Underground Media: Reloaded

I would like to extend a heartfelt "thank you" to all of my new readers from Urban Thought Collective! I am sincerely proud and humbled to be a part of this community. Now, on to the tech! Last week, I gave you an overview of the major players in the coming mobile-phone slugfest that's about to hit the market. Apple vs. Google vs. the handset manufacturers (Motorola, Samsung, et al). If I were to portray this market conflict in terms of a boxing analogy, I would invite you to recall the Tyson vs. Spinks fight circa 1988. I was all of 14-years-old and I vividly recall watching the pay-per-view event at a friends' house. We were glued to the screen as my buddy's mother got up to fix herself a drink in the kitchen about 30 seconds into Round 1. When she returned ONE MINUTE later, the fight was OVER!!! Iron Mike had knocked Michael Spinks into dreamland at 1:30 in the first round. I remember seeing Spinks' eyes roll up into his head and thinking, " D...

Sounds ominous, right? Well, it should. Most tech shootouts do more harm than good to the consumer. Anybody remember Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD? Lasting for over two years, this Hi-Def DVD format face-off split the entertainment content community and left consumers standing on the sidelines scratching their heads. And Blu-ray's eventual victory earlier this year surely tasted of ashes. They were left with either angry customers who had spent hundreds on HD-DVD boxes and its respective media, or hopelessly confused customers who still didn't know that simply owning a Play Station 3 had put them in the winners' circle . What does that mean for the looming Mobile Phone slug-fest? More of the same consumer confusion. Perhaps I should explain. Recently, in a test market, smart-phone owners were asked about the capabilities of their phones and how they used them. It was determined that, although the smart-phone owners confidently claimed to use 100% of their phones' features...

Well folks, I have finally decided on a new smartphone. But first, I'll expand a little on my quest. It began with the En-V, LG's Frankenstein monster of a cellphone. Candybar scheme on the outside, flippy full-keyboard and widescreen goodness on the inside. And for a few bucks more, I got the GPS add-on. Life was good for a while, but over time I began to discover what I really *wanted* out of a cellphone. Surprisingly, the voice/phone part was really a small part of it. I wanted a full qwerty keyboard for texting and IM, a decent camera, a good picture viewer, and a decent web browser so I could connect with Google mobile and view things like my calendar and email. Most of all, I needed a more robust platform so I could later add on programs depending on how my needs changed. What I needed was a smartphone. As replacing the En-V was not an emergency, I took my time shopping around. Even though I was with Verizon, I was willing to break the deal and jump to another car...

After much delay, the first open source phone is about to be released. It's the Neo FreeRunner ! Picture the iPhone, but with an open developer API enabling a PLETHORA of 3rd party apps! No, that's not quite right because it has a bunch of features that iPhone owners only wish they had. True 3G data speeds, wireless-N wi-fi, built-in GPS, Micro-SD expansion and a 400Mhz processor! Only $400 and available at the end of THIS month. I'll tell you who's about to have one...

I think it's a smart strategy. Instead of releasing a single, branded gPhone, the plan seems to be to get mobile carriers to release phones that run Google's Android platform . That's seriously clever. You end up with hundreds of gPhones, and an open platform for developers to create neat applications . Apparently Sprint/Nextel and T-Mobile have already signed up . AT&T has been iPhoned, so count them out. That leaves Verizon. I have a love-hate relationship with the "Can you hear me now?" company. On the one hand, they have phenomenal customer service, they usually have the latest and greatest phones, and I can actually understand my bill. But on the flipside, they are ridiculously expensive and their phones are all locked down with the same proprietary " Brew " software. I doubt Verizon will sign on to the Open Handset Alliance , but if they do, the ENTIRE game will change.

That's the rumor. And I hope it will put the iPhone in it's belly . Here's the Wired article , and a link to a blog entry with some details : "Other tidbits that I'm trying to recall based on questions I've recieved from readers: It's a modified Linux kernel There is integrated GPS and GoogleMaps (there were other things, I'll probably update this list once my memory is jogged by conversation during the show)" And the GPhone is a cool-ass name... UPDATE: Laptop Logic has a brief article which brings all of the rumors together and pieces together what may (or may not) be in store for the cell phone market in the next few months. The key words here are open, cheap, and Google. I'll be first in line!

The Neo is coming for you, iPhone. It's a Daywalker of sorts. All of your strengths (touch-screen, intuitive UI, app integration), but none of your weaknesses (no 3rd party apps, cell phone vendor lock-in). Perhaps the Neo should have been called the Blade .

Macs, macbooks, Apple TV's, iPhones, and all different types of iPods STINK! And I hate 'em! (For all those paying attention, that was a terribly clever Chappelle Show reference to Clayton Biggsby, the black White Supremist. ) I am an open source enthusiast. Not a fanatic or a purist, just an enthusiast. For example, I use Linux Mint instead of Ubuntu . Most casual readers of my blog will have no idea of the distinction, but suffice to say, it means I am solutions and results-oriented rather than being obsessed with the open source "cause" . Five years ago, I ditched Windows because I realized at some point that it was keeping me from doing what *I* wanted with *my* computer. I never looked back. But over time, many friends urged me to give "Mac" a try. "It's Unix under the hood", they would say. "It's linux with a makeover." "They support open source." Yadda yadda. So, I decided to give Apple a closer look....

As if on cue, the micro-blogging takes ridiculous to a whole new level . From the article: "Hictu is a new ‘microblogging’ system that lets you post short text, audio and video links and read others’ posts via web and mobile. It brings the bite-sized format made popular by Twitter, combines it with the aggregation of your personal feeds from services like Jaiku and Tumblr, and ads native audio and video support." I had to read that three times before I could figure out what it even MEANT! Hictu?! Are you f*cking serious?! My head is going to explode...

I know I'm supposed to be on hiatus while I'm out of town, but I had to talk about something that's been bugging the sh*t out of me. Twitter is f*cking everywhere!!! And it happens to be the single most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of . Who gave this guy money??? Because I actually have a GOOD business idea and I'd LOVE for the VC's who blew a few mil on Twitter to throw some my way. That way they could actually earn a RETURN on their investment!!! So, Twitter is this micro-blogging service that let's you post these SMS updates about your life. The late teens and 20-somethings (Millenials, so they are apparently called) are crazy for it. You get this avatar, and next to it are the updates that you sent in via SMS from your cell phone. Like this: Akshunj: 11:03am - "Watching Larry King in Chinese." Akshunj: 11:46am - "Thinking about steamed buns with pork for lunch." Akshunj: 1:28pm - "Steamed buns were good, but I...

This is the literally the holy grail of cellphones. Everything you know they can do, but haven't. Did you know we're over a year behind the Japanese and South Koreans in cell phone technology? Grrr. article