Stefan Constantinescu has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices.
He has been blogging since 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007, then got a job at Nokia in March of 2008, but has now rejoined the IntoMobile team as of June 2009. He is currently based out of Finland.
Stefan is a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet and he knows that there are others like him out there. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you!
Last night Michael Arrington from TechCrunch posted an article claiming that he has some magical inside knowledge about an upcoming Google Android phone. He believes that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) will make their own mobile device, with their own Google branding, but that it will be built either by Samsung or LG. Google will then sell this device as something they’ve created. When is this mythical creature supposed to be announced? January.
The same incorrect information was released by Ashok Kumar, an analyst with Northeast Securities, and published by Scott Moritz from The Street, almost a month ago. I had this to say about the Google phone rumour:
“Google would never, ever, make an Android device. That would hurt their relationships with current vendors, it requires a completely different skill set than what any Google employee currently has, and most importantly it would tarnish the image of Android since all other devices would be compared to Google’s hypothetical ultimate smartphone.”
A few days after that article on The Street hit the net, Tom Krazit from C|Net had a chance to speak to Andy Rubin, Vice President of Engineering for Android at Google. He confirmed my sneaking suspicion that Google would never hurt their partners:
“We’re not making hardware, we’re enabling other people to build hardware.”
And he later added Google does not want to “compete with its customers”.
So I’m sorry Michael Arrington, but you’re wrong.
Update: Michael responded to this article on TechCrunch. He says that it’s possible the Google phone is IP only and will work via voice over IP. I still don’t buy it.
Snaffle, an iPhone application created by lastminute.com labs, is one of those ridiculously awesome programs that makes you slap your forehead and make you wonder why no one else has done this before. Load it up, it uses the iPhone’s GPS to find out where you are, and then it displays shops around you that have a special promotion running. Unlike previous attempts at location based coupons, where you get a text or a request to turn on your Bluetooth if you walk past a certain area, this application actually makes a lot of sense. It’s on when you’re in the mood to spend money, off when it isn’t. It would be nice to “subscribe” or favorite a shop and be alerted to future promotions, and it would be cool if it worked in other parts of the world, so here is hoping lastminute.com labs is already hard at work on the next version.
Belgium, one of the few countries in the world that sell the iPhone without a SIM lock, is now home to one of the most elaborate thefts of Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) products ever recorded. A hole was cut in the ceiling of a warehouse owned by Ceva Logistics, a hole that was over the exact location where between 3,000 and 4,000 iPhones were being stored. While the IMEI numbers of the stolen iPhones can be blocked from working in Belgium, the thieves can just sell them in another country where such a ban would be useless. There are some disagreements as to whether the number of iPhones stolen is closer to 3,000 or 4,000, but both sources reporting on this story (De Standaard and Gazet van Antwerpen) claim that roughly 2 million EUR worth of goods was stolen.
Carl Zeiss, makers of various lenses and other optical equipment, created a Symbian application that is … well just watch the video below. Shot by James Burland, this video demonstrates the poor attempt Carl Zeiss took at creating a guide to help people take better photos. Here is a tip boys and girls: you have a digital camera and a memory card that can store thousands of images. Just snap away until your trigger finger falls off. Practice makes perfect!
Highly shady and controversial Taiwanese news site Digitimes is claiming that HTC, maker of such famous devices as the Android powered Hero and Windows Mobile 6.5 packing HD2, is going to be releasing a feature fone in early 2010 that will run Qualcomm’s Brew MP operating system. The first American operators to offer Brew MP devices are going to be Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless and Sprint (NYSE: S). The only handset on the market that runs Brew MP, that I’m aware of (please comment below if you know more), is the INQ fone made by operator Hutchison Whampoa.
Telstra, an operator from down under, created a new user interface in house called the “TelstraOne Experience” and have discovered that by making mobile fones easier to use, they can successfully increase usage of their data services. While many of you are rolling your eyes right now, saying “no fucking shit”, this new evidence may make handset makers rethink their feature fone OS user experience instead of pumping resources into yet another failed project that attempts to compete with the iPhone. Most devices in the sub 200 EUR price range are currently optimized for calls and SMS, or what used to be the bread and butter of operators. With the mobile web becoming ridiculously popular, little Johny does want to tell all his Facebook friends about how shit faced he was last night after all, it is the devices that make getting on the internet easier that more and more operators will want to offer their customers.
We all focus on the crazy high end, 500+ EUR smartphone market, but what about innovation in mid and low end devices? Ross Fielding, Executive Director Telstra Product Management, had this to say about TelstraOne: “We looked at figures aggregated by handset type over the three months to September 30. We found that customers with the TelstraOne UI were 60 per cent more likely to use their phone on a weekly basis to access the mobile web compared to Telstra’s regular 3G mobile customers” and later added “data and content revenue on TelstraOne Experience handsets is more than 11 per cent higher than on the identical handset model we compared”.
How fast is data usage increasing on Telstra’s network? It’s doubling every 8 months. Pay attention handset makers. Time to start making devices that are easy to use not because you want to create some sort of unique value proposition in an attempt to increase brand recognition, but because your largest customers, the operators of the world, will love you if you can increase their revenues.
The Nokia (NYSE: NOK) E72, successor to the much loved Nokia E71, was supposed to ship in Q3 according to a press release issued on June 15, 2009. Today, 5 months and 1 day after the E72 was announced, Nokia issued a press release saying the device is in stores.
5 months + 1 day.
Specifications for those who forgot: 5 megapixel (versus 3.2 on the E71), 600 MHz ARM 11 processor, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, 1500 mAh battery, 3.5 mm headphone jack, WiFi, GPS, and if you need to know more then click here.
Use Amazon.com to order everything and anything your little heart desires off the internet? Want to get notifications on when orders are fulfilled, shipped, and arrive at your door step? Amazon is now doing that via SMS. Read their FAQ for more information.
Between Amazon.com and Newegg.com, I’ve easily spent over $10,000 via e-commerce back when I lived in the states. Why oh why does is suck so hard in Europe is beyond me.
Back when buying an MP3 player was cool, the only worthy competitor to Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) was Creative. Their devices were sexy, price competitive, and to this day they offer better sound quality. We’re heading into the start of a new decade however, and no one with an ounce of common sense purchases dedicated music players. Creative knew this was going to happen, and like Apple they’ve decided to transition from making music players to making mobile handsets. Unlike Apple however, who controls both the hardware and the software, Creative will be creating a reference hardware platform powered by Android that anyone can use to create their own mobile phone. They’re basically going to offer all the guts necessary to build a mobile phone, and let other people design the body and tweak the UI. The first version of this hardware platform will be shown off next month in China at the “Zii Summit“. More details as they come.
Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is looking to hire a “Game/Media Software Engineer” with “3-4 years of video game development experience” that has “shipped at least one AAA title” according to a job listing discovered by AppleInsider. Is this a sign that Apple is looking at becoming a first party developer? Maybe, maybe not. In all likelihood the fruity west coast company is simple looking to bundle a decent game with their device so customers will be more willing to check out the App Store for more titles. That or the company is looking for someone who understands that game development is all about providing an immersive experience for the user and people who possess that talent can use that ability to create a richer user interface. Whatever the answer is, we’ll find out soon enough. In a little over 7 months the new iPhone is coming!
Full text from the job listing below:
The interactive media group is looking for a skilled software engineer who wants to work as part of a small highly motivated team to work on interactive multimedia experiences on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The position on the team is to help design and implement interactive multimedia experiences on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The position also requires a creative thinker who can contribute and comment on the design process as well as being flexible enough to aid in all aspects of production such as asset management and able to work to a deadline.
Looking for skilled engineer with the following background:
Strong C / C++ / Objective-C / iPhone background preferred
3-4 years of video game development experience, shipped at least one AAA title
Passionate gamer
Skills in audio systems, graphics pipeline, and network programming a plus
