Dell DJ Redux?

Dell is looking to revamp its consumer electronics unit again by delving back into the PMP arena again with a new MP3 player and web portal

The company currently sells several MP3 players on its site, including Microsoft’s Zune, but chose not to ally with Microsoft when building its new device. According to the Wall Street Journal, which broke the news, Dell will offer a tighter, seamless experience between PC, music player, and music store. The player itself will be cheaper than Dell’s previous line of Dell DJ products, will offer WiFi on at least some models, and should come in under the $100 price point.

Also new this time around is Zing, a startup company Dell bought back in 2007. Zing will serve as a comprehensive portal for a variety of Dell entertainment devices and services that will eventually encompass both consumer PCs and consumer electronics.

MP3 players may be old business for Dell, but the company has never tried to launch its own media hub or an all-in-one media service. Historically, these types of business initiatives have not fared well; Gateway’s attempt to reinvent itself as a consumer electronics company failed miserably, and Microsoft hasn’t been able to put much of a dent in Apple’s market share, despite the company’s best efforts (though it is beating out other competitors like Creative).

 

Link: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080730-dell-designs-own-music-player-again.html

California Judge Says Early Termination Fees Illegal

This is only for one State and the appeal in inevitable, but Early Termination Fees are a blight to consumer advocacy. They say it is to subsidize handset prices, while others say it is to lock consumers into a provider regardless of satisfaction and price gouging.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The fees that cell phone carriers charge customers who break service contracts took a big hit in a California courtroom when a judge said such charges by Sprint Nextel Corp. likely violate state law.

The judge, in a tentative ruling issued late Monday, said Sprint will have to pay $18.3 million to customers who sued over the fees and credit $54.8 million to those who were charged but did not pay the fees.

The same judge is considering other lawsuits against telecommunications companies over their so-called early termination fees, which can range from $150 to $225. This month Verizon Wireless agreed to pay $21 million to settle an identical lawsuit just as trial was starting.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Bonnie Sabraw rejected Sprint’s argument that a state court had no business deciding an issue the company said should be left for federal authorities. And while her ruling isn’t legally binding outside the state, it cut to the heart of an ongoing debate in other state courthouses and in Washington, D.C., over the fairness of the fees.

Who would have believed that a San Francisco Judge would have made a good decision? :-)

(of course it is an anti-business ruling, so perhaps that is why)

Link

Sprint Nextel up for sale

With the US dollar devalued internationally, foreign investors are finding many opportunities to buy up struggling US companies.

NEW YORK (AP) — South Korea’s SK Telecom Corp. is in talks to buy struggling U.S. wireless carrier Sprint Nextel Corp., business news channel CNBC reported Tuesday

An agreement would be at best weeks away, CNBC said, citing people familiar with the talks.

Sprint shares closed down 4 percent at $7.94 after initially spiking on the report.

U.S.-listed shares of SK Telecom, Korea’s largest mobile-phone service operator by subscriber numbers, fell 2 percent to $20.67.

Sprint spokesman James Fisher had no comment on the report. No SK Telecom representatives were available in the early morning hours, Korean time.

CNBC reported that private-equity firms would provide financing for the deal, since SK Telecom’s market value is about half of Sprint’s $22.6 billion.

Sprint has been losing subscribers for some time, but it’s still the third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S., with 52.8 million subscribers at the end of the first quarter. Its stock has lost half its value in the last year, and there have been reports that the company has been talking to other possible acquirers, like T-Mobile USA.

Link: http://www.baynews9.com/content/26/2008/7/15/365394.html?title=CNBC:%20Korean%20carrier%20in%20talks%20to%20buy%20Sprint

http://www.sktelecom.com/

http://www.sprint.com/index.html?brand=Nextel

Why Unlocking Your Phone Annoys the Carriers

This little snippet was buried in a story about how Apple is making it more difficult to unlock an iPhone.

One major incentive for unlocking remains, especially for Europeans. Those who travel to other countries with unlocked phones can use local prepaid service plans rather than paying exorbitant international roaming fees to their home carriers.

Uniquephones.com helps unlock 10,000 British cell phones of all kinds every day, McLaughlin said, with travelers being a core customer group.

It annoys AT&T so much that they are even looking to penalize customers even beyond the early termination fee.

AT&T charges customers who break a two-year contract within the first month a $175 early termination fee plus the $36 activation fee. That would bring the cost of the new iPhone to $411 for an unlocker, just slightly more than the old model’s $399 price.

That math may mean it is still attractive to unlock iPhones for use on other networks and that AT&T will lose money on unlockers. Analysts estimate AT&T plans to subsidize the phones by more than $200 each.

But Ralph de la Vega, head of AT&T Mobility, said Monday that it and Apple are working on “penalties” for users who buy phones and don’t activate them within 30 days. AT&T could, for instance, bar buyers who repeatedly buy iPhones and break the contracts from buying more.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/26/2008/6/10/355870.html?title=New%20iPhone’s%20business%20model%20is%20tough%20on%20unlockers

AT&T settles suit over 3rd-party cell phone fees

A two of my teenaged children had gotten tied up with a few of these SMS services and were billed hundreds of dollars for these “services”.  I had to call Customer Service and complain loudly for quite a while to get them to remove these charges and then block SMS from their phones as to prevent it from reoccurring.

NEW YORK (AP) — AT&T customers who have seen mysterious charges for ringtones and other content show up on their cell-phone bills will be eligible for refunds as part of the settlement of a group of class-action lawsuits, a lawyer for the class said Monday.

Customers will able to claim refunds for spurious charges that appeared on up to three of their monthly bills between Jan. 1, 2004, and May 30, 2008, according to Jay Edelson, lead counsel for the plaintiffs.

It is the first nationwide settlement over the business of third-party content, Edelson said. AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said he knew of no other similar settlement.

 Edelson’s firm has filed similar suits against Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA.

Vendors of ringtones and daily text-message services with horoscopes and jokes solicit customers to sign up by entering their phone numbers on Web sites or by sending text messages. The charges, which can be hidden or poorly explained, show up later on cell-phone bills, often as recurring charges.

Full Story Here

SPB Phone Suite 1.3 released

 

SPB has finally released the updated version of Phone Suite after being in public beta for a while.  This is one of the MUST HAVE’s for all PPC Phone devices.

 

Spb Phone Suite is a collection of all phone features you missed in Windows Mobile. These are features like profiles, call filtering, missed call notifications, reject and reply with SMS, etc.

http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/phonesuite/?en

Version 1.3 (April 30, 2007):

Profiles:

• New profile engine: profiles and profile switching rules are separated
• Now a user can create his own additional profiles
• The profile switching pop-up has been updated to support multiple profile switch and to enable/disable the automatic profile switching rules
• Profile icons have been updated
• Additional marks notifying about changing or automatic turning a profile on have been added

Today plug-in:

• GUI for selecting a default mailbox for opening when clicking on the mailbox icon has been added
• Asterisks on the profile icon notifying about the profile update, have been implemented
• The number on an icon is enlarged when selected
• Missed call (sms, etc.) count is more contrast now

Microsoft Surface Coming To AT&T Stores In April

This is a cross promotion to expose the Microsoft Surface to corporate markets as well as get some real world feedback.  This is a very interesting technology that will have some HUGE future appeal if Microsoft can make this ubiquitous for the home user market.

Microsoft’s multitouch Surface tabletop computer may be coming to an AT&T store near you. In the first public deployment of the technology, AT&T will put 22 of Microsoft’s Surface computers in four cities around the United States on April 17.

When customers place one or more of eight mobile devices — not yet including the Apple iPhone — labeled with a special optical tag onto the Surface, the computer will recognize the objects and let customers explore device features. AT&T has also created another customized application that will allow customers to explore its coverage map, zooming in and out and navigating across the country by using hand gestures on the Surface’s multitouch screen.

Initially, AT&T will deploy the Surface computers in two stores in New York as well as one each in San Antonio, Atlanta, and San Francisco. If customers warm to the application, AT&T is looking to expand to more cities and stores moving forward.

Link: http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207001259

Yahoo Closes Music Service

More and more of these music services are closing their virtual doors. Is iTunes forcing them out due to market dominance or is this just the first of the Yahoo services being sacrificed in the light of the possible Microsoft buyout.

 

Yet another iTunes competitor is going down the bit bucket–Yahoo will close its Music Unlimited service and move its remaining subscribers over to RealNetworks’ Rhapsody later this year.

Yahoo explained the move yesterday in a post on its corporate blog:

Around 25 million people visit Yahoo! Music each month. Relatively speaking, a small percentage of those use Yahoo! Music Unlimited, yet an large portion of our resources were being poured into this service. It was clear to us that we needed to make a major strategic shift.

The post goes on to say that Yahoo subscribers will be able to “easily take their music catalogs and migrate to Rhapsody.” But a press release at Real’s site notes that these people will wind up paying more for “a limited time” after they’re moved over to Rhapsody. Where Yahoo charges $8.99 a month for unlimited, “tethered” downloads to a computer (or $5.99/month if you prepay for a year), Rhapsody’s equivalent service costs $12.99 a month.

Yahoo’s pricing advantage was even stronger when it launched the service. But as the company ratcheted up its prices, then mysteriously dumped the “To Go” option that allowed copying these rented downloads to certain “PlaysForSure” music devices, Yahoo Music Unlimited had less and less to distinguish itself from Rhapsody and other services.

Some things are still unclear after Yahoo’s announcements:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2008/02/yahoo_hits_the_eject_button_on.html

Domino’s Pizza - Track Your Pizza

All they need is GPS in the car and you could meet the pizza at the curb :)

Basically you can watch the progress of your order up to the time it leaves the store.  No more, “I wonder if they forgot my order”.

http://www.dominos.com/home/tracker/pizzatracker.jsp

AT&T Network Failure - Jan 31

 

I wondered what had kicked me off the network. I almost accused my Ex of not paying the bill…

 

AT&T technicians have resolved a network failure that may have limited access to data today for users of  the BlackBerry, iPhone and other wireless devices.

 

Dan Feldstein, an AT&T spokesman in Houston, said technicians fixed the problem a little before 3 p.m.

 

He said the network problem could have affected wireless data such as Internet and e-mail service, but not voice or text messages.

 

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5502693.html

How to Save Wet Devices

This is pretty good info for many devices, I’ve saved a laptop from a quart of Gatoraid and a cell from a swimming pool. Conversely, I’ve lost several phones from washing machines .  So, I’d consider it a miracle to be able to recover a device from a dunking and if you are lucky enough to benefit from this, remember to be grateful.

Sooner or later every cell phone goes in the drink. For some it may be the bathtub, for others a glass of scotch. For many, the toilet. (No need to explain.)

Hey, you spent hundreds of dollars on that handset, so it’s understandable that you might decide to attempt to rescue it. But how?

The Cell Freak has all the collected wisdom on the topic, including some advice I’d never heard, like soaking the phone in 95% alcohol to dissolve all the water trapped inside. I’ve personally had good luck with low-level heat for wet phones and laptops: A few hours on the lowest setting inside an oven (150 degrees or thereabouts) can dry out a gadget and make it good as new.

Regardless of which method you try, remember to remove the battery from any device you attempt to salvage. If this hasn’t been made clear by now, batteries are deeply susceptible to damage from heat and foreign substances. They’re also relatively easy to replace, so don’t even try to save a battery if it’s been compromised. However, batteries are by design well-sealed to prevent water or other materials from getting inside, so a quick wipe with a towel should be all you need to save a power cell.

Remember that these methods are not foolproof; in fact, they’re far from it. Water and electronics just don’t mix. My personal record on saving wet gadgets is about 50-50, but those are pretty good odds in my book, and with this advice, they’re even better.

Link 1: http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/null/6837

Link 2: http://www.thecellfreak.com/how-do-i-save-a-wet-cellphone/

T-Mobile Sidelines the Sidekick Slide

Oopsie, there is a problem here.  I’d assume there will be a program to return affected devices announced at some point.

On Friday evening, T-Mobile issued an advisory noting that the company had ceased sales of its new Sidekick Slide. According to the statement, the move comes after handset manufacturer Motorola confirmed that some devices may power off when the slide door on the front side of the phone is opened or closed.

This is a shame: I had some time with the slide prior to its release, and liked its slider mechanism and slightly more compact size as compared with the new Sidekick LX. T-Mobile goes on to say that Motorola is working to identify the root cause of the power cycle issue; however, the company doesn’t give an estimate as to when we can expect sales to resume.

Link: http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/005941.html

Give One, Get One

This seems like a pretty good idea, probably better when they get the price down, but the concept will help speed the adoption of the program.  Odds are the first bunch will wind up on ebay, everything does.

 

This is a time limited offer, so break out your Christmas funds and share it with someone that needs it.

 

A nonprofit organization called One Laptop Per Child on Monday launched a program that for a limited time allows residents of the U.S. and Canada to purchase a laptop for a child in a developing country and receive another one for personal use.

Between now and Nov. 26, those residing in the U.S. or Canada can participate in the “Give One, Get One” program by paying for two XO laptops, which are packed with learning tools intended specifically for children in developing countries. The laptops are designed, manufactured, and distributed by One Laptop Per Child, an organization created in 2005 by MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte.

T-Mobile said it will offer participants a one-year complimentary subscription to its

HotSpot service, which provides Wi-Fi Internet access at more than 8,500 locations in the U.S. That includes Starbucks coffee shops, Borders bookstores, Hyatt Hotels, Amtrak stations, and airports.

The XO laptop has a rugged design and is made out of water-and shock-resistant materials for harsh environments. Other attributes include a high-resolution screen that is viewable in direct sunlight or dark indoors, low power consumption, and the ability to be powered by solar energy or energy created using pull cords and hand cranks. The laptop takes advantage of wireless mesh technology that is being deployed in many developing countries that lack a landline phone or cable infrastructure. The laptop has “rabbit ears” that act as a wireless router for Internet access.

 

Additionally, the laptop uses free and open-source software to allow children and their teachers the freedom to reshape their software, hardware, and content in any way they want, according to One Laptop Per Child.

To help children expand their imagination and creativity, it offers a built-in video camera, sophisticated sound processing, as well as music, gaming, art, and word processing software. Video game maker Electronic Arts (NSDQ: ERTS) has agreed to equip each XO laptop with its SimCity game, enabling children to learn how to build cities using limited resources.

Participants are asked to pay $400 for two XO laptops, although Negroponte’s goal is to bring the cost of each laptop down to $100 — a move that would help speed adoption in many countries.

One of the laptops purchased will be given to a child in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti, or Rwanda. The other laptop will be shipped starting in December to the program participant for personal use. People that participate in “Give One,Get One,” will be able to write off $200 of the contribution as a tax-deductible charitable donation.

 

Link:  http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202805268

Link:  http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php

When a Virus comes a calling

Like most of us, I do not run an antivirus on my PPC. The time will come however when this will become a problem, especially with the increasing converged device market and adoption of mobile devices in the corporate market.  Stealing the address book of your teenage daughter is one thing, but stealing the password hash (or keylogger) from a corporate device is another.

According to Symantec, viruses spread on cell phones in a variety of ways: Internet downloads, MMS (multimedia messaging service) attachments, and Bluetooth transfers to name a few. They’ll often show up as game downloads, updates to your phone’s system, ringtones, or alerts. McAfee Avert Labs has identified about 450 different variants of mobile threats, and that’s not including phishing attacks and spam. According to McAfee research, 83 percent of worldwide carriers have had security incidents in 2007.

What do these viruses do? Reports are trickling in: A Seattle family was watched, monitored, and threatened because of spyware on their cell phone. A man’s cell phone content was wiped clean after he downloaded a virus-infested ringtone. Crashes, unstable or slower-than-usual performance, quick battery consumption, incorrect or skyrocketing mobile phone bills, a dramatic increase in messaging charges-any of these could be a virus.

One of the original cell phone viruses (2004) was transmitted through a Bluetooth connection. Like your PC, some phone viruses are just annoying-a pop-up or a silly joke. Others are a bit more insidious, like the one that resets your phone monthly.

But the latest and most sophisticated crop are what’s called “pranking for profit.” This can involve things like redirecting your calls to a different carrier in a different country, racking up a hefty phone bill. Or sending an MMS message to everyone in your contact directory, leaving you with enormous extra charges. Or “vishing,” when you’ll get a voice call that asks for information, faking it by posing as a legitimate business. A downloaded application may send information about your phone account to hackers. Snoopware (which is spyware on steroids) might capture your keypad clicks

Link: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/raskin/14640

Products: http://shop.symantecstore.com/DRHM/servlet/ControllerServlet?Action=DisplayProductSearchResultsPage&SiteID=symnahho&categoryID=2219900&Locale=en_US&ThemeID=106300&keywords=wireless&PC1.x=0&PC1.y=0&pgm=12821000

http://www.mobilefan.net/Pocket-PC.nsf/Download-Free-Software/Anti-Virus

http://www.airscanner.com/

http://f-secure-mobile-anti-virus.en.softonic.com/pocket

http://www.bullguard.com/why/bullguard-mobile-antivirus.aspx

Quit Jammin’ Me

In the words of the bard Tom Petty;

You’re jammin’ me, You’re jammin’ me
Quit jammin’ me

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 2 - One afternoon in early September, an architect boarded his commuter train and became a cellphone vigilante. He sat down next to a 20-something woman who he said was “blabbing away” into her phone.

“She was using the word ‘like’ all the time. She sounded like a Valley Girl,” said the architect, Andrew, who declined to give his last name because what he did next was illegal.

Andrew reached into his shirt pocket and pushed a button on a black device the size of a cigarette pack. It sent out a powerful radio signal that cut off the chatterer’s cellphone transmission - and any others in a 30-foot radius.

“She kept talking into her phone for about 30 seconds before she realized there was no one listening on the other end,” he said. His reaction when he first discovered he could wield such power? “Oh, holy moly! Deliverance.”

The eternal conflict has risen again… the inconsiderate vs. the overly annoyed.  The idea of cell phone jamming isn’t new, but is illegal, regardless of how appropriate it might be in some cases.

 

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/technology/04jammer.html?ei=5065&en=5e5485ab1f2c0aeb&ex=1194753600&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print