Category: Mobile Tech

Coffee Talk #261: Has Apple Doomed the 3DS and PSP2?

In a recent episode of Pach Atttack starring Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter (I’ll give you a few moments to soak that all in), your favorite videogame analyst and mine (not really) said that Apple’s iOS is the future of mobile gaming.

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, if the NY Knicks have finally gotten past years or mediocrity, Verve Roasters’ Ethiopia Nigusie Lemma, or your holiday shopping, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

In a recent episode of Pach Atttack starring Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter (I’ll give you a few moments to soak that all in), your favorite videogame analyst and mine (not really) said that Apple’s iOS is the future of mobile gaming. In fact, he felt so strongly about the iPod Touch that he doesn’t see a bright future for Nintendo’s and Sony’s next portable systems. Check it out:

I think the ubiquity of the iPod Touch is cutting into the handheld market, I think the PSP was dead on arrival and I think the PSP2 is going to be dead on arrival. It looks to me like young kids are just as happy playing with an iPod Touch or a Nano. The Touch is cool, it plays games, plays music, they’re going to put a camera in it and you’re going to get all kinds of cool stuff.

The 3DS will prolong the handheld market for the game manufacturers, but ultimately, I think handhelds are in trouble. After the 3DS has had its little rush I think the handhelds will continue to decline.

What do you think of Pachter’s stance? Is he on the money? Or is he just talking out of his ass to get more attention? Will the multifunction wizardry of the iPod Touch beat out the sheer power of the PSP2 and the 3D wonder of the 3DS? Can’t we live in a world where all of them do reasonably well? Share your feelings like a Care Bear (please)!

Google Announces Samsung Nexus S (With Videos!)

Google has officially announced the Samsung Nexus S, which will be available online and in Best Buy stores on December 16, 2010. This unlocked phone will be the champion product for Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Unlike the previous Google flagship phone — the HTC Nexus One — the Nexus S doesn’t blow the competition away in terms of specs. The Nexus S features:

  • 1GHz Hummingbird processor
  • 16GB of internal storage
  • 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA touchscreen with curved Contour Display tech
  • 5-megapixel camera
  • Front-facing VGA camera for video chat
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 2.1
  • Software-based noise cancellation
  • NFC support
  • Anti-fingerprint coating on the display

It looks like a great phone, but it’s not much better than what’s already available. While I’m envious of the front-facing camera and larger screen, the Nexus S doesn’t bring enough to the table to make me want to give up my HTC G2 (especially with T-Mobile’s WiFi calling and HSPA+ network speed).

Check out the additional video and let me know what you think of the Nexus S (please)!

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White iPhone 4 Coming Spring 2011: Better Late Than Never?

After a comical string of delays, it looks like the white iPhone 4 is finally coming…in Spring 2011. *snicker* CrunchGear spotted an Apple Store sign that shows a release date for the white model. Of course when that date rolls around, the iPhone 5 will be months away. Do you think anyone (aside from fashionistas) will give a damn about the white iPhone 4 in Spring 2011?

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Sony Ericcson Z1 (PSP Android Phone) Video Shows Controls

Here’s a nice “spy” video of the Sony Ericcson Z1 — the PlayStation Portable phone powered by Google Android. This video is much better than the one I posted earlier in the week. The user slides out the controls, revealing a d-pad and face buttons. You can also spot a PlayStation app in the menus. Check it out and let me know what you think (please)!

Verizon 4G LTE Launch Cities and Airports

Verizon has announced that its 4G LTE network will launch on December 5, 2010 in 38 cities and 60 airports. According to the company’s press release, the network will achieve data rates in “real-world, loaded network environments” from five to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and two to five Mbps on the uplink. Most mobile companies post theoretical maximum rates. The network will launch with two data modems, with LTE phones expected to be announced at CES 2011.

The 38 launch cities are:

  • Akron, Ohio
  • Athens, Georgia
  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Baltimore, Maryland
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Chicago, Illinois
  • Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Cleveland, Ohio
  • Columbus, Ohio
  • Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, Dallas, Texas
  • Denver, Colorado
  • Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
  • Houston, Texas
  • Jacksonville, Florida
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Los Angeles, California
  • Miami, Florida
  • Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Nashville, Tennessee
  • New Orleans, Louisiana
  • New York, New York
  • Oakland, California
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • Orlando, Florida
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Phoenix, Arizona
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Rochester, New York
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • San Diego, California
  • San Francisco, California
  • San Jose, California
  • Seattle/Tacoma, Washington
  • St. Louis, Missouri
  • Tampa, Florida
  • Washington, D.C.
  • West Lafayette, Indiana
  • West Palm Beach, Florida

The launch airports are:

  • Austin-Bergstrom International, Austin, Texas
  • Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshal, Glen Burnie, Maryland
  • Bob Hope, Burbank, California
  • Boeing Field/King County International, Seattle, Washington
  • Charlotte/Douglas International, Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Chicago Midway International, Chicago, Illinois
  • Chicago O’Hare International, Chicago, Illinois
  • Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Covington, Kentucky
  • Cleveland-Hopkins International, Cleveland, Ohio
  • Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas
  • Dallas/Fort Worth International, Fort Worth, Texas
  • Denver International, Denver, Colorado
  • Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • George Bush Intercontinental/Houston, Houston, Texas
  • Greater Rochester International, Rochester, New York
  • Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Atlanta, Georgia
  • Honolulu International, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Jacksonville International, Jacksonville, Florida
  • John F. Kennedy International, New York, New York
  • John Wayne Airport-Orange County, Santa Ana, California
  • Kansas City International, Kansas City, Missouri
  • La Guardia, New York, New York
  • Lambert-St. Louis International, St. Louis, Missouri
  • Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts
  • Long Beach/Daugherty Field, Long Beach, California
  • Los Angeles International, Los Angeles, California
  • Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, Metairie, Louisiana
  • McCarran International, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Memphis International, Memphis, Tennessee
  • Metropolitan Oakland International, Oakland, California
  • Miami International, Miami, Florida
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Nashville International, Nashville, Tennessee
  • New Castle, Wilmington, Delaware
  • Newark Liberty International, Newark, New Jersey
  • Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International, San Jose, California
  • North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Orlando International, Orlando, Florida
  • Orlando Sanford International, Sanford, Florida
  • Palm Beach International, West Palm Beach, Florida
  • Philadelphia International, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Phoenix, Arizona
  • Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, Mesa, Arizona
  • Pittsburgh International, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Port Columbus International, Columbus, Ohio
  • Portland International, Portland, Oregon
  • Rickenbacker International, Columbus, Ohio
  • Ronald Reagan Washington National, Arlington, Virginia
  • Sacramento International, Sacramento, California
  • Salt Lake City International, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • San Antonio International, San Antonio, Texas
  • San Diego International, San Diego, California
  • San Francisco International, San Francisco, California
  • Seattle-Tacoma International, Seattle, Washington
  • St. Augustine, Saint Augustine, Florida
  • St. Petersburg-Clearwater International, Clearwater, Florida
  • Tampa International, Tampa, Florida
  • Teterboro, Teterboro, New Jersey
  • Trenton Mercer, Trenton, New Jersey
  • Washington Dulles International, Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C.
  • Will Rogers World, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • William P. Hobby, Houston, Texas

I’m impressed with Verizon’s thorough rollout. It’s much more impressive than how Sprint started its WiMax network and how T-Mobile launched HSPA+. Anyone interested in a Verizon LTE data modem? Or are you strictly interested in phones?

PSP Phone Spotted in Greece?

This “spy” video allegedly shows the Sony Ericcson Z1 — the rumored PSP Android phone. It’s super grainy, so it’s hard to tell exactly what it is. The Android part seems accurate, but it’s impossible to tell if the handset can play PSP games. Check it out and share your conspiracy theories (please)!

Source via Engadget

TV Through Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7?

Microsoft is in the early stages of planning a televisions service that can be accessed through devices like its Xbox 360 gaming console. The company has been holding talks with various networks for a service that could end up being like virtual cable or a la carte cable. According to Reuters:

Microsoft Corp has held talks with media companies to license TV networks for a new online pay-television subscription service through devices such as its Xbox video game console, two people familiar with the plans told Reuters.

Microsoft is also exploring the possibility of creating content silos and selling more individual channels directly such as an HBO or Showtime. It already has Walt Disney Co’s ESPN on the Xbox Live online service for example.

This could develop into something huge and game changing. Cable and satellite companies are crap, requiring customers to buy packages containing dozens of channels, most of which are unwanted. If Microsoft sells individualchannels  — particularly premium ones like HBO — through Xbox 360 and its future consoles, I’d drop my cable service in a heartbeat. Being able to pick the channels you want would be brilliant.

Integrating the television service with Windows Phone 7 would be tremendous. Microsoft’s mobile operating system will have a difficult time catching up to Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Offering premium television through Windows Phone 7 would make the battle easier.

While the service appears to be a year away — if it happens at all — it has a ton of potential. I will dream about features like a la carte channel selection and streaming HBO boxing on a phone, but I fully expect the networks to give the bare minimum.

What do you think of a potential Microsoft television service? What would you want it to have?

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Cox Launches (Game Changing?) Mobile Phone Service

Cox Communications has launched a potentially game changing mobile phone service. By combining mobile, land line telephone, Internet, and cable television services, the company offers discounted rates through a “quadruple play”. One unique feature of its service is that users can get their unused minutes refunded for up to a $20 rebate per month. Cox is adding other goodies too. Here’s a clip from the press release:

To further sweeten the reward for existing customers, Cox’s bundled customers can choose one free upgrade when they add Cox Wireless. With Bundle Benefits, Advanced TV customers can choose a free premium entertainment channel such as HBO, Showtime, Starz or Cinemax or Cox Movie Pak, which includes Encore, Epix, Sundance and Vutopia; high-speed Internet customers can upgrade from Preferred to Premier; or home telephone customers can add unlimited domestic long distance calling on their Cox Digital Telephone service.

The service is currently available in the Hampton Roads, Omaha, and Orange County markets. It currently works on Sprint’s 3G network, but Cox has plans to roll out its own network in the future. The launch phones include the HTC Desire, HTC Hero, HTC Wildfire, Motorola Milestone, and LG Axis. The phones will feature special software that interacts with various Cox service.

By getting to people pay for multiple services, Cox can offer attractive bundles that can offer better value than paying multiple companies. Other cable companies have similar plans in the works. It will be interesting to see if AT&T and Verizon offer more aggressive packages that combine their mobile, land line, Internet, and television services.

What do you think of Cox gambit? Will it work? Is this the future of telecommunications? Any of you happen to be Cox customers?

Official Google Voice App for iPhone Available Now

One of the two biggest reasons I love the Android platform is its unmatched Google Voice integration. Today, that reason has been (mostly) eliminated thanks to the official Google Voice app for iOS. Currently available for iPhone only, Google Voice for iOS is a pretty excellent implementation of Google’s fine telephony product. According to Google’s blog, the app offers all the functionality of the HTML5 version and adds a few touches:

  • With push notifications, the app will alert you instantly when you receive a new voicemail or text message
  • Most of your calls will be placed via Direct Access Numbers, making them connect just as quickly as regular phone calls

Now that iOS has a strong (and official) Google Voice app, I’m exponentially more interested in the platform for everyday use. If Gmail integration continues to improve and Apple offers bigger screens then I just might head back to the iOS platform.

How about you? Any of you psyched for Google Voice for iOS?

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Today’s Poll: Do You Use a Case For Your Mobile Phone?

Do you use a case for your mobile phone? Or do you prefer to keep it naked? Some people are anal about protecting their phones, which is understandable considering what high-end smartphones cost. Others don’t like covering up sexy electronics with unattractive plastic and rubber. As for me, it depends on the situation. If I’m wearing something like the super soft Lulu Lemon pants my future sister-in-law bought me, then I’ll keep the phone naked. If I’m wearing jeans or pants made out of rough material, then I’ll go with case (love Otterbox and Seidio).

How about you? Kindly take today’s poll and share your case options.

[poll id=”85″]