The sudden surge in interest in Android (largely due to all of the hype surrounding the Droid) has caused a lot of developers to reconsider the platform. Atleast one major development house, however, isn’t impressed.
Earlier today, Alexandre de Rochefort, Finance Director of Gameloft, told an investor conference that the company had “significantly cut [their] investment in Android platform, just like … many others”. Gameloft is one of the largest mobile games companies around, having pulled in roughly $132 million in the last three quarters alone. While there are plenty of fish in the developer sea, this can’t be one that Google is happy to see swim away.
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Everyone loves picture messaging – or at least, they love the idea of it. The iPhone carrying masses clamored for it, then celebrated once they got it by sending everyone pictures of their immediate surroundings and beloved pets before forgetting the feature exists. After the novelty wears off, it’s generally reserved for the occasions when there is genuinely something interesting to show. Need the wife’s advice on whether to buy the blue shirt or the green one? Picture message. Want to ask her out to coffee? You’ll probably stick with text.
FunMobility, a company thats been cashing in on cell phone media (like ringtones and wallpapers) since 1999, is looking to change that with FunMail, a service which they’re dubbing as “every-day picture messaging”.
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Buying someone else a phone is risky business. Preferences vary, you’ve gotta get their carrier right… it’s a tough game. But if you’re down to make a gamble, we’re here to help. I’ve spent more time playing with new phones in the last year than anyone should ever spend with any phone ever, and have broken down my favorite offerings from each carrier by “Best Bet”, “Best Bet For Under $100″ (though it’s usually worth it to splurge), and “Best Bet for Business” for you Enterprisey folks.
(Get it? Specs, spec’d, spectacles? Anyone? Come on – maybe it’s not funny, but at least it shows I know.. uh.. words.)
I’m not too sure what to think of the Motorola Motus yet, but one thing is for sure: that form factor is crazy. The photo that leaked just a few hours ago already seemed to indicate that something weird was going on with the keyboard (with what seems like a tiny sliver of overlap, how the heck is it attached?), but these (alleged) specs just make things even more ridiculous.
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There seems to be an unspoken style guideline amongst spy shot shooters: find the worst lighting possible, ditch the flash, and down 3-4 cups of coffee before snapping away. Unfortunately, the spy behind this shot of the Android-powered Motorola Motus played by all the rules.
We’re not sure how wide spread it is (Update: seems to only be effecting California. ), but I’m seeing a whole lot of reports that Verizon’s 3G data network is down in various parts of the country. The majority of the reports seem to be coming out of the SF Bay Area and South Bay. While the handsets are reporting full 3G signal, no data seems to be piping in our out. Might the success of the Droid in the Silicon Valley have tipped things over, a la AT&T’s iPhone woes?
We’ve got a note into Verizon, so we’ll update once we get official word. In the mean while, go ahead and drop a comment and let us know whether or not the data is flowing where you are. Also mention what handset you’re using – an odd number of the reports seem to be coming from Droid users, but this may just be coincidence.
As the TechCrunch Network’s resident mobile guy, I was given the task of writing up a list of apps for each smartphone platform that you ought to buy as little e-stocking stuffers for your loved ones. It was to be my primary contribution to CrunchGear’s ultra-amazing Holiday Gift Guide; my festively themed magnum opus.
But there’s a problem with this idea: it can’t be done. It’s not because I’m lazy (which may be true), nor because I don’t have any apps to recommend (which most certainly is not.) I can’t recommend apps for you to buy for others, because you can’t buy apps for others.
Don’t worry. This won’t be another post on the merits/shortcomings of the Pixi and whether such a handset is worthwhile as its older, more capable brother, the Pre, plummets in price. Other sites have done that to death.
I just wanted to point out that, regardless of how anyone feels about the handset, even the Pixi wants to be a Pre. Check out this picture, taken right from a fresh-out-of-the-box Pixi.
![Screen shot 2009-11-18 at [ November 18 ] 10.35.56 AM](http://www.mobilecrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Screen-shot-2009-11-18-at-November-18-10.35.56-AM.png "Screen shot 2009-11-18 at [ November 18 ] 10.35.56 AM")
We’ve got news, both good and bad. What do you want first? We’ll start with the bad news first. It’s easier that way, you know?
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We may blather on a daily basis over which smart phone reigns supreme – but, outside of the tech world, smart phones are still the minority. Believe it or not, as many as 80% of the handsets floating around out there are basic feature phones.
Take Verizon, for example; sure, they’ve got the Droid now, but the very, very vast majority of their catalog (and presumably, their sales history) is made up of handsets none would ever call “smart”. Looking to show their feature phone-toting userbase some love, Verizon has tagged up with iSkoot to launch a free application they’re calling Social Beat. Based on iSkoot’s Kalaida platform, Social Beat brings basic access to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Email and right around 50 popular RSS feeds to handsets that would likely never have it.
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Here’s a weird one for you: A few hours ago, Motorola DROID users began reporting that the cameras on their handsets were suddenly.. better. The camera’s ability to auto-focus, which I’d railed in our review of the product, seemed to drastically improve overnight. And it did!
Most assumed that Verizon and Motorola had managed to sneak out some sort of stealth over-the-air update, patching the camera’s settings on the fly. A number of sites reported as much. Some even took offense to this idea, declaring that such things shouldn’t be allowed without their explicit permission. According to the folks that should know best, there was no over-the-air update at all; the camera fixed itself, and in 24.5 days, it’ll break all over again.
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Hey, you! I know you. You’re the one that gets all hot around the collar over shots of unreleased iPhone accessories, aren’t you? Boy, oh boy – are you gonna love this..
Sure, it’s not much – but here’s the world’s first look at the just announced, GPS-boosting, speakerphone-touting iPhone car cradle from Magellan. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Hey! That looks a lot like the TomTom iPhone car cradle!”, don’t worry — you’re not crazy. The Magellan cradle looks a bit smoother around the edges (is that a mixture of matte and glossy plastic we see?), but the similarities are striking enough that we’re starting to wonder if these are both manufactured in the same house. One more shot after the jump.
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![Screen shot 2009-11-16 at [ November 16 ] 2.06.07 PM](http://www.mobilecrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Screen-shot-2009-11-16-at-November-16-2.06.07-PM.png "Screen shot 2009-11-16 at [ November 16 ] 2.06.07 PM")
Google might be in the middle of turning the navigation market on its head with hints that their free turn-by-turn service might make its way to the iPhone, but that’s not scaring the big players away. TomTom and Telenav have both been on the platform for months and show no sign of turning tail, and now another big-name has jumped into the mix: Magellan.
Just minutes ago, Magellan announced that their first application, Roadmate, has hit the App Store at an “introductory price” (which, more often than not, tends to be the final price pitched as “introductory” for the sake of pumping launch sales) of $79.99.
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![Screen shot 2009-11-16 at [ November 16 ] 12.31.50 PM](http://www.mobilecrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Screen-shot-2009-11-16-at-November-16-12.31.50-PM.png "Screen shot 2009-11-16 at [ November 16 ] 12.31.50 PM")
What do you mean, US MVNOs are generally doomed from the start? Sure, Helio went under. Yeah yeah, so did Disney Mobile. And Mobile ESPN. And Amp’d, Voce, and Sonopia. Thats only what, a billion dollars or so thrown down the drain? Don’t be such a naysayer.
The MVNO game is one hell of a risky business, but it seems like no one told the folks at Simple Mobile that. Earlier this morning, this fledgling MVNO opened its doors to all major US markets, plus Puerto Rico.
Long before Windows Marketplace launched on Windows Mobile 6.5 as Microsoft’s answer to the App-Store-Craze, we knew it would be extended down into Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 – the only question was “When?. The answer, it seems, is today.
Microsoft has just announced that the Marketplace is available to 6.0 and 6.1 users beginning immediately.
Oh, you don’t have a Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 yet? Yeah, neither do we. But the guys over at HDBlog somehow managed to scrounge up two of the devices, and they appear to be running a newer software build than anything we’ve seen before.
While Android 2.0 has been floating around on Motorola DROIDs for over a week now, one important chunk of it has been under lock-and-key: the source. Even amongst manufacturing partners, we’re told, Google hasn’t been completely open; outside of Motorola (and more recently, HTC), most of the other handset manufacturers have been left out in the cold with nothing to keep them warm but Android v1.6. Until tonight, that is.
As the sun set over the Silicon Valley last night, Google pushed the source code for Android 2.0 to the Android Open Source Project. Within two hours, the endlessly able Android community had it up and running on the eldest Android of them all, the T-Mobile G1.
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Palm and Sprint have taken a very different approach to the launch of the Pixi than they did with its slightly older and slightly brawnier brother, the Palm Pre. In the days leading up to the Pre, both parties were on full attack mode; keynotes were held, massive tradeshow booths were built, full page newspaper ads were run, and countdowns ticked away. With the Pixi? They’ve got a commercial.
Compared to Palm’s last run, the marketing campaign surrounding the Pixi is decidedly more average – and after spending a few days with the phone, I’d say they made the right decision there.
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It’s a rare day when we post a web comic here on MobileCrunch. To my knowledge, we’ve only done it once before. But you know what? This one’s just too good — and too topical — to pass up.
While Virgin Mobile USA has been offering up a pre-paid, contract free mobile broadband service for almost half a year now, the only way to hop on board was to nab a modem at Best Buy Mobile – and, well, that just doesn’t work for everybody. Maybe you don’t have a Big Blue Box nearby; maybe you’re just not that into Best Buy. Either way, you’ll have options soon.
This morning, Virgin Mobile is announcing that they’ll be expanding sales into Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, Walmart.com, Target.com, and their own website beginning December 1st. Mobile broadband is one of those things that is still way too damn expensive (Hey Verizon – $15 for 75 MB? Really?!), and Virgin’s prepaid solution is one of the cheapest of the lot – if expansion means the competition starts feeling the heat and the prices start falling, we’re all for it.
Man – do you remember 2004? Gwen Stefani was off doing her solo thing, Hillary Swank was busting her neck in Million Dollar Baby (OMG SPOILER ALERT!), and Janet Jackson showed part of her breast to everyone watching the Super Bowl. Twas a simpler time – a time when the Palm Treo 650 was brand new.
5 years later, the Treo 650 now ranks somewhere between “relic” and “fossil” smartphone timeline – but with age comes wisdom, right? In this case, “wisdom” comes in the form of the Android-operating system, bestowed upon the 650 by a couple of clever chaps. I’d be surprised if everything is fully functioning – but hey, it boots!
![Screen shot 2009-11-12 at [ November 12 ] 12.33.31 PM](http://www.mobilecrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Screen-shot-2009-11-12-at-November-12-12.33.31-PM-630x350.png "Screen shot 2009-11-12 at [ November 12 ] 12.33.31 PM")
This is by no means the first time we’ve seen someone drive a car with an iPhone – but it is the first time we’ve seen it done by a bunch of dudes (and one cute chick) in lab coats using wrenches as robotic feet.
Plus, they surf on the car and crash through boxes all whilst steering with the iPhone – that’s worth at least one post’s worth of attention, right?
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![Screen shot 2009-11-12 at [ November 12 ] 11.42.47 AM](http://www.mobilecrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Screen-shot-2009-11-12-at-November-12-11.42.47-AM.png)
Considering that Walmart’s already slinging the Palm Pre at $99 bucks, it might have been a bit tough for them to justify peddling the Pre’s new baby brother, the Pixi, at the MSRP of $99. So they’re not.
There you were, just this morning, sitting over your latté. “When the hell is the pricing for the BlackBerry Bold 9700 and/or Samsung Behold 2 going to leak?”, you thought. Both handsets are coming within roughly a week or so, yet there was still no word on how much you needed to set aside? Pardon my french, friends, but that is shenanigans.
Fortunately, its been dealt with.
