iPhone 5 – voodooDr's Blog

The New iPhone 5 is The Actual iPhone 4S—And The Rumors For The 2012 iPhone 5

October 7, 2011 by voodoodr06 7 Comments

It took me a few days to get past my disappointment after Tuesday’s big deflated Apple iPhone 5 balloon (well, maybe I’m not completely over it).

So I am going to put my earlier post about my search for a new smartphone (HERE) to replace my old original Droid to bed. I have started a new post about the Samsung Nexus Prime (probably my new phone) HERE and will wrap all things Apple up with this post.

So as you probably know from my other posts, I am disappointed that Apple was unable to deliver on a brand new iPhone and was in a place they moved forward with a refresh of the iPhone 4. I know it will be a good phone, iOS5 alone will make it a good phone, but it will not be the phone that will replace my old Droid. Instead, I think the Prime will be that phone.

But I have not yet completely closed that door. Even though Siri does mean “buttocks” in Japanese!!

One of the things I wanted to add to my Apple rant and so will place here is this:

Many people prior to the Apple announcement were stating they knew Apple had a better device because they knew people will line up for days to get the new iPhone 5, as they did for prior iPhones.

In my original post I explained I did not expect that to happen because I did not believe the carriers would now allow Apple to pull back and only offer the new phone at Apple stores.

Now I see that I was right as you can sit at home in your undies and pre-order your new 4S from Verizon and other carriers online without standing in line for anything except your own PC (or Mac, as it were).

As new important information about the 4S and/or iOS 5 is released I will post it here but I will (mostly) avoid the rumors and even the “I told you so’s”.

October 7th:

AT&T reports first day pre-orders of the iPhone 4S exceed 200,000. This is the largest first day of iPhone orders on Verizon EVER. Of course, AT&T was shut out of the first iPhones, (as was everyone other than Apple, so….. But nice job Apple and AT&T! Congrats.

Imagine what it would be like for the iPhone 5? Although I am not sure I would have jumped to AT&T even for the Five.

An unlocked 4S won’t be available until November. But it won’t support CDMA. But, for you world-travelers, the article explains all.

October 9th:

Elektronica offers their take on the iPhone 4S and suggests that at this point an Android may be your best choice.

October 10th:

The Apple iPhone 4s sales exceed one million units in the first 24 hours on all available carriers.

The Top Five 4S disapointments from cnet. Watch the video at the link!

OK, this is great! Even you Apple dudes havce to admit it is great.

Am I right?? Great!!!

There is a cnet article out today asserting that the Apple 4S will woo tons of Android owners over to Apple. maybe the iPhone 5 would have (maybe even will), but the 4S? Wouldn’t they have jumped at the chance to buy an Apple 4 then??

This one is legit: The Apple 4S has been benchmarked and apparently is even smoking the Samsung Galaxy S II (and it is slower than the iPad 2, but what the heck…). Read it at the link.

October 13th:

iPhone 4S Launch: What Is Different This Time?

“If it feels like a long time since theiPhone 4 went on sale, you’re not mistaken. The iPhone 4S, Apple’s follow-up to the iPhone 4, comes a few months later than Apple has typically released previous handsets, and it seems even longer given that leaks led to the world seeing the final design months before it was officially unveiled.”

More Carriers. More Countries. Unlocked version from the get-go. More Colors. More configurations. New add-ons.

Are any of those things even important to you? Read more at the link.

Twitter and iOS 5: Sharing made simple, check the link for details.

Where to buy an iPhone 4S in October? Check the link for a full list from cnet.

October 14th:

Unboxing the new 4S and initial impressions:

More at the link but they certainly like the phone even though they do say it is identical to the iPhone 4. Others have cautioned people “Don’t put your new 4S down right next to your friends 4” because there is no way visually to tell them apart. And they love Siri…..

“Asking Siri for directions, what the weather will be like, to create and send e-mails and text messages is incredibly simple and fun to use. The days of fumbling around with a phone to get things done in a hurry are pretty much over. Yet, Apple is calling Siri a beta, which really does make a mockery of other voice recognition systems that have been on the market in final form for some time.

Siri can even pronounce this writer’s non-Anglo name properly. When I told her that ‘I love voice recognition,’ she responded encouragingly with ‘Good for you, Sanjiv.’ We think it is love, but she plays hard to get.

I told her that, “I think I love you Siri.”

Siri responded with, “You hardly know me, Sanjiv.”

October 17th:

4S sales crack 4 million over the first weekend. Seems like a ton of phones to me. More at the link.

cnet documents call quality on the 4S for each carrier. Good stuff because even with texting, internet, email, games and apps….the quality of your phone call on your smartphone is critical. What good is a multi-hundred dollar phone when your phone calls sound so shitty??

Read the results at the link above and you can actually listen to a call made on Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. Very cool.

October 18th:

On the big Android day (yes, Apple, Mr Droid has a big day too) we also have:

Now that the iPhone 4s is out, when WILL Apple release the iPhone 5?

Does anyone actually care anymore? Not me for sure. Although I am happy for a little upgrade on the iPhone 4, I have decided to buy the new Samsung Prime.

But the indications right now are that the Apple 5 is…..well, hard to tell from the story at the link.

cnet takes the 4S thru their litany of tests. Does the “S” stand for speed?

October 29th:

So, here we go: Samsung passes Apple in phone units sold.

This article states that it really has to do with timing (3Q) and the new 4S came out at the end of the quarter.

True, but that meaans Apple’s history breaking sales over that first weekend and week were included in that count. And yet they sold 4 million fewer units thn expected(?)

It also means that Samsungs new phone (the newly named Galaxy Nexus) release date will land in 4Q and units will be included in those numbers, not in the quarter that pushed Samsung past Apple. So, They may be able to keep their spot for one more quarter.

Anyway, I am not here to argue that issue. Just wanted to present the issue because it is significant and we will see down the road how critical it is to Apple.

Where it is important, I think, is in the constant and tiring jockeying in the courtroom. I think it will result in both companies pushing harder in their lawsuits instead of backing off. Apple will think they have to sue more and try to win ground in the courtroom while Samsung may think they can defend this new turf if they get some courts too agree with their legal positions.

We shall see.

November 7th:

For those that have the new 4S or upgraded to iOS5: A security report reveals there is currently a security hole that allows people to download dangerous items from the app store.

Read the review at the link above and make sure to check in for fixes. Be careful about your downloads until you know things have been fixed.

“Apple reviews every app that is available in the app store to make sure it is safe to use. Forbes reported on Charlie Miller an Apple security researcher who found a way for seemingly safe app to turn evil. Miller created an app that was able to pass all of Apple’s review tests and was available on the app store. Apple has removed the app that Miller used as an example of the security hole, and has removed him from the Apple developer program.”

November 18th:

Not much on the 4s field lately…

…but here we have Apple rumors that even the Apple rumormill (actually I tend to believe the folks at NextGadgets) seem to question??

Or, at least they had gotten used to the relative quiet from the shores of AppleLand.

November 22nd:

I guess the Apple iPhone 4S is maintaining popularity out there, huh?? The graph here shows that the 4S has rocketed to second place among “camera phones”. #1? The Apple iPhone 4.

In fact, Apple owns 4 of the Top 5 spots on the list. Nice job!

May 28, 2012:

Nearly a full year later and we may be nearing the release of the ACTUAL iPhone 5.

The rumors have certainly become nearly non-stop.

“These rumors have emerged from a variety of sources around the net including iLounge, 9to5 Mac and iMove to name a few, but they have been pretty much covered by most of the technology blogs out there. However, in this article we are going to highlight the main ones covered on the Armenante Apple news blog.”

a changed dock connector
a change in the size and shape of the smartphone
a change in the size of the screen
and a higher resolution

The Armenante Apple News Blog can be found here

If you bought an Apple 4S just a few months (or even weeks or days) ago after waiting for the iPhone 5, how ya feeling right about now??

Filed Under: Cell Phones & Tablets Tagged With: Apple, Droid, iOS, iOS 5, IPhone, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, Macintosh, Siri

Rumors Galore for iPhone 5, Droid Bionic & Samsung Nexus Prime

September 25, 2011 by voodoodr06 2 Comments

This is a spin-off, a stepson, of the old post that began with my quest for a new phone and the question I posed on the original post: Buy A New Droid or A New iPhone?? which you can find by clicking on that link.

The original post will continue to be updated as I am still in search of my next phone and the choice is still Droid (probably Prime) or iPhone (probably 5), unless I leave Verizon since they piss me off way too often lately.

I wish there was a carrier with good 4G service combined with quality phones and good choices and top-notch customer service. I know…that’s just a dream.

This post will solely be limited to the latest rumors about the upcoming Samsung Nexus Prime and the iPhone 5 as well as a few other highly anticipated phones.

It doesn’t matter if you call the Prime the Samsung Prime or the Nexus Prime or the Google Prime or any combination of Samsung, Nexus and Google with Prime. Or just Prime by itself which is what I usually call this phone now. It will still be the Droid that will do battle with the iPhone 5? Who will win? Who will have the best phone?

I have no idea, it’s all just guessing right now, but I do know this: both phones will be steps ahead of their current siblings. And the ‘steps ahead’ will be 90% software with some minor hardware improvements.

I have also split off the information related to the ongoing lawsuit war and public relations war between Samsung and Apple involving both their tablets and their telephones. Click here for that post.

Now….on with the rumors!!!

Update September 16:

Nice tidbits from 4chan via Ausdroid, explaining that 4chan is claiming they have “hands-on” time with the three big ” Unicorns” of the cellphone world: They are all about the Android, so no iPhone stuff at that site.

Samsung Galaxy S III (yes, 3)
Nexus Prime (which they call the Galaxy Nexus)
and Ice Cream Sandwich or Fudge Encrusted Waffle Cone or something

This link takes you to the article with Prime specs you have mostly seen: 4.65 AMOLED screen, ICS, 1 gig RAM, 16gb mem, 8.8mm metal body etc etc.

Galaxy S III will be revealed at the 2012 Mobile World Congress, 1.5 gig RAM, 32gb mem, 2250mAh battery, Ice-Cream Sandwich with Touchwiz 5 overlaid, 10 meg camera, 10mm glass & metal body.

The Sammy S III specs are truly insane.

Here is an interesting tidbit:

“Samsung is currently one of Apple’s largest suppliers of components for its products, though the latter has been trying to distance itself from its rival in past months, but it seems that the Korean company is willing to go on the offensive to defend its products against Apple’s legal onslaughts.”

The article that quote is from explains that Samsung is now preparing to sue Apple for patent infringement (as Apple has sued, and won, patent suits against Samsun) as soon as the iPhone 5 is released. Check the article here.

Upate September 17th:

Well, the eventual Prime smartphone will tell the truth here, but the latest Nexus rumor is that the Prime may carry the Jellybean Android OS instead of the anticipated Ice Cream Panini. That would be a good thing because there were reports last week that Google was putting off highly expected OS changes from ICS to Jelly Belly Bean.

Check the rumor article here.

And…..A Samsung Rep shows some dude his Prime??? Really?

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours!!

Later on September 17th:

Rumored release date for the Prime is November 3rd.

Update September 18th, 1:30 am:

The Prime continues to be tagged a “Beast” on the Korean tech site Electronic Times where it is said to carry a Krait-based dual core Snapdragon processor which “will have the ability to run at an amazing speed of 2.5 GHz per core at the least, which will make it more than 100 times faster than a normal ARM-based CPU.”

This site lists their Top 5 smartphones that will give the Samsung Galaxy S II a “run for its money”.

This article calls the Google Nexus an ATT device on Thanksgiving (still confusing with the Google Nexus, Samsung Nexus, Samsung Prime or wuteva) a “revolutionary” smartphone. Here are their 5 reasons

the device camera
the operating system
the screen dimension
the processor
other notable features

The rumor mill is so mind bendingly ass-scratching confusing.

Update late September 18th:

Notion Ink outs the release date for Ice Cream Sandwich–late October. Click here for more.

And here is the Notion Ink blog.

And the Android Central article is at this link.

So, October for the Prime 4G with ICS would make me snatch one up quickly.

We will see what tomorrows rumors bring.

Update September 21st:

So is the Apple really about to give birth to #5 as soon as October 4th? Here is the article with AllThingsD giving away a new release date. True or no??

My only iPhone rumor is that there will be a new iPhone rumor tomorrow. Take it to the bank.

Also, today Apple is spending big big bucks (many zeros please) buying up flash orders in order to reduce the need for Samsung products.

Of course, Apple would like to have the ability to reduce their dependence on Samsung even for something as generic as their flash products.

And now they are swallowing up flash memory and RAM from Japanese suppliers, as the two companies are engaged in ongoing lawsuits.

Devious?

“Apple could have the freedom not just to avoid vulnerability to Samsung but to punish the company by depriving it of what’s often its largest customer.”

October 22nd:

I guess it must be true, huh?? Al Gore says the iPhone 5 will be released in October.

“Gore spoke Wednesday at the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.” You have been waiting for that verification, haven’t you??

Al Gore is on the Apple board, so he would certainly have some (limited) information about products and maybe even timeframes. But even if, he would be under board member expectations to keep his fucking mouth closed.

Some peeps just can’t help themselves.

Later on September 22nd:

My friend of the Who is suing whom? fame (check that post and the excellent article out here) now has shared an amazing article with me with a link here saying that Samsung has now unveiled a FLEXIBLE Android phone. Like my friend said, “WHAT??”. The article says “Do you think a flexible phone is just science fiction?” To what I say, “Well, hell yea!”

Apparently Samsung has unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Skin, slated for release in the 2nd quarter of 2012. Samsung insists that the Skin can “take on different shapes and take on even hammer blows”.

I gotta see this, until then my good old skeptics (aka: bullshit) antenna is at full height.

Check out the article and keep your ears open.

Scary thought: Imagine the world dominated by Apple. Almost as bad as Microsoft domination.

Android Central has a forum on “Is the Prime a Better Phone Than The Bionic”.

Check it out here if you are wondering.

September 24th:

This link takes you to a TON of info on iPhone (why you should by a 4 instead of a 5), the Prime, and the Nokia Windows Phone plus a few other juicy tidbits. This is a UK site called Fone Home by VodaFone.

cnet has more rumors today that indicate the iPhone 5 release will be on or before October 10th. Today they use iundications from Twitter events and vacation days as pointing toward the October 10th release date for iOS5.

They say the possible iPhone 5 announcement date will be October 4th (see the Al Gore stuff above).

Apple is not allowing any employee vacation days on and around October 5, 2011.

September 24th:

Global sales of the Samsung Galaxy S II hit 10 million units. I wonder if Verizon is rethinking their decision to say “no thank you” to this great phone?? Yes, they will have the Prime (eventually) and they have the Bionic (finally) but the S II is a top seller world-wide, stymied in the US by threats of Apple lawsuits and wuteva.

Everyone seems to be repeating the same October 5th iPhone 5 announcement date, so it seems it is a bit truer now. Maybe a new iPhone in mid-October, an early Christmas present!!

The HTC Amaze 4G has some leaks including press photos and is scheduled for T-Mobile, on par with the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Today Twitter schedules an October 12th meeting to discuss iOS5 integration. Hard to believe we are reaching the finish line. Then we can start the countdown to iPhone 6 and iOS6!!

September 26th:

Samsung:

Since Samsung is a Korean company, it makes some sense that Korea is the first to get their hands on the Samsung Galaxy S II LTE and HD LTE. See them here. Nada for the U.S. markets yet, but at least these beasts have been released somewhere. If they were released here I would have toswitch carriers because Verizon so politely said “No thank you” to the S II handsets.

Google:

Google continues to take steps toward their dream of becoming a carrier. (of what, you say? I won’t make any carrier jokes). Today they lauch a MVNO (mobile virtual network operator ) trial in Spain. Click here for details. You find Google as a mobile carrier hard to believe? Remember their purchase of Motorola Mobility? They can do a lot with that company and the assets, but it would make a great start toward establishing a service at some point..

What Google is missing is the needed infrastructure. Hence the MVNO. it positions you a little higher up the food chain than a simple reseller of mobile services, but you don’t need to build an entire network. The example used is Virgin Atlantic Airlines and their Virgin Mobile.

Nexus:

Going to the Open solutions conference? Sprint will give away 1,500 Nexus S 4G’s at the conference.

Check it out here.

The following is from my Lawsuit post, but is of interest here: Apple reduces patent infringements suit against Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung claims Apple infringes on 3g patents “structurally”. See the article here from Next Gadgets.

In the midst of their lawsuit against Samsung related to the iPad and Galaxy Tab 10.1, Apple has cut supply orders for the iPad 2 by 25% in the last two weeks, according to JP Morgan. Check the Business Week article here. Watch for possible movement on the stock market.

CTIA Conference:

So some digging by intoMobile reveals that there are two unannounce awards to be presented for two also unannounce devices, tablets or cellphones.

On the CTIA website there is a Holidays Award List with those two empty holes and intoMobile is suggesting (or hoping???) that there could be two Samsung devices that plug right into the list.

the Samsung Galaxy S II 7.7″ tablet
and, the Samsung Nexus Prime

The holes in the list say “A product to be announced from Samsung Mobile, Samsung Telecommunications America.”

They actually have a copy of the list on their website at the link above. Check it out if you are interested.

Samsung Galaxy S II: If you click this link it will take you over to AndroiodCommunity and you can watch a little video of a guy unboxing an AT&T Galaxy S II and booting the phone up as he walks thru the basics of the device. It sure does look sweet even with the AT&T logo on it and their screens.

iPhone 5 features may have been leaked and if the data provided by 9to5mac is true, the “5” will be a beast to contend with. “Apple’s dual-core A5 processor like the iPad 2 for even faster performance, better gaming, and drastically improved graphics. Apple didn’t stop there though. Unlike the iPad 2, the new iPhone packs 1GB of RAM”. The biggest change will be a software feature called the Assistant. “Assistant taps into many aspects of the iPhone. (…) Assistant allows users to set reminders for the iOS 5 Reminders application, it will use the user’s current location via GPS and provide directions, (…) it provides the ability to create and send an SMS or iMessage with just your voice. One of the key elements of Assistant is the conversation view. The system will actually speak back and forth with the user to gain the most information in order to provide the best results. (…) Assistant is literally like a personal assistant, but in your phone. The speech interpretation is so accurate that users do not even have to speak very clearly or in a slow and robotic tone, according to a source familiar with the software.”

Here is the 9to5mac site, lots of good Apple “stuff” there.

September 27:

BIG Apple news, Apple sends invitations today to their big “announcement” event scheduled for Tuesday, October 4 at 10am Pacific Daylight Time on Apple’s campus in Cupertino.

The event is titled “Let’s Talk iPhone“.

So, most of the recent Apple/iPhone 5 rumors were correct, right down to the date.

Now we shall see if the remaining parts of the rumors are right. Will Apple announce a date for the iPhone 5 release that matches up? Most recently the talk has been a release date of October 10th.

“On September 21 AllThingsD, citing “sources close to the situation”, said that Apple had selected the date to showcase the iPhone 5, with the company expected to announce that its new smartphone(s) would be available “within a few weeks” after the announcement.”

The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple posted the 1st word that I saw at a little after 8 a.m. this morning, stating The Loop had received an invitation to the event from Apple and will be attending.

So here we go. What will Samsung do? Will they wait before their own Prime gets officially announced? Initially the expectation was that Apple would let Samsung announce and then steal their thunder by announcing the “big” new smartphone, their own iPhone 5.

I like cnet a lot. Today they have started a video rumor blog and here is Episode 1, Let the Battle Begin!

“…you’ll never have to hear an iPhone 5 rumor on our show again.*”

*We reserve the right to renege on this promise if something goes haywire on Tuesday and there are more rumors to come.

Now we will be anticipating an announcement about the Samsung Nexus Prime at some point soon.

iPhone 5, What to Expect: From Mashable, but not much new. Design change, faster, better screen & cameras, voice recognition, 4g or not 4g (?), no shopping, more carriers, also a 4S. Even more at Mashable.

And now you can draw your version of the iPhone 5 (or as they guys at TUAW say, the iFauxn), even in crayon, and win their contest! Get your design on baby!!

Nice article at Next Gadgets today about Apple and the decision that they are not able to trademark the term “multi-touch”. They explain Apple isn’t too upset about this decision because the term Apple execs really want to trademark is…..”App Store”. What? That is almost as bad as back when the company tried to sue God for using the term “apple” in the bible.

The Prime:

Not strictly a rumor, but related: it is always suprising when phone accessory makers jump the gun on the phone’s actual release. This Product Reviews site reminds you to be careful when you see folks selling you items to go with a phone that is not even on the market yet, and they talk specifically about the “Nexus Prime”.

“The eve of the Samsung Nexus Prime is almost upon us”, that from Android Cenntral today.

You can find more on this here.

They explain that a GSM version passed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group today. so combined with the Apple invitation today, it really is just a matter of time before the big announcement and release.

I’m not sure which phone interests me more. I am anticipating both devices. Mebbe I needs to buy both bad boys.

Droid 4: With the Bionic out and the Prime coming we are getting a Droid 4? Really? And, why?? Anyway, it is code-named Maserati. 4g, slide out qwerty keyboard (I like that even tho it adds a little weight), & 4″ screen. Check the sitte for the rest.

Windows Phone:

Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 Mango begins it’s “slow, confusing rollout.” Read more at Digital Trends and on the Windows Phone Blog

September 28th:

Google releases a 2nd attempt at a bug fix for the Nexus S with an upgrade. ZDNet UK reports that Google has begun updating its Nexus S smartphones around the world to Android ‘Gingerbread’ version 2.3.6. “Android 2.3.6 is only a minor upgrade from 2.3.4, chiefly aiming to fix a voice-search bug that some experienced with that previous version.”

T-Mobile posts a letter to customers about the iPhone, “acknowledging in unusually candid terms that it was aware of “many” customers who were disappointed that the company does not carry the iPhone”.

Worldwide times for the October 4th Apple Event: Click here for a chart from iPhone4 Jailbreaks showing times by location for the (hopeful) iPhone 5 announcement.

The Nexus Prime:Approved, 3.0 Bluetooth Technology. Product Reviews is happy to see Bluetooth approved for the handset they suspect is the Prime, but they worry that ICS may not be included if the phone is released next month.

Into Mobile has a few tips for Samsung as they move their product line forward. :

(why does this not surprise me?) Stop with the Apple bullshit
give Steve Kondick more creative control
let Ice Cream Sandwich shine through
Samsung, meet metal (cut the plastic cord)

Amazon Kindle-itis: Some peeps are saying that Amazon stole some ink and thunder from Apple by coming out with their three new Kindle units before Apple can even hold their untitled “event”

Here is a cnet “First Look” at the new Kindle Fire, which they are reviewing strictly from the presentation Amazon gave to the media today and written specs. No hands-on yet, no release for these devices until November, so it does seem to be kind of quick on the announcement.

Two Minutes of Ice Cream Sandwich: Some dude buys a Nexus S on eBay and it turns out the device is loaded with ICS? Really?? How come that shit don’t happen to me? So, he makes a crappy little 2 minute video and ships it off to the great folks at Engadget who share it with us. Just click the lead in link to watch the (not so good) video and read their write-up.

If it’s a fake, someone went to a hell of a lot of trouble, especially since we will all see the real deal ICS in a few weeks according to the rumors. And the rumors are pretty accurate as far as saying ICS will be revealed by mid-October because Google has incentive to show it off now that Apple is about to reveal iOS 5.

Such secrecy!!

Apple Insiders reveal a date on which Google will “launch their flagship Nexus Prime” on October 11th.

Here’s what they are saying:

“Samsung and Google are partnering up for an event on Oct. 11 that will showcase “what’s new from Android” and will likely launch the Nexus Prime, the first phone running Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich,” just one week after Apple unveils its next-generation iPhone”.

We shall see, but if anything it’s a pretty good guess. It is driven by an article on Tech Crunch (here) telling us that Samsung & Google have sent out invitations (did you get one?) for their event on October 11th in San Diego at 11:30 a.m. And, of course, the hope is that on the 4th we see Apple’s iPhone 5 and on the 11th we get the Samsung/Google/Nexus Prime (I still just want to know what the fucking name is).

Throw in iOS 5 and ICS and that would be a good October.

Here is a different take on the same ICS video & circumstances from the Android Guys, and they also suggest that we circle a date on our calendar when we will learn more (hint: it’s October 11th!!)

Unless something breaks loose I’m not adding anything else to this. Everytime I breathe someone posts another copy of this video and a different version of what the original folks said.

And thanks Engadget Twitter @engadget

HTC Rhyme now available on Verizon, not part of the rumor anymore. It’s just here cuz it was the “female” phone and they had that wierd damn commercial which they actually show you at the link. Who would buy it? Even at the give away price?

Peeps are already counting iPhone 5 fans vs Prime fans?? And the score (at least on this website) is: Apple’s got more!! Uh, how many have the phones? Anyway it’s device magazine, check it out.

September 29th:

The BIG news is still the October 11th Samsung event. prime or not to Prime? The cnet Asia news includes the rumors we have all heard: screen size, ICS, etc and they credit Tech Crunch for the rest of the post.

Product Reviews (PR) website sets off their day with the Google Unpacked event news. “A perfect scenario for us and indeed Android fans around the world would be the full unveilings of both Ice Cream Sandwich and the Nexus Prime or Galaxy Nexus. It would definitely send a message and to Apple and kick off considerable excitement if Google drop solid release dates for both.” That’s the expectation. Will they live up to it or did they rush their event because Apple set theirs for October 4th?

For that matter, assuming the expectations for Apple are the same (iOS 5 & iPhone 5 with solid dates), can they meet the expectation or did they jump their own gun?

September 29th:

Today it is said that Google has remotely wiped the leaked ICS OS from the Samsung Galaxy S phone purchased on eBay. I guess it should not surprise, but having the OS go “poof” makes the argument that it was always a ‘fake’ even stronger. Read the Gizmo Crunch article at the link.

Android Tablet rumors/thoughts: I own a Kindle. I never really thought of it as a tablet, even though I know at some level, it is exactly that. I also own a 7″ companion to a HP wireless printer. I never really thought of it as a tablet, even though I use it as one because you can access the internet and pull down your e-mail as well as remotely print from the device. It has some limited Android OS.

And so, I have not thought of the new Kindle devices, including the Fire, as Android tablets. The article at the link not only suggests the Fire is an Android tablet, it suggests it may be the Android tablet that kills off the others and challenges the iPad. I’m not sure I believe that. I think Samsung will at some point get to sell their 10.1 here and that people will realize the 8″ may be a better form factor for tablets.

That said, Next Gadgets makes a strong argument for the Kindle Fire as an Android Tablet to beat all others.

“Whether Amazon’s 7-inch tablet fires up Android development will depend on the success of the device. ‘It’s a bit of a chicken and egg problem,’ Gartner analyst Van Baker says. If the tablet is successful with consumers, then it will spur Android tablet development. But it really doesn’t look like the Kindle Fire will have any problems being successful.”

“Elaine Coleman of Resolve Market Research shares a similar sentiment. The Kindle Fire will elevate Android app development because Amazon has already done such a standout job of establishing itself in the space with customers, and the Kindle Fire has direct access to its built-in app store.”

So the Amazon Kindle Fire’s success will dictate Android Tablet App growth, but the tablet must be successful without many apps first. In other words, it must be successful as an e-reader and then generate developers creating other apps for the Fire.

Read the article. It includes links to other informative articles about the Fire.

And if you do not believe that the Kindle Fire will be successful, check this article out. Because both the Fire and the Touch have already taken their place at the top of Amazon’s best selling list.

This cnet video suggests the Kindle Fire is already a big success. “Amazon had a pretty freaking good week.”

The Amazon CEO says the Kindle Fire is an “end-to-end device like the iPhone. Read the Android Headlines article at the link. “He’s quick to highlight how the branded device is a world away from other Android tablets on the market, and more like Apple’s iPad.”

oOh my…..Amazon has plans for world domination? Really?? According to Digital Trends this is true. “the Kindle Fire is designed expressly to consume other types of media.” And, of course, books too!

Is this a “list of files” for the Nexus Prime? This Android Central article suggests the list is surprisingly bloatware free. You will find the list of files at the link.

The Germans create an iPhone 5 prototype based on the same design rumors that you & I have heard.

The article, a nice video and some pics are here at this Digital Trends link. “The gadget heads at Germany-based technology website Giga.de have created their own iPhone 5 prototype based on a variety of iPhone 5 rumors.”

You can find the Giga.de website at this link . it says Benm.at, and their iPhone prototype article is in English (thank god) while the rest appears is in German (mine is quite rusty).

The video has English subtitles, which are welcome. I had to turn the sound down and just read. The language always sounds harsh to my ears.

iPhone 5 Visualized: Rumors are that the new phone looks like its worst enemy!! Read the Gizmo Crunch article at the link. If it turns out to look like the Samsun, who will sue first? And where? There is the German prototype video at Gizmo Crunch.

September 30th

Android Central adds a video podcast here.

AT&T begins throttling on October 1st. Don;t get caught by surprise. Check the link.

Device Magazine points to rumored Prime processor and battery problems. They (and we) don’t know what processor will be included or who the manufacturer will be, but guess that the size and needs of the processor will have a negative effect on the battery. Check it out at the link.

Gizmo Crunch says iPhone 5 or Prime, it’s what’s inside that counts.

Of course it seems that no one actually has anything new to say while we wait for the next week and then a week after.

My guess? The iPhone and the Samsung will be top-quality amazing new phones. People will buy one or the other and then most will remain entrenched with the one that they buy. By mid-October (if the phones are available that early) it will be: What phone is the best? The one that I bought. Very few of us would say…Damn! The best phone is the one that I DID NOT buy!!

Apple Stores close for unknown reasons, with signs saying “We will reopen October 5th”. Strange, must really be stocking up. maybe those iPhone 5 screens got a LOT bigger! Read it at the link.

Samsung S II on AT&T has security flaws, Check on Android Central at the link.

and here is a fix for the lockscreen issue

cnet calls these the FINAL Apple rumors: somehow I don’t think so. Click on the cnet link.

Prime and other phones appear on the Verizon Cellebrite system. What is cellebrite? The system stores use to transfer your info from your old phone onto your new phone when you buy one. When new phones show up there it means they are real.

The Examiner says that Verizon will be the first carrier to get the Prime.

October 1st:

Radio Shack lists the iPhone 5

More on the Samsung “Unpacked” event

iPhone 5 Prototype: The 2nd one is lost and sold to the case maker??

October 2nd:

Is your iPhone ready for iOS5?? If you are not getting a new iPhone, make sure your phone is ready for a new iOS.

This article explains why the author feels iPhone 5 will out “event” Prime. It may. Apple has always been good at events. But what does that mean? Is it important if it is true? He explains that people will line up like Star Wars for their iPhone but won’t line up for an Android. People have lined up for Apple products in the past. Certainly for iPhones.

But they lined up because Apple’s marketing plan has always been about controlling the product. You could only buy an iPhone at an Apple store. If you wanted it day one, as diehards want it, you lined up. It was an Apple event and you knew you couldn’t walk into AT&T store (THE Apple carrier, bad choice to me) and buy one. It is only recently iPhones could be purchased from the carrier.

How will the 5 roll out? Only at the Apple store? Or has Apple decided their relationships with carriers is too important to suddenly pull the product back in-house? If every AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile store is selling the 5 on day one will folks need to camp out for days?

We shall see.

Are you an Apple Fanboy? Are you salivating over the chance to camp out in the rain at your local Apple store and be the first in your little Fanboy group to buy the iPhone 5?? Answer the quiz at the link and find out if you are an Apple Fanboy.

The bad thing? My results say…..I might be a damn Fanboy too.

TUAW asks us why no iOS5 BETA?? They explain that Apple usually pushes BETAs out to users every week or so, but this time it has been over a month since the last BETA which was “not fully baked” and they wonder why.

And you can vote on the answer or even comment and give your own! Check at the link.

Gee…I wonder what is happening THIS week, asks TUAW??

Ya think that we will have any announcements? Or rollouts? Or rumors? Or new information to talk about? Hmmm….I wonder if anything will happen this week???

I’m as confused as hell.

Detailed review of Mango 7.5 I expect that at some point soon Microsoft will climb their way up toward the heap of the smartphone OS world with Apple and Google, because as I have said above, over 90% of a smartphone is software. The OS and the apps. And Windows may not know phones, but they know software and it seems that they have finally figured out they can build phone software that can compete.

This review is pretty detailed by an author who had spent time with an original Windows phone and was not impressed. Click the link to find out if 7.5 impressed him at all.

October 3rd:

Well, one more day and here we hav a video purporting to be of the iPhone 5 running iOS 5 “Startup”. I’m not an Apple expert so I am not sure what exactly this is. It does look different than iPhone start screens I have seen. Faster and with a different placement of the “slide to unlock” lock. Of course, it could be the East Indian background music that twisted my head around. Check it out at the link for something to do before the big day.

It is expected that global shares in the smartphone market will change in 4Q 2011 due to the launch of the iPhone 5, Samsung Prime and Nokia Mango 7.5.

How badly does the iPhone need a redesign? cnet dives into this issue at the link. I can’t wait until tomorrow. I want to be “wow’ed” by the design and by the software upgrades. I want speed and even a larger screen I guess, tho that is not so important. And I do not want significant increases for phone and data plan. F the providers. Can Apple get me to switch?

Watch the Apple event live on CNET. You can set an e-mail reminder from 1 day to 15 minutes prior to Let’s Talk iP hone. I’ll see you there.

What time??? 10 am Pacific Standard Time (PST).

Last minute whispers: iPhone 4S pricing and October 14th as the launch date?? Next Gadgets says international subsuduzed pricing for the 4S: “we think it’s highly likely that the 64GB iPhone 4S will cost $ 299, the 32GB will cost $ 199, and the 16GB will drop down to $ 99 in the United States.”

As for the October 14th launch date, Next Gadgets tells us that “We’re now hearing that Apple is preparing their retail stores for an October 14th iPhone launch. This phone will of course be the iPhone 4S with an A5 processor, the breakthrough Assistant feature, an eight megapixel camera, Nuance speech-to-text, and 1GB of RAM. Apple Stores are also planning overnights for October 13th. We’ve also heard that stores will open at 7AM for the crowds on that Friday. Certain locations will even be open until midnight to help meet demand.”

Could the iPhone 5 really be exclusive to Sprint?? Next Gadgets says: “Just when I thought there was no more room for surprises relating to tomorrow’s iPhone announcement, we get a couple of doozies. Actually, it’s more like one big piece of legit-sounding iPhone news, and another that is so bizarre that it could be right at home in the National Enquirer.”

The Wall Street Journal claims Sprint has agreed to pay Apple $20 Billion for 4 years worth of Apple smartphones. Gadgets is right that it would make sense to put all their apples in one basket, especially if they are iPhone 5 apples. I’m not sure it makes sense for Apple, but they did have an exclusive deal with AT&T and that made just as much sense I guess.

See the link for the other leak.

Mashable explains the October 4th Apple event will be focused mostly on software and the important software will be the Assistant, which is “artifial intelligence”. “Assistant is the successor to Siri, the iPhone app that helped users with their daily tasks with natural language voice commands. …..On Tuesday, Siri will be reborn as Assistant. And while we have not had a chance to play with Assistant ourselves, we’ve heard amazing things from the people who have used it.

Say you’re in a new city and you’re really craving Chinese. In the past, you might have pulled up the Yelp App, performed a search on Yelp and combed through results. With Assistant, you can say to your iPhone, “Please find me a Chinese restaurant within a mile of my location.”

Check for more at the link.

Here is the EXCLUSIVE iPhone 5 preview video!!!

October 4th:

Droid Matters has leaked pics of the Prime today. “The picture confirms the HD resolution on the massive 4.6-inch display. Also on the image, you can see that there are no physical buttons on the front of the phone. That is because Ice Cream Sandwich will have all buttons integrated into the OS, just like in Honeycomb.”

Check the link for the (poor quality) leaked photo. So the screen is giant size, so will fit in my big mitts but maybe not so good in yours. The one bad pic isn’t enough to steal Apple’s thunder, so we have another week of this stuff for Android.

Apple is NOT allowing any live-streaming of today’s event. So, we will get some gangsterized pics maybe video and later the official crap. Apple is so stoopid.

But engadget gives us pics of the (outside) of today’s Let’s Talk Apple event. Check the link if you are an addict and just have to see.

The Samsung Pen-Tile technology will be in the new Prime. Check the link for more.

My last until the event, No 4G for the iPhone 5? I think we all expected that conservative approach from Apple, yes? Check the link for more.

Let’s Talk Apple: So, no more iPhone 5 rumors. At least today. Now we know the real deal. Some of you may be disappointed, I know I am. There is no iPhone 5, after all that lead-up and all that suspense we find out there are some improvements to the iPhone 4 including a 4g model )(named the 4S and now carried by Sprint.

A couple of the rumors turned out to be true, there really is a 4S, Sprint really did lock down an exclusive deal with Apple (was it for $20 Billion? I think it probably was) Assistant/Siri will be a big-deal application although people may not use it much (hard to say so soon) or even like it. If the AI works easily and seamlessly, I think it is going to be the best part of this device.

But the biggest piece of the morning for me was…..NO Apple iPhone 5!!

However, we do have an iOS 5. Check the link for more information on Apple’s “event” from engadget.

Here is a distilled Day 1 version of the 4S vs the smartphone elite, the Samsung Galaxy S II, the HTC Titan and the Motorola Droid Bionic.

Check out the great chart that engadget has put together, and (as engadget says) the results are “pretty clear-cut”.

The winning smartphone from this group? The Samsung Galaxy S II. Which leads me to say…

…I am one step closer to a new Android now.

The Prime is the last phone on my original list of considerations (the 4S never was on the list) and until today’s announcement I was about 60-40 leaning toward the iPhone 5. There were a number of things that kept the Android phone near the top of my list, including the fact that I know Android and would not need to fully learn a new system, I like my Droid, what I have read about the Prime seems promising.

The Apple had (has) some good things in its corner: quality company, I use an iPod Touch and the methodologies are similar, the iPhones have developed a strong following for legitimate reasons. I’m unhappy with Verizon and the Prime seems destined for that provider, though there will probably be similar handsets with different names on other carriers if I switch.

A video of today’s Apple event is HERE. At this link you have a choice of watching Apple’s own video of the event, or checking out engadgets live-blogging….or both!!

We’ll see how the Samsung event goes next week. Maybe there is no Prime either???

cnet provides us with an iPhone rumor scorecard HERE. Check your list and give yourself a score. Actually the rumor mill did a pretty good job. Except this one big rumor that cnet did not even place on their list:

Rumor:

We are waiting for an iPhone 5.

outcome:

Ummmm…hmmmm…well I guess you could say True because we are still waiting.

And HERE you can meet the new iPhone. It’s the same as the old iPhone.

No, I am not being “mean” and I am not “going too far”. As Android Central says ” all Apple users have been expecting something very big from Apple considering the launch of the next iPhone has been delayed for 4 months already. That’s 16 months of waiting for Apple users. ”

16 months is a lot of effort by Apple just to introduce the 4S. And why keep it all as secret as they would if the phone was actually a 5?

And why all the drama? Losing a phone in a Bay Area bar, resulting in at least one lawsuit. Etc, etc, etc.

Nexus Rumors & TruthDigg say “Don’t judge the iPhone 4S by its cover.”

“Instead of changing the phone’s appearance, Apple has stuffed it with superior innards. A new dual-core processor the likes of which can be found in the much larger iPad promises twice the speed, while a new graphics processor allows for more powerful gaming. A new eight-megapixel camera is supposed to not only take better photos, but greatly reduce the lag between shots.”

“It would have been nice to see 4G and its superior download speeds—Apple was already behind the curve with the last new iPhone and by the time the next version comes out, the addition of a modern data radio will likely mbarrass for its long absence.”

Can the Prime compete with the 4S?

I think I’m just kind of tired of this whole thing. Must be. Gotta Be Mobile asks this question at the link. I’m not sure it’s even a valid question anymore. But we do have to wait and see what Samsung/Google announce. Given the fact that Apple did validate many of the rumors today, other than the main one which disappointed so many folks. If Samsung validates most of the rumors surrounding their phone, they will blow the Apple phone out of the water.

Why? They already have 4G LTE so I expect the Prime will as well.

The screen size will be immense next to the iPhone which had no size increase.

The chip should be at least as fast and I hope they provide sufficient memory.

This article seems to believe that Verizon must live up to the Apple 4S phone. I just don’t see it. I do agree with some of the premises set forth in this article, including:

1) the phone(s) must be competitively priced. And I believe Samsung must undercut Apple. They cannot be priced in the Apple stratosphere. (2) The Prime does need ‘killer’ software. This article expects Assistant to be killer. I am not so sure. Perhaps Apple has taken giant steps on this software. Even if they have, I am not impressed. And I don’t care much about Google Voice. (3) They want better marketing than Verizon showed for the Bionic. I agree. (4) The phone must have Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). Without it this phone fails, no matter how good it may be.

I would buy something cheaper. a 3G Droid or iPhone 4 (no S).

My guess today??

Apple fell off a rock today. They failed to meet the public’s expectations. Apple stumbled. Except with the AI which I am willing to give a nod and wait to see if it works without any significant “burps” I h8 the name “Siri” for it though. But “Assistant” was indeed pedestrian.

Samsung/Google has an opportunity to take significant steps forward if they do meet the expectations of the public with the Prime. I do think those expectations will be a little lower on the 11th of October. Which gives Samsung the opportunity to take giant steps forward.

Perhaps Samsung will stumble. I don’t expect it. I don’t think this phone will be the Galaxy S II Prime. I think it will be a new phone with new software (ICS), a larger screen and a faster processor. If so, the Prime will be the winner in this battle. Maybe not in the war, but in this battle.

And this Android Headlines article explains just that ” Apple has tauted (sic: touted) itself as an innovator, but it’s clear they are now playing catch up.”

Now that the new iPhone has been announced I am going to split this post (again) into an iPhone 4S plus Samsung Prime (still rumored) and leave all of these old rumors behind. 🙂

Here is an article explaining that Shane Adams, a Sprint Nextel customer, has been excited that Sprint will carry the iPhone 4S (5) because he has been so embarassed among his friends in Kansas City that he had an Android and everybody had iPhones.

Now he is thrilled to buy the 4S and stay with Sprint. Sprint agreed to buy 30.5 million handsets from Apple at a cost of $20 Billion. The article at the link covers all of the various viewpoints on the 4S and on Sprint as a carrier.

Sprints big selling point: it’s the last remaining carrier with unlimited data plans. Big, important difference. Regardless of the phones offered, that point plus a good buy back clause could make a lot of people switch to a carrier currently at the nottom of the pack.

Regardless of the fact there is an AT&T offer on the table, it seems the government is unwilling to allow that merge to occur.

“Apple iPhone 4S has Apple apologists up in arms”. This is an article from Google Watch, and says “How can you tell the Apple loyalists in the crowd? They’re the ones shouting the loudest to defend Apple, which didn’t announce the iPhone 5, now officially a unicorn, today for its “Let’s Talk iPhone” event in Cupertino, Calif.”

pretty close to true except that it seems to me many Apple supporters are being very quiet. And, other than a small number of Android pushers, most of the Droid pack has remained pretty quiet too.

October 5th:

Sasung released a teaser video about the new phone they will debutat the October 11th Unpacked event. The link takes you to a cnet article that explains the device shown in the Samsung video has an even “curvier” face than the Galaxy II S.

The Samsung video is HERE.

Another cnet article suggests the carriers are the reason for Apple not release an iPhone 5 (??) The author explains her viewpoint: Think about your 2 year contract, she reminds people. And Molly Wood says that “you iPhone 4 folks” will get a fully revolutionary iPhone 5 just at the time the first contracts for the original iPhone 4 are up.

Woods states: “If anything, Apple is playing a very clever shell game with carrier contracts that allows it to grab new buyers every year instead of every two years.”

On one hand that makes sense. If Apple does not pull in a substantial number of new customers who were expecting a truly grand iPhone 5, this strategy will have failed. To me, it does not seem to be a marketing strategy that has Apple’s fingerprints on it.

So now it all comes down to the “sexy” Prime??

What does Wall Street think about the new (ish) iPhone 4? Read here for the article, which says “Even though the iPhone 4S is an improvement over its predecessor, it isn’t being perceived as a breakthrough”.

October 6th:

Everyone is trying to decipher the razor-thin edge of the new Samsung phone (the Prime??) This Android Central article (at the link) circles an area in the photo that was released yesterday as part of the Samsung “Something BIG is coming” campaign. They state that the “three dots” they have circled are “probably contact charging”. The article includes a video on “contactless charging”. Check it out.

Also, I have seen a lot of concern (and a lot of awe) about the “curved” screen as shown in the Samsung photo. We have to understand the screen is minutely curved. If we can see it and feel it (in person), it will be just barely.

On Day 1 the 4S is selling well in the U.K.

Will the Samsung Prime launch on Verizon October 27th? Droi Life thinks so.

Samsung Unpacked the Google Edition: Android Headlines asks: “Is there a tablet in this picture?” Check it out.

8 Tantalizing Rumors about the Samsung Prime: Nice slideshow with their rumors. I think all of the make sense except I’m not so sure about the QWERTY keyboard. My original Droid has a keyboard and I like it but it does add weight and heft to the phone. That doesn’t bother me cuz I don’t carry it in a shirt pocket or a purse where the weight might be a bit much.

Operation Android asks: What is Samsung’s Big Announcement? They start with the belief that “Apple disappointed” the smartphone public yesterday (yes, they did indeedy) and they seem to be worried that Samsung will do the same thing on October 11th, due to the fact that Apple has publicly proclaimed their desire to continue the legal battle against Samsung. The expectation is that the “Prime” may be Apple’s opportunity to file in the U.S.A.

Although it is obvious Apple wants to do so, and they may, it seems that the iPhone 4S is the wrong device to stake a claim on. Especially since the video from Samsung makes it appear that the Prime will not physically resemble the 4S.

Five things that should be on the Samsung Prime. Click the link.

Wednesday Morning Quarterback on the Apple iPhone 4S: From the Android Activist, “There has to be some envy mixed with disappointment when looking at Tuesday’s announcement from the hardened iFanboy’s perspective. Apple fans around the networks seemed depressed that this announcement did not bring about the iPhone 5. They see Android users swimming in a sea of new phone announcements with every carrier. They see our enjoyment, our choice, and our relentless push for innovation and they crave that as well. They see that we roll on over two hundred carriers. The market is well saturated with choice.”

Buy A New Droid or A New iPhone??

August 19, 2011 by voodoodr06 1 Comment

: Image via CrunchBase

Note: This post started as me working thru my search for a smartphone to replace my elderly Motorola Droid.

I have moved the part of this posted related to the legal wranglings between Samsung and Apple to HERE.

And the portion of this post related strictly to the rumors about the upcoming Samsung Nexus Prime and the Apple iPhone 5 HERE.

This post will continue to be about just my search for a new phone and eventually I’ll include a review of that phone. Maybe. I think.

It quickly morphed into a post about the Samsung v Apple legal fight.

And now mostly is about rumors swirling around the Samsung Prime and the iPhone 5. I still have not purchased a phone, the Droid took too long.

it will probably be between the 5 and the Prime and I will probably buy a new phone in October (according to the rumors maybe even October 4th.

This post though is becoming unwieldy as it is covering 3 distinct subjects. So, when I find time maybe this weekend, I will pull out the old butcher knife and cut it up into 3 posts: 1) what phone to buy (2) Samsung vs Apple in the courts (3) Rumors re: iPhone 5 and Samsung Prime.

In the meantime, have fun.

I have a Motorola Droid. I like it a lot. I know how it works and even appreciate the phone and OS quirks although Google policies piss me off greatly.

I like the iPhone as well and have been looking forward to the iPhone 5. Always cutting edge shit from Apple.

I went with Droid because Verizon>ATT was an easy choice.

Now Verizon is offering their usual phone discount plus fifty bucks to get a new phone. Assuming I do that, because I always want new crap, what phone should I get?

a new Droid, x2
a new Droid 3
iPhone 4
wait for iPhone 5
wait for Droid Bionic (ever Verizon?)
get the Samsung Galaxy S II (never Verizon?)
wait for the Samsung Nexus Prime (was the Google Nexus Prime…now the Prime is Samsung. Of course a rose by any other name…in other words it is still a Google product. Will Apple stop suing now that Google ate up Motorola? Did you see that one coming? 12.5 BILLION)

Updated choice: Now that Google bought Motorola Mobility this tech writer says run fast cuz the Motorola name is no more

The fact that the Nexus name is no longer Googleized somehow just isn’t as bad to me.

I like Google, they survive in a MS Windows world that has killed off all other competitors. But they have policies that thwart users and even getting acceptable answers (if you can get your question to them) is nearly impossible.

Example: I have gmail on my Droid, the account was set up when I bought the phone. I was very ill at the time and a friend set it up for me. I know my nic but not my password. And my friend of course doesn’t remember, doesn’t need to. I can reach my mail on the phone because the password loads automatically. But I can’t access it on any other device.

So I went to the google/gmail site to work thru the password rest process. Easy right? Cannot do it. No way. I cannot do it even if I access the email account via the Droid.

And once I got someone at Google (god knows who, as they will not tell you) to look at my question about how to reset the password, the answer from Google was and is: you cannot reset your password UNLESS you know your password. You cannot answer any personal questions to prove you are you. You can do NOTHING. If you forgot your password you are shit out of luck. Even though my phone knows the password.

And I can’t reset it on the phone because Google wants me to manually enter the password to get access to their website.

What? I need my email password just to access the gMail/Google website?

What? Really?? WTF???

Is there another phone I should consider? Some Windows 7 phone?

Well known tech writer hates the iPhone but trembles at the thought of Android.

Trembling is a bit idiotic, no??

Update September 16th:

I received an email from Verizon @VerizonWireless offering $100 off on the new Bionic which lists from them at $299. I thought cool. I already have the ” $50 new in 2″ discount so that would make it $149, maybe I should take a look at the physical phone and pull the plus.

So I reply to the email and ask the discount question: can I combine the two discounts?

Answer….well, it took 4 emails and 3 phone calls (which I told Verizon I did not want. When I say email I mean EMAIL!) and after telling me ( 1) they did not send me a $100 discount on a Bionic email (2) they do not offer a $50 dollar “new in 2 years” discount (3) They do not discount “new” phones (only OLD phones?) and a few other pieces of shit lies, they finally said (1) yes, they sent discount emails for $100 off on the Bionic (2) they did send me the $50 discount (3) no, I was not eligible for the $100 discount even though I received the offer and still have a copy ! and a lawsuit would probably support that fact and the offer, correct or not (4) I could use the $50 discount on the Bionic, but I will never get another as they have scrapped the “new after 2 years” program (no such thing Verizon? Even though you still offer it??) and other blah blah blah

So, I broke down and visited an AT&T @ATT store. Sparse, no iPhones on display. Not the 4, not even the 3. Can’t hold one in your hand and they seemed to be without any paper info on the phone although they did have a real nice poster (!?!). I did like the feel and look of the Samsung Infuse. Nice 4.5″ display, light but comfortable in the hand. 2.2 Android, not even sure if it will update to Ice Cream crap. probably not. The HTC Windows 7 phone seemed nice ,but not 4g?

But the Windows 7 phone led me to this:

An interesting article on the future of “smartphones” Basically the premise is phones are now software items, not hardware. Something that is so obviously true that I never even thought of it. His point is that somewhere in the next 5 years or so all of us will realize it and phones will then cost $19 because the only real cost is the cost of the quality glass used for the display. The rest is cheap plastic and a few wires. The processors and memory are dirt cheap now.

He poses the question: Why did Microsoft get into the phone business? (Yes, they are an evil monster that wants to control every singles aspect of our lives. I know that. But really, why??) And his answer makes so much sense: They came to realize phones are all about the software, and they are a software company. And software is cheap. Have you seen the drop in Microsoft Office suites? So cheap now that they don’t even offer the old “upgrade” price. They just sell the newest version at the old “upgrade” price.

The updates on our phones may be a MM in size, or better glass or stronger plastic…..but really, the updates on an iPhone 4 vs iPhone 5 will be 99% software. And the difference between the iOS and the Android phones is 99% software.

So now I am wondering how stupid I am to spend my time pondering what phone to buy and when I can get the latest “software”, and wasting your time if you read this.

October 6th:

So….the iPhone 5 became the iPhone 4S??? Are you shitting me? After all of that drama???

So now I guess I wait for October 11th and the introduction of the Samsung Nexus Prime.

October 8th:

Jobs dies, Samsung & Google delay. Now the Prime is scheduled for the 27th.

Thoughts? Ideas? Likes/Dislikes?

Leave me a comment or mssg me @zenDR on the Twitterized stuff or answer the Poll.

A New iPhone or New Droid?

(polls)