MobileMag reports a general public release of the T-Mobile Sidekick 3 on June 26th. The launch party may occur the week before on June 20th. The buzz around the latest Sidekick is huge, and we’re looking forward to its forthcoming release (finally!)
Another Market for Google Ads: Cell Phone Ads?
Today, Virgin Mobile announced what anyone in the cellphone industry could have predicted: ad subsidized cell phone calls. Users of the service will be able to earn free calls by viewing and “responding” to advertisements by way of text messaging.
Advertisers have long known that a person who interacts with the ad is much more likely to be affected by the ad. This applies especially to those who are most impressionable: teens. But not only are teens the most impressionable, they are also the most likely to be using the Virgin phone service, and the most likely to need the free calls if Mommy and Daddy aren’t paying for them. Not surprisingly, early advertisers include Pepsi and XBox, both of which have traditionally targeted the teen generation.
But all this talk of cellphone advertising brings me to the main topic of this post: are cellphones the next major market for Google Ads? AdWords currently litter the web, present on almost every website looking to make a profit. They are Google’s cashcow. Google’s main business strategy is based around them: increase the amount of users who get online, see Google Ads and click on Google Ads.
For a while, they’ve been relying on the general growth of internet usage, but to keep up with shareholder demand, they are quickly having to branch out into other spaces and other ad mediums with which they are less familiar. Radio has been tried, though rumors are that Google is facing a tough nut to crack in that market. The other obvious ad medium is the cell phone. Hundreds of millions of people use them. In fact, more people use cellphones than use the internet. My grandfather uses a cellphone. He’s never touched the internet.
So cellphones present a huge market for Google. The big question is whether they’ll be able to become the jack of all trades in the marketing world, or whether they are stuck in the narrow world of internet search and publishing forever.
Memorial Day Catch Up – Tech In Review – 5/30/06
America drops the web over Memorial Day weekend. There is no question about that. Anyone who owns a website need only check her logs. Sharp drop-off. The biggest since the Christmas season.
Gadzooki took something of a break too. Barbecue, beer. Tuna Steak. Yep, that’s right. I ate Tuna Steak grilled in one of those massive grill smokers. Pleasantly surprising. Not like fish at all. Two thumbs up. Just make sure you marinade it right.
The lazy weekend is over. Back to work. Back to Tech. Let’s do a review in tech back to last Friday.
We’ve been covering motion sensing technology for a while now, and when new functionality becomes hot in tech, adoption comes quick. All of us computer geeks don’t have to rely on Wii for our motion sensitive fix. Taiwanese company Industrial Technology Research Institute has announced what it is calling the wireless flying mouse, which straps to your wrist and allows 3d motion control. Speaking of motion control: how about an alarm clock that requires you to play Simon before it shuts off. Nothing will get the late risers moving like a quick game of “repeat after me”. Or maybe it’ll be the other way around: maybe Simon will find himself in motion, crashing into the bedroom wall. For our Mac friends who are feeling motion detection envy, try out this Magic Wand Mouse for OSX.
Our Wii fascination never ends, and it now appears that one of the best new games out in years could be headed Nintendo’s way. You heard that riff right: Guitar Hero maybe headed to Wii. Woohoo. Now we can jam for 1/3 the price. But Nintendo can’t have all the glory. Microsoft’s XBox Live platform is now the number one platform for High Definition, On Demand Content. I’ve thought for a while that the first console system to nail it’s online platform would win the 2005-2009 console war. XBox certainly has the huge headstart, Sony doesn’t have a clue, and Nintendo will be playing comeback kid. Or maybe not. Looks like the preferred system for the 2005-2009 season is the XBox 360 + Nintendo Wii Combo.
Hey, want some cheap storage room for your MP3 files? Big storage, tiny form. Check out this nifty KINGMAX Super Stick 1GB Pen Drive – USB. Or maybe you’d like to pay the price of a new desktop computer for your very own Sprint Treo 700p. That’s with a 2 year agreement! Sprint, Verizon, Cingular and others might need to wise up. It turns out that most consumers are looking for nothing but a simple cellphone that’s easy to use.
Oh, before I’m done, here’s one piece of advice for all you tech-geeks / scientists / inventors. You wanna be productive? Then don’t get married.
New W42S Walkman Phones from SonyEricsson
SonyEricsson seems to be screaming “die iPod!” with every Walkman music player or mobile phone it comes out with. You can expect nothing less than that Sony touch of class and craftsmanship in every Walkman-branded device they announce.
The W42S features 1 GB of storage and a 1.3 megapixel camera. The phone measures 49x106x24 mm and weighs 123 grams. The W42S will work on 3G networks, and can download music over the air via the LISMO service.
Of course it doesn’t hurt that the Walkman was the brand that got the popularity of the portable music player going (in all its bulky cassette-tape glory). However, it might be a problem if the Walkman goes the way of the Betamax. Do consider that Sony loves to make everything proprietary (think Memory Stick; think Blu-Ray, and yes, think Betamax!). For most people, it’s a big drawback that one can only sync the device thru proprietary Sony software. What, no drag-and-drop? Even iPods can do drag-and-drop.
Here’s a comment from ForeverGeek. I agree that the new Walkman phones are a tad too bulky compared to iPods (of course!) and even the sleek iTunes-enabled phones of last year’s vintage (such as those from Motorola).
Looks like Sony is starting to shift their efforts away a bit from MP3 players arena and moving towards the Cellphone MP3 Player Market more. However, in my opinion, they still need to make better efforts. This phone is way too bulky for it’s features.
So much for the “bean” Walkmans (or is it “Walkmen?”).
Engadget is not as unenthusiastic, though.
The W42S packs in a cool 1GB of internal memory which can be supplemented with up to 4GB of Memory Stick Pro DUO expansion and sports a power saving mode allowing up to 30 hours of music playback. This 3G (CDMA2000) slider also features a 1.3 megapixel cam, a 2.2-inch 262k color QVGA LCD, FM radio, an EPG to keep you hip to the TV schedule, and a feast of dedicated player controls including a new mechanical wheel unique to Walkman phone navigation. And by partnering with KDDI, owners can snag music over-the-air via the 5 million downloads per month strong LISMO music service. No price announced but “local media” is reporting that this musicphone will fetch $181 (with contract and telco rights to your vital organs we presume) when these drop in late June. Click on for a few hands-on pics.
However, if you’re fond of accessorizing your portable music player, you’d better go for an iPod instead.
The Nano continues to land lightning fast blows on the Walkman, each one for each iPod accessory tha exists (and trust me, there are a LOT). And the walkman is down! And the counting begins… and… and… *ding ding* iPod Nano is the winner!
Thin, Trim and Loaded: The LG KG320 Ultra-Slim Phone
The LG KG320 Ultra-Slim is only 9.9mm (.39 inches) thick. Thin and trim. But it features 128 megs of memory for storing mp3s or the photos you take with the 1.3 megapixel camera. Loaded.
Thin, trim and loaded. True. Very true. But we’re also one step closer to that holy grail of cell phones (for cellphone companies that is). The cell phone you’re guaranteed to lose just by looking the other way.
And oh yeah, it’s got that funky new white color: shiny black.
Verizon First To Offer Q from Motorola
Despite previous denials from Verizon employees, Verizon and Motorola have announced the official release of the Moto Q smartphone. The Motorola Q will retail at $199 so long as you sign up for a 2 year plan with Verizon Wireless. Otherwise, the Q will be substantially more expensive.
The mQ will feature 64 MB of built in memory and a Mini-SD slot. The screen will be LCD with 320×240 resolution and 65 thousand colors. The moto Q will serve as a media player capable of playing back a variety of audio and video formats. Sound will come to you through dual stereo speakers.
So what exactly is the mQ? Well, it’s the sort of device that lets you do a little bit of everything. Text messaging, emailing, cell phone conversations, web browsing, etc. It is the picture of convergence…and it is here.
And, boy do I want one;-)
Motorola Q: I Want One, But I’ll Have To Wait!
Brighthand reports that Verizon now denies a Motorola Q launch event for next week, despite earlier claims from Motorola’s CEO, Ed Zander .
That’s unfortunate if true, because the mQ has been one of those devices that we’ve eagerly anticipated since its announcement.
The mQ smartphone will feature a 320x240px screen and include a QWERTY keyboard (see picture).
The Motorola Q will also feature bluetooth capabilities, expanded storage for your favorite mp3s, and will come packaged with Windows Mobile 5.0 for smartphones.
Cell Phone Games Are Here To Stay (More Convergence)
Anyone who doubts that cell phones are going to be the technology hub of the future, check out these fabulous graphics from an actual fighting game called Onerunning on a Nokia N93 Cell Phone.
The game is running on this Nokia N93 device:
So not only do cell phones act as radios, mp3 players, cameras, video players, phones, texting devices, calendars and phone books, but now you can play some pretty kick ass looking games on them too.
So, you lost your cell phone?
Recently I lost my Verizon Wireless phone (just a few months after receiving a free upgrade on my account). I waited a couple weeks hoping the phone would magically appear (I mean, I looked around my house;-). Pretty soon, I discovered that a phone call had been placed on the phone since losing it.
So, I called Verizon. They were able to put my cell phone number on hold for 15 days “free of charge” meaning that no one could use my phone during that time. After the 15 days, I’d have to pay a service fee to keep the number…or else risk losing it. Well, I couldn’t lose my cell phone number. It was printed on too many business cards and in too many people’s hands.
So, I had no idea what to do. I went down to the local mall’s Verizon Wireless kiosk. But those guys were complete assholes. They wanted nothing but to sell me a new phone and a new phone plan. They had no interest in being real human beings and helping a real human being with a real problem. But they did tell me to go see the other Verizon Wireless kiosk on the other side of the mall.
So off I went. Why the other kiosk was supposed to be better, I don’t know. But, indeed, the guys were cooler and nicer and more friendly. They still wanted to sell me a new plan and a new phone. One guy took me aside and actually gave me a tip so long as I promised not to tell anyone.
You see, to buy a new cell phone without also signing up for a new plan costs, at a minimum, $150. I didn’t want to spend $150. I was pissed off. But this dude was cool and he told me that I could hop on eBay and find a nice used cell phone that would work in my service area for $30. Well, I ended up getting mine for $26. The nicer phones were going for $50 or $60. I didn’t need anything flashy since this was just for basic business stuff.
The cool thing about using eBay to find a used phone is that they actually have this cool little script that tells you whether the particular model will work with your service provider in your service area. I just did an eBay search for “verizon cell phone” and voila, a whole slew of options came up. Some very nice deals.
When the cell phone arrived, I charged it up, called Verizon Wireless, and they led me through the process of programming the new phone for my old number. Fairly painless.
So, the next time you lose your cell phone, don’t fret about having to buy a $200 model. You can find some pretty nice phones on eBay for under $50. Just make sure they work in your service area with your service provider.
Nokia and Aston Martin co-branded phone
It’s cars, cars, cars everywhere! First, we have Ferrari and Lamborghini-braned notebooks, and now mobile phones are also co-branding with auto manufacturers.
Aston Martin and Nokia have announced today that they’ve teamed up to create the the Nokia 8800 Aston Martin Edition
This exclusive version of the phone will be manufactured in strictly limited numbers, and features a discrete laser-etched “Aston Martin” logo on the stainless steel casing.
Personally, I’m not impressed with the phone as it’s basically still the Nokia 8800 with just the design change (the etchings) and some added content. It’s still your good ol’ 8800 that has 64MB of internal (non-expandable) memory, and multimedia playback capabilities. What’s great, though is that the phone will have smooth synchronisation and connectivity with all Aston Martin models via Bluetooth. Your hands-free calling will be fuss-free. But then, you’d have to have an Aston Martin. If not, you can perhaps settle for having the sound of an Aston Martin V8-engine revving up as a ring-tone (which comes standard with the phone)!
{ via PocketLint }
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