Gawker
-
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 »
18,668
17
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 »
16,437
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
-
rumormonger
Google CEO pulled over for driving with a cell phone
No man is above the law — not even multibillionaire Google CEO Eric Schmidt. At least that's what we hear from a well-placed tipster, who says Schmidt recently confessed to having been pulled over by the cops last month in Los Angeles for talking on his cell phone while driving. (California law recently changed to require the use of a headset.) Oh, but it gets worse for Schmidt. More »
11,935
By Owen ThomasComment by MissVolare: Don't dial & drive: like the CHP needs more crap laws, besides "driving while minority," to enforce. I've started asking... 6 Responses | Other threads
-
wireless
Verizon will force customers to self-install Google
The rumor mill says Microsoft has offered to pay twice what Google offered to take over as Verizon's default search engine on phones. I'll let Henry Blodget do the business analysis here ("MSFT will really take a bath on this one"). As a Verizon loyalist, my reaction is slow-burning rage. They're going to pocket a billion bucks and make me reconfigure my phone. Amazing what you can do if you truly hate your customers. (Photo by AP/Virginia Mayo)
574
By Paul BoutinComment by Nefilim: verizon is starting to get really annoying with the way they handle customers. I was told I would be getting a... more » | Other threads
-
earnings
Sprint keeps bleeding dry
Sprint Nextel reported yet another quarterly loss, its fourth in the row. The wireless carrier was $326 million in the red, and also lost 1.1 million subscribers. CEO Dan Hesse said he wants the company to focus on customer service. Dan, how about spending less time filiming commercials and more time answering calls? [Reuters] -
acquisitions
Wi-Fi's golden age ends as AT&T gobbles Wayport
If wireless Internet access is such a hot technology, why is it such a dud business? I asked that question in Wired five years ago, and I still don't know the answer. Since then, eager-to-please Wi-Fi startups have gone the way of boutique ISP service. AT&T, once broken up by law for being an evil monopoly, has reassembled itself into the dominant telecom brand again — bad service and all. This morning, a press release out of Texas announced that AT&T will acquire privately held Wayport, which operates 10,000 hotspots at locations from McDonald's to the Four Seasons. For $275,000,000 in cash, AT&T will now double its number of Wi-Fi hotspots. I side with the Wall Street Journal's snap analysis: Maybe this will make up in part for all those customers canceling their AT&T home phones. -
dumbphones
Does Eric Schmidt hate show tunes?
The FCC is having its own vote today, on whether or not to allow future wireless gadgets to operate in parts of the radio spectrum already in use by wireless microphones. Google is all for the new spectrum-sharing policy. Professional musicians and their audio engineers are dead set against it. More »
328
By Paul BoutinComment by sample032: I thought Journey was done with large venues and working the county fair circuit, these days. Not that it... 2 Responses | Other threads
-
meltdowns
Motorola chief messages 3,000 employees: C YA
This is the layoff that matters. Motorola has already conceded to a demand by investment overlord Carl Icahn to spin off its money-losing mobile phone unit. Today's news is no surprise, but still: Motorola will ditch about 3,000 people through several agonizing waves of layoffs. Co-CEO Greg Brown is telling the press that Moto will save $800 million in 2009. In a conference call today, Brown's peer Sanjay Jha said Moto had been too focused on "bright, shiny objects." Now, the company will focus on dim, dull profits. More »
830
By Paul BoutinComment by Doug: Definitely too focused on "bright, shiny objects." They just released the $2000 MOTOAURA. I'd still rather take ten iPhones for... 1 Responses | 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)
18,379
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!
1,159
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.
580
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
-
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] -
acquisitions
RIM the next takeover target?
Shares of Research In Motion have declined from $148 to $60 in four months, falling along with most tech stocks. The difference between RIM and, say, Yahoo? Microsoft still wants to buy RIM, say some analysts cited by Reuters. Forget Google's still-not-on-the-market Android phones; RIM's BlackBerry is the only real competition for Apple's iPhone. More »
1,167
By Owen ThomasComment by raincoaster: Not to mention that for arbitrary reasons the canuck buck is now at 86 cents! 1 Responses | Other threads
-
patents
Broadcom sues Qualcomm for supposedly ripping off its customers
If you like watching pie fights, this is equally entertaining: Broadcom is suing Qualcomm over its patent practices. Both companies sell wireless chips, but Qualcomm also makes money by licensing its patents to the same customers who buy its chips. Broadcom, in essense, is accusing Qualcomm of double-charging customers — mostly cell-phone makers. What's not clear: Why Broadcom, rather than Qualcomm's customers, is filing the complaint. [WSJ]
184
By Owen ThomasComment by ishiboo: Welcome to the Private Attorney General code. It's a revenge move just designed to get Qualcomm to pay out. This... more » | Other threads
-
commenter of the day
WagCurious
Google's world-domination plans involve airwaves where neither television nor wireless devices play. This issue is so important that Larry Page personally went to Washington to complain to the FCC. Today's featured commenter, WagCurious, weighs in with some field knowledge. Stick around and learn something: More »
514
Comment by cowboytwopointoh: no that was not. Firstly, hopping is used all the time by CDMA for cellular access type networks. In fact,... 1 Responses | 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)
583
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 »
1,284
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
-
stats
Text-driving much more deadly than drunk driving
Thumb-typing while driving cripples your control of the steering wheel by 91 percent, and your reaction time by 35 percent, reports England's Transport Research Laboratory. That's far worse than booze or pot, which degrade response times by 12 and 21 percent, respectively. Still, the best reason to pull over is efficiency: The study's subjects fumbled with their phones for an average 63 seconds to send one message from behind the wheel, roughly three times as long as when they sat still and paid attention. (Illustration by Mike Kline)
482
By Paul BoutinComment by CaliforniaCajun: In other news, MATD (pronounced Matty), or Mothers Against Texting Driving still hasn't been formed because there's no religious group... 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)
596
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
-
mysteries
Why do text message rates keep going up?
Text message rates have doubled since 2005, from about 10 cents each to 20 cents today. Senator Herb Kohl (D.-Wisc.), who chairs the Senate's antitrust subcommittee, has asked Verizon, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile to explain it to him. "It does not appear to be justified by rising costs in delivering text messages," the letter says. "Text-messaging files are very small, as the size of text messages are generally limited to 160 characters per message, and therefore cost carriers very little to transmit." Kohl's suspicion: The four big carriers have increased their prices nearly in sync, suggesting a collusion to wring more money out of the market rather than to compete against one another. Read the whole thing — it's no Series of Tubes. (Photo via Gizmodo)
930
By Paul BoutinComment by LongAgoYahoo: They're only going up if you buy SMS a la carte without a plan. If you buy packages SMS is getting... 3 Responses | Other threads
-
meghan asha
Julia Allison pal's Cisco ad fails Wi-Fi test
Bay Area-raised biotech heiress Meghan Asha, who now lives in New York and egoblogs for fired Star editor-at-large Julia Allison's NonSociety, appears in an endorsement video for Cisco. The "Digital Cribs" lifestyle shoot has a brief product placement of a Cisco Linksys wireless router. Asha claims that she uses the Linksys for her home Wi-Fi network, which she calls "Geeking Out." Wait for the blooper which shows the whole setup's a fake, 23 seconds in: More »
6,314
By Owen ThomasComment by Paul Boutin: Meghan has both a Les Paul guitar and a Stratocaster? She's my type. 4 Responses | 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 »
991
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 »
587
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 »
732
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
-
wireless
Verizon's anti-iPhone tip sheet leaked
A tipster sent our gadget sister site, Gizmodo, a copy of Verizon's talking points for its employees to use against iPhone mania. Like last year's leaked "iWhatever" email from COO Jack Plating, it comes across mostly as validation that there's no phone like the iPhone in buyers' eyes. More »
2,804
By Paul BoutinComment by Danilo Campos: "Verizon's EVDO network - which reaches 80 percent of Americans, per the cheat sheet - would be a much better... more » | Other threads
-
broadband
FCC's free broadband plan — the 100-word version
USA Today, the smart paper that plays dumb, has a remarkably clear summary of FCC chairman Kevin Martin's plan for free broadband access — and its opposition by T-Mobile, the company that bought the wireless spectrum next door to the frequencies Martin wants to use. Here, let me make it even snappier: More »
683
By Paul BoutinComment by foobarz: Isn't that why the analog TV spectrum is being converted to digital only in 2009? -- I understood the reason... more » | Other threads
-
road warrior
In-flight Wi-Fi test scheduled for 9 a.m. today
American Airlines begins its full in-flight broadband service today. CrunchGear writer Peter Ha is on a flight from JFK to LAX and promises to file a report from his seat at 9 A.M. Pacific today. For now, American offers the service on three New York-based routes, including flights between JFK and SFO. [UPDATE: Ha's live post from 30,000 feet.] (Photo by Cubble_n_Vegas)
304
By Paul BoutinComment by upbeat: How long before porn becomes an issue on the plane? more » | Other threads
-
Location-Based Disservices
How to lie to your friends with Web 2.0
"We think it's a good thing that users can lie," said Tom Coates, of Fire Eagle, the location-tagging app Yahoo just opened up to all comers-and-goers. It's a topical spin on a problem as old as Dodgeball, the first widely adopted friend-finding cell-phone app. Dodgeball and its kin are ostensibly used for telling your friends where you are. But really? They're even better for avoiding people. Using a "mobile phone to play hide-and-seek is a welcome development for social-mapping services," claims Newsweek.com, based on a few users' own predictably poor personal habits of relying on technology to do their dirty work for them. More » -
surly adopter
Four reasons Apple's iPhone 3G fails
In agreeing to sell the iPhone, does Best Buy know what its getting itself into? Steve Jobs is issuing mea culpas about MobileMe, Apple's flaky email-and-synching service. But there are no Jobsian apologies over the iPhone 3G. Sure, sales are fine, $30 million changed hands through iTunes App Store in its first month, and Apple's market cap is now larger than Google's. But InternetNews.com's Andy Patrizio says it's obvious there's something wrong with the device itself. More »
2,873
Comment by nowaysj: Android on T Mobile will fail. I never had to hang up my phone when I was on T Mobile, 90%... more » | Other threads
-
googlephone
Will electric sheep have Android Dreams?
The HTC Dream, the first fruit of Google's foray into mobile phones, will be available for preorder from T-Mobile during a one-week window starting September 17. The artificial time scarcity seems designed to create iPhone-like hype. And perhaps the Dream will succeed at that. At $150 along with a two-year contract and a new, probably more expensive, unlimited data plan, this is the first wireless device I've seen that looks like real iPhone competition. Sure, it has Google's Android operating system, a touch screen and 3G speeds, but it also has a keyboard. And it's from HTC, the Taiwanese handset manufacturer that makes really nice phones — mostly for Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system until now. But just like the iPhone, the don't-call-it-a-Googlephone won't really bust up the carrier-handset-operating-system industrial complex that has long bedeviled the mobile market. More » -
delta
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're turning back to Atlanta — the router is broken"
Delta Airlines plans to put Wi-Fi on most of its U.S. flights by mid-2009. The Aircell-powered service will cost $9.95 on flights up to three hours, $12.95 on longer trips. [NYT] -
politics
Congress acting fast to ban in-flight phone calls — yours, not theirs
H.R. 5788, The Halting Airplane Noise to Give Us Peace Act of 2008 (aka HANG UP), was approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday. USA Today recounts the anecdotes traded in yesterday's meeting: The woman whose seatmate discussed her sex life. The flight nearly canceled because of a guy begging and pleading with his soon-to-be ex. And of course, the guy taking photos of "sensitive parts" of the airplane. By contrast, the European Union is moving ahead on inflight cellular service (and the bureaucratic EU licensing nightmare to go with it.) Emirates has allowed calls on some flights since March, enabled by a specially equipped Airbus A340. (Photo by AP/Fernando Vergara — and yes that's former president of Ecuador Lucio Gutierrez)
592
By Paul BoutinComment by raincoaster: @Vulture: Sooner or later everyone will have a blog, if only in self-defence! 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 »
2,230
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 »
4,465
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 »
2,164
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
-
breakdowns
Overenthusiastic Brits down iPhone-ordering site
British wireless carrier O2 saw its website fail after receiving 13,000 preorders per second for Apple's new iPhone 3G. Whatever happened to British reserve? [Digital Daily] -
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 »
1,495
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. -
apple
Apple to sell iPhones without AT&T contracts
US customers will be able to purchase new iPhones without locking themselves into a two-year contract with AT&T. It'll just cost an extra $400 — $599 for one with 8 gigabytes of storage, $699 for one with 16 gigabytes. Customers will still have to sign up for an AT&T wireless subscription, but it won't have the same penalties for changing carriers. Analysts figure it costs Apple about $173 to manufacture each iPhone, and believe Apple is selling the phones to AT&T at about $400 each. That means that at $599, Apple and AT&T are roughly splitting the extra $400 profit on an unlocked phone. Almost makes you wonder why AT&T bothers to sell subscriptions.
1,491
Comment by alexr_vw: Please don't add credence to iSuppli guys by quoting any of their wild-ass guesses at what products cost to manufacture.... more » | Other threads
valleywag
San Francisco, 7:39 PM
Thu Jul 9
45 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.
