June 13, 2006
I'm quoted today in an MSNBC story regarding electronic books. I recently blogged that the iRex approach of targeting B2B applications was a better market introduction strategy than offering products such as the Sony Reader at retail, but this article raises the possibility of subsidizing the device's through the established subscription model for newspapers and magazines. That has more potential than, say, subsidizing MP3 players through subscription services such as Napster or Audible.
Still, while the electronic ink in this generation may offer a leap forward, it's a poor fit for colorful magazines or even newspapers, the static editions of which compare poorly in timeliness to the constantly updated Web. We'll need more mainstream wireless data usage before we see the dynamically changing stories in electronic newspapers such as those in the movie Minority Report.
It looks like Verizon Wireless will take the high road and not market Chaperone to paranoid parents as protection for children and instead focus more on monitoring and communication. Indeed, much of the child-location service focuses on even more high-minded purposes, such as increasing a comfort level so that kids get more exercise. However, while services like Chaperone have the edge over pioneers such as Whereify in reaching the mass market and the phone is clearly a device that is starting to become more popular among the "tween" set, Whereify service offers more protection, such as automatically sounding an alarm when its watch-like device's band is broken.
Ideally, it would be great to see something as small as the shoe receiver used in the Nike+iPod system be tied to a locator, but then again the last thing we want to encourage in those who prey upon kids is strip searches.
April 18, 2006
No two MVNOs seem to be going more directly head-to-head than Helio – the JV between EarthLink and Korea's SK Telecom — and Amp'd Mobile, Verizon Wlreless's hipper half. I suppose CDMA is the official network infrastructure of youth. Whereas Amp'd seems to be focused more on entertainment, though (albeit "cooler" entertainment), Helio CEO (and EarthLink co-founder) Sky Dayton offers a cool head when it comes to cramming convergence down acolytes' handsets in another great Engadget interview. On digital photography:
We’re not going to integrate technology just for the sake of technology, like putting a ten megapixel camera on a phone. We could do that — we know where to get ‘em, you know — but it’s a little bit of a freak show as a handset, right? I mean it’s not a very good phone, it’s huge and it’s not really a very good camera. If you want ten megapixels, go get a D50, you know; that’s a great camera.
April 14, 2006
With all the intrigue surrounding its former executives and their cars, I’ve been surprised to see no coverage regarding Gizmondo’s Web site being down for weeks. I fear this may be the end for what one of the few reviews I read described as the taco-shaped portable console. While the little handheld that couldn’t followed in the footsteps of Tapwave, another handheld gaming failure based on a PDA operating system, I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before some of Gizmondo’s unique features such as WAN and GPS data support appear in products from more established companies.
Sony Ericsson continues to turn itself around. That's great news for the entire North American handset market as it shows that consumers are willing to embrace more media-rich (and I don't mean in just the carrier-fed J2ME/Brew way), functional handsets that have been increasingly well-designed. And take note, Nokia, they're doing it without having to create a complex retail infrastructure. Despite criticism that the Walkman brand has lost its luster, those branded music phones have been selling well. Perhaps the wireless world will boost the brand instead of leveraging it.
At CTIA, I was impressed by the M600 — a keypad-based handset that combines two keys on each button, similar in appearance to handsets such as RIM's Blackberry 7100 series. However, unlike a similar offering from Samsung, it actually enables you to specify which key is pressed rather than licensing RIM's SureType predictive text system. While many users say SureType works well, I would still have a hard time placing my trust in it. The M600 keyboard seems to be an improvement over the flimsy flip of the P910.
Text input is starting to get better. In addition to these SureType-based systems, offerings from LG and others will finally use Digit Wireless's Fastap. I was briefed by Digit Wireless many years ago and always thought it was a very clever system, although perhaps not suitable for extended text input.The M600 may be the sleekest full-featured QWERTY smartphone in the market when it hits the States.
Between this and Sony's Bravia success, Sony looks like it's starting to address some of its many challenges. Of course, much hinges on the PlayStation 3's reception.
Reg Hardware breaks news of a T-Mobile Sidekick-inspired high-resolution, low-cost, fully loaded UMPC that Averatec plas to offer in the fall. Well, it won't be all those things at the same time, but that's ok. A $600 price point would go a long way toward helping consumers overlook the lack of a killer application for this platform.
The concept drawings Averatec's offering has a dedicated keyboard, which is generally good. However, I don't think the typing while standing usage scenario will prove very popular. Flat surfaces are plentiful, and having to type more than a sentence of two on a device as heavy as the UMPC s just palnful. I learned that a while back.
In other news, the Samsung Q1 bundle that will go for about $1,400 in Korea — with its wrap case that includes a detached keyboard — brings back memories of a Newton 2000/2100 package that appeared near the end of the line for Apple's uber-PDA.
April 7, 2006
Apparently, there were two CTIAs that happened this week — the expo that I attended and the conferences that I did not. At the conferences, apparently, there was much discussion about content, but the discussions on the show floors focused more on continuing to roll out 3G networks, which is key to solving any content issues.
The wireless world doesn't need content or interactive services. There's more than anyone could ever consume on the Web and it's growing by the hour. If the carriers can figure out how to optimize delivery of it, they'll never hurt for demand. Related to this is a focus on personal content that companies are starting to tap into, with promising offerings from Motorola, Sling Media, Avvenu and others. Read the rest of this entry »
April 6, 2006
At CTIA, Palm was handing out T-shirts celebrating its tenth anniversary that read "Ten years. One vision." But an "anniversary" connotes too much monogamy for Palm, which has had more of a polyamorous past — independent startup, US Robotics ownership, 3Com ownership, independent company (again), PalmOne (after merging with Handsprng), and Palm, Inc. one more time.
Ten years. One vision. Six corporate identities.
Palm executives had their sense of humor intact about the company's storied past as well, noting that it has received presents from its printing company for all the changes to its letterhead over the years.
March 22, 2006
When Bill Gates introduced the ultramobile concept at WinHEC 2005, he described a device that would be a showcase platform for Windows Vista. In addition to the advantages that Vista offers for notebooks, such as better support for wireless WAN connections and improved tablet functionality, the stepped-up synchronization and screen-scaling capabilities would greatly aid the murky value proposition of the UMPC.
With today’s announcement that Vista won’t ship to consumers until 2007, it’s easier to understand why Microsoft launched UMPC before Vista. PC manufacturers would at least have a chance to generate some excitement for the holidays. This is not dissimilar to Apple’s original retail positioning of the iPod. Unfortunately for the likes of HP and Gateway, UMPC doesn’t yet have the right price-value balance for a secondary PC and — unfortunately for Microsoft — the big guys aren’t yet biting as a result.
At least Microsoft will be able to count on a larger next-generation game library than its competitors to lend some holiday cheer this year.
