Category: Mobile (Page 36 of 65)

      Verizon takes after Palm without pioneering an OS

      October 19, 2009 /

      Motorola Droid.On Saturday night, Verizon publicly declared it would be going after the iPhone with a new Android phone from Motorola. To do so, Big Red is using the same tactic Palm did, but it will probably see a much higher success rate. The reason: the OS.

      It’s not just that I think Android is a superior platform (which I do), or that Palm continues to botch almost everything it tries with regard to the App Catalog (which it does). It’s really that Verizon isn’t trying to pioneer a new OS against the world’s most successful smartphone. Android is not the thriving development community it could be, but it’s not brand new either. That means there will be plenty of app support on launch day, but more importantly that developers are familiar enough to create apps that take advantage of specific features of the new Motorola phone – a big part of what makes the iPhone so good.

      On top of that huge advantage, the phone looks really nice. It’s sleek and slim, has a landscape keyboard that far outstrips the cramped POS on the Pre, and it’s on Verizon. I don’t think I need to mention all the other features Verizon’s new ad points out.

      This isn’t something Apple will take lying down, though. We should see the rebuttal in what promises to be a snarky little ad war before long.

      iPhone, Mobile

      Eric Schmidt says Android is about to blow up

      October 17, 2009 /

      Android's about to get big.I’ve been cautiously skeptical about Google’s Android operating system as a successful mobile platform. I love the features, I love the UI, but the phones were seriously lacking. Google CEO Eric Schmidt made some comments during the company’s earnings conference call that may change my mind, though.

      Schmidt says Android Adoption is set to blow up, and it’s because of those crappy phones the system currently runs. It’s not the phones themselves, but the number of them. There are currently 12 phones running Android, and more phones and netbooks coming out monthly it seems. As that number continues to grow, it gives developers more and more reason to spend time on the platform.

      Mobile is Google’s next great frontier, and where analysts expect most of the company’s growth to come from over the next couple years. With more Android adoption, that growth is essentially guaranteed. Hopefully 2010 will see the release of a phone that might make me consider getting rid of the iPhone. I love a healthy competition.

      Mobile, News

      Michael Dell confirms mini 3i US release for 2010

      October 15, 2009 /

      Dell mini 3i.According to TechPulse, Michael Dell has confirmed the launch of his company’s first Android phone, the mini 3i, for 2010. The device is rumored to be coming to AT&T and should see a hardware upgrade from the version available in China, namely to add Wi-Fi and 3G support. Smart move, Dell. Launching a phone without those things would just put me over the edge.

      The phone wasn’t all that well received when Dell first started shopping the thing around, and it doesn’t look like things have improved. Of course, it’s pretty hard for people to get excited about what looks to be an iPhone/Pre mashup running on Android. If anything had a shot at the iPhone in recent days it was the Pre because Palm had some pretty clear differentiators. Dell doesn’t have that. What it does have, though, is the pure gall to call underwhelming product releases an attempt at competition in essentially every market the company takes part in. As I’ve said before, this will be one long, agonizing death.

      Mobile, News

      Nokia Booklet official for AT&T

      October 13, 2009 /

      Nokia Booklet.I think I’m starting to understand AT&T’s strategy for the next few years. As complaints continue to pile up, the company will just add more and more bandwidth-hungry devices until it inevitably crushes the network, at which point customers will be so fed up they will pay for anything, including tiered data plans. That’s a long introductory sentence for a netbook, I know. Now, the netbook.

      Nokia confirmed its 3G capable netbook, the Booklet, to be released on subsidy with AT&T. The little lappy will run $299 with a two-year contract at data rates of $60/month. You will also be able to get the computer for $599 unsubsidized. The system runs Windows 7, which supposedly seamlessly handles 3G to wi-fi crossover, has a 120GB hard drive, and sports an A-GPS card for location services. Nokia has also crammed a 16-cell battery into the thin frame for an estimated 12-hour battery life. I’ll believe that when I see it, but for now it’s nearly double most other netbooks.

      Through the holidays you’ll only be able to buy the Booklet at Best Buy stores. Execs from Best Buy, Microsoft, and Nokia were all in Manhattan for the announcement today and seemed optimistic about sales potential. If you’re looking for an ultra mobile device and don’t already have a laptop, will you really want one of these on a service contract? How bout when it’s sitting next to a 32GB iPhone?

      Computers, Mobile

      Accessories for the Storm 2 show up in Best Buy

      October 12, 2009 /

      Blackberry Storm 2 skins.Engadget got an early look at some accessories for the Blackberry Storm 2 today. It’s just more in a year-long string of leaks that point to a release some time this month, maybe even some time this week. The shots from Best Buy are just some silicone skins, but none of the material can seem to agree on a name for the device.

      The accessory packaging shows 9550, the numeric nomenclature for the device, Storm II (is there a Storm III in the works?) and even Odin, which used to be the product’s code name. The three names show up right next to one another, apparently to assuage any doubt about just which device the skins are for. That a major retail chain has them, though, almost definitely points to a release date in the near future.

      Mobile, News

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