One of the more interesting nuggets to come out of Millennial Media's latest monthly report (called S.M.A.R.T.) on smartphone ad-market analystics was this above chart showing average click-through rates in five (not four) app categories: games, social, entertainment, utility and navigation.

The chart above compares the smartphone platforms of Apple, Google's Android and Research in Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry.

A click-through rate of 2 percent for ad campaigns is considered "very successful." So which category blows the others out of the water? That's right: utility. All three smartphone platforms showed a high click-through rate for advertisments that ran in utility apps.

I'm a newbie to these ad analytics for mobile, but I'm very curious to peel back a few more layers of this onion, to see why smartphone users are more inclined to click on in-app adds in the utility apps, compared to the other categories.

So how about that Millennial and MobClix? What are your theories on what's going on with these utlity apps and why are smartphone users more inclined to click on in-app advertising with them?

(Note: Millennial's monthly S.M.A.R.T. report was put together with statistics from MobClix. The above data are year-to-date figures.)

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 9:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Apps, Media, Research, Smartphones, Wireless
        

Today, Baltimore's Millennial Media, which started up in 2006, announced it raised $16 million in new financing from some venture capital firms, including New Enterprise Associates. (Check out my story here.)

Last week's news that Google was buying mobile advertiser AdMob for $750 million probably didn't cause venture capitalists to throw money at Millennial (such deals usually take more than a week to put together), but it also probably didn't hurt the growing little firm.

The conventional wisdom now is that Google's purchase of AdMob "validates" the nascent mobile advertising industry. When a big company like Google drops a ton of dough on a small company in a still-emerging market, you know that will attract many more serious investors and players to the industry.

According to eMarketer stats via the Interactive Advertising Bureau, here's what the mobile ad market looks like:  

I'm gonna bet that the Google-AdMob acquisition, though the first big one in the mobile ad space, won't be the last. My guess is we may be a few months, perhaps even weeks, away from similar acquisitions of smaller mobile ad firms by big Google-esque-like competitors. What do you think?

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Entrepreneurs & Risk Takers, Media, Online Advertising, Smartphones, Startups, Wireless
        

 Verizon’s new high-powered smartphone, the Motorola Droid, is a fun little device and a worthy opponent to Apple Inc.’s hit iPhone.

The Droid, which went on sale today for $199, is the first smartphone to incorporate the latest version of the Google Android operating system. Motorola did a fine job of integrating the operating system with the phone’s hardware, making phone-calling, emailing, Web-surfing and media playing all fairly intuitive -- though ultimately not quite as slick as what the iPhone offers.

For Verizon, the stakes are high as AT&T has posted a growing subscriber base, thanks to the new iPhone 3GS, which also sells for $199.

Verizon is widely considered to have a very good network, while Motorola has had strong-selling phones in the past. But both companies have struggled in recent years to come up with a response to the popular iPhone – that is, until this Droid.

I got a demo unit today and have played with it for several hours. Sure, the Droid is boxy and slightly thicker and heavier than the sleek, svelte iPhone. But it’s a solid device with an easy-on-the-thumbs touchscreen and user interface.

It has a five megapixel camera, with a flash and zoom function and which also shoots video. The iPhone’s camera, by comparison, is 3 megapixels and has auto-focus, but it doesn’t zoom. Yet the Droid’s camera moves too slow in taking a picture after you press the touch-screen button.

Moving through the screens and opening up the applications, the Droid feels almost as fast as the iPhone 3GS, Apple’s latest model. In a side-by-side comparisons of the Droid and the iPhone 3GS, the YouTube app actually opened a few seconds quicker on the Droid than the iPhone, and streamed a high-definition video in crystal clarity.

The Droid connects to Amazon.com’s digital music offering. The iPhone, however, tightly integrates with iTunes and, has the edge in user interface for media playback. Same with Web browsing: Apple’s Safari browser on the iPhone is a little more snappy than the Droid’s browser. But honestly, expect Web browsing on the Droid to get better as Google updates the platform.

Perhaps the killer app that defines the Droid right now is Google Maps and its new navigation offering. This free functionality turns the phone into a virtual GPS unit, giving the user turn-by-turn voice navigation. No longer do you have to take your eyes off the road to look at a small screen -- all you have to do is listen to the guiding voice.

An optional bracket allows you to mount the Droid in the horizontal position on your windshield, for easy use while driving.

It remains to be seen if Google will make the same navigation app available for free on the iPhone. If so, such a free app would undercut other, pricey paid apps that offer similar GPS functionality through Apple’s App Store.

Some more features that help it stand apart from the iPhone: The Droid offers a replaceable battery and a slot for removable memory card. So the phone comes with a 16 gigabyte SD memory card, but you can expand it to 32 gigabytes with a new card.

The iPhone 3GS comes in two models – a 16 gigabyte and a 32 gigabyte – and their memory is not removable.

The Droid has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, while the iPhone does not have a physical keyboard. The Droid’s keys however, are a little small and flat – for those of you with chubby, stubby thumbs and fingers, beware. It can get cramped when you’re typing. The iPhone's touch-screen keyboard has a better feel and responsiveness than the Droid's offering.

Perhaps the big difference between the two phones: their respective application offerings. Apple now offers around 100,000 applications through its App Store. Google’s Android Market, by comparison, has around 10,000. But you can expect more and more developers to fill in the Android Market with their app offerings.

For many consumers, 10,000 apps may be more than enough to convince them to buy a Droid.

(photo credit: AP)

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Smartphones
        

Have you bought yourself an iPhone for personal use, only to find that you want to use it for work too? Have you been bugging the I.T. guy (or gal) at your office to let you sync your iPhone with your work email?

Apparently, this phenomenon is happening with increasing frequency -- and Columbia-based Boxtone is trying to get ahead of the curve. My story today about them showed that Boxtone, whose bread-n-butter has been helping companies manage the BlackBerrys they give to employees, is now offering iPhone support, too.

The iPhone hasn't had a history and reputation for being enterprise-worthy, like the BlackBerry -- but that doesn't matter for consumers who fall in love with the gadget and want to be able to use its email and Web browsing for their day jobs.

Tech watchers think that companies are going to have to respond to their employees by supporting the smartphones they want to use -- which could mean bad news down the road for BlackBerry, but good news for iPhone, Palm Pre and other competitors.

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Smartphones
        

I never understood why the Wall Street Journal, which charges for its online edition, launched an iPhone app (two, if you count All Things D) that gave away its content for free.

Now we know that free doesn't mean free forever.

The Journal's owner, Rupert Murdoch, said the news publisher plans to charge non-subscribers $2 a week for the mobile version (on BlackBerries and iPhones), and $1 per week for online-only subscribers.

Subscribers to both the print and online editions would get it for free, according to this <ahem> free report from Reuters.

I used to have a WSJ online-only subscription, until they more-than-doubled my rate over the course of two years.

I was stupefied they gave away their content on the iPhone for free. But now that experiment in free appears to be over.

And I, of course, wonder how many people who are not already subscribers will be willing to pay to read it on their smartphones.

The truth is, though it was free, I didn't really use the WSJ iPhone app that much. The content that was funneled through it was good, but not overwhelmingly special.

All Things D satisfied my tech itch, and I hope that stays a free app. But even if not, there are still numerous sources on the Web and on my iPhone that will fill the gap.

What do you think? Would you pay for the WSJ app now that you've had a chance to experience it for free for so many months?

(photo credit: Image of WSJ via CNET)

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Apps, Gadgets, Media, Smartphones, Web Dev & Apps
        

Did you catch Justin Fenton's story about the Baltimore Police Department wanting to roll out BlackBerries to its 2,000 officers? It's an interesting one, talking about how Commissioner Bealefeld hopes cops will use these smartphones to check warrants, retrieve drivers license photos and stay better connected with each other.

Before the Baltimore Police Department decided to give BlackBerries to police officers to do their jobs, I was using my iPhone to do my job as a crime reporter.

The department's top brass can also use the phones' built-in GPS to track the beat cops as they're deployed on the street. Not a bad idea, one might think.

Before I started covering technology earlier this year, I was a crime and breaking news reporter, doing my time on the Sun's city desk for the previous four years.

I had used a mobile laptop and a video camera in the past to do my work from the field. But I really wanted an iPhone because I knew it would help me work faster, because I wouldn't have to wait for a laptop to boot up and I could transmit photos more seamlessly and instantaneously from the device.

So, here's how I ended up used a smartphone to report on crime in Baltimore: (hit the jump for the rest)

Continue reading "Baltimore police with smartphones: a good idea?" »

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Government Tech, Smartphones
        

To Tweet or not to Tweet during your wife's labor? That is the question.

Back in October, I used Twitter to post 9 or so updates throughout the day as my wife went through labor. It gave me something to do with my fidgety fingers in my downtime, and some friends and relatives found it useful. (I informed my Facebook friends I'd be Tweeting and sent them a link to my Twitter page.)

Twitter, in effect, was really the sole efficient way to communicate in a "one-to-many" way to people outside the comfortable bubble we were in at the hospital. My pleasant wife only begged me to not Tweet anything gross, which I obliged.

At the end of it all, we brought home a healthy, gorgeous baby girl. A few days later, I went back through my Tweets and compiled them, and saved them in a screen-shot on my computer, for posterity. It's now a cool little digital memento for us that I can print out and add to our family photo album.

My colleague Joe Burris says in a story today that Tweeting dads are becoming more common.

Of course, there's a debate on how to use such technology during such a sensitive time as a child's birth. I guess all I can say that I think it's really up to the couple to come to an agreement and set some ground rules. You both should feel comfortable about what it means to Tweet the delivery. And Dads, it goes without saying that you shouldn't let it get in the way of any of your fatherly duties.

So what do you think? Is live-Tweeting your kid's birth a ridiculous idea or just another sign of the times in our texting/Twitter digital lives?

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Apps, Good Reads, Smartphones, Social Media
        

Fake iPhones and iPods: Is this a problem in the U.S.? 

Over the weekend, Dana Stibolt of MacMedics in Millersville, Md., tipped me off to a video he shot of an ingeniously faked iPhone that a customer brought into his shop for servicing. (The customer claimed he bought it off eBay.) The belief was that it came from China, where there is a white-hot market for fake and look-alike phones and other gadgets.

I got to thinking: how big of a problem is this? So, as any good hack journalist sniffing for a trend story would do, I worked the phone, the Google, the Nexis, the Twitter, and the other secret sources I turn to, a.k.a. photog/gadget wiz Jerry Jackson in the newsroom. (Oh wait, I forgot to use Bing!)

And yes, I watched the Youtube videos of people showing off their fake iPhones, like this one.

I left messages for Apple, eBay and Craigslist (which can be another online market for knock-off/counterfeit products). I'm waiting to hear back from them on the topic of iPhone/iPod fakes in the market place. I'm wondering: should I hold my breath?

I chatted with Leander Kahney, editor of CultofMac.com, about the prevalence of fake Apple products in the American market. He's written about this stuff before. (Funny aside: I could barely hear Kahney, who was talking to me on an iPhone during our interview. The call was dropped and he had to call back.)

So, here's what I now know:

Continue reading "The fake iPhone phenomenon" »

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Smartphones
        

MacMedics, a Mac consulting and repair firm with offices in the Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia area, tipped me off to the latest curiosity to hit their shop: A fake iPhone 3G that almost looks convincing, but not quite.

A customer bought it on eBay, thinking it was the real deal -- and quickly discovered it wasn't when he started handling it. Dana Stibolt, founder of MacMedics, took a video of the fake and explained in a blog post that the customer needs an authorized Apple service provider to inspect and document its fakeness, in order for the guy to try to get his money back from PayPal.

There's a good chance the fake came from somewhere in Asia -- just watch the vid below:

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Update: Dana tells me he'd never seen a fake iPhone before.

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Gadgets, Smartphones
        

Apple and AT&T aren't the only ones who can make a little money off selling iPhones. You can, too.

Apparently, there's still a fairly robust resale market for the iPhone 3G -- even after Apple dropped it's price by a $100 a few weeks back.

Just check out eBay: you'll see prices all over the map -- yet pretty generous -- for used 3G phones. Some are even making a profit on selling their used iPhones.

Mind you, Apple cut the price of the 3G version to $99 for the 8GB model, while the new 3G S phone (the faster one, with video recording capability) is now $199 for the 16GB version.

For some of you who are trapped in an AT&T contract, aren't eligible for the $199 3GS price, and don't want to pay the $399(oops, thanks, Jeff S.) $499 to buy the new handset, then selling your iPhone may help you recoup some money to put toward the new one.

Heck, you may even make a profit on selling your iPhone, if you're lucky. Hit the jump for details on how to do it, and more:

Continue reading "Selling your iPhone 3G: Cha-ching!" »

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Smartphones
        

You should read this tale of a man using the new iPhone's "find me" feature to locate his stolen cell phone after attending a Lego convention in Chicago. It's a great tale. (Gosh, I just hope it's true!)

A snippet:

So I felt like about zero cents, but then we giddily realized that I had *just* activated the brand-new Find My iPhone service. Even better, Mark had a Sprint (yes, Sprint) USB dongle giving him Internet access over 3G on his MacBook Pro. Excited to try it out, we hopped onto me.com and clicked the Find My iPhone link.

Wonder if Apple realizes that they could have legions of iPhone vigilantes who'll be going off hunting their stolen handsets with the help of GPS technology and mobile web connections?

Do you see a potential problem here -- or does this just mean more power for the consumer and the victimized citizen?

(FYI: This story was originally featured on SlashDot; I got tipped off to this tale by @justinemaki)

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Smartphones
        

Welcome to BaltTech. I'll periodically post some updates today on people's experiences with the new iPhone 3G S today. Particularly interested in short user reviews and demos of its video camera, like CharmCityGavin did below with 12seconds.

UPDATE #2: @charmcitygavin got his iphone from the Towson Apple store and posted his first 12seconds video clip with it. Check out the quality: good enough for you?

Recording my first iPhone 3G S video! on 12seconds.tv

Update #1:

(UPDATE: Below, scene at Apple store at Columbia Mall, taken by @jflanigan, via Twitter)

Thanks to Twitter, those of us who aren't the kind to wait in line for a new Apple gadget can experience the geekdom from a safe distance. Today is the day that the new iPhone 3G S handset goes on sale.

Some gadget reviewers, such as WSJ's Walt Mossberg, call it an "evolutionary" model not a revolutionary one. It's supposed to be a much faster user experience, it can shoot video, and it's got voice command features that I suspect will play a greater role in the mobile device world.

Generally, it seems people who pre-ordered the device could have chosen to pick it up at the store today. There will also be phones for sale to walk-in customers, too, apparently. Though I'd imagine in some locations, they'll probably sell fast.

Here in the Baltimore area, it seems the Apple store at the Towson Town Center is the place to be if you're looking for a line. See some tweets below:

@ScottCastro Waiting in line at the Apple Store in Towson for the new iPhone 3G S

@kbilly21 @Towson Apple Store about 200 people waiting for iPhone 3Gs

@charmcitygavin Apple Store employees just brought up coffee and doughnuts!!

I'd like to hear from people who've maybe forgone going to an Apple store and instead, gone to an AT&T store. Is that a more low-key buying experience today?

I searched and filtered for iPhone tweets within a 25-mile radius of Baltimore. Check out these results. Pretty fascinating.

Elsewhere, Etan Horowitz, a tech blogger with the Orlando Sentinel, is covering the experience. There's a Twitter hash tag for that scene down in Florida: #3GSOrl Where else are the long lines? And where are there no lines?

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Smartphones
        

Apple released the new operating system for the iPhone yesterday -- 3.0 -- and presumably millions have downloaded it by now.

The techie blogger crowd certainly has done so. I've had other balls in the air this week, and I'm just catching up on some iPhone/3.0/AT&T news.

If you're also super busy, here are a few good links for catching what people are talking about re: iPhone's new 3.0 operating system (which, incidentally, I'm happy with) and the new handset, the iPhone 3G S (@jjthomas: I await your anti-iPhone mocking.):

:: The iPhone for business: "From a corporate point of view" and why your IT department still won't be satisfied.

:: Mashable and Business Insider cover AT&T's decision to drop the price of the iPhone 3G S (the new handset debuting this Friday) to $199 for current 3G customers who would have been eligible for upgrading through September. So instead of paying $399 (the unsubsidized price of the new iPhone 3G S), these customers who are close to qualifying for the new iPhone could get it for the subsidized price of $199. In a nut shell, according to AT&T: "We’re now pleased to offer our iPhone 3G customers who are upgrade eligible in July, August or September 2009 our best upgrade pricing, beginning Thursday, June 18."

:: The highly-craved feature of MMS messaging will come to the iPhone and it will not cost extra beyond whatever text messaging plan you may have, according to AT&T(PDF). (Thanks to @paulcapestany and @esquiremac for pointing this out to me yesterday) And personally, I say: big whoop. If everybody's gonna be on Web-enabled smartphones that can blast emails with photos, share photos on Facebook and Twitter, etc., tell me again what's the big deal about MMS?

:: The Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg gives a good review of the new iPhone 3G S -- but also says many will just be happy with the 3.0 OS upgrade because the new handset is more evolutionary than revolutionary. His quote: "...I don’t think this latest iPhone is as compelling an upgrade for the average user as the 3G model was last year for owners of the original 2007 iPhone."

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Smartphones
        

I've been itching all day to upgrade my poor, outdated iPhone 3G (yes, I still have 3GS envy but still can't get outta my contract till October 2010), but I didn't have time to do it this morning and I'll be at work for awhile.

So, I'm turning to you, BaltTechies, to give me your early, first impressions of the new operating system. Are you ga-ga over cut-n-paste? Are you uber-jazzed over the new universal search?

What is your favorite new feature, or features? Does your phone feel faster or slower or about the same?

Give me your quick take here. I'd like a heads up on what to expect.

:: Here's where to go to upgrade on Apple's site.

:: And here's what people are saying about it on Twitter.

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 1:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Smartphones
        

This may be my last iPhone/AT&T post of the day and week, maybe even month or year.

I bought an iPhone 3G in January from an AT&T store. The helpful AT&T salesman told me, when I asked him point-blank, that I would be able to upgrade to a new iPhone handset if one debuted during my contract period, without paying a marked-up price.

I wanted to believe him. I did, in fact. But really, he was just a sales guy -- his word was not bond. Not when big corporations are involved. And deep down, there was a little voice, which I muffled and ignored, which kept saying: Fat chance, Sentementes. You're gonna pay...and pay again.... and again.... and again.

Fast forward six months: Yesterday was a banner day for Apple. They introduced new MacBook Pros, a new Safari browser, some new functionality to MobileMe, highlighted the new iPhone OS 3.0, and of course, the new iPhone 3G S.

Loyal customers of Apple can buy every single one of those products for the price listed by Apple. Except for the new iPhone 3G S. For this new handset, if you're a current iPhone 3G customer with an AT&T contract, you have to pay at least  a $200 premium to get the new phone.

This is the reality of wireless economics -- since AT&T has to buy each new handset from Apple for something like $600 a pop, and then subsidize it to attract new subscribers. I get it. There are apparently millions and millions of early- and late-adopting iPhone 3G customers who are going to have to "get it", too. Though across the Web's social networks, the vehemence that many are showing toward AT&T and, to a lesser extent, Apple, which sets the price of the handsets, is pretty deep. (Here's a Twitter petition to sign if your hackles are still up.)

If you're a cheery optimist, though, you might say that this is the kind of dilemma that most companies could only dream of having: consumers clamoring for product and demanding better pricing. Better than not clamoring at all, right?

But what bothered me most was that the millions and millions of iPhone 3G customers had to essentially find out that via word of mouth and on Twitter -- or in the very fine, faint print on Apple's website -- that they would have to pay the loyal customer premium. Or perhaps they logged in to their AT&T account online to discover the news. (I can't give AT&T my $199 until September 2010, my account says.)

New iPhone 3G S/AT&T customer: you get it (the 16GB version) for $199.

Loyal/current customer: you get it for $399.

This pricing approach was not mentioned by Apple at their big developer's conference yesterday (where, incidentally, developers booed AT&T every chance they could, according to the LA Times.) Indeed, the pricing for current iPhone 3G customers wasn't even an asterisk or footnote in the day's festivities.

This pricing approach also was not mentioned in the press release that AT&T sent over to me yesterday. An AT&T spokeswoman emailed me the pricing for existing customers in response to my email query.

We're all adults here. Why is it so difficult to be upfront right out of the gate with these costs? Especially to customers who are already paying some of the highest wireless costs around for the privilege of using Apple's iPhone?

Furthermore, in an era now where smartphones seem to be developing radically new features every few months, does this type of business model offer the best solution for consumers and companies?

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Smartphones
        

Apple today announced a new iPhone 3GS, with new features and functionality that include video recording and editing, voice commands, better data security and more. All for $199 for a 16GB version. On sale: June 19th.

They also announced that their current iPhone, the 3G, will immediately sell for $99, for the 8GB version. You'll get the new OS 3.0 software, which is a significant upgrade, but it can't do all the things the newly equipped iPhone 3G can do.

So which one will you buy (if you're a non-iPhone owner whose now interested)?

And, if you currently own a 3G, is the new 3GS compelling enough and feature-rich enough, to justify another $200 on a new iPhone?

What will you do?

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 3:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Smartphones
        

You've got a sexy new product! You want buzz! You want journalists covering it when they're well-rested and not working overtime on a weekend!

You want all of the above? Well here's what you do: You kick it off on a Monday. Not a Saturday.

Everyone expects Apple to announce some cool new things today at the kickoff to their Worldwide Developers Conference. The Twitter is already buzzing about #WWDC! People are Facebooking it! My grandma is calling me up every 8 minutes wondering what Apple's gonna do next! (Okay, that part's not true.)

It's the first day of the work week and all across the land, right at this very moment, people are rolling into work with their thermal coffee mugs, unplugging their ears from their iPod Touches, and firing up their desktop PC in their cubicle. They're wondering -- that is, if they have any room left in their household budget -- can I afford a new, better, slicker iPhone if Apple debuts one today?

Tech journalists across the land are also rolling into work right about now -- and they've got blogs to fill, updates to post, Tweets to Tweet. It's Monday, after all -- the beginning of the work week, and potential big new news from Apple could carry us (ahem, them) for at least a day or two of blog posts and news updates.

My point: Palm Pre launched on a Saturday, and sure, it got decent coverage. But most journalists don't work on Saturdays (I don't, usually). Apple, on the other hand, is kicking off their WWDC event today. If they launch a new iPhone (big rumor), they'll get HUGE coverage, with legions of tech reporters and bloggers across the land clickety-clacking away on their keyboards all day and night.

Just an observation from a guy in the trenches.

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Smartphones
        

This isn't a gadget blog, per se -- there are just billions and billions of them being served out there on the Internet every day. But it's fun to get Marylanders' take on the new Palm Pre, which may be the slickest piece of pocket plastic to debut since the Blackberry Storm iPhone 3G.

I'm starting to hear from Baltimoreans/Marylanders about how they bought the Palm Pre over the weekend, and what they think of it. Since I haven't been able to get my palms on one, I'm really appreciating the reviews and commentaries I'm picking up from these proud new owners.

Adam Greivell (left, @esquiremac on Twitter), a Maryland criminal defense and civil litigation attorney, was one of the excited souls to run out and buy a Pre -- and he's written a thoughtful review of it on his blog, EsqMac (get it? Esquire and Mac.)

Adam writes in "Two days with my Palm Pre":

"The main factor that drove us to purchase the Pre was the price, however. It looked like the Pre was a good enough phone that the money we would save over going with the iPhone would be worth it - even if it ultimately didn’t turn out to be as good as the iPhone."

Adam leaves us with a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm interested to see what he thinks of the Pre in a few weeks.

If you're from Maryland and now own a Pre, leave us your initial impressions down there in the comments and/or a link to your blog with your review. Let's see what Maryland thinks of it.

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Smartphones
        

Do you care? Anybody in the Baltimore area buy one? What was your experience like at the store today? More importantly: What's your first impression??

Let us know in the comments -- or just tweet it using the #prelaunch hashtag. Here's what people are tweeting about on the Palm Pre today:

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Smartphones
        

Everybody's talking about the Palm Pre -- which debuts this Saturday -- as being a serious competitor for the iPhone and Blackberry smartphones. (Aside: Note how I didn't use the oft-over used phraise "iPhone Killer." Thank you, thank you.) Silicon Alley Insider's Henry Blodgett, however, in a contrarian piece today, thinks it'll "bomb.")

It's easy to describe some of the innovative new software features that Palm has rolled out in the Pre, but what you really want to see is someone handling the device. You can't find one of these babies out in the stores yet.

So, for now, you've gotta watch the tech media-herd groping at them with their fingers. At the very least, you'll get a feel for the smoothness of the interface and how you can move between the apps. Some of the excitment around the Pre is the fact that it will have a touch screen PLUS a pullout QWERTY keyboard.

Personally, for me, I think the fewer moving parts on my cellphone, the better. One less thing to break. I like the iPhone's virtual keyboard and have learned to type pretty quickly with it. And, when I don't need it, it goes away and I could do other things with the screen, like watch videos. A CNET reviewer (watch the third video on the jump) makes a key point about how if you're viewing a web page in landscape mode, you'd still need to turn the device to input text -- no virtual keyboard option.

Another huge hurdle Palm is perceived to be facing is attracting the developer community to work on apps and populate its own app store. So, some seem to think that'll be a big problem but I'm not so quick to count Palm out. Developers who are first to market with a killer app on a powerful smartphone could end up making a lot of money. The iPhone app store is a pretty crowded, competitive space. Easier for a cool app to stand out on the Pre, no?

Anyhow, I'll stop yammering. Check out some Palm Pre videos below. Are you gonna be waiting in line this weekend to buy one?

*From the Associated Press.

Continue reading "Palm Pre video reviews" »

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Smartphones
        

Reader BryaninTimonium asked yesterday if I could give ya'll an update on my experience with the iPhone 3G so far. Back when I was blogging over at Consuming Interests, I did a bunch of posts on the iPhone in January, shortly after I bought it. Now, it's been almost six month that I've had it. Is the honeymoon over? Not quite.

As someone who transitioned from a bare-bones cell phone to an iPhone, it was like fast-forwarding from a black-and-white televsion on a tiny set to high-definition color on a 50-inch flat-panel TV. It's still a fun, easy, exciting device to use, and one that helps me discover all kinds of new content every day -- and occasionally, I'll even buy stuff with it.

I have an 8GB version and I'm not too keen on loading it down with apps and other content. I'd estimate that about 1/4 of the apps I download I end up deleting (mostly free games I get bored with quickly.) 

That said, I keep a few hundred photos, several hundred songs, a couple videos and all my address and calendar contacts on it. Apple's built-in calendar is easy to use and it has become my trusty repository for every event in my life I don't want to miss. My long-term memory is practically shot, and now, my short term memory seems to be going too (fatherhood?). So it's helpful and easy.

I've used some great little apps along the way: FStream, to listen to police and fire scanner frequencies; GoogleMaps, for GPS-enabled directions; 12Seconds.tv, to post short clips on news events; iDicto, to record audio that I can then email to people; a host of news apps, from AP to WSJ; Pandora; Amazon's Kindle app; and -- my daughter's favorite -- the "I Hear Ewe" app, featuring animal sounds from barnyard to jungle. It's actually pretty cool!

Perhaps the biggest sign of the iPhone's likability: my wife digs it. My wife, who for years has insisted on only wanting a barebones cellphone without a camera, is hooked on my iPhone. This is great news, because I was starting to worry that she was getting jealous of all the attention I paid to my iPhone. Now, she wants one, too. Whew.

Now, some critiques:

Continue reading "My iPhone experience" »

Posted by Gus Sentementes at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Smartphones