The Clash of the Superphones
In this ever-changing world of smartphones we have a new class of phones called Superphones. These phones are even more powerful than smartphones. Superphones have been slowly taking over the market in the past couple of years. They have redefined what you can do with your phone. These superphones have almost completely taken over the smartphone market, with the exception of RIM still producing smartphones. Two of these superphones (Driod RAZR and Galaxy Nexus) are about to be launched against each other. Read more 
Android’s new coat of paint
Last night Samsung and Google announced The new Galaxy Nexus phone and Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0). This is the merging of Gingerbread (2.3) and Honeycomb(3.0) into one OS. Google has fundamentally streamlined the interface and apps. They brought what they learned from Honeycomb into the phone field. There are even new features like facial recognition to unlock your phone. Read more
Like this:
The Kindle Goes On Fire
Amazon announced the new kindle line-up last week. The new e-ink kindles got updated with touch and no keyboards, but the real star of the show was the kindle fire. This is Amazon’s answer to the Nook Color. They are about a year late to the 7 inch tablet market, but they look like they are ready to make a big splash. The kindle fire looks like a refined Amazon experience. Read more
The Netflix Split
This past week has been very interesting in digital media. The main topic is that Netflix is splitting off its DVD-by-mail service. The new service is called Qwikster. They have decided to go all in on the streaming media. This is can be both good and bad. With Netflix streaming only they will have a chance to expand their catalogue. The DVD section while not a black hole on the company will at some point become one in the future. The problem is though right now no one can predict what the future holds. Read more
Netflix rising cost
This week we learned that Netflix will change its pricing structure. The DVD service is increasing its pricing by about $3 and then you will have to add in the streaming option. If you have the base DVD/Streaming option the price will go from $10 to $16 a month. While this is not a large jump in price it will make people who don’t use the DVD portion of the service to think about if the increase is enough to keep the dvd by mail service.
The price increase email
Many people who comment on this are threatening to cancel their Netflix subscription. To me this is a rash decision. I don’t mind paying for quality service and I find Netflix to be a quality service. My current plan with Netflix is the DVD/Streaming for $10 a month. I haven’t used the DVD portion in a while and mostly get DVDs from a local Redbox. I am probably going to drop to streaming only when I am forced to choose in september. I have a Netflix DVD sitting at home just collecting dust since sometime last year. In the end Netflix will still be receiving my money and I will be very happy with their service, plus they will save on the shipping costs. I do expect that the streaming cost for the consumer to increase in the next several years and I hope that Netflix will increase their streaming catalog aswell.
Verizon’s DataGate
In less than two weeks Verizon will be implementing tiered data for new smartphone activations. The policy is very draconian in nature and unfair to users. It represents a major step backward in the way companies are trying to handle new technology. While yes current users are grandfathered into the plan it will be a matter of time before that will be taken away. The problem with tiered data is not that they are charging you for X GB for $N. It is a unfar pricing structure.
The structure is currently looks like this:
Image from Android Central
The unlimited plan will turn into a 2GB cap for $30. If you go over you will have to pay $10 per GB after that. Your first two GB’s are charged at an upfront cost of $15 per GB and you have to pay for both of them even if you only use half of the alloted price per month. If Verizon wants to charged on a tiered model going toward a pay what you use model is a good idea. If you only use 1 GB you can pay for that, if you use more than that you pay for that total use.
This is a good scare tactic to get people out there to sign up for Verizon or upgrade their phones now. The problem is this doesn’t fix the “problem” of data hogs. If you already are on Verizon’s network and being a data hog you are not punished If you are or were data hog on another network you will run to Verizon to get grandfathered in on the unlimited data.
If you are in contract with another cell provider I don’t know why you would buy out you contract for the prospect of “unlimited” mobile data. I use about 1GB of data a month. I don’t know how I would even cross 2 or 3 GB in a month. Tiered data packages will start to kill the streaming media that is making its way to the cell phones. How much Hulu, Netflix, or streaming music can you use on a two GB plan with out going over?
