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Droid does creepy June 21, 2010

Posted by David in : Motorola, Verizon , add a comment

Verizon and Motorola have just released a new teaser video for the Droid X, and although it is high on creepy it is low on information…or is it? As you watch the images flash in the eye you can see a few things like HDMI output (is HDMI output the new standard for high end Android?) also the guys over at Android Guys have found with a little detective what looks like a new Twitter account. They did this by taking one of the frames flipping it and sure enough you see @DroidLanding now currently the twitter profile is very basic looking with no tweets, but then again the video was just released today. Check out the image from Android Guys and the video below.

HTC says Droid Eris patch is not real? (Update) June 8, 2010

Posted by David in : HTC, Technology, Verizon , add a comment


As any Droid Eris own will most likely tell you the recent upgrade to 2.1 has not been all sunshine and lollipops. Between the missing features that Verizon promised and reports of major bugs I know of a few user who are ready to give up on not only the Eris but maybe even Android all together. One such user? Anthony you may remember him from his review of the the Eris at least I hope you do after all it is to date the most viewed post on this blog. Since the upgrade to 2.1 he has be plagued with just plain out odd bugs with all major features, such as messages failing to send and calls dropping after coming in. The only solution he has found is power shocking the phone, by removing the battery. Now Anthony is not the kind of man to put up with this level of crap so he did what any user would do he called his carrier for help. Well Verizon basically told him oh well your problem not mine. Before I continue I should note that Anthony once attempted to call NASA because of a discussion about the Milky Way. So what did he do when Verizon was less then helpful? He called HTC and what he was told was shocking. But I will let his words speak for themself

I called HTC today and had a sup tell me there isn’t and never was a patch being created to fix the eris. And that Verizon was told from the beginning that the eris 2.1 would be fragmented, as well as Verizon demanding the update before HTC wanted to let it go. Hence the no speach to txt. The sup said that the eris hardware could handle it but had to be scratched because of the rush. And I’m not pulling your leg. Wish I would have recorded the call.

Now I do understand that more often then not a call center supervisor is not always given all the information. IN fact most the time we are treated like mushroom. That is kept in the dark and feed a load of crap, but to out right say we are not or has never been a patch for the 2.1 issues on the Eris is shocking.

This is also just one supervisor who has said this, but if you are an Eris owner call HTC your self and see what they say

Update:
So Anthony called HTC again today and again talked to a supervisor. This one told him the last person he talked to was not a supervisor and that although they have no ETA or any information on when or how the update will be pushed, the fact remains that the patch is being worked on.

Verizon Wireless currently testing Apple iPads? June 2, 2010

Posted by David in : Android, Iphone, Verizon , add a comment

BGR is reporting that a realiable source has told them that Verizon is currently testing Ipads on the network.

But how will this affect Android? Verizon has once again started pushing the Droid name with the new commercials for the incredible. And it seems big red is getting ready to announce two new android devices from Motorola. So do you think they will stop helping push the little green robot into the spotlight, or do you think they will continue to help the little guy shine and let Apple advertise their over hype product?

Personally I think the later. Verizon has had a lot of success with the Droid name and I don’t think they will stop milking that cow just yet, after all they did have to pay Lucusfilm money to even use the name. Secondly AT&T doesn’t even really push the Iphone most the Iphone ads I have seen come from Apple, not AT&T. I expect the same from Verizon

Nexus One to be sold by Walmart for $99 unblocked? January 26, 2010

Posted by David in : AT&T, Android, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon , add a comment

This this story has three parts the first is easy to confirm, Walmart has put up a holding page stating that the Nexus One will be sold through them, kind of nice for those of us that want to play with it before we buy.

The second part of the story is vague. When you visit the holding page and check out the listed Network Technology the site has it listed with T-Mobile and AT&T 3G frequencies as well as the Verizon and Sprints. The big news here is that this is the first time we have seen hints that the device may be usable on AT&T’s 3G. And this would be a big deal. We know that the device is going to Verizon this spring, and since Verizon and Sprint share the same frequencies so the idea of maybe being able to use the device on Sprint has always been there if we could get a hold of an unlock CDMA version of the phone. The reason I say this is vague is because the same specs say that the only data frequencies are UMTS/HSDPA meaning no CDMA data. Which makes no sense what so ever. Clearly the site has incorrect data and if it has one thing wrong it could have more then one.

The 3rd part of the story I personally have to chalk up as pure rumor at this time.  Phone Inferno is reporting that the retail giant will be selling the device unlocked for $99, this is $80 less then the subsidized price with T-Mobile when buying the GSM locked version. I personally find it hard to accept that you can get the phone that cheap unlocked with or without a contract.

Don’t get me wrong it would be great if it happened, and I do believe that Walmart will be selling the device. I just don’t think the $99 unlocked price is even remotely possible. Drop a comment tell me what you think.

The Big 4 – A breakdown by Coverage January 9, 2010

Posted by David in : AT&T, Cell Phones, Providers, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon , 1 comment so far

I recently posted a comparison of the big 4 US cell phone providers by coverage one of our readers suggested that I also break down the providers based on coverage. This is that post. So in order to make sure if you attempt to reproduce my findings here is how I am going to be looking at the coverage. First we are going to take a look at basic voice coverage, after all the first job of a cell phone is to be able to make calls. Second we will look at 3G because of course it is suggested that in the next 5 years there will be more mobile device online then computers. Final I will talk about partner coverage and why in come cases it makes a provider look a lot better then they are but that is okay, because all that we the end user care about is using the device.

Maps


Voice

As you look at these maps you will see each of the providers use a simpler color code. The darker the color the better the coverage. With AT&T dark orange is best coverage the light orange moderate. Verizon uses red, T-Mobile and Sprint uses green. For now please ignore the gray on the Sprint map.

Based on these maps we can safely say that Verizon clearly has more coverage. AT&T is 2nd with T-Mobile close behind AT&T and Sprint last (again we must ignore the gray)

Data

First allow me to apologize for the AT&T data map, The AT&T website does not allow me to  show the coverage breakdown on data on the full zoomed out site. I had to move in slightly, which cut the coasts off. However as we look at the map we again see the say idea of color coding. With AT&T the dark blue is 3G and the light blue is EDGE or GRPS coverage. Sprint uses dark orange for 3G and the light orange is the slower speeds. Again Sprint has a lot of gray which we need to still ignore. T-mobile uses dark purple for 3G and hot pink for EDGE and GRPS. Finally Verizon uses much more detail. The blue and yellow is 3G, with the blue being the best coverage, greens being the slower speeds.

As we look at this Map again Verizon comes out on top. AT&T is again second. Sprint is 3rd and T-mobile is a distant 4th.

Roaming

Now a look at roaming. In order to serve their customers in the best possible way the providers have made partnerships with other providers. Now in the past you would receive overages from roaming now a days that is not the case. And no provider uses this better then Sprint. Take a moment to go back and look at Sprint’s map this time not ignoring the gray, and compare it Verizon’s map…notice something. Yup that is right they are the same. This makes it possible for Sprint customer to make calls and even get on the web without being on the Sprint network. Sprint has done a great job building coverage in the cities and towns, but the in between is left to gray and Verizon. This gives Sprint better voice coverage then T-Mobile and moves then in to 2nd (I refuse to say a tie) in voice coverage pushing AT&T to 3rd and T-Mobile to 4th. Of course this comes with a couple of prices to pay. Verizon does not allow some of the Sprint exclusive services to always access their network and sometimes although you can make calls just fine you will not have any data services. And when connected to a non Sprint tower you do not benefit from Sprint’s any mobile anytime deal.

Summary

Summarizing this is a bit hard. I feel that you should look at more then just coverage and price when buying a phone. Each provider has it’s pluses and minuses. Verizon has coverage that is for sure, but you are going to pay for it. AT&T without a doubt has the #1 smart phone in America and has announced a number of good phones coming up, with the near of the exclusivity with Apple. T-Mobile is cheap plain and simple, but you don’t get the coverage that the other offer for data. Sprint offers some of the best plans out on the market, the any mobile anytime is wonderful when you are almost always connect to Sprint network. I have a friend (who I hope will start writing for Brain Sparks soon) that has used 45 anytime minutes this month. If you are in a good Sprint area it is an unbeatable deal. So to summarize let me say do your research and get the provider that is best for you.

All coverage is based on maps taken from the provider’s website on 01/09/2010

Why Google is selling the Nexus One? January 6, 2010

Posted by David in : AT&T, Android, HTC, Iphone, Palm, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon , 1 comment so far

As I have already posted the Nexus One has been announced, and even with a lot of great tech news coming out of CES (which I will be posting about in a few days) it seems  every where I look people are talking about the new phone from Google and HTC.

Not surprising really considering the hype that preceded the device, what is shocking is what people are saying. They are not talking about the fact that you can buy the phone unlocked or heavily subsidized with T-mobile service. In fact what they are trying to understand is why Google is even marketing the phone.

To answer that question we have to go back a few years and look at a phone, but not just any phone we have to look at the Iphone and how it changed the mobile phone landscape. When it came out it was the single best smart phone on the market, and a lot of people wanted it. They wanted it so bad they did something that was not that common at the time. They dropped the provider they were using and switched providers for a device. That is not to say people didn’t change providers before the Iphone, but it wasn’t about the device most the time. It was about the provider. This time they changed to get the phone and when the network got so crowded because so many people changed to the provider they started to complain, but few of them left to leave meant to give up the phone in its pure form. Since then 3 generations of Iphone have come and gone and still more people join AT&T for the Iphone, even though the network issues are well documented. And of course at this time most Iphone users are invested into the device beyond the device. They have purchased apps that have become a part of their daily lives. To switch from the Iphone means to lose those apps.

Enter Google and Android. During the Iphones rise to number one smart phone, Google, HTC and T-Mobile  introduced the first Android device the properly named G1. But people didn’t really flock to T-Mobile. In fact some people considered the G1 a failure because it did not “kill” the Iphone. Google kept working on Android and got a few other manufacturer using the Android OS and although none of them were Iphone killers, people started to leave their Iphones and took hold of Google’s open OS. Soon all but one of the major US providers had at least 1 android device. So now people can almost pick the phone they want and then pick the carrier and they will have the phone. This is want Google wants. They want people to say I want an Android device and then to pick the provider. And with the Nexus One the final steps have been taken.

Currently you can buy a Google device that will be able to to dial on two of the four providers in the US, of course to unlock the full potential you have to be on T-Mobile for the 3g speeds, this spring they will offer the phone on the other two providers when they released the already announced CDMA version they will have it on all four major providers. And yes I know they have only announced Verizon support coming, but Sprint and Verizon share the same frequencies and an unlocked CDMA that runs on one will run on the other. At that time you can pick the phone and then say I want the faster speed of T-Mobile’s HSPA 7.2mbs 3G speed. Maybe T-Mobile can not give you coverage on 3G so you go with Verizon the largest 3G network. Or maybe you would rather have AT&T because they are faster then Verizon and you can talk and surf the net. Maybe Sprint’s great plans are the best few you. It wont matter you can get the phone on the network you want.

And you know that Apple is happy about this they already know from sales in other countries that having the phone offered on different networks increase sales, and now that Google has jumped in the pool Apple will follow and you will see the same thing with Apple as we are seeing with Google. Buy the device then pick the network. And RIM and maybe even Palm and dare I say Windows Mobile can not be that far behind. If they wish to stay relevant they are going to have to do the same.

And do you know who wins in all this? We the consumers do. Once we can get the best phone regardless of the provider the provider will have to prove they are best for us. AT&T has back bone issues that cause data issue in areas like New York City, they will have to fix it. Verizon does not offer a family data plan, well that could be a reason you go with the other provider they will have to do something. T-Mobile has so little 3G coverage they are going to have to expand to get my business. And Sprint is being weird and not give LTE the love it needs which could leave them in the cold when the manufactures decided not to make CDMA phones any more. And the switch to LTE will make this even better. You wont have to wait 3 months for the version to come out that supports your network. One device will work on all the networks.

So to answer the question the reason Google is selling the Nexus One is simple. They are doing it to give you the consumer a choice. And choice is good

Droid Eris – An Owner's review January 6, 2010

Posted by Anthony in : Android, HTC, Verizon , 5comments

HTC Droid ErisWelcome to my owners review of the HTC droid Eris. I say owners review because unlike the “user” or “first look”reviewers, this is my only phone. I do not have a super power blog that creates enough interest in my own opinions that people just send me free phones for me to do half ass reviews. That being said I’ll be doing this review the only way that I can possibly have it make sense, by starting at the beginning.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, lived a man who’s only way to tweet, IM, facebook, email and youtube was on his LG dare. This man loved technology and even worked with mobile phones all day long. So he knew what was out there, like a kid with a telescope who’s parents were too lame to put him in space camp, he knew what was, but never would! That man was me and being that man sucks. So I began a mission, a mission to find a blend of hardware and OS that could do everything on the web I wanted to. Everything that I could do on a PC (which I don’t own) plus do it while looking pretty. After much searching I found this device in the droid Eris. Ill be doing this review in two parts. In the first half it will be within the first week, the second half will be after all the newness has gone away and all I’m left with is facts. So without any more delay………….

FLASHY LIGHTS:
The first thing I noticed when I held the display model at the Verizon store, was that in my hand it felt so comfortable. I mean really comfortable. The soft touch finish almost seems to eliminate the space between my hand and the case of the phone. Point being, it feels as though the device is meant to be cradled in your hand, like a robot baby. The Sense UI is beautiful, I never once have witnessed any program or app on my Eris that wasn’t very pleasing to my eyes. Having seven screens is great and having seven more scenes to play with just adds to the fun. Add to that the seemingly endless background apps in the marketplace, and you have a recipe for tech eye porn. That’s the best way I can put it, without getting vulgar.

Now, I know that most reviewers go on and on about specs. So I really didn’t want to say anything about them at all. But in fairness to the few people who’s only Intel on the Eris comes from this review, here’s the goods. It has a 3.2 inch capacitive display, with four electrostatic buttons on the bottom of the screen, a 5 mp camera, and a dedicated call and end call/lock button. The only other button on the phone is the volume rocker. “but Anthony, whats on the inside”. Well in all honesty the inside is a little dated, with a Qualcomm MSM7600, 528 MHz processor, and 288 MB of ram and not being able to save apps to the SD card, it does feel a little shallow when it comes to the hardware. But you never feel cheated or shorted, after all I purchased 2 of these devices for $100.00. An android device with sense UI and a 5 mp camera and amazing screen at $50.00 cannot be called a rip off. Which brings me to my next topic.

THE FEELING:
Its come to my understanding that just about as soon as you charge that battery up for your new phone, the device is dated. Which brings me to the only conclusion I have been able to come too. When anyone buys a new smart phone, they’re actually buying an OS trapped inside a shell. Not that hardware isn’t important, just that hardware comes and goes (remember your first gen ipod, was it the hardware you loved or the software). That being said, I think that people gravitate towards which Os’s make them feel good. Everyone has that neighbor who bought a prius because they liked the feeling of looking like they give a damn, when they actually don’t. They bought there prius because it feels good. My LG dare made me feel trapped, cut off from real apps and a real online experience. The Eris makes me feel free and connected at the same time. Both able to draw me closer to my friends and family and then say screw it and spend an afternoon making augmented reality graffiti while streaming music and ignoring every facebook update i get. So in closing, my Eris makes  me feel like part of a movement. A movement for the freedom to do what we want with the devices we pay for, to make any app we want. Almost like I’m part of a team, no…… the captain of a team, no…….. like the mother fricking  boss of the team.

See you in two weeks when I turn all this garble into total sense, and in the process continue to open people’s minds up to the idea of being in control of there own phone. Until then, live long and……. you know.

Like the review? Check out Anthony on Twitter and look for part two of the review coming in a few weeks.

The Nexus One is here January 5, 2010

Posted by David in : Android, Cell Phones, Device manufactures, HTC, Motorola, T-Mobile, Technology, Verizon , 3comments

Google's Nexus One

The Nexus one was announced today in a nice little gathering and thanks to Robert Scoble broadcasting the whole thing on Ustream me and close to 25,000 other people who were not invited got to watch it live. And although a lot of information was leaked days and even weeks before we still got some great confirmations and a few surprises.

First some of the specs (full spec list)

Again nothing we didn’t already know about and if want to read some reviews on the device and how these specs work together both Nexus One Blog and Engadet have written reviews of the two reviews I feel the Nexus One blog did a better job of presenting the facts without out expressing some unjustified biases to or against the device.

Now the phone will be sold directly from Google (again no surprise) and currently you can get an unlocked device today for only $529 which honestly isn’t that bad. Or if you don’t mind a 2 year contract with T-Mobile you can get the device for $129 with all the standard terms about eligibility applying. It seems that current T-mobile customer’s may be able to upgrade for a cheaper then $529, so contact T-Mobile today and see what it will cost you.

Now for $529 you can get the device without contract and unlocked. But keep in mind the phone currently only supports T-Mobile 3g bands in the US. You can still use it on AT&T, but the fastest you will connect is EDGE.

Speaking of support it was announced that Verizon here in the US and Vodafone in Europe will also get the the Nexus one sometime in the spring. I will of course keep my ear to the web and let you know when this support is available. And of course if you can get an unlocked phone with Verizon frequency support you can use that device on Sprint.

A completely useless yet undeniable cool thing about the device is you do have the ability to engrave the back of the phone when you order it. Of course from what I hear this adds about 72 hours to the processing time before it is ship, so if you want the phone before the weekend order it today and skip the engraving. If you want to show off the fact that your phone is beyond yours may I suggest “To [name] love Google.”

If you do want to order it today with or without the engraving head over to Google’s phone page now which always you to buy the Nexus One with or without service with T-Mobile and this spring promises the ability to order with Verizon. I would also like to note that during the presentation it was announced that other devices including some from Motorola will be sold from the store front, before Motorola is making the Nexus Two as we speak.

If you are not sure if you want to get the device for T-Mobile or not I will be publishing the follow up to the price comparison with a network comparison later this week. And AFordonWeb will be sharing his thoughts on the Eris this week as well.

Upcoming Sparks January 4, 2010

Posted by David in : Android, Providers, Sprint, T-Mobile, Technology, Verizon, WebOS , add a comment

The new year is in full swing and Brain Sparks is almost ready to launch full time and here is a look at what we have coming up.

First is a two part review of the HTC Droid Eris. The first part of the review will be a first impressions of the device after using it for a few days. The second part will be a more in depth look at the device after owning and using it exclusively for almost a month. This review will also be the first of what I hope is many from a new member of the Brain Sparks team. AFordonWeb is what we will call him for now.

Second as requested I am going to be doing a follow up on my cell phone provider price comparisons with a coverage comparison. As with my last review I will be comparing the 4 big US companies and will brake it down into two parts. The first being just voice coverage after all the main propose of a cell phone is the phone. Second I will be comparing 3G coverage.

Next is an editorial on why when making the choice on which provider you have to look beyond price and coverage. This one will follow right after the coverage comparison.

Also I am attempting to get another author to write a review of the Palm Pre. SweetMJ has had the Pre since about release. And enjoys the phone so much she punches me anytime I mention a short coming of the phone, even when she agrees with me *cough*VideoRecording*cough* because of the fact that she does not understand the fact that I can not look at a phone without seeing the short comings she has not yet agreed to write the review, but if you all follow her on Twitter so I can claim credit for that maybe we can convince her together.

Last on the foreseeable list of article is this weeks round up which I plan to delay until Sunday so I guess it may be next week’s round up technically. Of course the reason I am waiting until Sunday is to get as much CES goodness as  possible into the round up.

One last thing tomorrow Google has some sort of announcement for the Nexus one. As this is the newest mega shiny I will be posting tomorrow with my thoughts.

The Big 4: A breakdown by Price December 24, 2009

Posted by David in : AT&T, Providers, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon , 4comments

Recently a lot of noise on the internet has been made about which provider is better. Of course most of this noise is in fact made by the providers them selfs. And although the point of this post is not to tell you which one is better I do hope it gives you an idea what which provider would fit in your budget.

I will be looking at plans from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile. I will look at comparable plans for the individual. In each case I will be looking at smart phone plans. For Verizon I will be looking at the Motorola Droid. AT&T I will be looking at the HTC Tilt 2. With Sprint it will be the Palm Pre and T-mobile I am looking at the MyTouch. Although for the sake of the test phone price will not really be considered. I will get insurance with each of the plans and I will not pay for extra features like visual voice mail and ring back tones.

The plan I will look at first is minimum 450 anytime minutes. Unlimited mobile to mobile and unlimited text and picture messages. The plan will also have unlimited data. On a side note all 4 providers made me pick an unlimited data plans with these devices.

Verizon: 450 Nationwide Select Calling plan.
Plan includes 450 anytime minutes and unlimited text and picture messages. You also receive unlimited calling to any Verizon wireless customer. Unlimited nights and weekends. Nights start at 9:01 pm and ends at 5:59 am. Cost is $59.99. Unlimited data w/o exchange support is $29.99 insurance adds $6 a month. Visual Voice mail not included.
Total month Price (sans tax) – $95.98

Sprint: Everything Data with Any Mobile, Anytime (450 Minutes).
Plan includes 450 anytime minutes and unlimited text and picture messaging as well as unlimited data. Also as long as you are connected to a Sprint network tower unlimited mobile to mobile calling regardedless of the network you are calling. Cost is 69.99. Insurance $7 a month. Weekends start at 7pm and end at 7am.
Total Monthly Price (sans tax) $76.99

AT&T: 450 Nation plan with roll over.
Plan includes 450 anytime minutes with roll over as well as 5000 nights and weekends (don’t let the limit on nights and weekends fool you 5000 minutes is over 83 hours). Unlimited data is $30 a month and unlimited text and picture messages $20. You can get the the Smart Phone personal bundle for $50 which includes unlimited data and messaging. Insurance is $4.99 a month
Total Monthly Price (sans tax) $94.98

Quick note about T-Mobile, they have recently started offering two plans. The first gives you no discount on the phone but costs about $10 a month less and has no contract. The second gives you a discount but requires a two year contract. When shopping with T-Mobile you had to look at how much of a discount you are getting if it is more then $240 you will be saving money with the two year contract. Any less then that and you save money by not getting a discount on the phone. For the sake of the comparison I will be using the non contract price.

T-Mobile: 500 Even more plus. Unlimited Text+Web
Plan includes 500 anytime minutes and unlimited mobile to mobile, Nights and weekends and unlimited text and data. Insurance is $5.99.
Total Monthly Cost: $65.98

As you can see Verizon is the most expensive with AT&T close behind with just a dollar difference and Sprint saving you less then $19 dollars over Verizon and the less expensive is T-Mobile saving you a whopping $30 a month. Honestly not that big of a difference.

Finally we have full unlimited plans same phones same features, but will also included unlimited calling. All prices with be without tax.

Verizon Total Monthly for unlimited – $155.99
AT&T Total Monthly for Unlimited – $154.98
Sprint Total Monthly for Unlimited – $99.99
T-Mobile Total Monthly for Unlimited – $85.98

As you can see Verizon and AT&T are still very close and not even AT&T can argue that Verizon has much better coverage. Sprint does make it simple The simply everything plan gives you all the features without worry. Of course T-Mobile does the same and beats the price by a little more the $14, That being said  T-Mobile also has better coverage then Sprint.