What kind of cell phone do you use?

[wadc45]

Samsung i760...that and mobile GoToMyPc has changed the way I do business.

 

[Dryden]

Interesting Q&A with Motorola's Greg Brown at BusinessWeek regarding Motorola's epic fall from #1 cellphone manufacturer to market non-factor. In essence, Greg Brown explains that the success of the RAZR blinded the company, so instead of addressing challenges presented by new devices like the iPhone and next-gen Blackberries, Motorola opted to just pump out more RAZRs in more colors, as well as RAZR form-factor knock-offs.

Brown does a good job of not throwing co-CEO Jim Collins under the bus (Collins said in 2007, "Screw the Nano!"), because the interview questions were framed in a way that gave him many opportunities to do so.

 

[jwinslow]

Gizmodo - It's Official: Palm Pre Coming June 6th for $200 - Palm pre release date

Sprint has formally announced that the Palm Pre will be available on June 6th for $199.99 on a two-year contract, after rebates. Interestingly, that's two days before Apple's next big event and probable product launch.

Also announced were the stores that'd be carrying it: far from a Sprint Store exclusive, the Pre will be sold in Best Buy, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart from launch day (a Saturday, oddly enough). You'll have to opt for an Everything Data plan or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data plan (both of which start at $70) to get one, and you'll have to send off a $100 mail-in rebate to knock the price down to the advertised $200, but otherwise, no surprises here.

Gizmodo - Rebates Suck: The Palm Pre's Real Price - Palm pre

The Palm Pre is officially $199 after a $100 mail-in rebate. Meaning it's really $299 for a lot of people. Here's the deal:

The $100 mail-in rebate scheme is clever, if slightly devious—it'd apparently cost more than Sprint wants to spend to subsidize every single Pre down to $199, and this way, they're only doing it for the customers who care so much about the price that they actually follow through with tedious rebate process. Which is likely about half. University of Toronto Marketing Professor Sridhar Moorthy says a 50 percent redemption rate is "the maximum figure I've seen." A $100 mail-in TiVo rebate in 2004 saw slightly worse numbers.

Gizmodo - BlackBerry Storm 2 Out on Verizon Next Month? - blackberry storm 2

A forum guy with an apparently decent track record says Verizon's been cracking hard on Storm 2 tech support being ready by the end of the month, suggesting a soonish launch.

 

[jwinslow]

Hellz Yeah I Use My Dog as a Cellphone

Beep boop boop boop boop boop boop boop beep. Hello? Yes, this is Mark Wilson...calling from my phone. My dog phone.
Yeah, some fireman Gray Powell'd it after an earthquake or something, but when I saw the little pooch, licking a dismembered arm sticking out from the gravel, I thought, that little puppy could use a friend!
So I shoved him in my manbag (tossing the iPhone and the worn-out teacup bulldog), fed him a milk bone stuffed with a SIM card and, yeah, here I find myself now, owner of what's probably the chicest phone on the freaking planet.
Plus, the reception is fantastic, and he doesn't stop working when you drop him in the toilet. [dkds via designboom]

 

[Deety]

My phone is shutting itself off several times a day for no apparent reason, fully charged or not. The battery life is also dropping to the point where I have to charge it twice a day even when it hasn't been used.

I'm trying to decide whether to buy a battery or a new phone. Does anyone know of a way to figure out if the battery is causing the phone issue or the other way around?

I really wanted to hold off until some company integrates real cell calling into a tablet and get rid of the phone altogether. I don't need the cell phone at home, and when I am out I need more than a cell. Signing a two-year phone contract right now really doesn't appeal.

 

[jwinslow]

No idea how to determine that distinction. Does the store still carry your phone to try one of their batteries ?

Do you need to be able to access data away from WiFi, say in the car for maps? If not, a WiFi tablet with Google voice calling and texts might work fine.

 

[jwinslow]

BTW, the galaxy tab checks in at 499 with WiFi and no contract, meaning 400 for new WiFi tablets shouldn't be too far away. If not before, then definitely on Black Friday.

 

[Deety]

BTW, the galaxy tab checks in at 499 with WiFi and no contract, meaning 400 for new WiFi tablets shouldn't be too far away. If not before, then definitely on Black Friday.

That's the one that has cell calling in Europe but not here. Grr.

There isn't much of a cell signal here, and public WiFi is also scarce. I'd need a 3G tablet with WiFi - and it really irks me to pay for cell service without being able to make cell calls. I might be able to do with GV on a tablet, but when I read about people switching now and figuring out work-arounds to get it to ring, it sounds awkward.

Maybe I should just port the number to Google Voice (if I can do that with an existing GV number) and pick up a cheap old phone for a few months. Except dropping data service would probably start a new contract. Stupid contracts.

I'll probably hang onto it until it fails completely, but will have to make a quick move when it does.

 

[jlb1705]

My phone is shutting itself off several times a day for no apparent reason, fully charged or not. The battery life is also dropping to the point where I have to charge it twice a day even when it hasn't been used.

I'm trying to decide whether to buy a battery or a new phone. Does anyone know of a way to figure out if the battery is causing the phone issue or the other way around?

I really wanted to hold off until some company integrates real cell calling into a tablet and get rid of the phone altogether. I don't need the cell phone at home, and when I am out I need more than a cell. Signing a two-year phone contract right now really doesn't appeal.

What kind of condition are the contacts in on the battery and on the phone itself? Are they dirty or slightly corroded? Are they in their original shape or position? Any of those factors could lead to an intermittent connection between the phone and battery, which could explain both of the problems you described.

 

[Deety]

What kind of condition are the contacts in on the battery and on the phone itself? Are they dirty or slightly corroded? Are they in their original shape or position? Any of those factors could lead to an intermittent connection between the phone and battery, which could explain both of the problems you described.

That might be it. I checked a few days ago and connectors looked okay, but now with a flashlight I see just a tiny bit of corrosion not between the battery and contact, but between the contact and the phone. Maybe clearing that will buy some time. Thanks.

 

[ScriptOhio]

I got a new Samsing Turbo 3000. Man it has everything on it.
Here's a demonstration of it.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIOIM6hHBk"]Sumsing Turbo 3000 English Version - YouTube[/ame]