WIND Mobile Only Just a Breeze After All

Late last year Canada’s newest wireless carrier stumbled on to the scene. WIND had been run through the wringer by the CRTC on its foreign ownership content even though Industry Canada had given it the green light. WIND finally won out and the gate was opened wide for them to get started. Unfortunately, WIND has seemed to stumble through that gate and has no idea which way to run.

While we don’t truly know how many people WIND has signed up there are estimates of 30,000. That is not even close to being an acceptable number for a multi-million dollar leap-of-faith that seemed to have things right. With a CEO that seems to be on the ball, an experienced management team and a good story to tell how is that WIND has done so poorly.

Most of what you will read is that WIND was just not ready, and that is true, but it isn’t about having the right billing system, customer service or bullet-proof network. Their problem is in marketing.

WIND’s marketing strategy for launch is one that sounds like a great idea but just doesn’t have a mass momentum to it. They decided to offer simple plans that included unlimited calls, text messages and data but the complicating portion is the network coverage and confusions over “Home Zones” and “Away Zones”. Basically, things in your plan are unlimited while in your Home Zone but once outside that relatively small area you are now roaming and are charged per call/text/kb. People just did now feel there was enough of a benefit to take a chance with WIND…if they even knew about them in the first place.

If you build it, they will come. Or not.
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PRESS RELEASE: MOTOBLUR™ Debuts in Canada

PRESS RELEASE: MOTOBLUR™ Debuts in Canada – Say Hello to the First Phones with Social Skills
Only MOTOBLUR organizes all your messages from Facebook, MySpace and Twitter along with your emails and texts, and streams them to a single live widget for immediate reply – right from the home screen

March 03, 2010

TORONTO, Ont. — March 3, 2010 — Motorola Canada today announced that MOTOBLURTM, its revolutionary social service for Android-powered devices, is coming to Canada with all three national wireless carriers in the first half of 2010.

MOTOBLUR is the only solution to sync all your friends, posts, feeds, messages, e-mails, photos and much more—from sources such as Facebook®, Twitter®, MySpace, Gmail™, Yahoo! and work email—with continuous updates, automatically delivering them to your home screen for immediate reply. MOTOBLUR delivers these updates in easy-to-view streams, so there is no need to switch between different mobile applications to keep up with the latest content, allowing you to spend less time managing your life and more time living it.

“We are thrilled to be bringing Canadians three unique MOTOBLUR handsets with all the major wireless carriers,” said Rick Gadd, Vice President and Sales General Manager, Mobile Devices, Motorola Canada. “With MOTOBLUR, we are differentiating the Android experience and delivering phones that are truly instinctive and socially smart.”

Life: Organized, Streamed and Delivered
Only MOTOBLUR automatically delivers conversation threads, friend updates, stories, links, photos and more, to live widgets on your home screen for immediate reply:

Happenings: View your social site updates in one spot with the live Happenings application. Every friend feed, status update, wall post, bulletin and photo upload is automatically delivered and ready for immediate reply, anyway you like.
Messages: Quickly scroll through the Messages application for a snapshot of current work or personal emails, social site messages, and texts, and view messages all together in the universal inbox or separately by source.
Social Status: Blast your status right from the home screen and even save time by updating your status to one or all your social networks at once.
News Feeds: Keep track of your favorite news feeds, sports scores or even celebrity gossip without leaving the home screen.
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Windows Phone Starter Edition 6 Series Classic Edition Starter…Series…

Confession: I still like Windows Mobile, er, Windows Phone Starter…oh, you get the idea.

Just like everyone else, I have been pining for something new in Windows Mobile, anything new! Windows 6.1 is certainly quite old and at this point 6.5 is a facelift that didn’t quite work out. Actually, a ‘facelift’ is a perfect analogy for explaining what 6.5 is to 6.1, the only difference being that people are not shy about pointing out how obvious it is.

Windows Phone 7 Series (that name cries for a comma!) certainly looks fantastic and I can’t wait to get my hands on it! It is new and different – if you haven’t seen Zune HD – and is a great move by Microsoft to get back into the fight. It’s a UI that addresses the uniqueness of using a phone rather than previous iteration’s insistence on digging a PC-in-your-phone trench. I’m all for WP7S and feel like I can brag about Windows Mobile/Phone all over again.

Despite all this euphoria I still feel like I’ll miss Windows Mobile 6.x. There are a TON of applications available for it, a huge number of designs to cater to your phone preferences and the ability to change the look and feel in many ways.

Windows Phone 7 Series will not have much customizing, at least not anything that’s been announced yet. The user experience will be basically the same across all manufacturers and devices. I am not sure how much I am going to like that. Maybe I won’t mind at all because the UI will just be that good. Perhaps changing backgrounds twice a day will keep me interested. Sigh, I just am not sure.

With Windows Mobile 6.x you can use the default start page, third-party UI’s such as my favourite, SPB Mobile Shell or the UI skin that comes from manufacturers such as HTC’s Sense UI or LG’s S-Class UI. These can drastically change the look and feel of Windows Mobile since they can go fairly deep into the OS itself. I love having this kind of flexibility and it’s the reason I keep going back to Windows Mobile.

Perhaps I’ll need to start a support group (no, not technical support) to help us hangers-on with the transition away from our blankies…er, Windows Mobile.

One thing is for sure, prices for the Starter Edition phones will probably be relatively low, and a bunch of used units will flood eBay. It should be a hay-day for those of us that use our money on mundane things like paying bills, feeding our kids, heating the house…

How To: Google Buzz from Windows Mobile and Android

Google’s Buzz is doing quite well so far, but in many ways it seems to have been rushed to market. It’s crazy that you can access a Google service from only a specific version of Android (2.X). While the iPhone has full support, if you own an Android 1.5 or 1.6 or a Windows Mobile phone you are out of luck. Well, that is until now…

Jay Glogovsky posted a link in a Google Buzz post that will actually allow you to use the service on platforms that are not currently supported.

I present the “Link of Golden Awesomeness”: https://m.google.com/app/buzz/#~buzz:view=nearby

So far I have tested this on Windows Mobile and Android 1.5 and it works well. For Windows Mobile it did not seem to work in the default browser; I was using Opera Mobile 10 beta 3 and it worked just fine. In Android I just used the default browser with no problem.

So, start buzzing from the road, even if you aren’t iPhoning it!

If you try this on another phone and it works let us know and we will mention it in this post.

How to Send Google Buzz Posts to Twitter

As I am sure you all know Google has just released their latest project into the wilds; Google Buzz.

Buzz looks to be an interesting service that is somewhere between facebook and twitter. Who knows if it will be the social network of the decade, but I’m jumping in to try it out.

One obvious thing that is missing is a way to post to twitter from Buzz. Well, you had to know someone would figure out how!

Here is the step-by-step on how to send Buzz posts to twitter:

1. Click the following link: http://reader2twitter.appspot.com/buzz
2. Connect it to your Twitter account using OAuth
3. Click this link again as the redirected page is not the correct one: http://reader2twitter.appspot.com/buzz
4. Add your Google Profile Number ID from the bottom of your profile
5. Make sure “Sync” is On and hit Submit
6. Done!!

In number 4 above you are shown your profile page, scroll to the bottom under “Profile URL” and select the link for “see other options” to show your Google Number ID. Paste the whole number in the box.

The service is powered by Pubsubhubbub and seems to work quite well.

My twitter account can be found here
My Google Buzz profile is here

Many thanks to George Millington for the link to Louis Gray’s post!!

Update: Either this service is choking on all the new content or has been shut down. I am not seeing any content getting to twitter now. Anyone else having success?

Update again: Looks like it is still working but is spotty. Let’s hope there is an official solution from Google sometime soon.

Update on Wireless in Canada

It’s no secret that Canadians have been at the mercy of the “big three” cellphone carriers in Canada with little to no competition for far too long. 

So, how are we doing now that we have at least one new choice?

The honest truth about consumer choice in Canadian cellular is that for a long time we have had none.  Sure, there has been three carriers but if they haven’t been secretly meeting in dark alleys to discuss rates they at least have not been competitive.  The result is that pricing for voice and data has been extremely high in Canada until recently.  So, what changed?  New blood!

The latest carrier to enter the scene in Canada is WIND Mobile and they bring with them a refreshing focus on consumers.  While their plans are not earth shattering they at least represent a decent option for some.  I’ll get back to WIND in just a bit.

Our big three – or rather, ‘big two’ since Bell and TELUS are conjoined twins – milked consumers to the point of breaking but with no choice, what could we do?  The government dragged their feet for a long time but FINALLY offered cellular spectrum in an auction open to everyone but Rogers and Bellus.  These companies finally saw that some form of competition was coming and I think that is when they decided to become more competitive; well, at least Bellus did.  Roger’s plans have changed very little, probably because they are still on a high from being the exclusive carrier of the iPhone.  But of course, that is no longer true either, so hopefully we will see changes from Rogers.

I personally use Bell and am happy with the rates they have for data.  I still pay far too much overall for my cellphone but they have improved.  Of course, they still are not connecting with their customers in any measurable way.  While Rogers has made strides on Social Networking sites like twitter there is nothing from Bell that I have seen and little from Telus.  I’m pretty sure Bell executives are still scratching their blue hair over that new fangled site “MySpace”. [to any Bell executive reading this I apologize.  You hair is actually a very nice shade of blue, I meant the guy in the office two down from you.]

WIND Mobile does represent the kind of company we have been waiting for in Canada but how are they doing so far?  Apparently they signed up 10,000 subscribers in their first month.  Uhhhh…

Ok, maybe some would think that is good considering they are new, they have limited coverage, they spend all day playing with Microsoft Surface, but the point is they need to do MUCH better.  They are currently looking to raise money to roll out in other cities, but return on that money would have to be extremely speculative at this point.  Lets hope they are able to get on Dragon’s Den and win over at least a couple Dragons.

Things are looking a bit better for Canadians but we have a long way to go.  Let’s try to support new carriers as much as possible, or at least the carriers that are trying to change for the better.

Yet Another iPad Opinion

Well, I figured I better address the elephant in the room…no, no, not you!  What would a mobile tech blog be without mentioning at least in passing, the Apple iPad.  Yep, I’m jumping on the blogging bandwagon and giving the iPad some more free marketing.

I’m not going to bother describing the iPad as I am sure EVERYONE has already heard about it; rather, I wanted to give you my take on the Pad and hear your opinions in the comments.  Agree with me, tell me I am clueless, tell me you like my hair, warn me about my breath whatever you like, that’s what the comments are for.

There was pretty well NO WAY Apple could have wowed us with the iPad.  There was speculation that it would solve all problems in this world and bring joy and peace to all, so once announced it was just a bit of a letdown for many.  If the iPad had been kept under wraps there would be less gnashing of teeth over what it is missing. Of course, I’m about to gnash away myself.

My conclusion (yes, before my explanation), I would not get the iPad. Guess I have to explain now…

While the iPad looks like it would be fun to use there is nothing compelling enough to make me part with $500.  I can do everything on my iPod touch that the iPad can do, just with a smaller screen.  While the iPad screen would be nice, again, it’s not enough to make me want to spend the money.  If I was planning on getting something this size I would opt for a netbook that can run MUCH more powerful apps (bring on the flame comments!) and would probably be cheaper.

Apple has chosen to release a product with a very narrow niche – well, I guess that defines “niche". No doubt there will be many sold and by some companies’ metrics it may be a success I don’t think it will be an ‘Apple’ kind of success.

One thing is for sure, I can’t wait to see what the second gen will look like!

Obviously, your opinion could be the opposite, and that is perfectly fine.  If you think I’m missing the obvious, let me know in the comments.

Apple Tablet…Enough Already!

The Apple Tablet is coming! The Apple Tablet is coming!

I don’t know about the rest of you but I can’t wait for Apple to introduce the world to their much rumoured tablet. It’s not that I can’t wait to get one, just that I’m tired of hearing about it!

Of course, Apple will probably do a great job with it but is there any chance it can live up to the hype? Can it really bring world peace, solve hunger, cure deseases and resurrect Kanye’s carrier? Well, maybe the first 3 are in reach…

I’m not saying I won’t want one when it comes out, just saying that this has been the most hyped unofficial product I can ever remember. Apple’s biggest challenge is going to be to live up to that hype. Unlike the original iPhone (which no one really knew about) the iTabletslatepad has been THE tech topic for a while now.

Of course, Apple could shock us all and skip the iTabletslatepad altogether. Nah, not going to happen.

Android and Me

For a long time Windows Mobile has been my mobile OS of choice. I have actually been using it since it was the HandheldPC version 1.0 (Casio Cassiopeia A-10).

While I still use Windows Mobile everyday (HTC Touch Pro) I have been itching to get at an Android powered device for a while now. Android is the closest to Window Mobile of the OS’ out there, including the required (IMO) multitasking.

When Mike Temporale let me know I would be reviewing the LG Eve I was pumped! Not only was the hardware the type that I prefer but it was Android (version 1.5).

When I first started digging into Android I actually felt a little lost. Having used Windows Mobile for so long I know where to find anything I need, so trying to blindly grope my way around Android just felt very strange. I couldn’t help but think that non-techie types might not be too enamoured with Android.

It’s only been about 3 or 4 weeks now but I do feel comfortable with Android at this point. I’m far from being an expert but can generally do everything I need. The only thing I still find a bit confusing is trying to find where some settings are located. That needs to be organized a bit more.

My daily use of Android on the LG Eve has been very enjoyable (yup, I’m that geeky). I really love using this little phone! Android does everything I need it to and in many ways is what I would have liked Windows Mobile to be by now.

The LG Eve is a little different than most Android phones available for now in that the screen resolution is fairly low (480×320), it’s small and has a resistive screen. For people that have been using Android on something like the Hero they may not like the LG Eve as much. For me, I am used to resistive screens and like the small size.
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Quick Tests of the LG Eve Video Recording

Nothing special here, just a quick test of the Video capability of the LG Eve. Video capture outdoors is really not too bad at all; colour seems to be good and lag is certainly acceptable. Unfortunately, low light capture is not as good and the LED flash is not strong enough to compensate. I’ll try to post an example of that later as an edit to this post.

Let me just say; it was -13C out, so I didn’t want to take time to do anything too fancy. Oh, and my nose isn’t really that big! I think. And the sun was in my eyes…

Edit (Dec 23rd):
I should mention that the Eve does allow editing of video right on the phone. You can trim the length, add text overlays, and add music and filters. I must say, the editing is really quite nice! I trimmed one of the videos above and then just loaded it directly to YouTube.

The camera allows editing of images as well including cropping, levels, colour overlays, framing, text bubbles, resizing and more. You can also create slideshows on the phone.

Overall, in good lighting the camera does quite well, video is clear with little stuttering but in low light it struggles. A better LED would help as this one is just underpowered.

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