Google and Samsung Bring It

As I said yesterday, Google and Samsung introduced the Google Galaxy Nexus phone. It's a technical doozy:

Samsung started the press event by unveiling the Galaxy Nexus, an impressive new smartphone that the consumer electronics company codeveloped with Google to serve as the ICS launch device. Rumors about the device's lofty specs have been circulating for months. The highlight is its 4.65-inch Super AMOLED display with an impressive 1280x720 resolution. The device has a curved form factor that is said to give it a natural feel despite its large size.

The device also has a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP4 CPU, front and rear-facing cameras and 1GB of RAM. Samsung says that there will be separate models with HSPA+ and LTE connectivity available depending on region. Other connectivity features include Bluetooth, WiFi, and NFC. It also has the full array of sensors, including a built-in gyroscope and barometer. The device is scheduled to ship in November with Android 4 on board.

That'll be with the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software:

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich – taking cues from the Honeycomb tablet OS – uses the entire screen for navigation, with the usual Android buttons appearing on the interface itself as opposed to existing as physical hardware components. ICS introduces a smorgasbord of new features to the platform, including face recognition for unlocking, advanced voice integration, and an improved notification system.

It's a technological beast:
Sleek looking devices with technological advancements should up the cool factor but are people actually going to appreciate these features? How will it compare to the RAZR and the iPhone:

In the multimedia department, you won’t run out of options with either of these phones. The Droid RAZR and the iPhone 4S have 8-megapixel cameras at the back that can record full HD 1080p video. The Galaxy Nexus can also record 1080p video, but, surprisingly, Samsung put only a 5-megapixel shooter on Google’s phone, which is less than what we have seen on other phones from the manufacturer, such as the Galaxy SII. All three phones also have video chat cameras on the front.

I'm personally a multimedia guy and like to take pictures of my surroundings. The Nexus falls short, but not by much. It has tricks though:

If you’re looking for extra tricks from your phone, the Galaxy Nexus might be what you’re looking for. Out of the three phones, the Nexus is the only device with Near Field Communication support, which allows you to make wireless payments (at a small, but growing list of retailers), as well as to beam contacts, websites, apps or maps to other NFC-enabled devices by just bringing the phones together and making them touch.

So the Nexus has a lot of potential as a phone. We now have information as to when these phones come out:

Anyway, without any further adieu, a Verizon Wireless screen capture has surfaced online and is showing the “tentative” launch date for the HTC Rezound as well as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Droid HD (aka Droid RAZR). According to the image, all three of these handsets will be available on November 10th.

I expect these phones to be huge hits amongst the tech geeks of our generation, but I don't know how well it's going to do against the iPhone. The iPhone still is the most popular and "coolest" phone on the market. A lot of people own Androids, but I don't think the technological capabilities of the phone are tapped. It's hard for the general public to get excited about that.

That's not say these phones won't sell. Familiarity with the RAZR name will bring interest. The recommendations for the Galaxy Nexus will help that phone. They will still sell. I'm not sure they'll sell as well as the iPhone.

Sprint Outlook In An iPhone World

Sprint stock is cheap. It's really cheap. Does that make it a good investment though?

Well, Sprint just got the iPhone. That's huge, but they may have taken a huge gamble in getting it. They overpaid for the iPhone and made the mistake of telling everyone that they made that mistake:

“Friday was tough on the stock, tough on everybody in terms of the way it came across,” Hance said in an interview. “It was a mistake not to disclose the impact of the iPhone -- a mistake we will fix. We will talk about the impact when we talk about the third-quarter earnings."

As a company that has already shown that it has had problems becoming profitable, Sprint took a huge leap to get the iPhone on its network. The cache of having the iPhone on its network might have clouded the judgment of the executive who made this deal. What's worse is that they could not explain the purpose of the deal well to analysts:

Last week the laughter came from analysts at Sprint's investor meeting, where Mr. Hesse and executives laid out an inscrutable and incomplete financial plan that Wall Street's brightest admitted they could not make heads or tails of. Then Sprint dropped the bomb. It may need to go to the capital markets to fund a wireless business that, by now, ought to be spinning off loads of cash. The stock promptly plummeted 26% in an afternoon.

That just screams poor leadership. As an investor, you look at the management of the company and you have to be weary. They've made several poor decisions that has resulted in the continued evaporation of shareholder equity. You shouldn't catch a falling knife.

But is there upside to Sprint? While AT&T and Verizon both have delays on the new iPhone, Sprint has it available:

But Sprint, while it’s sold out of the 16GB model, still has the more expensive versions in stock, and its website says they’ll be delivered on Oct. 14 or 15.

While it suggests that the movement to Sprint for the iPhone has been slower than anticipated, it also means that people will have to go to Sprint if they want the iPhone. Remember, a lot of customers are under contract and don't want to go through the hassle of changing service. Furthermore, Sprint has the benefit of having better service:

The No. 3 U.S. wireless carrier does have its fans – a Consumer Reports survey last year ranked it even with Verizon in terms of overall customer satisfaction. It could be that AT&T and Verizon found more buyers for the expensive versions amid their corporate customer base. Or maybe Sprint’s just off to a slow start.

Sprint, unlike its competitors, offers unlimited data, which might be a huge draw for people who are sick of paying overages. I really think Sprint really needs time with the iPhone. No one should have expected it to have an immediate impact. I think people looked for phones more than service. Now that the playing field is leveling out, we should see a hunt for the best service. Sprint should be able to capitalize on this market shift.

Furthermore, Sprint has announced its plan to implement its 4G LTE network:

At its Oct. 7 meeting, Sprint had indicated its plans to take on additional debt to fund the rollout of their new higher-speed 4G LTE network by mid-2012. It had also earlier announced unlimited data plans for iPhone users.

We believe that if the company is able to lure iPhone users with its uncapped data plans and at the same time increase speeds and reduce costs by using its LTE network, the long-term prospects of the company looks good. However liquidity concerns arising from excessive debt on its balance sheet will continue to be a major deterrent to its business, and should this strategy not pay off, Sprint could be in dire straits.

Liquidity is at a premium in the market, given the ongoing concerns with debt throughout the world. However, Sprint should have some momentum with the iPhone buzz. While analysts are portraying the company negatively at the moment, there is a lot of reason to believe that Sprint will recover. Its services will only get better with the implementation of LTE and it should be able to distance itself from Verizon in that regard. It offers a better package than Verizon and AT&T, and as the consumers begin to realize that, this iPhone gamble will start to pay off for Sprint.

While Sprint may struggle in the short term, there is still plenty of upside as the company navigate to a 4g LTE world.

The New Old iPhone?

So people were expecting the announcement of the new iPhone 5. However, Apple only came out with the iPhone 4S. It does still seem good though:

So now everyone has a chance to have a personal assistant? The hardware is much improved, but it's heavier. I'm sure people are disappointed that the iPhone wasn't released, but this is a much improved iPhone. The iPhone is now global, amongst other relevant and fantastic features.

This is clearly to give it more punch in its tussle with Android:

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc., in its first product unveiling since Steve Jobs resigned as chief executive officer, introduced a faster iPhone with voice features and a higher- resolution camera to help it vie with Google Inc.'s Android.

Let's talk about that camera:

The iPhone 4S, available Oct. 14, will have a camera with 60 percent more pixels and can handle high-definition video. The device also relies on an “intelligent antenna system” that's designed to improve call quality and works with both CDMA and GSM wireless standards. Users will have up to 8 hours of talk time on one charge.

Apple has high hopes for it:

“For many customers, the iPhone 4S will be the best still camera they've ever owned, the best video camera they've ever owned, and it's with them all the time,” said Phil Schiller, a senior vice president in charge of product marketing.

This should enable it to compete directly with Android:

At stake is leadership in the market for smartphones, which is projected to double by 2015, when 1 billion of the handsets will be sold, according to research firm IDC. While Apple is the single biggest smartphone maker, the Android coalition leads the market, accounting for 41.7 percent.

The iPhone always does well when it is first released. It has the benefit of having the "it" factor that Android lacks. While phones like the Droid Bionic seem to be pushing technological advancements, the iPhone continues to be the preferred phone of those looking for user experience. Now, with the new camera, it should attract those who have been moving to Android for phones like the Droid X which features a 8 megapixel.

Apple's stock may be down on the day, but I think the release of this new phone is setting up for another big quarter for the Cupertino company. It would be one thing if Apple was bringing nothing new to the table, but they are bring improved hardware and global capabilities. The Apple iPhone 4S will prove to be another hit.

I'm Getting an iPhone!!!

NEW IPHONE!

One would be based on GSM/UMTS standard that powers AT&T’s network, while another would be compatible with CDMA, the standard used by Verizon. The announcement would come in June or July, when Apple normally announces new iPhone models.

I really hope this is true because I will get an iPhone within seconds of its release on the Verizon Network.

Smart Phone Showdown: Follow Up

PC World published an article stating why the Nexus is better than all other smart phones:

With such major differences in hardware between the Nexus One and older generations of Android phones, it's likely that the 2.1 update will take a while to filter down to the other Android phones, some of which were not speedy even with the initial release of the OS. To back this up, Android phones manufacturers are still using inexact timeframes for the arrival of 2.1 on older devices.

It also goes onto praise the iPhone and its users' ability to download the latest software:

Take in comparison Apple - even on the original iPhone (2007), you can still run the latest software update (3.1.2), albeit not as fast as on the iPhone 3GS and without certain features such as GPS or video recording. However, iPhone users, old or new, have always had the choice to freely upgrade to the latest software version, usually within days of the launch of the new version.

It should be interesting how effective Google's software updates are in comparison to Mac. We already know that Mac has a very effective way of offering updates.

Smart Phone Showdown: iPhone vs Google's Nexus

A showdown between two of the largest players in the high-tech industry appears to be on the horizon. Google appears to be ready to take on Apple with the introduction of their Nexus smart phone. The ongoing theme in the industry recently has been to compare the two in order to forecast a prediction about the Nexus' success. While the iPhone has been a huge hit and is probably the most popular phone in the industry, it is very likely for the search engine supernova's Nexus to receive a huge reception as well.

I have a Mac, but I use Google a lot and I'm intrigued by both phones. I have a friend who was a PC guy, but worked on Macs all summer programming iPhone applications. He bought a Mac computer as a result and has been itching to get an iPhone. However, since news of the Nexus came out, he has changed his wishlist to include the Nexus. Brand loyalty will certainly be a factor. Unfortunately, the iPhone is not offered on my network (Verizon), and the Nexus looks like it will be offered to T-Mobile and AT&T customers:

Virtually all the information on the Google Nexus One that come out so far indicates that it will fully support only T-Mobile's network, including its 3G network. The version that was approved by the FCC has support for only T-Mobile's version of HSPA, so AT&T customers using this device will limited to voice and the 2.5G standard EDGE.

However, an unconfirmed report says that Google is not going to put all its eggs in one basket, and will offer a second version of this Android OS smartphone with support for AT&T's 3G service.

Color me as one of the people that is kind of disappointed by this revelation. However, I'm glad that I will be able to see the kind of reception that the phones will get. I currently have a Blackberry, and I can't say that I'm at all disappointed with it. When I first saw the iPhone, I noticed that people were always on their phone to check everything. It's cool to have that tool at hand, but you just look so self-involved when you have it. I thought the same of Blackberry users.

Then I got the Blackberry, and I started doing the same thing. Then my Blackberry broke, so I was without a phone for a little while. It taught me to get back to who I was. Once I got my replacement phone, I started using it less than I had with my previous phone. Yeah, it's still a great tool to have. However, while I may still check my phone more than I should, I definitely check it less than before. The benefit of the Nexus not being on my network is that I won't buy it any time soon and that I won't be checking it all the time because of how proud I am to own one.

Early reports of the Google Nexus have come out from some Google employees who received them to try out. Reviews and reports have made it to media outlets, and Attack of the Show has this interview with engadget.com's Joshua Topolsky:

This was about a month ago, and as more information about the Nexus has come out, more comparisons, predictions, and analysis have been made about its impact on the cell phone industry and in particular its competition with the iPhone. A Gerson Lehrman Group analysis had this to say:

Existing iPhone users may find it hard to come up with any serious complaints on the new Google phone. However, the minimal differences are not likely to be enough for users to switch and go through the trouble of learning the new system. Still, if a new buyer that has not used either system compared them side-by-side, there may be a higher probability this time in choosing Google’s new version.

In fact, we anticipate that users will find it to be very iPhone-like. They are both about the same size, with perhaps the Nexus One, being a little thinner. They both will have a full soft keyboard touchscreen.

Of course, the Nexus One will not have nearly as many applications, but almost all of them are free. It has also been developed to be exactly opposite the iPhone, which is very locked down and in which so many people control the particular apps that can be put on the device.

While the Nexus appears to offer a high speed processor along with a better screen, camera, and two speakers, I think what will determine its success will be how it performs. What's more important than sales success for me as a consumer of a phone is my ability to get the most out of my phone. The iPhone offers so much, but with its exclusive contract with AT&T, AT&T's network has struggled to provide the support necessary for the phone. The iPhone signified a huge boost in the amount of data that AT&T's network had to handle. It has not been up to the challenge and its competitors have benefited as a result.

Why is it that people continue to buy Blackberry's when the iPhone is a better phone? The Network and ability to use a phone is paramount. Verizon is annihilating AT&T about its 3G network, and the reason why Verizon's 3G network is better is because of the iPhone. Whether Google's Nexus is tied down to a single carrier or whether it is unlocked for the world will have a significant effect on how it is viewed. Google could set a new trend by foregoing exclusivity. The idea of having a contract is that the carrier will subsidize the cost of the phone. It's a deal that works out well for both the carrier and the phone producer. However, the consumers suffer because they can't get the most out of their phone. If the Nexus is unlocked, users can be free to join whatever network they want without a strict long-term contract.

As far as news about the iPhone, it appears that Apple will try to get not renew its exclusive contract with AT&T and look to be available on other providers as well. It looks like Verizon could be in the future of the iPhone, according to CNET:

Gene Munster, senior research analyst for investment bank Piper Jaffray, said in a research note to clients 0Wednesday that he believes there is a 70 percent chance that Apple will launch a new iPhone with Verizon in 2010. Munster puts the timing of such a move around the middle of the year.

That makes sense, since Apple has used June and July to launch all three of its iPhone models. The company also used the summer months to debut the App Store in 2008. It seems reasonable to speculate that Apple would continue with its schedule of introducing a new iPhone in mid-2010.

Munster said a move to Verizon would more than double Apple's current potential market by 89 million subscribers, adding to the already 82 million available on AT&T.

Of course, at this point the big problem is Apple's arrangement with AT&T as its exclusive carrier in the U.S. That deal is widely thought to end in 2010, although talks between the two companies are said to be ongoing, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Here's the Wall Street Journal article, for reference. While the iPhone may still be locked into contracts with carriers, a move away from exclusivity would make a great deal of sense as it would open the phone up to many more potential customers. I don't know if I personally would buy a iPhone immediately, but it would be a welcome addition to the Verizon line up. Regardless, with the increased competition in the market for phones, the consumer is the one that should benefit. 2010 should introduce a Cold War type arms race to put the best phone with the best services on the market.

Get your popcorn out, it's a smart phone showdown.