Despite a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, the new BlackBerry Storm has gotten off to a shaky start, according to The Wall Street Journal.
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)The Storm, which is Research In Motion’s first touch-screen device, was supposed to be Verizon Wireless’s iPhone killer. Verizon is the exclusive carrier for the Storm. Apple’s iPhone is sold exclusively by AT&T. Verizon and RIM had supposedly been working on the device even before AT&T launched the original iPhone two and a half years ago.
The Storm launched in November, in time for the holiday-shopping season. And while it sold well initially with about 500,000 shipping the first month, the Journal reports that many customers who bought the device are complaining of buggy software and hardware glitches.
Specifically, consumers say that the software used to type on the touch screen, which requires you to press down on the face of the phone, is sluggish. I have used the device on and off since it was launched November 21, and I’d agree that it is clunky.
Other examples: the accelerometer that senses and changes the view on the screen when it’s turned on its side is slow. And sometimes the “sure press” screen is difficult to use because it registers the wrong character.
Verizon and RIM rushed the device to market, perhaps before it was really ready, according to the Journal article. The newspaper notes that Jim Balsillie, RIM’s co-CEO said the companies reached the Black Friday deadline “by the skin of their teeth,” after they had missed a planned October debut.
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Originally posted at News – Wireless
Verizon is readying a new product that will marry its wireless phone service with an Internet home phone that uses a broadband network to make calls.
The new phone system, called Verizon Hub, connects to any broadband line to provide home phone service using the Internet. It integrates with Verizon Wireless service so that customers can send and receive SMS text messages directly from their home phone and use location-based services, like Chaperone and VZ Navigator. It also provides additional Web-based services, such as an online calendar and a contact list that syncs with Microsoft Outlook.
The Verizon Hub, a voice over IP phone that integrates wireless services.
(Credit: Verizon Wireless)
The service is designed to give families or multiple people living in a household an alternative to the traditional copper based phone system.
The Hub will go on sale at Verizon retail stores February 1. It costs $199 after a $50 rebate. Customers must sign up for a two-year contract with a monthly charge of $34.99. The monthly service charge includes unlimited local and long distance calling in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. The service is only offered to Verizon Wireless customers, and the integrated cell phone service only works with Verizon Wireless phones. The Verizon Hub is considered to be a part of Verizon Wireless in-calling plans, so Verizon Wireless subscribers can send unlimited text messages to the Hub and calls made to the Hub phone aren’t counted as part of their anytime minute usage.
The product itself consists of a cordless handset that sits in a docking station that has a 7-inch touch screen display. From this touch screen, users can access several Internet widgets for news, sports, and traffic information. It’s also where users can manage their calendars and send and receive text messages from Verizon Wireless phones. The service is integrated with Verizon’s location services. For example, users can look up nearby movie theaters, purchase tickets, and get directions right from the Hub. These directions can then be forwarded directly to a Verizon Wireless phone via an SMS message.
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Originally posted at News – Wireless
Continue reading about Verizon Wireless launches Internet phone
HTC and T-Mobile are readying a new version of the G1 Android phone, according to the gadget blog Gizmodo.
On Wednesday, Gizmodo posted pictures of what is supposed to be the new Android G2, which th blog says is expected in May. The new device is much thinner than the …
Originally posted at News – Wireless
A new report from the mobile advertising company Admob says that 42 percent of iPhone Internet requests came from Wi-Fi hot spots rather than AT&T’s 3G wireless network in November. This is quite a bit higher than most Wi-Fi capable phones, which typically average about 10 to …
Originally posted at News – Wireless
Sprint Nextel announced Wednesday that it will start selling dual-mode 3G/4G wireless broadband modems for laptops starting Sunday.
Sprint 3G/4G USB Modem U300
(Credit: Sprint Nextel)
The new device allows users to access both Sprint’s 3G cellular data network and the new 4G WiMax wireless network the …
Originally posted at News – Wireless
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NEW YORK – Nokia’s new N97 smartphone is cool, but it’s still no iPhone.
Nokia N97
(Credit: Mark Licea/CNET)
I got a chance to look at Nokia’s latest smartphone, the N97, on Thursday at the company’s annual Capital Markets Day here. While Nokia’s marketing …
Originally posted at News – Wireless
Continue reading about A closer look at Nokia’s iPhone killer
Apple released a new mega update for the iPhone on Thursday night.
The 2.2 software update is available through iTunes, and it’s packed with lots of goodies. Apple released its 2.1 software update in September.
(Credit: Apple)Some of the highlights of the update center around GPS …
Originally posted at News – Apple
Apple’s iPhone 3G topped the sales charts in the third quarter, according to market research group NPD.
(Credit: Apple)The hot, new phone, which went on sale in July, displaced Motorola’s Razr as the most purchased handset among consumers, NPD added.
Motorola’s Razr, first introduced in 2004, has been the No. 1 ranked handset for 12 straight quarters. According to NPD, the Razr V3 fell to second place behind the iPhone 3G. RIM BlackBerry Curve was third; LG Rumor was fourth; and the LG enV2 came in fifth.
Since the original iPhone was launched over a year ago, the industry has been buzzing about its sleek button-less design and advanced Web surfing capabilities. Many industry experts have gone so far as to say that the phone has revolutionized the cell phone market. It certainly has lit a fire under many of its competitors, which have been scrambling to come out with cool, touch-screen smartphones of their own.
Even though the first iPhone proved popular, it appears that the new version of the phone, which supports 3G network speeds, is even more popular. For its fiscal fourth quarter, Apple reported it had sold 6.9 million iPhones, more than it sold during all previous quarters combined. As a result, the company easily met its goal of selling more than 10 million during calendar year 2008.
One of the biggest drivers for the new iPhone is likely the price tag. AT&T, the exclusive carrier in the U.S. for the iPhone, is offering it for $200 with a two-year contract. This price tag seems to be hitting a sweet spot for customers.
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Originally posted at News – Wireless
Continue reading about iPhone 3G crowned most popular phone in U.S.
Since Apple’s iPhone hit the market, some people love using a virtual keypad. Others hate it. But for users of Google’s new G1 Android phones, they could soon have the choice to use either a virtual keyboard like the iPhone’s or the existing slide out QWERTY keyboard….
Originally posted at News – Wireless
Continue reading about Google Android phones to get virtual keypads
Research In Motion’s latest phone, the BlackBerry Storm, is only about a week old, and the blogosphere is already churning up the next set of BlackBerry rumors.
BlackBerry Storm
(Credit: RIM)
First on the list, The Boy Genius blog reported Friday that RIM is preparing a 3G GSM version …
Originally posted at News – Wireless
Continue reading about Rumor: New touch-screen BlackBerrys on the way