gadgetsonthego.net
home
Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener said Friday that the Seattle-based online retailer is working on making Kindle books available "on a range of mobile phones." The company is not yet saying when the books will be available, or on which phones.
Another e-book provider, Mobipocket, which is owned by Amazon, already sells titles that can be read on numerous smart phones. And on Thursday, Google Inc. announced that titles available from its Book Search service can now be read on Apple Inc.'s iPhone or a phone running its Android operating system. For now that would just be the G1, which is sold by T-Mobile.
Amazon is widely expected to unveil a new version of the Kindle device at a news conference Monday at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.
The company has not released sales figures for the first version of the Kindle, which it rolled out in late 2007. Amazon said last fall it sold out of the $359 device after Oprah Winfrey endorsed it. The company has made 230,000 titles available on the Kindle, which can download books wirelessly.
Labels: amazon, cell phones, kindle
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/06/2009 04:37:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Verizon earned a 69% score from users and won points for having a bit better coverage, less static and fewer dropped calls than fellow giants T-Mobile and AT&T.
Sprint came up worst, with a 59% score in New York.
The pricey iPhone, which works with AT&T service, was narrowly judged best phone by a panel of experts, edging out Treo and Blackjack models.
The results were part of a nationwide survey of more than 47,000 readers in 20 metro areas that appears in the magazine's upcoming issue.
Not surprisingly, cell phone users aren't very pleased with their service overall, with less than half saying they are completely or somewhat satisfied with their service.
The satisfaction rating is markedly less than similar figures for other services like cable and satellite TV or Internet service providers.
Cell phone companies also get poor marks for customer service, especially hard-to-understand policies about service contracts." Via NY Daily News .
Labels: att, cell phones, iphone, sprint, t mobile, treo, verizon
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 12/04/2007 09:19:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Motorola accounted for 13 percent of the phones sold to end users in the third quarter, down from 21 percent in the same quarter last year, Gartner said. At the same time, Samsung increased its share to 15 percent, while Nokia extended its lead at the top of the pack, accounting for 38 percent of the market, or more than one in every three mobile phones sold.
The figures will be a blow to Motorola, which lost share amid a strengthening market overall. Total sales to end users last quarter reached 289 million phones, up 15 percent from a year earlier. But Motorola had performed poorly all year, so the results were no great surprise, according to Carolina Milanesi, Gartner's research director for mobile devices.
"Motorola's been struggling since the end of 2006, so it's not just this quarter," she said.
Its problems have been two-fold, according to Milanesi. Motorola hasn't developed a phone to ignite the imagination in the way its popular Razr did a few years ago, she said, leaving it with a weak line-up. "The Razr2 has done okay, but it's not had the same impact that the first Razr did," she said."
Labels: cell phones, motorola
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 11/28/2007 04:39:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: cell phones, culture, nokia
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 9/27/2007 10:47:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Gizmodo is reporting that Sony Ericsson Gaming Chief has gone on record saying that there will be a Playstation branded gaming phone by Christmas. Here's the kicker, he also said it might not be this Christmas. Gotta love Sony and their marketing skills.
Labels: cell phones, gaming
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 8/28/2007 03:16:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"By dialing DIR-ECT-IONS, anybody can turn their cell phone into a 'free GPS'. Now you can get directions anytime by calling and asking -- no downloads, special phone, or web plan." said Amit Desai, cofounder and chief product officer of Dial Directions. "DIR-ECT-IONS opens up location-based services to all cell phone users, the majority of whom want something easier and more available than today's complicated 'smart' phones."
How it Works >P>Any cell phone user can dial DIR-ECT-IONS, which is 347-328-4667, and say where they are and where they'd like to go -- the service understands and texts back turn-by-turn directions. Users can give a specific destination address or intersection ("DirectMe"), or just ask for the closest location of any chain store, like Starbucks or Borders ("NearMe")."
Labels: cell phones
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 7/16/2007 12:35:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
In particular, the company will begin measuring how consumers use mobile Internet and mobile video beginning in July.
The service will be called Nielsen Wireless.
Included in the metrics will be comparisons of how subscribers of different wireless carriers watch TV or play video games, compared to the same use on their cell phone.
One tidbit the company has already released is that 55 percent of users of video-enabled mobile phones are from households with total incomes of $75,000 or greater."
Labels: cell phones, culture
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/06/2007 12:08:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Even before Apple Inc.'s much anticipated iPhone hits the shelves later this month, users of many different kinds of phones can listen to their iTunes music, via a new service from Seattle company Melodeo Inc.
Anyone can use the beta version of NuTsie, launched on Tuesday, by signing up and then exporting their iTunes playlists to NuTsie. Users don't actually upload their music files, only the metadata of the files which identifies the songs. After receiving an application via text message to their phones, they can start listening to their playlists.
On the backend, Melodeo is assembling a library of music so it can stream the songs to users. When a user chooses to listen to music from their playlist, Melodeo streams it from its own library. The company adheres to "radio rules," the same guidelines that govern how broadcast radio and online stations play music and then pay artists and record companies for the right to play the songs.
Because Melodeo follows radio rules, NuTsie has a few quirks. For instance, users can't pick individual songs from their libraries, they can only listen to their playlists. Also, playlists don't play in the order that the user made them -- NuTsie shuffles the order. If a user's playlist includes a full album, Melodeo must insert random songs into its playback in order to comply with the rules.
For now, NuTsie supports 15 phones, although the Java application may work on other phones. Melodeo is developing a Brew version and a Windows Mobile client." Via PC World .
Labels: cell phones, itunes
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 6/06/2007 09:50:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"LG has something to celebrate with the announcement that it has shipped its ten millionth Chocolate phone; this monumental bit of sales and marketing was accomplished 18 months after its intro in Korea and 11 months after hitting global markets. To celebrate the event, LG is handing out free handsets to anybody who hits the Chocolate page in the next hour (ok, that is a huge lie, but it would be totally cool). Everybody put their hands together for LG and wish them continued success and hope that they can repeat that choco-licious love with the Shine." Via PDA Live .Labels: cell phones
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 4/27/2007 02:42:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Gizmodo is reporting that Gucci is working on a designer cell phone. Gucci isn't going to let Prada be the only designer cell phone in town. I wonder if they'll have Fall and Spring collections? ;)Labels: cell phones, rumors
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 3/12/2007 09:04:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Motorola's StarTAC was pretty revolutionary when it first came out, one of the first phone models to comfortably fit in one's pocket and look good doing it. Even by today's standards the 10 year-old-phone is still pretty damned small, and Moto has decided to revive the long-neglected brand with the new StarTAC III."
Labels: cell phones, motorola
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/27/2007 11:02:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
Labels: cell phones, nokia
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/25/2007 12:46:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Looks like Nokia will bump its N91 music-friendly cellphone's capacity from 4GB to 8GB. And unlike other cellphones that claim to be music-centric, the N91 actually has a standard 3.5mm audio jack. You'll also find a 2-megapixel camera, FM radio (requires a special headset) and the ability to view and edit many of those Microsoft productivity apps' files, like Word."Labels: cell phones
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/15/2007 10:21:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
The Boy Genius has some great news.
"Word out of Howard Forums is that T-Mobile will be releasing a Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for current owners of the Dash (a.k.a. HTC Excaliber). Although unconfirmed as of yet, the Pink T's engineering department is quoted as a source, lending credability to the argument. If this turns out to be true, it could mean big things in terms of backwards compatibility, as the Dash's relatively anemic OMAP 850 processor means that Crossbow might be useful for owners of slightly older devices. Stay tuned for more info."
"UPDATE: According to the official Microsoft WM6 press release, the Dash will, in fact, be getting the Crossbow Update within the next 2 months. From the 3GSM release: "…in the United States, the popular T-Mobile Dash will be updated with Windows Mobile 6 and be available in the coming months. Current T-Mobile Dash owners will also be able to upgrade existing devices with Windows Mobile 5.0 to Windows Mobile 6…"
It's great that T-Mobile will be allowing current Dash owners running Windows Mobile 5 the ability to upgrade to the latest version of Winodws Mobile. I wish Palm, Sprint, and Verizon would do this for Treo users since we know that Windows Mobile 6 can run on a Treo 750. I'm glad that I know my Dash will be able to run Windows Mobile 6 and that T-Mobile is going to offer it to its current customers.
Labels: cell phones, dash, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/13/2007 01:02:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
I came across these pictures showing a T-Mobile Dash running Windows Mobile 6. It's not certain if T-Mobile will make it available as an upgrade, but the great news is the Dash can run Windows Mobile 6.
Labels: cell phones, dash, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/09/2007 12:38:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
"Since the announcement of the iPhone, several competitors are lining up to compete in the touchscreen smartphone market. The latest competitor to enter the mix is the Prada from LG. In a recent article it seems that Business Week has spilled the beans on the new operating system that the Prada will run. You guessed it - Windows Mobile 6.
Business week says, "LG Electronics, the fourth-largest mobile phone maker, is developing new Windows Mobile devices. With Samsung and Motorola (MOT) already selling Windows Mobile phones, Microsoft will have three of the top five handset makers in its camp."
Will Microsoft be able to compete with the ultra cool Apple iPhone? That remains to be seen but it will be a fun contest to watch. One advantage for Microsoft is the mobile office applications while an advantage for Apple is the very cool UI." Via Pocket PC Blast .
Labels: cell phones, windows mobile
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/09/2007 08:56:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
The Dash does BlackBerry:) You can find BlackBerry Connect for the Dash here .
Labels: blackberry, cell phones, dash
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/08/2007 02:34:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Just got a tip from one of my Cingular sources givin' us a heads up on the pricing for the BlackBerry 8800. It will go as follows". The Boy Genius Reports has all the Cingular BlackBerry 8800 pricing information.
Labels: blackberry, cell phones, cingular
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/08/2007 11:10:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck it must be a duck, right? Not necessarily. Samsung has announced one diddy of a new smartphone, the F700. This phone is part of Samsung's Ultrasmart series of phones and carries the fullscreen touch-screen interface that is becoming very popular as of late.
Samsung is also trying to one up its competitor with one specific feature...
... a slide out full-QWERTY keyboard. From the pictures here it seems that the addition of a slide-out keyboard didn't make the phone necessarily bulky like other QWERTY-sliders have." Via Gizmodo .
Labels: cell phones
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/08/2007 09:17:00 AM 0 comments links to this post
"Coming in svelte black and chrome here is the new BlackBerry 8800! I am happy to show everyone this fantastic device from every-which-angle possible. The OS seems to loads way faster than the Pearl, and the speaker sounds a lot better. The feel of the device is great and the keyboard is just as good and functional as the 8700 so no worries out there power 8700 users! The screen? Oh man, the screen! The Cingular release will not have WiFi, but this unit does. Look for a WiFi 8800-style berry coming shortly after the launch of the 8800 on Cingular which is later this month. Click on for the full picture set here first, only on Boy Genius Report!" Via The Boy Genius Report .
Since the Cingular 8800 won't have WiFi that could only mean T-Mobile should be getting the 8800 shortly.
Labels: blackberry, cell phones
¶ posted by Jimmie Geddes, Editor @ 2/07/2007 02:25:00 PM 0 comments links to this post
Contact Jimmie Geddes here: gadgetsonthego at gmail dot com.
