Skype Not Available on Android Market? Get Tango!

October 4, 2010

Skype is still not available on most Android phones

The Skype application is still missing in action for most Android users.

After a private screening of the movie “The Social Network” on Friday in Redwood City, I chat with someone from Skype that assured me the VOIP application was already available for my phone.

At that point, I though that it was game over for Palo Alto, Calif.-startup Tango that just launched at GigaOM’s Mobilize conference, a Skype-like app for smartphones (Android and iPhones) which does audio and video calls over the data network (3G or WiFi).

But when I checked back this morning to do a Skype call with my Android phone (Nexus One on T-Mobile), I realised the Skype app is still only available to Android phones on the Verizon network. Bummer!

So I decided to try out Tango for my all my VOIP calls and have fun with the video calling feature that is, in many ways similar to the Apple iPhone 4 FaceTime video phone call application… but for the rest of us! More on Tango later.

Skype better get its act together, sooner rather than later. Because, although it takes 2 to Tango, Skype might just not be part of the dance for very much long!

3 Comments | news, startups, wireless | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by TechPulse 360

Antennagate: Jobs Fires iPhone 4 Hardware Chief

August 9, 2010

What do you do after your product gets leaked to the media months before it’s ready, and after it launches, you realize it’s the buggiest iPhone ever and in a desperate move, you post bogus videos of competiting phones?

Well… you just hope your boss is not Steve Jobs!

Joke aside, this is exactly what happened to Mark Papermaster who joined Apple under  20 months ago and “resigned” over the weekend from his position as Senior Vice President of Devices Hardware Engineering a.k.a. iPhone 4 Hardware Chief.

And this, after a long struggle for Apple to get Papermaster from the clutches of IBM where he had given a good 25 years.

The empty spot will be now taken over by Bob Mansfield, the SVP of the Mac hardware team. Mansfield was also actively involved with the architecture of the iPhone 4, which makes him, for Jobs, the best choice Papermaster.

Hey Steve! Now that you’ve fired the half-culprit of the iPhone 4 fiasco (the other one is you, remember?), don’t you think it’s time to replace the cute iBrick 4 and give us something we can actually use? Just a thought.

Techpulse 360

1 Comment | Apple, Mobile, news, wireless | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by TechPulse 360

[Video] Death Grip Is Unique To Apple iPhone 4, UK Tests confirms

August 2, 2010

So there you have it.

As most of us knew, but only a few (like TechPulse 360) were brave enough to speak out, Apple screwed up in its iPhone 4 antenna design. And pointing to similar problems at competitors phone revealed to be… well pointless!

To the point that Apple was forced over the weekend to erase all its flawed claims from its website after a report from PA Consulting Group confirmed that the “death grip” or “antennagate” is indeed unique to the iPhone 4.

“In the majority of the tests PA’s wireless technologists found the iPhone 4’s performance was in the same range as the other smartphones tested (Blackberry 9700, HTC HD2), but it was consistently at the lower end of that range. And, as found by other testers, when used in the “death grip”, the iPhone4’s performance was significantly worse than other smartphones,” writes the UK-based firm.

Now what?

Steve, recall the damn thing and fix it once and for all, instead of inventing flaws at other phones that don’t exist! And if it’s not too much asking, don’t forget to apologize to your customers and fans too!

1 Comment | Apple, Mobile, wireless | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by TechPulse 360

Analyst: Apple Must Fix iPhone Faulty Antenna Design

July 21, 2010

In a report published today, MobileTrax principal analyst Gerry Purdy calls Apple to fix the iPhone 4 faulty antenna design.

Apple will need to fix the faulty design of the iPhone antenna. I can assure you that the iPhone 5 won’t have that problem. It might have another problem, but it won’t continue the antenna problems in the iPhone 4. I’m confident that Apple engineering will ensure the future iPhone (and iPad) products will have antennas that work properly.

Apple’s faulty design has consumers wonder if they should buy Apple’s smartphone or not

It has been a real nightmare for Apple, certainly a cause for consternation with millions of iPhone customers, and perhaps a “Wait a minute, should I buy one of these?’ hesitation for a number of prospective iPhone buyers.

And the real winner of Apple’s “Antennagate” ? Antenna engineers!

Simply holding a device should not interfere in any significant way with the network signal reception. And Antennagate will cause other firms such as HTC, Motorola, RIM and Samsung to increase antenna design capabilities to ensure that they won’t have a repeat of the same problem as Apple experienced. It should be a ‘field day’ for antenna design consultants to help all SmartPhone manufacturers fix antenna problems.

5 Comments | Apple, hardware, news, wireless | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by TechPulse 360

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