Apple May Bring a Non-iPhone To Verizon Wireless 194
The Narrative Fallacy writes "According to BusinessWeek, Verizon Wireless is in talks with Apple to distribute two new iPhone-like devices that are not iPhones. (Apple has created prototypes.) AT&T's contract with Apple, which has not been made public, is believed to cover all models of the iPhone, but only the iPhone. So if Apple builds something that isn't an iPhone — and perhaps doesn't even make cellular calls — they won't be violating their exclusivity contract with AT&T, which runs through at least 2010. One device is a smaller, less expensive calling device described by a person who has seen it as an 'iPhone lite.' The other is a media pad, said to be smaller than a Kindle but with a bigger screen, that would let users listen to music, view photos, watch high-definition videos, and make calls over a Wi-Fi connection. (And read books?) Apple could use the prospect of an iPhone-esque device as leverage to prevent Verizon Wireless from introducing the Palm Pre, or at least to delay its introduction on Verizon's network. 'The media pad category might go to Verizon,' said one person who has seen the device. 'We are talking about a device where people will say, "Damn, why didn't we do this?" Apple is probably going to define the damn category.'" Reader stevegee58 writes with word that Verizon may be playing both ends against the middle. Marketwatch reports that Microsoft and Verizon are in talks to develop a touch-screen mobile phone that would run on Windows Mobile.
Re:THIS makes sense (Score:3, Informative)
In an attempt to keep things exciting, most 3g technologies use a CDMA (or W-CDMA) carrier.
Re:Sounds familiar (Score:3, Informative)
Back then the Mac ran on "System" whatever. System 3, System 6, System 7, you get the idea.
The clone license covered System 7, so they changed the name to Mac OS and revved the number to 8, just to be sure.
Re:This sounds exciting... (Score:3, Informative)
You should be aware that the iPhone can do those things with a 3rd party app.
Serious Verizon/WinMo WTFs (Score:5, Informative)
I have a touchscreen phone that uses Windows Mobile. It's the HTC mogul and it's a damned sweet phone when you load it up with SkyFire browser. (IE mobile takes suck to whole new levels)
I browse and post on slashdot/digg/reddit/etc, watch movies on hulu, play mp3s and all that jazz but unlike the iPhone, it has a real keyboard that doesn't suck to type on. (touch screen keyboards blow HARD)
It's a pretty awesome phone. But dangit, it's still windows with all its suck. The interface is inconsistent, laggy, it runs out of memory when you run too many progs at a time, and it just crashes about 1x/week without warning. Oh, and there's no spider solitaire.
It's a great phone except for the windows part.
It was great irony this morning... using Outlook mobile, Exchange (Zimbra) and Office mobile, it refused to open a word document in an email because it might 'harm my system'. Something ironic about MS' product telling me that another of their products is dangerous to use?
I opened it w/my Linux laptop, Kmail, and Open Office just fine, thank you!
PS: I typed this post on said phone. Verizon is developing a touch screen phone? What am I using, then?
Re:This sounds exciting... (Score:3, Informative)
The iPhone has free SSH and VNC apps. I have them installed.
5 MP in a cell phone is fooling yourself. Zoom one of those pictures up and inspect it pixel by pixel. You MIGHT be getting 2 MP effective resolution. Everything else is just wasting memory capturing lens blur.
Re:Sounds familiar (Score:3, Informative)
So close! Back then the Mac ran on "System" whatever. System 3, System 6, System 7, you get the idea. The clone license covered System 7, so they changed the name to Mac OS and revved the number to 8, just to be sure.
Not quite: The last OS for the clones was MacOS 7.6(.1).