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Posts by James Falconer
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About James Falconer

James was born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada. Almost 15 years ago he started out in the 'real world' as a web and graphic designer. Through the years he has finely tuned his skills in SEO, internet marketing, conversion strategy, and project management. To date, he runs his own successful consulting business where he advises companies all over the globe. A co-founder of www.crackberry.com, and sole proprietor of www.mactropolis.com, James in recent years has become very active in the tech blogosphere. Online community building and strategy is fast becoming one of his passions. Watch for James' no frills attitude, unique perspective and to-the-point comments here on IntoMobile!

Rogers Cuts HTC Dream and HTC Magic to $99.99 on Contract

By James Falconer on Saturday, July 4th, 2009 at 9:53 AM PST
In Android, Devices, GPhone, HTC, Rogers

rogers htc dream magic Rogers Cuts HTC Dream and HTC Magic to $99.99 on ContractRogers has done a little price-chopping on the HTC Dream and Magic… much sooner than I ever could have guessed. The Rogers HTC Dream and HTC Magic can now be picked up for only $99.99 on a 3-year contract, a drop of $50 from the original $149.99 price tag.

Is this a sign of weak sales and poor performance for the 2 first Android-powered handsets in Canada? Out of curiosity, I popped into a Rogers (NYSE: RCI) store yesterday, and asked how the Magic and Dream devices were selling… the answer from everyone in the store was a clear and concise ‘Terrible… we’re not selling many’. When questioned further, staffers pointed out to me that the current ‘hot’ device was clearly the iPhone 3GS. In fact, at this particular Rogers location, when the iPhone 3GS went on sale, a lineup ‘larger than we’ve ever seen’ formed outside of the store in hopes of nabbing a 3GS.

Hopefully for Rogers’ sake the price drop will lure in a few more customers. $99.99 seems like a great price to me (of course, I’d prefer FREE). Might be tough though… Living and working in Canada as I do, I can tell you this… Canada is clearly BlackBerry country… With the iPhone making gains fast and furious.

[Via: BGR]

Palm App Catalog Due to Expand This Coming Week?

By James Falconer on Saturday, July 4th, 2009 at 9:41 AM PST
In Palm, Palm Pre, Rumors, Web OS

palm app catalog Palm App Catalog Due to Expand This Coming Week?Looks like this coming week could be a big one for the Palm Pre users out there… Especially the Pre users fed up with the limited number of apps currently available in the App Catalog.

My bud Phil over at PreThinking has reported that multiple developers that have been accepted in the SDK Early Access program can now submit apps to Palm (NSDQ: PALM) for consideration in the Beta App Catalog… as of yesterday!

The official note from Palm:

We are pleased to announce a limited expansion of access to the Beta Application Catalog for our SDK early access partners. Starting today, you can submit your application for consideration to be included in the Catalog.

Hopefully the review process is a speedy one, and we start to see more and more apps pop into the App Catalog this coming week! Should be interesting to see what happens. Would be nice if the SDK opened up to the public sometime in the near future as well… Palm needs to put the pedal down to foster app development!

Best Buy Mobile Reveals TELUS HTC Snap and Touch Pro2 as ‘Coming Soon’

By James Falconer on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 7:07 AM PST
In BlackBerry, HTC, Rumors, Telus

htc snap and touch pro 2 telus Best Buy Mobile Reveals TELUS HTC Snap and Touch Pro2 as Coming Soon

One more tidbit of Canadian mobile news before I take a breather over here. Best Buy Mobile has confirmed that the TELUS (NYSE: TU) HTC Snap and HTC Touch Pro2 are ‘coming soon’. Rumored pricing to purchase the HTC Snap outright is sitting at $449.99, while the Touch Pro2 is coming in at $549.99.

No launch details for the Snap or Touch Pro2 were revealed, but in the flyer above, all details within are ‘good until July 30th’. So, chances are we’ll see all 3 of these devices before then. In fact, the TELUS BlackBerry Tour is scheduled to drop on July 15th (starting at $249.99 on a 3-year contract), so we could very well see all three devices launched on that date. That said, I’d lean more towards a solo Tour launch on the 15th, with the Snap and Touch Pro2 coming sometime between the 16th and the 31st. We’ll see!

[Via: MobileSyrup]

Premium Fusion Theme for BlackBerry 8900 and 9000

By James Falconer on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 6:51 AM PST
In BlackBerry, Themes

fusion theme bb Premium Fusion Theme for BlackBerry 8900 and 9000

This one caught my eye the other day… thought there may be a few Curve 8900 or Bold 9000 users out there wanting to give this the once-over. Designed by Ahead of the Curve Designs, their new Premium Fusion theme features custom fonts and icons, and is very sharp, clean, and easy to use. Six user-selectable home screen icons are also built into this one as a nifty feature.

Official description:

This theme is all business! Featuring my newest Icon Set-Fusion; this combines my favorites of the precision icons with an all new icon set. The Home and Applications Screens are unlocked allowing you to change the images to your favorite wallpaper. The Message List Screen is set to device default letting the end user choose their preferred font.

Not sure if any copies are left, but BerryReview is running a 40% off sale on this theme (regular price $6.99) for the first 50 copies sold. Check out either the 8900 or 9000 version of the theme and enter coupon code ‘BRdiscount’. Hopefully it works for ya!

[Via: BerryReview]

Samsung ‘Link’ Coming to Bell July 15th?

By James Falconer on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 6:38 AM PST
In Bell Mobility, Devices, Rumors, Samsung

samsung link Samsung Link Coming to Bell July 15th?

Here’s the latest rumor from the land of Canadian mobile. Word has it that Samsung lovers in the Great White North are in for a treat. Samsung is set to release the ‘Link’ via Bell on July 15th. Not much else is known at this point (no pricing or device specs), but as you can see from the amazing image above (can you feel the sarcasm?), the Link will at the very least feature a full QWERTY keyboard. No slider here.

Stay tuned for more on the Samsung Link… I’m very interested to learn more about this one!

[Via: MobileSyrup]

Facebook for iPhone 3.0 Coming Soon

By James Falconer on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 6:29 AM PST
In Applications, Coming Soon, Rumors, Social Networking, iPhone

facebook iphone 30 Facebook for iPhone 3.0 Coming Soon

Facebook for iPhone is awesome. Anyone that has used it usually raves about it, as It makes interacting with the site ultra-easy (and fun)… and I have to admit, I pop it open once a day just to see what’s going on. Awesomely, (Is that a word!?) Facebook has announced that the new Facebook for iPhone 3.0 is nearing completion, and we should see it available for download in the near future. Look for enhancements such as a new homescreen, new notes and events pages, plus an updated news feed. Also, and probably much more noteworthy, Facebook for iPhone 3.0 could very well let you create photo albums, upload photos, zoom photos, tag photos, and a lot more. Stay tuned for more on this. It’s coming soon… I can feel it.

[Via: UnwiredView]

Concept: The Booze Powered Cell Phone aka ‘Cheers’

By James Falconer on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 6:16 AM PST
In Concept, Photos

cheers wine phone Concept: The Booze Powered Cell Phone aka Cheers

Now how cool is this concept… This is a device I could take out to the lake with me! :P

This ‘Cheers’ mobile phone concept by Tryi Yeh is truly one of a kind. The device is powered by a green alcohol-cell, which would be much more energy efficient according to the designer. There’s also a function button on the top of the device which allows you to easily access any of the phone’s functions. This one would be all touchscreen as well, with no buttons to speak of other than the function button/booze cap on the top of the device.

‘Cheers’ to Tryi on this one. Never seen anything like this before… and I want one… ‘What are you talking about officer!? Nah, that’s my cell phone!’ :P

[Via: Tuvie]

Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid Now Available

By James Falconer on Friday, July 3rd, 2009 at 5:59 AM PST
In Applications, Gaming, iPhone

rolando 2 Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid Now Available

Awhile back we had heard rumblings that Rolando 2 was coming to the iPhone very soon… I had actually almost forgotten about it, until last night when we received an email about it. Yes, thankfully, Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid is now available in the App Store! It’ll set you baak $9.99, but in my opinion, it’s one of the best puzzle/strategy games out there.

No ‘Lite’ version of the game is available just yet, but I would not be surprised if one pops up in the near future. The original Rolando game spawned a free version as well, but it appeared some time after original release. So, if $9.99 is a little too rich for your blood, just hang on… a free version may become available.

Check out Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid in the App Store (iTunes Link).

Read the full article »

Bringing in July With a Bang: 30% Off Sale Over at Bplay

By James Falconer on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 11:22 AM PST
In Applications, BlackBerry, Gaming

bplay Bringing in July With a Bang: 30% Off Sale Over at BplayJust received note from our friends at Bplay that ALL products are on sale at Bplay… 30% off that is. All you need to do is enter coupon code ‘JULY‘ on checkout. This sale is on now, through July 6th, so go ahead and check out all of the BlackBerry gaming goodness before it’s too late!

There are even a few new games over at Bplay to check out, including Self Defense, 4 Elements Puzzledom, and Boulder Dash Rocks among others.

Important Note: This offer is not eligible for Bill to Phone (direct billing) or in-game purchases… and Bplay tells me some products are not eligible for this  offer. Bummer I know. Bottom line, add what you want to your cart, enter the coupon code, and hope that the discount applies :)

Nica Bluetooth Headset Concept from Maverick

By James Falconer on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 7:59 AM PST
In Concept, Photos

maverick bluetooth headset1 Nica Bluetooth Headset Concept from Maverick

I’m currently rockin’ the Jawbone PRIME, but whenever a new bluetooth headset arrives, I always take notice. While the Nica Bluetooth Headset is just a concept at this point, the design by Maverick certainly made me stand up to take notice. You can’t help but notice the overall roundness of the device, a device that promises to bring ‘a breakthrough in acoustics for maximum comfort and secure attachment’. I have to admit, that earloop does look comfy. The Nica will also attach magnetically with its car and desk docking unit.

Well done Maverick, the Nica is certainly one stylish and modern looking device… if solid sound quality and noise reduction technology could be built-in to this bad boy, it could be a winner. More images below.

[Via: Tuvie]