Today at CTIA Yahoo announced oneConnect for the Apple iPhone. The stand-alone app aims to aggregate all your social networks into one place. Naturally, all your favorites are included: Facebook, YouTube, Dopplr, Twitter, Flickr, even Friendster. Of course Yahoo being Yahoo, others are included too.
Read the rest over on MobileCrunch.
Earlier this year at CES I got to spend some time with Microsoft’s Surface device, and I was impressed by what they’re doing. I’ll admit I went in with the attitude of “oh, touchscreen table, big deal”, but it’s far, far more than that.
Earlier today we brought you news that Surface was going to start appearing in AT&T stores, perhaps as customer service kiosks, and now we have a date: April 17. That’s rather soon.
If you haven’t had a chance to check Surface out yet, make a stop in to your local store. It’s worth it.
I have a friend who’s obsessed with Second Life. She doesn’t play it much, but she’s in love with the idea. And she’s in the market for a new cellphone. Perhaps I shouldn’t tell her about this new Second Life client Samsung is planning on making available for some of its handsets.
Is it a good idea? We don’t know. Is it a good idea my easily obsessed friends know about this? No.
Hi-res version of ‘iphone’ results
Sprint’s Instinct is supposed to be one of the better iPhone pretenders. Biggs lauded its user interface while simultaneously panning other n’er do wells for their haphazard use of haptic or multitouch-for-multitouch’s sake. So you would think the phone, which is, nearest I can tell, one of the standouts at this year’s CTIA, would have more than a handful of column inches devoted to it.
Doesn’t appear to be the case, a Lexis Nexis (Academic) search reveals.
Compare it to the iPhone, which was officially unveiled January 9, 2007 at MacWorld. Within 24 hours, as the screenshot above shows, some 409 articles, press releases and the like mention “iPhone” in the Nexis database (under the US Newspapers and Wires category).
The Instinct, 24 hours after its April 1, 2008 debut, has a grand total of 16 articles. Twenty-five times fewer articles in the same time frame.
Sprint launched a handful of new phones today at CTIA, and they were thoughtful enough to make a summary page including all of the phones and devices in one spot with specs, press releases, images, and fact sheets.
This isn’t hard work. This is Webmastering 101. This is what the Internet is for. And note that Sprint isn’t trying to make you buy the phones, jump through hoops, or use you as an ATM? Well done.
The other carriers should pay attention to how Sprint’s using their Website and CTIA together to get the word out. AT&T’s hasn’t been updated, neither has T-Mo’s or Verizon’s. They’re losing out on an opportunity to be first in people’s minds, and it’s a problem with the cellphone industry.
Got a note this morning from a concerned reader who is watching some carrier noise. Apparently some of the bigs are talking to the FCC about having cellular repeaters classed as “jammers” because they might interfere and oscillate with regular cell tower signals.
tia complained to fcc about repeaters, said they were essentially jammers asked for them to be banned.
but repeater manufacturers have hired lobbyists/lawyers, and if my sources are accurate, things seem to be going their way. wilson electronics actually used a story about someone who had his leg cut off in an dirt biking accident in the desert and whose life was saved because he was able to use a repeater.
i imagine they might have some sort of further testing on repeaters to allow them, and to make sure they don’t oscillate
i mean, they might add a further certification beyond the normal fcc one
What does this mean? It means places like my dead zone house and Arrington’s pad will be completely off the cellular grid, reverting many of us to Stone Age. Well I, for one, refuse to eat uncooked mastodon meat. Watch this space for more info.
Available the first half of next year, Microsoft’s System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 will allow IT departments to remotely administer mobile phones, allowing them to do cool tricks like "turn off a phone’s camera and prevent the use of unauthorized messaging services."
For the end user, it’ll be similar to how you’re able to connect to your workplace PC from home over a VPN connection. You’ll be able to access certain files that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to grab over a regular connection, run "Web-based applications that reside on the corporate intranet," and fun stuff like that. Basically, you’ll be able to work all the time from wherever you can get a signal. Hooray!
Microsoft Unveils Remote Mobile Management Software [washingtonpost.com]
It’s very rare for us tech journalists/drunks to get a chance to let you, the reading public, get a glance behind the curtain to see the surfeit of riches we feast upon nightly. Case in point: every year, at all the big shows (CES, CTIA, all the huge shows where that tech folks love) two companies, Pepcom and Showstoppers, hold little sideshows where some of the exhibitors come to interact directly with the press. See, when press wander the floor, they’re usually cranky and angry. So in order to get even a minute’s face time, companies will rent a table at these little shows and get a chance to talk to us hacks amidst a smörgåsbord of shrimp, booze, and crazy beads that they make us wear.
Corporate dudes, please don’t try to be funny. It never works and you just end up looking silly. Take this guy at CTIA. He’s going on and on about how much the iPhone will change human history like it’s the wheel. Then he mentions a bunch of no-good punk kids and how they wanted him to “pull some strings” so they could get one early. Very funny, sir. Methinks you should quit your overpaid job as an executive and hit the comedy circuit. Pryor’s got nothing on you.
Video surfaces of iPhone at CTIA [Electronista]
.</p>
<p>But things change, CDMA friends. If you’re on Verizon or Sprint (poor thing) then you might see two of HTC’s popular phones making their way into your hands soon. The S720 is a CDMA version of the <a href=)
HTC Announces CDMA Versions of New Smartphones [PhoneScoop]
This is a bit long, but Vincenct from Slashgear was nice enough to film me talking with the folks at Panasonic Toughbooks. Check out my double chin!
, except that it’s closer in size to their candybar-style phones.</p>
<p>Indeed, next to the 4:3 screen (320 x 240?) on the face is a regular cellphone-style keypad, T9 and function buttons. Turn the unit sideways, however, and a Wizard-style keyboard slides out. While it offers full QWERTY, there are only three rows, so the space bar has been shifted to the right of the M key. It might take some getting used to, but it’s a novel approach to usability. No other specs are available now.</p>
<p>The phone, for CDMA networks (Spring and Verizon), also features EVDO Rev. A, which means it’s fast, data-wise. It should be available next year, and a GSM/UMTS version is sure to follow later.</p>
<p><a target=)
Here’s a quick video travelogue of the show floor. Nothing amazing, but still quite a bit of fun. Click here to view our extensive CTIA coverage.
For your enjoyment, a recreation of the noble and traditional art of Japanese Sumo as performed by two drunken fools.
Hidey Ho. It’s about 3pm in LA right now and we’re winding down from a whirlwind of meetings that started early this morning. Add in the Apple announcements - meh except for the iTV - and the Crunchsters are beat!
Read More
Howdy. I’m just heading out for the show, trying to make it out to a Palm announcement at 10am and still give you guys some liveblogging.
If you’re at the show, AIM me at johnbiggsny or email at john @t crunchgear dooter com.
