Buried in what occasionally reads like a love letter to Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, Fortune is the latest to proclaim that the iPhone is headed for Verizon, despite Seidenberg himself all but shooting down the possibility last month.

That so many Americans covet Verizon iPhones “is partly a testament to the efforts of Ivan Seidenberg,” insists Fortune, though in really it’s mostly a “testament” to AT&T’s inability to complete phone calls in the New York and San Francisco markets. Between blowing kisses, Fortune reconstitutes rumors already seen elsewhere, such as Apple and Verizon fighting over control, and the fact this first Verizon iPhone will be CDMA, not LTE:

…people familiar with its development say it is a fait accompli. Verizon, sources say, will sell its own version of the iPhone 4, which will work on Verizon’s CDMA-based 3G network. Unfortunately for globe trotters, the first version of the phone likely won’t be built to work outside the U.S. it probably won’t carry a special chip that can turn it into a “world phone.” However, it may have some of the features on the iPad distributed in Verizon’s stores, like live TV for customers of the FiOS cable service.

Apple supposedly won’t even consider an LTE iPhone until 2012, preferring to wait until initial headaches and battery life issues can be negotiated into the iPhone’s traditionally slim form factor.

That may not be a bad thing for say unhappy AT&T iPhone customers that just signed a long term contract to get the iPhone 4. Given AT&T’s new $325 ETFs are pro-rated (slowly reduced each month), waiting for an LTE Verizon iPhone would make more financial sense; assuming you’re an AT&T iPhone customer that can actually make phone calls with the device.

In other words, if Verizon does get the iPhone, expect the subscriber hit AT&T takes to be staggered and more pronounced in 2012, and expect AT&T to repeatedly proclaim the loss as “no big deal” during 2011. AT&T’s remaining confident in the face of non-exclusivity in part due to their new higher ETF, but also because they believe many subscribers are on family and business plans and can’t (or won’t) defect.

Link to the original article…

Back in June Hulu announced Hulu Plus, a $10 a month broadband video subscription service that is supposed to allow users to access entire back catalogs of TV shows above and beyond what’s available on free Hulu, albeit still with commercials. In August, a scathing study showed that the service really wasn’t worth much with 88% of the content already available for free via normal Hulu.

After significant criticism, Hulu is now considering reducing Hulu Plus to $5 a month according to Peter Kafka at AllThingsD:

Hulu is considering cutting the price of Hulu Plus, the subscription service it began testing in June, sources tell me. I’m told the video site is talking about slashing its $9.95 per-month fee in half, to $4.95… a price cut would indicate that consumers haven’t bought in to the pitch. That shouldn’t be a shock, considering the other video options that consumers have, and the limits that Hulu’s content providers have placed on the service.

As we noted earlier this week, Hulu’s made it very clear they don’t want to truly disrupt and reach their full Internet video potential for fear of upsetting their broadcast owners and that’s before they become part of an even larger Comcast media empire. Like other recent decisions, charging and paywalling first and considering whether you’re offering real value later falls right in line with typical broadcast/cable thinking.

It’s not clear if $5 a month would be any more compelling, though if you act now, Hulu will buckle to the most ridiculous demands of broadcasters at no additional cost.

Link to the original article…

Land Rover will be showcasing their most eco-friendly sport utility vehicle, the Land Rover Evoque during the Paris 2010 Motor Show on September 30th. However, some early information has already leaked out.

• Luxurious coupe design with a compact and more efficient footprint than other Range Rover models
• Targeting a new group of customers for the Range Rover brand
• Bold exterior is an evolution of Range Rover design language
• Strong, clean interior architecture with a contemporary and sporting feel
• Premium cabin with the high quality materials expected from a Range Rover.
• Available with full sized glass panoramic roof flooding the interior with natural light
• Use of efficient powertrain and advanced lightweight materials
• Smaller – at a 171 inches (434cm) it is 17 inches (432mm) shorter and 7 inches (178mm) lower than Range Rover Sport models
• Permanent all-wheel drive combined with turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an updated six-speed auto transmission deliver excellent perforrmance and fuel economy
• All-new 240 bhp 2.0-litre Si4 turbocharged engine combining six-cylinder refinement and performance with four-cylinder fuel economy
• All-new chassis specification delivers dynamic and agile handling across varied terrain, with optional Adaptive Dynamics featuring MagneRide™
• All-weather, all-surface capability with Land Rover Terrain Response®
• An extensive suite of Range Rover technologies including Bluetooth® audio streaming and optional Surround camera system
• To be sold in 160 countries worldwide, with deliveries from Fall 2011

With their new EcoBoost Si4 engine, the Evoque promises to be as fuel efficient as a 4-cylinder on the highway or in the city. With a release set for next Fall… I know what I’ll be saving for! No word on price yet though.

[ Links: Hello Evoque, Land Rover Evoque ]

Out with Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, a 30 year Nokia vet and in with Steven Elop, former president of Microsoft’s Business Division. Due to leave September 20th for his new digs as the Nokia CEO, no replacement has been announced at Microsoft to replace Steven Elop quite yet. Steve Ballmer has released a letter (see below) that announces Elop’s resignation and how Microsoft will continue forward.

CNET – In a late night press release, Nokia said it has hired Elop to replace Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, who will leave his position on Sept. 20. Kallasvuo, a 30 year Nokia veteran, will also leave the company’s board but remains non-executive chairman of Nokia Siemens Networks.

“The time is right to accelerate the company’s renewal; to bring in new executive leadership with different skills and strengths in order to drive company success,” Nokia Chairman Jorma Ollila said in a statement.

I wonder how this will effect the upcoming Nokia N8, Nokia N9 and MeeGo plans.

[ Links: CNET, Ballmer's Letter to Microsoft Employees ]

Bamboo, Microsoft Windows Phone 7 and a seriously sweet design that makes the Apple iPhone look like a dinosaur… do want.

Following the success of original S-series Bamboo Phone I, Enever Design has developed a modern sophisticated version that uses bamboo casing to imbibe organic aesthetic that compliments the subtle detailing of an ordinary design. The S7 has been outlined with special emphasis on two things. Firstly, the unique camera oriented shape shape which also happens to be the best part of the phone to facilitate handy clicks and secondly, the ability to meet the demands of the soon to be launched Window Phone 7 mobile operating system.

Sporting microSD, micro SIM and micro HDMI, this little mobile monster comes with a 8 megapixel with Xenon flash and is due to come out later this year. Price is not known yet though.

[ Links: Enever Design S7 Windows 7 Phone via The Design Blog ]

It’s been already noted that Motorola is building an Android-based tablet to be sold by Verizon later this year, with functionality tied to FiOS TV. Now come reports that HTC is building a Chrome-driven tablet computer for Verizon that will launch on November 26.

Tablet mania has clearly infected many ISPs, who will either be offer TV Everywhere Internet video apps for tablets (Comcast, Cablevision, AT&T, Time Warner Cable) or offering tablets themselves later this year. Much like the recent netbook craze, expect ISPs to give these things away at a subsidized price point if you sign a long-term wireless broadband contract.

Update: Verizon today also expanded on their iPad application ambitions today in great detail.

Update: Seems like this was a hoax. Damn.

Link to the original article…

It all started with Microsoft registering “arctouchmouse.com” in March of this year that started the speculation that Microsoft had indeed conjured up a touch variant of their Microsoft Arc Mouse. Now just a few months later, it seems like Microsoft has a bit of a leak and some of the product pictures have surfaced on the Internet, showing their upcoming multi-touch Arc Touch Mouse.

The unconventional looking mouse sports touch-based scrolling, replacing the scroll wheel with a sensor running between the buttons, and like a traditional mouse it can glide over flat surfaces using BlueTrack technology. As its name implies, the device has an arching palm rest to comfortably fit your hand, but the real kicker is that it can also flatten out for easier transportation. There’s also a battery level indicator and ultra-compact nano-transceiver for 2.4GHz wireless connectivity that disappears when not in use in the battery compartment.

Set to go on sale in October – looking like it might be released in Europe first, then the US – for around $69.95, the same price as the Apple multi-touch Magic Mouse.

[ Links: TechSpot, I Started Something ]

Back in June, the long-standing, to the point of being utterly ridiculous, rumor that Verizon was finally going to be getting the Apple iPhone popped up at Bloomberg with the outlet claiming “two people familiar with the plans” had confirmed a January launch. Now Techcrunch now claims the rumor may be true, given Apple has ordered a massive number of baseband CDMA Qualcomm chips. Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg is giving the keynote at CES this year in January, and it would certainly give him something to talk about.

That said, if the Apple iPhone hits in January, battery issues likely mean it won’t be dual mode and won’t be able to run on Verizon’s upcoming LTE network, which by January is expected to be available in 30 markets.

Link to the original article…

I’ve covered OQO news in the past, anticipated the OQO Model 02+ which was to come with their first Intel processor but somewhere along their timeline to come out with that model, OQO went out of business. Or did they?

From out of nowhere, OQO.CC has come forth with news about how they are/were the Chinese arm of the American OQO firm that went out of business officially in April of 2009, before the release of the OQO Model 02+. There are even official sounding specs on the device:

Operating system: Windows 7
Processor: 2.0 GHz Intel Z550
Memory: SSD 128GB
Memory: 2GB
LCD: 4.8-inch bright LCD screen (supports 1024X600)
Touch mode: Multi-touch
Graphics: Intel GMA500
Sound Performance: Built-in speaker and microphone
Communication: Wireless LAN, Bluetooth 2.0 chip, 3G, Ethernet (optional), etc.
Computer Interface: High-speed USB2.0 port headphone jack DC power input port HDMI port
Interface expansion slots: Power input port VGA port Ethernet interface (optional)
Input Devices: Built-in keyboard pointer keys
Battery Type: Polymer lithium battery
Power adapter: V AC 12 V DC/100-240
Supplied Accessories: Standard Battery Double the battery power adapter
Price: 31,888 yuan

While it looks very official and even has an official release date of Q3, 2010… that price is a killer. 31,888 Yuan translates to about $4700 USD. Ouch!

Guess my old OQO 01+ will have to wait to get replaced after all.

[ Links: OQO Chinese ]

An insider recently told Engadget that the company would be ditching unlimited wireless data pricing to shift to a billing model more like AT&T’s as soon as next week. While that wouldn’t be surprising given Verizon’s repeated hints at their interest in such a model, Verizon has also repeatedly said such a change would likely come with the launch of LTE service.

To hear Verizon CFO John Killian tell it, Verizon’s not making any data plan price changes anytime soon. Said Killian on Verizon’s recent conference call:

Our business is continuing to perform extremely well. You have not seen us rush out to make any kind of a change. We will continue to monitor the situation, of course, and look at opportunities that will say what is the best equation for us to drive long-term shareholder value, and we will be very focused on that. I cannot say enough, though, about the opportunity we see ahead given where we are today with smart phone penetration.

Killian then goes on to talk about 4G and note that tiered pricing will, as they’ve consistently said, likely arrive with LTE:

We have indicated in the past, as we move to an LTE world and LTE pricing, we will probably look very hard at tiered pricing, and that continues to be our thinking right now. So more to come on that. By the way, I should say that all of our efforts, all of our plans on getting LTE launched in the fourth quarter are on schedule.

The original Engadget rumor pegged July 29 as the date for the change, so we don’t have long to wait. Verizon LTE isn’t expected to launch anywhere until November 15.

Link to the original article…

Official word is that this is a “long ways” off, so there’s no date announced as of yet. Destined to come out on the current generation of videogame systems – so far the Sony PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 have been confirmed. I will express concern as to how uneven the mostly non-projectile but combo heavy Tekken fighters will fare against the projectile heavy and somewhat combo heavy Street Fighter warriors will be. Ultimately, I finally get to see who’d win between Akuma (Gouki) versus Heihachi Mishami.

Can’t wait.

[ Links: Street Fighter X Tekken Debut Video ]

On the heels of announcing that faster (10 Mbps+) HSPA+ wireless service is now available in 50 markets, T-Mobile this week tweeted that the company would be launching its first HSPA+ phone later this summer. The company may also be getting the Apple iPhone this fall, according to the Cult of Mac.

An anonymous source tells the website that it’s “80% likely” that the phone could arrive on T-Mobile during Q3 (well ahead of a rumored Verizon January 2011 launch), and talks between Apple and T-Mobile are “at an advanced stage.” Of course post-AT&T exclusive iPhone rumors veered beyond ridiculous long ago, so take this with a grain of salt. Or seventy grains of salt.

Link to the original article…