Mobility Site

What are the Top US Cell Carriers?

Chris Leckness — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:01:23 +0000

We all know Verizon and AT&T are on top with Sprint and T-Mobile not far behind. Well, actually T-Mobile and Sprint are further behind that I thought really. I am not much on looking into the size or income of the carriers, but I was reading over at Fierce Wireless and this caught my eye.

I thought Celluar South was the largest independent carrier too. Check out how this chart looked for Q1 and Q2 also.

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It’s An Apple Thing

Zealot — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:39:40 +0000

A few days ago I reported that beta builds of the new Mac OS X 10.6.2 could no longer be installed on netbooks running Atom processors, effectively spiking the popular Hackintosh builds. Well, reports came out that a new beta build DID support Atom chips again, so bloggers reported that it must have all been a development error, no worries.

Well, in the newest beta build, Atom support is broken again as the video below using an MSi Wind, that most hackintoshable of netbooks, verifies. It looks like we will be seeing Atom support coming and going from OS X beta builds from now on. Some bloggers are asking, since the Atom situation is beginning to mirror the game Apple has been playing with the iPhone Dev Team and Palm, if Cupertino just enjoys this sort of cat and mouse thing?

Well, they sure don’t hate it….

(...) Read the rest of It’s An Apple Thing (484 words)

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Nook Ebook Reader: Dec 11th?

Zealot — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:33:17 +0000

A very reliable tipster informed me today that a B&N store employee was asked some questions about the Nook this weekend. Apparently she claimed that the built in WiFi on the Ebook Reader will only be able to connect with AT&T hotspots. This seems to me like pure nonsense, and I have seen B&N reps online stating that you can access your eBook library from anywhere internationally via WiFi, not just AT&T service areas. The only problems come up in trying to BUY books from B&N internationally (translation, you can’t). Is it even technically possible to spike the WiFi so it only accesses a single carrier? Anyway, if it IS possible and they do it, considering that the device is running Android, I imagine that little restriction will be hacked away an hour or so after release. Maybe less.

More interestingly is the fact that the sales person said the Nook will be in her store (a major branch in California) on Dec 11th. Now THAT is a new date, since the last I heard Barnes and Noble were sticking to their “end of November” date. Some people on the B&N forum had been saying stores were saying Dec 9th, now the 11th? Can we expect the date to continue slipping? Is this a problem in meeting demand?

Anyway, until we find out what is happening with the Spring Designs lawsuit, I wouldn’t consider any release date for the Nook to be set in stone but I think it is safe to assume no one will be getting their grimy mitts on a Nook in November.

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What’s up at iPhoneMVP.com?

Chris Leckness — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:09:40 +0000

On occasion, I am going to spam you guys with a link filled post about the iPhone stuff I have been doing. Like I said before, I am now using the iPhone and I don’t want to fill Mobilitysite with all the “minor” stuff about the iPhone daily. We will continue to post things related to iPhone here, but not a ton. I chose to do that on a separate site for the iPhone. While I am using the iPhone 3GS 32GB, I am still using and evaluating other devices. I still love WinMo and I am giving some of the Nokia smartphones a more fair shake now. I am also becoming quite interested in Android. Oh, yeah, Palm WebOS too… Even though I haven’t had much hands on with the OS.

Anyhow, here is a wrap up of what’s going on in iPhone land over at iPhoneMVP

The 1st item is one that many of you might want to check out and participate in. It affects everyone that is interested in hacking their phone with cooked ROMs or jailbreaking/unlocking the iPhone. I had been asked by a few people already what my views about jailbreaking and unlocking the iPhone were, so I decided to write a good old wall of text on the subject. It’s called, “Jailbreaking, Unlocking, ROMS, Piracy, and stealing cars…” and makes for a good debate!

Read on the for the other items I wish to share, including my article and video about 26 custom iPhone themes I’ve demoed for everyone.

(...) Read the rest of What’s up at iPhoneMVP.com? (89 words)

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USB, Mini, Micro – What is what?

Chris Leckness — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:51:25 +0000

I am not ashamed to admit it, but I have thought all along that a certain connector was micro USB this whole time, but I was wrong. I did a video last night of Sprint’s Samsung Intrepid Windows Mobile phone and I accused the phone of having a proprietary connector. I was corrected, I disagreed, I was corrected again and now I know. This whole time, I have thought the wrong connector was micro. You live and you learn. That said, I am going to educate others that might not know!

One of my complaints over the years has been all the different chargers and the lack of standardization in charging in general. That all seems like it might be changing with some of the groups pushing the industry for a standard. About 8 months ago, the GSMA announced a push towards making micro USB that standard. More recently, Zealot posted a story on the same subject where some major manufacturers are planning to get with the program in 2010.

Under Monday’s accord, phone makers Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Apple, Motorola, Research in Motion and others will introduce the single charger by next year.

Well read on to learn more about the micro USB connector.

(...) Read the rest of USB, Mini, Micro – What is what? (177 words)

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Samsung Intrepid from Sprint – Unboxing and Hardware Tour

Chris Leckness — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:49:58 +0000

Yesterday, I got my hands on Sprint’s 1st Windows Mobile 6.5 device, the Samsung Intrepid. It’s Sprint’s replacement for the Ace and is very similar to AT&T’s Samsung Epix. It was announced a little over a month ago by Samsung and Sprint. It runs Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, meaning that it’s got a touchscreen. This makes this phone 1up on the Blackjack I and II and really makes the device quite usable. I have had some time to give it a spin and I really like it. I am sure most of you know how much I loved the Blackjack and Treo 750 with their front facing QWERTY keyboards. Check out this video and standby for the software tour in a day or two.

Thanks for watching!

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Celio RedFly in Action

Diego Samuilov — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:36:00 +0000

A few days ago I commented about the Celio Redfly adding support for BlackBerrys. I came across that bit of information first while researching to purchase a Celio RedFly myself and then while I’ve been using it with my Windows phone. It certainly extends the usefulness of my HTC Touch HD, and it should do the same for you if you have a Blackberry. In this review I will tell you, my thoughts and experiences with this product.

While my review was using a Windows phone, the device features are the same when using a Blackberry phone except for some minor details I will explain later on.

For all of you who don’t know what the Celio RedFly is; let me tell you that it appears to be a Netbook, but the appearances are only on the outside… literally. It certainly does look like a Netbook, but it has no CPU nor storage… so then, shat is it? Simple: its most obvious features are that is acts like a terminal for your phone which means that it acts as a replacement keyboard that can be touch-typed on, a higher resolution screen even if your phone has less resolution than the RedFly, an interface for thumb-drives of any kind and a multimedia tool.

You may ask yourself why on earth would anyone want to have this type of device instead of a cool Netbook then??? Read after the break for the answer to this question and more…

(...) Read the rest of Celio RedFly in Action (2,032 words)

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Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Promo

Marilyn Torres — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:14:33 +0000

Here’s another video from Sony Ericsson of the Xperia X10’s interface, which could possibly rival the HTC Hero’s Sense UI if it isn’t overcome by its own flashiness. The columns of scrolling contacts, cover art, and and applications are interesting but busy. Thank goodness the X10 is powered by the Snapdragon 1GHz processor to handle all the pretty flash of Sony’s Rachel UI. The large four-inch display, 8.1 megapixel camera with LED flash, and expandable memory definitely make this an Android device to almost rival the Motorola Droid, despite the Droid’s impressive 16 GB internal storage.

One of the features I liked best on the HTC Hero, and what looks to be apart of the Sony Ericsson X10, was the selective connectivity between contacts and their social networking accounts on Facebook and Twitter. Unlike a handset such as the INQ Mini 3G, where the phone experience almost completely disappears leaving just an extension, the X10 doesn’t seem to forget it’s a phone while confidently stepping into the digital camera, MP3 player realm, and social networking realm. February 2010 cannot get here fast enough. Check out the ad and a link to more photos of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 after the cut.

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Congrats to Richard aka kryfton, he is the Window 7 Ultimate Winner!

Chris Leckness — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:41:54 +0000

It is times like last night at 11pm that I wish I were loaded and could afford to buy Windows 7 Ultimate for everyone. I really love giving things away, but I hate it at the same time. Why? I hate it for the others that don’t win. Anyhow, this contest deadline hit last night and I decided to fire up the old video camera and shot the selection process. Check that out after the break…

(...) Read the rest of Congrats to Richard aka kryfton, he is the Window 7 Ultimate Winner! (16 words)

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Winsupersite Review of WM 6.5 – part 1

Stephen Borders — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:08:23 +0000

Paul Thurrott over at Winsupersite has posted part one of his review of WM6.5 and has made some interesting comments on the improvements made to the Mobile OS and how to him they are not as bad as many claim, rather some are better than what the iPhone has to offer. What make this review interesting, is Paul is not a fan of Windows Mobile and has stated numerous times he thinks the iPhone is the best smartphone on the market. He also makes some revealing statements as regards the reasoning for the default today screen, which makes one think Microsoft is working toward tighter integration between its platforms.

(...) Read the rest of Winsupersite Review of WM 6.5 – part 1 (136 words)

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Sonos Zoneplayer S5 Now Available

Chris Leckness — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:56:48 +0000

With the iPhone application, you can play music wirelessly from iTunes and/or the internet in any room of your house or apartment. The Sonos Zoneplayer S5 costs $399 each and you need one for each room you want to set up. You can grab one for multiple rooms and control them from your iPhone or using the free PC or Mac desktop client. You really need to watch this demo video to understand what this is and how cool it is. The setup is a tad pricy, but if the sound quality is a good as I have heard it is, it would be worth it for sure. I really like being able to control different rooms at once. Like I said, watch this video and you will see what I mean. Really innovative idea they have here.

Check out the Press Release after the break…

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Another Android phone appears out of nowhere…

Chris Leckness — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:52:27 +0000

On Verizon’s big Android day where they’ve launched 2 Android powered devices, a 3rd one comes out of the shadows. The Saygus V1 as discovered by Joel at Gear Diary. It looks very similar, including the weirdly placed dpad, to the Motorola Droid. Joel doesn’t know if this one will come to Verizon like the Motorola made “Droid” and the HTC “Droid Eris”. It is a CDMA phone so the assumption is going to that it’s a 3rd “Droid” for Verizon.

(...) Read the rest of Another Android phone appears out of nowhere… (220 words)

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Dell Mini 3iX hits the FCC

Chris Leckness — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:35:37 +0000

Look what we have here boy and girls. Dell’s Android powered phone that was launched in China earlier this year looks to be making it’s way home finally. Those that have analyzed the FCC filing seem to think that AT&T might be the landing pad for this phone. As someone that uses AT&T, I sure hope so! I wouldn’t be surprised if Dell skipped the carrier relationships and sold it unlocked though. If you haven’t read anything on theDell Mini 3iX, check out our coverage so far.

Anyone like the naming? They should have called it the Dell Axim x7 in my opinion. The brand name is already there and Dell promised the X3 and X7 around the X5 days. They came with the X3, but never the X7. Give me one now Dell!

Source: Engadget (FCC)

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Could Any Network Have Been Ready For the iPhone?

Stephen Borders — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:16:11 +0000

We have all heard the complaints about at&ts data network. So I was reading the Tech News over on Yahoo and I saw this article talking about at&t and how they offer different plans for different cities in an effort to help out with its Data Network problem and noticed this statement made by John Donovan the Chief Technology Officer for at&t:

“If a network is not fully loaded, it’s hard to know exactly how much demand is out there,” Donovan said. “You put all you can in the ground, and they eat it all up, and then you put more in there, and they eat it all up.”

The explosive growth in use of mobile data, which Donovan said has risen 4,932 percent at AT&T over the past 12 quarters, or in other words three years, has forced the carrier to throw out its traditional planning models, he said.

So my question is, could anyone’s network have been prepared for a 5000% increase in data traffic? What do you think?

Here is a link to the original article Via Yahoo news

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2010: The Year of the Ebook?

Zealot — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:11:07 +0000

The last several weeks have been filled with a lot of breathless statements, marketing events and exciting announcements concerning Ebook Readers, clearly indicating that these devices could well be the hot new consumer product….eventually.

For now with the exception of the Kindle, some Sony products and a few other less than well-known brands, Ebook Readers are a lot of promises. Those few that are available right now are either too expensive or too limited in features to make a big splash in the marketplace. To most people, Ebook readers are still overpriced, unnecessary toys. Gadgets. GeeGaws.

However, I think that is all due to change in 2010. There are so many different Readers with hot new features and more advanced, appealing designs due for release in the first half of 2010 that we could easily see Ebook popularity skyrocket. Already Ebooks are pushing games out of the way as the most downloaded software on iPhones. The public is READY for Ebooks….all that mainstream readers are missing are the right tools. If these new Readers live up to their promise, I think all that stands in the way of Ebook Readers and mainstream acceptance is price. Once a quality reader is released for less than a hundred dollars, all bets are off.

In order to keep track of what is coming over the next half year, the always outstanding Kindle Review has posted an excellent road map of Ebook Reader releases in the first half of 2010. I have posted the highlights after the jump, with my comments…it is going to be a great year for Ebook fans.

(...) Read the rest of 2010: The Year of the Ebook? (1,642 words)

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