• apple,  att,  iphone,  verizon

    Apple: White iPhone Delayed Until Spring, 2011

    October 31, 2010 /

    Apple has announced, sort of, via a company spokesperson, that the elusive white iPhone 4 won’t appear until the spring of 2011.

    John Paczkowski, of the Digital Daily blog, contacted the iPhone maker and received the following word:

    “We’re sorry to disappoint customers waiting for the white iPhone yet again, but we’ve decided to delay its release until this spring.”

    I suspect that the changes of us seeing a white iPhone 4 on AT&T or Verizon are right up there with seeing a white unicorn nibbling on your front lawn when you wake up tomorrow morning.  Rather, I suspect, as some other have commented, there may not be a white iPhone 4 at all, and that Apple may have quietly decided to wait until the iPhone 5 is announced to begin shipping a new white iPhone.

    In the mean time, comedy sketch group JLE has posted the following YouTube video.  Recoded in a style that emulates one of Apple’s promotional videos, this skit had me laughing out loud, clapping my hands, and stomping my feet.

    [Via Digital Daily…]

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  • apple,  att,  ipad,  Uncategorized,  verizon

    AT&T Begins Selling Apple iPad

    October 29, 2010 /

    Not wanting to be out done by Verizon Wireless, AT&T, currently the only wireless carrier in the United States to sell Apple’s insanely popular iPhone, has also begun to sell the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G on Thursday.

    AT&T and Apple® today announced that all three iPad™ Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available at more than 2,200 AT&T stores starting Thursday, October 28. AT&T will offer customers3G Apple iPad Data Plans, complete with Apple’s easy, on-device activation and management. All iPad data plans are available without a term contract and include unlimited access to AT&T’s 23,000+ domestic Wi-Fi Hot Spots.

    “We can’t wait to showcase the amazing features of iPad Wi-Fi + 3G in our stores across the country just in time for the holidays,” said Glenn Lurie, AT&T President of Emerging Devices, Resale and Partnerships, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “With our breakthrough iPad data plans starting at just $14.99 and access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots around the country at no extra cost, our customers will have the best of both worlds.”

    “We look forward to expanding the reach of iPad allowing even more customers to experience the magic of iPad for themselves,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “As we approach the holiday season, we are very happy that customers will now be able to buy iPad Wi-Fi + 3G at AT&T stores.”

    Pricing and Availability

    All iPad Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available beginning Thursday, October 28 in AT&T Stores across the US for a suggested retail price of $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB. Domestic data plans for iPad are priced at $14.99 per month for 250MB and $25 per month for 2GB with no term contract. Both plans include unlimited access to AT&T’s 23,000+ domestic Wi-Fi Hot Spots.

    For more information, visit the AT&T website.
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  • att,  microsoft,  sprint,  t-mobile,  verizon,  windows phone

    No CDMA Windows 7 Phones Until 2011

    September 19, 2010 /

    While I was off vacationing, it appears that Microsoft has stated that there will be no Windows 7 smartphones released for Verizon or Sprint in 2010.

    “For the worldwide market, the vast majority of phones are GSM phones, so we focused on GSM first and then plan to deliver an update that will have great CDMA support in the first half of 2011. That’s device availability in the first half and we’re very confident of that. That’s probably a conservative estimate,” said Microsoft senior product manager, Greg Sullivan.

    After Microsoft’s disaster with the Kin, I’m all for letting them test out their new mobile operating system in “the worldwide market” before it comes to Verizon or Sprint.  The silver lining is that customers on AT&T and T-Mobile have a chance of getting their hands on a Windows 7 phone before anyone else her in the States.

    [Via BoyGeniusReport.com…]

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  • att,  hp,  pixi,  pre,  verizon,  web os

    HP Palm webOS 1.4.5 Update Available For Verizon Pixi Plus Customers

    September 1, 2010 /

    It looks like Verizon rolled out Palm webOS 1.4.5 for their Pixi Plus customers yesterday.

    The webOS 1.4.5 change log for the Verizon branded Palm Pixi Plus is listed after the jump.

    Verizon Pixi Plus customers can download the webOS 1.4.5 update by running the Updates application on their phone.

    The wait continues for Verizon’s Pre Plus customers and all of AT&T’s Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus customers.  Sprint customers received their Palm webOS 1.4.5 update on August 11.

    New applications

    NONE

    Feature changes to existing applications

    System

    • Palm Pixi and Palm Pixi Plus phones can now run 3D games and other apps developed with the webOS PDK. Check App Catalog for titles that are compatible with your phone.
    • This release includes minor fixes and enhancements to support the public release of the webOS PDK.

    Web

    • If a user enters text in a field on certain websites, the screen focus now remains on the text being entered.
    • This release fixes a rare problem so that podcasts now download correctly.

    Security

    • This release addresses several security issues with the Palm webOS software.

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    • att,  blackberry,  blackberry os,  rim,  tmobile

      RIM Introduces the New BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300

      August 9, 2010 /

      Following closely on the heels of their BlackBerry Torch and BlackBerry OS 6 announcements, Research In Motion introduced the BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 today.  The new BlackBerry Curve has a GSM/HSDPA radio in it so I would expect it to appear on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks here in the United States before long.

      Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 3G, an exciting addition to the globally popular BlackBerry Curve series of smartphones. Designed to provide the growing mass of smartphone purchasers with a distinctly powerful, approachable and affordable choice, the BlackBerry Curve 3G supports high-speed 3G (HSDPA) networks around the world  and gives users the exceptional communications features they need to accomplish more than ever, when they’re at home, at work and everywhere in-between.

      “The majority of people in the worldwide mobile phone market have yet to buy their first smartphone and the BlackBerry Curve 3G is designed to provide an extremely attractive and accessible choice that will help convince many of them to make the leap,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The new BlackBerry Curve 3G is a perfect choice for happily busy people who are looking for a user-friendly 3G smartphone to help them make the most of their day and to stay connected with their friends, family and co-workers.”

      The BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone features a comfortable full-QWERTY keyboard for fast, accurate typing, optical trackpad for fluid navigation, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi®, as well as dedicated media keys, so music lovers can easily access their tunes while on the go. The new smartphone also features a camera that can record video and a microSD/SDHC slot that supports up to 32 GB memory cards for media storage. Support for 3G networks makes browsing faster, streaming music smoother, and gives users the ability to talk on the phone while they browse the web, instant message with BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) or share their location with friends on popular social networking sites.

      The BlackBerry Curve 3G ships with BlackBerry® 5 and is BlackBerry® 6 ready. BlackBerry 6 is a new operating system for BlackBerry® smartphones that was announced last week. It retains the trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh and engaging experience that is both powerful and easy to use. BlackBerry 6 is expected to be available for the BlackBerry Curve 3G, subject to carrier certifications, in the coming months.

      The new BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone (model 9300) will be available from various carriers and distribution partners around the world beginning in August. Check with local carriers for details about availability and pricing.

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    • att,  blackberry,  blackberry os,  rim

      ComputerWorld Torch Round Up

      August 4, 2010 /

      ComputerWorld has a good round up of reviews for the new BlackBerry Torch 9800, which launches on AT&T August 12.  The Torch will be the first BlackBerry to ship with the new BlackBerry 6 operating system.

      “As expected, Research In Motion launched its BlackBerry Torch (aka 9800) on Tuesday morning. Exclusively on AT&T in the U.S., this small slider offers overhauled software and a few unique features. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers can’t decide if it’s an iPhone killer or if it’s too little too late.”

      You can read the Torch review round up on the ComputerWorld website.

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    • att,  blackberry,  blackberry os,  rim,  torch

      RIM Introduces the New BlackBerry Torch 9800

      August 4, 2010 /

      Dallas and Waterloo, ON – Joining forces to offer the first smartphone to feature the highly anticipated BlackBerry® 6 exclusively on the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T and Research In Motion (RIM) today introduced the new BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone. Adept for socially connected consumers and packed with the tools business customers love, the new handset is the world’s first smartphone to combine a BlackBerry® keyboard with a full touch screen experience. Whether users choose to type out messages on the capacitive touch screen or easy-to-use BlackBerry keyboard, browse the Internet using pinch to zoom or fluidly navigate with the optical trackpad, the BlackBerry Torch allows them to communicate any way they want. 

      “We were the first to launch the BlackBerry solution in 1999 and have a rich history of innovation and collaboration with Research In Motion,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “The two companies that brought the first BlackBerry smartphones to market have teamed up again with the new BlackBerry Torch, creating a true generational shift in hardware and operating system for this enormously popular service.”

      “This is one of the most significant launches in RIM’s history and we are proud to introduce the new BlackBerry Torch and BlackBerry 6 together with AT&T,” said Mike Lazaridis, president and co-ceo, Research In Motion. “With a new user interface, new browser and new handset design, the highly anticipated BlackBerry Torch and BlackBerry 6 deliver integrated and uncompromising capabilities for consumers and business professionals that preserve the industry-leading strengths of the BlackBerry platform while adding exciting new dimensions.”

      BlackBerry 6
      The BlackBerry Torch is the first BlackBerry smartphone to launch with BlackBerry 6, a new operating system that retains the familiar and trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh, approachable and engaging experience that’s powerful and easy to use.

      BlackBerry 6 features a redesigned interface that seamlessly works with the touch screen and trackpad, includes expanded messaging capabilities with intuitive features to simplify the management of social networking and RSS feeds (Social Feeds), and provides integrated access to the BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), Facebook®, Twitter™, MySpace™ and various instant messaging applications available on the BlackBerry Torch smartphone. Its enhanced multimedia experience rivals the best in the industry and includes a dedicated YouTube app and Podcasts app.

      BlackBerry 6 also integrates a new and rich WebKit-based browser on BlackBerry Torch that renders HTML web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. It features tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, pinch to zoom for easy navigation and an auto-wrap text zoom feature that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements (simply double-tap on the BlackBerry Torch).

      Universal search, always accessible from the Home Screen, allows users to search through email, messages, contacts, music, videos and more on the smartphone, as well as extend search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World™.

      BlackBerry Torch Smartphone Features

      • Elegant styling, measuring approx. 4.4″ (5.8″ open) x 2.4″ x .57″ and weighing 5.68 ounces
      • 3.2″ 360×480 capacitive touch screen display
      • 35 key full QWERTY backlit slide-out keyboard, designed to feel optimally balanced when opened for typing
      • Optical trackpad that makes navigation fast and smooth
      • Powerful 624 Mhz processor with 512 MB Flash memory
      • 4 GB built-in memory storage plus a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards; a 4 GB card is included giving users 8 GB of storage out-of-the-box
      • 5 MP camera with flash, continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes, geo-tagging and zoom, as well as video recording at up to 640×480 resolution
      • Built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging
      • Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g/n); qualifying smartphone customers can enjoy seamless connectivity to over 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots at no additional cost
      • 3.5mm stereo headset jack
      • Premium phone features, including voice activated dialing, speakerphone and Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including systems that support the Bluetooth Message Access Profile standard) and other Bluetooth accessories
      • New BlackBerry® Desktop Software 6 with integrated media sync for easily syncing music, photos and videos
      • Tri-band HSDPA (3G) and quad-band EDGE support for the option of voice service in more than 220 countries, data service in more than 195 countries and 3G connectivity in more than 125 countries, including Japan and South Korea
      • Removable, rechargeable 1300 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.8 hours of talk time on 3G networks or 30 hours of audio playback or 6 hours of video playback

      Pricing and Availability
      The BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone will be available only for AT&T customers on August 12 in AT&T company owned retail stores and online at www.att.com/blackberrytorch, as well as Best Buy, Wal-Mart and RadioShack stores.

      The BlackBerry Torch 9800 will be available for $199.99 with 2-year service agreement on a qualifying rate plan and smartphone data plan required.  New smartphone customers may choose from two AT&T monthly data plan options, $15 for 200 MB of wireless data or $25 for 2 GB.  Enterprise and small business customers should contact their account representative for pricing details.

      You can read today’s full BlackBerry Torch 9800 press release on the RIM website.

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    • apple,  att,  ios,  iphone

      Comments on Apple iPhone 4 Antenna Reception Reports

      July 24, 2010 /

      I just finished watching the Apple steaming video from the July 16th press event to discuss the whirling controversy around the iPhone 4’s antenna issue. You can watch the 30 minute video on Apple’s website. I’ve waited over a week for the presentation to be posted as a podcast, however, it hasn’t gone up yet, which leads me to believe that this video will disappear from the web soon. (Maybe around Sept 30, when the free bumper case offer expires.)

      The Facts According to Apple, AT&T

      Apple’s assertion that the “death grip” issue is a problem on all smartphones, not just the iPhone 4. Mr. Jobs suggests that the loss of signal, or “bars”, was more noticeable because of the two slits on the lower left and right sides of the iPhone 4.

      Mr. Jobs also said that Apple takes these issues seriously and that they, “care about every user,” and that they “love our users.” During the presentation, Apple uncharacteristically came clean with some hard numbers based on the data that they have. Apple also released the delta change between early iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 dropped call statistics per 100 calls.



      To help address the issue of signal strength, Apple also released the iOS 4.0.1 update on July 15th. The update is free to all iPhone OS 4 users and anyone using an iPhone 3 or iPhone 3GS. The iOS 4.0 software will not run on the original iPhone, also known as the iPhone 2G. The software update is available for download via iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC.

      Making Sure Customers Are Happy

      Even though Mr. Jobs’ assertion is that this is not the major customer problem that some technology blogs are making it out to be, Apple wants to “take care of everyone” by giving all iPhone 4 customers a free case. If they have already purchased an Apple iPhone 4 bumper case, the company will automatically refund your money. If you still don’t like the iPhone 4 or feel that the antenna issue is a big problem for you, you can bring the phone back to an Apple or AT&T store for a full refund. No restocking fees. A full refund. No questions asked. The iPhone must be in good working condition and you have 30 days to return the phone from the day if shipped from Apple or you purchased it from an AT&T store.

      I’m glad to see Apple stepping up to the plate to offer free cases to every iPhone 4 owner and anyone who purchases an iPhone 4 until September 30th.

      My personal feeling is that yes there is a problem, but it isn’t as big as you may be lead to believe by the media. For me, I’m satisfied with the outcome, but then again I don’t own an iPhone 4. I plan on waiting until I can get one on the Sprint network.

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    • apple,  att,  evo,  ios,  iphone,  sprint

      Engadget: Apple iPhone 4 vs. Sprint HTC EVO 4G

      June 28, 2010 /

      The good folks over at Engadget have a good review of the Apple iPhone vs the Sprint HTC EVO which is an essential read if you are in the market for either new smartphone.

      “Hoo boy. This is a tough one, isn’t it? In our years at Engadget, we’ve rarely seen such deafening debate and adulation for a pair of devices. In one corner we have the iPhone 4, coming off a few relatively easy rounds atop the smartphone mind share heap. However, the Droid and its ilk have weakened Apple’s spot, and here comes the HTC EVO 4G in for the kill, sporting a larger screen, 4G data, and all manner of HTC sexy. If the devices themselves weren’t enough, the debate has turned into something larger and metaphorical, with Apple representing tight restrictions and a singular top down vision, while Google’s Android stands for something perhaps a bit more haphazard but democratizing.”

      You can read the full story on the Engadget website.

      [Via Engadget…]

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