Cell Geek

RIM, Google, and TweetDeck Fire Back at Apple

2010-10-21T11:33:00.001-04:00

After comments made from Apple's CEO Steve Jobs, RIM decided to respond to allegations of not developing outside your comfort zone, and dismissing RIM's products as not being a major part of the market. RIM's co-CEO Jim Balsillie issued the statement "for those of us who live outside of Apple's distortion field," Jobs comments missed the mark. Balsillie also noted that customers are getting tired of being told what to think by Apple. Balsillie also went on to note that Jobs has completely dismissed the 7 inch touch screen tablet that RIM is releasing as being inferrior to the iPad. RIM wasn't the only company that decided to respond to comments.

Google's VP of Engineering and Android Cheif Andy Rubin used is first Twitter Tweet to respond to Job's allegations that Android is not an open software. In his response he included links to everything needed to anyone to begin development.

TweetDeck CEO Iain Dodsworth came to the aid of Google as well after Job's blew out of proportion that Google's operating platform is a fragmented platform.

"Did we at any point say it was a nightmare developing on Android? Errr nope, no we didn't. It wasn't," he wrote. Later he added, "We only have two guys developing on Android TweetDeck so that shows how small an issue fragmentation is."

Jobs seems to be desperately grasping at anything he can twist to a positive for the die hard Apple supporters. Jobs has obviously started to feel the strain being put on him by Android in recent months, and it has become evident in recent months with the amount of attacking that he has been doing durring speaches in rencent months.

Clearwire Produces 90MB/s LTE Test

2010-10-21T11:06:00.001-04:00

Clearwire has released that in their LTE test bed in Phoenix has seen peak download speeds of 90Mbps The speed is a significant difference between their advertised WiMAX speeds, and their LTE. One fact that needs to be noted about this test is that the test was performed on a test network. This network would not be subject to real world stresses and abuses by users that could cause a reduction in the performance speed. The testing speeds and real world speeds tend to be very different. That being said is the test was performed in a 20x20 Mhz configuration. Verizon Wireless is expecting 5-12Mbps speeds on their real world network, and Clearwire's own WiMAX option runs at 3-6Mbps. Clearwire's recent concentrated efforts with LTE should not be viewed as a play to abandon the WiMAX technology. Clearwire has announced that their WiMAX will cover 120 POPs this year.

Palm Pre 2 Announced for Verizon

2010-10-20T10:20:00.001-04:00

The Palm Pre 2 has been announced from Verizon. The new device will run Palm's revamped WebOS 2.0. The phone will also sport a 3.1" Touch Screen display with a resolution of 360 x 480. The form-factor will remain a slide with full QWERTY keyboard. Wifi support has been expanded 802.11b/g/n. Other features include GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR and A2DP, 5MP camera with LED flash, and support for Adobe Flash Mobile 10.1 and HTML5.

Verizon Customizes Data Plans

2010-10-20T10:11:00.001-04:00

Verizon Wireless has been dropping hints that they would be moving to a tiered data package for their smart phones and PDA's, and have finally release some juicy tid-bits. Verizon believes that the new pricing will offer more flexibility to their customers to allow their phones to work for them without breaking their bank. Pricing is as follows:

Smartphones - $15/ month for 150 MB of data with overage at $0.10/Mb or $29.99 for unlimited.

Tablet Plans - $20 1GB / $35 3GB / $50 5GB Overage will be charged at $10/GB. (all fees are monthly)

Mifi/Five Spot/Notebook Plans - $50 5 GB / $80 10 GB Overage $10/GB

*** The Mifi and Five Spot will have access to the tablet plans as well.

Standard USB modems will remain unchanged, and features phones will still have the $1.99/day pay-per-day option.

The $9.99 option for advanced multi-media devices is going to be eliminated at the same time these new plans are ushered in.

The changes are expected to fall in place October 28th to coincide with the release of the iPad on Verizon.

Blackberry Code-named Style will Release as Oxford

2010-10-11T12:20:00.002-04:00

The Blackberry Style that has emerged lately will be released on October 31st with Sprint, and Will do so under the moniker Oxford. The Blackberry Oxford will be a flip style with a full QWERTY. The device will operate of Blackberry OS 6, Wifi Capable, 5 MP Camera, and Stereo Bluetooth.

The phone can be yours for $99.99 after $100 mail in rebate.

App Market Gets a Face Lift

2010-10-11T11:44:00.002-04:00

The Android Application Market will get a facelift for users who are using Android 1.6 or above, Not including Froyo (2.2). The improvements won't be all cosmetic, as additional functionality will be available for the market such as bulk update, and the ability to auto-update downloaded applications. The updates will include a new tabbed browsing interface. The application will update without notice.

T-Mobile Lands the HD7 Windows 7 Phone

2010-10-11T11:39:00.003-04:00

HTC has released an apropriate evolution to their HD2. The HD 7 will be the first T-Mobile device with Windows 7. New feature in Windows 7 Integrates parts of the playbook from Verizon's failed KIN One and Kin Two devices, wich allow you to quickly see what family and friends are up to. The device will include a 4.3" Touch display, Quad-band GSM/EDGE radios, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, Wifi and FM. The phone will also endorse the standard 5 MP camera with duel LED Flash, and the 1 Ghz Snapdragon Processor. The phone will also support HD video recording. Netflix, Xbox Live, Zune, and Slacker Radio is just a taste of the bundled software for the device. In addition to the 16Gb of internal storage for entertainment related functions, T-Mobile is touting a new application called "Family Room". The family room application will allow families to improve the flow of communication and manage schedules. The device will officially be available mid November. Price information is not yet available.

Verizon To Get Talking and Surfing at the Same Time

2010-10-11T11:32:00.002-04:00

Verizon Wireless spokesperson Brian Higgins announced that the company is examining ways to allow their customers to talk on the phone and text, or use data at the same time. Verizon believes that this will be of limited us to a majority of its customers, but competitors like At&t are touting this as a major network factor in their advertisements. The fix for their current CDMA network will most likely to work with CDMA enhanced. The CDMA enhanced version will allow customers to work with both at the same time. It is currently unknown whether the network enhancement will be backwards compatible with older devices, or if it will remain an advantage in new devices moving forward. Either way, the enhancement is expected in the first half of 2011. I hope At&t is working on a new ad campaign.

LightSquared Gets Manufacturers On-board

2010-10-08T15:57:00.002-04:00

Hot of the heels of an $850 Million round of financing for their network
build out, LightSquared gets Nokia and Qualcomm on board for device
production. Qualcomm will be introducing the MDM9600 Multi-Mode LTE
Chipset. Qualcomm will also be introducing a new interface technology
called EGAL (enhances Geostational Air Link). This new interface will
allow mobile devices to operate on the satellite link. Nokia is also
jumping into the ring by providing branded data devices to the company.

Verizon Releases LTE Plans

2010-10-08T15:29:00.002-04:00

Verizon Wireless has finally unleashed their 4G LTE plans upon the
United States. President and COO Lowel, McAdams announced the LTE
network will support an average data rate of 5-12 Megabits per second
with a network latency of 30 milliseconds. Verizon had already announced
that they would release 35 metro markets in the US with the initial roll
out, and have surpassed that mark. Verizon has announced a list of 38
markets, and 60 commercial airports. (See list below) Despite what At&t
has eluded to in previous weeks, LTE devices will begin to arrive at
Verizon as soon as the beginning of the year however, specific devices
have not been mentioned. McAdams did note that the gamut would include
handsets, USB modems, and tablets. Verizon is dedicated to taking their
network away from the classic walled garden approach that has dominated
the cellular industry, and will open up their resources to third party
developers. Verizon recognizes the importance of the 4G experience being
driven by forces from outside the company, and has already begun work
with companies like Google and Skype to create the "building blocks of
the future". Further, Verizon will also be opening the network as a
shared resource to rural operators. Agreements are in place with 5 such
operators, and underway with more than 200 others. The company president
refused to comment on the up coming availability of the iPhone for
Verizon, but noted that a device like that could benefit from the data
speeds that will be available with LTE. Based on this statement, with
little else known about the elusive device, the new Verizon iPhone may
well be an LTE version of the device. In addition to the 38 other
markets and 60 airports, Verizon has been working with Purdue University
to create a wireless campus utilizing the 4G technology.
LTE City list:
Akron, Ohio
Athens, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Baltimore, Maryland
Boston, Massachusetts
Charlotte, North Carolina
Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Houston, Texas
Jacksonville, Florida
Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota
Nashville, Tennessee
New Orleans, Louisiana
New York, New York
Oakland, California
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Orlando, Florida
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Rochester, New York
San Antonio, Texas
San Diego, California
San Francisco, California
San Jose, California
Seattle/Tacoma, Washington
St. Louis, Missouri
Tampa, Florida
Washington, D.C.
West Lafayette, Indiana
West Palm Beach, Florida
Airports:
Austin-Bergstrom International, Austin, Texas
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshal, Glen Burnie, Maryland
Bob Hope, Burbank, California
Boeing Field/King County International, Seattle, Washington
Charlotte/Douglas International, Charlotte, North Carolina
Chicago Midway International, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago O'Hare International, Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Covington, Kentucky
Cleveland-Hopkins International, Cleveland, Ohio
Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas
Dallas/Fort Worth International, Fort Worth, Texas
Denver International, Denver, Colorado
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
George Bush Intercontinental/Houston, Houston, Texas
Greater Rochester International, Rochester, New York
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Atlanta, Georgia
Honolulu International, Honolulu, Hawaii
Jacksonville International, Jacksonville, Florida
John F. Kennedy International, New York, New York
John Wayne Airport-Orange County, Santa Ana, California
Kansas City International, Kansas City, Missouri
La Guardia, New York, New York
Lambert-St. Louis International, St. Louis, Missouri
Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts
Long Beach/Daugherty Field, Long Beach, California
Los Angeles International, Los Angeles, California
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, Metairie, Louisiana
McCarran International, Las Vegas, Nevada
Memphis International, Memphis, Tennessee
Metropolitan Oakland International, Oakland, California
Miami International, Miami, Florida
Minneapolis-St. Paul International/Wold-Chamberlain, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nashville International, Nashville, Tennessee
New Castle, Wilmington, North Carolina
Newark Liberty International, Newark, New Jersey
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International, San Jose, California
North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada
Orlando International, Orlando, Florida
Orlando Sanford International, Sanford, Florida
Palm Beach International, West Palm Beach, Florida
Philadelphia International, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, Mesa, Arizona
Pittsburgh International, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Port Columbus International, Columbus, Ohio
Portland International, Portland, Oregon
Rickenbacker International, Columbus, Ohio
Ronald Reagan Washington National, Arlington, Virginia
Sacramento International, Sacramento, California
Salt Lake City International, Salt Lake City, Utah
San Antonio International, San Antonio, Texas
San Diego International, San Diego, California
San Francisco International, San Francisco, California
Seattle-Tacoma International, Seattle, Washington
St. Augustine, Saint Augustine, Florida
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International, Clearwater, Florida
Tampa International, Tampa, Florida
Teterboro, Teterboro, New Jersey
Trenton Mercer, Trenton, New Jersey
Washington Dulles International, Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C.
Will Rogers World, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
William P. Hobby, Houston, Texas

Verizon iPhone Rumors Surface Again

2010-10-07T18:43:00.002-04:00

According to the Wall Street Journal, sources that are close to
negotiations between Verizon and Apple, claim that Apple has begun
production of a new iPhone made exclusively for the largest carrier in
the United States. While all companies involved refuse to comment,
sources claim that the CDMA exclusive iPhone will be manufactured by
Pegatron Technology Group, a sub company of Asustek. The move by Apple
to end exclusivity with At&t would be a smart decision with additional
pressure in the US market mounting from the storm of sales by Android
handsets. Android is currently being used by 10.9 Million users in the
United States which is upwards of 866,000 from a year ago August. At&t
however, has begun to bolster its line up with Android devices the last
couple weeks in anticipation of the leaving of the iPhone exclusivity.
While no official announcements have been made the handset is expected
to be very similar to the iPhone 4, and be sold early next year.

Verizon Adds Two More Android Phones

2010-10-06T11:26:00.002-04:00

Verizon Wireless announced they have added two more devices to their
smart phone line up. You guessed it.... MORE ANDROID! The devices come
from two different sides of the Android Spectrum. The Droid Pro
(pictured bottom-right), another evolution in the successful Motorola
Droid/ Droid 2 line up improves on the features that made the original
successful . The device is business focused and IT friendly. This time
around the device will include world capabilities, 3.1" Touch display, 1
Ghz processor, and Android 2.2 including the long awaited Adobe Flash
Player 10 will be pre-installed. Coming the first week of November, the
device will include advanced password support, device management
options, and exchange security features. The Citrus (pictured Top-Left)
however, is being billed as a "first smartphone" type device. The phone
will be running Android 2.1, and will be a slab style form factor. The
price on both handsets was not immediately available.

Qualcomm Calls it quits with Media FLO

2010-10-06T11:17:00.001-04:00

Chip manufacturer Qualcomm has announced that they will be suspending
consumer sales of Media Flo. The service allows customer to watch live
TV from mobile devices. Qualcomm does see continued interest in the
Media Flo service, and the spectrum that it operates on, but is still
intending on discontinuing the service. Qualcomm has agreed to continue
support for existing Media Flo devices until Sping of 2011. Should the
service close early Qualcomm intends to issue appropriate refunds.

GetJar Gets Glued

2010-10-06T11:13:00.002-04:00

Popular mobile application download site GetJar is offering a promotion
for mobile gaming application designed by Glu. Select premium mobile
applications from Glu will be available for free download for the next
two weeks. The promotion will be available for Android, Blackberry, and
Java enabled devices.

At&t Shows Motorola Some Android Love

2010-10-06T11:08:00.002-04:00

At&t just brought aboard new Motorola handsets in the Android variety.
The handsets will share some common feature including, a 3 profile
battery manager, HSPA 7.2 3G data, 3 Megapixel camera, 3.5mm headset
jack, FM radio, and the newly released Crystal Talk Plus. Crystal Talk
Plus will assist the phones with better noise filtering, and clearer
conversations.
Bravo: The Bravo(pictured Top-Left) sports a large 3.7" Touch sensitive
display with a resolution of 480x854, and will be driven by an 800 Mhz
processor. The unit will also include DLNA for streaming video via WIFI
to an HDTV. The phone will be available during the holiday season for
$130 with contract and rebates.
Flipside: The Flipside (pictured Top-Right) will host a 3.1" display
with front mounted trackpad. The screen resolution will be lower
weighing in at 320x480, but trades the resolution for a slide out QWERTY
keyboard. The Flipside will be also available holiday season for $100
with contract and rebates.
Flipout: The Flipout (pictured bottom) will be available October 13th.
The unit will feature a swivel design full QWERTY keyboard, and pack a
720 mhz processor behind the QVGA display. The Flipout will release at
$80 with contract and rebates.

Fring Now Available on Android with No Wifi Restrictions

2010-10-06T10:54:00.002-04:00

Fring, a social voice chat software similar to skype, has just been
released for Android. The software will not restrict the use of wifi
for the data network, so you will be able to use wifi with Fring instead
of carrier data if you choose. Fring will work on 3G, 4G, and WIFI.
The software will offer international rates starting at $0.01 per minute
to select locations. The application can be downloaded for free via the
Android Market Place.

Google Acquires BlindType

2010-10-03T09:50:00.000-04:00

BlindType has just announced that they have been acquired by Google. BlindType creates predictive typing software they claim is better than the competitors. The software will allow users to type on a touch based device without looking at the keyboard. The terms of purchase were not disclosed, but you can assure that this company was purchased to integrate the technology into Android based devices. Text entry on touch devices has seen many improvements lately, the most notable is Swype. Some manufacturers have already begun to bundle Swype into their devices standard.

Ca Home for Android Gets An Update

2010-10-03T09:46:00.000-04:00

Car Home is an application that comes standard on Android based devices. The application has shortcuts to allow you to still use your device while in the vehicle, but make the usage of the device easier. The menu is simplified, and allows you to quickly access useful tools while on the road such as GPS navigation. The Car Home application has an updated version available in the App Market. The new version will allow you to customize the even further simplified menu, change the shortcuts on the screen, and even launch into Car Home when paired with a Bluetooth Headset. The wallpaper is also able to be customized this time around. Car Home has also released a development kit to allow developers to make their own applications compatible with Car Home. Car Home requires Android 2.2 to download, and is of course a free download.

Microsoft Files Questionable Patent Suit Against Motorola

2010-10-03T09:37:00.001-04:00

Microsoft has claimed that Motorola's Android based devices violate patents that are held by Microsoft. The patent suit filed with the ITC claim that Motorola's Android devices include essential smart phone technologies such as email synchronization, calendar, scheduling meetings, and passing internal hardware information such as signal strength and battery life to applications. Microsoft claims that the lawsuit was filed only to force Motorola to respect their intellectual properties.

Google Gets Hyper-local

2010-10-01T07:28:00.002-04:00

Google has announced via blog that they have begun to offer hyper-local search advertisement. The advertisement will allow businesses to target local users with a search add if they have opted into sharing their location with Google. The ads can only be targeted to location enabled devices with a full web browser such as the iPhone or Android devices. The ads will display with distance I formation to enable viewers to understand how close they are to that business.

Sprint Network Upgrade May Out IDEN and Embrace LTE

2010-09-30T16:55:00.001-04:00

Sprint is beginning an migration of their network. They will be changing their base station and radios. The ultimate goal will be to reduce the number of cell sites from 66,000 to 44,000. During this reduction of cell sites Sprint intends to take advantage of 1x advanced technology. The goal is to improve the connection with up and down with the towers, simplify the network architecture, and create an increase in the stability of in-building coverage.

Six different unnamed vendors have already provided Sprint with quotes for the network build-out. The quotes include multi-carrier equipment that will allow sprint to deploy 1x advanced and EVDO for voice and data. The carrier will also offer WIMAX, and eventually LTE via a software upgrade. Sprint also plans to increase its spectrum holdings in the 800 mhz, 1900 mhz, and 2.4 Ghz band, and migrating customers to the newly improved CDMA network. Along with this network transition will come an improvement in the CDMA network so the classic Nextel Walkie-Talkie service will be available on the CDMA network. Bob Azzi, senior VP of network with Sprint made it clear that Sprint will not force customers to migrate from IDEN to CDMA service. Sprint did not mention any future plans with IDEN, but did make mention that they will support IDEN until customers decide that they want to move.

Sprint currently holds a 54% ownership steak in Clearwire. Clearwire has been busy dropping WIMAX sites around the country lighting up cities with the first available 4G experience. Clearwire has plans to light 80 additional markets by the end of the year. There are further plans on the part of Clearwire to begin LTE trials in Phoenix.

Android Mobile Browser Test Results

2010-09-30T16:23:00.002-04:00

PC World has tested the performance of Android browsers Fennec (Firefox 4), stock browser Android 2.1, stock browser Android 2.2, Dolphin HD, Opera Mini, and Skyfire 2. The conclusion of the results may surprise you. The overall fastest browser seems to be Skyfire. The extensive feature offering in this browser however makes it a bit unstable. However, if you are unable to install Android 2.2 for flash support this may be your best alternative. The browser makes use of server side compression that also compresses video. The video is then streamed to your device in a mobile friendly format that will result in being able to see the video and most of the time negating the need for Flash support at all.

Opera Mini is a solid performing rockstar on almost any platform, and Android is not an exception to this, the browser however was a little sluggish in testing. It loads previously visited websites much better, so if your a creature of habit looking for a stable browser this one may be the best choice.

The only real advantage that we see with the Android 2.2 stock browser is Flash 10 support. Other than that the browser is a little faster than the Android 2.1 stock browser. When you have the option available the Android browsers are very stable, but lack a little bit in speed, and seem to be lacking in the feature department when compared to the other browsers.

Fennec seems to be the slowest browser at the moment. While Fennec uses server side compression like Skyfire, but seems like they haven't quite gotten all the bugs worked out of the data transfer between their servers and your device. I look forward to future versions of this browser performing much better.

Currently my vote is with the Android 2.2 browser, or using the Android 2.1 browser in tandem with Skyfire to have some form of video support.

Samsung SCH-i400 Continuum

2010-09-30T16:07:00.002-04:00

The Samsung Continuum (SCH-i400) looks to be part of the Galaxy S series. There are a few new innovative options that seem like they are ready especially the secondary OLED display that is available and reportedly works like an update “ticker”. All the details are still a little hazy on this phone, but we will update you when we know more.

GoPhone Gets a Rate Plan Overhaul

2010-09-30T16:05:00.002-04:00

Beginning October 3^rd, GoPhone will be offering different prepaid rate plans. Customers will be able to take advantage of Unlimited Daily Talk for $2 a day on the days that the phone is used, Unlimited Talk and Text for $60per month. Users needing internet options will have access to and Talk, Text, 200mb web for $75 per month. Basic per minute plans are available at 10 cents per minute.

Google Maps Live Wallpaper Weather

2010-09-30T16:04:00.002-04:00

Google Maps newest version 4.5.1 for Android now adds the current weather conditions to the home screen when its used as the live wallpaper. The live wallpaper seems to run buggy from my experience massively slowed down my DROID to the point that it was almost unusable. I suggest waiting until the next upgrade to Motorola DROID owners. Android devices with a 1 Ghz processor should support the update with fewer if any issues.