Month: October 2009 (Page 2 of 11)

      Droid drops Nov. 6th, brings Android 2.0 along with it

      October 28, 2009 /

      Motorola Droid red eye.Today Verizon officially announced the Motorola Droid launch date: November 6th. The Droid will be the first phone to release with Android 2.0, which will include that jealousy-that-burns-like-the-herp-inducing navigation system. Yeah, the free turn-by-turn GPS that sent Garmin and TomTom stock into free fall. The phone will run $199.99 after a $100 debit card rebate on a two-year contract.

      The phone has Verizon understandably excited (though it did seem like Verizon forgot about the Storm 2) – it’s got a snappy processor, a great screen, a decent keyboard, and an excellent operating system. It’s the phone Verizon’s been missing, and with the free turn-by-turn announcement today, it got even better. In my mind it’s the phone to have if you’re trying to avoid AT&T, as I expect any reasonable person would.

      Verizon had this to say about the Droid: “It is a no-fuss, high-tech, location-aware, voice-recognizing, over-the-air updating, multi-tasking machine.” Sounds to me like quite a bit of fuss. Quite a bit of fuss I’d like to get my hands on – know what I’m saying?

      Mobile, News

      New iMac skimps on mini DisplayPort compatibility

      October 28, 2009 /

      Apple Mini DisplayPort.One of the best features of the new iMac is that the 27-incher can be used as a passive display via the mini DisplayPort. Unfortunately, that feature only currently works with other devices sporting the same port, which is virtually nothing. Not even Apple’s DVI adapter will work.

      That’s not to say adapters won’t be supported later, it’s just a really great feature that, sadly, doesn’t work at launch. By adding the dummy monitor feature, Apple is essentially giving you a near-cinema display for just over half the price of a 30-inch monitor. Oh yeah, it also comes with a computer inside. But if you were thinking you’d hook that 360 up to your new iMac for extreme graphical sexiness, it looks like you’ll have to wait.

      Apple, Video

      MacFarlane and Borstein scare Microsoft away

      October 27, 2009 /

      I’m not sure what Microsoft thought Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein would put together for the Windows 7 sponsored Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show, but apparently it was something very different from typical Family Guy fare. After viewing the show’s taping session, Microsoft execs pulled the plug on the special event.

      “We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of Family Guy, but after reviewing an early version of the variety show, it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand,” said a Microsoft spokeswoman. In this case (as with just about every episode of the show), “creative humor” meant jokes about deaf people and Holocaust jabs. Is anyone surprised?

      The endorsement drop didn’t kill the show, though. Fox will still be airing the special event on November 8th as part of an all-MacFarlane night of television. Hopefully the new sponsor will actually look at some of MacFarlane’s work before considering a deal.

      Source: Variety

      microsoft

      Storm 2 available October 28th

      October 27, 2009 /

      Blackberry Storm 2.Verizon made a quiet little announcement yesterday – the Blackberry Storm 2 will be out tomorrow, October 28th. The news follows a year of leaks, so it’s not much of a surprise. It’s odd, though, that Big Red is so nonchalant about the release. The original Storm wasn’t quite the hit it was supposed to be, but the Storm 2 is supposed to have fixed most of the original problems.

      Part of the Storm 2’s problem is that it’s been almost universally panned. The GPS is supposedly awful and the Blackberry OS 5.0 has a tendency to reset spontaneously on the 9550. There’s also the fact that the Blackberry OS continues to age while systems like the iPhone OS and Android are doing a better job of growing alongside the devices they support.

      As for positive additions, the Storm 2 finally adds WiFi and makes a big improvement on the original’s touchscreen. The Storm 2 will run $179.99 on contract after a $100 mail-in rebate.

      Mobile, News

      Study shows $600 as critical price point for Apple tablet

      October 26, 2009 /

      Apple Tablet.Mac addicts are almost proud to spend hundreds of extra dollars when it comes to buying a computer, but an Apple tablet might not just be for Mac nerds. The general expectation is that Apple’s tablet will be like the iPhone or an iPod, bridging the gap between the diehards and the average consumer. With the average consumer, though, price becomes more important, and as a recent study by Retrevo suggests, $600 might be the break point.

      According to Retrevo, 68% of Mac users would be willing to spend over that $600 point on Apple’s tablet. In fact, 41% are willing to break $800 for the device. That hangs in line with what we know about Mac users’ spending habits. PC folks, on the other hand, aren’t so easy to persuade. Granted, there are still armies of them willing to pay premium dollar for the Apple brand, but not nearly as many by percentage.

      From the survey results, it looks like 36% of PC users would consider spending over $600. Strangely enough, only 16% would spend in the $600-$800 range, while 20% were willing to break the $800 mark. Still, that leaves a huge base of people dreaming sub-$600, a price that I just can’t imagine we’ll see.

      Apple, Computers

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