T-Mobile marketing chief Cole Brodman claimed that as of September 2011 there were over one million unlocked iPhone users on their network, and that T-Mobile offers a "no-compromise" iPhone experience. And even though T-Mobile has shown great interest in carrying the iPhone, they are still waiting on Apple to make that a reality.
In the meantime, however, T-Mobile will start providing official support for the iPhone starting January 30th, 2012. The carrier will provide technical support, information about the iPhone's features and specifications, and answer basic questions about the device. So even though T-Mobile is the largest carrier in the US that doesn't have the iPhone yet, it'll be more than ready to facilitate it when Apple decides to launch it on their network.
On October 4th Apple unveiled their newest addition to the iPhone lineup, the iPhone 4S. Many of us, myself included, were hoping for something more than just a slightly heavier iPhone 4 with features that have already been on Android phones for the past 6ish months, so the iPhone 4S was a letdown to many. Nonetheless, I have no doubt that the iPhone 4S is a great phone and that many people will be willing to buy it, especially now that it's available on Sprint.
Here's a list of new features:
1080p HD Video Recording w/ stabilization
8MP Camera with an advanced color and IR sensor, faster shutter, & face detection
Apple A5 Dual-Core 1GHz processor
CDMA & GSM capable (World phone)
Siri voice assistant
4G Capable
Improved antenna for fewer dropped calls and better reception
Longer battery life
Note: I didn't include any of the features being added in iOS 5 because they aren't iPhone 4S specific.
Google-branded SIM cards have been found in testing with Nexus S devices in Spain, fitting with previous rumors of a Google-based cell service. Google currently offers VoIP calling and free texting through their Voice service, but expanding to a full-fledged carrier would be a major update. Currently Google is testing their own ultra-high speed fiber internet service in Kansas City, and is working on offering that same service in other parts of the country.
Microsoft hit at least one aspect of Windows Phone 7 out of the park: the virtual keyboard. The virtual keyboard is one aspect that Apple has held since the release of the original iPhone, and Google has struggled to compete with. Even RIM, renown for their phenomenal BlackBerry keyboard, can’t build a virtual keyboard that is up to snuff. Then comes Windows Phone 7, and suddenly Apple has a competitor.
It’s no accident, as Microsoft points out in this month’s issue of R&D Magazine. The Windows Phone 7 product group and Microsoft Research team combined their talent, and implemented the principles of machine learning. It’s an interesting combination of mathematics and linguistics that helps to develop such an accurate text prediction service. Language has a pattern, and programming Windows Phone 7 to take advantage of that also helps to provide accurate predictions, sometimes even before you start typing the next word.
It’s an interesting look not only into the development of soft keyboards such as these, but also into the whole Microsoft bureaucratic scheme. Two totally different and almost unrelated departments had to come together to make the best possible product; if that hadn’t happened, there’s no telling how the keyboard would be.
T-Mobile is offering $1,000 to anyone who can prove that their iPhone is faster than a Samsung Galaxy S. Best two out of three in a speedtest on your respective carrier’s network (no WiFi) will be named the victor, but the Galaxy S will have the unfair advantage of running on a 4G network. If you think your iPhone can prove its worth, the offer is available during a three day window from April 29th to May 1st at a number of Seattle-area T-Mobile stores.
Note: customers are limited to just one challenge, and must be over 18.
HP has just unveiled three new products, the Pre 3, Veer, and the rumored TouchPad.
The Pre 3 is a 3.6 inch phone with a 1.4 GHz Snapdragon processor, 480-800 screen resolution, larger keyboard, 512 MB of RAM, and two cameras that can be used for video calling. It isn’t the most high-end device ever, but it does emphasize that HP wants their devices to be easy to transport, and to only be noticeable when you need it. The Pre 3 will work on both GSM and CDMA carriers, like Verizon and AT&T.
Next up we have the HP Veer, a tiny (seriously, it’s extremely small) device that is basically a Pre, but smaller in every possible way. The Veer is about the size of a credit card, and packs an 800 MHz processor (as far as I can tell, it is nearly identical to the one in the HTC G2, so this shouldn’t be a slacker by any means). The screen is 2.6 inches, with a 320×400 resolution. The keyboard is minuscule, just like everything else about the phone, so it remains to be seen how usable it is. The Veer is currently only available for GSM carriers, like AT&T and T-Mobile.
Last, but certainly not least, is the TouchPad. It basically matches every spec the iPad currently has, and then some. 1.2 dual-core Qualcomm processor, with a 1024×768 display, with Beats Audio makes for an interesting tablet. The device itself weighs 1.5 pounds, and is 13 mm thick. Overall, it isn’t the specs that make the tablet compelling; it’s the software. HP isn’t slacking in this aspect; webOS on a large form factor looks very compelling. Many other media outlets have already noted that this blows away the current iPad in terms of the possibility to be productive.
The TouchPad WiFi model will be shipping this summer, and 3G/4G versions of the device will be announced later on. It will be interesting to see if this new device will be able to compete with the next iPad, which is expected within the next few months.
Also of note: the “Palm” brand is dead. No products today have it, everything at the event is coated in “HP,” and there is no reason to assume that “Palm” as a brand will live on. Still, it was great while it lasted. Here’s to the startup that lasted for nineteen years!
Remember the Yosion Apple Peel case from yesterday? It seems that Sprint has the same idea, and is planning to release a 3G case for the iPod Touch. (This wouldn’t be the first time they stuck it to Apple and AT&T either.)
It’s unknown what the initial or monthly cost will be, but it would need to be dirt cheap to keep it competitive. It would also be nice if you could just buy a data plan and only use Skype to make calls, making it even less expensive.
Engadget has found an interesting accessory from a Chinese company called Yosion that turns your iPod Touch into the phone it has always wanted to be.
Powered by an Infineon baseband chip, this adapter not only offers voice calling and text messaging (presumably requiring a jailbroken iPod Touchfor the apps; GPRS not possible yet), but it also doubles up as an 800mAh battery and provides 4.5 hours of call time or 120 hours of standby juice.
It’s unknown whether or not it will ever be available stateside, but it could potentially allow users to buy cheaper cell plans without a two year contract or carrier lock-in. Hit the source for a video of it in action.
Update: I dug around a little, and found the Yosion forums, which have a bit of chatter about the accessory if you’re looking for more info. (Google translate is a must-have, unless you speak Chinese.)
The iPhone 4 is available in black and white like the previous iPhone models have been, but this time the front of the iPhone is also changed depending on the color.
An anonymous Best Buy employee has confirmed that the iPhone will be moving to other carriers, most notably that of Sprint. The employee noted that there has been no news of an iPhone built to use Verizon’s network, though Apple’s revolutionary smart phone may very well be moving away from AT&T. While there is no hard evidence that the claim is valid, the amount of information (and products) leaking out of the typically locked down Apple may be an indicator that this is true.
A formal announcement of the migration to other carriers could come at the upcoming WWDC 2010, the developers conference from the 7th to 11th of June. Steve Jobs has been confirmed to be keynote presenter.
You’ve heard of silverware and plasticware, but greenware or bioware?
That’s another story.
Green algae, the photosynthetic organism used as a biofuel, has now been put to use as sustainable bioplastic.
Sustainable plastic manufacturer Cereplast announced that it can turn algae into a sustainable bioplastic resin, to be put to use in water bottles, plasticware and other applications.
The company, which already manufactures plastic from corn, potatoes, tapioca and wheat, says algae-based plastic could replace up to 50 percent of petroleum content found in traditional plastic resin. That’s a big deal, since more than 15 billion pounds of plastic film are manufactured each year in the U.S. alone, a $12 billion industry.
The problem with all that plastic: it’s not biodegradeable and fills landfills, it relies on increasingly-depleted fossil fuels, it uses energy and increases greenhouse gas emissions. If a big company like ConAgra were to make the switch, the impact would be felt across the economy.
But algae must still be sourced. Cereplast plans to get it from companies that use algae to minimize carbon dioxide emissions from polluting smokestacks. In this case, the algae serves as a biopolymer on the opposite end of the manufacturing pipeline — instead of reducing pollution from the creation of traditional plastic, it’s helping create less-polluting plastic from the get-go.
“Based on our own efforts, as well as recent commitments by major players in the algae field, we believe that algae has the potential to become one of the most important “green” feedstocks for biofuels, as well as bioplastics,” said Frederic Scheer, founder and CEO of Cereplast, in a statement. “However, for our algae-based resins to be successful, we require the production of substantial quantities of algae feedstock.”
Cereplast’s algae-based bioplastic is still under development, but the company expects to make commercial algae bioplastic resin available by the end of next year. If a major company were to adopt the new material — which hopefully is at a cost that is competitive with traditional materials — you might find your beverages delivered in green, not clear, bottles.
[via] Pictured: Samsung’s E200Eco mobile phone, which is partially made of corn-based bioplastic.
You’ve probably seen the latest commercial for T-Mobile’s myTouch 3G smartphone, where comedian Whoopi Goldberg, NBA coach Phil Jackson and motorcycle builder Jesse James pass the handset to each other.
But did you ever wonder if the thing was any good?
I spent the better part of a month with the myTouch 3G to find out.
The appeal of the myTouch 3G is apparent from the beginning: it’s the first fully touchscreen handset (no QWERTY keyboard here) powered by the Google Android operating system, and by extension, it’s been positioned as the kind of smartphone that you can feel safe giving to both your parents and kids.
The surprisingly light myTouch 3G is sold to be “100% you,” satisfied by three colors (black, white, burgundy) and an array of customized backplates, skins and apps from the T-Mobile myTouch Studio. It also comes, in a nice touch for users, with headphones, a screen protector, a soft drawstring phone case, a charger that mimics the shape of the phone itself and a cushioned, branded soft-hard case to pack it all inside.
But the aspect of customization also refers to the Android OS that powers the handset. With it, you can program widgets to sit on the three screen-wide home screen, download apps through Android Market and generally do whatever you want with the device — work, play, whatever.
To challenge this proposition, I used the phone for the better part of a workday, syncing my work and personal lives to the device. The phone supports Microsoft Exchange out of the box, and offers a separate icon for the purpose.
I had no problem syncing my corporate mail account to the device, and naturally didn’t have any problem syncing my personal Gmail account, either (Android offers a third option if you have another e-mail provider).
I set up Yahoo! Messenger (work) and Google Chat and AIM (personal) and was effectively on my way.
As is expected, the myTouch integrates perfectly with all Google services. That’s a great thing for those of us who use Google services regularly; if you don’t, this phone will still suffice, but you’ll be missing out on key integration opportunities.
Android uses a notification system that alerts you at the top of the screen of an incoming message. The feature becomes useful if you’re in one connection tool and get messaged with another, but the alert is a bit hard to read.
In this sense, the Android flavor of the myTouch 3G (Cupcake) is still fairly basic, and you need to duck in and out of connection apps to keep abreast of your potential avenues of contact. (It’s the same limitation iPhone users face.)
Other vendors have already begun addressing this problem, including Palm with its webOS for the Pre and Pixi and Motorola with its Motoblur RSS-based widget architecture for the CLIQ. But unless you’re using this device as a hardcore business communication tool, it’s not truly essential to navigate three different IM clients at once.
That said, the myTouch can be quite effective if you’re a user who prefers a touch interface. It improves on the somewhat-maligned T-Mobile G1, made by the same manufacturer, HTC. In losing the G1’s heavy slider keyboard, the myTouch 3G is remarkably lighter, thinner and more pleasurable to use.
(Strangely, I had a difficult time conditioning myself to not confuse the home and power/off buttons.)
The 3.2-inch, 262,000-color, 480×320 pixel resolution screen is as impressive.
The myTouch 3G offers a rollerball that can serve as an alternate navigation method; in practice, I found that the touch-rollerball combo was versatile, intuitive and effective in addressing different situations. (For example, I found myself using the rollerball to navigate menu options; I preferred using my finger for navigating media, such as photos.)
But business-minded users will note the myTouch 3G’s lack of Outlook calendar and contacts sync, as well as a missing file manager. And the virtual keyboard was just a bit scrunched for my big thumbs.
Curiously, despite being “about you,” there aren’t any options to edit photos, or for that matter, a flash for the camera. Furthermore, the handset lacks a standard 3.5mm jack, so you’re limited to using the earbuds that come with the phone.
Storage comes in the form of an included 4GB microSD card — smaller than the iPhone’s storage.
In use, I found the myTouch 3G to be mostly smooth in navigation and loading content, but occasionally Android would hiccup for unexplained reason, a moment’s snag before the interface would catch up (such as when using the sliding main menu on the home screen).
Integration with Google Maps was great, but I found that about 50 percent of the time it was inaccurate. In New York City, it occasionally mapped me 30 blocks from where I was standing; driving down I-95 in New Jersey, it occasionally pinned me in a field adjacent to the highway, rather than on the road itself.
The Android Market for apps is fine enough, but it’s still lacking in surfacing key offerings, such as an official Facebook app. As the Android platform grows in popularity (and it will), this will become a non-issue.
The battery life on the myTouch 3G is much improved over the G1. It’s rated at 7 hours and 30 minutes of talk time and 420 hours standby, and I browsed and messaged and e-mailed on 3G for most of the day without a problem.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Currently, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G is the most versatile Android smartphone on the market. It’s fairly easy for people of all ages to use, and it can be configured to suit a person’s needs rather easily.
The little accessory touches that T-Mobile packages with the device make the purchase price ($199 with a two-year contract) a little easier to swallow.
The mytouch 3G is also a good choice for someone who wants iPhone-like features without buying into Apple’s product ecosystem.
With that said, the market for Android phones is about to expand dramatically, and the reign of the myTouch as the best Android phone out there will be short-lived. Motorola, Samsung and HTC have more Android-based handsets in the pipeline, and several (HTC’s Hero, on Sprint, and Motorola’s CLIQ, on T-Mobile) have shown themselves to be equal to or superior than the myTouch 3G.
Still, when those handsets arrive to market (October), they will command higher prices, and the myTouch 3G will likely be reduced in price. When that occurs, the myTouch 3G will still be able to reinforce its value as the easiest way to transition to a 3G smartphone — no whiz-bang required.
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