Category: Mobile (Page 40 of 65)

      Palm Pre Is At The Front Of Our Minds

      September 24, 2009 /

      Palm Pre and the iPhone.A research firm called Interpret recently did a study concerning smartphone purchase habits among consumers and found that getting phones into people’s heads makes a big difference. It’s not easy, though. In fact, Palm’s Pre and the iPhone 3GS are the only smartphones to have struck the balance between smart features, the cool factor, and increased productivity in a way that got people talking. Blackberry just didn’t make the cut.

      The study is a mildly interesting read. It’s no surprise that getting people thinking about a phone is key to sales, but it’s strange that so few phones get it right. I was also really surprised to see that the Pre had done so well. It’s second only to the iPhone in terms of mindshare, though we know the sales aren’t even close. Looks like Sprint really scares people off or the Pre is just an afterthought in iPhone googoo-gahgah-land.

      Apple, iPhone, Mobile

      iPhone MMS Should Go Live Midday Friday

      September 24, 2009 /

      iPhone plug in to iTunes.AT&T has announced plans for the iPhone MMS rollout via its Facebook page. We’ve known for some time that the service would be coming on Friday, but the how and when wasn’t so clear.

      From the company’s Facebook page:

      MMS Update: We know you’ve been eager for this service so we wanted to offer a quick update on the launch plans for MMS on Friday, Sept. 25. Late morning, Pacific Time, on Friday, the new carrier settings update enabling MMS should be live and ready to download through iTunes. We’ll provide the steps and all of the details you need right here at that time.

      For my fellow east-coasters, that means we’ll be waiting until early afternoon before plugging and unplugging our phones for updates. Some people are speculating that AT&T is nervous about the update, and rightfully so. This is the kind of update that has been anticipated for so long that it is likely to kill AT&T’s networks in a lot of places. And if the service fails on day one, the public will be calling for the bodies of AT&T executives.

      Apps, iPhone, Mobile, News

      Palm Isn’t Ready To Admit Pre Sales

      September 19, 2009 /

      Palm logo.Earlier this week Palm held its Q1 earnings conference call for the 2010 fiscal year. Most everyone in the industry was looking forward to the call because it meant we might get some hard numbers around the Palm Pre sales speculation. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and from the sound of things the Pre may not be doing the bang-up job some people thought.

      You may recall this quote from Roger McNamee, one of Palm’s most prominent investors.

      You know the beautiful thing: June 29, 2009, is the two- year anniversary of the first shipment of the iPhone. Not one of those people will still be using an iPhone a month later.

      Well, according to Palm, the company shipped 823,000 units this quarter, and its carrier partners “sold through” 810,000, of which the “vast majority” were the Palm Pre. Now vast could mean anything, but for argument’s sake let’s put Pre sales at 500,000. That’s really not bad, and better than some analysts expectations, but Palm and its investors obviously overstated the success of this phone from the beginning, and that can’t make the company happy.

      Palm goes on to say that success isn’t tied to a single device and that the WebOS platform will be the golden boy of the smartphone industry. Blah blah blah. Unless Palm can woo some talented developers and stop squelching the ones it has, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the company change hands in the next few years (see, I’m getting good at this research thing).

      Mobile, News

      iTwinge Gives iPhone A Pointless Physical Keyboard

      September 16, 2009 /

      Mobile Mechatronics iTwinge.Looks like somebody really thinks the iPhone should have a physical keyboard. So much so, in fact, that they made one. The company is Mobile Mechatronics and the product in question is the iTwinge, a physical keyboard that plugs in to the dock connector on your iPhone and lays over the screen where the keys would normally be.

      Why Mobile Mechatronics felt the need to make this little device is beyond me. It’s ugly as sin, and the fact that it draws power from the phone makes me cringe. There’s also the fact that it covers almost half your screen, meaning you’ll need to remove the thing and stuff it in a pocket for regular phone use. To cap things off, MM wants you to spend $30 on the thing. All I can say is good luck. It’s probably not gonna happen.

      iPhone, Mobile

      Apple’s iPod Lineup Change Roundup

      September 9, 2009 /

      the-ipod-lineupAs expected, Apple made some changes to its iPod lineup today. With a few improvements, a few additions, and a few unexpected omissions, the new models may or may not be all you’ve been waiting for. This post is a short list of the changes made to each model. I’ll have detailed posts for each model change over the next day or two.

      iPod Shuffle
      It’s the smallest of the bunch and got very few changes. You can now get a 2GB model for $59 and a 4GB model for $79. Apple is still committed to that ridiculous VoiceOver feature, so you’ll be seeing more headphone manufacturers with VO support built in. Oh, you can also get the shuffle in five different colors. Nothing else to say, so you won’t get a breakdown post for this one.

      iPod Classic
      This old boy got the smallest (or biggest) update of all. The Classic is now up to 160GB of storage for $249. Boring.

      iPod Nano
      This is where things start to get interesting. Steve Jobs said today that the Nano has sold more than 200 million units, making it the most popular music player the world over. This is where most of the event was focused – new features for the Nano. As you’ve probably heard, Apple added a camera. It added a video camera. Only a video camera. More on that later.

      The unit also got a microphone to go with video recording, which means it’s got voice recording capability as well. There’s also a pedometer inside and Apple even added FM radio capability. Really, this is the MP3 player that just about everyone else on the market has been making for years, plus some video, plus that special Apple touch. You can now get the Nano in nine different colors. Read the full update…

      iPod Touch
      You feel that? That’s the feeling of disappointment. The iPod Touch didn’t get a camera. Period. No camera. Instead, this model got a price reduction on the low-end and a processor boost on the in the upper two-thirds. The 8GB model is down to $199 while the 32GB and 64GB versions, both of which have the faster processor from the iPhone 3GS, will cost $299 and $399 respectively.

      The real update for the iPod Touch is iPhone OS 3.1, adding peer-to-peer gaming functionality, Genius Mixes, and Genius Recommendations for apps. In fact, Apple’s whole presentation surrounding the Touch today pitched the model as a “great pocket computer.” Unfortunately that computer didn’t get the camera update we were all expecting, forcing the average consumer to choose between the functionality of apps versus a video camera.

      Apple, Audio, Mobile, Video

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