Neutron :: Bomb

by John Calian | Link to this article
Topics: Application Stores | Smartphone Marketplace

The midway point of 2009 has come and gone, and its time for a bit of an assessment. At the beginning of the year, I (and many others) were saying 2009 was the year Google's Android would take off, Palm would release its savior and we all questioned who would remain relevant as Apple's market share grew (RIM, Nokia, Motorola?). Table after the fold shows which smartphone OEMs have devices at which US carriers.

Android has NOT taken off, though there are many handsets coming from various OEMs, including Motorola's attempt to save itself from obscurity. But, I still believe the best is yet to come, and 2009 still has six months left. The new HTC Android device looks like a winner (and reviewers are loving it).

Palm did release a kick ass phone and exceeded its expectations (150,000 sold in first week); though the hard part is that everyone is comparing it to the iPhone, which is not fair. Palm has simply proved that it can compete, and I do not believe we have started to see the results yet, and will not for many more months. It will take time to build out all the infrastructure needed to fully compete. The iPhone hit the scene and changed everything; the Pre hit the scene in the wake of the iPhone juggernaut, and everything pales in comparison. Note, the iPhone had one full year without the App Store...

Is Apple kicking ass? Yes, no questions asked.

by John Calian | Link to this article
Topics: iPhone | Palm Pre | Telefónica

News came online today the Palm Inc. is set to distribute it's new Pre smartphone exclusively via Telefónica SA, the EU wireless carrier that is the exclusive distributor of the Apple iPhone. (From PC World http://bit.ly/telefonica_palm_pre).

This is an interesting ploy by Palm, and begs the question of why would you line up your new iPhone-killer right next to the iPhone in Telefónica owned O2 shops in the UK? Its like lining up your new Porsche-killer right next to the Porsche Carrera GT2 in a showroom, expecting consumers who want a Porsche to buy yours.

My guess is that sales will drag in the EU for the Pre as consumers looking for an iPhone want an iPhone, not the next best thing. In the US, the Pre is sold exclusively by Sprint thru the end of 2009, at which time it is reported Verizon will be selling the Pre as well. This strategy at least presents smartphones in a segmented way. The other sane strategy would be to allow all carriers to sell a device... think RAZR.

Everyone views the Pre as the next best thing to the iPhone, and some hold out hope that the Pre will eventually go head to head with the Apple device. Palm needs to rev up its online marketplace for applications, the App Catalog, and needs to iron out some deficiencies such as battery life before it can really be seen as a true replacement of the iPhone.

by John Calian | Link to this article
Topics: ActiveSync | Android | iPhone | Smartphone Marketplace

Though a 'wave' of Android phones has not overwhelmed the US Smartphone marketplace as many have predicted, a small splash will be made next month (July 8th, to be specific) when T-Mobile releases the second HTC-built, Android powered device, the myTouch (or Magic abroad). And the key feature that makes this device, and any entering the marketplace, have great potential is ActiveSync availability.

Costing $199 (with 2-year contract) and lacking a physical keyboard, this new device will offer direct competition to the iPhone in price, features, design and more. The Android Marketplace, the Google equivalent to the Apple App Store, puts the device in almost complete parity with Apple's iPhone. One advantage the Marketplace will offer is the ability to bill the application purchases directly to your T-Mobile phone bill (coming by end of year), a feature Google is hoping to offer on all carrier billing systems in the future (rather than using Google Checkout, as you currently need to). And one significant deficiency is the fact there is no equivalant to Apple's iTunes on your computer to manage and purchase content. Google only offers the device based store as of today.

It will be interesting to see the first month numbers on this device. T-Mobile is the smallest of the big four carriers in the US, sitting behind VerizonWireless, AT&T and Sprint (and not too far ahead of US Cellular and MetroPCS), and it needs to grow a strong smartphone business to stay relevant (and it does a decent job with its WinMo and Blackberry selections). Additionally, there are a lot of Google lovers and open source devotees out there that want a better device than the original GPhone, the HTC G1. That device left a lot to be desired, especially in terms of form. This new device is sleek, cool, and keyboard-less, just like the iPhone.

The key feature of this phone: it has Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync integration (provided by HTC, this is not an Android built in feature). This is important because business users are the largest buying segment of smartphones, and if they are going to move from Treos, Blackberrys and WinMo phones (or iPhone?) to the Google devices, this is the most key element. Certainly a large group of non business users are buying smartphones (hello, iPhone), but the 'wealthiest' group of buyers for smartphones are business users. And almost all of them use Microsoft Exchange for corporate email, contacts and calendars. Not having this on a smartphone is the ultimate non-starter.

I have ActiveSync running on my iPhone now, and it is wonderful. One device for personal and business needs, and a device that does it all.

Palm Pre, Apple iPhone and Google myTouch. Three sweet smartphones that could be pacing the marketplace over the next 6-12 months. What does Blackberry have in store? Nokia? Anything powered by Windows Mobile?

by John Calian | Link to this article
Topics: 5 Star | Japanese | Restaurant Reviews

Nishino, the Madison Valley Japanese restaurant, is definitely one of our favorite places to eat, and in the running for all time favorite. We have eaten here at least a dozen times in the last year.

A short list of what we love:

1. Being greeted, and remembered, by the owners
2. Ambiance - not too loud, good separation between dining and sushi bar, fresh white linens, bright enough to feel alive, and acoustics that allow you to keep your conversations private
   
3. Courteous staff, and we always ask for the same server, who remembers the little things (Elisa)
4. Fresh fish - the albacore is to die for, as are all the tuna varietals; salmon is often perfect; most other types are 'melt in the mouth'
   
5. Sake selection - top notch and served in custom made bamboo flasks
6. Non sushi selections - really good salads and vegetable dishes, mushrooms, asparagus, greens, and the dressings are perfect
7. Consistency - its great every time we go, great

by John Calian | Link to this article
Topics: GMail | iPhone | Microsoft Exchange | Mobile Me | Outlook

The day has come to go from two mobile devices to one.

For the past 3 months I have been at a new job where I am using a Windows laptop, Outlook, Microsoft Exchange and a Blackberry. The Blackberry was used only for email.

I had my iPhone set up to sync my work calendar, and also had attempted various means of syncing up my work contacts with iPhone, but nothing worked well.

Now, Exchange is open to me, and I can ditch the Blackberry, go to one device, and life gets a bit more simple and elegant. The diagram above says it all

by John Calian | Link to this article
Topics: Fast Food | Greek | Restaurant Reviews

Mr. Gyros
8411 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 706-7472

In a town mostly devoid of gyros and Greek food in general, Mr. Gyros stands tall as the best place to go for a gyros sandwich, fries, pita, hummus and a good laugh from the owners. The guys running it, brothers Johnny and Sammy, make everyone feel welcome, chat you up while you are waiting for your food, and have established a great place to pick a up meal quickly in the Greenwood hood. 2 of the 3 times I've gone there is a line out the door.

Love the atmosphere and appreciate the effort to provide great Greek style fast food. Have only eaten gyros as a main dish.

However, I think the food can get better with a bit more care. The fries are often not crisp (have bitten into a not-quite-fully-cooked fry a few times), pita should be fried lightly in oil, for instance. Thus, my 4/5 rating.

Overall, love the place, have gone 3 times in the last month, and only criticize so that an already great experience gets even better.

by John Calian | Link to this article
Topics: Blackberry Storm | HTC G1 | iPhone | Palm Pre

Crazy Palm addicts are excited about 'tweeting' from their as-of-yet-purchased Palm Pre handsets from Sprint (they go on sale this Saturday, June 6, 2009).

Check this:
http://palmwebos.org/2009/06/03/palm-pre-already-twittering-with-tweed/

These bloggers are happy to report that they think the iPhone as king has limited shelf life. The jury is way out on that one.

But, its good to see the excitement all over for this device. I personally think, and have expressed, that the Pre seems to be the first real competitor to the iPhone. the Storm and G1 were OK efforts, but no one has been that excited over them, and I have used both and was left wanting much more (especially after using an iPhone for almost 2 years now).

Im thinking about heading over to Best Buy this Saturday to see if there are people camping out (I bet NOT). And I hope to be able to play around with a phone in the store. Stay tuned.

by John Calian | Link to this article
Topics: Android | ATT | Google | Verizon

The execs at Google are happy to let the public know that no less than 18 handsets running Android will be on the shelves by year end, for sale and ready for use. Most of these handsets, though, will not be available in the US. And, the OEMs of these handsets are not being publicised.

It wasn't until late 2007 that Android was released on the carriers, and most phones take 18 months on average from concept to being on a shelf for sale. Meaning, we are actually about to see the promise of numerous handsets hitting the marketplace. Its not a big mystery who the OEMs are (check out the open handset alliance list of OEMs), with HTC, Moto, Samsung and others all making announcements over the last year. For Moto in particular, there is a lot riding on the introduction of their first Android device. many pundits have weighed in on the coming Android tidal wave, its good fun watching as the market takes shape. Releases never happen as quickly as you would like, and certainly speculation is rampant on the impact Android will have on the smartphone market place. Apple is kicking ass right now, Blackberry is dominant for business users and Nokia sells more phones than every other OEM combined. Android has a big challenge ahead in terms of gaining marketshare.

Matt Richtel does a nice job on the NYTimes blog on the subject. My favorite part, though, comes from one of the comments:

Rumors of ATT and Verizon bringing out android phones seems interesting since neither belong to the open handset alliance but I think are charter members of the Crippled Handset Alliance.

Its so true that those two firms go out of their way to simultaneously claim they are 'open' and yet produce the most closed systems and devices.

Open Handset Alliance OEM List