7 Phones That Push The iPhone To The Background


BlackBerry Thunder
Details on the phone itself are thin. However, it's hard to imagine Research in Motion being able to back up the wide, media-friendly screen (seen in leaked images) with the wealth of multimedia content Apple has packed into its iTune store for its iPhones, iPods and Macs. Research in Motion might do better than Apple if it were to roll out a phone with tiny plastic keys aimed at prying your credit card company's vice president away from her CrackBerry. But Apple is too smart to go there.

Samsung Instinct
Samsung's iPhone killer, the Instinct, isn't about to amaze anyone. The phone is little more than an iPhone knockoff, right down to the blank black face and chrome trim--a disappointment from a company that shouldn't stoop to knock off anyone. Worse yet, the phone's look--and $199 retail price--invites comparison to a competitor the Instinct doesn't match. Unlike the new iPhone, the Instinct lacks wi-fi, has less memory and its touch-sensitive interface is less sophisticated.

Google Phone
Next up, Google, another company with an inside track at Apple. Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt holds a seat on Apple's board. And he's admitted that he's had to sit out some meetings, with Google readying an effort to pump its software into Internet-friendly phones due in the fourth quarter from such manufacturers as HTC, Samsung and LG Electronics. At first glance, Google's so-called Android effort poses quite a threat, since Google has a host of online services it can pour into the handsets. The challenge: timing. By the time the first of these handsets arrive, Apple could already be synonymous with Web-friendly phones.


HTC Touch
This was an iPhone knockoff before there was an iPhone to knock off. In other words, it's no knockoff. HTC's engineers toiled long and hard to design a touch-sensitive smart phone, only to see Steve Jobs launch a phone, weeks later, incorporating many of the same ideas. And while the Touch hasn't matched the iPhone's hype, it hints that HTC may be the company with the best odds of one day cranking out a handset that knocks Steve Jobs & Co. on their butts.


Nokia N95
This phone is a chunky monkey. But it packs some pretty amazing capabilities into a hefty package, like a five-megapixel camera with a fancy Carl Zeiss lens. Couple that with a capable media player, slick blogging software and a broad selection of games, and this phone is a radically different approach to building a media-friendly phone, compared with the iPhone.


Sony Ericsson Walkman w580i
When word first got out that Sony Ericsson would pair its slick handsets with music, selling the gadgets under the "Walkman" brand, many feared the result would be an iPod killer. That hasn't happened. Nevertheless, these handsets have done well, particularly in Japan.

AT&T Tilt
OK, Tilt isn't as pretty as the iPhone. But that's its secret weapon. Bear with us here. For starters, no one will accuse you of packing an iPhone knockoff. And sure, it's ugly, but this handset makes up for it by cramming tons of capability into its 6.1 ounces. This gadget, which is built for AT&T by Taiwan's HTC, has a wi-fi connection, Bluetooth, a three-megapixel camera and a satellite navigation system. And that's just for starters. Not only does this device cruise along on high-speed 3G networks, but its Windows Mobile software allows users to crack open and edit Word documents using a slide-out keypad and a tilt screen.

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Samsung Instinct Challenges Apple's IPhone Via Sprint Nextel



Samsung Electronics Co., the world's second-largest maker of mobile phones, began selling its touch- screen Instinct handset for $70 cheaper than Apple Inc.'s new iPhone to win sales in the U.S.

Sprint Nextel Corp. will offer the phone, which can access e-mail and get live television programs, starting today for $129.99 each, according to Sprint's Web site. That's below larger rival AT&T Inc.'s $199 price for the iPhone. Unlike Apple's latest phone, the Instinct can also record videos.

The Instinct joins High Tech Computer Corp.'s Diamond and LG Electronics Inc.'s Vu in challenging the iPhone, which helped Apple become the second-largest maker of so-called smartphones in the U.S. in less than a year. Still, like other touch-screen models, Samsung's new phone is ``no match'' for Apple's product because it fails to replicate the strength of the iPhone's software, according to technology columnist Walt Mossberg.

``I still feel like the Instinct is inferior to the iPhone, in part because it seems so obviously to be imitating it, but falls short in quite a number of areas,'' said Jan Dawson, an analyst at London-based researcher Ovum. ``There's been so much hype and excitement around the iPhone 3G that almost no matter what Sprint does to publicize this launch it will be very hard to compete with the iPhone buzz.''

Apple will probably ship 4 million iPhones in the U.S. in the second half of this year, or quadruple the number of Instinct phones Samsung is likely to sell, according to estimates by Neil Mawston, an analyst at Strategy Analytics in London. Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to comment.

3G IPhone Launch

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, announced the faster and cheaper iPhone this month, which will go on sale in 22 countries on July 11 and run on third-generation, or 3G, wireless networks. AT&T said it would subsidize the device, which will sell for half as much as the previous version.

Unlimited 3G data plans for iPhone consumers will be available for $30 a month, in addition to voice plans starting at $39.99 a month, according to AT&T. The Instinct can be activated with Sprint's plan for unlimited data service starting at $69.99 per month, which will include 450 minutes of voice service.

LG, the world's fourth-largest handset maker, began selling its Vu to AT&T last month, increasing the number of touch-screen phones sold by the Korean company in North America to five. Nokia Oyj, the world's biggest mobile-phone maker, has also promised to introduce touch-screen handsets this year to take on the iPhone.

Samsung, based in Suwon, South Korea, earlier this month unveiled its latest touch-screen model, the Omnia, which may be introduced in the U.S. by the end of the year.

Omnia Negotiations

``We are negotiating with a number of carriers in the U.S. and we are optimistic that we will come to an agreement soon,'' Youngcho Chi, senior vice president of Samsung, said in a Bloomberg Television interview on June 18. The company is talking to all four major U.S. carriers, Chi said.

The Instinct will run on Sprint's EV-DO Revision A network, which provides faster wireless access to browse the Internet and access e-mails.

The phone also comes with so-called ``haptic'' technology that makes the phone vibrate when the screen is touched. Equipped with 2 gigabytes of memory, the phone can store approximately 2,000 songs from the Sprint Music Store, according to Sprint.

Still, the Instinct is less attractive than the iPhone because of the smaller screen and user interface, according to Ovum's Dawson.

``If you're a devoted Sprint customer, or want to avoid AT&T, the Instinct is an OK choice. But it's no iPhone,'' Mossberg wrote in a column on the Wall Street Journal earlier this month.

Fastest-Growing Market

Phones with Internet, e-mail and video are the fastest- growing part of the handset market, with users forecast to quadruple to 400 million units in the next three years, according to RBC Capital Markets estimates.

Samsung boosted its global market share of the mobile-phone market to 16 percent in the first quarter, closing the gap with Nokia, which had a 41 percent, according to researcher Strategy Analytics. Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd., ranked fifth after LG Electronics, also plans to introduce its touch-screen X1 device under the new Xperia brand.

Motorola Inc., ranked third worldwide, may lose its No. 1 spot in the U.S. this year as consumers abandon its handsets for more-advanced models, research firms IDC and Strategy Analytics said last month.

``The iPhone is something Samsung will watch out for and may have to sell their phones at lower prices to compete,'' said Choi Hyun Jae, an analyst at Tong Yang Investment Bank in Seoul. ``Samsung will probably have to compete with the iPhone to win market share from Motorola, which is losing share in the U.S.''

Sprint, based in Overland Park, Kansas, fell 21 cents to $8.07 at 9:34 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Apple declined $1.48 to $179.42 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

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How To Use Water As Fuel And Cut Down On Gas Consumption

Hydrogen fuel cells (HFCs) produce energy by oxidizing hydrogen into water, giving water vapour as the only exhaust gas. Extra energy is needed to obtain the hydrogen in the first place, but even if this comes from natural gas the overall result is a major reduction in emissions.

In the long run, HFC technology could help combat air pollution due to its zero carbon emission. This technology is currently being put to use in London's Transport system. However with the hike in gas prices in the United States, the idea of using water as fuel is gaining grounds with the help of companies like those listed below:


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What seperates the two is that 'Water 4 Gas' gives you two very valuable bonuses that you don't get with 'Run your car on water'. The first one is a report showing you how to let the IRS pay for your whole car upgrade! The second exclusive bonus report teaches you how to make $300 profit an hour by installing these systems for other people.






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July 11: Dawn of A New Era For 3G iPhone in Canada

An exact date for the iPhone’s launch into Canada has finally been confirmed: as of July 11, the latest, 3G iPhone will be available through Rogers Wireless stores.

The new 3G model, debuted at the Apple Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, CA today, includes features like built-in GPS, compatibility with “hundred” of third-party applications built with the new iPhone SDK, and 2.0 software with support for Microsoft Exchange Active Sync, which could help to make it a fierce competitor to the popular BlackBerry. Anotherr feature that will appeal to the business customer is called MobileMe, which will effectively “push” e-mails, contact, and calendar information from an online “cloud” to native applications. A MobileMe gallery served as a repository and sharing site for photos snapped using the iPhone. As icing on the cake, a new “App Store” includes various applications, ranging from gaming to business, sports, health, and travel-related activities.

Like its predecessor, the next-generation iPhone works on WiFi networks, as well as cellular high-speed. The phone has a rated 5-hours of talk time, up to 5 or 6 hours of web browsing, and 7 hours of video playback. Audio can be played back for up to 24 hours on a full charge of the battery.

“We’re excited to be working with Rogers to bring iPhone 3G to Canada,” added Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “We can’t wait to get this revolutionary phone in the hands of even more people around the world.”

Although I was unable to gather Canadian pricing information from Rogers (TBA), we do know that the device will sell in the U.S. for $199 for the 8 GB model, and US$299 for the 16 GB model.

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Nvidia's Tegra Designed To Match Intel's Centrino Atom

Sumner Lemon
Nvidia jumped into the market for mobile Internet devices (MIDs) on Monday with the introduction of a processor family based on the Arm processor core.

Tegra will primarily compete against Intel, which released a chip platform called Centrino Atom in April. Atom is designed for MIDs, a general name for portable computers that can be used for Web access and other activities while being small enough for users to carry them around in a pocket.

"This is a complete computer on a chip. It's got CPU, graphics, GPU, all the imaging and all the peripherals necessary to build a Mobile Internet Device," said Michael Rayfield, general manager of Nvidia's Mobile Business group.

"It's aimed at devices that want ultra-long battery life, that want to do great Web browsing, great video, run your productivity tools but not be caught into a form-factor that looks like a PC," he said.

The Tegra line comprises three chips, including the 800MHz Tegra 650 and 700MHz Tegra 600. The lineup will also include the APX 2500, an Nvidia processor designed for cell phones and smartphones that was announced earlier this year.

The heart of the Tegra chips is an Arm11 processor core from Arm. The chips also include a GeForce graphics core, high-definition video decoder and other components, allowing them to perform functions normally carried out by several different chips.

Putting all of these capabilities in a single chip allows system makers to produce smaller devices and reduces the amount of power these devices consume, allowing longer battery life.

To illustrate how Tegra can save space, Nvidia showed an Eee PC from Asustek Computer with the motherboard removed and replaced with a Tegra-based board that measured 43 millimeters square. The only other component required for the computer to function was a battery.

The Arm processor core uses a different instruction set than x86 processors made by Intel. This means that software written for a PC or laptop cannot run an Arm-based computer. But Arm processors have long been used in mobile devices and generally consume far less power than x86 processors, making them ideal for small, portable devices.

Indeed, two of the most successful devices that fit Intel's description of a MID are based on Arm processors: Apple's iPod Touch and Nokia's N800.

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Apple TV, End of Set-Top Cable Boxes?


Richard Siklos

The announcement this week that Sony plans to work with other television makers to eliminate the need for set-top cable boxes could not have gained more affection at Fortune magazine's Hollywood digital test lab - also known as my living room.

Under the auspices of a cable industry standard called Tru2Way, Sony's plan is to sell TVs that will allow consumers to access interactive services like video-on-demand without renting and hooking up these bothersome cable boxes. (When was the last time you saw a cable box on top of a set, anyway?)

Last weekend, it so happens, I ventured into the newfangled world of gizmos designed to bypass the cable box - and cable altogether. These devices aim to bridge the computer and TV and, finally, allow people easily to download movies and shows directly from the Internet to their big screens. I decided to give the year-old Apple TV a whirl, and, as is often the case with things from Steve Jobs' elf-works, I was tickled to see that it arrived as a perfect little shiny white box with a wee remote. Hooking up the little guy was a little trickier, mostly because of the confounding array of inputs and controls on the LCD TV. (Truth is, had we not had a houseguest who happens to specializes in hooking up Apple networks, the Apple TV box would have been packed up and sent back - thanks John.)

Once up and running, it was great to use Apple's elegant navigation system to browse and order movies - and to watch trailers - compared to a typical cable-box remote and on-screen guide. The selection of movies (around 1,000) is better than what's available on cable video-on-demand, but still considerably less than the 10,000 that Netflix offers on its new set-side device. One cool feature of Apple TV: for a dollar more than the $2.99-$3.99 rental price, a lot of the latest films are available in high-definition. Podcasts, TV shows and selected Youtube videos are also available - plus the ability to look easily at photos and listen to music via my iTunes library.

Jobs has said he's disappointed with Apple TV sales, and, despite all its features, I can sort of see why. Undoubtedly cool, it was also something that most could live without - unlike, of course, their laptop, phone or music player - at least in this early iteration.

The endless parade of new gizmos that crescendos each January around the Consumer Electronics Show and Macworld highlight two vital questions for the gadget gods as well as the media mavens who are churning out the stuff to play on them. First, just because you can, does it mean that you should? For instance, because you can distribute all your content inexpensively for free online, is it really the best way to go? If you look at subscription-based cable channels like HBO, the answer would be no (or at least not yet). Similarly, the debate over whether all print media is created equal - and should be free and advertising-supported online - is still far from resolved. Of course, the specter of Napster-like piracy is a powerful inducement to play with new business models, however unproven.

Now for the second vital question: Is your product a solution to a real problem, or an answer to a problem that does not yet exist? In this category - and I know I'm inviting flaming by saying this - I'll put the well-received Amazon Kindle book reader. While it makes visceral sense that the production and distribution of books is amazingly inefficient and archaic, it's also not clear that book lovers have been yearning for a portable digital solution the way music lovers were (nor are they likely to start ripping them online).

So, back to the living room. Is a TV set that doesn't require an external cable box an answer to a real problem? Absolutely. But here again there are limits to what Tru2way can and can't do - for instance, you won't automatically be able to access the Web or a service like iTunes or Youtube from the built-in program guide. Therein lies the groaning irony: By the time the cable box is truly gone, new and improved versions of Apple TV and its ilk will probably take their place on ye olde set top.

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