July 14, 2008

Apple Sells 1 Million 3G iPhones

Apple announced this morning it has sold 1 million 3G iPhones. It launched the phone in 21 countries. When the original iPhone launched in the U.S. last year, it only sold 270,000 in 2 days. It took 74 days to reach 1 million sold.

Apple also said 10 million apps were downloaded over the weekend from the new App store. There are 800 apps already with 200 free. 90% of the pay apps are under $10 in cost.

I tried a dozen of the apps yesterday and I must say they are pretty awesome. Yelp, New York Times, AOL Radio, etc., it truly is a next gen mobile computing platform.

September 03, 2007

Nokia iPhone Rip-off Video


Some companies really have no shame. Note the line, "It's what Nokia always has and always will deliver!" Yeah, right. Reminds me of Microsoft pretending they are innovating when they copy stuff left and right.

August 28, 2007

Google Phone is Confirmed Real



An insider at electronics manufacturer HTC has told Crunch Gear that the rumored Google Phone is for real. Google is evaluating over 20 HTC models. The Google Phone will come with Google Maps with builtin GPS, Gmail email and calendar applications. Google Talk will enable VOIP over WiFi. The release date is Q1 of 2008.

The tipper said Windows Mobile 6 is in the running at the OS, but other sites say a modified version of Linux. Other speculate Google will use it as a loss leader for mobile ad revenue, so the initial launch price may be jaw-dropping. Look out Motorola, Nokia, RIMM, and Apple, there's a new kid in smartphone town and it has billions of dollars to bring to the table.

Now if they can win the major upcoming FCC spectrum auction, maybe we can do some real fun things like put Verizon and AT&T out of business with a free WiFi phone functionality with nation-wide coverage? Go Google Go!

July 01, 2007

Apple iPhone First Impression

After 16 hours waiting for AT&T to send the activation email, it finally came. First impression. FREAKING AMAZING.

The OS and user interface is by far the best I've seen on a mobile device. Everything is smooth and fast. It just simple "just works" intuition. I set it up with WiFi, so haven't tried the dreaded EDGE yet. The apps are designed very well, no user manual needed.  The touch functionality works fine and the virtual keyboard is more than usable. Safari browsing is 100Xs better than Treo or Blackberry. The Video iPod functionality is drop dead gorgeous (loaded some free Ratatouille Pixar movie videos).

I want one for my own. Sigh. 2 more years with the Blackberry 8800 I'm stuck with under contract. At least I can play with my wife's iPhone in the meantime.  If you're on the fence, drop what you are doing and run to your local Apple store and buy one.  It lives up to the hype.  All hail Steve Jobs.  A full review is on its way here at First Adopter after I actually use the thing for a few days more. [Discuss]

June 30, 2007

iPhone Activation Issues

The biggest question mark on the Apple iPhone has always been the exclusive relationship with AT&T. Today I dragged my wife to the local Apple store, thinking I can play with some demo units as the iPhone would likely be sold out. When I approached the store, I noticed 2-3 people walking out with iPhone bags. They had the iPhone in stock! I walked to the back of the store and asked if they had any 8Gigs in stock. The employee said sure, but she didn't know how many. Then an Apple employee asked the cashier if they can put one 8Gig aside for a customer as he was likely to buy one, the cashier said "no, that person should just pay for it now."

I panicked and asked my wife if it was ok to buy one. After she played with a few demo models, she relented. I brought it home and connected it up to iTunes. After a few minutes of typing in basic info, iTunes went into activation mode. At the end, it said it was going to take more time to process the activation and that we would received an email when it is ready. 6 hours later, no email. I called AT&T and after 10-15 minutes on the phone the representative said they are going to try and send out a over-the-air activation signal within an hour, but no guarantees. It sounded like the email send-out wasn't going well on their end. I'm not alone as I read messages on CNET, MacRumors and Howard Forums, there are hundreds of people with the same non-activation issue. This obviously is unacceptable and AT&T has flubbed the iPhone launch. Once it actually gets activated, I will post my impressions and a full review on here. Wish us luck.

UPDATE: 2 hours later and no email or over-the-air activation. I called AT&T again they said there is nothing they can do until I get an activation email. After I told her that there are tons of people online who haven't gotten an activation email for over 28 hours, she said there is nothing she can do. They are backed up and she has no idea when the emails will be send out. One word. Disaster.

Some post quotes of people online:

That's depressing. The process was started at 8:50pm last night for one of our iPhones, and we haven't even received a 2nd e-mail yet. So, that puts us at 20+ hours.

Beyond Ticked OFF I just called the activation support line because I still haven't received that email with the 6 digit order number.. He proceeds to tell me my number but then says he has resubmitted it and it will take somewhere between 36 - 48 hours from NOW. I've about HAD IT.!!!

Still have the "when hell freezes over message" and have not received any emails. Tonight or Sunday might entail a trip to the Apple store to kick someone's ass.

it's been over 14 hours... just got off the phone with at&t. CS rep was like it'll take about 24 hours from the start. i was like, wtf?~! why so long? he said that they didn't expect all the activations to come at once like this and their [at&t's] systems are currently overwhelmed... i was like you had SIX MONTHS time and you knew that it would be like this you J**KA$$~! i was like, this is ridiculous! and i hung up. i swear, if it's not done within 24 hours from when i started, someone better hold me back... i really think they should compensate us for this down time and inconvenience. they had MORE than enough time to prepare and train for this. not helping people's opinions/feelings towards at&t either.-MickeyD26

I now past the 23 hr mark And I'm getting tired of calling them and listening to the same bull again and again. I don't know whose fault this is but on Monday I call Apples customer relations and give them a ear full about this, and maybe send an email to Jobs too, not that he will actually answer me. I think we all should do so to let them know how unhappy this has made us.-DukeBlue91

Just got off the phone with AT&T porting dept. Clarence is insisting that I leave the iPhone connected to the dock attached to the computer with iTunes running before it can be activated. He also said that it will be 24-72(!) hours before it will work. This is BS. 72 hours? Are they serious, or just trying to curb call-ins? WTF? I think I am going to the AT&T store.-Tranced25

23 hours in & No Activation Clearly AT&T is not only unprepared and overwhelmed but has made nothing but a snafu of the activation process. I've been on the phone with them repeatedly (hours -up to 4 so far) and many times I've been told it's all good and should go through but then to get an email right afterwards saying they need more information or my address isn't right and that I need to call them back. Why can't they get this straight the first couple of times is all I ask? I'm pretty darned frustrated now and disappointed. I waited 3 hours in line at and AT&T store, sold out, then went to an Apple store and had one in 5 minutes. Honestly I have spent the whole day on the phone trying to sort out one issue after the other or on hold. F.AT&T They had better get this straightened out. I will feel burned for a long time which I'll remember and share with others who are sure to ask how I like my iPhone.-ntblood

Just called AT&T again (877-419-4500--they answer almost immediately), figuring I'd make at least one more attempt before I go to sleep to get some type of information. Turned out to be another useless call, the CSR said everything appeared to be correct in my account, that there were no conflicting features that would prevent activation and that I simply had to wait. She apologized several times for the delay while I (politely) ranted about how stupidly ridiculous this whole process was. I also stated that if my phone is not activated tomorrow morning I will be returning it and certainly will never choose AT&T again (and have been a customer for at least 10 years). Did I mention how grossly incompetent AT&T is? This whole experience is leaving a really bad taste in my mouth. 28 hours and counting! YAY!-AtariAge
[Discuss]

June 28, 2007

Jobs Explains Why he chose EDGE over 3G for the iPhone

The Wall Street Journal had an interview with the iGod himself, Steve Jobs.  In it he explains why he chose EDGE over 3G for the Apple iPhone.

Mr. Jobs: You know every (AT&T) Blackberry gets its mail over EDGE. It turns out EDGE is great for mail, and it works well for maps and a whole bunch of other stuff. Where you wish you had faster speed is.on a Web browser. It's good enough, but you wish it was a little faster. That's where sandwiching EDGE with Wi-Fi really makes sense because Wi-Fi is much faster than any 3G network.

What we've done with the iPhone is we've made it so that it will automatically switch to a known Wi-Fi network whenever it finds it. So you don't have to go hunting around, resetting the phone, flipping a switch or doing anything. Most of us have Wi-Fi networks around us most of the time at home and at work. There's often times a Wi-Fi network that you can join whether you're sitting in a coffee shop or even walking along the street piggybacking on somebody's home Wi-Fi network. What we found is the combination is working really well.

When we looked at 3G, the chipsets are not quite mature, in the sense that they're not low-enough power for what we were looking for. They were not integrated enough, so they took up too much physical space. We cared a lot about battery life and we cared a lot about physical size. Down the road, I'm sure some of those tradeoffs will become more favorable towards 3G but as of now we think we made a pretty good doggone decision.

June 23, 2007

Apple iPhone Guided Tour

Apple put up a 20 minute guided tour on using the iPhone.  The user interface is as good as we expected as it just feels right and simply works.  The main question marks remain about the on-screen keyboard or if the screen will leave smudges.

June 03, 2007

Apple iPhone TV Ads

The 3 iPhone TV ads are up on the website. Apple sure has a great advertising agency. It makes me want to go out and buy one right now even though I just bought a Blackberry 8800. The ads say June 29th is the launch date at either your local Apple store or AT&T store. Good luck trying to get one. Hint, expect long long lines.

February 11, 2007

Samsung iPhone Clone Ultra Smart F700

samsungf700
Samsung's prototype F700 will also have a slide-out keyboard. The phone will have a touch-screen, be able to browse the web, play music and videos, email, and take pictures (5 megapixel vs. iPhone's 2 megapixel). It will also use true 3G broadband access which will be faster than iPhone's 2.5G speeds. It sure didn't take long for Samsung to copy iPhone. The company will present the phone at a wireless show to gauge response. If I was Steve Jobs, I would not be happy, but that is "par de course" on the mobile industry fast lane.

November 15, 2006

Apple iPhone 12 Million Units in 2007

According to press reports, Apple has ordered 12 million iPhones from Hon Hai, a contract electronic manufacturer in Taiwan. The iPod phone is slated to come out in the first half of 2007. An analyst expects it to go for $300 per unit and add $1.5 billion in revenue to Apple. There is conjecture that it will allow more than the 100 songs that crippled the Motorola Rokr iTunes integration last year. - Source

November 13, 2006

Cingular Announces Samsung Blackjack

samsung-blackjack-1
Cingular announced the Samsung Blackjack smartphone. With the advent of the Motorola Q pushed hard by Verizon, Cingular launches their offering. It has Quad-band GSM, EDGE broadband access, Windows Mobile 5.0, microSD flash memory slot, and is only 12mm thick. It will be sold for $199 after rebate.

October 12, 2006

Treo 680 Specs and Details

Palm revealed the Treo 680 smart phone today. It has a 320x320 color screen, 64MB of memory, SD slot, and Bluetooth. Palm plans to sell it through 20 different carriers around the world, which will finally work because it is based on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE standard. Pricing is expected to be around $199 as the low-end model in the product lineup. I hope Palm is working on a RIMM Pearl or Motorola RAZR like device. The design and the archaic Palm OS is getting old. I mean it's basically the same device as my old Treo 600 from years ago. And no, selling in multiple ugly colors doesn't do it.

October 11, 2006

Sprint Raises SMS Fees

Spring has raised the fee for outgoing SMS text messages from 10c to 15c. Most wireless companies charge 10c. Data rates for non-unlimited data users has also gone up from 2c to 3c per kilobyte. Sprint Nextel hasn't been doing so great lately, so their answer is to raise prices. The good news is since this change is significant, Sprint users can get out of their contracts without paying the nasty early termination fees. Don't get too angry though, Sprint's unlimited data rate plans are still generally cheaper than their arch-nemesis Verizon. - Source

October 09, 2006

Blackberry 8800 Specs



The latest and greatest Blackberry is slated to launch in Spring of 2007.

-full QWERTY keyboard
-106x60x15.5mm dimensions
-320x240 pixel display
-1.3 megapixel camera with 5x zoom and flash
-mini SD slot
-64 megabytes of internal memory
-Quad-band GSM with EDGE
-WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 (Source)

July 05, 2006

Apple Filings Reveal Potential iPhone Design

I guess an iPod Nano with a keypad works. If they can keep the iPhone as thin as the Nano, I will be amazed. Amaze me Jobs, amaze me. The following was filed with the European trademark and design office by Apple in January 2006. [Via AppleInsider]

200607052248

June 29, 2006

T-Mobile Sidekick 3 Review

It doesn't look like they improved the latest iteration of the Sidekick much. The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg gives his review on the T-Mobile Sidekick.

"But at the end of the day, this device is still not up to par with its competitors. In social circles where it's considered cool, it might be worth buying. And if you have a separate phone, you can use the Sidekick 3 as a data-only device, though that means paying for, and juggling, two gadgets. But the Sidekick 3's poor phone, low-resolution screen and covered keyboard design left us unimpressed, even if it might be trendy. Our advice? Impress your friends with technology that works better for you, the user."

June 21, 2006

T-Mobile Sidekick 3 Specs

200606212149
T-Mobile and Danger announced the Sidekick 3 today. It will go on sale on June 28th to launch on July 10th. It will cost $299 for 2 year contract and $349 for a 1 year contract. Features include:

-EDGE high speed internet access
-1.3 megapixel camera
-better battery life and smaller design
-mini SD card memory expansion
-MP3 player software
-Yahoo, AOL, and Microsoft instant messenger support

May 27, 2006

Motorola Q Review

The first full review of the Blackberry killer from Motorola is out.

The Q's major competitors are from Palm—the Treo 700w and the newer Treo 700p. The 700w is more expensive than the Q and has little to recommend it. The 700p comes with Microsoft Office document editors (not just viewers), has a higher-res screen, runs on both Verizon and Sprint, and is both faster and less buggy than the Q. On the other hand, it costs $200 more and is considerably chubbier. So while the 700p retains the Editors' Choice crown, the Q is an excellent machine and a terrific choice.

May 20, 2006

Nokia 6270 Review by stupot42



I just bought a new phone. The old one was driving me crazy cos the battery was on it's last legs. I had to charge it every day, which was a real pain in the rear!

I changed from a Nokia to a Samsung about 2 years ago, and could never get myself round to the Samsung way of thinking, so changed it back to a Nokia, the 7250i I've just replaced. The 7250 was a good little phone that did everything I wanted it to, but my only real niggle with it was the slightly tinny and poor sound quality from it. Now I know the president of Nokia has said they're not to be called "phones" any more (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ht...95_nokia14.html ), but primarily that's what it is, and that's what I use it for. So, I set out to find a new phone that I liked to use (Nokia seemed the front runner) and that had good quality sound.

I eventually found what I was looking for in the Nokia 6270. The 6270 is the poor sibling of the 3G enabled 6280. However, not having a 3G contract or the desire to get one it seemed silly to pay the extra for the 6280, which is essentially the same phone, but with another camera on the front for video calls. I've been quite impressed, with the phone over all.

My favourite feature is the recharge time. It charges the battery from empty to full in under and hour. My 7250 took 4 hours, and that was daily at the end of it's life. The phone is quite juicy running the battery down easily in the space of a day if you're playing games on it, or taking loads of pics or vids, which is unsurprising when you consider the massive and very impressive 2.25", 262k colours, 320x240 pixel wide/tall-screen. But if not using these power hungry apps, the batter will last well. 4 days on standby, and 4 hours of talk time seem to be average.

I like the new "Series 40" UI, which is very intuitive and easy to use. It follows Nokias sensible way of setting out the features that has been Nokia's best feature IMHO for years, but combines it with a Sony Ericsson style. The UI exudes quality. I particularly like the new SMS style. Picking the phone number to send to before writing your message makes sense, and should stop the sending a message to the wrong person. I also like the ability to pick a number of recipients, displayed in an Email-esque fashion.

I had considered the Nokia 6111, which is very similar, but chose the 6270 as I liked the larger screen (and personally I like a slightly bigger phone as I know it's in my pocket and it feels like you're using a phone, not a thimble!), and the 2 mega pixel camera. The camera takes some excellent quality photos, and has some nice features. It's not fantastic in the dark, and I'm not sure the night shot feature works particularly well (giving grainy pictures) and the flash is very gimmicky, but works ok in very dark conditions as long as your subject isn't too far away. Overall the camera is good for daylight shots, and not too bad at night, but in no way a replacement for a good digital camera. Ideal for capturing those spur of the moment shots tho.

The MP3 player is ok, but nothing special. It's not going to replace your Ipod, but the sound is ok. I hate the bundled headphones that, which come in a lanyard style that's just horrible. Worst of all because there's no headphone jack, you're probably stuck with them.

Calendar and other usual features are much the same as ever. All work well, and quickly. I've also been quite impressed with the bundled software, which allows you to send text messages from your computer using the keyboard, as well as sync the calendar, phonebook etc with your PC, and upload files. You can also use the phone as a removable hard drive with the mini SD card (128mb supplied) and supplied USB cable. No software is required either, with the phone prompting you to pick a mode when the USB is detected. The SD can also be hot swapped during operation without shutting down the phone... an annoyance of past Nokia phones.

Overall, I'm very pleased. I'd give it 8/10 [ Discuss ]

April 01, 2006

Swedish Study says Cellphones Raise Risk of Brain Tumors

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The Swedish National Institute released a study stating that heavy cellphone users (more than 2000 hours) have a 240% higher chance of getting a brain tumor on the side they use their cellphone. I guess just makes rationally sense as all the radiation from early analog phone can't be good for the human body. Everyone should get a handsfree headset or use their speakerphone.

Palm Building their own Palm Linux OS

200604011055
Pikesoft has confirmed that Palm is going to build their own Linux OS for 2007. The company already has a prototype of a Linux based Treo 650. The source says their will be versions of Treos later this year based on Microsoft and Palm OS Garnet, but they will launch their own Linux OS based devices next year.

This makes total sense as smartphone companies with their own OS will not have to pay licensing fees and can better react to their customer's needs. It looks like Palmsource, which was bought by a Japanese company, will focus more on the Asia market.

March 30, 2006

Nokia Boosts 2006 Cellphone Unit Forecast

Nokia boosted their 2006 global cellphone unit forecast to 915 million. That is 15% growth vs. the 10% forecast they had before. The company said 80% of the growth will be from emerging markets such as China and India. Mobile phone subscribers will reach 3 billion by 2008. Only 3 in 10 people in China have a cellphone.

March 19, 2006

Palm Treo 700p Release Details

200603191130
I've had my Treo 600 since its launch over 2 years ago. I've had to replace it once because it just stopped booting up one day. Thankfully this happened one week before the 1 year warranty was up. However 14.4k modem or less data speeds and the crashing frequently OS is a bit getting long in the tooth. I'm looking forward to EV-DO on the 700p, but not all that excited about using the same crashy OS.

A new sheet has been leaked out that shows a 5/28/06 targeted release date for the 700p. It will come with Power Vision EV-DO, 1.3 megapixel camera, Sprint TV on Demand, Phone as a modem capability, Bluetooth, 128MB of memory (yay!), SD card slot, and a "refined industrial design". Let's just hope they made the OS and build quality a bit more bullet proof.

March 18, 2006

Lawfirm to get Paid $200 million off RIM's Settlement

Rein & Fielding LLP will get 1/3 of the $612 million patent settlement NTP received from RIM over the Blackberry patent infringement case. Not too shabby for a law-firm working for 5 years on the case. Supposedly the lawyers use RIM Blackberrys. Hypocrites!

New Apple iPhone Soon?

Piper Jaffray has written a report to its clients that they estimate a 75% chance of Apple releasing a iPhone within the next 12 months. I actually think it is close to 100% chance as the Motorola CEO has gone on record he knows Apple is working on their own iTunes/Cellphone combination. With Apple's computer and software expertise, we can easily look forward to Palm-like PDA functionality also. Imagine having your address book and iCal on an iTunes music and video enable iPhone? Wouldn't that be sweet?

March 11, 2006

T-Mobile and Cingular Pull Motorola RAZR Phones

T-Mobile and Cingular have pulled the Motorola RAZR phone from their online and offline stores due to a faulty component that causes disconnected calls and phone crashes. Both companies vow to re-stock the hot phone once the problem is fixed. If you are experiencing these issues, please contact your local store or call in to get a fixed phone.

January 24, 2006

Opera Mini Launches

Opera launched their new browser for cellphones. It is free via WAP download.

Opera Software today announced the worldwide release of Opera Mini, the full Web browser that runs on almost every mobile phone, including low- and mid-end handsets. Today's global launch follows the trials of Opera Mini in the Nordics and in Germany during the fall of 2005, which resulted in a user base of over one million people. Opera Mini is available free of charge via WAP download, or for a small fee via SMS.

January 04, 2006

Best Cellphones of 2005

With all the new cellphones and smartphones being annnounced at CES, take a step back and read about the best phones of 2005 for each respective carrier.

Nearly all major carriers offer the Razr and the Treo, but if you want something different, it would be a good idea to check out models that might only be available on one carrier. For example, from Alltel, I like Kyocera's Slider Remix KX5.

Skype and Netgear to Offer Wi-Fi Phone

The new phone will let Skype users call anyone over the internet with any wireless internet connection as long as it is not encrypted.

Networking products maker Netgear and wireless calling provider Skype on Wednesday unveiled the first Wi-Fi phone designed to work on the internationally popular voice over IP service. The so-called Wi-Fi phone, which will allow Skype users to access the service and call anyone anywhere in the world, is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2006. The companies also said pricing would be announced in that time frame.

Mossberg Likes the Treo 650 over Treo 700w

Mossberg likes the good old Treo 650 over the new Treo 700w even with the EV-DO speed advantage. His email bug isn't really a bug though because I have to do the same thing with POP email on my Treo 600.

My verdict: Despite some nice new features, the Windows Mobile software is still inferior to the Palm software for one-handed use on the go. Its crucial email and phone functions are also weaker. And there's a serious bug in its email software that affects individuals, though not corporate users... There are some offsetting pluses. In my tests, downloading Web pages on the Treo 700w was wicked fast for a hand-held, typically hovering between 500 and 800 kilobits per second, roughly 10 times as fast as on the Treo 650. Also, the new model has more than twice as much usable memory, and slightly better claimed battery life.

Treo 700w Launches

Verizon and Palm launched the Treo 700w as CES show begins. The price is $399 with service plan. This version is all about Microsoft enterprise compatibility and Verizon's high speed EV-DO broadband access.

January 03, 2006

Motorola ROKR E2 Specs

Motorola announced the ROKR E2 today. It will run Linux-Java and have the following specs:

-2“ QVGA display
-1.3 megapixel camera
-SD memory slot
-USB 2.0 for file transfers
-support for MP3, AAC, WMA, and Real
-no 100 song limit or iTunes software
-FM radio
-Bluetooth
-slated to come out in the first half of 2006

January 01, 2006

MobiTV Now for Treo 600

MobiTV is now available for the Treo 600. This is the first viable television service for cellphones and smart phones on the market.

December 29, 2005

Treo 700w Review

Treonauts has one of the first reviews of the Treo 700w up on the web.

I hope that this will have given you a good overview of how ActiveSync and Today work with the Treo 700w and how it compares to the Treo 650. Also, even though I write that I consider both these functions to be ‘Better’ overall than the similar ones under PalmOS in our Treo 650

December 27, 2005

Treo 700w Specs and Info

A member at Howard's Forums is saying that the Palm Treo 700w will be launched at CES on January 5th. It will come with Windows Mobile 5.0, 128MB flash/60MB main memory, 1.3 megapixel camera, Exchange Active Sync, EVDO high speed access on Verizon's network, and Bluetooth. Pricing will be $499 for 2 year agreement, $599 for 1 year, and $619 for no contract.

December 24, 2005

Palm to Rollout 3 new Treos in 2006

Hopefully they will find a way to make the operating system more stable. My Treo 600 crashes way too much.

We'll roll out the Palm Treo 700w smartphone based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and we'll announce three additional new smartphones during calendar year 2006." said said Ed Colligan. During the conference call he further stated that these new models will debut with new industrial designs and at different price points. They will also implement next-generation radio technologies...This announcement confirms earlier rumors about new Treo products in 2006. That report stated Palm plans a Treo 700p (similar model as the 700w running Palm OS Garnet) as well as two new designs code-named "Hollywood" and "Lowrider".

December 12, 2005

Interview with the CEO of Palm

The New York Times interviews the CEO of Palm. They are going after the big fish and trying to be the number one smartphone player in 2010 when the world will be consuming 1 billion cellphones annually.

What are the competitive advantages you have over R.I.M.? A. Really the advantages are the application suite. We do wonderful browsing; MP3; we have a camera; and we have the e-mail. We have a great personal information management integration. We have an expansion slot that allows you to add gobs of memory. So it’s a very powerful open platform and probably the most important thing, the one thing that we focus on is the design of it in the sense that you have the full keyboard to be able to enter a lot of information, but you also feel comfortable putting it to your head and using it as a phone.

December 04, 2005

Nokia's 2006 Mobile Phone Forecast

The company said this week that the phone market is growing faster than expected and will hit 3 billion subscribers by the year 2008. Their forecast for 2005 is 780 million handsets sold where the company itself has one third of the market-share. Moreover they think ASP and margins can go up with more features being added to the phone every year.

November 24, 2005

Research in Motion Reduces Subscriber Targets

Research in Motion (RIM) reduced their subscriber targets for Q3 (September) quarter. Initially they guided to 680-710 thousand, but now the figure will be 625-653 thousand. Q4 numbers were also brought down slightly to 751-800 thousand. Currently the company has 4 million subscribers, so it still has a healthy growth rate.

October 22, 2005

RIM Ruling Could Shut Down Blackberry Service

RIM lost another battle. As a result Blackberry users might be faced with a disruption of their email service. Of course the company suing, NTP, is emphasizing that federal, state, and local governments will be exempt from the injunction. Whatever. I hate "do nothing" companies that are led by lawyers and all they have are the patents, which they use to get money off innovative companies like RIM.

Research in Motion Ltd. moved closer on Friday to an injunction that could halt U.S. sales of its popular BlackBerry wireless device after it lost a bid to suspend a patent case against it. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied RIM's motion to stay the case until the U.S. Supreme Court decided whether to accept RIM's request for an appeal.

October 08, 2005

Motorola Wants PalmSource to Pay Up

According to the Chicago Times, Motorola was also a bidder for PalmSource. Motorola contends they are due a $8.7M breakup fee because PalmSource actually accepted their $17.25 share bid and then reneged days later. I'm a bit disappointed that both Palm and Motorola lost the bidding war. It would of been nice for a U.S. based company to take the lead in operating systems for smartphones. Who knows what this Japanese company that actually won the bid will do in the future? The prospect of a Palm-based RAZR phone looks like only a dream now.

Motorola has asked a judge to award it an $8.7 million breakup fee from PalmSource, which Motorola said reneged on a $17.25-per-share buyout agreement last month.

September 30, 2005

Blackberry 8700 Specs



The Blackberry 8700 will be announced in the next few weeks and will probably launch either by year end or in Q1 2006.

-quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE
-320x240 color screen
-312mhz processor
-speaker phone
-bluetooth
-16MB RAM / 64MB Flash
-polyphonic ringtones, support MP3 ringtones

September 25, 2005

NEC L1 Specs



It seems like everyone and their half-brother is coming out with RAZR phone copy cat. NEC's version sure looks nice though. The specs are:

-47.9mm (width) X 101.5mm (height) X 11.9mm (depth)
-96g in weight
-GSM/GPRS network
-1.9 inch (176x220 dot) 65,000 color display
-digital camera (1.3 mega pixels)
-PictBridge, MP3, Java and Bluetooth. Up to 64-polyphonic ring tones
-Two minutes of movie recording

Samsung i300 Porn



Samsung i300 is a next generation smartphone looking to be your next PDA/MP3 player/cellphone replacement.

Sony Ericsson W850 Porn



A lot of sexy phones are coming out these days and this is Sony's attempt at the brass ring of hotness. It will be a called the W850 Walkman phone and will come with a 320x240 pixel screen, 3G network speed, and a video conference call capable camera.

Pink Motorola RAZRV3



Maria Sharapova is promoting a pink version of the new Motorola RAZR V3 for the holiday season. I guess if you're a girl, you would like this design.

Motorola RAZR V3x Specs

The Motorola RAZR V3x is coming in Q4 2005. Bluetooth, MP4 video, two-way video conference calling, and 2 cameras. Can't wait. This could be the first mass production cellphone that will have enough critical mass to make video calls mainstream over high-speed wireless networks.

If Motorola can figure out how to have connectivity to regular PCs with webcams using iChat, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and/or AOL IM, this could be a new communication revolution. Moreover it's only a matter of time before hackers find a way to add ROKR iTunes functionality to the RAZR V3x.

Be seen and heard with the Motorola RAZR V3x - the supremely svelte, sophisticated mobile accessory for discerning fashion and tech enthusiasts. The handset's intuitive multimedia offerings include: real-time 2-way video calling, still and moving image capture and editing, and large color display. Additionally, the Motorola RAZR V3x features SCREEN3, an innovative technology solution from Motorola that gives you zero-click access to news, sports, entertainment, and other premium content directly from your mobile device home screen - no buttons to push, no browsers to launch. Motorola's SCREEN3 puts fresh content at your fingertips. A 2 mega-pixel camera, Bluetooth wireless technology and removable memory add to this lengthy feature set. Strutting a sleek, slim design and premium functionality, the Motorola RAZR V3x exudes multimedia perfection.

Creative Liberty
Two cameras are better than one. Open up a world of mobile visual imagery with a 2 mega-pixel camera to capture still and moving images combined with a VGA camera for 2-way video calling. Extend your mobile artistry further with editing capabilities, allowing you to manipulate images and then share via Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) .

Patience Not Required
Choose to rely on the Motorola RAZR V3x to streamline your information and make life easier. Enjoy non-stop access to current events, news and celebrity gossip via Motorola's dynamic idle solution. And, Bluetooth connectivity furthers convenience by allowing the ability to talk hands-free using compatible Bluetooth* enabled accessories.

Get Blown Away
With progressive downloading, you can download media files and view them almost instantaneously, or store them and view at your convenience. Still not impressed? 3D graphics energize your gaming entertainment, making each twist, turn and supersonic blast seem real. And with up to 512 megabytes (MB) of optional removable memory, you can download* and store music, games and videos from dusk till dawn.

SUMMARY OF FEATURES:
-Sleek streamlined housing with large, vivid color external and internal displays
-2 megapixel camera with 8x zoom, macro mode setting and , LED
-VGA camera for 2-way video calling
-Bluetooth wireless technology supports wireless stereo sound through Motorola Bluetooth Stereo Headset and other compatible Bluetooth enabled accessories for hands-free communication
-Up to 512 MB of removable optional TransFlash memory
-Motorola's SCREEN3 technology solution featuring zero-click access to news, sports, entertainment, and other premium content.
-Progressive downloading to view media files on demand
-Support of AAC+, MPEG4, WMV, WMA, MP3 and Real Video/Audio files
-Advanced speaker-independent voice recognition: state a number/name and be connected without pre-recording
-Over the air synchronization with the PC via SyncML
-WAP 2.0 browser

The Motorola RAZR V3x is expected to be available in Q4 2005. For more information regarding pricing and product availability in your region, please contact your local Motorola representative.

September 24, 2005

Treo 700 Pictures

Howard has a slew of pictures of the new Windows Mobile 5.0 based Treo 700w.

Motorola Q Coming out for Christmas



The CEO of Motorola has gone on record the Motorola Q will be out ahead of schedule for Christmas.

Speaking to reporters at the Churchill Club at the Computer History Museum here, Zander said sales of the Motorola Q and a pink version of the Razr cell phone are now expected to begin in December instead of in January or later in the first quarter, as originally projected. Depending on supplies of the phones, delivery to customers in some cases may not happen until after Christmas, however.

September 23, 2005

Motorola RAZR 2 Photos

Howard scores the exclusive on Motorola RAZR 2 screenshots.