Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Android, BlackBerry Storm, HTC Corporation, HTC Hero, PC World, Research In Motion, Smartphone, Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless will introduce an HTC Android-powered smartphone Friday alongside the Motorola Droid, the carrier said. The $99 handset, which Verizon Wireless has dubbed the Droid Eris, has similar features to the HTC Hero, industry observers reported. Verizon Wireless also said last week that it was “very pleased” with the initial sales of Research in Motion‘s BlackBerry Storm 2, which launched Wednesday. Yahoo!/PC World(11/1) , The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (10/30)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Mac OS X, Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Paul Otellini, Sony, Verizon Wireless, Windows XP
With its HP netbook going on sale Sunday, Verizon Wireless has increased the monthly download limit from 50 megabytes to 250 MB and reduced overcharges from 25 cents to 10 cents per MB for the same $40 a month it now charges, the carrier said today in outlining changes to its data plans. The 2.4-pound netbook will run on Windows XP Home and cost $200 with a rebate plus two-year mobile-broadband contract. Reuters (5/14) , CNET (5/13)
At Intel’s annual investor meeting this week, company CEO Paul Otellini said he expects PC sales growth patterns to return to normal later this year following a better-than-expected second quarter. The statement runs counter to the Gartner prediction that computer sales will dip about 10% in 2009. “I’m getting increasingly comfortable that the dip here is not as aggressive as they are showing,” Otellini said. 
ClipSyndicate/Bloomberg (5/13) , The Wall Street Journal (5/13) , InformationWeek (5/12) , CIO.com/IDG News Service (5/12)
VTech’s new IS9181 Wi-Fi Internet Radio, with its two 3-watt speakers and 10-watt subwoofer, gives audiophiles access to 11,000 Web-based radio stations from around the world. The device, which retails for just under $200, is compatible with Windows XP and Vista, or Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5, and it can play back files from a number of platforms. ElectronicHouse.com (5/13)
Executives at beleaguered consumer-electronics giant Sony Corp. forecast a second consecutive annual operating loss, this time for the period ending March 2010. If that comes to pass, it will be the first time Sony has reported back-to-back yearly losses since 1958. Reuters (5/14) , The Wall Street Journal (5/14)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Android, App Store, Apple, Blackberry, iPhone, Microsoft, Smartphone, Verizon Wireless
Microsoft is denying reports that it is working on a smartphone for Verizon Wireless to rival the Apple iPhone. “Microsoft is not going into the phone hardware business,” says a spokesman for the software giant. “We’re deepening our relationship with our hardware partners.” (Iwantmedia 4/30, http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/smartphones/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217200733 4/29)
Good news, BlackBerry users! Never again will you need to kludge around in your browser just to dig up a number or determine who’s behind the number that just called. Following the success of their iPhone and Android applications, WhitePages
will soon be announcing the upcoming availability of a native BlackBerry application. (http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/04/30/whitepages-bringing-their-mobile-app-to-blackberry-devices/ 4/30)
Yesterday, Techcrunch talked a bit about how some companies are clearly trying to capitalize on the Swine Flu craze that is sweeping the nation. Naturally, someone just had to make an iPhone app. And the winner is IntuApps, which has Swine Flu Tracker, waiting for approval from Apple before it’s released into the App Store. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/30/want-to-avoid-swine-flu-theres-an-app-for-that-too/ 4/30)
We’ve reported in the past on how Apple has not only been late on payments to iPhone app developers, but has also neglected to pay some developers for their app sales at the store entirely. We thought that perhaps our post might call Apple’s attention to the problem. Apparently, developers complaints have gone unheard at Apple and now they are so upset that some of them are threatening to sue Apple for breach of contract. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/30/iphone-app-developers-threaten-to-sue-apple-over-late-payments/ 4/30)
Acer hopes to bring a smartphone to market this year, one of several devices the computer maker is building using Google’s Android open-source operating system, CEO Gianfranco Lanci said Wednesday. Lanci added that it was “too early to say” if Acer would install Android in a netbook, although he did term the software “very, very good for communication and Web access and so on.” PCWorld/IDG News Service (4/29)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Apple, Ethan Lowry, Handhelds, iPhone, Jobster, Microsoft, Smartphones, Verizon Wireless
CBS Interactive released an updated version of its TV.com iPhone app offering a new continuous play feature enables users to watch full episodes without having to (annoyingly) click to the next chapter. The app also added new full episodes from Harper’s Island, Rules of Engagement and 60 Minutes, all viewable via a WiFi connection. CBS says the app, launched in Feb., has been downloaded more than 1 million times. The TV.com online portal also reported a 401% year-over-year increase in unique viewers, 153% increase in video streams and 117% increase in minutes month-over-month, citing comScore‘s March Video Metrix figures. (Cynopsis 4/29)
UrbanSpoon, a restaurant recommendation service, started out with a simple plan. It was three former Jobster employees, Ethan Lowry
, Adam Doppelt and Patrick O’Donnel who set out to see if they could build a company in today’s world without needing any traditional outside investments. Today, they can safely say they succeeded — big time. IAC, the Internet giant, has just bought the completely self-funded company. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/29/iac-buys-urbanspoon-based-on-good-recommendations 4/29)
Not another iPhone knockoff … Microsoft is in talks with Verizon Wireless to launch a touchscreen, app-friendly phone early next year, per the WSJ. Perhaps it will be targeted at the female demo; it’s code name is “Pink.” (Cynopsis 4/29)
Verizon could also be in talks with Apple to come up with a pair of “iPhone lite” devices that allow users to watch HD videos over a Wi-Fi connection, reports BusinessWeek. Verizon has also been rumored to be waiting in the wings for the exclusive AT&T/Apple to expire early next year. (Cynopsis 4/29)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: AT&T, Atlanta, BusinessWeek, Mobile phone, Netbook, Philadelphia, Verizon Wireless, WIRELESS
AT&T said it was “very pleased with the early results” of its 2-week-old trial of selling laptops in Atlanta and Philadelphia, a further sign of how aggressively cell phone operators are moving into the traditional bailiwick of retailers such as Best Buy. AT&T said it was considering expanding the program nationwide, while Verizon Wireless plans to begin offering netbooks to customers before July. BusinessWeek (4/13)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Apple, Asia, Best Buy, iPhone, RealNetworks, Verizon Wireless, Vodafone, Wal-Mart
Best Buy is joining the ranks of retailers offering Apple’s iPhone without a contract. The device, sans contract, will retail at $599 for the 8GB model and $699 for the 16GB model. Wal-Mart is now the only iPhone retailer that doesn’t offer the device contract-free. Dealerscope (4/6)
Verizon Wireless has said that it will become the first carrier to offer MP3s in an online app market opening Tuesday that will feature other downloadable mobile applications. Relatedly, a new music-download pricing model developed by RealNetworks has jumped from Asia to Spain — with Vodafone as a partner — suggesting it might eventually reach U.S. shores. InformationWeek (4/3) , TWICE (4/3)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Business, CNET Networks, Company, Dell, Personal computer, Small business, Verizon Wireless, WIRELESS
Dell Small Business
is selling the S2409W for $209 after $90-worth of instant savings. (http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/03/30/crunchdeals-dell-24-inch-monitor-for-188/ 3/30)
Verizon Wireless on Saturday confirmed a Friday report that the carrier will market a 3G-enabled netbook by midyear. Although a Verizon Wireless representative did not offer detailed plans, the original reports suggested that the company would link up with at least two PC makers. CNET (3/28)
Growing concern over energy consumption — both from manufacturing companies and consumers — has led to a new breed of television. And, according to this report, the new energy-saving machines not only are good for the planet, but they also feature higher-quality images. TWICE (3/30)
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