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.

Are the Days of Unlimited Wireless Internet Over?

Those of us who are fortunately enough to have relatively unlimited wireless Internet, and I say relative because our definition of unlimited is not the same as those of wireless providers, we need to remember these days when we tell our grandchildren about them. Because like ATT, Verizon Wireless (VW) is looking to rid themselves of us freeloaders and institute a similar pricing and limitation on data like Ma Bell.

How will this play out?

More at Onxo.

WiMax In Los Angeles?

Being in LA is a good thing at times.  We're close to Hollywood, sunshine, beaches, and hotties all around.  But when it comes to tech, we're almost always the last to get it. High speed bandwidth like DSL and cable in the 90s.  We can pretty much forget about fiber optics.  That seems to be the came for wireless connection as well.

I went to Radio Shack today to play with the EVO and also order an iPhone 4 for my cousin.  In talking to the fellows who work there, they noticed my extreme interest in the EVO.  But I complained about having to pay for the 4G surcharge when we have no idea when I'll see WiMax being supported in my neighborhood.

So he said he understood which is why he's waiting as well.  He'll be jumping ship to Sprint from Verizon.  But he expects it soon. According to him, West LA already has WiMax coverage (I didn't know that) and my area is currently being tested.

He thinks it'll happen end of summer.

Anyway, I thought I pass that along in case anyone in LA is wondering about WiMax.

As for my impression with EVO, there was no working one to play with. But I did like the size.  I am not sure I like the plastic nature of the device.  While I don't like Droid's keyboard, I do like the toughness it conveys.

Galaxy S will be out for T-Mobile in July and I play on giving it a good look through because another Galaxy version will be available for Sprint that supports WiMax later this year.

I'm still waiting to see what the iPhone 4 has to offer when I pick it up for my cousin on the 24th.  I like to stay with T-Mobile and I'll be rooting for the Galaxy big time.  But that depends on when HPSA+ is available.  I imagine it'll happen around the same time as when WiMax becomes available for Los Angeles.  I'll pit Sprint's 4G versus T-Mobile's supercharged 3G network to decide then.

Meanwhile, my G1 is hanging in there.

Sprint's HTC EVO Can't Chew Gum & Walk At the Same Time

There's bad news folks. When Sprint debuted the EVO at last week's CTIA conference, there was drool in front of every computer of every blogger and reader who were following the event.

Frontal camera. Running the latest Android version. And more importantly, it does WiMax. In the US, Sprint and Clearwire are the only one operating a viable semi-national 4G network.

But alas, while the EVO is a brilliant mobile device, there are some bad news.

The EVO can only make a call or surf the Web but it cannot do both. HTC said “If you’re using 4G for data, you can’t use CDMA for voice. Currently the only way to do simultaneous voice and data would be through a third-party VOIP solution. However, this is not due to strict hardware limitations, so it’s possible this could change with future updates.”

Since, HTC qualified the situation with the possibility that a fix is possible, I honestly wouldn't hold my breath. If you need to be able to make a call and look up things on the Internet wirelessly, the EVO isn't for you. It certainly isn't for me. I don't know if a fix would be forthcoming and I think Sprint and HTC would rather sell you an upgraded version than offer a feature that should have been available to begin with.

Anyway, I'm sure if there is a lot of concern about this, Sprint and HTC will work something out.

Source: Android Community.

WiMax And Android

Did you know that Google was part of a group of companies that invested $3.2 billion in Clearwire, company that is bring WiMax to the markets?

So, it stands to reason that perhaps there is more in stored for Android in 2010 as Spring and Clearwire bring deployment to more than 50 cities.

Oh, you're probably wondering what what Wimax is?  Essentially, it's a 4G network that competes directly with the future LTE network from ATT and Verizon Wireless.

More on WiMax and LTE comparison at Onxo Mobile Society, including a video and some highlighted information that Android phones should know about.

Android Netbooks

Android would be a perfect OS for a netbook, wouldn't you think?  Okay, maybe not today given how I've bitched about the G1 and the beta feel to Android.  In fact, I've been getting quite a bit of app crashes of late.

But once a netbook manufacturer like Asus or Acer can get Android to work properly with power management, add a full  web browser like Chrome, you can be looking at a really mean and lean mobile platform that is competitive with the XP and Linux offerings on the market today. 

Once an Android netbook hits the market, users will already have access to hundreds if not thousands of apps available.

And good thing going for netbooks with Android.  Google has a good relationship with Sprint and is a WiMax supporter.  I wouldn't be surprise if the first Android netbook will support WiMax out of the box.  And if you didn't already know, Google is a white spaces backer. 

Today seems to be netbook days as I've posted at Onxo about a potential Apple answer to the netbook segment of the laptop market and Acer teaming up with ATT in providing subsidized netbooks.  But the trend is clear.  Mobility.  Wireless.  Googleness.  Well, the last one is a bit subjective and biase on my part.  So again, why Android netbook?

• Strong alternative to XP. 
• Made for mobility.  That means speed, power saving features, portability.
• Google apps - this is especially useful for folks who live and die by Google.
• Apps already available.
• Cloud computing with Google. 
• Push mail, Android marketplace, support for Google Docs
• Wireless connectivity.  Wi-Fi, 3G, WiMax, white spaces, LTE. 
• An expanded market for developers
• Light weight device with great flexibility.