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Apple in Legal Hot Water
Looks like the Feds are going after Apple. Suspicion over some of the activities on the iTunes store as far as music is concerned has sparked interest by the Justice Department. It is believed that Apple bullied record labels into not selling their songs exclusively on Amazon prior to their release, even going as far as threatening to pull advertising for a label’s songs. This isn’t the only legal debacle that Apple now finds itself in. The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission are looking into an antitrust investigation regarding Apple’s refusal to allow Adobe Flash on its operating systems. The latter case in my opinion is a joke. Apple has a right to choose which software it allows to work in conjunction with its hardware. It is their product and they…
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Apple Investigates Suicide Pandemic
Apple is a company that has brought us many a valued product over the years. It is also a company that provides humor in large quantities. The latest episode would have provided a chuckle had it not been so gruesome. Since the beginning of this year, nine employees at Foxconn, a Chinese manufacturer of the iPhone and iPad, had committed suicide. Obviously this is not a humorous event. However, would was rather funny was the comment made by Apple regarding the rash of suicides. "We are saddened and upset by the recent suicides at Foxconn," Apple said in a statement. "We are deeply committed to ensuring that conditions throughout our supply chain are safe and workers are treated with respect and dignity." If that were the case Apple, you wouldn’t be…
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Holiday Inn Testing Smartphones as Keycards
The mega hotel chain Holiday Inn is in the process of testing a new service that would allow guests to use their Smartphones as keycards in order to access their room. The logic here is that people are less likely to lose their phones as opposed to their keycard. This initiative is in the experimental phase and will be tested at two Holiday Inn locations for 90 days. If this experiment is deemed successful, up to 20% of Holiday Inn locations will begin to offer this service. We should see a similar migration in other service industries as well, as more and more companies develop a way to improve their services via the Smartphone. Now if only actual human service at most hotels could improve, we would all be living in a Utopia. Something’s however, well never change…
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AT&T to Provide Unlock Codes for Some Devices
Caught between a hard and a rock place, AT&T has promised to offer unlock codes for phones after they faced a class action lawsuit. However, before you began to call the barons and caliphs at AT&T saints, there are several exceptions. First of all, the unlock code will only be supplied 90 days after the phone is purchased. Secondly, the customer must have proof of purchase for their device. This makes sense. And last, AT&T will not provide an unlock code for a phone that it offers exclusively until 10 months after the exclusivity expires. Several iPhone users have jumped out the window after discovering this I am sure. In short, AT&T has reached a comprise of sorts, but it is still far from perfect. As long as the consumer has paid the entire value of the device, there…
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AT&T to Offer Free WiFi in Times Square
Smartphones customers belonging to AT&T will not be able to enjoy free WiFi in Times Square. The move comes as AT&T looks to ease congestion in the Big Apple after being hounded repeatedly for unacceptable network services. In addition to Smartphones, the AT&T faithful will be able to access this free service with other wireless devices. This new WiFi hotspot will cover a small area from 45th to 47th near the 7th avenue area. Now, I can understand that AT&T wants to lighten its data burden, but I am not sure that such a small radius, coupled with a cluster of existing of WiFi spots, is necessarily the answer. In any case, New Yorkers are sure to enjoy the free WiFi. (They may also not even notice. Those lucky bastards really do have a lot going on.) I am waiting to hear…
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Apple Slashes iPhone Prices
Apple is trying to clear the decks of its ‘junk’ 16GB 3GS phones. This is obviously a move by Cupertino to rid themselves of older models in order to make way for the next generation devices. Wal-Mart has announced that the price of the iPhone 16GB 3GS phones has been cut by half. The iPhone 3GS will run for just under $100, but the two year contract is still mandatory. There is much anticipation by tech nerds for the new iPhone device and they are unlikely to take advantage of the bargain price of the soon to be older models. Bargain hunters and soccer moms however, will likely jump on this opportunity. This is a shame because the two year contract makes the purchase of the 3GS unwise, even at a reduced price. We are likely to see price reductions by other merchants…
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FCC Trying to Ruin the Mobile Industry
The FCC, the undisputed leader of stupidity, has warned that it may have to intervene in what it describes as an uncompetitive mobile industry. A recent report by the FCC had dire concerns about the state of the mobile market in the United States. "Specifically, the report confirms something I have been warning about for years -- that competition has been dramatically eroded and is seriously endangered by continuing consolidation and concentration in our wireless markets," said Michael Copps, the FCC's commissioner. "Some things are not right." Michael Copps is an ignorant politician that wants to fix a machine that is functioning perfectly well. The mobile industry has paved the way in both technology and finances over the last three years. The…
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AT&T Continues to Bully Consumers
AT&T, long known for being a major slave driver in the mobile industry, has made some crucial and perhaps damning changes to their Early Termination Fees or ETF. Starting June 1st, poor souls who purchase an iPhone from AT&T will see ETF fee of $325, as opposed to the current ETF of $175. Speculation in the market has it that AT&T and Apple are trying to stop consumers from purchasing an iPhone, breaking the contract and paying off the ETF, and then selling the iPhone online for a profit. On a brighter note, AT&T will lower ETF fees for some phones to $150. These Gestapo tactics have always been part of AT&T’s business strategy, but to double ETF fees for whatever reason is downright cruel. Where in Gods name is is the FCC when you need them. They’re great and handing…
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Nokia N8 is Faster than the Nokia N97 by 180%
Symbian bloggers have been thumping their chests after discovering that the Nokia N8 is 180% faster than the Nokia N97. Apparently, an application called Speedy Go! Was used to test the speeds of both devices and the Nokia N8 was the clear winner. For some odd reason, there are bloggers who believe that this speed comparison is paramount in determining how successful the Nokia N8 becomes. I would like to take this opportunity to educate these misguided souls. Nokia has been losing ground over the last 18 months and suffering from market shrinkage for one main reason: a lackluster application market. Without anything remotely on par with the App Store or Android Market, Symbian powered devices will always be at a distinct disadvantage. Nokia would be wise to concentrate…
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They’re All Smartphones
What is a Smartphone? Time after time I hear a reference to how the Smartphone has come a long way over the last several years and that more people than ever are turning their over their hard earned cash in order to fondle these advanced pieces of technology. There is just one problem with the Smartphone craze. The problem is that there is no such thing as a Smartphone. The definition of a Smartphone is an advanced phone. But what the heck does advanced phone mean? A phone that was labeled a Smartphone three years ago is obviously not in the Smartphone category anymore. Thus, it is logical to assume that more and more users are purchasing a Smartphone, because the majority of new phones are Smartphones. Due to the fact that we are not updating the definition of the…
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