Mobile Tech Archives - Page 72 of 73

iPhone and iPhone “Killers” Explained in Religious Terms

iPhone 3GS

In the most brilliant tech analogy I’ve read in 2009, TechCrunch’s MG Siegler explained the deal with iPhone and iPhone “Killers” in religious terms. He wrote:

In a religious sense, the iPhone is a monotheistic religion. Basically, its OS believes in one device. Yes, I know there is the iPod touch, as well as variations of the iPhone (original, 3G, 3GS), but these are essentially all the same device with essentially the same hardware, just boosted specs. Meanwhile, Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Symbian, etc. are all polytheists. But “pagans,” while perhaps not exactly right, is a cooler term, so let’s go with that. All of these other mobile OSes are pagans. They answer to many devices, their “gods.”

With this analogy in mind, the notion of one of Apple’s competitors coming up with a single device that will destroy the iPhone is stupid. That’s not the battle being waged. It’s not about the Motorola Droid vs. iPhone or the Nokia N900 vs. iPhone. The real battles in those cases are Google vs. iPhone OS and Maemo vs. iPhone OS, respectively. While it’s easier to write about the T-Mobile myTouch taking on the iPhone, that’s not really the point.

And also, MG Siegler should get some kind of medal or a trophy for this analogy.

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T-Mobile Unveils Project Dark: Will You Make the Jump?

T-Mobile Project Dark pricing

T-Mobile unveiled its new pricing scheme, codenamed Project Dark, on Sunday. While a lot of current T-Mobile customers are underwhelmed by the new plans, there are a lot of people that could save a decent chunk of money every month with the new pricing. The most interesting plans fall under the “Even More Plus” category. These plans require no annual contract, include free nights and weekends, and free T-Mobile to T-Mobile calling. The customary phone subsidization is eschewed for the ability to pay for a new handset — interest free — over the cost of 20 months.

If you’re currently with Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T, there’s a good chance that one of the Even More Plus plans would save you money. T-Mobile has some interesting phones coming out before the end of the year (the BlackBerry 9700 and the Nokia N900), so it might be worth a look. I’m currently under a T-Mobile plan that I thought was a great deal: $74.98/month for 1,000 minutes and unlimited text/data. With Even More Plus I could either save $5/month or pay $5 more for unlimited voice. I’d also gain free T-Mobile to T-Mobile minutes.

While T-Mobile’s network is the smallest of the four major American carriers, its pricing makes it a compelling option. Features like UMA calling make it viable for those with spotty network coverage. With all of this in mind, are any of you going to make the jump to T-Mobile due to Project Dark?

Raymond’s Random Rants

Yankee Stadium new

– I’m finally done with my “pay the bills” projects! One was charismatic and one was awesome. *snicker* The good news is that I’ll be able to sleep for more than four hours a night and next week I’ll be able to focus more time on the site.

– I hope the rain doesn’t drown out the Yankee game tonight. I’m kind of bummed that it won’t be Yankees/Dodgers in the World Series. That would have been a nice story — Joe Torre and Don Mattingly taking on their old team.

– John Morrison’s Starship Pain is such an awesome move. I love watching him perform it. That and Evan Bourne’s shooting star press are currently my two favorite finishers in WWE.

– I’m thrilled that Nigel McGuiness is getting a big push in TNA, but his new name (Desmond Wolfe) is stupid. Another brilliant idea from Vince Russo. Oy.

Continue reading “Raymond’s Random Rants”

AT&T Exec “Urges” Employees to Fight Against Net Neutrality

While companies like Google and Verizon are mobilizing to support net neutrality, an AT&T executive is “suggesting” that company employees use their personal email accounts to fight against it. In what can only be described as an amazingly dickish movie, AT&T senior executive vice president James Cicconi sent out an internal email that said:

We encourage you, your family and friends to join the voices telling the FCC not to regulate the Internet.

It can be done through a personal e-mail account by going to www.openinternet.gov and clicking on the ‘Join the Discussion’ link.

Wow…just wow. If you’ve been reading my stuff for TheFeed then you know that I don’t think much of AT&T. A high-level executive asking employees to use their personal email accounts to stand up against net neutrality makes me think even less of the company. It’s just slimy.

What do you think of Cicconi’s email? Does the man have no shame?

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Google Set to Launch Music Service

It looks like Google is partnering with iLike (MySpace) and Lala for an upcoming music service. TechCrunch claims that the service will be announced on October 28. Supposedly called Google Audio, the effort gives Google yet another way to serve ads. Perhaps more importantly, it gives the company a music service that can be leveraged by products that use Google Android. TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington reported:

Google will soon launch a music service, we’ve heard from multiple sources, and the company has spent the last several weeks securing content for the launch of the service from the major music labels. One source has referred to the new service as Google Audio.

This new service will be available for at least U.S. users, our sources confirm, although it isn’t clear if it’s a download or streaming service, or both. Google already has a decent (if little used) music search engine that can be accessed by simply typing “music:” before a query. But songs are not available for streaming or download from those searches.

Apple and Google have been competing in more and more areas, with the companies growing increasingly icy towards each other. Google has had recent difficulty integrating its products (Google Voice) into Apple’s (iPhone). A recent rumor stated that Apple was working on its own mapping program to remove Google Maps as the default on the iPhone and iPod Touch. Google starting a service that competes head-on with Apple’s iTunes is an even bigger shot. Hopefully there will be blood soon.

Continue reading “Google Set to Launch Music Service”

Barnes & Noble Unveils “Nook” E-Reader–Amazon Kindle Beware?!?

Barnes and Noble Nook

The e-reader fight just got another player: the Barnes & Noble Nook. Set to leverage the brick-and-mortar retailer’s history and give it a much-needed boost in the digital world, the $259 Nook will compete with Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s various e-reader models. The Nook runs a version of Google Android, has both E Ink and LCD screens, and is connected through WiFi or AT&T 3G. Here are the specs:

Height: 7.7 inches
Width: 4.9 inches
Depth: 0.5 inches
Weight: 11.2 ounces (317 grams)
WiFi
AT&T 3G
2GB internal storage, microSD slot
MP3 player
3.5mm headphone jack
Google Android OS

While it looks great on paper, there are a few things to note.

Continue reading “Barnes & Noble Unveils “Nook” E-Reader–Amazon Kindle Beware?!?”

Apple Introduces New Unibody MacBook for $999

Apple has unveiled a new 13-inch unibody MacBook for $999. The laptop is available today. Here are some highlights from Apple:

Durable Unibody Enclosure: Just 1.08-inches thin and 4.7 pounds, MacBook features a sleek, sturdy unibody design that slips easily into your bag or backpack.

Built-in 7-Hours Battery: The new built-in battery lasts up to 7 hours on a single charge.

Brilliant LED-backlit Display: Your photos, videos, games, and websites come alive on the new power-efficient, 13-inch LED-backlit widescreen display.

Glass Multi-Touch Trackpad: The spacious new trackpad gives you plenty of room to navigate and supports two-finger scroll, right-click, and Multi-Touch gestures.

Macbook unibody 2

This product will do some killer numbers. It has all the sexiness of the Mac at a sub-$1,000 price point. Other notebook manufacturers should be scared. The new MacBook will sell like crazy. I also love the timing of the announcement — just days away from the launch of Windows 7. Ha!

What do you think of the new MacBook? I think it’s the hotness!!! But perhaps you disagree. I wanna know!

Tarver Games’ Ghosts Attack Teaser Video

A few days ago, I asked you for questions for an iPhone developer that’s being headed up by a “top guy” with extensive console experience. The developer is Tarver Games. The man is Chris Cross. The game is Ghosts Attack. Some of you might be familiar with Cross as a former game design director at EA, responsible for numerous Medal of Honor titles. After a successful run on consoles, he’s turning his attention to Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch.

Ghosts Attack is being positioned as the Tarver’s flagship title for iPhone. One of the most interesting features about it is that it uses Google Maps to dynamically create levels that resemble your current surroundings. I’ll be chatting with Chris soon to learn more about the game and to ask him your questions. For now, check out this trailer and let me know what you think (please)!

T-Mobile’s Project Dark is Coming! What the Hell is It?!?

T-Mobile Project Dark

T-Mobile’s Project Dark is supposed to be huge…if you can understand what the hell it’s all about. First thing’s first — Project Dark revolves around a pair of new plans that are supposed to be significantly cheaper than the competition’s. The other big feature of Project Dark is that one of the plans will not require the customary two-year agreement and will allow you to pay for a phone over 20 months. This information is based off of leaks collected by Boy Genius Report; while the BGR scans look accurate, things are subject to change before Project Dark’s October 25th launch.

Still not clear on things? Don’t worry, Project Dark is confusing. Thankfully, Tmonews has simplified the two basic plans:

Even More — Contract required, subsidized phone
Even More Plus — No contract required, lowest rates, no phone subsidy, phone can be paid in 20 installments

The exact price will depend on how many minutes you require. Rumors of a $60 all-you-can-eat plan with unlimited voice, text, and data have been floating around. Sexy hardware (perhaps the Nokia N900) to launch the campaign has also been rumored.

Now that you know more about Project Dark, are any of you interested in jumping ship to T-Mobile? Or are you sticking to your current carrier?

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Boy Genius Report Gets Down and Dirty with Verizon’s Motorola Droid

Motorola Droid BGR

The boys (and presumably no girls) at Boy Genius Report have gotten their hands on Verizon’s Motorola Droid…and it looks awfully impressive. I’ve been waiting for a Google Android phone with a better CPU and the Droid deliver that (and more!). It looks like the best Android phone to date. BGR noted:

It’s running Android 2.0. Duh.

It’s thin. Just slightly thicker than an iPhone 3GS and the thinnest QWERTY-slider we’ve ever seen.

It is the fastest Android device we’ve ever used. (It’s running a TI OMAP3430 processor)

Awesome capacitive display. Plus it’s huge. Easily the best screen we’ve ever seen on an Android handset, and an amazing screen overall.

Have we mentioned this phone flies? It’s the Android device to beat, and easily the most impressive. From what we’ve been told, Google had a direct hand in the Motorola Droid. Something to the point of almost dictating every move Motorola made when designing and making the phone. Interesting, huh?

All of this sounds awesome on paper. I can’t wait to get my hands on the Droid so I can see for myself!

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