Recent Comments:
Sony Ericsson sees net profits fall 97%, looks to cut 2,000 jobs {Engadget}
Jul 18th 2008 8:30PM SE makes great phones. Even the A200 platform phones like the Z750. SE was screwed by someone at ATT or ATT's commitment to Apple's phone and the money it would generate. IMHO. SE's worse technical policy was the slow move to cover UMTS/HSDA bands, and the worse business policy by their sales department who negotiated the contracts with ATT for which phones they would sell.
Why do I say this? The Z750 (and probably other SE phones) has had so many of it's features crippled by ATT's requested firmware changes; here, let me count the ways for you:
1. Video phone calling - crippled (yes, it has 2 cameras in it)
2. GPS - crippled - it's A-GPS
3. Blogging from camera as a 'send to blog' - crippled
4. RSS Desktop - crippled (has as many features as an iPhone's)
5. Podcasts (video and audio) - crippled can only be uploaded from desktop app when phone is connected
6. Exchange ActiveSync - crippled
7. iSync - crippled (YES, debranded it does, and it has SyncML, too)
8. Email push client - crippled (unranded works with ANY pop or imap server, and can filter out unwanted domains, etc from the 'push')
9. Network Sharing function obsured, phone can be part of office network via USB or Bluetooth
10. Choice between GSM & 3G vs GSM only; blocked, resulting in terrible battery life as the phone tries to be 3G all the time.
11. ATT has also blocks 3G tethering for the phone at the network, but allows EDGE tethering.
12. FOTA (Firmeware Over The Air) updates crippled.
13. Confusion on the size of the M2 Micro that the phone supports; but it's 8G, but some apps misread the file/space sizes
It makes you wonder, the SE people who designed it had the right idea, that a small compact phone with these features would be killer, then the sales department comes back from the client, and says, they like the case, everything else is to be disabled.....and design me another phone with a fancy case....
US iPhone 3G gets unboxed and handled {Engadget}
Jul 9th 2008 8:24AM My 16yo daughter asked me to NOT get her one of these. She says she's not smug enough for it. So I got her another SonyEricsson to replace her SonyEricsson that finally broke after 4 years. (all the old cables work in the new phone, too) Wish it had lasted a bit longer then I would have gotten her the upcoming new SE Walkman w/3G....
You have got to have a $45/mo Enterprise data plan with this iphone for it to be useful, and some of the other services cost additional on top of that. No current ATT customer should be purchasing it with upgrade pricing, they'd be crazy to change any existing data plans for the current ones.
Vista prices officially go down, but will consumer interest go up? {Engadget}
Feb 29th 2008 8:14AM IMHO: it doesn't matter how low the price is or goes. The vast majority of machines in people's homes now, CAN NOT RUN VISTA. They KNOW they can't run it. They will only upgrade when they think that they need a new computer.
Retail packages are for geeky people who either build machines or upgrade machines, but even we know, it is NOT a matter of tossing in $50 of ram into a P4 box. VISTA isn't XP where even a PIII with enough ram (512mb or greater) can run it decently.
XP is going to die a very slow death in the real market, not when MS says they won't support it anymore come 2009. Most people are fairly happy with XP which they just got used to. VISTA caused a lot of people to change (or at least consider) to MACs or Linux in my circle of friends.
There's no reason not to buy a under $500 laptop and put a linux distro on it.
iToilet case mod finally delivers upon the concept's amazing promise {Engadget}
Feb 21st 2008 11:46AM It needs a urine based battery. http://cgi.ebay.com/HOBBY-CRAFT-METAL-CRAFT-MAKE-BATTERY-FROM-URINE_W0QQitemZ350026585263QQihZ022QQcategoryZ3240QQcmdZViewItem
And I wanted to see someone kneeling at the thing typing and where the monitor is located, did they change it out for a small one that could be mounted on the back of the seat or what? they never showed the keyboard placement either.
Mitsubishi's 65-inch laser TV prototype spotted {Engadget}
Jan 8th 2008 12:33AM Here's the TechReview article from Oct 06...
http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/17651/
on how it's supposed to work, etc.
Win a super rare signed 300-Edition Xbox 360 Elite and 300 HD DVD! {Engadget}
Aug 1st 2007 8:24AM I liked the graphic novel better. Yay, Frank! I have always enjoyed your art. While having an XBox would be kewl, I would never personally purchase one, having Frank's autograph on it would be unbelievable!
(Could you imagine, if the box broke down....what would you do? Leave it as a doorstop? You couldn't send it in for a swap....)
Inventor builds goliath smoke ring generator {Engadget}
Apr 14th 2007 1:09PM What is the diameter of the rings? There was a billboard in Times Sq from '46 until '64 or '66, that 24/7 that blew 10' smoke rings for Camel cigarettes but it was based on steam. (Con Ed supplies steam for many buildings in NYC.) This link shows the sign and the steam but not rings; it had to be a very calm day to see rings. http://www.nytstore.com/ProdDetail.aspx?prodId=1235
