Category: Mobile Tech

Coffee Talk #67: Will Your Phone Be Your Primary Internet Device?

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, Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady possibly being voted into the NBA All-Star Game by moronic fans, J-E-T-S, or A.J. styles and Kurt Angle putting on a clinic last night, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

This week’s coffee: Intelligentsia Ethiopia Sidama.

According to research firm Gartner, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common devices for Internet access in 2013. It sounds a little bit crazy, but it makes sense on several levels. Web browsers on phones have gotten way better in the last few years. A lot of phones are great for accessing online social-media services like Facebook and Twitter. In general, phones are cheaper and more accessible than PCs — particularly in developing countries. With these factors in mind, Gartner’s prediction is pretty reasonable.

Then there’s the whole usage aspect to phone browsing. I often find myself reading web sites and working on this blog from my iPhone or BlackBerry. Sometimes it’s just looking for story ideas before I go to sleep. Sometimes I’m multitasking by watching WWE Monday Night Raw and sifting through the site’s comments. This was pretty much impossible to do (efficiently and enjoyably) a few years ago. Thanks to advancements in WebKit, Opera Mini, and specialized apps (Tweetdeck, WordPress, etc.), it’s totally doable today. Could further advancements lead to me surfing the web more from my couch or bed than my desk? Yeah, I could see that.

Still, there are going to be people that refuse to do the majority of their web surfing on their phone. Some prefer looking at sites on large monitors. Others are more comfortable reading from an office chair. Perhaps there will still be people — probably older ones — that can’t fathom the idea of using their phone for anything but phone calls.

I want to hear what you think of Gartner’s prediction. Do you find yourself reading web sites from your phone more often? Do you think your phone will be your primary Internet access device in three years? Why or why not?

Verizon Getting Apple Tablet in 2010 and iPhone in 2011?

A lot technophiles are hoping that the rumors of Verizon getting the iPhone in 2010 come true, but one longtime technology writer says it’s not happening. With Verizon starting the transition from 3G CDMA technology to 4G LTE, some experts feel it would be silly for Apple to trot out a CDMA iPhone this year. The consolation prize? The Apple tablet…or iTable…or iSlate…or whatever the hell they’re calling the device this week. PC Magazine’s Sascha Segan recently wrote:

There isn’t going to be a Verizon iPhone in 2010. Get over it. Verizon and Apple are on the same wavelength about the iPhone being a slam-bang device to help promote Verizon’s LTE network, which means 2011. But the Apple Tablet is exactly what Verizon is looking for right now.

On paper, I agree with him. In practice, I don’t. I sincerely doubt LTE deployment will go as smoothly as planned. You know those lovely coverage maps Verizon likes to show off? At launch time, its LTE map is going to look more like AT&T’s current 3G map. With that in mind, why wouldn’t Verizon want a CDMA iPhone? It could sell millions of them for years, as opposed to an LTE iPhone that has a far more limited reach.

It just seems silly and overly ambitious to wait on LTE for the iPhone. AT&T has become a strong #2, largely due to the iPhone. Verizon could leave its nearest competitor in the dust by offering the most popular consumer phone on the strongest network in the country. This is pure conjecture, but I’d bet that a CDMA Apple tablet would do a fraction of the numbers a CDMA iPhone would do. I don’t see how it would be “exactly what Verizon is looking for”.

What do you make of all this? If Verizon has the opportunity to get a CDMA iPhone, shouldn’t it jump at the chance? How well do you think an Apple tablet would do for the carrier? Are any of you even interested in one?

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Will the Motorola Shadow Become the Google Nexus Two?

Rumors and photos of the phone that will supposedly become Google’s Nexus Two are floating around. Android fans will remember that Google vice president of engineering Andy Rubin said that the next Nexus phone will be aimed at enterprise users and have a keyboard. This is where the Motorola Shadow comes in.

Remember, Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha was present at Google’s Nexus One unveiling. While people were fixated on the HTC-made phone, having another hardware vendor at the event showed that Google.com/phone is part or a larger endeavor. I always saw Jha’s presence as Motorola standing in the on-deck circle.

As for the phone itself, the Motorola Shadow borrows a lot of the Motorola Droid’s design, but with a drastically different color scheme. Instead of the Droid’s black, Darth Vader appearance, the Shadow features a screen with black boarders and a slide-out keyboard in white. While the phone looks great in photos, the neat freak in me is worried about a white keyboard. On the plus side, the Shadow has a slot for a wrist strap, which would allow me to use my vast assortment of anime and videogame straps I purchased in Japan.

On the software side, thing don’t add up (yet). If the Nexus Two is being aimed at enterprise users then Android would need security tweaks for Microsoft Exchange support. For secure corporate email, RIM’s BlackBerry is the undisputed champion of the market. The stock Android OS doesn’t handle Exchange in a way that would make IT administrators happy. Perhaps Motorola has been working on custom tweaks for this purpose.

While I was tempted by the Nexus One, typing tweets and Facebook updates on my (sim-less) iPhone reminded me of how much I loathe virtual keyboards. I’ve posted full blog posts and lengthy emails on my BlackBerry. I can’t picture doing the same on the Nexus One. Whether or not the Motorola Shadow becomes the Nexus Two, I’m highly interested in the phone…if it matches it predecessor’s OLED screen and Snapdragon processor.

How about you ladies and gents? Any thoughts on the Motorola Shadow? Do you think the design is too flashy for an enterprise phone?

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PSA: Free WiFi at McDonald’s Starting Today

McDonald’s has announced that it has started offering free WiFi at 11,500 of its 14,000 locations. So after you grease up your hands with a Big Mac value meal, you can get crap all over your laptop or smartphone.

Do any of you use WiFi at McDonald’s? If not, will you start doing so now that it’s free?

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AT&T and Verizon Slash Service Prices

AT&T and Verizon have slashed the prices of their wireless services. Since most of you are tech nerds, I’ll focus on the unlimited (talk, data, and text) plans for smartphones. Current AT&T users will be able to lower their costs to $119.99 a month starting on Monday, while Verizon customers can enjoy unlimited everything for $119.98.

While any price reduction is nice, these prices are still higher than what Sprint and T-Mobile offer. Sprint’s comparable plan costs $99.99, while T-Mobile’s costs $79.99. Naturally, the value of any of these services depends on the coverage you get at home, work, and the places you frequently travel to.

Verizon and Sprint Stepping Up in Haitian Relief Efforts

A lot of people have been reporting that donations made through text messages can take up to 90 days to register. For people trying to donate money to aid the people of Haiti, that’s just way too late. In today’s episode of The Rachel Maddow Show I learned that Verizon and Sprint have stepped things up to get the money to the people that need it now. Maddow reported that Verizon will make 100 percent of the funds available immediately, while Sprint will make 80 percent of the funds available. She mentioned that AT&T is examining ways to expedite things, but offered no word on T-Mobile.

People Comparing Nexus One Sales to iPhone Sales are Idiots

A lot of tech writers have been pointing to Flurry’s report on the “weak” sales of the Google Nexus One, saying that the phone is a failure because it didn’t sell as well as the iPhone, Droid, and MyTouch. That’s such an amazingly stupid comparison for several reasons.

First of all, the Nexus One is being sold by a company that’s new to consumer electronics. Secondly, the company is only selling the phone online. A newcomer that doesn’t have the advantage of physical stores? Of course the Nexus One wasn’t going to do iPhone numbers. Only a moron would have expected competitive sales figures.

More to the point, the Nexus One is a hero product that highlights the features of Android 2.1 and launched Google.com/phone. It’s not about a single product. It’s about the OS and an attempt to change the way consumers by mobile phones. It’s amazing that so many writers are being so shortsighted. The best they can come up with is “it didn’t sell as well as iPhone ergo fail!!!” That’s such a lazy and thoughtless conclusion.

It’s disappointing that so many tech writers went with the easy, knee-jerk reaction to Flurry’s findings. Too many of them are obsessed with mythical “iPhone killers” that they can’t see the bigger and/or more interesting picture.

Coffee Talk #65: I Hate Luke Wilson’s AT&T Commercials

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, the curse of the Los Angeles Clippers, what the hell was inside Chewbacca’s bandolier, or what you can do to help out Haiti, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’m tired of seeing Luke Wilson in those crappy AT&T commercials. Most of you know that I detest AT&T Wireless. Seeing Wilson in commercials for the company makes me think less of him. He’s annoying. The message he’s conveying isn’t accurate. And most importantly, his nose isn’t nearly as funny as his brother’s. Having said that, the commercials did get me thinking about the features AT&T users like to boast about and how little they matter to me.

The first one is the ability to talk and web surf at the same time. Due to the limitations of CDMA, this can’t be done on Sprint and Verizon. My phone is capable of this feature and I’ve never used it. Perhaps it’s my inability to multitask or maybe I’m being overly courteous (it’s rude to web browse while talking to someone!), but I really don’t care about this feature. The only time I can see it being handy is when talking to a friend and using Google Maps to help him or her with directions.

Iphone users love to talk about how multitouch is a huge feature that makes their phone superior to anything in the known universe. Again, I just don’t care. Pinch-to-zoom isn’t that useful to me. I’m perfectly happy to scroll to the area I want to see and double tap. Maybe, I’m just weird with how I use my (Sim-less) iPhone, but that’s how it is. One area where multitouch clearly helps is with the virtual keyboard, but I really rather have a physical keyboard so this isn’t a big deal to me.

I know a lot of people will disagree with me on the usefulness of the two aforementioned features, but I wanted to see if they’re important to you. Also, I wanted to see if you also think Luke Wilson is the inferior Wilson brother. Discuss!

Google Nexus One Unable to Hold 3G Signal?

By most accounts, Google’s Nexus One is a fantastic phone that’s clearly the best Android handset on the market, but several users have been complaining about its ability to hold 3G signal. Numerous users on the Google Mobile Help Forum have been reporting that the Nexus One keeps bouncing between 3G and Edge signals. This leads to lower data throughput and decreased battery life. Several users have noted that they’re getting much better 3G data speeds on older T-Mobile phones, so it appears to be a hardware issue and not a network issue.

The problem can likely be fixed through a firmware update. Still, it’s not good that Google’s debut “superphone” has been problematic. The company is trying to change the way mobile phones are sold in America and a flawless review would have helped the effort.

Anyone happen to pick up a Nexus One? Are you having issues? If you were considering the phone, are you going to wait for a firmware update before buying?

CES 2010: AT&T Set for Life After iPhone Exclusivity?

It looks like AT&T is preparing to lose its exclusivity deal with Apple for the insanely popular iPhone. Just take a look at what went down at CES 2010 — the company announced that it will soon be carrying at least five phones using Google Android and at least one using Palm WebOS. In 2009 AT&T could afford to ignore both operating systems, simply because the iPhone was far more mature and popular than either. As WebOS and Android have matured — and presumably because AT&T knows that Apple will not be renewing its exclusive contract — AT&T has decided to round out its catalog with other smartphones.

Most rumors indicate that Apple and Verizon will be partnering in the second half of 2010 for a new iPhone. Verizon is the largest network in America and far more reliable than AT&T. It seems like a win-win situation for Apple, Verizon, and iPhone customers that want better service. Should this happen, AT&T would still be an Apple partner, but you can bet that a large number of its customers would jump to Verizon.

If you’re a current AT&T customer with an iPhone, would you jump to Verizon for the better service? If you’re in the market for a new phone, are you willing to wait to see if Verizon and Apple will team up? As for me, I’m seriously considering the Google Nexus One, but an iPhone on Verizon seems brilliant.