Category: Mobile Tech

Sprint Sells Out of the HTC Evo 4G

A testament to the rapid growth of Google Android as well as HTC’s booming popularity, Sprint has sold out of the HTC Evo 4G. The screen grab above is from Sprint’s web store and notes, “Sorry, this device is so hot we can’t keep it on our virtual shelves.” This is good news for the Android platform and great news for Sprint, which has been losing customers like crazy for several quarters.

The initial stock of Evo 4G phones has been estimated by various sources to be somewhere between 200,000 to 300,000. While this makes the Evo 4G Sprint’s most successful smartphone ever, the number will surely be trounced by the iPhone 4’s debut. Looking at it from a phone-to-phone basis makes it seem like the handsets aren’t even competing in the same league. However, when you look at it from Google’s and HTC’s perspectives, that’s two Android phones in a row that have sold out. I have no doubt that the iPhone 4 will outsell any single Android handset, but in terms of increasing its installed base, Google is doing well with products like the HTC Incredible for Verizon and the HTC Evo 4G for Sprint.

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iPhone 4 Has a Gyroscope for Gaming: Do You Care?

A lot of you are already under Steve Jobs’ spell, lusting for the iPhone 4. One of the most curious features of the new phone is its gyroscope. His royal Steveness said:

We’re adding a three axis gyroscope and we tied the accelerometer, compass, and gyro together for six axis. It’s perfect for gaming.

I know a lot of you aren’t cool with motion-control gaming, but is the iPhone 4 different? Maybe Steve Jobs’ reality distortion field has you seeing motion possibilities on the iPhone 4 that you don’t see on traditional gaming systems. Let me know if you care about the iPhone 4’s gyroscope. I’m curious to hear your opinions!

Steve Jobs WWDC 2010 Keynote Live Blog

It’s time for another thrilling Apple World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) keynote by his royal worshipfulness Steve Jobs! The new iPhone is expected to debut today, but there are lots of other interesting goodies rumored to appear too — free MobileMe, iTunes OTA service, MacMini update, MacBook Air Update, Safari 5, and more. Let’s see how it goes down! (Keep refreshing for updates.)

– Steve is doing the “I was right!!!” routine on the iPad. Well…he was right. He shows a funny email from a fanboy saying that the iPad got a girl at a cafe interested in him, hence it really was magic. Jobs playfully cites that as proof that the iPad is magical. Ha! [Photo above courtesy of Engadget.]

– Steve takes his first shot at Google. It’s a small jab. He shows an email from a Wolfram Alpha engineer saying that he made more money with The Elements for iPad in one day than he did with Google ads for five years.

– iBooks are being shown off…*snore* Jobs says he loves HTML5 and the App Store. Going with HTML5 lets developers create for Apple using an open platform. Going with the App Store offers the “curated” experience.

– “We reject apps the crash.” Is that a knock on Google’s Android Market? Sure it is!!! [Photo courtesy of Ars Technica.]

– Netflix for iPhone is coming this summer. First interesting announcement of the day!

– Farmville for iPhone! This is potentially huge!!! [Photo courtesy of Engadget.]

– Next it’s Guitar Hero for iPhone. Eh, it’s okay. Portable Rock Star/Guitar Hero games can be fun, but it’s really all about the peripherals. Unless Activision makes a Steinberger controller for iPhone, I don’t think it will ever be that interesting.

– Last week Apple hit five-billion downloads from the App Store. That’s hugely impressive.

– It’s history of iPhone time. *yawn* But then he unveils the iPhone 4!!! “You gotta see this in person. This is beyond the doubt, the most precise thing, and one of the most beautiful we’ve ever made. Glass on the front and back, and steel around the sides. It’s like a beautiful old Leica camera.” [Photo courtesy of Engadget.]

– The phone has a noise cancelling mic. I don’t recall hearing that one before. Otherwise it’s pretty much everything that has been leaked. Btw, Gizmodo was not allowed into the WWDC keynote. *snicker*

– The metal bound around the iPhone 4 also serves as an antenna. That’s very clever. I wonder if it will make AT&T suck less.

– iPhone 4 uses Retina Display, allowing for four times the pixel density. It’s going to be pretty…though I believe the screen is still physically small.

– They are experiencing technical difficulties. See, it doesn’t just happen to Google and Microsoft. Methinks Steve is going to kill someone seconds after he leaves the stage.

– As rumored, the iPhone 4 uses Apple’s A4 chip, or really system on a a chip. It also powers the iPad. It’s a very impressive piece of tech.

– Battery life is also improved by up to 40 percent for some tasks.

– Look kids, it’s the iPhone Move! Ha, just kidding. The iPhone 4 does have a gyroscope though. “We’re adding a three axis gyroscope and we tied the accelerometer, compass, and gyro together for six axis. It’s perfect for gaming.” Jobs is playing a Jenga-like came to show off his motion of the ocean.

– “And since this demo does not require the network, I should be okay!” Yeah, Steve’s going to kill the people in charge of Internet at the Moscone Center…and probably a few Apple flacks.

– The new camera has been bumped to five megapixels with better image quality, better low-light performance, and HD video. Tap-to-focus works in video mode now.

– iMovie for iPhone for on-the-go video editing!

– Improved mail, folders, multitasking, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, it’s called iOS 4 now, btw.

– Bing is now one of the search options, along with Google and Yahoo!

– The enterprise features have been improved, but I’m sure IT managers will want to stick with BlackBerry for security.

– iBooks are hitting the iPhone 4.

– I really want to make my morning coffee, but I’m afraid I’ll miss something cool. Hmph.

– Steve is going over iAds, which will help developers and Apple earn money. I’m sure you’re all thrilled by this.

– The “one more thing” is…video calls. Steve is calling Jon Ive. You should all mark out now at the sheer greatness involved in this video call. The software is called FaceTime and will be WiFi only in 2010. Steve said, “We need to work a little bit with the carriers,” which probably means that it will work on a Verizon iPhone in 2011 (half joking).

– $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model. The colors are black and white. If your AT&T contract expires at any point in 2010, you’re eligible for upgrade pricing. iPhone 4 goes on sale on June 24. Pre-orders start on June 15.

– iOS4 uprade available June 21.

Leaked iPhone HD (4G) Photos Found the Day Before WWDC?

Steve Jobs’ keynote at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is a little over 12 hours away, but if you can’t wait for the official unveiling of the iPhone HD, here are some “leaked” photographs (that may or may not be real). Pursuitist claims that the photos are from Chiat Day, Apple’s advertising agency. The branding on the mock-ups shows Rogers, a Canadian mobile provider. The site also shows the iPhone HD in some curious colors in addition to black and white.

What do you think? Real or fake?!?

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Impressions: Seidio Innocase II for the Sprint HTC Evo 4G

I just picked up the Seidio Innocase II Surface Case for HTC Evo 4G. Seidio is one of my two favorite manufacturers for mobile phone cases (Otterbox is the other, in case you were wondering). The Innocase II is exactly what I was looking — it adds a nice layer of protection, gives the phone a tacky grip, and doesn’t add any bulk to the phone. The extra tackiness is especially useful when holding the phone in landscape mode; it just feels much better in your hands thanks to the rubberized shell.

Although the outside is rubberized, the interior is hard plastic for better protection. There’s a felt-like lining to keep the phone secure without it getting scratched. Installing the case is a snap — you slip the top half on, then slip on the bottom half, and connect the pieces. All the buttons and ports are easily accessible when the case is on. In case you were wondering, the front-facing camera is not covered, so you’ll be able to video chat with the case on.

I’ll be adding Seidio’s Ultimate Screen Guard to the phone shortly and will give you an update on that. For now, here are some additional photos of the Seidio Innocase II on my HTC Evo 4G.

What’s Going Down at Apple WWDC 2010?

Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference kicks off on Monday and the Internet is ablaze with speculation on what’s up the company’s sleeves. The announcement of the new iPhone is expected, but there are lots of other interesting rumors floating around. Some are thinking that Apple will finally announce other carriers for the iPhone, others are pointing to evidence of new Mac Minis, and some have guessed that MobileMe will become a free service. Personally, I’m hoping for a MacBook Air refresh (even though I can’t possibly afford one at the moment).

It’s going to be a big show (not Paul Wight) and Steve Jobs’ keynote will surely rock, but what do you think will go down at WWDC 2010? I want to hear your speculation and wishes. Let your comments fly (please)!

Sprint HTC Evo 4G Review Center

The HTC Evo 4G for Sprint is available now! It’s an excellent phone and in my opinion, the best Android handset available today. That said, it has some drawbacks, like any other phone. Is the Evo 4G right for you? Read my extensive (not a) review to find out! This six-part series covers the phone’s battery life, WiFi hotspot functionality, software, gaming capabilities, camera, and more. Check it out!

Does Chrome OS Have a Future?

I’ve been thinking a lot about Google’s Chrome OS lately. In 2009 it seemed like a great idea — a free OS that would allow manufacturers to offer cheap and capable netbooks (and allow Google to serve even more advertisements). Then a funny thing happened — the Apple iPad. A lot of vendors are cooling on the netbook market and focusing their efforts on tablets. As it stands now, Google’s Android mobile operating system is a better choice for tablets than Chrome OS.

GigaOm’s excellent Om Malik wrote an editorial about the situation. He suggested that Google ought to dump Chrome OS and focus entirely on Android. He makes a compelling argument, but I’m not completely convinced (yet). While tablets are the new “it” thing, there will always be a place for netbooks. Even though Windows 7 is better suited for netbooks than Windows Vista, it’s still too hefty for the relatively weak processors currently available. Chrome OS combined with the Chrome Store has the potential to excel on modest hardware in a way that Windows 7 can’t.

All of that said, I’m not sure if Google can pull it off. My question for you is this: does Chrome OS have a future?