Historically, RIM Blackberry has been preferred over Apple iPhone by business users largely due to the iPhone having no native support for corporate email systems such as Exchange Server, limiting its usefulness as a business tool.
Now that Exchange ActiveSync support will be built into iPhone 2.0 software, expect a change in the marketplace. Service providers are likely gearing up to help customers migrate to iPhone to access service cost advantages of the iPhone compared to BlackBerry.
However, RIM has also announced the BlackBerry Bold, a strong competitor featurewise to the iPhone.
The iPhone’s unique user interface and video capabilities provides an ideal platform for launching new business applications. Other support such as Google Maps could pave the way for new logistics applications and Objective C programming language is providing the ISV community with a platform to develop feature-rich applications that make use of iPhone’s unique capabilities.
The iPhones new capabilities will better position it against the popular Treo 600. The Palm Treo 600 combines personal digital assistant and phone, with a touch-screen interface gained rapid adoption in the mainstream business market, providing an opportunity for value-added resellers [VARs] to offer integrated email solutions .
Whilst the phone market is still changing, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile have settled as the dominant operating systems.
The next generation iPhone is cheaper and faster than - in fact according to Steve Jobs who recently unveiled the new iPhone 3G at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco it “is twice as fast at half the price. It is also reported to be thinner.
The new version will roll out in 22 countries on July 11 and to 70 countries by end of 2008.
Mobile operators are ramping up great value data plans for when the new version is released. The original iPhone, built to run on slower, so-called 2.5G networks, with the new version upspec’d to 3G networks, accounting for its faster speed.
Currently Apple holds 20 percent share of the US smartphone market, and 5 per cent in the rest of the world. Main competitors to the 3G iPhone are RIM BlackBerry and Nokia’s N95.
Expected Retail Price - US$199 for an 8-gigabyte model; $299 for a 16GB version. This compares very favorably to the first version which sold out $599 and was subsequently reduced to $399.
Color - a choice of black or white for the flagship version; the entry-level 8GB will only be available in black.
Other Special Features - The new iPhone also comes with built in GPS satellite navigation to support location-based services. The prior model used a combination of Wi-Fi and cell tower responses to determine a users’ location.
iPhone 3G has also resolved numerous issues with the original, adding a flush-mounted headphone jack and increased battery life.
For More Features, watch this short 1 minute video
Good Things Come To Those Who Wait - I’m sure glad I have!
There is still a lot of confusion around digital television, and whether TV owners need to get a converter box or not.
To help clarify – for those currently connected to:
Cable or Satellite - or other paid services will not be affected by this change. However, as every cable company is different, contact your provider to confirm that you will not be affected.
Over-The-Air – using roof top antennas or rabbit-ears – you WILL be affected. Check your TV manual to see if your TV has a built-in digital tuner. If it does, you are okay. If not, you will need a digital [DTV] converter box.
Note - the converter boxes used for OTA are NOT the same as those that may be needed for Cable.
Microsoft Corp has announced it will stop making HD DVD video players following Toshiba Corp pulling the plug on the high definition movie technology and following announcements by Warner Bros and Wal-Mart to exclusively back Sony Corp’s Blu-ray video technology.
Microsoft and Intel have been the biggest supporters of HD DVD to date, however, the market has spoken and Microsoft knows when the game is up. With bundling of movie players and video game consoles, Microsoft, like Sony recognise the devices as channels for delivering games, movies and Web content.
Microsoft will continue product and warranty support for all Xbox 360 HD DVD players already sold.
It seems Toshiba is close to bailing in the battle of BluRay and high-def DVD battle and give up on its HD DVD format. The competing Blu-ray technology, lead by Sony Corp, seems to be the final winner in the 3 year battle.
Sony [Blu-ray] and Toshiba [HD DVD] lead competing consortiums vying to set the standard for the next-generation DVD and compatible video equipment.
The end of the war will be welcomed by yet to purchase consumers, who have paitently waited for a winner to emerge, before investing in DVD players and game stations. With a single victor, the DVD industry is expected to pick up the pace of development in the high-definition DVD space.
The final strokes that cup Toshiba’s followers down included:
Recent announcement by United States retailing giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc that it would abandon the HD DVD format and stock only Blu-ray movies.
Previous announcement by Warner Bros that it was supporting Blu-ray exclusively. Warner Bros. Entertainment will be releasing its high-definition titles “exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning around June 2008. According to Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, the move is a “strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want…….the window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger.”
Will this finally signal the exit of Toshiba from the next generation DVD business, with the company suffering losses likely to run to tens of billions of yen?
TomTom, the market leader in satellite-navigation devices, made formal its offer to buy Tele Atlas, a maker of digital maps, after Garmin conceded defeat for its rival bid. TomTom amassed a 28% stake in Tele Atlas, its Dutch compatriot, during negotiations.
Go-Reviews recently investigated hybrid cars to update how well these fuel efficient, low emission cars are being perceived by the market, and more so whether the market is ready to pay the premium to buy one.
The good news is that the technology being integrated into hybrid cars is leading edge, and is being rolled out into conventional cars also. This means that greater fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions are working their way into standard car manufacturing processes.
But the sad news is, that whilst hybrid cars remain signficantly more expensive, there is some hesitation in the market. This is a totally unscientific claim, but the fuel saving economics just don’t stack up enough to sway the cost conscious consumer to support the planet. In most cases, it takes 12-14 years to get payback on the addtional cost.
Do you think talking on a cellphone whilst driving is safer than texting on a cellphone whilst driving? You may be surprised…I certainly was.
I was watching an interesting program on television last night about this very thing. A parent was horrified that her teenage daughter was constantly receiving and sending text messages whilst driving. She also admitted that she spoke almost constantly on her cellphones whilst driving, using a handsfree kit. She felt this was safer than her daughters habit. So the local safety authorities took up the challenge to prove exactly which interaction was more distracting…….and the texting won. Texting proved safer than talking on a mobile phone even using a handsfree set up.
The reason it seems, is that texting, like using your GPS, is something that is within your control in terms of concentration. The drivers tested generally deferred any inputs if they were in close proximity to other vehicles or negotiating more hazardous road conditions.
Those speaking on mobile phones, however, were largely at the mercy of the person on the other end. Their interaction required concentration on the other person at all times. And this proved to cause more accidents than expected.
So there it is. Personally, I don’t believe in either. I don’t have too much problem disengaging my conversation when I need to concentrate more, and I find people talking to me in the car, or loud music even worse.
The jury is finally out on the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray, well as far as Warner Bros is concerned anyway. Warner Bros. has announced it will drop the HD DVD format entirely by the end of May 2008 and go exclusively with the Blu-ray. Whilst many will say the war is not over, this is certainly a round one victory to Blu-ray.
The question on everyones lips is will the support of just 2 studios [Paramount and Universal] be enough to keep HD DVD viable? And what does Toshiba slashing prices on their entry-level HD DVD players say - a move to reinvigorate a flagging product, or getting a few cents on the dollar out whilst they can.
At a time when the world share markets are in chaos, I wouldn’t be putting any money in HD DVD stocks just yet.
And who knows, one never knows what technology is just around the corner to shake Blu-ray out of its boxes.
Amazons launched its electronic-book reader, Kindle, this week. Analysts are mixed as to its likely success, with some reminding up of the launch of the iPod in 2001 attracting adverse comments as to its likelihood to fly, especially with such a “silly name”.
The book reader is not the first product of this type, but are its additional, unexpected features enough to drive its adoption.
Books for use with the reader cost just $10 and can be bought from Amazons online store via a built-in free cellular connection. This means there is no need for a PC.
Users can also pay to subscribe to newspaper and magazine articles and blog feeds.
Of the device itself, critics are calling it “clunky” and say its capability to carry hundreds of books at one fails to solve a universal problem. The 4.9 inch x 7.7 inch x 0.7 inch book reader device comes equipped with a 6-inch 800 x 600 display, 256MB internal storage [not a lot], small two-thumb keyboard cursor bar [could be difficult for large thumbs], scroll wheel, standard mini USB port, 3.5mm headphone jack, SD slot, and an EV-DO data connection.
However, for commuters, travellers, and those who like to live in minimalism, the device could hold some value.
A sample of the content Kindle will have access to includes:
More than 88,000 books available, including most best sellers.
Free book samples - download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
Top U.S. and International newspapers - delivered automatically
Top magazines - TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes
International newspapers - France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times
Over 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics
Like any other new gadget, only time will tell…although early indications are that it is going to surprise a few skeptics. The device is already sold out, but you can get find out more about Kindle and get your order in line for the next delivery here
Amazons launched its electronic-book reader, Kindle, this week. Analysts are mixed as to its likely success, with some reminding up of the launch of the iPod in 2001 attracting adverse comments as to its likelihood to fly, especially with such a “silly name”.