iphone

[vansmack]

i'm sure the wimax data plans will be insanely expensive

They haven't been thus far.  Sprint offered to upgrade my data card to 4G for free if I renewed my plan for 2 more years.  It would have been the same price for 4G as it was for 3G, but I told them that I would not renew until 4G was available in my area.

A new customer can get the same deal ($59 a month for unlimited data, $99 for the 4G HotSpot, but just a 4G card is free).

[sweetcell]

wait- 4G = wimax?

[vansmack]

wait- 4G = wimax?

[shakesheadindisappointment]Yes.[/shakesheadindisappointment]

Although for Verizon, at&t and T-Mobile it will be LTE.

[vansmack]

i'm sure the wimax data plans will be insanely expensive

Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint this morning:

9:33AM "3G's kind of getting exhausted. I talk to my network guys, and it's like Scottie in the engine room... 'she's going as fast as she can!'

9:34AM With 4G, "because we can produce a gigabyte cheaper, we can offer more to the customer.""

9:35AM "It's like standard def versus high def, but with that analogy, you paid more for the better service. With 4G, we're giving you more for free."

Of course, by free he means no additional cost to your plan, not that it will actually be free.

[vansmack]

New Phones Still Sold With Old Versions of Android

Google has a new plan for this as they are frustrated with manufacturers and carriers delaying upgrades.  Starting with Froyo and Gingerbread (the next two updates), Google will decouple the Core apps from the Core OS.  That means that even if your carrier doesn't have the Core OS ready to go, a user can still upgrade Core apps for new functionailty through the Market (supposedly, this is supposed to work for core components too, like input methods).

Take that HTC, Motorola, Sprint, Verizon, Samsung......

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/29/exclusive-android-froyo-to-take-a-serious-shot-at-stemming-plat/

[chaz]

Question for you Smackie:  Will the next generation data networks in the works for Verizon and Sprint allow mobile devices to use voice and data networks simultaneously?  Up to now, this is one area where GSM has them clearly beaten.

[vansmack]

Question for you Smackie:  Will the next generation data networks in the works for Verizon and Sprint allow mobile devices to use voice and data networks simultaneously?  Up to now, this is one area where GSM has them clearly beaten.

Sprint hasn't officially announced it yet, but Dan Hesse hinted at it at CTIA with the EVO 4G.  HTC also tweeted this:

@HTC EVO simultaneous voice+data: Voice+Wi-fi=Yes, Voice+3G=No, Voice+4G=Still TBD, still being tested.

As for Verizon, they're switching to LTE so there's a couple of problems for them.  The reason why it works for GSM is because it's the same frequency for voice and data.  CDMA is setup differently, and even more importantly for both at&t and Verizon - LTE cannot successfully carry voice yet.  This might be why LTE is not out yet and could be a future problem for at&t's current marketing campaign.

I can see the Sprint ads already: Oh you didn't see that in High Def, probably on somebody old network.

[vansmack]

Finally saw the HD2 (the same form factor as the EVO 4G) at a T-Mobile store last week.  It's a beast of a phone and while visually brilliant, I fear it might be too big for a user who doesn't carry around a purse.  Check it out for yourselves and let me know what you think.

[vansmack]

Of course "people don't multi-task" really meant "we won't multi-task until we have the technology ready to do so" but this is what I found as a more funny "Jobsism":

Q: How do you close applications when multitasking?
A: (Scott Forstall) You don't have to. The user just uses things and doesn't ever have to worry about it.
A: (Steve Jobs) It's like we said on the iPad, if you see a stylus, they blew it. In multitasking, if you see a task manager... they blew it. Users shouldn't ever have to think about it.

WinMo 6.5 did away with the task manager and Android has never had it.  But do you want to know what type of apps people are most downloading for these phones?  Task Managers.  Here's the thing - no matter how much you think you know about how a user should use their phone, each user will be different, and many will want control over their own phone.  If it's in the SDK for the iPhone 4.0, people will download task managers like crazy because, Steve, people just like to have control over their resources.

As for the stylus, I tend to agree except in cases of folks who use a tablet for note taking (and drafting) and not an internet device.  I can't write nearly as quickly or as accurately on a touch device with my finger.  So if the stylus is used for writing, I support it.  For controlling basic functions, completely not necessary, and I think most device manufacturers and software makers get that.

[Chip Chanko]

In this video, at about 2:30, it might be showing how to close backgrounded apps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASvswtwj9Mk&feature=player_embedded#

[vansmack]

In this video, at about 2:30, it might be showing how to close backgrounded apps.

Agreed.  Not sure how that's any different from any other task manager I've seen...

[chaz]

Opera for iphone now available.

http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-20002310-12.html?tag=TOCmoreStories.0

[kosmo vinyl]

so far i'm liking opera on the iphone, it's loading the forum pages faster and the color scheme display better and since it's the site i visit most via my phone it's a good thing.  the rest of the mobile 930 website is rendered quite as well with opera...

[vansmack]

Don't think I'm taking bows or anything like that, but far be it for me to miss the opportunity to remind folks that I pointed out the fact that Opera blows Safari away in Febraury of 2009...

[godsshoeshine]

i dont really like it. no multitouch