A student named Jamal was toting a Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N70 and when he heard gun shots he decided to start filming instead of fleeing.

This man has balls of steel.

For those who don’t know what I’m talking about: some guy went postal at Virgina Tech, a University in America, and killed 32 people. He then turned the gun on himself.

I kind of feel like shit posting this. I don’t mean to promote Nokia by mentioning the death of 33 students, but I do want to make a point that the ever advancing pieces of technology in our pockets are changing how conversations are taking place.

I wish I could have recorded what Jamal said on CNN, I’m watching this live by the way, it went something like this: "I want to share what happened here today with the world."

That’s deep.

LG isn’t the only player busting out with hot, mirror finished mobile phones for the fashionable set. The Samsung Ultra Edition 2 is definitely one hot number, and has finally gone official with Samsung’s release of the phone to limited markets. We’ve been watching for this thing to drop ever since our glimpse at 3GSM in Barcelona – too bad it’s only coming to a few markets. The sleek and stylin’ slider sports a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus, 2.2 inch screen, and measures in at a slim and taut 10.9 mm thin. It’s available in a bunch of fun colors to match with whatever you’re wearing that day, and of course it also comes in black for your more formal digs.. Check the link for glamor shots!

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We had a lot happen over the weekend! Bees are dying because we use our cellphones too much, Symbian widgets are on the way, we got transforming phones, and wooden cell phones. But alas, we don’t have the time or need to recap all that mess. Let’s look at some Windows Mobile-related developments.

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Thank you for linking me to this article Deckard.

Andrew Orlowski of The Register basically slams Nokia (NYSE: NOK) for 3 straight pages. First about the insecurity of widgets then the declining quality of Nokia products and finally he asks a rhetorical question concerning which direction Nokia is heading in.

The only rebuttal I have is numbers don’t lie. Nokia is growing quarter after quarter, year after year.

Then again, so is Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE).

Names weren’t mentioned, people obviously want to protect their jobs, but is Nokia really that much of a mess internally?

I’m very curious to know.

The Consumerist has a letter from poor Bob A. regarding his futile and unheeded attempts to get his phone back from “repair” at Nokia (NYSE: NOK). He sent the phone in for repair, expecting a 10 day turn-around, and he’s still waiting – 3 months later. The crazy thing is that he is still subscribed and paying for his T-mobile (NYSE: DT) service (that damn early termination fee) and had to get himself a pre-pay plan while he waits on his “repair” to be completed. So, what do you do when customer service is unresponsive and ethically questionable? Well, you write a letter directly to the CEO of Nokia, Robert Anderson. Check out the letter on the link.

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A survey from In-Stat reveals that when consumers had a choice of WiMAX, WiFi, or 3G, they resoundingly preferred WiMAX. The report cites a “significant preference” for the long distance WiMAX protocol. And, more than 50% of those surveyed said that they would ditch their current broadband provider for a provider than offered a bundled broadband internet and wireless phone service. Looks like Sprint’s move to get a head start on deploying WiMAX networks may turn out to pay off in the long run – if the results of this survey come to materialize. WiMAX will take some time to become fully available and reliable in the States, but when it does, we’ll all be glad that Fujitsu is working on making WiMAX phones last longer between charges.

via: informationweek

The fact that the $3.1 billion merger of Google (NSDQ: GOOG) and DoubleClick is being opposed by Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) and AT&T (NYSE: T), on grounds of possible anti-trust violations, just goes to show that Karma has a sense of humor (peppered with irony). Microsoft, once involved in a Department of Justice showdown for violoating anti-trust regulations, is whining about the merger giving Google/DoubleClick too much control of the market. What’s that M$? It’s dangerous to give any one company something close to total control of a certain market? You don’t say.

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Let me start by saying that I don’t use widgets. I tried "getting it" like I tried understanding Twitter, but I’m just not cool enough to grasp the concept apparently.

Widgets are these teeny tiny applications that usually do one thing. They serve a purpose by saving you time from having to open a larger, more powerful, application.

User Scenario: Checking the weather

I could load up the S60 browser, my homepage is google (NSDQ: GOOG).com, and type in "Weather Helsinki, Finland" into the search box, hit enter and boom I have my data.

OR

Load up the weather widget. Read the data I need. Close the widget.

User Scenario: Checking football scores

I want to know if Germany is kicking France’s ass. I have to go to FIFA.com, and find the game I want information on.

OR

Download the official German Football team widget so I can keep track of all their games with just a single click.

On paper the widget concept looks like a clear winner. Fewer steps = increased productivity = more free time. Maybe I’m just stubborn, but I still refuse to use them.

Why?

I think it all comes down to the fact that I don’t want to go hunting for widgets when hunting for the information I need is just a 1 second Google search away. As computers are getting faster, smarter and more human like I can totally see a future where I pick up my phone, ask "What temperature is it in Madrid?" and get a verbal response back.

Widgets may seem like a shortcut to information, but they are actually adding an extra step to the equation. Yes, once you find a widget you don’t have to download it twice, but what is the cost of my time in locating said widget?

Google is getting smarter and larger everyday. Search engine companies are spending millions, if not billions, of dollars on research to develop a search tool that actually reacts to human language, not keywords.

Some may find the search term "Weather Helsinki, Finland" barbaric, most would prefer typing in "What is the temperature in Helsinki?" We aren’t there yet, but when we do reach that point, where will widgets stand?

It’s bad enough that there isn’t a standard widget framework. Windows Vista Gadgets, Mac OS X Widgets, Google Homepage Widgets, Netvibes, Pageflakes, the list goes on forever. If your a developer then you’re entering into a world of pain you can’t comprehend.

I really want to share the same enthusiasm Phil has, but I just can’t.

As a developer what makes S60 widgets attractive? Standard web technologies?

Why wouldn’t I be interested in something like Flash Lite? They [Adobe] will be adding video support and more importantly Flash Lite is a cross platform runtime. Not to mention Adobe Apollo is going to get a mobile version too.

It’s a double edged sword. I love S60 for the limitless capabilities it can offer, but at the same I believe that developers want their work to be enjoyed by the most amount of people. Flash Lite is shipping version 2.1 now, Java has been around for ages and FP2 devices have yet to appear.

Here is all the coverage on Nokia (NYSE: NOK)’s new Widget platform I could find:

• 12 minute 18 second audiocast of Nokia CTO Tero Ojanperä announcing the platform
• Official Nokia Press Release announcing widgets
• A few demos and more information about the Web Run-Time
• MRKTNGman talking about widgets
• Episode 20 of the Voice of S60 is 23 minutes 55 seconds long with Ganesh Sivaraman

I’m not going to lie, I will try the S60 widgets once I get a FP2 device and I encourage you guys to do so as well.

For now, I’m a skeptic.

WiMAX looks to be emerging as the wireless broadband protocol of choice in the US and abroad. If only there were some way to fix the ridiculous power drain imposed by the WiMAX transmitter. Oh wait! There is a way! Fujitsu (OTCPK: FJTSY) Laboratories Ltd. developed a technology to kick WiMAX transission amplifier efficiency into high gear! With 70% of total power going to the transmission amplifier, it makes sense to make it as efficient as possible.
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So, the nation’s largest wireless provider may be bringing some unlimited action to its text, picture, and video messaging services. Unlimited mobile and text message packages are nothing new, but an unlimited package for ALL multimedia messaging is definitely a worthy new development. Single rate plans are expected to demand a $20 premium and Family rate plans will start at $99 with this unlimited plan. But, for the extra dough, you can send text and picture/video messages until your thumbs go raw – to any network! We’re lookin’ for the unlimited package to drop on us April 15. That’s right around the corner, keep your fingers crossed!

**UPDATE** Just as we expected. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) dropped their unlimited messaging packages on us. Just in time to text all your friends and family about how much you hate taxes! **

Via: wirelessadvisor