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by Aryeh on Mac, Marketing, Random, Tech

Steve Jobs Vs. Tech N’ Marketing

Hi All,

A few days ago Hillel posted about the new Apple headphones, and we got many people responding to his blog post. One of the responses was a post by a gentleman named Brian. Here is his comment:

Author : Brian (IP: **********)
E-mail : ************@mac.com
URL    :
Whois  : ********
Comment:
Sorry, this is complete FUD.  Just as Roger noted above, check out the various other in-ear buds out there and you’ll find they are all above $79. Anything less than that is in another class of quality.

Why are you blaming Apple for this?  I guess the secret is out. Apple is working with vendors to price fix all ear bud systems, oh wait, they weren’t the first out with these….

Please, remove the bullseye from Apple and let’s get some real facts in here before you spread more FUD.

1

I am going to leave all comments regarding the content of the post aside and focus on who is posting. I believe the person who posted this comment is a representative of the Apple corporation. If you look at the IP address, it tracks back to Apple Inc.  If this is so, I am very disappointed with Brian’s unwillingness to tell us who he represents. It is truly unacceptable for Apple to be doing this.

Using tactics of Guerrilla marketing are often times necessary, but it needs to be done correctly:

Brian had some very big beginner’s mistakes:

1. Mask your freakin IP address! Come on everyone know that WordPress tracks your IP.

2. Don’t use terminology that only people from the industry use, like FUD .  The Average Joe has no idea what FUD means.

3. Only use Guerrilla marketing when necessary – we are just some guys writing a blog about interesting stuff we come across and we write how we feel about it. DUDE, we are not your make it or break it point. Thanks for taking interest in us but look elsewhere.

I hope you own up to your comment and provide an explanation. Again, this is not about the content of the blog post or the comment (which is quite nasty) but rather about Brian and who he represents.

-Aryeh

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by hilzfuld on Random

Ingenious Video Advertising

To take a little break from the N97, the iPhone, and all its apps, I thought I would share one of the most brilliant video ads I have seen online in a very long time. Enjoy it!

By the way, is it just me or did YouTube add a search bar to the top of every video embedded on an external site? Nice touch.

Update: Apparently, it is not just me!

-Hillel

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by hilzfuld on Random

HTC Touch HD: Surprisingly Amazing

Even though Aryeh, along with some othe people, wheened me off the HTC Touch HD and any of its Windows Mobile brethren, I cannot let the fact that GSMArena just released a full review of the HD, go unmentioned. Whether you like Windows Mobile or despise it, there is no debate surrounding the superior and market dominating looks of the HTC Touch HD.

gsmarena_050

To sum up the review, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by far. I think the only main disadvantage on the list that would prevent me from buying it, is the lack of flash for the camera and maybe the low quality video. Among the HD’s selling points are a 3.8″ display, which puts the iPhone’s screen to shame, Wifi, GPS, 5mp camera with auto-focus, TouchFlo 3D, accelerometer sensor for auto screen rotation and turn-to-mute calls (pretty cool feature), Office document editor, and many many others.

Some people are bothered by the lack of a physical camera shutter button, but I say they are nitpicking, and if that is all they can come up with, we got ourselves a pretty amazing mobile device on our hands.

83de5711b112aae5ead84baed91c2947_htc-touch-hd

GSMArena were extremely satisfied with the phone, and on occasion, even quite surprised at how well it performed. The camera beat the N82 and the OMNIA on photo quality, something it seems the reviewers did not expect. The HD beat the iPhone in many respects, among them copy/paste functionality, Java/Flash in the Web browser, and a MicroSD expansion slot, not to mention the 3.8″ display compared to the iPhone’s 3.5″.

gsmarena_002

The HD comes with some nice preinstalled goodies, like an RSS Reader and Streaming Media manager, as well as a great task manager, something I know the iPhone is missing. It also comes with an MP3 trimmer app to automatically convert your favorite MP3s to ringtones. It even comes with what seems to be a highly entertaining game called Teeter. Seems like it is very similar to Labyrinth on the iPhone, which I already said is up there with the most addictive things I have come accross.

gsmarena_045

In conclusion, GSMArena thinks the HD is going to change the way we look at cellphones. I am not sure I agree, I think the iPhone already made that change for us, but the HD is definitally going to raise the level for all future cellphone manufacturers. Watch the video below and tell me what you think (of the phone, not her accent).

HTC took care of the hardware and the TouchFlo part of the software, but if Microsoft really wants to get in the ring with Apple, they are going to have work on an app store of their own that will compete with Apple’s. For me, the lack of applications and software solutions for Windows Mobile devices, is what has me leaning toward the Java-less iPhone, even if I cannot copy and paste with it. Oh yea, and the HD’S $900 price tag.

-Hillel




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by hilzfuld on iPhone, Mobile, Random, Software

Random Thoughts on Storms and Tubes

Job hunting has kept me pretty busy as of late, but I have already decided that since my last job only gave me a CDMA option for my company phone (so I could not buy a phone and insert the company SIM), as soon as I finally find my next job, one of my first purchases is going to be a phone. Now the big question is, which one?

htctouchhd1

The Beautiful HD: Hard to Say Goodbye

Well, let me start with what I was considering as of three days ago, and I will conclude with the phones I have narrowed it down to. Remember, I am talking here about my favorite phones, forget for a second the fact that I would never really buy half these phones due to their exorbitant prices. So here are the phones I was considering (in totally random order):

  • HTC Touch HD: OK I know it is $800 or $1300 if you buy it is Israel, but a man can still dream, no?
  • Nokia 5800 XpressMusic or Tube: Seems like a pretty sweet phone and with a name like Nokia backing it, how can you go wrong, right?
  • Blackberry Storm: You gotta love RIM’s attempt at the touchscreen market.
  • iPhone: Honestly? With its lack of MMS, video camera, and A2DP, this was not an option for me, until I used my new iPod Touch. With that interface and App store, I am willing to use email to send pictures, bring along an additional camera for taking video, and even use wired headsets to listen to my music. Yes, it is THAT good.
nokia-5800-xpressmusic-2

The Tube: A Strong Contender

So, these were my options as of a few days ago, but as we all know, a few days in the cellular industry is like a lifetime to normal people.

So here is what I am thinking today:

  • HTC Touch HD: With the $800 price tag combined with the fact that it runs Windows, this is just not the phone for me. Yes, it is no doubt the nicest phone on earth, but the headache of installing apps over Windows (compared to the experience I have had with the iPod Touch of course), the lack of a camera flash, along with the normal bugs associated with anything Microsoft, even a 4″ screen would not get me to buy it.
  • Nokia 5800 XpressMusic or Tube: I am not saying a definate NO to this yet, I know I like the price, but Mobile Burn’s review of this toy, did not excite me. I call it a toy because that it what it looks and feels like compared to other handsets.
  • Blackberry Storm: Well, contrary to the Tube, this one is a definate no go for me. Engadget’s review of the Storm left me very dissapointed, especially the whole press down the screen thing. If I wanted to press down on the screen and not just touch it, I would buy a standard Blackberry, not a touch screen one. Is it just me or does that just make simple sense?
  • iPhone: Well, I would have to say that at the risk of being boring and unoriginal, this is currently my best option. I just cannot get over how great of a job Apple did with the interface, the App store, and the all around feel of the iPhone. The battery life with push mail activated scares me a bit, but we all gotta make sacrifices sometimes, right?
A Thumbs Down for ME

Blackberry Storm: A Thumbs Down for Me

Bottom line? I am going to have to choose between Apple’s iPhone and Nokia’s Tube. Watch the below video of the Tube, and tell me what you think.

-Hillel

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by hilzfuld on iPhone, Mobile, Random, Software, Tech

iPhone 3G: Best Selling Consumer Handset; You Will Never Guess the Runner Up

motorola_razr_21

In today’s cellular news, the iPhone 3G has officially surpassed the RAZR as the most sold consumer handset. Let me repeat that just in case you did not understand, the Motorola RAZR, with all its shortcomings, was the most sold consumer handset, until today. Granted the statistics refer to the whole RAZR lineup, which includes some pretty decent models, like the RAZR MAXX V6 and the RAZR 2, but all in all, the RAZR really has nothing to offer in today’s market. Someone please explain to me how Motorola managed to milk that cow so long.

The way I see it, there are a few possible explanations. The first one is that the RAZR was the first to offer the slim form factor, and until every other phone copied it, the RAZR was pretty innovative in its slimness. There is no debating that functionality aside, the RAZR was and still is one sexy handset. However, attractive as it might be, that does not explain how its success lasted this long. I mean, the thing has a 2MP camera at most, not even going to mention any form of GPS.

The second possibility of how the RAZR stayed on top this long is the other aspect of this blog, Motorola’s marketing. I do not know the numbers, but I feel like Motorola must have spent a fortune on marketing the whole RAZR concept. Whether it is on ads, like the one below, or the coincidental use of the RAZR by all sorts of TV and movie heroes, it would be interesting to know the total amount spent on RAZR campaigns by Motorola.

Before I share with you my personal opinion, let me just tell you what else was on the list. The top 5 consumer handsets were:

  1. Apple iPhone 3G
  2. Motorola RAZR V3 (all models)
  3. RIM Blackberry Curve (all models)
  4. LG Rumor
  5. LG enV2

If you ask me to explain the RAZR’s success (if you are still reading this, then you are asking me), and I want to believe this to be true, I would say that consumers are finally starting to prefer function over form, and choosing the iPhone 3G over the RAZR is how it implements itself. The fact that the first iPhone did not take the thrown away from the RAZR means that it is not the iPhone’s looks but rather its functionality that does it for consumers.

I do think that the RAZR was the first of its kind and there were not many alternatives for consumers when the original RAZR was announced, but today when there are an endless number of esthetically pleasing handsets to choose from, people are actually choosing phones that provide functionality and not only good looks.

htc_dream_render

If you need proof of this theory, just check out Cnet’s 5 most wanted gadgets and tell me number 1 is not pure “function over form”. If you are too lazy to watch (spoiler coming up), the most coveted gadget by Cnet users is the G1, one of the ugliest phones around. I don’t think there is anyone out there that will claim that the G1 is anywhere nearly as nice as the iPhone and yet it was number 1 and the iPhone number 6. I rest my case, no further questions, your honor.

-Hillel

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by hilzfuld on Mobile, Random, Tech

Battle of the 8MP Monsters

samsung-i8150-2

If I would have told you three years ago that I would be trying to determine which 8 megapixel cellphone is the best handset, and there are quite a few to choose from, I don’t think you would have believed me, in fact I don’t think I would’ve believed me.

lg-renoir

I am not sure which made bigger waves in 2008, the touch screen or the 8 megapixel phones, but what’s for sure, they are both pretty unbelievable achievements.

samsung-m8800-pixon-2

GSMArena has a detailed comparison between the four 8 megapixel monsters:

  • Samsung i8510 INNOV8: The most feature packed out of the bunch. You already know what I think of this powerhouse, although there is no question I prefer the full touch screen over the slider form factor.
  • Samsung M8800 Pixon: According to GSMArena’s conclusion, the Pixon does not meet the image quality of the other touch screen 8MP handset, the LG Renoir. However, its user interface is superior to that of the Renoir’s.
  • Sony Ericsson C905: I personally like this one the least, but GSMArena claims it has the best camera interface out of the group.
  • LG Renoir: Out of the two touch screens, this offers the best image quality and video performance.

se-c905-02

In any case, I think it is safe to say we are no longer in the era that camera phones are inferior to standard digital cameras, with these 8 MP shooters, no need to carry around an additional camera.

htc-touch-hd-031

In other big news, the HTC Touch HD is available in stores, and I for one cannot think of a better way to spend $800 right now. The only thing that can stop me now from getting myself a nice HD is some sort of a natural disaster, like say for example, a Storm.

blackberry-9500-storm-1

-Hillel


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by hilzfuld on Random, Tech

Hi-Tech is in Trouble

Motorola just announced that they are going to be laying off a whopping 3,000 employees, two thirds of which are from the handset department. I cannot say I am surprised when they are wasting their time and energy designing phones like the Aura.

The thing is, Motorola is not the only Hi-Tech company that is in the process of layoffs, not even close. The entire industry is going through a major crisis, in fact it is so bad, CNET has a dynamic chart of all the Hi-Tech companies that have laid off employees including the exact numbers. Check it out here.

The companies that have recently laid off employees include Aliph (does that mean the Jawbone is going to get a price reduction or the opposite?), Symantec, Xerox, Yahoo (do I really need to link to Yahoo.com?), and one company that has affected your favorite blogger, yours truly, Comverse. The list goes on.

In trying to shine some light on the very dark situation, I will say, let’s just hope this crisis forces companies to improve their products or lower their prices, after all, with or without a paycheck, I still need to buy new cellphones, don’t I?

-Hillel

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