AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

Cat’s out of the bag about Apple offering native CDMA support for Verizon. And given the timing, it’s not likely Apple will offer this support in the current iPad. Rather it’ll have to be for the iPad 2. Now’s the important question: should you get the CDMA version or the GSM version of iPad 2? For me, it’s a bit more complicated. I’ve got the iSpot that I use as my main wireless Internet hub. However, I am still interested in the 3G version of the next iPad because of the added GPS functionality that is likely to be available only for the 3G+WiFi version. Right now, I rely totally on the WiFi signals where I happen to be, which is useless since I already know where I am. The cell signal on the iSpot is good but not great since there are parts of LA that still have no WiMax coverage. So you see, this is different from deciding between getting an iPhone or an iPod touch. With the iPhone, you’re required to sign up for a two-year contract in order to get the GPS functi...

T-Mobile is my network of choice. CDMA doesn't work for me and until Verizon has build out a sufficient LTE network, VW doesn't work for me. And forget ATT. So I don't mind the series of commercials that dissed ATT's poor wireless coverage (perceived or not, I don't like ATT). And now, T-Mobile has released a new commercial that dissed both of the US networks that carry the iPhone. And it's a great one. Having said that, Seattle Times is reportedly got a T-Mobile representative on record saying We would be interested in offering the iPhone, but ultimately it is Apple's decision". So would commercials like this put any chance of the iPhone on T-Mobile in jeopardy? No. T-Mobile disses the carriers but not iPhone. Just like a year or so ago, it was Verizon that dissed ATT in a near identical good-natured manner. And here we are a year later, a CDMA iPhone. Will it take another year before T-Mobile or, for that matter, Sprint get the...

We are 3 to 4 months away from a new iPad and about six months away a new iPhone if past Apple patterns hold. And tech blogs, many Apple- or iOS-centric ones, have been focused on new codes denoting models that have not been released. There are some explanations for what they are. MacRumors has provided their own. iPad2,1 iPad2,2 iPad2,3 iPhone4,1 iPhone4,2 I have read other explanations about what they may mean.  And generally, it made sense.  Regardless, here's what I think as far as the iPhone and iPad on the market for sale.  If you can wait, I would, just like I am doing right now. I am in the market for a new iPad so I can pass along my current one to my nephew.  But if you need one now, the iPad is second to none in the tablet market. And if you're in the market for an iPhone, the iPhone 4 is only at the midterm of its cycle as the top mobile device from Apple and it is by one the best smartphone on the market.  You can't go wrong with i...

I watched the full memorial service at University of Arizona on CSPAN. It was a great speech by President Barack Obama. So I wanted to see what the White House app on the iPod touch offered in the way of news and a better video of the president's 30-minute speech. I took some screen shots to show you. I like this very much. I think apps like this can work both ways. Government apps can allow messages and news to be conveyed and stay in touch with citizens. What I like to see is some way for citizens to voice their ideas and concerns through the apps as well. President Obama has expressed concerns about the cocoon that is the White House and the layers of security and aides that stand between him and Main Street. Forget the Blackberry that the President carries. He needs to get an iPhone and just have an updated White House app that allows him to read comments from the voters. Again, great speech by the President tonight and a decent White House app. Let's see if it...

Before Tuesday, the thought of choosing between Whig carriers to get your iPhone would not have been possible. Now that you can get the iPhone from Verizon or AT&T, there is much you have to consider. And no, you don't automatically go with Verizon. In this post from Yahoo News , one of the analysts made an important point. You get the iPhone where you have the best signal between the two carriers. And if you already have one, it depends on where you live. If you're in an urban area with a high concentration of iPhones using the AT&T network, you might consider taking a look at Verizon if you are having a hard time getting calls though or have connection issues. However, if you're doing alright in a less dense area with lesser concentration of iPhones, AT&T's superior network would be a better pick. Where I live, I see iPhones just about everywhere. Going with Verizon might be a smarter choice. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

I don't talk a lot on my phone and that's why I no longer have it.  And as you know, my iPhone and G1 has been replaced with an iPod touch and Clearwire's iSpot which costs me $25 a month of WiMax access. And for folks like me but aren't willing to go to such extremes to avoid paying for voice minutes I don't need, the CDMA iPhone is perfect. Now, one of the complains about the CDMA network, not specifically about the CDMA version of the iPhone, is that it cannot allow the mobile warrior to talk and use the data simultaneously. However, for some folks, that might not be a huge drawback.  For most mobile users, talking and surfing does not occur all that often.  It's either or.   And if you're paying for about the same price, I think the CDMA iPhone is probably a better deal.  Here's why. It's beginning to look like Verizon will offer new iPhone users unlimited data access.  Albeit it's on a slower CDMA network compared to ATT's newer HSPA+.  ...

Judging by my last few posts, you know very well by now that I am immensely excited by the fact that we are ever closer to having the iPhone available to Verizon customers. And in the last, I have said that I am a dedicated T-Mobile customer, I just might be swayed if this was a LTE rather than a CDMA model. Having said that, I have gotten up early this morning, did my workout, came into work early to finish my morning tasks (e-mails, faxes, phone calls with folks in other time-zones). The mocha is set and my buttered bread ready to be toasted. I have allocated the hours between 8AM to 10AM PST for nothing other than to enjoy the live blogs from a variety of sources and to read about the post-event thoughts. It's likely I'll get nothing done for the rest of the day as I chatted excitedly with friends about what we've seen or be disappointed by what we don't hear. I wonder, on a macroeconomic scale, if Apple events have an impact on loss of productivity.

ATT lowered their price on the iPhone 3GS and Apple followed with their own price drop today. And no, it's not a competition between Apple and ATT. Rather, it's likely a concession to ATT from Steve Jobs' softening heart (dude's become a wuss of late). Or it could be a previous contractually agreed upon move. Regardless the intention of this 50% price cut, don't get it. You'll thank me for this. Here's Why. The iPhone 3GS was a leap and bound ahead of the iPhone 3G. It was a spectacularly more powerful device and it really bought serious gaming into the iOS ecosystem. Not only that, it was a very strong device with a very long battery life when used moderately. However, all those praises I just lavished on the 3GS means nothing now that it has been eclipsed by the iPhone 4. And who knows what'll happen in two or three weeks or months. Apple might time it right and lower the price on the iPhone 4 (say by $50 to bring the 16GB model down t...

One of the most amazing thing about the average Joe mobile warrior today is how informed we are.  This includes the busy doctor, the throng of soccer moms, and my mom who is a grandmother, business woman, and who's English is okay but no what I consider spectacular.  And of these folks know about the iPhone coming to Verizon, you can bet they also know what network it'll run on. That's exactly what my mom e-mailed me about over the weekend.  She wanted to know if the Verizon iPhone would run on the CDMA network only or on both the CDMA and LTE network.  Yup, she knew the difference.  And if this grandmother knows this distinction, so do other folks with better English able to go on the Web and do their own research. See, these days, we're all pretty tech savvy.  Having said that, my mom said she'll only get it if this is a LTE iPhone.  AndI get the feeling that is what a lot of folks are wonder too.  Some might not care.  They just want an iP...

I am watching the BCS game between Auburn and Oregon on the MacBook. And while I marvel at the ability to do that, I lament the fact that I cannot do it on my iOS devices. Why is that, EPSN? Why is that, Disney? Steve, why not? Hopefully, next year, I will be able to do that with my iPad 2 while I FaceTime with a buddy of mind who is a huge college football fan. -- Post From My iPad

We are less than twelve hours from Verizon officially introduce the iPhone on its network and something funny has happened. ATT and Verizon have started getting into it on Twitter. This isn't just trashing talking. This is a new form of psychological warfare for the dollars and minds of the mobile warriors. First of all, I don't see many of us coming to the aid of either of these wireless providers. After all, for too long have they tormented us with stupid fees, limitations, and anti-innovative schemes. Second, some of the stuff they say about each other are truth, especially all the negative stuff because we have been saying them for years. Now, one of the things that we can expect from iPhone on both two of the largest networks is that for anyone else who doesn't care about the iPhone, you're potentially looking at great deals. Anyone competing with the iPhone can expect deals in this young year should the iPhone uptake at Verizon be as huge as it has been at ATT. I ...

I was going to say that having the iPhone on Verizon is a good thing for Google largely.  Why would that be?  Would it not mean that there will be less Android phones like the Droid or the Galaxy devices sold to run on Verizon's network? Here's why it's good but it could be turn bad really quickly. Right now, some of Android devices being sold by Verizon are using Bing (including the Fascinate) as the default search engine.  Meanwhile, as far as we know, the iPhone's default search engine is still Google.  And while on the surface, Google wants Android sales to continue to go up or hold its own against the iPhone, there is no revenue going to Google if users are searching via Bing on Android. So, selling less Android devices but more iPhones on Verizon might be a good thing for Google. Unless one or more of the following happens. Apple has a contract with Microsoft to use Bing as the default search engine for iPhones running on Verizon.   Second, Apple plans to...

Just today, I learned that Apple has lowered the price of the 18 months old iPhone 3GS to $50.  So this begs the question why and what will fill the $100 price point. We can easily speculate that the iPhone 3GS isn't sell well at $100 compared to the $200 iPhone 4 so lowering the price of the 3GS to $50 makes it more palpable for those looking for an iPhone but aren't willing to go into the $200 range.  And with a $150 gap between the iPhone 4 and the 3GS, it makes it an easier choice to make. But what will sit at the $100 price point?  It is hard for me to fathom Apple leaving it wide open for Android or anyone else on the market.  And while Apple might see fit to lower the price of the 16GB iPhone 4 to $150 to reestablish the $100 gap between the 3GS and the iPhone 4, I doubt that will happen. So, I am going to look into my transdimensional pool and travel into another universe where anything is possible.   First, Apple lowers the price of the iPhone by $50. ...

Disney reported that it has pushed out more than one million ebooks to iOS loving children.  And adults I'm sure.  I cannot underscore the significance of this enough.  In a previous post I published on December 29, 2010, I had suggested that perhaps, Apple should create release a SDK with a subset of tools for the iBooktore. An iBookstore SDK .  This will provide a more enriching experience for writers and publishers for the readers.  After all, the iOS devices can do so much more than read books.  If you want to do just that, the Kindle or the Nook would suffice.   And interestingly, these one million books are not ebooks.  Rather, they are iOS apps that are books that provide text and rich media like sounds, pictures, and video clips. The sales volume from Disney is a testament to this idea.  I created book using Shutterfly for my nephew last Christmas.  If there was a tool to easily create an interactive ebook, I have all the materia...

I am writing this post on my Macbook but I am listening to the latest podcast from Maccast.  And Yesterday, while I was donating a couple of units of platelets, the nurse whipped out her iPhone.  Earlier in the week, there was another iPhone that was still being used.  Now, seeing iPhones in public isn't like seeing the white tiger but seeing the original iPhone still in use is. And while I know a few other folks who still happen to be swiping and tapping away on their iPhone 2G, they are quickly giving way to the iPhone 4.  So I want to know what they will use it for once their uses give way to more and powerful models.   For myself, there is limited use as the battery life in my 3+  years old iPhone begin to give and crap under years of charges.  There is a slight crap on the upper right corner of the glass though unless you're looking directly at it, you can't see it. Still, it works well as an iPod.  And while I go on runs, I use the iTreadmil...