Jun 23

4 in 10 Smartphone Owners Would Switch to the iPhone

Posted in: Apple, BlackBerry, iPhone, RIM, Smart Devices, smartphone, Today's Chili

Apple_iPhone_3G.jpgResearch in Motion is soaring at the top of the U.S. smartphone market these days, but it had better watch out: A new study reports that 4 in 10 smartphone users would switch to the iPhone for their next purchase, while 4 in 5 current iPhone owners would buy another one, according to MediaPost.

Contrast that to the BlackBerry: just 14 percent of smartphone users that don’t have one would switch to one of Research in Motion’s handhelds for their next upgrade. “The findings highlight the challenges the
BlackBerry faces in stemming the iPhone stampede,” said John Martin, the CEO of market research firm Crowd
Science, in the article.

The report said that the iPhone also beat out other smart devices for customer satisfaction in numerous other areas such as screen size, navigation, the ability to add new features, and video playback quality.

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Jun 22

Verizon Extends V CAST TV to the SF Bay Area (and Cleveland)

Posted in: Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless

flotv.jpgOn Sunday, local Verizon stores in the Bay Area began demonstrating FLO TV, the mobile TV service which originally launched way back in April of 2007.

Now, however, the digital TV transition has freed up digital channel 55, which has allowed FLO TV (now called V CAST Mobile TV) to take off nationwide. On Monday, Verizon added the tech-friendly San Francisco Bay Area, Cleveland, and Milwaukee to its service area.

Monthly plans range from $13 to $25 per month, depending on the number of channels; at the low end, expect to receive just the major networks, with additional channels as you move up the price ladder. Both the LG Voyager and the Motorola Krave ZN4 support the technology.

(Note that these are “mobile versions” of the channels, so Fox’s daytime lineup is full of Fox Business programming, for example, with a transition into the primetime lineup later in the evening.)

Can you receive major sportscasts? Well, it depends on what you want to watch. Baseball games on ESPN aren’t a problem, and Wimbledon, the Preakness, and NHL games are or were shown via V CAST.

I checked out the service in my local Verizon store in Benicia, which sits between what locals typically refer to as the East Bay and North Bay. A replay of a college lacrosse match was somewhat grainy, but otherwise very smooth, and with no apparent dropouts.

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Jun 22

T-Mobile Announces MyTouch 3G, Second Android Phone

Posted in: Android, HTC, Smart Devices, Today's Chili

mytouch3g.jpgT-Mobile announced their second Android phone, the MyTouch 3G, today. Based on the Google Ion/HTC Magic platform, the MyTouch 3G is a touch-screen, slab-style smart phone with improved multimedia features, Microsoft Exchange support, and some applications that will be exclusive to T-Mobile.

“This is our next Android phone. It continues our leadership with Android and the partnership that we’ve established with Google,” T-Mobile CTO Cole Brodman said.

The MyTouch 3G will come in black, white and red. It has no physical keyboard, relying instead on the Android 1.5 OS’s virtual keyboard for entering data. It features a 3.2″, 320×480 touch screen, 3.2-megapixal camera, MicroSD memory card slot, and built-in video recording and playback capabilities. The phone connects to the Internet via T-Mobile’s 2G and 3G networks, foreign 2G or 3G networks or Wi-Fi.

T-Mobile’s pitch for the MyTouch 3G centers around the phone’s customizability, focusing on features like the phone’s wide range of available home screen widgets.  While the phone will have access to the 5,000 applications in the current Android Market app store, Brodman said T-Mobile will offer some exclusive apps as well. One of them is Sherpa, a local search and recommendation engine that improves its recommendations based on a user’s past history of requests.

T-Mobile’s close relationship with Google also let them put Microsoft Exchange support into the phone while keeping the “with Google” moniker that signifies full Google approval of the device, Brodman said.

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Jun 18

RIM Still Dominating Apple, Palm in Smartphone Sales

Posted in: BlackBerry, iPhone, Smart Devices, smartphone, Today's Chili

T-Mobile_BlackBerry_8900.jpgThe Apple iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre may be running away with the buzz right now, but BlackBerry maker Research in Motion still leads in sales–by a long shot.

According to new IDC data, RIM has 55.3 percent of the U.S. smartphone market. Apple is in second with 19.5 percent. (At last check, Palm was still in the low single digits, but that could change markedly with the new Pre.) As CNNMoney.com points out, compared with the third quarter of 2008–just six months prior–RIM had just 40.4 percent, while Apple commanded a whopping 30.1 percent.
“The buzz about other signature devices can make people overlook RIM’s success,” said Ryan Reith, senior research analyst at IDC, in the article. Analysts cite RIM’s business expertise, competitive pricing, and new lineup of consumer products as reason for the company’s continued sales surge. One Gartner analyst said in the report that RIM shouldn’t get too comfortable, because its UI is falling behind–something I’m inclined to agree with.
As is happening more and more with reports like this, there’s no mention of Windows Mobile whatsoever–or, disappointingly, Android, which had plenty of promise out of the gate but appears to be stalled in the U.S. market.
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Jun 18

Verizon Launches USB1000 Global Modem

Posted in: Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless

usb1000.jpgVerizon Wireless today launched their first truly global USB modem, the USB1000. Designed by Novatel Wireless, the USB1000 combines – get this – CDMA EVDO Rev A on 850/1900 MHz, HSDPA/HSUPA on 850/1900/2100 MHz, and GSM/EDGE on 850/900/1800/1900 MHz. In English, that means it can access high-speed networks here and abroad; it comes with a special SIM built in for when travelers leave the US. All that network switching comes thanks to a Qualcomm MDM1000 Gobi chip set.

The USB1000 works with Windows XP and Vista, but not Macs or Linux machines. It will cost $149.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year contract once it goes on sale on Friday, June 19.
To use the global modem, you’ll need a global service plan. Verizon’s $129.99 monthly plan gives you 5 GB at home and 100 MB in 31 countries. Raising the fee to $219.99/month raises the international data limit to 200 MB. Otherwise, you’re paying a harsh $20/MB – yes, that’s per megabyte – when you go abroad.
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Jun 18

Motorola Announces HX1 Headset, Goes Up Against Jawbone

Posted in: bluetooth, Today's Chili

moto-hx01.jpgMotorola today announced a new noise-canceling Bluetooth headset that uses “true bone conduction technology” to transmit voices from extremely noisy environments. By using the word “bone,” of course, Moto not only makes teenage boys around the world giggle, but directly positions themselves against the Aliph Jawbone Prime headset.

The new Endeavor HX01 headset uses Motorola’s CrystalTalk voice system in most situations; that software has worked well on their existing H15 headset. But the HX1’s new “stealth mode” transmits your “vocal vibrations,” supposedly totally cutting off outside noise – though, I’m sure, at the expense of voice quality. The Jawbone Prime doesn’t actually use bone conduction in the same way; rather, it uses a bone-conducting sensor to tell when you’re talking. It’ll be interesting to see how well the Endeavor’s approach works.

The HX1 will be available starting in July. Motorola didn’t announce a price.
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Jun 17

T-Mobile Announces Dash 3G, Upcoming Android Phone

Posted in: Smart Devices, Today's Chili

dash-3g.jpgT-Mobile today rolled out a new Windows Mobile smart phone and a Google Android teaser. The T-Mobile Dash 3G is a T-Mobilized version of the HTC Snap, a non-touchscreen Windows Mobile phone which replaces the successful Dash in T-Mobile’s lineup. The Dash was sort of a BlackBerry-without-BlackBerry, an inexpensive smart phone focused on messaging that leveraged Microsoft’s decent text messaging client and terrific Exchange e-mail support. The Dash 3G is the same, but better-looking and 3G.

T-Mobile says the Dash 3G will be available in July; they didn’t announce a price.

As for that teaser, T-Mobile says they’ll tell us about their next Google Android phone next week. We’re pretty sure it’s the Google Ion, aka the HTC Magic, which our editor Mark Hachman got some quality time with recently. You can check out his hands-on here on Gearlog.

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Jun 17

Verizon Adds More Companies, OnStar to Telemarketing Suit

Posted in: Today's Chili, verizon

verizon telemarketer.jpg

Verizon on Wednesday updated a lawsuit it filed in March to accuse more companies of making illegal telemarketing calls regarding car warranties. OnStar also joined Verizon in the suit, which now targets nine companies in total.

OnStar provides vehicle-based consumer assistance. Users received more than 400,000 telemarketing calls earlier this year, most of which were automatically answered by OnStar’s equipment. Since OnStar handles emergency calls, all calls must be answered, so the influx of calls affected the system, Verizon said.

“These telemarketers continue to prey on our customers using illegal methods to reach them on their wireless phones,” Steven E. Zipperstein, vice president and general counsel at Verizon Wireless, said in a statement. “This litigation is aimed not just at the telemarketers, but also at those who enable their unlawful conduct with technological assistance. We will not rest until they stop invading our customers’ privacy.”

Since January 2008, more than 2 million Verizon Wireless customers have received calls from numbers starting with 281, 614, 801, and 562 area codes.

Those who answer their phones hear a pre-recorded voice that tells them their car warranties are about to expire, and requests that they press 1 for more information. They are then directed to an operator who asks them for the make and model of the car, but if callers ask questions, the call is disconnected.

In February, St. Louis-based National Auto Warranty Services and Florida-based Explicit Media, doing business as Voice Solutions, were forced to pay a $50,000 fine for making these telemarketing calls to Verizon customers. Verizon donated the funds to actress Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation.

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Jun 17

Senator Kerry Questions ATT iPhone Exclusivity

Posted in: att, iPhone, politics, Today's Chili, Wireless

Apple_iPhone_Pics.jpg

AT&T may love its exclusive agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone, but it may not be long for this world. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), along with senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), have asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate whether “exclusivity agreements unfairly restrict consumer choice or adversely impact competition in the commercial wireless marketplace,” according to MediaPost.
Kerry has also written a blog post entitled “Who Really Owns Your iPhone?” that argues these contracts limit consumers’ ability to use the newest phones–something we have been saying for ages and ages.
“Today, we’ve got a wireless marketplace where four companies account for more than 85 percent of all subscribers. These large carriers strike deals with the companies creating the newest and most innovative phones, leaving smaller regional wireless carriers without access to the latest technologies to attract consumers,” he wrote. No word yet on a response from AT&T or Apple.
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Jun 17

ATT Accelerates Upgrade Eligibility for iPhone 3G S

Posted in: Apple, att, Today's Chili

iphone-3gs-price.jpg

Not too jazzed about the prospect of paying up to $500 to upgrade your iPhone 3G to an iPhone 3G S? AT&T has apparently heard your complaints and announced an accelerated upgrade schedule Wednesday for customers who want the new device.

Customers who will be upgrade eligible in July, August, or September 2009 will now qualify starting Friday, June 19, AT&T said.

In general, AT&T provides special upgrade options to customers who pay more than $99 a month for service plans and have completed between 12 and 18 months of their two-year contracts.

Given that the iPhone 3G was only released 11 months ago, very few people currently qualify for an upgrade and would have to pay $399 for a 16GB iPhone 3G S and $499 for the 32GB device.

“We’ve been listening to our customers. And since many of our iPhone 3G customers are early adopters and literally weeks shy of being upgrade eligible due to iPhone 3G S launching 11 months after iPhone 3G, we’re extending the window of upgrade eligibility for a limited time,” AT&T said in a statement.

Under this promotion, people who pay more than $99 a month and are set to become eligible in the next few months will be able to buy the 16 GB iPhone 3G S for $199 and the 32GB for $299.

Get the rest of this story at pcmag.com.

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