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February 09, 2010
Windows 7 and batteries: Shooting the messenger
Windows 7 is a pretty cool operating system - I think it's the best version of Windows that Microsoft has released. But some notebook PC owners would beg to differ.
Last week, reports arose that Microsoft was looking into a message some Windows 7 users were seeing. A warning box appears saying:
Consider replacing your battery. There is a problem with your battery, so your computer might shut down suddenly.
However, user in Windows forums have been complaining about this alert since last year, when the betas and release candidate of Windows 7 were circulating.
Ina Fried of News.com, among others, reported that Microsoft believed initially it was a firmware of the notebooks, and not its operating system:
Microsoft says it is looking into a problem that is causing some Windows 7 users to get a warning that there is a problem with their battery when, in fact, there is not.
"We are investigating this issue in conjunction with our hardware partners, which appears to be related to system firmware," a Microsoft representative said in a statement on Tuesday.
Now, Microsoft has some bad news for those seeing the message: Your batteries are, indeed, dying. Steve Sinofsky, president of Microsoft's Windows division and the man who oversaw Win7's development, writes in the Engineering Windows 7 blog that it's not a bug, it's a feature:
Several press articles this past week have drawn attention to blog and forum postings by users claiming Windows 7 is warning them to "consider replacing your battery" in systems which appeared to be operating satisfactorily before upgrading to Windows 7. These articles described posts in the support forums indicating that Windows 7 is not just warning users of failing batteries - as we designed Windows 7 to do this - but also implying Windows 7 is falsely reporting this situation or even worse, causing these batteries to fail. To the very best of the collective ecosystem knowledge, Windows 7 is correctly warning batteries that are in fact failing and Windows 7 is neither incorrectly reporting on battery status nor in any way whatsoever causing batteries to reach this state. In every case we have been able to identify the battery being reported on was in fact in need of recommended replacement.
Using all the tools at our disposal including contacting customers reporting this issue on forums, customer service communications, partnerships with our PC makers, and of course the telemetry in Windows 7, we have been monitoring reports and discussions regarding this new feature, trying to separate reports of the designed behavior from those that might indicate an issue with Windows 7. In the latter cases we are trying to understand the scope of applicability and obtain hardware on which to reproduce a faulty behavior. To date all such steps indicate that we do have customers seeing reports of battery health issues and in all cases we have investigated Windows 7 has simply accurately detected a failing battery. . . .
Sinofsky offers some details on just what Microsoft looked at in its study, and some of its findings. Among one of the most interesting:
We have seen no reproducible reports of this notification on new hardware or newly purchased PCs. While we've seen the reports of new PCs receiving this notification, in all cases we have established that the battery was in a degraded state.
In other words, some of the reports involved batteries on brand new PCs, but the batteries were indeed in bad shape — which doesn't speak well to quality control, if true.
The post is full of technical detail on how Windows 7 judges the quality of a battery, and what triggers the alert. If you're a notebook owner, it's worth reading.
As you'd expect, the answer isn't sitting well with those who are getting the error and believe their notebook batteries are just fine — see the comments under the Microsoft blog entry. They point out that the same problem doesn't happen with Vista or other, older versions of Windows.
Of course, if Windows 7 is indeed "smarter" about battery quality, it may be reporting information not taken into account by previous Windows versions. And Sinofsky says there's no similar warning in previous versions of Windows.
It looks like this is a case of shooting the messenger, but Microsoft should continue to study it. Of course, as Windows 7 notebooks age, there will be more and more of these notifications popping up. It's information that's good to have, even if it doesn't make you very happy to see it.
Posted by Dwight at 08:09 AM in Hardware, Microsoft
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• Data and Games Flow In, and Dollars Flow Out - Americans are expected to spend an average $1,000 this year on digital connectivity and entertainment.
• Google Could Unveil Gmail's Social Features Tomorrow - Google's reportedly working on Twitter-like status notifications for Gmail. Already, the silly "Twitter killer" stories have begun. Sigh.
• The iPad Tweet That Enraged Steve Jobs? - Did a journalist's tweet about the iPad (and from an iPad) cause Jobs to throw a tantrum? Also Apple Job Posting Suggests Video Recording Coming to Future iPad Models
• Apple Management: iPad Prices Could Change - Apple executives reportedly tell analysts that, if the iPad doesn't sell as expected, prices could be dropped.
• iPhone 4G Parts are Here... - A company that repairs iPods and iPhones claims to have received some parts destined for the next iPhone.
• Apple To Upgrade MacBook Pros Tuesday Ahead Of Macworld Conference? - With faster processors.
• Android Market Share Doubles - Will Overtake Palm Soon - In the mobile phone market. In fact, only Android and Apple are gaining share; everyone else is losing it, according to these comScore numbers.
• Microsoft Declares The Windows 7 Battery Bug A Feature - Some Windows 7 users have been complaining that the OS is telling them their batteries are dying. Microsoft says it's not a glitch: those batteries ARE toast!
• More Authors Signing Exclusive Kindle Deals - As the result of higher royalty rates on Kindle books.
• Nook to reach Barnes & Noble shops this Wednesday - Though it's not clear how many units will be for sale at each store.
• Foursquare Signs a Deal With Zagat and Beyond The Badge: Big Media Brands Strike Foursquare Deals - Location-based information services are next big thing.
• Google Customer Service Number Now Live - Got troubles with your Nexus One? Now you can actually call Google for help.
• Sprint May Buy MetroPCS, Collins Stewart Analyst Says
• Motorola Droid's next update to be Android 2.1, includes multitouch browser - It's the same version as on the Nexus One. And Motorola: Droid update to Android 2.1 'will start to roll out this week'
• Report: Streaming video drove 72% global increase in mobile data consumption
• Job Postings Hint at Amazon's Plans for the Kindle - They're looking for engineers who know about color screens and Wi-Fi.
Posted by Dwight at 06:35 AM in Linkposts
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February 08, 2010
Verizon blocking 4chan: Someone's doing it wrong [Updated]
If you're at all aware of Internet culture, then you're under the influence of the Web image board 4chan, even if you've never been to the site. It's one of the sources of such popular memes as LOLcats and FAIL. While those are fun, 4chan has a dark side -- it's home to some of the nastiest and disturbing images you'll see, if you know where to look.
It's also headquarters for the online collective called Anonymous, which gets its lulz by harassing individuals and organizations, most notably the Church of Scientology. Some of those who've angered Anonymous have been subjected to ferocious digital swarms known as raids.
This is not an entity cautious people want to mess with, but apparently Verizon doesn't fall into that category. The telecom company is blocking access to 4chan's image boards from its network.
Founder Christopher "Moot" Poole wrote Sunday in 4chan's status blog that he had been hearing about connection problems from Verizon customers for several days. Sunday night, Verizon's Network Repair Bureau told Poole that boards.4chan.org had been "explicitly blocked".
Poole gave out two phone numbers for Verizon support and urged those wishing to reach 4chan via the carrier's network to "file a complaint". And ReadWriteWeb reports that the board's users have been doing just that:
A Verizon NRB rep said their center has been deluged with phone calls but was unable to relate the specific reason the site has been blocked.
I tried to reach 4chan via a Palm Pre Plus I'm testing, and sure enough, I could not reach the site over Verizon's network.
Now, there may be many reasons why 4chan is being blocked. Verizon's network operators may believe, rightly or wrongly, that a Denial of Service again is being launched from the IP range that includes 4chan's servers.That has happened before, but with AT&T. From the ReadWriteWeb entry:
This incident calls to mind AT&T's temporary blocking of the site in July 2009. Eventually, AT&T said the block was due to a DDoS originating from 4chan IP addresses, to which Poole responded, "We're glad to see this short-lived debacle has prompted renewed interest and debate over net neutrality and Internet censorship - two very important issues that don't get nearly enough attention - so perhaps this was all just a blessing in disguise."
Or, it's possible that someone at Verizon stumbled into some of the adult-only posting areas and was traumatized from the visit.
I hope it's not the latter. While there are indeed some evil things lurking on 4chan and I choose not to visit the site, I am not sure I'd want my Internet provider making that decision for me.
It will be interesting to see what Verizon has to say.
Update: Verizon wireless spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said via Twitter that 4chan is no longer blocked. Apparently, "4chan Web sites" were launching network attacks.
Nelson didn't have details - I've asked him for more information - but in another tweet he referred to "some of its other sites".
Update 2.0: Nelson replies via Twitter to my query:
@dsilverman don't know which sites, but there were 2.
He also posted a series of updates responding to general questions he'd been getting:
2 4Chan sites where attacks were coming from now all clear. Access will be restored tonight.
Verizon doesn't monitor wireless web connections for content, communication type or style. We will ward off attacks on our network.
Verizon Wireless doesn't care where you browse: CNN, 4Chan, Boy Genius, Twitter. We will give you the best network to connect through.
Update 3.0: Jim Gerace, Verizon's VP of corporate communications, has a little more information on the company's PolicyBlog.
Recently, Verizon Wireless security and external experts detected attacks from an IP address associated with the 4Chan family of web sites that was disruptive to our customers and our network. To protect both, we eliminated connectivity to the IP address. At no time was 4Chan itself blocked. Ongoing network security team monitoring has now determined there is no longer an immediate threat. Connectivity to those sites is being restored later today.
Typically, these attacks involve someone sending hundreds of thousands of messages to wireless devices to round up active customer addresses for follow-up activity including hacker attacks. These "sweeps" can jam our network and deliver unwanted electronic messages that also can drain customer devices' battery life and slow their operation.
Posted by Dwight at 07:53 AM in Internet service providers, Tech & society
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• Apple iPad Hoopla Fails to Convince Buyers - Apple's iPad launch hasn't convinced potential owners that this is a must-have device. Only 9 percent of responders said they'd like to buy one.
• White House Makes Full Copyright Claim on Photos - Even though U.S. government policy requires otherwise.
• Zeus Attack Spoofs NSA, Targets .gov and .mil - It's possible a large number of federal sites have been compromised by the Zeus Trojan.
• Chinese Black-Hat Hackers Arrested - A training site for Chinese hackers has been closed down by the Chinese government. For now, there's no indication whether this group is associated with the attacks on Google and other U.S. companies.
• Verizon Blocks 4chan - No reason given for blocking the controversial image board.
• Happy camper - Linux creator Linus Torvalds makes the leap to Google's Nexus One, and he really likes it. Android, of course, is built on Linux.
• Google leaps language barrier with translator phone - The phone, which won't be ready for a few years, combines voice recognition with Google Translate. Insert your favorite Babel Fish joke here.
• Super Bowl Sunday: The Biggest Day in Sports and Advertising - You can watch all the Super Bowl ads on YouTube. Also Top 10 Super Bowl tech ads
• SAP's Chief Executive Apotheker Resigns, McDermott, Snabe Named Co-CEOs
• Iran's Internet Fails Ahead of Protests - Scheduled protests are coming up, and the Internet in Iran has slowed to a crawl.
• How to split up the US - Using friend connections, keywords and location, a researcher redivides the U.S. based on Facebook data. You'll be happy to know we live in "Greater Texas" . . . until you realize it includes Oklahoma.
Posted by Dwight at 06:35 AM in Linkposts
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February 07, 2010
Linkpost | 2.7.2010
• Google Nexus One 3G Issues Still Lurking - Kevin C. Tofel discovers the update to the Nexus One may not have helped some users who were having problems getting and keeping a 3G data connection through T-Mobile.
• Windows Phone 7 Details Emerge From The Depths - If the information from PPCGeeks is correct, Windows 7 = Zune phone. Interesting note: No more multitasking. Also Apple Waiting For Windows 7 Mobile Before iPhone Announcement?
• Proposed battery restrictions could crimp e-commerce, air travel - Exemptions on transporting smaller batteries may be removed, causing headaches for travelers and those shipping battery-powered devices by air.
• Lithium-Ion Battery Life Could Reach 20 Years - Batteries could last over 10,000 recharges.
• Internet HoneyGrid reveals 95% of User Generated Content is spam or malicious - Based on survey from Websense Security Labs
• The Future of Web Content - HTML5, Flash & Mobile Apps - Brightcove CEO Jeremy Allaire looks at how these various technologies fit into the future of the Web. Long, but worth reading. Also Adobe CTO promises better Mac performance in Flash 10.1
• Buy Now, Pay Later (Maybe With Your Allowance) - Here's the first "credit" system for kids.
• Conan Who? NBC Disappears "The Tonight Show" From the Web. - Most evidence of Conan O'Brien's existence vanishes from NBC's site.
• Still Pining For An "iTablet"? UK Company X2 Has Named Their Windows 7 Tablet Just That - It will be available in April, but pricing hasn't been set yet.
• 'Don't Be Evil,' Meet 'Spy on Everyone': How the NSA Deal Could Kill Google - Google has asked the agency for help with its Chinese hacker problem. Could the NSA's reputation for "overcollecting" kill the trust people have in Google? Also FBI's Most Wanted: Your Browsing Activity
• Updated: Google to Air "Search Stories" Ad During Super Bowl... - Is this Google's first Super Bowl ad?
Posted by Dwight at 09:46 AM in Linkposts
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February 06, 2010
Linkpost | 2.6.2010
• Macmillan Books Return to Amazon After Dispute - Terms of the resolution were not disclosed, but the price of Macmillan's e-books are likely to be higher than they were.
• Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for February 2010 - This month's Patch Tuesday includes a fix for a bug that's been around since the days of DOS.
• Toyota's lesson: Software can be unsafe at any speed - People are imperfect. People make software. Therefore, software is imperfect - including the code that controls your car.
• Mozilla ends Firefox support for Mac OS Tiger - Mozilla to Mac OS X 10.4 users: Evolve or die.
• FCC worries about iPad bandwidth congestion - Will Apple sell enough 3G-capable iPads to make this a real concern early on?
• Apple's A4 chip: Engineers correct stupid journalist - VentureBeat's Paul Boutin asks how Apple's new processor really benefits the iPad. He gets a lot of interesting answers.
• Google Recommends The Competition On Your Business "Place" Page - The "Nearby places you might like" may show potential customers competitors for your business.
• Forrester tells analysts no more personally-branded research blogs with interesting implications for analyst relations and Forrester crimps bloggers: epic E2.0 fail
• NBC Airing Emmys Live For The First Time, Thanks To Twitter - No delay for folks on the West Coast, because they can find out who won via Twitter and Facebook anyway.
• Faster, Simpler Photo Uploads - Facebook has an improved photo uploader to go along with its redesign.
• Kindle: more than an e-book reader, it's a development platform - Amazon opens enrollment in its developers' program.
Posted by Dwight at 11:20 AM in Linkposts
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February 05, 2010
Siri: This iPhone app may or may not be able to help
In the 1990s, Bob Stearns, Compaq's chief technical and strategy officer, showed me an impressive, voice-activated service called Wildfire. It acted as a virtual personal assistant, doing everything from screening calls to tracking down contacts. With its cheery female voice - it greeted you with an enthusiastic "Oh, hi!" - and excellent voice recognition, it was cool for its time.
Wildfire's direct descendant is Siri, a new iPhone app that takes the notion of a virtual assistant a step further. The app interacts with a number of online services and Web information to quickly find what you're looking through voice queries.
(The App Store description says it's "optimized" for iPhone 3GS models, but Siri's performance was just fine on my older and slower 3G.)
Once you install the app and sign up for the free service, you're shown a list of things you can ask for, ranging from restaurants to movies to taxis.
The voice recognition - which is provided by Nuance, the same company that offers the excellent Dragon Dictation app - is very good, and understood nearly all my queries. However, Siri sometimes couldn't find the information I wanted.
For example, I thought it might be nice to have a yummy omelet for breakfast this morning. I asked Siri to find restaurants near me serving them. The app came up empty handed.
OK, fine. Maybe some places don't make it known on the Web that they have omelets. How about breakfast tacos? Since this is Houston, surely Siri would have something for me. But no . . . I got similar results for what's surely the National Breakfast of Texas.
Oh well. Fortunately I have some Frosted Mini-Wheats in the pantry . . .
A was a little luckier with movies. I have yet to see Up in the Air, which has been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, so I asked for show times for that film. Bingo! Siri displayed showtimes and, for a handful of theater listings, I could buy tickets thought the app.
Well, in theory, anyway.
I seriously doubt that online tickets are "sold out". I suspect instead that the source Siri uses for buying tickets is having trouble of some kind.
So my first two attempts to use Siri after downloading it failed. That's not a good sign. However, others seem to be having better luck.
The app looks like it has potential, but other, similar offerings - such as AroundMe and Where - are more mature and seem to return better results. I'll keep Siri on my phone and see if it gets better over time.
Posted by Dwight at 08:18 AM in Cell phones & telephony, Software, iPhone
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Open comments and February’s Geek Gathering
Oh, look! It's the weekly open-comment thread on TechBlog!
If you're a veteran visitor here, then you know what to do: Leave a comment that's related to anything having to do with personal technology, and I'll approve it.
And if you're new and didn't know . . . well, now you do!
Whether you're a regular here or not, you should make plans to stop by the Geek Gathering, the monthly meet-up for listeners of Technology Bytes, the radio show I co-host.
Join me, Jay Lee, Barrett Canon, Terry "phliKtid" Leifeste and Groovehouse starting about 7:30 p.m. tonight at The Coffee Groundz, at the corner of Bagby at McGowen.
The Coffee Groundz has plenty of food, alcohol, coffee (of course!) and free Wi-Fi. Bring your gear and get your geek on. And be prepared to marvel at Barrett and his collection of arduinos - small, programmable robots and circuits that can do some interesting things.
We'll see you there!
Posted by Dwight at 07:00 AM in Open-comment Fridays
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• Google Asks Spy Agency for Help With Inquiry Into Cyberattacks - Google asking for technical help from National Security Agency. Also House Passes Cybersecurity Bill
• How Wi-Fi attackers are poisoning Web browsers - They're accessing your computer via the browser cache when you're attached to open Wi-Fi networks, a security firm claims.
• Microsoft warns of IE flaw, turns PC into public file server - By poisoning the browser cache when Internet Explorer isn't running in protected mode.
• Buy Office 2007, get 2010 free? Microsoft posts, pulls deal - Microsoft's accident may hint at promotional deals for Office 2010.
• Measuring Our Work by Its Broad Impact - Microsoft responds to a scathing NYT piece by former executive Dick Brass, indicating success is how much its products matter, as opposed to whether they're first to market.
• Steve Jobs in Secret New York Meeting With Top Times Execs - At the tony restaurant Pranna. For a speculative take on what might have gone down, check out Fake Steve Jobs' blog. (Language alert!)
• Apple prohibits App Store devs from using location-based ads and Apple Tells A Developer To Erase Android Mention From App Description - Looks like reform of the app store approval process still has a long way to go.
• Siri launches an iPhone personal assistant that actually works - Use voice to tell Siri what you want to do - such as make restaurant reservations - and it will do it. Many times, it gets it right.
• Apple Paying Out 15% On Broken 27-Inch iMacs - In the U.K. Though it turns out, it's to help pay for shipping the big systems back.
• Sony interested in challenging Apple's iPad - As are a lot of other manufacturers.
• The $9.99 Ebook Is Dead: Third Major Publisher Hachette Dumps on Amazon - Hachette joins Macmillan and HarperCollins to move to an agency model, which means more expensive e-books for you.
• Touchscreen Alone on Kindle Isn't Enough to Compete With Future Devices - It's going to be competing against devices with many more capabilities.
• Google Maps To Add "Google Store Views" - Soon, you'll be able to see inside a store, not just its front door.
• Facebook Begins Rolling Out New Home Page Design
• Comcast-NBCU Hearings: Zucker Confronted About Hulu's Boxee Block - During a congressional hearing. And Boxee responds to NBC's Jeff Zucker
• Department of Justice objects to revised Google Books settlement - Changes made to the settlement didn't mollify the feds.
Posted by Dwight at 06:35 AM in Linkposts
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February 04, 2010
Ask TechBlog: What's a computer?
During Wednesday night's episode of Technology Bytes, my co-hosts and I launched into a discussion about what really constitutes a computer. What you think would be a simple question to answer turned into a rousing debate.
The question stemmed from the iPad launch last week. Terry "phliKtid" Leifeste suggested that the iPad was not really a computer, because you couldn't really choose what to run on it. You were stuck with the iPhone OS, couldn't sub out the operating system or access the under-the-hood parts of the device.
In fact, phliKtid further argued, smartphones are not computers. He classified such devices as appliances.
I, on the other hand, argued they certainly are computers, because they have all the components thereof - a CPU, memory, storage, graphics and audio subsystems. They accept input and deliver output. They compute, therefore they're computers.
You can hear the discussion via our podcast. The MP3 file is here; you can stream the episode here. The segment starts at about the 5:40 mark.
A similar conversation broke out in the comments under my entry about getting to try out the iPad last week.
But I'd like to hear from the TechBlog community in more detail. What do you think: Are smartphones and devices like the iPad true computers? I'd throw other specialized devices, such as the Kindle, into the mix as well.
Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Posted by Dwight at 07:04 AM in Apple, Hardware
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Updated 2:40 p.m.
• Microsoft's Creative Destruction - Former employee Dick Brass blames intense internal competition for Microsoft's creative implosion.
• Commenting on Engadget: a human's guide - Comments are back, if you want them ... they can now be hidden (just as they can on chron.com news stories).
• AT&T Gives Green Light to Sling TV Over 3G - After initially denying it, AT&T will let people watch their Sling TVs over its 3G network.
• Verizon Wireless tops J.D. Power Customer Care Survey, T-Mobile a hair behind and AT&T Earns Top Ranking for Wireless Customer Loyalty in Leading Marketing Research Study
• A pretty chart of top apps for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry
• Amazon Is Said to Buy Touch-Screen Company - Expect that technology to be incorporated into future Kindles.
• Nearly 95 Percent of e-Reader Owners Are Happy With Their Devices
• Symbian Operating System, Now Open Source and Free and New, Open Symbian Looks Beyond Smartphones - Previously a proprietary phone OS, it's now available for anyone to use for free. Look for it to show up in devices other than phones.
• Download The Weather Channel Android App from your TV! - Scan a bar code that appears on your TV on the Weather Channel to download the app to your Android phone.
• Is Android buzz starting to tarnish the iPhone's luster? - Now that the Nexus One supports multitouch with its latest update, it's starting to gain an edge on the phone now considered to be the best smartphone experience.
• Apple Now Lets You Preview iPhone Apps In Your Browser - Apps have been added to the iTunes Preview feature.
• From MSFT evangelist to Mac enthusiast - the other side of the road - Don Dodge, a former developer evangelist for Microsoft, has discovered the joy of Macs now that he's working for Google. And Windows veteran Mike Nash to leave Microsoft
• Why Google is Bad for the Newspaper Business and He Calls Google A Vampire, But Mark Cuban's Mahalo Is Doing The Sucking - Mark Cuban disses aggregators, but he's an investor in one.
• Report Details Hacks Targeting Google, Others - It's bigger than anyone realizes, says the report, with thousands of companies being targeted.
• Another Googler Joins the Obama Administration-Now We've Got a Foursome! -- Sumit Agarwal is now the deputy assistant secretary of defense for outreach and social media in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense. Whew!
• Monster buys Yahoo's HotJobs for $225 million - Online classifieds continue to consolidate.
• Flying Around With Hovercards - New feature on Twitter's Web site gives you more information about who's talking. It's being slowly rolled out; not everyone will get this at once.
• Sun's Chief Executive Tweets His Resignation - Now that Sun's been bought by Oracle, Jonathan Schwartz says goodbye in a Twitter haiku.
• Have a Medical Question: Text a Group of Doctors - For $50 a pop. For now, it's only open to a select few (including reporters), but will soon be available to patients.
• Comcast smears the XFINITY brand across all its services - Starting first in 11 markets (Houston isn't one of them).
Posted by Dwight at 06:35 AM in Linkposts
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February 03, 2010
iPhone vs. Nexus One: a tale of two phones
During last week's California pilgrimage, I carried two phones with me: my iPhone 3G, and the Nexus One review unit I got from Google. Since I was going into San Francisco, where AT&T's network is notoriously overloaded, I wanted to see how the two phones compared.
I also planned to use them in the newsgathering process for the iPad launch. Obviously, they'd be used to communicate with my editors, but I'd also use them for quick research when I wasn't able to access my notebook computer. I also planned to use them as part of the coverage, for photos and video.
Here are some conclusions:
• My iPhone was indeed painful to use in San Francisco, and my most acute problems were with AT&T's voice service. I probably had more dropped calls than successfully completed ones, and there were many times when I simply couldn't make or receive calls. In fact, at one point I was waiting for an analyst to call me back for an interview, and the call didn't come. But I did get an e-mail from the analyst's PR person, saying I had not answered my phone and asking if still wanted to chat. (I had the analyst call me on my hotel's landline.) I tried calling myself and leaving voice mail — not only did my iPhone not ring, but I didn't get the voicemail notification for about an hour.
• When I was able to make, receive and sustain a voice call, people on the other end often complained my voice was "breaking up", or that it was garbled. At one point, I left some information about a story I was writing on an editor's voice mail, and she later told the message was too "fuzzy and broken up" to understand. (Interestingly, when people complained about my end of the conversation, I could always hear them perfectly.)
• AT&T's 3G data network was slow but for the most part it worked. Only a couple of times during my three-day stay in the area did I get network timeout errors. The iPhone did fall back to the slower, older EDGE network twice. I was usually able to get e-mail and send text messages without a problem.
• Voice calls made on the Nexus One — which works over T-Mobile's network — were much better. I had only one dropped call when using that phone. No one complained about the voice quality when I was talking on it.
• The Nexus One has had problems with staying connected to T-Mobile's 3G data network. Some owners of the phone have reported that it frequently drops back to T-Mobile's slower EDGE network. I had not seen that in Houston, but I did experience it in California — and even while in Mountain View, Google's hometown! [Update: It should be noted that a software update is being sent to Nexus One phones that may fix the 3G connection problem.]
• I was particularly impressed with the Nexus One's ability to deliver quality video over a live, streaming connection. I used it with Qik's live video app to stream from the iPad launch, and it worked very well. I didn't try using the iPhone 3G with Qik, because I knew from the start that the Nexus One's 5 megapixel camera is much better than the iPhone's 2-megapixel version. You can see a sample of the Nexus One's Qik video here; and the iPhone 3G's video here. (The iPhone 3GS on Qik is only marginally better.)
Overall, the Nexus One made for a better travel experience, at least to San Francisco which, ironically, is in Apple's backyard.
Posted by Dwight at 08:12 AM in Cell phones & telephony, Google, iPhone
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Updated 7:33 a.m.
• Nexus One gets a software update, enables multitouch (updated with video!) - For the browser, photo gallery and Google Maps. The update will be rolled out this week to Nexus One owners.
• Google Adding Direct Phone Support for Nexus One Customers - At least, there's a job posting for someone to manage the program. For now, your calls to Google for Nexus One support are still on hold.
• Apple Releases iPhone OS 3.1.3: Addresses iPhone 3GS Battery Level Accuracy, App Launching Issue and Next iPhone codename, new iPod touch revealed in latest SDK and firmware - The new iPhone OS update also includes some security fixes.
• iPhone App That Saved Life in Haiti Sees Sales Surge - The $3.99 American Heart Association's Pocket First Aid & CPR app has taken off.
• The Mysterious iMac Delay - Apple implies the delay has to do with demand, but also concedes that display issues continue.
• Textbook Firms Ink E-Deals For iPad - Through an app publisher who'll create a textbook reader.
• Reason #4132 for Changing Your Password - A complex hack involving ownership of popular torrent forums leaves some Twitter users vulnerable. It might be a good idea to change your password, twitfolk.
• Courts move to ban juror use of Blackberry, iPhone, Twitter and Facebook - No Twitter for you during jury duty. And it's probably just as well.
• Microsoft investigating Windows 7 battery issue - Windows 7 is telling some notebook users that their battery is toast when it really isn't.
• What's new in Windows Mobile 6.5.3 - Includes multitouch and capacitive-screen support, and does away with the need for a stylus.
• We're turning comments off for a bit and Engadget editor: Why I turned off comments - Trolls take over Engadget's comments, so the popular gadget site puts them on hiatus. It's another example of why moderated comments are the way to go. Also John Gruber's Daring Fireball Gets Comments (Whether He Likes It or Not)
• Report Ranks Facebook As Greatest Corporate Security Risk
• Senators Warned of Terrorist Attack on U.S. by July - Intelligence officials warn of a potential "cyber Pearl Harbor" in an attack on the technology infrastructure of the U.S.
Posted by Dwight at 06:35 AM in Linkposts
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