Hasta La Gadget!

We are all familiar with Moore’s law. The observation made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that the density of semiconductors doubles roughly every eighteen months. The net result? It’s always going to be better faster and cheaper. Certainly that’s been true of the phone space, with large screens, fast processors and lots of storage.

In the last few weeks alone I’ve looked at new phones with 1Ghz processors, the latest and greatest software platforms from Google and RIM… but it’s been one little gadget that’s caught my attention and it totally bucks the trend. What device? It’s the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro — which is a lot of name for a small phone — and it shows some very different thinking about what a smartphone is. In theory, this isn’t a phone that I should like. Instead of a large 4.3-inch screen, it’s running a 2.55-inch screen at 240 x 320 resolution. Don’t look for a 1Ghz processor here. It’s got an ARMv6 revision 5 processor at 600Mhz. Finally, forget Froyo or even Eclair. This thing’s got Android 1.6 on it and may never get updated to the latest and greatest. Despite all that, I think Sony Ericsson has a potential hit on their hands if they decide to bring this to the US later this year as they said they plan to. Why am I so enamored?

Continue reading Entelligence: when less beats Moore

Entelligence: when less beats Moore originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Before the mass adoption of smartphones in the U.S., many fretted that the heavy subsidization model was feeding a free handset model that would keep Americans hopelessly addicted to basic voice plans and phones optimized for them. The price consumers paid in relation to the value of the handset, it was argued, was hopelessly out of whack. This year, a string of successful smartphones have shown that an increasing percentage of U.S. consumers are willing to pay $200 for a flagship device. On the other hand, there’s still ample evidence that price and value can remain disconnected. And the carriers aren’t making it much easier.

The smartphone surge has been driven in part by a desire to acquire the best and by a response to carrier advertising. However, a recent run-up in advanced smartphones have made it difficult to define a clear top of the line at many carriers, and carriers simply cannot promote them all with the same attention lavished on the iPhone or original Droid. Take the turn of events at Verizon, for example, which in the space of a few months has rolled out the Droid Incredible, Droid X and Droid 2, with the Samsung Fascinate in the wings. At least the first three have been all priced at $199, with strong precedent for the Fascinate coming in at that level. And while AT&T has been a bit more diverse in the operating systems of its recent spate of high-end contenders — the iPhone 4, BlackBerry Torch and Samsung Captivate — they too have all been priced at $199.

Continue reading Switched On: Gluts and glory

Switched On: Gluts and glory originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

The moon has only four major phases, but as the Zune — that satellite around Microsoft’s gravitational pull — enters a familiar fifth phase, what some consider a pale reflection of the iPod has made few waves despite inspiring its share of romantics. Zune began as a new salvo against the iPod as Microsoft grew frustrated in its attempts to make inroads versus Apple’s soaring digital media device with its abysmally named and convoluted PlaysForSure rights management scheme. PlaysForSure had actually achieved some level of acceptance on digital music players and even handsets, but as Steve Ballmer has explained, devices that sell in the tens of millions of units per year — as opposed to hundreds of millions like PCs and handsets (Kin notwithstanding) — can be a good opportunity for vertical integration of hardware and software.

And so was born Zune, welcoming us to the social with its chunky profile, brown color option, “double shot” facade and the quirky and later abandoned WiFi-based song-squirting sharing feature. Its next major iteration introduced the “squircle” — a rounded square clickable trackpad that surpassed the click wheel just as Apple was gearing up for the game-changing iPod touch: strike two.

Continue reading Switched On: ZuneForSure

Switched On: ZuneForSure originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he’ll explore where our industry is and where it’s going — on both micro and macro levels — with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

It’s generally a bad idea to extrapolate larger consumer behavior from personal experience and say “if I like it, surely everyone else will as well.” It’s a mistake that happens all the time, but there’s is one case where I will use my personal behavior to at least start the foundation for analysis — when I don’t want a new gadget or technology. Granted, sometimes I’m just not the target audience, but even then I’m usually able to remove myself from the process and say it might not be for me but others will love this. In the case of 3D TV, however, I think my lack of interest doesn’t bode well for the market.

I’m surprised by figures, forecasts, predictions and prophecies all showing a rosy outlook for 3D TV beginning as early as this year, because I’ve seen most of the 3D offerings available and I have no plans to buy — not now and not anytime soon. I should be a part of the core demographic for 3D: I like TV, movies and video games. I’m am early adopter. I have reasonable disposable income. I’m not afraid of betting on the wrong standard. And yet, I’m not buying. Here’s why.

Continue reading Entelligence: 3D TV falls flat for me

Entelligence: 3D TV falls flat for me originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he’ll explore where our industry is and where it’s going — on both micro and macro levels — with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

For every VHS, it seems there’s also a Betamax — a gadgets or standard that just didn’t live up to the expectations of the mass market at the time. Despite being loved by niche audiences, these folks just didn’t have what it took to make it to the big time. Here I celebrate some of my favorite gadgets and technologies that just couldn’t catch on with the populace at large.

Continue reading Entelligence: Five gadgets that could have and should have done better

Entelligence: Five gadgets that could have and should have done better originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 17:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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