Category: Mobile Tech

Coffee Talk #285: App Store Walled Garden a Plus or Minus?

Verizon’s huge iPhone 4 announcement has the tech world buzzing. One of the debates that has come up — again — is whether Apple’s “curated” approach to the Apple App Store is a strength or weakness.

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, Cafecito Organico’s Nicaragua Wiwili, the NY Yankees excellent Soriano signing, or Selma Blair becoming a MILF, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Verizon’s huge iPhone 4 announcement has the tech world buzzing. One of the debates that has come up — again — is whether Apple’s “curated” approach to the Apple App Store is a strength or weakness. To me, it’s a completely ridiculous debate. It’s absolutely a strength.

Apple has always been about offering great products that offer a superior experience. The company was never about having the most programs or getting the biggest installed base. Apple’s experiences with its past products can be seen in the “controlled” and excellent App Store. Even though I believe that the Android Market will eventually eclipse the App Store in terms of the sheer amount of apps, I also believe that the App Store will always be a better experience and lack the amount of crapware found in the Android Market. Google’s open approach will give it the numbers, but Apple’s curated approach will give it a superior user experience (it also doesn’t hurt that Google has never been great with UI). At the end of the day, would you rather have more choices or better choices?

Even though I’m an avid Android user, I can admit that the App Store will always have an edge over the Android Market (as well as the Windows Phone 7 and WebOS equivalents). I’m perfectly content with my Android apps for productivity and news, but iOS will always have better entertainment choices. This is especially true for games. I don’t want to get into the technical details of the matter, but Apple’s controlled approach actually works to its advantage in terms of games, while Google’s choices with Android have made things more difficult.

Like I said, I don’t really understand the debate from a consumer perspective. However, I’m willing to listen to other perspectives. That’s where you come in! Do you think Apple’s curated approach is a strength or weakness?

The Daily Show’s Verizon iPhone 4 Coverage

Here’s an excellent (and surprisingly long) clip of The Daily Show’s coverage of the Verizon iPhone 4 press conference. In addition to poking fun at AT&T, the sketch is funny because…well, it’s always funny when the mainstream media pokes fun at AT&T’s coverage.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Verizon iPhone Announcement
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Here’s an excellent (and surprisingly long) clip of The Daily Show’s coverage of the Verizon iPhone 4 press conference. In addition to poking fun at AT&T, the sketch is funny because…well, it’s always funny when the mainstream media pokes fun at AT&T’s coverage. Enjoy the clip and share your feelings like a Care Bear!

Today’s Poll: Are You Interested in Verizon’s iPhone 4?

The CDMA iPhone 4 on Verizon is just around the corner! The phone is mostly the same as the one AT&T has offered for the last six months, but for a lot of people, Verizon’s network will make it much more usable. Any of you interested in taking the plunge? Or are you content with your current phone and/or current carrier? Vote and discuss (please)!

[poll id=”95″]

Verizon iPhone 4 Available on February 10, 2011

Here’s some space for us to discuss today’s 1/11/11 11AM Verizon press conference on the CDMA Apple iPhone 4. I will update the body of this story with tidbits from the Interwebz. I’m counting on you to bring your A-game to the comments section so we can discuss this pivotal moment in American mobile phone history. Let’s get to it!

7:55AM — A bunch of bloggers have noted that the backdrop is white. Think it means that Verizon will get the white iPhone?

7:58AM — My analyst friend says there are no signs of uber Apple execs. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re not there. They could be hiding. He’s convinced that one of them will make an appearance via FaceTime.

8:05AM A surprising amount of LTE talk so far. Do you think???

8:06AM Verizon CEO Lowell MacAdam mentions Apple as a partner (Engadget). Somewhere in America, a kitten dies. More importantly, the iPhone 4 will hit Verizon in early February.

8:09AM Apple COO Tim Cook appears. He’s not Steve Jobs, but he’s a pretty big deal.

8:11AM The iPhone 4 is on the Verizon site already.

8:14AM Verizon Dan Dee is touting Verizon’s network reliability. While I agree that Verizon is a better and more stable network that AT&T, it’s also slower. I wonder how customers that switch over will react to the lower speeds.

8:17AM The company is reassuring everyone that it’s prepared for the iPhone 4 and the network won’t crash with the influx of heavy data users. (Ars Technica)

8:18 Current customers can pre-order on February 3, 2011. Others can order on February 10, 2011. $199 for the 16Gb and $299 for the 32GB, both with a two-year contract.

8:19AM WiFi hotspot for up to five users is feature, similar to what Verizon offers for Android phones. Pricing information on this option wasn’t revealed.

Three Things I Learned From CES 2011

Now that we’ve all had a weekend to digest all the announcements and happenings from the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what we’ve all learned. Here are my three takeaways from CES 2011:

Now that we’ve all had a weekend to digest all the announcements and happenings from the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what we’ve all learned. Here are my three takeaways from CES 2011. Check ’em out and let me know what you learned (please)!

1) I Need a Dual-Core Mobile Processor Now! Never mind that the 800MHz Scorpion in my T-Mobile G2 is performing well and I’ve been perfectly happy with the phone for months. I lust for the superior power and efficiency of dual-core processors. Of course I want to see benchmarks and real-world battery tests, but that won’t stop me from glaring at my G2 for not having a dual-core processor.

2) The Motorola Atrix 4G’s Laptop Dock is Clever. Prior to CES 2011, I found the thought of a dockable mobile phone unappealing — probably because the Palm Foleo made it sound so ridiculous. That said, I have to admit that the netbook-like functionality of the Motorola Atrix has me interested. It appears to be a smart and sharp implementation that would extend the capabilities of the phone and eliminate the need for a secondary laptop. Color me intrigued (which, in my head, is a bright shade of blue).

3) Vizio’s Boldness is Awesome! Vizio isn’t the most well-known brand in America. Some people view it as the “cheapie” brand they see at CostCo and Sam’s Club. That’s a shame because the company offers some really excellent televisions, some of which are tough to beat from a price/performance ratio. I was surprised by the company’s aggressive and diverse moves at CES 2011. It’s entering the mobile computing market with Android and the gaming space with OnLive.

How about you? What were your favorite lessons learned from CES 2011?

Verizon’s Inadvertent iPhone 4 Hook: Unlimited Data?

Even though Verizon has plans to move to tiered data pricing, it doesn’t have the structure in place. Some pundits believe that this inadvertently gives Verizon an edge over AT&T in the impending battle of iPhones; the former will offer unlimited data, while the latter lacks an unlimited option for new customers. The Wall Street Journal has reported:

Verizon Wireless, the country’s largest wireless carrier, is confident enough in its network that it will offer unlimited data-use plans when it starts selling the iPhone around the end of this month, a person familiar with the matter said. Such plans would provide a key means of distinguishing its service from rival AT&T Inc., which limits how much Internet data such as videos and photos its customers may use each month.

This makes the decision more interesting for consumers. If everything goes as predicted and Verizon announces an iPhone 4 with unlimited data, what would you do? Do you snap up the old phone on the more reliable network using slower technology simple because it offers truly unlimited data? Or do you wait for the iPhone 5, which will certainly feature tiered data on AT&T and probably feature tiered data on Verizon by the time it’s released (likely June 2011). Ah, the decisions those with disposable income have to make…. (For the record, I’m not one of those people. Ha!)

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Today’s Poll: Will Steve Jobs Appear at the Verizon Presser?

Most of the tech world has accepted that Verizon will announce the iPhone 4 at its press conference tomorrow. Some believe that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be on hand and some don’t. On one hand, it’s a pretty huge partnership and the date is quirky cool (1/11/11 at 11AM!). On the other hand, some believe that Jobs is saving himself for new product announcements like that iPad 2 and iPhone 5; these people believe that an old product on a new network doesn’t merit an appearance by his royal highness grandmaster Steve Jobs.

What do you think? Kindly vote in today’s poll and discuss!

[poll id=”94″]

Verizon to Announce iPhone 4 on January 11?

The word on the street is that Verizon is set to announce that the iPhone 4 will join its lineup in February. The company is holding a press conference on Tuesday January 11, 2011 and The Wall Street Journal says that it’s to unveil the iPhone. Meanwhile, AllThingsDigital has it on good authority that his royal lord worshipfulness grand highness Steve Jobs will be on hand to christen the partnership.

After years of speculation, it looks like the iPhone will finally be on Verizon’s network. Any of you planning to buy one? Do you think an iPhone 4 on Verizon is appealing with the iPhone 5 just months away? How do you think this will impact America’s mobile phone market? Will polarities shift? How about the Earth’s rotation?

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CES 2011: Motorola Xoom Tablet Sizzle Videos

Here are a pair of teaser videos for the Motorola Xoom tablet featuring Google Android 3.0. The Xoom packs a 10.1-inch display and a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor. It will be available on Verizon in Q1 2011, with a 4G upgrade arriving in Q2. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

Motorola Xoom features a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chats over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G LTE, as well as a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera that captures video in 720p HD. It delivers console-like gaming performance on its 1280×800 display, and features a built-in gyroscope, barometer, e-compass, accelerometer and adaptive lighting for new types of applications. It also features Google Maps 5.0 with 3D interaction and delivers access to over 3 million Google eBooks and thousands of apps from Android Market.

I’ve played with a few Samsung Galaxy Tabs and have been largely unimpressed. The Xoom seems far more useful and interesting. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this Google Android tablet. Check out the videos when you have a chance and share your thoughts (please)!

CES 2011: Droid Bionic Packs Dual Core and 4G LTE

Motorola and Verizon have announced the Droid Bionic, a Google Android phone with a 1GHz dual-core processor and 4G LTE speeds. Additionally, it has a QHD 4.3-inch screen and dual cameras. Here’s more from the official press release:

Packing a dual core processor with each core running at 1GHz, delivering up to two GHz of processing power, and 512 MB RAM, the sleekly designed Droid Bionic smartphone with 4G LTE delivers a mobile Internet experience that’s up to 10 times faster than 3G. This means consumers can stream their favorite music and the latest TV shows with unparalleled quality experience. Droid Bionic also races through loading of complex web pages and media that take advantage of Adobe Flash Player and HTML5, rendering graphics faster than previous generation single-core devices.

Personally, I’m more interested in the Droid Bionic than the two AT&T Google Android phones I wrote about yesterday (the Samsung Infuse 4G and Motorola Atrix 4G). AT&T blows in too many places I frequent. The Droid Bionic offers formidable hardware coupled with a reliable network. If the LTE speeds are competitive with other 4G speeds (WiMax for Sprint, HSPA+ for AT&T and T-Mobile) then this phone should rock.

Anyone interested in this beauty?