T-Mobile Will Not Get the iPhone This Year, Bloodbath A Coming

It's almost official.  T-Mobile will not be getting the iPhone 5 this year.  This is very sad news, if I were still a T-Mobile customer, which I am no as of last week.  I've switched my family over.  I have had a long history with T-Mobile and I like their people and services. And stuck it out with them year after year while I waited to see if they'll get the iPhone.

The last straw was when Verizon got the iPhone 4 and I tried to lock into the unlimited data plan.  To make matters worse, AT&T came along and is currently in the process of trying to buy T-Mobile.  

Tmo-News reported that T-Mobile's Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman said "we are not getting the iPhone 5 this year".  So there you have it.  I don't know about you but that seems like a lock:  No iPhone 5 for T-Mobile this year.

This is going to get ugly for T-Mobile.  I'm hoping that it'll still get the iPhone 4 somehow and that could stem the damages some what.  But does it really matter anymore?

So long, guys.  You were great.  

Google+ Gets Much Needed Improvements And Features

Google+ finally has search. And this is among a few other improvements and new features that Google unleashed on the world today.  Plus (pun intended), Google+ is now officially open for business.  No need to beg for invitations any longer.

While it's still in beta (Google is calling it "field trial"), it makes sense for Google to move as quickly on G+ as possible.  While interests remain high, it is nowhere near the level at the beginning.

Techcrunch has a few other features that you might be interested in.  I like the new Named Hangout.  More than that, we can now do mobile hangouts as well.  The Android app has been updated with this new feature and an iOS update will be pushed out soon.

G+ is beginning to take shape and it is vastly different from Facebook.  I like the better privacy control that we get with G+.  There's also screen sharing, video chats, and a sketch board as well.

How does this compare with Facebook?  Google+ should get a second wind with this batch of update but I don't think Google's done.  These are not innovative features by any means but it does show that social networks can be more than just about poking people and allowing the purveyors to sell user information to the highest bidder.

Source:  Techcrunch.

Green: Solar Charger For the iPhone, An Arsenal Every Mobile Warrior Must Have

I love writing these kinds of articles - mashing solar and mobile together.  Check out Mobius's recharageable solar case for the iPhone.  It's a case, battery, and a solar unit all in one.

An our of charge in the sun gives you an extra 30 minutes of data use, more than half hour of video, and nearly 2.5 hours of audio playback.  Charge it up to its full capacity and you get 8 hours of data and audio use and 1.33 days of audio.

I can't think of a better device for mobile folks.  You're using the sun's power to charge your device and on top of that, you are almost free.  Almost no need to look for an outlet.  I'm sitting here in my office, I can be charge my iPhone right now right under the sun.

This is where the future is headed.  Even if Mobius or others came up with a case without the added battery pack, a case with just the solar panel would also suffice.  Now, I don't know how the wear and tear of the battery inside the iPhone will be like but its definitely something I should mention.  However, Apple has been using the latest and greatest so I reckon the iOS batteries can take some charging on the go without much degradation.

Furthermore, it's likely that mobile device makers like Apple, and certain I've heard this from Samsung, that they'll be incorporating solar charging screens in the future.  More than that, universities are also on the path. UCLA engineers recently figured out a way on their own to use the LCD screen to charge and power the mobile device.  And the UCLA screen charge the device using ambient light.

The mobile green future is here.  Albeit, in a case but it's here.  Now, we wait for the tech giants to integrate them.  Until then, I think we can be satisfied with this Mobius solar charger.

Source: 9to5Mac.

Back To School: What Did Students Buy To Arm Themselves For This School Year?

This summer, millions of students hit the malls, retail outlets, and the Web for their shopping needs.  And this being 2011, electronics figures to play a big part of the back to school budget.

Let’s start with what the students did not buy.  Televisions seems to be out, down more than 70% compared to last year.  Smartphone phones account for 14% of purchases, down from 21% last year but smartphone shares did increase 4% to 73% from 69% last year.

And what about computers and tablets?

More at Greenjava.

Tablet Market Status: Individual Android Tablets Has Largely Failed To Penetrate Market; $500 Price Point Too Difficult To Sustain

Another tablet maker pars down tablet shipment.  This time, it's Lenovo, who had some strong fighting words for Apple and the iPad earlier in the year.  For Lenovo, it is another slap in the face as Apple has easily surpassed the China based PC company.  For Android, the 2 million tablets shipped (not necessarily sold) would help those keeping scores give Android a larger share of the tablet market, individually, we are seeing one tablet after another fail to gain traction.

The problem isn't that the tablets are inferior to the iPad.  It is that the $500 and up price point is the new "$1000".  For a premium tablet, people want the iPad just as folks who pay more than a $1000 probably wouldn't rule out the Apple's MacBooks. But if this is the case, where does this leave tablet makers?

For Android fans, buying a $500 tablet running Google's mobile OS is a non-starter.  For your average mobile warrior, they have two clear choices - the iPad or not.  At $400-450, it could sway a few users.  At $350-$400, an Android tablet versus a $500 iPad becomes more clear.  

At that point, the competition may not be with Apple but it pits one Android tablet maker against another.  HTC and Samsung might have gained enough recognition to become a household name but Lenovo or anyone else certainly has not.  And with Sony's tablets going on sale soon, Samsung's Galaxy brand stands in the way of anyone else gaining traction in the tablet market.

It's why Barnes and Noble's Nook has found some success where no others have.  And it's why Amazon's Kindle tablet will likely have a sub-10" screen and sell for around the same price as the Nook.  Furthermore, unlike regular device makers, Amazon and BN are not just selling tablets to the masses: they are also selling books, apps, and services.  

That is not the case for anyone else. Google has to really figure out something that will help its Android partners.  Android 4 better be really good but even that might not be enough.  Google has to offer its partners a reason for selling Android devices at razor-thing margins.

iPhone 5 and Next iPod Touch Could Put Final Nail In Dedicated Gaming Market

The Nintendo 3DS debuted with great fanfare that quickly died and sales at Mario and company sagged.  A price cut did help spur sales for a bit but that likely added very little to the bottom line.  In fact, Nintendo could be selling the 3DS at a loss.  When the 3DS went on sale last spring, it was up against a very vibrant mobile market.

However, it was fight against a 6-month old iPod touch and a 9 month old iPhone.  What are its chances against the iPhone 5 and the next iPod touch?  Not good, I wager.

Speech For Mobile Is Sputnik Moment For Apple

I've been writing about battery life since I started blogging.  But I think while that is one major aspect of mobile experience and this power issue has been show by Apple that we are nearing a time when worrying about finding and outlet will be a thing of the past, there is another battle front for the Cupertino company. And it is one that it's losing badly

That's voice control.  Google has demonstrated a natural integration of voice commands it balled "Voice Actions" into Android.  However, the iPhone's more rudimentary voice control is no where near what we have come to expect from Apple.  When Apple bought Siri last year, it was heralded as an important mobile moment where an intelligent voice system will be integrated into a mobile OS, not just simply voice commands.

However, even with iOS 5 this late in development, there is hardly any new information that showed a deep level Siri integration or anything that might have come of the Nuance rumors.  As a matter of fact, Nuance released its own Siri competitor, Dragon Go!, this July.  And yes, Siri is powered by Nuance as well.

If not from Apple, I like to see Dragon Go! improve upon what is already there.  Lack of innovation from Apple for such a long time could mean it has found no solution that is workable at the moment.  However, in the year since Apple bought Siri, there could have been a lot of work that we don't know about.  

Perhaps, Apple will surprise us next month.  Or at the very least, show us that it's trying by upgrading Siri.