The author of this blog, James Robertson, passed away in April 2014. This blog is being maintained by David Buck (david@simberon.com).
Cult of Mac has the story - there's a DMCA exemption for jailbreaking a phone - specifically, circumvention is allowed for:
Computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications, when they have been lawfully obtained, with computer programs on the telephone handset….
Apple is giving away free bumpers for the iPhone 4 antenna problem. How do you get one? Well, apparently there's an app for that :)
Engadget Reports that AT&T just got some company in the "omgz, smartphone users like data" parade:
Jennifer Byrne, a business development executive director at Big Red, has shared with us the shocking stat that early data usage from Droid X owners is five times what other smartphones are suckling down
This explains the rumor that's been floated about Verizon getting ready to dial back unlimited data plans. It was apparently easy when all the phones had crappy web interfaces; now, not so much.
Between iPads, Kindles, and other devices, I think a tipping point has been reached - Amazon now says that digital books are outselling hardcovers:
Over the past month, the Seattle retailer sold 180 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books it sold, it said.
Now, that's a clever statement that doesn't include paperbacks, but still - it represents a big uptick for e-books. I have to say, I like the reading experience on the iPad a lot. The last three books I've read have been on the device, and now, when I see a new book I'm interested in, I look specifically for the Kindle edition.
Reading on my flight yesterday was very pleasant, and battery liofe was great. Even though Air Canada had seatback USb (and standard US plug) power, I didn't have any need to use it. It's just so easy (at least when you have WiFi) to buy books with the Kindle app (or, I suppose, the Kindle) - you finish a book, pop over to the store, and in less than 10 seconds (for me so far), the new book appears. Contrast that with anything else, even Amazon Prime.
infoWorld doesn't pull any punches in knocking Windows Phone 7:
If the iPhone is the platinum standard, Android is the gold standard, WebOS is the bronze standard, and Symbian and BlackBerry tie for tin. Windows Phone 7 is clay -- a clay pigeon, in fact.
Follow the link for the full details - it really does sound like Microsoft is asleep at the switch in the mobile space...
Technorati Tags: windows phone, iPhone, android, webOS
With all the ink (real and virtual) spilled over the iPhone and how it's locked down, the DroidX should get some notice. While Apple doesn't like Jailbreaking, they don't break your phone if you do it. Motorola, on the other hand:
The eFuse is there to verify what's called a bootloader—the very first process to load filled with important stuff encompassing the core software of the phone, like firmware. And if the eFuse doesn't see specific, pre-programmed code within Motorola's guidelines, it will essentially short out and the Droid X will cease to function at all. (To resuscitate the phone, you'd need specialized hardware only found at Motorola.)
That's completely ridiculous. If that's how they plan to do things, the phone should come with a big "Rented, not Owned" sticker.
Now, why does that matter? Well, further on in the article, Gizmodo notes that the phone comes with Android 2.1 (not the latest) - and many Android users would like to upgrade the OS themselves. Well, if that's you, you're SOL with this phone :)
Consumer Reports has verified that Apple's problems with the iPhone aren't just a signal bar reporting issue; rather, they stem from a design flaw. One possible (ugly) fix: Duct Tape:
Maybe I should have kept using the 3G pending a resolution of this.
Microsoft says that Windows 7 Slates are coming:
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told the 14,000 partners during his July 12 keynote at the Worldwide Partner Conference to expect new Windows 7 slates before the end of this year.
But, here's the question: will those slates just be Windows in a different form factor, or - as Apple has done with the iPhone and iPad - will they be running a variant of the OS that's specifically tunes to the form factor? Will it be "Office on a Slate", or will there be an app store?
The funny thing is, they have the infrastructure for a store, with the Zune and the Xbox - but will they put it all together, or continue to have a set of very disjoint products?
Deadzones has the top ten reasons. Now, they could be wrong, and my skepticism of this rumor could be wrong... but I doubt it :)
hat tip Rob Fahrni
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