Archive for September, 2007

Your flight and hotel info at your fingertips

Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 | Article | No Comments

It happens to lots of travelers. You get to a city and you can’t remember what hotel you’re staying at or what rental car company you’ve reserved with. When it’s time to fly home, you don’t have a clue as to what time your flight leaves.

Of course that wouldn’t be a problem if you remember to print out your itinerary before you leave home and manage not to lose those pieces of paper while you’re on the road. Another solution, one I use, is to e-mail details about my trip to myself so I can always pull it up via Web mail or perhaps if it’s still in memory from my smart-phone’s e- mail client.

WorldMate, at worldmatelive.com, has a better idea. The company recently launched its new WorldMate Live service that sends your detailed travel information directly to a BlackBerry. Support for other smart-phones and, eventually some regular cell phones, is expected in the future. › Continue reading…

Interview with MySpace Safety Czar Hemanshu Nigam

Tuesday, September 25th, 2007 | Article | No Comments

Press reports over the past sevearl years have caused some to question whether it’s safe for teenagers to use MySpace, the world’s leading social networking site. But about a year-and-a-half ago, the company hired a safety czar. Hemanshu Nigam, who had a similar role at Microsoft after a career as a federal prosecutor, explains what the company is doing to protect users and encourage safe social networking.

Support.com – Help is only a download away

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007 | Article, Videos | No Comments

The most common word in the vocabulary of a PC user is HELP! But where do you turn? One option for Windows users is Support.com, a company that can take remote control of your PC to help resolve problems. For details, Larry Magid spoke with Support.com’s chief marketing officer, Anthony Rodio.

Starbucks CEO on Apple Deal

Monday, September 10th, 2007 | Article, Videos | No Comments

Almost overshadowed by the reaction to Apple’s iPhone price cuts and its new iPods was the news that Apple and Starbucks reached a deal where anyone will be able to use iTunes at Starbucks without having to pay Wifi fees. This will work with Macs, PCs and the WiFi equipped iPod touch and iPhone. Users will be able to purchase songs being played at the local Starbucks and see the last 10 songs played.

To get a better understanding of the service, Larry spoke with Starbucks CEO and founder Howard Schultz who participated in Apple’s announcement.

I want an iBerry — Blackberry + iPod Touch

Monday, September 10th, 2007 | Article | No Comments
Despite all the complaints from early buyers, Apple’s decision to lower the price of the iPhone from $599 to $399 strikes me as a smart move now that they’re starting to run out of early adapters willing to pay an enormous premium to own the coolest phone on the planet. Besides, that cool factor already started to wane once it became obvious that there is an ample supply of iPhones. You don’t have to be an insider or willing to wait in line to get one. All you need is a valid credit card.Another factor is that a lot more people have now had a chance to put the iPhone through long-term, real world tests and the reviews aren’t quite as gaga-eyed as they were back at the end of June. Like several other technology journalists, I borrowed an Apple iPhone on June 29. Getting to try out new technology without having to put money up front is one of the perks of being a reviewer. Sometimes I fall in love with what I review and buy the product. More often it goes back. The iPhone went back last week. Sending the iPhone back to Apple wasn’t a difficult decision, especially considering its $599 price tag, but even at $399, I’ve concluded that it’s not the phone for me, despite its many great features. My early review of the iPhone was mostly positive, though, like others, I observed that its weakest link was that it was tethered to AT&T’s relatively slow Edge network and pointed out that its on-screen keyboard can be difficult to use. In the iPhone’s place, I’m now using a BlackBerry 8830 that I borrowed from Sprint, and I have to say that, on balance, I prefer it to the iPhone. I miss the iPhone’s great Web browser and the way it implemented Google maps, but I’m much happier with the true 3G network from Sprint and BlackBerry’s physical keys. I find myself typing messages on the BlackBerry and making fewer mistakes, though I do miss the iPhone’s software that corrects mistakes as you type.

The biggest difference is Sprint’s true 3-G broadband network which is not only faster but seems to work in more places. And, unlike the iPhone, the BlackBerry is able to display Word files, PDFs and some other attachments, making it a lot more practical to use to review business documents. The 8830 is available from both Sprint and Verizon which, unlike AT&T, use CDMA technology that doesn’t work in Europe and many other parts of the world. However, this particular “World Phone” BlackBerry comes with a GSM SIM card so it can also be used overseas. What’s more, they are unlocked, which means once you get overseas you have the option of buying a local SIM card which lets you avoid international roaming charges that can cost as much as $3 a minute.

The model I’m testing lacks a camera, though there are plenty of BlackBerrys, Treos and other smart phones that do come with a camera. I recently tried out the Helio Ocean which has all the features consumers have come to expect from a high-end smart phone plus both a regular physical cell phone numeric keypad and a clever slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Like phones from Sprint and Verizon, the Helio also has GPS which means its maps can actually find you. The iPhone doesn’t come with GPS. At $295 plus the cost of service, the Ocean isn’t cheap, but it’s still less than the reduced-cost iPhone.

For me, the exciting news from Apple is the new iPod touch. Even though it lacks a phone, it has most of the features that I love about the iPhone, including the only decent mobile phone browser on the planet, and the ability to work with WiFi. And, at less then a third of an inch, it’s even thinner than an iPhone. In fact, if you put the iPhone and the BlackBerry 8830 back to back, the combined thickness is only 0.81 inches. With both devices and a little glue, I can have an iBerry with the best of both worlds.

iPhone price reduction & interview with Apple VP Phil Schiller

Saturday, September 8th, 2007 | Article, Videos | No Comments

On Wednesday, September 5, Steve Jobs announced several new iPods and made the stunning announcement that he was lowering the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399. This may be good news for potential iPhone buyers but it was a punch in the stomach for some early adopters who felt Apple was punishing them for having been loyal early buyers. After a day of online protests, Steve Jobs said he got it, and issued an open letter to iPhone customers saying that anyone who bought an iPhone would get $100 credit to use at an Apple online or brick and mortar store.

Larry Magid talks about the controversy and interviews Apple VP Phil Schiller about the pricing on the day of the original announcement. It was before the firestorm and Jobs’ “apology.”

Apple to give $100 credit to early iPhone buyers

Thursday, September 6th, 2007 | Article | No Comments

I was sitting in the room yesterday when Steve Jobs announced that he was discontinuing the 4 gigabyte iPhone and dropping the price of the 8 GB model from $599 to $399.  Many in the room broke out in applause but it’s important to point out that besides press – who generally don’t applaud during press conferences – the rest of the audience were Apple employees, Apple enthusiasts and Apple bloggers who tend to enthusiastically support anything Steve Jobs announces.

But then reality set in.  People who spent nearly $600 for an iPhone during the past few months started expressing their disappointment and, in some cases, anger at Apple’s moves.  One person wrote on an Apple discussion board, “Having paid full price for my iPhone not more than 2 months ago, I am shocked that a price drop was announced so quickly. Not only was the drop in price surprising, but the amount in which it dropped was staggering to say the least. I demand an explanation.”

Steve Jobs heard the uproar and just over 24 hours after announcing the price drop, he issued a statement saying that early iPhone buyers  would get a $100 store credit to use at Apple stores or online.  Details will be forthcoming.

In an open letter posted on the company’s web site, Jobs wrote:  “I am sure that we are making the correct decision to lower the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399, and that now is the right time to do it.”  He further said that  “it benefits both Apple and every iPhone user to get as many new customers as possible in the iPhone ‘tent’. We strongly believe the $399 price will help us do just that this holiday season.”

Is technology making life more complicated?

Monday, September 3rd, 2007 | Article | No Comments

I’m not exactly sure who “they” are but I seem to remember that they told us technology would make our lives easier and more efficient. I’m not so sure. Let’s start with our TVs. I’m old enough to remember when TV had two dials – a volume control and a channel changer that let you go from channel 2 to 13. The high-definition TV in my living room is connected to a satellite receiver/personal video recorder with hundreds of channels and several levels of menus. The TV itself has infinitely more controls than the old ones and scores of optional inputs. But there’s more. To hear the TV you have to turn on the audio system, and because I also have a DVD player and an Apple TV but only one optical audio input, I sometimes have to unplug one device and plug in another. › Continue reading…

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