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In my opinion Microsoft should move forward with the Courier and not just blow it off like another invention that will fail. I think this would rake in a lot of money and be a huge competetor to Apples IPad. I for one would wait in long lines to recieve one of these. http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet

Will my $600 gold-plated monster superconductor cable support the new standards?

It's funny to see the article showing Belkin products that seem to be marked wrong.

If the packaging seems suspect, maybe we should see some reviews?
We can trust those, right?

http://thedailybackground.com/2009/01/16/exclusive-belkins-development-rep-is-hiring-people-to-write-fake-positive-amazon-reviews/

http://www.thedailybackground.com/2009/01/21/flash-second-high-level-belkin-employee-implicated-in-wide-ranging-review-fraud/

http://i.gizmodo.com/5134652/belkin-employee-sheds-light-on-belkins-supposedly-dirty-practices

Great information in your post. I suspect the reason Microsoft doesn't go with an ODM is because it might be significantly more expensive, which would result in a more expensive phone that won't compete as well in the marketplace (see: Dell Streak @ $299).

The iPhone is an ODM product - it's made by Foxconn. An 8GB iPhone 3GS is $99 if you get it from AT&T. Of course it's not really $99, AT&T pay a kickback to Apple to cover the cost of the hardware. I've read "$20 per month" or $325. That's $325 or $480 over the cost of a 24 month contract.

Now it's hard to get an unlocked iPhone, but let's say

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/18/atandt-to-offer-unsubsidized-iphone-3g-with-no-commitment-required/

$599 for 8GB

That makes me think the value of $480 is about right and they charge you $20 extra for unlocking. Now I could be wrong of course - other figures I've seen have been lower - the contract breaking fee is max $325, which would put the hardware cost at $424. But I've never seen an unlocked iPhone sell for as low as this.

Here's the Dell Streak

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/27/dell-streak-retailing-for-299-with-contract-549-without-dell/

I.e. and 8GB iPhone 3GS costs $424 to $599 without a subsidy and $99 with. A Dell streak costs $549 with no subsidy and $299 with. Dell have cheaper hardware but they failed to negotiate a good subsidy. They get $250 and Apple get $325 to $480!

Incidentally the BOM cost for an iPhone 3GS is $179.

http://www.isuppli.com/teardowns-manufacturing-and-pricing/news/pages/iphone-3g-s-carries-178-96-bom-and-manufacturing-cost-isuppli-teardown-reveals.aspx

So Apple are making a fortune regardless of the subsidy.

Now my argument is that one of the things that AT&T and the like tend to like is locked down devices. For example on my Windows Mobile device which is unlocked I get tethering for free.

On an iPhone I'd need to pay $20 per month. Given the sort of people who buy smartphones, I think they can argue that that added average revenue per month justifies more subsidy.

http://gizmodo.com/5553135/att-iphone-tethering-an-extra-20month

So my argument is that the Apple model is an ODM'd product which is locked down where things like tethering cost extra.

Actually if I got a subsidized Windows Mobile device, they'd probably disable tethering unless I paid them too.

I.e. unlocked devices have features that sell to customers. Locked devices have those features disabled to sell to operators if they want to get a high subsidy.

Dunno about traffic stops specifically, but at least one person, Michael Hyde, has been convicted for taping cops in a public area in Massachusetts.

"Microsoft to destroy it with windows"? Lol thats hillarious. Guess that nothing more could be expected from a limited brain. The netbook market got dominated by Microsoft simply because it works. Personally I have 4 netbooks, I bought one with linux but it was a hell to make things to work. From incompatibilities on opening documents to Flash crashing, etc. I just installed windows and voila! I dont want to spend hours surfing the web researching how to fix things or make things work, I just want to turn it on and start using it, thats all. And Im not a novice computer user, Im a software developer and Im not amused to get dirty, but I simply decided to have a life. Sources: http://linux.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/10/05/123253 http://gizmodo.com/5058953/linux-netbooks-are-returned-4x-more-than-win-xp-versions-says-msi

And this is why you still can't find a decent trackball controller ala the Reflex:
http://gizmodo.com/175126/bodielobus-ps2-controller-with-trackball

Sony/MS won't release one because they know it would destroy joystick users, and no one else can make one because of patents (is my guess).

For those of us with RSS, etc., we would pay pretty much anything to get one of these. My 'one of these days' projects is to build one.

None of the phones cited were designed to be stuck in your bush.

I have a friend who worked in the emergency department in a hospital and she told me there had been cases of women who came in with phones stuck in there.

Apparently the "vibra phone" feature has more uses than one imagines at first.
 

See update 4. Completely losing your upload speed, and being unable to make a phone call, pretty much confirms a loss of all real-world signal.

You forgot 4, 5, and 6
4. No keyboard (slide out keyboards are a iPhone killers / the reason I didn't upgrade from my G1)
5. 3G service problems
6. Poor costumer support from Google

don't blame the sales model when it's really an issue of inferior hardware.

Excellent point - just like this?

It's indeed a good idea to check google street view first... you wouldn't want to accidentally run into a local quantum singularity, a giant bug, or fire

ok, maybe not an exception but he bared the least resemblance. The only clue was the arm cannon KIND of looked like a scope. You may be referring to this likeness but i mostly remember him like this .

http://gizmodo.com/5589962/htc-disputes-apple-cellphone-demo-with-deathgrip-video-of-its-own

So? HTC obviously has a problem and is denying it - and so are all you Droids. Note that Apple's video shows a very sneaky behaviour of the Android bar algorithm: the bars drop really slowly when you touch it the wrong way, but come back fast when you release it. Not as glacial as the Windows Mobile phone, but still slower than the iPhone - and it takes longer than the people hold the iPhone 4s in "death grip videos".

The real danger in an anechoic chamber is sanity. The non-reflective cones also absorb acoustics, which make the space a very strange aural experience, which can do funny things to your brain. For one you feel really, really alone, you can't even hear the echo of your own voice.

Could this be the for-real Reality Distortion Field? I knew Microsoft was trying to get in on the process, but this just takes it all to new heights.

http://gizmodo.com/5589962/htc-disputes-apple-cellphone-demo-with-deathgrip-video-of-its-own

What about the average 30% iphone (2g-3g) dropped call rate in NY?
http://gizmodo.com/5370493/apple-genius-bar-iphones-30-percent-call-drop-is-normal-in-new-york

I would assume that iphones would have a higher drop rate than most other phones. But yes, your numbers could be dead on and are pretty disturbing.

Please describe a more serious "flaw" for a cell phone than dropping calls.

Having to be rebooted every day

Four-hour battery life

I'd happily have a dropped call out of every 100 (or out of every 20, really) if I had a phone that never required a reboot and lasted all day. It's more than just a phone, after all -- if we were talking about a RAZR or a simple Nokia it'd be a different matter.

Military Zips Lips on Pain Ray Accident (An airman received second-degree burns April 4 during a test of the Defense Department’s nonlethal millimeter-wave heat beam")
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2007/11/seven-months-af/

Another type of area denial weapon at the G20 in Pittsburgh:
http://gizmodo.com/5369190/lrad-sound-cannon-used-on-pittsburgh-g20-protesters

AT&T Two months ago

In those recent drive tests, AT&T's network dropped only 1.44 percent of calls nationwide, within two-tenths of 1 percent of the industry leader and a difference of less than two calls out of 1,000.

The usual caveats apply, where this information is in aggregate. I don't know whether smartphones generally have a different dropped call rate because of usage patterns. I think that instead of measuring dropped calls they should measure dropped calls per hour of talk time, which would help normalize the data. For example, I only use my cell phone for calls that are under a minute or two.

Even so, this is far better than this old story where iPhones in NY had a 30% drop rate.

They were warned by their own antenna engineer that this was an issue.

http://gizmodo.com/5587815/top-apple-engineer-warned-jobs-about-antenna-problems

Done before, better:
http://www.wantowle.com/

Available at thinkgeek:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/portable-audio-video/cd04/

and a review:
http://gizmodo.com/5309119/owle-iphone-3gs-video-mount-is-about-as-practical-as-an-iphone-3gs-video-mount-can-be

From where I sit, Motorola / Verizon are more evil than Apple / AT&T. Well, OK, AT&T is pretty fucking evil, but the reality is that Apple has never been about open devices and so has never violated any trust with any communities, because iPhone has always been a walled garden. On the other hand Android is wide open, yet they are coupled with Verizon, notorious for locking down phones and removing features, and Motorola who knows fuck all about good software. Android + (Verizon and Motorola) seems like oil and water to me. Plus the Droid-X software seems to not be getting good reviews today: http://gizmodo.com/5587225/motorola-droid-x-review meaning that hacking it is even more desirable.

I suggest this will give a definitive answer to the investigations they have made into the antenna problem. En estimate of how many/few people are affected. And statement on what they are going to do about it, including a restatement of money back if dissatisfied, possible manufacturing changes, and a free bumper/case for existing owners.

What I don't get is for all those people complaining, why they don't return the damn thing. Honestly, given the iPhone 4 is out less than 30 days (well within most return periods) and the antenna problem surfaced the next day and was fleshed out the next week, it seems stupid that people would willingly hold onto it.

So what if there's a 3-week waiting period for it? You expect some fix? With a lawsuit silencing Apple, there's not much you can do and not much you can expect them to do without jeopardizing their case. And it certainly won't come in the 8 days left you have to return it (most offer 30 day return policies).

I have plenty of iPods, Macs, iPhones and an iPad. Even I don't see the point in waiting for a fix that may never come - just return it already and get on with life. Your old phone still works, so use it until Apple either fixes it or when the iPhone 5 comes out next year.

I know complaining is fun, but is being stuck in a 2-year contract with a phone that doesn't meet your basic needs fun? I think that's stupid. Also stupid are those who buy an iPhone 4 knowing this problem (I'll be generous and say since this week, when CR's non-recommendation hit the news everywhere (and if you didn't hear it, you probably don't know about the iPhone 4 either) and then complain about it.

Gizmodo has a nice writeup of return policies for the iPhone - http://gizmodo.com/5574502/remember-you-can-always-return-your-new-iphone - maybe the ones who can complain would be those who bought at Best Buy and RadioShack for they get screwed with the restocking fee. But AT&T and Apple don't.

Fake (or real) Steve Jobs said it right - "It's just a phone. Not worth it." If it's dropping calls as bad as the complaints are, return it. If you're happy, great. If you're complaining because it's cool and trendy, I've got better things to do in life. Given that, I'm guessing it can't be that big a problem at all with the 3-week wait for it, which would imply that there won't be a recall. Unless people are really that stupid and will fork out nearly $2000 over 2 years for something they could've just avoided. It's not a life or death situation nor a necessity (a phone might, but what were you using before?).

Vote with your wallet and return it. Apple probably won't fix it in time so you can return it. I suggest returning it while you still can rather than waiting for a recall that may or may not happen at all.

I guess I'm tired of complainers who don't see the most obvious solution to their problem. Sure it's nice if Apple fixes it, but why rely on that?

Some believe that there already is a second iPhone 4 with the Signal and Proximity detection issues solved. They are also saying that Apple are silently replacing the faulty iPhone 4 models with the new one for anyone that brings their faulty one in for repair.

Some googling found this:
http://gizmodo.com/5586256/is-apple-silently-recalling-the-iphone-4-now

I think I first heard it via The Register.

"... researchers were able to use IP-mapping services to get a general idea of user's location... Chatroulette is now testing a new feature called Localroulette, which connects people from specific cities with one another."

Congratulations researchers, you've discovered chatroulette's new features.

Please tell me taxpayers didn't pay for this research :( "... researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder and McGill University ..."

DOH!

they weren't researching anything, network admin probably noticed IP logs of them spending all day on chatroulette and they had to come up with some excuse.

*phone rings*
Person answering: Hello?
Admin: is this the research office of (BLANK)?
"Researcher": Yes it is
Admin: I'm the network admin for (insert "prestigious" university) and we've noticed someone in your office has spent the last 4 months on a website by the name of "chatroulette". Do you know anything about this?
"Researcher": Um.... what's the website?
Admin: Chatroulette
"Researcher": ..... no, no doesn't ring a bell
Admin: Well if you notice anyone please let us know. The website is known for inappropriate content (NSFW) and we'll be monitoring the PC logins of the individuals and alert campus security once we know who is visiting the website.
"Researcher": OH Chatroulette! Oh yes I'm very familiar with that website, we're researching it
Admin: Research?
"Researcher": Yes research. We're... um, "probing" it's vulnerabilities, looking for "gaping holes" that "expose" users (chuckle)
Admin: gaping holes?
"Researcher": smiling Yes gaping holes... in security
Admin: Oh i see... well thank you for letting me know, I'll note this in the logs
"Researcher": You do that, have a good afternoon
Admin: You too

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2007/10/robot-cannon-ki/

http://gizmodo.com/312443/robot-cannon-goes-berserk-kills-9

It's just a reaction to North Korea dropping hot chicks from the sky: http://gizmodo.com/5580656/global-alarm-north-korea-now-has-flying-traffic-girls

Are you seriously saying anyone would pay as much as $1 for a fart app?

Sadly, yes:

31 Fart Apps in 90 Seconds

iPhone Fart App Rakes in $10,000 a Day

iFart vs. Pull My Finger: The Battle for iPhone Fart App Supremacy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-7K-ZPaLa8 Check out this sea flight view of the gulf. This is what the blimp will see

http://gizmodo.com/5547548/the-gulf-disaster-video-that-bp-doesnt-want-you-to-see Maybe they should send some subs for more pics like this?

http://gizmodo.com/5542969/gulf-oil-disaster-looks-very-scary-says-astronaut Hey, we already have space pics.....the blimp is really going to help

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ALAvTeRMYc&feature=related Ex Shell CEO saying "Its not going to stop"

http://www.helium.com/items/1864136-how-the-ultimate-bp-gulf-disaster-could-kill-millions Now this is an interesting theory. The probability of course is unknown. Any thoughts from geologists who are experts on the gulf sea floor or with enough knowledge they could call themselves an expert witness, might shed some light. And, well Sarah Palin is calling for "divine intervention" on her twitter feed....damn if only she were president things would really be moving along....hah.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-7K-ZPaLa8 Check out this sea flight view of the gulf. This is what the blimp will see

http://gizmodo.com/5547548/the-gulf-disaster-video-that-bp-doesnt-want-you-to-see Maybe they should send some subs for more pics like this?

http://gizmodo.com/5542969/gulf-oil-disaster-looks-very-scary-says-astronaut Hey, we already have space pics.....the blimp is really going to help

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ALAvTeRMYc&feature=related Ex Shell CEO saying "Its not going to stop"

http://www.helium.com/items/1864136-how-the-ultimate-bp-gulf-disaster-could-kill-millions Now this is an interesting theory. The probability of course is unknown. Any thoughts from geologists who are experts on the gulf sea floor or with enough knowledge they could call themselves an expert witness, might shed some light. And, well Sarah Palin is calling for "divine intervention" on her twitter feed....damn if only she were president things would really be moving along....hah.

Sure, giving them time to resolve the issue is reasonable. However, there has been no official commitment from them stating they intend to do so.

The software fix does not address antenna issues; some experts have chimed in stating it's an antenna design problem; and Apple's only official stance so far is - buy and use a bumper case, or just don't touch the phone on the lower left side.

and to maximize the market... Microsoft just killed Kin

3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following:

a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,

b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,

c) Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the program in object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)

For the Nexus One, HTC waited around 6 months after releasing the phone to release the kernel source. The HTC Hero still doesn't have the most current source released.

It's sad to see that the manufacturer of flagship phones for every major US mobile phone carrier (other than AT&T) has no respect for the GPL and has reduced developers to reverse engineering Linux kernel sources, asking clueless customer service reps for a source release, and generally trying everything they can think of without getting any positive results at all.

There is also a lot of evidence that Apple knew of the yellow tint issue affecting iMac screens and did their best to make customers keep the faulty screens. IMHO it's not so different.

Heck, even the iPhone 4 is a few months old.

Some examples of blind tests, purporting there is no difference. None.

You have metal around the case to bring the front and back pieces together. Why not make that piece of metal useful?

Sounds like reasonable engineering to me, except for the fact that it ended up introducing a new problem.

You don't design a billion dollar product based on what "seems reasonable". You design it based on the ideas of the best goddamn engineers you can find, and do exhaustive testing.

The problem at Apple is that the higher-ups get so entranced in design work that they might push too hard to make their engineers "deal with it". If an engineer told steve jobs "no, you can't do that", Jobs would probably fire him and find and engineer that said he could do it, even if that engineer was either just covering his ass, or was too optimistic.

And then they required all the testers to have covers on their phones to make it look like an iphone 3G, which masked the meat-to-antenna issue.

gizmodo posted a good article on the issue yesterday: http://gizmodo.com/5575412/apple-design-vs-apple-engineering

It is systematic, not accidental.
-Taylor

...what has that analogy got to do with filming a *public event* on public property and then subsequently filming *public servants* going about their *public duties*??

Well, you might embarrass them, or catch them doing something they shouldn't. Since they automatically have the advantage in any "he says, she says" kind of encounter, the solution from their perspective is obvious. Many places are making it illegal to photograph or record police.

Are you sure it's reception that's the problem? One test I've seen (update 4) indicates that you can still get downloads, but the upload and ping go completely away. Theoretically boosting transmit power should help that issue.

Irrespective of the possibility of fixing the issue in software (on which subject I expect there will be no shortage of ill-informed opining here), Dilger's not what you'd call a trustworthy source.

Because the people who broke this "story" are such a trustworthy bunch with no scores to settle ? This whole thing is a non-story and only useful as link bait for the tech "press" while the iphone 4 is hot.

missing link: http://gizmodo.com/5573201/did-concealment-of-prototype-iphone-4-devices-mask-reception-issues

In flight simulation they have talked about so-called 20/20 displays for decades. (I think that terminology is a bit better than "retinal display" since it accounts for people's varying visual acuity.) Medical imaging has also long been a driver of big high-resolution display tech.

N8 will be the last "flagship" model running Symbian ^3 http://gizmodo.com/5571633/nokia-ditching-symbian-for-n+series-phones

I see, so you think one needs a pen for resistive touchscreen device... (and it's now also about the style of the casing? Well, not only other manufacturers don't necessarily follow it - Apple doesn't innovate much)

I sincerely hope android destroys the iphone.

Looks like Cupertino might have given them a hand on that...not enough data yet to pull out the failboat, but it doesn't look promising...

As an aside, I will admit that the source above might not be the most objective; but I likely wouldn't link it if it were one person, one device, on each item so far...time will tell if we see other sites getting the same reports and all.

I sincerely hope android destroys the iphone.

Looks like Cupertino might have given them a hand on that...not enough data yet to pull out the failboat, but it doesn't look promising...

As an aside, I will admit that the source above might not be the most objective; but I likely wouldn't link it if it were one person, one device, on each item so far...time will tell if we see other sites getting the same reports and all.

they are computers with massively reduced user freedom

I think it's an appliance in the same way that my PS3 is an appliance. There is a computer under the covers and the device is quite general purpose, but in the end its an appliance because I don't have the freedom to tinker.

I think "computer with massively reduced user freedom" could be part of a decent definition of appliance.

I am getting sick of the game console comparisons. People are NOT replacing real computers with gaming consoles, but there's an increasing push(especially by Apple fanboys) that the iDevices are the future of computing.

Read about how a 'network security expert' replaced this laptop with an iPad --> http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1693064&cid=32641740

Read these articles about how the iPad is supposed to take over computing and make desktops and laptop obsolete:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9175600/The_iPad_is_the_future_for_home_computing
http://gizmodo.com/5506692/ipad-is-the-future
http://www.macworld.com/article/146038/2010/01/ipad_future_shock.html
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/02/ipad-future/
http://techcrunch.com/2010/01/27/ipad/

Gaming consoles were never considered the future of computing, that's why they don't represent a threat to freedom. This is the reason that people are justifiably upset about Apple's restrictions.

Really? Again with the "desktop dead" speech? Haven't I heard this in 2006, 2007 and 2009? Does this guy really need to redo the same article we've been hearing for 4 years?

Author claims 2009 was the first year laptop sales surpassed desktop, but they were saying the same thing in 2008 and 2009.

The "desktop dead" story is dead, stop beating a dead horse.

boat
boats ?
http://gizmodo.com/5124265/helicopters-used-to-fix-giant-wind-turbines

And twice the price of human blood.