Sprint Might be Winner If ATT Occupation of T-Mobile

If you didn't already know by now, ATT made a surprised bid to gobble up T-Mobile for $39 billion. And after a couple for bloggers, tech pundits, and myself to digest all the information, here is where many stand.

Regulators will have to look at this very carefully. Competitors will make demands. Politicians will chime in with their usual buffoon-ish manners. Consumer advocates will have their day that is like going to be ignored.

Right now, the meat is fresh and bloody and everyone will wait a piece of this in the morning. Dozens of blog posts and online newspaper articles have already been written about this.

And Sprint had already had its say. But let me offer this opinion about the deal with respect to Sprint.

Earlier, as I sat thinking about this, I said to myself that if ATT takes away from me the better deals and options that T-Mobile now has, regardless of whether I am taking advantage of it or not, I'll head on over to Sprint.

So there. If ATT does bungle this deal by alienating current T-Mobile customers like myself who have been happy with things the way they are, we will head on over to the no. 3 mobile provider who offers WiMax and competitive plans/options.

In the end, Sprint may benefit to some extent. Sprint has to continue to be aggressive and now may be a great time for it to launch an offensive campaign for the hearts and minds of confused (betrayed) T-Mobile subscribers.

However, keep in mind that no one knows just how this deal, when and not if it will go through, is going to look like when it is finally wrapped up. Though I am not hopeful, one such as myself hopes that T-Mobile will have a better influence on ATT and not all the bad things and worst case scenarios will come to pass.

More important than regulators, it will be the bloggers with legions of readers who can shape how this deal takes place. And we will work hard to make sure that if politicians allow themselves to be bought and a bigger badder ATT is looking out to screw more users, we will point to other options as best as we can.

FaceTime And Especially Skype To Benefit Huge From iPad 2

iPad 2 is huge but more than that, it will be even bigger for video conferencing. Likely yo benefit is Apple's own FaceTime. And Skype is likely to have much more to gain than ever.

As a matter of fact, Skype should send Apple a Thank You gift for releasing the iPad 2 with dusk cameras.

More than just boring old video conferencing for enterprise, FaceTime an Skype will gain from the home market. Consider how easy the iPad is robust already, it's icon focused UI allows for an 1-click access to either of the two apps for the less than tech savvy people like our parents and grandparents to stay in touch with their children and grandchildren.

I predict that Skype is likely to make an announcement about a spike in new users and downloads after the iPad 2 goes on sale on March 11th.

Apple's FaceTime offers a seamless sign-in process that will be welcoming to everyone. And its video quality is second to none.

And while FaceTime might have an edge over Skype in simplicity, Skype will dominate because of the tens of millions if not hundreds of millions of users that use its services already.

Skype or FaceTime, the ideal screen size of the iPad 2 for video chat may finally usher in a big change in social interaction.

And I reckon it will be the grandparents who will lead the way.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Clue On Who's Getting The iPhone Next: T-Mobile Disses iPhone Carriers But Sprint Doesn't (Second Sprint Post Today)

I don't write a lot about Sprint because it kind of chugs a long but doesn't do much else exciting. And it's on WiMax so it like it is off to one side doing its own thing. So here is the 2nd Sprint post of the day.

And ironically, I am writing about what Sprint isn't doing. While T-Mobile is off dissing the networks that the iPhone runs on on TV and Web commercials, Sprint doesn't seem to say much of anything else about CDMA iPhone.

After all, Sprint's WiMax is faster than what Verizon and ATT's 3G networks. So it has just as much marketing weapon as T-Mobile.

So I wonder if this is indicative of who is getting the iPhone and who isn't? About fourteen months before Verizon go the iPhone 4, it did the same thing with some cute animations.

At this point, I am just not hopeful that my network will be getting the next iPhone. And if Sprint is supposed to get the CDMA iPhone next, it would not make sense to diss a phone that it might be getting next.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Prediction: Sprint To Do Smart Thing and Move to LTE (First of Two Sprint Posts Today)

There has been talk that Sprint is nearing a deal with Clearwire on use of its WiMax network. All along, there was also talk that Sprint might try to find an LTE route. I think they are more than posturing. Sprint really has to go LTE eventually. That’s my prediction.

Heck, even Clearwire will do that as well because in the US, it just makes sense to do that.

First of all, if Sprint stays with WiMax, it will effectively be isolated, more so than T-Mobile for years to come. And though T-Mobile’s 3G network doesn’t worth with virtually anyone else’s in the US, it is still a GSM network, a vastly more popular network than CDMA and WiMax.

And from what execs at both Sprint and Clearwire has indicated in the past, transitioning from WiMax to LTE is financially feasible. As a matter of fact, Clear has “clearly” started work on that as far back as fall 2010. These things take time but I do see it happen.

So I suspect that more than just about financial terms, Clear and Sprint might have come to an understanding that they’ll work towards LTE in the next couple of years. Also, Sprint has provided clues in recent weeks about their LTE future.

And the momentum is building in that direction.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

SSD Coming Along But Still Expensive

It's taken a while but solid state drives, SSD, are coming nicely. What I mean is that I see them more and more as an option from the major PC makers.

Everyone from Dell to HP to Apple, its MacBook Air being very popular over the Holidays and demand has not let up, are using them as a premium add-on.

Now we are seeing SSD sizes at more affordable prices. Not only that, the drives are bigger. Still, I am not quite ready to pluck down $1,500 to $2,000 for a 480GB drive.

For that kind of money, it would be more economical to get a whole new laptop. Say a MacBook Air with 256 GB or storage.

So what is in your laptop or MacBook? Have you moved onto a SSD or consider making the move in the near future?




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Mobile Payment Is Coming In A Big Way

The mainstream media has not caught on to it yet and I've talked about it here from time to time. But be prepared to be bombarded with tons of media reports, blogs, tweets, and e-mails about it in the coming weeks or months.

At week at the Mobile World Congress, near field communication, NFC, was being talked about as if it is the next holy grail of mobile. And to a follower of mobile happenings like myself, this is a big thing. In as few words as possible, NFC allows payments be made through mobile devices.

Think of this as what you can already do at Starbucks. You can order and pay through the app. Well, this will happen in a much much better way. There are a couple of devices on the market with NFC capability, specifically, Google's Nexus S. But as with some technology, being first doesn't mean much.

However, it is largely expected that Apple's next iOS hardware updates, including the next iPhone, will support mobile payment. And I expect an explosion of next generation Android devices to support this as well.

I really recommend reading up on it because just about everyone from your bank, credit card, wireless providers, and hardware companies will be getting in on this lucrative new business. Oh, and retailers would love this as well.

Also, there are also security concerns you'll need to be aware of.

So get ready media and ad blitz coming our way. I'll be devoting much much more attention than I have in the past. I started talking about almost two years ago, pointing the ease that the Japanese users have been able to enjoy with paying through their cell phones for years.

It'll be our turn soon.

It's Official: iPad 2 Announcement Coming on March 2nd

Here it is folks. The moment you've been waiting for. Apple is due to officially unveil iPad 2 next week, March 2nd.




Here is one bit of speculation on my part. There has been talk that Apple has already shipped some crates of new merchandise to its stores and retailers. The speculation is that they are new updated MacBooks.

But what if they're not? Could they be iPad 2 units instead?

More at World of Apple.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Public WiFi - Looking Over My Shoulder

I went to get an oil change for my car this afternoon. I had a book that I want to, a real book so I figure I'll be able to find diversion for the hour or so that I would be sitting there. But if I needed to connect to the internet, there was a public WiFi should I choose to use it.

I didn't. There was a few of us waiting and we started talking about the All-Star Weekend. Still, had I chose to use it, it could be a bit scary.

If I did end up access it, I find it prudent to look around and see if anyone else is around because, as you may or may not now, an unsecured access point is just a recipe for disaster.

Now, I admit that from time to time, I even go as far as to access sensitive personal information through a Borders or Starbucks WiFi. It is definitely something I don't recommend and at the time, I told myself that it looks like only a few people are on the network and they look like nice people.

Still, who knows right? No identity theft criminals is going to go around identifying themselves. And there are more ways than one for someone to steal information zipping around within the public WiFi bubble. Even without a laptop, someone on a mobile device that could have been trying to steal information from me and I would have no idea that was happening.

There are a couple of things I do once I get home. First, I clear all the cache, cookies, and anything I can think off to rid any data collected from surfing the Web during the public session. Then I changed the passwords of the sites that I might have used.

As a matter of fact, I created a Google account just for this purpose. I am a religious user of Reader on Google. And I use this public account just for this. If by some chance, it is compromised, not a whole lot is lost and nothing of value was put in jeopardy. Even then, I still change the password once I return home or at the very next opportunity I get.

I think I've got an advantage in that I've also got my iSpot from Clearwire with me. It can provide me with up to 4 hours of Internet access. There is always that.

But that is not an option that I imagine many readers have. So if you do have to log into a public network, make sure you do it knowing that your data up for for the grab and that you protect yourself by changing passwords when you get home.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Wifi Chips Need To Be More Battery Friendly

Over the weekend, I took my MacBook out for some time at Borders. I had to do work on the laptop that I cannot do on the iPad at this time.

And this is an older MacBook. Late 2008 and the battery life has been put through it's paces in the last couple of years. According to a battery utility, it's got 80% left of the original charge left. When it gets to 70% or less, I'll probably have to decide if I should get a other battery or invest in a new MacBook.

I turned it on and it attached itself to the free wifi. And the battery indicator said there was 2.5 hours of work I could do. But I wanted to spend my afternoon there working so I turned off the wifi.

It has been quite some time since I've done that. The long battery on the iPod touch, and specifically, the iPad has really spoiled me. The battery life jumped to four hours!

I was there for about four hours and got about three hours of work done so there was some change left in the battery had I wanted to stay longer.

But my point is the wifi chip. What a power hog! I hope today's wifi chips are more battery friendly. But if they are not, someone need to invest some time and research on making wifi use more efficient and the chips draw less and less power.

We'll be using wifi for years if not decades more. Bring mobile isn't just about more efficient CPU, display, or bettery batteries. It's about other components of the mobile devices or laptops. And it's also about programming for power management.

For now, wifi chip and its ubiquity is one area that I see that can help mobile warriors work longer and worry-free.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

iPhone Verus iPad Touch (With iSpot or a MiFi) Update - Mobile Platforms Need To Free Themselves of Traditional Phone Services

I had a full weekend.  Dinners, coffees, trips to visit friends.  And it was my iPod touch with my Clear iSpot versus everyone else who had regular cell phones, Android device or two, and a bunch of iPhones.  How did that go?

Before I get into that, I want to say that I am very tempted to pull the trigger on the Verizon iPhone in the coming week.  I have said that my wireless combo of iPod touch and iSpot was how I want to go from now on.  And while it works very well for me, it isn't working too well for some friends and families.

I had an okay day on Saturday when I met up with friends for lunch.  It was like the old days.  We set up a place and time a day before.  And we met on Saturday as it was supposed to be.  And it worked out.  There was no opportunities for anyone else to try to call just before we were supposed to meet up and change the venue or the meeting time.  Personally, I found that to be annoying. And since no one could call me because I was on the way had really had no way to reach me. Just imagine driving on the freeways across LA in all that traffic and having to change and turn around or something.

Of course, if there was a need, they could still text or call me Google number to leave a message and with the iSpot, I would still be able to receive e-mails.  But I think the risk of me not receiving it was just too big of a risk.  And going forward, I think that would be the case.  

Obviously, I was still connected.  I was at Starbucks just before lunch and I was connected to the wifi there.  And obviously, the iSpot provided WiMax connection.  

Dinner went okay.  There was just too many moving pieces and the schedule was set up a couple weeks ago.  

However, this morning, it was a lot more difficult.  I met up with some close family friends for dim sum.  When I got there, there was a couple of hundred people ahead of us.  And waiting in line was crazy.  I was the first one there so I signed in for a table.  And I texted my friends that I had already gotten a number and they could take their time.  Meanwhile, they called me and left a voicemail telling me that they were going to be late.  

Then I called them back via Skype but that went to their voicemail.  Then then they called back and it went to my Google voicemail once again.

Finally, when our table became available, they had arrived.  

I supposed in some circumstances, having a phone would have been more convenient.  

Right now, I am waiting for a comprehensive VOIP solution.  And not just any VOIP app but a service built exclusively with mobile features in mind. 

Whether it's Apple, Google, or Microsoft, I like to see more more robust VOIP features built into the OS.  For Google, I like to see them open up Google Voice for developers to build into their apps.  This goes the same for Skype as well.  As for mobile platforms, it's time to take the next step and unleash the users from traditional phone services and really take communications mobile.  

Xoom's Superbowl Commerical - 15 Sec Preview - References 1984 Apple Ad

Here is a sneak peak at the Xoom commercial for the Superbowl this sunday. I am sure a lot of folks will be talking about this Sunday night and the next couple of days because there is a reference to Apple's 1984 Superbowl Mac commercial.

It's only 15 seconds that we get to see but it looks pretty effective. It'll have folks talking about it. Question is: will it drive people to take a look at the Xoom and buy it?



Source: Phone Arena.

New Verizon Commerical: Yes, I Can Hear You Now

This new Verizon commercial for the iPhone kinda says it all.



Seriously though, I don't think Apple has never allowed AT&T to use the iPhone in any commercial at all. If true, this is Apple's payback to AT&T for maintaining such a crappy network all these year.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Steve Jobs' Disney Has Sold More Than 1 Million eBooks on iOS.

Disney reported that it has pushed out more than one million ebooks to iOS loving children.  And adults I'm sure.  I cannot underscore the significance of this enough.  In a previous post I published on December 29, 2010, I had suggested that perhaps, Apple should create release a SDK with a subset of tools for the iBooktore.

An iBookstore SDK.  This will provide a more enriching experience for writers and publishers for the readers.  After all, the iOS devices can do so much more than read books.  If you want to do just that, the Kindle or the Nook would suffice.  

And interestingly, these one million books are not ebooks.  Rather, they are iOS apps that are books that provide text and rich media like sounds, pictures, and video clips. The sales volume from Disney is a testament to this idea.  I created book using Shutterfly for my nephew last Christmas.  If there was a tool to easily create an interactive ebook, I have all the materials I need to do just that.  Heck, I might even be able to sell it on the app store if there was a easy way to create what I am talking about.

So, Apple.  Time for you to step up and seize this moment.  I have a suggestion how Apple can do this easily.  And there are two routes Apple can do this:

1. iWorks.  Pages has all that we need in terms of layouts.  And Keynote provides a page-by-page presentation.  The combination can be used to create an interactive ebook app.
2. iAds tool that Apple released for develops is a great opportunity for users to create apps running.  From what I understand, it is an even easy tool to use than the iOS SDK.

Obviously, creating an iBookstore SDK that can publish to both the iBookstore and the app store would be idea.  And this would be a golden opportunity for Apple revolutionize the book industry and, more importantly, how contents are created and consumed.  Let text readers have their ereaders.  For anything else, there's the iOS devices.

More on Disney's 1 million book app sales at TUAW.

 

Proper Mobile Etiquette And Holidays

I started this blog just after Thanksgiving but I never finished and Christmas is only days away. And yeah, I'm still paying for eating my customary two dinners-weekend. Yeah, I am one of the fortunate ones. But see, I had dinner with a lot of folks not of the iPod or iPhone generation and they're frankly not used to kids taking out their cameras to take quick photos or videos or tweet or update their Facebook status on what kind of gravy they were having.

So when there was interesting conversations, I was pretty engaged. Two weeks ago, I met a new friend from a family acquaintance who works at Facebook. That was interesting. But when the conversation ended up being about politics in the old country, I got bored rather quickly.

I was tempted to pull out my iPod touch and play with my games. That was before I got my iSpot. Now, I am fully capable of surfing the Internet for intervals of four-hours (the life of the battery).

Still, more options for my mobile device does not make it okay to use during dinner and gatherings. So what is the proper etiquette?

Last Thursday, I went on a late dinner-and-snack run with some college and Internet friends. The last one of the year. There were ten of us. I was the only one with the iPod touch while everyone else had an iPhone. One other did not.

Everyone, except the one who had a regular LG flip phone, was constantly checking Yelp, checking into Places and Foursquare, and looking up the latest sports score. I guess in that setting, it was okay.

But dinner with aunts, uncles, and grandparents who you rarely see probably isn't the place to be seeing what your friends are doing on Facebook or what Twitter is feeding you.

So, we've got Christmas and New Year left. I'm guess Christmas will be spent with families while New Year with the iPhone crowd. Pick wisely. You only have to see some folks a few times a year and it might be wise to spend it, for better or worse, focused on them.

SSD - A Must Have For Mobile Ruggedness

Upon learning that Apple will be going all out with SSD instead of traditional hard drives has me thinking that that the era of power efficient and relatively safer memory storage is upon us for every day mobile warriors and corporate drones.

Apple wasn't the first to come out with SSD but does that matter? Nor was Apple the first to have USB in the iMacs but that didn't matter either.

However, Apple made it okay to have USB in PCs and it was quickly adopted as a standard. And for SSD adoption, The MacBook Airs with SSD only options made it okay for for mass adoption for even consumer lines.

I imagine that by this time next year, Apple will have moved a majority of its macBook lines with SSD options. This will be followed by other PC makers, like Sony and its Vaio laptops.

Keep in mind though that hard drives are not going to go away for a long time. But for folks whose data are very important and requires more insurance from accidents, these excellent prices from Apple are welcoming news.

Personally, I think I've got another year left in my late-2008 unibody MacBook before I find that I need to move on. Plus, I've got my wonderful iPad that has quickly become my main go-to mobile device for work and play.

But if you're in The market now or will be soon, consider SSD options whether it's the MacBook Air or a Windows machine like the Viao.

Note: SSD while great still has issues with degradation over time. TRIM is built into Windows 7 while this support is still lacking in OS X. Perhaps Apple might have something coming in way of this beginning with SSD implementation in the new MacBook Airs.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Android 2.2 Not Ready For Tablet Primetime Says Google

I don't want to get into a pissing contest with Steve Jobs about what is the perfect screen for the tablet. iPads have done will but Android's day under the tablet sky will come.

Right now there are a few unsanctioned Android tablets on the market if you're willing to chance it. Yeah, I thought so. So then therefor Samsung's Tab which will cost close to $1K unsubsidized, $400-600 depending on carrier subsidy.

But even then, Google has publicly said that Android 2.2 is not optimized for tablet use and we'll have to wait for Android 3.0 at the end of the year.

What's clear though is that Android tablets will flood the market early 2011. And if you thought waiting until then is hard, just wait until we have to chose between different versions, screen sizes, and which works best for us.

WiMax in Big Cities - SF & NYC

Consider how hard Clearwire had been working on getting WiMax ready against T-Mobile's supercharged HSPA+ and Verizon's LTE, I still wonder why there are still no WiMax in many of the major cities.

Well, wonder no more. San Francisco is getting ready to be turned out while just a bit ago, I learned that New York City's WiMax access is live.

So what about LA where I live? I can only hope that we will soon follow. Personally, I am angling for a mifi instead of an EVO or Epic.

Sure, I can wait for LTE from Verizon which promises to be faster than WiMax. But I would rather go with a T-Mobile wireless data plan since I am a long time customer but I have not heard a peep about a mifi solution from them (they offer three USB modem sticks). And I have not considered Verizon Wireless because of their perpetual evilness and I just don't think they'll will have as compelling plans as Clearwire. Oh and ATT isn't even in the game at all.

So I guess I have no choice but to wait. And it better be freaking worth it. Plus, I am in the midst of my no-wireless experiment.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

SolarEagle: Drone That Can Stay Aloft For 5 Years & Many Uses

Imagine in the heat of a battle, you need first hand intel from the front so you know where to send your tanks and troops to plug holes and where air support is needed to pave a path for your column to a strategic rallying point.

Of course, I'm talking about playing a RTS game. What did you think I was talking about? Oh, you mean a real war? Well, if a Boeing drone called the SolarEagle works out as planned, this little drone can stay in the air for up to 5 years and provide intel for troops on various war theaters or provide wireless Internet access where I sit safely in my home or a Starbucks.

Sure, it's called a drone and its development was commissioned by DARPA but like many technologies developed for the military, they eventually find a way for civilian use. I do hope that the SolarEagle will help us in the fight against extremism wherever our troops are sent but I also do hope to see them deployed for civilian uses as well.

More than just wireless access, they can provide law enforcement with some needed air support. Or help in recovery during the aftermaths of natural disasters. I am also sure there are scientific uses as well, much the same way balloons are being used. And it make prove cheaper than using satellites.

Well, we're not there yet. Boeing has a lot of work to do still but I think we are closer than anyone envisions - drones in the skies.

Los Angeles Times

Internet Withdrawal

Yesterday, I altered my T-Mobile wireless data plan: now, I am without data on my G1, iPhone, or my upcoming Sony Equinox. I have done away with wireless data completely. Why?

I find that I am too connected. At work, home, Stabucks, and bookstores. Not to mentioned between stops at intersections and anywhere that doesn't readily offer free wireless broadband. However, today, it was different. This afternoon, I went to a supermarket deli area for continuing work on my iPhone development. There was no Internet access there. But that was fine as I was able to get considerable amount if work done.

But then I went to my cousin's house for dinner. While he has wifi access, I didn't want to ask (he would have seen it as begging since he detests anything Apple), I held off on it.

It was problematic, not because I could not check my emails or tweet my about my withdrawal but I had a few missed calls that went directly to my Google Voice voicemail. The only solution was to call the missing numbers back but a couple of them I wanted to screen possible voice messages first.

And truly, there was discomfort. It was not so bad that I was going mad but it was like a really bad itch that I couldn't get rid of.

When I finally arrived home, within the range of my wifi network, the chime of mail beeped from my iDevices and I instantly fired up the mail app as soon as I put my car into park on the driveway.

You know what it felt like? Like I was coming up for air after holding my breath for along time underwater.

Okay, you might think me pathetic or exaggerating this ordeal. Okay, perhaps a bit. But the feeling of disconnect certainly was there.

Hoe long can I last with this experiment? I don't know. I am very good at adapting. And the reason I wanted to do this was I was afraid the constant connectivity was preventing from stopping now and then to "smell the flowers". I saw my nephew appreciate his new Wii. Had I had Internet access, I might have missed much of it.

I think this is for the best. Should a greater need require that I have wireless Internet access at all time, I can always get it back.

I'll continue to update my wireless-less experiment as well as my iPhone development experience. Hopefully, both endeavors will turn out well and fruitful.

Note: I was offered an option to being back my data at a considerable discount. But even with this enticement, I will try to hold out longer. Not only that, I was even offered for free a brand new Android device for being such a long and loyal customer. Yeah, I passed on that too.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Cafe And Wifi

We can now get free wireless Internet at Starbucks, Borders, and Barnes And Noble. We can theoretically sit there as long as we want.

I typically buy a drink and some kind of pastry because I don't want to be freeloading off heir kindness. Well, they are giving us free Internet to drive traffic into the store.

Still, I wonder what is a good balance. I hope to have the money one day to own my own coffee shop. And I have had a lot of discussion about what to best drive foot traffic, offer Internet access, and still make a decent living.

And let's face it, free WiFi is a fact of life now. But more importantly so is providing a good atmosphere and good java.

For now as a patron, I will continue to buy things at a coffee shop in exchange for their hospitality. Hopefully when the time comes, my customers will feel the same as I do now.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch