Best Tech Ideas of 2009

‘The year’s “single best tech idea” is a simple trick that makes reading web pages a lot easier, writes David Pogue in the New York Times. Called Readability, “it’s a free button for your web browser’s toolbar.” Click it, and it “eliminates everything from the web page you’re reading except the text and photos. No ads, blinking, links, banners, promos, or anything else.”’

Some more of the list:

MiFi: This Novatel gadget, available from Verizon or Sprint, allows you to carry around your own personal hotspot.

Droid docks: The Motorola Droid is a fine phone, but its docks get the glory here. In the car, the dock turns the phone into a GPS system. At home, a “handsome” alarm clock and weather display.

ITYPE2GO: This $1 iPhone app is both funny and useful. Text and walk at the same time, safely: The app “superimposes what you’re typing over a live camera view, so you can see where you’re going even while you’re focused on the screen.” –complete list at NY Times

[Via http://pochp.wordpress.com]

Gaza then, Gaza now

My last piece was more of a report and musing on the events of the Gaza Freedom March. However, I want to publicize a more concrete action/reaction of Gaza in relation to the US Government.

Mohammad from Kabobfest wrote a concise, yet startling summary of conditions in Gaza. Including, but not limited to:

-Six months before the war, 70% of Gazans were surviving on less than $1 per day

-Prior to the war, the siege led to 98% of Gazan industrial operations become idle

-Before 2007, 70 truckloads left Gaza with exports per day. After the blockade, there have been zero.

Instead of responding with Humanitarian Aid (aside from a few Viva Palestina like operations), the United States and International community at large gave their tax money to Israel, allowing them to perform a siege that:

-Left 600,000 tons of rubble strewn across Gaza

-Destroyed 46% of farmland

-Lost 120,000 private sector jobs leaving 40% of Gazans jobless.

Though Israel executes this abuse of human rights, the United States enables it. It is essential that you find out how you can take a stand against this, publicize this information and educate those around you, and continue boycotting products (such as Motorola, who manufactured bomb fuses dropped during “Operation Cast Lead) to weaken Israel, demand justice, and right the wrongs.

(Resources for contacting/writing Congress)

[Via http://vocaleyes.wordpress.com]

Motorola mobile-phone business

Motorola apparently has reorganized to combat mobile  phone business in anticipation of its plans to split businesses into a separately traded.
china cell phone wholesale
(Credit: Motorola) Although that was Motorola, at a time yet to release is a statement about the changes that seem to develop products, rapid adaptation in response to consumer needs, reports the Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Reuters y.

Motorola has reported combining two categories of phones, mid / high level of features and mobile multimedia phones, into one department, according to the Tribune. And the name of a group of executives was Rob Shaddock, senior vice president of mobile devices, is the director of consumer products in the Journal and Reuters. The paper added that John Cipolla to Senior Vice President for half of the high-level products, Steve Lalla group supported by mass-market phones and Todd DeYoung focused control  has been promoted as a responsibility to ensure that the mobile phone company in proportion to the overall strategy and will be directed to the right market.
The market share of Motorola mobile decline mainly to a lack of compelling new products. Moving in January, under pressure from activist investor Carl Icahn, the company will consider separating the mobile phone unit from the rest of society in an effort to increase shareholder value and revive the struggling economy. Late last month, formally announced the project and has now held that a round of layoffs.

site:www.ebay-cellphone.com

[Via http://chinacellphones.wordpress.com]

Motorola MOTORIZR ROKR Z6 BLACK Unlocked

With their Razr, Krzr, and oddly fashionable Pebl lines, the goal of bringing new unlocked cell phone designs to keep customers intrigued is something that Motorola can be counted on doing. Now with the unlocked Motorola Z6, they have combined all the best aspects of past GSM cell phones in a spectacular package that is rounded out by great features. more Details…

[Via http://myphoneway.wordpress.com]

First Ever FoneFrenzy Podcast On Monday December 21st, 2009

That’s right! We are starting our Podcast this coming Monday. The Podcasts are going to cover the most relevant information in mobile technology. You can subscribe via iTunes, Zune, Juice, and Winamp or the player of your choice. We’ll put the time up later but expect it sometime Monday evening PDT via our feed.

So if you have something you would like us to cover in our first Podcast, leave a message on this post and we’ll pick out the best questions or topics and cover them on our Podcast. We’ll even give you credit for the question or topic so you can feel special.

[Via http://fonefrenzy.com]

Android 2.1 Ported To Motorola Droid

Sholes.info reportedly ported over the Flan Android 2.1 on Verizon’s Droid handset. Although the port was successful, there were quite a few problems with bringing over this build to the Droid. Below is a summary of a few of them:

1. Keyboard backlight is no longer functioning properly. The only way to get the keyboard to turn back on is to use the Power widget and toggle the brightness. This is a one-time fix and needs to be done repeatedly.

2. Superuser and the su binary for local root and escalated privileges no longer works (even if pushed to the device). If you drop to a terminal and execute “su” it seems like it wants to do something and then ultimately gives a “permission denied.”

3. Landscape mode app drawer acts weird. The little “home” icon on the screen is off-centered and when pressed launches the Camera application.

4. The Messaging app still notifies you of Messages even when it’s set not to.

5. The carrier shows up as T-CDMA 64

6. General, non-repeatable inconsistencies with the home screens. Issues like no longer being able to swipe to change home screens, or not being able to launch apps from the home screen.

7. Automatic brightness is also not working.

8. App drawer not working properly in landscape, probably because the phone it is for does not have a landscape mode in home, therefore, app drawer cannot handle displaying in landscape properly.

9. It seems that notifications are fairly jacked up as well. For instance, the Email app always makes a sound because the Default sound is set. But attempting to change it to “silent” results in a crash of the Email app itself.

Feeling like taking a stab at it with your coding guts? Here is a link to the image file. PLEASE NOTE: We are not responsible if you brick your phone.

[Via http://fonefrenzy.com]

Holiday party smackdown: Googlephone v. pigs-in-a-blanket

Sorry, Google. The apps (and by that we mean appetizers) won out.

At long last there is proof of Google’s (GOOG)  long-anticipated smartphone. Late last week, the online advertising giant started handing out an Android-powered phone to employees. While refusing to detail the specs, the official Google mobile blog refers to it as a “mobile lab.”

The Googley vagueness continues on the blog, where it is described as, “A device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities.”

Of course, the gadget-obsessed immediately ran to the Federal Communications Commission to get those specs, and photos have been popping up all over. So, we now (mostly) know that it is a sleek-looking touch-screen phone made by HTC, powered by a high-end Qualcomm (QCOM) processor and featuring the latest Android 2.1 OS. From the looks of things, this GSM phone could operate on any number of networks abroad, but seems destined at least for T-Mobile in the United States.

With all the Googlers eager to show off their new gizmos, and this, the calendric peak of the holiday party season, it was inevitable that in the Bay Area at least, the two would combine.  Sure enough, a friend attending a holiday party over the weekend in San Francisco with a number of Google folks making merry was presented with the new phone. “Mostly, I wanted to see the photo of the engagement ring that was on it,” she says, requesting anonymity. “It wasn’t an iPhone, and besides, there were pigs-in-a-blanket and these really good mini-cheeseburgers, and I was hungry, so I didn’t pay too much attention. “ So there you have it.

Table stakes: iPhone quality hardware

Discounting for a moment that this occurred in gadget-jaded Silicon Valley (and that the mini-cheeseburgers were really good), it does offer a point worth examining. Great hardware is the minimum starting point in the smartphone market these days, and it doesn’t get anyone’s blood racing by itself. As a piece of hardware, the Google phone, dubbed the Nexus One according to employees, had better be on par with an iPhone. If not, as we have seen time and again with would-be competitors, it will be a non-starter.

Let’s assume Google’s phone is tip-top in the hardware department. What sells smartphones these days has as much to do with the software running the phone and the applications available as the hardware. Again, Apple (AAPL) leads the pack by a wide margin with its mobile apps store.

Google’s open-source mobile OS Android has been getting mostly good reviews, especially in its latest incarnation running on Motorola’s (MOT) Droid phone. What Google needs to do, however, is get more Android phones out there to attract more developers and get the critical application mass it needs.

What has everyone most excited at the moment is the (rumored) prospect that Google will sell its Nexus One as an unlocked, carrier-agnostic piece of gear starting in January. Fine, as long as the phone is still relatively cheap. If Google comes out with a $500 unlocked phone, it will fade as quickly as all of Nokia’s similar unlocked and pricey efforts.

But if Google sells its phone contract-free for the same $199 the iPhone sells for (with a two-year AT&T (T) contract) it will have a monster on its hands. How could that happen? Google, rather than a carrier could subsidize the phone, and make up the cost via mobile advertising (it just bought AdMob), or maybe just take a hit to build a market. Google can certainly afford it. Either way, Android gets very huge, very fast, and that is what Google really wants.

Would that upset Google’s roster of current Android customers, including Motorola, Samsung and some of the wireless carriers? Sure it would, but this isn’t about the old-school wireless ecosystem, it’s about the mobile Web and Google’s designs to own it. If Google wants it, it needs to step up. If no? Those pigs-in-a-blanket sure look good.

[Via http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com]

Google Phone a Reality?

Is this the G-Phone?

There is strong news around the tech blogs that a HTC-made, Google Phone is in the wild amongst Google employees. Google did confirm that there is something brewing. This is very important because currently Google just develops the Android OS, while it is up to manufactures (like HTC, Motorola, etc.) to make the hardware. With the so-called Google Phone (or G-Phone) it would mean a phone fully developed by Google to their liking. You can expect tight integration between the hardware and software. For manufactures who implement the Android OS it could be uneasy news.
Here are the facts from TechCrunch: The hardware manufacturer of the “Google Phone” is HTC, and it will be sold as an unlocked GSM phone (so technically it would work on both T-Mobile and AT&T). The phone will be running Android 2.1. It will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and it will have a beautifully bright-lit OLED touchscreen. It has no physical keyboard, two mics (one mic will try to eliminate background noise), and a camera. Rumors are that it is thinner than the current iPhone. A projected release date of January 2010 has been mentioned.

For cell phone manufactures who are Android partners, this could take away from their sales. If the reports are true, the G-Phone definitely makes Apple’s iPhone 3GS look silly and dated. Where the Droid was equal to the iPhone, the G-Phone should eclipse both. Nokia and Symbian need to innovate now in order to keep their market share lead. For Palm and Microsoft, this marks the beginning of irrelevancy in the smartphone market. Lastly, Verizon gets left out on what potentially could be the best phone on the market.

The real winner? Google. It is the correct move for the company. It ensures extremely tight integration of software and hardware that rivals the iPhone. They can create their own branded phone and no one will stop them because they have the manufacturers by the balls with their amazing Android OS. This is something Microsoft never dared to do in the PC market…but then again this is what separates Google from the rest.

[Via http://jsubijano.wordpress.com]

Droid killed itself

This video is made on iPhone 3G S. iPhone is the only phone in the world on which you can do this kind of editing. You can add up clips,trim clips,change the speed of the video, make it reverse and add voice over.

Droid Does? No actually it sucks.

Droid can not have apps over 256 MB because Android has limitation. It can store apps only on internal memory not on Memory card. iPhone can have hundreds of wonderful apps.

Droid’s camera has focus problem its terribly slow. iPhone’s tap to focus is fast and effective

Android has hardly any app that can match the quality of Apps that Apple’s App store has.

Droid cant download video from websites. iPhone,iPhone 3G,iPhone 3G S and iPod Touch can directly download videos and full length movies from many websites

Droid cant play HD content  iPhone 3G S plays 1080 P video

iPhone lets you add any web link to your home screen for one tap access. And it has 11 Pages to store Apps,Web apps and Web links

Droid has only 3 Pages and 256 MB. How many widgets,apps and web links can you add?

Droid doesn’t have TV out. iPhone can stream HD movies from your computer over 3G or Wi-Fi and have it displayed on HD TV. So if you have iPhone throw DVD player to trash.

Droid talk about Multi Tasking which is the funniest part coz it cant let you talk and browse the internet simultaneously over 3G.

Droid is a technologically backward phone with false claims.

Verizon is so greedy that it wants money even on VoIP calls.

Yes on iPhone you can make unlimited calls to any US landline or mobile using VoIP. BUT if you want to make a call on Droid, you have to call a local no. from there you will be redirected to your desired destination.

No wonder Verizon(with VODAFONE) could manage to get only 1.2 million customer in last quarter and AT&T alone got 2 million.

On iPhone, you can talk and surf simultaneously over wi-fi and 3G. You can check mails while listening music. You can play Radio (FLYCAST) in the background. You can do Voice recording while surfing the web.

You can listen to songs while playing games. No matter what you are doing as soon as you get a message on any social network, you will notified immediately.

Droid has interchangeable batteries. Who gives a crap about it. Droid has no interesting features so may be Droid users will be changing batteries to keep themselves busy.

iPhone users has 100,000 ways to get entertained and be productive.

[Via http://senarstyle.wordpress.com]

Un bon article pour relativiser: Android : Nouveauté, révolution, évolution ? (source: le journal du Geek)

Je ne sais pas pour vous mais Android est devenu en quelques mois un peu l’OS mobile à la mode. D’ailleurs, quand on y repenss, dans le choix d’un smartphone, le hardware est devenu secondaire au bénéfice de l’OS que l’appareil embarque mais surtout de l’écosystème autour de l’OS. En effet, l’OS mobile est devenu, avec son écosystème, un élément essentiel dans le choix d’un smartphone. Je parle bien de smartphones et non de la téléphonie au sens large parce que bon, le grand public n’est pas encore, AMHA, sensible aux arguments marketings des différents OS.

Evidemment, qu’on aime ou pas, il faut remercier Apple et son iPhone pour avoir accélérer l’arrivée de l’internet mobile et donc la refonte de tous les acteurs du marché. D’ailleurs, en y repensant, ce sont les nouveaux venus qui ont quelque part réussi à tirer leur épingle du jeu puisque les acteurs historiques comme Windows Mobile ou Symbian sont encore en train d’essuyer les plâtres de leur virage pris à 2km/h excepté peut-être pour Blackberry qui a réussi à garder un OS plutôt agréable et un hardware cohérent.
Alors qu’Apple a imposé son OSX mobile en très peu de temps, c’est au même moment que Google lançait son Android, un OS mobile disponible en Open Source et à destination de tous les constructeurs. Du coup, les constructeurs n’avaient pas grand chose à perdre si ce n’était acquérir une license et surtout, avoir la possibilité de personnaliser l’OS de Google à leur image. Et donc quelque part, c’était tout bénèf, un minimum d’investissement, de l’Open Source pour la communauté et les développements ainsi qu’un capital sympathie qui gravite autour de Google et donc, de son OS. Le seul hic en fait était de savoir quand il fallait se lancer sur un terrain encore vierge pour Android mais ultra-concurrentiel avec OSX Mobile, Blackberry, Symbian S60 et Windows Mobile.

Du coup, c’est HTC qui a ouvert le bal avec deux modèles d’essai, les Dream et Magic, qui ont eu le mérite d’être les premiers sur le marché. A cette époque, point d’interface personnalisée constructeur encore, c’était l’interface pensée par Google et il faut dire que ce n’était pas super génial. C’était fluide mais il manquait quelque chose, c’était fade et ça se différenciait à peine des autres. Heureusement, HTC l’avait bien compris et avec leur expérience sur la personnalisation de Windows Mobile 6.1, la marque taiwanaise a sorti, le Hero, un nouveau smartphone sous Android avec cette fois une interface personnalisée comme la marque asiatique sait si bien faire. Nommée Sense, elle a permis à la fois de mettre en valeur HTC en tant qu’intégrateur et Android avec ses multiples possibilités. Le succès fut au rendez-vous et unanime. D’ailleurs, le Hero a souvent été présenté comme la seule alternative potable par rapport à l’iPhone d’Apple, et ce n’est pas rien.

Avec le Hero, les constructeurs ont pu voir l’accueil chaleureux que leur réservait le public pour peu qu’ils soient capable de sortir un smartphone avec une interface utilisateur pensée. Alors que HTC réitère avec un modèle d’entrée de gamme, le Tattoo et en attente du successeur du Hero qui devrait être annoncé lors de la Mobile Word Congress 2010 à Barcelone en février prochain, les autres marques ont annoncé à tout bout de champ la sortie l’année prochaine de gammes complètes dédiées à Android comme Samsung ou Acer.
On l’a vu plus haut, le succès d’un OS mobile ne dépend pas uniquement de l’interface mais aussi de l’écosystème qu’ils sont capables de gérer autour. On l’a vu avec l’iPhone couplé à iTunes , et bien chaque OS mobile essaie de recréer ce fameux duo, Android avec l’Android Market, Windows Mobile avec le Windows Marketplace, Blackberry avec son Blackberry AppStore ou encore Symbian avec l’OVI Store. De tous ces duos et en dehors du couple iPhone/iTunes, il faut dire que l’offre est plutôt maigre. Microsoft a d’ailleurs la palme avec un Marketplace des plus pauvres à sa sortie. Nokia s’en sort à peine mieux. En fait, RIM ne s’en sort pas trop mal et seul Google a réussi son entrée en tant que challenger. Certes, ce fut laborieux au départ mais avec les succès des HTC Hero et Motorola Droid, les développeurs arrivent de toute part et c’est pour notre plus grand plaisir, hein ?
Bon, ce n’est pas encore du niveau de l’AppStore d’Apple mais ça arrive plus vite qu’on ne pourrait le penser.

C’est donc en 2010 qu’on verra de plus en plus de mobiles sous Android et mieux encore, on aura de plus en plus d’interfaces personnalisées à la Sense de HTC. D’ailleurs, en tant que Geek, on est impatient de voir tous ces nouveaux modèles, en commençant avec le nouveau Motorola Milestone/Droid qui arrive dès le 15 décembre prochain en exclusivité chez RueduCommerce.com ou encore le Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. D’ailleurs, c’est assez drôle de voir comment l’OS mobile de Google a réussi à redorer l’image ou plutôt le capital sympathie pour certaines marques en perte de vitesse, je pense notamment à Motorola ou Sony Ericsson. Peut-être reverra-t-on des marques déchues comme Sagem ou Alcatel ? D’ailleurs, Sagemcom semble très actif en ce moment mais on en reparlera plus tard.

Et ce n’est pas fini, puisqu’Android a la particularité de ne pas s’adresser qu’aux mobiles ou smartphones mais aussi aux MID ou tablettes Internet. D’ailleurs, il en existe déjà une sur le marché avec l’Archos 5 Internet Tablet qui reprend ce qui a fait succès de l’Archos 5 mais maintenant avec Android comme OS embarquée. Bon, ce n’est pas encore certifiée par Google mais avec la sortie (déjà) d’Android 2.0, ça devrait faciliter le travail d’intégration d’Archos qui, pour l’instant, fait un peu tout à la mano pour rentre compatible sa tablette internet avec Android.

De même que pour les MID et les tablettes internet, Android arrive aussi sur les netbooks, on le voit déjà sur l’Acer Aspire One D250. Certes, on peut se demander l’intérêt d’un OS mobile sur un netbook mais pourquoi pas. D’ailleurs, avoir la même interface pour ses appareils de la vie de tous les jours, ce n’est pas plus mal, non ? On pourra noter cependant qu’Android permet d’avoir un OS opérationnel en quelques secondes et c’est plutôt utile dans le cadre d’une utilisation tournée vers internet et les mails.
On est encore dans les prémices et beaucoup de choses peuvent encore changer, Apple n’a toujours pas annoncé sa tablette internet, le nouveau Maemo de Nokia n’en est encore qu’à ses débuts mais semble prometteur, Windows Mobile arrivera sans doute un jour à maturité, surtout quand on voit ce que peut faire Windows Mobile 7 (voir le Zune HD par exemple). Bref, il y a encore plein d’interrogations et c’est dans doute en 2011 voire 2012 qu’on verra si un éditeur aura réussi à détrôner Apple ou pas.

http://www.journaldugeek.com/2009/12/06/android-nouveaute-revolution-evolution/

[Via http://huguesrey.wordpress.com]

Motorola Sholes Tablet - Upgrade Conundrum Continued

I see what’s happening now, I’m clearly about to enter a 6-7 month period where I am paralytically afraid to upgrade due to the impending Best Phone Ever
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™ being released just a month from whenever I begin to feel slightly safe to upgrade.

I made brief reference to the Sholes Tablet in my post on the HTC Passion a couple weeks ago, but a few new images have slipped out courtesy of a Boy Genius Report find that seem to confirm a few of the interesting upgrades from the existing Droid in the form of an HDMI port, an 8 megapixel camera, and finally a xenon flash. Other than going on a no keyboard diet the rest of the phone remains exactly the same as the Droid we know today.

Dropping the keyboard I don’t need, adding the HDMI port and to a lesser degree the xenon flash are the only things of interest to me here. The jump to 8 megapixels is more concerning than exciting as we’ve seen time and again that getting too far ahead in the megapixel race just leads to noisy unsatisfactory photos and video. Other than what most interpret to be a software related glitch to the Droid camera right now I’ve seen mostly positive things about it so hopefully Motorola is managing to at least maintain that standard here.

I’ve seen a few people on various forums and blogs whining that an HDMI port is unnecessary and a waste of space and I couldn’t disagree more. Obviously this isn’t the sort of thing you are likely to use every day, but with the multimedia capabilities of these phones I think a video out is an absolute no brainer and why would you hit short of an HDMI port given the choice. It would be great to just pull out the HDMI cable when visiting my family and display all the new photos and videos of my daughter’s shenanigans.

So what are we looking at here Motorola? Two months? Six months? The Droid is likely going BOGO as early as tomorrow; one would assume that means the HTC Passion is coming in the next two weeks as previously predicted. Once upon a time that would have made me think that I was safe to upgrade as nothing new would be coming down the pike for several months, sadly/thankfully those days are done.

Seeing this seemingly near production quality Sholes Tablet have anyone back in a holding pattern or is it still bring on the Passion and the Sholes Tablet can be damned to the same black hole of mystery as the oft rumored VeriPhone?

[Via http://technogasms.wordpress.com]

Motorola Aura - Expensive Motorola Phone, But is it Worth the Price Tag?

Motorola is offering a new Aura mobile phone to all of those individuals who are looking for a new phone. When it comes to this new cell phone, we believe you will really enjoy it as it is just what you need. For years, we have been waiting for a great new mobile phone like this, but it seems no one wanted to make it. Then along came Motorola and we are very thankful for this handset. What is all this about over a little device? Well, we are going to tell you that within this article.

First, we would like to start by telling you that the new Motorola Aura mobile phone is well worth the money and if you have the money, then you should get this gadget. We’re sorry if we sound like a sales add, it is just that we are very excited about this new phone and we would like to get the news out. This new handset is highly fashionable and that is what we have been looking for. When you walk past the Motorola Aura, it will be sure to gain your attention, because it has a round interface. If you look at the other mobile phones, you are not going to find a round interface that is quite like this one. This is because the lens is made from real sapphire crystal. We don’t believe there is any cell phone that has a lens made from sapphire crystal.

We believe this was a perfect invention because cell phone lens are known for being scratched. Yes, cell phones get shoved in pockets, shoved in corners and shoved in purses; they are doomed to be scratched. This is not the case with this new device because Motorola made it almost impossible for the screen to get scratched. The screen resolution on this new phone is also out of this world. You will be getting high resolution that offers you sixteen million colors and don’t forget about the 300 DPI. Now, you are probably trying to figure out if there are sixteen million different colors, but there is and this cell phone proves it.

Once you get past the looks of this new cell phone, you will see that it has some great things to offer. Whilst it may not have as great of a camera as the other cell phones, it has a 2 -megapixel camera. However, the looks and the communication make up for the camera. This new phone also has 2 GB of memory that has been built in, so you should never have any problems with running out of room for the memory. You will be able to hold tons of messages, e-mails and don’t forget about the calendar that comes with this cell phone. When you purchase the sell phone, you will be getting just what you should expect from a cell phone, a great communication device that will never let you down.

The Motorola Aura has recently been joined by the new Motorola Jewel flip phone, for further details on both of these new models please visit our mobile phone website.

[Via http://212myblog.wordpress.com]

Most modern Apple iPhone 3G Black 16GB

The biggest change is on the back of the iPhone 3G, which is now made of smooth but durable black plastic instead of the aluminum back found on the first iPhone. Apple iPhone 3G Black is an update to the popular iPhone 3G, itself an update of the original iPhone. The third generation smartphone is available in 16GB and 32GB varieties, both of which can be had in black or white.

 

The iPhone 2megapixel camera appears to be identical in quality to the original, which is to say pretty good outdoors and somewhat iffier indoors.

 

On top of the application store support and enterprise features, the iPhone 2.0 software also includes several new end user features as well. Very handy tools like contact search, and full work support complements the already available Microsoft Office file format support, with the phone also being able to open PowerPoint presentations. With iPhone 2.0 you can also bulk delete messages from apps like Mail, and parental controls have been added to control the spending and viewing habits of the younger audience.

 

Second, the iPhone 3G feels better in the hand and is less slippery. The only downside is that the glossy back, like the front, picks up fingerprints quickly. The updated email client works with IMAP and POP3 accounts and has presets for Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, and Apple, but the big story is Microsoft Exchange support, making the iPhone a viable business phone. MS Exchange ActiveSync also lets you wirelessly sync contacts and calendars, and you can receive email on the phone as soon as it hits the server.

 

Another new feature is the built in GPS module, which adds real time position tracking to the Google Maps application. Lastly, the new iPhone has a non recessed 3.5mm headphone, so no adapter is required to use non Apple headsets. From the hardware perspective, one of the most anticipated enhancements to the platform is 3G data access, which gives the new iPhone its name simply the iPhone 3G. Despite the higher drain of 3G data, the battery life of the iPhone 3G remains solid up to 5 hours of 3G talk time and 300 hours standby is achievable. On GSM networks the iPhone 3G is rated for 10 hours of talk time. For more details: http://www.phoneandbeyond.com

[Via http://differentman.wordpress.com]

Android, the new Symbian?

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X10 has recently been announced with the awesome inclusion of the Android OS, but with multiple brands jumping on the bandwagon is Android treading a familiar and dangerous path?

Android operating systems are infiltrating the world’s handsets. Starting quietly on the innocuous HTC, the monster OS is sneaking its way onto giant brands such as Samsung, Philips, Motorola and soon Sony Ericsson. The consolidation of multiple brands to a single OS has rarely been seen before and is a testament to the usability of the system. It’s also a unified backing against the brilliant iPhone, whose exclusive operating system is showing no signs of migration and threatened to dominate the market before the multi-tasking Android made a case for itself as a serious contender. Placing Android alongside Palm’s WebOS, there are seemingly no other platforms which present a decent alternative to the iPhone’s utility and ease of use.

Frighteningly, the only previous operating system to successfully migrate between multiple brands is the limited and stagnant Symbian. Its original and usable design got stuck in the mud and was incapable of progressing at the same rate as the hardware; a bit like a Bugatti Veyron with a wind up choke or Michael Bolton. With the new Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 comes the responsibility of power, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor lurks inside the recently announced Android phone. Surprisingly the X10 is only going to run Android Donut, placing it firmly in the rear view mirror of the Motorola Droid and its Android Eclair upgrade despite possessing a sizeable chunk more power.

The very fact that the Eclair upgrade exists is proof that Android is still very much on the move, let’s hope that other brands see fit to employ the added goodness that Google, Android’s developer, have granted its OS. However, if major hardware makers like Sony Ericsson are unwilling to adopt upgraded operating systems, there’s a chance that development could slow just as it did with Symbian. Here’s hoping that Google doesn’t drop the ball on this OS and continues to push the boundaries of mobile technology or it might become a dinosaur like Symbian.

Charles Thompson

for more news and reviews get your free subscription of Phonica Magazine UK online here!

[Via http://phonicamaguk.wordpress.com]

Unboxing the HP Mini 311

Hot on the heels of the Motorola Droid, the friendly people a Verizon sent me an HP Mini 311-1037NR review unit!

It’s a netbook with an Intel Atom N270 processor, NVIDIA ION graphics, and an 11.6″ screen. Of particular interest to me is the Gobi radio from Qualcomm (built-in WWAN) which supports both EVDO and EDGE/HSDPA networks…

The Mini 311 is rather large for a netbook – even the Acer Aspire 1410, a regular notebook with a similar price, yet more powerful hardware, is slightly smaller and thinner. I recently wrote:

I think current netbooks are too big and bloated – 11.6″ screens and full keyboards are great but how about smaller packaging? To me, older netbooks with 9″ screens are still the ideal in terms of system size and weight.

Take a look at my unboxing pictures, and stay tuned for some mods – contrary to the Sony VAIO P, the Mini 311 already features a SIM slot, so enabling GSM/UMTS is only a matter of hacking the software

[Via http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com]

¡Un Compañero Práctico y Bonito: Motorola Z6!

 

El Motorola Z6 es un celular Práctico, de diseño innovador, muy bonito y comodo. Una de sus principales funciones es la del reproductor MP3. Si tu intención es un celular muy bonito, rápido, efectivo, para escuchar música, viajar seguido y mantenerte comunicado, el Z6 es el tuyo. Características: • Tamaño: 105.5 x 45.5 x 16 mm.
• Peso: 105 grs.
• Duración Batería: 220-420 min de voz / 200-400 hs Stand by
• Frecuencias: 850/900/1800/1900 Mhz
• Pantalla Color: Sí.
• Resolución: 320 x 240 / 262K Colores
• Cámara de Fotos: Sí.
• Zoom: 8x.
• Resolución de la cámara: 2mpx.
• Agenda Calendario: Sí.
• Posiciones Directorio: 500
• Calculadora: Sí.
• WAP/ GPRS: Sí. Versión WAP 2.0+
• EDGE: Si
• Mensajes Multimedia: Sí.
• Infrarrojo: No.
• Bluetooth: Sí.
• Tecnología Java: Sí.
• Memoria interna: 64mb.
• Discado por Voz : Sí.
• Vibra: Sí.
• EMS: Sí.
• SMS MO-MT: Sí.
• USB/ Mini USB: Síí
• Mail (POP3): Sí
• Reproductor MP3: Si.
• MP3 Ringtones:
• Video Streaming: Si
• Video Recording: Sí.
• Video Playback: Sí.
• Función modem para laptop: Sí.

[Via http://consejocel.wordpress.com]

What does Google gPhone mean to Android phone vendors?

Reports suggest that Google will partner with phone maker HTC to deliver the much hyped and awaited Google phone; the gPhone as some like to call it.  The Google branded phone is rumored to be out in early 2010 with advertising starting in January.

As PC World’s Ian Paul suggests, the driver behind a Google branded phone is to “own the customer experience” through the gPhone.  While this makes complete sense for Google, what does it mean for Android, and more importantly, handset manufacturers building  Android-based devices?

First, let’s consider whether Google would use Android improvements required for the gPhone as a competitive differentiator versus other Android handset makers.  The Android license doesn’t require derivative works to be contributed back. However, I’ll give “don’t be evil” Google the benefit of the doubt and assume that they will contribute Android improvements back to the Android community. In this respect, the gPhone helps the Android community.

Next, let’s look at brand.  Until now, Android-based handset manufactures have been able to trade on the Google brand.  Competing against the Google brand will be altogether different.  Matt Asay nails it when he concludes that Android is winning over Symbian because of Google’s brand.  Taken one step further, would a consumer purchase a Google gPhone over a similarly featured and priced Android-based phone from Motorola, LG or others?  I would.  Would a consumer pay more for a Google branded phone over, say the Motorola DROID? Yes, that’s why Google’s brand is the seventh highest valued brand according to BusinessWeek/Interbrand.

Finally, can Google actually design and manufacture a superior device versus Motorola, LG and other handset vendor?  That remains to be seen.  Google can hire experienced designers and work with manufacturers such as HTC.  Google expertise in creating compelling, yet easy to use, user experiences could be the competitive differentiator here.  If Google can come up with an innovative way to interact with the gPhone, akin to the iPhone’s “pinch to zoom out” or “flick to scroll”, then the gPhone starts to be real interesting.  These innovative interactions will require API support inside of Android and new hardware designs.  The former may be available to all Android handset vendors, while the latter would not, thereby providing Google another point of competitive differentiation.

In some respects the gPhone, which Google has insisted it had no interest in building, is a kick in the shins, or higher up, to Android handset makers.  Google, friend and foe at once seems like a common trend these days.

Follow me on twitter at: SavioRodrigues

PS: I should state: “The postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions.”

You Can't Ring & Ruin My Life!

Remember those days of carefree indulgence back in college or school or even the womb? You could do whatever you wished without anyone bothering you or asking you irritating questions. Life was so beautiful, with little misery to discover and a lot of fun to explore. Then, some jackass went and invented the mobile phone.

It’s bad enough to have one phone, but when you try to adhere to statistics (India has almost a 200% cell-phone penetration), you get stuck with two phones and a very short fuse. Constantly trying to please every one of the 900-odd contacts on both phones, most of whom just give you a missed call hoping you consider them important enough for you to call back, can be quite a challenge if you’re not taking anger management classes. Since my anger management involves some highly charged romantic moments with my girlfriend, whom I shall diplomatically call a bombshell, and since I can’t meet her as often as I would like to these days (due to our respective careers and not anything else), I am almost always one phone call away from losing my cool.

This morning, I had the (mis)fortune of running out of balance on my prepaid number and reach the end of the month’s grace period on my postpaid one, and at 9 in the morning, I was ‘temporarily disconnected’ from the entire world. It was such a beautiful feeling – I became nostalgic and went up on the terrace, placed both my phones in front of me and danced around in my underwear singing ‘It’s My Life’ and screaming,

“You can’t ring and ruin my life!
You can’t ring and ruin my life!
I control you, fuckers!
Tra-la-la-laaa….
You can’t ring… You can’t ruin my life…”

Just as the chorus built up a bit and I became more and more animated, one of the phones beeped. I stopped mid-sentence, “I control you fu-” and stared at the pair of life-ruiners in front of me. One of them definitely had beeped. Was I dreaming? I went closer, slowly, hesitantly, and saw that my Motorola phone was flashing “I New Message”.

How could this be? I knew for a fact that there was no balance in either of the phones. I couldn’t receive messages! This was not possible! Then, it struck me that if this phone could receive messages, then what’s stopping it from ringing! I let out a guttural scream of pain, grabbed both the phones and ran inside. When I flipped the phone open, the message was from a client of mine and it read, “Nikhil, can’t reach you. Please call.”

I felt like a piece of shit as I stood in line, trying to recharge both the phones, a few hours later.

Image Courtesy: Slate.com

Qik and Droid Together At Last - In DVD 720×480 Video Of Course

Not all Video Streaming sites are created equal and to prove it, Qik has announced a beta program for the Motorola Droid. The service allows you to post DVD quality video and stream it live in 720 X 480 quality.

With this device we are raising the bar on quality – yet again! Qik for Droid can now capture of DVD resolution (720×480) video – first ever by any live mobile video provider. If you are interested in giving this beta version a try send an email to droidbeta@qik.com

[via BGR]

more about “Qik and Droid Together At Last – In D…“, posted with vodpod

droid /'dɹɔɪd/

There was a frisson of excitement in the cellular telephony market a few days ago with the launch of a new mobile phone called the Droid. As the owner of a very old Motorola® MOTOKRZR™ phone and tied to the Verizon network, this new technology could be the ersatz iPhone® I have been looking for.

Motorola Droid

So, over the unseasonably warm Ohio weekend, I took a trip out on my Triumph® motorcycle to the local Verizon store, where I was able to get my hands on this new smartphone. It is, as the marketing suggests, a pretty cool device and offers the same general features as Apple® iPhone, as well as access to new apps – even if there are currently fewer on offer than the iTunes® store.

The word droid is clearly a contraction of android, which the OED defines as “An automaton resembling a human being.” (OED, Vol. I, p.452.) However, the phone in no way, shape, or form resembles a human being – unless the human being under consideration has had a horrific accident in a car crushing machine.

So how has this change comes about?

The first mention of android is in Ephraim Chambers’ Cyclopedia; or, an universal dictionary of arts and sciences, which was published between 1722 and 1751. Here, he says, “Albertus Magnus is recorded as having made a famous androides.”

By the mid-20th century, androids were also seen as being part human. The Spectator magazine on 19th September, 1958, said, “Today SF [science fiction - Ed.] must be more than a blood-and-sex day-dream spattered with words like android (robots made of flesh and bone).” This also marks the distinction between a robot (from the Czech word robota meaning “forced labor”) and android.

The use of the circumcised form, droid, appears to have originated in the first of the Star Wars series of movies back in 1977. Incidentally, this lopping off of the linguistic foreskin is called apocope, from the Greek apokope, which means “cut off.”

Imperial probe droid

This notion of Star Wars being the progenitor of droid is reinforced by the very recent filing for Droid as a trademark by Lucasfilm Ltd. They claim specifically that they want the mark reserved for;

“Wireless communications devices, including, mobile phones, cell phones, hand held devices and personal digital assistants, accessories and parts therefor, and related computer software and wireless telecommunications programs; mobile digital electronic devices for the sending and receiving of telephone calls, electronic mail, and other digital data, for use as a digital format audio player, and for use as a handheld computer, electronic organizer, electronic notepad, and digital camera; downloadable ring tones and screen savers; cameras, pagers and calling cards.”

I add all this information to highlight the fact that words can be very, very serious business. Many people think that etymologists (folks who are interested in word origins) are geeks who live in cloud cuckoo land. Not so. In fact, trademarking is an area of business where etymologists can be very useful folks to have around.

More interesting is that the filing comes now, just prior to the release of the Motorola Droid, which doesn’t appear with a trademark but is cited as being “under license from Lucasfilms Ltd.” The actual filing is dated October 9th, 2009, which looks suspiciously like a last-minute dash by the Lucas attorneys to snag the mark before Motorola.

The word android is rooted in the Greek word ὰνδρο, meaning “man,” and the suffix -ειδῄς, “having the likeness of.” It’s the same root as the word androgyne, a being with the physical characteristics of both a man and a woman. More commonly, the word hermaphrodite is used for such as blended person. This comes from the myth of Hermaphroditus, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, who became half-man, half-woman after the gods fused him with the nymph, Salmacis.

Salmacis and Hermaphroditus - Navez (1892)

The adjective form of the word is androidal, meaning “like an automaton,” but it is rare. A quick Google search reveals 150,000 ghits, most of which seem to be the names of companies.

Now not only can the iPhone brigade get their dose of The Word Guy on their phones but now the Droid set can join in with words on the web.

Motorola DEXT MB220 Unlocked Quadband

Motorola has been silent for a long time, but it has finally brought out the Dext – the first phone in years that can be spoken of in the same breath as the Palm Pre and HTC Hero.The Dext is a pretty big device, thanks to packing a full QWERTY keyboard and a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen. It feels like two phones merged together – with a super thin iPhone-a-like on top with a chunky physical keyboard beneath.Apart from its large and responsive touchscreen, the inclusion of a full keyboard on the Dext gives users the choice of text input. The keys are well formed and rubberised, with a decent amount of travel and space around them.

The Droid

Tomorrow will be a very exciting day. Tomorrow is the launch day for Verizon’s new kickass Android device. It’s about time Android came to Verizon. The Motorola Droid is going to be the number one Android device out, at least for now. It’s going to be running the same processor as the iPhone, have a huge touch screen display, and a 5 megapixel camera. It’s pretty exciting stuff that there will finally be a phone that can play in the same league as the iPhone on the best network around.

I’m pretty excited to dump my Storm and get a Droid. The Storm is a piece of junk, and I’m pretty positive the Droid will eat it alive. It’ll be nice to have a hardware keyboard, the best mobile operating system out there, and all kinds of other awesome stuff (like turn by turn navigation) on America’s Most Reliable Network (with the most 3G coverage). The best of both worlds. Tomorrow.

If you want to learn more about the Droid check out the review on endgadget – here.

iPhone 3GS vs Motorola Droid, comparación en vídeo

Una comparativa de ambos teléfonos ya era absolutamente necesaria. En un lado del ring tenemos al actual rey (iPhone 3GS) y culpable de la revolución que ha visto el mercado de la telefonía últimamente. En el otro, tenemos al aspirante (Motorola Droid) con procesador más pontente, más pantalla y un sistema operativo Android 2.0 de lo más atractivo. ¿Quién va a ganar?

Funete: Engadget

More Details on the Motorola Droid & Other DROID Devices.

Motorola Droid

Well if you don’t already know, the Motorola Droid is kinda a big deal for Verizon, Google, and Motorola. Reviews around the tech industry are positive about the Android-powered device (see links below). To sum up the past several weeks of information, DROID is a series of phones on Verizon that will be running Google’s Android OS. HTC will be releasing Droid Eris on Verizon’s Network also. But the Motorola Droid is Verizon’s flagship handset for the DROID lineup right now.

Also there is confirmation of a GSM-version of the Motorola Droid to be released in Europe. Overseas the device is known as the Motorola Milestone. As of right now, the Euro-version does have multi-touch support (meaning you can do finger gestures like pinch zooming a la Apple iPhone), which the US version has not confirmed or demoed – score one for the Europeans. However, U.S. GSM users at AT&T and T-Mobile should not expect the Motorola Droid/Milestone to come out in GSM form stateside, but nothing is stopping them from nabbing a Euro-version.

The Motorola Droid will be released in Verizon stores nationwide on Friday, November 6th at a price of $200 on contract of course. Several of the Verizon Wireless stores nationwide will be opening at 7am or 8am local time to launch their flagship device. Also the cool dock cost $30. With the marketing blitz and tremendous specs and rave reviews, expect the Motorola Droid to be a success.

Gizmodo’s Android 2.0 Review (this is the OS in the Motorola Droid)

Gizmodo’s Motorola Droid Review

Gizmodo’s Google Navigator Review (this is included in the Motorola Droid)

Engadget’s “Panel of Thoughts” on the Droid

Engadget’s Motorola Droid Review

CNET’s Motorola Droid Review

PCWorld’s Motorola Droid Review

My Thoughts on Motorola Droid

Google Navigator

Droid + Dock

So Happy Together...

Droid Startup

Droid/Milestone EURO-version Hands On (with Multi-Touch)

Credits to Engadget.com & Gizmodo.com!

Gold Stars For Motorola, McDonalds; Trader Joes - Vonage Sits In The Corner

Remember this mystery I shared in last week’s blog?

Let me refresh your memory:

Here’s another mystery.  Currently I connect Comcast -> Motorola Surfboard Surfboard SB5101 Modem – > Vonage V-Portal -> Computer

1. If I try to eliminate the Vonage V-Portal for tests, I can’t connect to the Internet via Comcast -> Motorola Surfboard SB5101 Modem – > Computer, without rebooting the modem
2. If I perform action #1, then I can’t connect to the Internet via Comcast -> Motorola Surfboard Surfboard SB5101 Modem – > Vonage V-Portal -> Computer, without rebooting the Modem, followed by rebooting the Vonage V-portal.

I did contact Motorola technical support and they shared this with me:

“The SB5101 uses a Lease table to assign IP addresses to devices. When the modem is connected to the internet service provider, it only has one IP address to assign: the IP address that the ISP gives you. Once a device connects to the modem and obtains that IP address, the modem associates the two together in its lease table. The modem will keep those two associated for an unknown amount of time even after the device is shut down or disconnected from the modem. When you power cycle the modem, this clears that Lease table and allows any device to obtain that IP address.”

“This method of assigning IP addresses has been addressed in newer versions of the modem’s firmware so that it will dynamically update the lease table for any device without the need of a power cycle. Unfortunately, the ISP controls the firmware, so you cannot upgrade that firmware yourself. The ISP automatically updates the firmware on all modems installed on their network to be sure they match what their systems support. This also includes downgrading firmware to versions that their systems support.”

“The only thing you could do at this point is to either contact your ISP to see if they will update your firmware for you. If they will not, then we’ll have to stick to power cycling the modem each time you switch the connection.”

“Alternatively, you could also purchase a router to connect to the SB5101. That way, the router would handle all the IP Addressing and the modem would only have to recognize the connection to a single device: the router.”

Vonage Lessons learned:

Time to beat up Vonage…to be fair, I’m not anti-Vonage (companies like Lingo probably wouldn’t fair much better) .  This week, I tested talking to the University of South Africa via Vonage – very nice – when 0% packet loss.  I’ll wait a year and see…do they fix their problems?

At least I give Motorola credit.  They knew what the problem was – shared the current status – then confirmed a firmware fix would arrive, in the near future.

Remember my discovery in last week’s blog with Vonage?

OK Vonage – give me an explanation (Or for that matter, any competitors like Lingo can take a stab):

1. How come when I run tests with http://www.pingtest.net and http://www.voipreview.org, they both show a significant packet loss – at the same time I experience voice degradation via Vonage?
2. How come every time I recycle your device for 30 seconds – then run tests on with http://www.pingtest.net and http://www.voipreview.org, they both show zero packet loss – at the same time I experience excellent voice quality via Vonage?

“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.” -  Douglas Adams

Let me share a cool layman’s article on packet loss at http://is.gd/4JhHN, before I discuss my technology discoveries this week.  Another article by the same author at http://is.gd/4Ji1D,  shares an interesting thought: “In my experience, and that of others I’ve seen on the forums, Vonage devices seem to work better when placed behind a more effective router.”  Would this minimize my packet loss concern?  Maybe I test this with inexpensive routers, like those found at http://is.gd/4JkFx or  http://is.gd/4JjOI?

1. Vonage tech support says things like, “it could be anything.  It might be the router, the Comcast connection… blah, blah, blah.”  A former Motorola electrical engineer – who has several patent applications over the years…designed and build cell phones…says it’s the Vonage router.   I also contacted a “computer hardware genius”, studying computer engineering technology at DeVry University …says it’s the Vonage router.   Common sense says that if I power down their device…then power back up…where packet loss is non-existent…it’s the Vonage router.   What do you think?
2. I had a strange problem this week, where I worked with Vonage level 3 support (normally I get level 2).  The level 3 support person spent 4 hours with me, trying to diagnose the problem.  We came away with a mutual respect for each other.
3. The problem in item 2 was a Comcast issue.  My Motorola Comcast modem is leased by Comcast.  Guess what they did?  They unregistered my modem on their side.  Why?  They mixed my account up with some other account.   Excuse me?  You win the Curly Stooge tech support award.
4. I mentioned that Google Voice works well with Gizmo5 (see http://www.gizmovoice.com/).  Question: If I took a laptop to Mexico and initiated a call to a US number – would that constitute a free call?
5. I now have Windows 7 running and I’m impressed.  Office Depot will install Windows 7 free in store – regardless of where you brought it http://is.gd/4I5fI

Or ask this question of Vonage – What is your definition of “unlimited service?”:

I recall seeing some Vonage TV commercials where they advertised unlimited world service.   Yet if you carefully review their terms of service, they state that 5,000 minutes/month  is what they consider normal, for usage with normal residential plans.  Where did they get this number?  Especially when Skype considers 10,000 minutes/month normal for their unlimited plan?

Or things like they can cancel a 30 day money back guarantee any time – without notice?

Suppose you brought sometime from the Internet.  They offered a 30 day money back guarantee (like Magic Jack does).  You  send the product back after 15 days.  They refuse to refund the money, because they claim they can cancel a 30 day return policy any time.

How would you feel?  Tell me!

This is similar to some Magic Jack complaints I found via Google.  Yet Magic Jack has no excuse -  Vonage does – it’s stated in their “terms of service”.

Or (if I read this correctly), if you don’t cancel within a precise time frame – after one year of service – they can automatically renew you for another year?

What?  Come again?  I feel like I’m an actor in the TV series Star Gate – in order to return to earth, I need to enter the Star Gate within a certain time frame.  Else, I’m stuck on a remote alien outpost for another year.

There’s So Many “Loopholes” in Vonage’s “Terms of Service”, an elephant can squeeze through – Lingo probably wouldn’t fair any better – didn’t  they change their contract length from 1 to 2 years a few months ago?

One good thing I did was to buy another surge protector.  Why?  Plug the Vonage device into surge protector 2.  Plug surge protector 2, the Motorola Cable modem, and other electrical components into surge protector 1.  If I need to reboot the Vonage device, I just use the surge protector’s off/on switch.  I can even boot the modem – followed by the Vonage V-portal – all by using surge protectors’ off/on switches.

McDonald’s Now

I’m not sure if you visited the McDonalds’ headquarters in Oak Brook.  I have several times over the years.   There used to be this former Roman Catholic priest (now deceased), who became a spiritual healer.  Someone in his audience worked at McDonalds, so they were able to hold spiritual healing seminars there.

Someone else I knew had a connection with McDonalds.  There were different presenters of homeopathic medical topics, over the years.  It’s interesting that many medical doctors were audience members.  There’s actually no disconnect between homeopathic medicine and spiritual healing.  I find them to be quite complimentary.  You can ever throw in traditional medicine into the mix and I would see them as potentially fitting together.

Speaking of McDonalds – their coffee is very good!  Let’s not forget the excellent price also!  I know some would rather pay he premium prize for Starbucks.  Or buy these very expensive beans, rather than the excellent Trader  Joe  (a grocery store chain) “Joe” variety.  I’ll tell you what.  I rather invest the money I save, not going to Starbucks.  Let me stick with McDonalds and Trader Joes store blends.

Blog: http://b2b-techcopy.net
Business: http://b2b-techcopy.com

The Motorola DROID: Verizon's iPhone Cure

Motorola is releasing their antidote to the iPhone sickness with the DROID. The Droid is an Android phone that will be front and center on Verizon on November 6th for $199 (with a contract). (Funny that Verizon’s CEO stated that Apple’s decision to let the iPhone run on Verizon was all theirs, especially considering Verizon was the first to REJECT the iPhone.)

Android 2.0 will be front and center, along with Visual Voicemail, a 3.7-inch display (854 x 480 resolution), 5 megapixel camera (with dual-LED flash), a bundled 16GB memory card and a beta version of Google Maps Navigation. There’s also a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 3G, WiFi, voice-activated search and over-the-air Amazon MP3 downloads.

HTC: Your next fave smartphone?

The largest smartphone maker you’ve never heard of wants to capture the hearts – and dollars – of the U.S. consumer.

Motorola’s (MOT) Droid phone is getting a ton of buzz, and that’s by design. Verizon Wireless (VZ) chief Marketing Officer John Stratton has said the marketing campaign behind its iPhone competitor will be the largest in its history.

But the Google (GOOG)-powered device isn’t the only smartphone the company is likely to begin selling at the start of November. Though no one has officially confirmed, the carrier is expected to announce a second device that will also run on Google’s  Android operating system at half the price: the HTC Droid Eris.

Haven’t heard of HTC? You aren’t alone.

Since 1997, the Taiwanese smartphone maker has built a business out of creating “white label” devices for companies like T-Mobile (DT) and Palm (PALM) to brand and distribute. It’s been lucrative. After Apple (AAPL) and RIM (RIMM), which together command 73% of the North American market according to IDC, HTC ranks third. That’s right: No. 3.

Though it only has seven percent of the market, that figure doesn’t tell the whole story. Until recently, HTC simply never put its name on phones it made. (For example, most of the devices represented by T-Mobile, which has six percent of the market, are made by HTC.)

From “white label” to consumer brand

But as the market heats up, HTC wants to be more than a white-label hardware provider. Jason MacKenzie, who runs HTC’s North America operations out of Seattle, calls it a “major shift in strategy.”

So last December, HTC bought the San Francisco based design firm One & Co so the designers could work more closely with its engineers. HTC’s latest devices sport the company’s logo. And this fall, HTC made its largest investment ever, pouring millions of dollars into an ad campaign that includes everything from bus stop billboards to prime time tv spots that tout the slogan “HTC: quietly brilliant.” The first three will go live on October 29.

If HTC hopes to remain competitive in this market, this move is crucial. When the company made its brand debut last year, as the hardware device behind the T-Mobile G1 with Google, it was the only Android device on the market. But within the year, more than 20 Android devices will be go on sale. As is evident with the Motorola Droid, not all of them will get equal marketing treatment by the carriers.

Devices trump carriers

At the same time, consumers’ buying habits are changing. They no longer go to a preferred carrier like AT&T (T) or Verizon Wireless to review different phone models. Instead, they increasingly ask for phones by name, most often requesting an iPhone or a Blackberry.

So will a “quietly brilliant” phone impress consumers enough to have them seeking out HTC devices over the iPhone? IDC analyst Ramon Llamas is skeptical. “I’ve got to tip my hat to these guys because the devices are very good,” he says. “But branding oneself takes time, you don’t get instant street cred.”

MacKenzie expects to spend time. He says the marketing investment is the first of many to come.

Motorola Announces Industry Leading High-Density Decoupled Upstream Module for its Integrated CMTS Solution

Motorola’s RX48 Upstream Module helps cable operators economically deliver upstream bandwidth to meet growing subscriber demand

October 26, 2009

 

HORSHAM, Pa. – October 26, 2009 – Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) Home & Networks Mobility business today introduced the Motorola RX48 decoupled upstream module for its BSR 64000 Integrated Cable Modem Termination System (I-CMTS).With the addition of the RX48 upstream module, Motorola is helping cable operators economically meet their subscribers’ demands for higher average and peak upstream bandwidth, which continue to accelerate, as they react to the ever-increasing popularity in social video, media and high-definition videoconferencing applications, and lucrative commercial service opportunities.

The Motorola BSR 64000 I-CMTS solution, with the new RX48 decoupled upstream module, offers nearly 1.5 Gbps of upstream capacity per module. The upstream-only module is the “sister” card of the TX32 decoupled downstream module, the industry’s highest-density downstream solution, launched in November 2007. The combination of these two high-density decoupled modules, along with the simplicity of the integrated design of the BSR 64000, will provide industry leading flexibility and scalability. Through this highly scalable upstream solution Motorola can help cable operators achieve up to a 60-percent capital savings over traditional upstream and downstream modules. In addition, the RX48 delivers significant energy efficiency, with a per channel power reduction of 81 percent over previous modules.

When combined with S-CDMA, the RX48 represents the most comprehensive upstream solution available in the market today. With S-CDMA, cable operators can unlock additional usable spectrum in their networks to increase upstream capacity by up to 50 percent.  By deploying the RX48 decoupled upstream module in conjunction with S-CDMA, cable operators can use this new capacity to increase average data rates through higher order modulation, or implement DOCSIS 3.0 upstream channel bonding to achieve up to 150 Mbps of peak upstream bandwidth.

“Motorola has a long history of hybrid-fiber coax innovation and engineering leadership that continues with the announcement of our RX48 upstream solution. With the RX48, cable operators can rapidly grow their upstream service offering and provide a long-term platform to support evolving IP video services,” said Joe Cozzolino, senior vice president and general manager, Access Networks Solutions, Motorola Home and Networks Mobility. “In addition to the targeting of new commercial services, Motorola helps cable operators harness the full potential of the upstream spectrum and enables greater speeds and capacity to existing DOCSIS 1.x and 2.0 environments and offering even richer media experiences to tomorrow’s DOCSIS 3.0 connected subscribers.”

The RX48 decoupled upstream module will be available to customers in mid-2010. Motorola is showcasing the RX48 decoupled upstream module as part of its comprehensive BSR 64000 I-CMTS solution at the 2009 SCTE Cable-Tec Expo®, October 28-30th in Denver, Colo. — Colorado Convention Center, Booth # 4116.

Android 2.0

A partir de ahora en bemoderno vamos a comenzar a introducir noticias referentes al mundo de las tecnologias.

Desde xatakamovil llega este primer analisis del que va a ser el telefono pionero en Eclair, o lo que es lo mismo Android 2.0.

Para terminar de caldear el ambiente, y una vez presentado “oficialmente” el teléfono, BGR ha decidido colgar unas cuantas imágenes de calidad, comparándolo con otros teléfonos, nos cuenta algunas impresiones e incluso nos dejan un vídeo en el que podemos verlo en funcionamiento.

Comentan que tanto el software como el terminal no son finales, pero si están lo suficientemente terminados para sacar conclusiones del aparato, y sobre todo sacarnos de muchas dudas que se habían creado al destaparse la página web oficial.

Desde el punto de vista hardware, me gustaría hablar del procesador Texas Instruments OMAP3430, con el que nos aventuramos a opinar que su frecuencia de reloj, 550 MHz era poco para lo esperado, pero no lo son si tenemos en cuenta que a su lado se encuentra una GPU PowerVR para apoyarlo en materia gráfica, también me gustaría confirmar que cuenta con 256MB de RAM, que en conjunto consiguen un terminal muy interesante en términos de potencia.

No me voy a poner a repetir las especificaciones que ya podemos ver en la anterior entrada, así que voy directo al grano:

• La cámara de 5 megapíxeles cuenta con flash de doble LED.
• Se han acordado de colocar un LED de notificación como tienen los terminales HTC, buena idea.

• Los cuatro botones de navegación son sensibles al tacto, y no tienen vibración al ser usados, no hubiera estado mal unos botones convencionales.

Si hablamos de calidad de construcción, aquí parece ser que Motorola no ha fallado, presenta buenas terminaciones y está confeccionado con materiales metálicos, y aunque pueda parecer pesado (169 gramos), resulta reconfortante que sea por los materiales utilizados. También destacan la implementación del mecanismo que oculta/muestra el teclado.

Vamos a por la estupenda pantalla, que es capacitiva, y la mayor en un terminal Android (3.7 pulgadas), se ve realmente nítida, y es tan sensible como lo puede ser la que tiene un iPhone.

Un tema conflictivo ha sido el teclado desde que se filtraron las primeras imágenes, la unidad que tienen los chicos de BGR funciona bastante bien, pero no es perfecta, quizás determinado por la estrechez del diseño la teclas no tienen mucha altura ni separación. Esperando a saber si será muy diferente en su versión final, concluyen con que el teclado es bastante eficiente una vez adaptados al mismo.

Un artículo aparte se necesitaría para hablar de Android 2.0, así que espero que nos informen pronto sobre él, por ahora nos comentan que funciona a la perfección con Droid, da la sensación que se ha simplificado la interfaz, y se han mejorado cosas como la unificación de la bandeja de correo, los comandos y búsquedas por voz, un nuevo Google Maps, presenta un mejor soporte multimedia, y el navegador también es nuevo.

Por último me gustaría hablar del accesorio que ya nos informaron que aparecería con el terminal, un dock de carga que también sirve como estación multimedia, aunque una vez visto en el vídeo a continuación, parece más un reloj despertador con tiempo meteorológico incluido.

Es interesante contar que para BGR casi todas las cosas que no gustaron en el Motorola DEXT, han sido solucionadas por Droid y Android 2.0, y que enmarcan al nuevo terminal en el mercado como un competidor de BlackBerry o teléfonos Windows Mobile, pero que es más diferente a un iPhone de lo que publicidad nos hacía imaginar.

Droid Teaser Campaign

I happen to be a big fan of teaser campaigns.  I love the sense of mystery and anticipation and love to be the first in the know.

Droid, the new smartphone from Motorola and Verizon launched their new teaser campaign this weekend and it didn’t disappoint.

The first thing that stood out to me was the direct assault on Apple and the iPhone in this spot.  It was a very clever commercial, using a mocking visual style of the “hip” apple spots.  I liked the usage of “i” in every statement.  This functioned in two different ways:

1. It made consumers aware of weaknesses of the iPhone (which people assume is perfect) and that their product would address those issues.

2. It was a great way to use Apples brand awareness against them by using their attention grabbing reputation to raise interest in the Droid spot.

People may have been thinking they were watching an Apple ad, but were quickly educated when the Droid information came up.

The marketers at Droid pulled out all the stops; they even included some hip peppy music in the background much like Apple does in all their spots.  The spot also did a good job of turning a 180 when Droid came up and made sure that everyone understood this wasn’t an iPhone commercial.

It’s also important to note that the commercial didn’t say a lot about the product.  It pointed out the flaws of the iPhone, and said that those same flaws would not be found in their new product.

A perfect teaser campaign.

The final line of copy in the spot was http://www.droiddoes.com – which is a site with basically no information.  It shows the commercial again, has an email sign up and a counter which uses some fictitious characters; aka we don’t know exactly when it’s launching.  The perfect accompaniment to the TV spot.

This teaser campaign had it all, kudos to those at Motorola and Verizon.  Kudos for making the investment of running one; it will pay off.

In a world full of instant information, and a hyper segmentation of media (including bloggers like myself) a mysterious and aggressive teaser campaign can be an extremely effective tool for gaining awareness.

Honestly, do I really care about the next smart phone that isn’t an iPhone or Blackberry? No…

But am I now interested in this new product which straight up started a street brawl with Apple?

Hell yes.

As we know, Gen Y is the instant information generation.  When this campaign started to run this weekend, you know huge numbers of curious Gen Yers filled Google with their Droid related queries.  Now the phone is already in the consideration set of many, and consumers know almost nothing about it.  Now that’s what I call marketing.

Now of course, a teaser campaign is nothing without a more information-driven sister campaign following it. It will be interesting to see what Droid comes out with closer to its launch (which by the way is rumored to be October 30th).  If Droid is as good as it claims, will they be able to keep up this momentum and pose some a threat to giant Apple.  Stay tuned as more updates come out.

I’m going to quote Steven Bellach who recently spoke to a Master’s branding class at San Diego State University:

“When positioning in a commodity category, focus on category benefits and own one – or speak the loudest”

Droid not only spoke the loudest, but yelled AT Apple… pretty gutsy.

What do you guys think of the campaign?  Did it work for you?

Follow Todd on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/toddliss

Androiden-Fleissarbeit

Für alle, die sich mit dem iPhone nicht anfreunden wollen, denen Windows Mobile ein Graus ist, und die nichts dagegen haben, sich von Google durchleuchten zu lassen, ist Android wahrscheinlich eine bedenkswerte Alternative, und an – zumindest angekündigten Handys für das Google-OS besteht tatsächlich auch kein Mangel.

Da sind wir dann den Kollegen von TechCrunch überaus dankbar, die eine Liste der nach derzeitigem Stand absehbar käuflichen Modelle (samt Specs) erstellt haben.

Mit insgesamt sieben Geräten liegt HTC deutlich vorne, aber immerhin dicht gefolgt von Samsung (fünf) und Motorola (vier), wobei nicht nur rein optisch das auch von George Lucas geschätzte Motorola Droid den besten Eindruck macht.

Aber auch von der Spitzengruppe abgesehen macht die Auflistung klar, dass der Android-Markt spannend wird: Die alten Platzhirsche wie SE, Samsung und LG wollen natürlich dabei sein (wenn auch erstmal vorsichtig), aber mit Acer, Archos und Dell sind auch ein paar fürs Smartphone-Geschäft neue Namen dabei, und sogar Klon-Billiganbieter wie Huawei scheinen sich was zu versprechen. Da sind wir mal aufs Weihnachtsgeschäft gespannt … [dieter]

[via TechCrunch]

Motorola Supplies du with Latest IPTV Set-top Boxes for Improved Video Experiences

Motorola accelerates personal media experiences in the Middle East, delivering advanced high-definition VIP series IPTV set-tops

October 18, 2009

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – October 18, 2009 – Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that its Home & Networks Mobility business has supplied UAE telecommunications provider, du, with state-of-the-art VIP series IPTV set-top boxes. Motorola is du’s premier set-top provider, enabling the telecommunications firm to deliver high-quality IP video services to its customers.

As a world leader in advanced IP video solutions, Motorola’s set-tops facilitate the delivery of exciting new revenue-generating TV and entertainment experiences, including high-definition (HD) programming, while enabling telecommunications service providers like du to exercise greater control over capital and operating expenditures.

Farid Faraidooni, executive vice president, commercial, du, said: “We pride ourselves on bringing our customers highly engaging, world-class media experiences. With Motorola’s set-top portfolio, we can provide interactive access to the broadest range of HD content, as well as offer our customers superior flexibility, choice and control when they enjoy entertainment in their homes.”

Ali Amer, vice president, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility, added: “Consumer trends show an appetite for personalized media experiences. Key features of Motorola’s latest set-tops enable du’s customers to enjoy customized viewing experiences, such as recording and playing back high-definition IP-based video content. The availability of such technology highlights Motorola’s leadership in the IPTV arena, and we are pleased with du’s ongoing deployment of our IPTV set-tops as part of their cutting-edge array of technological offerings.”

The VIP12xx series set-tops support both high-definition (HD) and standard-definition (SD) digital video services. Using the VIP1200E and the VIP1216E set-tops, du customers benefit from sharp picture quality and ultra-clear sound, while enjoying advanced interactive features like intuitive channel search and display, advanced browsing, instant channel changes, whole home DVR with client scheduling, media sharing for pictures, and music on their TV.

DroidDoes, ¿se viene el iPhone killer?

Verizon (una compañía de telefonía en EE.UU.) está dando que hablar con una campaña llamada “DroidDoes”, con la cual lanzarán en Noviembre un nuevo móvil Motorola con Android 2.0. El video es bastante corto, pero resume varias de las carencias del famoso iPhone, y diablos que algunas son bastante ciertas (a pesar de que poseo uno).

Probablemente veremos pelea de ñoños con esta tontera, pero de que está interesante, lo está. Personalmente creo que Android es un producto increíble, y está dejando claro que es el mejor rival para destronar al iPhone.

DroidDoes.com

Will Wal-Mart's Straight Talk squeeze wireless carriers?

Back to the future: Straight Talk phones like the LG 200C might be dowdy, but growth in the prepaid market could eventually squeeze carrier profits. Photo: LG.

Look out, U.S. wireless carriers: Wal-Mart is teaming up with billionaire Carlos Slim’s América Móvil to train its price-crushing might on cell phones.

In time for the holiday season, the mega-retailer on Wednesday announced a nationwide roll-out of the new prepaid Straight Talk service, offered through América Móvil subsidiary Tracfone Wireless. Unlike mainstream wireless plans that pair cutting-edge phones with higher monthly fees and multi-year contracts, pre-paid services like Straight Talk offer cheaper phones, lower fees and no contracts.

Wal-Mart will offer two Straight Talk options: a $30 monthly plan that comes with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 megabytes of data, and a $45 monthly plan with unlimited voice, texts and data. Straight Talk uses Verizon’s (VZ) wireless network.

The bargain-basement prepaid approach makes sense in a down economy, where consumers are looking for cheaper options and fewer can pass the credit checks that come with traditional phone plans. Prepaid plans have been a hot ticket in this market, which explains why Wal-Mart (WMT) is taking Straight Talk from a year-long pilot in 234 stores to a nationwide, 3,200-store launch.

Why does this matter? It’s not just about price. The all-you-can-eat Straight Talk plan is only $5 per month cheaper than offerings from rival Boost Mobile – plus, the Straight Talk phones aren’t going to impress anyone. The cheapest, the LG 200C, costs $40. The somewhat better looking Motorola’s (MOT) RAZR V3A is $100. Both might have been cool four years ago, but not today.

No, the interesting thing here is the evolution – and proliferation – of prepaid.

With Wal-Mart in the game, the other pre-paid players will feel pressure to offer both lower prices and cooler phones; and with low-cost smartphone software like Android gaining steam, it’s only a matter of time before decent smartphones arrive hit the prepaid market. (Sprint (S) CEO Dan Hesse said as much at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference in July.)

Over time, those cooler phones and no-contract plans could start to lure customers away from mainstream wireless services. That’s good for penny-pinching consumers, but bad for carrier profits.

La evolución de los teléfonos móviles

Interesante el artículo que publican en Muy Móvil sobre la evolución de los teléfonos móviles y como hemos pasado de los teléfonos con displays de dos líneas a los teléfonos multitáctiles y con complejos sistemas operativos, cámaras de 12 megapíxeles, etc.

Aún más curioso es el hecho de que hasta estos últimos años las dos compañías que más hacían evolucionar los terminales móviles y su percepción de ellos eran Motorola y Nokia, que han dejado paso a otros de más “reciente” creación como Apple, HTC… El que peor parado ha salido es Motorola, que ha pasado de innovar con la creación del primer teléfono al que se le podía llamar móvil hasta los terminales ultrafinos como el Razr V3.

Puedes leer el artículo completo aquí.

Motorola V330 - Cellular phone - not specified - GSM

Review Motorola V330 – Cellular phone – not specified – GSM -$0.00

The V300 is a tough act to follow, but Motorola has a winner on their hands with their V300 successor, the V330. With welcome additions like Bluetooth, quad-band GSM and high-speed EDGE data capability, and a VGA camera with video capture, the V330 packs a powerful new punch.

Take a closer look at the V330’s functions. You can also see it in action.

Design
The V330 features a sleek clamshell design with a large, high-resolution 176 x 220 pixel, 65,000 color screen. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary 96 x 32 monochrome display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. Up and down buttons for volume control are placed on the left side. Most of the phone’s features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset’s control pad. A USB-capable data port is housed on the unit’s top edge, and there’s a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets.

Calling Features
The V330 supports polyphonic ringtones as well as MP3 ringers, allowing you to use portions of your favorite songs to alert you to incoming calls. You can also assign pictures and ringers to your most common callers. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone and more ringtones can be downloaded from T-Mobile’s t-zones service. There’s even an included application, MotoMixer, that enables you to mix your own ringtones.

Speed dialing, which allows you to call pre-programmed numbers with one button is built in, as is a vibrating alert. A speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Meanwhile, voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names. The V330’s phone book can hold up to 1000 contacts; if you have that many friends and colleagues, more power to ya’! Lastly, the phone’s Bluetooth connectivity means that your favorite Bluetooth headset is fully compatible.

Messaging, Internet and Tools
The V330 has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging and Internet connectivity. The phone features support for AOL Instant Messenger (T-Mobile messaging charges apply), and there’s also a built-in web browser for t-zones downloads and mobile web browsing. T-Mobile’s t-zones service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.

The V330 comes with a built-in email client (with support for POP3, SMTP and IMAP4 email standards), and traditional text messaging, as well as video, picture and sound messaging are also supported. iTap text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit– a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the V330 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar and an alarm clock. You can also use the phone’s Bluetooth capability to set up a wireless link with a Bluetooth accessory or connect to a computer or hand-held device to exchange and synchronize data. The phone supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard, which can be used with Motorola’s Mobile Phone Tools PC application to manage and synchronize contacts, calendar and other data with your PC.

Imaging and Entertainment
With 5 MB of internal memory storage, the V330 shines in the entertainment department. The phone’s VGA (640 x 480) camera features a 4x digital zoom, image quality options, and an auto-timer so you can be in your pictures, too. Capture stills and then send them to your friends via MMS messaging or email, or to your PC via USB or Bluetooth. The V330 adds video capability, too, meaning you can capture short video clips and, just like photos, share them how you see fit. The phone also supports custom graphics for wallpapers so you can dress up the phone to suit your fancy.

If you’re into mobile gaming, the V330 has you covered. The phone ships with a full version of Pinball, as well as trial versions of Bejeweled and NFL 2005.

Vital Statistics
The Motorola V330 weighs 4.3 ounces and measures 3.5 x 1.9 x 1 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 425 minutes of digital talk time, and up to 235 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

What’s in the Box
V330 handset, lithium-ion battery, travel charger, user’s manual.

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Motorola Motorola Barrage - A ,,megerősített" mobiltelefon

A legtöbb gyártó portfóliójában időről-időre  feltűnik egy elpusztíthatatlan mobiltelefon. Így van ezzel a Motorola is. Ha már a Nokia előrukkolt a Nokia 3720 strapabíró telefonnal, akkor nekik is lépniük kellett, így megalkották az akár a hadászatban is helytálló Motorola Barrage mobilt.
Motorola Barrage mobiltelefon – Tulajdonságok
Azon felül, hogy a Motorola Barrage  víz-, por- és ütésálló még sikkes kihajtható elrendezésnek és az alábbi tulajdonságoknak örvendhet:

• 1170maH akkumulátor
• 2 megapixeles kamera (videó rögzítésére is alkalmas)
• 2,2″ kijelző
• 1 méter mélyen 30 percet bír ki működőképes állapotát megtartva
• Szélsőséges meleg/hideg meg se kottyan neki
• Zenelejátszó külső érintőkijelzős irányító egységgel
• Sztereó hangszóró

Forrás:
Motorola Barrage Takes a Military Grade Beating

Kapcsolódó linkek:
Nokia 3720 – Az új strapabíró mobiltelefon
Motorola Barrage – Szép? Okos? Starpabíró?

Kép forrása: Gizmodo

Is Microsoft relevant?

Ellison asks if Microsoft matters. Photo: Oracle

Oracle’s Ellison gives the tech world a topic. Discuss among yourselves.

Does Microsoft matter? That’s the question the noted Microsoft (MSFT) hater and Oracle (ORCL) CEO Larry Ellison found himself answering at a Silicon Valley event Monday night. The short answer, as Jon Fortt reported here, was yes.

The longer version of his answer on the one hand shows Ellison as the old zen master that he is, making a backhanded and self-serving swipe sound like an innocuous observation. At the same time Ellison raises a fascinating point that’s worth exploring further.

First consider his comments in their entirety, when asked about the relevance thing by former Sun (JAVA) president and Motorola (MOT) CEO Ed Zander.

They make a lot of money. I think they’re clearly relevant. I divide the computer industry into two groups. And I know for a long time I was constantly picking a fight with Microsoft. Now Oracle’s constantly picking a fight with IBM. (IBM) Because you’ve got to pick your enemies very carefully, because you’re destined to become most like those enemies you select.

Microsoft, culturally now, is a very consumer-centric company. They’ve got the Xbox. They’ve got Zune. … I think they are obsessed with Apple (AAPL). They’re obsessed with Google. (GOOG) … Under the new administration at Microsoft, I see all of their energies going into being successful in the consumer space.

Larry’s rap v. Oracle’s 10-K

The funny thing about Ellison’s clever positioning is that Oracle considers Microsoft a major competitor in nearly every important market in which it competes. A quick look at Oracle’s last 10-K, the regulatory filing where companies are required to list their significant competition (as opposed to musing about who they like to think they go up against), reveals how Oracle lines up against Microsoft.

“In the sale of database software,” Oracle discloses, ” our competitors include IBM, Microsoft, Sybase” (SY) and others. (Presumably these are listed in order of market share because the order changes. Note that Microsoft is the No. 2 foe in Oracle’s most important market.) “Our middleware competitors include IBM, Microsoft, SAP,” (SAP) and so on. “Our applications compete against offerings from . . .  SAP AG, IBM (through Maximo, MRO Software, Ascential Software, Cognos), Microsoft (through Dynamics GP, Dynamics NAV, Dynamics AX, Dynamics CRM, Dynamics Snap, Dynamics SL),” and others.

This shpiel continues as Oracle lists the enemy in content management and collaboration products (where Microsoft is listed first), development tools, operating systems (an understatement regarding Microsoft), and virtualization products. Microsoft appears in each grouping.

Enterprise software still rules

Suffice it to say that Oracle competes against Microsoft and that’s it’s awfully clever of Ellison to highlight Microsoft’s grudges against two consumer-oriented companies with whom Oracle doesn’t currently compete. (In fact, neither Apple nor Google appear anywhere in Oracle’s filing.)

This still leaves the larger questions of Microsoft’s relevance and to what extent it is culturally a consumer company. If you want to pick on Microsoft, Zune (it’s floundering iPod wannabe), its online business, and Xbox are good places to start. Only the latter has had a modicum of success, and even then not a profitable success.

But has Microsoft forsaken the “enterprise” for the home? Microsoft’s two divisions that focus almost entirely on business customers — one called the”Microsoft Business Divison,” also known as the Office franchise, and the other called “server and tools” — accounted for 57% of the company’s revenues last year and 85% of its operating profits. Yes, Microsoft most certainly is a business-focused company.

Still, Ellison has a point. His old (and current) foe spends oodles on its flailing consumer businesses, and CEO Steve Ballmer certainly seems to devote a tremendous amount of energy to them. He’s famous for saying Microsoft never quits and that these newer businesses will crush the ball eventually.

They’d better. In a recent article I referred to Microsoft as a monopolist. I consulted a handful of experts on the term who assured me that hobbled or not a company operating under agreements with antitrust regulators can still be called a monopolist. Those monopolies are in its business segments, though, and they’re under attack. At least today it seems laughable that Microsoft would ever become dominant on products like music devices, cell phones or search engines. Is Microsoft relevant? Absolutely. But for how long?

Motorola, Your Best Choice For Mobile Communication Products

Who pays? Well anyone and everyone who needs a mobile …. and perhaps for those who do not think that we need. Those who need a clear, business in the office or outside the store, meeting with clients, suppliers, contractors in the field. Travelers, whether in a trailer, hauling a trailer in a car or a motorcycle need for mobile communication devices, mobile phone. People are "9-99", he says, can use all the different devices are available from the mobile communications company Sony Ericsson How can one benefit from ownership of mobile communication devices, let alone offered by Sony Ericsson?, Communication, Answers to the first part of this question, security, communications, when it is urgent. I use a personal example of how the business. I returned from the sale of meetings in rural mountain road driving in an effort to Southern California later in the afternoon to avoid traffic. Then I turn the car around on the, Communication, road shoulder and some people who stopped to help injured cyclists. I stopped and asked if needed help. One of them asked, "have a mobile phone? And I was able to contact emergency assistance to the cyclist. For travelers, such as car, truck, or running slow, a mobile phone is an expensive asset. I know my front wheel falling-up, Communication, truck (cab -over camper) came from (including fingers), when traveling, Communication, on a lonely stretch of I-5 in California. with a mobile phone, tug was only an hour away by car! So what to do with mobile communication products with Sony Ericsson Sony Ericsson Why ask? Ericsson offers a range of products to, Communication, meet the needs of each customer type. No matter where individuals, families, companies or governmental request, whether for entertainment, security, or just stay in touch, Motorola has secured, Communication, . Sony Ericsson has the technology to transform facility, formerly known as mobile phone, remote control general for life. Sony Ericsson is a leader in multi-mode, multi-band communications products. technology enables network operators and retailers to create and implement, Communication, new business opportunities through new services and products for the home. Sony Ericsson is the leading provider of integrated radio communications and information technology solutions, with more than 65 years of experience in meeting the requirements of public safety, government and commercial customers worldwide. History, Communication, has much to do with, Communication, "why Sony Ericsson, Sony Ericsson and web site says, Communication, it is the best. http://www.motorola.com/content.jsp?globalObjectId=115-110 Check out this page and you will see that since its modest beginning in 1928, Motorola has a long history of innovation. Motorola is known around the world for innovation, Communication, and leadership in wireless and broadband communications. Inspired by the vision of mobility, Motorola is committed to helping people to you and stay connected simply and seamlessly with people,, Communication, information and entertainment that they want and need. Sony is the creation and implementation of the "must have" products, that "it" experiences and powerful networks … with a full compliment of support services, Communication, that you want and need. What will this mean for you? This means that you can trust and make sure that I know that when you choose Motorola mobile communications products, Communication, to select the best! If you ask me where I go to a number of Sony Ericsson with a beautiful view, innovative products for mobile communications? If I could, I would recommend this web s, Communication, ite. http://www.bestmotorolacellphonesinfo.com

Rumors: Ανταγωνιστής του iPhone από τη Microsoft;

Image via CrunchBase

Δεν έχει επιβεβαιωθεί ακόμα τίποτα, αλλά σύμφωνα με 9to5mac η Microsoft θα παρουσιάσει δύο νέα smartphones, πιθανότατα στο CES τον Ιανουάριο του 2010. Σύμφωνα με τις φήμες, τα δύο smartphones αναπτύχθηκαν κάτω από το project “Pink” και είναι αποτέλεσμα συνεργασίας της Sharp με τη Microsoft (και όχι της HTC όπως είχε ακουστεί παλιότερα). Η μία συσκευή έχει squircle σχήμα, ένα slide out πληκτρολόγιο και μικρόφωνο από κάτω, κάτι που κατά τη γνώμη μου είναι μειονέκτημα καθώς όταν κάποιος θα μιλάει θα πρέπει το πληκτρολόγιο να είναι έξω. Η κωδική ονομασία της συσκευής είναι “Turtle” και μοιάζει σε μεγάλο βαθμό με το Motorola QA1[next] away.gr

Resum�o dos �ltimos dias!

Só porque eu tive que dar um tempinho nas postagens do blog, varias novidades agitaram o mundinho dos celulares. Então vou correr atrás do prejuízo e fazer um compacto de tudo de mais importante que ocorreu nos últimos dias.

Poderíamos resumir tudo em apenas uma palavra: ANDROID. O sistema operacional do Google dominou os principais lançamentos e anúncios.

 

Primeiramente, foi divulgado o Dext (Clip para os americanos), o smartphone com Android da Motorola que todos aguardavam. O aparelho apresenta como principal diferencial uma interface customizada através de widgets e a integração com as redes sociais, área que a Motorola já vinha explorando em outros aparelhos. O Dext deve chegar ao Brasil até o final do ano !

 

       

Especificações técnicas aqui.

A LG não quis ficar fora da brincadeira e também anunciou seu primeiro celular com Android. O LG GW620 ainda não tem data de lançamento e só será lançado inicialmente na Europa. Mesmo com algumas informações incompletas, eu ainda prefiro o Dext. É a tela capacitiva de 3,1” e interface customizada do Motorola contra a tela de 3” resistiva e o Android padrãozinho do LG.

Especificações técnicas aqui.

Agora vou falar das novidades que desembarcam no mercado brasileiro até o final do ano.Além do Motorola Dext, já citado acima, temos também dois importantes lançamentos que chegam em breve: O HTC Magic e o Samsung Galaxy.

O HTC Magic chegará em Outubro, porém seu preço ainda não foi divulgado. O mais interessante é que o aparelho virá com a elogiada interface HTC Sense, diferente da interface padrão do Android que é encontrado no aparelho desde seu lançamento internacional. Se essa medida será só para o Magic brasileiro, eu não sei, mas que é uma ótima notícia para nós, isso é!

Especificações técnicas aqui.

O Samsung Galaxy deve chegar mais cedo, ainda em Setembro. Será exclusivo da TIM por algum tempo e custará R$1799,00 no pré-pago.

 

Especificações técnicas aqui.

 

O Show ME Tech irá fazer um comparativo entre os 3 Androids verde-amarelos para que facilitar a sua escolha!

Prepare-se para a invasão do robozinho!

 

André Abrão – andre.s.abrao@gmail.com