Sprint Might be Winner If ATT Occupation of T-Mobile

If you didn't already know by now, ATT made a surprised bid to gobble up T-Mobile for $39 billion. And after a couple for bloggers, tech pundits, and myself to digest all the information, here is where many stand.

Regulators will have to look at this very carefully. Competitors will make demands. Politicians will chime in with their usual buffoon-ish manners. Consumer advocates will have their day that is like going to be ignored.

Right now, the meat is fresh and bloody and everyone will wait a piece of this in the morning. Dozens of blog posts and online newspaper articles have already been written about this.

And Sprint had already had its say. But let me offer this opinion about the deal with respect to Sprint.

Earlier, as I sat thinking about this, I said to myself that if ATT takes away from me the better deals and options that T-Mobile now has, regardless of whether I am taking advantage of it or not, I'll head on over to Sprint.

So there. If ATT does bungle this deal by alienating current T-Mobile customers like myself who have been happy with things the way they are, we will head on over to the no. 3 mobile provider who offers WiMax and competitive plans/options.

In the end, Sprint may benefit to some extent. Sprint has to continue to be aggressive and now may be a great time for it to launch an offensive campaign for the hearts and minds of confused (betrayed) T-Mobile subscribers.

However, keep in mind that no one knows just how this deal, when and not if it will go through, is going to look like when it is finally wrapped up. Though I am not hopeful, one such as myself hopes that T-Mobile will have a better influence on ATT and not all the bad things and worst case scenarios will come to pass.

More important than regulators, it will be the bloggers with legions of readers who can shape how this deal takes place. And we will work hard to make sure that if politicians allow themselves to be bought and a bigger badder ATT is looking out to screw more users, we will point to other options as best as we can.

Mobile Payment Is Coming In A Big Way

The mainstream media has not caught on to it yet and I've talked about it here from time to time. But be prepared to be bombarded with tons of media reports, blogs, tweets, and e-mails about it in the coming weeks or months.

At week at the Mobile World Congress, near field communication, NFC, was being talked about as if it is the next holy grail of mobile. And to a follower of mobile happenings like myself, this is a big thing. In as few words as possible, NFC allows payments be made through mobile devices.

Think of this as what you can already do at Starbucks. You can order and pay through the app. Well, this will happen in a much much better way. There are a couple of devices on the market with NFC capability, specifically, Google's Nexus S. But as with some technology, being first doesn't mean much.

However, it is largely expected that Apple's next iOS hardware updates, including the next iPhone, will support mobile payment. And I expect an explosion of next generation Android devices to support this as well.

I really recommend reading up on it because just about everyone from your bank, credit card, wireless providers, and hardware companies will be getting in on this lucrative new business. Oh, and retailers would love this as well.

Also, there are also security concerns you'll need to be aware of.

So get ready media and ad blitz coming our way. I'll be devoting much much more attention than I have in the past. I started talking about almost two years ago, pointing the ease that the Japanese users have been able to enjoy with paying through their cell phones for years.

It'll be our turn soon.

Xoom's Superbowl Commerical - 15 Sec Preview - References 1984 Apple Ad

Here is a sneak peak at the Xoom commercial for the Superbowl this sunday. I am sure a lot of folks will be talking about this Sunday night and the next couple of days because there is a reference to Apple's 1984 Superbowl Mac commercial.

It's only 15 seconds that we get to see but it looks pretty effective. It'll have folks talking about it. Question is: will it drive people to take a look at the Xoom and buy it?



Source: Phone Arena.

A New Trojan Virus Found

First let me just say that both Apple and Google have good reason for not allowing third-party, unapproved apps to be downloaded and installed. And yes, we also have good reason for not liking this restriction. With that out of the way, a new trojan virus has been found in an Android app store in China.

According this article, Lookout, a security outfit, detected it and it appears to be isolated so far in China. And like SAR, however, it has the ability to spread. And it doesn't go through airport checkouts but has an easier way to propagate through the Internet.

But if you're like most Android users, you get your apps through the official Marketplace, I don't know if you have a whole lot to be concerned about other than to be vigilant and check the Web from time to time for updates.

But from what has been learned, it's scary.

• The trojan horse checks in to a few sites from time to time.
• Once tact has been made with these sites, it transmits information that it has gathered.

This means it has the potential to create “a malicious ad-network to an attempt to create an Android botnet”.

That's all for now. So who's right? A restrictive environment or a more open once? I don't know the answer to that. I do know that hackers and cyber-criminals are smart folks and one way or another, they'll find a way through cracks. It's a matter of just how many cracks we are willing to afford and how big they'll be.

Chrome OS And Android To Merge

It has always puzzled me that Google would first introduce the Android and the Chrome OS a few months later, setting up a competition between groups within Google to see which OS prevails.  Now, the creator of Gmail, who no longer has an relations with Google, believed the two OS will merge into one.  And I agree.

In one way or another, Google is not going to have a dual OS strategy.  It is simply too messy.  Not even Microsoft with years of experiences seem comfortable with this.  Nor is Apple doing this.  As a matter of fact, the conventional thinking is that Apple will merge iOS with OS X years down the line.

Right now, Chrome OS has the making of what the future of computing will look like.  Everything will be in the cloud and we will trust that connection to cloud data will be robust enough for us to put all our eggs there.  But I don't see that happen in the short-term.  Sure, we have already begin to save a lot of data on Android and Gmail on desktops and laptops on Google servers but we still do a lot of work that require local storage.

I am very interested in the opportunities that Chrome OS has to offer but I don't want my next netbook to be a dumb terminal.  Nor do I want that for my future Android device, whether it's tablet of smartphone.  But as a solo project, Chrome OS will not survive as we have come to know it.

This is how it'll play out.  Google will try to sell Chrome OS as an alternative to Windows in the netbook arena.  It might find some success but eventually, Android will gain a lot of Chrome OS' features and a couple of years later, Google will announcement that it has successfully merged to two but, in reality, Chrome OS will exist only as key components of Android.  

And folks, that ain't a bad thing.  

More at Techcrunch.

Android 2.2 Not Ready For Tablet Primetime Says Google

I don't want to get into a pissing contest with Steve Jobs about what is the perfect screen for the tablet. iPads have done will but Android's day under the tablet sky will come.

Right now there are a few unsanctioned Android tablets on the market if you're willing to chance it. Yeah, I thought so. So then therefor Samsung's Tab which will cost close to $1K unsubsidized, $400-600 depending on carrier subsidy.

But even then, Google has publicly said that Android 2.2 is not optimized for tablet use and we'll have to wait for Android 3.0 at the end of the year.

What's clear though is that Android tablets will flood the market early 2011. And if you thought waiting until then is hard, just wait until we have to chose between different versions, screen sizes, and which works best for us.

Nook Color Just Might Be The Best Android Tablet

Today, Barnes And Noble unveiled what I think is the best Android tablet for reading. And yeah, I think it bests the Kindle with its fancy e-ink.




Based on Android 2.1, it remains to be seen if Nook Color will be upgradable to Android 3 but today, there are no Android tablet that is so well custom built for a singular purpose, reading, and conducting rudimentary computing tasks.

Sure, The Samsung Tab has much more support via carriers and distribution and better hardware but for regular book lovers, you really have to consider the Nook Color considering the literary attention and feel BN put into the development.

Oh, let not forget the Nook costs a lot less than the Samsung Tab which costs anywhere between $400 with carrier subsidy and two-year contract to about $1000 buying it out right.

Tab is more Android power users. For book lovers, the Nook deserves your serious consideration.

More at Engadget and Barnes And Noble

Tablet: Android Today, Chrome OS in 2011

I like to say go ahead and get the Samsung Tab or any other Android-based tablets if you can't wait. Why wait?

Well, Google has indicate that the latest version of Android 2.2 isn't tablet-friendly. And in fact, Samsung has said that some apps may not look good because they are not optimized for tablet use.

So what are we to do? A few year ago, being younger and more adventurous, I think I would get it no matter what warnings may come my way. Today, it's a little different.

But if I were to get one today, I would want to make sure that it is future-proof. By that, I mean the following two things.

First, I want to make sure that any tablet I get are free from carrier meddling. By that, I mean no crapware and I would not be at the mercy of the carrier for upgrades. Let face it, they are dar more interested in us buying new gears and signing multiple-year contracts than extending the life of our mobile gadgets, and that includes tablets.

Second, I want to make sure it is compatible with Android 3.0, which should be more suitable for tablet deployment. More importantly, I want to be sure the tablet is also Chrome OS ready. Google doesn't want to come out and say it but we get the feeling that Google believes the future of mobile should be Chrome OS and webapps, movin further away from Android and apps.

Ultimately, the best thing that can happen is for Google to launch and showcase what they think the ultimate tablet should be based on their philosophy much like they did with Nexus One. In fact, the tablet would be the perfect device for Google to try and get away from carriers.

We will know more in the next few weeks what the four major carriers in the US has planned for the Samsung Tab. We should learn more how upgradable it is and what upgrade path Samsung and Google plotted out.

Internet Withdrawal

Yesterday, I altered my T-Mobile wireless data plan: now, I am without data on my G1, iPhone, or my upcoming Sony Equinox. I have done away with wireless data completely. Why?

I find that I am too connected. At work, home, Stabucks, and bookstores. Not to mentioned between stops at intersections and anywhere that doesn't readily offer free wireless broadband. However, today, it was different. This afternoon, I went to a supermarket deli area for continuing work on my iPhone development. There was no Internet access there. But that was fine as I was able to get considerable amount if work done.

But then I went to my cousin's house for dinner. While he has wifi access, I didn't want to ask (he would have seen it as begging since he detests anything Apple), I held off on it.

It was problematic, not because I could not check my emails or tweet my about my withdrawal but I had a few missed calls that went directly to my Google Voice voicemail. The only solution was to call the missing numbers back but a couple of them I wanted to screen possible voice messages first.

And truly, there was discomfort. It was not so bad that I was going mad but it was like a really bad itch that I couldn't get rid of.

When I finally arrived home, within the range of my wifi network, the chime of mail beeped from my iDevices and I instantly fired up the mail app as soon as I put my car into park on the driveway.

You know what it felt like? Like I was coming up for air after holding my breath for along time underwater.

Okay, you might think me pathetic or exaggerating this ordeal. Okay, perhaps a bit. But the feeling of disconnect certainly was there.

Hoe long can I last with this experiment? I don't know. I am very good at adapting. And the reason I wanted to do this was I was afraid the constant connectivity was preventing from stopping now and then to "smell the flowers". I saw my nephew appreciate his new Wii. Had I had Internet access, I might have missed much of it.

I think this is for the best. Should a greater need require that I have wireless Internet access at all time, I can always get it back.

I'll continue to update my wireless-less experiment as well as my iPhone development experience. Hopefully, both endeavors will turn out well and fruitful.

Note: I was offered an option to being back my data at a considerable discount. But even with this enticement, I will try to hold out longer. Not only that, I was even offered for free a brand new Android device for being such a long and loyal customer. Yeah, I passed on that too.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

How Microsoft, Nintendo, And Sony Will Bring Portable Gaming to Mobile Computing Market

Some quick thoughts about mobile gaming in the age of app stores, casual gaming, and diminished support for portable gaming consoles, is it time to give thought to how Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo will go on. I see a merger of platforms, birth of new ones, and a salad of old tech mixed with the new.

Which is better?

More at Onxo.