Verizons repeated miscues with the iPhone
Its unlimited iPhone data plan was a differentiator from AT&T, but it could not resist moving to tiered plans. Why? Ostensibly because smartphone users are “data hogs”. Well, here is a reality check from Consumer Reports “…the median Verizon smart phone customer gets the worst deal. He pays top dollar, $30 for 2GB, and at [...]
Changing Expectations
I was flying across the US last week and was really annoyed to find that my flight didn’t have Wifi. I mean really, 6 hours without an Internet connection, how would I get anything done? Of course when I have…
The incredibly fragmenting telecom market
Ok, so the title may sound strange as we brace for another round of telecom consolidation via ATT-T-Mobile. But as I recently reviewed family and business telecom expenses for tax filings, I was impressed that AT&T and Verizon are on pace to be less than 20% of our telecom spend after being the dominant vendors [...]
The Itch is Back
The good news is I received my Gingerbread update on my Nexus One. It arrived on Wednesday morning – the day of the iPad 2 announcement (imagine that, what a coincidence). Gingerbread is very nice – it’s the first time that I can truly say that Android works as seamlessly as iOS – there aren’t any new [...]
The Honeymoon Ends in Despair: The Sad Sad Case of Verizon Wireless
For years – since the first one was released – I had an iPhone. I had the iPhone, then the 3G, the 3GS and the 4. For me to continue to acquire that fashion statement, I had to suck it up and go back to AT&T, a carrier that I hated for eons – because [...]
Android Phone Without Google Voice? Yes, But What a Deal! You Get What You Pay for @ Virgin Mobile.
News of Virgin Mobile starting to sell an Android phone is disruptive, to say the least. Not because of the phone – it’s a dinky little Samsung Intercept – but because of the plans. They are all contract-free, and start at $25. The basic level only gives you 300 minutes to talk, but it includes [...]
Burning Questions: Do telcos understand variable cost economics?
Somewhere from my fuzzy recollection of economics classes, I seem to remember that as products evolved in their lifecycles, you moved from “charge what market will bear” to “variable cost pricing “ – i.e. make sure price covers your variable costs and there is some left over to cover residual fixed costs. If anything, I [...]
Life with Evo
2 weeks ago I wrote about switching camps from iPhone to Android, and with the news today that Android is now outselling iPhone I figured I could either take credit for the shift or do something far more useful and write a short post about my experiences so far. To recap, I dumped iPhone/AT&T for [...]
Skype Blocks Fring – Or Not? Fingerpointing… But Where is Skype for Android?
Just two days ago I reported how mobile video call app Fring enabled making video calls on 3G, even to other platforms, say Skype. That was a huge improvement for iPhone users, since their native Facetime only allows iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 calls, and only over wi-fi. But the new option proved to be [...]
Fring’s Popularity BackF(i)ring
Hooray, iPhone users can now make video calls on 3G, even to other platforms, say Skype, but using the popular Fring app. Or not… The new option proved to be too popular, overwhelming Fring’s servers. This morning Fring announced suspension of support for Skype. The biggest losers are Android users on all carriers but Verizon, [...]
