October 28th, 2009

C'mon Sony, who is going to pay $600 for a feature phone?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 11:19 am

Categories: Feature phones

Tags: Sony Corp., Phone, Telecom & Utilities, Matthew Miller

I received a press release today from Sony Electronics regarding the new Sony Ericsson Aino unlocked mobile phone and have to really wonder if there are enough rich people who are willing to pay $600 for a feature phone. The Aino doesn’t run any smartphone OS, but Ericsson’s proprietary system. It does have an 8.1 megapixel camera and ability to work with a PlayStation3 for media sharing. It was reviewed on CNET UK and they were not at all impressed with the touchscreen interface and functionality of the device.

With amazing devices like the iPhone 3GS, Motorola DROID, and others available in the $200 to $300 subsidized range or even the Nokia N900 in the $550 range as an unsubsidized phone I don’t quite understand why someone would spend $600 for a limited phone. Sony is known for making high end, expensive products and it looks like the Aino is no different. I would like to see them come out with a more standard Android device since they do make quality products in most cases.

October 12th, 2009

T-Mobile offers Sidekick customers $100 credit, is that enough to retain them all?

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 10:12 pm

Categories: Feature phones, Mobile services, T-Mobile

Tags: T-Mobile, Customer, T-Mobile Sidekick, Microsoft/Danger, Mobile Operating Systems, Manufacturing, Smart Phones, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Matthew Miller

I wrote about the T-Mobile Sidekick disaster a couple of days ago and there have been many other stories talking about the impact this has had on customers. My local news has some stories on small business owners who lost all of their contacts and calendar data for scheduled engagements and most everyone they interviewed was at a loss for words. I don’t think this is a phase of T-Mobile’s rumored dark project even though they left hundreds of thousands of Sidekick owners in the dark. We received word from T-Mobile that customers will be given a $100 credit to use for a phone or to pay their bill, along with the month’s credit for data services if they were one of those impacted by the outage. As I said before, I think it is time that Sidekick users think about moving to a Google Android device on T-Mobile seeing as the Sidekick brand may be eventually phasing out anyways.

Here is the text of the latest T-Mobile email:

Dear valued T-Mobile Sidekick customers:

We are thankful for your continued patience as Microsoft/Danger continues to work on preserving platform stability and restoring all services for our Sidekick customers. We have made significant progress this past weekend, restoring services to virtually every customer. Microsoft/Danger has teams of experts in place who are working around-the-clock to ensure this stability is maintained.

Regarding those of you who have lost personal content, T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger continue to do all we can to recover and return any lost information. Recent efforts indicate the prospects of recovering some lost content may now be possible. We will continue to keep you updated on this front; we know how important this is to you.

In the event certain customers have experienced a significant and permanent loss of personal content, T-Mobile will be sending these customers a $100 customer appreciation card. This will be in addition to the free month of data service that already went to Sidekick data customers. This card can be used towards T-Mobile products and services, or a customer’s T-Mobile bill. For those who fall into this category, details will be sent out in the next 14 days – there is no action needed on the part of these customers. We however remain hopeful that for the majority of our customers, personal content can be recovered.

Sidekick customers can continue to visit T-Mobile Sidekick Forums (http://www.t-mobile.com/sidekick) on a regular basis to access the latest updates, as well as FAQs regarding this service disruption. The Forums also offers tips and suggestions for rebuilding content on your device.

You may want to exercise a bit of caution in the forums though as I have read and received reports that those who have been calling for a revolt from T-Mobile have been getting blocked from forum access. T-Mobile must understand that customers are extremely angry with this outage and rightfully so. T-Mobile may want to seriously think about offering to switch customers to BlackBerry (there is a danger of lost service here too, but RIM seems to have good backups ready to go) or Google Android devices to keep them as T-Mobile customers.

October 10th, 2009

Danger/Microsoft lose ALL Sidekick data, do not reset your device

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 4:52 pm

Categories: Feature phones, Microsoft, T-Mobile

Tags: T-Mobile, T-Mobile Sidekick, Matthew Miller

Engadget tipped us off on the news that all Sidekick users may lose their data due to a failure of the server that backs up and syncs all the data. I started out my wireless data experience with the original T-Mobile Sidekick, but thankfully have moved on to using services that I back up both locally and in the cloud. According to the T-Mobile forums data services provided by Danger, a Microsoft subsidiary, were experiencing a major service disruption that has now results in a loss of contacts, calendar entries, to-do list, and photos that were backed up on the server. This is pretty bad news for Sidekick owners and maybe the remedy should be for T-Mobile to replace Sidekicks with Google Android devices and drop the Sidekick line for good, seeing as how they will soon most likely be phased out anyways with the ownership of Danger by Microsoft.

Here is what T-Mobile posted on the forums:

T-MOBILE AND MICROSOFT/DANGER STATUS UPDATE ON SIDEKICK DATA DISRUPTION

Dear valued T-Mobile Sidekick customers:

T-Mobile and the Sidekick data services provider, Danger, a subsidiary of Microsoft, are reaching out to express our apologies regarding the recent Sidekick data service disruption.

We appreciate your patience as Microsoft/Danger continues to work on maintaining platform stability, and restoring all services for our Sidekick customers.

Regrettably, based on Microsoft/Danger’s latest recovery assessment of their systems, we must now inform you that personal information stored on your device - such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos - that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger. That said, our teams continue to work around-the-clock in hopes of discovering some way to recover this information. However, the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low. As such, we wanted to share this news with you and offer some tips and suggestions to help you rebuild your personal content. You can find these tips in our Sidekick Contacts FAQ. We encourage you to visit the Forums on a regular basis to access the latest updates as well as FAQs regarding this service disruption.

In addition, we plan to communicate with you on Monday (Oct. 12) the status of the remaining issues caused by the service disruption, including the data recovery efforts and the Download Catalog restoration which we are continuing to resolve. We also will communicate any additional tips or suggestions that may help in restoring your content.

We recognize the magnitude of this inconvenience. Our primary efforts have been focused on restoring our customers’ personal content. We also are considering additional measures for those of you who have lost your content to help reinforce how valuable you are as a T-Mobile customer.

We continue to advise customers to NOT reset their device by removing the battery or letting their battery drain completely, as any personal content that currently resides on your device will be lost.

Once again, T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger regret any and all inconvenience this matter has caused.

They are trying to recover some data, but it is highly unlikely. I understand that all Sidekick owners will get this month’s data fee credited to their account and that is a reasonable start. This is not good news for Microsoft in the mobile space, following their disappointing Windows Mobile 6.5 launch earlier this week. I feel bad for the T-Mobile reps who will be getting all the calls and for the people who may now leave the carrier due to these issues. I don’t think T-Mobile had a lot to do with the direct data loss and they do appear to be working to do all they can to help out customers. This is just not a good situation for anyone and goes to show you cannot rely on 3rd party servers to always keep your data safe.

Maybe someone on the Microsoft Pink team sabotaged the servers so they can come in with Pink devices and save the day

September 24th, 2009

Sprint announces the Samsung Instinct HD

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:00 am

Categories: Feature phones, Samsung, Sprint

Tags: Samsung Instinct, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sprint Communications, GPS, Corporate Communications, Wireless LANs, Advertising & Promotion, Marketing Research, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

I remember last year before the Samsung Instinct was released we saw a pretty amazing marketing effort to get the word out about the device and I have seen a ton of people using the Instinct as their mobile phone. Sprint and Samsung today announced the Samsung Instinct HD that builds upon the success of the Instinct with the latest in multimedia experiences. The 5.0 megapixel camera captures video and then lets you play back the video on an external monitor/TV in HD with the TV-out HD connection. This functionality is much like the Zune HD where playback on the device is not in HD, but the output to a HD TV is in high definition.

Specifications of the new Instinct HD include:

• Integrated GPS receiver with Sprint Navigation support
• Integrated 802.11 b/g WiFi
• Integrated Bluetooth radio with stereo support
• Opera Mobile 9.7 web browser
• Visual Voicemail
• Text messaging with threaded SMS support
• Calendar sync support through Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes
• Corporate email support through syncing with Outlook
• Proximity sensor and haptic feedback

The Samsung Instinct HD will be available at Best Buy Mobile starting 27 September for $249.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and 2-year contract. today, 25 September, for $199.99 with 2-year activation and instant (no mail-in) rebates. Best Buy Mobile also offers free Walk Out Working (Best Buy Mobile employees set the new phone up, activate e-mail, etc.) and free Upgrade Check (Best Buy Mobile employees can check to see when customers are eligible for an upgrade on most carriers).

September 17th, 2009

Hands on with the T-Mobile Samsung Gravity 2

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:11 am

Categories: Feature phones, Samsung, T-Mobile

Tags: Phone, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Battery, T-Mobile, Camera, Gravity 2, TeleNav GPS Navigator Software, Keyboards, GPS, Telecom & Utilities

One of the QWERTY phones I included in my Back to School article was the Samsung Gravity 2 and I have had a couple of weeks to play with the Metallic Orange one. When it first launched it was priced at $29.99, but I now see on the T-Mobile site that it is up to $69.99 after instant discount and mail-in rebate. The Gravity 2 is a nice upgrade to the original Gravity with an updated camera (2 megapixel vs 1.3 megapixel), 3G wireless radio, integrated GPS receiver, and updated keyboard layout (4 row vs 3 row). Take a look at my image gallery for some product photos and comparison shots, as well as my thoughts on the device below.

	Image Gallery:Check out some product photos of the Samsung Gravity 2 along with a comparison with the original Gravity.

Available options, box contents, and first impressions

You can find the Samsung Gravity 2 in both Metallic Orange and Berry Mauve color schemes. The Metallic Orange one is mostly a dark silver color with orange highlights around the device. The Berry Mauve one is mostly a dark purple color with pink highlights around the device and on the keyboard.

The fairly standard T-Mobile retail packaging includes the device, battery and charger, hands-free wired headset, Start Guide, User Guide, and Terms and Conditions pamphlet.

When I first took the Gravity 2 out of the box I was Read the rest of this entry »

July 29th, 2009

AT&T Social Net integrates Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace for selected phones

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:30 pm

Categories: AT&T, Feature phones, Mobile services, Mobile software, Nokia, S60

Tags: Facebook, Phone, Newsfeed, AT&T Corp., Twitter, MySpace, Social Networking App, AT&T Social Net, AT&T Social Net Application, Social Networking

Social networking apps are some of the most popular on mobile phones today and I admit to using Twitter and Facebook quite a bit to staying in touch with family, friends, and fans. AT&T announced the availability of a new integrated social networking application, AT&T Social Net, that combines Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and customizable news feeds into a single interface. As you can see in the screenshots there are different tabs in the carousel menu that let you quickly switch between the services you have setup. Selected features phones and a couple of smartphones are included in the list of compatible phones that can use this application.

The news feeds they mention in their press release are from over 35 sites and it isn’t clear if you can also add your own RSS favorites, but I will try to check that out soon. With your Twitter, Facebook, or MySpace account you can see and respond to tweets, status updates, wall posts, profile comments, photo activity, and friends’ news feeds. You can also setup to be notified if you are not in the application when something is posted.

The AT&T Social Net application is available as a free download from the Media Mall either on your handset or online from a browser.

AT&T Social Net is supported by roughly 20 AT&T handsets, including some of the company’s most popular quick messaging phones and feature phones. AT&T customers can check to see if their devices are compatible by accessing www.att.com/socialnetdevices. You will find devices like the LG Xenon, Nokia E71x (this is where I plan to use it), Samsung Jack, and Samsung Propel supported by the application.

May 13th, 2009

Second look: A 40-year old's usage experiences with the Sidekick LX 2009

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 7:49 am

Categories: Feature phones, T-Mobile

Tags: Device, Mobile, T-Mobile Sidekick, Twitter, Sidekick LX 2009, Eric, Calendar, Task Checklist, Advertising & Promotion, Social Networking

Just over a week ago I posted a few thoughts on what my oldest daughter’s first impressions were of the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009. I let her use it for a couple more days and then I tried it out for the last 4 days or so. As I stated before, my first converged device was the original Sidekick, but things have changed significantly in the mobile phone market and I personally could never go back to such a large Sidekick device. The Sidekick LX 2009 is definitely the BEST Sidekick ever and I think it does a good job of serving as the transition device to move Sidekick teens from this device onto full smartphone devices like the T-Mobile G1, Palm Pre, or Apple iPhone.

There are several excellent mobile tech writers out there that I enjoy reading and rather than go through all of the details of the hardware I am posting a link to Eric Zeman’s in-depth review of the Sidekick LX 2009 over on Phone Scoop. Eric covers the hardware and configuration of the device in detail so I won’t cover it here and will instead focus on telling you a bit about some of my experiences with the device.

Social networking: One of the main reasons someone my age may enjoy this latest Sidekick LX is the social networking aspects of the device. The LX comes loaded with Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace clients. I have a MySpace account, but never use it so I did not try this client out. That was actually one of the main functions my 15-year old daughter used on the device and found it pretty functional.

The Facebook client was pretty good and showed you your news feed, friends, and inbox on the three main tabs. You could upload a photo and refresh your status via the menu button. You could use the Go To menu item to view your profile, photos, friends, inbox, or search as well. This is one of the better mobile clients with the iPhone looking to be the best overall.

The Twitter client is also Read the rest of this entry »

May 4th, 2009

First look: A 15-year old's perspective of the T-Mobile Sidekick LX 2009

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 2:01 am

Categories: Feature phones, Microsoft, Review, T-Mobile

Tags: Device, T-Mobile, T-Mobile Sidekick, Screen Clarity, 3G, Smart Phones, Cellular Phones, GPS, Wireless And Mobility, Consumer Electronics

It looks like my fellow mobile enthusiasts all received the new T-Mobile Sidekick LX on Friday when my two-week eval unit arrived. I decided to start with a slightly different method of providing you with a first impressions since the T-Mobile Sidekick lineup is more appealing to teenagers than the enterprise crowd. My first converged device was the original T-Mobile Sidekick back in 2002, but I haven’t used one since then. My oldest daughter is 15 and loves her Sidekick 3 device so I gave the Sidekick LX to her to use for the last 3 days and then conducted a Q&A with her to find out what she thought about it. I will spend some time with it over the next week or two and plan to provide my thoughts then. Check out some product images and basic screenshots in my image gallery and my short walk-around video below.

	Image Gallery:Check out screenshots of Quickoffice for the iPhone.

Even thought there are several smartphone choices for people today, the T-Mobile Sidekick devices have a certain level of appeal to the heavy messaging crowd and T-Mobile keeps on rolling out new devices. The latest device, the T-Mobile Sidekick LX adds some functions and features not seen before on Sidekick devices including 3G, GPS, and an extremely high resolution display. The device also maintains much of what people love on the Sidekick devices, including the very functional QWERTY keyboard, flip and twist display, and numerous hardware buttons.

T-Mobile plans to add Exchange ActiveSync support into the Sidekick Download Catalog shortly after launch and I may be able to keep the loaner for a week or so after EAS availability so I can test it out and see how it works for those of use relying on Exchange for our data needs.

In the box: The Sidekick LX comes with a slip case to protect the device when you carry it in your pocket or bag, along with an A/C adapter, 1GB microSD card, USB cable, stereo headset, Quick Start Guide, and full manual on CD.

Specs: Specifications of the T-Mobile Sidekick LX include:

• 3.2 inch F-WVGA 854×480 pixels high resolution display
• Quad-band GSM and dual-band UMTS (1700/2100 MHz) support for 3G data
• Integrated Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP stereo support
• 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
• Integrated GPS receiver and Windows Live Search application
• 3.5mm headset jack
• Available in Carbon (black) or Orchid (burgundy)
• 1250 mAh Lithium ion battery
• Weight of 5.82 ounces
• Size of 5.20 x 2.40 x 0.64 inches

Q&A with a 15-year old Sidekick user: As I stated earlier, my daughter is a T-Mobile Sidekick fan who has been using her Sidekick 3 for several months, after spending a couple of years asking me to pick one up for her. She spent the last three days with the Sidekick LX and I asked her the Read the rest of this entry »

April 17th, 2009

Sorry Android fans, 21 April T-Mobile event focused on Sidekick LX

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 5:10 pm

Categories: Feature phones, T-Mobile

Tags: Event, T-Mobile, 3G, Cellular Phones, Handhelds, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Hardware, Matthew Miller

I was getting all excited after reading about the upcoming T-Mobile 21 April event with just about everyone thinking it was going to be an Android launch event. I flew from Seattle to NY for one day for the G1 launch, but was not going to make the same trip for a G2 launch. Speculation then turned to a BlackBerry launch because RIM will be in London that same day for another event with T-Mobile. I received my invite today and can confirm it is a T-Mobile Sidekick Social Club event focused on the new Sidekick LX.

While maybe not as exciting for me as a new Android device, the Sidekick LX actually does look like a compelling device, especially for social media fans who use Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace to stay in touch with family and friends. I’ll be getting a chance to play with the LX in a week or two and am especially interested in the social aspects, 3G support, new display, and 3.2 megapixel camera.

February 25th, 2009

Review: T-Mobile Samsung Memoir 8 megapixel camera phone

Posted by Matthew Miller @ 1:16 am

Categories: Feature phones, Review, Samsung, T-Mobile

Tags: Phone, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Camera Phone, T-Mobile, Photograph, Camera, Memoir, Haptics Feedback, Matthew Miller

The line between feature phones and smartphones continues to blur and in some cases we are seeing feature phones that are more powerful than smartphones. T-Mobile and Samsung now have the Memoir available for US$249.99 after mail-in rebate (US$50) and T-Mobile contract of minimum service. The major distinguishing feature of the Memoir is that it has an 8 megapixel digital camera with Xenon flash and if you look at the phone you may actually think it is a camera more than a phone. I have been playing with the Memoir for a few hours and post some thoughts on it below, along with a small image gallery and video of the new phone.

	Image Gallery:A walk around the Samsung Memoir T-Mobile feature phone.

I previously took a look at the touchscreen Samsung Behold and this new Memoir is similar in that it also uses the Samsung TouchWiz user interface and has very similar specifications. Samsung is definitely leading the pack in touchscreen feature phones with these latest devices and so far the Memoir is pretty impressive.

In the box: The T-Mobile Samsung Memoir box contents include the Memoir, battery, charger, 1GB microSD card, wired stereo headset, and Getting Started, T-Mobile Services and User Guides.

Specifications: The Samsung Memoir SGH-t929 has the following specificatons:

• Quad-band GSM phone (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Dual Band UMTS/HSDPA (1700/2100 MHz)
• 240×400 pixels 1.61×2.64 inch touch screen display (resistive) with haptics
• 8 megapixel camera with Xenon flash
• microSD card slot with 1GB card included
• Integrated Bluetooth radio with A2DP support
• Integrated GPS receiver
• 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery
• Dimensions: 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.6 inches, 4.4 ounces

Walk around the hardware: When you first take the Memoir out of the box, you find it feels great in your hand with the soft touch feel around the back camera, rubber/leather textured bottom and back, and steel sides. At first glance Read the rest of this entry »