Will hails from The City of Angels - Los Angeles, California. He spends his time playing with his numerous gadgets and looking forward to seeing what future holds for mobile technology. An avid promoter of a fully "digital" life, he promotes the widespread adoption of truly mobile, paper-less living. He dreams of the day when he can go completely digital. No more snail mail, paper receipts, bound books, notepads/spiral notebooks, credit cards, hard currency. He's a digital warrior - fighting for the converged life. He is an idealist and a realist - he has a perfect view of what the world should be but knows that the world is not perfect. Can we ever hope to see Will's dream become reality? We'll see...
We’ve already had a chance to play with the HTC Droid Eris from Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless, but there’s nothing like a retail package unboxing ceremony to really get up close and personal with a new handset. As the “ying” to the Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid’s “yang,” the HTC Droid Eris offers Verizon customers a fully capable Android smartphone at half the price of Moto’s headlining Droid, and it deserves some of our undivided attention.
The HTC Droid Eris is a lot like the HTC Hero from Sprint. Just like the Hero, the Droid Eris packs a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, 5-megapixel auto-focusing camera, 3G data, WiFi, GPS and a microSD card slot. It also runs the Sense UI, HTC’s custom Android homescreen skin, which gives the Droid Eris a bunch of extra HTC widgets to play with – and it doesn’t hurt that Sense UI looks way prettier than the vanilla Android homescreen.
Surprisingly, the HTC Droid Eris isn’t much thinner than the Motorola Droid, which sports a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. That’s not to say that the Droid Eris is a brick, it actually sits really comfortably in the hand. Still, the Eris could stand to lose a couple millimeters around its waist.
The Droid Eris’s 5-megapixel camera is faster and less laggy than the Motorola Droid. It also supports touch-focusing, which gives it a another small but significant leg-up on the Droid. The 3.2-inch display is smaller than would be ideal, but it’s plenty big for day-to-day use. Above all, there’s no sliding mechanism on the Droid Eris, so build quality is top-notch – no jiggling or creaking here.
Unfortunately, the Eris runs Android 1.5 OS. The Motorola Droid features Android 2.0 OS, which has the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps Navigation app pre-installed. Android 1.5 isn’t bad, especially with HTC’s Sense UI riding on top, but it’s no Android 2.0.
Anyway, acquaint yourself with the Droid Eris below!
Previously leaked image of a rumored 2.8-inch iPhone touch panel
AT&T (NYSE: T)’s iPhone exclusivity deal, by most accounts, will come to an end in mid-2010. When that happens, iPhone fans hesitant to leave Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s network might finally have a chance to put a Verizon iPhone in their pockets. In fact, according to a new report from OTR Global proves accurate, the iPhone might very well hit the Verizon Wireless network in the third quarter of 2010.
Word on the street has Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) putting in orders to build a batch of iPhones equipped with a new hybrid UMTS/CDMA chip capable of surfing Verizon’s CDMA network as well as the 3G UMTS networks already used by carriers like AT&T. Apple is said to have tapped Asustek subsidiary Pegatron to manufacture the new iPhone, rather than current iPhone manufacturer Hon Hai.
There’s also talk of the hybrid iPhone sporting a smaller 2.8-inch touchscreen. We’d previously seen leak photos showing the 2.8-inch touchscreen panel sitting next to the 3.5-inch panel used on all current iPhone iterations, but we’ve yet to see a smaller-screened iPhone come out of Apple’s R&D labs. Will the rumored hybrid iPhone be the first to hit market with a smaller touchscreen?
At this point, nothing is confirmed. But, with a little luck, we might see Verizon picking up the iPhone in the second half of next year. It’ll be interesting to see how that affects AT&T’s business next year.
The question is – will the prospect of a Verizon iPhone keep you from pulling the trigger on another AT&T iPhone or Verizon’s Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid?
If you’ve been resisting the urge to run out and buy a Motorola (NYSE: MOT) Droid at a Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless store, we’ve got some good news for you. Wirlefly.com is rewarding your patience with a seriously hot deal on a brand new Droid. How hot, you ask? Wirefly is offering the Droid for $99.99 with new 2-year contract (or contract extension). They also have the HTC Droid Eris on deck for FREE, if the HTC Sense UI is more your style.
For about $100, Wirefly.com will ship a newly activated Droid to your door. There’s no mail-in rebate to deal with and FedEx shipping is included, free of charge. The promotional ad makes it look like the $100 Droid requires new activation on Verizon’s $59.99 monthly rate plan, so we went through the checkout process with Verizon’s lowest-tier $39.99/month rate plan selected. We stopped short of processing payment information, but everything looked good to go with the cheaper rate plan.
The FREE HTC Droid Eris offer seems to be more limited. You’ll have to have an existing Verizon Wireless account and be willing to extend your contract for another two years. And, it seems the contract extension only applies to rate plans of $59.99 or more. On the upside, shipping is free via FedEx.
If you can wait a couple days for your new Droid hardware, you’re going to have a hard time beating these two deals.
The cat-and-mouse game between Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and would-be iPhone hackers is about to get a little more interesting. Following the recent release of “blacksn0w,” an iPhone unlocking tool capable of unlocking new iPhone 3GS’s running the latest iPhone OS, Apple has posted a new job listing for an “iPhone OS Platform Security Manager.” Apple is apparently looking for someone to head the development team tasked with securing iPhone boot-up and operating system installation as well as other aspects of iPhone platform security.
We’re not sure if Apple is looking for someone new to fill the position, or if Apple wants to replace the current iPhone OS Platform Security Manager. In either case, it’s pretty clear that the iPhone maker wants to make sure that hackers like George “geohot” Hotz and the iPhone Dev Team aren’t able to keep cracking the iPhone.
The back-and-forth between hackers and Apple is an ongoing saga juicier than your daily soap operas. The iPhone and iPhone 3G were initially jailbroken (the process of opening the file-system to allow unauthorized application installs) and unlocked to work with any GSM network, courtesy of the iPhone Dev Team. Apple then updated the iPhone OS to close the jailbreak exploit known as “24kpwn,” eventually updating the baseband firmware (the code that controls how the iPhone connects to wireless networks like AT&T (NYSE: T) and T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)) from version 04.26 to 05.11 to prevent unlocking. iPhone hacker geohot countered with his “blackra1n” jailbreak utility, following that up with the release of “blacksn0w” to unlock the latest iPhone 3GS baseband (05.11) to work with GSM networks around the world.
That pretty much brings us up to speed (in a nutshell, from a very small nut). The iPhone platform is, at this point, jailbroken and unlocked. Now it’s Apple’s turn.
It’s conceivable that Apple’s incoming iPhone security manager will put an end to baseband 05.11 unlocks, but it’s hard to see Apple ever locking down the iPhone completely. Still, if you’re interested in jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone, you’re best bet is to jump on board soon.
iPhone gaming can be hazardous to your privacy, apparently. A security hole in the iPhone OS allows someone with the right know-how to design an iPhone app to secretly learn an iPhone’s phone number. The problem is serious enough that iPhone game developer Storm8, creators of Vampires Live and iMobsters, has been hit with a class action lawsuit for allegedly collecting the phone numbers of iPhone gamers without their knowledge or consent.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco on behalf of Washington State resident Michael Turner, claims that Storm8 included “malicious software code” for gathering phone number data into the company’s iPhone games. “Storm8 has written the software for all its games in such a way that it automatically accesses, collects, and transmits the wireless telephone number of each iPhone user who downloads any Storm8 game,” alleges the suit.
In its defense, Storm8 acknowledged back in August that it was getting phone number data from its iPhone games. The company claims a “bug” was to blame.
What’s interesting here is that Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) didn’t catch the supposed “bug” before approving the game for the AppStore. Apple’s getting really good at rejecting iPhone apps that don’t fit into the company’s narrow view of acceptable content, but it seems they still need to work on the basics – like rejecting potential spyware.
Should Apple be held accountable for letting an iPhone app embedded with “malicious software code” onto the AppStore? Should Apple pull the app on grounds that it’s collecting iPhone users’ phone numbers? We’d like to hear what you think in the comments below.
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) Maps just keeps getting better. Google recently rolled out the “Layer” feature for Google Maps on BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM), Windows Mobile and Symbian S60, allowing users to overlay different types data on top of Google Maps – stuff like Wikipedia entries and your friends’ Google Latitude locations. Today, Google is launching a new NYC subway map layer that should help anyone in The Big Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) navigate the city’s maze of subways.
In addition to the step-by-step public transit directions that Google Maps has been serving up for a while, the new Google Maps NYC subway layer “will help you quickly navigate the New York City subway system.” You’ll need to update your Google Maps for Mobile app to the latest Layer-supported version before you can use the NYC subway layer. Once you’ve done that, “just click the Layers menu and then turn on the Transit Lines layer.”
We’d whine about not having a San Francisco public transit layer available for Google Maps, but public transportation in the SF Bay Area sucks compared to NYC, so it makes sense that NYC gets first dibs. Which is why we drive everywhere.
Remember the HTC Shift? It was HTC’s first attempt at a super-portable laptop capable of running both Windows Vista and Windows Mobile. These days, we’d be inclined to call it a “netbook” if not for its prohibitive price tag. Despite its innovative design and features, however, the HTC Shift never gained any traction in the crowded ultra-portable laptop segment. But, don’t count HTC out of the netbook game just yet. According to HTC CEO Peter Chou, the smartphone maker is still considering an entrance into the netbook market.
At the HTC HD2 launch yesterday, Chou stated that HTC was “carefully looking into [the netbook] category and how it can be part of that.” He added that HTC doesn’t want to make another “me too” netbook that will get lost in the shuffle. Instead, HTC would be looking to launch a product with “unique value” to differentiate itself from the crowd. The HTC Shift was unique in its own right. It offered instant-on access to the Windows Mobile operating system as well as Windows Vista.
How cool would it be if HTC launched a netbook with instant-on access to Android? Or, for that matter, how about an Android-powered netbook? Speculating is fun.
We recently saw the Dell 3ix pop up in Brazil with WiFi and support for wireless frequencies used in the US, indicating that Dell’s Android handset would make it to The States. Today, we have confirmation that the Dell Mini 3iX is indeed headed to AT&T (NYSE: T) (likely in Q1 2010). The FCC has just given its blessing to Dell’s first Android phone, complete with 3G support on the 850Mhz and 1900Mhz frequencies used by AT&T.
The Chinese Dell Mini 3i lacks WiFi to comply with China’s oh-so-reasonable censorship laws, but we’re happy to say the US-bound Mini 3iX will have full WiFi support. It’ll be running a vanilla Android build of some sort (hopefully Android 2.0 “Eclair”) and will feature a 3.5-inch touchscreen, 3-megapixel camera, GPS, 3G data and a microSD card slot.
As for pricing, we’ll have to wait and see. With Verizon (NYSE: VZ)’s Droid and Droid Eris launched today, T-Mobile (NYSE: DT)’s Behold II on the way, and Sprint (NYSE: S)’s HTC Hero already on market, the Dell Mini 3iX has some stiff competition. Hopefully that will mean a cheaper price point.
With all the counterfeit mobile phones coming out of China, you’d think we’d be desensitized to tasteless cellphones by now. We wish that were true. Unfortunately, atrocities like this here Michael Jackson phone are hard to ignore. It’s decked out in fake gold, fake diamonds, and enough decorative homages to “The King of Pop” to offend the even tackiest gold-chain wearing rappers. To top it all off, the phone comes with a DVD of one of Michael Jackson’s live performances. We’ll leave it to you to decide if the DVD is legit or pirated.
If you’re thinking of picking up one of these Michael Jackson phones as a joke (we can’t imagine anyone wanting one for daily use), you’re going to have to find a way to import one from China. We have to admit, the phone would get some good laughs in our circle of friends.
There’s more to the Droid than its high-end spec-sheet and Android 2.0 OS. Turns out, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless is going to let Droid owners use their new smartphone as a 3G modem. But, it’ll cost ‘ya.
In return for allowing you to connect your laptop to your Droid and use its 3G data connection to hop online (tethering), Verizon will ask that you hand over an additional $30 per month – that’s on top of the $30/month data plan that gives you 5GB of data per monthly billing cycle. The tethering option basically doubles the cost ($60) of the Droid data plan, which gives you a total 10GB of data allowance.
The cost might be a bit prohibitive, but at least it’s an option on the Droid. Unlike some other smartphones that we won’t mention by name.
We’ve 
The cat-and-mouse game between Apple (
iPhone gaming can be hazardous to your privacy, apparently. A security hole in the iPhone OS allows someone with the right know-how to design an iPhone app to secretly learn an iPhone’s phone number. The problem is serious enough that iPhone game developer Storm8, creators of Vampires Live and iMobsters, has been hit with a class action lawsuit for allegedly collecting the phone numbers of iPhone gamers without their knowledge or consent.
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