One of the biggest complaints that consumers have regarding AT&T’s iPhone service  and the AT&T Network is that they experience much lower data speeds, dropped calls, and buffering in data sessions.  This is primarily due to the limitations of the AT&T network and amount of spectrum that they have to accommodate the large number of heavy data iPhone users.  This is most noticeable in heavy data use areas such as cities like New York and San Francisco.

All indicators point to a Verizon Wireless iPhone sometime in early 2011, although neither Apple or Verizon will confirm the rumors.  Verizon has increased staffing in stores and call centers according to recent reports.  Apple and Verizon have also added technical support staff in their call centers. Apple is moving forward to open their new data center in North Carolina.  And now, Verizon will be heavily promoting their new 4G Network.  Verizon has been watching AT&T over the past 4 years and hopefully has learned by AT&T’s mistakes.

In order to avoid the data deluge of congestion an iPhone could bring to it’s network, Verizon is now about to redistribute it’s data consumers over 2 technologies (EV-DO Rev A and LTE) on two different frequencies (1900 MHz and the wide-open 700 MHz). This could free up a great deal of spectrum for a 3G version of the iPhone , a 4G version, or a combination of both with the goal of providing a user experience more in line with what an Apple or Verizon customer would expect from their new phone.

So the questions still remain – if Verizon will actually carry the device and if so, when?  My personal guess is that they will eventually carry the iPhone and possibly as early as Q1 of 2011.  However, the iPhone may have to share the stage with other 4G Smartphones and Tablets.  Verizon is expected to present upcoming 4G devices as early as January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  Only time will tell and millions of current and prospective iPhone customers continue to hold their collective breath in anticipation.

I went to Best Buy and Target Recently doing some comparison shopping and noticed the the Kindle was totally sold out at both retailers.  Best Buy was also sold out of the “Nook” from Barnes and Noble, and some of the Sony eBook Readers.  Amazon is currently showing a 1 week backorder for the Kindle in both the Wi-Fi only and 3G Versions.  If you are planning on buying someone a Kindle for Christmas, You’d better order soon! Other Wireless-Enabled eBook Readers are expected to be offered soon from most major wireless carriers over the next few months.

If you are interested in getting a Tablet Computer – both Verizon Wireless and AT&T will add the Apple iPad to their lineup on October 28th….just in time for the Holidays.  Verizon will sell the Wi-Fi Only version bundled with a Novatel MiFi and a Case for the same price as the AT&T 3G (UMTS/HSPA) Models. The case is specially designed to hold the iPad and the MiFi.  Prices will start at $629 for the 16 GB Model. There is no contract required with Verizon or AT&T.  In addition to the iPad, all major carriers are epected to get the Samsung Galaxy Tab.  Verizon has released pricing information with the unsubsidized device coming out at $599 starting November 11th.  Release dates and pricing are still pending for other carriers.  Expect additional tablets from all major carriers in the United States over the next few months.

Android and iOS phones continue to gain a strong gadget presence among mainstream phone buyers.  The iPhone has continued to grow in popularity due to its ease of use and Android phones are increasing the stakes by adding more customization, faster processors and Flash, and developing a more appealing user interface.  The Samsung Galaxy S phones have made great improvements in performance and graphical user interface over other Android Themes.  However, before you buy your significant other a smartphone, make sure that it’s the right phone for them.  Just because it looks cool and you can run a VNC client to tap into your computer from 8000 miles away, you wife may not share the same interests or abilities.  Keep in mind that smartphones  are basically small, mobile computers  - generally with a restock fee if you have to make a return!

Whatever you decide to buy this Holiday Season, get it early!  Don’t go to Target on Christmas Eve and expect to pick up a 64GB iPad.  Chances are that these devices will sell out quickly.  And, just like the “Tickle Me Elmo” toy from years ago, you might find yourself in a bind, or worse, an all-out brawl fighting  some Soccer Mom for that last Kindle at Best Buy at 6PM on December 24th.

Photo Supplied Courtesy of Samsung USA, Inc

Here are the current options available with the Palm, Android, and iPhone (iOS) Platforms:

PALM –

Currently, the Palm Mobile HotSpot only works on the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus from Verizon Wireless. Initially, Verizon attempted to charge $4o per month for the service. However, do to slow-to-no uptake on the HotSpot Feature, they now offer the feature as an automatic add-on to the Pre and Pixi Plus when sold.  It remains free for the life of the contract as long as the customer keeps a Pre Plus or Pixi Plus on the subscribed number. The service is capped at 5GB for tethered data, but the data for phone use remains unlimited.

iPhone (iOS) -

The only options available to iPhone customers for Wi-Fi Tethering is through a jailbreak.  The “Mi-Wi” app is available from the Cydia Store and works much the same as the Mobile HotSpot for the Palm.  Because this is not an approved app by apple, it can’t be downloaded from iTunes and is not approved by AT&T.  Charges may or may not apply.  If AT&T can detect that you are tethering a laptop or other device, they could charge you for the usage … possibly at a per MB rate.  Be careful if using Mi-Wi.

Android:

Currently with Android 2.1 and below, the only option is by using “Barnacle” on a “rooted” Android Phone.  Rooting is the Android version of “jailbreaking” the device, thereby gaining “root” or “super user (su)” access to the Android device. Root processes are different for each device and generally are available on the internet within a month or two of the release of the device. Once again, using Barnacle could result in “Tethered Data” charges from your carrier.  Proceed with caution if using a method that’s not approved by your carrier.

Going forward in Android 2.2 “Froyo”, Google will incorporate a Wi-Fi Mobile HotSpot Feature into the Operating System.  This will also be available on the upcoming DROID X from Verizon Wireless for $20/month for 2GB of Wi-Fi Tethering. Other carriers have not stated how or if they will permit the Mobile HotSpot App or if they will block it out of their Android handset releases.

RIM / Blackberry:

At this time, RIM has not announced whether they will incorporate this feature in their new Blackberry OS6.

Other Options:

For some time now, Verizon Wireless and Sprint have offered the Novatel MiFi 2200.  You can connect up to 5 users to the mobile Wi-Fi router / hotspot after initial setup.  Both Verizon and Sprint have a 5GB cap on data with the device and a contract is required to get the device at the promotional price. Also, Sprint offers the Sprint “Overdrive” 4G Mobile Hotspot with WIMAX 4G service (where available). I would expect that Verizon Wireless will offer it’s own 4G Mobile Hotspot when or after they launch their 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) Network later this year.

(Photo courtesy of Gadgetdna.com)

Here are some of the benefits:

1.  You can have a number of books, newspapers, blogs, etc and have them all delivered directly to the Kindle.

2.  The Kindle is wireless using Sprint’s EVDO high speed wireless network at no cost to you.  

3.  All downloaded material is stored at Amazon – so if you lose your Kindle, you can “re-download” all material.

4.  The Kindle will work well in both low light and full sunlight with a long lasting, rechargeable, battery.

5.  Most books and newspapers are significantly cheaper than their paper counterparts – Most books are $9.99 and Newspapers like the Wall Street Journal are $9.99 per month.

One of the greatest benefit of the Kindle is that it is light and easy to carry weighing in at 10.3 oz. and does not require a computer with which to sync.

Oprah is passing a gift on to you.  Until November 1st, you can get a Kindle for $50 off at Amazon.com by entering the following promo code:  OPRAHWINFREY . This must be entered during the check-out process through November 1st 2008 at 11:59pm.

Here is a direct link to the Kindle on Amazon: Kindle: Amazon’s Wireless Reading Device

Here is a demo of the Kindle in Action  DEMO

*Credits: Oprah.com, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Asgard Reading Room(image)

Here’s the cool thing.. the browser works GREAT so far.  It appears   to be at least as fast as Safari on the Mac and I’m hearing good results on Windows as well.  The current counter is showing the following downloads: 579137807. Now .. if all of those people actually decide to use it on a regular basis, this could be a significant advance for the opensource community into mainstream / consumer computer users on both the PC and the Mac.  Remember – Competition breeds innovation.  This will only help all browsers become more efficient in the future.  My last comment is – damn it appears to be significantly faster than other browsers. Time will tell on how it really performs. TB

 Apple has now made it even easier to order movies directly from the sofa.  Now, I love this for the “coolness factor” and for the fact that you don’t necessarily have to have a separate iTunes Server.  However, I would be concerned that this would keep the laziest geeks on the couch with only the sporadic need to use the bathroom or satisfy those pesky cravings for food and beer.

One serious concern that I would have is the amount of space needed to store any descent size video library directly on the Apple TV.  The smaller Apple TV Hard Drive is 40 GB…The largest capacity hard drive in any current Apple TV is 160 GB.  Although you could fit a substantial number of movies on this unit, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple released a 250 GB version in the near future.  They recently launched a 250 GB upgrade option to the Macbook and standard 250 GB on the Macbook pro lines.. Will the Apple TV follow? We could also hope that sometime they add DVR functionality.  I would expect that if Apple keeps the “hobby” going there will be incremental updates sometime soon.  Apple TV sells for $224.99 on Amazon and $229.99 on Apple’s Web Site.

Does anyone think that it’s getting hotter… well, according to the linked blog post (http://capnbob.us/blog/?p=610t ), it probably is. However, it’s not from the reasons you may have been given in the Mass Media.

Approximately 120-190 million years ago during the Mid-Cretaceous period, the earth was significantly hotter than it is now and there were no SUVs or Corporate Jets to be found (source: Indiana University/Purdue Indianapolis) Their findings also go on to show that there are a number of factors that affect climate change such as salinization content in the ocean caused by melting polar ice, increases and decreases in CO2 levels, Ice Ages, Current Changes in the Oceans, etc….

The point is that Green House Gas emmissions may be contributing on some small scale to global warming, but these changes are part of a cycle that repeats itself over and over since this planet was formed over 4.5 BILLION Years ago. We have been studying climage change for about 500 years (out of 4.5 BILLION).

In addition to this, the linked blog post shows a direct correlation between solar activity and the temperatures on earth over the past 500 years or so… http://capnbob.us/blog/?p=610t And, if I remember correctly from my Astronomy Class in college, our very own Sun will eventually exhaust it’s supply of hydrogen to fuse over the next 5.5 billion years and become a “red giant”. At this point it will grow in size to encompass many of the inner planets of our solar system – including Earth. Therefore, we could only assume that it WILL be getting hotter based on a continued increase in solar activity.

My point is that this isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a political issue for some groups to look “good” by “reducing their carbon footprint”. Your footprint is relatively insignificant in the overall scheme of things. The earth has been adapting to changes over the past 4.5 billion years. Some species die off and are replaced by others. We’ve been on the scene for the past 100 thousand yrs or so.. And, we may only be here for another 100 thousand. Quit panicing that we are destroying the planet. We may destroy our personal environments, nuke ourselves back to the middle ages, or be wiped out by some disease or asteroid, but the planet will adapt and evolve just as it always has….Just be relatively responsible, conserve what you can, and quit messing up the place for other people with your trash.

I finally got a chance to take a look at the iPhone last week. I went to a local AT&T Corporate Store near Atlanta. The display for the phone looked very Applesque (very simple and the nicest display in the store). Although the store had 2 iphones on display, I still had to wait 15 minutes to see them.

Simply put, the handset “wowed” me. What really surprised me was that the phone actually worked the way Steve Jobs and the advertisements stated it would. One of my concerns was that with the EDGE network, the iPhone’s internet browser would be drastically slower than depicted. However, it actually appeared to be quite a bit faster than than similar GSM/EDGE smart phones that I’ve used in the past (albeit, still not as fast as a CDMA EV-DO Smart Phone).

Of course, one of the greatest features of the iPhone is the iPod capability. I would buy the phone for this functionality alone. I was able to watch part of a movie, listen to music, and watch part of a TV show. Because of all of the podcasts I watch this functionality would make the purchase worth the $600 cost.

And finally… it actually makes calls!!! The voice quality was very clear and audible with little or no distortion. The phone interface was intuitive and very easy to use. It worked as well as or better than most other phones I’ve used.

Overall, the phone was great. For a first attempt at a mobile phone, Apple has done a far better job than a number of other manufacturers who have been downplaying the iPhone for the past 5 months. There are still a number of other handsets on the market that can’t even come close to the feature set or interface of the iPhone.

One thing I’ve found interesting lately is that the “other” carriers are programming their people to make the point that the iPhone just won’t work for business. Or… “I just don’t see why a business would want a phone like this that doesn’t have push e-mail or a regular keyboard” (source anonymous). One thing to remember is that this phone is NOT targeted to businesses. You can’t even get it on AT&T’s network with a Business Rate Plan. This handset is aiming directly for the consumer market – a plan that is paying huge rewards to Apple and (thanks to the iHype) AT&T.

I still love my Blackberry and my Verizon Phones, but for the “just damn cool” factor, Apple wins the kudos. Now… if they would just make a CDMA version for VZW!

(photo courtesy of Apple Inc.)

I got my wife the EnV as a gift last Christmas. And, according to her, it’s the best phone she’s ever had…and thanks to my job, she’s had a few. She’s had the UT Starcom/Audiovox XV6700, the Pink RAZR, Nokia 3620, Moto i860, Moto i95cl, Startac, etc…

Great features of the phone – VZNavigator, VCast Data, Broadband Access Connect, Stereo Bluetooth, VCast Music, expandable memory, 2 Megapixel Camera, and overall it’s pretty durable. Operating System is very responsive and the “Wireless Sync” button will give you e-mail on the go. Battery life is very good for a VCast Phone.

The only “Cons” that I’ve found is that the front display shows limited information and for some functions, you have to open the phone to show the internal display. And, compared to some other handsets, the phone is somewhat larger – although it is no more bulky than a PDA or Blackberry. The last downer is that the handset was ahead of its time… no VCast Mobile TV.

Suggestions: PDA automount sold at Verizon. Open it all the way, turn it sideways, and notch out a portion of the foam padding on the mount and it works great for VZNavigator. Another suggestion would be the Motorola Bluetooth Stereo Headset. It works great and the sound really surprised me.

Definately worth the price for a 2 year committment. One of my employees got the EnV and echoed my wife’s sentiments of this being the best phone he’s ever had.