Author: Joe Pawlikowski

Verizon and AT&T think you want to share a pool of data with your friends and family. Sprint and T-Mobile think that’s a silly notion. We all want our own data pool, right? While the latter two might be correct for the moment, market forces might be moving against them. After all, Verizon and AT&T call the shots with their 200 million-plus combined subscribers.

Late last week Sprint announced a plan that, on the surface, might seem innocent. They’re offering businesses a chance to share data pools, the size of which depend on how many lines the account contains. FOr 10-line accounts busnesses can share 20GB; for 20 devices they can share 40GB, and for 30 devices they get 60GB combined.The system works in essentially the same was as Verizon and AT&T. Customers pay for each device connected to the account, plus the data pool.

According to Sprint, this is merely a trial. It runs through June 13th, and is an option, not a requirement, for business lines. In that way it might seem innocent enough. After all, business accounts are handeled differently than consumer ones. If the trial is a success Sprint might migrate its business customers there. But why would that affect consumers?

The answer is LTE. As Sprint expands its LTE network, it is likely coming to the realization that unlimited data isn’t feasible. Yes, LTE networks transfer data more efficiently than 3G networks, but LTE users consume more data, a lot more data, than 3G users. That will continue to be the case as mobile data gets faster and more efficient. People will start to treat them more like cable lines, consuming huge gulps of data where they used to consume sips.

All of this is highly speculative. Sprint might have nothing of the sort in mind for consumers. After all, unlimited data remains one of their strongest selling points in the face of crushing competition from AT&T and Verizon. If they give that up they’ll be just another player in an increasingly duopolistic industry.

What happens when reality crushes the possibilies for that differentiation? We could soon find out. Sprint continues to build out its LTE network — even offering it up to its prepaid brands Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile — and so could be feeling the crunch already. If it’s begun for business, chances are it will extend to consumers eventually.

Via All Things D.

The post Is Sprint’s Business Shared Data a Sign for Consumers? appeared first on MobileMoo.

Do you really need the latest high-end smartphone? For some people it’s the only option. A friend asked me this morning if there was any argument against him getting a Galaxy S III when he bought a new phone this afternoon. No, I told him, unless you want to wait for the Galaxy S IV, or else want a lower-cost phone. He doesn’t, but there are plenty of smartphone users who don’t want to spend $200 on a handset. For them, the ZTE Force, recently released by Sprint, could provide a decent alternative.

While a 1.5GHz dual-core processor is nothing big these days, it still marks a handset of decent quality. Consider that so many low-cost phones are dealing with 1GHz processors. It also runs Android 4.0, which takes away many of the concerns of a low-cost handset. Again, many of those run Android 2.3, which is basically unusable at this point. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that the ZTE Force gets an upgrade to 4.1 Jelly Bean. Since carriers have to vet any software upgrades, they tend to do that only for highly popular devices.

The 4-inch screen is nothing to write home about, and its 800 x 480 resolution won’t leave you dazzled. But really, that’s not the point. The point is that the device can run almost any Android function at 4G LTE speeds at a price that almost anyone can afford.

What is that price? Just $50 with a two-year agreement. If you don’t want a contract, you can check it out on Sprint’s prepaid brand, Boost Mobile, where you can get the force for $200.

Via Phone Scoop.

The post Sprint Adds Mid-Range, Low-Cost Android in ZTE Force appeared first on MobileMoo.

If your company had gone from industry titan to afterthought in a few short years, you’d be eager to brag about any positive development. So it’s understandable that BlackBerry would want to talk about any BlackBerry 10 success this week while at Mobile World Congress. While they didn’t provide any specific sales numbers — we’ll have to wait for the next quarterly report for that — they did provide what appears to be a significant data point.

According to VP of global sales Rick Costanzo — via FierceWireless — about a third of people purchasing the BlackBerry Z10 in its 50 current markets have switched from other platforms. That is quite encouraging indeed. After hemorrhaging customers to other platforms for years, BlackBerry absolutely needs to win back some previous customers. According to Costanzo, that’s exactly what’s happening. That has to be a somewhat encouraging sign for BlackBerry, especially so early in its campaign.

While Costanzo cites returning customers as one area of growth, his other reason seems a bit flimsier. According to the FierceWireless report, Costanzo believe that people are tired of the Android and iOS interfaces. This makes little sense. If that were try, people would be flocking to Windows Phone 8. They might have given WebOS a longer look.

Of course, this is just Costanzo staying on messages and inflating the new BlackBerry interface. In reality it’s not that revolutionary. Other mobile operating systems, including the dead WebOS, have utilized many of the features that BlackBerry 10 does. Gestures might be its thing, but it’s not a game-changing feature. In fact, many users might find it easier to perform those tasks with virtual and physical buttons on Android devices.

BlackBerry 10 will face a steeper climb when it reaches US shores in March. Many corporations that previously used BlackBerry devices have switched to Android or iOS, or at least have given their employees the option to switch. There seems to be no reason for any company these days to carry only BlackBerry devices. In the consumer market BlackBerry was never a big player, and by 2008 it was railroaded by iOS, which has only improved since.

Even for those who don’t like Apple products, it is hard to imagine many consumers opting for BlackBerry when there are so many superb Android devices out there. Shortly after the BlackBerry 10 hits US soil (and perhaps right around the same time), Samsung will announce the Galaxy S IV. That will certainly take some of the wind out of BlackBerry’s sails.

As someone who used BlackBerry for years before experimenting with iOS and Android, I can say that a lot of BlackBerry’s problems were overstated. If your primary purposes for using a smartphone involve messaging, it wasn’t all that bad a platform. But we know smartphones can do so much more these days. Why choose a platform that is limited, over a platform that is clearly growing?

The post BlackBerry Winning Customers Abroad, But Will US Follow? appeared first on MobileMoo.

Time was, you didn’t have to worry much about how much data you consumed. Since most carriers offered unlimited data plans, you could go hog wild. But those were the days before streaming video had spread far and wide. It was also before Android dug in its claws. Once carriers started to realize the data consuming tendencies of the iPhone, and saw Android on the horizon, they made big changes. These days only Sprint and T-Mobile, dwarves compared to AT&T and Verizon, offer truly unlimited data plans.

The capping of data creates the potential for overages. No one wants to get slapped with those charges, so people tend to be conservative with their usage. To help users stay under their limits, AT&T and Verizon have released apps that track a user’s monthly data usage, in addition to sending warning notices via SMS when users cross certain thresholds. But that just helps keep users below their limits. It doesn’t help them learn how to best manager their data.

Today DataMan Pro released an update to its data tracking app, and it provides users with the tools they need to avoid overages — not just this month, but in the future as well. Some of its better features include:

• Data prediction. Based on your usage patters, DataMan Pro will let you know whether you’re in the safe zone for the month, or whether you’re risking an overage.
• WiFi and cellular splits. Know how much data you’ve used over WiFi and how much over cellular. If you’re low on WiFi usage, perhaps finding more hotspots can help you lower your data usage.
• Data by app. Want to curb your data usage in the future? You can do it if you know how much data each app uses. Then you can make cuts to the apps using the most data, keeping your usage in check.
• Push alerts. Once you hit certain thresholds, the app will notify you so that you can make the proper changes.

Of course, such intricate tools do not come cheap. You can get DataMan Pro for iPhone for the limited-time price of $4.99. It normally runs for $9.99. The biggest downside, though, is that it doesn’t run on both iPhone and iPad. If you have a cellular-connected iPad and want the app, you’ll have to pay $10 for the iPad version.

The post Worried About Data Usage? Try DataMan Pro for iOS appeared first on MobileMoo.

Smartphones are made for travel, yet when we’re in our cars we are under great restrictions. Many states have hands-free calling laws, meaning you need a headset or other apparatus to talk on the phone. Other states, reasonably, have passed laws forbidding texting while driving. Even in states that have no such law, texting while driving is extremely hazardous and not recommended.

Many newer cars have smartphone-friendly features already built in. Voice controls and built-in Bluetooth are two of the more useful features. Yet not all new cars have these luxuries. Older cars? Even 2010 models, still very new by car standards, lack many useful smartphone functions.

Want to upgrade your in-car smartphone experience without upgrading your ride? Here are some great accessories. Some are universal, but the specific ones are geared towards the Samsung Galaxy S III, the most popular Android handset.

iBolt charging dock

If you use your phone for navigation, a mount is key. How else are you supposed to keep the GPS in front of you at all times. These mounts can also be useful if you play music on your phone. If you’re looking down to change songs, you’re taking your eyes off the road. Worse, you can set yourself up for a texting while driving ticket, if such laws are enforced in your state.

THe iBolt charging dock combines durability with simplicity. It merely clamps around your Galaxy S III, giving you a clear view of the entire screen. From there it attaches directly to your window. That makes it easy to use your smartphone’s many in-car functions while keeping your eyes on the road.

You can get the iBolt charging dock for $40.

Dual USB charger

What’s better than one in-car USB charger? Two in-car USB chargers, of course. While some cars do come with multiple cigarette lighter adapters, especially nowadays when people use them more for charging gadgets than for lighting cigarettes, most still have only one. The solution is to get a charging adapter that has two USB slots. Griffin brings that with its dual charger.

In the car with your significant other? Charge both of your phones. Want to charge up a tablet while you’re also keeping your smartphone topped up? It might take a while to charge both devices, but if you’re in the car for a while you can manage it. My wife and I recently got one of these, and it has made our lives considerably easier.

You can get the Griffing dual USB charger for $6.60.

Jabra FREEWAY Bluetooth speakerphone

I’ll admit, I’m spoiled. When I turn on my car it automatically connects to my phone via Bluetooth. When calls come in, I hear it through the car speakers — meaning the music cuts out. When I’m done everything picks up where it left off. For those who don’t have that feature, there is the Jabra FREEWAY.

The unit doesn’t quite integrate with your car stereo, but it does contain a crisp, clear speaker of its own. You can make all of your calls hands free with ease. It even clips to your sun visor, so it’s not at all intrusive.

You can get the Jabra FREEWAY Bluetooth speakerphone for $113.95.

Bluetooth FM Transmitter

Want to take your in-car Bluetooth experience to another level? Then check out the GOgroove FlexSMART in-car Bluetooth FM transmitter. It works in a similar manner to other FM transmitters. That is, it takes the signal from your phone and transmits it over a special FM frequency. Your car is then hooked up to your phone, in a similar way to native Bluetooth systems.

With this unit you can play your music and make calls right through your car speakers. Like native Bluetooth systems, the sound cuts out when a call is incoming or outgoing. The only downside is the general lack of sound quality from FM transmitters. The Jabra unit has much, much better sound quality, even though it goes through its own speakers. Still, if you’re not an audiophile, this is a great way to play music from your smartphone in your car.

It’s cheap, too. You can get the FlexSMART in-car Bluetooth FM transmitter for $45.

Non-stick mat

Perhaps you’re not using your phone as a GPS. Maybe you’re just playing music on it. In that case, where do you put it? In your pocket? If you’re running a wire, that’s unreasonable. Perhaps the best place for your phone is right on your dash. But won’t it slip around? Not with a non-stick mat.

These are simple pieces of rubber that grip both your dash and the phone. Make a sharp turn? Stop short? The mat will hold your phone in place so it doesn’t fly every which way. For simple, everyday use, nothing tops a grip mat.

You can get two car dash grip mats for $5.

The post 5 Galaxy S III Accessories You Need for Your Car appeared first on MobileMoo.

It appears that 2013 will be the year of the competitor. Already we’ve seen BlackBerry’s attempt with BlackBerry 10 phones. Microsoft figures to get more competitive with its Windows 8 phones this year, especially as more PC users upgrade to the newest version of the Windows OS. Yet they are not the only players gunning for a market that Android and Apple dominate. Tizen, a Linux-based mobile OS, will see releases in 2013. Today at Mobile World Congress, we learned that Mozilla plans to release the first round of Firefox OS phones this year.

Will any of them make a difference? Anyone who professes to have an answer this point is full of it. There is no way to gauge consumer reaction to device that haven’t yet been released. Even then, the market is always slow to adopt new platforms. Android, released in 2008, didn’t really gain traction until late 2009/early 2010, and didn’t come to full dominance until 2012. Who’s to say that a slow start for any of these platforms will spell its death?

Yet that won’t stop us from speculating. Here are a few ideas about the players vying for No. 3 in the mobile market.

Dinosaurs: Microsoft and BlackBerry

Like many people, I have my mobile roots in BlackBerry. My first smartphonw was a BlackBerry 8700 series, which I quickly upgraded to the 8830. From there I owned three more BlackBerry models — the 8330, the 9530, and the 9930 — while receiving review units of many more. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed by the BlackBerry 10 launch. It actually looks like a useful platform that could continue to grow.

Only it won’t.

The same goes for Windows Phone. Both have realized industry success in the past, but the market has moved on — particularly from BlackBerry. Consumers were never really the main target of BlackBerry, anyway. Enterprise has always been their bread and butter, and it’s clear that both Apple and Android have made serious enterprise inroads. Apple is already growing faster than BlackBerry for corporate clients, and it’s difficult to see that slowing down.

Microsoft might squeak by, if only because their mobile OS is directly compatible with their desktop. Since the great, great majority of PCs run Windows, and many will upgrade to Windows 8, there is a chance that some consumers will find appeal with the platform. But mass market appeal? It probably won’t happen from Microsoft, try as they might.

Mozilla: low-cost solution?

In an article titled Why Carriers Just Love Firefox OS, All Things D’s Ina Fried hits one crucially important note: “[Firefox OS] is designed to run well on low-end hardware where Android performs poorly or can’t run at all.” This could lead to a solution for carriers that seek to eliminate subsidies, in addition to those that don’t offer them to begin with.

Prepaid carriers such as MetroPCs and Cricket struggle with this concept constantly. They offer no-contract monthly service, so they can’t reasonably offer the same kind of subsidies that Verizon and AT&T offer. They don’t have that two-year guarantee. Yet they need to provide cost-effective solutions for their customers, many of whom are lower on the income scale than the average Verizon or AT&T customer.

It doesn’t end with prepaid carriers, though. T-Mobile is doing away with subsidies, moving in more of a no-contract direction. They do offer handset financing, which allows their customers to more easily afford high-end handsets. But what about those who don’t want to go in debt for a smartphone? The answer could lie with Firefox OS and the low-cost hardware that it runs on.

Tizen: potential titan?

What happens when the world’s leading smartphone manufacturer buys into a new OS? You have some potential. True, Samsung rode to dominance on Android’s fuel, but along the way it picked up credentials of its own. Could it spin those credentials into a new mobile OS? We might see the beginnings of that in 2013 with Tizen.

Over the weekend we learned that Samsung will ditch its native Bada OS in favor of Tizen, an open-source Linux-based mobile OS. True, Samsung didn’t do much to move Bada devices in the US, so why would they do the same with Tizen? For starters, Samsung has admitted that Bada wasn’t ideal for smartphones. Tizen will be more powerful, and its open source nature will lead to more rapid improvements than the proprietary Bada.

The biggest advantage, though, could be through Samsung’s sheer size. It can afford to run experiments, releasing Tizen on devices that are very similar to their existing Android devices — almost like an A/B test. If people are buying because of the Samsung brand rather than Android, perhaps Samsung could help create another competitor in the mobile OS space.

The post Apple and Android Meet New Competitors in Firefox, Tizen appeared first on MobileMoo.

The mobile world saw no bigger story in 2012 than Samsung. After attempting to woo customers away from the iPhone with the first two iterations of its Galaxy S line, it finally succeeded with the Galaxy S III. The flagship device, combined with high-end offerings such as the Galaxy Note II in addition to myriad mid-tier and low-end offerings, provided a huge boost for Samsung. Their shipments of smart devices grew by nearly 120 percent in 2012, far outstripping Apple’s 44.3 percent growth.

(As the All Things D article notes, Samsung’s numbers reflect shipments, while Apple’s reflect sales. That makes them a poor comparison on most levels, but growth rate should be on a similar scale.)

Apple is anything but a vanquished foe, but Samsung needn’t chip away at its largest rival at this moment. It will have plenty of opportunities to do so when it reveals the Samsung Galaxy S IV, which is just around the corner. According to one rumor, Apple would have been ready to fight back with a large-scale smartphone of its own in June, but that project has been pushed back until 2014. The prevailing rumors have the next Apple device release in the fall, giving Samsung plenty of free shots at Apple in the interim.

With the Galaxy S IV marketing itself at this point, Samsung can turn its focus to other rivals. Yet it’s not HTC that Samsung targets. No, there is little chance that even the HTC One will make a dent in Samsung’s dominance. Instead the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer will turn its sights to a completely different market: enterprise. And that means putting its sights on BlackBerry.

Late last month we saw the BlackBerry 10 announcement. In a vacuum it looks like a quality handset, with many modern features. In a market full of similar devices, it’s difficult to see how RIM will stand out. Had they released something like this two years ago perhaps they could have retained many of their enterprise customers that have since left for iPhone, and to a lesser degree, Android. It’s difficult to imagine these departments switching back; Android and iOS are perfectly workable mobile solutions.

Even still, Android has had its security issues in the past. They’re trying to work on that, though, and in the process are horning in on BlackBerry’s bread and butter. Will Connors of The Wall Street Journal has a full report on the matter, including Samsung’s new SAFE program — Samsung For Enterprise. It includes software that is meant to make Android safer in secure corporate environments. At this point, it might be easier for them to convince companies to switch away from BlackBerry, than it is for BlackBerry to convince former customers to switch back.

While Apple has become the dominant enterprise player, shipping 50 percent of corporate orders in 2012, Samsung did surpass BlackBerry. Of course BlackBerry still has a larger enterprise market share, and perhaps BlackBerry 10 will help them retain a good portion of those customers. After all, BlackBerry loyalists tout its email and messaging services, which are the primary functions of any corporate mobile experience. Of course, part of that compelling messaging service has taken a serious blow. BBM has long been one of BlackBerry’s greatest exclusive features, but it is only compelling when it has a critical mass of users. As people and companies have switched away, it has become less useful.

Overall, though, Samsung certainly has an advantage. Its phones are simply more fun, and more versatile, than anything BlackBerry offers. At this point BlackBerry is still trying to convince people that their new phones measure up. Samsung has already gotten past that point — and it took them a good three years to do it. BlackBerry doesn’t have that kind of time. If Samsung wants to blow BlackBerry out of the water in enterprise, chances are they can pull it off. That can’t be good news for BlackBerry.

The post After Targeting Apple, Samsung Gunning for BlackBerry appeared first on MobileMoo.

For many, myself included, the switch from iPhone to Android was a mostly painless one. The setup process was a bit of a pain, but after that everything ran pretty smoothly. If one of my iPhone apps wasn’t available, a reasonable facsimile was.

Yet there is one thing that has continually bothered me throughout my Android experience: the keyboard. While people lament the iPhone’s autocorrect tendencies, the iOS system fit much better with my typing style than any of the available Android keyboards. Four months after switching back to Android I realize this isn’t just an iOS-ingrained typing habit. It’s just the way I type.

When I first switch people suggested SwiftKey as a solution. I’d tried an early version for Android, but didn’t like it. Perhaps the new version would provide the necessary improvements. I was elated to see one of the preferences during setup: I type fast and rely on autocorrect. Perfect.

Except it wasn’t. SwiftKey didn’t quite autocorrect the way I’d wanted. Sometimes it wouldn’t autocorrect at all. Other times it would autocorrect the dumbest things — it would routinely change “have” to “Havre,” even though I’ve never typed the latter word. Frustrated, I declined to pay for SwiftKey after the trial expired.

Today SwiftKey announced SwiftKey 4, which advertises many improvements over previous versions. Included in the improvements are autocorrect, predictions, corrections, and better adaptations. Best yet, they reduced the price from $3.99 to $1.99 for a limited time.

While I didn’t like SwiftKey 3, $2 is barely a drop in the bucket if the app makes a significant difference. I dropped the cash, and immediately set up SwiftKey. After going through the options and personalizing it, I started typing a bit. It’s been only an hour or so, but I’m happy to report that SwiftKey 4 is quite a good keyboard for Android users who switched form iPhone and like that autocorrect system better. In fact, I think that given some more time, SwiftKey 4 will prove more valuable than the iPhone keyboard by a significant margin.

There are other features, too, such as Flow, which acts in a Swype-like manner, allowing you to create words, and even sentences, without lifting your finger from the keyboard. That will take some more time, and could be a great feature if I had the desire to learn it. Bit the best part is that I don’t have to. The normal SwiftKey keyboard has grown to the point where it is bar none the best keyboard experience on Android.

At $1.99 it’s worth a shot if you’re frustrated with other Android keyboard solutions, including previous SwiftKey builds. You can get SwiftKey 4 from Google Play.

The post SwiftKey 4 Brings the Best Android Keyboard Experience appeared first on MobileMoo.

It is a shame that HTC doesn’t have a larger place in the smartphone market. For years it has crafted high-quality devices, and for a while it seemed that the focus on quality would win over the market. The Google Nexus One, for example, was far and away the best smartphone of its time. But recently HTC has hit a roadblock, and its name is Samsung.

With powerful marketing campaigns to go along with their powerful smartphones, Samsung has come to dominate the Android smartphone space. It’s not just with their flagship Galaxy S phones, though those have gone a long way in aiding their dominance. It’s a selection of phones that covers the smartphone market from top to bottom, edge to edge. HTC just can’t match that.

Where HTC can match Samsung is at the top of the market. While the Galaxy S III has captured much of the high-end market, we know that consumers will change their minds if something better comes along. The Galaxy S IV will likely fortify Samsung’s market dominance, but there will still be room at the top — especially for those who don’t enjoy Samsung’s TouchWiz UI or the feel of its phones.

In terms of phone feel, HTC has always had the upper hand. It continues along that high-quality path with the HTC One, which features an aluminum body. That makes it instantly more durable than the S3, and durability is one of the major concerns with that device. The 4.7-inch display nearly measure to the S3′s 4.8 inches, so there is little or nothing lost there.

I could sit here and extol the virtues of the HTC One’s specs — including its quad-core 1.7GHz processor (vroom) — but we all know that the specs do not make the phone. The user experience is what makes the phone. The New Sense UI could make a difference. It uses tiles instead of app icons, which has been pretty popular lately. You can also easily flip to the default icons screen with one swipe. The New Sense UI, at a glance, is a huge step up from previous Sense, which turned off many users. It’s just another example of a manufacturer taking advantage of Android’s openness. It’s not a new OS, but it sure feels like one.

Will the HTC One be enough to save a company that has been decimated by Samsung’s increasing popularity? It’s hard to see the answer being yes at this point. The market is simply enamored with Samsung. But there has to be room for other players, right? If that rings true, HTC is definitely the one. Their phones are far better than anything LG and Motorola put out. It might not make them a dominant player, but there will be many Android users thrilled with what the HTC One brings to the table.

Check out more at HTC’s website.

The post HTC Makes Its Stand Against Samsung appeared first on MobileMoo.

It’s certainly not good news, but it’s not nearly as bad as many commentators are making it out to be. Tomorrow, January 26th, a provision in the DMCA takes full effect. If you buy a new handset from a carrier on or after that date, you cannot use your own means to unlock it. The carrier has to grant permission for that. This has caused much confusion, but it’s really that straight forward.

Remember that:

• If you purchased a phone from a carrier before 1/26/13, you can unlock it however you’d like.
• If you buy an unlocked phone after Saturday, it’s the same as ever.
• You carrier still might grant you permission to unlock your phone.

Your carrier will likely grant you permission to unlock your phone after your contract term with them has expired. Most carriers already provide this service. There is a chance, though, that carriers use this new provision to assert their dominance. Since they don’t have to unlock phones, they might stop doing so in all but a few cases. And that would be a shame.

Carriers do subsidize phones for customers who sign two-year contracts, and to some that might signal a level of ownership for the carrier. That is, they’re providing you with a discount, which they recoup via your monthly fees. But no matter what the case, the carrier will be repaid in one form or another.

If the customer cancels the contract she will have to pay an early termination fee, prorated to reflect the level to which they’ve paid back the subsidy via monthly fees.

If the customer unlocks but continues the contract with a different phone the customer continues repaying the subsidy by paying those monthly fees. It’s not as though the carrier will offer the customer another subsidy on a new phone while the contract term is still active. (And carriers are more strict about this now than ever before.)

Any way you view it, the customer owns the phone. So why can’t they unlock it without carrier permission? The Library of Congress explained in a rule written in October, which kicked off this whole hoopla.

…with respect to new wireless handsets, there are ample alternatives to circumvention. That is, the marketplace has evolved such that there is now a wide array of unlocked phone options available to consumers. While it is true that not every wireless device is available unlocked, and wireless carriers’ unlocking polices are not free from all restrictions, the record clearly demonstrates that there is a wide range of alternatives from which consumers may choose in order to obtain an unlocked wireless phone.

So because unlocked phones are available, we are not forced to buy locked phones. That’s specious reasoning at best. In other words, “because there are alternatives, carriers can do whatever they want.” It’s difficult to not find this irksome.

It is a wonder that we haven’t heard more from cellular consumer advocacy groups such as Mobile Future. They should be all over this, as it needlessly punishes consumers. It might not be the biggest deal, since the great majority of wireless customers have no interest in unlocking their phones. But perhaps if they understood the freedoms they’re granted by doing so, they’d be more keen to the idea.

Via CNET.

The post Unlocking Your Phone Gets Tougher on Saturday appeared first on MobileMoo.

Once cell phones became ubiquitous in the early 2000s, it was clear that landlines were on their way out. Many families held, and still hold, onto their landlines for familiarity reasons. They’re used to having a landline, and people have known their numbers for some time. The younger generation, on the other hand, sees little need for a non-portable, non-personal phone. It is fairly clear that in a decade or so, landlines will have only a niche market.

One of those niche markets is business. While many workers, even those attached to a desk in an office for eight hours a day, have cell phones, they also have office numbers. Not only does that give them a number to hand out to potential clients and contacts, but it makes intra-office communications easier. But if T-Mobile’s new business tools catch on, the boundary between landlines and mobile will be blurred even further.

T-Mobile Office Connect in many ways resembles Google Voice. It’s a single number that can ring multiple phones. That includes both an office landline and a mobile phone. The included software allows users to flip the switch whenever they need to, so they are accessible via that single number at all times. Or they can be available at no times, since the voice mail feature works the same on both the mobile and the landline.

This kind of service might not be right for home usage. It only serves to ring someone’s personal cell phone at a common house location. But for businesses it could be a big break. It can help them reduce costs by paying one price for both landline and mobile service. It also makes life easier for users, since they can have a single number to hand out.

The latter point is something that most office workers would appreciate. When we print up business cards these days, we typically include both an office number, with extension, and a cell number. Many callers will go straight for the cell phone, since they don’t know whether we’re in the office. Having one number puts the control back in the hands of the user, rather than the caller. It’s no small consideration — especially if we don’t want to be bothered after working hours. Presumably you can still check your email, but have calls forwarded to the office (and voicemail).

The service starts at $9.99 per month, but surely there are plenty of upgrades available that will fit the needs of any size business.

Via Phone Scoop.

The post Is Mobile the Future of the Landline? appeared first on MobileMoo.

The story of the day comes from Bianca Bosker of The Huffington Post. She has written a massive feature about the origins of Siri. If you have the time, it’s worth examining. It touches in plenty, including the future potential of the virtual assistant. But the story’s greatest revelation comes near the beginning. Before Apple bought Siri in 2010, it was nearly launched on another platform. Specifically, it was slated for Android phones from Verizon Wireless.

What started out as a Department of Defense project soon turned private, with a dedicated team working on a Siri app. That app hit the App Store in early 2010, shortly after which Apple acquired it for more than $150 million. But before that acquisition, before Siri eventhit the App store, Verizon had a deal in place to put Siri on its Android handsets. Given the state of Android at the time, it could have been an enormous game changer.

Remember, it wasn’t until the original Droid, along with Verizon’s Droid Does marketing campaign, in late 2009 that Android actually became relevant in the mass market. It had been around commercially since the T-Mobile G1 in 2008, but few Android handsets impressed consumers by that point. The Droid, and Android 2.1, marked a turnaround.

Now imagine if Verizon had Siri to push along with its new Android handsets.

Even though it bought Siri in early 2010, Apple didn’t unveil it until late 2011. Part of that was certainly the timing of its releases. The iPhone 4 was slated for a July release, so Apple was already dedicating significant resources to that in early 2010. Chances are Verizon could have gotten that out to users much earlier, perhaps in late 2010. That could have changed the competition level immediately. But the real effect would have come in October, 2011.

That’s when Apple released the iPhone 4S. While iOS 5 was certainly an improvement, it was merely a free software download. In terms of hardware, the 4S was just an incremental upgrade over the 4. Yes, it had a slightly nicer screen and a slightly more powerful processor. But that kind of incrementalism rarely sits well with users.

Siri was the big selling point of the iPhone 4S. In fact, despite its easy compatibility, Apple did not put Siri on any of its older-generation devices — even the iPad 2, which had been released earlier in 2011. That was the big selling point for the 4S, and it apparently worked well. But it’s easy to imagine a much damper reaction to the iPhone 4S if it didn’t contain Siri.

The competition is becoming stiffer now that Google has its own voice-driven assistant application. The hope is that this drives Siri further — many users have noted a lack of progress in the past year-plus that Siri has been available. But one thing is for certain: Steve Jobs pulled off a coup when he snatched Siri away from Verizon and got it on his own devices. It’s easy to imagine history unfolding quite differently if he hadn’t.

The post Where would the iPhone be without Siri? appeared first on MobileMoo.

The BlackBerry is like that boyfriend or girlfriend who keeps begging you to take him or her back. They might say they’ve changed, but with history in mind we can’t reasonably take their words for it. Not when they’ve put us through the hell that was the BlackBerry Storm series. Not when they hyped up devices that were 18 months to two years behind the market.

Yet for many BlackBerry will get another chance in just nine days when, on January 30th, Research In Motion unveils the BlackBerry 10 platform. We already know a lot about the platform. Not only has RIM been fairly public with its development, but it also gave us an idea of what to expect with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. And all factors considered, the PlayBook wasn’t all that bad.

Today the folks at Boy Genius Report have a collection of 100 slides that put BlackBerry 10 on display. Many of them are mundane aspects, such as the setup process and other menus. But it should give you an idea of what to expect when these phones finally hit stores sometime in February.

As a first impression, it seems that the OS is a hybrid between the old BlackBerry OS and Android. Many of the setup menus are right out of BlackBerry 7. There’s nothing wrong with that; they’re just setup menus. Hopefully that is one among very few aspects borrowed from that OS.

The beauty of this is you don’t have to take my word for it. You can check out the gallery for yourself, click around, and get a decent impression of what BlackBerry 10 is all about. It does seem that gestures will play a prominent role in how the device operates, and this gives you a glimpse into how that is going to work.

It does appear that these devices will be priced to sell. Instead of the standard $199 we’ve seen at the launch of nearly every new BlackBerry, BGR hears that it could be down in the $150 range. Many Windows Phones have started here, so it is a decent strategy, especially when many Androids and the higher capacity iPhones run $300 and up. Removing that barrier to entry could prove an effective strategy for RIM.

The two BlackBerry models we’ll see shortly might be among the last that RIM actually produces for itself. For at least a year now we’ve heard speculation that RIM could sell its handset division, license BlackBerry 10 to other hardware manufacturers, or both. CEO Thorsten Heins recently told a German newspaper that selling and licensing are still possibilities, but that a successful BlackBerry 10 launch plays a big part.

This makes enough sense. Again, manufacturers have seen RIM through these years. Why agree to buy assets from them, or license their new platform, if there is no interest from the market? BlackBerry 10, launched on devices that RIM has produced, will give other companies a better gauge of what’s going on. For big companies like Samsung, which might want to find alternatives to Android for competitiveness’s sake, BlackBerry 10 could provide a new alternative. But only if the market responds positively.

It feels as though BlackBerry writers and analysts have been doing speculation pieces for years now. It all builds up to January 30th. We’ll be eagerly awaiting not only RIM’s announcement, but how the market reacts to it.

The post Sneak Peak at BlackBerry 10 and the Future of RIM appeared first on MobileMoo.

Do you use your iPhone in bed? Many iPhone users play games, read books, or just flip around websites before they nod off for the evening. Unfortunately, such habits can harm sleep quality.

To get its bright and vibrant colors, the iPhone emits a considerable amount of blue light. That’s the same light that tells your body that it is daytime, so wakey wakey. Unsurprisingly, then, there have been studies that link nighttime electronics use to poor sleep. It’s hard to fall into a deep slumber when your body has just received a signal that it is daytime.

The most complete solution is to ditch the pre-bed iPhone habit, but most users won’t do that. We’ve grown accustomed to it, and many people find that it’s a relaxing part of their pre-bed routine. There are ways, though, to cut down on the amount of blue light you’re exposed to with your iPhone. Here are a few ways to do that and hopefully get a better night’s sleep.

1. Turn down the brightness

While you will still be exposed to some level of blue light, you can drastically reduce it by turning down the screen brightness of your iPhone. The process is quite easy. Go to Settings – Brightness & Wallpaper. Move the slider all the way to the left and you’ll have a noticeably darker screen. It might seem difficult to see the screen, but your eyes will adjust.

If you’re reading, you can add to the effect by going to Settings – General – Accessibility and turning on the Invert Colors setting. That will make the background black in reading apps such as iBooks and Kindle, which means less blue light emission.

2. Download f.lux (jailbreak required)

If you have jailbroken your iPhone, you can take advantage of f.lux, an app available via Cydia. The app effectively filters out blue light, so you can use your iPhone in bed without fear that it will keep you up all night. The app works in accordance with sunrise and sunset times, so when the sun goes down you won’t be telling your body it’s daytime (at least from your iPhone).

You can check out the Stereopsis website to learn more about f.lux. It is also available for Windows, Mac, and Linux (plus your iPad, again if jailbroken).

3. Buy a blue light filter

If you don’t have a jailbroken iPhone and don’t want to jailbreak yours (or can’t), you can still take steps to cut out blue light. The company Low Blue Lights has created blue light filters for the iPad and iPhone. You just stick these on your iPhone or iPad at night, and it cuts out the blue light. You can take it off during the day for normal use.

The Low Blue Lights iPhone filter costs $13. It is, unfortunately, not available yet for the iPhone 5, though they say it should be coming soon. There is also one available for the iPad. They say it’s out of stock, but I ordered one and got it in a few days despite that warning.

The post iPhone Keeping You Awake at Night? 3 Ways To Cut Out Blue Light appeared first on MobileMoo.

We’re yet another week into January, which means that more people have let go of plans to pursue their New Years resolutions. Last week we wrote about iPhone apps that can help your New Year’s resolution. There are plenty, and since most are not free you have added incentive to use them. Android users can download most of those apps, but they have one that can help even more. Fail Log is an app designed to rid you of the bad habits that prevent you from creating good ones.

When we try to break bad habits, we usually put too much pressure on ourselves. We must stop now, we tell ourselves, and then we scold ourselves when we slip. One slip leads to the next, because hey, you already slipped once so what the hell. The cycle continues, of course, until we abandon our efforts to kill this bad habit. And so we continue, unchanged.

Fail Log presents an alternative. Instead of beating up yourself every time you slip, you merely make a record of it in the app. There is really nothing to it. You set up the habit you want to change, and select it every time you slip. That’s it. Record and walk away. In the background, Fail Log compiles your data and shows it to you in many forms. It can be highly effective for people looking for insight into their own bad habits and behaviors.

After time you’ll see trends appear. What is your worst time for slipping? You can then work on a plan to curb slips at that specific time, with the hope that cutting out the heart will help kill the habit entirely. You can also see days that you slip more than others, so you can perhaps tie it to other events. The main idea: the more you know about your bad habits, the more direct action you can take to eradicate them.

Want to give it a try and see if it works? You can get Fail Log for free from Google Play. Once you’ve eradicated your bad habits, you can work on adding new, good ones. For that the developer, Amimetic, has Habit Streak Pro, which costs $2.99 but will repay itself many times over if you can successfully develop these new habits.

The post Looking to kill a bad habit? Try Fail Log for Android appeared first on MobileMoo.

If you’ve walked into a wireless outlet lately to shop for a phone, you understand how overwhelming the process can be. Each carrier has an enormous selection of smartphones. Many of them share similar features, and most of them hover around the same price point. So how is someone to choose? Furthermore, how is someone to save some money in the process? After all, there are always deals to be had for those who seek them.

Verizon Wireless stores will feature high-end phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S III and the Droid RAZR Max HD. But there are plenty of other handsets that will work just as well for the average smartphone user — and won’t cost them the $200 to $300 they’ll pay for those top of the line handsets.

Click here to check out the slate of deals on Verizon smartphones.

The HTC Rezound, a powerful phone with a 4.3-inch screen and Android 4.0, is free with a two-year contract.

Looking for an affordable phablet — those phones that are bigger than most phones but slightly smaller than tablets? Verizon has the LG Intuition, with a 5-inch display, for $99.99, far cheaper than the name-brand Galaxy Note II.

Windows Phone fan? The 8X by HTC is just $99.99 with Verizon’s current deals. n

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We’re just a half month away from what will certainly be RIM’s biggest announcement ever. On January 30 they will hold events marking the release of long-awaited BlackBerry 10 handsets. For the past eight or nine months we’ve seen the prototype for their all-touch model, but we haven’t seen much concerning the signature-style QWERTY model. That’s the one that could make or break the entire platform. With the touchscreen model there is plenty of competition: iPhone, nearly all Android devices, and current Windows Phone models are all similar in design. But RIM holds the key with its signature Bold styled handset.

A photo of the device appeared on Instagram lately. It does appear to be the Real McCoy, complete with “not for sale” engravings on the bottom border. That is not to say that this is the device that consumers will see. Rather, it is the equivalent of the Dev Alpha that RIM distributed to developers at BlackBerry World earlier this year. While the equivalent BlackBerry 10 device will closely resemble this, it won’t quite be the same thing.

In terms of reaction, it’s hard to think that this is any different than anyone imagined. The screen is slightly taller than in previous versions of the Bold, but that’s by necessity. RIM wants to make the development process as streamlined as possible, which means keeping dimensions compatible across devices. It might mean a larger device in total, but it will mean a better experience for both developer and user.

What RIM didn’t do is mess with the keyboard. It has been their bread and butter since they came onto the scene like gangbusters in 2003, and there is no reason to mess with what works. Of course, the BlackBerry keyboard evolved considerably over the years, but it appears they hit the pinnacle of keyboard functionality with their Bold 99xx series (just this author’s opinion). Sticking with something similar will work well, because it’s what works well for end users.

In two weeks we’ll know, and see, a lot more. But the current signs are at least a little encouraging. I’ve opined frequently that BlackBerry 10 won’t do much to expand the BlackBerry brand, but will merely keep the current user base in place. Perhaps it will attract some new users, but it’s hard to see Android users switching, especially at a time when Samsung is creating some of the most compelling handsets on the market. But if RIM can at least keep its current users happy, perhaps they can win enough new ones to make it all worthwhile.

VIa BerryReview.

The post QWERTY BlackBerry 10 shows up on on Instagram appeared first on MobileMoo.

Is the iPhone falling out of style? Initial sales reports for the iPhone 5 appeared positive, with 2 million preorders in the first 24 hours following its announcement last September. But the forecast has since changed. Sales numbers after the initial push weren’t as strong as analysts originally thought, which caused the Apple stock to tumble in mid- to late-December. The latest tumble, which sent the stock to below $500 in pre-bell trading, further suggests lackluster sales.

According to Reuters, Apple has called many of its suppliers and had them halve orders for the January through March period. That means cutting estimates from 65 million iPhones produced to just over 30 million. While 30 million iPhones might seem like a lot to you and me, it apparently is not standing up with Apple’s previously heavy production totals. Does this put a damper on the future of the iPhone?

Apple took plenty of grief in the weeks, and then months, following the iPhone 5 announcement. While consumers generally embraced the larger screen, some thought it not large enough to keep up with the current oversized smartphone trend. It also added very few new features to the table; even the new iOS 6 provided only incremental improvements over iOS 5, with a few new bells and whistles attached.

In addition to the initial disappointment, which led many consumers (including your humble author) to seek Android alternatives, there was the whole Maps debacle. Apple has since rectified the situation, allowing Google Maps into the App Store, and that PR disaster does appear to be behind them. But with that wave of disappointment, combined with the initial wave, Apple could face some relatively lean times ahead.

It seems that Apple has taken some previously unthinkable measures to increase iPhone 5 sales. In December they reduced the price of iPhone 5 units sold in Walmart stores to $127. Even now they’re listed at $187. (Other retailers, such as Best Buy, continue to sell for the full $199 price.) While those kinds of deals might have improved holiday sales numbers, they won’t do much in the first quarter.

Two other factors play a part in Apple’s production cut. There is Samsung, which has sold 40 million of their Samsung Galaxy S III smartphones, and 100 million Galaxy S phones since the original in 2010. Samsung is also gearing up for a fourth edition to the series, which could further hamper iPhone sales. Samsung did a good job marketing the Galaxy S III during Apple’s launch phase, and could really cut into Apple’s market if they get the Galaxy S IV into the market place six or so months ahead of the next iPhone.

Another factor is the U.S. economy. While it has seen worse times, taxpayers just saw a small but significant tax increase, thanks to the end of a tax holiday. It might not be much, but any hike in taxes — resulting in a noticeable difference in paycheck amounts — can cause consumers to cut back on spending. Since many iPhone customers are upgrading old iPhones, and since the old iPhones are perfectly adequate, many might choose to hang onto their current models for now.

Finally, it’s easy to draw further speculation from this. Perhaps Apple is planning an iPhone release in the first half of 2013, to help combat the Galaxy S IV. While the S IV will certainly beat any new iPhone to the market, Apple might want to announce its new iPhone earlier, so Samsung doesn’t have a six-month head start. Again, that’s complete speculation, but it’s certainly possible.

Even amid bad news, it’s tough to predict long-term poor performance for Apple. There are numerous reasons why they might have cut production for the first quarter of 2013, and some of them might lead to positives. Still, the news is at least a little concerning in the short term.

The post What To Make of Apple’s Order Cuts appeared first on MobileMoo.

For the first time in what seems like ages, the BlackBerry is garnering positive press. Ever since its ill-fated attempt to produce an iPhone competitor with the BlackBerry Storm, the BlackBerry brand has been on the decline. It started slowly, but in 2010 it hastened to a free fall.

The BlackBerry 7 line of smartphones might have helped in 2009 or early 2010, but a 2011 release just wouldn’t cut it. Yet all might not be lost for the former titan of the industry. Its much-hyped BlackBerry 10 phones will get their day at the market, as all four carriers have committed to the platform, with three of them jumping on board at launch.

At CES this week all of the Big 4 — Verizon. AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile — stated their support for the platform. That will give BlackBerry every opportunity to show consumers that they are not all talk. For the past year they’ve touted the potential of BlackBerry 10, but haven’t gotten devices into consumers hands. In fact, early in 2012 they delayed the target launch date of BlackBerry 10 from October, 2012, to Q1, 2013. Now they have to prove to people that the device is worth the wait.

Some carriers were a bit more optimistic than others. T-Mobile seemed the most enthusiastic, perhaps because they have the most to gain from a successful BlackBerry 10 launch. They lag far behind No. 3 Sprint, and will remain there even if their proposed merger with MetroPCs goes seamlessly. AT&T sounded a bit more pragmatic, recognizing its large population of BlackBerry business users will want to remain on the platform. Of the Big 4, only Sprint didn’t commit to carrying the devices when they launch, but they will eventually be in the fold.

Getting picked up by the four major carriers was pretty much the only way BlackBerry 10 stood a chance in the marketplace. The iPhone has a cult following that will continue for as long as Apple makes products. There are others, too, who simply prefer the simple interface and syncing capabilities of iOS, pairing the iPhone with Apple desktops, laptops, iPods, and the iPad. Android has caught on in a major way, with Samsung making a huge dent in the market. Other manufacturers, such as HTC and LG, are creating strong offerings as well, while other players, such as ZTE, have spread the market from the high end to the low.

In addition, Windows Phone got a considerable head start on BlackBerry. The seamless integration between Windows Phone and Windows 8 for desktops and laptops can give the Microsoft phones a considerable advantage in the business marketplace, which is BlackBerry’s bread and butter. That means Research In Motion has an upward hill to climb in terms of convincing North America to adopt its new platform.

We’ll all get a closer look at BlackBerry 10 later this month. RIM has an announcement set for January 30th, with the phones launching shortly afterward.

VIa FierceWireless.

The post BlackBerry 10 will get a fair shake with commitment from Big 4 carriers appeared first on MobileMoo.