IPhone coming to Verizon

[Clark Addison]

I am a little leery of Google too, but less than of Apple. I'll never forgive them for making MS-DOS and Windows the operating systems most of the world have had to deal with for 25 years now, mainly because Apple execs were control freaks about their own system.

So I am glad Google is keeping Apple honest. We need a third big player in the market.

I kassume that much of the Apple-Android bashing in this thread is at least partially tongue in cheek, or maybe I just have a different viewpoint than most folks who feel the need to pick one side. Apple and Google are two of my favorite companies. I don't know if I can think of any consumer tech companies who have been as innovative and as customer-friendly as them over the last decade. I am thrilled that both of them are in the smart-phone business. I have an iPhone now, and love it. I could see myself staying with it for the next five years, or just as easily switching over to an Android phone. I think they are both great, and having them compete makes them even better.

I also realize that I am not very good at using the multi-quote function.

[Paperback Writer]

AT&T has faster download/upload speeds. Verizon has better connection/network coverage. On average, AT&T iphones were twice as fast but with less reliable coverage then Verizon.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/...ex.html?hpt=T2

[LA Ute]

I kassume that much of the Apple-Android bashing in this thread is at least partially tongue in cheek, or maybe I just have a different viewpoint than most folks who feel the need to pick one side. Apple and Google are two of my favorite companies. I don't know if I can think of any consumer tech companies who have been as innovative and as customer-friendly as them over the last decade. I am thrilled that both of them are in the smart-phone business. I have an iPhone now, and love it. I could see myself staying with it for the next five years, or just as easily switching over to an Android phone. I think they are both great, and having them compete makes them even better.

I also realize that I am not very good at using the multi-quote function.

Correct. I am mainly venting.

[Uncle Ted]

It looks like the iPhone will be coming to T-Mobile soon...

AT&T Buys T-Mobile for $39 Billion (wow):

AT&T just announced a definitive agreement with Deutsche Telekom to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion in cash and stock. In a press release, AT&T said the agreement has been approved by both companies’ boards of directors.

If the deal meets regulatory approval, AT&T will be the largest wireless provider in the United States. The company says the transaction will allow it to expand its 4G LTE network to 95% of the population of the United States, and touts enhanced “quality in the near term” for AT&T and T-Mobile customers.

[Clark Addison]

It looks like the iPhone will be coming to T-Mobile soon...

AT&T Buys T-Mobile for $39 Billion (wow):

I assume they will be pulling their main commercials soon, which basically trash the AT&T network.

[TripletDaddy]

I assume they will be pulling their main commercials soon, which basically trash the AT&T network.

Stick together.

[Uncle Ted]

Verizon wants to be the new AT&T... No more unlimited data plans.

Got a smartphone on Verizon Wireless? Get ready to wave goodbye to the days of unlimited data.

Verizon will axe its unlimited smartphone data plan this summer, according to remarks made by the carrier's chief financial officer. Speaking at the Reuters Global Technology Summit on Thursday, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo (no relation to the ShamWow guy) said the company will soon roll out new tiered pricing plans and eliminate the current $30-a-month unlimited option.

[LA Ute]

Verizon wants to be the new AT&T... No more unlimited data plans.

They're all thieves.

[Uncle Ted]

Question for all you Droid users (I have no dog in the fight, Im just curious)

I was on a call this morning and learned that many app developers are hesistant to develop for the Droid because the app ecosystem is not as hospitable to paid apps. Im summarizing here but the main contention is that it is tough to figure out how to make a paid app really thrive within the Droid ecosystem. As such, while the Droid app market continues to grow, it grows a slower rate than the Apple app marketplace and will never catch up.

Is there any truth to this in your experience?

An interesting article about why Android might fail...

1. Too many developer versions

When Google first forked Android into two versions–The 2.x branch for smartphones and the 3.x for tablets–I didn’t like the idea. I like it even less now.

According to the Android Developers site, there are eight (8!) different versions of Android with market presence. If we ignore the out-dated Android 1.5 and 1.6, that still leaves us with six shipping versions that a developer needs to keep in mind when he or she is creating or updating a program. In the case of the 2.x and 3.x lines that’s a lot of work. Oh, and yes there are now two versions of 3.x: 3.0 and 3.1.

[...]

2. Too many OEM versions

You’d think that Android 2.2 on a Droid II would be the same on the Samsung Galaxy Pro. You’d think wrong. Every original equipment manufacturer (OEM) insists on tweaking the software and adding their own particular programs to each phone. Sometimes, as James Kendrick points out, the same hardware doesn’t even work with Android on the exact same model.

[...]

3. Still not open enough

Google, for reasons that still elude me, decided not to open-source Android 3.x’s source code. This is so dumb!

[...]

4. Security Holes

This one really ticks me off. There is no reason for Android to be insecure. In fact, in some ways it’s Not insecure. So why do you keep reading about Android malware?

[...]

5. Pricing

Seriously. What’s with Android tablet pricing? Apple owns the high-end of tablets. If someone has the money, they’re going to get an iPad 2. Deal with it. Apple’s the luxury brand. Android’s hope is to be the affordable brand. So long as OEMs price Android’s tablets at $500 and up, they’re not going to move. People will buy a good $250 Android tablet, which is one reason why the Nook is selling well. They’re not buying $500 Android tablets.

[LA Ute]

An interesting article about why Android might fail...

How much does Apple pay you to campaign against Android, Ted?

I may break down and get an iPhone when I upgrade, simply because I like my iPad so much - but I hope someone gives Apple competition. Their product is better than anything Microsoft's ever created, but they are just as aggressive and controlling and consumers need an alternative. Someone needs to keep them honest.

[Surfah]

An interesting article about why Android might fail...

Android is failing to the tune of half-million new activations a day. That's 100,000 more than what they announced at Google I/O last month. A year ago, Android only had 200,000 new activations a day.

And while there are many versions of Google out there, more than 50% are all running FroYo 2.2.

[Uncle Ted]

How much does Apple pay you to campaign against Android, Ted?

Not enough. My loyalty can be easily purchased.

I may break down and get an iPhone when I upgrade, simply because I like my iPad so much - but I hope someone gives Apple competition. Their product is better than anything Microsoft's ever created, but they are just as aggressive and controlling and consumers need an alternative. Someone needs to keep them honest.

I wished that apple would license iOS to OEMs. It would be nice to have some hardware choices. Of course, apple likes their control and wants to avoid things like the inconsistent hardware support issues described in #2.

[Uncle Ted]

Android is failing to the tune of half-million new activations a day. That's 100,000 more than what they announced at Google I/O last month. A year ago, Android only had 200,000 new activations a day.

And while there are many versions of Google out there, more than 50% are all running FroYo 2.2.

It is all relative, I guess...

Now, let’s take a look at the operating systems in the U.S. According to reports released this month by comScore, if you factor in all of the devices that use iOS including iPhones, iPads and iPod touches, Apple reached 37.9 million people. Android, according to the data, reached 23.8 million on phones and tablets.

That’s a 59 percent lead for iOS over Android.

In Europe, Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch, and iPads have a combined installed base of 28.9 million users. Android’s user base is at 13.4 million users. That number includes phones and connected media devices like the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

That gives Apple a 12.4 percent share of the market and a 116 percent lead over its Android counterpart. Google has 5.7 percent share of the market.

That is the truth.

[beefytee]

they are just as aggressive and controlling and consumers need an alternative. Someone needs to keep them honest.

Sorry but this statement doesn't go far enough. Microsoft has never been as aggressive as Apple. That's why they won the war back in the PC days (Namely, not locking down hardware). And there were the same arguments back then about how things would get out of control and whither and die.

When Apple reinvented itself with OS X, they looked like they had turned over a new leaf by releasing the open source kernel Darwin. A few years later pulled the rug out from under it after it had gained its traction. This tells me, you really can't trust Apple, and you can trust them even less than Microsoft.

[Uncle Ted]

Sorry but this statement doesn't go far enough. Microsoft has never been as aggressive as Apple. That's why they won the war back in the PC days (Namely, not locking down hardware). And there were the same arguments back then about how things would get out of control and whither and die.

When Apple reinvented itself with OS X, they looked like they had turned over a new leaf by releasing the open source kernel Darwin. A few years later pulled the rug out from under it after it had gained its traction. This tells me, you really can't trust Apple, and you can trust them even less than Microsoft.

Are you saying darwin is not open source now?