phone
MP3s AND THE FUTURE OF MUSIC
The music industry is in complete disarray; the shift away from CDs is irreversible and most consumers simply expect music to be free. The recording industry’s hostility, arrogance, and litigation tactics have alienated everyone, making it harder for the industry to imagine a business plan that works – especially while it’s controlled by executives who freely admit they don’t understand these new-fangled Internet tubes. […] continued
Read moreVERIZON’S OPEN NETWORK
Verizon’s announcement that it would open up its network next year to devices not sold in Verizon stores made headlines and generated lots of online buzz. It is a welcome development from a notoriously closed company and Verizon deserves kudos for stepping forward. Verizon might just be trying to polish up its image before the important 700Mhz spectrum auction coming soon, which looks like a battle between Verizon and Google after other major players decided not to bid. […] continued
Read moreSEND TEXT MESSAGES BY E-MAIL
You can send e-mail messages and have them show up as a text message on an SMS-enabled phone, if you know the cell phone carrier used by the recipient. Here’s a list that may come in handy, courtesy of a post on the QuarterToThree forums:
[…] continued Read moreT-Mobile
Format: 10-digit cell phone number @ tmomail.net
SAMSUNG i760
For some reason Verizon has not attempted to generate any excitement about the new Samsung i760 cell phone/PDA, even though it looks very nice and perhaps is even a worthy competitor to the iPhone. Why is Apple the only company that knows how to market successfully?
The i760 was demonstrated briefly at a trade show early in 2007 and got a bit of attention online, but no information was forthcoming about its release date. […] continued
Read moreAPPLE BACKLASH
Apple’s rollout of the iPhone and updated iPod line generated impressive buzz, giving the impression that Apple is an unstoppable force. At the same time, though, Apple’s efforts to lock down its control over its users created uneasiness.
Two things happened today that are worth watching in case Apple’s base turns out to be more fragile than we suspect. […] continued
Read moreAPPLE LOCKDOWN
It’s hard to make the stereotypes fit.
Microsoft is reviled as the big monopoly. I don’t want to suggest that Microsoft is a huggable teddy bear, but it’s worth noting that much of its success comes from the work of thousands and thousands of hardware and software partners invited to build products on Microsoft technology. […] continued
Read moreAT&T TARNISHES iPHONE
Apple had to know that signing a deal with AT&T would lead to disgruntled customers. By definition, any customer of AT&T is an unhappy customer, right?
It started when the first AT&T bills were delivered to iPhone users. AT&T chose to itemize each and every bit of data to and from the phone – each text message, each individual ad graphic on each web page. […] continued
Read moreGOOGLE AND WIRELESS BROADBAND
In 2009, new frequencies will become available in the US for handling voice and data. The frequencies are currently being used for analog television, but the FCC decided years ago that analog television would no longer be supported after 2009; the frequencies are being reclaimed and resold in an FCC auction. […] continued
Read moreUSING SKYPE
Skype is well-known free software for making phone calls from your computer. Most people use it to make calls to other Skype users – always free, anywhere in the world. Calls are made from your computer and travel over the Internet; sound quality is surprisingly good. The software is simple and intuitive. […] continued
Read moreGOOGLE ACQUIRES GRANDCENTRAL
Google announced on Monday that it has acquired GrandCentral, the remarkable collection of telephone services. Here’s Google’s announcement of the acquisition, and here’s GrandCentral’s announcement. I wrote about GrandCentral a few weeks ago; my experience with it has been flawless and I’m still learning new tricks that make it even more valuable. […] continued
Read moreiPHONE & EXCHANGE/OUTLOOK
Here’s an interesting possibility – an unconfirmed report that the iPhone will be able to sync with Outlook and Microsoft Exchange Server, using the same ActiveSync technology found in Windows Mobile-based phones. That would open a lot of doors for the iPhone in the business community. Watch for an official announcement before you go stand in line. […] continued
Read moreAPPLE iPHONE GUIDED TOUR
The hype for the iPhone is building to a fever pitch, leading up to the release on June 29. There’s a twenty-minute guided tour at Apple’s iPhone web site with a lot of useful information about features and the iPhone’s look and feel.
I’m still skeptical about a number of things and the guided tour slides right by some possible shortcomings – and AT&T’s cell phone coverage is so poor in Sonoma County that I don’t expect to see it often up here anyway. […] continued
Read moreTHE iPHONE ERA
If I understand the news coverage correctly, we are at the dawn of a new era in civilization. When the iPhone debuts on June 29, mankind will no longer have to work and our vision will extend into the ultraviolet and infrared light frequencies.
Super! That’s grand. Maybe it’s true and Apple will take over the planet and use its powers for good. […] continued
Read moreGRANDCENTRAL – FUN WITH PHONES
If you have more than one phone, then you should know about GrandCentral – genuinely cool technology to unify your phones in ways that are close to magical.
I have a cell phone and an office phone. I can’t drop either one – there’s no reliable cell phone service in my home office. […] continued
Read moreIPHONE BACKLASH
It’s predictable that there would be a backlash after the rapturous reception of the iPhone in the first rush of media reports. Here’s an article that sums up the second thoughts running through the heads of many people.
The iPhone will have that undeniable Apple aura of coolness but it’s comparatively short on features:
[…] continued Read more“Unlike most smart phones, the iPhone doesn’t have voice dialing, voice memos, 3G Internet access, Word or Excel support, one-handed operation or video recording.