Gawker
-
dumbphones
Palm Makes Gadget Reviewers Look, Not Touch
CNET gadget reviewer Bonnie Cha is mad as hell, and she's not going to take it anymore! Why? Palm won't let her place both hands on a prototype of its iPhone-smashing Pre smartphone. More »
0
16
By Owen ThomasComment by Sandogg: Me thinks the Pre is POS. They're worried that someone who can truly take the phone on a test... 3 Responses | Other threads
-
rumormonger
Intel's Secret Geekfest to Kill the iPhone
Apple's got the iPhone. Google's got Android. Even Amazon has the Kindle. After flirting several times with the ooohs-and-aaaahs gadget business, Intel convened a brain trust last week to work on their own mobile phone. More »
0
By Owen ThomasComment by Figaro: I'm willing to wager that this thing will flop. Intel just doesn't get consumer products and design. Every one of... 3 Responses | Other threads
-
yahoo
Carol Bartz Turns to Her Daughter for Yahoo Phone Research
Apple has the iPhone; Google, the G1. Where's the Yahoophone? We hear new CEO Carol Bartz nixed the Yahoo One Phone, a project with Motorola and AT&T, after her daughter got a look at it. More »
0
By Owen ThomasComment by macbeach: Yahoo took a wrong turn back when they were so successful they thought they could get other companies to do... 3 Responses | Other threads
-
dumbphones
Palm Copies Apple's Ego Trip
No Silicon Valley company is more arrogant than Apple. But Palm, the smartphone maker, is trying to copy Steve Jobs's knack for hubris — as well as everything else about its rival. More »
0
By Owen ThomasComment by Figaro: Ever since VW moved to Gawker, the comments have become totally retarded on VW. Time to do what everyone else did... 5 Responses | Other threads
-
smartphones
Googlephone sales 50 percent better than expected
T-Mobile's G1 phone, which runs Google's Android operating system, just doesn't have the cultural icon status of Apple's iPhone. But HTC, the Taiwanese company that makes the G1, revised its 2008 sales forecast up to one million, from an initial 600,000. (For context, Apple sold a million iPhones in the first 74 days.) Silicon Alley Insider asks the burning question: Who here bought one? Are G1 owners somehow different from iPhone evangelists who need to show their superphone to everyone on the bus?
0
By Paul BoutinComment by CaliforniaCajun: At least one guy I know has an iPhone and a G1. 2 Responses | Other threads
-
meltdowns
Palm, smartphone maker, in worldwide layoffs
A tipster tells us that Palm, the troubled smartphone maker, is laying off 10 percent of its staff. I called a spokeswoman at the company, who confirmed the layoffs but not the number of employees affected; Palm, at last count, had about 1,050 employees. She also said the company would make "program cuts" — Valleyspeak for dropping some future products. Palm has been hammered by competition from Apple's iPhone and Research In Motion's BlackBerry; it is in the midst of a turnaround led by its chairman, Jonathan Rubinstein, a former Apple executive and Steve Jobs confidant. Rubinstein, left, has hired many former Apple employees at Palm — so much so that, rumor has it, Jobs called Rubinstein up to scream about it. But the layoffs and program cuts suggest he may not be able to complete his ambitions for a complete revamp of Palm's product line.
0
By Owen ThomasComment by Haggie: Only laying off 10% of its workforce in this market, should be seen as a sign of strength, not weakness... more » | Other threads
-
dumbphones
iPhone's image being tarnished by poor people
The Jesusphone is no longer just for privileged white folks. "The strongest growth in users is coming from those earning less than the median household income, particularly since the launch of the iPhone 3G." So says a report from ComScore, which concludes that "lower-income mobile subscribers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices to access the Internet, email and their music collections." Awesome. Now I can buy an iPhone 3G without feeling I'm being extravagant. But I can't shake the feeling this study was secretly paid for by RIM. (Photo by r.f.m II)
0
By Paul BoutinComment by Trick: It is really sad how tarnished the Mac image has become. Now anyone with $200 left on their credit card think... 9 Responses | Other threads
-
sanjay jha
Motorola CEO's spouse doesn't Krave his phones
"When my wife switches, then you'll know," says Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha, whose spouse carries an LG Voyager and refuses to trade it for a Moto. Mrs. Steve Jobs? She carries an iPhone. The company is cutting back from six operating systems to three: Windows Mobile, Moto's own P2K, and Google's open-source Android. Oh, and they're going to lay off a few thousand more people, too. Tough times, tough decisions!
0
By Paul BoutinComment by growhappy: well that makes me feel great about my krazr phone. its not that great, but the verizon salesmen highly recommended... more » | Other threads
-
-
googlephone
Google Earth on the iPhone proves Googlers can do math
Joel Johnson of Boing Boing Gadgets is shocked, shocked that the team working on Google Earth, Google's 3D interactive world map, launched a mobile app for the iPhone before writing one for Google's Android operating system, which now runs on all of one clunky phone sold by T-Mobile, the also-ran of the U.S. wireless market. He calls the decision "inexplicable." I don't think it's hard to understand at all: Google Earth programmers actually want people to use their app, rather than have gadget bloggers write posts celebrating their clever strategery.
0
By Owen ThomasComment by posna: Watch it on your comments about the Google phone! I love the phone and I think it is awesome. There a... 3 Responses | Other threads
-
stats
Android apps just as unrevolutionary as iPhone apps
Medialets, a company which tracks which iPhone apps users of Apple's smartphone download from the company's iTunes store, reports that Google's Android Market, a similar service, buy mostly the same kind of apps for their Googlephones. Games, shopping, music, and weather predominate. Google launched Android Market with 62 apps, which were downloaded an average of 7,800 times in the first 24 hours they were available. [Medialets] -
dumbphones
The Googlephone has a kill switch too
Google's Android phone has something in common with Apple's iPhone: Both gadgets have a "kill switch" to uninstall unwanted applications. Buried in Google's Android legalese is a clause that says Google might "discover a product that violates the developer distribution agreement... in such an instance, Google retains the right to remotely remove those applications from your device at its sole discretion." The outrage would be pretty bad if anyone actually had a Googlephone. [CNET] -
dumbphones
BlackBerry Storm specs claim it runs iPhone software
Research In Motion's iPhone substitute, the touchscreen-equipped BlackBerry Storm, has debuted. Perhaps a bit hastily. In the U.K., it's sold by Vodafone, which has displayed a page of specifications. The screenshots show the Storm displaying the iPhone's characteristic icons and Apple's Safari Web browser. Has Apple licensed the iPhone's operating system to RIM? No, what this looks like is a rushed-out product launch, and an overeager Web designer. Another shot: More »
0
By Owen ThomasComment by Lawrence: if it looks like an Iphone, talks like an iphone, and walks like an iphone - it's an Iphone ...why bother... 1 Responses | Other threads
-
apple
Demand waning? Apple cuts iPhone inventory 20 percent
Apple had planned to build 18 million iPhones in 2008. Pacific Crest Securities, an analyst which closely watches Apple's supply chain, says Apple has cut that number to between 14 million and 15 million. BlackBerry maker RIM announced lower-than-expected quarterly sales last week, so perhaps Apple is seeing a similar softening in demand. Another possibility: Apple plans to quit selling its iPhone with 8GB of storage and sell its 16GB model for $199 instead. The news is not helping Apple shares, which are already down 13 percent on analysts' predictions that strapped consumers will buy fewer Macs.
0
Comment by Tim Faulkner: Anybody think they're toying with suppliers? Apple's does the same with iPods all the time. You hear they are cutting... more » | Other threads
-
dumbphones
T-Mobile backs away from Googlephone bandwidth cap
The technoblogomemesphere erupted in derision when T-Mobile's plans for a one-gigabyte monthly cap on bandwidth for the new HTC phone running Google's Android OS emerged. Customers who exceeded the limit would have seen their speeds reduced by a factor of 20. Anyone who wanted to listen to Internet radio or browse YouTube while on the bus with the gadget would have quickly run up against the limit. T-Mobile now promises to lift the cap and use a different, but as yet unknown, "network management practice" to keep the system from getting clogged. "We reserve the right to temporarily reduce data throughput for a small fraction of our customers who have excessive or disproportionate usage," the company maintains. Now the only thing standing in the way of you browsing to your heart's content is T-Mobile crappy coverage and no 3G network service outside of a few major markets. (Photo by Luis Alberto Arjona Chin)
0
By Jackson WestComment by posna: T-mobile rocks, I have faith! They may not have 3g everywhere, but if you live in a metro area than... more » | Other threads
-
Googletards
Googlephone is kinda ugly, but we took care of that guy who dared say so
My heart goes out to MySpace employee Ulf Waschbusch, who used to be a product marketing manager for Google Mobile and therefore saw the company's Android phone in its early stages. "The reason many people see the G1 as ugly and old-fashioned is simply … because it IS!" he blogged yesterday. "It’s a design unchanged for a while." Waschbusch will spend the next month fending off accusations that he's a bitter ex-employee too short on Ph.D's to grasp the Googley beauty of the G1. Ulf, it's ok, you can come sit at our lunch table. But since you keep re-editing your post in hopes of softening the blows, here's your original text: More »
0
By Paul BoutinComment by WagCurious: "with Google"... as in "go with Google". It's part of the whole biblical theme that Brin is pushing down the... more » | Other threads
-
Apple Users Held Hostage
Apple shuts down App Store end-runs for rejected apps
The coming iPhone-vs.-Android fight will be drawn along clear lines: Keyboard versus touchscreen. And for phone applications, open bazaar versus walled garden. While Google talks up the openness of its platform, Apple keeps plugging leaks through which iPhone app developers can thwart Apple's ruthless management of its App Store. The latest: Podcaster app developer Alamerica had been rejected by Apple. Someone at Alamerica figured out a workaround: They could hand out ad hoc licenses — meant for development and testing — in return for a $10 donation. More »
0
By Paul BoutinComment by TomXP411: IPhone apps should only be blocked if they're harmful to the end user. How many useful apps have to get... more » | Other threads
-
googlephone
First Android-loaded phone launches September 23
T-Mobile and Google executives will gather in New York on September 23 to to launch the HTC Dream, the first phone loaded with Google's mobile operating system Android to hit the market. Skeptics, such as ZDNet's Dana Blankenhorn, say the Dream won't be a "real" Android phone. Why the quibble? More » -
googlephone
No Androids allowed in T-Mobile's new app-dev program
That traffic jam around the Moscone Center in dowtown San Francisco is the CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment trade show. T-Mobile used the event to announce a sort-of-Apple-like app store that will split revenues at least 50/50 with application makers. But T-Mob's new developer community won't support app makers using Google's Android operating system. These things are always subject to change, but CTIA would have been the place to at least announce plans for Android apps. Google's open-source phone is looking less like the new iPhone and more like the new Linux laptop. (Photo by Gizmodo)
0
By Paul BoutinComment by Paul Boutin: @gkanapathy. Thanks. I blame Owen! It's the new developer program that won't support Android, as stated by the... more » | Other threads
-
android market
Google to bring freetard chaos to phone apps
Don't call it an app store — it's an open content distribution system. Android Market will be Google's version of the iPhone App Store. A PR-speak description of the site emphasizes that posting apps for sale will be a lot like uploading videos to YouTube. But with iPhone app developers already posing as punk-rock heroes, how much more developer-friendly does Google really need to be? More »
0
By Paul BoutinComment by WagCurious: Does anyone get the feeling this is going to be a failure on a colossal level? How can they possibly... 3 Responses | Other threads
-
100-word version
Mossberg's stunt double solves Windows Mobile's media problems
"A single tap on its surface instantly zooms in on images; a flicking gesture moves one photo off the screen and pulls another one on. Menus appear with clever animation, and actions like downloading and emailing photos and videos are intuitively incorporated." No, not the iPhone. It's the Kinoma player for Windows phones. WSJ contributor Katie Boehret solves all of Walt Mossberg's problems with this tidy report on using Kinoma to serve Flickr, YouTube, SHOUTcast and other services on a Windows phone. There's good news for Linux and Symbian fans too: More »
0
By Paul BoutinComment by Tim Faulkner: "Kinoma Play is so well-designed that I wish it could entirely replace the dated Windows Mobile user interface, which still... more » | Other threads
-
smartphones
Ad market turns Pocket PC mag into iPhone mag
Sign of the times: Iowa-based publisher Thaddeus Computing is killing its 11-year-old Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine. In its place, the company will publish a new title, iPhone Life. Why the change? It's not about which phone is more popular. It's about advertisers. More »
0
By Paul BoutinComment by categorically: Seems logical, when you build your magazine on getting free handouts from the companies and not on good news stories,... more » | Other threads
-
smartphones
Presenting the Googlephone
Forget HTC's Android-running Dream, expected out this October. General Electric has brought the Googlephone to life. GE's Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications, or DECT, version 6.0, has a handy built-in Goog-411 button, to spare users the burden of dialing 1-800-GOOG-411. It's already on store shelves for $60. -
htc dream
HTC Dream Gets the FCC Stamp of Approval
For those of you keeping score at home, HTC's Dream, due to hit T-Mobile in October as the first Android phone, just got tapped by the FCC's rubber stamp. Unfortunately there aren't any of those h-o-t product shots that the FCC is usually known for to give us a better look at the device, just a lot of black and white. But it does confirm the Dream moniker, that it's got a jog ball, Wi-Fi and it's running on the 850/1700/1900MHz bands. Very exciting! [FCC via Engadget] [Gizmodo]
0
Comment by OMG! Ponies!: @ajcali08: I'll believe it when there's an ad for it on TV. I seem to recall a big ceremony... more » | Other threads
-
great moments in pr
Sprint engineer demands retraction of Google critique
Jake Orion, the Sprint engineer in charge of Android development who mixed honest criticism with cautious optimism for Google's Android device in an interview he gave AndroidGuys.com earlier this week, has, under pressure, backed down from his comments and demanded that AndroidGuys take down his interview. More »
0
Comment by MikeTy: As I had mentioned before, Sprint is not the one to talk about being idealistic. Their WiMax consortium isn't very... more » | Other threads
-
smartphones
iPhone 3G vs. Blackberry — if you switch, are you screwed?
"BlackBerry is the only way to go ... the rest are for kids," says one of the 400 comments to Web Worker Daily's thorough comparison of iPhone 3G's pros and cons versus a BlackBerry for use on the job. iPhone crazies are everywhere, so in response I've summarized Web Worker's pro-BlackBerry argument for those of us who pay the mortgage with a road-battered 8703e. More »
0
By Paul BoutinComment by fatbat71: Maybe blackberry users' reason to use one hand is so they can browse porn with one hand and... more » | Other threads
-
hubris
Sprint says Google is too optimistic about Android
Jake Orion, the guy in charge of Android development at Sprint, says that while "Google’s confidence, vision and self assurance are refreshing and innovative," Google needs to " to appreciate and address industry fundamentals more pragmatically." Specifically, Orion told AndroidGuys.com Google needs "a more proactive and direct linkage to the carrier’s network and service requirement" — which we think means Google hasn't yet made Android friendly to how Sprint runs its network. Details, details! Who needs to worry about that when you're busy being self-assured and confident? More »
0
Comment by caesar32: sprint shouldn't make comment cuz it just cut their unlimited wireless deal($60 a month) and replace it with a limited... more » | Other threads
-
iphone
Mossberg: iPhone 3G will cost you more than the old model
Yes, the new iPhone 3G is "much, much faster at fetching data" — 200 to 500 kilobits per second in New York and Washington, D.C. tests. Prices start at $199, half that of the old model. But the only gadget reviewer who can make or break a product warns that the new King of Phones will, like a Mach 3 Turbo razor, cost you more than you realize over time. Also, "There’s no copy and paste function, no universal search, no instant messaging and no MMS for sending photos quickly between phones." You're buying one anyway, but read our excerpt of Walt's two ways the new iPhone will cost you more in time and money than the original. More »
0
By Paul BoutinComment by FiveStarEggRoll: Well, they purchased me the 8MB model. I'm not complaining. Harry "well, mabye a little" Wang more » | Other threads
-
hires
Palm hires Sidekick, Helio smartphone designer
Has Palm run out of Apple engineers to poach? Or has Steve Jobs's intimidation campaign proven effective? Whatever the reason, Palm's latest hire seems smart: Matias Duarte, the designer of the user interface for the Sidekick and Helio's Ocean. -
rumormonger
New iPhone will hit stores June 12, feature improved speakers and camera
A source tells us that "someone who designed part of the iPhone UI, who generally has access to new hardware locked down in a room to play with, " told him that the new iPhone will run on faster 3G networks, as expected; feature new, improved speakers on the bottom; and an improved camera. It will hit stores June 12. Our source warns us: "The person has mixed details before." Our guy puts his friend's trustworthiness at an 8 out of 10. More »
0
Comment by CaliforniaCajun: @nojo: Which PowerBook G3? I especially enjoyed the Ür-G3; the PowerBook G3 in the PowerBook 3400 case. It had great... more » | Other threads
-
apple
Vodafone to Steve Jobs: No hard feelings, right?
Late last fall, Vodafone successfully persuaded a German court to bar T-Mobile from selling locked iPhones in Germany, arguing that purchasers of Apple's smartphone should be able to choose any carrier. Don't expect the company to hold to those open-access beliefs now. Vodafone today announced it has signed an agreement to become the new service provider for Apple iPhones in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey. No details on pricing or whether Vodafone will sell a long-rumored new version of the iPhone that will run on Vodafone's higher-speed 3G networks. -
apple
Apple contractor Foxconn promises 3G iPhone by June, 25 million total
Chinese electronics manufacturer Foxconn will manufacture and ship the first batch of new, faster 3G-network enabled iPhones by June, according to reports from Taipei, Taiwan. 3 million should ship that month, and an estimated 25 million over the life of the product. Foxconn is the sole manufacturer of the current generation of iPhones. But it has also been known to break Chinese labor laws — not that such practices would stop your typical antiwar environmentalist here in the Bay Area from upgrading. After all, that Yes, We Can video will download so much faster from YouTube now! (Photo by AP/Jason DeCrow)
0
By Jackson WestComment by OaklandTechie: The iPhone I've been waiting for... but I'm scared to see what AT&T will charge for it. Surely they aren't... more » | Other threads
-
dumbphones
Microsoft pulls best April Fools' prank yet
"People want a single phone that's flexible enough to meet their needs throughout their day, whether it's connecting to work or your everyday life." — Microsoft executive Robbie Bach, on the iPhone [Microsoft.com]
0
By Owen ThomasComment by growhappy: @deathbychichi: Its cause it has such a large screen! more » | Other threads
-
wireless
Survey: 33 percent of iPhone owners cheating on Steve Jobs with another handset maker
In a survey of iPhone owners, Rubicon Consulting found that a third of iPhone users carry a second phone in addition to their iPhone. I'm one of those folks: I have a T-Mobile phone that I use for personal calls; I use my iPhone as a business phone and for mobile Web and email. I didn't want to break my T-Mobile contract and I'm happy paying for a second phone to keep work and home separate. I didn't think I was the only one with two phones, but 33 percent seems surprisingly high. Here's something the survey didn't tell you, but you might have guessed: iPhone users have lots of disposable income. More details from the study after the jump. More »
0
Comment by SeanPara: For getting the internet on the phone it beats all in the market with its interface. Resizing the content means... more » | Other threads
-
wireless
Palm misses earnings, despite Centro sales
Did I just buy my last Palm smartphone? My aging Treo 600 — yes, I hear your snickers already — died at SXSW, and I picked up a cheap Centro to replace it at a Sprint store. (A tip: Skip the $50 rebate and pay $149 instead of $99; the monthly data plan will be less expensive.) Chairman Jon Rubinstein is revamping the company's hardware and software, but does he have enough time? Until the former Apple exec's inventions hit the market, the company has to make do on Centro sales, which swell its unit sales but hit its profit margins. Palm sold a record 833,000 phones in the most recent quarter, but its $312 million in sales came in below Wall Street's hopes. For what it's worth, I love the Centro; if it hadn't locked up at just the wrong moment, I would have beaten Mashable's Pete Cashmore with his iPhone in a text-messaging duel.
0
By Owen ThomasComment by cruci-fiction: Considering how much cash they have to cushion this type of loss they should be in fine shape. more » | Other threads
-
deals
Double your money
Microsoft paid $500 million for Danger Research, maker of the popular Sidekick smartphone. Which sounds impressive, until you learn that investors poured $225 million into the company. 2x returns are not the kind of deals that line Sand Hill Road with Beemers. [GigaOm]
0
By Owen ThomasComment by MMGonValleyWag: First! But seriously, YHOO paid $150 mil for Maven Networks which ran on a $30 mil investment ([tinyurl.com]). 5x is much... more » | Other threads
-
cellphones
Microsoft Absorbs Sidekick Maker Danger Inc.
Out of left field, Microsoft has bought Danger Inc.—best known as the Hiptop/Sidekick's daddy—for an undisclosed hunk of cash. Fear not, Sidekick fans, it'll be business as usual on that front. But this pretty much confirms that Microsoft's new growth strategy in areas it's obsessed with but weak in is simple, ill-fitted assimilation. Obviously, the goal is to grab Danger's mobile expertise, but I'm not really seeing the mesh here. Well, two words, maybe: Zune Phone. The full, official details below. [Gizmodo]
0
Comment by pinolo: My opinion is that the purchase of Danger has much more to do with a shift in attitude instead of... more » | Other threads
-
mike bell
With latest hire, Palm's poaching at Apple comes to a boil
Palm has hired Mike Bell, a 16-year Apple veteran, as its SVP of product development. But you'll never hear that from Palm. The hiring of an industry veteran for a top executive spot is something normally trumpeted as loudly as possible. But Palm is desperately trying to keep quiet the fact that it won over Bell shortly before Christmas. Why the silencing effort? Jon Rubinstein, Palm's chairman, was part of Steve Jobs's turnaround team before he left Apple in 2006. Since he joined Palm last year, the smartphone maker has been hiring a number of Apple engineers. There have been "screaming matches and threats of lawsuits," says a plugged-in source. More »
0
By Owen ThomasComment by LaneAdmetus: Bell and Rubenstein have had their lips permanently sewn to each other's anii since time immemorial so this isn't especially... more » | Other threads
-
smartphones
Apple has sold 5 million iPhones
Apple will announce in January that it has sold 5 million iPhones, according to 9 to 5 Mac, an Apple rumor site. At the iPhone's launch, Steve Jobs set a public goal of selling 10 million iPhones — next year. With the iPhone only on sale for six months, that means Apple's already selling its sleek smartphones at 2008 speed. And that means Jobs could be set to beat his goal significantly next year. More »
0
Comment by jbelkin: I guess success confuses people? iphone sales have virtually no effect on ipod sales - Apple is on track for... more » | Other threads
-
scoop
Layoffs at Palm come in OS development
A anonymous tipster tells us Palm will lay off 250 employees, confirming our previous report. "The biggest cuts are from OS development," our source says. "[SVP Mark] Bercow wants the OS sold by April or worst case scenario — abandoned." Which seems strange, considering Palm went through some gymnastics just to get is old operating system back from the Japanese company, Access, which had bought it. The rumor, however, jibes with the Wall Street Journal's report last week on former Apple exec and current Palm executive chairman Jon Rubinstein's plans for the company. More »
0
Comment by deathbychichi: Another abandoned Palm OS effort... another planned new Palm OS for the end of next year... who would have thought? more » | Other threads
-
smartphones
iPhone Greedily Eats North American Market Share
Canalys has produced a report showing the iPhone has grown massively in North America. The study looked specifically at smartphone market share statistics in Q3, and the iPhone, in a surprisingly short time span, has managed to grab second position. A 27% market share is nothing to scoff at; what Apple has done in a few months, others have failed to do in years. [Gizmodo]
0
By Haroon MalikComment by ShyGuy91284: Symbian still has far greater marketshare. The catch is, its marketshare is with s40 on devices that you can't... more » | Other threads
valleywag
San Francisco, 5:07 PM
Mon Jul 6
28 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip Your Editors:
tips@valleywag.com
| AIM
Valleywag:
Ryan Tate | Email
Valleywag elsewhere on the Web:
Twitter | Facebook
Valleywags Emeriti:
Nick Denton
Nick Douglas
Owen Thomas
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
