Category: Mobile Tech

What Do You Think of Windows 8 So Far?

Microsoft has released details and videos on its upcoming Windows 8 operating system. The new OS will run on traditional PCs (mouse and keyboard) as well as touch devices. From a UI and UX perspective, it’s a radical departure from Windows 7. Check out the video above to see the new UI and UX.

While I know it will have several cool and powerful features, I’m unimpressed with the debut video. I’m oversimplifying it, but Windows 8 looks like a version of Windows 7 with a Windows Phone interface slapped on.

The general vibe I get from Windows 8 is that Microsoft is trying to run ahead of Apple, but is stumbling trying to do so. It’s no secret that touch will be an integral component of future versions of Mac OS. In my head I see Steve Ballmer screaming, “We need to do that too!” and not really caring how the company gets there. While there are several features in the video that look “neat”, I just see Apple integrating touch in a better and more elegant way.

Kindly check out the video and let me know what you think of Windows 8’s debut.

Nintendo Boasts 25,000 Free WiFi Hotspots for 3DS

Nintendo has announced that starting June 7, 2011, Nintendo 3DS customers will be able to take advantage of more than 25,000 free WiFi hotspots. Free WiFi will be available at select shopping malls, Best Buy stores, and AT&T WiFi locations. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

As of June 7, a new alliance with Simon Property Group, the country’s largest owner, developer and manager of high-quality retail real estate, will provide Nintendo 3DS owners with complimentary wireless connections at nearly 200 Simon shopping malls throughout the country. Nintendo 3DS users can also access hotspots at more than 1,000 Best Buy stores. Through an expanded agreement with AT&T, Nintendo 3DS users will have access to nearly 24,000 of AT&T’s Wi-Fi hotspots.

It’s fantastic that Nintendo and its partners are offering this service. It encourages use of the 3DS and allows gamers to do more on the go.

What do you think of these partnerships? Does free WiFi make the 3DS more appealing to you?

AT&T Buys Support From NAACP, AFL-CIO, Etc.

AT&T senior executive vice president Jim Cicconi is very proud of all the support for the company’s proposed merger with T-Mobile. He raved about the support the merger is getting from organizations like the NAACP, the AFL-CIO, the Cattlemen’s Association, and more. Check it out:

So far the AFL-CIO and five major unions with a total membership of over 15 million workers have filed in support of our deal.  Support for the transaction is also coming from some of the most respected organizations in America, including iconic names like the NAACP and LULAC.  We have strong support from those representing people with disabilities and the disadvantaged.  Groups representing rural interests, including The National Grange, the Cattlemen’s Association, state chapters of the Farm Bureau, and the Rural Health Association are backing our deal.  The Sierra Club has publicly recognized the benefits of our transaction, and high tech industry leaders like Microsoft, Corning, and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group have all made clear their endorsements.

It’s funny that he completely failed to mention that AT&T has financial ties to numerous organizations “supporting” the merger. Cicconi would have you believe that the merger would be beneficial to numerous ethnic and social organizations. The reality is that the support was purchased. Thankfully The Washington Post is here to keep him honest. Here’s a clip from the newspaper’s findings:

Aside from money spent directly on lobbying government officials, industry observers say, AT&T is receiving support from several political leaders, trade groups and organizations such as the NAACP and at least one affiliate of the National Urban League. All have direct financial ties to the telecom giant.

Among the 14 governors listed by AT&T as supporters of the proposed merger is Bobby Jindal (R) of Louisiana. AT&T is a key sponsor of the Supriya Jindal Foundation, a charity of the governor’s wife.

The Urban League of Portland sent a similar letter to the FCC, saying the merger could help minorities gain faster access to broadband through a more robust, combined company. AT&T donated $125,000 to $249,999 last year to the National Urban League’s annual convention, the group said on its Web site.

I’m probably being naive, but I expect more from organizations like the NAACP and the National Urban League. It’s disappointing that they can be bought so easily. It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that executives like Cicconi are allowed to fool the public and tell half-truths about company support.

What do you think of the whole deal? Does it leave you feeling dirty? Does it make you feel that Jim Cicconi has a private sweatshop in his backyard?

Source

Microsoft to Buy Nokia’s Smartphone Division for $19-Billion?

The word on the street is that Microsoft is planning to buy Nokia’s smartphone division for the hefty sum of…wait for it…$19-billion. The rumor was tweeted by Mobile-Review’s Eldar Murtazin, who has a history of getting inside information and early products from Nokia. Here’s more on the matter from VentureBeat:

If the rumor does end up being true, Microsoft would be looking to acquire Nokia’s “Smart Devices” division, which houses all of the company’s smartphone operations. Nokia also has a “Mobile Phones” division, but that’s entirely focused on lower-end dumb phones.

Nokia communications director Mark Squires responded to Murtazin’s earlier report in a surprisingly direct way on Twitter: “We typically don’t comment on rumors. But we have to say that Eldar’s rumors are getting obviously less accurate with every passing moment,” he wrote.

Nokia’s vehement denial is unusual for a company that typically plays it cool. That combined with Microsoft’s talent for throwing large amounts of money at consumers products (Xbox, Zune) makes the rumor particularly interesting. While Microsoft had success licensing Windows Mobile, the market has changed drastically. Perhaps the company believes that tightly controlling the hardware, the operating system, and the software ecosystem is the way to go with its relatively new Windows Phone OS. (Microsoft copying the Apple model?!? No way!)

What do you guys and dolls think of this rumor? Is it all hot air from Murtazin? Or does Microsoft buying Nokia’s smartphone division make complete sense?

Source via VentureBeat

HTC Sensation Hits Wal-Mart on June 12, T-Mobile by June 15

T-Mobile has announced that the highly anticipated HTC Sensation will hit T-Mobile stores “by” June 15 and will arrive at select Wal-Mart locations on June 12. It will be one of the hottest Google Android phones this summer, packing an impressive laundry list of powerful features and gorgeous construction. Here’s a clip from the press release:

T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced the upcoming availability of the HTC Sensation 4G. Expected to be available by June 15, and exclusively from T-Mobile, the HTC Sensation 4G is T-Mobile’s most powerful smartphone, delivering the latest Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system with the hallmark HTC Sense experience and lightning-fast speeds with a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon processor paired with access to America’s Largest 4G Network.

“The HTC Sensation 4G defines the perfect balance of power and design. Its dual-core processor and qHD screen place it firmly in the superphone class, but its sleek machined aluminum housing and contoured display give it an in-hand feel unlike any superphone that has come before it,” said Jason Mackenzie, president of HTC Americas.

I was really impressed with the T-Mobile G2x, but I’m more excited by this phone. I’m a big fan of HTC Sense and I’m looking forward to Sense 3.0. The aluminum unibody construction sounds more to my liking than plastic used on the G2x. The bigger screen and higher resolution are also really appealing.

On the downside, it’s curious that the phone only has 1GB of internal storage. This is limiting and doesn’t permit the phone to take full advantage of the ext4 file system used by Gingerbread. The reviews of the European version mentioned that the screen has a nice size and the high resolution makes for great reading, but the color reproduction isn’t the best and the black levels are sub par.

Any of you tempted to pick up the HTC Sensation?

Google Wallet Let’s You Pay With Your Phone: Do You Care?

Google unveiled its first steps for Google Wallet, a service that lets you pay for goods and services through your mobile phone. Instead of swiping a credit card, Google Wallet will use near field communication (NFC) to transfer money from your account to a vendor. Advantages include less things to carry and a potentially more secure way to pay. Disadvantages include new types of security threats to worry about. Here’s more info from Google’s blog:

You’ll be able to tap, pay and save using your phone and near field communication (NFC). We’re field testing Google Wallet now and plan to release it soon.

Because Google Wallet is a mobile app, it will do more than a regular wallet ever could. You’ll be able to store your credit cards, offers, loyalty cards and gift cards, but without the bulk. When you tap to pay, your phone will also automatically redeem offers and earn loyalty points for you. Someday, even things like boarding passes, tickets, ID and keys could be stored in Google Wallet.

Remember, these are baby steps from an initiative that will take years to roll out. Try to think of Google Wallet’s potential, not the limited scope of its launch. It’s certainly interesting — especially with the Groupon-like offers Google will implement — but do you guys and gals care? Are you craving for the convenience of paying by phone? Do you dream about carrying less plastic cards? Or is this completely uninteresting to you? Are you down with NFC (yeah, you know me)?!?

Source

Amazon Uses Lady Gaga to Extend Cloud Player Reach

In its war against Google Music Beta and Apple iCloud, Amazon has pulled out a secret weapon to give its Cloud Player an edge: Lady Gaga. It’s a move that’s even more aggressive than Amazon’s 69-cent MP3s; take one of the hottest artists in music and price her new album, Born This Way, at 99 cents. Millions of people will buy it and as an added bonus get their Amazon Cloud storage bumped to 20GB.

Certainly only a fraction of people that buy Born This Way for 99 cents will take advantage of Amazon Cloud Player. Still, the company will surely get some new customers out of the deal. Through this promotion, it will get more customers that regularly buy its MP3s, use Cloud Player, and buy other Amazon goods. Most importantly, it strikes a blow to Google’s recently launched Music Beta service and Apple’s upcoming iCloud service.

Did any of you buy Born This Way today? If you’re new to Amazon MP3s, what did you think of the buying experience? What do you think of the promotion in general? Brilliant or risky?

Coffee Talk #355: Where’s the Hot Battery Tech?!?

Phones have dual-core processors these days. Handheld consoles and tablets are capable of displaying high-resolution images in 3D. Yet most devices are still using some form of relatively old lithium battery tech.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Verve’s El Salvador La Montañita, the countdown to Lady Gaga’s new album, or Lady Gaga’s new album cover making her look like a Terminator reject, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Why hasn’t battery technology improved as rapidly as other technologies? Phones have powerful dual-core processors these days. Handheld consoles and tablets are capable of displaying dazzling high-resolution images in 3D. Yet most consumer electronics are still using some form of relatively old lithium battery tech. This results in amazingly powerful devices…with single-digit battery life hours. Just look at the HTC Thunderbolt and Nintendo 3DS for example.

I’ve been reading about incredible advancements with hydrogen, polymer, and zinc batteries for years, but none of these technologies have found their way into consumer electronics. Let’s get on it battery people! Electronics are becoming more powerful and portable every day, but they’re being handcuffed by old battery technology.

I want my phone, laptop, tablet, and portable consoles to have battery life that’s measured in days, not hours. At the very least, their battery life shouldn’t be measured in single digits, don’t you agree?

iOS Cheapies = Big Fun for 99 Cents, Less Console Sales

I bought a bunch of 99-cent games for my iPad 2 last weekend. They were all on sale for a limited time, so I figured, “What the hell.” I’ve played all but one and I’m floored by their value. Sure, they’re not as deep as their PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS equivalents, but they’re close. And besides, similar games for those platforms cost 30 times as much. Here’s what I picked up:

Let’s Golf 2 — It’s like Mario Golf lite. The control options aren’t as extensive, but I’m still having loads of fun with this game.

Baseball Superstars Pro 2011 — It’s like Mario Baseball lite. This game blends arcade baseball with RPG mechanics.

Eternal Legacy — This is a Final Fantasy-like RPG. Out of the games I picked up, this had the most depth. It’s on par or deeper than several RPGs I’ve played on the DS and PSP. It doesn’t have as much polish as most Square Enix games, but it’s also much cheaper than most Square Enix iOS titles.

Death Rally — I haven’t gotten around to playing this vehicular combat game, but I’ve been hearing great things from friends. It’s made by Remedy (Max Payne, Alan Wake) and I was curious to see what a traditional game developer would do on the iPad.

These kinds of games are indicative of a major shift in the gaming business. Some analysts are predicting doom and gloom for traditional consoles. I wouldn’t go that far, but I definitely see more and more people spending more and more money on Android and iOS games. Most people think before dropping $30 to $60 on a console game that will entertainment them for a dozen hours or more. Buying a dozen hours of entertainment for a $1 is a no-brainer.

Additionally, most people need phones to keep in touch with family, friends, and work. Playing games on something you already have is a bonus. Compare that to a gaming console, which is a pure luxury purchase.

What do you guys and dolls think? Will cheap gaming on phones and tablets cut into the console market?

HBO Go Users Get Two New Episodes of Game of Thrones

In a brilliant promo, HBO will let its HBO Go customers see two new episodes of Game of Thrones this coming Sunday, instead of one. The first episode will be available on television and HBO Go streaming, while the second episode will be an HBO Go exclusive for one week. HBO Go has been getting rave reviews and the app — available on Android and iOS — has already been downloaded one-million times. A promo that combines the app with one of HBO’s hottest shows will surely be a success.

Unfortunately for me, my crap bag cable provider — Time Warner Cable — does not allow its customers to use HBO Go. I’d love to watch two new episodes of Game of Thrones on Sunday, but Time Warner is denying its customers an excellent HBO service and my building isn’t wired for AT&T U-Verse or satellite.

I’ve been incredibly satisfied with streaming movies and television on my iPad 2. Netflix, Crackle, and the Time Warner Cable app have been great. I’m so bummed that I won’t be able to take advantage of this Game of Thrones promotion (unless Time Warner Cable removes its head from its ass this week).

Any of you using HBO Go? Are you happy with the app and service? Are you psyched for the Game of Thrones promo?