Tag: Mobile Tech

Preparing for the Launch of the Google Nexus One

Google is holding a press conference tomorrow where it will unveil the latest in Android OS, including version 2.1 and supposedly the Nexus One phone. There are some rumors of new apps making an appearance at the presser, but the hardware is what everyone is amped about. If you haven’t been keeping up with the Nexus One, here’s the info thus far:

Specs

  • 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU
  • Android OS 2.1
  • 3.7-inch 480×800 OLED screen
  • 512MB ROM
  • 512MB RAM
  • 4GB MicroSD card (expandable to 32GB)
  • 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and mechanical autofocus
  • 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
  • 4.6×2.3×0.45-inches (HWD)

The real highlight here is the Snapdragon processor, which will make the Nexus One the fastest Android phone on the market, beating out Motorola’s Droid for Verizon. Other than that, the specs are great, but not extraordinary — almost all of them are matched or surpassed in other Android products. If you can forgo a physical keyboard, the early reviews indicate that this is the Android phone to get. If virtual keyboards don’t work for you, the Droid is the way to go.

Where the Nexus One gets a little funky is with its pricing. Gizmodo unearthed some alleged sales details:

  • It will cost $530 unsubsidized, directly from Google
  • It will also be available for $180 through T-Mobile, with a two-year contract required
  • If purchased through T-Mobile, only one plan is available — $79.99 for 500 minutes of talk time, unlimited text, and unlimited data
  • Existing T-Mobile customers will have to switch to the aforementioned plan if they want to purchase the phone at the subsidized price
  • Customers can only purchase five phones per Google account
  • The phone is available to Google customers outside the U.S.

It’s interesting that only one plan is (supposedly) available if you want to purchase the phone at a subsidized price. For many consumers, 500 minutes is simply not enough. The latest rumors say that Google plans to unveil tighter Google Voice integration with Android and the Nexus One would use the service for calls when 3G or WiFi is available; the theory is that it will only pull from the 500-minute bucket when the signal drops to Edge. I’m not buying the rumor, simply because T-Mobile’s 3G network — which made huge strides in 2009 — is way behind the other three major American carriers on a national level.

After flirting with the idea of picking up a Nokia N900, I’m seriously considering picking up a Nexus One. The only thing that’s stopping me is my preference for physical keyboards. I’m also curious to see what other surprises (if any) Google has up its sleeve. A lot of tech bloggers have already denounced the product and the initiative, even though information hasn’t been officially revealed. While I didn’t expect Google to shake up the mobile industry, I was hoping for more from Google foray into the consumer electronics space.

Any of you interested in the Nexus One? Would you buy one at $530? How about for the subsidized price?

[Images from Nexus One Blog]

(Not a) PSA: Best Buy Giving Away Free TweetDeck App

In one of the boldest marketing moves I’ve seen all decade, Best Buy is giving away the excellent TweetDeck application for free! Of course the application is free to begin with, but maybe some of Best Buy’s customers don’t know that and will fall for this lame “deal”. The Consumerist has reported:

They’re offering an amazing deal this week — buy a CD from certain Interscope musicians, and you can download Tweetdeck for iPhone absolutely free. Which would be a very nice deal if Tweetdeck weren’t already free.  Actually, the custom version of Tweetdeck comes pre-loaded following sixteen Interscope musicians, so it’s even less of a deal.

That’s funny and dickish of Best Buy at the same time. Oh marketers and their ploys….

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Nokia Sales Rep Flat-Out Lies to a Customer?

I was playing with a Nokia N900 at a small booth in Roosevelt Field Mall when I heard a most interesting conversation. A customer was interested in the N900, but wanted to stay with AT&T. At first I was alarmed that someone in NY actually wanted to stay with AT&T, but the Nokia sales rep’s words quickly knocked that thought out of my head. He told the customer that the N900 doesn’t support AT&T 3G, but a firmware update in Q1 will correct that.

The N900’s 3G radio supports the 900/1700/2100 WCDMA frequencies. This is great if you’re a T-Mobile customer, because the company’s 3G uses the 1700/2100 MHz bands. For AT&T customers — like the one curious about the N900 — the N900’s 3G radio is pretty useless since the company uses 850/1900 MHz for 3G. Nokia’s FCC filing for the N900 (PDF link) does not mention support for AT&T’s 3G frequencies.

Perhaps the sales rep was talking about an advanced type of firmware that physically changes the mobile radio in your phone (with magic nano-elves of course). Or maybe he was trying to be all hush-hush about it since Nokia didn’t mention support of the 850/1900 MHz bands in its FCC filing (how dastardly!).

Just for the hell of it, I called Nokia telesales to ask if the N900 would be able to support AT&T 3G through future firmware updates. The telesales rep told me that it’s not possible since it’s a hardware issue and not a software issue.

What do you guys and gals think? Was the Nokia funployee at Roosevelt Field lying to the customer for a quick sale? Or was he just stupid? And yes, that is a photo of the actual booth with the reps’ faces blurred out.

Nokia Sales Rep Flat-Out Lies to a Customer?

I was playing with a Nokia N900 at a small booth in Roosevelt Field Mall when I heard a most interesting conversation. A customer was interested in the N900, but wanted to stay with AT&T. At first I was alarmed that someone in NY actually wanted to stay with AT&T, but the Nokia sales rep’s words quickly knocked that thought out of my head. He told the customer that the N900 doesn’t support AT&T 3G, but a firmware update in Q1 will correct that.

The N900’s 3G radio supports the 900/1700/2100 WCDMA frequencies. This is great if you’re a T-Mobile customer, because the company’s 3G uses the 1700/2100 MHz bands. For AT&T customers — like the one curious about the N900 — the N900’s 3G radio is pretty useless since the company uses 850/1900 MHz for 3G. Nokia’s FCC filing for the N900 (PDF link) does not mention support for AT&T’s 3G frequencies.

Perhaps the sales rep was talking about an advanced type of firmware that physically changes the mobile radio in your phone (with magic nano-elves of course). Or maybe he was trying to be all hush-hush about it since Nokia didn’t mention support of the 850/1900 MHz bands in its FCC filing (how dastardly!).

Just for the hell of it, I called Nokia telesales to ask if the N900 would be able to support AT&T 3G through future firmware updates. The telesales rep told me that it’s not possible since it’s a hardware issue and not a software issue.

What do you guys and gals think? Was the Nokia funployee at Roosevelt Field lying to the customer for a quick sale? Or was he just stupid? And yes, that is a photo of the actual booth with the reps’ faces blurred out.

No Electronics on International Flights to the U.S.?

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is such a stupid and reactive organization. I hate it. I hate that because one idiot attempted to “shoe bomb” an airplane and another tried smuggle aboard liquid explosives, millions and millions of travelers have been inconvenienced. Instead of implementing better technology that screens passengers more effectively, the TSA makes idiotic rules that make travel more annoying and time consuming. I was reading about some of the new TSA actions on FlyerTalk‘s message boards and was shocked the learn that electronics are currently banned on international flights.

Due to that Yemeni-trained moron that tried to blow up Detroit — and yes, he’s absolutely a moron for targeting a city that has become so minor due to rampant crime and dreadful unemployment — it looks like electronics will not be allowed on international flights headed for U.S. destinations. That’s right, some travelers have reported that they were not allowed to use electronic devices at all during flights headed to America. What’s even more ridiculous is that the restriction isn’t limited to personal electronics — airlines were instructed to turn off their in-flight entertainment, leaving some passengers with nothing to do but sleep for 13+ hours.

Not being able to move during the last hour of a flight is irritating, but somewhat understandable. Further limiting carry-on items is also a drag. Not allowing the use of electronics at all?!? That’s just f&*ing stupid. Hopefully that’s only happening for a few more days and airplane travel will resume its moderately annoying ways shortly.

If anyone from the TSA is reading this, please know that you suck and you’re doing an awful job. If secretary of homeland security Janet Napolitano is reading this, please know that you sounded like an inept moron trying to explain the situation on MSNBC.

The only silver lining I can see is that print media might make a comeback. That’s assuming that the TSA doesn’t screw the airline industry more than it’s already screwed. *sigh* And I was just getting used to the joys of in-flight WiFi….

Gizmodo Goes Hands-On with the Google Nexus One

Gizmodo’s Jason Chen has written a superb hands-on of the Google Nexus One. If you’re interested in the phone or are merely curious about what’s next for Android, I highly suggest giving it a look. If you don’t have the patience, here’s Chen’s conclusion:

If you want Android phones, this is the one to get, provided Google goes ahead with the rumored plans of either selling it themselves or partnering with T-Mobile in a more traditional role. Droid, shmoid; Nexus is the one you’re looking for.

*sigh* It doesn’t have a keyboard, but I’m totally loving the screen, processor, and noise-cancelling features. It does support T-Mobile’s 3G frequency and RIM’s BlackBerry Internet Service has been spotty this month so perhaps it’s time for an upgrade in January (provided the phone goes on sale as rumored)!

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Unreal Engine for iPhone is Huge for the Future of Mobile Gaming

AnandTech’s Anand Lal Shimpi (who the hell names a site after himself…oh wait…never mind) was visited by Epic Games vice president Mark Rein and received a demo of Unreal Engine running for iPhone. Lal Shimpi wrote:

I got together with Mark Rein last week and he showed me an Unreal Engine 3 tech demo running on a 3rd generation iPod Touch. The same Unreal Engine 3 that powers Gears of War 2, running on an iPod Touch. The engine also works on the iPhone 3GS, and Mark tells me that we’ll see it on another mobile platform at CES (hmm…).

Obviously this is huge for the iPhone and iPod Touch platforms. Unreal Engine is the most popular in the business and Epic’s relationships — both with developers and publishers — are far reaching. Ultimately, I expect better looking games coming from numerous Unreal Engine licensees — companies that most enthusiast gamers are familiar with, as opposed to newcomers like ngmoco. Core gamers that are also iPhone and iPod Touch users (like many of you guys) are more likely to buy a game from a developer or publisher they know rather than a new company. Better looking games from the traditional players? I’m down! And I’m sure many of you will be too.

But wait, there’s more! Lal Shimpi also pointed out:

This isn’t a platform specific thing, it’s about bringing Unreal Engine 3 to the entire portable market.

Of course it is. Mobile processors like the Nvidia Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon are taking portable power to new heights. With great power comes great responsibility fantastic potential for mobile gaming. The next generation of mobile gaming devices will continue to push the envelope. Sony’s PlayStation Portable took portable graphics to a new level, but I don’t think it will be alone in the next generation. With Nintendo’s next handheld rumored to be Tegra powered, expect better looking mobile games on several platform.

Whether you’re talking about the next generation Nintendo handhelds and Sony PlayStation Portables or multifunction devices like the iPhone or Zune, mobile gaming is poised for a giant step. Naturally, to make great games you need great tools. This is where Unreal Engine comes in. For hundreds of developers, Unreal Engine is familiar and powerful. Having it work on mobile platforms like the iPhone is tremendous.

Then there’s Mark Rein’s involvement. The dude knows how to build relationships and sell his company’s engine. He’s so convincing that he once sold me time in a tanning salon. Okay, that’s not true, but I’m pretty sure he could do it.

BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) Down…Again

For the second time in the last week, Research in Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) is down. Millions of users in North America have had issues with various BlackBerry functions. Down times have been reported by users on various American and Canadian carriers. For a company that prides itself on rock-solid service, these recent interruptions are alarming.

Using my BB 8900 on T-Mobile in Los Angeles, service has been sporadic all day — both on GSM and UMA. While I love how my BB works as a phone and email device, these recent interruptions have my eyes wandering…maybe towards the Google Nexus One.

Anyone else bothered by BlackBerry issues today?

Operation Chokehold Perspective Video

This YouTube video called “Viva la Chokehold” is totally funny, but it also shows how preposterous the movement is. By mixing in images of people waiting in lines for an iPhone with poignant pictures of civil rights struggles, the video entertains and puts things in the proper perspective. Yes, AT&T does suck for millions of people, but mobile phones are a luxury. There are people all over the world without homes, food, and basic human rights. Whether you find the video funny or thought provoking, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

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