Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 153 of 168)

AT&T Plans HSPA and 4G Rollout

May 29, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

4G speeds. This late-May/early-June continues to be the focal point of activity for wireless carriers and phone manufacturers alike. On the heels of big news for Sprint, big news for Verizon (with some bad news for Sprint), and potential big news from Apple and AT&T, the iPhone’s carrier announced to plans to begin network upgrades in anticipation of future high-speed technologies.

AT&T has officially announced both 3G upgrades and 4G rollouts over the course of the next two years. The company’s 3G improvements include adopting the HSPA 7.2 standard, which would effectively double current 3G speeds. As for 4G, AT&T plans to begin testing of their LTE network in 2010 with a consumer-level rollout in 2011.

The announcement comes as no surprise, particularly with Verizon introducing similar upgrade plans. AT&T no doubt wants to hold onto iPhone exclusivity as long as possible. Showing some initiative for higher speed access might keep the dogs at bay for now, but certainly not for long.

Apple, iPhone, Mobile

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Verizon to Sell Palm Pre, Storm 2 In the Next 6 Months

May 28, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

Palm Powered Verizon The latest from Lowell McAdam, top exec for the Verizon/Vodafone venture, has Verizon selling the Palm Pre and the Blackberry Storm in the next “6 months or so.” The Storm 2 is no big surprise. Plenty of people have had their hands on that things for weeks. But the Pre, too? We knew Sprint’s exclusivity contract was short, but 6 months hadn’t even crossed my mind. Earlier this week AT&T announced similar plans to snatch up the Pre, but made no projection as to when.

This really shakes things up, both for Palm and Sprint. For Palm, it could mean new life. I know plenty of people who don’t have an iPhone because of AT&T. Verizon could be enough to make them consider the sleek Palm smartphone as an alternative. For Sprint, though, this is like a cancer diagnosis. The company bled more than a million customers in the last quarter of 2008. If Palm’s launch stock is as scrawny as rumors say, they could be out of phones and out of exclusivity with Palm before they have a chance to dig their toes in. Could Sprint bounce back from having their most-hyped phone on Verizon? I wouldn’t hold my breath for that one.

Source: Reuters

Mobile, News

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Palm Pre Plays Nice With iTunes

May 28, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

According to Fortune Magazine the Palm Pre works seamlessly with iTunes. So seamlessly, in fact, they claim iTunes treats the phone just like an iPod or even an iPhone, the only exception being older files downloaded when DRM was still involved. I think I can actually hear the vein in Jobs’ temple throbbing.

Of course, we’ve already heard Apple COO Tim Cook say that anyone attempting to jack the intellectual property of the iPhone will be hunted down and hung from the high walls at Cupertino for the birds. I’m pretty sure that’s how the quote went. I’m not sure, though, that this little detail will make much of a difference to the serious Pre enthusiasts. Sure, it’s nice, and could save a few headaches, but transferring music from a computer to a device is rarely difficult, especially when there’s no DRM involved, and the Pre has its own ways of importing contacts and the like. If iTunes functionality is a consumer’s primary concern, I’m gonna guess that person is going to stick with an iPhone.

Apple, iPhone, Mobile

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Macbook Catches An Update On the Sly

May 27, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

Looks like Apple is settling into its new school year stride by offering the ol’ notebook + free iPod combo. The education discount drops as much as $200 off your comp (if it’s a Macbook Pro). Just don’t forget to get online for your iPod rebate, or it’ll cost you the full 8GB Touch price of $229.

Alongside the education discount, Apple went stealthy with a few upgrades to the basic Macbook. The changes are small, but I’ll take what I can get, especially when it comes without a price increase. Changes are as follows:

2.0GHz processor -> 2.13GHz
667MHz RAM -> 800MHz RAM
120GB HDD -> 160GB HDD
4.5 battery life -> 5 hour battery life

Apple, Mobile

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Vitamin MP3 Player Just Begs to be Swallowed

May 27, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

The Vitamin. This is easily the most shocking mp3 player I’ve seen in a long time, mostly because of the ridiculous feature list for such a small device.

Dubbed “The Vitamin,” this little pill is just 2.7 inches long and about an inch in diameter, making it the easiest device for a dog or small child to swallow. There is no listed storage size yet, but The Vitamin is set to enter production (and couch cushions, drains, washing machines, your grandma’s mouth) in late 2009 with the following specs:

Not the longest spec list in the world, but look how tiny that thing is! FM tuner support? An equalizer? All of that and they managed to keep the controls on the device. How do you like them apples, Apple?

Source: Yanko Design

Audio, Music

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