According to here the BlackBerry Storm does not list wi-fi among it's specifications. I have seen no announcements in the mainstream press about this - mostly praising the device as an iPhone competitor. Did they just miss this, or do they consider it unimportant?
Surely, without Wi-Fi, data usage costs will be much higher for most users, and the utility of the device will be worse (not much good in non-3G areas for instance, and certainly something you won't want to use too much around the home and office).
Is anyone going to call this out?
Tags: BlackBerry, Apple, Storm, iPhone,
Wi-fi
Showing posts with label Phone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phone. Show all posts
08 October 2008
03 November 2007
O2 and iPhone Fair Usage Policy
A conversation with an O2 store manager, fresh back from iPhone training:
Me: "So, what IS the fair usage policy for the 'unlimited data plan' going to be on the iPhone accounts?"
O2: "40Gigabytes"
Me: "Really, that actually seems quite high to me and not what I had read. I had even heard that it might be as low as 200MB. Are you sure?"
O2: "Oh, no, sorry, the 40GB is for our new home broadband package. But it's very high for the iPhone, definitely."
Me: "Er, so, what actually is it?"
O2: "Um, er..." rummaging around various papers, and the website (which said nothing other than "fair usage policy applies"). "...I'll call a guy who's sure to know".
O2 guy on phone with other O2 guy: "A customer here wants to know the iPhone fair usage policy amounts". pause and more pause. Quite clearly the guy who's sure to know doesn't actually know.
Slightly embarassed O2 guy to me: "He thinks it's either 70MB or 200MB. Either way, that's a huge amount of data on a phone."
Me: "Really, as low as 70MB? That doesn't seem to be too much for what is described as unlimited data".
O2: "For email, it's all text and there's not much else you'd get that is large".
Me: ??? (too gobsmacked to contradict him).
So, I leave non-the-wiser, except that I have confirmed that o2 retail is just as poor as I expected. The only thing the store manager (post training, remember) knew that I didn't is that the sales opening time is not 6pm, but 6.02pm. (geddit?). He was very proud of that. Oh, he also knew (or thought) they would have 60,000 on sale in the 400 odd o2 stores, and that they might get delivery that day (Friday) for the week ahead - (hope their security is tight).
Nevertheless after 10 years with Orange and Nokia, I have my PAC number and will be in line on Friday (mercifully at an Apple store), with no qualms whatsoever about switching. While I was impressed with the last Orange rep I spoke to, I have had a very poor year with them at every level with a completely defective handset (Nokia N80) that was essentially unusable for the things it promised, and poorer than any recent phone I've had in terms of basic interface and even for the job of making calls and sending texts. Despite my 3G plan, I have almost never used the web browser, and I would not countenance emailing with it. The Wi-Fi feature was so badly implemented as to be worse than not having it as it could not be disabled. I have a list of fundamental problems with the phone, some of which should have been addressed by firmware which never came. While the N95 successor may have fixed some of these shortcomings, I have generally heard negative things from most recent real users of these devices after a short time of actually using them. (An interface requiring 16 different button presses before you start typing the body of an sms is completely ludicrous.)
I do wish Orange (a lesser company than they were imho), or Vodafone, had won the rights, but I have known from the minute I saw the announcement that I would get one (did you imagine anything else?). Having briefly played with an unlocked one, that decision was vindicated.
While clearly a cost of around £900 over 18 months is a lot, it is not much different than the plan I had with Orange including the upgrade cost for the N80, which did not include wi-fi hot spot access and had severe caps on data and SMS. I know that I will use the features of this device, which I would not (and could not) on the N80. The equally expensive N95 would not have rectified most of the N80's shortcomings in my mind.
However, somebody please at O2, sort out what "unlimited data plan" and "fair usage policy applies" really means. And, the latest wording on the website "All usage must be for your private, personal and non-commercial purposes" does not inspire confidence in that regards. Nor does "(not) use your SIM Card or iPhone to allow the continuous streaming of any audio / video content, enable P2P or file sharing or use them in such a way that adversely impacts the service to other O2 customers". C'mon, are you serious? In reality, any usage of a shared service like a cell causes degradation to the others on that cell.
While I do not expect to use the iPhone as a replacement broadband + computer device, I don't see that "unlimited" and "70MB" go together, nor restrictions about zero business/commercial use. These clauses are both stupid and unenforceable.
I am, perhaps, trusting too much in the regulator to intervene if such ridiculous limitations are in reality applied. Nevertheless, I will be in-line somewhere off Regent Street starting Friday afternoon. Hope to see you there!
Tags: iPhone, Apple, O2, Fair Usage Policy,
Unlimited data
Me: "So, what IS the fair usage policy for the 'unlimited data plan' going to be on the iPhone accounts?"
O2: "40Gigabytes"
Me: "Really, that actually seems quite high to me and not what I had read. I had even heard that it might be as low as 200MB. Are you sure?"
O2: "Oh, no, sorry, the 40GB is for our new home broadband package. But it's very high for the iPhone, definitely."
Me: "Er, so, what actually is it?"
O2: "Um, er..." rummaging around various papers, and the website (which said nothing other than "fair usage policy applies"). "...I'll call a guy who's sure to know".
O2 guy on phone with other O2 guy: "A customer here wants to know the iPhone fair usage policy amounts". pause and more pause. Quite clearly the guy who's sure to know doesn't actually know.
Slightly embarassed O2 guy to me: "He thinks it's either 70MB or 200MB. Either way, that's a huge amount of data on a phone."
Me: "Really, as low as 70MB? That doesn't seem to be too much for what is described as unlimited data".
O2: "For email, it's all text and there's not much else you'd get that is large".
Me: ??? (too gobsmacked to contradict him).
So, I leave non-the-wiser, except that I have confirmed that o2 retail is just as poor as I expected. The only thing the store manager (post training, remember) knew that I didn't is that the sales opening time is not 6pm, but 6.02pm. (geddit?). He was very proud of that. Oh, he also knew (or thought) they would have 60,000 on sale in the 400 odd o2 stores, and that they might get delivery that day (Friday) for the week ahead - (hope their security is tight).
Nevertheless after 10 years with Orange and Nokia, I have my PAC number and will be in line on Friday (mercifully at an Apple store), with no qualms whatsoever about switching. While I was impressed with the last Orange rep I spoke to, I have had a very poor year with them at every level with a completely defective handset (Nokia N80) that was essentially unusable for the things it promised, and poorer than any recent phone I've had in terms of basic interface and even for the job of making calls and sending texts. Despite my 3G plan, I have almost never used the web browser, and I would not countenance emailing with it. The Wi-Fi feature was so badly implemented as to be worse than not having it as it could not be disabled. I have a list of fundamental problems with the phone, some of which should have been addressed by firmware which never came. While the N95 successor may have fixed some of these shortcomings, I have generally heard negative things from most recent real users of these devices after a short time of actually using them. (An interface requiring 16 different button presses before you start typing the body of an sms is completely ludicrous.)
I do wish Orange (a lesser company than they were imho), or Vodafone, had won the rights, but I have known from the minute I saw the announcement that I would get one (did you imagine anything else?). Having briefly played with an unlocked one, that decision was vindicated.
While clearly a cost of around £900 over 18 months is a lot, it is not much different than the plan I had with Orange including the upgrade cost for the N80, which did not include wi-fi hot spot access and had severe caps on data and SMS. I know that I will use the features of this device, which I would not (and could not) on the N80. The equally expensive N95 would not have rectified most of the N80's shortcomings in my mind.
However, somebody please at O2, sort out what "unlimited data plan" and "fair usage policy applies" really means. And, the latest wording on the website "All usage must be for your private, personal and non-commercial purposes" does not inspire confidence in that regards. Nor does "(not) use your SIM Card or iPhone to allow the continuous streaming of any audio / video content, enable P2P or file sharing or use them in such a way that adversely impacts the service to other O2 customers". C'mon, are you serious? In reality, any usage of a shared service like a cell causes degradation to the others on that cell.
While I do not expect to use the iPhone as a replacement broadband + computer device, I don't see that "unlimited" and "70MB" go together, nor restrictions about zero business/commercial use. These clauses are both stupid and unenforceable.
I am, perhaps, trusting too much in the regulator to intervene if such ridiculous limitations are in reality applied. Nevertheless, I will be in-line somewhere off Regent Street starting Friday afternoon. Hope to see you there!
Tags: iPhone, Apple, O2, Fair Usage Policy,
Unlimited data
05 July 2007
iPhone in Europe
Just one comment on the plentiful rumours each day about exactly which carrier is going to get the exclusive rights for iPhone in Europe (one day it's Vodafone, then it's T-Mobile, maybe in Germany, maybe not), then it's O2 in UK, Orange in France....
Most of the rumours say it's going to be the same 2.5g device as in the US. But I'm going out on a limb here and say that it will NOT be that. As I understand it, only Orange supports Edge in Europe. Other carriers have either slower 2G (GPRS) data networks, or 3G networks.
Given the lack of availability of wi-fi hotspots (at least for free) in much of Europe, the importance of 3G (or at least fast networks) is going to be MORE important in Europe.
My prediction is that Apple will release the 3G iPhone in Europe. At the very least, I do not believe they will release a slower one than the Edge version in the US. In making this prediction, I am betting against the supposedly more informaed Times, FT etc all reporting on this matter so certainly.
On a similar theme, while Apple appears to have agreed a 2 year exclusive with AT&T in the US, I do NOT believe they will agree such an exclusive in European markets. This is because they are more fragmented than the US (eg. typically 5 providers in many markets often with similar shares). Sure, there may be country exclusives. But I don't believe they'll be for much longer than a supply shortage would exist.
The mistake most media is making is that the deal and product that is in the US is the deal and product that will be made here. I don't think it is right to make that assumption. Sure, there will be similarities and the AT&T deal gives us a number of pointers. But no more.
What is important in all this is that Apple holds their ground and has driven the service providers so that they do not cripple the device. I'll be posting soon on why the Nokia N80 I got last year is the most disappointing phone I've had and how the UI on the iPhone trounces it.
Tags: Apple, iPhone, Europe, Orange, Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile
Most of the rumours say it's going to be the same 2.5g device as in the US. But I'm going out on a limb here and say that it will NOT be that. As I understand it, only Orange supports Edge in Europe. Other carriers have either slower 2G (GPRS) data networks, or 3G networks.
Given the lack of availability of wi-fi hotspots (at least for free) in much of Europe, the importance of 3G (or at least fast networks) is going to be MORE important in Europe.
My prediction is that Apple will release the 3G iPhone in Europe. At the very least, I do not believe they will release a slower one than the Edge version in the US. In making this prediction, I am betting against the supposedly more informaed Times, FT etc all reporting on this matter so certainly.
On a similar theme, while Apple appears to have agreed a 2 year exclusive with AT&T in the US, I do NOT believe they will agree such an exclusive in European markets. This is because they are more fragmented than the US (eg. typically 5 providers in many markets often with similar shares). Sure, there may be country exclusives. But I don't believe they'll be for much longer than a supply shortage would exist.
The mistake most media is making is that the deal and product that is in the US is the deal and product that will be made here. I don't think it is right to make that assumption. Sure, there will be similarities and the AT&T deal gives us a number of pointers. But no more.
What is important in all this is that Apple holds their ground and has driven the service providers so that they do not cripple the device. I'll be posting soon on why the Nokia N80 I got last year is the most disappointing phone I've had and how the UI on the iPhone trounces it.
Tags: Apple, iPhone, Europe, Orange, Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile
03 July 2007
The definitive iPhone review?
Trust AnandTech and Anand Lai Shimpi himself to write what is probably the definitive iPhone review - all 20 pages of it.
What I like about this site is that they do a thorough job of every test they do. Second, they have no particular agenda other than doing a great job. This is not a pro-Apple site per se (though Anand did I believe switch to Mac last year).
If you thought the pro-Apple journalists such as Walt Mossberg and David Pogue are not independent enough, you should certainly read this one.
On a related note, I think this article at Blackfriars marketing gives great insight into Apple's business strategy. Admittedly unlike the iPod (which Apple didn't have to bring to market), they were always going to have to build a phone as a defensive measure. What is so remarkable is that they've entered this market and turned it inside out. They say the best form of defense is attack, and this product will define the starting point of a long-overdue period of innovation in both products and services for the mobile industry.
Tags: Apple, iPhone, Anandtech
What I like about this site is that they do a thorough job of every test they do. Second, they have no particular agenda other than doing a great job. This is not a pro-Apple site per se (though Anand did I believe switch to Mac last year).
If you thought the pro-Apple journalists such as Walt Mossberg and David Pogue are not independent enough, you should certainly read this one.
On a related note, I think this article at Blackfriars marketing gives great insight into Apple's business strategy. Admittedly unlike the iPod (which Apple didn't have to bring to market), they were always going to have to build a phone as a defensive measure. What is so remarkable is that they've entered this market and turned it inside out. They say the best form of defense is attack, and this product will define the starting point of a long-overdue period of innovation in both products and services for the mobile industry.
Tags: Apple, iPhone, Anandtech
17 January 2007
MacWorld Prediction Recap!
Well, at a stretch, I claim 4 out of 10 predictions right! This is probably a lot better than most commentators since most expected a slew of Mac hardware and software announcements.
However, before I get carried away with my foresightfulness, I should point out that I only get 4 out of 10 by counting my prediction of a widescreen video iPod (which is also the iPhone and which therefore accounts for 2 out of 10!). Other than that I predicted the AppleTV would be announced in more detail, and that there would be more movie studios on board (Paramount).
Another reason my stats look better is that I didn't count iLife07 and iWork07 in the 10 predictions taking these to be a given! So, really, it's 4 out of 12. Not so good!
Anyhow, it was a wildly different Macworld, and one to remember. Sure, Steve disappointed the Mac faithful with the paucity of Mac announcements, but he took the unprecedented opportunity offered by a coinciding CES, the iPhone, AND Apple's 30th birthday to steal the headlines around the world. My guess is that Apple garnered more column inches and certainly more eyeballs than the whole of CES put together, and almost all of it favourable. In the end, that's good for the Mac, and good for the Mac faithful.
I'll be visiting both AppleTV and iPhone over the next few days to see how groundbreaking these products are, looking back at what my predictions for each (and what I got wrong), and, shock, horror, why I won't be buying an AppleTV yet. We'll also be taking a look at the financials to be announced later on today and what that means to Mac users. Stay tuned....
Tags: Apple, iPod, iPod Phone, MacWorld, Mac, AppleTV
However, before I get carried away with my foresightfulness, I should point out that I only get 4 out of 10 by counting my prediction of a widescreen video iPod (which is also the iPhone and which therefore accounts for 2 out of 10!). Other than that I predicted the AppleTV would be announced in more detail, and that there would be more movie studios on board (Paramount).
Another reason my stats look better is that I didn't count iLife07 and iWork07 in the 10 predictions taking these to be a given! So, really, it's 4 out of 12. Not so good!
Anyhow, it was a wildly different Macworld, and one to remember. Sure, Steve disappointed the Mac faithful with the paucity of Mac announcements, but he took the unprecedented opportunity offered by a coinciding CES, the iPhone, AND Apple's 30th birthday to steal the headlines around the world. My guess is that Apple garnered more column inches and certainly more eyeballs than the whole of CES put together, and almost all of it favourable. In the end, that's good for the Mac, and good for the Mac faithful.
I'll be visiting both AppleTV and iPhone over the next few days to see how groundbreaking these products are, looking back at what my predictions for each (and what I got wrong), and, shock, horror, why I won't be buying an AppleTV yet. We'll also be taking a look at the financials to be announced later on today and what that means to Mac users. Stay tuned....
Tags: Apple, iPod, iPod Phone, MacWorld, Mac, AppleTV
06 January 2007
Outlandish Hobsblog MacWorld Predictions!
In the name of fun, I will postulate my top 10 interesting MacWorld announcements in order of their likelihood. Note, I am not saying they will all come to pass - indeed most will not as there isn't enough time for more than a few.
I'm not going to take the easy route of having a few slam-dunks either. We all know iLife07 will be out, and iWork07 too. And we all know Steve will talk about 10.5 a great deal. But 10.5 was never predicted by Apple to be ready by now, and I don't think they'll surprise people with it (and if they do, don't buy it, because it will not be ready for prime time).
So, here goes:
1. 8 core Mac Pros. This is a certainty within the next 2 months, if not at MacWorld. The Intel chips are ready, announced and should just plug in existing machines. Testing of such chips shows a 40% plus improvement over the existing four core versions on a price basis (the 4 core chips have lower clockspeeds at the same price point). Maybe not for all Mac Pro users, but those with lots of video processing and other tasks which thrive on multiple cores should be happy.
2. New displays with built-in iSight. This just makes sense given lack of iSight for sale and approach with all other Macs.
3. iTV. Steve will definitely say more on iTV - perhaps give us its final name? It may or may not be ready yet (I think it will use 802.11n and Apple will choose timing carefully when the near-standard is close enough to not cause them a bunch of lawsuits down the line).
4. iPod Phone. I'm still not sure this will be announced. See my previous posting for my views on this if and when it is announced. There have been some really well-written articles on this recently such as Steven Frank's thoughts and Aaron Adams' case for a VoIP phone rather than cell. (I think he's got a point, but I still think such a device would allow for mobile usage too). There's a good chance Steve will leave this topic until a later date as it's such a big announcement and complex that it may require an event of its own (and, remember, this is MACWorld)
5. Larger MacBook (a definite hole in the Apple product line up - a consumer laptop with a decent 15" screen)
6. Smaller MacBook Pro (also a hole in the lineup though not as severe as the MacBook)
7. True video iPod - ie a full widescreen model perhaps with 640x480 resolution.
8. iTunes 8. I'm basing this idea as much on the need to support the iPod Phone as anything else. iTunes 7 was quite recent and had many changes.
9. more movie studios on board; more iTS content.
10. International tv programming or perhaps first international movie availability with Disney.
One real longshot is the fabled xMac or grown-up Mac Mini (3.5" disk, higher end graphics, RAM, etc). However, there will not be a MacTablet for reasons that plenty of people have written about.
It should be great fun - and Apple is certainly stoking up the fires on this. But I wonder if the expectations are just too far ahead of what is really achievable right now, and that it'll be followed by a share price deflation and mediocre reviews. Remember it's the start of 2007 - there's still a lot more to come after this announcement.
Tags: Apple, iPod, iPod Phone, MacWorld, Mac, iTV
I'm not going to take the easy route of having a few slam-dunks either. We all know iLife07 will be out, and iWork07 too. And we all know Steve will talk about 10.5 a great deal. But 10.5 was never predicted by Apple to be ready by now, and I don't think they'll surprise people with it (and if they do, don't buy it, because it will not be ready for prime time).
So, here goes:
1. 8 core Mac Pros. This is a certainty within the next 2 months, if not at MacWorld. The Intel chips are ready, announced and should just plug in existing machines. Testing of such chips shows a 40% plus improvement over the existing four core versions on a price basis (the 4 core chips have lower clockspeeds at the same price point). Maybe not for all Mac Pro users, but those with lots of video processing and other tasks which thrive on multiple cores should be happy.
2. New displays with built-in iSight. This just makes sense given lack of iSight for sale and approach with all other Macs.
3. iTV. Steve will definitely say more on iTV - perhaps give us its final name? It may or may not be ready yet (I think it will use 802.11n and Apple will choose timing carefully when the near-standard is close enough to not cause them a bunch of lawsuits down the line).
4. iPod Phone. I'm still not sure this will be announced. See my previous posting for my views on this if and when it is announced. There have been some really well-written articles on this recently such as Steven Frank's thoughts and Aaron Adams' case for a VoIP phone rather than cell. (I think he's got a point, but I still think such a device would allow for mobile usage too). There's a good chance Steve will leave this topic until a later date as it's such a big announcement and complex that it may require an event of its own (and, remember, this is MACWorld)
5. Larger MacBook (a definite hole in the Apple product line up - a consumer laptop with a decent 15" screen)
6. Smaller MacBook Pro (also a hole in the lineup though not as severe as the MacBook)
7. True video iPod - ie a full widescreen model perhaps with 640x480 resolution.
8. iTunes 8. I'm basing this idea as much on the need to support the iPod Phone as anything else. iTunes 7 was quite recent and had many changes.
9. more movie studios on board; more iTS content.
10. International tv programming or perhaps first international movie availability with Disney.
One real longshot is the fabled xMac or grown-up Mac Mini (3.5" disk, higher end graphics, RAM, etc). However, there will not be a MacTablet for reasons that plenty of people have written about.
It should be great fun - and Apple is certainly stoking up the fires on this. But I wonder if the expectations are just too far ahead of what is really achievable right now, and that it'll be followed by a share price deflation and mediocre reviews. Remember it's the start of 2007 - there's still a lot more to come after this announcement.
Tags: Apple, iPod, iPod Phone, MacWorld, Mac, iTV
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