How strange is this? Well, not really. Verizon is getting WP7 devices, and apps from Verizon Wireless have surfaced (i.e crapware), except that on this occasion it seems, they have better tastes: apps with the Verizon Wireless source are Slacker (as usual), My Verizon, and Netflix (which is good!). Anyone extremely happy about CDMA technology coming to Windows Phone 7. Via: BGR
So let me get this straight: we still use Foursquare? It was a new and aspiring service that you could sign up for, download the app to your iPhone/Android/Windows Phone, and “check-in” to places, become the “mayor” of that said venue, and get bragging rights among your friends, as well as leave tips about what you think of said establishment. At first, this all seemed revolutionary, but the love-affair with Foursquare may be drawing to an close.
Just what is the point now with “checking-in” and telling my friends? Sure, yours truly has a Foursquare account, and I have great friends in it, like Kevin Rose, John Biggs, Joel Johnson, and Kate Gardiner to name a few. But after more than a year of being in the spotlight, where’s the innovation? Where’s the “ooh” and “ah” that we want to see in a shiny, new company with tons of potential? In a desperate attempt it seems to keep the service “cool” Foursquare management has struck deals with some big-name stores (and smaller businesses), allowing you to become mayor and get coupons — for perilously little amounts. This may encourage more visits and traffic for the venue, but what of the end user?
So I can see where my friend was 30 minutes ago? When I could just use Twitter, Facebook, an SMS, or dare I say, an email, phone call, or actually seeing my “friend”? Foursquare is not a dying service; they’re running out of innovative and fresh ideas it seems. And when you run out of ideas, you soon run out everything you had, in one fell swoop.
So we all still use Foursquare? For what, “keeping up with your friends”? Tell me Foursquare (even on my own FS account) what’s your purpose of “discovering new places” now anyway? Haven’t I become mayour of enough places already, with little to no benefit to me, the end user, whatsoever?
Wanted an Wi-Fi Kindle for Christmas? Hohoho-no-way-sucker! Amazon is fresh out of the Wi-Fi only Kindle ahead of Christmas, but they still have the more expensive Kindle 3G for $189 instead of the $139 for the Wi-Fi version, which famously comes with free 3G data, and no monthly plans. Via: Amazon
So the numbers are here. Windows Phone 7 launched October 21 and in the United States and Canada on November 8th of this year. 1.5 million handsets were sold in six weeks (but shipped and sold to carriers and retailers), the Marketplace has gained about 4,000 apps 2 months into availability, and plenty of possibly skeptical persons who are looking at these numbers while reading this.
As for Achim Berg, VP of business and market for WP7, he had this to say:
Yes, and I think our expectations are realistic for a new platform. We started fresh with Windows Phone 7, and it’s a different kind of phone. Measuring for success is more long term than short term. We launched with many of the top mobile operators in the world, and even more in the coming year in 2011.
We have 18,000 developers who are developing for our marketplace. It’s just getting better and better.
Now for my comment: That’s not so micro of you at all to “sell” 1.5 million units in 1.5 months (but they’re not the real data) but just how many were “bought” by consumers? Now, as for my copy and paste update, Achim states that they’ll be releasing “first of several updates” in the next few months.
Via: Microsoft US
This guy was awesome. His name is Joseph Gallo and a great agent to have. Of course like all things that must end, he’s ending his job at Nokia PR effective on December 30th. He also seemed pretty bummed too, see here:
Unfortunately, this means I won’t be able to grab drinks with everyone at CES as I won’t be going this year.
You can follow him on Twitter as @jgallo02. Good luck Joe!
It’s time to celebrate as a Gmail user. If you have a Google Voice account, people that you can call in the U.S. and Canada (no prank calls, please), and some free time, you can enjoy free calling in Gmail for one more year, meaning that the whole party ends in 2012. Via: Gmail blog
So this is extremely interesting, if you pay attention. Honeycomb and a Motorola tablet has been in talks for a while now, but the Motorola “Buzz” (because there’s a bee in there) teaser for CES 2011 takes all the tablets the world has ever seen of importance, and states their’s must be cooler. You’ll understand when you watch the promo above.
So AT&T buys company (read: Qualcomm’s FLO TV) for $1.925 billion, the wireless waves dedicated to FLO TV will now be AT&T’s for use in giving us all “4G” in 2011, and the “4G” is found on the lower 700MHz band. This “deal” for this “4G” will be “completed” in the “later half of 2010″. You can tell I’m not so happy writing this, eh? Well I’m all up for speed and a faster network, but now that the requirements for making a 4G network really 4G are lower (read: not real 4G) it’s disappointing, and AT&T better not pull of an anti-net neutrality move on us, for the sake of the internet. PR after the jump.
Ah, Chrome OS. So half-baked you could throw up on the chrome (get it?). In my time using the Cr-48 constantly, I’ve found some secrets of Chrome OS running on the Cr-48 through different, tedious means. First off, there’s a proper media player and improved file browser than the ones seen by default, an on-screen keyboard of sorts that could spark tablet rumors (but I wouldn’t go that far) and improvements to Flash, so that Hulu and YouTube videos will run like butter, even though there won’t be 720p HD (yet). Jump on the “more” link for all my findings.
Google Chrome OS? Cr-48? They’re just computing in the cloud and not storing things locally, on your machine. I’ll be taking this one by the horns. Cutting up all the paragraphs short, Chrome OS is Google’s idea of a future notebook: in the cloud, all the time, web access anywhere you go due to Verizon Wireless’ free 100MB data every month for 2 years, never losing data, and a simple interface with a clean keyboard. Let’s just get on with the rest, okay?
It all sounds so, dare I say, “magical”, (for lack of a better word that has probably been trademarked by Apple internally) doesn’t it? Sure, there are some who hate the idea of a cloud operating system, both the experts cannot speak for all the consumers. Whoa, nelly! I’m defending Google’s alpha-stage, completely unfinished and new product, right? Right? No.
Have you ever experienced a 3D TV like you get at the cinema? Lightweight glasses, cool effects and a great picture experience? LG 3D televisions bring it right into your home.