THE MOBILE HORNET … for those who get turned on by mobile devices

Over 100+ millions smartphones are sold every year and according to UMPCPortal, 95% of the market share goes to Nokia Symbian (65%), Windows Mobile (13%), Blackberry (10%), and Apple (7%).  LiMo, Android and others (mostly Linux offsprings) formed the balance 5%.

If you look at the above statistics, and if you are a developer (hardware or software), it will be wise for you to focus on the top 4.   You cannot be wrong there.  Open source OSs like Linux and Android will take sometime to create any impact. 

Linux is making a mistake by creating so many versions (LiMo, Moblin, Meamo, Mobilinux, OpenMoko etc) of their mobile OS.  Now that Nokia has taken over 100% control of Symbian, you can expect to see further increase from their present 65% share. And if Nokia Symbian become an Open Source OS, the rest can kiss goodbye.  Microsoft cannot sit down and watch.  Their focus on their Windows Enterprise OS will definitely slow down their Windows Mobile growth further.

THIS IS WHAT I WANT.
A TINY PROJECTOR PHONE !

Remember those microprojector chips TI was working on? The ones that could potentially implant tiny DLP picoprojectors into mobile phones? They’ve entered production and should “hit the street”.  CrunchGear just got a brief hands-on with the latest TI Pico projector over the weekend and according to them : 

“it’s much improved from the prototype I saw last year.  Texas Instruments has managed to cram that LED lit projector into a BlackBerry Curve.  Of course, they stripped everything else out of it, but that’s not really the point. Previous prototypes shown by TI were double, maybe triple, the size of the Curve. TI is certainly getting there and once it’s small enough and efficient enough, we’ll be seeing it in a slew of random places you never thought about.”

Many people (including the many Malaysians that approached The Mobile Hornet) want to know how to circumvent the tie-in telco contract with the iPhone 3G and of course just as many want to buy the iPhone 3G unlocked.

Macworld has compiled some frequently asked questions about the new iPHONE 3G and hope that will help to clear your doubts on what to do next.  The FAQ has reference to AT&T iPhone 3G plan.  Other telcos in other countries may have similar kind of arrangements and pricing as Apple try to have a global standard :

• SO THE iPHONE COSTS US$199 (RM656) OR US$299 (RM986), RIGHT?
  • Sure, Steve Jobs has touted the US$199 price tag for the iPhone 3G, but as with anything where a non-Apple company is involved, the truth is not quite that straightforward. If you’re a new customer to AT&T, you will pay US$199 for the 8GB model or US$299 for the 16GB model, as long as you also sign up for a 2 year contract.
  • If, however, you are an existing AT&T customer, the price you pay for an iPhone 3G will depend on other factors. If you bought an iPhone before July 11th or you are eligible for an upgrade discount at the time of purchase (check your My Account page AT&T’s website to find out if you qualify), you can also take advantage of the US$199/US$299 pricing. Otherwise, you can purchase an “early upgrade” which will run you US$399 (RM1,316) for the 8GB or US$499 (RM1,646) for the 16GB model. Both of those cases will require you to extend your current contract for another two years, and you’ll have to pay an US$18 (RM59) upgrade fee to boot.
  • Just anecdotally, let me add this: I switched to AT&T from Verizon for the iPhone last year and signed up for a two-year contract. My account page says that I am indeed eligible for an equipment discount, so if you’re in a similar boat to me—and I suspect that many of you are—you may qualify for the cheaper pricing.
• CAN I GET AN iPHONE WITHOUT SIGNING UP FOR A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT?
  • No. Well, not yet anyway. According to AT&T, a “no-commitment” version of the iPhone 3G (perfect for those of us with commitmentphobia) is “coming soon”, and will run US$599 (RM1,976) for the 8GB model and US$699 (RM2,306) for the 16GB model. Yowch.
• WHAT ABOUT PREPAID PLANS? CAN I SIGN UP FOR ONE WITH THE iPHONE 3G?
  • ‘Fraid not. According to AT&T’s cutely named iReady checklist, prepaid plans are not available for iPhone 3G.
• I WANT TO BUY iPHONES FOR ME, MY DOG RALPHIE, AND MY AUNT MARGE; CAN I DO THAT?
  • Nyet. AT&T says you may purchase only 1 iPhone per person in line. Your Aunt Marge and Ralphie will have to wait in line for their own.
• IF I BUY A NEW iPHONE 3G, HOW DO I TRANSFER DATA FROM MY OLD IPHONE?
  • Fortunately, iTunes will take care of that. Make sure you sync your existing iPhone with iTunes before trying to sync your new phone so that all your data is current.
• WILL MY NEW iPHONE 3G BE ABLE TO RETRIEVE MY EXISTING VOICEMAILS?
  • Apparently not. AT&T says “Check and clear your voicemail. Any existing voicemail messages will be lost once your new phone is activated.” So if you were hoping to retain that hilarious message your friend sent you from their bachelor party, you might want to find some other way of recording it.
• WHAT DO I DO WITH MY OLD iPHONE ONCE I’VE GOT MY SHINY NEW iPHONE 3G?
  • Well, whatever you want, really. You can hand your old phone off to your friend or family member who can then activate it themselves via iTunes. AT&T provides full details for how to do so at their site. If you decide not to pass your old phone on, here are some suggestions for what to do with your old unit.
  • Alternatively, there are software programs out there that will probably let you turn it into a pretty functional iPod touch.
• CAN I ADD AN iPHONE 3G TO AN EXISTING FAMILYTALK PLAN?
  • Heck yeah, you can.
• HOW ABOUT ADDING AN iPHONE 3G TO AN EXISTING FAMILYTALK PLAN…THAT ALREADY HAS AN ORIGINAL iPHONE ON IT?
  • Sure, no problem! Anything for family.
• SO, SAY I HAVE AN ORIGINAL iPHONE, AND I BUY AN iPHONE 3G.
  • That’s not really a question, but you intrigue me. Go on.
• IF I GIVE MY iPHONE AWAY TO A FRIEND, FAMILY, OR STRANGER ON THE INTERNET WITH LOTS OF MONEY, AND THEY ACTIVATE IT, WILL THEY HAVE TO USE THE NEW iPHONE 3G DATA PLANS, OR CAN THEY STILL SIGN UP FOR THE SAME ORIGINAL iPHONE PLANS?
  • That’s quite a long question, but the answer is clear: the existing plans for the original iPhone (i.e. the US$20 (RM66) unlimited data plan) will still be available to those using the original iPhone plan. AT&T will not force you into using the 3G data plan—which, frankly, makes sense, right? I mean, that would be evil.
• SO WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH THAT NO-COMMITMENT OPTION FOR THE iPHONE? IT’S NOT AN UNLOCKED iPHONE, IS IT?
  • Indeed not. The “no-commitment option” that AT&T is providing, whereby you pay US$599 (RM1,976)for the 8GB iPhone 3G or US$699 (RM2,306) for the 16GB iPhone 3G, basically allows you to snag an iPhone without the 24-month contract. But you’re still pretty much tied into getting an AT&T plan if you want to use it as a phone; you won’t just be able to pop in a T-Mobile SIM card. However, should you wish to cancel that AT&T plan, you will not have to pay an early termination fee, since you have no contract.

I was at the movies recently to watch the high-octane thriller WANTED. You have to take your hats off to Russian director Timur Bekmambetov and his team for all the special effects … all made possible with computers!

Wired explained how they pulled off the adrenaline-pumping stunts:

“Riding the rails in Chicago, Wesley Gibson (played by James McAvoy) and Fox (Angelina Jolie) sprint over the roofs of the city’s elevated trains. Wesley  avoids decapitation by leaping above an oncoming tunnel and landing on the other side when the train emerges.

To achieve the effect, several full-size “L” trains were constructed as stationary units on a green-screen stage. In a studio briefing, Bekmambetov explained: “The train was too big to move, so we moved the bridge instead!” Special effects supervisor Dominic Tuohy elaborated: “We moved the bridge with computerized winches. We knew exactly where it was and at what speed it was traveling. That gave confidence to the artists doing their own stunts — 3 meters up in the air — by ensuring that each take would be the same, repetitive move.”

High-Speed Train Crash
The hellacious train wreck, staged in a fantastically beautiful setting, looks unbelievably real. To pull off the stunning scene, the Pendolino car was constructed on a gimbal equipped with hydraulics that rotated 360 degrees and tilted at a 32-degree angle.

“When the train derails itself, our train carriage tilts and rolls to simulate a crash,” Tuohy explains.

“Rolling around inside were all of the stunt crew as well as our actors, who did every scene themselves. It’s far more interesting when you actually have real people trapped behind chairs or getting flung around. Our actors said they felt like they were in a tumble dryer.”

Digital Stunt Doubles
For especially high-risk sequences, Bekmambetov augmented his flesh-and-blood performers with scanned digital stunt doubles. The scanner rotates around the actors for about 15 seconds to create 3-D models. Downloaded to a computer as a CG mold, the virtual models were then “rigged” with skeletal and muscular systems, layered with textured exteriors, fitted with scanned wardrobes and programmed to move like the actors. ”

Crazy Car Chases
To execute Wanted’s first big car chase scene, when Fox hurtles across town in a red Viper shortly after snatching up the hapless Wesley, Jolie was rigged in a harness strapped to the side of the sports car going 30 mph. Stunt coordinator Mic Rodgers says: “The camera platform was on the back of the Viper and we chased it with the camera bike. Angelina as Fox did a head-on, near miss with an oncoming car, which throws her off to the driver’s side of the Viper.”

For those who have not seen WANTED, I strongly recommend you to go and watch it now.  Watch how a Viper “pick up” its passenger !

James McAvoy has been signed on to do the sequel.  Wow!

Hold your seat and watch the trailer here:

Isn’t TAD a blessing for ladies?  I never knew someone can come out with the idea of a fingernail protector.  Such a simple accessory and it save you from the ordeal of broken nails.  And with those tiny keypad and small screen icons of today’s mobile devices, it is definetly a No-No for you guys too who have big fingers.  Sometimes I wonder, how small these devices are going to go.  I mean you can’t shrink the keypad or the screen icons until it result in you pushing 2 or 3 buttons or icons at the same time.  Fret no more, here comes TAD to the rescue.

TAD Accessories has come out with three different plastic pointers. These can be selected according to device and function: for example, the pointy one might be best suited to touchscreens, while the rounded pointer is best used for texting.  It is made of rubber and all you got to do is wear it like how you wear a ring.  Easy to use and very handy.

Coolsmartphone has an interesting video on how to use the TAD.  Just click below:

More details can be found at  TAD website .

Nokia now owns 100% of Symbian. And what this means is that Nokia has total control of Symbian to allow them to offer Symbian for free to hardware manufacturers. On top of that Nokia has promised to release the Symbian source code too.

Microsoft has not been fair to Windows Mobile by treating it like a “mistress” and Windows PC being the “wife” was the one that get the true love and attention.  Windows needs some tender loving care from Microsoft so that it can be the defacto OS for smartphones.

The free offer by Nokia coupled with the free Google Android will one day force Windows Mobile out of the smartphone market unless Microsoft wakes up and give it some well-deserved attention.  Who will want to pay for something (the OS) when you can get it for free. Until today Nokia still holds over 70% of the smartphone market.  So it is not so difficult to wallop the balance 30% market. 

Watch this video clip and see how the UMPC future is like.

The $15,000,000.00  Apple Store was opened on 19 Jun 2008

“It’s pretty incredible; far more than I expected,” said Brisbane inventor and self-confessed Apple geek Moyzschya Belle, who slept out overnight with scores of other enthusiasts and was among the first wave to enter the store.

“But right now, I’m going home to have a hot shower and snuggle up to my sweetie.”

Gary Allen from Berkeley in California, who writes a blog about Apple Stores and has attended some 30 store openings, also camped outside the store overnight.

He rates the Sydney store as among the top five in the world in terms of design and presentation.

For Anthony Agius from Melbourne who runs the MacTalk forum website, the best part of the overnight experience was the camaraderie. “We just spent all night talking about Macs,” he said.

Apple’s executive were also very pleased with themselves. The turnout had been better than expected and was achieved without any large-scale advertising or paid promotion.

“They all magnificent, but there’s something very special about this [opening],” said Steve Cano, Apple’s senior director of international retail, as the crowd poured in to the store. “There’s a real energy.”

I just wonder whether we can see something of that magnitude coming from HTC.

NOKIA: PLUG THE LEAK?

Nokia, the giant phone manufacturer is complaining about its own product leaks on their corporate website. Charlie of Nokia cited the Nokia E71 as the most leaked product in Nokia. According to him “The whole history of some product leaks in the past few months is a mixture of dumb moves, broken NDAs, maybe some thievery,..There are a lot of folks behind a product and leaks really screw up all the efforts.”

ARE LEAKS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR THE COMPANY?

Leak is a double-edged sword. It can help make or break an organisation. Leaks stimulate customer purchasing decisions like whether to buy some existing product now or to wait.  It also stirred up the competitors to come our with better products. Companies get it wrong when they said they lose out because customers put off buying the current products.  This is not true. For example, if a loyal iPhone user needs a 3G or GPS feature in his phone, his loyalty might just get thrown out of the window and may opt for another brand which have this feature.  Will he wait if he knew the coming of the iPhone 3G which has the features he wanted? I guess he would.

Correct me if I am wrong, HTC pushed forward their launch of the Touch Diamond because of the iPhone 3G leak.

I think Charlie is getting paranoid about the whole leaking issue.  I can’t blame him if he associate the leaking to the Osborne company, a company that was destroyed by product leaking!  On the brighter side, if your company is of no value, no one is interested in any of your leaks and furthermore most of the new features that companies want to incorporate into their new products are already public knowledge.  Sooner or later Nokia, Htc etc will be coming out with TV phones, projector phones. Is that a leak or an answer to customers’ wishlists?

It will be a nice if companies “leak” it themselves and benefit from this kind of forward announcements. Everyone knew that Apple is coming out with their 3G phone many months ago and yet the launch is such an anticipated event.  The leak did not kill the customers’ desire…it only enhances it.

The PDAEXPERT chain store in Malaysia has thrown in some freebies for their range of PPCs from HTC, HP, Toshiba, LG and O2.  All come with memory cards from 1GB to 4G and a few with the additional Bluetooth Headset.

You can find their Kuala Lumpur stores at MidValley, Sunway Pyramid, The Curve, Digital Mall, IOI Mall, and LowYat.  It is also available in Johor Baru at Jusco Terbau City.