Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

This is where we call out the tech moves that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity. 

This close to the holidays, everyone is hoping what is bolted down to the table withstands the storm.  (No, not that Storm). Here is what caught my eye this week:

Crazy texts from AT&T Marketing
Music sold on media
Apple’s lacking 2.2 update
BB Storms underwhelming intro
Touch on HP’s laptop

Follow me into the madness.

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Being a CEO of a major brand on the net isn’t easy.  Getting the job is even harder, that is where Gadgetell comes in.  By entering our contest, you’ll earn our public recommendation to Yahoo!‘s board for the open CEO position.  Warm up those golf clubs, here is what we think Yahoo! needs:

To be the next CEO at Yahoo!, we believe the company needs a big personality.  Google has the rollerblading wonder twins, MS now has almost larger-than-life Ballmer and Apple’s got a guy with a closet full of black mock turtlenecks.  While we don’t believe having rollerblades, being nutty or sticking to one outfit is a prerequisite, here is what we do think is. . .

Follow to find out more and to apply to Gadgetell’s Be the next Jerry Yang contest.

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Sections: Web, Web 2.0, Websites, Features, Contests

One of the things Apple has on Microsoft (among many) is that they have a fully functional online store available in many countries around the world.  Not until recently, Microsoft only had online stores set up in countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and Korea.  However, they unveiled a website for the United States, which sells many Microsoft products such as Office 2007, games, Xbox 360 components, and Zune products. 

Microsoft essentially has two ways of getting the products you requested to you.  The first way is the traditional shipment delivery method.  Basically, after you order something, it will be shipped to your within however much time it specifies.  The other way, which is more modern, to get what you purchased to you is via download.  Continued after the break.

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Sections: Computers, Desktops, Laptops, Gaming, Accessories, Games, Web, Downloads, Websites

This is where we call out the tech moves that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Can you hear the drum beating for Black Friday?  It is getting nuts in here! Here is what caught my eye this week:

Join me as I call out these guys for totally suspicious acts:

• Gadget makers
• Classmates.com
• Bloggers that leak good stuff
• Korean dictionaries.  Yes, I am serious about that one.

Follow the link to hear more.  It is almost guaranteed to brighten your Friday.  Almost.

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Look out Apple, there could be a company in town with a player to kill the iPod.  In all seriousness, MySpace might enter the MP3 player department, a place where Apple’s iPod has dominated for quite a while now. 

At the Web 2.0 Summit meeting on Thursday, MySpace co-founder and Chief Executive, Chris DeWolfe, shed some light on the fact that MySpace could develop a music player, but nothing is set in stone. 

MySpace has used music a lot to make their site bigger and bigger.  Many small (and large) bands use MySpace as a way to share their music.  They even launched a new service, called MySpace Music, which works with popular music labels including Sony BMG Music, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group.  More after the break.

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Sections: Apple, Audio, Portable Audio, Video, Portable Video, Web, Downloads, Websites, Online Music/Video

No kidding, right?  I think maybe everyone but Nokia saw it coming.  Or maybe they did too…just not at this drastic of a level. 

According to the popular market research firm Canalys, Nokia’s market share dropped down to 38.9 percent in the third quarter; which is down from 51.4 just a year earlier.  On the other hand, Apple jumped to 17.3 percent, and RIM increased to 15.2 the same quarter.

Canalys credits some of the Apple and RIM increases to new phones and new marketing strategies.  In a statement, the firm said “"The introduction of the iPhone 3G in July and Apple’s expansion into many more countries helped propel the vendor to second place globally.“  Continued.

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Gizmodo has Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer yelling “6.5!  6.5!.“  We had Moto’s chief spill the beans not too long ago.  And here I am talking about it again.  What could a “point” upgrade be worth?  Certainly not all this, right?

Well, my time with the Samsung Epix on AT&T service has gone pretty well and I’ve hopes 6.5 will bring WinMo out of the dark ages.  While the OS has nowhere near the spit shine Apple products do, tons more usability was baked into this release.  Things like threading text messages, one touch for speaker phone, using the touchscreen for simple things like unlocking the phone.  Now, I am not saying all these things are comperable to other phones, merely just it is possible.  All of it was extremely welcome on phones that us corporate drones must use.

Ballmer confirmed a 2009 delivery time for Windows Mobile 6.5 saying, “With releases we’ll make this year - releases we’ll make with 6.5 next year, Windows Mobile 7, I think we have a pretty interesting roadmap.“  Sure you do, Steve, sure you do.

Yes, Windows Mobile is still ugly, is just as slow and falls down a lot; just like Bigfoot (but maybe I don’t understand him the way you do).  I look to 6.5 to begin the beautification process.  Surely Redmond can take a page from HTC right?

Read [pocketnow]

• iPhone is number 1 in mobile ads
• Wal-Mart leaks out full Black Friday deals
• Aurora Feint II: The Arena now in the App Store

  This is where we call out the tech moves that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Here is what caught my eye this week:

Follow to see me call out:

• LG and its ridiculously square phone
• AT&T thinks Android is on crack
• Sprint thinks we want to watch football (American) on our phones.
• Moto wants to be on crack
• and our own Natesh who finds more than his share of obscure gadgetry

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There is a new sheriff in town and it’s name is iPhone.  This year, according the JD Powers the top dog spot goes to Apple’s phone, leaving RIM to finish in the #2 spot.  As you can see from the above graph, Apple’s entry was not included in last year (the survey’s inaugural year).  The graph shows some interesting items.

Find out what after the break.

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Sanjay Jha, Motorola’s co-Chief executive and chief executive of mobile devices says we’ll see a Windows Mobile 6.5 device by the 2nd half of 2009.  This is the first mention of 6.5 that I am aware of and points to a half step before WinMo 7 which we’ve been waiting for to at least stay competitive with the likes of Apple and RIM.

“Windows Mobile 6 has not delivered the experience that I think Apple has been able to deliver, but as you look at the plan that is Windows Mobile 7 and even 6.5, I think there are significant new added features which will help the platform,“ Jha said.

Significant new added features in 6.5 huh?  Hmmmm.  Keep reading to find out our best guess at what that means.

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