October 2007 - Posts
Anil Dash writes:
Although I've been accused sometimes of reflexive contrariness, the truth is I'm just pretty consistent in my assessments of technology, with little regard for the perceptions of the companies or people who provide those technologies.
The best case in point I can use to illustrate this is an example of the worst thing about Apple. There is simply nothing less attractive than a person who is both flawed and smug, and apparently one of the few plausible justifications for treating corporations as legal persons is the fact that this holds true for companies as well. And Apple is a smug company.
Why? He writes about this photo:
Read the full blog post here. Is he right?
OK, what's up with Blackberry's and BIS? As most who know me know, I test a lot of phones, including Blackberry's. I'm switching out devices a lot. What's up with BIS accounts returning to the Blackberry after a wipe of the data?
What do I mean? I use BES and BIS for email. If I wipe the device, all data is gone from the device. Right? Well, according to the infinite wisdom and almighty RIM, not completely true. I've wiped three devices. An AT&T 8820, a Verizon 8830, and a T-Mobile 8320. I typed the magic command and watched the device reset itself removing all data...but...
As the device rebooted and went to the login screen, I watched in horror as the service books for BIS were pushed back to the phone, and to make matters worse, once the service books were on the phone, guess what? All the mail associated with those accounts shortly followed, all without pushing any buttons. What is up with that? How can that be secure? Do you know how many users who switch devices (particularly internally) and may not know that? Why does it do this without logging in to BIS via the web, or logging in to the device and telling it to push service books?
I can wipe a Windows Mobile device (Professional or Standard), and guess what, IT'S WIPED. That's right, I wipe the device AND IT ACTUALLY WIPES. If I'd wanted my dang email accounts on the device, I WOULDN'T WIPE IT. If I wanted my email accounts on the device, I'D PROGRAM THE DEVICE TO GET MY MAIL. Why do I have to log in to some website to tell it to stop sending mail? And even at that, unless you're canceling service, AND CALL THE CARRIER TO TELL THEM, anyone attempting to set the phone up on BIS not only gets your email but gets an error on BIS that the device is in use. WHY?
Blackberry stinks...
Gotta love Scott...
How sad...
The original Capt. Kirk is disheartened he won't get to boldly go anywhere with his old pal Spock in the new "Star Trek" movie.
While Leonard Nimoy is reprising his role as the pointy-eared Vulcan in next year's science-fiction flick, William Shatner is not on board as Kirk.
"I couldn't believe it. I'm not in the movie at all. Leonard, God bless his heart, is in, but not me," Shatner, 76, told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I thought, what a decision to make, since it obviously is a decision not to make use of the popularity I have to ensure the movie has good box office. It didn't seem to be a wise business decision."
Director J.J. Abrams announced last summer that Nimoy would reprise the role he originated opposite Shatner in the 1960s television show and played again in six big-screen adventures.
Abrams said Shatner probably would have a part in the film, which is due in theaters in December 2008. But while Shatner said he had a couple of meetings with Abrams, nothing came of it.
Abrams' "Trek" film, whose plot is being kept under wraps by distributor Paramount, recounts an early adventure for the crew of the starship Enterprise, with Chris Pines as the young Kirk and Zachary Quinto as the young Spock.
Link
I keep forgetting...Amazon now offers MP3's. Anyone check this out yet? I've searched for about 5 different CD's this afternoon, and every single one of them has been about $4 to download the MP3 version, and you can separately download just the tracks you want. No additional software needed....
How much revenue is Apple losing for unlocked iPhone? Yahoo reports:
Apple Inc. no longer accepts cash for iPhone purchases and now limits sales of the cell phone to two per person in a move to stop people from reselling them. The new policy started Thursday, said Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris. Before then, there was no cash restriction and the purchase limit was five per person.
"Customer response to the iPhone has been off the charts, and limiting iPhone sales to two per customer helps us ensure that there are enough iPhones for people who are shopping for themselves or buying a gift," Kerris said. "We're requiring a credit or debit card for payment to discourage unauthorized resellers."
More than 1.4 million units of the hybrid cell phone-iPod have been sold since it debuted on June 29, according to Apple. It is expected to be a hot gift for the holidays.
Apple thinks some people already have purchased multiple iPhones to resell, including those looking to modify, or "unlock," the phones so they work on networks other than Apple's carrier partner in the United States, AT&T Inc.
Apple estimates that buyers of 250,000 of the iPhones sold so far intended to unlock them, Apple's chief operating officer Tim Cook said in a conference call with analysts this week.
Let's see. If the rumors of $18 per phone per month are true, that's $4.5 million per month, $54,000,000 per year.
New Release. http://www.westtek.com/pocketpc/jetcet/
Experience the best mobile printing solution on the market! JETCET PRINT lets you print documents, photos, email and much more from your Windows Mobile Pocket PC phone. Quickly add printers, browse to files and voila! Print! No more complicated configuration steps or additional software required.
Print the most common file formats with JETCET PRINT. Printing is fast, easy and intuitive. All you need is a Bluetooth® or network connection to get started. Complete your mobile office with JETCET PRINT.
The JETCET PRINT printer drivers are based upon industry standard printer languages and provide support for select Canon, Epson, and Hewlett-Packard printers.
Key Features:
Print documents, pictures, email, email attachments, appointments, contacts, tasks, and web pages Find Files - Easily navigate to your files and email using JETCET's tabbed user interface (the "JETCET Explorer"). Take Pictures - JETCET PRINT's direct capture feature launches your device's onboard camera. Edit Pictures - crop and apply preset filters, custom filters, and effects. Add Places - create shortcuts to frequently used folders on your device or network. Apply File Filters - use file filters to limit the number of files that appear in drop-down lists. Read ZIP Archives - tap on a .ZIP file to reveal its contents and print supported file types within. Select Multiple Page Layouts for documents and images. Print to Letter, Legal, A4, and B5 paper sizes. Supported File Types: .doc, .rtf, .txt, .pdf, .ppt, .pps, .xls, .htm, .html, .bmp, .png, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .jfif, .jpe
Supported Connection Methods*:
- Bluetooth
- Serial Port Profile (SPP)
- Basic Imaging Profile (BIP)
- Direct IP (a.k.a. Port 9100)
- Internet Printing Protocol (IPP)
- Microsoft Shared Network (CIFS)
*Connection methods may vary by device and by printer.
Supported Printers: JETCET PRINT supports select Canon, Epson, and Hewlett-Packard printers. For a complete list, please visit our Support page.
Product Activation & Installation Notes: This product requires a registration key to unlock the full version. Your registration key will be provided at purchase. It will be displayed on the software download page and within your confirmation email.
The JETCET PRINT download package is a time trial executable. Establish a desktop connection with your device and Microsoft ActiveSync or Microsoft Windows Mobile Device Center prior to running the executable and licensing the software. If you need an alternate installation package, please contact support@westtek.com. Thank you.
Now that WiMax has been certified as a form of 3G (third-generation) mobile data infrastructure, Sprint Nextel Corp. is changing its tune about the WiMax network it plans to launch commercially in April.
Last year when Sprint was shopping around for a "4G" technology, it had a lot to say about how 4G would do something 3G networks couldn't. WiMax won out as its 4G network of choice. But in a keynote address Thursday at CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment in San Francisco, an executive of Sprint's WiMax business, Xohm, sang a different tune.
"I think we spend entirely too much time talking about the Gs," said Atish Gude, senior vice president of mobile broadband operations at Sprint. Last week, the Radiocommunication Sector of the International Telecommunication Union certified WiMax as a 3G technology, providing a seal of approval many governments require for carriers to deploy it. Wider deployment generally means lower equipment prices, which helps service providers.
Riiggghhttt...we spend too much time talking about the G's now that 4G can't be marketed.
Link
HTC has posted a ROM update for the HTC Mogul:
The latest ROM version includes added features that will help you get more out of your device!
This ROM update provides several key fixes for your Mogul:
- Improves Bluetooth compatibility and performance.
- Corrects keypad function when using On Demand.
- Corrects Alarm so it will ring when device is charging.
- Corrects several Sprint Music performance issues like fast-forwarding.
- Enables Sprint Music store to function on early production devices
- Adds new Sprint start up and sign off screens
All users should update their ROM even if they do not experience any of these issues currently.
Link
According to Wireless Week...
SAN FRANCISCO—Palm still plans on bringing out a new Foleo device as a companion to its Palm OS smartphones, but isn't saying anything more about the timing.
The first Foleo, announced last May by Palm founder Jeff Hawkins, was given the heave-ho in September because CEO Ed Colligan said the company wanted to focus on the next-generation Linux-based platform for the Palm OS handset. The Foleo was a laptop-sized companion that could be connected via Bluetooth to a Palm OS phone.
Joe Fabris, wireless solutions director for Palm, said on the sidelines at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show this week that the Foleo development had detracted from the work that needed to be done on the upcoming Palm Linux OS. He said both devices will have the same operating system. No dates have been announced, but it likely will be 2008 before a new Palm OS-based handset is ready.
Meanwhile, Fabris says Palm is deeply involved with Microsoft on the pilots for the software giant's just-announced Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008. That server will allow enterprise IT departments manage Windows Mobile smartphones as they would other computing assets, including over-the-air configuration and security through a mobile VPN.
Fabris says about 300 Palm Treo 750s are being used in the pilots with about 60 customers.
Palm sees the Windows Mobile platform as its enterprise play going forward, Fabris says, while the Palm OS will be pedaled more toward consumers and small businesses.
Note the other comment above on the Palm Linux OS...didn't Jon Rubinstein say 2009?
This volume of the SIR focuses on the first half of the 2007 calendar year (from January through June) and builds upon the data published in the previously released volumes of the SIR. Using data derived from several hundred million Windows users, and some of the busiest online services on the Internet, this report provides an in-depth perspective on trends in software vulnerability disclosures as well as trends in the malicious and potentially unwanted software landscape. The scope of this third volume of the report has been expanded to include trends on software vulnerability exploits.
A Key Findings Summary of this volume of the SIR is also available for download. This summary is available in the following languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish.
Link
Jason delivered a System Center Mobile Device Manager Webcast on Tuesday, the day the new product was announced. You can catch the replay here:
REGISTRATION URL:
http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032353688&Culture=en-US
LIVE MEETING REPLAY URL:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/mseventsbmo/view?id=1032353687&role=attend&pw=0689E934
Palm's new chairman, Jon Rubinstein told a press conference that the new Linux based smartphones are 18 months away. This despite Ed Colligan stating that the new devices would be available by the end of 2008. Although I won't bicker over a few months (unless they cancel this like they did the Foleo), let's hope they are focusing their efforts on quality Windows Mobile phones in 2008 rather than being distracted with Linux.
Starz' PC subscription video service, Vongo, reaches version 2.0 today.
On the mobile front, it now supports the Archos 405 and 605WiFi, as well as Creative's Zen, Zen Vision:M and Zen Vision W.
The software will also make streaming video to Media Center Extenders possible: it is compatible with the new lineup from Linksys, D-Link and Niveus that are soon to hit the market. (We'll add Vongo to our list of tests for those products.)
Vongo has also added new picture-in-picture resizing options for the desktop, and an updated user interface with improved personalized recommendations and better device management.
http://www.vongo.com
Security firm disclosed Wednesday that a security hole in Vonage's VoIP system could allow an attacker to reroute and effectively hijack phone calls.
"This leaves the Vonage customer subject to spam, social engineering vulnerabilities, and scams," reads a security advisory issued yesterday by Sipera Systems, a relatively unknown VoIP security firm out of Richardson, Texas. The company said it had alerted Vonage to the problem over a month ago, however it never received a response.
In a massive legal move, storage and portable media player developer SanDisk has filed three patent infringement lawsuits alleging some 25 companies that manufacture, import, or sell everything from USB flash drives to multimedia cards to portable media players infringe on SanDisk patents. The suits were filed in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Wisconsin and with the U.S. International Trade Commission; the suits allege that the companies are actively infringing on SanDisk's system-level patents. SanDisk is seeking an injunction on manufacturing infringing products and importing them into the United States, as well as unspecified monetary damages.
"Our goal is to resolve these matters by offering the defendants the opportunity to participate in our patent licensing program for card and system technology," said SanDisk's chief intellectual property counsel E. Earle Thompson, in a statement. "Otherwise, we will aggressively pursue these actions, seeking a prompt judicial resolution awarding damages, obtaining injunctive relief, and banning importation of infringing product."
Story
Reports are out that Paramount Pictures has begun casting for G.I.Joe to start filming in February 2008. Don't know about you, but I loved G.I. Joe growing up. Filming will be in Prague and Los Angeles.
Release Date: TBA 2009
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Stephen Sommers
Screenwriter: Stuart Beattie
Starring: Not Available
Genre: Action, Adventure
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Not Available
Review: Not Available
DVD Review: Not Available
DVD: Not Available
Movie Poster: Not Available
Production Stills: Not Available
Plot Summary: A live-action feature based on Hasbro's line of action figures. While some remember the character from its gung-ho fighting man '60s incarnation, he's evolved. G.I. Joe is now a Brussels-based outfit that stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, an international co-ed force of operatives who use hi-tech equipment to battle Cobra, an evil organization headed by a double-crossing Scottish arms dealer. The property is closer in tone to "X-Men" and James Bond than a war film.
Motorola Inc.'s earnings plunged more than 90 percent during the third quarter, but at least the beleaguered company posted a profit after being mired in red ink over the past six months. Plus, it painted a brighter picture for the fourth quarter.
The Schaumburg-based cell phone giant Thursday announced a net profit of $60 million or 3 cents per share. On a continuing operations basis, its net income was 2 cents per share, including 4 cents in charges associated with previously announced job cuts.
Those results were a tad below the 4 cents per share expected by analysts polled by Thomson Financial. But Motorola said Thursday that it expects fourth quarter profits to range from 12 to 14 cents, two to four cents more than analysts had been expecting.
Link
A YouGov survey claims 1 per cent of UK residents want an iPhone - citing its high price as a major turn-off.
A quarter of the sample group of 1,000 people said they would be highly likely to buy a phone with the features of the iPhone, but this figure fell to 1 per cent when the £269 price and £35 per month network subscription were described.
Marek Vaygelt, head of technology and telecoms consulting at YouGov, said: "This research conducted prior to any great marketing spend by Apple and its partners shows that there is demand for a phone of this type but consumers are used to subsidised handsets in the UK, more so than in the USA.
"The challenge for Apple, O2, and Carphone Warehouse is to convince customers to make a significantly higher outlay for the iPhone than they have been used to historically."
Link
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes Apple is taking $18 per month for each iPhone subscriber under its deal with AT&T. Apple confirmed it reached a revenue deal with AT&T, but never revealed what it is. Munster, who once thought Apple was receiving $3 per subscriber has changed his mind based on information gleaned from Apple's most recent financial report.
Apple's accounts describe $118 million in iPhone and iPhone-related revenue during the quarter. Apple has previously confirmed plans to account for iPhone sales across a two-year period.
Munster took the 1.4 million iPhones Apple's sold so far, took away the 250,000 units Apple said it believes were bought to unlock from AT&T's network, and calculates that 1.15 million revenue-generating iPhones contributed to Apple's quarter. If these estimates are correct, AT&T will pay Apple $432 per iPhone subscriber across the two-year life of the contract.
That's a lot of cash...and a lot of cash lost if Apple doesn't try to lock them back down. You can do the math.
I hate when they do this. Samsung has released the Windows Mobile 6 upgrade to the i600 for overseas markets. Where is the i607 upgrade for the US version (Samsung Blackjack on AT&T)? I read a press release announcing a September Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for the Blackjack. Where is it and why do international markets get them first? Are US carriers really that difficult?
If you use a Blackberry, and use GoogleTalk or Yahoo!, head over to http://mobile.blackberry.com on your Blackberry and get the update to 2.0.
This presentation will demonstrate the benefits of remote access and mobility features for Office Communicator 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 SP1. The scenario will focus on how users stay connected and can work without interruption while on the go.
Users continue to have access to presence and contact information, and various communication options, including mail, instant messaging, voice and multi-party conferencing. They can view documents and access SharePoint sites remotely. All these features increase productivity for the organization and are easy to set up by IT professionals. Participants at this session will also learn about some of the implicit benefits, such as cost saving and lesser help-desk calls.
PDF and XPS Presentation Available
Microsoft Corp. bought a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook for $240 million, valuing the rising Internet star at $15 billion.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE: The deal gives Microsoft an additional platform for selling ads as it tries to catch up with online search leader Google Inc. It gives Microsoft a toehold in social networking, an area where both Yahoo and Google have struggled.
FACEBOOK FUTURE: Microsoft's investment should help with Facebook's ambitious plans to expand, including to markets outside the United States. Facebook users, who are encouraged to expand their ties through messaging, photo-sharing and other tools, shouldn't see any immediate changes.
AT&T Inc. announced that wireless customers will soon be able to download more than 5 million full-track songs over the air from Napster, the industry's leading digital music subscription service.
Beginning in mid-November, the Napster Mobile service will enable AT&T wireless customers to easily search a music catalog with more than 5 million songs, preview samples of each song and conveniently purchase and download their favorite music from their wireless handsets in less than a minute. Customers will have the ability to download five tracks a month with the Napster Mobile Five-Track Pack option for a discounted price of $7.49 or purchase songs a la carte for just $1.99. As a special offer, customers who select the Napster Mobile Five-Track Pack from their phone will receive the first five songs free.
Ideal for on-the-go music enthusiasts, Napster Mobile will also feature joint delivery, sending a track to the user's wireless handset while making a duplicate copy available for download to the user's PC at no additional charge. An e-mail notice will be sent to the user's PC and will provide a link to download the new song.
"AT&T is the nationwide leader in mobile music and offers the largest catalog of songs, the most digital music choices and the best user experience in the industry," said Mark Collins, vice president of Consumer Data for AT&T's wireless unit. "We are pleased to expand our relationship with Napster, an innovator in the digital music revolution, to connect our customers to more of the music they want in the moment that they want it. This relationship reinforces AT&T's leadership in providing the industry's largest mobile music platform."
"We are pleased to be partnering with AT&T to provide its more than 63 million wireless customers with the best digital music offering available," said Brad Duea, president of Napster. "Together, Napster and AT&T will deliver 5 million songs to customers' handsets, along with the best discovery tools and download capabilities to the palms of customers' hands. We are equally excited to further extend our partnership with Ericsson for Napster Mobile which is based on Ericsson's Service Delivery Platform, SDP Media, tailored for media delivery."
Recording artists are realizing the potential of mobile distribution as an important way to reach their fans in a rapidly changing environment.
AT&T will kick off its new Napster Mobile music download service by featuring music content from Matchbox Twenty and the band's new album, "Exile on Mainstream," within the AT&T Mobile Music platform on wireless phones. This will include exclusive content from live concert performances on MobiTV and the company's forthcoming MobiVJ service; corresponding live tracks on Napster Mobile; and ringtone features. Matchbox Twenty's performance of some of the band's biggest and best-loved hits, the current single "How Far We've Come," and band interviews are also available online at the AT&T blue room (http://www.attblueroom.com/music).
"The mobile platform is important for the music industry, and it's an essential part of any artist's distribution channels," said Rob Thomas, lead singer from Matchbox Twenty. "AT&T's new partnership with Napster provides another seamless opportunity for music fans to connect to their favorite artists instantly."
With today's announcement, AT&T is reinforcing the company's commitment to delivering anytime, anywhere access to content. In addition, AT&T will be the only national provider to enable customers to purchase full-track songs over the air from both Napster, one of the most popular mainstream providers of digital music nationwide, and eMusic, the world's largest retailer of independent music.
With Napster Mobile via AT&T Mobile Music, customers will be able to:
* Discover Music. Browse from a catalog of more than 5 million songs, including content from all major labels, in a few easy steps and preview 30-second samples before purchasing.
* Listen to Music. Download full-track songs over the air and listen to the music that you want to hear in less than a minute.
* Manage Music. Instantly receive copies of purchased tracks on both your wireless phone and your PC. Knowing that the PC is the hub for managing music, AT&T makes it as simple and convenient as possible for customers to have the same music on their computers as they do on their wireless phones.
In addition to Napster Mobile, AT&T is also announcing two new music applications: MobiVJ, a streaming video service, and VIP Access, a mobile fan club and discovery service. These two new services further expand AT&T's mobile music portfolio. MobiVJ is easily accessible now by pressing the Music Note key and selecting Shop Applications on the company's portfolio of music phones, and VIP Access will be available in early November.
With MobiVJ, AT&T's wireless customers will be able to stream MobiTV music video channels, from up to eight genres, directly to wireless handsets for only $6.99 a month. Additionally, users will also be able to purchase full-track songs, matching ringtones and wallpaper from their favorite music videos. With VIP Access, customers will be able to search artist biographies and discographies, sample new music, participate in polls and receive breaking alerts via text messaging services for only $2.99 a month. The option to purchase related content will also be available.
These new services complement AT&T's existing Mobile Music experience, which is the richest and most complete mobile music offering in the industry. AT&T Mobile Music enables customers to choose how they want to discover and listen to music -- whether via instantaneous downloading or via sideloading from popular music subscription services such as Napster and eMusic. Other AT&T Mobile Music offerings include satellite radio with XM Radio, a song-recognition service called MusicID and a vast ringtone library. Customers can find AT&T's Mobile Music offerings by clicking on the Music Note key on their music phones.
AT&T was the only U.S. carrier to offer a phone with iTunes capability in 2005 and launched the Apple iPhone in June of this year.
Check it out...Windows Live Search for Mobile devices has been updated (v2.5.2840.19676). It now works with my built-in GPS on my AT&T Tilt. Movies, Gas Prices, Directions, Map, Categories, Traffic...and the ability to use my GPS...good-bye Google Maps...
http://wls.live.com
Visit the link on your mobile device...
More...
Here's the summary:
Hewlett-Packard Co. said it has planned to add Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 to HP Services' comprehensive mobility offering, which already includes the HP Enterprise Mobility Suite. HP also plans to support interoperability with future HP iPAQ handheld devices that will be compatible with Microsoft's Mobile Device Manager.
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