iphone

[chaz]

May have missed it, but does anyone have a good link to the new iphone model that is getting released in July 2012 that the article is referencing?

As of now it is vaporware only.

[vansmack]

May have missed it, but does anyone have a good link to the new iphone model that is getting released in July 2012 that the article is referencing?

That would be the iPhone 6, and who knows what that will bring, but supposedly it will be the first with LTE (which is just shocking if true).

The iPhone 5 is expected in June/July of 2011, however, and will likely feature Apple's new A5 CPU (a Cortex A9-based, dual-core chip). It's also supposed to feature a Qualcomm chipset that does triple duty as the CDMA/GSM/UMTS baseband processor (ie, they make one phone for both Verizon and at&t - have fun unlocking that).  The rumor is it does NOT have LTE, but we'll see.  It's also described as a complete redesign, but it's Apple talking so I'll wait and see on that one.

[vansmack]

I know all the discussion about the Atrix is gone, but the multimedia dock is being sold by Motorola for $60 and online retailers have it for $50, as predicted.

[sweetcell]

Motorola Atrix 4G

Rumored to be a March 1 release if that helps.

almost: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/motorolas-atrix-4g-coming-to-atandt-on-march-6th-for-200-bundle/

phone + dock = $499 + 2 year contract, or phone only for $199 + 2 year contract... and pay $499 for the dock separately.

5 bills still seems like a lot for the convenience of phone and a netbook integration.

[godsshoeshine]

It should be noted, however, that the bundle only applies if you also sign your name to a Data Pro plan and tethering add-on, so be sure you're down for that monthly hit before committing in haste.

looking less and less like a good deal. why not just get a regular netbook at that price

[sweetcell]

why not just get a regular netbook at that price

i was thinking the same thing, but for that price you're getting a netbook PLUS a top of the line android phone.  maybe another way of looking at it is that you'll be spending $200 on a high-end phone anyways, so the "netbook portion" is $300... slightly more reasonable.

also, you don't have to sync your phone to the netbook since the phone is the netbook.  apparently that's worth something to some people.

[vansmack]

If that dock doesn't work as a stand alone as rumored (ie, the phone is required) that is dead on arrival.  Poor move Motorola/at&t.

[godsshoeshine]

why not just get a regular netbook at that price

i was thinking the same thing, but for that price you're getting a netbook PLUS a top of the line android phone.  maybe another way of looking at it is that you'll be spending $200 on a high-end phone anyways, so the "netbook portion" is $300... slightly more reasonable.

also, you don't have to sync your phone to the netbook since the phone is the netbook.  apparently that's worth something to some people.

yeah the $200 price for the phone is fine, but newegg has several netbooks around $300 that have operating systems. once youre paying more for teathering, it makes no sense to buy the bundle in my opinion

[vansmack]

yeah the $200 price for the phone is fine, but newegg has several netbooks around $300 that have operating systems. once youre paying more for teathering, it makes no sense to buy the bundle in my opinion

I'm with shoeshine.

The current extra price of Data Pro + Tethering on at&t would get you a Wimax mobile hotspot on Sprint with an already developed 4G network (plus you could connect 7 more devices).  Why wouldn't you do that and get a full blown netbook for that price, you know, in case you want to edit word and excel documents or something?

[sweetcell]

don't get me wrong, i'm not a fan of this setup for $500+.  i agree that at that price, consumers could do much better for themselves.

[chaz]

My 80 year old stepdad has been waiting years for the iphone to appear on Verizon, and yesterday two new phones arrived at their house, one for him and one for my mom. 

I've had two phone conversations with my mom on her new verizon iphone.

Both calls dropped.

[vansmack]

I called Jobs.  He said they were holding it wrong.

[godsshoeshine]

i remember when my friend got verizon after years of sprint. he called me all excited and told me "now i'll never have dropped" and then the call dropped

[vansmack]

The last thing the mobile industry needs is consolidation of OS developers.  We've only got 4 (Apple, MS, Google and Palm - sorry symbian folks, but you've been relegated to the cheapie bin)....  

If you only need a hardware provider, MS would be much better served by contracting with HTC to provide a MS branded phone.  It would cost half as much, it's already used to your platform, and they're putting out the most innovative hardware on the market (sorry Apple folks, but the iPhone hasn't changed its appearance in 3 years now, to where HTC has a new phone every 2 months or so).

How on earth did I predict the death of Symbian and then argue that MS should partner with HTC?

Nokia was the obvious choice there and it only took MS 1.5 years to take my advice, albeit with a much better plan then I laid out.  I should have nailed this - Nokia's phone are sick, and this could be a KILLER partnership.

[Herr Professor Doktor Doom]

This is a good, balanced look at the Verizon vs AT&T issue.    Bottom line seems that while Verizon's physical network is better for now, they suck in many other important ways.  Glad I followed the advice given here and stuck with AT&T when getting my new phone.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/technology/personaltech/03pogue.html?_r=1&ref=cellphones