There was a lot of hue and cry last month when Verizon raised its early termination fees for "advanced devices" to $350, and understandably so. Even with $10 decrease with each month of service, that's quite a large sum to pay in case you need to get out of your contract before the time is up.
It appears the FCC is just as curious about this change as are we--the FCC has sent an inquiry to Verizon (PDF link) asking it the tough questions of how the ETF will be implemented, like what exactly constitutes an "advanced device." Also of note are a few questions about extra charges for customers who don't have a data plan. Hopefully this will force Verizon--and the other carriers as well--to come forth with the whys and hows of their pricing plans.
(Via Engadget Mobile)
The Michigan Mobile Phone Ensemble uses smartphones as primary musical instruments.
(Credit: University of Michigan)Generally, cell phone noise is pretty much the last thing you'd want to hear at a concert. But it's all the audience will be getting at a Michigan recital next week. And that's the way it's supposed to be when the Michigan Mobile Phone Ensemble hits the stage.
Orchestra members are University of Michigan students winding up a fall course on turning mobile phones into musical instruments. The course merges engineering practices, mobile phone programming, and sound synthesis with music performance, composition, and interactive media arts.
The iPhone musicians broadcast their creations through custom-built speaker systems worn around the wrist.
(Credit: University of Michigan)Rather than just playing a bunch of converging ringtones, the students use their devices to create new interactive sounds in live performance. Their instruments of choice are currently iPhones and iPod Touches, and they use custom-built speaker systems worn around the wrist to broadcast their original artistry.
"The mobile phone is a very nice platform for exploring new forms of musical performance," said Georg Essl, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science and music at the school who is teaching the course. "We're not tethered to the physics of traditional instruments. We can do interesting, weird, unusual things."
At their end-of-semester concert in Ann Arbor Wednesday, students will be doing more than firing up apps that turn the iPhone into an organ or ocarina. They have spent the semester building apps themselves and using touch screens, microphones, GPS, compasses, wireless sensors, and accelerometers to create sounds when they run their finger across the display, blow air into the mic, or tilt or shake their phones.
... Read more
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
While Motorola Droid owners are prepping to get Android 2.0.1 delivered to their smartphone in the coming weeks, HTC Droid Eris users might be wondering, "Hey, what about us?" Well, the good news is that there is an update coming. The bad news is you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
Verizon said Friday that it plans to release an OS update for the Droid Eris, which currently runs on Android OS 1.5, in the first quarter of 2010. The carrier did not specify which version of Android it would release for the smartphone, but did say that customers will get support for Google Maps Navigation.
On a somewhat related note, Verizon is running a buy-one, get-one-free promotion for the Droid Eris starting Friday, December 4, and ending Monday, December 7. During that time, if you buy an HTC Droid Eris or a Motorola Droid, you can get a second Droid Eris for free.
(Credit:
Bhautik Joshi)
Correction posted at 1:56 p.m. PST to clarify how Joshi attached the lenses to his phone.
The iPhone 3GS has a 3.2-megapixel fixed-lens camera and that seems to satisfy most users, but not Bhautik Joshi. The iPhone 3GS has a 3.2-megapixel fixed-lens camera and that seems to satisfy most users, but not Bhautik Joshi. The engineer at ILM R&D fitted optical drive lenses to the Apple phone's case, then stuck on a few PVC pipes to accommodate his 18-55mm Canon glass.
Personally, I think this this hack is way overdone. I'm pretty sure your modded iPhone won't fit in your pocket anymore and stability will be a major issue. Also, pictures taken with the modified lens actually look worse than before it was tweaked (Joshi responds to comments about image quality here). But if you're brave (or free) enough to try out this time-consuming hack, here's the link for the instructions.
The photo taken with the modified version is on the right.
(Credit: Bhautik Joshi)(Source: Crave Asia via Gizmodo)
(Credit:
Motorola)
For this weekend, the Crave Giveaway is the Motorola Cliq. It's one of T-Mobile's latest and greatest Android phones, and it scored a four-star rating from Kent German, who noted its "great design," "brilliant display," and "easy-to-use controls and keyboard." Its MotoBlur interface is optimized for fans of social networking and media sites including Facebook, Picasa, MySpace, Twitter, and Photobucket.
Normally, the Motorola Cliq would cost you $449 (with a service plan from T-Mobile, that price drops to $199). But you have the chance to get it gratis.
So, how do you try to win this Motorola Cliq? (Note: no wireless service is included, and you'd need to sign up for a T-Mobile account to get service.) Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.
- Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
- Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
- Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
- The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Motorola Cliq (without wireless service). Approximate retail value is $449.00.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries can be submitted until Monday, December 7 at 6:59 am EST.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 6:59:59 AM ET on December 7, 2009. See official rules for details.
Good luck.
Motorola Droid
(Credit: CNET)Verizon just informed us that Google released an SDK for Android 2.0.1 Thursday, which means those who have a Motorola Droid can expect a free over-the-air upgrade to their phone in the "coming weeks."
Some updates include an improvement to the camera's auto-focus and the phone's voice reception. There's still no news on the exact dates the new firmware will be rolled out, but we look forward to it all the same.
The limited-edition smartphone comes in a wine finish, and sports a custom leather strap and a branded Monocle "M" logo on the back.
(Credit: Monocle)Research In Motion and $10-per-issue jet-set business editorial magazine Monocle have collaborated on a BlackBerry Bold 9700 that costs an astounding $1,500.
Well, it actually costs 950 British pounds, but that's just how bad the exchange rate is right now.
Read more of "RIM, Monocle collaborate on $1,500 BlackBerry Bold 9700" at ZDNet's The ToyBox.
Sanyo Pro-700
(Credit: Sanyo)It was back in April 2008 that we saw Sprint Nextel come out with a bevy of new QChat phones like the Sanyo Pro-700 and the LG LX400, which were designed to offer push-to-talk interoperability between CDMA and iDEN networks.
Now, however, it seems that Sprint is doing away with its QChat offerings altogether, in favor of just iDEN alone. This is quite a turn-around from the rumors last year that indicated the company was planning on doing away with iDEN altogether. Now it seems Sprint is keeping iDEN alive, which is good for Nextel, as well as Boost Mobile.
(Via Engadget Mobile)
Nokia N97
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)The smartphone space has grown extremely competitive over the past couple of years, and though in a numbers race Nokia continues to sell more smartphones than its competitors, particularly overseas, the Finnish handset manufacturer is slowly losing its grip on the top spot.
Realizing the changing landscape, Nokia announced on Thursday that it will reduce its smartphone portfolio by half in 2010 in order to put more research and development into the products that it does put out. The company released around 20 smartphones in 2009, including the Nokia E71x, the Nokia N97, and the Nokia N86.
"We have cut down unnecessary differentiation, so that we have a far more focused portfolio for next year," said Antti Vasara, head of Nokia's smartphones research-and-development department.
Though Nokia's devices offer high-end features, the company has been criticized for churning out too many models with minimal variation among them. In addition, many (customers and tech reviewers alike) have criticized the Symbian operating system, which runs on a majority of Nokia's smartphones, for being outdated and lagging behind the competition, though it looks like the OS is working on a major face lift. The Linux-based Maemo platform, demoed on the Nokia N900, could also be a key player and differentiator for the company.
One big barrier for the adoption of Nokia devices here in the United States has been cost. Often passed up by U.S. carriers, the smartphones can cost anywhere from $200 to $650 and while the freedom of an unlocked phone is attractive, shelling out that much money upfront for a phone often overshadows any of the benefits. However, part of Nokia's plan is to push smartphone prices down.
"We see...really fierce competition certainly in the high end, but we also see it in the mid-to-low end of smartphones increasing," said Jo Harlow, the new head of Nokia's smartphone unit. "We will defend our position, but we believe we also have tools to play offense as well as defense."
Well, OK then, Nokia. Let's play ball.
(Sources: Reuters, Engadget Mobile)
(Credit:
ThinkFlood)
For $188, you can convert your iPhone 3G/3GS and iPod Touch into a universal remote control with ThinkFlood's RedEye. This nifty gizmo comprises custom software that runs on Apple gear and an infrared blaster doubling as a charging dock.
RedEye operates through Wi-Fi and offers most high-end remote functions. These include activity-based macro programming such as "watch DVD," which fires a string of commands, learning capability for added product compatibility and Web-downloadable codes that keep your RedEye applications up-to-date.
RedEye's most unique propositions, however, are its multitouch gesture and accelerometer support. Instead of just tapping the soft keys, you can rock or flip the iPhone or iPod to toggle TV channels, adjust volumes, and so on. Check out the following videos to find out more.
(Source: Crave Asia)
