This phone is just so beautiful, I had to post some pictures.
Comment for feedback.
HTC Touch HD in All Its Beauty
Random
Everything Else
Android’s Release
To shake things up a little, I thought I would write about the marketing aspect of this blog, an area that is usually more Aryeh’s thing, not mine.
I was just wondering if Google is really doing everything they can, to effectively market Android’s official release. Next Tuesday, Androidwill be introduced to the cellular world for the first time. A pretty big thing, no? I mean Google, that company that created a search engine for the Web, have now decided that they are entering the mobile industry with a revolutionary mobile operating system. You would think every tech news site would be overflowing with scoops about the Android event.
Let’s review what we know about it. We know T-Mobile will be releasing the first Android phone, the Dream, next Tuesday, the 23rd. We know Android is supposed to be a huge deal, and present a true iPhone OS killer. Do we know why? What makes it so great? Yes, it is open source. Anything else?
Personally, I think if Google wants to really make a difference and have an impact on companies like Nokia/Symbian, Apple, and Microsoft, they are going to have to do a little more. How about some Web ads, YouTube demonstrations, or at least some impressive spy pics?
-Hillel
Which Color is Your Color?
Choose your color, and Technmarketing.com will have it sent to you.
Na, I’m kidding (maybe if we got a few more readers and some sponsered ads). I am just curious which color does it for our readers!
I am on the fence between the silver (first on the left) and the green (in the middle).
Comment to vote!
-Hillel
Apple’s Back in The Game With its New Firmware
- Check Out the Signal Bar
Apple seems to have resolved all the bugs and glitches in the iPhone 3G with their new firmware update, according to Gizmodo.
The new firmware fixes the following issues:
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Poor reception and dropped calls
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Battery life
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Lagging backup and longer backup times
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Long installation of applications
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Crashes and Hanging
Now we can check if my theory is accurate. If iPhone 3G sales begin to rise and first generation iPhone sales begin to fall, we will know people simply wanted a bug-free phone, and it is not the AT&T contract that is scaring people away. Any predictions?
-Hillel
HTC Touch HD Proves There is Still Where to Go
Just as I thought cellphones have maxed out with the Samsung INNOV8, HTC goes and proves me wrong with their just announced Touch HD. The Touch HD has a (are you sitting down?) 3.8 inch, 400×800 display. It has all the standard features (did I just call a phone with GPS and a 5 megapixel camera, standard?), such as HSDPA, a 5 megapixel shooter, and GPS. However, it is that amazing touch display that sets it apart from the rest.
Anyone that knows me can confirm that they have never heard me say this before, but I am speechless. It’s phones like this that make me forget that the iPhone even exists. I truly have nothing to add, the phone simply speaks for itself. Honestly, have you ever seen such a nice phone?
-Hillel
Why Are People So Dumb?
Just to share my thoughts on something a little different…
My wife and I are at a stage right now that we are constantly taking things out of my 13 month old daughter’s mouth. The process begins with her putting something in her mouth that she shouldn’t be. We need to then run to her and pry it out, at which point she starts to cry and throws her head back on the floor. It is highly enjoyable. She is not at the stage of Lego yet, but I can’t image what Lego and Kellogg’s were thinking when they came out with Lego fun fruit snacks. Do they want to choke our kids?
-Aryeh
First Generation iPhone Sales on the Rise
In a surprising twist of events, first generation iPhone sales have been on the rise ever since the new iPhone 3G was announced. Even with its major flaws, such as the painful EDGE, awkward headphones jack, and others, which make it inferior to the new iPhone in many ways, people are buying second hand, first generation iPhones, and lots of them.
How do you explain this? Well, there can be a lot of explanations for this phenomenon. Engadget claims it is the fact that the first generation iPhone is easily cracked, which enables you to insert your non-AT&T sim card into the phone. Another contributing factor is the lack of a commitment to AT&T. I agree that both of these factors are making the original iPhone more attractive to consumers. However, with all the advantages that new iPhone offers, neither of these explanations would make ME get an old iPhone. So what is really pushing people to go out and buy the original iPhone?
To answer this question, we need to examine what made the iPhone so appealing to begin with. I have written on many occasions that even with the iPhone’s good looks and revolutionary touch interface, what really did it for me, is the fact that the iPhone simply works. With phones on the market like the N95 and N96, or the Omnia, what people loved about the iPhone is that it really worked, and well. It was easy and fun to use and actually did what it was supposed to do.
When the new iPhone was announced, people were really excited by all the enhancements, and just took it for granted that it would work as well as the first generation did. However, they soon found out that they were wrong. The new iPhone was buggy, very buggy. People complained about dropped calls and crashes, amongst many other things. This is something that was not present in the first generation.
In my opinion, people are more interested in a phone that actually works and responds fast, rather than one that has all the functions in the world, but none of them work like they should. This is what people complained about with Windows Mobile 5 and older version of Symbian as well. I am under the impression that both Windows Mobile and Symbian have improved their operating systems, but Apple, on the other hand, moved in the wrong direction.
Well, Apple recently released a new firmware update that is said to fix most of the bugs, I guess only time will tell.
-Hillel
Again Microsoft? What is going on?
I am speechless. This is just getting ridiculous
Microsoft: Time To Do a Little Rethinking
Microsoft has to start rethinking its policies on the Zune line . It is a bad sign when a company designs a product according to what its competitors are doing or not doing. Let me explain.
The Zune has no real appeal as an MP3 player, the iPods are superior in every way. So what has Microsoft decided to do about this? They are looking at what iPods are lacking and adding those features into the Zune. In theory, this would not be a bad idea, it ends up being good for the consumer because Microsot will “outdo” Apple with the addition of a radio or wireless syncing, and Apple will be forced to enhance their product to compete with the Zune.
Just one problem with that theory. Nobody in Apple pays attention to what Microsoft is doing with their Zune line. Why should they? The iPod has a 73.4% market share and the Zune is behind Sandisk with a 2.6% market share.
If Microsoft wants to make a difference in the personal media player market, they are going to have to do something differently. Maybe a little thinking out of the box. Then again, if Microsot thought out of the box, they would not be Microsoft.
– Hillel
The New Zune, Not a Bad Looking Machine
The New iPod Lineup
New iPod Touch
Well, yesterday I did something for the first time ever, I preordered a new Nano from Amazon. The new iPod lineup does not dissapoint. When I first encountered the Nano 3rd generation, I truly did not think they can make it any thinner, the thing was like three pieces of paper.
Well, not only did they make the new 4th generation thinner (now it is like two pieces or maybe even one, it is ridiculously thin), but they now offer a 16GB version of the Nano. I have an old 4th generation iPod (maybe if I had a few more readers, Apple would send me the new iPods for review) that is around seven times the size of the new Nano, and it only holds 20 GB, and this thing holds 16? That is just nuts.
They added this new “Shake to Shuffle” (do I have to explain what that is? Correct me if I am wrong, but I think the name says it all) feature, which is kinda cool, I guess. However, the huge enhancement for me, is the addition of the accelerometer. How did they manage to get that inside such a microscopic machine? It is really amazing. And those colors, I mean, I am generally not into colors, but you got to admit, those are some nice colors.
The new iPod touch does not dissapoint either. It is also thinner, and it has the whole Nike+iPod chip built in, which once again, leads me to the question, how did they get that into such a thin machine? The iPod Classis remains the iPod Classic, a little thinner and more memory, nothing huge there.
The one big thing that Apple just announced in the Nano, the Touch, and iTunes is this new Genius feature (you gotta love the names that Apple comes up with, makes me wonder if there is someone within Apple that sits around and comes up with these names). Basically, you can select a song and with one click, creat a similar playlist. I am not sure I would use this feature, but let’s wait and see how well it does.
All in all, after watching Steve Jobs’ keynote, the first thing I did, was call Amazon and order a new Nano (granted it was for my younger brother, but if I could afford it, I would buy the new Touch), so suffice it to say, I was impressed with the new lineup.
– Hillel
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New iPod Nano Colors
Mobile Web is Finally Mobile Web
There have been many attempts at enabling us to truly access the Web from our mobile devices like we do at home. I think it is safe to say that most of them have failed. There have been many surveys conducted about how many cellphone users use the Mobile Web, none of them displaying very impressive numbers. The reason the technology has not developed, is not due to the lack of speed. With HSDPA or WIFI, you can access the Web at speeds that are similar, if not higher than your home connection.
The reason Mobile Web is not a huge success is because Mobile Web does not live up to its name, it is not the real Web on your mobile. It is hard to use, not user friendly, and generally does not provide users with what they get on their home PCs. I think this is one of the primary reasons for the IPhone’s incredible success.
Well, all this is about to change. A new startup has just introduced a revolutionary product that will transform Mobile Web into what it was intended to be. Just imagine viewing your email inbox or your Facebook in real time, without the headache of accessing that annoying mobile browser on your phone. You know that sleep screen that shows you the time, when you are not using your phone? Wouldn’t you want to have your email update itself there in real time? Wouldn’t you want to be able to add any widget there, that can update regularly displaying you information on sports, social networks, stocks, or anything else you choose?
Studies have shown that most users access the Web on their phone for the same things over and over again to see any new updates. Things just got a whole lot easier with Flyscreen, take all those things you like to surf to on your handset, and add them to your phone’s sleep screen. No more mobile surfing needed.
Cellogic can really shake things up in the mobile world with their new product, Flyscreen, and it seems that someone over at Techcrunch agrees, Cellogic was just launched in the Demo pit.
Anything that enables me to stop using my annoying mobile browser is a huge plus for me. I for one, am very excited to see how this product does in the real world.
– Hillel
Jonathan Strauss, VP Business Development for Cellogic
