Palm Pre: Is Palm back from the dead?

Everyone has heard about the Palm Pre and how it wowed everyone out there at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) including tech geek blogger Robert Scoble. Scoble says how Palm did what Nokia, RIM and Microsoft couldn't do, and that is build a user experience better than Apple. Palm overhauled their previous UI and interface and developed WebOS, it's web-based operating system, where everything is web-based.

The Palm Pre was shown by Engadget's Joshua Topolski on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:



But don't count Apple out, apparently Apple's iPhone 3.0 software is supposed to be due out for preview on March 17th (tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day) and is going to have a lot of Palm's webOS features. The race is heating up with iPhone 3.0, Palm Pre and webOS, Google Android, and Nokia Symbian. But I'm still looking forward to the Nokia N97.

On Technorati: Palm Pre

iPhone 3G

It's finally here, which everyone has heard about, the iPhone 3G which was announced by Steve Jobs at his keynote at the Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference. It will be rolled out in 22 countries on July 11 and finally, Canada will get one on the Rogers network. It has 3G, GPS, version 2.0 software with iPhone APIs for location-based services and for third party developer support, the apps will be downloadable over the air on App Store, and the really surprising part, the 8GB version is going for only $199! You can check out specifically the iPhone part of the keynote here:



If you see the keynote, the apps that some of the third party companies that demonstrated are just amazing. There are lots of games that make full use of the touch screen and the gyroscopes of the iPhone. This brings a new generation into mobile gaming and a new experience, just like the Nintendo Wii has done for console gaming.

Will I get an iPhone? Well, if it's only $199 I think I just might to finally replace my Palm Zire 71 that I've had for so long. I've also wanted GPS as well so I can find where I'm going. But wait there's also RIM's Blackberry Thunder which is also touch screen and is going to compete with the iPhone:



What about Nokia, the #1 cell phone vendor in the world? Well, don't count Nokia's socks off, they do have a touch screen concept phone called the Achieve:



Somehow, I don't like the Nokia Achieve, it seems really ugly compared to the beauty of the iPhone. So, hmm, which one to get? Well, in this tech world, you're never satisfied with what you get, since another one will come out the next second.

On Technorati: iPhone 3G, WWDC08

iPhone is in Canada now!

Yes, I just saw it on sale at G4Tech kiosk in Oakville Place. I actually touched an iPhone, and it sent shivers down my spine. It was a locked phone, so I couldn't see all the applications like YouTube and Safari browser. But I will go back next week to see the unlocked iPhone. It's apparently going for $1100! Ouch, nope, not going to get it, but when I see and touch the unlocked iPhone, I will take pics for sure!

On Technorati: iPhone, G4Tech

Under the hood of the Apple iPhone

It was just a matter of minutes before the first pics of the inside of the Apple iPhone was revealed. These are really the true engineers and geeks! Of course, by doing so, they voided the Apple warranty, and some even made the iPhone unable to use. What a waste of $500 US to void the Apple warranty.

Anyways, I found pics of the inside of the Apple iPhone from ThinkSecret from the box, to opening the box and revealing the accessories, to taking apart the iPhone. They reveal the secret components that make the Apple iPhone work. Interesting. And also, Steve Jobs announced that all Apple full time employees get a 8GB iPhone for free! Man, that makes me wish I worked at Apple!!!

On Technorati: iPhone, Apple

The wait is over, iPhone is here!

It's finally arrived, the moment we've all been waiting for. It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's the Apple iPhone! Here's the frenzy when the San Francisco Apple store opened its doors at 6 pm tonight to eagerly awaiting customers in line:



So I wonder what Americans will be playing with this weekend? And you know there's going to be lots of videos, commentary and blogs from those that just bought the iPhone, to see really the real scoop on the iPhone, and if it's really as good as what Apple and Steve Jobs says. It will work only work with the Apple MacOSX, Apple probably has something in the works to sync with Windows, just like they did when iPod first came out.

It will be interesting to see how iPhone will stack up in sales with the rest of the other phones. However, I think that Apple has a ways to go before they can significantly get a good share of the cell phone market. I still think it is too expensive. Well, time will tell sure enough.

On Technorati: iPhone, Apple

iPhone comes out today!

People are lining up left, right and center to get their hands on the Apple iPhone. According to this article, AT&T is limiting one iPhone per customer, whereas Apple is limiting two iPhones per customer. Some are buying the iPhone and then selling it up on eBay and taking the proceeds for charity, which I think is smart. David Clayman is just doing that and he's blogging his experience in lining up for the iPhone, he's #2 in line at Apple's SOHO location.

Here's the first 10 people lining up at Apple's SOHO location:



On Technorati: iPhone, camp, Apple iPhone

iPhone to come out in 3 days, people preparing

Well the Apple iPhone comes out in 3 days at 6 pm in AT&T stores in the US. Just a note and I just found this out now that Cingular Wireless that bought AT&T is now back to AT&T, the rebranding change just happened this year.



How many people will buy this phone? I just heard the This Week in Tech podcast with Leo Laporte saying that the marketing and advertising on the iPhone is similar to that of Windows 95 and the Sony PlayStation 3, but there are reports that sales may not be as anticipated. In my opinion the phone is pretty expensive about $500 US and Steve Jobs at the Apple WorldWide Developer's Conference (WWDC) announced no third-party development for the iPhone, development is done using the Safari web browser.

Anyways, stories are coming in about how people are preparing for the iPhone launch, this story from Engadget shows the first iPhone camper at the Manhattan New York Apple store.



I wonder how many eBay postings there will be to sell the iPhone over the weekend?

On Technorati: iPhone, Apple

Microsoft's answer to Apple's iPhone: Ofone

Whenever one company has a product, Microsoft has to come back with their own. The new gadget that's the craze out there is the Apple iPhone which is coming out June 28, but only in the US. Microsoft's answer to Apple's iPod is the Zune, so what is Microsoft's answer to Apple's iPhone? It is the Ofone, check it out:


Video: Microsoft's oPhone

Let's compare the iPhone with the OFone shall we?




So, which phone would you like to carry in your hand?

Oh, and if you haven't heard by now or can tell from the video, yes it is fake and a prank. But it's funny! I love these kind of videos.

Actually, on this web site, it seems that the OFone was actually shown as a concept mobile device that was previewed at Microsoft Techmela 2007 in Mumbai, India and was presented by Derek Snyder who is the Product Manager, Mobile and Embedded Devices Group at Microsoft. So, then the question really is OFone for real?

On Technorati: Microsoft,
Ofone, Apple, iPhone

Apple iPhone in Canada?

I bet everyone's been wondering if we're going to get the chance to see and buy an Apple iPhone in Canada. Well, it looks like probably Rogers Wireless will be the cellular carrier to carry it. No word on when though, but according to this post, maybe in 2008.

Why do Canadians always get the latest technology from the US and other parts of the world, the last? I guess companies don't see Canadians as the bleeding edge in technology, so the more profitable and tech saavy crowds are the Japanese, Europeans and then the Americans. And we Canadians come after that.

Of course, you don't have to wait for the iPhone to come in Canada. Just buy an iPhone online when they're ready, get it unlocked, and then get a Canadian mobile number here. If there's a Rogers Wireless employee reading this blog, let us know as soon as possible if you'll be providing Apple iPhones, I would just love to hold one and play with one (even if I'm not going to buy it, me being the GadgetMan as I am!)

On Technorati: Apple iPhone, iPhone

The Apple iPhone!!!

Apple splashed MacWorld three days ago (like they always do) with 2 new products: the Apple TV and the Apple iPhone. There's nothing like a Steve Jobs keynote. I watched the keynote and I was blown away by the Apple iPhone (as everyone knows I'm a gadget freak, hence the name, Gadget Man). I wasn't too blown away by the Apple TV (which they changed from iTV, and which Steve Jobs kept saying iTV because he still thinks it as that). I guess Apple changed iTV to Apple TV because there was another product out there that is called iTV. The Apple TV is basically Apple's version of Windows Media Center from Microsoft (although it's much sleeker and doesn't crash :)). It's basically packaging TV functionality in a box which allows you to stream your movies, music, videos to your big screen TV wirelessly over WiFi. It synchronizes your media to the Apple TV. It also allows others to sync their media to the Apple TV so they can play their media. Like always, the interface is easy to use and cool, but in my opinion, nothing revolutionary.

What was revolutionary was when Steve Jobs announced that Apple is going to reinvent the phone. And that's when the audience at the keynote started cheering really loudly, because they knew it was the long awaited iPhone. And in typical Steve Jobs fashion, he delivered. Funny though, because there is another product called iPhone, it is trademarked by Linksys, which is part of Cisco. It is interesting that Linksys had the name iPhone since the 1990's and didn't launch their iPhone product until last month (December 2006), so they beat Apple to the punch. Linksys always had the iPhone name, but they didn't release it publicly until December. They probably knew that Apple would announce something like that in January at MacWorld, so they decided to announce it before them. Apple really wants the iPhone name, but apparently Cisco is suing Apple for an infringement on their name. Nonetheless, the Apple iPhone is impressive as you can see below.



The Apple iPhone is three products in one: a widescreen iPod, cell phone, and internet communications device. But what makes it revolutionary? First, it doesn't have a stylus. It makes sense, how many times, have you had a PDA and just used your fingers to tap on the screen (I do that all the time on my Palm Zire 71), because you couldn't locate your stylus or it was just too cumbersome to take it out? Second, it has an accelerometer so if you move the iPhone to landscape mode, then the screen will automatically adjust the image. Way cool. Third, it has the best colour multi-touch screen that I have ever seen. Fourth, you can shrink or expand the image just by moving your fingers!!! How cool is that? Fifth, it runs MacOS X, I can't believe that Apple was able to run MacOS X on this phone! Actually, it must be a stripped down version, but still that's impressive. You can run applications on the iPhone just like you would on a desktop, so you're not constrained because of the form factor. Sixth, you can easily scroll the menu of items just by running your finger, so it has some type of physics spring motion. All the syncing is done through iTunes. It seems that iTunes is the brain of the entire system, iTunes syncs the iPod, it syncs the Apple TV, and it syncs the iPhone. Can you see the Apple ecosystem around iTunes? Brilliant move by Apple. And it also includes Google Maps and Yahoo Mail. Oh yes, the iPhone also includes a 2.0 megapixel camera as well.

So, the ultimate question, is Gadget Man going to get it? Well, $499 US for this phone seems steep for me, and it's only available from Cingular in the US. Don't know when it will come to Canada. So, the answer is no, I'm not going to get this phone. I think I'll change my phone after I finish my PhD, because I'll probably want to also replace my Palm Zire 71 as well.

What do others think of this phone? Is Apple raising the bar on what a cell phone is? Is this the next revolution of the phone? How do other companies like Palm, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, etc. compete? Will there be an iPhone killer?

On Technorati: Apple, Apple TV, Apple iPhone