Not News – new iPhone coming. News – two new iPhones coming
Updated 2/15/11 – Latest iPhone 5 rumors…and there are some rumors.
Updated 1/11/11 - iPhone Announced on Verizon Wireless. Antenna changes, Wi-Fi hotspot capable.
Updated: More specifics roll in?
- called the iPhone HD?
- will feature front camera?
- iPhone 4.0 to allow third party multitasking?
More at Engadget.com’s iPhone coverage
Reported today in the Wall Street Journal, there’s rumors abounding of possibly two new iPhones coming this year.
Including the often rumored but never proven Verizon Wireless iPhone.
** this is not real but it looks cool
Apple, Inc. is developing a new iPhone to debut this summer and also appears to be working on a model for U.S. mobile phone operator Verizon Wireless, say people briefed on the matter. – Read the full article
The Most Awesome Phone Ever of the Year
With technology changing so fast, who knows what will exist by the time this phone hits for Spring in the summer. But for now, it’s pretty much the coolest phone I’ve ever seen. The first 4G phone, the HTC Evo, is on Sprint, so that sucks, but then again Sprint’s 4G and WiMax turn it into a speed powerhouse unlike any other.
It has a list of features I didn’t even know were being considered for cell phones, only have heard of them in a “boy it’d be awesome if” conversation with my friends.
My iPhone’s pretty cool, but it doesn’t even come close to matching the specs of this beast.
Here are just a few of the head turners that I’d swap out my iPhone for if I didn’t have to switch networks.
- Android operating system
- 4G and 3G download speeds (apparently way faster).
- 1GHz Snapdragon processor
- 8MP camera
- 1GB of built-in storage, along with 512MB of RAM. (iPhone has 256 RAM)
- Runs Flash seamlessly
- The HTC Evo will work as a hotspot for up to eight devices. This means your friends can jump onto a wi-fi connection using the phone. Apparently they tested it and streamed a movie on another device through it perfectly.
- HD Video Recording, and HDMI Output
- A built in Kickstand. Sounds dumb, but I want one quite often on my phone as long as it’s built solidly into the structure.
Will I become a Sprint Customer. Probably not. If the iPhone doesn’t take a big leap this summer…probably will.
Read the hands-on review over at Gizmodo.
iPhone’s Great Challenger Will Be…Windows Mobile??
Microsoft, bless them, is always late to the game, but always seems to show up fashionably late with something decent eventually. Take Windows 7 or XBox 360.
When it comes to cell phones, Windows Mobile is usually the case study in what not to do for mobile technology. That may have all changed today with the announcement of Windows Phone 7 (aka the Zune phone). As the iPhone wowed the world 3 years ago, the many latecomers have addressed the stranglehold that Apple has on their software and features, and if they don’t make some improvements, Microsoft (yes, not a typo) may be in the dominant position to challenge.
I didn’t think I’d ever say it, but I’m definitely interested. iPhone users have done without some pretty basic features because the benefits outweight those costs, but soon you may not have to make that sacrifice.
Check out some of the coverage from today’s announcement and decide for yourself.
I’m sorry, Cupertino, but Microsoft has nailed it. Windows Phone 7 feels like an iPhone from the future. The UI has the simplicity and elegance of Apple’s industrial design, while the iPhone’s UI still feels like a colorized Palm Pilot. – Gizmodo’s Microsoft Has Out-Appled Apple
Windows Phone 7 is connected in the same sense as Palm’s webOS and Android, with live, real-time data seamlessly integrated, though it’s even smoother and more natural. Live tiles on the Start screen are updated dynamically with fresh content, like weather, or if you’ve pinned a person to your Start screen, their latest status updates and photos. – Gizmodo’s Windows 7 Series – Everything is Different Now
The OS is also heavily focused on social networking, providing integrated contact pages which show status updates from multiple services and allow fast jumps to richer cloud content (such as photo galleries). The Xbox integration will include LIVE games, avatars, and profiles, while the Zune end of things appears to be a carbon copy of the standalone device’s features (including FM radio). – Engadget Microsoft is Playing to Win
Watch the features promo video below.
Won’t be available until Christmas 2010, so Microsoft made the first move. How will Apple respond? Hopefully the iPad wasn’t their response.
Steve Jobs iDropKicks Google and Adobe
Shortly after the iPad announcement, Apple CEO Steve Jobs held a townhall with his employees as he does after many of the big product releases. He addressed Adobe, Flash, Android and many other hot topics. I’ll skip past all the background to Jobs eye-opening spear aimed at Google.
This don’t be evil mantra: “It’s bulls***.”
Here are a few other interesting quotes from the meeting attributed to Jobs.
About Adobe:
They are lazy, Jobs says. They have all this potential to do interesting things but they just refuse to do it. They don’t do anything with the approaches that Apple is taking, like Carbon. Apple does not support Flash because it is so buggy, he says. Whenever a Mac crashes more often than not it’s because of Flash. No one will be using Flash, he says. The world is moving to HTML5.
On Google:
We did not enter the search business, Jobs said. They entered the phone business. Make no mistake they want to kill the iPhone. We won’t let them, he says.
Read the whole article over at Wired.com
iPad vs. Stone
The guy who did the smarmy iPhone vs. Stone is back, and finds — again — that in the battle between a stone and Apple’s latest technology feature to feature, it’s a draw.
The Real iPad
I have no idea why this is funny. But it kind of is.
The iPad Bust?
After months (technically almost a decade) of rumors and hype, Steve Jobs revealed Apple’s latest creation…the somewhat poorly named iPad.
If you’re interested in the full tech specs and details, click over to Gizmodo’s full rundown.
While some were just interested, I was keenly watching as I approach the purchase of a new laptop. With Netbooks, smartphones, and the quickly disappearing desktop, I thought this may be just the ticket for something portable to do media, non-work stuff wherever. Even if it wasn’t a full laptop, a few key features would have had me being a “first adopter ” of a product for the first time in my life. Even though with Apple that’s a notoriously bad idea.
After the curtains went down on Steve Jobs presentation, the somewhat tepid applause of the crowd echoed my own thoughts. “Man, what a dumb name.” Just kidding, but the iPhone-like enthusiasm was gone. Not a evolution or a revolution, but more of a “rebel-lution” with Steve Jobs once again trying to buck the trends and kill the Kindle, desktops, newspapers, portable stereos, and even laptops in one swing. Just because he can.
The Good, the Bad, and the Huh?
If you use a regular phone, don’t have a Kindle, and don’t do much on your laptop, this might be the perfect coffee house partner or in-flight movie machine. It’s everything that’s great about the iPhone with a new, speedy Apple 1GHz “A4″ chip that gives 10 hours a battery life (with apparently super speed), greatly enhanced standard apps, and a new world of iPad apps (while still playing your iPhone/iPod apps).
But that’s the problem, really. It’s just a big, fast iPhone with cooler apps. Unfortunately, being a mammoth size but using the same concept, it loses some of what’s best about the iPhone. Pocket-sized, and a touch keyboard isn’t so bad when you can hold both sides of it and still reach the keys.
At a surprisingly entry-level price on par with netbooks, Apple may have barked up the wrong tree. I’d gladly pay the rumored $1,000 price if it had a front-facing camera, HDMI output for watching movies from the internet, and Flash support for all those webpages it says are so amazing.
Which brings me back to the iPhone. The iPhone is lacking in a few key areas, and the iPad has the same weaknesses. In addition, though, the iPad isn’t supposed to be a pocket gadget. The iPhone would never try to replace your regular computer, but the iPad is just as far away.
No multi-tasking? I hate it on the iPhone and it would kill my enjoyment of an iPad. Want to do Facebook chat and work in the new iWork applications announced today? No can do. Maybe stream some Pandora too? Might want to have an iPhone and an iPad handy.
In addition, such a robust device for multimedia doesn’t come with any standard outputs? You have to buy a line of accessories and there’s only one output aside from headphones.
And speaking of accessories, I’m generally not an accessory guy, but to use the apparently bulky and cumbersome touch screen, I’d have to have the docking station/keyboard accessory. I’d also have the whole set of previously mentioned adapters, so I hope they’re adding an iSatchel soon. That $500 price tag is quickly going to be $650.
Aside from being the size of a frisbee, the unibody construction is beautiful. But if I want that, multi-tasking, full media capabilties, a keyboard, and a better operating system than the iPhone 3.2 software, I already found it on sale at Best Buy.
And I’m not quite understanding the 3G version. If I’m sitting around somewhere, I probably have Wi-Fi. If you’re driving or walking around, you’ll probably stand out with your ginormous iPad. Google Maps looks great. I’m sure your friends will think you’re pretty awesome when you whip that out in the car as everyone awkwardly gets directions on their iPhones. Bonus – it’s still AT&T 3G. Joy.
I’m enjoying my iPhone, and I’ll be starting my MacBook Pro shopping right away.
Verdict: It looks like a giant iPhone with more speed and better features, and all the weaknesses. The price tag is enticing if you don’t get the 3G version..but if you get the needed accessories and size upgrades, it quickly nears the price of a decent laptop, even a MacBook entry level.
I see what Steve Jobs was going for here…the ultimate chill media gadget that brings back size lost in an iPhone and bridges the gap to the cumbersome laptop. This isn’t it..but his dream will likely be realized with some tweaking.
Much like the first generation iPhone, in two years I think we’ll look back and see what a good idea this is. For now it’s probably as dumb as the name sounds.
* Available in 30 days for the WiFi version, 60 days for the 3G version. iPad no-contract plans $14.99 or $29.99 a month for unlimited data.
The most disappointing thing about today besides the lack of the iPad being a giant iPhone, was that the rumored iTunes unlimited TV streaming plans, new iLife software, or Verizon iPhone announcements were completely absent.
The Buzz
Official Apple iPad site page with new versions of calendar, photos, books, etc.
8 things that suck about the iPad at Gizmodo.
Hoping it would be a great portable blogging device. Probably not says HotAir.
First non-Apple iPad Accessories Announced at Gizmodo
Full iPad event video with Steve Jobs at engadget.com
Hands-on iPad video footage at engadget.
Customizable home screen wallpaper. Lucky me. Apple’s dirty little secret on why they leave out basic features on your device they could’ve easily put in. Not going to work this time…..well it would be nice to have a non-black background….
iPhone Retains Edge Over Droid, Nexus One So Far
The Android operating system, and its two newest devices, the Motorola Droid and Nexus One, have put the first true challenge to the iPhone since its inception. As an iPhone owner, my eyebrows were raised at these open-source devices that were jam packed with missing iPhone features.
At the end of the day when I played with the Android phones, though, something just didn’t seem as good. At first it was hard to put my finger on it, then I realized that’s exactly what it was….putting my finger on it.
Today, a product development firm tested the touchscreen capabilities of all these devices and found the iPhone interface to still be the most responsive and superior of them all. Jump to the link to read the methodology, but it’s a very simple test of trying to draw a series of straight lines on the phone.
In other news, the launch of Nexus One has been a major headache for users, who flooded the Google forums with problems related to phone software/3G connection, and found themselves receiving pretty poor service.
Google’s Nexus One (on T-Mobile) support forums have been flooded with anecdotes about the phone’s poor 3G connectivity, so one user decided to follow up with some reasonably scientific tests. The conclusion? The Nexus One is kind of terrible at basic cellphonery! – Read the full article at Gizmodo
Motorola Droid Review and iPhone Multitasking?
Got to test out the Droid this weekend, and wanted to give my thoughts on it….plus a story out today saying that the iPhone can do multitasking??
Update – Check out the Best Smartphones on any network post at Gizmodo. Has the iPhone as the tops of all, and Droid comes in second of any smartphone on any network.
Only got to test for about half an hour, but there were a few key functions I was curious about:
1) Hardware – the Droid hardware is pretty solid, and sized well. The slide out keyboard (a big benefit for me) seemed a little hard to use, though. Also, it was noted that there are some quirks with using the screen keyboard vs. the physical keyboard that were aggravating. At the end of the day, it’s Motorola quality (a bit better though than usual) and the iPhone is Apple quality and precision.
2) Touchscreen – The Touchscreen wasn’t as smooth as the iPhone, but it generally did the trick. It didn’t feature multi-touch, though it did have a way around that. Overall the iPhone 3GS runs a lot smoother navigating.
3) OS – the interface on the Droid is much rougher than the iPhones. This means a lot more options (like your own backgrounds and settings), but also a more rough user experience. The icons don’t look good, and the responsiveness is a little slower. The iPhone is much sleeker, but in options the Android OS wins out. A draw here.
4) Browser – the Droid browser in some quick tests was much slower and didn’t render pages as well. Much prefer Safari.
5) Music – Not wanting to give up iTunes, I checked out the Droid music player. Overall not as smooth as iTunes, but passable. Also, Amazon Mp3 buying is pretty good, though not the experience of the mobile iTunes store.
6) Other – The cell service was clearly better on the Droid, the battery seemed pretty good, and multitasking was very cool. The App store left a lot to be desired, but it is young and will probably improve. Google Navigation for the Droid is a major feature, and gives awesome turn-by-turn direction, even using voice, and puts to shame the Google Maps for the iPhone. Android Apps are open and will become awesome (pick your own touch keyboard style)…though currently iPhone is the leader here.
Multitasking is the main feature that would turn me to the Droid side, but today I read that the iPhone does it just fine, they just don’t let you. Like MMS was.
So my verdict – the Droid is no iPhone killer, but Verizon is an AT&T killer, and surprisingly, Apple holds back the iPhone almost as much as AT&T with their restrictive app features and restricted use of the phone hardware. If you have the iPhone, don’t switch yet, if you are in the middle of choosing, take a long hard look at Droid.
This video demonstrates a Jailbroken iPhone app that backgrounds apps. First is the iPhone 3G, then the 3GS. He backgrounds like 10 apps without noticeable slowdown.
The Apple, AT&T, Verizon, Droid Wars
For those interested in business, marketing, and ad strategy, there’s no better lesson than following cell phone campaigns and their outcomes. As the holidays approach, the AT&T and Verizon wars just had another missile fired as Apple throws a punch in favor of AT&T in a war that started with the iDon’t and There’s a Map for That ads of Verizon.
Check out the interactive history of this war below.
Latest – Apple Defends AT&T
Verdict – If you don’t know, AT&T’s only advantage over Verizon is that their data connection can maintain a call and surf the internet/apps while maintaining the call. Verizon you can only do one or the other. A good point to bring up, unfortunately it could do a call, surf the web, and make you dinner at the same time, but if you don’t have cell service, you’re going to end up hungry.
Apple iPhone Ad – What Time’s The Movie? from Arik Hesseldahl on Vimeo.
Earlier: AT&T Defends Itself
The Verdict – AT&T was pretty miffed to have its 3G network coverage slapped on, so they came out with an ad reminding everyone of the nationwide coverage their cellular network has. The only problem is that Verizon’s ads were about Smartphone coverage (where 3G is a must). Also, this ad shows major cities they have coverage in, which I imagine even T-Mobile has fine cell service there.
Oh, and this ad is just really dumb. Luke Wilson?
Verizon Ads AT&T is Defending Itself Against
Verdict: These ads must’ve been so effective, AT&T sued over them, giving them even more coverage. Worse, they are currently losing (meaning they are accurate). The seasonal ads showing “There’s a Map for That” are relatively effective, but the points that arise and AT&T’s reaction to them (rather than having a plan to improve their network) will go a lot further than the ads themselves.
In summary, it looks as though Verizon has the upper hand and the network. It will remain to be seen how the Droid does, and how the new Smartphones on Verizon’s network affect it. AT&T needs to improve their network this year or its going to be over…that is, improve their network instead of spending money on ads complaining about Verizon.
Let’s hope today’s rumors of the iPhone exclusivity ending are just that or time may be running out.
