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Will AT&T burn you with the new iPhone? June 19, 2008

Posted by Bryan in : Apple, New Products, PDAs/Smartphones , 2 comments

Are you one of the loyal AT&T customers who will have to pay full price to upgrade to the new version of the iPhone?

The jaw-droppingly low, AT&T subsidized rate for the newest iteration of the iPhone was one of the biggest announcements of Job’s keynote speech at Apple’s WWDC. But don’t get caught up in the hype. $199 is a great price for an 8 gig iPhone, but a whole lot of people won’t be able to get it. Ironically, this group is the one you would expect AT&T would least like to ostracize - their loyal customers.

In a discussion with an AT&T representative yesterday we confirmed that the $199 (8gb) and $299 (16gb) prices are only for new customers or customers eligible to upgrade based on their time in contract. A large group of people who recently upgraded are going to be out of luck.

The first version of the iPhone was clearly a product for early adopters who were willing to pay a premium for the new, cool gadget. In terms of market targeting, this version *should* be the version for the mass adopters - and the price suggests they are ready to target that group. But the usefulness of such a price drop is lost when a majority of potential purchasers will have to pay full price. By making this offer unavailable to the current AT&T masses AT&T has effectively reduced it’s target base to the three people in the US who don’t already have a cell phone and the small percentage of people who are available to upgrade at release.

QuickTip: Fixing a Bluetooth® pairing problem in MacOS January 13, 2008

Posted by Bryan in : Apple, PDAs/Smartphones, QuickTips, Tips , add a comment

If you’re having problems pairing a Bluetooth® device (for example a phone or PDA) with your Mac here is a quick suggestion. Make sure that your computer’s name (listed under System Preferences –> Sharing) is less than 20 characters. Longer names can cause problems with the pairing process in some versions of MacOS.

Treo or Blackberry: Which one’s right for you? June 4, 2007

Posted by Jeff in : PDAs/Smartphones, Reviews, Tips , 10 comments

Lately I’ve been getting this question a lot… “What’s better? Treo or Blackberry?” The answer isn’t so simple. It’s really a matter of personal preference and technical prowess. Even as someone who has owned both, it’s a tough choice.

I come from a Palm® background. I’ve used Palm® devices for about 10 years now, and in many different flavors. I will tell you up front that I am a little biased, only because of the 3rd party applications I’ve purchased over the years - that I can’t seem to live without - which I’ve transferred from one device to another. The reason I decided to combine the functionality of the Palm® and phone was purely self preservation. I was driving one day, talking on my cell, and I had to look up a number on my Palm®. I almost drove off the road.
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