I can’t believe we have whittled the process of marital separation to an iPhone app. This is technology gone too far. The Estate divider calculates a couple’s marital possessions to try and make the divorce process easier. And if you thought children would be spared, there is an app being developed to help calculate custody.
Well, if at first you don’t get Verizon, try T-Mobile. I’m not holding my breath for this one after getting a little excited over Verizon, but an analyst believes that T-Mobile will offer the iPhone by 2011. Now, whether that is the first part of 2011 or the last part, he didn’t say. But trust him, he’s an analyst.
Now, this I could really get into, especially for those long car trips. Netflix will have a streaming app on the new iPhone. so, when you want to pass the time waiting for a bus, your food or the car trip to be done, you can stream a Netflix movies directly to your iPhone.
You know, with all this talk of the iPhone and Verizon, I’ve been neglecting a certain smart phone that is actually gaining popularity and giving Apple a run for its money. The Droid, powered by Google, is gaining a lot of attention and taking a decent part of the smart phone market. So, this looks like it could turn into a two horse race; Apple’s iPhone vs. the Droid.
Well, it seems that the biggest thing about the new iPhone, other than it won’t be available for Verizon, is the new video chat feature. A camera on the front allows users of the new iPhone to see each other while they talk. Video talking is not new, but many think that now since Apple is endorsing it, it will go through the roof.
AT&T is changing their data plans for mobile devices like the Blackberry and the iPhone. Before, you could get unlimited data usage for $40. Now, you will have a choice similar to an broadband air card. You can pay $25 for 2GB of data or $15 for 200MB each month. I’m not sure this is a good idea. Since most people use these for social networking and Youtube, I think keeping under the 2GB limit is going to be tough for some people.
And another nail appears to go in the Verizon iPhone coffin. Steve Jobs said Tuesday, among other things, that he is happy to stick with AT&T since they made the leap of faith to trust Apple with the iPhone when it debuted. Jobs admits that AT&T’s network, while not perfect, is getting better. He just wishes that it was going faster. He also thought that any other national carrier would probably have the same issues if they had the iPhone. Here’s an idea, Steve; LET US FIND OUT!
Wal-Mart has cut the cost of the 16GB 3GS iPhone almost in half, going $97 with a two year contract with AT&T. Many people take this as a sign that Apple plans to launch a new model later this summer. Apple is starting to treat the iPhone like a video game series. There’s been a new model each year since the original came out in 2007. Each subsequent model has only included a few tweaks that don’t mess with the overall layout and function of the phone. But, I would caution Apple if I could, when you get into a routine of releasing another version of the same product yearly and all you do is make a tweak here and there, you will soon give the market burnout on your item. I brought up video games earlier, and aside from sports games, the Tomb Raider series is an appropriate analogy. After its debut, the company responsible started releasing a new game each year. The result was that players got tired of playing essentially the same game with different locations and graphics, so they stopped buying. Hopefully, Apple doesn’t get into that rut so they can continue to innovate and really wow us with spectacular new features.
Forget any plans you had of owning a Verizon iPhone anytime soon. The terms of the original contract between Apple and AT&T has been uncovered. According to the contract, AT&T has exclusive rights to the iPhone until 2012. This absolutely stinks considering AT&T’s customer satisfaction rating is the lowest. There are some people who speculate that the iPad launch may have given Apple an opportunity to revisit this exclusive contract. This is all guessing at this point, so there are no details as to whether the contract has been amended and/or whether it will be shorter or longer. I have not had good experience with AT&T’s service myself, so I am definitely pulling for shorter.
If you’ve been following the news in the tech world, you probably have heard the name Gray Powell. For the uninitiated, Gray Powell works for Apple, took a device from the R&D department with him one night and left it in a bar accidentally. Someone else picked it up and tech site Gizmodo got their hands on it and did a full review of an unreleased Apple product. What appears to be a prototype for the iPhone 4G was splattered all over the net and Apple formally requested the device back. Now there is speculation that Powell may lose his job, but to all this I say, “Take Apple down a notch more.” I find it a bit childish that we have such high security for tech devices yet we have a system of airport security that is the epitome of the three stooges. You know why Apple is so secretive? It’s because all these tech presidents and big wigs steal each others ideas all the time. They don’t call them the “Pirates of Silicon Valley” for nothing. I know of no other field that places so much on hoarding ideas for personal gain. So, when something like this happens, I dance a little dance. I hope Verizon and TMobile are taking notes from what they’ve learned via Gizmodo.