Treo 750 Has Broadbandlike Speed
January 26, 2007
From a presentation to the press on the new Treo 750. What exactly is “broadbandlike”? Is that even a word? Also notice that the price is $399 with a two year contract. For $100 more you can have an Apple iPhone with and iPod and Internet browsing. The iPhone doesn’t look so expensive now does it? Also notice the two year contract required from Cingular. Standard procedure here in the US. Bend over and say “Thanks you sir, may I have another?”
Someone Has It Out For The iPhone
January 26, 2007
John Webster, writing for Computerworld has a bug up his butt about the new Apple iPhone. This guy has written three scathing articles in the past week. Ok, we get it, you hate it. Fine. We’ll never really know how good the iPhone is until we get our hands on it, so to speak. It’s looks pretty good to me, but like most things, it will never be everything to everybody. Some general complaints about iPhone:
It doesn’t have 3G - I agree on this one. Certainly the Cingular 3G network is not vary wide spread yet but it is growing and why would I plunk down $500 for a phone that I have to replace in a year just to get to high speed. The Samsung Blackjack phone is 3G as is the new Treo 750. No excuse here, Apple blew it.
No tactile feedback for the keyboard - This will be a new learned response for people. I never thought it was reasonable to type on the tiny keyboards that are common on most smart phones but we figured it out. Some even mastered the strange Blackberry keyboard. Once you get used it it, I bet it’s not so bad.
It’s only on Cingular and you have to buy a 2 year contract - Sucks for you Verizon and t-Mobile. As for the 2 year contract, nothing new here. Every cell phone I have ever purchased made me buy into at least a year of service and now 2 years is more the norm. It’s a terrible deal for the customer and I hate it but the iPhone didn’t create the problem.
No third party apps - Again, I agree here. Limiting the third party applications that can be installed on the device helps Apple control the experience and the quality but severely limits expanded functionality. This is a huge mistake and Apple should come correct (as the kids say) and fast.
Too Expensive - For a cell phone, yes. But this is an iPod and a cell phone and a camera and an Internet device. So, not as bad if you add all that up. Still $500 is $500 and that’s allot of cash.
Overall iPhone has it’s good and it’s bad and, regardless of what my wife says, I still want one. I’m waiting for 3G though.
File Under - Too Good To Be True
January 23, 2007
I have written about it before and here we go again. Another article suggesting the music industry is at least thinking about the merits of dropping DRM from their music distribution strategy. Music sales are dropping and digital downloads are not making up the difference. It’s adapt or die time for Big Music.
Microsoft Zune Wi-Fi No Sharing Feature
January 19, 2007
There is really not much to say about this but WOW. Like, just wow. Read it and weep. Way to torpedo Microsoft’s one big feature that gave it a snowballs chance in hell to beat the iPod. Now it doesn’t even have that. Wow.
Apple, Inc - A Cult of Personality
January 17, 2007
I used to be an Apple fanboy before I went astray during the dark years. Now I am back and it feels pretty good. Apple is as hot as ever and making amazing products. But therein lies the problem. What saved Apple? Steve Jobs. Without his return, Apple would have never made it. Look at the products Apple has produced since the great Steve returned. The iMac, iPod, and now iPhone. That first iMac was like nothing anyone had ever seen before. Candy colored and not a straight edge on it. I don’t think anyone in the industry but Jobs would have had the vision and the guts to conceive and ship such a thing. Apple has a tradition for great design, but only when Jobs is at the controls. The products Apple produced when he was gone were garbage.
Bloomberg.com has called Jobs the $20 billion asset because if Jobs left the company, the stock could loose up to 25% which would be about $20 billion. I think they are right. Apple has always been a cult of personality, Steve Jobs’ personality. The way the products are designed and marketed are a direct reflection of his core values as a person and a businessman. I have always wondered about what would become of Apple when he is gone. Will they still have the vision and guts to produce something like the iPhone?
Music Industry Wakes Up, Smells Coffee
January 3, 2007
More startling news from the music industry. Now we have former industry execs saying
“They’re doing it anyway,” says Ted Cohen, former EMI Music Group digital executive and now founding partner of consulting firm TAG Strategic. “There’s a chance to monetize this behavior.”
I guess the light bulb finally went on somewhere. So many outside the industry have been saying this for years. It took awhile but I’m glad we may be exiting the dark years of suing grandmothers over copyrighted music. This article focuses mostly on music but I truly hope the movie and television folks also get the message. The music business may just save itself yet. Now how about a fair license for music podcasters?
Has DRM Jumped The Shark?
January 2, 2007
Wow, amazing news about the potential for the music industry to adopt a non-DRM strategy. This would be a huge win the consumers and probably the industry as well. Apple should be a little worried, however, as their current lock on the digital music business would be compromised. I would still love my iPod but I would love the chance to buy music from a variety of sources and at more competitive prices. Still one big problem for competing device vendors, all that iTunes music already purchased still won’t play on anything but an iPod.
The Connected World - at 65mph
January 2, 2007
Satellite radio, tv/dvd, video games; what more does a rolling entertainment center SUV need? High speed Internet access of course. Autonet Mobile says they are the first car ISP with their $399 wireless unit that provides Internet access for $50 a month. Unconfirmed reports say it may be Verizon’s EV-DO network providing the data.