Instinct vs. iPhone
Sprint has been somewhat shunned for dropping a cool million on a Sprint Instinct vs. Apple iPhone campaign with the purposes of proving it can unseat the iPhone based on performance. The problem is that half the iPhone’s glory stems from intangible, perception based affection.
The ease of use. The Apple brand. The App Store. The User Interface…
Still, the Instinct SHOULD get points for matching up with the iPhone. Trying to take the iPhone head on by directly comparing them is a risky move, since being dubbed an “iPhone Killer” is a cliche that has gotten very old very quick. Why make the comparison when the rest of the universe is going to do it for you?
Nevertheless, the people SHOULD be viewing the Instinct has a hot commodity. Take a look at these 5 videos from the campaign and tell us what YOU think:
(UPDATE: it appears the video isn’t working for some. If not, you can see the videos here)
FAST INTERNET
LIVE TV
GPS FEATURES
DIGITAL CAMCORDER
MUSIC DOWNLOAD
So… who wins? We’re guessing the Apple folks will say, “Once the 3G iPhone drops, there will be no comxparison.” But even if they’re right, you have to give the Instinct credit for matching up very, very, very well.
We’re excited for this phone to say the least.
Winning Packet-Phone Concept Is A Bad One
We have to give Emir Rafat, designer of the Packet Phone, credit for his innovation. The fact is, it is hard to be innovative when the best devices are kept ultra simple with a touch screen and nothing more. We credit him for his creativity and imagination.
But if his concept were reality it would spell disaster. i mean, cmon, how much more inconvenient can it be to use your mobile?
Want to type on your full QWERTY keyboard? No problem. Just swing open the packet which has the wing span of a freakin Pteradactyl and peck away at the keyboard which isn’t even organized in QWERTY fashion.
It won 1st place at an Istanbul Design Week contest and again, we realize it’s just a concept and credit the creator for going out on a limb, but somebody had to say something.
[Via IntoMobile]
Mobile TV Standards Pursued by LG & Samsung
On May Fourteenth Two-Thousand Eight, we learned of Mobile T.V.’s fate.
Don’t ask us why we just broke into rhyme. For some reason the recent Press Release from LG, the one where they submitted an official proposal to adopt governmental mobile TV Standards, it reminded us of the Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue thing. Anyways…
The proposal was submitted to the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) which company executives feel will, “help accelerate the ATSC standardization of mobile TV technology, which will benefit both consumers and broadcasters.”
They’re probably right. LG and Samsung devices have been the two leaders in featuring Mobile TV and right out of the gate, the pictures were clear, loaded fast, almost no buffering, had great channel selection and you really couldn’t have asked for much more for an infantile technology. Unfortunately, consumers haven’t been amazingly fast to put it to good use, as Mobile TV viewership has been slow to grow.
It’s kind of a no-brainer for the industry and based on the press release, the partnership will be moving forward relatively soon: “ATSC is expected to adopt the mobile/handheld DTV standard for the North American market in early 2009 following trials of the technology by the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), a group of leading U.S. broadcasters who are vigorously promoting the development and early deployment of mobile DTV.”
Lets just hope porn channels don’t start popping up or vehicular homicide rates will increase by double digit percentages.
Android Top 50, Links and Descriptions
Google has announced the 50 Winners of Android Developer Challenge Round 1. Well… okay, we lied. They only announced 46 because 4 of the lucky 50 wanted their applications kept secret. Those buggers!
Here is the announcement form Google: http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2008/05/top-50-applications.html
But below, we’ve published a more exhaustive list from Phandroid.com that has links and descriptions for most of the winning applications:
- AndroidScan - Use your phone to scan a barcode, get pricing information from dozens of stores, product reviews and more. Never make a bad purchase again! (by Jeffrey Sharkey)
- Beetaun - Social network around geographical content created by people and for people (from your neighborhood, from your city, from your country, from all over the world). By Sergey Gritsyuk and Dmitri Shipilov
- BioWallet - Jose Luis Huertas Fernandez
- BreadCrumbz -Navigate your route using pictures instead of a map (there’s also a map, if you like). Easily record routes using your smartphone. Share them with your friends, share them with the world. By Amos Yoffe
- CallACab - Konrad Huebner and Henning Boeger
- City Slikkers - PoroCity Media and Virtual Logic Systems
- Commandro - Commandro shows where are your friends REALLY are and what they’re doing at the moment. Using GPS location information, it will display 100% true real-life event and location information with regards to you and your friends. By Alex Pisarev, Andrey Tapekha.
- Cooking Capsules -Simply “watch” a very short cooking show, “shop” with the grocery list, and “make” using the handy step-by-step recipe directions. If you are out of your usual neighborhood you can use the ‘find nearest market’ gps feature. If your friend is stopping at the market, simply hit the ’send to friend’ button to text your list to them. By Mary Ann Cotter and Muthuselvam Ramadoss
- Diggin - Daniel Johansson, Aramis Waernbaum, Andreas Hedin
- Dyno - Virachat Boondharigaputra
- e-ventr - Michael Zitzelsberger
- Eco2go - Reduce your carbon footprint. Eco2go finds and suggests public transit alternatives for your trips - right on your phone. By Taneem Talukdar, Gary Pong, Jeff Kao and Robert Lam
- Em-Radar - Jack Kwok
- fingerprint - Robert Mickle
- FreeFamilyWatch - Navee Technologies LLC
- goCart - Rylan Barnes
- GolfPlay - give support to all the real time necessities of a golf player during a game, using GPS location and an online querying site where it is possible to access to their game statistics, tournament creation and a social network to exchange impressions with other users about the sport that links them: golf. By Inizziativa Networks
- gWalk - Prof. Dr.-Ing. Klaus ten Hagen, Christian Klinger, Marko Modsching, Rene Scholze
- HandWx - Delivers 7-Day weather forecasts to your phone. By Weathertop Consulting LLC.
- IMEasy - Yan Shi
- Jigsaw - Mikhail Ksenzov
- JOYity - Coming soon. By Zelfi AG.
- LifeAware - Gregory Moore, Aaron L. Obrien, Jawad Akhtar
- Locale - Locale is one of 7 Android applications submitted by MIT students. It enables you to set up location- and time-based profiles for your phone, so you can make it shut up when you’re at work, forward calls to your landline when you’re at home. Clare Bayley, Christina Wright, Jasper Lin, Carter Jernigan.
- LReady Emergency Manager - Chris Hulls, Dilpreet Singh, Luis Carvalho, Phuong Nguyen
- Marvin - Marvin allows you to publish and browse geo-localized objects around you. Objects can be static or move by themselves and follow you. You publish and browse where you are, based on your current location or where you virtually are on the map. By Pontier Laurent.
- Mobeedo - Mobile Search. By Sengaro GmbH.
- Multiple Facets Instant Messenger - Virgil Dobjanschi
- MyCloset - Mamoru Tokashiki
- PedNav - an application that helps you plan your activities efficiently when moving around and interacting with an urban environment. Like a good personal assistant, PedNav first inquires about your general plans for the day. By RouteMe2 Technologies Inc.
- Phonebook 2.0 - Coming soon. By Voxmobili.
- PicSay - Eric Wijngaard
- PiggyBack - Christophe Petit and Sebastien Petit
- Pocket Journey - connects your location to the voices of a global community of artists, historians, architects, musician, comedians, and others so you can quickly know everything about anywhere. By Anthony Stevens and Rosie Pongracz.
- Rayfarla - Rayfarla turns your phone into a musical instrument as well as providing a variety of mini games that are music related. I’m not saying too much about Rayfarla at the moment as I’m now in competition with 49 other semifinalists but suffice to say there will be some interesting twists when it is finally released on hardware. By Stephen Oldmeadow.
- Safety Net - Michael DeJadon
- SocialMonster - Ben Siu-Lung Hui and Tommy Ng
- SplashPlay - SplashPlay offers the next generation in musical tuition and learning to play the guitar just got a whole lot easier. Simply attach the pod and light panel to your guitar and start strumming to your favourite songs in minutes. Songs are sent to the pod from a mobile phone or computer using a USB or Bluetooth connection, giving total portability. Other features include a guitar tuner, guitar metronome and a hands free, Bluetooth foot pedal. The product will provide an easy, portable and fun method of learning music.
- Sustain- Keeping Your Social Network Alive - Niraj Swami
- SynchroSpot - Shaun Terry
- Talkplay - Sung Suh Park
- Teradesk - José Augusto Athayde Ferrarini
- The Weather Channel for Android - The Weather Channel Interactive Inc.
- TuneWiki - Our goal is to have the lyrics always on, always available, always synchronized to music - on any device that can play music back and connect to the internet. By TuneWiki Inc.
- Wikitude-the Mobile Travel Guide - Find points of interest based on your current location. By Philipp Breuss.
- Writing Pad - ShapeWriter is an innovative, original, fun, and highly efficient method of entering text into touch screen mobile phones. ShapeWriter lets the user to simply draw a continuous stroke from letter to letter on a soft keyboard and lift to complete the word. The resulting trace is recognized as the intended word. For example: to write the word “fun”, land the pen (or mouse cursor) on the F key, drag to the U key, continue to the N key and lift up the pen. ShapeWriter recognizes the curso trace F-U-N as the word “fun”.By ShapeWriter Inc.
[Via Phandroid]
Blackberry Bold Officially Announced
The rumors have been confirmed by Blackberry with an official announcement and full website feature for their brand new product: The Blackberry Bold 9000! It’s looking like AT&T will roll it out in the summer and T-Mobile will follow.
Their marketing folks took a trip to clicheville with their opening promo copy: “Be Bold. Accept no substitutes. Power the passions you pursue with a smartphone that expresses your style and simplifies your life.”
Here is a look at the down and dirty specs… this story is developing so we’ll keep this updated as the details emerge:
- 1GB on-board memory with encryption.
- Tri-band HSDPA.
- Pricing in the $300-$500 range with a carrier.
- Launching on AT&T “this summer.”
- Interchangable color back plates.
- 5 hours of talk time, 13 days of standby time.
- 624-MHz Marvell Tavor PXA930 processor
And if you’re curious what RIM has to say about their new Blackberry… we’ve copied/pasted what’s on their Features list. Warning: beginning trip back to clicheville.
- The Blackberry Experience. No compromises. With email, phone, IM and the Internet, it can connect you. With an integrated organizer, it can help you stay on top of your day. With camera and video recording, you can capture and share the moment with just a few clicks. And that’s just the beginning.
- Fast Performance. Do more — do it faster. Take advantage of the speeds available on the HSDPA network and the BlackBerry Bold smartphone’s 624-MHz processor. Multitask and prioritize with access to your voice and data services at the same time.
- Multimedia. The fun goes with you. Enjoy premier image and video viewing, build playlists of your favorite songs and organize your media files. You can even use BlackBerry® Media Sync to transfer desktop iTunes® music files to your smartphone. Downtime may be rare, but the BlackBerry Bold delivers a wealth of entertainment.
- GPS and Blackberry Maps. Know where you stand. With built-in GPS capabilities, and BlackBerry® Maps, you get turn-by-turn directions, so you can pinpoint where you are right now and where you need to be.
- Wi-Fi. Simple and straightforward. Lower your cellular costs and get service in areas where cellular network coverage may be limited or unavailable, with BlackBerry® data services over Wi-Fi® networks.
- Razor Sharp Display. Color and clarity come to life. The screen of the BlackBerry Bold smartphone catches the eye and is designed to deliver color and clarity that exceed expectations. From the moment you turn it on, you’ll be blown away by explicit color and quality.
[Via Blackberry.com and BGR]
Rumor Mill: Blackberry 9000 Gets a BOLD Name
A couple reliable sources (Crackberry, BGR) are speculating that the name of the much awaited (and awaited, and awaited) Blackberry 9000 could be the Blackberry BOLD. Or is it Bold, Bold or BOLD?
Kevin Michaluk from Crackberry.com initially “broke” the news and is determined that the phone will go by the name BOLD. His evidence?
- RIM has followed the latest Mobile trend of giving their handsets moniker’s, most recently the Blackberry Curve and the Blackberry Pearl.
- EngadgetMobile covered a Blackberry Bold Review - but not just ANY review. The device was purchased on eBay for $828 before the product was even announced. In the reader comments, a person named Ryft states, “The new 9000, or Blackberry Bold as it will be called, is pretty neat. I got to play with a finalized prototype while shooting a commercial for Blackberry about a week ago. However, it is still no iPhone.”
- The buyer of the device posts an awesome review of the Blackberry 9000… and in Part 4 of the review you’ll see the device referred to as the Blackberry Bold.
The BGR is a little more skeptical, saying, “the domain, which was purchased from a shady-looking comnpany in Canada, currently has text link ads on it. Not a good sign.”
Either way, there are two things we ARE sure about.
- The Blackberry whatever-ya-wanna-call-it 9000 is almost guaranteed to kick some mobile booty.
- Most people seem diabolically opposed to the name Bold.
We kind of like the name… and would you rather have a sweet name for a crappy device or crap name for a sweet device? That’s what we thought…
Verizon Glydes in with Samsung u940
The worst kept seCrAT is out of the bag as Verizon finally admits and launches the highly anticipated Samsung Glyde.
It was first released to oohs and ahhs for a variety of reasons… it looked the part and acted the part of a super sexy phone, and the “y” replacing the “i” evoked the thought of a certain sex lube for some. Maybe that’s the idea… not so subliminal advertising? This phone will give you an orgasm!
Did it?
In all seriousness, the Samsung Glyde packs some serious punch that is getting mostly glowing reviews and it’s not hard to see why. Unfortunately this thing isn’t available for sale online or in stores yet, but we’ll expect that to change within the next 48 hours. Let us know if you’re the first to break that barrier!
We’ve got our Samsung Glyde Forum all ready for the folks that are eager to pick it up to discuss the phone so make sure you stop by!
So let the debate begin… Glyde or Voyager? Glyde or Instinct?
Sprint’s XOHM Ready to ROAM
Executives at Sprint probably find a place of complete internal reflection when they watch the Sitcom Friends and hear the theme song lyrics, “When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month - or even your year (or two).”
Clearwire will be there for you.
The Wall Street Journal and Fortune (CNN) are both reporting that Kirkland, Washington based Clearwire Corp. is close to reaching a $12 Billion Dollar Joint Venture with Sprint that could resurrect the company’s once promising XOHM and WiMax revolution (via MocoNews).
Sprint has been inundated with various rumors lately, from selling out to T-Mobile to spinning off Nextel and now this. The truth is that the rumors are all probably equally true because if Sprint has proved one thing lately, it’s that they don’t know WHAT the hell they are doing. They could certainly use this helping hand.
But the help isn’t only coming from Clearwire… no-no-no-no-no… because Clearwire has recently received billions of dollars in 3rd party funding from the likes of:
- Comcast
- Intel
- Time Warner Cable
- and GOOGLE
Looks like Sprint chose to share copies of the house key instead of getting evicted. Nextel might still get spun off… Sprint might still get sold to T-Mobile… but it’s pretty clear that XOHM/WiMax is Sprint’s ticket out of the doghouse and if sharing it will salvage the company, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
So what is WiMax and what is XOHM?
You know how people have been “raving” about the upcoming 3G iPhone and how quick and responsive it will be because of how fast the 3G network speeds are? Well WiMax is equivalent to 4G and is a generic technology. XOHM is Sprint’s branded execution of that technology and they were the first to announce their pursuit of WiMax integration. The network is capable of providing both mobile phone service and wireless internet connectivity.
They shelved the project for many reasons, but mostly because the company is a train wreck. The Nextel merger didn’t do much except complicate things… and while experts have raved about what XOHM could accomplish, the situation amounted to having a really, really hot fiance with too much freaking baggage. The Joint Venture with Clearwire represents the figurative prenuptial agreement with mandatory marriage counseling.
Both sources (see above) are warning that the deal is not final and it’s possible nothing gets done. It would be shame, because this joint venture could take a once proud company back to new heights.
The crazy thing about all of this is that the Joint Venture would operate solely under the Clearwire name. Comcast and TimeWarner Cable are both huge providers of Internet connection and Google is just getting it’s foot in the Mobile Phone door. Intel is an emerging provider of chips for mobile devices and holy geez could this pot get stewed up any more?
The bottom line is that this is good (if successful) for everyone. Consumers will get their magical 4G speeds. Sprint finds resurgence and momentum to breathe life back into the company. Clearwire finds a flagship product. And, all those Clearwire financial providers get to test their respective waters without the risks and burden of going it alone.
Hey Head Honchos will you do us all a favor? Sit down at that table and don’t get up until you’ve reached an agreement.
Sprinting in the Wrong Direction
We hate to say it, but it looks like Sprint is winning a one horse race for the finish line of annihilation. Let’s have a quick look at recent timeline of sorts:
- Robert H. Brust was named Sprint Nextel CFO effective immediately. He formerly served as CFO of Kodak.
- T-Mobile is rumored to possibly purchase Sprint.
- Sprint shows interest in selling off the Nextel side of the biz.
- QWEST Communications drops Sprint as it’s Carrier in favor of Verizon.
- The new CFO is welcomed with news of a Junk Bond rating by the S&P.
- Nonetheless, Sprint Nextel stock rises 10.5% - probably based on investors hoping they sell out to T-Mobile.
There is a decent amount at stake here… having the 3rd largest Wireless Carrier in North America be “absorbed” will make for even more of an oligopoly, less competition, etc… but what we’re wondering is what will happen to “Xohm”?
Xohm, also known as WiMax, is the standard that Sprint is developing for mobile internet connectivity. It’s faster than pretty much anything standardized in the existing market but delay after delay has brought continued disappointment for the service’s launch. Moving forward, it will be hard for the company to fund their most promising project considering the recent news that their company will either be sold or sit and rot like banana peels in a compost pile.
So why not sell off Nextel only and use the capital to focus on Sprint and Xohm/WiMax? That’s what we’d look to do. How many people are fond of Nextel anyways? Oh.. you are? Cool, for $2,000 and a new 2-year Sprint contract perhaps you could buy the entire company.
Garmin Phone on AT&T
Garmin is known best for their industry leading GPS devices. But, if information from a leaked consumer survey holds any truth, they might just be getting into the handset frenzy.
Could it be… a Garmin Phone? Yes, it could and if it IS then my, my how excited the world might be. According to these uncovered golden nuggets, Garmin is toying with the idea of dropping the Garmin Nuviphone on AT&T for a hefty $499 plus 2 year commitment. Could it be worth it?
Here is what the “leaked” info brags the phone will have:
- Familiar Garmin Touch Screen interface with preloaded maps, 6 million points of interest and turn by turn directions
- Instant directions and relevant surrounding info with the touch of a button. Even get reminders where you parked (this will come in handy at Disney World, eh?).
- Mobile Web with WiFi
- Standard phone features such as calling, texting, media playback, etc… but supercharged with Garmin patented technology
- 3 megapixel camera that records the exact location at which each picture is snapped!
The $499 doesn’t sound too attractive but the $20/month fee for unlimited internet and GPS navigation is pretty clutch. This is juicy rumor sauce that is just going to have to marinate a little more.
Initial opinions on the Garmin Nuviphone have varied from the omnipresent, “iPhone ftw this thing suxorz,” to people very optimistic since folks already pay a few hundred for Garmin’s top of the line GPS to begin with. So… what boat do you fall into?
[Via BGR, EngadgetMobile]
LG Vu Now Available on AT&T Website
It appears as though the LG Vu is now available on the AT&T Website (you can buy it HERE).
The LG Vu weighs in at only 3 ounces but packs a powerful punch. It has a 3-inch Touch Screen with Haptic Feedback and plays Mobile TV like a champ. A 2 megapixel camera and camcorder are nice as well. But perhaps most importantly, using it is simple and intuitive… the thing just makes your life easier.
If you’ve got big hands you might find typing on the touch screen keyboard a bit of a hassle, but otherwise, the LG Vu looks like a real winner.
LG Decoy, Dare, ChocoFlip Get Verizon Dates
Three pretty good looking, sure to sell phones from LG have got rumored release dates that you can pencil in.
| LG Decoy
This Slider phone has a unique, built in BlueTooth earpiece for easy removal and use. A pretty neat idea if you ask us. Perhaps this should start coming standard on all devices seeing as how walking around with on the regular with a bluetooth in your ear thumbs you as a Super Geek but having an extra item in your pocket is a pain in the booty. We like it. Online: May 30th |
|
| LG Dare
Definitely the most “glam” of the three phones in question, the LG Dare is basically the LG Prada without the branding. Okay, so perhaps it’s the anti-glam. Either way, it’s a pretty slick little number. And who cares if your white undershirt is Abercrombie & Fitch or Hanes Her Way anways? It’ll have a a 3.2 MegaPixel Camera, and a Touch Screen for your Qwerty Keyboard needs. Online: July 4th |
|
| LG Chocoloate Flip
Not too much to say besides it’s the heir apparent of the LG Chocolate. Hip Hip, Hooray! Hip Hip, Hooray? Eh we’ll let you decide. Online: June 24th |
[Via PhoneArena]
Microsoft Launches a… BlackBerry App?
As we all know, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and BlackBerry are fierce competitors in the smart phone OS market. But then why was Microsoft’s best ever application, the recently released “TellMe”, launched for BlackBerry and not Windows Mobile? Because BlackBerry’s are better and even Macrohard knows it…
Just kidding. There is actually a more logical response. Microsoft purchase a company called TellMe which was midway into development of the application already. A Windows Mobile version of the app is surely forthcoming.
Okay, logistics aside, this little application is pretty kickbutt. Use your BlackBerry to navigate to http://m.tellme.com and download the little App. You’ll be able to speak locations into your phone such as, “Coffee” and it will show you the closest coffee shops or “Nordstrom’s” and it will show you the closest Nordstrom’s.
This is a pretty handy tool that we’ll look for Windows Mobile to take full advantage of in their next release… which might not be for ages unfortunately. Hey Mr. CEO Mike McCue… could we get an Android version please? Thank you!
Samsung Glyde Pictures and Rumors
The Samsung Glyde which will some point be available at a Verizon Wireless Store near you may also be available… for FREE… at… BestBuy?
That’s an image picked up at EngadgetMobile and they were tempted to say it is a screen shot of BestBuy’s internal system. You’ll notice all those FREE, FREE, FREE listings and basically, the Glyde could be free at BestBuy with any new contract or contract extension.
We talked about BestBuy’s Cell Phone push with their Carphone Warehouse deal… but this would be pretty big news for them if Verizon doesn’t have the same offer. We can’t imagine that they wouldn’t but the Glyde doesn’t seem like the “Free” phone type.Could BestBuy be purposefully taking a loss to draw attention to their mobile sales department?
Right now it is all rumor and speculation so let’s move onto something that is real, hard (that’s what she said) evidence: Samsung Glyde pictures.
Sony Ericsson Launches 2 More Phones that Aren’t the Xperia
After a 48% decrease in profits compared to last year’s Q1, Sony Ericsson likely further dissappointed investors by launching 2 mid range handsets that aren’t all that exciting. Actually, at this point, we don’t really care about anything launched besides the Sony Ericsson Xperia.
We suppose we’ll give you the scoop on those announced anyways, since you asked for it…
There ya go - the Z780 clamshell which we don’t care to elaborate on and the G502 actually doesn’t look too bad but we’re just fine about the fact that it will likely never make it to the states.
Why are we so bitter? Because bad news seems to keep piling up for Sony Ericsson Handsets but they’ve got one of the hottest handsets of the year sitting in their back pocket - the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. So where is it? Huh, Sony? Huh?
Earth to Samsung: Politics R Scrwd Enuff K? Thx!
Samsung has just reported the findings of a survey asking Americans about the prospect of voting for their next President of the United States via Text Message. To put it nicely… we think their results are…. well… stupid.
Lets clear something up. In our lazy, technology dependent society everybody is going to opt for the easier method of getting things done. If you asked anyone age 18 to 50 if they would rather go to the grocery store, buy sandwich ingredients, drive home, make a sandwich and then eat it or press a button on the Jetson’s food maker and have the same thing pop out… WHAT do you think they would say? The small percentage of people opting not to use text message in this survey likely fit into the following groups:
- Technological Fogies who don’t know what “text messages” mean and who think any form of communication online (forums, AIM, Chatrooms, etc…) is all called “e-mailing”.
- Teens who talked/typed too much to their infatuation of the week, ran up the monthly bill to $750, got banned from using their cell phone and concluded, “I can’t vote with TXT because my stupid mother who I hate took my phone away and now it is the end of the world! This is SO emotional abuse this isn’t fair argh I HATE YOU MOM!”
- SANE people who realize that the system we currently have is corrupt and transferring it to an electronic format, where the flow of information is completely controlled by Fortune 100 companies, would only further perpetuate corruption. WE ARE NOT READY FOR THIS TECHNOLOGY.
So in light of these findings, we thank you Samsung for trying to be ahead of your time. But please… please… we have enough problems as it is. Although TXT voting might give those digging Ron Paul fanatics a way to game the system against the corporate fraud ring?
Hmmm… this could give “Partisan Hackery” a completely new meaning.
Here are the “meaty” parts of the survey results:
A survey by Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) suggests that many teens and their parents across the U.S. would rather vote by text message on their cell phones in the next election rather than go to the polls. BYE-BYE POLLS
- More than six in ten (61%a) of respondents of legal voting age, age 18 and older, would be open to voting by text.
- Eight in ten (80%) teens, ages 13-17, say that if they were allowed to vote in this year’s Presidential election, they’d do it by text message instead of going to the polls.
BIPARTISAN SUPPORT
- More than half of all Democrats, Republicans and Independents surveyed say that if allowed, they’d text in their Presidential vote.
The survey, commissioned by Samsung Mobile, was conducted by Kelton Research and included 300 American teens ages 13 – 19 and 500 American parents with children ages 13 – 19.
[Via BusinessWire]
Mobile Web… RIP? How about not.
An article at Read Write Web posed the aforementioned question, to which they claimed, “Some Mobile Entrepreneurs Say Yes.” Ever sit in the ocean gripping a boogie board watching dud waves pass you by for an hour, walk back to land disappointed and then see the Holy Grail of waves gracefully crash upon the shore? These are those guys… and they are just bitter.
The story’s foundation is actually a sad one. Russell Beattie owns what is left of Mowser, a mobile web browser that turns normal sites into easily browsed mobile content. His most recent blog post, titled the end of mowser, signals the end of a company who fell just short of riding a huge wave. His own thoughts were a little more depressed in nature:
Beyond the fact that I’m irretrievably in debt, the general answer is that I don’t actually believe in the “Mobile Web” anymore, and therefore am less inclined to spend time and effort in a market I think is limited at best, and dying at worst.
Unfortunately for Beattie, the American Mobile market has not yet picked up much momentum. With the developments of the iPhone SDK and Android, he may have just missed the opening he needed. While he suggests the mobile web market is ominous, he does offer a caveat:
I’m talking specifically about sites that are geared 100% towards mobile phones and have little to no PC web presence.
He goes on to say that the iPhone proved the mobile web market was non-existent to begin with and that new devices (like the iPhone) and full web browsers will be the reason it grows. But still… it makes sense… by the time you gear your company to a purely mobile concept you’ll be left in the dust because your mobile phone will do everything your computer does. Or will it?
What Beattie seems to have left out is the concept behind MOBILE. Your mobile knows where you are and when you are. Your phone knows what you’re near and when you’re near it. Your phone (can) know those same facts about your friends and families. The REAL success stories in the mobile marketplace will be the companies that take these tidbits of knowledge and piece them together to create meaningful applications and services that make our lives easier. THAT is the future of Mobile.
In actuality, all hope to do was bridge the gap between an insufficient mobile web market and a flourishing mobile web market. While the infrastructure, handsets, websites, applications, etc… were “on their way up”, Mowser would make it easier for consumers and companies across the board. Unfortunately for Russell, mobilized web technology will not slowly gain momentum - it will hit a point where it “makes sense” and the avalanche will begin.
What will trigger that “aha” moment for Americans? Since not everybody can afford an iPhone and wants AT&T, we’re hoping Android will fill that void. The market is more than ready for a “solution” but Beattie is right - they’re only going to trickle in until some major improvements are made. And even then, your chances of being “found” and “popular” are incredibly minimized if your presence isn’t at least partially based on the web.
Beattie’s farewell was a sad one and topped off with a “What now?” that all too many entrepreneurs face but not enough people hear about:
Seriously… A salary will be a good thing to have again. I’m *thousands* of dollars in debt to my family and friends, maxed out on every credit card (all of which are in collections), on my last chance for my apartment (if I bounce one more check…), had my car repossessed *twice*, electricity turned off, cellphones switched off, landline canceled outright, and on more than one occasion (this weekend in particular) eaten little more than buttered macaroni as I waited for an overdue PayPal deposit to arrive (3-4 days? Come on!). Having a steady income will be a welcome mental break, believe me.
Oh… and by the way… if you’re in the market… he’s looking for a job.
The fact that mobile technology is still in its infancy means a everyone is going to have their own opinion. The opinion of Michael Mace at Mobile Opportunity starkly contrasts that of Mr. Beattie. He claims that Mobile Applications will soon be dead while the Mobile Web will soon be the “it” thing.
Unfortunately, Mr. Mace basis the first portion of his argument on the failures of PALM. If anybody is familiar with the brilliance of PALM, they’ll understand that the first half of this sentence fragment is an oxymoron. To use Palm as an example for mobile devices is like using Polaroid as an example for Digital Cameras. They missed their opportunity to grow into something bigger and will soon be left behind.
Although he admits there are exceptions to the rule, he sticks buy his conclusion that: ” If you’re a mobile developer, you should consider stopping native app development and shifting to a mobile-optimized website.”
The most accurate criticism is that, as Elia Freedman so cunningly put it, “there are three million platforms with a hundred users each.” Another vote for Android anybody?
I respectfully disagree with the opinion that mobile ANYthing is dead. In fact, the mobile revolution is just starting. I could explain why, but an article by Daniel Langendorf called, “The Mobile Web Isn’t Dead. It’s Just Starting.” says mostly everything I would have.
Thanks Daniel… will all these Mobile death prophecies filling up my feed reader, your article prevented me from questioning my sanity.
Sony Ericsson Z780… Here It Comes!
Thanks to the folks at the Sony Ericsson Blog, we’ve got the inside scoop on the brand new Sony Ericsson Z780. It won’t knock your socks off, but it’s a nice, stylish middle-level phone that should get its fair share of love.
How did they find out about this puppy? Sony Ericsson left the sliding door on the creened in porch wide open: the Sony Ericsson Blog found that a few XML files on the company’s WAP site that explained these suckers in more detail. Don’t you get the feeling that they WANT you to find this stuff?
The Boy Genius Report and IntoMobile so kindly summed up the few extra uncovered details.
- 240 x 320 pixel QVGA display
- 2 megapixel camera
- NetFront 3.4 browser
- Colors: Amethyst Silver and Grand Onyx
- Location-based service support (Probably no GPS)
- Z780i for Europe, Z780a for North America
LG Vu Quick Start Guide Leaked
For those of you who have been patiently waiting for the LG Vu to pop into their local AT&T Stores, we have a little something to hold you over. The LG Vu Quick Start Guides have been slowly making their way into local stores and we’ve got the copies to share with you!
The 4 page document doesn’t have any earth shattering revelations, but it will get you ridiculously familiar with this beautiful handset before the phone is even available. If you want to be a jerk you could even pretend April Fools is free game all month… walk into the store the morning it goes on sale and give the salesmen a pop quiz.
“I’m from the AT&T/LG Joint Operations Corporate Training Task Force and we’ve randomly chosen this store to conduct a test grading training and preparation of employees regarding specs and features of new devices.”
Ha! As if you’ll take any additional steps that would prolong that magnetic attraction between your hand and the LG Vu.
Here’s all 4 pages of the Quick Start Guide:
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- LG Vu Qiuck Guide
[via EngadetMobile]
GPS for Rednecks, Courtesty of Nokia
For the directionally challenged, GPS Navigation Systems can be as coveted as cell phones. And with the proliferation of Mobile technology, where your cell phone is your GPS, there is rarely an excuse to ask, “Where the hell am I and how did I end up here?” Or is there… ?
Try out a little experiment. Get lost, purposefully, in the middle of some rural area. Ask for directions somewhere (anywhere) and you’ll likely get a response that sounds something like this:
“Alright yur gunna wunna go straight to the top of that there hill and turn right. Stay straight until you pass two red barns on the left and then yur gunna see Johnsonville pond right thur on yur right. Take a left right there and go straight until you see the biggest oak tree you ever did see and you’ll be about one acre away from the market.”
Thats right folks…
It may sound strange but in some places street signs and road names are not the currency of driving (or walking, or horseback) directions. Apparently, Nokia feels their pain. Dr. Kari Pulli of the Nokia Research Center explains:
“The instructions are based totally on real world pictures, not on synthetic maps,” he says. “We started developing the landmark mode when we realized that people read maps in different ways depending on things such as cultural background and gender.”
For the politically correct interpretation of this article, you can check Venture Beat, where we initially discovered Nokia’s new culture friendly mapping system.
With all due respect, the technology DOES have some great potential depending on how it is developed. In actuality, it sounds like a technology that would work incredibly well on the Android platform. The technology was originally suggested by a Nokia research group in India where landmark based directional advice is more commonly sought.
In any case, this is definitely something to watch as the technology has a lot more potential than providing dumbed down directions to country bumpkins, as we initially suggest. Sorry… we couldn’t resist!