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.

Social Media & Japan Disaster; Which Twitter Accounts To Follow

It started with the ability to tell friends when you’re taking a shower, going grocery shopping, or how your day was going. Then Twitter grew up. As did Facebook. When you think of social media on the Internet, it was these two.

Governments feared them. Ask Tehran during the Green revolution when the conservatives stole the election from the voters. And then in Egypt just mere weeks ago when the government of more then decades were toppled by protests passed through the Internet, and specifically, Twitter and Facebook.

And since the 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan, ravaged the eastern coast of northern Japan with a powerful tsunami, and created a nuclear disaster that has already achieved the level of the Three-Mile Island incident in the US.

How did Twitter and Facebook changed things in the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan this week? And which Twitter accounts to follow to get the best information on the latest nuclear and humanitarian news from Japan?

More at Greenjava

Japanese Artist Uses "Nuclear boy" To Explain The Nuclear Disaster To Kids - With Poop And Farts

At the moment, we await word on just how the new power line will work by supply power to help cool the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants.

Through the whole ordeal faced by the Japanese people (earthquake, tsunami, nuclear meltdowns, cold weather, and hunger), I wonder how the children are. Add to that, the scary nuclear situation that even adults have a problem understanding at times (just look at the reporting by seasoned reporters).

So, Kazuhiko Hachiya made this cartoon that does an adequate job of explain the situation to the Japan children - using poop and farts. As a matter of fact, not only it is cute and explains things well, I encourage even adults to watch it to get a better understanding of the situation at surrounding the nuclear disaster in Japan.

And don't worry, there are subtitles in English.

So meet Nuclear Boy who has a stomach problem.



Source: Salon.

RIM In Conflict With Carriers Over Where To Store NFC Data, How About Device Makers?

Supposedly, RIM is butting heads with some GSM carriers over where near field communication data, NFC, would be stored. The bottoms here is who will have control over the customer, the data, and what promises to be a very lucrative revenue stream for both carriers and device makers.

NFC capabilities will increasingly become available in not just smartphones but regular cell phones as well. This NFC is important for mobile payments. And billions in transactions will be made this way.

Gone may be the credit cards. So who will win this fight? And where does Apple's closed iOS system and Google's Android fit in all this?

More at Greejava.

Harper Collins To Charge Libraries For Being A Library That Lends eBooks

I want to reserve judgment on this until we see where this goes. HarperCollins is gong to start charging libraries for licensing fees. That means they want taxpayers like you and I to pay for a service that some folks use on a regular basis.

As a taxpayer, I think libraries are great but I'm not sure I like companies to make money off of public institutions like this. And perhaps, HarperCollins is simply using this as a negotiation ploy or they're just afraid like every other old media about the new media future.

More at Greenjava.

Apple To Delay iPad 2 Shipment (Reuters)

Developing at this time but it looks like Reuters (via CNBC tweet) that Apple will delay fulfilling iPad 2 shipments.

Many facilities in northern Japan were damaged or remained offline due to lack of electricity.  Apple is not the only company affected by this.  

The economy today has a global structure where parts are filled from various countries and then assembled in one central location.  

Due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and potential for greater nuclear disaster, it is understand companies as well as government officials will proceed cautiously.  

As always, people first.  

Note:  Ordinarily, I don't like to base my posts off rumors or even tweets but given the anxiety many of my fellow mobile warriors are feeling about their orders, I thought I put this out there now.  

Apple Stores In Japan Become Hub For Quake Update and Refuge For Employees

Make no mistake that many corporates are doing the right thing in the aftermath of the 9.0 earthquake (it was upgraded from 8.9) that rocked northern Japan and has inflicted suffers and damages on the survivors.  Google has used its expertise in cloud computing and set up a website to help pass information to love ones and victims.  But Apple has literally open its doors to the public and provided aid and comfort to its employees.

According to numerous reports, Apple stores is providing charging stations for mobile devices and provided financial aid, such as travel expenses given that the public transportation system is still down, to employees.  

And as one of the few locations in Japan that offers free WiFi, it was not unusually to see crowds near the Apple store to use the Internet and get information on love ones and media/government updates.  

I truly like that companies like Apple and Google are recognizing that their responsibilities as publicly traded companies go beyond maximizing profit for their shareholders.  I am particularly impressed with Google's generosity and its green initiatives.  And now, Apple recognizes that its responsibilities to its costumers doesn't end the money they walk out the door with its product.  

And these two being Californian companies, I am particularly proud as an American.

As for WiFi, I think there is something we can learn about its role in a disaster.  I think mobile WiFi stations for public use during natural or any kind of disasters could go a long way in saving lives and comfort to the population.  I know that ATT has mobile cell towers but I think WiFi stations work better since WiFi enabled devices outnumber cell-based devices.  Not everyone has an iPhone but a lot of folks have laptops and even WiFi-only iPads.  Perhaps, a fleet of WiFi mobile vans would work well.

More at Appleinsider, TUAW.