Empire of Geek

Even though it’s been on the market for 4 years, the Razr is still outselling the iPhone in the US. This news comes with an ocean of caveats. First, the Razr is on almost every major and minor carrier in the country. Also, it usually is free with a contract.

I remember how revolutionary this phone was. Now it seems very “basic”. With the release of the iPhone, people really see how clunky it’s interface is. My wife has one because she “just wanted the free phone”.

For some reason, Motorola has not been able to come up with a suitable followup. Now that smartphones are starting to take over the cell phone market, it would be a good idea for them to find a way to compete with Apple and Research In Motion.

It’s been widely reported that Best Buy will be getting the iPhone sometime in September. You never know if this is just rumor. While talking to a couple Best Buy employees last night, they said they start iPhone training on September 6. It looks like it definitely is going to happen…I think.

In this story on ipodnn.com, a patent application filed by Apple suggests they may be looking to add new features to their hand held products. These could include the ability to receive AM, FM or Satellite Radio signals. Video capabilities could include cable, satellite, over the air or IPTV.

Other interesting points of the story involve the way they would connect to the handhelds. One of which would be add-on’s that connect to the device, with the key innovation being the use of “tags” to pull metadata on whatever they are receiving. Read the story to get the full details. This certainly has some cool ramifications for future gadgets.

Hey folks! I’m trying out the new WordPress app for the iPhone, and I must say, I’m impressed. Logging into your blog is easy. Posting updates are even easier. Your drafts written on the phone are saved locally, so you don’t have to have an Internet connection to write. The only caveat is unavoidable. You’re still using a phone. Even a phone as great as the iPhone can’t beat using a keyboard. What it does extremely well is simplify mobile blogging. If you’re a WordPress blogger with an iPhone, you’ve got to try it.

There is now a WordPress App in the iTunes Application Store. Here’s the direct link to the Wordpress app.

This app allows WordPress bloggers to edit their blogs both offline and online. It will support both blogs hosted at wordpress.com and self-installed blogs (2.5.1 or higher). It has everything you’d expect in a blogging tool, with the added bonus of a blogging recovery feature that will recover blogs interrupted by phone calls.

More details here on the iPhone Wordpress site.    

I don’t think I would have done it this way (the wife would have said “I Don’t”), but you’ve got to admire his chutzpah.

After much gluttony during the July 4th weekend, I have some things to write about…sort of. I just came across this post on AppleInsider showing unboxing pics of the new iPhone. Needless to say, I’m giddy. Not everyone gets the joy of unboxing a new gadget, but it’s almost like Christmas. We plan on being in line to get ours first thing, so stay tuned.

I hate (emphasis on the word hate) when telecomm companies start changing around pricing. They have an extremely poor record when it comes to customer service. However, when you add up the numbers of the amount paid for the 1st Gen iPhone (base price & monthly cost) with the 2nd Gen iPhone, they’re not that dissimilar. I still would love a straightforward pricing structure like the 1st iPhone, but I can’t be too upset. I’m not spending any more money. The $18 “upgrade” fee is crap, though. Seriously, Apple made AT&T the carrier to be with. We should be able to upgrade an iPhone every year without having to pay an “upgrade” fee. They are making plenty of money. Apparently there is no such thing as plenty of money. 

Bryan posted about the iPhone 3G plan earlier. I found this comparison chart at Apple Insider. How many of you are as pissed as I am? I’ll have more opinion once I’ve calmed down. 

AT&T has released the pricing details about the new, much anticipated iPhone 3G. If you are reading this right now you probably already know that the prices for the 8 gig and 16 gig phones are $199 and $299 respectively.  This price is available to customers who purchased an Apple iPhone before July 11, or are activating a new customer line with AT&T, or are eligible for an upgrade at the time of purchase. AT&T also announced that the 3G will be sold without a contract at “sometime in the future”, however they added that the sans contract prices would be $599 and $699. I hope all of you out there have been saving your pennies and dimes…

Remember, the new iPhones will go on sale July 11^th at 8AM so get your sleeping bags and tents ready!