Archive for August, 2008

Jobs admits MobileMe not up to Apple's standards

by Daniel Langendorf

August 4th, 2008 | Posted in Mobile | CommentsNo Comments

It seemed like a lot to take on at the time — the introduction of MobileMe, the opening of the AppStore, the release of the iPhone 2.0 software, and the availability of the second-generation iPhone itself.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs admitted as much in an internal email sent to Apple employees Monday evening, according to Ars Technica. Jobs said MobileMe, the replacement for Apple’s ho-hum .Mac service, was launched too early and “not up to Apple’s standards.” Jobs said Apple should have introduced MobileMe slowly instead of launching it “as a monolithic service.”

“It was a mistake to launch MobileMe at the same time as iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store,” Jobs said. “We all had more than enough to do, and MobileMe could have been delayed without consequence.”

Absolutely.

The moment MobileMe hit the ether on the evening of July 9 there were problems that still linger, in various forms, today. It took longer to flip the on switch than Apple intended. Once MobileMe was “up and running”, the 2 million subscribers to the former .Mac service found themselves with intermittent email, syncing problems (so much for “Exchange for the rest of us”), disappearing calendar events and contacts, screwed up account information, and loads of frustration.

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Review: HTC Touch Diamond

by Steve O'Hear

August 4th, 2008 | Posted in Mobile | Comments11 Comments

It’s hard not to look at HTC’s new flagship smartphone, the Touch Diamond, through iPhone-tinted glasses. Featuring a touch screen interface that’s been designed, on the surface at least, to be operated using a finger rather than a stylus, like Cupertino’s own crown jewel, the Touch Diamond is marketed as a device that makes accessing the Web on the go just as easy as making a phone call. It’s also HTC’s latest attempt to put a consumer face on the business oriented Windows Mobile operating system. No mean feat in itself.

Read on to find out if the HTC Touch Diamond truly sparkles or if it’s just an expensive piece of “bling” (Ed. enough puns already).

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Weekly wrapup, 28 July – 1 August 2008

by Steve O'Hear

August 2nd, 2008 | Posted in last100 weekly wrapup | CommentsNo Comments

Here’s a summary of the week’s digital lifestyle action on last100. Note that you can subscribe to the weekly wrapups, either via the special weekly wrapup RSS feed or by email.

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Internet TV news

LG’s Netflix streaming Blu-ray player announced. What, no Wi-Fi?

Available this fall, the LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player, in addition to being able to play high definition Blu-ray discs and upscale standard DVDs, will give Netflix subscribers the option of streaming any of the 12,000 movies and TV episodes available on Watch Now to their TVs at no additional cost.

See also: In a smart move Netflix rules out pay-per-view video service

Study: For first time, a significant number of people watch prime-time shows online, not on TV

According to a survey released today by Integrated Media Measurement Inc., more than 20 percent of people studied watch some amount of prime-time, episodic programming online. Within that group of online viewers, 50 percent are watching programs as they become available and are starting to use the computer as a substitute for a television. The other 50 percent use the Web to watch programming they’ve missed or to re-watch episodes they have already seen.

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"Mole" says Microsoft will sell sub-$200 Xbox 360 this fall

by Daniel Langendorf

August 1st, 2008 | Posted in Other | CommentsNo Comments

A “mole” — the informant kind, not the small furry burrowing animal — told Ben Kuchera at Ars Technica that Microsoft is planning to further cut the prices of the Xbox 360 in September.

The Xbox 360 will come in three flavors:

  • The Arcade: no hard drive, $199
  • The Pro: 60 GB hard drive, $299
  • The Elite: 160 GB hard drive, $399

The “mole” also whispered that hardware and game bundles will be available for the Arcade, Pro, and Elite models in the 4Q, just in time for the holidays.

The last time the “mole” met Ben in some parking garage he told him that Microsoft was going to release a 60 GB Xbox 360, “and he was right on the money with that one,” Kuchera said. “I’d be very surprised if this wasn’t accurate information.”

If the “mole” is correct, Microsoft will be the first company to release a major gaming console for less than $200, which may truly reach the mass market for gamers and home theater enthusiasts alike.

Nintendo’s Wii, the top-selling game console, retails for $249, when you can find one, and Sony’s PlayStation 3 costs $399 for the 40 GB model (an 80 GB model for the same price may be introduced this fall).

At $199, the Xbox 360 arcade would be a compelling purchase, especially if you can attach your own hard drive to it.

HTC on schedule to deliver Android-powered phone in 4Q

by Daniel Langendorf

August 1st, 2008 | Posted in Mobile | Comments1 Comment

Overheard at a Verizon wireless store today:

Kid: “This phone sucks.”

Dad: “I know. But there’s not much I can do about it.”

Kid: “Why?”

Dad: “Your contract isn’t up until March and I don’t want to pay $300 for a new one.”

Kid: “Your phone is eligible for an upgrade. Let me use yours.”

Dad: “I don’t want to buy any new phone right now. There’s going to be a lot of phones coming out in the next six months and I want to see them first. All the phones here are lame duck technology.”

Kid: “Oh. Well, this phone still sucks.”

At least some relief is on the horizon for dad. High Tech Computer (HTC), a Taiwan-based maker of Microsoft Windows Mobile cell phones, announced it is on schedule to deliver by 4Q 2008 its first phones based on Google’s open source mobile operating system, Android [via DigiTimes and IntoMobile]. No other details were provided.

HTC has long been rumored to be making their HTC Dream smartphone available on the Android platform later this year, making HTC the first manufacturer to deliver an actual working model and not a prototype with promise.

It is expected that an Android-powered Google phone — along with the introduction in July of the Apple iPhone 3G — will completely shake up the U.S. cell phone/smart phone market with its touch screen and haptic feedback, a full QWERTY keypad (that slides or swivels for easy typing and texting), and Internet access, among other features.

It’s enough for dad to hold off buying a new phone for the kid.

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