The value proposition just isn't there for the TMobile N1. On TMobile it is already possible to get a month to month contract and buy any of their phones at full price so there isn't a "different approach" here like Google claims.
That means that it all comes down the phone itself. Except that since family plan customers and customers on previous (before Even More...) TMobile plans aren't eligible to buy the N1 it turns out that it is available to the fewest TMobile subscribers of any phone they carry. I'm surprised that Google has sold as many N1's as they have.
Until TMobile fully embraces the phone (which seems unlikely given Google's middle man role) or Google delivers a phone that isn't effectively locked into a single carrier (read... supports 3G data access across multiple carriers) I don't expect to see much impact from the phone. In fact, in a little while when TMobile starts selling the HTC version of the N1 I expect we will see it outsell the Google N1. Nice idea Google but poorly executed.
Wow, I think Microsoft has finally hit upon a consumer strategy that might fly. After all the XBox is yet to break even and the Zune doesn't look much better. But if you put XBox, Zune and WinPho7 together you actually have a pretty compelling range of gaming platforms. Android doesn't have its act together in the gaming market and is just too fragmented, while Apple is too anti-innovation to support the gaming community in the long run.
Actually you aren't burning natural gas. That's one of the benefits because it greatly reduces the amount of pollution produced.
The technology for SOFCs is pretty well proven. The big issue is industrializing this to the point that installation and maintenance costs are practical. That has been the limiting factor. While I'd like to believe that Bloom has made a breakthrough in this area so far they've presented nothing but hype around this.
And as far as putting this into every backyard. Having one of these systems maintained at millions of households is hard to imagine. The units would have to be virtually maintenance free for a decade or more in order for the distributed maintenance costs to be low enough to even consider. Not to mention the strain on the existing natural gas distribution system.
If there is a real breakthrough here... trying to believe in spite of the lack of any evidence... then the big impact will probably be for corporate and industrial generation and possibly for utility substation-based generation.
2 major issues: 1) The new font for stories is much harder to read... 2) The new "top" of the site is huge and makes it impossible to see if there is anything new on engadget w/o scrolling down. This is a major disadvantage from the old site.
Overall, it looks slicker but for regular readers it's just harder to find and read what you want to see.
I remember this technology from over 20 years ago from speakermakers: Quad, Acoustat, Magnepan and Martin-Logan. What's new about this technology? Is it really cheap? The article doesn't tell us, instead it seems to imply that it's simply new which just isn't true. The author also apparently just accepts the idea that "highly direction sound" is a good thing. Since this implies that sound volume and clarity diminishes rapidly off-axis that would probably make this technology a very poor choice for PA systems where the goal is that sound volume and clarity will be consistent across a broad angle from the speaker. In general, this seems like a teaser that tells us that something interesting has happened and then really doesn't make any real effort to tell us what it is. It does sound like a reissued press release that wasn't really critically considered. As Engadget produces more and more of these kinds of "articles" it becomes less and less valuable and I begin to look elsewhere for meaningful news.
Things I would change: Highest priority software changes - virtual keyboard - auto-rotate - profile management app - make the main clock incorporate setting the time and alarms instead of separate app - add ability to support multiple google profiles for gmail / calendar / chat - web cam application using built-in camera - better camera application - better security app built-in (owner info-only mode, text phone to lock to fixed number dialing, text phone to get location) - ability to add a contact to a group via the phone (seem to only be able to do this via google contacts online) - group-based ringtones (everyone in group gets a particular ringtone) - Highest priority hardware changes - 3.5" headphone jack - eliminate "chin" (gets in the way too often) - make camera button easier to find and depress - make screen not wiggle when closed (makes it really hard to take decent pictures). Screen should fit tightly in-place when closed - better battery life
Google issues statement on Nexus One sales, touts Android Market's 30,000 apps
Mar 17th 2010 2:21PM (Engadget)That means that it all comes down the phone itself. Except that since family plan customers and customers on previous (before Even More...) TMobile plans aren't eligible to buy the N1 it turns out that it is available to the fewest TMobile subscribers of any phone they carry. I'm surprised that Google has sold as many N1's as they have.
Until TMobile fully embraces the phone (which seems unlikely given Google's middle man role) or Google delivers a phone that isn't effectively locked into a single carrier (read... supports 3G data access across multiple carriers) I don't expect to see much impact from the phone. In fact, in a little while when TMobile starts selling the HTC version of the N1 I expect we will see it outsell the Google N1. Nice idea Google but poorly executed.
Interview: Microsoft on integrating Xbox Live into Windows Phone 7 Series
Mar 11th 2010 8:24PM (Joystiq)Live from the Bloom Box press event
Feb 24th 2010 1:18PM (Engadget)Actually you aren't burning natural gas. That's one of the benefits because it greatly reduces the amount of pollution produced.
The technology for SOFCs is pretty well proven. The big issue is industrializing this to the point that installation and maintenance costs are practical. That has been the limiting factor. While I'd like to believe that Bloom has made a breakthrough in this area so far they've presented nothing but hype around this.
And as far as putting this into every backyard. Having one of these systems maintained at millions of households is hard to imagine. The units would have to be virtually maintenance free for a decade or more in order for the distributed maintenance costs to be low enough to even consider. Not to mention the strain on the existing natural gas distribution system.
If there is a real breakthrough here... trying to believe in spite of the lack of any evidence... then the big impact will probably be for corporate and industrial generation and possibly for utility substation-based generation.
Welcome to the next Engadget
Nov 21st 2009 11:56PM (Engadget)1) The new font for stories is much harder to read...
2) The new "top" of the site is huge and makes it impossible to see if there is anything new on engadget w/o scrolling down. This is a major disadvantage from the old site.
Overall, it looks slicker but for regular readers it's just harder to find and read what you want to see.
New flat-speaker tech could make public places even louder
Apr 3rd 2009 12:47AM (Engadget)How would you change the T-Mobile G1?
Dec 20th 2008 1:40AM (Engadget)Highest priority software changes
- virtual keyboard
- auto-rotate
- profile management app
- make the main clock incorporate setting the time and alarms instead of separate app
- add ability to support multiple google profiles for gmail / calendar / chat
- web cam application using built-in camera
- better camera application
- better security app built-in (owner info-only mode, text phone to lock to fixed number dialing, text phone to get location)
- ability to add a contact to a group via the phone (seem to only be able to do this via google contacts online)
- group-based ringtones (everyone in group gets a particular ringtone)
-
Highest priority hardware changes
- 3.5" headphone jack
- eliminate "chin" (gets in the way too often)
- make camera button easier to find and depress
- make screen not wiggle when closed (makes it really hard to take decent pictures). Screen should fit tightly in-place when closed
- better battery life