Saturday, May 7, 2011
Samsung Charge delayed again...
We have them in stock... we have a live demo under the counter. Please get your network together so we can sell this great phone, Verizon!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
"T-Mobile 3G phones will need to be replaced."
Well, if you're among the 98% of T-Mobile subscribers who are still using a 3G handset, I've got some bad news for you. It looks like your phones won't be compatible with AT&T's network, once the merger is complete. This is exactly why people flip their shit when they hear about a buy-out. You'll need to buy a new phone as soon as AT&T is done with you, which probably means you'll also need to buy a new plan. Only in America does one carriers GSM signal not work with another carrier's GSM phones...
Despite the fact that this is a horrible waste of money for T-Mobile customers who already have perfectly good devices (and a perfectly good network, for that matter), it's also a shame that these phones are going to be thrown away or put on the shelf. We're a wasteful society, and all too often the corporations that try to control us ignore the true costs of their actions when they are presented with profitable business opportunities. Need I remind you again that economic growth is artificial when you simply take a dollar from the left hand and give it to the right.
Click here for the full story
Motorola Atrix 4G review
We have had a live version of the Motorola Atrix for a while now, and I haven't gotten a chance to write a review. Motorola and AT&T are saying it's one of the best phones on the market right now, and I'm inclined to agree. The phone is running Android 2.2.1 with Moto Blur, sports a dual core 1Ghz processor and has the ability to hook into a dock that will give users similar functions as a netbook. I didn't really get a chance to take any pictures of the dock, but it was very impressive!
The fingerprint scanner is one of the cooler/odder additions, but like many of the people interested in this phone, I was skeptical that it would work as well as Motorola says it would. Once i got it all set up for my print, it seemed to be about as reliable as the Android pattern lock (somewhat reliable... haha). Here is a short video to demonstrate:
Protect your bytes.
Motorola also includes an HDMI port next to the charging port, just like on the Droid X. This is one of those things that seems a little unnecessary now, but will probably become standard before we know it. I've been incredibly critical of Motorola, mostly because their lack of quality control, but I really have to say they did a bang up job with this phone. If you're looking for a next gen device on AT&T, this would be the phone I recommend. It's a lot more exciting of a handset than any of the other 4G devices available, that's for sure.
This will be useful someday...
This phone really caught me off-guard. Between the processor and the ram, you've got a device with the potential to do a lot of things we haven't even thought of doing on our phones yet. To add to that, Motorola is offering the netbook dock (although it isn't cheap, $400 at Bestbuy.com) to give you even more functionality. Most importantly, and aside from the flexy plastic battery door, this phone is solid. It feels sturdy in your hand, and it seems to have had very few software problems. I don't like saying that last part about a phone without carrying it and using it, but from what I have seen I'm confident that it will perform well. If you're on AT&T and you're looking for a next gen device, you owe it to yourself to try out the Motorola Atrix.
Sexy?
Aside from the fact that this phone has an amazing processor, it's mostly business as usual. The software feels familiar and doesn't have many major changes to it. I will say that everything seems very quick and snappy on this phone. Unfortunately, AT&T has awful coverage in the building we are in and I wasn't really able to test out the internet with the wifi off, but that's another blog.
The Atrix is being called the most powerful phone on the market eighty now, and I can see why.- 1 Ghz dual core Tegra 2 processor
- 1 GB of ram
- 5 megapixel camera with HD video and a front facing web cam
- 16 Gb of internal storage with up to 32 GB expandable memory
- Fingerprint scanner
The fingerprint scanner is one of the cooler/odder additions, but like many of the people interested in this phone, I was skeptical that it would work as well as Motorola says it would. Once i got it all set up for my print, it seemed to be about as reliable as the Android pattern lock (somewhat reliable... haha). Here is a short video to demonstrate:
Protect your bytes.
Motorola also includes an HDMI port next to the charging port, just like on the Droid X. This is one of those things that seems a little unnecessary now, but will probably become standard before we know it. I've been incredibly critical of Motorola, mostly because their lack of quality control, but I really have to say they did a bang up job with this phone. If you're looking for a next gen device on AT&T, this would be the phone I recommend. It's a lot more exciting of a handset than any of the other 4G devices available, that's for sure.
This will be useful someday...This phone really caught me off-guard. Between the processor and the ram, you've got a device with the potential to do a lot of things we haven't even thought of doing on our phones yet. To add to that, Motorola is offering the netbook dock (although it isn't cheap, $400 at Bestbuy.com) to give you even more functionality. Most importantly, and aside from the flexy plastic battery door, this phone is solid. It feels sturdy in your hand, and it seems to have had very few software problems. I don't like saying that last part about a phone without carrying it and using it, but from what I have seen I'm confident that it will perform well. If you're on AT&T and you're looking for a next gen device, you owe it to yourself to try out the Motorola Atrix.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
HTC Thunderbolt review
I'd love to post my own, but that would involve walking into a Best Buy and snapping a bunch of photos of their floor models.
HTC Thunderbolt Review at phonearena.com
What do you guys think?
AT&T + T-Mobile = competitive market?
AT&T's CEO, Randall L. Stephenson, dropping the ba... good news to analysts.It actually equals about 130 million subscribers on one (or maybe 1.5) GSM network. AT&T is claiming that the transition will be a smooth and painless one for T-Mobile customers, but those of us who witnessed the Verizon/Altell merger know better... Essentially, many Altell customers were bullied into buying all new handsets and losing their Altell loyalty plans within the first year of the merger. I know this to be true as we were instructed to do this at the sales level.
I'm no stranger to marketing gimmicks, but if and when this whole merger goes through, it's estimated that Verizon Wireless and AT&T -- the nations two largest carriers -- will control around 70-80% of the cell phone market in the U.S. Coincidentally, these are also the only two carriers offering the iPhone... something that regional carriers are just going to have to continue to deal with. Also, keep in mind that Verizon and AT&T are the most expensive options for wireless service and have nearly identical price plan options.
In all my years in the wireless industry, I've failed to sway the opinions of thousands of loyal, T-Mobile customers. Many of these customers choose T-Mobile over other carriers as the price plans have always been significantly cheaper, they have a great catalog of handsets to choose from, and the customer service team takes care of them. Competitive T-Mobile plans save their customers a lot of money annually, and they are also one of the only carriers that will offer promotional pricing and bonus minutes. For example: right now you can get unlimited text and 4G internet with 1500 minutes for $79.99 per month. This is about $50 cheaper than the nearest Verizon and AT&T plan that offers similar features.
T-Mobile customers losing their plans is still speculation, but once AT&T has their talons into the 40 million people who have already chosen not to buy their service, what is to stop them from pulling the switch? While I love Verizon's coverage and caught the smart phone bug early on, I've personally witnessed them make a lot of terrible choices regarding pricing that generated substantial revenue for them while offering their customers few benefits. Do you remember 3G multimedia phones, and that useless 25mb plan that they required? A lot of people equated this to stealing $10 every month, and sure enough, this practice ended after about a year of constant customer complaints. AT&T has already pulled the plug on unlimited data plans for their own customers, and made a few questionable moves similar to the one I just mentioned, is this the door being opened up to T-Mobile customers?
Even if you think this merger is a great idea, think about the economic effects of this merger. When Verizon Wireless took over Altell, most of the Altell stores were closed, and many of the Altell employees were folded into to Verizon, resulting in a pretty substantial hiring freeze. Simply put, merging two companies eliminates jobs and it it eliminates stores. Is that the best option right now? Maybe AT&T can manage 130 million customers more efficiently than the two providers could separately, but I doubt anybody will see the benefits of this who doesn't work in upper management at AT&T. Furthermore, selling phones and plans to 40 million customers who are already paying somebody else isn't economic growth at all, no matter which way you look at it.
If I need to come right out and say it, I will. Eliminating another nationwide carrier is a terrible idea. Just because Verizon and AT&T are in fierce competition doesn't mean the market is competitive. If this goes through, we are basically being forced into an oligopoly that already seems guilty of collusion. And if you think this opens the door for a new carrier to emerge, just remember what happened to poor, little Helio.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Using a Samsung SGH-i970 Focus with Windows Phone 7
Where do I begin with this one? I reluctantly accepted a Samsung Focus to try out on an AT&T agent line and have been using it along side my other handset for a few weeks now. I didn't want to post anything about it -- save some sarcastic tweets and a facebook update, or two -- because I really wanted to give this phone a chance. I should also say that this is more of a review about the operating system than it is about the phone, so don't think I'm going to get to technical with the phone's specs.
As far as hardware goes, there isn't much to complain about on this phone. The specs are tested and approved, and it comes with another one of Samsung's beautiful 4" Super AMOLED touch screens, a 1 Ghz processor, 8 GB of on board memory, and a 5 MP camera. Sound pretty decent? Below the touch screen are three touch buttons: back, Windows and search. The Windows button seems to do everything, including activate a useless voice command menu when you hold it down. Familiarize yourself with the phrase "Sorry, didn't get that" if you use this feature anywhere but in a quiet room. The search button is a shortcut to Bing, unless you're in a messaging folder, in which case it allows you to quickly look for email and sms messages without scrolling. The back button... it goes back.
That middle button does everything, the other two don't really do anything...
Before I continue, let me say that I didn't think I would ever find another phone that was too frustratingly simple to use since I tried the iPhone. I also didn't think I would ever give a mobile version of windows a chance, but that's another story. Those two words (frustrating and simple) really do sum this one up a little to well, though. Frustrating in the sense that you can't really "do" much with this phone -- especially while trying to "do" something else. Simple in the sense that any basic task you can think of is almost impossible to fuddle. Unfortunately, it has a lot of limitations. People often allude to the fact that iPhone users are Steve Jobs' bitches. Well, It seems like Windows Phone 7 users are going to meet the same fate, except maybe they might become Steve Balmer's bitches. Microsoft has a pretty tight grip on the software development for this phone.
Visually, the phone looks amazing. Part of this is because of the screen, part of it is because Microsoft totally started from scratch on this one and really thought out what a person does on a mobile phone. This is an impressive feat considering their last attempt, which seemed like little more than lowering the resolution of their desktop version and dumbing it down for dumber hardware. But in all seriousness, scrolling through the live tiles on the main screen of the phone and then flipping through tabs within applications feels pretty solid. Facebook and Twitter both have impressive apps available for this platform that allow you to easily manage updates, photos, friends and notifications. A mobile version of office also comes pre-installed on the phone. Netflix even supports instant viewing! Although it's not the smoothest app available, this is one of the only features I miss on my Android phone.
An SMS to my buddy Steves to let him know how I feel about Windows Phone 7.
The novelty of Windows Phone 7 wears thin right as you're watching a video and a text or email comes in. You hit the little windows button at the bottom and use your phone for it's intended purpose, and then... wait... where is my app. Put simply, multi-tasking on this phone sucks. It's almost a shame that the software cripples the amazing processor in this phone. The phone can kind of multi-task, in the sense that hitting the back button will reload the app you were just working with, but this gets incredibly frustrating with apps that require you to log in. If you minimize them, be prepared to wait while Windows "Resumes" your progress. With other mobile software platforms taking full-advantage of the capabilities of their processors, one can only imagine why Microsoft chose to eliminate this feature on their new OS. Supposedly, the issue will be somewhat corrected later in 2011, but will anyone wait around for this with all the other solid options available? Say what you will about Blackberry's software, but I fondly remember spending hours on mine using it's browser to help me study while I listened to music, replied to emails and chatted with colleagues in gchat.
Another issue I have with this phone involves removable storage. The Samsung Focus cannot use an external SD card unless you format the phone with the card in it. Microsoft has actually posted a lengthy explanation of why this is on their website, but it seems like they don't want you using a memory card unless your phone came with one. And don't even think about removing your memory card, as it is "integrated into Windows Phone 7." I hate to pull the Android card again, but I can pull out my SD card and transfer files to it without turning off my Android. Furthermore, I can exchange out SD cards as I want, and never have to format my phone to make one work. Removable storage has been a pretty simple feature/benefit for even the simplest phones for quite some time, and it's a shame that Microsoft overlooked it.
The text says: "Stop! Don't even think about putting that card in here!"
So would I recommend a Windows Phone 7 to a friend? The Phones are solid, especially the Samsung Focus that I am trying out. It has similar specs as another Samsung device that I currently use as my daily driver. The platform seems incredibly stable, and I haven't had to pull the battery once. Despite this, the software seems a little too limited. More limited than older versions of Windows mobile. Visually, it looks amazing, and I have to give Microsoft credit for really figuring out how to make a lot of the features usable and accessible. But I Just can't seem to get over the fact that the phone barely multi-tasks, has limited apps available and doesn't really have a solution for removable memory. To be honest, if I wanted a phone that does as little as this one, I would probably just buy an iPhone 4.
As far as hardware goes, there isn't much to complain about on this phone. The specs are tested and approved, and it comes with another one of Samsung's beautiful 4" Super AMOLED touch screens, a 1 Ghz processor, 8 GB of on board memory, and a 5 MP camera. Sound pretty decent? Below the touch screen are three touch buttons: back, Windows and search. The Windows button seems to do everything, including activate a useless voice command menu when you hold it down. Familiarize yourself with the phrase "Sorry, didn't get that" if you use this feature anywhere but in a quiet room. The search button is a shortcut to Bing, unless you're in a messaging folder, in which case it allows you to quickly look for email and sms messages without scrolling. The back button... it goes back.
That middle button does everything, the other two don't really do anything...Before I continue, let me say that I didn't think I would ever find another phone that was too frustratingly simple to use since I tried the iPhone. I also didn't think I would ever give a mobile version of windows a chance, but that's another story. Those two words (frustrating and simple) really do sum this one up a little to well, though. Frustrating in the sense that you can't really "do" much with this phone -- especially while trying to "do" something else. Simple in the sense that any basic task you can think of is almost impossible to fuddle. Unfortunately, it has a lot of limitations. People often allude to the fact that iPhone users are Steve Jobs' bitches. Well, It seems like Windows Phone 7 users are going to meet the same fate, except maybe they might become Steve Balmer's bitches. Microsoft has a pretty tight grip on the software development for this phone.
Maybe it isn't taking off because they don't have another commercial like this?
Visually, the phone looks amazing. Part of this is because of the screen, part of it is because Microsoft totally started from scratch on this one and really thought out what a person does on a mobile phone. This is an impressive feat considering their last attempt, which seemed like little more than lowering the resolution of their desktop version and dumbing it down for dumber hardware. But in all seriousness, scrolling through the live tiles on the main screen of the phone and then flipping through tabs within applications feels pretty solid. Facebook and Twitter both have impressive apps available for this platform that allow you to easily manage updates, photos, friends and notifications. A mobile version of office also comes pre-installed on the phone. Netflix even supports instant viewing! Although it's not the smoothest app available, this is one of the only features I miss on my Android phone.
An SMS to my buddy Steves to let him know how I feel about Windows Phone 7.The novelty of Windows Phone 7 wears thin right as you're watching a video and a text or email comes in. You hit the little windows button at the bottom and use your phone for it's intended purpose, and then... wait... where is my app. Put simply, multi-tasking on this phone sucks. It's almost a shame that the software cripples the amazing processor in this phone. The phone can kind of multi-task, in the sense that hitting the back button will reload the app you were just working with, but this gets incredibly frustrating with apps that require you to log in. If you minimize them, be prepared to wait while Windows "Resumes" your progress. With other mobile software platforms taking full-advantage of the capabilities of their processors, one can only imagine why Microsoft chose to eliminate this feature on their new OS. Supposedly, the issue will be somewhat corrected later in 2011, but will anyone wait around for this with all the other solid options available? Say what you will about Blackberry's software, but I fondly remember spending hours on mine using it's browser to help me study while I listened to music, replied to emails and chatted with colleagues in gchat.
Another issue I have with this phone involves removable storage. The Samsung Focus cannot use an external SD card unless you format the phone with the card in it. Microsoft has actually posted a lengthy explanation of why this is on their website, but it seems like they don't want you using a memory card unless your phone came with one. And don't even think about removing your memory card, as it is "integrated into Windows Phone 7." I hate to pull the Android card again, but I can pull out my SD card and transfer files to it without turning off my Android. Furthermore, I can exchange out SD cards as I want, and never have to format my phone to make one work. Removable storage has been a pretty simple feature/benefit for even the simplest phones for quite some time, and it's a shame that Microsoft overlooked it.
The text says: "Stop! Don't even think about putting that card in here!"So would I recommend a Windows Phone 7 to a friend? The Phones are solid, especially the Samsung Focus that I am trying out. It has similar specs as another Samsung device that I currently use as my daily driver. The platform seems incredibly stable, and I haven't had to pull the battery once. Despite this, the software seems a little too limited. More limited than older versions of Windows mobile. Visually, it looks amazing, and I have to give Microsoft credit for really figuring out how to make a lot of the features usable and accessible. But I Just can't seem to get over the fact that the phone barely multi-tasks, has limited apps available and doesn't really have a solution for removable memory. To be honest, if I wanted a phone that does as little as this one, I would probably just buy an iPhone 4.
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