iPhone buyers happy 2 weeks later

Despite some early frustrations, 2 purchasers are pleased with Apple gadget

By ALAN J. McCOMBS, The News Journal

July 15, 2007

Josh Jubb and his wife, Lisa, had the first spot in line to buy the iPhone at the Apple store at Christiana Mall on June 29. The Jubbs initially had problems Web surfing. (Buy photo) The News Journal/RON SOLIMAN

Apple released the snazzy iPhone a couple of weeks ago, and The News Journal has been tracking two owners of the $600 phone, which brings together the fun of an iPod, the abilities of a cell phone, and the functionality of a Mac.

Josh Jubb, 24, wanted the phone so much that when the Apple store in Christiana Mall began selling them on June 29, he made sure to get the first spot in line -- although he didn't go himself because he had to work. Instead, he sent his wife, Lisa, to sit in line from 5:40 a.m. until the phone went on sale at 6 p.m.

It's not the first time Jubb has asked his wife to take one for the team. "I've done it for other things like Xbox 360," Josh Jubb said.

Steve Evans, 39, wasn't first in line. He wasn't even in the top 10, although he started camping out for the phone at 11 a.m. Evans came prepared for the wait, though. He brought a copy of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and a pillow.

Yes, a pillow; it was an impulse buy from the nearby department store. It cost him $9.99, but when you're lining up to buy a $600 phone, $9.99 isn't a lot.

Why wait in line for a product that duplicates the functions already available on other cell phones and multimedia players? Both Evans and Jubb are clear that the phone's appeal isn't that it's just a mashup of an iPod and a phone.

"You're kidding me," Evans said. "It's the most hotly anticipated electronic device since PlayStation."

The iPhone comes in a black and white box that seems so formal you feel you should dress up for it. But the phone is all fun, says Evans, of Chester, Pa.

Once it's working, that is.

While purchasing the phone took about 20 minutes, setting up the phone is where the trouble started for Evans and Jubb, of Wilmington. Evans and Jubb suffered delays and problems while trying to set up their iPhones with AT&T.They were among many who experienced problems on launch day, including dozens who complained on Apple's online forums at discussions.apple.com.

Jubb got the phone, video, iPod and other functions working soon after starting his account with AT&T, but wireless Web surfing -- one of the phone's most heavily touted features -- wouldn't work. The problem wouldn't be fixed until the next day.

Evans couldn't even use his phone until 11:45 the first night. He knows the time because he spent almost six hours on the phone wrestling with tech support to get it working properly. Much of that time, close to two hours, was spent waiting to talk to someone, he says.

"It took four hours for me to reach a person who knew what he was talking about," Evans said. "It's just way too much of a hassle."

Evans and Jubb's approach to trying out their iPhones is what scientists call "autodidactic." Kids call it fooling around.

"I didn't even break open the manual," Evans said. "Whatever you want to do is one tap away."

The approach seems to work marvelously, something both credit to the phone's design.

Jubb's first call on the iPhone was to his wife, who waited in line for hours. The first call that Jubb received on the phone? His wife calling him.

Once Evans had his phone working on Saturday, he gave the phone's virtual keypad a try and shot a friend a text message.

The message: "Hello from the iPhone."

Of course, the phone isn't perfect. The 8-gigabyte song memory of the iPhone can't hold enough of Evans' tunes. "It definitely won't replace anybody's iPod," Evans said.

But Jubb says after he got his iPhone he gave his 20-gigabyte iPod to his wife. "There's absolutely no way I would have reached 20 gigabytes."

Jubb just wants to figure out how to set the songs stored on his iPhone as ring tones.

The all-in-one answer

The iPhone combines the functions of a PDA, phone and iPod into one gadget -- as well as the price of all three. But that package also has some business utility, Evans and Jubb say.

Evans' work as a self-employed computer consultant has him zipping around the region fixing his clients' computer glitches. For him, one of the phone's biggest bonuses is its intelligent chat function, which helps him type out messages. Evans hated responding to text messages on his old Motorola Razr phone.

"People used to text me all the time and I used to call because the texting was horrible," Evans says.

The wireless Internet and the iPhone's smart screen ability to zoom in on pages is a bonus that Evans says will let him serve his clients from anywhere. Evans says that in the past, partners would send him plans after hours while he was at the bar. The only way he could access them was when he got to a computer, but with the iPhone's Web browser, he can work anytime and anywhere.

"At the bar, I can actually take a look at what she's asking me to do," Evans says. "It's actually been helping my business."

For Jubb, who works in sales for a nationwide document retrieval service, the phone lets him carry his office on his belt. "If you need to be out in the field, you can be out checking your e-mail on probably the world's smallest laptop."

Just a phone?

The iPhone is the most hyped tech toy of the summer and a contender for the most talked about new product of the year. But it doesn't represent a revolutionary new approach to mobile life, said Stuart Carlaw, research director for ABIresearch, a New York-based technology research company.

The phone's technology doesn't break new ground. Web surfing on a phone? That was cutting edge 10 years ago. Sending e-mails on a phone? A Blackberry or a Palm Treo can do that. Even the multimedia features touted in Apple's ads have already been used on phones like Nokia's N95.

"Nothing is new here. What they have done is brought all these things together under a very strong brand," Carlaw said.

What the phone represents is part of the increased segmentation of the cell phone market, Carlaw said. This segmentation of the market is why Nokia released 29 phones last year ranging from basic cameras to multimedia players, said Bill Plummer, vice president of multimedia for Nokia in North America.

Feature-crammed phones such as the iPhone seem to be geared toward younger people who see the phones as status symbols. A survey of 39,000 people released earlier this month by the New Jersey company Lightspeed Research found that more than 70 percent of the early adopters of the phone were between 18 and 34.

"There's a very large segment that just sees it as a phone," Carlaw said. "There's another segment at the other end of the spectrum [that] see it as a symbol of being, of expression."

Source : http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070715/BUSINESS/707150323/-1/NEWS01

Phones for little digits

If your child is responsible, she might be ready for her own number

By Nariman Ahmed

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

July 16, 2007

That's the age of the youngest customer Shelby Nielsen, a district manager for T-Mobile, can remember setting up with a phone. (Of course, the girl's dad did foot the bill for the pink Motorola Razr.)

Even if that 4-year-old is a rarity, kids are yearning for cell phones at ever-younger ages. If your own children are giving you the pitch for why they "need" a cell phone, we have some tips to help you through the decision.

How can I make sure that my child is responsible enough to carry a phone?

Sarah L. Sirbasku, a local child psychologist, says to look at whether a child is responsible in other areas. Some examples:

• Does she bring home from school the books she needs to do her homework?

• Does she follow curfews? Or, for a younger child, is she home from play dates when she is supposed to be?

• Does she generally do her chores?

• If she has gone to a neighbor's house, does she leave a note telling you where she is?

Responsibility in areas such as these indicate how responsible a child will be with a cell phone.

What rules should I set for my child's cell-phone use?

Sirbasku suggests addressing the following issues:

• What can the child use the phone for? Is it just for calling Mom and Dad, or can he use it to talk to friends?

• What are the rules on text-messaging? (See below for more on the financial considerations of texting.)

• Is the child allowed to talk on the phone after he has gone to bed?

• Will parents monitor the child's call and text-message logs?

• If the phone gets lost or damaged, who pays to replace it?

• What are the consequences when the child doesn't answer a parent's call?

Michelle Keller of Pflugerville, who works in indirect sales at Regional Acceptance Corp., bought cell phones for her daughters, Haley and Payton, when they were 11 and 8, respectively. Haley and Payton know that if they don't call back when their folks call, their parents will hunt them down.

Can I buy a phone without all the bells and whistles? My child doesn't need all those features, and I don't want to pay for them.

For younger children, look for phones such as Migo from Verizon Wireless, which has four speed-dial keys. Pantech C3 from AT&T also has speed-dial features for emergency numbers. Jitterbug phones (www.jitterbug.com) are marketed toward seniors but can also be kid-friendly. The phones have large number pads and simple "yes" and "no" buttons to accept or decline calls.

For kids who are a little older, Sammy Sanders, retail sales manager at AT&T, says there are phones that have more features (such as text-messaging), but are still easy to use and less expensive than deluxe models. They include the Nokia 6030, Sony Ericsson Z300A and Motorola C139.

I don't want to spend a fortune if my child sends a lot of text messages. How can I control those costs?

Check whether your carrier has text-messaging packages. For example, with AT&T you can get 200 text-messages per month for $4.99 or the unlimited text-messages package for $19.99 per month. Without a package, each text message a child sends or receives costs 15 cents.

The Kellers are on a family plan by T-Mobile that allows them to talk and text-message fellow T-Mobile customers for free. Their monthly bill comes to $130 for four phones.

I'm worried that my child will lose or damage the cell phone. What precautions can I take?

Sanders of AT&T suggests phones by Nokia, which he says are generally sturdy. He adds that bar-style phones hold up better than flip phones.

Sonia Lopez, a sales representative for the Cricket phone service, said the Kyocera K132 is durable because it is made of hard plastic.

However, Sprint store manager Gary Bassett says the bottom line is that most phones are delicate. The most durable phones sold at his store are geared toward those who work outside and aren't practical for children.

You can also buy insurance for the phone through your carrier.

In the Keller family, Haley lost her first cell phone when she took it to school.

The phone was recovered, but Haley still stayed disconnected for a long time.

"She had to show some responsibility for a year," Keller said.

After that, the Kellers allowed Haley to use her birthday money to buy a Motorola pink Razr when she turned 13.

"Children lose everything at this age, and I wasn't paying $100 for a phone for her to lose it one week later," Keller said. "If she loses it, we don't lose any money."

Can I keep my child from downloading ringtones and other content for which I'd have to pay?

Yes. Look for services such as AT&T's "purse blocker." Chris Penrose, vice president and general manager for AT&T Mobility South Texas, said parents can turn the blocker on or off to control when a child can download ringloads or other content.

What about school policies on cell phones?

Mel Waxler, general counsel for the Austin Independent School District, said cell phones are allowed in high schools but not on elementary and middle school campuses. However, even at high schools, cell phones should not be seen or heard by faculty. If they are, the phones are confiscated and parents can pick them up later.

Your child doesn't have to have a cell phone for you to be able to contact her during the school day. Telephones are available in Austin school district classrooms, but the district prefers that parents call the school office to get a message to their child.

I remember reading that radiation from cell phones might pose a health hazard. What's the latest research on that?

According to the World Health Organization, available evidence doesn't show any link between cell phones and cancer. The Food and Drug Administration also reports that there's no evidence that cell phones pose a health risk.

If you're concerned, though, FDA spokeswoman Kris Mejia says that you can reduce a child's exposure to radio frequency energy from cell phones by limiting the child's time on the phone and using a headset to keep the phone farther away from the child's body.

Ari Brown, a local pediatrician and co-author of "Baby 411" and "Toddler 411," agrees that it doesn't hurt to limit your kids' cell-phone talk time.

"If there is an easy and inexpensive way to limit certain environmental exposures, particularly in children, it makes sense to do it," Brown said. "There is no downside to anyone of any age limiting their conversations on cell phones to a few minutes, if possible, except for inconvenience."

Source : http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/other/07/16/0716cell.html

Cell Phone of the Day

Cell Phone of the Day

iSuppli Lowers 2007 Semiconductor Forecast

Tuesday, 24 April 2007
EL SEGUNDO, CA – Global semiconductor revenue will rise to $281.4 billion in 2007, up 8.1% from $260.2 billion in 2006, according to a revised iSuppli forecast. iSuppli previously predicted 10.6% growth for 2007. A slowdown in cellphone shipments and a continuing excess of inventory has prompted the research firm to lower its 2007 worldwide semiconductor revenue forecast. Excess semiconductor inventories declined in the first quarter, but remained at $2.8 billion. Cellphone growth will decelerate in 2007. Revenue in the wireless communications market will rise to $202.3 billion in 2007, up 4.3% from $193.9 billion in 2006, says iSuppli. This compares to 8.2% growth in 2006. A major factor behind the altered forecast is a reduction in expected DRAM revenue. The DRAM market peaked in 2006, with revenue rising by 35.2% to $33.9 billion. In 2007, revenue will only rise 8.6% to $36.9 billion. The firm previously predicted 13% growth for 2007. Global electronic equipment shipment revenue will rise to $1.49 trillion in 2007, up 6.3% from $1.4 trillion in 2006. iSuppli’s previous forecast was 6.8% growth. Source : http://circuitsassembly.com/cms/cms/content/view/4791/95/

My boyfriend didn't get my message. The RCMP did

Jennifer Kruidbos in her party dress :
She wanted to know why her boyfriend had no pictures of her wearing it.

Courtesy of Jennifer Kruidbos

By JENNIFER KRUIDBOS

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Texting sweet nothings to your object of affection can be fun, but beware the misdirected message.

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend called me in Montreal, from Halifax, asking if there was anything I wanted to tell him. I mentally rewound the prior few days, trying to remember any misbehaviour that would have prompted his uncharacteristic doubt. With a clear conscience, I said that he had nothing to worry about.

"Then why have I spent the last hour being questioned by an RCMP detective about you?" he asked, and proceeded to tell about the detective who had called his cellphone that afternoon. His questions were strange: "Has Jennifer been hanging out with a new crowd?" and "Does Jennifer have access to a voice recorder?"

I listened to his bizarre story, interrupting only for the occasional "Wha...?!", while I ran through a sequence of conflicting emotions: panic, confusion and uneasiness, before finding comfort in a final thought: he's taking me for a ride. But he was not.

As he requested, I checked my messages, and there was one from Detective Currie: "I would like a call from Jennifer regarding obscene phone calls originating from this cellphone number. If I don't receive a phone call in the next 24 hours we will initiate investigative action that will result in charges being laid. Thank you. Bye."

Frowning, then grinning, then giggling, turning red and tearing, I realized what the RCMP might be upset about. My cellphone has a service that reads text messages aloud in an automated voice when they are sent to land lines.

I recalled that the night before, on little sleep, I had texted some outrageous messages to what I thought was my boyfriend's new cellphone. A total of five messages lamented the lack of photographs he had taken of me at his company Christmas party.

I felt dead sexy that night. A friend of mine had lent me a dress that fit perfectly and was made of gold-and-beige patterned silk that swayed angelically when I walked. This dress made me feel like a superstar, so once I arrived at the Christmas party I immediately got on stage and sang karaoke. I performed the Janis Joplin version of Me and Bobby McGee, complete with hip shakes and clenched-fist pull-downs.

Everyone fantasizes about being a rock star for a day, but I entertain this fantasy more than the average person. When I realized that there were no pictures of my performance, I made sure to express my irritation - passionately. My heated messages must have found their way to the RCMP. But how?

Embarrassed and nervous, I called the detective. He told me that the night before, a first-year student at Acadia University had called 911, hysterically claiming that someone was harassing her. Between sobs, the girl recounted that five minutes earlier, as she was dozing off, her phone rang. Groggy, she answered, expecting it to be her parents. Instead, a creepy automated man's voice spoke rapidly about sexy photographs.

Alarmed, she hung up the phone. But it rang again 15 seconds later. She answered, this time wide awake, convincing herself she had dreamed the first call, but there was the scary voice again. Beginning to panic she hung up, but the ringing started a third time. Trembling, she answered, heard a few disturbing sentences and slammed the receiver down. She got two more calls and then frantically called the police.

I apologized profusely once Detective Currie finished. Then, nervously, I asked him,

"Um, by any chance, did you read these messages?"

"Yes," he responded. "We have all listened to them. Would you like to hear them?" I thought I heard snickering in the background.

"Well no ..." but a scary robotic voice cut me off.

"I-AM-VERY-DISSAPOINTED" the voice started. I cringed.
He he he......................................

Source : http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=2f4f9e37-678f-45d6-b74d-95d44cfe7df6&k=62043

"Shrek 3" dials cell phone video game deal

By John Gaudiosi

Reuters
Monday, April 23, 2007

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Videogame publisher Gameloft has gained the rights to bring DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third" to mobile games in conjunction with the film's May 18 theatrical release. The game will be released across 170 operators in more than 75 countries.

Activision is readying its own lineup of video games based on the animated sequel for Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS.

Gameloft, which has brought such movies as "King Kong," "Mission: Impossible III" and "War of the Worlds" to mobile games, will focus on the characters and environments from the third "Shrek" film for this family-oriented title.

"The action-adventure game allows you to play as Shrek or Dragon," said Gonzague de Vallois, vp publishing at Gameloft. "The gameplay will be well-suited for our target audience since it is platform-style with various difficulty levels for the novice to the experienced gamer."

De Vallois said he hoped to develop additional "Shrek" games, but it would have to make sense for both the French mobile games publisher and for DreamWorks. Activision has released several "Shrek" games, including "Shrek: Smash & Crash" in between the theatrical releases.

During the past two years, Hollywood-licensed games have become a big part of Gameloft's business. The company is developing a mobile game based on the NBC freshman hit "Heroes" and will be announcing at least one more big summer Hollywood movie license in the coming weeks. For 2007, de Vallois said the company will release five Hollywood-licensed games.

Source : http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042300279.html

Iran first mobile handset out in 5 months

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - ?2005 IranMania.com

LONDON, April 24 (IranMania) - First domestically-manufactured cellphone handsets will likely enter the market within the next four to five months, member of Board of Directors of Cellphone Production Consortium said.

Mohammad Marzban told ISNA that the consortium is trying to acquire the technology to design, manufacture and repair cellphone handsets.

He hoped that first cellphone handsets will be produced domestically on trial basis in the next four or five months.

Marzban noted that the group and its foreign partner are currently working on a thorough scheme. The plan will be submitted to the Ministry of Industries and Mines within the next three weeks.

The scheme will determine the number of cellphone handset to be produced from semi-knocked down (SKD) (initial phase) and completely knocked down (CKD) (final phase) kits.

Highlighting that close to 11 industries have to work together to produce a cellphone handset, he observed that launching handset-manufacturing line would give domestic industrialist a chance to become updated on related modern technologies.

Appealing the government to support domestic producers, Marzban contended that stable regulations will largely help private players involved in the field.

?Given that private entrepreneurs are investing in the sector, they base their feasibility studies according to new import tariffs endorsed by the government.?

He urged the legislative body avoid changing import tariff regulations since any modification will create reservations among private investors and their international partners.

Marzban recalled that the government showed its support of domestic production by increasing the import tariffs of cellphone handset during the year to March 2007.

Production of cellphone handset will certainly breathe a fresh live into electronic and related industries, he maintained.

Mobile phone handset tariffs were increased by 56% to reach 60% last year.

Last May, Iran announced plans to produce six mln mobile phone handsets.

Source : http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=51131&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs

City has no idea how many cellular towers there are

CELL TOWERS COME IN ALL SIZES. Some are small and inconspicuous and others are more massive with several antennas on one large mast. The ones requested for a tower in Alki on an apartment building have yet to be determined. Photo by Amber Trillo.

By Tim St. Clair

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

As wireless communication companies seek permission to erect more and more cellphone towers on West Seattle apartment buildings, it's difficult to figure out how many antennas there are because the city doesn't keep a running total and companies won't reveal how many they have.

The Seattle Department of Planning and Development approves individual applications to install so-called "minor communication utilities" with transmitting and receiving towers for cellphone users. But the department doesn't keep track of how many cell towers there are in West Seattle or the rest of the city, said Alan Justad, department spokesman.

Most wireless companies won't divulge how many antennas they have in their respective systems. Those are considered trade secrets.

"That is information Sprint doesn't typically give out," said Debra Havins, a company spokeswoman. "It's proprietary information."

Each cellphone company uses different technology so the radiofrequency signals of some systems require more towers than other systems, Havins said.

"It's possible for people to misinterpret," she said. "Does this company have too many? Does that company have too few?"

AT&T Wireless, which recently acquired Cingular Wireless, would not reveal the number of cell towers it operates in West Seattle either, said Lauren Garner, spokeswoman.

Nor would Verizon Wireless.

T-Mobile spokesman Steve Caplan would say only that his company has "hundreds" of towers in the Greater Seattle area. T-Mobile applied to the city to install a new wireless communication facility atop a six-floor apartment building on Alki Avenue as well as on a five-story building on Lincoln Park Way.

The uptick in applications for new cell towers is partly the result of the huge growth in the use of cell phones and the widening array of new things the devices can do, Caplan said.

Companies started out putting up cell towers near freeways and other commuter routes, Caplan said. But as people began using cell phones for personal use at home as well as on the job, companies had to find more antenna sites closer to residential neighborhoods, he said.

Additionally, people now use cell phones for much more than verbal conversations. They send text messages, check e-mail, and watch TV and movies. That requires even more wireless facilities, Caplan said.

While the city of Seattle has jurisdiction over where cellphone towers can be situated, it is the Federal Communications Commission that regulates how much radiofrequency radiation the equipment emits. There is little scientific evidence that wireless communication transmitters and receivers cause human health problems because the technology operates on low frequencies. High-speed broadband service brings about as many radiofrequencies as a baby monitor, said Lauren Garner, spokeswoman for AT&T Wireless.

Meanwhile, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed an ordinance in 2004 establishing priorities for picking cell tower sites. The effort was supported by Mayor Greg Nickels.

A Department of Planning and Development "director's rule" subsequently stated industrial sites are to be preferred for cellphone antenna installations. Next best are sites in downtown Seattle. Third choice is commercial zones.

Following those preferred places are neighborhood commercial zones, then multifamily zones on arterial streets and, lastly, multifamily zones on nonarterial streets.

The director's rule also says cellphone towers should be placed in the least intrusive location.

In addition, the director of the Department of Planning and Development can choose a third party radiofrequency engineer to verify technical information supplied by a cellphone company in its application. Further, the rule requires a third-party technical review for all cellphone antenna bases planned in single-family neighborhoods

Tim St. Clair can be reached at timstc@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.

Source : http://www.westseattleherald.com/articles/2007/04/24/news/local_news/news01.txt

Rutgers creates campus cellphone warning system

Tuesday, April 24, 2007
ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW BRUNSWICK -- New Jersey's largest higher education institution is joining a growing number of colleges and universities across the country implementing mobile phone-based warning systems after shootings that killed dozens at Virginia Tech last week.

Rutgers University on Tuesday said it was encouraging students, faculty and staff on its New Brunswick/Piscataway, Newark and Camden campuses to register their mobile phone numbers with the university so they can receive alert messages during an emergency.

"This system is part of our continuing efforts to improve communications at Rutgers and to help keep our community as safe as possible," said Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick.

The university has created a Web site to record the cell phone numbers.

Many higher education institutions have been turning to such warning systems after 33 people, including the gunman, died in shootings at Virginia Tech on April 16.

Virginia Tech officials have been criticized for sending warnings to students via e-mail accounts, versus a more immediate method such as mobile phone warnings.

At Princeton University, the university purchased a mobile phone warning system just days before the Virginia Tech shootings. The new notification system is now in place.

"The recent events at Virginia Tech have shown that it's especially important to have this type of mass, emergency notification system that is capable of reaching our community members using several methodologies," said Steven Healy, Princeton University's public safety director.

Source : http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MDYmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxMjIzNjAmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0