Full FeedSprint offering broadband enabled netbook in some markets
Sprint has announced it will begin offering a mobile broadband equipped Dell Inspiron Mini 10 in select markets across the country. The netbook is similar to those already offered by Verizon and AT&T and comes with a built in EVDO Rev.A wireless service. It weighs just over 2.5lbs, offers a bright 10 inch screen, 160GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, and in addition to the built in broadband, includes Bluetooth and WiFi 802.11g connectivity.
“Dell Inspiron Mini 10 is a fun way to easily access the speeds of Sprint’s network to catch-up on email, surf the Web and more,” said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “We are excited to add this great Dell product to our industry-leading portfolio of devices available from Sprint that work on America’s most dependable 3G network. It offers an affordable way to stay in touch and stay connected.”
Sprint is offering the netbook for $199 after a $100 mail in rebate and requires you sign up for their $59.99 a month data plan as well, which comes with a 5GB cap. Since Dell sells the Mini for $299 on their website it may not be the best deal for your buck. A data card will give you the freedom to use it with any device you want rather than being locked into a single one, and Sprint’s Mi-Fi portable access point allows up to 5 devices to share the connection.
Still, if you’re in the market for a netbook and mobile broadband anyway and don’t mind being locked to once device, it’s worth checking out. Sprint’s data service is among the best in the business. For now, Sprint is only offering the Dell Mini in Baltimore, Phoenix, Indianapolis, the Twin Cities and the Bay Area, but it wouldn’t be unrealistic to see it become available nationwide as the holiday season unfolds.
Read [Business Wire]
RelatedOffice Max Black Friday deals leaked
It’s that time of year again. The holidays are coming, and that means Black Friday. The Black Friday ads are starting to leak and one of the first is from OfficeMax. As many experts predicted, the shaky economy is causing many consumers to rethink holiday gift giving and reign in spending, and that means retailers will be offering better deals than ever this year. OfficeMax’s ad reflects this. Deals include an Acer Aspire One netbook for $149, an HP OfficeJet All-In-One Wireless printer for $79, a Compaq Dual-Core desktop with 3GB of RAM and 500GB HD for $239, a Nikon 10MP Digital Camera for $79, a Memorex portable DVD player for $29, and more. Keep in mind that quantities are likely to be very limited so plan on getting out very early. It’s doubtful they’ll be offering rainchecks so if any of the listed deals are a must have for you, get out there early and brave the long lines!
Stay tuned to Gadgetell for more Black Friday deals and leaks!
Read [BlackFriday.info] Via [Gizmodo]
RelatedBlackBerry Bold 9700 release may be delayed
T-Mobile customers hoping to get their hands on the new BlackBerry Bold 9700 may have to wait a bit longer. Recent reports have surfaced revealing that the expected release date of November 11 has been pushed back to November 15th. T-Mobile has not confirmed this change or the reason for it. They will offer the 9700 for $200 with a 2 year contract. AT&T and Vodaphone will also offer the device.
The Bold 2 isn’t much different than the original Bold. It’s smaller, sports an updated OS and camera, and instead of a trackball offers a sleek new touchpad for navigation. The touchpad is expected to replace the trackball on all future BlackBerry QWERTY devices, something many BB users are looking forward to. The trackball on the hot BlackBerry Tour has been much maligned as its weakest feature. While RIM hasn’t officially said so, both Sprint and Verizon have admitted that there was a problem with the trackball on the first batch of Tours they sold.
Don’t want to wait? Verizon just released the Storm 2, which it’s offering for $280. Other upcoming BlackBerry devices include the Tour 2, which will sport the trackpad and have Wi-Fi added. It’s set to launch on Sprint and Verizon later this year or early in 2010.
Read [Brighthand]
Sears to start offering Black Friday deals this weekend
Sears has announced it will be kicking off the holiday shopping season this weekend by offering special Black Friday deals. It plans to offer those special “Black Friday Now” deals every Saturday from 7am until Christmas. The deals will cover everything Sears carries, from jewelry to electronics and more. On November 7th Sears will offer a Zenith 42’ Plasma TV for $499 (regularly $699). Pre-orders will begin today. Other HDTV deals to look forward to include a 40” Samsung LED HDTV for $599, a 50 inch Samsung Plasma TV for $699 and a 46” Sony LCD HDTV for $854.
Want to get in on the deals but don’t have the cash? Sears is ready with their layaway program, which is available in stores and on their website. They will also match competitors pricing. Most retailers are worried about what affect the economy will have on holiday shopping and that means lots and lots of deals. This is only the beginning so stay tuned!
Read [PRNewsWire]
RelatedWatch out BlackBerry! The iPhone is closing in on your market share
A new study may prove worrisome to RIM. It revealed that the iPhone has now captured 30% of the market share for smartphones, a mere 10% less than RIM’s leading 40%. Palm, which was once the industry leader, has seen its market share slip to just 6%.
What does this mean if you are in the market for a smartphone? Not much. While the iPhone is wildly popular, it’s still stuck with AT&T’s stranglehold and resulting network issues and it lacks the security features many businesses need. The BlackBerry, although it has lost some of its market share to the iPhone, is still a wildly popular device in its own right. (There’s a very good reason they are dubbed CrackBerries!) Businesses still rely on it as a valuable tool and the company has begun to successfully enter the consumer market as well.
For consumers it still comes down to individual needs and overall value. An iPhone isn’t much good to someone who lives in an area without good AT&T coverage, and the touchscreen and lack of a physical keyboard are a turn off to some. A BlackBerry may not be a good fit for someone who doesn’t get a lot of emails or who is big into mobile web surfing or gaming. Both the iPhone and the various BlackBerry devices are available for $200 or so with a 2 year contract, so do some research and let your needs and budget decide which is right for you.
Read [CNet]
RelatedShields Up: BlackBerry spy apps
US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team) has issued a warning about a new app that could allow someone to eavesdrop on a BlackBerry user’s phone conversation. The app, called PhoneSnoop, is free and was released by an Indonesian man who said he just wanted to make a point that the BlackBerry platform isn’t infallible despite its strong security features.
“My intention was to raise awareness that even though the BlackBerry is one of the more secure platforms, there are still means where its users can be spied upon,” Gunasekera wrote in an e-mail on Tuesday. “I wanted to highlight that even with such technical security controls, the human element can be exploited through social engineering.”
The app doesn’t hide itself once installed, so a user should be able to easily figure out it’s there. For those wondering what else may be lurking on their BlackBerry devices, another free app, called Kisses, will find and display all hidden apps on the device.
If you’re looking for something even stronger, there is a full fledged security suite available for the BlackBerry as well. SMobile Security Shield offers two versions. The Security and Anti-Theft version is $19.99 and offers malware protection and web based services including remote wipe, GPS tracking, locking and backup and restore. The Parental Control version is $29.99 and allows parents to monitor their children’s BlackBerry use from a web based console. They can monitor emails and text messages and be alerted when the child’s contact list is updated, track their location via GPS and monitor social networking apps like MySpace and Facebook.
Both apps are available for download from BlackBerry App World. The US-CERT strongly recommends password protecting your device and being very careful of what you download onto it and who you let use it.
Related
T-Mobile introduces WiFi calling for corporate BlackBerrys
T-Mobile has announced it will begin offering Wi-Fi calling for its corporate BlackBerry users. The as of now un-named service would allow offices to make calls without using their plan minutes. Calls would automatically switch over to the T-Mobile network when leaving the office Wi-Fi connection. While T-Mobile is saying this service is designed to help companies save money, there is a catch. They will charge them a flat fee on top of their monthly plan to use it. That fee would vary depending on the amount of users.
Sprint, AT&T and Verizon offer a similar service but with the addition of hardware, known as a femtocell. Sprint, for example, offers unlimited calling on its Airave for a flat fee of $10 a month in addition to your plan and it doesn’t use your minutes. However it will also drop the call when you leave its coverage and move onto the local tower. Aside from that, however, it is an excellent service.
VoIP is a useful and valuable tool but remember the call quality depends on your connection. VoIP calls were horrible when I had DSL. Calls were choppy and garbled. Now that I have a much faster broadband connection, calls are crystal clear.
Read [MobileCrunch]
RelatedCoby issues battery recall
Coby Electronics has announced a recall of nearly 20,000 rechargeable batteries sold with its portable DVD players between January 2007 and September 2009. The electronics manufacturer says they may overheat, creating a fire hazard. So far they have had 10 reports of such an incident and 8 of them resulted in fires. Fortunately no one has been injured.
The players involved in this recall have an 8.5-inch screen and the product number TF-DVD-8501. The recalled batteries all have serial numbers starting with “HY.” If you have one of the affected batteries remove it from the player immediately and call Coby at 877-305-2629 for a free replacement.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is asking anyone who has suffered injury or property damage as a result of an overheating battery to contact them here. You can also call their hotline at 800-638-2772.
Read[PRNewsWire]
RelatedNokia files lawsuit against Apple
Just as Apple prepares to introduce the iPhone in China, they were hit with a lawsuit from Nokia alleging patent infringement. The suit pits the world’s largest manufacturer of cellphones against the maker of the most popular smartphone in history. Nokia says Apple refused to enter into a licensing agreement, unlike the 40 other cellphone makers who use Nokia’s technology.
“By refusing to agree to appropriate terms for Nokia’s intellectual property, Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia’s innovation,” said Ilkka Rahnasto, Nokia’s vice president for legal and intellectual property.
The technology is multi-faceted and includes wireless data, security, encryption, and speech coding. Nokia says it doesn’t want to stop iPhone sales, it simply wants to be compensated for the use of its patents.
Just last year Nokia reached a settlement with Qualcomm which required it to pay over $2 billion and arrange future royalties for use of Qualcomm’s 3G related technology. The companies say they plan to develop phones and mobile devices together. Apple has refused comment on the lawsuit.
Read [Wall Street Journal]
RelatedHulu to start charging next year
The rumors that started in June appear to be becoming a reality. Hulu will soon start charging for content. Hulu board member Chase Cary said it’s time for the site to adopt a “meaningful subscription model.” He was quick to add that the entire site would not be fee based but was unsure exactly what the pay wall would contain. He suggested maybe the site would offer special programming or advanced screenings.
When the news broke, Twitter erupted. Angry users began throwing the idea of a site boycott around and blasting the decision. “Hulu will be the next Megavideo. Don’t companies get it? We don’t pay for media anymore. If we appreciate the song/movie, we’ll buy it!” said one user. “The good times are over,” lamented another. “Screw you, Hulu!”
Hulu isn’t the first online media outlet to decide to implement a pay model. Newsday, a Long Island based newspaper, has announced it will begin to charge non-subscribers $20 a month, or $5 a week, to access the paper’s website.
With newspapers dying and more and more people relying on the Internet to get their news, entertainment and other information, such moves make sense. The old media is starting to realize not only the large audiences the net offers, but also the need to embrace new media sources to keep their bottom line up. However asking people to pay for something they are used to getting for free is never easy. Hopefully, Hulu will find a way to soften the blow and make the change easy to swallow.
If Hulu does decide to make more than just special programming available for a fee, it may well drive business to such sites as Amazon and iTunes. They both offer TV shows for purchase either per episode or full season, but unlike Hulu which doesn’t let you save content to your hard drive or mobile device, they do. That’s a big deal to a lot of folks. There are some third party programs that claim to let you download and save Hulu content but they aren’t free and likely violate Hulu’s ToS.
Offering such a download and save feature might be just what Hulu needs to make their transition to a pay service have a better chance at success.
Read [LA Times]
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Black Friday 2009
Black Friday is almost here! Gadgetell's got you covered with all the latest news on who's offering the best deals. Dangerous crowds? You're on your own.
Palm Pre Information & Updates
Palm just introduced their next-gen smartphone, the Palm Pre, and next-gen operating system, Palm webOS. Gadgetell's got the latest Pre and webOS information and news for you right here.
