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iPhone resources are everywhere

by Daniel Langendorf

July 25th, 2007 | Posted in Comms, Mobile | 44 Comments

One thing about the iPhone. After nearly a month on the planet, there are already hundreds — thousands! millions! — of aggregators, blogs, critic and user reviews, tips and tricks, hacks, applications, podcasts and video podcasts about the little phone that could.

I’m overwhelmed. I’ve been on safari, hunting resources on the iPhone, and I’ve collected a few links and applications of interest along the way.

This list, like others I’ve seen, is far from complete as new sites and applications are added daily. Please feel free to jump in and add your own favorites to the comment section.

Here goes.

iPhone review — one month in

by Daniel Langendorf

July 24th, 2007 | Posted in Comms, Mobile | 6 Comments

iphone TiVo, front-loading washing machines, Nike shoes, the Xbox. All are products someone, somewhere has looked forward to buying and using. Yet I don’t recall people weighing in on the features and functions of these, or any other product, as loudly and as passionately as they have with the Apple iPhone.

This is due, in part, because people have a love-hate relationship with their cell phones, which they carry with them every day. And because they use their phones daily, features and functions are of interest, especially when it comes to the iPhone.

After nearly a month of use, I take a look at some of the features and function of the iPhone, noting what I like and dislike, and weighing in on issues people are talking about.

Is the iPhone the most emotional product of all time?

by Daniel Langendorf

July 23rd, 2007 | Posted in Audio, Comms, Mobile, Net TV | 6 Comments

During the last month — or the last seven months, really — I’ve been wondering: Is the iPhone the most emotional product of all time?

Think about it. Forget the Apple-is-or-is-not-making-a-phone speculation that circulated on the Internet before Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone in January 2007. Since then, conjecture hit a boil quickly and has been bubbling ever since, reaching a fevered pitch with traditional media, bloggers, Apple lovers, Apple haters, Treo/Blackberry/Nokia cell phone users, even bystanders on street corners, offering spirited opinions before it was for sale.

iPhone crowds at the Apple store

When the iPhone was released on June 29, the frenzy didn’t die down, it just headed in new directions — real reviews; in-depth analysis, lists of likes/dislikes; what the iPhone was missing; where Apple went wrong; comparisons with smart phones; tips and tricks; hacks; “app” lists; and the ever-present “bug” report.

iPhone may produce "Halo Effect" for mobile video

by Daniel Langendorf

July 17th, 2007 | Posted in Mobile | 3 Comments

Hanging out at the Apple Store the other day, an elderly woman buying a second iPhone was overheard talking to a sales person, who just nodded and never delivered a sales pitch. “I guess I’d better get an Apple computer,” the woman said, noting her satisfaction with the first iPhone purchase. “I’ve always been a Windows person.”

It’s here again, the Halo Effect — only this time it isn’t an iPod helping to increase sales of Apple computers. It’s the iPhone possibly affecting the sales of Apple products and introducing mobile video to a larger audience.

Research firm Interpret said Tuesday (press release) that 63 percent of iPhone users have already used the device to watch video, compared with just 28 percent of regular cell phone owners using video-enabled equipment. Fifty-one percent say they’ve also watched a YouTube video on their phone, 46 percent have watched a music video, 34 percent have watched the news, and 32 percent have watched a movie trailer.

Zune users to be paid for sharing songs?

by Steve O'Hear

July 13th, 2007 | Posted in Audio, Mobile | 12 Comments

Zune users to be paid for sharing songs? A recent patent application by Microsoft describes a mechanism whereby Zune users are paid for sharing songs. Currently the company’s digital audio player has the capability to wirelessly swap music with other Zune owners, with the restriction that any shared song can only be played a maximum of three times. After which you’re given the option to buy the track from Microsoft’s Zune Marketplace. In a move designed to encourage sharing — and in turn, sell more music — Microsoft proposes paying users a percentage of revenue from sales generated through tracks they’ve shared.

Sony introduces new PSP, teases with PS Home cell phone

by Daniel Langendorf

July 11th, 2007 | Posted in Mobile, Other | 3 Comments

First the news: During its press conference at E3 today Sony introduced a new PSP, which looks like the first PSP, except it’s 30 percent lighter and 19 percent slimmer. (Engadget gallery.) What’s “new” is a video output that allows you to play PSP games, movies, photos and other PSP applications on your television.

The new PSP will be available in September in original black, an ice silver color, and a Star Wars Battlefront special edition (as displayed by Chewbacca himself). The unit will cost $199.99.

Now the hmmm item of the day: Sony showed a version of PS Home working on a Sony Ericcson cellphone (Gizmodo story). It’s not 3D, but it does have communication and chat features working on the phone. It can automatically send photos you take in the real world and place them into PS Home’s 3D environment like a picture on a wall in your apartment.

iriver dances to the tune of Rhapsody

by Steve O'Hear

July 9th, 2007 | Posted in Audio, Mobile | 2 Comments

iriver dances to the tune of Rhapsody RealNetworks and iriver have announced the launch of the clix Rhapsody, a version of iriver’s portable media player which is optimized to integrate with Real’s subscription-based digital music service. The new features focus on music discovery, such as automatic updates that deliver personalized play-lists each time a user connects to the service, as well as the ability to rate songs, albums and artists directly on the device. The partnership follows a similar arrangement between Real and SanDisk for the later’s Sansa Rhapsody player.

It’s interesting to see a number of hardware manufacturers align themselves so closely with Real, in an attempt to create devices which work seamlessly with the Rhapsody service. The upside is, in theory at least, that — like with iPod/iTunes — the user experience should be greater as both companies can control all of the pieces and fully integrate the hardware and software. This is also the reasoning behind Microsoft’s abandonment of its ‘PlayForSure’ partners when the company launched its Zune platform. The downside is a lack of choice for consumers, where each device is tied to a single paid-for music service. However, the success of Apple’s iPod strategy would suggest that users will take ease-of-use and simplicity over choice, anytime, and that’s assuming that most people get their music from paid-for digital music services in the first place. Which, of course, we know they don’t.

(CrunchGear and Gizmodo both have a review of the clix Rhapsody)

LG partners with YouTube

by Steve O'Hear

July 4th, 2007 | Posted in Mobile, Net TV | 1 Comment

LG mobile partners with YouTube LG Electronics and YouTube have announced a partnership that will see the two companies work together to develop software for LG mobile phones to enable users to interact with the Google-owned video sharing site. YouTube-enabled LG handsets, which should be available worldwide starting at the end of this year, will feature a new user interface designed to make it easy to browse content and upload videos directly to the site.

Following a similar partnership with Apple (for its iPhone), along with the launch of a mobile version of YouTube’s site, it’s clear that parent company, Google, is stepping up its mobile strategy. For months there’s been speculation that the search giant would release its own handset, though I think this is becoming less and less likely. Instead the company is adopting more of a Microsoft-esque strategy — and in doing so, challenging Redmond head on — by forming partnerships that will see its software and services appear on multiple companies’ hardware.

Skype spotted on Nokia's Internet tablet

by Steve O'Hear

June 28th, 2007 | Posted in Comms, Mobile | 1 Comment

Skype spotted on Nokia’s Internet tablet N800 Skype was touted as one of the killer-apps for Nokia’s newest version of its WiFi Internet tablet, the N800, and yet the Voice-over-IP software was noticeable by its absence when the device was released earlier this year — although support for Gizmo and Google Talk was included. However, that’s set to change.

Reporting from Digital Experience in New York, jkOnTheRun’s Kevin Tofel stopped by at Nokia’s booth where he saw a a demonstration of Skype running on the N800. Better still, the software should be available for download sometime in July. On the downside, however, they’ll be no video conferencing support, despite the device’s built-in webcam.

With all media attention focused on the iPhone, it’s worth mentioning that there’s almost zero chance of VoIP functionality coming to Apple’s device any time soon.

Archive for the ‘Mobile’ Category

iPhone resources are everywhere

iPhone review — one month in

Is the iPhone the most emotional product of all time?

iPhone may produce "Halo Effect" for mobile video

Zune users to be paid for sharing songs?

Sony introduces new PSP, teases with PS Home cell phone

iriver dances to the tune of Rhapsody

LG partners with YouTube

Skype spotted on Nokia's Internet tablet

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