2008 10 Best

Car and Driver has just released their 2008 Ten Best List and I must admit I was shocked by a couple of the vehicles they chose, and I have a new favorite luxury sedan. It's not a Beemer! Check out some pictures of the all new 2008 Cadillac CTS below. It's not your Grandma's Caddy!
Some old "standbys" are also included like the BMW 3-Series, Honda Accord, Chevrolet Corvette, and Porsche Boxster/Cayman.

Another new vehicle on the list is the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. I have not seen one of these up close and personal yet, but they do look very appealing. I hope people will begin to consider the Malibu over the Accord/Camry.

CTS

CTS

CTS

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MALIBU

Sprint Names New CEO

Those of you familiar with Sprint Nextel will recognize the name of the new CEO. He comes from former Sprint local phone carrier Embarq. Yes it's Dan Hesse. Here's an excerpt from the Sprint press release.

Hesse had been chairman and CEO since Embarq's inception in 2006. Prior to the formation of Embarq, he served as CEO of Sprint's Local Telecommunications Division for one year before the spin-off that created Embarq. Hesse previously has spent 23 years at AT&T, including serving between 1997 and 2000 as the president and CEO of AT&T Wireless Services, which was then the United States' largest wireless operator.

Mr. Hesse you better get busy because there is a lot of work to do. I wonder if you can make the iDEN network work better or speed up the iDEN to CDMA transition by which I mean the implementation of Qchat? As a shareholder I'm looking forward to seeing what the new vision will be and what it will and will not include. Just don't cancel or scale back that Xohm implementation and launch! Good luck!

Palm Treo 755p Coming to Verizon Soon

engadgetmobile has received details about the forgotten Palm Treo 755p for Verizon. Nothing new or really different from the Sprint version. Check out all the pictures and diagrams on the engadget site.

BlackJack II

Latest and greatest Samsung smartphone from AT&T has just hit the street. Check out the great article about this new super phone by Dave Ciccone on mobilityTODAY. This device features Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and Quad-band EDGE/GPRS with 2.4 inch 65K TFT display screen, Integrated GPS, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 standard, 2.0 megapixel camera and video recorder, and Stereo Bluetooth 2.0. Check out the AT&T product page.

Front of BlackJack II sporting the bigger screen. You'll also see the AT&T Blackberry Curve 8310 for size comparison.

Mitchell Report

I must say that I really wasn't looking forward to reading the REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONER OF BASEBALL OF AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO THE ILLEGAL USE OF STEROIDS AND OTHER PERFORMANCE ENHANCING SUBSTANCES BY PLAYERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL that Senator Mitchell has worked on, but after hearing the press conference I couldn't help but open up the report and start reading and searching for specific players. Please take into context that this report is merely documenting verified incidents that tell the history of the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs. The goal of the report is not to prosecute individuals identified but rather to make the argument that more needs to be done and that the program that the MLB currently has is still not enough. As Senator Mitchell stated this report should be utilized to help focus the goals of the future, and should not focus on what has already happened. In other words don't dwell on the past and instead focus on the future! That said some of the accounts documented in the report are really fascinating especially the section about Roger Clemens. Check out section VIII, subsection B, page 167.

XOHM Roll Out

On December 5 PhoneScoop reported that the first XOHM launch was eminent, but I wanted to wait for something a little more official to be published before I covered this. Todays the day! TelephonyOnline has a story from Monday 12/10 with comments from the great XOHM press relations rep John Polivka. Here are some of the details from Mr. Polivka:

The soft launches will cover the downtown cores of Chicago, Baltimore and Washington but will rapidly expand outward, following existing cellular data traffic patterns throughout their respective cities. Though Sprint has set no date for the broader customer trials, Polivka said, Sprint intends to keep the trial short, using it as an opportunity to optimize the network for a full commercial launch in the second quarter.

Please click on the link to the very well written article from Kevin Fitchard on TelephonyOnline. I have submitted my email address to be a beta tester for the service in Dallas, so if I get the opportunity I'll keep everyone posted about this new mobile highspeed internet service. I'd really like an OQO model 2 with a XOHM card to test it out around town, but I won't push my luck.

Gadgets and TV Part II

What do NASCAR, NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL have in common besides the fact that they are major sport conglomerates? I would like to see the NASCAR NEXTEL FanView™ migrate to the other major sports. Wouldn't it be great to have a video/stat view at your NFL venue of choice. Do you even know what the FanView is?
It's a revolutionary, handheld device designed to enhance your entire race experience — from practice and qualifying to full race-day coverage — and offers these features:

• Live race broadcasts
• In-car views from up to seven drivers
• Live driver, race and track stats
• Comprehensive audio coverage of drivers, teams, race officials and radio broadcasts
• New! Watch SPEED's Trackside Live and ESPN's NASCAR Now live on your device!

I imagine uniquely designed shapes for the different sports, so maybe the NFL version would be the shape of a football and MLB would be the shape of a baseball. Time magazine even labeled the FanView as one of the Best Inventions of 2006. There must be some kind of exclusivity clause with NASCAR for FanView, because I'm sure the other sports would love to have another item that people at the games can pay to use. Parking $20; hotdog $5; beer $8; hat $30; FanView rental $50. Why not? Some supporting venues offer free WiFi so why not just provide a device that is wireless and connects to the internet, and includes event content and advertising? Yet another WiMAX possibility that could also utilize EVDO Rev0.

Another utilization of WiMAX was announced by NEC in Japan recently, from Gizmodo; "Just in Japan for now, the NEC Lui is a system designed around a central server that will stream media to any device around the house using WiMAX and Windows Vista."
So instead of utilizing wifi it utilizes WiMAX. It will interesting to see how use of the WiMAX technology is charged to the consumer? Will there be a subscription service like Tivo? Tivo provides content and WiMAX is just a connection to the internet. I can see where Tivo might want to add WiMAX to their devices and then just charge a little more for utilizing that type of connection. Maybe the satellite providers would like to add it to their boxes as well?

So if the Xohm service from Sprint Nextel still happens the gadget crowd will have even more options to choose from.

Gadgets and TV

Ok so the holiday shopping season is in full swing, and everyone is rushing out to purchase their goodies. Top sellers seem to be the Wii and iPods. Is the iPod/iPhone/Touch the most impactful gadget of the 2000's? The cell phone has really transformed our lives, remember back when we just dialed 4 digits on a rotary dial phone to talk to our friends? Remember when we first saw a car with a phone? My first car with a phone experience was a 1986 Mercedes roadster, I remember my friends and I were amazed and could only imagine that a doctor would need such a thing. Then in 1994 I remember seeing people carrying these large phones that reminded me of the field phone used by the military at the end of WWII and Korea and Vietnam. I remember a class mate of mine in high school said his mom worked for southwestern bell mobile systems a new pager and cell phone division of southwestern bell and I thought mobile systems, what's that? Then I remember the first RIM pager/calendar thing and the first US Robotics Palm III. The year was 1995 I was working for a long distance company called US Sprint that was changing it's name to just Sprint and they were launching a wireless digital phone service, not a cellular service but a digital service called Personal Communication Service (PCS) that worked on technology called CDMA developed by some company called Qaulcom. About that same time GTE rolls out a PCS service and so does PrimeCo. Looking back on PrimeCo and Sprint they were at the forefront of the technology. So fast forward to 2001 and the launch of Apple computers new music device the iPod. Wikipedia states,"As of September 2007, the iPod had sold over 110 million units worldwide (stated in "The Beat Goes On" conference) making it the best-selling series in history." So it was just a matter of time before the PCS device and the digital music player merged. So what's next? Where do we go from here? I still believe that the future is upon us, and the days of being tied to wired high speed internet connection are numbered, but aren't their some things that require one to sit a desk? The real question is what can't one do? Do I really need a seperate GPS device, Blackberry, iPod, and laptop? Why can't I have all of this in one Pearl sized package? Is this where the iPhone is heading? If it isn't maybe it should. Why do I need a laptop? To check email and access custom applications for my company? I can already check email on my iPhone. One thing I'm pretty sure of is that most people, including me, don't want to watch TV or a movie on a two inch screen. I prefer the big home theater with full surround sound, why limit my movie/tv watching experience, but there is something to be said for being able to watch my movies or DVR from somewhere else if I'm traveling. Why should I have to wait until I get home at the end of the week? Will a wireless carrier offer me cable or satellite programming on my phone? What about on iPhone or Touch? I really think Sling Media is on to something, but I'm still dependent on a home internet connection. If Sling can manage to add a built in high speed wireless data connection to their devices, then I don't have to have a home network. Which leads me to another new device/service that Amazon has just released the Kindle. I'm still not sure about this little thing, but I must say I'm really intrigued. If I could get rid of my book library that takes up so much space, and I can access my books almost anywhere in the U.S. why wouldn't I want that? The Kindle has built in wireless high speed internet access for downloading new material from books to magazines. I can get my New York Times or Wall Street Journal everyday on this little thing. So which wireless carrier is going to blink and step out there and say to Sling use us? Did you know that some counties and police departments are not issuing carbon copies of traffic tickets any longer? I learned first hand that Dallas county is utilizing a handheld device to issue citations and I get a printed copy that's a lot like my receipt I get at National Rental Car when I return my car. My ticket is electronically transmitted to the court and no paper can get lost or shuffled. I suppose my data could get scrambled, but the chances of that happening are slim. So what's next. Apple has some great ideas, and I expect them to challenge the portable GPS market soon with an iPhone GPS service along with 3G or 4G high speed internet connectivity. Who says that Apple will only work with AT&T? What other industries will be revolutionized or infused by this growing state of mobility that people are experiencing. There's another interesting device that I have not mentioned to this point, and I'd like to pick up here next time. What do NASCAR, NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL have in common besides the fact that they are major sport conglomerates?

Android Story of the Day

Digitimes is reporting that HTC will produce 2-3 Android devices with Wi-MAX and TD-WCDMA.

Good on it's word the Open Handset Alliance and Google have released the first SDK for the new OS. Check out all the greatness on the Google/Android site.

Sprint and Clearwire Say Psych and Stuff

Yeah that's right Sprint and Clearwire have supposedly decided that working together on Wi-MAX won't be such a good idea after all. The WSJ is reporting that sources close to the matter have said since Sprint doesn't have a CEO it would be premature to define a formal agreement. So does this mean that the planned Xohm product is soon to go the way of ION? You do remember that little revolutionary product that Sprint tried to roll out back in 1999/2000. It will be interesting to see how this turns out. Clearwire's stock tanked in late afternoon and after market trading. AP - WSJ: Sprint and Clearwire Splitting Up

and STUFF
On a separate note Sprint released their customer service agenda for 2008 today. Promises of a rewards program for longtime subscribers will be nice, I wonder how that will be implemented?

Open Handset Alliance - NOT gPhone

"Android™ will deliver a complete set of software for mobile devices: an operating system, middleware and key mobile applications. On November 12, we will release an early look at the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) to allow developers to build rich mobile applications." OpenHandsetAlliance/Android

Open
Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It is built to be truly open. For example, an application could call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that has been designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android will be open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.

So there's no gPhone, and the wireless community is working together? Here's the list of companies working on this effort.

Open Handset Alliance Founding Members
Aplix (www.aplixcorp.com), Ascender Corporation (www.ascendercorp.com), Audience (www.audience.com), Broadcom (www.broadcom.com), China Mobile (www.chinamobile.com), eBay (www.ebay.com), Esmertec (www.esmertec.com), Google (www.google.com), HTC (www.htc.com), Intel (www.intel.com), KDDI (www.kddi.com), Living Image (www.livingimage.jp), LG (www.lge.com), Marvell (www.marvell.com), Motorola (www.motorola.com), NMS Communications (www.nmscommunications.com), Noser (www.noser.com), NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (www.nttdocomo.com), Nuance (www.nuance.com), Nvidia (www.nvidia.com), PacketVideo (www.packetvideo.com), Qualcomm (www.qualcomm.com), Samsung (www.samsung.com), SiRF (www.sirf.com), SkyPop (www.skypop.com), SONiVOX (www.sonivoxrocks.com), Sprint Nextel (www.sprint.com), Synaptics (www.synaptics.com), TAT - The Astonishing Tribe (www.tat.se), Telecom Italia (www.telecomitalia.com), Telefónica (www.telefonica.es), Texas Instruments (www.ti.com), T-Mobile (www.t-mobile.com), Wind River (www.windriver.com). More on members

Google will not brand a device or market a device instead they will provide a bundle of applications referred to as a "software stack". So when can I get it? Q4 2008.... The press release says second half of 2008 so that usually means Sept/Oct. so I always lean towards later instead of sooner on these type of announcements. The question I have is who/what organization is leading this effort? There has to be a team leading this effort from software, hardware, and manufacturing. With all the carriers lined up now we need to see what will be the first device that utilizes this new infrastructure. There are little details about the OS in the announcement, or was there anything? The OS is Android and the leader is Google. So now we wait and see what the details are released on 11/12 in the SDK (software development kit) and then we see what comes out next year. It will be interesting to see what the baseline processor and graphics specifications will be. Will there be a screen size standard? Will it matter if the application is GSM or CDMA or WiMAX? I guess we'll see.

More information is provided in a Forbes article, Google's Dream Phone.

Coincidence?

Is it just a coincidence that Sprint willingly as part of a lawsuit settlement offers to unlock it’s network and then a couple of weeks later Google announces it’s big mobile strategy? Add this one to “I told you so.” There are too many things happening here to be ignored. The Wall Street Journal claims that Google and TMobile USA “…it has the most traction with Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA.” But is this really the case? Which carrier has publicly announced a partnership with Google? I don’t think it was T. I believe it is Sprint per the press release from July 26, 2007 that announced “Sprint and Google to Collaborate on WiMAX Mobile Internet Services”

Here’s a great blog post by David Ingram.

InformationWeek writer Richard Martin has a good article that pulls a lot of the speculation together also. “Google Unplugged: gPhone Or Not, Google's Going Mobile”

This is the start of an evolution in the U.S. wireless industry. The unlocking of phones to be used across networks is the just the start. Google Mobile platform and devices will be on the next wave. Will we see devices launched with GSM, CDMA, HSDPA, and Wi-MAX? Why not. Verizon Wireless and Sprint both have world phones/pdas/blackberrys that will work on GSM, why not allow access to T-Mobile USA and AT&T Mobility in the U.S. via these devices? What about the MID (Mobile Internet Device) a user could avoid the use of a traditional wireless voice network all together and use VoIP over a mobile broadband connection and pay once and get everything said user could need. Instead of having a broadband aircard and a separate wired broadband at home a user would have one broadband service that is with them wherever they roam. This will also push voice response software systems to be employed in vehicles or mobile devices so the user can respond to email while spending those two and half or three hours in their vehicle either on the way to or home from the office. This should also usher in video calls so do people really even need to go in to the office? Can’t they work from home office, den, vehicle, or kitchen table? For those that work too much as it is this may be even worse, since there will be no down time or time when broadband service is not available. Instead of “crackberry’s” we’ll have crackMIDs. This could reverse the way a user utilizes a “docking station.” Instead of docking a mobile device to a wired connection it could be the mobile device providing the connectivity. Could these things really come about due to an open source device or device category? The writer believes it will. Let’s just see what Google announces in the next 90 days and then see what the world of gadgets and broadband looks like in a year. The future is bright!

Bluetooth Watch That Might Really Work

Citizen released 5 new bluetooth watches today that look really usefull. They sport LCD displays capable of viewing SMS messages, emails, and a past call list. Four of the watches are basically the same with the color being the only thing that's different. The really cool one is made of titanium. If these are released in the states I might be tempted. From japwatches.

Palm Centro Review

I must declare my fandom for Palm right off. I love Palm and have since my first 3x device back in 1996 or was it 1997? After owning and using several PDA devices including a few HP products with WindowsMobile I really like the new Palm Centro. The Centro is small and has some great attributes. I currently have a Treo 755p which replaced my Treo 700p and the new Centro delivers all the goodness of the 755 and adds some. The new keyboard has a great tactile feel the buttons are soft. The screen is super sharp and bright and in my opinion is the best screen I've seen on a Palm device. I did not find any functionality gap between the 755 and Centro. The bad news is that Sprint Nextel will soon be releasing the Blackberry 8130 "Pearl 2" and that device will compete with the Centro. I do think Sprint is on the right path with the Centro and with the launch of the LG Rumor slider and the Pearl 2 Sprint will be providing consumers with options to the VZW EnV and the TMobile Sidekick. I give the Centro 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Wi-MAX Update

The first part of this post will be about Sprint and Xohm. Secondly I'll write about the news about the classification of Wi-MAX.

The Wallstreet analysts are a buzz about what will happen to Sprint Nextel and the new Xohm service with the hiring of a new CEO. The best article I've read about this was from SmartMoney. The author of this article spent a great deal of time considering what the future holds for Xohm and the conclusion is that Xohm will continue and thrive due to the "ecosystem" that has been developed by the collaboration with such companies as Intel, Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia. Read the full article: SmartMoney

UN Telecoms Agency Approves WiMax As Mobile Wireless Standard Friday October 19 the U.N. telecommunications agency met and approved WiMAX as a new 3G standard. AP writer Frank Jordans writes:

GENEVA (AP) -- The broadband technology WiMax has been added to a global standard for mobile devices, boosting its chances of becoming the preferred system for the next generation of high-speed wireless Internet access.
The decision Friday by the U.N. telecommunications agency means that airwaves designated for other technologies in the standard known as IMT-2000 can now be used for networks based on WiMax. That's likely to spur development of the wireless technology, attract new investors and eventually drive down hardware costs, analysts said.

Additionally WirelessWeek has a great write up about the meetings and provide more details about the specifics and significance of this decision. What does this mean to Sprint Nextel - Xohm which has been touted as 4G? It's now part of the 3G standard! WirelessWeek

Google Phone Update

There have been several articles over the past three weeks about the supposed gPhone. There hasn't been anything new written, but the buzz is still around. The overall feel is that Google is preparing a Linux based OS and a "platform" that will enable all of the Google apps to run including VoIP, YouTube, GoogleMaps, GoogleDocs, etc.... I still think this maybe less of a phone and more of a hybrid phone/MID(Mobile Internet Device). We just have to wait and see what Google has up it's sleeve. When will we see something? My bet is the next three months.

Sprint CEO Resigns/Fired

Sprint announced Monday (Oct.8) that they will miss previously provided guidance of $11.0 to $11.5 billion of adjusted OIBDA and $41 to $42 billion of consolidated operating revenue and expects to report a net loss of approximately 337,000 post-paid subscribers in the third quarter. Oh and CEO Gary Forsee is stepping down as the company's chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO), effective immediately. Check out the press release.

A lot has been written about this move by analysts and the common theme is that Sprint needs to re-evaluate the Xohm/4G/WiMAX effort. Many analysts feel that spending $5billion on a new network with an "unproven" technology is not a wise decision for a struggling wireless company. I for one feel that scaling back or shutting down the Xohm effort is a bad choice. Xohm has the potential to separate Sprint from it's competition and establish it as the technology leader in the mobile wireless broadband segment, which doesn't exist today. To stall or slow down Xohm is very short-sighted. The wireless phone market has all but reached it's saturation point, so a growth company would be wise to move to the next great thing. Intel has designed new chip sets for the Mobile Internet Device, Google is working on a new Mobile OS or OS standard for Linux mobile devices. Imagine if Palm, Google, HTC, and Intel all worked together to create this new line of devices that provide MP3, PMP, GPS, Phone, and enterprise application support. It's basically a cross between an UMPC and a PMP in size with maybe a 3 in wide touch screen with a slide out qwerty. The possibilities are endless for something in this space. If I can leave my laptop and smartphone at home and utilize an MID with bluetooth and voice service? Why wouldn't I do that?

I just hope that whomever the Sprint board finds to fill the CEO position does not chop things up, but takes a long hard look at all the assets within the portfolio and then makes decisions based on the future not just based on the past or present time. Only AT&T and Verizon have an equal set of assets.

Verizon Wireless Holiday Phones

My friends over at engadget Mobile spent sometime with Verizon Wireless's new phones. The device that is getting all the pub on the net is the new LG Voyager which is touted as an iPhone killer. I like the design, but let's wait and see how the production model functions. I like the Voyager, but actually think the LG Venus is more revolutionary with a dual touch screen and slider key pad. Take a look at the photo galleries on engadget Mobile.

LG Voyager from VerizonWireless



















LG Venus from VerizonWireless

New GPS Service from Garmin

Wouldn't it be nice to have GPS maps and turn by turn directions on your mobile phone without paying a monthly service fee? Well now you have a new option. If your device has a built in GPS receiver then you are in luck. If your device is a Palm Treo then you can get a GPS receiver from Garmin and utilize this new software. Here's an excerpt from the press release.

OLATHE, Kan., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), today announced Garmin Mobile XT, a unique, all-in-one software solution that turns select smartphones with internal GPS into high-end Garmin navigators. This mobile phone software application seamlessly pairs the phone's built-in GPS with Garmin's software so that customers have the benefits of navigation anywhere in North America or Europe. Unlike other mobile phone applications, Garmin Mobile XT offers convenient preloaded maps and includes access to dynamic content like premium real-time traffic alerts and fuel prices, but does not require any monthly fees or subscriptions of any kind.

Garmin press release

New Samsung SmartPhone

More pictures and details about the upcoming Samsung SGH-i780 were posted today on unwiredview.com. This looks like a really cool device. I'd love to see a sliding qwerty key pad though. Funny I should mention that because another site captured a few details about another Samsung device, Samsung SGH-i640, that looks related to the the i780 and it looks like it's a slider. The i640 is said to be launching on Vodafone around Christmas. Both devices are GSM with UMTS/HSDPA. No word on release dates for the U.S.
unwiredview - i780

theunwired - i640

Palm Centro on Sprint

Sprint and Palm released details about the upcoming new device the two have been working on. The Centro shares the same form factor as the European Treo 500v, but is a Palm OS device instead of Windows. Sprint also has launched a website dedicated to the device that let's us know that the device will be $99 after rebates and contract discount and will be released on Oct 14. "It's also the world's smallest Palm device." The url is quite clever also, moreyous.com.

Sprint Press Release

Palm Site

BusinessWire

Engadget

Gizmodo

WiMAX World USA - Chicago, IL

WiMAX World USA is about to kick off in Chicago and last night Sprint and Motorola demonstrated how the Xohm service will work when it is deployed. I would love to go to this event, but it wasn't a possibility this year, maybe next year. What I missed most was the demo that was given last night on the Chicago River. Sprint set up four towers along the river to demonstrate that mobile WiMAX will work even when switching from tower to tower. Motorola has a press release for the event, and a fellow bloger was able to attend and documented his experience very well. Check out the story by By Eric Bangeman from ars technica. Here's the link to the Moto Release.

Here's the Sprint press release via Yahoo.

Cowboys For Real

The Dallas Cowboys faced their biggest challenge of the year last night and came looking like the future NFC champs. Notice I didn't say World Champions. A couple of AFC teams will be a huge challenge. We'll get to see what the Cowboys have against the Patriots on October 14. Romo is for real and the Cowboys offense is really looking good. The Bears offense last night was awful, but their defense was pretty good. The first half of the game was really close, but the second half was all Cowboys. It's great for the NFL to have the Cowboys back as a contender and great for all Cowboy fans.

Intel Shows Off New Chip Set and Possible Implementations

Intel's new Menlow platform was highlighted recently Anand Chandrasekher, Intel's senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group shared the highlights of the Menlow platform and showed off some possible implementations. The detail that I really like is that the Menlow platform is 802.11n wireless technology, 3G and WiMAX for extended broadband coverage.

"In the first half of 2008, Intel will take a major step to deliver what these users are looking for with our first platform designed from the ground up for MIDs and UMPCs – codenamed Menlow, which will deliver 10x lower power compared to the first UMPCs in the market," said Chandrasekher.

I've also learned a new acronym from this story this new platform is targeting the Mobile Internet Device (MID) and Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) device categories. The difference between a MID and UMPC is the operating system. Intel sees the MIDs to be Linux based systems and UMPCs as Microsoft systems. I really think that the Gphone will be more of an MID than a smartphone.

DailyTech has covered the Intel platforms really well check out the links below.
Intel Details Next Generation "Menlow" MID, UMPC Platform
Intel Announces Ultra Mobile PC 2007 Platform
Intel Announces "Moorestown" UMPC Platform

Another Gphone Story

I just read another story about the upcoming Google Phone, which I love to refer to as the Gphone or gPhone. Digitimes writes that they have confirmation that the new device will be branded as a Google Phone. I'm still not sure about the branding, but it would be good marketing to see people using their Google Phones around town. I'd be very surprised if this device is released without 3G, as I have written I really think this will be a 4G device. Check out the story at DIGITIMES.

P.S. The gPhone image is fake!

Xohm is Coming

Sprint has released a new marketing video about Xohm at the Xohm homepage. Hit the link below and then select "About Xohm" on the page.

Xohm is Coming

Samsung F700 Launch Update

Vodafone will be the carrier launching the Samsung F700 smartphone in Europe. Still no word about where it will end up in the U.S.A. I'm still holding out hope that it will come with Xohm service from Sprint, but I bet Sammy would like to launch it before 2Q 2008.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leading mobile phone and telecommunication equipment provider announced the SGH-F700, an elegant phone for the European market with Vodafone, the world’s largest mobile community. The phone was first introduced at 3GSM World Congress in February earlier this year and is expected to be available in Europe beginning early November. It delivers 3.6 Mbps data speeds under Vodafone’s 3G broadband (HSDPA) network allowing users to experience fast access to the Internet and faster music downloads. With its intuitive touch screen technology, it allows users to navigate freely when using applications and menus.

The Samsung F700 aspires to be the easiest to use multimedia handset on the market with tender touch keypad and a surplus of multimedia functionalities. Samsung has applied its legendary expertise in human interface engineering and design to the Samsung F700, which boasts a full touch screen, touchpad interaction and QWERTY key pad.

Using the new F700, business and creative professionals are able to view content on a 3.2" stunning color display. The device features first class entertainment with a top-of-the-line auto focus 3 mega-pixel camera and 3.6 Mbps HSDPA capabilities, making it easier to watch videos, listen to songs, take high-quality photos, browse the Internet, or catch up on email while on the move. With a full QWERTY key pad that slides underneath the display, it will give users enhanced access to mobile e-mail and text messaging services.

The F700 features new user interface which has been award iF Communication Design Award 2007. As users acknowledge the growing importance that user experience takes on the full touch LCD device as the LCD dominates physically on the device, Samsung has employed analogue cross concept everywhere (across all applications) and has named the UI(User Interface) “Croix” which stands for cross in French. It has an enthusiastic reflection on the usability in terms of input methods, basic navigation, content access methods and task completion scenarios. Pleasure, agility and performance were values when creating the UI.

“We are proud to introduce this new type of innovative multimedia handset. Not only have we considered the latest technology, but also the usability to enhance the user’s multimedia experience,” said Geesung Choi, President of Samsung’s Telecommunications Network Business. “This multimedia driven handset is designed for consumers who wish to stand out from the crowd, showcasing unrivaled performance, advanced functionality and world-class design.”

Samsung F700 Specifications
Standard HSDPA 3.6 Mbps, EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz + 2.1GHz
Camera: 3 Mega pixel with Auto-Focus
Display: 265,536 TFT (3.2”, 240x432)
Memory: microSD™
Size: 112 x 56 x 16.mm
Features Full Touch Screen
MPEG4/H.263/H.264/ MP3/AAC(+)/eAAC+
QWERTY Keypad
MMS / E-mail / JAVA / WAP 2.0
Bluetooth 2.0 / USB
Flash UI / Document Viewer
Full HTML Browsing
Offline Mode, BGM

* Product specifications are subject to change without notice.

More Gphone Musing

SmartMoney had a story about the gPhone and made some really good points. I like to read what the wallstreet analysts have to write about technology and I found the story to be well written. As I have previously written I think that Google is looking for an ecosystem to support an open source type of OS like maybe a Linux based system that has the Google infrastructure to support Google applications like Talk, Maps, Earth, Spreadsheet, Documents, Calendar, Contacts, Photos, Videos, and all the other on-line Google apps. Additionally I think the devices will be GPS enabled so the user will get realtime Maps and Earth location information. The discussions about Google funding a Gphone by selling advertising on the device would be ground breaking and I really don't see how that would work, others talk about a device like the iPhone or iPod, but I can't see that either. Here are a couple of connect the dot type things that I've found coinsidense maybe. I won't be surprised to see HTC and Palm devices that are developed with and for Google. Digitimes has a story about HTC "HTC is still paying close attention to the latest developments in Linux technology." This quote may or may not mean anything or it could be an invitation or a table setting of something bigger to be announced in the next six to twelve months. Another theory or idea that is being spread around is the idea of Google and now Apple bidding on 700 MHz spectrum set to be auctioned by the FCC in 2008. I really don't see either of these companies getting into providing a network, and if they did I would think they would partner with a known entity to provide operational support and they'd have to partner with chip manufactures to create a chipset and then partner with device manufactures to embed the chips. I really think we will see a multilevel collaboration between Google, HTC/Palm, and Sprint (Xohm) utilizing Intel chips. Google and Sprint publicly have announced a partnership, Palm has been working on their Linux based OS for about four years now, and Intel is providing Wi-Max chips to help power the Sprint Xohm ecosystem of consumer electronics. I don't think that these devices will be limited to Smartphone types either I think we will see a new class of UMPC that may look like a Palm Foleo, Nokia's N800, Samsung SPH-P9200, or OQO Model 02 and have Xohm and EVDOrevA support, with video phone, gps, bluetooth, wifi, SD and micoSD expansion. As I read more articles and blog posts I'll add new posts on this topic, because I really think 2008 will be a "watershed" year for mobile data devices that come in small packages, but really pack a punch. As a former Platinum frequent flier I know I would have loved to ditch my heavy laptop and my bulky smartphone for an OQO model 02 with broadband and the smallest mobile phone I could find and if I could sync my calendar and contacts of my little phone with my OQO wirelessly even better.

Pantech Duo

Another new handset has been documented on TBGR. This looks like another really cool device. I've never used AT&T (Cingular) service in DFW, but I hear it's great. I think we are going to see phones that have less than a 2 megapixel camera are going to be low end devices soon. I expect some 5 megapixel phones to hit the U.S. markets in Q4.

New Samsung Smartphone on Verizon Wireless

The Boy Genius Report has an update about the Samsung i760 which is a Windows Mobile 6 device. I really don't care for the design of the device. I do like the sliding Qwerty keyboard, but I prefer a bottom slide vs the side slide, because I like the one handed operation of a bottom slide.

Palm Treo 500v Windows Mobile

After much speculation Palm has announced the Palm Treo 500v smartphone which runs Windows Mobile 6 to be launched on Vodafone Europe in October. Check out the official Palm website for the UK.
Here are some specs:
Platform: Windows Mobile® 6 Standard
Display: 320x240-pixel Transflective colour screen; supports 16-bit colour (up to 65K colours)
Radio:GSM/GPRS/UMTS radio
GSM bands: 900/1800/1900
UMTS bands: 2100
Bluetooth® Wireless Technology: Version: 2.0 + EDR
Profiles: Headset, handsfree, EDR, serial and OBEX. Mono and stereo headsets are supported
Memory: 256MB memory (150MB available user storage)
Camera: 2.0 megapixels with 2.5x digital zoom and video capture support
Battery: Removable 1200mAh, lithium-ion
Talk time: 10 days standby, and up to 4.5 hours of talk time
Expansion: MicroSD card
Connector: mini USB
Dimensions: 16.5mm (D) x 61.5mm (W) x 110mm (H) 120 grams
System Requirements: Windows® XP, or Vista™
Software on device: ActiveSync®, Alarm Clock, Bluetooth®, Bubble Breaker, Calculator, Camera, eBay1, File Explorer, Google Maps1, Internet Connect Sharing, Internet Explorer® Mobile, Messaging, Microsoft® Notes, Microsoft Office (including Excel®, Outlook®, PowerPoint®, and Word), Phone, Picture and Video, Solitaire, Task Manager, Vodafone Mobile Windows® Live™, Windows Media® Player Mobile

Palm / Sprint

Engadget has posted some nice looking Sprint sales documentation for four upcoming devices. The LG Rumor slider, Palm Centro, Blackberry 8130, and HTC Touch. I'm not a huge fan of Windows Mobile but I am curious about the HTC Touch I'd be willing to try one of those out. I wish I could get a new device with all the discounts.

Latest on Palm

Two news items for my favorite device company Palm. First, the new Palm device to be released in Europe is supposedly a Treo 500 with Windows Mobile. I'm not sure if I buy into this rumor, I think we should wait and see what Palm officially announces tomorrow. See the story via TheBoyGeniusReport and mobilityToday.


Update!!!!
New photos have been posted on Gizmodo of the new Palm device that looks like a Centro, but is supposedly called the Treo 500. There is also a white variant of the device, but it does not have the Vodafone badging, so let's wait and see about that one.

One of My Favorite Gadgets

oqo has issued a press release announcing updates to the really cool oqo model 02. If I were a big time blogger I'd get a demo version of this device and write a review, but since I'm not I'll just have to drool....

SAN FRANCISCO – September 10, 2007 – OQO Inc., creator of the model 02, the world’s smallest PC running Windows Vista® and the first ultra mobile PC (UMPC) with embedded 3G mobile broadband, today announced new model 02 products with high performance features that deliver increased Anytime/Anywhere Productivity™ and extend OQO’s lead in the category. To accelerate consumer and enterprise adoption of the model 02, OQO is aggressively pricing its upgraded UMPCs starting at $1,299.
Better Storage: Bigger HDDs, New Flash Memory SSD
The improvements to the model 02 product line start with a choice of high-capacity storage options. In an industry first, OQO now offers an ultra-mobile PC with a 120GB hard disk ideal for video, audio, and data-intensive applications. At the same time, HDD capacities have increased across the board: to 40GB in the entry-level model, and to 80GB in the standard high-end configuration. For users requiring an even more advanced storage solution, OQO now offers the model 02 with a flash-based 32GB solid state drive. The SSD provides up to 50% faster boot and application launch times, as well as increased battery life and the ultimate in rugged physical data protection.
Faster CPU Speeds and Improved Wireless Connectivity
The new model 02 delivers faster CPU speeds of up to 1.6GHz, another industry first in a UMPC. WWAN configurations of the model 02 are now available with higher-speed wireless connectivity provided by EV-DO Rev. A with mobile broadband service from Verizon Wireless or Sprint. EV-DO Rev. A offers data rates of up to 1.4Mbps, improved upstream speed, and lower latency. Users will find Rev. A particularly useful for online video, interactive web content, and bandwidth-intensive enterprise applications.
Reduced Prices
Due to increased volumes and new technologies, OQO is delivering the new model 02 with a lower price point or improved functionality at every level of the product line. The entry-level price for an OQO model 02 has been reduced by $200 (to just $1299) while increasing disk drive capacity by 33%. Additional pricing is available at OQO’s online store at www.oqo.com/store.
“With today’s announcement, OQO further extends its lead in the fast-growing UMPC category,” according to Bob Rosin, senior vice president of marketing & alliances. “OQO created the UMPC and our new products offer performance, wireless and storage options that further advance our vision of anytime/anywhere access to information, applications, corporate networks and the full PC internet.”
The updated OQO model 02 can be ordered today at www.oqo.com/store, by calling OQO sales at 877.676.6688, and through a range of distribution partners with a base price starting at $1,299. Retail locations where the model 02 can be purchased are listed at www.oqo.com/about/retail_locations.html. The OQO enterprise sales team can be reached at www.oqo.com/about/oqo_corporate_sales.html.
About OQO
Based in San Francisco, California, OQO, Inc. has redefined mobile computing with its groundbreaking products, including the new ultra-small, powerful, ergonomic, and connected model 02 released in 2007. The OQO model 02 is a full-featured computer running standard Windows® XP or Vista with embedded EV-DO wireless broadband capability and award-winning design, in a pocketable, dockable form factor that gives the mobile individual or workforce true Anytime/Anywhere Productivity.

Another Writer Muses About Wi-MAX

I've found another writer interested in Sprint's Xohm Wi-MAX 4G network, Ross Rubin. Mr. Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment on Engadget.com. He has written a two part story about the Xohm service and the consumer electronic devices that Sprint would like to see utilize the mobile broadband service. Mr. Rubin also references an article from telephonyonline.com that’s worth a read. I’m looking forward to a mobile XBOX that has Xohm service so I can play Tiger Woods 2008 or Halo 3 on XBOX Live while on my lunch break.

Check out the links below:
Switched On: The WiMAX window (Part 1)
Switched On: The WiMAX Window (Part 2)
Rethinking WiMAX

New From Apple

Apple held their fall product launch yesterday and two big things came to light. First the new iPod Nano will have video capabilities. Secondly the iPod Touch was introduced. What's a Touch? It's basically an iPhone without the phone. It has WiFi for internet connectivity and will supposedly support any and all iPhone applications. If I were to buy an iPod this would be it. Check out the Apple product site.

Palm Foleo Ditched

I'm not going to bother writing a lot about this and let the email that I received speak for it's self. I received this email because I registered on the Palm website to receive email updates about the Foleo. All I can say is wow!

As many of you are aware, we are in the process of building our next generation software platform. We are very excited about how this is coming together. It has a modern, flexible UI, instant performance, and an incredibly simple and elegant development environment. We are working hard on this platform and on the first smartphones that will take advantage of it.

In the course of the past several months, it has become clear that the right path for Palm is to offer a single, consistent user experience around this new platform design and a single focus for our platform development efforts. To that end, and after careful deliberation, I have decided to cancel the Foleo mobile companion product in its current configuration and focus all our energies on delivering our next generation platform and the first smartphones that will bring this platform to market. We will, of course, continue to deliver products in partnership with Microsoft on the Windows Mobile platform, but from our internal platform development perspective, we will focus on only one.

Because we were nearly at the point of shipping Foleo, this was a very tough decision. Yet I am convinced this is the right thing to do. Foleo is based on a second platform and a separate development environment, and we need to focus our efforts on one platform. Our own evaluation and early market feedback were telling us that we still have a number of improvements to make Foleo a world-class product, and we can not afford to make those improvements on a platform that is not central to our core focus. That would not be right for our customers or for our developer community.

Jeff Hawkins and I still believe that the market category defined by Foleo has enormous potential. When we do Foleo II it will be based on our new platform, and we think it will deliver on the promise of this new category. We’re not going to speculate now on timing for a next Foleo, we just know we need to get our core platform and smartphones done first.

I would like to thank our customers for their interest in Foleo. I know there will be disappointed folks who were looking forward to carrying a Foleo for all their mobile computing needs. I am certainly one of them. I would also like to thank the developers who have supported our Foleo efforts. They have been loyal to Palm and have worked hard to deliver some compelling solutions on the Foleo platform. I know that they will understand that the right thing to do for the long run is to focus on one platform that will live for years, rather than invest energy in a one-off solution. We will make every effort to make sure we bring our developers forward to our next generation platform.

This decision will require us to take a limited charge of less than $10 million dollars to our earnings. This is a lot of money, but it is a small price relative to the costs that would be required to support two platforms going forward. This decision is in the best interest of our customers, our team, our products and our shareholders. I hope this renewed focus at Palm will allow us to deliver more compelling solutions to our core smartphone market, and it will allow us to position ourselves for the long run around one Palm experience.

Ed Colligan
President & CEO
Palm, Inc.

New Samsung F700

Gizmodo has a post about the Samsung F700 picked up from Tech Digest. New pictures of the device are available from PMP Today as well as the new name of the device, Newly christened Samsung Croix, it has a four-directional touch input, which explains why it’s called “Croix.” Tech Digest did a story about this phone back on February 8, 2007. I really hope this device is headed to the states via Sprint.

gPhone Update

As more and more news services write articles about the possibility of a Google Phone it seems the details just get repeated over and over. There is little new in the stories I have links to below, but worthy of a quick scan. In the "Five Facts..." article there is reference to two different posts by Simeon Simeonov from the Open Gardens blog that are really interesting reads, so I added unique links to these two posts below. Kudos to engadget for the post with quotes and links to the articles below.

“The Ideal Mobile Software Stack” by Simeon Simeonov, February 19, 2007.

“The Real Google Phone” By Simeon Simeonov, March 7, 2007

Boston Globe "Introducing the Google Phone" by Scott Kirsner

"Five Facts About Google Phone" written by Om Malik

Sprint Sees Growth Beyond Cell Phones

There's another good article by Peter Svensson an AP Technology Writer about the Sprint 4G/Wi-MAX/Xohm effort. The stock market analysts are almost all taking a wait and see attitude towards this new technology and network roll out of Sprint's. I'm also a "believe when I see" type of person, but I can't pretended that the idea of the network isn't exciting. Read the article on Yahoo.

gPhone

I was hoping that more info would come out about the supposed gPhone that CrunchGear wrote about earlier this week CG Exclusive: HTC Insider Confirms Existence of the Google Phone
but I have not seen any new information about this so here are my thoughts....
As previously reported the new gPhone is really a device made to Google specs utilizing a Google OS. What has not been discussed is what carriers will allow this new device on their networks? What carriers have any type of public partnership or affiliation to Google? I seem to recall a little announcement by Sprint that Google is partnering on the Xohm effort. At the time of the Google/Sprint press release I really didn't understand where they were going with this partnership, but now it's more clear. It's my opinion that this new device sporting the Google OS will be utilizing the Xohm network. What I'm not clear on is the supposed use of VoIP from the device, and if Sprint is going to allow Xohm devices to utilize VoIP instead of utilizing the Sprint wireless (CDMA) voice network. If the Xohm devices are allowed to utilize VoIP then I think we are seeing an evolution of the wireless industry and Xohm really could be as revolutionary as Sprint is saying it will be. Q4 2007 and 2008 should be a lot of fun to see how Xohm and the gPhone are accepted and utilized.

UPDATED!
Check out this article from InfoWeek
Sprint press release announcing the Google Collaboration
Here's an exerpt from the Sprint press release:
"Sprint network bandwidth, location detection and presence capabilities will be matched with Google's popular communications suite - Google Apps™ - that combines the Gmail™, Google Calendar™ and Google Talk™ services. Customers will be able to experience a new form of interactive communications, high speed Internet browsing, local and location-centric services, and multimedia services including music, video, TV and on-demand products."

Another 4G UMPC

Raon Digital has announced a new WiBro device for Korea and it makes me wonder if devices like this will be successful in the U.S. when Sprint has completed their XOHM roll out? UMPC devices really facinate me, because I'm not sure the right design has been demonstrated yet and the other question I have is who do you market it to? Is it the business traveler, the student? It will be interesting to see if these ever gain any market share from laptops. More details from aving.net below.
"SEOUL, Korea (AVING) -- Raon Digital announced the release of its new UMPC ‘EVERUN’ equipped with built-in WiBro module in Korea market, which supports 802.11b/g WLAN, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity and HSDPA/Wibro. In particular, the new EVERUN enables users to enjoy 3G mobile communication service via a SIM card. Weighing only 460g, the EVERUN adopted 4.8-inch WVGA(800x480) LCD featuring auto-rotation and auto-brightness control function. It offers up to seven hours (12 hours with a large battery) of battery life thanks to its power saving AMD Geode processor and high capacity lithium-ion battery. It is available in October of this year."

Samsung 4G Forum 2007 in Korea

aving.net is covering the Samsung 4G Forum 2007 in Korea and captured the below information and images of an updated UMPC that I previously posted about. You can also see these images on Giz.

"SEOUL, Korea (AVING) -- Samsung Electronics unveiled its compact UMPC 'Deluxe MITs(model: SPH-P9200)' at the Samsung 4G Forum 2007 in Korea market. As a successor model of SPH-P9000, it can connect to wireless internet and VoIP phone via Mobile WiMax. Running on Windows XP, the SPH-P9200 adopts 5-inch touch screen, folding QWERTY keyboard and 30GB HDD."