Mobile Phones

Mobile Phones, cell phones

Court bans VoIP app on iPhone

September 10, 2008

A ruling was just issued by the Higher Regional Court (Oberlandesgericht) of Hamburg, Germany banning VoIP on the Apple iPhone. Specifically, the sipgate VoIP app (image right) has been banned - all part of T-Mobile's ongoing fight to block VoIP on the iPhone.

Apparently, the court felt that sipgate would "lure" iPhone users into "jailbreaking" their iPhones. WTF? Banning software because it might entice customers to do something bad?

Posted in Apple, Mobile Phones, SIP, TMCnet, VoIP, Wireless

Buying an iPhone at Best Buy

September 8, 2008

Best Buy began selling the Apple iPhone on Sunday, becoming the first U.S. retailer to do so outside of Apple and AT&T stores. The Apple iPhone will be carrier in 970 Best Buy stores. Rich Tehrani and I decided to take a walk to Best Buy which is just down the street from TMC and take some pictures of their display.

Posted in Apple, Gadgets, ITEXPO, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, Wireless

Pantech Breeze -- Well, Almost So Simple ...

September 4, 2008

If life could be simple again -- really simple? -- wouldn't we all be better off?

And in one of the area where simple could be good -- even great (Palm Pilot drum roll, please), Pantech has introduced its Breeze cell phone.

It's key benefits can be summed in with just two letters -- E and Z:

EZ to use: simplified, easy-to-read user interface
EZ to connect: back-lit one-touch quick call keys
EZ to access: one-touch speakerphone and camera
EZ to handle: oversized keypad with separated buttons

The Breeze is a slim, good-looking flip phone (4 x 2 x 0.7 inches) that weighs less than four ounces and includes an external 1-inch (diagonal) screen.

Nothing so special yet, but flip it open, and you find three quick-dial buttons labeled 1, 2, and 3. They sit below a nice size (2.2 inch) LCD.

The main keypad buttons are comfortable and sizable, and the handset includes a slender volume button and a nonstandard headphone jack on the side.

Using it is a relative breeze, but how can we get this even simpler?

Remember how easy rotary dial and push button phones were?

Posted in Mobile Phones

Qik Live Streaming Mobile Video Now on HTC Phones

September 4, 2008

Qik, the popular live streaming mobile phone video app, is now available on a variety of new Windows Mobile enabled phones including select HTC devices.

New support includes:
â¢ HTC Touch Dual
â¢ HTC Touch Diamond
â¢ HTC TyTn-II
â¢ AT&T Tilt
â¢ Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Qik added mobile video blogging to the Apple iPhone just last week. I was actually going to use Qik on my Verizon XV6700 HTC Apache Windows Mobile 6.1 device to live video blog Internet Telephony Expo in 2 weeks - but it isn't supported. While the HTC Apache isn't specifically listed, I'm going to try again in a few minutes to see if it works.

Posted in Gadgets, ITEXPO, Mobile Phones, TMCnet, Video Conferencing, Video Hardware & Software, Wireless

Only Apple and RIM Can Make Good Smart Phones?

September 3, 2008

The U.S. market for smart phones continues to be a tough nut to crack for the established handset makers.

Top-tier players such as Nokia, Motorola and Samsung control 80% of the market for cell phones but have struggled in the U.S. to sell smart phones -- phones that allow users to surf the Internet, send email and download music, among other advanced functions.

Often caught up satisfying carrier demands, handset makers have been slow to bring out products in this segment, opening the door for the likes of Research in Motion and Apple. And let's not forget Palm.

(What's in your pocket? Bet it's one of those ...)

Want to find out more about the trials and tribulations of this market? Check out the Wall Street Journal here.

Posted in Mobile Phones

Roasting AT&T over iPhone Problems

August 29, 2008

"A phone is only as good as the network it's on," said a full-page Verizon Wireless newspaper ad on Thursday, lobbing a shot at AT&T's 3G, or third generation, high-speed network.

(And ain't that the truth -- we know if well where I live!)

Apple sold more than a million iPhone 3G cellphones its first weekend -- with some stores running out -- and two million more since then, analysts say.

But its July debut has been nothing less than a public relations headache for AT&T, with eager buyers complaining about dropped calls and poor network connections.

Some fingers point to Apple, which has tried to deflect the complaints. But many others point to AT&T's cellular network.

Whatever the source of the problems, AT&T's rivals, long irritated by all the attention the iPhone has received, are on the attack and happy to exploit the discontent.

A Verizon executive sent an e-mail to Wall Street analysts last week: "So much for a 'new' way of doing business at the old AT&T -- your father's phone company."

Get more at the New York Times here.

Posted in Apple, Mobile Phones, Wireless

Is Sony Ericsson Headed for Splitsville?

August 28, 2008

According to Reuters, Sony's joint venture with cell phone maker Ericsson must do better.

Asked whether Sony is planning to end its Sony Ericsson joint venture, Sony head honcho Howard Stringer said: "It's certainly been a difficult year but buying out a partner is never an easy thing."

Sony lowered its group net profit forecast for the year to March by 17 percent, citing a slump at Sony Ericsson and weakening prospects for its electronics division amid tough price competition.

"We have to work together again as we did two years ago. Or the joint venture will have to find its own solution," Stringer said.

He added that it was hard for a company to be as nimble as possible when it works in a joint venture.

Are the bells starting to toll? And will that be the last ring tone from Sony Ericsson?

Lots more here.

Posted in Mobile Phones

What's in Your Back-to-School Pack?

August 27, 2008

Is every kid in America (at least at a certain age bracket) heading back to High School (or even Middle School) this week with a cell phone and iPod?

I'm sure there a many other variations of gadgetry in the average back-to-school back pack (or other notebook, pencil, paper, lunch carrying device), but that's got to be the one.

Wait ... Maybe it's just the iPhone without anything else, but that would seem to be more appropriate for a higher demo that what I'm given to thinking.

Or maybe the real debate is the iPod and a specific model of cell phone in tandem?

Anyway, before I get myself all confused over this burning issue, what do you think? Anybody out there got anything to contribute?

Posted in Apple, MP3 Players & Digital Audio, Mobile Phones, PDAs & Handhelds

Microsoft develops Vi-Fi (Vehicle Wi-Fi). VoIP while driving baby!

August 27, 2008

A new technology developed by Microsoft in alliance with the University of Massachusetts (UMASS), and the University of Washington has resulted in a new technology called Vi-Fi (Vehicle Wi-Fi). Vi-Fi solves the problem of hopping from one Wi-Fi wireless access point (WAP) to another when signal strength diminishes. According to the article, the goal of Vi-Fi could be to power VoIP calls, Internet, and radio in cars of the future.

Ironically, Andy wrote a controversial blog this week about VoIPing while flying (using Aircell) -- well now you can VoIP while driving too! Of course, I've been using VoIP over EVDO for some time now while driving.

Posted in Gadgets, Internet, Microsoft, Mobile Phones, Satellite Radio, TMCnet, Technology and Science, VoIP, Wireless

Woz: The Engineer Behind the Apple

August 26, 2008

At the 2008 Intel Developer Forum, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (right in photo) took the main stage to talk about his love of engineering and science, the process behind developing the Apple II personal computer, and what it's like to be "Employee No. 1" at Apple.

Wozniak also spoke of the impact Steve Jobs (left in photo) still has on Apple and its slew of successful products, from the iPod to the iPhone.

If he had his wish, he would have remained an engineer for life at Hewlett-Packard.

Instead, Steve Jobs encouraged Wozniak to leave the safe confines of HP and venture out into a new company -- Apple -- where the two would work to bring the Apple II personal computer into every household, school and business.

With some reluctance, Wozniak left HP and became--and still remains--"Employee No. 1" at Apple. In his partnership with Jobs, Wozniak would remain the engineer, and Jobs would sell what Wozniak would invent.

"A lot of times you become what you want to be in life, and I wanted to be an engineer," said Wozniak at the conclusion of the Forum.

"I never wanted to run a company. I didn't want to worry about money. I didn't want to move up the management chain," Wozniak said.

Posted in Apple, Computer Hardware, MP3 Players & Digital Audio, Mobile Phones

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