also rented, then she became a referral when she rented the place she moved to out of state, then she ultimately sold the condo.

One 'Yes to rental'=4 paydays for me. :)

I have heard some Realtors say 'Rentals aren't worth my time'. If you or someone you know feels this way, PLEASE give them my name and this number; 410-529-9111; and this website; www.AdvanceRealtyUSA.com.

How many listing appointments and showing requests are you going on? And your payday is at least 30 days away, right? But you don't have time to make $500-$2000 for a showing or three in the meantime? Are you allergic to money? I am blessed to have no such misfortune. Call me!

Do you worry about what could happen if someone ever took your cell phone? The amount of data that we store on them these days could be very valuable to a thief. Cell phones are the #1 portable internet device and with smart phones having download capability with 'apps' viruses and hacking are a growing concern. This has given rise to a new market for mobile security and the app I use to protect my cell phone and my mobile data is Lookout.

This award winning app protects your cell phone from viruses, backs up your data, contacts, and even your photos and call history if you upgrade to premium for $2.99/month or $29.99/year. With the software you can lock it remotely to prevent access if you misplace it or it's stolen and it won't work even it someone replaces the sim card. You can also cause it to 'scream' which emits a loud siren like sound to draw attention to it so you can easily find it if misplaced or use the GPS tracking feature to find it. If you drop your cell phone in a pool and your data has been backed up, you can install Lookout on your new phone, and just download all your old data.

Currently available on Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile, PC World calls this app a 'must have'. Click this link to see how Lookout helped to catch a phone thief red handed.

It was time. We all have that love-hate relationship with our phones. We know the technology bullet train is racing along faster than we can keep up. But there comes a time when enough is enough and we break down and get the latest and greatest mobile phone available on the market.

So now I've had the Samsung Epig 4G for about two weeks and it's been a pretty smooth transition due to the fact that I already have everything 'in the cloud' so all my contacts, photos, files and calendar are all on the internet with Google Apps. So as long as I have an Android phone or one that works with Google Mobile; I always have everything I need and if my phone is lost, stolen, or broken, I can easily access everything on a new phone or online via computer.

It's slightly bigger than an Iphone but has rounded corners and the big screen comes in handy when working with long emails or documents. The full slide out keyboard was one of the reasons that kept me from getting the EVO when it came out, along with the consolidated chat/contacts, linked contacts and layered calendar (once you have that it's hard to go back--sorry EVO).

The battery life has been surprisingly good; an improvement over my old Palm Pre. I only charge my phone at night unless something out of the ordinary happens and with a Jawbone Icon bluetooth device, I can leave my phone on the charger and roam about the house without worrying about missing any calls.

The super AMOLED display is without equal and the speed is great at 1ghz; I haven't even bothered to switch over to 4G speed even though I'm in an area that supports it because I know it will be a faster battery drain and I simply don't have a need for it but I'll get around to playing with it. Maybe when I download the first movie. I also did not opt for the wifi hotspot option since I have little need for it now but it could be handy in the future.

One big surprise was the $50 coupon that Sprint sent via text message after activating my phone good towards purchases in the Sprint Media Hub. Typical costs for rentals are $2.99 and purchases are $9.99.

The sound quality is pretty good for a mobile phone. The speakerphone is notably louder than my old one, and with my bluetooth I can actually hear very well and callers on the other end hear me very clearly. This is a much appreciated improvement for all concerned parties.

Two of my favorite innovations are the voice activated commands you get with Android that I am now happy to use with this phone and the brand new SWYPE entry technology which is a fun new way to enter text. It's roughly the same speed as typing, it's just easier because you only pick up your finger between words. If you'd like to see it in action click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgGUoNkHfAk.

The only real drawback that I see is the camera is 5mp where the EVO is 8mp and that it's Android 2.1 but hopefully it will be updated soon to 2.2.

The wide screen and keyboard paired with Google Apps and access to over 30,000 other applications makes this a very versatile business tool, one of the best yet for media, and great for the future of true mobile video gaming.

The numbers keep changing, but the last I heard there are 15 million Americans who are now unemployed. The holidays have always been a time of reflection and thanksgiving and giving a helping hand to those less fortunate. The number of people who are relying on food banks has roughly quadrupled in recent years due to the recession and rising unemployment numbers and food banks are in dire need of donations. Now more than ever we must take a look inward, be thankful for our blessings and give more than ever before to help those in need. Advance Realty has launched a national food drive to help local area food banks meed the unprecedented need and asks everyone to pitch in however they can. Will you answer the call? For more information on how you can get involved go to www.FeedingAmerica.org.