Why Are Mobile Phones Mysteriously Dying

Cell Phone Industry Conspiracy Theory 

I am growing skeptical of an wireless industry that could be using shenanigans to make smartphones die.  Why would a carrier install a bug or make your software fail for a few select customers?  Because your phone is likely out of a contract and they want you to upgrade and need the revenue.  We have no idea or control over the software that is being installed on our phones.  Automatic updates happen frequently and have no control over it.  Therefore, we would never know if T-Mobile or Verizon in particular are purposely causing our phones to die with corrupt software and calling it a hardware failure.

I am a conspiracy theorist when it comes to carrier fraud and there is not reason why my laptop can last for 8+ years and my phone continually craps out after 18 months.  This has happened repeatedly and I am beginning to think that there is corruption within the industry to drive sales.  It happened to my wife who has a Verizon Droid and now me how has T-Mobile G2 Android phone.

I can't wait until the day something like this is uncovered by a techie similar to the Carrier IQ monitoring software that was being installed on our phones.  If anyone has any evidence to substantiate my claims I would like to know in the comments below or send me an email.   I can see a class action coming very soon if someone uncovers evidence.

The only evidence I have is that our phones have died on Friday or Saturday each time.  Anyone else experience this on similar days?  Super convenient for you to just run into a T-Mobile or Verizon store to boost their business.   SCAM!

I have not experienced or heard of these problems with Sprint or with AT&T.

List of T-Mobile Phones That Have UMA WiFi Calling

Right now T-Mobile is the only US carrier to offer UMA WiFi calling on Android phones.  Here is a list of phones that currently support the Kineto application that is not currently available in the Android marketplace.  The application is free but minutes are deducted from your total plan if you make calls over WiFi which is reasonable.  Other carriers like AT&T, Verizon & Sprint have largely ignored this demand from consumers because of their growing femtocell businesses where they would like to sell you a piece of hardware for around $250 plus a monthly data plan. See: AT&T Microcell, Verizon femtocell & Sprint femtocell sales.

Kineto Wireless is an innovator and leading supplier of solutions that enable delivery of mobile services over broadband. They have deploy Smart Wi-Fi Application for Wi-Fi Calling to their customers for free improve indoor coverage through the use of existing Wi-Fi access points. This list is constantly being updated so please check back for further updates and and become a Facebook fan to stay informed.

After speaking with T-Mobile's customer service team we came up with a list of phones that currently have UMA on the device:  G2, MyTouch Phones, Samsung Vibrant, Behold 2 Katalyst, Most Blackberry Phones, Nokia e73 and Nokia 6086, Motorola Cliq and Cliq XT

T-Mobile WiFi Calling Works Great

 

So far I have used the T-Mobile WiFi calling feature a number of times inside homes and buildings and it works great on the G2. It appears that once you are registered on the network it minimizes the signal from HSPA+ or 3G to reduce interference.  I am also able to send text messages as well over WiFi.  So far I have not dropped a call and the connection is very clear.  Once again congratulations to Kineto Wireless for making this happen.  You will not likely see other US carriers following their lead because it is not a profit center for them and disrupts the growing femtocell business.

I still have two remaining business questions: Why is T-Mobile Wifi Not Free especially when you are overseas and will you be charged international calling rates if the call originates on a WiFi network in Europe for example?

T-Mobile 4G Phones: G2 & MyTouch Compared

The MyTouch 4G and Tmobile G2 are both supporting HSPA+ or 4G T-mobile's network. Both the MyTouch 4G and G2 both run on Android 2.2 and the new WiFi calling feature that allows customers who don't have coverage in the home to make and receive calls on WiFi. The G2 is slightly heavier than the MyTouch but feels more solid.  I prefer the new G2 slide-out keyboard that has a hinge versus the MyTouch slide.  The MyTouch is selling for $50 cheaper but I think it's worth it to pay up for the G2.  Having a phone that is developed and integrated with Google applications will likely pay off in the long-run.  The only reason you would likely prefer the MyTouch is likely the front-facing camera. However, if you look at the G2 phone there is a place on the front of the phone that looks a lot like a front-facing camera. A front-facing camera may not currently be available in the G2 software but I have a sneaky suspicion that it will have it as well soon.  If you like this review see our review of the Samsung Vibrant vs HTC G2. 

Related Posts:

Why All Android Phones Are Not The Same

Mobile Cloud Computing Demands Wifi Data Offload

 

Mobile cloud computing subscribers was 42.8M in 2008, (approximately 1.1% of all cell phone subscribers) and is expected to reach 1 billion subscribers in 2014 (almost 20%). Mobile cloud applications have been driving this adoption moving data storage away from mobile phones themselves and into the cloud, bringing apps and mobile computing to not just smartphone users but a much broader range of mobile subscribers. Will the carriers be able to handle this additional data traffic over their new congested 4G networks or will users demand data offload through Wifi?  As cloud computing creeps into the home and onto other electronic devices, into the car, games and music devices it demands data offload to Wifi.  Why? Because very few cellular networks actually provide in-building coverage and ever will.

Companies like Dropbox for iPhone users and Google's various email, calendar and contact services that are the primary applications driving the growth.  Enterprises have been much slower to adopt than small businesses but this is expected to change as companies like Blackberry catch on. One of the benefits of owning a smartphone and being a heavy Google user is to have everything backed up in the cloud.  There are many benefits to this including the ability to change phones on the fly and contact, calendars, files are automatically synced.  This saves a tremendous amount of time for anyone who uses a laptop and a smartphone every day for work.  Syncing data in the cloud might be one of the biggest productivity enhancements for the business world in this decade.  If you are like me and don't like to waste time you will especially like the features of having all your emails in the cloud.  This will enable you to delete your inbox or read emails during downtime or while you are in traffic.  I find myself spending far less time in front of my laptop answering emails because I have typically deleted them during breakfast or on my commute (shhh!).

Are Smartphones Secure on Wifi Hotspots?

Smartphone Security on Open Wifi Networks

Are smartphones secure on open wifi networks or are they vulnerable to attacks like PCs and laptops are?  As mobile phone users start preferring to offload data to wifi will security be the fear factor sales pitch? Hotspot shield has garnered lots of attention around the world and still remains one of the most downloaded applications for laptops.  However, is the threat the same for using on iPhone or Anroid phones?  My gut tells me its still a conspiracy similar to all of the large anti-virus companies who have benefited from the worms and viruses.  I still have yet to hear about one concrete example of a phone user getting hacked while using a smartphone at a hotspot or while offloading data from an application.  We searched for "hotspot shield" in the Android marketplace and didn't find anything.

Can smartphone users connecting to unencrypted Wi-Fi hotspots be compromised by attackers using an existing tools?  Can usernames and password combinations be captured?  We would like to hear from industry experts if this is true and we would like to see some examples or video. 

Why is T-Mobile WiFi Calling is Not Free?

Why is T-Mobile WiFi Calling Not Free

We just spoke with a friendly T-Mobile customer service representative who took the time to look up & read the actual billing policy.  Wifi calling is be billed exactly like normal cell phone tower calls just like nights & weekends, my faves, & mobile-to-mobile.  The Wifi usage minutes will be reflected on your bill, unfortunately.  The question remains will this last forever as Google Voice and Skype start to steal revenue and minutes from the carrier.  One of the benefits of making Wifi phone calls is to save money and not pay $1.25 per minute to make calls overseas.  To do this most iPhone and Android users have used the Skype, Truphone or Google Voice apps to make cheap calls that range from .02-.05 cents per minute.  Since you are not using T-Mobile's network and using free wifi, it doesn't make any sense to still pay the ridiculous rates of $1.25 per minute to make calls overseas and this will need to change.  

T-Mobile has had a reputation for having an inferior network to Verizon, Sprint & AT&T in some areas.  However, if you live in a major metropolitan area the coverage is pretty good.  For many T-Mobile users who live in heavily wooded areas, the hills or simply where a cell phone tower signal does not reach into their home.  Wifi is now an option to make and receive phone call.  

Wifi phone calling endorsed by the carrier is a major industry breakthrough as all of the major carriers have been putting this development off for about a decade for fear of cannibalizing their overprice voice subscription business.  For the millions of people who don't have a signal in their home or office all you have to is have an Android phone and it will update your system automatically to make calls.  

T-Mobile has been the one US carrier that has not taken a femtocell strategy of fixing in-building coverage.  Instead, they have partnered with Kineto app that allows Android phone users to make Wifi phone calls.  This is interesting because Kineto was VC funded many years ago with a femtocell strategy and quickly changed course to adapt to the market that wasn't willing to pay $200+ for the network device.  

T-Mobile G2 SD Card Mounted Read Only Problems

The G2 Android phone is having some major problems with its SanDisk Micro SD 8GB card.  Whenever I try and use an app like the camera or the video it says the SD card is "mounted read-only".  Please insert the SD card.   I have tried 2 different SD cards and now moving on to my second phone.  I even spoke directly with a T-Mobile dealer at the store who was experiencing similar problems.  Is it a hardware issue or a software issue that is causing the problem?  We have tried several SD cards and it doesn't appear to be the SD card causing the problem.  When will Android or T-Mobile have a fix for the problem?  Please post your experiences or solutions below.

Why Apple or Google Should Buy Pandora

Consumers Don't Want to Own Music Anymore

How much longer can iTunes maintain its leadership position as the middleman for content owners to consumers?  I think the device manufacturing giant needs to think very quickly about buying a service like Pandora.  What is holding them back from spending their $50 billion dollars in cash?  Do they think they can recreate a similar experience themselves?  Is Apple afraid of cannibalizing their business of music and programming downloads?  My sense it is likely because AT&T, Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile don't have their networks in order to handle the additional data streaming on 4G, LTE, Wimax.  However, this could be a strategic move if the new iPods and Shuffles become Wifi enabled.  

Google on the other hand doesn't have a music play and Pandora will start being used more frequently in the car.  Google could quickly bring a lot of location based advertising inventory onto the market with Pandora's 50M+ users.  Apple and Google have both shown their interest in predictive analytics which is Pandora specialty in music. Pandora uses this predictive playlist to recommend other songs you might like to keep you connected. The predictive playlists are an incredible user experience and are starting to carry ads that are relevant to the music.  The Pandora experience on my Samsung TV and new G2 phone.  It won't be surprising to see that Google TV also has a streaming music option very soon.  The question is whether they build it or partner with someone like Pandora? 

T-Mobile Wifi Phone Calls on Android Phones

T-Mobile has announced Wi-Fi Calling technology with the upcoming availability of built-in Wi-Fi Calling solutions planned for a wide selection of Android powered smartphones, including the recently announced new T-Mobile myTouch and Motorola DEFY with MOTOBLUR. All have the Android 2.2 operating system named Froyo. Hopefully, this Smart Wifi app will become available on future G2 updates.

Kineto offers the wireless industry's only combined Wi-Fi-based Smart Offload solution. Kineto’s Wi-Fi-based Smart Offload application enables mobile phone users to turn any standard Wi-Fi access point into a seamless extension of the T-Mobile network, allowing subscribers to receive all their mobile services when connected via Wi-Fi. This application helps solve the Capacity Crunch. Resolves the 3G Indoor Coverage Challenge. Addresses the perceived mobile VoIP threat Helps improve battery performance by enabling handsets to transmit at lower power when attached to a Wi-Fi access point, and thereby increase handsets' talk and standby times.

Wi-Fi Calling for Android is built upon the same technology as UMA, but is a different implementation from T-Mobile's past offerings. T-Mobile’s current Wi-Fi Calling solution which operates on BlackBerry smartphones, for instance, seamlessly hands off calls from T-Mobile’s network to Wi-Fi networks, Wi-Fi Calling for Android does not. T-Mobile Wi-Fi Calling for Android increases coverage and but unfortunately still uses voice minutes on your plan.

T-Mobile Customers Can Unlock Their Phones

To my surprise, if you are a loyal T-Mobile you can unlock your phone for free with the carrier and it will not void the warranty.  As a loyal customer, this will NOT void the warranty on the phone and entitle you to the same service and return policies.  I experienced this excellent customer service today as I was preparing for my trip to Europe.  I asked them if I could unlock my phone so I could purchase an international SIM card to make calls while traveling in Europe and Ireland.  The answer they gave me was we can help you unlock your phone just give us your IME number and we will send you an email instruction you how to do it.  I would like to give T-Mobile an award for this tremendous customer service and they should be recognized for this leadership.  If any AT&T or Verizon customer has had the same experience I would like to know about it.  I won't hold my breath waiting.

Why would I want to purchase a SIM card versus roaming on T-Mobile?  The cost in Europe for US customers is $15 per megabyte to download data and $1.25 cents per minute to make phone calls.  I can't blame them for charging this but its a bit outrageous and may surprise many customers who don't turn off data roaming while traveling outside the US.

Another alternative is to take out your SIM card and make calls on Wi-FI with Truphone, Nimbuzz Skype on some phones or another VoIP mobile app.  The sound quality is pretty good and the rates vary from .02 cents per minute up to .20 cents per minute depending on if the call is to a landline or a mobile phone.  You can also purchase a SIM card from a company like Truphone Local Anywhere for $30 so you can take advantage of the local data plans and calling rates.  This will avoid the costly international roaming charges.

My plan while traveling to Europe is to take two phones.  My old G1 Android phone without a SIM card for making WiFI VoIP phone calls and my Samsung Vibrant for data roaming with a new SIM card that I will purchase when I land.  If anyone has any suggestions of data SIM cards to buy while traveling in Ireland and the UK please let me know?

Why All Android Phones Are Not The Same

Android is a unique mobile phone operating system that any handset maker can use and modify. It has allowed manufacturers like HTC, Motorola, Sony, LG & Samsung to create a whole range of smartphones that run on its platform. However, consumers can also get very confused when shopping for these new phones and cannot assume that all phones that have Android are created equal. Unfortunately, I have learned firsthand that a phone with the Android OS doesn't automatically have all features I love. As an example here are 10 reasons why I may be returning my Samsung Vibrant for a G2 phone and both have the Android operating system.

Despite the Samsung Vibrant having a large beautiful screen and very fast processor, the phone has some software and ergonomic issues that I could not get fully comfortable with. The Vibrant is tremendously light, great media features and feels much better than the iPhone 4 but ultimately I think I am such a heavy Google user that I need the tightest integration with Google apps and therefore G2 is probably the best phone for me.

1. The GPS and interaction with Google Maps is not good. Not sure if it is a hardware or software issue and had a difficult time finding my location and using navigation. The G1 did not have this problem.

2. I don't like the hassle of a 2 step process of hitting the power button and swiping the screen up to use the phone when its dormant. Don't know how to remove or modify this process that seems necessary.

3. The lack of tight integration with Google Calendar and Maps creates some extra steps when using the phone. The lack of IM, Call and Email integration doesn't not make communicating with people as easy as the G1 and assume G2.

4. The Samsung Vibrant HD video and camera features were very nice and probably the think I liked the most about the phone. However, some of the navigation features within the media Gallery and integration with Picasa where not straight forward and kind of clunky. Each time my phone starts up it has to search for media files.

5. Holding the phone with one hand is not as easy as the G1 or G2 and requires an extra hand sometimes for touching areas on the screen. A long thumb is necessary for users to get comfortable with one hand.

6. Battery life was not very good and seems to only last about 6 hours without needed a long charge especially on WiFi. The G1 seemed to charge quickly and last a lot longer and and hope the G2 does the same.

7. Playing Avatar or videos from my phone on the TV through the Samsung Allshare App on my home FiOS network was kind of a scam. Pictures worked great but playing videos did not work and got bogged down by the file size. Plus Avatar was not available in 3D.  I hope the G2 has a networking feature like this or an app available soon.

8. I loved the amount of space available on the device but I felt like a lot of the apps that were preloaded seem to interfere with the apps I downloaded. TeleNav, MediaHub, GoGo, MobiTV, ThinkFree office, Visual Voicemail, Amazon MP3. Its not clear how to keep these apps dormant on the device so they don't load on startup.

9. I never felt like I was running out of memory but Advanced Task Killer kept killing 10 to 15 apps every hour. This lack of app loading control is not something I like.  The G1 did not have this problem.

10. I kind of miss using the trackball and keyboard to navigate around the screen to links and type. It's useful when trying to click on links and edit text. However, I think the Swipe feature for one-handed typing is awesome!

Hopefully, these 30-day return policies stay valid for carriers who sell Android phones.  These features have not been differentiated very well by the carriers and the salespeople are not very knowledgeable about the differences I mentioned above.

Related Post:

Android Phones: Samsung Vibrant vs HTC G2

Android Phones: Samsung Vibrant vs HTC G2

Are you a keyboard person or can't live without it or can you train yourself to use the new Swype digital keyboard?  Do you want the faster HSPA+ download speeds or do you primarily use your phone on Wi-Fi and can live with 3G?  Do you need the fastest processor?   Do you use your phone to read, look at photos and take video?  We try and answer these questions below . . .

I have been a long time T-Mobile G1 Android Phone user for the last two years.  I have been waiting patiently for the release of the new Android G2 which has a faster processor and refined hardware features.  However, when I walked into the T-Mobile store the other day to get a repair for my G1 something hit me.  The Samsung Vibrant Android Phone screen was beautiful and look strikingly similar to the iPhone.  However, when I picked it up it seems to be about half of the weight of an iPhone 4 which seems heavy.

The Samsung Vibrant comes a 1GHz processor that runs very fast. The G2 will be running on an 800 MHz processor. In day-to-day activities such as web browsing or checking email, the difference in power between the two devices won’t be significantly noticeable but may make a difference for power users.

The T-Mobile G2 offers connectivity to T-Mobile’s next-generation HSPA+ network, allowing the device to reach faster download speeds approaching or exceeding 4G speeds (3 – 6 Mbps average). The Samsung Vibrant is limited to standard 3G connectivity. You need to ask yourself if you are mostly going to be connecting via Wi-Fi or 3G. 4G or 3G HSPA+ is just not available in that many areas currently.

The G2 has a slide-out keyboard and the Vibrant does not.  However, it features the Swype keyboard or the Android digital keyboard options.  The screen on the Vibrant is so large that the fat finger problem does not seem to be an issue.

After a few weeks of using the G2, we have noticed some issues with the G2 SD card mounting read-only.  So far there doesn't appear to be any solutions to fix the problem and we will keep you posted.  We have tried 2 different micro SD cards from SanDisk and the problem keeps occurring when trying to use the camera.  It appears to be an Android issue and we are being sent our 2nd phone.

One feature the Samsung Vibrant is lacking is the tight integration with Google Maps and comes preloaded with TeleNav.  One feature I liked on the G1 was the ability to click on the location of a calendar item and Google Maps would automatically open up.  I suspect that this feature will be fixed in future updates.

Samsung has a great networking feature Allshare if you have a Samsung TV or other DLNA devices. DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) technology enables the Vibrant to wirelessly act as a media server and sends video content from your phone to other devices, such as TVs, monitors, and laptops.

The Samsung Vibrant is running Android 2.1 with an upgrade to Android 2.2 approaching while the T-Mobile G2 will be shipping with Android 2.2.  I have downloaded many of the Google applications that I used on the G1 like Google Voice, Google Places, Google Maps Navigation, Google Voice Navigation, Google Fast Flip, Google News, Google Reader, and Google Finance.

The Samsung Vibrant has a beautiful 4″ display which is one of the best displays I have ever seen. The G2 has a 3.7″ display which is similar to the Google Nexus One. Both displays will reduce their power consumption and reflection when in direct sunlight.

Avatar pre-installed on the Vibrant and it can be watched on any Samsung TV using their AllShare application sharing on a home network.

Both phones have a 5MP photo and HD video camera. However, the G2 will be equipped with an LED flash. The Samsung records video in 720p HD and has various camera settings which include night mode and panoramic capturing. The Vibrant also has an amazing panoramic mode which takes incredible pictures. The G2 will also come with 720p HD video recording as well.

One nice feature on the Vibrant is the 16GB internal storage which comes with a pre-installed 2GB microSD card. The T-Mobile G2 has 4GB internal storage and similar storage on the SD card.

Samsung is launching a Media Hub for renting or buying TV shows and Movies.  This feature currently does not work as says "coming soon" when you try and open it.

Samsung Vibrant also uses a proprietary charging device that looks a lot like a USB but it's not.  You can charge it with their own USB cord but it's a smaller dongle that fits into the fun.  Unfortunately, you cannot use your old USB or phone chargers.

The Samsung Vibrant comes preloaded with a number of unique applications like Avatar, TeleNav, AllShare, Facebook, GoGo, Kindle, MiniDiary, Mobi TV, The Sims 3, MobiTV & ThinkFree Office.

Related Post:
T-Mobile 4G Phones: G2 & MyTouch Compared
Why All Android Phones Are Not The Same

Free Google Voice + Video + IM + Gmail = Awesome

Free Google Voice + Video + IM + Gmail = Awesome

The "holy grail" of unified communications has arrived . . . a solution that ties my email (Gmail), instant messenger (Google Talk),  Video Chat, Free SMS, Voicemail (Google Voice),  Google Calendar, and Google Docs all together into one organized and simple hosted solution.  You can't beat the price which is currently free and it just might fix your cell phone coverage as well.   What finally blew me away was the last step of choosing my new phone number and you can search by keywords, numbers, and zip code.  I typed in my mobile phone number and my new number was only one digit in the area code different.  I now have a (310) and a (317) phone numbers and that is cool!

As a small business owner, this is an ideal solution and could save you thousands of dollars per year if you take the time and get organized.  It's also a solution for the many millions of office and home cell phone users who don't have any mobile phone reception in their homes or office.  It is now so simple to simply dial the number with one click that you can leave your cell phone in the car (if you forward your phone number).  No more dead zones or dropped calls that seem to be getting worse on smartphones that consume more data.  

This is a timely announcement by Google as VoIP competitor Skype now has over 500M+ users and is positioning itself for an IPO.  I think Google Voice will now quickly catapult itself as a big competitor to Skype. The recent announcement of Google calls from PC to Phone is somewhat unique as Skype currently charges for these calls with their Skype Out product.  It is cheap as well but I assume Google Advertising has thought through the math and figure that they can make it free and make more money on the advertising served up.   SMART!

It will also be very interesting to see how tightly integrated the new Google Voice features are with the Android operating system and the New Features on the T-Mobile G2 Phone phone that will be coming out in November.  

Click to Dial from your Contacts or Instant Messanger

Google Voice Transcription on PC or MAC

Google Voice on iPhone and Android

Related Posts:

10 Reasons Why Skype Will Make You Rich

New Features on the T-Mobile G2 Phone

G1 Google Phone vs G2 Google Phone

T-Mobile has launched its G2 phone which has a much faster processor and runs on the HSPA+ network.  I was able to pick up my phone just before the CTIA show as a favor and love it already.  Here are some apps that were pre-loaded on the phone which I love.  Google Voice, Google Listen for Podcasts, Swipe for texting with one hand, Google Places for finding locations easily, Google Goggles, PhotoBucket and many enhanced contact syncing features for Facebook, Twitter and Gmail.

Its a great phone and the form factor is even better than I thought.  The flip-up screen and the placement of the navigation bar are in the areas you would expect.  The power button on top makes it easy to turn on a swipe to turn on.  The screen is slightly larger and it sits nicely in your hand to use without the keyboard.  I had the Samsung Galaxy for a short time and returned it because I prefer to have a keyboard and didn't like the way it sat in my hand as a wider phone.  However, the G2 is perfect and much better even though it is slightly heavier than the Galaxy but slightly lighter than the iPhone 4.  I haven't noticed a difference in the processing power as promoted on the Galaxy and think the G2 processing power sufficient.  Also, the 8GB micro SD card creates a lot of room.  We still aren't sure if there is a front-facing camera but the rear video and picture camera is excellent.

Everyone who has had the G1 knows about the dreaded memory loss and it has become virtually impossible to run apps on a phone without the Task Killer application running in the background.  The G2 has much more processing power and expanded memory capability on the 2 GB internal and 8 GB SD card and internal memory.  I would also expect to see a lot of data offloading features pushing capacity off applications like YouTube from the carrier network onto Wifi. Google Maps has a stronger presence on it with preloaded apps  It remains to be seen what will Google's answer be to Apple's Facetime application that seems to be captivating iPhone 4 users.  It seems to me that this could be a feature enhancement of Google iChat and Google Voice integration.   A Skype IPO could help light a fire in this area as wel..

T-Mobile seems to be the preferred network if you are Google user and live in a large metropolitan area.  The trend today seems to be smart users moving to smaller carriers with less people on the network.  That certainly is not AT&T or Verizon who own 66% of the market.

Related Post:
Skype on Android